Scope Journal of Chromatography A provides a forum for the publication of original research and critical reviews on
all aspects of fundamental and applied separation science. The scope of the journal includes chromatography and related techniques,
electromigration techniques (e.g. electrophoresis, electrochromatography), hyphenated and other multi-dimensional techniques, sample
preparation, and detection methods such as mass spectrometry. Contributions consist mainly of research papers dealing with the theory
of separation methods, instrumental developments and analytical and preparative applications of general interest.
Journal
of Chromatography A welcomes the submission of research papers which report on studies concerning the development of new and significant
advances in separation science. Manuscripts detailing fundamental research on all aspects of separation science theory and methodology
are especially encouraged. In determining the suitability of submitted articles for publication, particular scrutiny will be placed
on the degree of novelty and significance of the research and the extent to which it adds to existing knowledge in separation science.
Papers describing the use of routine separation methods or straightforward extensions of these methods to new sample matrices will normally
not be published unless new developments are described which are demonstrated to give clear and considerable advantages over existing
methods. As part of the Introduction section to each manuscript, authors must address the question of how their proposed methodology
compares with previously reported methods and this comparison must show that significant advances are proposed.
Where new analytical
methods are described, authors are encouraged to apply these methods to a sample matrix of suitable analytical complexity. In such cases
appropriate validation of the method should be provided, together with proper statistical treatment of data. Analytical performance
characteristics of new methods should be given, including sensitivity, tested limits of detection or quantification, accuracy, precision,
and specificity.
Journal of Chromatography A applies the same criteria for acceptance of manuscripts to all types of
submissions, irrespective of whether these are submitted for regular issues, special issues, or symposium issues.
Types of contributions
The following types of papers are published in the Journal of Chromatography A: Regular research papers (full-length), Review articles,
Short Communications, Discussions and Letters to the Editor. Short Communications are usually descriptions of short investigations, or
they can report minor technical improvements of previously published procedures; they reflect the same quality of research as full-length
articles, but should preferably not exceed five printed pages (typically no more than 2850 words, with a maximum of five figures and/or
tables). Discussions (one or two pages) should explain, amplify, correct or otherwise comment substantively upon an article recently
published in the journal.
Review articles are invited by the editors or may be proposed in writing to the editors or the editorial
office, who welcome suggestions for review topics. Potential authors will be asked to provide a brief outline of the subject matter
of the proposed review. Review articles should be sufficiently broad in scope to appeal to a wide cross-section of the journal?s readership,
but should be specific enough to permit discussion at an appropriate depth. Above all, reviews should be critical rather than enumerative
and should provide the reader with expert opinion regarding the relative merits of the various published approaches to the topic under
review. Figures and Tables are encouraged in review articles.
Submission of papers
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 tacitly or
explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, 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.
Upon acceptance of an article,
authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright see http://www.elsevier.com/locate/authorsrights.
This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided.
If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit
the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact Elsevier's Rights Department,
Oxford, UK: phone: +44 1865 843830, fax: +44 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com. Requests may also be completed
on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions.
Submission to the journal
Submission of both regular and special issue articles to this journal proceeds totally on-line via the journal's submission website http://ees.elsevier.com/chroma.
At the submission website 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) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence, including notification
of the editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by e-mail. If you are unable to provide an electronic version, please contact
the journal managers prior to submission by e-mail: chrom-eo@elsevier.com; telephone: +31 20 485 2792; or fax: +31 20
485 2304.
Every paper must be accompanied by a letter from the senior author, stating that he/she is submitting the paper for publication
in Journal of Chromatography A. In addition names and full contact information, including e-mail address, of three potential
reviewers should be provided. A working e-mail address for each reviewer is essential for rapid review. You may also suggest reviewers
you do not want to review your manuscript, but please state your reasons for doing so.
Electronic format requirements
We accept most wordprocessing formats, but Word, WordPerfect or LaTeX is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file
for reference and safety. Save your files using the default extension of the program used.
Manuscripts:
Please write your text
in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these).
Language Editing:
International Science
Editing and Asia Science Editing can provide English language and copyediting services to authors who want to publish in scientific,
technical and medical journals and need assistance before they submit their article or, before it is accepted for publication.
