Journal info

The journal is published online. Following the requirements of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), all taxonomic papers containing nomenclatural acts are registered in ZooBank, and all papers are deposited on the open-access digital repository Zenodo as an organization other than the publisher that is intended to permanently archive the work in a manner that preserves the content and layout, and is capable of doing so.  Following the requirements of the ICZN, the PDF files of the papers are non-editable, allowing users only to copy their content (including pictures).

ISSN: 3153-743X (Online).

Frequency: Continuous. Entomological Studies applies a rolling publication principle, which implies that each paper in the volume is published and allocated to a rolling volume as and when it is ready. Volumes are completed and published as content accumulates, but not less than once every six months.

Review type: single-blind, which implies that the Reviewers are anonymous but know the identity of the Author(s).

Publication speed: Entomological Studies is a rapid‑publication journal. Our aim is to minimise the interval between submission and publication, keeping it within 4–5 weeks (depending on the duration of peer review and post‑review editing).

Content access: Entomological Studies is an open-access journal.

APC: publication with Entomological Studies is free of charge.

Publisher and owner: Entomological Studies Ltd

Copyright license: Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) 

Focus and Scope

Entomological Studies is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal published online, featuring research papers on the following topics in entomology: 

● Taxonomy

● Phylogeny and Evolution

● Zoogeography

● Faunistics

● Check-lists and Catalogues

● Identification keys

● Ecology

● Ethology

● Morphology

● Methodology

● Monitoring and Bioindication

Entomological Studies does not accept submissions in the categories of book reviews, obituaries, or applied research focused on plant protection, forestry, medicine, or veterinary science.

Taxonomic contributions are generally welcome. However, manuscripts that consist solely of a description of a single new species will be considered only for groups that are already well studied. For genera that are in need of revision and contain many undescribed species, such isolated descriptions are discouraged.

The journal will not consider molecular phylogenetic studies that rely exclusively on the COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) barcode marker as their sole line of evidence.

Manuscripts presenting standalone whole‑genome or complete mitochondrial genome sequences are in general discouraged, and can be considered for publication only if they are embedded within a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and offer substantial insights into the systematics and evolutionary relationships of the taxon considered.

Faunistic papers are considered only when they are of substantial significance: for example, comprehensive checklists covering large, well‑defined geographical regions or entire countries. Reports of single new records may be considered if they are of exceptional importance (e.g., a significant range extension or a first country record). If the authors are not widely recognised experts on the insect group to which the manuscript is dedicated, the editors reserve the right to request independent verification of identifications from a qualified specialist. 

Categories of papers

Entomological Studies publishes papers of two categories, based on their length.

a) Article (equal to Research Article or Full-length Article of other journals). High quality research papers of four or more pages reporting original research. Most manuscripts submitted to the journal are published in this category.

b) Correspondence. High quality and important short manuscripts of normally 1 to 3 pages. Under this category, the following three types of papers are published:

● commentaries on papers previously published in Entomological Studies provided by other authors;
● notices of errata (additions/corrections) to papers previously published in Entomological Studies provided by their authors;
● research papers, which are too short to qualify as formal Articles (e.g., taxonomic notes, introduction of new synonyms or replacement names, important faunistic findings, etc.).

Peer review

Upon submission, each manuscript is first screened by the Editorial Team to assess its scientific quality and compliance with the journal’s policies and formatting guidelines. All manuscripts that pass this initial check are then sent for external peer review before a final acceptance decision is made.

 Entomological Studies operates a single‑blind review model, meaning that the reviewers remain anonymous to the authors, while the authors’ identities are known to the reviewers.

Each submission is evaluated by at least two independent experts in the relevant field. If the reviewers’ recommendations diverge substantially, the editors may consult one or two additional reviewers to reach a balanced decision. Reviewers are asked to provide their reports within a reasonable timeframe (typically, up to one month); however, complex or contentious cases may require a longer handling period.

The final editorial decision on acceptance or rejection is based on the reviewers’ assessments, the editors’ own expertise, and the journal’s editorial policies. 

Copyright and Repository policy

All articles published in Entomological Studies are open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0).

By publishing with the journal, authors accept the full terms of the copyright policy. They retain copyright of their work and grant Entomological Studies the right of first publication. The journal permits others to share the work, provided they acknowledge the original authorship and the journal as the first place of publication.

