Manuscript Submission

Please submit manuscripts in electronic format after consulting "Preparing Electronic Files", below, for specific instructions. The Editor in Chief either handles the manuscript himself or assigns it to one of the five Associate Editors for managing the review. All correspondence, including the editor's request for revision and final decision, will be by electronic means.

Submission of all manuscripts proceeds via the online submission tool for this journal http://ees.elsevier.com/jasms/. You will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files, including a submission letter and suggestions for at least four (and preferably five) reviewers for the manuscript. Although various formats are allowed for the initial submission, including PDF files, the final revision must be as a Word or other suitable word-processor document. When a Word or equivalent document is uploaded, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing.

If submission via the online submission tool is not possible, please contact:

Joyce Neff, Managing Editor
Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry
Department of Chemistry
Washington University
Campus Box 1134, One Brookings Drive
St. Louis, MO 63130
tel: (314) 935-7464
fax: (314) 935-7484
E-mail: neff@wustl.edu


Authors will receive acknowledgement of receipt of their manuscript and will be informed of the editor who is responsible for review. Address correspondence about the manuscript during review to the editor who is handling your review.

Manuscripts are received with the understanding that their content is unpublished material and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere. Further, it is understood that each co-author has made substantial contributions to the work described and that each accepts joint responsibility for its publication.

Send correspondence on other editorial matters to Michael L. Gross (mgross@wustl.edu).

Preparing Electronic Files

Text and graphics may be submitted as separate files in the following formats:

Text: Use Microsoft Word, WordPerfect, WordPro, or Rich Text Format (.rtf). Check the accuracy of all file conversions.

Graphics: Create digital artwork after consulting the Elsevier Electronic Artwork website; http://www.elsevier.com/locate/authorartwork, which contains appropriate instructions. Please note that Elsevier allows the submission of MS Office Files (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), provided they meet certain criteria (see information given on the Electronic Artwork website). It is preferred to save files in TIFF format. Label figures as referenced in text and include a list of figure legends.

Note: Only for initial submission and review, manuscript may be submitted as a single PDF file. Figures can be embedded at appropriate points within the body of the PDF file, or they can be included on separate pages at the end of the PDF file. For final versions, the original source files are needed, otherwise the manuscript cannot be processed at the typesetter.

Deadline for Manuscript Revisions

Resubmit manuscripts for which revisions were requested within one month of receipt of the reviews. Manuscripts received after this period may be regarded as new submissions and may be subject to re-reviewing to ensure currency.

Related Unpublished Work

Submit with the manuscript copies of any articles describing work that is related and that is submitted to or in press in any journal. These documents should be submitted as "supplementary material" via the Editorial Manager website.

Copyright Transfer, Proofs, Reprints

Return signed copyright transfer forms, which are sent separately as e-mail attachments from the publisher, acknowledging receipt of the accepted manuscript. Copyright is owned by the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, but the Publisher arranges copyright transfer. Authors receive proofs and instructions from the Publisher by e-mail and/or fax and are directed to a URL from which a PDF proof of the paper can be obtained. Instructions for making corrections accompany the proof. Return corrected proofs to the Publisher within 48 hours of notification that proofs are available.

Order reprints by using the reprint order form that accompanies the letter from the Publisher acknowledging receipt of the accepted manuscript.

Style Guide

Use as the style guide Effective Communication of Scientific Information, 3rd Ed., Coghill, A.M. and Garson, L.R., Eds., American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2006. Helpful information about nomenclature and descriptions specific to mass spectrometry can be found in Mass Spec Desk Reference, 2nd Ed., by O. David Sparkman, Global View Publications, Pittsburgh, PA, 2006.

Language Services

Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit http://www.elsevier.com/locate/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/termsandconditions.

Manuscript Preparation

Arrange manuscript as follows: Title Page, Abstract, Text, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Appendices, Legends for figures and schemes, Illustrations. Number pages starting with the title page as page 1 and ending with the figure-legend page. References, tables, and figure legends should be provided on separate sheets at the end of the document. Arabic numerals should be used in numbering tables and figures. All tables should have short, descriptive titles, but schemes do not usually require a title. The journal prefers that the initial submission has figures, tables, and schemes embedded in the text for ease in review and included at the end of the submission.

Prepare the manuscript in double-spaced format throughout (including the title page, abstract, text, references, tables, and legends) with page format 8.5" x 11" or A4 paper with 1" (2.54 cm) margins all around.

Wherever possible, generate all mathematical and chemical symbols, equations, and formulae as part of the manuscript text. Use fractional exponents to avoid root signs.

