About the Journal

Focus and Scope

The goal of Herpetology Notes (HN) is to offer a publishing venue for those wishing to publish herpetological minutiae quickly and make their work easily accessible to a wide readership. The Editorial Team consists of an Editor-in-Chief, four Managing Editors, and many Associate Editors, with suitable specializations, in an attempt to make publication in HN fast, straightforward, and author-friendly. We believe that HN is best placed to serve in the publication of natural history notes, range extensions, or other short observations relevant to the field of herpetology, which might otherwise remain unpublished, hidden in larger papers, or relegated to the "grey" literature (such as governmental reports or society newsletters). HN is global in scope, and we welcome contributions from anyone interested in herpetology.

It is our aim to rapidly publish short papers (< ten printed pages), in order to assemble a database of herpetological knowledge on a broad spectrum of topics, including especially the natural history and distribution of amphibians and reptiles. Descriptive papers on the morphology or genetic variability (e.g., DNA barcoding) and marker development (e.g., microsatellite loci) are also appreciated. Papers including taxonomic decisions (e.g., descriptions of new species) are not accepted. 

Peer Review Process

All Full Articles (generally > ten manuscript pages) will be subjected to peer review by two external reviewers and one or more members of the Editorial Team. Short Articles (including natural history notes and geographic distribution notes) will generally be reviewed by one external reviewer and a member of the Editorial Team. All Short Articles should be accompanied by a letter of recommendation (a "pre-peer review") that attests their relevance and quality.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content under CC BY-NC 4.0 on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.

Journal History

Herpetology Notesis an online-only and open access journal (CC BY-NC 4.0), published by the Societas Europaea Herpetologica (SEH) besides its main flagship journal, Amphibia-Reptilia. Processing, editing and typesetting of manuscripts is carried out by an international team of editors. The current rejection rate is around 15%. Manuscripts that do not follow the editorial style will not be considered for publication and will be sent back to the authors. Recent issues of Herpetology Notes should be consulted before submitting a manuscript.