Entomological Studies is a rapid‑publication journal. Our aim is to minimise the interval between acceptance and publication. For this reason, there is no option for authors to deposit the submitted or accepted versions of their manuscripts in repositories or elsewhere. Authors may, however, enter into separate, non‑exclusive agreements for the distribution of the published version (e.g., depositing it in an institutional repository or including it in a book), provided that they acknowledge the original publication in Entomological Studies. 

If authors publishing in Entomological Studies wish to reproduce figures or other copyrighted materials that have already been published elsewhere, they must obtain the necessary permission from the copyright holder(s) and provide appropriate attribution as stipulated by those holders.

Data access and retention

To support reproducibility and transparency, authors may be required to provide the raw data and metadata underpinning their findings for editorial scrutiny. If the paper does not include all of the data supporting the study, authors must specify the repositories where the data are deposited and provide links that allow access to those data.

Wherever feasible, authors are strongly encouraged to deposit sequence data in public repositories such as GenBank to ensure open access.

If editors or reviewers suspect that figures (e.g., drawings or photographs) have been inappropriately modified, they may request the original, unprocessed images or replacement materials for verification.

In accordance with the Article 72.10 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, name-bearing types serve as the international standard for zoological nomenclature and must be preserved and made accessible for future research. Therefore, authors are strongly encouraged, whenever possible, to deposit holotypes of newly described species/subspecies and newly designated neotypes in recognised public museums or collections that guarantee long-term preservation and availability for study.

Authors should be aware that certain countries, including Australia, the Republic of South Africa, and some others, have legal provisions requiring that primary type specimens be deposited in collections within the country of origin. Authors are encouraged to take this into account when arranging the deposition of type material.

The depository of all non-type specimens examined, as well as specimens illustrated or used for comparative purposes (including those used for molecular analyses), must be clearly indicated. 

Policies regarding ethics and malpractice

Entomological Studies’ publication ethics and malpractice policies adhere to the following principles and recommendations:

a) Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA);

b) NISO Recommended Practices for the Presentation and Identification of E-Journals (PIE-J);

c) Prescriptions and mandatory provisions of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN);

d) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals by ICMJE (where relevant).

Authorship, contributorship, and authors’ affiliations

Entomological Studies strictly prohibits ghost, guest, or gift authorship. For multi-author manuscripts, each listed author must have made a substantial contribution to the work. At the time of submission, the corresponding author is required to specify the specific role(s) of each co-author using the NISO CRediT taxonomy (https://credit.niso.org/) (see Article metadata paragraph in the Manuscript structure section). This information should be provided at the end of the manuscript in the designated metadata section (see Author Guidelines). Upon acceptance, the contributor roles will be displayed on the published article’s webpage.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors are appropriately included and that all authors have reviewed and approved the final submitted version. Individuals who provided support or assistance but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section.

Changes to the authorship list after submission are permitted only in exceptional circumstances and require extensive consultation among the publisher, the editorial board, and all authors, along with written consent from every author. No authorship changes can be made after the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Authors are strongly advised to list their institutional affiliations exactly as they appear on the official websites of their respective organisations. By including an affiliation, the author implicitly confirms that the research was conducted, at least in part, using the resources of that institution (including working time). Consequently, once a manuscript is submitted, affiliations cannot be removed. The addition of a new affiliation that was not present in the original submission is permissible only under extraordinary circumstances and must be clearly justified by the author. 

Policy regarding the use of AI tools

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools must not be used to generate data, research hypotheses, or conclusions. However, they may be employed for legitimate purposes such as analysing large datasets, performing literature synthesis, or improving the readability and language of the manuscript.

For illustrations, AI tools are prohibited from generating primary research images (e.g., photographs or micrographs). They may be used to create data visualisations (e.g., graphs, charts, and plots) or explanatory diagrams (e.g., concept maps or process flows), and to perform routine adjustments such as resizing, contrast enhancement, or brightness correction.

Because authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy and originality of their manuscript, they must carefully verify all AI-generated content and adapt it to ensure that the final work reflects their own analysis, interpretation, and intellectual contribution.

Authors should be aware that AI-generated references may be erroneous or even fictitious; therefore, all cited sources must be rigorously checked for accuracy and relevance.

Whenever AI tools have been used, authors must disclose this in the Material and methods section, specifying the exact tool (name and version) and the purpose of its use. A recommended disclosure statement is:

“During the preparation of this work, [NAME OF TOOL AND VERSION] was used to [REASON FOR USE]. After using this tool, the content was reviewed and edited, and the author(s) assume(s) full responsibility for the final content of the paper.”

