Editorial Policy for the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Best
Practice Guidelines Series and Guidance for Lead Authors
Noting that:
Best Practice Guidelines provide a benchmark for protected area management practice on
which the reputation of IUCN WCPA is built.
IUCN WCPA has agreed to the following editorial policy on Best Practice Guidelines including
the guidance for lead authors set out below.
Best Practice Guidelines Publication Policy
(i)
Proposals for Best Practice Guideline publications will be submitted to the IUCN Global
Protected Areas Programme (GPAP) using the IUCN WCPA Publication Project
Proposal Form (click on link to IUCN WCPA Publications Project Proposal Form):
https://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/gpap_wcpa/gpap_wcpa
pub/. The IUCN WCPA Publications Committee will review proposals to ensure
completeness and adherence to policy. The reviewed Proposal will then be sent to the
IUCN WCPA Executive Committee (EXCO) to consider approval.
(ii)
The EXCO will appoint a Publication Manager for each publication if one is not
identified in the proposal.
(iii)
The Publication Manager and the BPG Series Editor will work with the lead author(s)
to ensure appropriate quality standards are met and that the publication progresses
according to the agreed timeline. The standards in the IUCN Style Manual will be used.
(iv)
Responsibility for funding all tasks, including the design and print run for each
Guideline resides with the authors but support may be sought from the WCPA
Executive Committee. Guidelines will be published in at least one of IUCN’s official
languages which are Spanish, French and English. If funding permits, each publication
should be made available in all three languages. Final approval for the content of each
Guideline resides with the WCPA Executive Committee and the Director of the Global
Protected Areas Programme, with the advice of the Series Editor and Publication
Manager.
(v)
The Guidance for Lead Author(s) provided below should be followed.
(vi)
The Best Practice Guidance Series Publication design should be followed.
(vii)
Published Best Practice Guidelines will be a copyright of IUCN.
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Guidance for Lead Author(s)
IUCN WCPA recognizes the considerable time and effort that authors freely give to the
production of the Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines series publications. IUCN and
protected area professionals around the globe sincerely thank these authors for their
contributions.
Authors should gather material from around the world and organize it into a text, assembling
good advice, case studies and experience. They should use the full resources of the WCPA
network, and other relevant networks, to ensure that the text is globally relevant, draws on
relevant international experience and considers different regional, gender and cultural
perspectives. This will normally require the use of a task force or drafting reference group to
assist the lead author. The Publication Manager appointed by the WCPA Executive Committee
will work with the Series Editor to support the authors.
Lead authors should work very closely with the Series Editor who has the ultimate
responsibility for their content. If the Series Editor position is vacant, WCPA will assign an ad
hoc editor to the publication. More specifically, the Editor's role is to:
a) Help produce guidelines that are internationally acceptable, and as balanced as
possible and aligned with WCPA priorities;
b) Ensure that the text that goes to publication is consistent with IUCN policy and
standards;
c) Ensure that the text is of a consistently high professional standard and that all claims
are verifiable; authors whose material raises doubts should be challenged;
d) Ensure that the text is well organized, in guideline format, clearly written (in “British
English” as per IUCN house style), free of jargon, and intelligible to readers, many of
whom are not English mother-tongue speakers.
In order to fulfill this role, the Editor will need to receive from the lead author:


An expanded synopsis (approximately 5 pages in length) before drafting begins; and
A full word-processed manuscript at the end of the drafting process.
Choosing a Level of Analysis
Depending on how well-developed the subject matter may be, the publication should be
designed to cover: (1) the principles, (2) the best practices and (3) technical
information/application for application in the field. It is often useful to separate these three
levels of analysis within the publication. It is important to be explicit when addressing each
level. The audience should know what the current level of knowledge may be concerning the
specific material. For example, if the principles are already well developed elsewhere, cite the
leading references and focus instead on exploring best practices and field applications.
