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Online manuscript submission:

Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology uses an online, electronic submission system. By accessing the website http://ees.elsevier.com/sbmb, authors will be guided stepwise through the submission process and uploading of the various files. When submitting a manuscript to Elsevier Editorial System, authors need to provide an electronic version of their manuscript. For this purpose original source files, not PDF files, are preferred. Authors may send queries concerning the submission process to the support@elsevier.com. Once the submission files are uploaded, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) manuscript, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence, including the Editor's decision and request for revisions, will be by e-mail.

Manuscripts must be in English.

Submission of a paper implies that it has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that if accepted it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the publisher.

Authors are invited to suggest the names of 4-6 potential referees specializing in the subject of their paper and should provide their full names and addresses, as well as fax and telephone numbers.

Manuscript Preparation


Cover letter: The authors should provide in a short paragraph (maximum 3 sentences) the main message of the manuscript. Please avoid repeating or copying the abstract.

General: Manuscripts must be typewritten, double-spaced with wide margins on one side of white paper. Good quality printouts with a font size of 12 or 10 pt are required. The corresponding author should be identified (include a Fax number and E-mail address). Full postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Number all pages consecutively. Authors should consult a recent issue of the journal for style if possible. An electronic copy of the paper should accompany the final version. The Editor reserves the right to adjust style to certa in standards of uniformity. Authors should retain a copy of their manuscript since we cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss of papers. Original manuscripts are discarded one month after publication unless the Publisher is asked to return original material after use.

Manuscript Title: The title should be containing the main message from the manuscript. It should be unequivocal and precise in the message. Avoid uncommon abbreviations.

Paper length: Manuscripts should not exceed 20 typewritten pages, rapid communications should not exceed three pages, preliminary notes three pages and general reviews about 30 pages.

Abstract: A summary of up to 200 words must be supplied.

Text: Follow this order when typing manuscripts: Cover page (Title, Authors, Affiliations), Abstract, Keywords, Main text (Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion including Conclusion), Acknowledgements, Appendix, References, Figure Captions and then Tables. Do not import the Figures or Tables into your text. Rapid communications should follow the same sequence set out above for regular papers. For review articles the choice of headings is left to the author. The corresponding author should be identified with an asterisk and footnote. All other footnotes (except for table footnotes) should be identified with superscript Arabic numbers.

Nomenclature: Should be as recommended in the IUPAC/IUB 1967 revised rules for the nomenclature of steroids which have been published in J. Steroid Biochem. 1 (1970) 143. SI symbols for units should be used [Systeme International d'Unites; see Symbols, Signs and Abbreviations, Recommended for British Scientific Publications (1969) The Royal Society, London].

References: All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript. In the text refer to references by a number in square brackets on the line (e.g. Since Ojasoo and Dore [1]), and the full reference should be given in a numerical list at the end of the paper. References should be given in the following form:


1. T. Ojasoo, J.-C. Dore, Taxonomy of nuclear receptors and SERPINS by multivariate analysis of amino-acid composition, J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. 58 (2) (1996) 167-181.

2. E.S. Kawasaki, A.M. Wang, Detection of gene expression, in: H.A. Erlich (Ed.), PCR Technology, Stockton Press, New York, 1989, pp. 89-97.

Figures:

Figures must be self-explanatory, titled, cited in order in the text, and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. On separate pages, type figure titles with their (brief) legends. Figures should not be embedded in text. Several figures may be grouped into a plate on one page. Lettering on micrographs should be clearly legible. Letters 2 mm high are recommended. Limit the field of micrographs to structures specifically discussed in the report. Symbols and areas of special interest should not be close to the edges. Give figure magnification in the legends and on the figures (micrometer scale). Symbols (minimum 3 mm height) used on micrographs must be explained in the figure legends. For detailed artwork instructions, see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions Line drawings: Good quality printouts on white paper produced in black ink are required. All lettering, graph lines and points on graphs should be sufficiently large and bold to permit reproduction when the diagram has been reduced to a size suitable for inclusion in the journal. Dye-line prints or photocopies are not suitable for reproduction. Do not use any type of shading on computer-generated illustrations.
Photographs: Original photographs must be supplied as they are to be reproduced (e.g. black and white or colour). If necessary, a scale should be marked on the photograph. Please note that photocopies of photographs are not acceptable.
Colour figures If together with your 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 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://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions [Please note: Because of technical complications that can arise in 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 files corresponding to all the colour illustrations].

Authors should note that a request to revert from full colour to colour only in the electronic publication at the stage of typesetting and proof correction, will require separate editorial agreement, with possible re-review if necessary, and may significantly delay publication of your manuscript.

Tables: Tables should be numbered consecutively and given a suitable caption and each table typed on a separate sheet. Footnotes to tables should be typed below the table and should be referred to by superscript lowercase letters. No vertical rules should be used. Tables should not duplicate results presented elsewhere in the manuscript, (e.g. in graphs).


Figure and Table Legends: Each figure/table legend should begin with a short, meaningful and easy understandable title. Avoid using too many abbreviations in the title. The title could be for example a main message from the analyses or a description of the type of experiment done. This should be followed by description of details, abbreviations, number of experiments, concentrations, conditions and curve or lettering explanations. Please do not repeat information from Materials section.

