It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to
the journal's Editor for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any item.
Ensure that the following
items are present:
One Author designated as corresponding Author: • E-mail address • Full postal address
• Telephone and fax numbers All necessary files have been uploaded • Keywords • All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes) Further considerations • Manuscript has been "spellchecked"
• References are in the correct format for this journal • All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited
in the text, and vice versa • Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the
Web) • Colour figures are clearly marked as being intended for colour reproduction on the Web (free of charge) and in print
or to be reproduced in colour on the Web (free of charge) and in black-and-white in print • If only colour on the Web is required,
black and white versions of the figures are also supplied for printing purposes
General
It is essential
to give a fax number and e-mail address when submitting a manuscript. Articles must be written in good English.
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and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published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://elsevier.com/copyright).
This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the corresponding Author confirming
receipt of the manuscript. 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 online via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions).
Authors' rights As an author you (or your employer or institution) may do the following: - make copies (print or
electronic) of the article for your own personal use, including for your own classroom teaching use - make copies and distribute
such copies (including through e-mail) of the article to research colleagues, for the personal use by such colleagues (but not commercially
or systematically, e.g., via an e-mail list or list server) - post a pre-print version of the article on Internet websites including
electronic pre-print servers, and to retain indefinitely such version on such servers or sites - post a revised personal version
of the final text of the article (to reflect changes made in the peer review and editing process) on your personal or institutional website
or server, with a link to the journal homepage (on http://www.elsevier.com) - present the article at a meeting or conference
and to distribute copies of the article to the delegates attending such a meeting - for your employer, if the article is a 'work
for hire', made within the scope of your employment, your employer may use all or part of the information in the article for other intra-company
use (e.g., training) - retain patent and trademark rights and rights to any processes or procedure described in the article -
include the article in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation (provided that this is not to be published commercially) - use
the article or any part thereof in a printed compilation of your works, such as collected writings or lecture notes (subsequent to publication
of your article in the journal) - prepare other derivative works, to extend the article into book-length form, or to otherwise re-use
portions or excerpts in other works, with full acknowledgement of its original publication in the journal
Should Authors be requested
by the Editor to revise the text, the revised version should be submitted within a certain timelimit;
Minor revision - 1 month
Moderate revision - 3 months
Major revision - 4 months.
After this period, the article will be regarded as a new submission.
Online submission to the journal prior to acceptance
Submission to this journal proceeds totally online. Use the following
guidelines to prepare your article. Via the website of this journal (http://authors.elsevier.com) you will be guided stepwise
through the creation and uploading of the various files. 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.
The above represents a very brief outline of this form of submission. It can be advantageous
to print this "Guide for Authors" section from the site for reference in the subsequent stages of article preparation.
Electronic
format requirements for accepted articles
General points
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.
Wordprocessor documents
It is important that the file be saved in the
native format of the wordprocessor used. 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://authors.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. To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised
to use the "spellchecker" function of your wordprocessor.
LaTeX documents If the LaTeX file is suitable, proofs
will be produced without rekeying the text. The article should preferably be written using Elsevier's document class "elsart", or alternatively
the standard document class "article". The Elsevier LaTeX package (including detailed instructions for LaTeX preparation) can be
obtained from the page: http://authors.elsevier.com/latex. It consists of the files: elsart.cls, guidelines for users of
elsart, a template file for quick start, and the instruction booklet "Preparing articles with LaTeX".
Preparation of text
Presentation of manuscript
General
Paper Length: EPSL has a restricted article length of
not more than 6500 words in the main text, excluding the abstract and figure captions, a maximum of 80 references, and not more than
a total of 10 figures plus tables. Large tables should be submitted as part of Supplementary Material. Excessive use of multi-part figures
is not permitted and the editor will make a decision on the suitability of such submissions. Additional figures can be included as part
of Supplementary Material which would form part of the electronic version of the paper.
Please write your text in good English (American
or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Italics are not to be used for expressions of Latin origin, for example, in
vivo, et al., per se. Use decimal points (not commas); use a space for thousands (10 000 and above). Language Polishing.
Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/languagepolishing or contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for more information. 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/wps/find/termsconditions.cws_home/termsconditions
Provide
the following data on the title page (in the order given).
Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval
systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible. Author names and affiliations. Where the family name may be ambiguous
(e.g., a double name), please indicate this clearly. Present the Authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below
the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the Author's name and in front of the appropriate
address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name, and, if available, the e-mail address of each
Author. Corresponding Author. Clearly indicate who is willing to handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and
publication, also 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. Present/permanent address.If an Author has moved since the work described
in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a "Present address" (or "Permanent address") may be indicated as a footnote to
that Author's name. The address at which the Author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript
Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes. Abstract. A concise and factual abstract is required (maximum length 350 words).
The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. A structured abstract is
required. For this, a recent copy of the journal should be consulted. An abstract is often presented separate from the article, so it
must be able to stand alone.