Target Audiences
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Publications in the Best Practice Guidelines series typically consider four broad audiences: (1)
senior administrators, system directors, and planners, (2) chief wardens, superintendents,
and protected area managers, (3) rangers and field staff and (4) the wider protected area
community including education and capacity development professionals. These audiences
could work within one or more protected area governance types. These include government
managed areas, privately managed areas, areas managed by indigenous peoples and/or local
communities and areas under shared management. Authors should consider explicitly
addressing each of these audiences as appropriate. The methods and cases may be different,
depending on the audience.
Links to the Education and Training Initiative
Publications in the Best Practice Guidelines series are part of the IUCN WCPA Protected Area
Capacity Development Programme and should be thought of as elements of an expanding
education and training curriculum for protected area managers and field staff. Each section
and chapter in your publication should have specific learning objectives. Sections and
chapters that are directed at managers and field staff may benefit from an explicit statement
of the learning objectives at the beginning of each unit. All publications in the series should
incorporate a variety of adult learning methods and should be written and organized so that
their contents can be incorporated as textbook material into expanding WCPA education and
training efforts.
One instructional method authors are encouraged to use is Case Studies. A case study
provides a way to include real-world experiences directly and has the added benefit that
readers can contact the original participants with any questions or to learn the latest updates.
Case studies also serve to demonstrate best practice across a wide range of global
circumstances and biomes (where guidelines are not biome specific). An effort should be
made to include case studies from most of the 10 IUCN Regions. The Regions may be found
on: http://www.iucn.org/where/
In the References section and in any footnotes, it is important to provide where possible an
URL (web address) for locating additional information or electronic resources that can be
downloaded.
Peer Review
Candidate publications for the Best Practice Guidelines series must be peer reviewed. Peer
reviewers should not include persons involved in drafting the guidelines such as co-authors,
members of the associated task force, or the drafting reference group. Instead, peer reviewers
should be subject experts not involved with drafting the guideline. Authors should build time
into their publication schedule to allow for the circulation of the completed draft for a broader
peer review of the draft document and the subsequent incorporation of relevant comments.
The author, working with the Publication Manager and the Series Editor, should develop a list
of peer reviewers while drafting the document. Peer reviewers with different perspectives,
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such as gender, culture, socio-economics, and regional understanding, should be sought out.
The IUCN membership is a good place to find such subject experts. Selecting peer review
subject experts from different IUCN Commissions is encouraged. Experts who are not IUCN
members may also be included. Following the peer review, comments should be jointly
incorporated by the guideline author and at least one other person such as a co-author, the
Publications manager, or a Task Force member.
Publication Costs
The lead authors will be in charge of the fundraising process for their publication. The cost of
printing a Best Practice Protected Area Guideline is around US$30-35,000 for about 2000
copies if printed in developed countries. The amount could be less if produced in some other
countries with lower printing costs. The exact amount depends on the length, languages,
colours/photos, and print run. The IUCN Publications office can provide detailed advice on
expenses on a case-by-case basis. While IUCN WCPA may be able to provide some funds, this
is essentially “seed money,” and additional funding must be raised by the authors to ensure a
viable publication. To help raise funds, authors can highlight that their publication will be
part of a well-established series. The publications in the Guideline series have been very well
received around the world, and have done great credit to all their contributors. The series has
achieved a reputation as the definitive work on protected area management, advice based on
syntheses of worldwide experience by small teams of international experts, and subject to a
rigorous peer review. Every lead author to date has been able to raise the added funding
needed.
References
IUCN makes several tools available to authors and editors preparing an IUCN document for
publication. These guides may be downloaded electronically from the IUCN website.