Authors can contact these services directly: International Science Editing http://www.internationalscienceediting.com and
Asia Science Editing http://www.asiascienceediting.com or, for more information about language editing services, please
contact authorsupport@elsevier.com who will be happy to deal with any questions. Please note: Elsevier neither
endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside vendors through our services or in any advertising.
For more information please refer to our terms & conditions
http://www.elsevier.com/terms.and.conditions.
Manuscripts
should be typed in single spacing, including line numbering on consecutively numbered sheets of paper of uniform size. A 2-cm margin
should be left on each side, an easily readable font (12 pt.) should be chosen.
The text should be in single-column format. Keep
the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular,
do not use the wordprocessor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts
etc. Do not embed ''graphically designed'' equations or tables, but prepare these using the wordprocessor's facility. When preparing
tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use
tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts
(see also http://www.elsevier.com). Do not import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate
locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript. See also the section on Preparation of electronic illustrations.
No changes to the accepted version are permissible without the explicit approval of the editor.
As a rule, papers should be divided
into sections, headed by captions (e.g. Abstract, Introduction, Experimental, Results, Discussion). If publications "in press" or "submitted
for publication" are cited, on which the new paper is based, copies of these publications should be uploaded as a "Miscellaneous" file.
Title
The title of the paper should be concise and informative. Do not include abbreviations or trade names
in the title. Since titles are widely used in information retrieval systems, care should be taken to include the key words. The title
should be followed by the authors' full names, academic or professional affiliations, and the address of the laboratory where the work
was carried out. If the present address of an author is different from that mentioned, it should be given in a footnote. Acknowledgements
of financial support are not to be made in a footnote to the title or name of the author, but should be included in the Acknowledgements
at the end of the paper.
Abstract and keywords
All articles should have an abstract of 50-100 words which clearly
and briefly indicates what is new, different and significant. No references should be given. A list of keywords should be added. These
keywords (or key phrases) must be carefully selected to reflect the scope of the paper. General words should be avoided in favour of
more specific terms. Normally six keywords or key phrases will be sufficient.
Introduction
Every paper must
have a concise introduction that mentions what has been done before on the topic, with appropriate references, and that states clearly
what is new in the paper now submitted.
Experimental
The Experimental section should contain sufficient information
for others to repeat the experiments. Whereas general conditions can usually best be specified in the Experimental section, it is often
better to give specific details in the figure captions. Appendix 1 lists what should typically be specified.
Tables and illustrations
Although appropriate tables and illustrations contribute to a clear and concise presentation of results, they should not merely repeat
data already given in the text. Tables should be uploaded separately, and numbered according to their sequence in the text. A brief descriptive
heading should be given with each table. Below the heading the experimental conditions should be described. The layout of the tables
should be given serious thought, so that the reader can grasp quickly the significance of the results.
Figures and photographs should
be uploaded individually in a form suitable for reproduction. A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authors.authors/authorartworkinstructions. You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Format:
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following
formats (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below.):
EPS: Vector
drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300
dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale):
a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications
please supply "as is".
Please do not: • Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document; • Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low;
Supply files that are
too low in resolution; • Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.
All axes of graphs and chromatograms
should be clearly labelled, with full quantitative data, equivalent information should be provided in the legend. Please note that any
lettering should also be in a form suitable for reproduction. Lettering (which should be kept to a minimum) and spacing on axes of graphs
should be such that numbers, etc., remain legible after reduction in size. The figures should preferably be of such a size that the same
degree of reduction can be applied to all of them. The size of the figures should preferably not exceed the size of the text pages. Simple
straight-line graphs (such as calibration lines) are not acceptable, because they can readily be described in the text by means of an
equation or a sentence. Claims of linearity should be supported by regression data that include slope, intercept, standard deviations
of the slope and intercept, standard error and the number of data points; correlation coefficients are optional. Standard symbols should
be used in line drawings; the following are available to the typesetters and can also be used in the legends: filled or open squares,
triangles, circles or diamonds, + or x.
Photographs should have good contrast and intensity. Sharp, glossy photographs are required
to obtain good half tones. References to the illustrations should be included in appropriate places in the text by Arabic numerals and
the approximate position of the illustration should be indicated in the margin of the manuscript. Each illustration should have a caption,
all the captions being typed together on a separate sheet after the reference list.
