Diatom Research is the journal of the International Society for Diatom Research. The journal is published quarterly, in March, June, September and December, and welcomes manuscripts on any aspect of diatom biology. In addition to full-length papers, short notes and reviews of recent literature are published which need not contain all the sections required for full-length papers; we see these as being necessary to record information which is of interest but which cannot be followed up in detail. Discursive “Opinion” papers are encouraged which would not necessarily follow the normal lay-out. If extremely long papers are to be offered, the author(s) should contact the editors first to discuss any problems. Book reviews, obituaries and meeting reports can be published. All papers will be subject to critical review by the editors and referees, as appropriate to their content. Papers will be accepted in English only.