Editorial Guidelines and Instructions to Authors (Revised 1 July 2004)
Optics
Communications considers only original and timely contributions containing new results in various fields of modern optics. Manuscripts
may discuss fundamental or applied issues, and should offer clear evidence of novelty and significance. Papers devoted, for the most
part, to mathematical and computational issues, with limited direct connection to current trends of optics research, are generally not
suitable for publication in the Journal. Similarly, small technical advances, or papers concerned only with engineering applications
or issues of materials science may not be considered favorably.
In deciding if Optics Communications is the appropriate
venue for the presentation of their research, the authors should consider the following sections of the table of content of the Journal:
I. Physical optics
Propagation and scattering; interference; diffraction; coherence; polarization; geometrical optics; optical
vortices and phase singularities; statistical optics; optical measurement techniques; turbulent media; atmospheric optics.
II.
Optical information and image processing
Optical signal processing; optical computing; Fourier transform optics; optical storage
and retrieval; holography; pattern recognition; image processing and restoration; optical sensing; liquid crystal displays; optical interconnections.
IV. Atomic and molecular physics
Atomic and molecular properties and interaction with electromagnetic fields; multi-photon processes; strong field physics; atomic coherence
effects; coherent control; cooperative phenomena; mechanical effects of light; cooling and trapping of atoms, molecules and ions; collision
processes.
V. Optical properties of condensed and soft matter
X-ray and electron diffraction and scattering; liquid crystals;
photonic bandgap materials; condensed matter spectroscopy; optical properties of thin films.
VI. Quantum optics
Photon statistics
and coherence theory; nonclassical states of the electromagnetic field, including entangled photon states; quantum state engineering
and reconstruction; decoherence; quantum jumps; cavity quantum electrodynamics; nonclassical interferometry; optical tests of quantum
theory.
VII. Lasers and Laser Applications
Laser theory; laser sources; optical spatio-temporal dynamics, including ultrashort
pulse generation; design of specific laser systems; laser materials; metrological applications; laser spectroscopy; remote sensing; optical
tweezers; LIDAR; industrial applications.
VIII. Nonlinear optics
Harmonic generation; stimulated Raman; Brillouin and Rayleigh
scattering; multi-wave mixing; frequency conversion and generation of entangled photon states; optical parametric oscillators and amplifiers;
phase conjugation; photorefractive and Kerr effects; optical solitons; vortices and nonlinear waveguides.
X. Nano and Micro optics
Near field optics; nano-plasmonics; optical MEMS; photonic crystals; nanocrystals; left-handed materials; metamaterials; rough surfaces;
optical properties of nanoscale materials.
X. Matter waves
Optics and interferometry of atoms and molecules; cold atoms and
molecules; optical lattices; quantum gases, including Bose-Einstein-condensation and degenerate Fermi gases; atom lasers; phase-coherent
ensembles.
XI. Quantum information
Quantum cryptography; quantum communication; quantum computation; entanglement production,
characterization and manipulation; quantum error correction and other methods for protection against decoherence.
XII. Bio and
medical optics
Tissue engineering; endoscopes; near infrared spectroscopy; cell manipulation; biosensors; cellular surgery; skin
optics; laser scanning microscopy; optical coherence tomography.
Preparation of manuscripts
All manuscripts should be
written in good scientific English, with special care being reserved for the clarity of the title and the abstract. Because these
should be accessible to a wide cross-section of readers of the Journal, unusual acronyms should be avoided in the title. If acronyms
are needed in the abstract, they should be defined immediately after their first use. For the same reasons of clarity, it is preferable
for new terminology to be introduced, and properly defined, only in the main text. Readability of the title and abstract is an important
consideration for the final acceptance process.
Articles are not required to fit within a prescribed length, but it is understood
that the length of a contribution should be commensurate with the information contained in the manuscript. It is then possible, in some
cases, that the authors may be asked to shorten the text and/or reduce the number of figures and tables if these are not strictly required
by criteria of clarity. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the submission of short serial contributions is strongly discouraged
in favor of more comprehensive surveys of the research projects and their implications. With this as our guiding principle, the Journal
will now make no distinction between short and full-length contributions, which will be indexed in the issues according to the
subject under discussion.
We encourage the authors to adopt the style of presentation which they find most appropriate for
the purpose of enhancing the significance of their results. Generally, short articles need not be subdivided into a formal introduction,
main text and conclusions, although this subdivision is still desirable for longer manuscripts. In any case, the authors must place their
work in context with the current state of research, and should clearly emphasize the main advances, possibly both in the introductory
and concluding parts.
For general format and style, the authors may consult recent issues of the Journal.
References
should be numbered in square brackets, e.g. [7], or [11-13,17], in order of citation in the text, and should be listed individually,
on separate pages, at the end of the manuscript. References to journal articles should contain the names and initials of all authors,
abbreviation of the journal title, according to current practice, volume number, year of publications in parentheses, and inclusive page
numbers. Articles may be cited as 'in press' only in a copy of the acceptance notice is available to the authors at the time of submission.