Free colour pictures and other supplementary
material on the WWW
Authors may now submit colour pictures and other supplementary material along with their paper. If, together
with the accepted article, usable colour figures are submitted 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://www.elsevier.com/artwork/instructions
The written permission of the copywright owner (usually the publisher) must be obtained for the use of any figure already published.
Its source must be indicated in the legend.
Nomenclature, symbols, abbreviations and units
Widely accepted
symbols, abbreviations and units (SI) should be used. If there is any doubt about a particular symbol or abbreviation, the full expression
followed by the abbreviation should be given the first time it appears in the text. Abbreviations used in tables and figures should be
explained in the captions. In general, the recommendations of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) should be
followed and attention should be given to the recommendations of the Analytical Chemistry Division in the journal Pure and Applied
Chemistry: Nomenclature for Chromatography, Pure Appl. Chem.,65 (1993) 819-872. Decimal points should be indicated by full stops.
All decimal numbers smaller than unity should include a leading zero (e.g. 0.11). Company-specific research codes for compounds should
not be used; after a full definition of the compound (possibly including such codes) in the Introduction,
it may be further indicated
by a bold-face Roman or Arabic numeral.
References
References should be numbered in the order in which they are
cited in the text, and listed in numerical sequence on a separate sheet at the end of the article. The numbers should appear in the text
at the appropriate places in square brackets. In the reference list, periodicals [1], monographs [2], multi-author books [3], and proceedings
[4] should be cited in accordance with the following examples:
[1] S. Chellam, M.R. Wiesner, J. Membrane Sci. 138 (1998) 83.
[2] T.R. Bott. Fouling of Heat Exchangers. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1995.
[3] C.H. Foyer, in R.G. Alscher, J.L. Hess (Editors), Antioxidants
in Higher Plants. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1993, p. 31.
[4] A. Veide, C. Hassinen, D. Hallen, M. Eiteman, B. Lassen, K. Holmbert,
in R.D. Rogers, M.A. Eiteman (Editors), Proceedings of the American Chemical Society Symposium on Aqueous Biophasic Separation. Plenum
Publishers, New York, 1995, p. 133.
Abbreviations for the titles of journals should follow the system used by Chemical Abstracts.
Articles not yet published should be given as "in press" (journal should be specified), "submitted for publication" (journal should be
specified), "in preparation" or "personal communication".
Vols. 1-651 of the Journal of Chromatography; Journal of Chromatography, Biomedical Applications and Journal of Chromatography, Symposium Volumes should be cited as J. Chromatogr.
From Vol. 652 on, Journal of Chromatography A (incl. Symposium Volumes) should be cited as J. Chromatogr. A and Journal
of Chromatography B as J. Chromatogr. B.
Use of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
The digital object identifier (DOI)
may be used to cite and link to electronic documents.
The DOI consists of a unique alpha-numeric character string which is assigned
to a document by the publisher upon the initial electronic publication. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore, it is an ideal medium
for citing a document, particularly articles 'in press' because they have not yet received their full bibliographic information.
The correct format for citing a DOI is shown as follows (example taken from a document in the journal Physics Letters B):
doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071
When you use the DOI to create URL hyperlinks to documents on the web, they are guaranteed never
to change.
Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding Author, to
be checked for typesetting/editing. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will be allowed
at this stage. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published
as quickly and accurately as possible. In order to do this we need your help. When you receive the (PDF) proof of your article for correction,
it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible,
so please ensure your first sending is complete. Note that this does not mean you have any less time to make your corrections, just that
only one set of corrections will be accepted.
Electronic offprints (e-offprints)
The corresponding author, at
no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked
version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions
of use.
Important information
For information on editorial matters (including submission, reviews and revision
of manuscripts) please contact: Journal Management, Journal of Chromatography A, P.O. Box 681, 1000 AR Amsterdam, The Netherlands;
Tel.: +31 20 485 2792; Fax: +31 20 485 2304; E-mail: chrom-eo@elsevier.com
Visit (http://www.elsevier.com/.authors)
for the facility to track accepted articles and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed. This site
also provides detailed artwork guidelines, copyright information and frequently asked questions.
Contact details for questions arising
after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration of an article for publication.
