An international journal reporting research on the synthesis, structure, and properties of materials
NEW EDITOR FOR NANOMATERIALS: C.H. YAN



Please follow these instructions carefully to ensure that the review and publication of your paper is as swift and efficient as possible. It is essential that the manuscript is written in clear and fluent English. Papers written in poor English are subject to rejection without review

Materials Research Bulletin aims to publish only results of forefront research. The journal therefore now requests that authors provide clear evidence (in their cover letter and manuscript) of a significant advance that their paper has made in the particular area of materials chemistry concerned. Please note that due to the large number of manuscripts that we are receiving, and the increased demands that are being placed on our reviewers, the Editors are now screening all submitted papers before they are sent out for external review. Papers that do not provide a clear evidence for a significant advance that is likely to be of broad interest in materials chemistry will not be considered further for publication.

As of September 1, 2003 submission to this journal proceeded totally on-line Use the following guidelines to prepare your article:
Via the webpage of this journal ( http://www.ees.elsevier.com/mrb) where you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. Once the uploading is done, our system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) version, which is then used for reviewing. It is crucial that all graphical and tabular elements be placed within the text, so that the PDF is suitable for reviewing. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by e-mail. A proof will be provided when your paper is accepted by the Editor and the final version of your article is sent to the Publisher.

Language and Style: Manuscripts should be written in English in a clear and concise manner and follow the style of a current issue of Materials Research Bulletin. Authors whose native language is not English should have the spelling, grammar, and style checked by someone fully proficient in the English language.

Manuscripts which are not written in fluent English will be rejected automatically without refereeing.
English language help service: Upon request, Elsevier will direct authors to an agent who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for further information.
Short papers are encouraged. An e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers must be provided.
Communication by an Associate Editor:
Papers may be sent to an Associate Editor, with a request for personal communication to the journal. An Associate Editor who communicates a paper accepts responsibility for its high general standard, but not for every detail of its contents.

General Layout
In general, a paper should be presented as follows: Title of paper, Names and affiliations of authors (with names of all authors grouped together), Abstract (not to exceed 150 words). NO ABBREVIATIONS ARE ALLOWED IN THE ABSTRACT and the following should be briefly and clearly stated:

1. What was the work/research/investigation that is reported.

2. The method of synthesis (if something was made).

3. Techniques used to make characterizations of properties

4. The important new results obtained in the work. Specific, numerical, quantitative results are best. Following the Abstract there should come the Keywords, Introduction, Experimental, Results, Discussion, Conclusions(optional. The "Conclusion" section of scientific papers should not be the same as the Abstract. The major results should be summarized; quantitative, numerical data and unique findings emphasized, but with broader implications than in the Abstract, and comparisons with previous results can be made), Acknowledgements (optional), Appendix(optional), References, Figure Captions (table and figures are submitted separately). The Introduction section should give appropriate background information and indicate why the research was undertaken, but should not summarise present results. Conclusions, if used, should not be a restatement of information contained in the Abstract.

Headings
Use numbered headings for the following sections: Introduction, Experimental, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. Headings are stand alone and have no ending period. Examples:

Figures and Tables:Figures must be cited in consecutive numerical order in the text and a "Figure Captions" page must be included, which is the page preceding the figures. Provide an original of each figure, one complete figure per page; figure captions should not be written on the figure page, only the number of the figure.
Figures should be of a reproducible quality and roughly the same size (half page or full page). Lettering should be consistent and no smaller than size 12 (Helvetica preferred). The type and symbol size should be in proportion to the size of the figure. When scale is important to interpretation of objects in a photograph, a legible scale marker must be included. Keep in mind that journal pages are reduced about 14% in the final printing; figures may be reduced even more. Please follow instructions at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions in complete detail should you choose to supply digital artwork.

Submit colour illustrations as original photographs, high-quality computer prints or transparencies, close to the size expected in publication, or a 35mm slides. Polaroid colour prints are not suitable. If, together with you accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the web (e.g. ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see (http://authors.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions)

Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to'grey scale' (for the printed version should you not opt for colour in print) please submit in addition usable black and white prints corresponding to all the colour illustrations.

Please provide tables on separate pages from the text. Type table captions flush left, one line above the table. Use tabs, not spaces, to align data in columns, and lines should be used sparingly. For footnotes, use lower case letters in italic type, superscript.

