Submission of papers: Submission to the
journal is completely online. Upload one copy of the full paper including graphics and all figures as graphics file separately at the
online submission site, accessed via MEJ EES. The system automatically
converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that
even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further
processing after acceptance. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place
by e-mail and via the Author's homepage, removing the need for a hard-copy paper trail.
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.
Types of contributions: Original papers, case studies,
reports of conferences and meetings, book reviews, and letters to the Editors. Review articles may also be published at intervals, but
the subject and content of the latter should first be discussed with one of the Editors.
Corresponding author: Clearly
indicate who is responsible for correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, including post-publication. Ensure that
telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address.
Full postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Please consult a recent journal paper for style if possible.
Original
material: Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an
abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its
publication is approved by all authors and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any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.
Editor's requirements: The size of the manuscript should not
exceed 6000 words or about 18 double-spaced pages of typescript.
Detailed instructions on manuscript preparation and artwork instructions
can be found below. The editor reserves the right to return manuscripts that do not conform to the instructions for manuscript preparation
and artwork instruction, as well as papers that do not fit the scope of the journal, prior to refereeing.
General: Editors reserve the right to adjust style to certain standards of uniformity. Original manuscripts are discarded one month after
publication unless the Publisher is asked to return original material after use. An electronic copy of the manuscript on disk should
accompany the final accepted version. Please use Word, Word Perfect or LaTeX files for the text of your manuscript. (For further information
about LaTeX submission, please go to http://www.elsevier.com/latex.) Back to contents
list
Structure: Follow this order when typing manuscripts:
Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, Main text, Acknowledgements, Appendix, References, Figure Captions and then Tables.
When submitting in hardcopy, do not import figures into the text - see Illustrations. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section
at the end of the article and do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. Back
to the contents list
Text Layout: Use double spacing and wide
(3 cm) margins. (Avoid full justification, i.e., do not use a constant right-hand margin.) Ensure that each new paragraph is clearly
indicated. Present tables and figure legends on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. If possible, consult a recent issue of the
journal to become familiar with layout and conventions. Number all pages consecutively, use 12 or 10 pt font size and standard fonts.
When submitting in hardcopy, print the entire manuscript on one side of the paper only. Back to
the contents list
Corresponding author: Clearly indicate
who is responsible for correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, including post-publication. Ensure that telephone
and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address. Full
postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Please consult a recent journal paper for style if possible. Back
to the contents list
Abstract: A self-contained abstract
(100-150 words) outlining in a single paragraph the aims, scope and conclusions of the paper must be supplied. Back
to the contents list
Keywords: Immediately after the abstract,
provide a maximum of six keywords (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established
in the field may be eligible. Back to the contents list
Units: Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities
are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. The unit 'billion' (109 in America,
1012 in Europe) is ambiguous and must not be used. Back to the contents list
Maths: Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separately
from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text). Back to the contents list
References: All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript.
Text: Indicate references by number(s) in square brackets in line with the text. The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference
number(s) must always be given.
List: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear
in the text. Examples: Reference to a journal publication: [1] Van der Geer J, Hanraads JAJ, Lupton RA. The art of writing
a scientific article. J Sci Commun 2000;163:51-9. Reference to a book: [2] Strunk Jr W, White EB. The elements of style. 3rd
ed. New York: Macmillan; 1979. Reference to a chapter in an edited book: [3] Mettam GR, Adams LB. How to prepare an electronic
version of your article. In: Jones BS, Smith RZ, editors. Introduction to the electronic age, New York: E-Publishing Inc; 1999, p. 281-304
Note shortened form for last page number. e.g., 51-9, and that for more than 6 authors the first 6 should be listed followed by 'et
al.' Back to the contents list
FREE ONLINE COLOUR: If, together with your accepted article, you submit
usable colour and black/white 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. Please note: Because of technical complications which can arise by converting colour figures to "grey scale" (for the black/white
printed version of e-colour) please submit in addition usable black and white versions of all the colour illustrations. Also make sure
that in your captions and text you do not refer to colour, as the images will be black and white in print, and references to colour will
not make any sense to the reader of the print journal. 'Usable' means the formats comply with our instructions. See the information
about Illustrations at http://www/elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. For colour illustrations in the print journal see Colour
Costs above. Back to the contents list
Tables: Tables should be numbered consecutively and given suitable captions and each table should begin on a new page.
No vertical rules should be used. Tables should not duplicate results presented elsewhere in the manuscript (for example, in graphs).
Footnotes to tables should be typed below the table and should be referred to by superscript lowercase letters. Back
to the contents list
Electronic Annexes: We strongly encourage
you to submit electronic annexes, such as short videos, computer-enhanced images, audio clips and large databases. Please refer to the
Artwork Instructions (Multimedia files) at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions for details on file types to be used.
If you are submitting on hardcopy, please supply 3 disks/CD-ROMs containing the electronic annex to the editor for review. In the text
of your article you may wish to refer to the annex. This is not mandatory, however, if you do wish to refer to the annex in the text
then please do so using this example: "?see Electronic Annex 1 in the online version of this article." Production will insert the relevant
URL at the typesetting stage after this statement. Back to the contents list
Supplying
Final Accepted Text on Disk: Once the paper has been accepted by the editor, an electronic version of the text
should be submitted together with the final hardcopy of the manuscript.The electronic version must match the hardcopy exactly.We
accept most wordprocessing formats, but Word, WordPerfect or LaTeX (see also http://www.elsevier.com/latex) is preferred.
Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Label the disk with your name, the journal title and any software
used. Save your files using the default extension of the program used. Electronic files can be stored on 3.5 inch diskette, ZIP-disk
or CD (either MS-DOS or Macintosh). Back to the contents list
Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their paper by the editor. The Publisher will also send
a notification of receipt of the paper in production. Back to the contents list
All authors must sign the Transfer of Copyright agreement before the article can be published. This transfer
agreement enables Elsevier to protect the copyrighted material for the authors, but does not relinquish the authors' 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 similar nature and translations. Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder
permission to reproduce any figures for which copyright exists. For more information please go to our copyright page http://www.elsevier.com/authorrights.
Back to the contents list
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. The
corrections should be returned within 48 hours. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will
be allowed at this stage. Proofreading is solely the author's responsibility. Any queries should be answered in full. Please correct
factual errors only, or errors introduced by typesetting. For more information on proofreading please go to our proofreading page
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/guidepublication.
Please note that once your paper has been proofed we publish the identical
paper online as in print. Back to the contents list
No page charges: Publication in this journal is free of charge.
Free offprints: Twenty-five
offprints will be supplied free of charge. Corresponding authors will be given the choice to buy extra offprints before printing of the
article. Authors who pay for colour illustrations will receive an extra fifty offprints free of charge.
Author discount:
Contributors to Elsevier journals are entitled to a 30% discount on all Elsevier books (excluding major reference works). See http://www.elsevier.com/homepage/booksbutler for more information.