IUCN Style Manual
The Style Manual is directed at all writers, editors, designers, IUCN staff and anyone else
involved in the writing and production of an IUCN publication or any other written document
in English. It is the guide to the ‘IUCN House Style’. Its intended purpose is to ensure that the
language used in IUCN publications is clear and correct and that abbreviations, grammar,
spellings, scientific terminology, etc. are consistent and follow established norms. See:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_style_manual1209.pdf
IUCN Publishing Guidelines
These guidelines provide IUCN programmes and staff with some simple pointers to assist
them in producing publications to the highest scientific and visual standards. They explain the
various stages of producing a publication and provide a checklist of practical items to make
the publishing process as efficient and simple as possible. See:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_publishing_guidelines_131210.pdf
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IUCN Brand Book
The Brand Book provides guidance to IUCN for strengthening our brand. Our logo and its
accompanying visual identity help the Union to clearly and consistently express itself and its
work in a way that supports IUCN’s positioning and the messages it communicates. The
simple but strict rules contained in this manual guide the layout, colour and typeface for all
materials produced by IUCN, thereby creating a strong, clear visual brand identity for the
Union. Click the following link to see the IUCN Brand Book:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_brand_book_staff_version_may2011_final_1.pdf
Logo and Visual Identity Rules for IUCN Commissions
Used in conjunction with the IUCN Brand Book, the Logo and Visual Identity Rules for IUCN
Commissions provides guidance to IUCN Commissions concerning who may use the IUCN and
Commission logos and when. These rules specific to Commissions lay out how the logos must
be used in order to reinforce their association with IUCN. See:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/iucn_logo_rules_for_commissions_may2011_final.pdf
IUCN Glossary of Translated Terms – French and Spanish
A list of terms that are frequently used in IUCN documents has been translated into both
French and Spanish. All IUCN programmes and staff who are having publications translated
from English into either French or Spanish should provide these lists to their translators
before translation begins. This ensures consistency of terminology across IUCN, even in
translated documents. See:
http://cmsdata.iucn.org/downloads/fr_es_glossary_in_excel__2011.pdf
Publications in the Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series
The newer Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series publications numbers 18 to 21
should also be consulted for ideas and answers to questions of style, audience, and approach.
The entire Series may be downloaded from the IUCN Publications website. See
http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/gpap_home/gpap_capacity2/gpap_bpg/
Publication Design, Style and Content for Cover and Introductory Pages
For the Best Practice Guidelines Series the following arrangements are supported:
a.) The front cover design will follow the same IUCN design format found on editions 18, 19,
20 and 21of the Best Practice Protected Areas Guidelines Series featuring a hand holding a
globe containing a photograph. The front cover will display the IUCN logo at the top and the
WCPA logo along the bottom. Logos from partner and funding organizations may also be
included on the bottom of the front cover of the publication. IUCN size and positioning
directives about the use of logos should be followed. The front cover will also carry the title of
the publication and its authors along with the Editor names. It will also carry a line identifying
the Series Number.
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b.) The back cover will carry a photo relevant to the theme and the IUCN logo and address.
(See editions18 and 19 for examples)
c.) The first inner page will carry a repeat of the text from the front cover.
d.) Following the first inner page there will be brief statements about IUCN, WCPA and the
other partners that contributed to the publication.
e.) Each edition should carry a Foreword by the Chair of WCPA and a publication partner if
relevant. The Foreword should explain why the publication is important to meeting the
world’s protected area conservation goals. There is an expectation that the principal authors
would provide a draft text for the Chair to sign off. After the Foreword, a Preface describing
the purpose of the document should be included. Acknowledgements should follow the
Preface. See edition18 for an example of what is meant.
f.) Authors are requested to provide suitable illustrative material for the covers and for
internal positioning, paying particular attention to the international nature of the Guidelines.
IUCN has a photo library available to authors, as do many of IUCN’s member organizations.
g.) Photographs should be 300 dpi, with an image size of 105 x 148 mm. Authors using
photographs taken by others should secure permission for their use and determine if there
are copyright issues to address.
Dissemination of Guidelines
a) Final guidelines should be produced as a PDF and will be electronically posted on the IUCN
web site. A high resolution PDF file, all production files (InDesign or other) and five copies of
the printed guidelines shall be forwarded to the IUCN Publications Unit for archiving.
b) Authors should work with the Publication Manager and the Series Editor to determine
where to print the guideline. If it is expected that a large percentage of guidelines would be
shipped to a particular Region of the world, it would be wise to have the guideline printed in
that Region, to reduce shipping costs.
c) Authors should develop a simple dissemination plan for the electronic and printed versions
of the completed guideline. Such a plan should include the key persons and organizations that
should receive the guideline for both electronic and printed versions. For the print versions,
authors should determine which events, such as meetings or conferences, to launch the new
guideline.
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