Frequently Asked Questions

About publishing in Mycotaxon

What sorts of articles does Mycotaxon publish?
Who may publish in Mycotaxon?
Are there page charges for publishing in Mycotaxon?
Do authors receive free reprints of their articles?
How is the peer-review process handled by Mycotaxon?
Will Mycotaxon consider articles rejected by other journals?
How soon after submission can I expect my article to appear in print?
Where can I find detailed instructions to authors?

About subscribing to Mycotaxon and about the books we sell

Why all the different prices?
Why do you now ask for an annual subscription?
Can I begin a subscription in mid-year?
How do I subscribe or order back volumes?
What mycological books do you offer?

About Mycotaxon's origins and future, this website, and our T-shirt

Who started the journal, when, and why?
Why were the current journal format decisions made?
What do the Editors and Editorial Advisory Board do?
When will Mycotaxon become a full-text on-line journal?
Who designed this website and the Mycotaxon T-shirt?

Answers to FAQs
What sorts of articles does Mycotaxon publish?
Mycotaxon is dedicated to articles in English or in French whose primary focus is on taxonomy or nomenclature of fungi. Papers on other subjects such as ecology of fungi, ultrastructure of fungi, mushroom cultivation, pathology, etc., unless the study has very specific taxonomic implications, should be submitted to some other mycological journal. Distribution lists and maps, floras, and papers describing techniques useful to taxonomists are, for example, considered taxonomic. The audience for Mycotaxon is the international community of scholars engaged in research on fungal taxonomy and all interested in the nomenclature of fungi and lichens as governed by the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature. back to list of questions
Who may publish in Mycotaxon?
Anyone, professional or amateur, who has something to contribute to the taxonomy and nomenclature of fungi may submit articles for consideration. This is not a membership journal, and authors submitting articles do not need to be subscribers. back to list of questions
Are there page charges for publishing in Mycotaxon?
Unless your articles exceed 100 printed pages in any one volume, or have more than two halftones for every ten pages of manuscript, there are no page charges. Excess pages beyond 100 are billed (currently at $18 per page, though the Editor-in-Chief may waive partial excess charges if financial support is not available to the author). Halftones in excess of the allowance are also billed (currently at $20 each). There is no charge for line drawings. back to list of questions
Do authors receive free reprints of their articles?
We no longer provide free offprints to authors. They may be purchased directly from our printer, who also can supply a PDF version of your article with halftones changed to permit faster internet downloads (fewer dots per inch). We do, on request to info@mycotaxon.com, send the corresponding author one copy of the printed paper (a so-called tear sheet) immediately on publication from which xerographic copies can be made to serve as reprints. back to list of questions
How is the peer-review process handled by Mycotaxon?
Unlike many other journals, Mycotaxon places the burden of finding appropriate peer reviewers outside their own institution on the authors themselves. We believe that authors know best who constitute highly respected reviewers in their field of research. Authors submit a fully formatted manuscript prepared according to our Instructions for Authors (accessible by clicking here) to reviewers of their choice, accompanied by a copy of our Guidelines for Reviewers (accessible by clicking here). Signed pre-submission peer reviews and the completed Reviewer's Report Form must accompany the manuscript when it is submitted. The Editor-in-Chief has the option of contacting the reviewers or of submitting the manuscript to still additional reviewers in the Editor's sole judgement. back to list of questions
Will Mycotaxon consider articles rejected by other journals?
We have very strict rules about papers that have been submitted elsewhere and rejected, whether or not they have since been revised. We will gladly consider such papers, but authors are obliged to advise the Editor-in-Chief of that previous rejection, and to provide a copy of the paper in the original form in which it was rejected together with copies of all rejection comments by reviewers or editors of that article and an appeal from the author as to why the article merits further consideration in our journal. The Editor-in-Chief will carefully screen such submissions, and authors should be aware that such papers may take much longer to process than papers that have not been rejected by another journal. Failure to follow these rules will result in automatic rejection of all future manuscripts submitted by such authors. back to list of questions
How soon after submission can I expect my article to appear in print?
We aim at publication of acceptable manuscripts within six months of submission. back to list of questions
Why all the different prices?
We provide the journal to individuals below cost, in the belief that multiusers, such as libraries and industrial subscribers, should help bear the ever-increasing costs of publication. We have three prices for both of these groups, reflecting differences in mailing costs to addresses in (a) the United States, (b) Canada/Mexico, and (c) "other" foreign countries, with (b) and (c) mailed by ISAL air-assist. back to list of questions
Why do you now ask for an annual subscription?
Nearly all journals and magazines have an annual subscription. In the past we billed after each volume. Now that Mycotaxon typically produces four volumes a year, the high cost of invoicing four times a year has forced us to reconsider, and to begin a policy of annual subscriptions. If a subscriber decides to cancel during the year, a full refund for all paid-for but undelivered volumes will of course be sent. back to list of questions
Can I begin a subscription in mid-year?
Certainly! Just tell us when you become a new subscriber the volume number with which you want to begin. We'll invoice you for that volume plus any others to appear before year's end. back to list of questions
Who started the journal, when, and why?
Professors Richard Korf (Cornell University) and Grégoire Hennebert (Université Catholique de Louvain) began plans for the journal in 1972, believing that a need existed for a mycological journal devoted solely to taxonomy and nomenclature of fungi, including lichens. A prime motive was to reduce the time between submission and publication. They were the original Co-Editors of the journal. Publication commenced in 1974. Mycotaxon is abstracted in essentially all abstracting journals worldwide, and tables of contents appear in Current Contents and similar resources. back to list of questions
Why were the current journal format decisions made?
Hennebert and Korf initially decided that a 6x9 inch page format which fits on most bookshelves was appropriate. We continue to deplore the many changes in format size by other journals, which cause filing problems in personal and institutional libraries. Worse yet, we deplore the many name-changes in journal titles that seem to be the current fashion. We have no plans to alter format size or the title of Mycotaxon.
The original Co-Editors also decided that archival insecurity and ecological danger meant that glossy paper was not an option. In particular they wanted to avoid some glossy pages (for halftones) interspersed with regular archival paper, as some journals do. Authors who require glossy paper for reproduction of high dot-per-inch reproduction of halftones, such as those used in transmission electron microscopy, can surely find another journal to suit their needs. Reproduction of most halftones with 150 dot-per-inch screens seems adequate for Mycotaxon, as we believe you will discover on examination of a copy.
back to list of questions
What do the Editors and Editorial Advisory Board do?
The Editor-in-Chief (currently Lorelei L. Norvell) is the final authority on what is published in Mycotaxon and appoints the Assistant Editors. Their names and respective duties, postal addresses, e-mail addresses, and websites (if they have one) can be accessed from here.
The Editorial Advisory Board does not work with manuscripts, but instead functions to advise the Editor-in-Chief and the corporation that provides financial stability for the journal, Mycotaxon, Ltd., on policy matters. Their names, postal addresses, e-mail addresses, and websites (if they have one) can be accessed from here.
back to list of questions
When will Mycotaxon become a full-text on-line journal?
Probably not in the near future, but it is certainly one of the options being explored by the Editorial Advisory Board. Many back volumes are already available on-line courtesy of Cyberliber. See "Other News" on our home page for the most recent details. back to list of questions
Who designed this website and the Mycotaxon T-shirt?
Full credit for both belongs to Noni K. Vidal. For the website she worked with ideas furnished by her father, who in turn thanks his student, Kathie Hodge, of Virtual Library fame, for helpful advice. For the T-shirt, she had input from Dick, Pavel, and Teresa. To see it, check out this link to our T-shirt. back to list of questions