Phasmid Studies

ISSN 0966-0011 (print) & ISSN 1750-3329 (online)

Contributions

Contributions to Phasmid Studies are welcome from both members and non-members. Please download these instructions to find out how to submit content to the Phasmid Studies authors or consult instructions in the latest issue.

The History of Phasmid Studies

Phasmid Studies was first published in 1992 when the Phasmid Study Group Newsletter was split into two parts to spread the editorial workload. The split took place because the existing editors of the Newsletter were retiring from the post and there were no volunteers to take over the whole Newsletter which was then typically 24 pages per quarterly issue. Paul Taylor and Phil Bragg discussed the problem and agreed to split the publication. Paul edited the Newsletter from Volume 50 in March 1992, and Phil founded the new publication, Phasmid Studies. The concept was to have the bi-annual Phasmid Studies publishing longer articles such as the "species reports" which had traditionally appeared at the back of the original newsletter, while the Newsletter continued as a quarterly publication containing the shorter articles and news items.

Title & Style

The PSG committee decided Phasmid Studies should be produced in A4 size so that it could accommodate life-sized illustrations of reasonably large Phasmids. A sample edition of the new publication was produced by Phil Bragg in January 1992 for appraisal by the PSG committee. The provisional title of The Phasmid Journal was replaced by Phasmid Studies at the suggestion of the retiring Newsletter editors, Michael Lazenby and Frances Holloway. The line spacing of the sample edition was reduced from one-and-a-half to single line spacing. The style of Phasmid Studies is based on that used for Entomologist in the 1980s and 1990s.

The two parts of a volume always have the same illustation on the cover. The downloadable back issues on this site are in single volumes which have a modified front cover and a combined contents list for the volume.

Publication Dates

The first issue of Phasmid Studies was published in June 1992. Although intended as a bi-annual publication with the two parts forming one volume per year, in some years the two parts have been combined because of a shortage of material and a desire to keep postage costs down. In spite of producing combined issues, publication fell behind schedule and Volumes 13, 14 and 15 were published a year later than expected. It got back on schedule with the publication of Volume 16 in 2007. All published volumes of Phasmid Studies have now been digitised and are available here to view or download from the PSG website.

Current Format

Phasmid Studies was produced in printed form only and sent to all PSG members until 2006. From 2006, for financial reasons it has been published online and in print. Printed copies are issued free to PSG members who choose this option. Other members can download Phasmid Studies from the PSG website. The printed and online versions are identical. Colour illustrations have been accepted since publication went primarily online in 2006.