Below are some of the questions we get asked about the Antarctic Environments Portal. If you can’t find an answer to your question, please get in touch.
The Portal is publicly accessible, but Information Summaries are particularly targeted at officials involved in the work of the Antarctic Treaty System as well as SCAR's broader stakeholders. However, we hope that the Portal’s information will be of use to anyone interested in the Antarctic environment, its management and governance.
The Portal aims to provide Information Summaries on topics of policy or management relevance, to support discussions and decisions across the Antarctic Treaty System. Strategic planning documents prepared by the various bodies of the Antarctic Treaty System are used as a guide to the topics of relevance. The Portal Content Management Plan sets what new Information Summaries are currently planned or in progress. But we always welcome suggestions for new topics from the research and policy community.
The Portal Editor identifies and invites a lead author to prepare an Information Summary. The Editor and lead author identify additional co-authors to provide relevant expertise and ensure broad geographical representation. The authors prepare a draft and submit it to the Editor. The Editor undertakes a first review and may iterate the draft with the authors. Once the Editor decides that the draft is ready, they identify two scientific peer reviewers to comment on the accuracy and technical content of the article. Once the peer review process is complete, the draft article is reviewed by the Portal Editorial Group for readability and relevance to the target audience.
Anyone can submit proposed content for the Portal by contacting the Portal Editor: [email protected]. All content that is submitted to the Portal must be based on published, peer-reviewed science. Find the Guidelines for Authors here.
This varies and depends upon several factors including the rate at which knowledge on the topic is evolving and the needs and interests of Antarctic stakeholders. The Editorial Group reviews all published Information Summaries on an annual basis to assess whether updates are needed.
You can make a suggestion by writing to [email protected] and your suggestion will be considered by the Portal Editorial Board.
