BSS News: The Newsletter of the Botanical Society of Scotland

BSS News is the Newsletter of the Botanical Society of Scotland. It is published twice yearly in March and September, contains articles of topical and local interest, and is a means of keeping in touch with the Membership. BBS News is available on-line for all members. Currently issues No.94 (March 2010), No.95 (September 2010), No.96 (March 2011), No.97 (September 2011), No.98 (March 2012) and No. 99 (September 2012) are available for members to download as pdf files from the members home page.

The newsletter editors are:

Receiving Editor: Dr. Jill Thompson

Co-ordinating Editor: Ms Jane MacKintosh

Aims

The chief aims of BSS News are to communicate with the membership, to keep members informed and to act as a vehicle for members’ contributions on all things botanical. By this means members can keep in touch with each other. There is also a further aim of providing interest, entertainment and stimulation for BSS members. Sometimes this may involve contributions from non-members. All contributions are welcome.

Scope

The content of BSS News is as kaleidoscopic as possible around the botanical theme and the editors are keen for this variety to continue. A list of ideas for contributions was first published in BSS News No. 75 and is reproduced here, but please don’t feel constrained by it. New ideas are encouraged.

Reports of field excursions (leaders please take note) picking out the botanical highlights.

• Descriptions and recommendations of other botanical sites in the UK or abroad. (It might help people to plan their holidays.)
• Articles of current or historical interest, including ethno- and archaeo-botany.
• Biographical profiles of botanists.
• Botanical poems.
• Book reviews.
  Crosswords and quizzes.
  Illustrations, including paintings, photographs and line drawings (the latter to be in black ink on white paper). Subjects could include plants, habitats, people, events, or even witty cartoons if they are your forte!

Guidelines for contributors

Don’t worry if you cannot comply with all the following guidelines. Just send what you can and the Editors will make adjustments.

Text

The Newsletter is set up on a PC and saved as a document in MS Word 2007. Although it is printed on A5 pages it is set up on A4 pages using Arial font (size 15 for major text). Margins are set at 2 cm (sides), and 2.5 cm (top and bottom), with headers and footers at 1.5 cm. Text is justified and single-spaced. Please submit your contributions using this downloadable MS Word template.

Text figures

Illustrations for the text can be line drawings, maps or graphs in black ink on white paper. Black and white photographs can also be reproduced. There is no colour reproduction in the text. Hard copy or digital images can be accepted.

Cover pictures

The cover is the display area for colour pictures (paintings, photographic prints or digital images). Original artwork will be returned to the author after careful use.

Submission

Please send your contributions to the Editor in any of the following forms:

1. E-mail your article as a MS Word file as an attachment using using the document template to format your article. Also send any photographs as an attachment as a jpeg file. (Note max size of all attachments 2 Mb). This is the preferred option but, if your article is larger than 2 Mb, please send on a CD, the address below.
2. On a CD.
3. Hard copy (computer print-out and original artwork).
4. If you have no access to a computer, a typewritten or handwritten manuscript will be acceptable.
5. If you are not a BSS member receiving the BSS News then please give a postal address to receive the copy of the newsletter.

Send hard hard copy and CDs by to post to:

    Dr Jill Thompson
    C/o Botanical Society of Scotland Newsletter
    Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
    20a Inverleith Row
    Edinburgh
    EH3 5LR.

When sending something by post please phone +44 (0) 131 258 2356 or e-mail Jill to let her know that something has been posted.

The LAST deadline for the next issue will be 21^st January, 2013.
Earlier submission would be appreciated.

Downloads: 

Template for BSS News