References:References are to be cited by consecutive numbers and enclosed on line in the text and in the reference list (without period). List only one reference per entry. Please ensure that references are complete, i.e. that they include, where relevant, author's name, journal or book title, year of publication, volume number, page number, editors, publishers and place of publication. If in doubt, please include all available information. Take care that references are mentioned in the text in the correct numerical order. Examples:

Only journal names should be abbreviated (CASSI format). Authors are responsible for the correctness of reference information.

Units and Symbols: Use only standard SI symbols and abbreviations in the text and illustrations. If a symbol or abbreviation is used which is not standard, define it when first used.

Keywords: Only words (up to 5) from the list of "Keywords for Indexing" may be used. This list is printed in each journal issue (starting with Volume 31). The list may also be obtained from the Editorial Office or from the journal's website at http://elsevier.com/locate/jnlabr/mrb

Proofs: An e-mail will be sent to you with the Article Proof and an Author Query Form attached as PDF files. Helpful information on using PDF files is also provided.

If, after reading this message, you should still prefer to received your proofs by fax or mail then please inform us immediately, using the "reply" button, providing full fax or mailing details.

Please use this proof solely for checking the typesetting and editing, and also the completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Any significant changes to the articles as accepted must be approved by the Editorial office. Any queries raised in the Author Query Form should also be addressed at this stage. Please do not attempt to edit the PDF file (including adding 'post-it' notes).

If your article contains colour illustrations and you would like to receive proofs of the illustrations, please indicate this early on in the submission process. Alternatively, please note this with the corrections you are returning.

Please respond within 48 hours by listing the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) in an e-mail using the 'reply' button, indicating the journal name and article number on all correspondence. If you have not corrections, please indicate this in the e-mail.

If, for any reason, this is not possible, mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of the PDF file and fax this to +353 61 709294 or mail to the address supplied with the article PDF.

When you receive the e-mail containing you article PDF, you should have already received a Copyright Transfer form (or Licence Agreement) and an Offprint Order form by email. The copyright form should be signed and a copy faxed to the number above. The original signed form should be mailed to the return address supplied. Please return the Offprint form by fax, even if no additional offprints are required.

Offprints:The corresponding author will receive 25 offprints of their paper free of charge. Additional offprints may be ordered using the offprint order form supplied.

Should you require assistance in preparing your submission, contact the Editorial Office. E-mail inquiries are welcome (mrb@rutchem.rutgers.edu). Other information regarding this journal is available at http://www.elsevier.com/locate

Select a maximum of five keywords and list them in your paper two lines below the Abstract. This section should be labeled KEYWORDS and the capital letter denoting the category from which a keyword has been selected should precede the keyword, i.e., KEYWORDS: A. alloys, A. metals, C. X-ray diffraction. Only words on this list may be used.

A. TYPES OF MATERIAL
alloys
amorphous materials
carbides
ceramics
chalcogénides
composites
electronic materials
elements
fluorides
fullerenes
glasses
halides
hydrides
inorganic compounds
interfaces
intermetallic compounds
layered compounds
magnetic materials
metals
microporous materials
multilayers
nanostructures
nitrides
optical materials
organic compounds
organometallic compounds
oxides
polymers
quasicrystals
semiconductors
surfaces
superconductors
structural materials
thin films

B. PREPARATION AND PROCESSING
chemical synthesis
crystal growth
epitaxial growth
intercalation reactions
laser annealing
laser deposition
plasma deposition
sol-gel chemistry
sputtering
vapor deposition

C. TECHNIQUES
atomic force microscopy
differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)
electrochemical measurements
electron diffraction
electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS)
electron microscopy
high pressure
impedance spectroscopy
infrared spectroscopy
Mössbauer spectroscopy
neutron scattering
nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR)
nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
photoelectron spectroscopy
positron annihilation spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopy
scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)
thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)
ultrasonic measurements
XAFS (EXAFS and XANES)
X-ray diffraction

D. PROPERTIES AND PHENOMENA
acoustical properties
catalytic properties
charge-density waves
color centers
crystal structure
defects
dielectric properties
diffusion
elastic properties
electrical properties
electrochemical properties
electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR)
electronic structure
energy storage
equations-of-state
Fermi surface
ferroelectricity
fracture
ionic conductivity
lattice dynamics
luminescence
magnetic properties
magnetic structure
mechanical properties
microstructure
optical properties
phase equilibria
phase transactions
piezoelectricity
radiation damage
semiconductivity
specific heat
spin-density waves
superconductivity
surface properties
thermal conductivity
thermal expansion