For orders, claims and product enquiries: please contact the Customer Service Department at the Regional Sales Office nearest you:
Orlando: Elsevier, Customer Service Department, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800, USA; phone: +1 877 8397126 [toll free
number for US customers], or +1 407 3454020 [customers outside US]; fax: +1 407 3631354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com
Amsterdam: Elsevier, Customer Service Department, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; phone: +31 20 4853757; fax: +31 20
4853432; e-mail: nlinfo-f@elsevier.com
Tokyo: Elsevier, Customer Service Department, 4F Higashi-Azabu, 1-Chome Bldg,
1-9-15 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044, Japan; phone: +81 3 5561 5037; fax: +81 3 5561 5047; e-mail: jp.info@elsevier.com
Singapore: Elsevier, Customer Service Department, 3 Killiney Road, #08-01 Winsland House I, Singapore 239519; phone: +65 63490222; fax:
+65 67331510; e-mail: asiainfo@elsevier.com
Appendix 1: Experimental conditions to be specified
Experimental
conditions should preferably be given on a separate sheet, headed "Conditions". These conditions will, if appropriate, be printed in
a block, directly following the heading "Experimental".
General Chemicals: Supplier (city/town, state,
country) and degree of purity of all less common chemicals; EC number of enzymes; optical purity of enantiomers. Equipment:
Model and manufacturer (city/town, state, country) of commercial instruments (e.g. chromatographs and detectors). For instruments that
are not commercially available, sufficient detail (or a reference) should be given to allow others to construct their own instrument. Detection parameters: (e.g. type, wavelength, attenuation, linearity range, limit of detection at a specified signal-to-noise
ratio). Sample preparation: Application papers should contain full details (or a reference) of the method of sample preparation.
For centrifugation steps, give details of g value and time. Injection device and volume and concentration of the injected sample should
be specified. Column liquid chromatography:
Column: Column dimensions (length internal diameter), manufacturer and
location, packing material (for non-commercial columns or columns that are not widely used the chemical composition should be specified),
particle diameter, pore diameter, column temperature.
Mobile phase: Complete and unambiguous description of the mobile phase composition
or procedure for its preparation; pH; flow-rate; gradient programme.
k values: When reporting values, the method for determining
the hold-up time (t0 ) must be described. Gas chromatography and supercritical fluid chromatography:
Column. In addition
to the parameters mentioned for column liquid chromatography, specify type of column (packed, capillary, etc.) support material, film
thickness of the stationary phase, and surface modification, if applicable.
Carrier gas. Type, purity, flow-rate or inlet pressure
(bar or MPa).
Temperature. All relevant temperatures (or temperature programmes) should be detailed.
Planar chromatography
Chamber.
Internal dimensions, manufacturer and location, saturation, temperature, humidity. Thin layer or paper. Manufacturer and
location, material, dimensions, type (laboratory-prepared or commercially precoated) and thickness of layer, additives (fluorescent indicator,
binder), position of starting line, development mode, method of activation. Solvent. Composition of solvent, monophasic
or upper or lower phase of two-phase mixture, total volume. Sample. Application method, size of spot or streak, solvent
and amount of solute and volume of solution applied. Detection. Spray reagent, wavelength, details of colours, RF values. Electrophoresis:
Matrix. For example, cellulose acetate, agarose, polyacrylamide; gel concentration; percentage cross-linker;
dimensions and material of tube, sheet, etc.,
surface modification, length between column inlet and detector, temperature.
Buffers.
Complete and unambiguous description of buffers used, pH and how the pH was set or adjusted.
Other. Injection method, voltage, current.
In electropherograms, anode and cathode should be indicated. Mass spectrometry:
Inlet system. Direct on-line, off-line,
postcolumn splitting, postcolumn buffer or matrix addition.
Source. Ionization energy, temperature, trap current, reagent gas. For LC
interfaces, complete and unambiguous description of the same and their operating parameters (vaporizer and capillary temperature, buffers,
nebulizing, auxiliary or ionizing gases, gas pressures, source and interface voltages, up-front CID voltages.
Mass analyzer. Accelerating
voltage, scan mode, collision gas for tendem MS work, collision gas pressure, collision energy, resolution and mass range. Detection.
Electron multiplier voltage and/or electometer gain, ions monitored in SIM and dwell times.