References to books should include the names and initials of the author(s), title of the book, name and initials of editor(s) in parentheses,
volume, edition, inclusive page numbers, name and location of
the publisher, and year of publication. Citations such as 'unpublished'
and 'personal communication' can also be part of the reference list. Incomplete bibliographic items should either be referred to as 'in
preparation' (not yet submitted to a journal), 'submitted for publication' (including the name of the journal the article was submitted
to), or 'in press' (see above).
Examples of citations are provided below (journals [1], books [2], and electronic publications [3]):
[1] J.W.R. Tabosa, A. Lezama, G.C. Cardoso, Opt. Commun. 165 (1999) 59-64.
[2] V.L. Ginzburg, Radiation by uniformly moving sources,
in: E. Wolf (Ed.), Progress in Optics, vol. 32, North-Holland, Amsterdam, 1993.
[3] F. Yu, X.-S. Wu, hep-th/9112009.
Tables,
numbered in order of appearance, should be appended on separate pages and identified with appropriate titles. The title of the table
should appear above it. A detailed description of its contents and footnotes should be given below the body of the table.
Figures
should be original laser prints, or very sharp, high contrast prints on glossy paper, suitable for immediate reproduction. Half-tone
figures should be in black-and-white, very sharp, well contrasting, and on glossy paper. Any lettering in the figures should be large
enough to stand photographic reduction. Contributors should prepare their figures for either one column width (75 mm) or the entire page
width (160 mm). The maximum height is 200 mm. The Publisher will determine the degree of any reduction or enlargement required and, in
general, line drawings will be reduced to one column width if possible. Each figure should be identified on the back by its number and
the name of the first author. Figures with multiple panels should be labeled individually, with (a), (b), etc., but a single caption
should describe the entire set. Figure captions should be typed on a separate page. Color reproduction: when essential to the
understanding of paper, figures may be reproduced in color. This will, however, lengthen the publication time. The price of a single
color page is 545,00, exclusive of sales tax, and 272.50 for each additional color page. Color illustrations can be submitted as original
color photographs, trans-parencies, or 35 mm slides. Polaroid color prints are not suitable. Please submit color photographs, transparencies,
close to the size expected in final publication. Authors will receive 100 reprints with color illustrations, free of charge. More reprints
can be ordered at the usual rates, and there will be no additional charge for reprints containing color illustrations.
Colourful
e-Products: Optics Communucations is included in a new initiative from Elsevier: 'Colourful e-Products'. This 'colourful e-products'
solution provides a welcome step forward now that scientists increasingly access information on line. Scientists in many disciplines
need to be able to publish their work in colour, but the cost of colour printing in small, specialized journals can be prohibitive and
we realise that not all scientists have appropriate funds to cover the charges. Authors wishing to make use of this facility should ensure
that the artwork is in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and at the correct resolution. In addition, for colour online
and black & white in print, both colour and black & white artwork
(file and/or hardcopy) is provided. There is no extra charge
for authors who participate in this new facility. Further information on electronic artwork can be found at http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.
To view the articles online please access the journal from the ScienceDirect website: http://www.sciencedirect.com.
Acknowledgements must be included under a separate heading and are generally reserved for the mention of financial support and
of substantial collaborative efforts with colleagues.
Appendices should be labeled sequentially, as A, B, etc. and preferably,
also identified with a title. The equations should be numbered consecutively but separately from those in the main text of the paper
[e.g. (Al), (A2), (B1),. . .etc.].
LaTeX papers should preferably use the Elsevier document class 'elsart', or alternatively
the standard document style 'article' or the document style 'revtex'. The Elsevier LaTeX package (including detailed instructions for
LaTeX preparation) can be obtained from the Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN). Search for Elsevier on the CTAN Search page (http://www.ucc.ie/cgi-bin/ctan).
Online submission
Authors are encouraged to submit their papers through the Author Gateway online submission tool for Optics
Communications. Full instructions on how to use the electronic submission tool and on how to prepare compuscript are available at http://www.elsevier.com/locate/optcom
Submission of articles For hard copy submission an original plus three copies of the manuscript may be submitted to any
of the Editors whose names and address appear below:
B.J. Eggleton, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006,
Australia. Tel: +61 2 9351 3604; E-mail: optcom@physics.usyd.edu.au S. Kawata, Department of Applied Physics,
Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Tel: +81 (0)6 6879 7847; Fax: +81 (0)6 6879 7330; E-mail: optcomm@ap.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp W.P. Schleich, Abteilung fu? r Quantenphysik, Universita?t Ulm, D-89069 Ulm, Germany. Tel: +49-731-502-2510; Fax: +49-731-502-2511;
E-mail: optcom@physik.uni-ulm.de
With the manuscript, the authors should also include an accompanying letter of submission,
the full mailing address and communication information of the corresponding author (telephone, fax and e-mail address), and a specification
of the preferred subject matter of the article. Alternatively, the authors should provide appropriate PACS (Physics and Astronomy Classification
Scheme) index categories and/or selected keywords of their choice.