Additionally, in the submission cover letter, authors must explicitly confirm that they bear ultimate responsibility for the manuscript’s content and that the entire work (including any AI-assisted portions) is accurate, original, and compliant with publication ethics.

Minor linguistic corrections (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation) performed by AI do not require a separate declaration. 

Animal experiments

For manuscripts that report research involving live vertebrates or higher invertebrates, the authors must include a statement confirming that all applicable institutional, national, and international guidelines, regulations, and laws concerning the care and use of experimental animals were strictly followed during the study. 

Data confidentiality

Editors and reviewers are obliged to treat all unpublished data in submitted manuscripts as strictly confidential. This obligation extends to prohibiting the uploading of manuscripts into any AI-based tool during the review process. 

Privacy Statement

Personal information (names, email addresses, affiliations) collected during the editorial and peer-review process will be used solely for the purposes of the journal’s operations and will not be shared with third parties or used for any other purpose. 

Conflicts of interests

Authors must declare any relevant financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation or presentation of their work, both in the manuscript and in the submission cover letter.

Reviewers who have a conflict of interest with any of the authors must inform the editor and decline the invitation to review.

Editors who have a conflict of interest with any of the authors must also recuse themselves from handling the manuscript. If an editor is an author or co-author, the manuscript must be assigned to another editor who will oversee the entire review and decision process. 

Plagiarism

Plagiarism in any form – including uncredited copying of text, figures, or other copyrighted materials – is unacceptable. If editors or reviewers detect any instance of plagiarism, the manuscript will be rejected without further consideration. For self-plagiarism, authors will be required to extensively revise the manuscript; failure to do so will result in rejection. 

Geopolitical neutrality

Entomological Studies maintains strict neutrality on all political and territorial matters. Manuscripts must not contain provocative language, disputable geopolitical statements, or controversial map designations. Any disputed territories should be referred to by well-recognised geographical names, and attributions to specific countries should be avoided when contested. If such references are unavoidable, the journal reserves the right to mark the paper with an editorial note indicating the disputed nature, or to reject or retract the paper. 

Dealing with malpractice

Entomological Studies has zero tolerance for any form of misconduct or unethical behaviour, including but not limited to data falsification/fabrication/omission, fraud, manipulation of research materials or processes, plagiarism, duplicate submission, or undisclosed use of AI resulting in fictitious data, conclusions, or references.

Any complaints regarding misconduct should be directed to the Editor-in-Chief (entomological.studies.journal@gmail.com). The editors will request the complainant to provide all relevant information and supporting evidence. During the investigation, the editors may consult external experts and will give the accused party an opportunity to respond to the allegations.

For proven minor misconduct, a formal warning may be issued, or a correction may be published. For serious violations, the journal may publish an “expression of concern” detailing the findings, and/or send an official notification to the offender’s employer.

In extreme cases (e.g., proven fabrication or falsification of data, including AI-generated fictitious content, fraud, or plagiarism), the paper will be retracted following agreement between the editors and authors, in the interest of upholding scientific integrity.  

Author ethics and duties

Authors are solely responsible for the content of their manuscripts. In addition to the requirements outlined above (authorship, AI use, conflict of interest, data availability, copyright, plagiarism, respectful behaviour, geopolitical neutrality, and the prohibition of simultaneous submission to multiple journals), authors must also:

● carefully proofread their manuscript prior to submission to correct all errors and typographical mistakes;
● ensure that the manuscript is linguistically correct;
● comply fully with all formatting requirements described in the Author Guidelines;
● ensure that all illustrations and tables are of high quality, clearly labelled, and properly referenced in the text;
● acknowledge and incorporate all previously published data relevant to the current study;
● cite all literature used in the preparation of the manuscript, and provide a complete reference list according to the Author Guidelines;
● appropriately cite or quote any non-original ideas, words, or data;
● duly acknowledge all collaborators, funding bodies, and supporting institutions.

During the peer-review process, authors are expected to address all reviewers’ comments, questions, and suggestions. If they disagree with any point, they must provide a clear and justified explanation. Revised manuscripts should be returned to the Editor-in-Chief with changes tracked (using Track Changes) and with a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ reports.

