Mission, Values, and Philosophy

The mission of the Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTTis to serve the biodiversity community of researchers and conservationists by providing quick & easy access to peer-reviewed publications critical to their respective fields for conservation and/or for academic research & interest. 

JoTT is established to build evidence for conservation and allied fields including and not restricted to taxonomy, ecology, disease, surveys, assessments, management, etc. to the wildlife community, scientists, academics, educators, policy makers, managers, and the general public.

JoTT charges a very reasonable article processing fee to publish.  It follows the ‘Gold Open Access' standards where readers are not charged for subscription. There are no page charges or any other hidden charges apart from the article processing charge.

JoTT strives to maintain high scientific standards in this regard, encourages a broad stream of subject areas, authors, global participation, and publications without bias or prejudice.

JoTT does not promote exclusivity in its choice of publications or pursue popular practices to build up the journal marketing benchmark of higher impact.

JoTT does not select manuscripts to publish with marketing intensions at the cost of invaluable data to science.

JoTT mentors new entrants and others in publishing scientific articles of high standard through the participation of several volunteer scientists (for peer review & editing) from around the world.

JoTT helps with English language editing of articles, to those in need of such assistance and from non-native English speaking countries, to bring it to standards of adequate communication.

 

What does 'threatened taxa' mean?

One of the first things to come to the mind about ‘threatened taxa’ is that of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the classification of the threatened categories in that, viz.: Critically Endangered, Endangered, and Vulnerable. However, JoTT does not restrict itself to taxa (phyla, groups, families, orders, species, subspecies, varieties, forms or populations) that are threatened with extinction as defined by the IUCN Red List. The term 'threatened' in JoTT is defined broadly to include all forms of taxa and their ecosystems, with the premise that the natural world today is threatened and therefore its taxa. Taxa could be threatened in several different ways, not only in their status in the wild. Lack of knowledge about a species or subspecies or a population is a threat as priorities could be compromised due to deficiency in data. Taxa scientifically described for the first time are under threat from data deficiency in their distribution, status, ecological needs, etc. Any taxon could be under threat in a location due to the changes in habitat or quality. Ecological changes, changes in land use, socio-economic changes, human influenced changes, alien introduced species, wrong reintroduction practices, new emerging diseases, social and political unrest, improperly planned national and international wildlife and conservation legislations, constant changes in taxonomy, global climate change, and other factors that keep our environment and ecosystems in a constant flux can have widespread or localized impacts on taxa. In some instances even the so-called Least Concern species could be impacted locally or widely due to the above factors. Of late, the onus is on select species with known ecological roles, or with a beneficial role in the ecosystem (for humans), which overshadows the need or importance for lesser-known and less-understood taxa inherently threatening them. The aim of JoTT is to eliminate threats to taxa and the ecosystems by rapid and timely publication of important taxonomic and conservation findings through a proper process of peer review.

 

The Logo

The beautiful JoTT logo is designed by the famous Stephen Nash based on the concept of ‘Green Man’ found in cultural contexts almost throughout the world. Traditionally, the Green Man is depicted by a human or animal face with plant material enveloping the sides or originating from within the face. Its relevance to today's world is much stronger, its inherent symbolism of humans being an integral part of nature and the need to nurture all natural forms around us. While developing the Green Man logo, several thoughts went into the design and after a couple of draft renditions, the brilliant wildlife artist Stephen Nash developed this version which encapsulates the concept of the Green Man and brings out the aspects of biodiversity on the planet. For understanding the logo and the significance it holds to all of us, Stephen Nash says, "Seeing the Green Man for the first time, many years ago in an old church near where I grew up in England, was a deeply moving experience for me. There was something that I could, subconsciously, 'read' in its symbolism, which went well beyond normal memory and experience. When subsequently I read James Lovelock's 'Gaia' hypothesis, in which he talks of the life-forms and ecosystems of the planet being so profoundly and delicately interconnected as to comprise a vast single functioning organism, and Hildegard von Bingen's ideas on 'veriditas', the 'greenness' which she felt were the manifestations of cosmic energies, and most recently Edward O. Wilson's 'Biophilia', that need we have for the company of other species, without which, as Chief Seattle put it, humanity would "die of a loneliness of spirit", it all seemed to make sense. Buddhism also points the way, urging as it does compassion towards all creatures, but I have learned more recently that forms of the Green Man are found in many parts of the world, and that the image may be linked inextricably with reverence for the Mother Goddess, perhaps the ancestor of all cultures. How appropriate then, as our relationship with our fellow-creatures has reached a point of crisis, and science has shown us that the survival of so many vital parts of our species' biological support structure is so uncertain, that the interdependence of all life is being appreciated ever more, and the Green Man is the visual symbol for, and the encapsulation of, that renewed awareness".

 

Publication Frequency

JoTT is monthly with a strict schedule of publication. Regular issues are published online on the 26th of every month. For manuscripts to be considered for publication in an issue, final galley proofs from the authors must reach the Managing Editor before the 22nd of the month failing which the article will be processed for the next month. In exceptional cases delay by a day may be permitted, but the editorial office has to be informed in advance. JoTT also publishes supplementary issues in the form of either a Monograph or Special Issue. These will be published as and when the manuscript is ready for publication, except when it is too close to the date of the regular monthly issue. In that instance the supplementary issue will be published 10–15 days after the regular issue.

 

Indexed/Abstracted in
Bibliography of Systematic Mycology, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Preview, CAB Abstracts, EBSCO, Google Scholar, Index Copemicus, Index Fungorum, JournalSeek, NewJour, OCLC World Cat, Scopus, Stanford University Libraries, Virtual Library of Biology, Zoological Records. 

In India, JoTT has a NAAS rating of 5.56 in 2021.  It is also listed under the UGC Journal List.

 

Archives

All articles published in JoTT have been preserved in perpetuity with the CLOCKSS and LOCKSS archives and will be made freely available when the need arises.

 

Member

JoTT is a member of the Free Journal Network.