Title Page

Give the paper as short a title as possible. Submit also a running title of no more than 45 characters (including spaces).
List, at the bottom of the page, "Address reprint requests to . . . " followed by the name, exact postal address with zip code, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the author to whom communications, proofs, and requests for reprints should be sent.

Abstracts

Provide an abstract no longer than 250 words for an Original Article, Communication, Application Note, and Account and Perspective. An abstract is not required for book reviews and letters to the editor.

Text

Organize the text as Introduction, Experimental or Methods, Theory (if applicable), Results and Discussion, and Conclusions. Conclusion should not be a repetition of the abstract or a summary of the paper.

Cite references in square brackets. Refer to illustrations and tables in numerical order in the text. Spell out, or define in parentheses, all abbreviations, even if they are commonly employed, the first time they are used in the text.

Use the nomenclature recommended by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry for chemical compounds. For nomenclature of mass spectrometry, see the IUPAC rules (Todd, Journal of Pure Applied Chemistry, 1991, 63, 1541-1566). Additional suggestions for definition and style can be found in Standard Definitions of Terms Relating to Mass Spectrometry, by Price, Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry, 991, 2, 336-346 and in Sparkman, O.D., Mass Spec Desk Reference, 2nd Ed., Global View Publishing, Pittsburgh, PA, 2006.

Give all measurements and weights in SI units, using standard abbreviations (see IUPAC Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry). Non-standard abbreviations should be used sparingly and must be defined at their first appearance. Daltons (Da) or mass units (u) may be used, but amu should not be used.

Headings and Subheadings

Consult articles in recent issues of the Journal for the recommended style for headings and subheadings.

Equations and Formulae

Number equations (both chemical and mathematical) consecutively with a single system of Arabic numerals in parentheses placed at the right-hand side of each equation. Number chemical structures consecutively with boldface, Arabic numerals. Designate schemes showing fragmentation pathways, chemical reactions, etc. by consecutive capital Roman numerals (schemes usually do not have titles or captions); the individual pathways within schemes can be distinguished (if necessary) with lower-case letters placed on the arrows.

Add spaces before and after mathematical symbols (e.g., +, -, =) to distinguish some of them from chemical bonds.

Acknowledgments

Type acknowledgments, including complete grant or subsidy information, at the end of the text before the references.

References

Identify references in the text by using Arabic numerals in brackets on the line.

Cite personal communications, manuscripts in preparation, and other unpublished data in the text in parentheses or as footnotes for that page.

Add references double-spaced starting on a separate page. Number consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Include the titles of articles in the references. The recommended formats are:

1. Doroshenko, V. M.; Cotter, R. J. Ideal Velocity Focusing in a Reflectron Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 1999, 10, 992-999.
2. Mahler, H. R.; Cordes, E. H. Biological Chemistry, 2nd ed.; Harper and Row: New York, 1971; p. 87.
3. Anderegg, R. J., Using Deuterium Exchange and Mass Spectrometry to Study Protein Structure. In Mass Spectrometry in the Biological Sciences, Burlingame, A. L.; Carr, S. A., Eds.; Humana Press: Totowa, NJ, 1996; p. 85.

Abbreviations of journal titles should conform to those listed in The ACS Style Guide.

Double-check references for accuracy, completeness, and duplication.

Avoid, if possible, the use of footnotes. If notes are necessary, place at the bottom of the page to be published as a column footnote, or include in parentheses in text. Do not include footnotes in the reference list.

Tables

Prepare tables in single or double-spaced format, each with an Arabic numeral and title above the table and explanatory notes and legends below. Indicate notes with lower-case Arabic letters. Include identification of all abbreviations not defined in the text.

Design tables to be self-explanatory, and do not duplicate data in text or illustrations.

Figure Legends

Type legends double-spaced. Use Arabic numerals and verify the order in which the illustrations occur in the text. Include identification of all abbreviations not defined in the text.

Figures and Illustrations

Restrict the number of figures for a full article to six, and to three for a communication or application note (seek permission from the editor if you require a greater number of figures). Submit figures and illustrations in electronic format as specified above ("Preparing Electronic Files"). Consider carefully whether a figure is essential and avoid submitting those that contain principally "white space". Examples are figures that contain ESI mass spectra showing the molecular ion(s) or demonstrating signal-to-noise ratio or spectra that show the appearance and disappearance of peaks. These ideas can often be communicated with a sentence in the text, or the data can be presented in a table. Remove "white space" to accentuate the object if the purpose of the figure is, for example, to show mass resolving power or peak shape rather than submitting a broad-range spectrum.