Should authors discover a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they must promptly notify the Editor-in-Chief and cooperate with the editors to issue a correction (as a short correspondence) or, if necessary, to retract the paper.

Reviewer ethics and duties

Reviewers are ethically bound to declare any conflicts of interest, to maintain strict confidentiality of the manuscript (including refraining from uploading it to any AI tools), and to provide respectful, objective, and constructive feedback.

Additional reviewer duties include:

● if a reviewer feels that they lack the expertise or cannot meet the time frame, they should decline the invitation and may suggest an alternative reviewer;
● once they accept, they must make every effort to submit their review on time;
● in evaluating the manuscript, reviewers should consider the following aspects:

- does the title succinctly reflect the content?
- is the abstract representative and does it highlight the key novelties?
- is the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature applied correctly?
- are the data original and not previously published?
- are the authors’ interpretations justified?
- are the discussion and conclusions supported by the results (where applicable)?
- is the literature cited complete, relevant, and accurate?
- are the figures of good quality and properly captioned (if applicable)?
- are the tables clear and necessary (if applicable)?
- is the length appropriate for the content and the chosen article category?
- should any parts be modified, expanded, or omitted?

Reviewers are encouraged to use Track Changes and comment tools when editing the manuscript in Microsoft Word.

It is not the reviewer’s duty to perform full linguistic correction of the manuscript, but minor corrections and language suggestions are always welcome.

Reviewers must not use AI tools to generate any part of their review content.

Although the single-blind model keeps reviewers anonymous by default, reviewers are welcome to disclose their identity if they wish. 

Editor ethics and duties

Editors make independent decisions on manuscript acceptance, unaffected by personal relationships or potential commercial benefits.

Editorial decisions are guided by the journal’s policies, the scientific merit and originality of the work (as assessed by editors and reviewers), and compliance with publication ethics and legal standards.

Manuscripts are evaluated solely on their scholarly content, without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, political views, or institutional affiliation of the authors.

Editors maintain the anonymity of reviewers unless reviewers choose to reveal their identity.

Editors are responsible for overseeing the scientific quality of published papers and ensuring adherence to internationally accepted ethical guidelines. They are committed to acting in accordance with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, particularly when misconduct is suspected. 

Respectful and professional behavior

All parties involved (authors, reviewers, editors) must maintain professional communication and treat each other with respect and dignity. Reviews, editorial decisions, and authors’ responses should be objective, constructive, and free from personal attacks or any form of discrimination. 

Taxonomic work ethics

For taxonomic contributions, all parties are strongly encouraged to follow the Code of Ethics recommended by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature (https://code.iczn.org/?frame=1).

Post-publication review

Post-publication discussions

Comments and rebuttals on published articles may be published as separate papers in Entomological Studies or elsewhere. For formal complaints of misconduct, the procedure described in the ‘Dealing with malpractice’ section should be followed.  

Post-publication corrections

Once an article is published, its PDF file cannot be amended. Any necessary corrections will be issued as a separate notice (errata) in Entomological Studies or through subsequent research papers in Entomological Studies or elsewhere. An editorial note linking to the errata paper will be added to the original article’s webpage. 

Retractions

Entomological Studies follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Retraction may be considered if clear evidence of major errors or serious misconduct (e.g., data fabrication/falsification, plagiarism, duplicate submission, or undisclosed AI-generated fictitious content) is found.

A formal Retraction Statement will be posted on the article’s webpage and on the journal’s homepage. The original PDF will be permanently replaced with a version bearing a “RETRACTED” watermark on every page. 

Retraction of taxonomic papers
In accordance with Declaration 46 amending Article 8 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, a work once published under the Code remains available, even if subsequently retracted or disclaimed, unless the Commission rules otherwise. Therefore, all nomenclatural acts (including new taxa) established in a retracted paper remain permanently valid. 

Disclaimer

Entomological Studies endeavours to publish high-quality, ethically sound research. However, while the journal holds the right of first publication, the authors assume full responsibility for the content of their papers.

All opinions, findings, and methods expressed in the articles belong solely to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the journal, its editors, or the publisher.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that their research complies with all applicable legal requirements of the country(-ies) where the work was conducted.

Entomological Studies accepts no legal liability for any violations of law committed by authors during their research.

Any legal claims concerning the legality of the research or the export of materials must be directed to the authors, their employers, or the curators/managers/owners of the collections used, and not to the publisher or editors.