References should therefore be avoided, but if essential, they must be cited in full, without reference
to the reference list.
Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first
mention in the abstract itself. Keywords. Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6 keywords, avoiding general
and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, "and", "of"). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established
in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes. Abbreviations. Define abbreviations that
are not standard in this field at their first occurrence in the article: in the abstract but also in the main text after it. Ensure consistency
of abbreviations throughout the article. N.B. Acknowledgements. Collate acknowledgements, including information on grants
received, in a separate section at the end of the article and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote
to the title or otherwise.
Arrangement of the article
Subdivision of the article. Divide your article into
clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ?), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included
in section numbering). Use this numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to "the text". Any subsection may be
given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line. References. See separate section, below. Figure captions, tables, figures, schemes. Present these, in this order, at the end of the article. They are described in more
detail below. If you are working with LaTeX and have such features embedded in the text, these can be left, but such embedding should
not be done specifically for publishing purposes. Further, high-resolution graphics files must be provided separately (see Preparation
of illustrations). Text graphics. Present incidental graphics not suitable for mention as figures, plates or schemes at
the end of the article and number them "Graphic 1", etc. Their precise position in the text can then be indicated. See further under
the section, Preparation of illustrations. If you are working with LaTeX and have such features embedded in the text, these can be left,
but such embedding should not be done specifically for publishing purposes. Further, high-resolution graphics files must be provided
separately (see Preparation of illustrations).
Specific remarks
Mathematical formulae. Present simple formulae
in the line of normal text where possible. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal
line, e.g., X/Y rather than X Y Powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any
equations that have to be displayed separate from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text).
Footnotes. Footnotes
should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. Many wordprocessors build
footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Should this not be the case, indicate the position of footnotes in the text and
present the footnotes themselves on a separate sheet at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list. Table
footnotes. Indicate each footnote in a table with a superscript lowercase letter.
Tables. Number tables consecutively
in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase
letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results
described elsewhere in the article.
Nomenclature and units. Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the
international system of units (SI). If other quantities are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI.
Preparation of supplementary
data. Elsevier accepts supplementary material 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 artwork instruction pages at http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.
References
Responsibility for
the accuracy of bibliographic citations lies entirely with the Authors.
Citations in the text: Please ensure that every reference
cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full.
Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these
references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution
of the publication date with either "Unpublished results" or "Personal communication" Citation of a reference as "in press" implies that the item has been accepted for publication.
Citing and listing of Web references. As a minimum,
the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (Author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should
also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can
be included in the reference list.
Text: All citations in the text should refer to:
1. Single Author: the Author?s name (without
initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication; 2. Two Authors: both Authors? names and the year of publication; 3.
Three or more Authors: first Author?s name followed by "et al." and the year of publication.
Citations may be made directly
(or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed first alphabetically, then chronologically.
Examples: "as demonstrated
(Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1995). Kramer et al. (2000) have recently shown ...."
List: References should be
arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically if necessary. More than one reference from the same Author(s) in
the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
Van der Geer, J., Hanraads, J.A.J., Lupton, R.A., 2000. The art of writing a scientific
article. J. Sci. Commun. 163, 51?59.
Reference to a book:
Strunk Jr., W., White, E.B., 1979. The Elements of Style, third ed.
Macmillan, New York.
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 1999. How to prepare an electronic
version of your article, in: Jones, B.S., Smith , R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281?304.
Preparation of electronic illustrations
General points
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of
your original artwork. • Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font. • Only use the following fonts
in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol. • Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the
text. • Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files. • Provide all illustrations as separate files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately. • Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
A
detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website: http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork. Some excerpts from
the detailed information are given here.
Formats
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:
• embed graphics in your word processor (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.
Captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption.
Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and
a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.
Line drawings
The lettering and symbols, as well as other details, should have proportionate dimensions, so as not
to become illegible or unclear after possible reduction; in general, the figures should be designed for a reduction factor of two to
three. The degree of reduction will be determined by the Publisher. Illustrations will not be enlarged. Consider the page format of the
journal when designing the illustrations. Do not use any type of shading on computer-generated illustrations.
Photographs (halftones)
Remove non-essential areas of a photograph. Do not mount photographs unless they form part of a composite figure (plate). Where necessary,
insert a scale bar in the illustration (not below it), as opposed to giving a magnification factor in the caption.
Colour
illustrations
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the
correct resolution. 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 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. Please indicate your preference for colour in print or on the Web only.
For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.
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 versions of all the colour illustrations.
Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding Author (if we do not have an e-mail address then
paper proofs will be sent by post). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader
version 7 available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions on how to annotate PDF
files will accompany the proofs.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including
replies to the Query Form) and return to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason,
this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof
and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post.
Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness
and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered
at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore,
it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying,
as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed
with the publication of your article if no response is received.
Electronic offprints (e-offprints)
The corresponding
author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. 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.
