The following points are intended to serve as a general guideline for editors to help achieve high quality, as well as fast and accurate book publications. Elsevier encourages the submission of manuscript material in electronic form (the so-called compuscript method of production). Electronic manuscripts have the advantage that there is no need for rekeying the text, thereby avoiding the possibility of introducing errors during the typesetting process and resulting in reliable and fast delivery of proofs as well as publication of the work. For more detailed information please refer to our Instructions for Authors.

Editor's responsibility
The editor (author) is responsible for the scientific content of the material to be published. It is assumed that the editor has reviewed and accepted the material regarding its scientific content before sending it to Elsevier. It is sometimes possible that there are long time intervals between the editor receiving the first and the last manuscript: in this case the editor should ensure that those authors who delivered their material first have a chance to update their manuscript before submitting it to the Publisher. The Publisher is responsible for technical editing only (and basic linguistic editing, if necessary), not scientific editing.

Author instructions and deadlines
As soon as the authors have accepted the invitation to write a contribution they should receive from the editor:

• Detailed recommendations on the nomenclature, style of references, instructions regarding the index, number of pages allowed, etc., as well as our general instructions for the preparation of a book manuscript.
  
•  Rigid deadlines for submission of manuscripts, allowing sufficient time for the reviewing/editing process, revision and resubmission to the editor in order to meet the Publisher's deadline.

Software
Authors should use well-known/commonly used wordprocessor packages (e.g., Word, WordPerfect, (La)Tex) and generally follow Elsevier's 'Instructions for Authors'. When in doubt the Central Book Department should be contacted. The information in hardcopy should be identical to that on the electronic file.

References
The style of the references is something to be decided upon by the editor at an early stage. Please enclose an example of the reference citation style and the reference list with the 'Instructions for Authors'. Note that there is often a series-style to be followed.

Index
The question of whether a Subject or Keyword index is to be included should be discussed at a very early stage between the editor and the Publisher in order to prevent unnecessary delays in publication time. In case a keyword index is to be included, much time and confusion can be saved if the editor asks the authors to highlight keywords in their manuscripts.

Completeness and consistency
The editor should check all manuscripts for completeness and consistency. That is, that the manuscript is in its final form regarding scientific content, text and that separate original figures/tables have been supplied on hardcopy, and also that the identical text is also enclosed as a file on a floppy disk (see also Instructions for Authors).

Additional material
Definitive title of the book, correct (co-)editor's names and affiliations as well as the preface should be submitted together with the final manuscript.

Contents list
A final contents list (chapter no.; author; title) - including section titles, if applicable, should also be enclosed (without pagination). It should be clear from the list who the corresponding author is (to clarify queries, and receive proofs), if a chapter has more than one author.

Address list
The manuscript should be accompanied by an up-to-date address list (including tel. and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses) of all authors. Please also include available information on your own or the author's planned absence. E-mail addresses are essential with a view to sending proofs as files rather than as hardcopy (faster).

Problems?
If you run into any difficulties, are unsure about anything or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us: bookdepartment@elsevier.com.