Submission Guidelines
Welcome to the triannual issue of Shark News – the official IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Shark Specialist Group (SSG) magazine. Shark News provides a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of shark, ray, and chimaera conservation matters for SSG members and the general interested audience.
We would like to invite the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) members to submit written contributions.
Please contact the Communications Team and Program Officer.
Please contact the Communications Team and Program Officer.
The deadline for submission of contributions for the June 2025 issue (#12) is April 1, 2025.
Shark News was the official IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) newsletter from June 1994 to October 2004. In 2021, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the SSG, we revived this newsletter into a modern magazine to provide a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of shark, ray, and chimaera conservation matters for SSG members and the general interested audience.
We want to publish articles:
We will not publish original scientific data but aim to complement scientific journals. Published material will represent the authors' opinions only, not those of the IUCN or the Shark Specialist Group.
Dates: Publication dates are dependent upon available resources and receiving sufficient material for publication; hopefully, two issues per annum in January and July. The latest deadline for the following issue is indicated above this text in red.
Contributions: Manuscripts should preferably be written in English. Please send your manuscript and complementary documents to the Communications Team and Program Officer at the latest six weeks before the above-mentioned publication dates. If you would like to share your article in another language, please contact the Communications Team and Program Officer, and we will try to arrange a translation, and publish your contribution in both languages.
Media: Photographs, tables and figures must include captions and credits, preferably be in vector format, or alternatively, in uncompressed JPEG or TIFF (or RAW) format with a resolution of 2,000 pixels at least, but preferably higher in their original size and format.
Type and length of features (word counts include titles and references):
Writing style: This newsletter goes to members of the general public, managers and policy-makers, and chondrichthyan specialists, fisheries scientists and the conservation community. We need a clear and brief style of writing that is easy to understand. It is also essential to break up the text with sufficient sub-headings and provide one or two photographs or graphics. There is room for small tables, but nothing too long and complicated. Please visit the following pages for more information on our standards on:
Credits: Author's name, affiliation and address must be provided, with their email address and social network links (e.g., webpage, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Please provide credits for all submitted photographs or illustrations with the manuscript.
We want to publish articles:
- dealing with shark, ray, and chimaera fisheries, conservation, and population status issues around the world;
- circulate information on other relevant publications, scientific papers, policy or trade updates, and 'hot topics';
- alert our readers to current threats to sharks, rays, and chimaeras;
- and, provide news of upcoming relevant meetings, conferences, and events.
We will not publish original scientific data but aim to complement scientific journals. Published material will represent the authors' opinions only, not those of the IUCN or the Shark Specialist Group.
Dates: Publication dates are dependent upon available resources and receiving sufficient material for publication; hopefully, two issues per annum in January and July. The latest deadline for the following issue is indicated above this text in red.
Contributions: Manuscripts should preferably be written in English. Please send your manuscript and complementary documents to the Communications Team and Program Officer at the latest six weeks before the above-mentioned publication dates. If you would like to share your article in another language, please contact the Communications Team and Program Officer, and we will try to arrange a translation, and publish your contribution in both languages.
Media: Photographs, tables and figures must include captions and credits, preferably be in vector format, or alternatively, in uncompressed JPEG or TIFF (or RAW) format with a resolution of 2,000 pixels at least, but preferably higher in their original size and format.
Type and length of features (word counts include titles and references):
- Feature articles should be 2,000–3,000 words and may include several high-quality photographs and illustrations.
- Lead articles, with 2-4 good size photographs and illustrations, should be no more than 1,300–1,500 words.
- A full-page (2 column) article with good-sized illustration(s) and image(s) should be 700-900 words.
- A half-page article should be 450–550 words (370–420 words leaves some space for one illustration or photograph).
- Short news communications and letters are also welcome.
Writing style: This newsletter goes to members of the general public, managers and policy-makers, and chondrichthyan specialists, fisheries scientists and the conservation community. We need a clear and brief style of writing that is easy to understand. It is also essential to break up the text with sufficient sub-headings and provide one or two photographs or graphics. There is room for small tables, but nothing too long and complicated. Please visit the following pages for more information on our standards on:
Credits: Author's name, affiliation and address must be provided, with their email address and social network links (e.g., webpage, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Please provide credits for all submitted photographs or illustrations with the manuscript.
