About This Journal
The Iowa Academy of Science began publishing the Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Sciences in 1883 and continued until 1987 when it became known as the peer-reviewed Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science. The change coincided with the 100th Annual Meeting of the Academy concluding a process that began in 1971 when the Proceedings became a quarterly periodical which included papers that had not been presented at the previous annual meeting.
Some of the goals of that change were to provide a place for the publication of important regional studies, an opportunity for the immediate publication of timely data, and to permit those who report on very recent work at the meetings to have more time to prepare their manuscripts.
Articles cover all areas of science, particularly disciplines associated with the 12 scientific sections of the Academy. Many articles are on the biological sciences, conservation, and Iowa related research. On occasion, the Academy has printed special additions including the 2000 special issue Investigating Amphibian Declines: Proceedings of the 1998 Declining Amphibians Conference. In July of 2015 the Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science became an online publication.
Accessibility
The Journal is published by the Iowa Academy of Science through the services of Allen Press. It is conveniently available online to IAS Members, libraries, and other subscribers beginning with Volume 120 (2013). The Journal is listed with CrossRef and EBSCO and may be also searched through common search engines. Libraries wanting to link directly to the Journal should contact the Iowa Academy of Science.
Publication Policy
Peer reviewed manuscripts will be sent to reviewers within 14 to 30 days of submission. The Iowa Academy of Science uses a double-blind review process where the identity of the reviewers and the authors are hidden from each other. Authors should expect requests for revisions to begin at about 60 days from submission. The process from submission, through review, revisions, acceptance and publication is expected to require 4 months. As an online Journal we are able to add articles to an issue as they become ready for publication.
Subscriptions
The Journal is distributed to Professional Members and the libraries of Institutional Members as part of their membership. Subscriptions for non-members including individuals and libraries may be purchased by contacting the IAS Office. Subscriptions to the Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science may be purchased at an annual rate of $22 (U.S. Dollars).
The first online issue will be Volume 120 (1-4, 2013 published in 2015) is near completion. Articles for Volume 121 (2014) are under review.
Volunteer Opportunities
Reviewers:
-- Receive manuscripts and work with the Editor and Associate Editor.
-- Review manuscripts for science content.
-- Reviewers read manuscripts in their area(s) of expertise.
-- Manuscripts are expected to be reviewed in 30 days.
-- Reviewers may accept or decline reviewing a manuscript.
-- To volunteer as a reviewer please submit your CV to the Academy for consideration using the form below.
Associate Editors:
-- Receive manuscripts submitted for peer review from the Editor.
-- Assist the Editor in selecting reviewers from the Academy reviewer volunteers.
-- Work with reviewers and the Editor to have manuscripts reviewed in a timely fashion.
-- Make recommendations to the Editor to accept or reject manuscripts
Manuscripts accepted by the Journal
The Journal accepts manuscripts in the following areas:
- Scientific research for peer-review
- Articles of general interest
- Book reviews
- Annotated bibliographies
- Documented informed commentaries
- Iowa Junior Academy of Science invited research manuscripts
The Iowa Science Teaching Section (ISTS) Journal is now published in the IAS Journal. The section accepts articles on science teaching techniques including experiments, laboratory exercises, lecture demonstrations, etc.
Volunteer to be an Associate Editor or Reviewer
The Iowa Academy of Science greatly values the work of Associate Editors and reviewers for the Journal. Scientific progress depends on the communication of scientific information. The Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science plays an important role in the dissemination of this information in Iowa. Manuscripts submitted by faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students are accepted by the Journal. Submissions for peer review must represent original research and not be published or under review by other publications. The work of associate editors and reviewers is critical to this endeavor.
We are building a group of editors and reviewers to prevent interruptions in our publishing schedule and to keep the work load light for everyone. We currently have openings for reviewers in all areas and plan to expand the number of Associate Editors as demand dictates. The Journal review process is double-blind. An important component of this effort is our goal to publish accepted manuscripts online within 4 months of the original submission date. Please feel free to contact the IAS office if you have questions.