Instructions regarding GenBank/DNA Sequence Linking:


DNA sequences and GenBank Accesion numbers: Many Elsevier journals cite "gene accession numbers" in their running text and footnotes. Gene accession numbers refer to genes or DNA sequences about which further information can be found in the database at the National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine. Elsevier authors wishing to enable other scientists to use the accession numbers cited in their papers via links to these sources, should type this information in the following manner:
For each and every accession number cited in an article, authors should type the accession number in bold, underlined text. Letters in the accession number should always be capitalised. (See Example 1 below). This combination of letters and format will enable Elsevier's typesetters to recognize the relevant texts as accession numbers and add the required link to GenBank's sequences.


Example 1: "GenBank accession nos. AI631510, AI631511, AI632198, and BF223228 ), a B-cell tumor from a chronic lymphatic leukemia (GenBank accession no. BE675048 ), and a T-cell lymphoma (GenBank accession no. AA361117 )".


Authors are encouraged to check accession numbers used very carefully. An error in a letter or number can result in a dead link.
In the final version of the printed article, the accession number text will not appear bold or underlined (see Example 2 below).


Example 2: "GenBank accession nos. AI631510, AI631511, AI632198, and BF223228, a B-cell tumor from a chronic lymphatic leukemia (GenBank accession no. BE675048), and a T-cell lymphoma (GenBank accession no. AA361117)".


In the final version of the electronic copy, the accession number text will be linked to the appropriate source in the NCBI databases enabling readers to go directly to that source from the article.


US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voluntary posting (" Public Access") policy

Elsevier facilitates author response to the NIH voluntary posting request (referred to as the NIH "Public Access Policy"; see http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/index.htm) by posting the peer-reviewed author's manuscript directly to PubMed Central on request from the author, 12 months after formal publication. Upon notification from Elsevier of acceptance, we will ask you to confirm via e-mail (by e-mailing us at NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com) that your work has received NIH funding and that you intend to respond to the NIH policy request, along with your NIH award number to facilitate processing. Upon such confirmation, Elsevier will submit to PubMed Central on your behalf a version of your manuscript that will include peer-review comments, for posting 12 months after formal publication. This will ensure that you will have responded fully to the NIH request policy. There will be no need for you to post your manuscript directly with PubMed Central, and any such posting is prohibited. Proofs


Proofs will be sent to the author (first named author if no corresponding author is identified on multi-authored papers) by PDF wherever possible and should be returned within 48 hours of receipt, preferably by e-mail. Corrections should be restricted to typesetting errors; any other amendments made may be charged to the author. Any queries should be answered in full. Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are returned to us in one all-inclusive e-mail or fax. Subsequent additional corrections will not be possible, so please ensure that your first communication is complete. Should you choose to mail your corrections, please return them to: Log-in Department, Elsevier, Stover Court, Bampfylde Street, Exeter, Devon EX1 2AH, UK.


Offprints


Twenty five offprints will be supplied free of charge. Additional offprints and copies of the issue can be ordered at a specially reduced rate using the order form sent to the corresponding author after the manuscript has been accepted. Orders for reprints (produced after publication of an article) will incur a 50% surcharge.


Copyright


All authors must sign the "Transfer of Copyright" agreement before the article can be published. This transfer agreement enables Elsevier Ltd to protect the copyrighted material for the authors, without the author relinquishing his/her proprietary rights. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microfilm or any other reproductions of a similar nature, and translations. It also includes the right to adapt the article for use in conjunction with computer systems and programs, including reproduction or publication in machine-readable form and incorporation in retrieval systems. Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder permission to reproduce any material for which copyright already exists.


Ethics:
When human subjects are used, manuscripts must be accompanied by a statement that the experiments were undertaken with the understanding and written consent of each subject, with the approval of the appropriate local ethics committee, and in compliance with national legislation and the Code of Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) [ http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm]. When experimental animals are used, the materials and methods section must clearly indicate that adequate measures were taken to minimise pain or discomfort, and that the experiments were conducted in accordance with international standards on animal welfare as well as being compliant with local and national regulations. Studies are expected to be compliant with minimal standards as defined by the European Communities Council Directive of 24 November 1986 (86/609/EEC)."

Supplementary material:
Electronic supplementary material is now accepted to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more detailed instructions please visit our Corporate Website at http://www.elsevier.com/authors.

Disclaimer:
Whilst every effort is made by the publishers and editorial board to see that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in this journal, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisements herein are the sole responsibility of the contributor or advertiser concerned. Accordingly, the publishers, the editorial board and editors and their respective employees, officers and agents accept no responsibility or liability whatsoever for the consequences of any inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement.

Author Services


For queries relating to the general submission of manuscripts (including electronic text and artwork) and the status of accepted manuscripts, please contact Author Services, Log-in Department, Elsevier, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, UK. E-mail: authors@elsevier.co.uk, Fax: +44 (0) 1865 843905, Tel: +44 (0) 1865 843900. Authors can also keep a track of the progress of their accepted article through our OASIS system on the Internet. For information on an article go to the Internet page: http://www.elsevier.com/oasis and key in the corresponding author's name and the Elsevier reference number.