Preferably, the original copy should be printed on one side of
the paper only; the additional copies may be printed on both sides, and pages should be numbered.
The same guidelines apply to the
resubmitted versions of the articles, although in this case the authors are reminded to include also an appropriate response to the criticisms
and recommendations of the referees, and a summary of the modifications. In resubmitting a manuscript, the authors may only include those
figures which have been modified, with clear instructions for the editorial office concerning the proper placement of the revised illustrations.
It is the author's responsibility, however, to supply complete review copies, in a form suitable for mailing to the referee(s). The authors
should also upgrade information that may have changed since the initial submission.
Please note that submission of a contribution
implies that the paper is not under consideration by any other journal at the time of submission, and that the essential scientific results
will not be submitted to any other journal while the paper is under consideration for publication in Optics Communications.
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://authors.elsevier.com/terms_and_conditions.html).
Date of receipt The receipt date of a published article will, generally, correspond to the arrival date of the manuscript
in the editorial office. Authors are encouraged to complete their revisions within a period of no more than six months. Revised manuscripts
submitted after this date are usually considered to be new contributions, and will be assigned a new receipt date. Unusual delays in
the completion of the revisions may require that the authors update their original reference list.
Refereeing process Manuscripts
are normally sent to referees for technical assessment, and for possible consideration of special matters that may be raised by the Editor.
The reports of the referees are advisory to the Editor, but they are generally shared with the authors, perhaps after minor editing.
If the subject of the article is clearly unsuitable for consideration by Optics Communications, the paper may be rejected by the Editor
without review.
Revised articles should be resubmitted with an accompanying letter containing a response to the objections
of the referee(s) and an outline of the modifications. If necessary, the Editor may choose to submit a revised manuscript, and the previous
anonymous correspondence, to an independent referee. Ideally, an electronic copy of the manuscript should accompany the revised version.
If no electronic .le has been received at this stage, and the article is accepted, see ''Electronic submission'' below.
Acceptance
of a paper requires a clear and favorable endorsement by at least one referee, although the Editor at his discretion may seek additional
opinions in an attempt to resolve issues that may require further investigation.
Authors are encouraged to submit at least four names
and addresses of possible referees, outside their home institution, who are qualified to provide a technical report on the work.
This list is especially welcome when the manuscript deals with specialized subjects. Similarly, the authors may request that their contribution
be held from specific referees. Such a request is usually honored, except for the case of Comments where the input of the criticized
author is part of the review process (see Comments, below).
The rejection of an article by one of the Editors should
generally be regarded as a final decision and the conclusion of the review process. Moreover, a journal-wide policy is that previously
rejected papers will not be reconsidered for publication by any of the other editors.
Publication schedule If all the
above instructions are adhered to, Elsevier expects to provide Web publication of copy-edited articles within 10 working days of receipt
of the electronic file.
Copyright transfer and reprint order forms Upon acceptance of an article, the author(s) will be
asked to transfer copyright of the article to the Publisher. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.
A reprint order form will also be provided for ordering any reprints in addition to the 25 which are supplied free of charge.
Proofs One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. Authors should
respond within 24 hours after receipt of their proofs. Extensive modifications of the contents of a manuscript at proof stage may require
the approval of the accepting editor and, perhaps, an additional round of review.
Publication charges There are no page
charges for Optics Communications.
Comments Comments are short communications dealing with speci.c technical matters that
have appeared in Optics Communications. They must be reserved for the collegial discussion of substantial points of disagreement
between the author(s) of the comment and previous contributors to this journal, and cannot be used as a forum to extend or clarify published
results, or to correct perceived errors in the citation record of earlier contributions.
Comments will be reviewed by two referees.
The first will be one of the authors whose work is being criticized (involved referee). As usual, this reviewer will be asked to provide
an opinion on the technical merits of the submission and its relation to the previous work. The report of the involved referee, edited
if necessary, will either be returned to the author for rebuttal, or will be submitted to an uninvolved referee along with previous correspondence.
As with all other submissions to the Journal, additional uninvolved referees may be used at the discretion of the Editors.
If a Comment
is accepted for publication, the criticized author will be invited to prepare a formal reply to the comment which should be available
within about four weeks after solicitation. If a reply is prepared, it will be reviewed, normally, by the same uninvolved referee(s)
who refereed the comment.
Further inquiries and additional information
Author enquiries
Before acceptance authors
may forward additional inquiries to any of the Editors as listed above. The preferred (and usually fastest) mode of communication is
by electronic mail, but telephone calls and faxes to the editorial offices are also welcome.
For enquiries relating to the submission
of articles (including electronic submission), the status of accepted articles through our Online Article Status Information System (OASIS),
author Frequently Asked Questions and any other enquiries relating to Elsevier, please consult http://www.elsevier.com/locate/authors/
Contact details for questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration
of an article for publication.
All correspondence with the Editors or the Publisher should contain the manuscript code number, the
full title and at least the name of the first author.
The Instructions to Authors and additional pertinent editorial policies
and procedures are also posted on the Web site of Optics Communications at www.elsevier.com/locate/optcom.