Ensure that lettering and other figure objects are of adequate size to fit one-column width (3.25"; 8.25 cm) of printed text (final lettering size, after reduction, should be at least 1.5 mm high); one-column format is the preferred publication style for JASMS. Use no more than two sizes of lettering within a figure. Label multi-part figures with lower-case letters. Remove titles and explanatory material (often used in lecture presentations) and place this material in the legend. Aim for consistent presentation of axis labels, lettering style, font sizes, etc for all the figures in the submission. Larger, complex figures will be published in two-column format.

Do not submit structures and reaction schemes or mechanisms as figures. Number structures and simple reaction equations consecutively and refer to them in the text using boldface Arabic numerals. Number and place simple reaction pathways in the written text following their mention, and merge them with mathematical equations. Place complex reaction pathways in schemes.

Color: Consult Editor if color illustrations are proposed; the additional cost of publishing color will usually be borne by the authors. Consult with the Publisher for cost estimates. Color illustrations are published free of charge in the electronic version, but black and white versions are required for the print version when color is not essential or is not requested by the author.

Graphical Abstracts

Submit with the revised, final version of your manuscript a graphical abstract (figure and synopsis) to be published in the Table of Contents. The figure (drawing, structure, or reaction scheme) should measure 55-50 mm for direct reproduction. If you send a larger version, please make sure that the illustration has the specified aspect ratio and is still informative upon reduction. The synopsis should be 25 words maximum that illustrates your work. The graphical abstract is not necessary with your original submission.

Permission to Republish Figures, Schemes, Tables

Obtain written permission from both the Publisher and the author (the latter as a courtesy) to reproduce any previously published tables, figures, or schemes, using either a letter or a permission-to-publish form of your own design. Submit completed forms or letters to the editor handling your manuscript. Specify in figure or scheme legend "reprinted from reference [ ] ] with permission of . . . (specify the publisher, using the style indicated in their permission letter".
Authors are responsible for seeking permission to republish, and they should contact the permissions department of the publisher of the material to be reprinted.

The Use of High Resolution Mass Spectral Data for Formula Confirmation

For publication of exact-mass data that are used to confirm identities of synthetic and natural products, report the uncertainty in the accurate-mass measurement used for formula verification along with the result. The acceptable uncertainty in a measurement by any analytical method must be adequate for the intended use of the data.

Evaluate the uncertainty of accurate mass measurement by any statistically valid method. Determine, for example, the precision and accuracy of replicate measurements or evaluate the performance characteristics of the mass spectrometer (see, for example, Sack, T. M., Lapp, R. L., Gross, M. L., and Kimble, B. J. Int. J. Mass Spectrom. Ion Proc. 1984, 61, 191-213). Consider all candidates fitting the experimentally determined value and its reported uncertainty when the result of accurate mass measurement is used for formula confirmation. Do not set fixed acceptable error limits for exact mass measurement. Consider the following when using accurate mass data.

When valence rules and candidate compositions encompassing C_0-100, H_3-74, O_0-4, and N_0-4 are considered at nominal parent m/z of 118, there are no candidate formulae within 34 ppm of each other. When the ion is of m/z 750.4 and the formulae are in the range C_0-100, H_25-110, O_0-15, and N_0-15, there are 626 candidate formulae that are possible within 5 ppm. Thus, for a measurement at m/z 118, an error of only 34 ppm uniquely defines a particular formula, whereas at m/z 750, an error (and precision) of 0.018 ppm would be required to eliminate all extraneous possibilities.

Length of Communications and Application Notes

Restrict Communications and Application Notes to a length sufficient to occupy no more than four printed pages. The length should be approximately 2400 words and four reasonably-sized figures (25% of page) and/or tables. An article containing only two figures and/or tables may have 2800 words. The word count includes references and abstract; the latter should be approximately 250 words.

Questions

If you have any questions about the review or editorial process, contact Joyce Neff, Managing Editor at the Journal Editorial Office:
tel: (314) 935-7464
fax: (314) 935-7484
E-mail: neff@wustl.edu

Specific questions for the Publisher regarding production of an accepted paper or reprints should be sent by e-mail to authorsupport@elsevier.com. Please mention clearly the name of the journal, the title of your paper, the authors (in the sequence given in the article) and the Publisher's manuscript ID number.

Funding body agreements and policies

Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier, to comply with potential manuscript archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing agreements and policies please visit http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies

Retained Authors' Rights

As an author you (or your employer or institution) retain certain rights; for details you are referred to: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights.

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