Submission of Manuscripts

On-line submission as alternative for paper submission
Authors can upload their article as a LaTeX, Microsoft®, (MS) Word®, WordPerfect®, PostScript or Adobe®, Acrobat® PDF document via http://ees.elsevier.com/bio, where you will also find a detailed description on its use. The system generates an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article which is used for the reviewing process. It is crucial that all graphical and tabular elements be placed within the text, so that the file is suitable for reviewing. Authors, Reviewers and Editors send and receive all correspondence by e-mail and no paper correspondence is necessary.

Note: compuscripts submitted are converted into PDF for the review process but may need to be edited after acceptance to follow journal standards. For this an “editable” file format is necessary. See the section on “ Electronic format requirements for accepted articles ” and the further general instructions on how to prepare your article below.

Submission of a paper implies that it has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that if accepted it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the publisher. Submission also implies that all authors have approved the paper for release and are in agreement with its content.

Novel section devoted to Application Notes Applications Notes are short original articles describing novel algorithms of software implementations devoted to Systems Biology. The aim of this section is to accelerate the publication process and to increase the visibility of software enabling the mathematical modelling and analysis of biological processes. Each Application note must be accompanied by sample data and relevant documentation (user manual, tutorial), ideally in the form of a dedicated website maintained by the author(s). All this material, including the software itself, must be freely available to academic user for at least two years after the publication date. Availability must be specified in the abstract of the article, along with the addresses where to obtain the material. The software should be extensively tested and run under on a wide range of machines. Application Notes should focus on the description of the main characteristics of the software itself, but can be accompanied by a few illustrative aplications. The description of extensive biological applications can be submited in the regular article section of the journal.

Organisation of a typical application note: Abstract: Background and scope Implementation and performances Availability Introduction Software description (algorithms, implementation, evolvability, ...) Applications (for illustrative purposes) Bibliography Length and format: From 1000 to 4000 words, plus 1 to 4 figures or tables, and up to 20 references. The format is the same as for regular articles. Longer manuscripts will be considered as regular article submissions.

Manuscript Preparation

General Manuscripts should be typewritten or compiled on a word processor and double-spaced. They must be submitted in English and should be concise. Long articles will be accepted if the nature and quality of the material presented is of sufficient interest. Submissions should be accompanied by a letter stating the coverage area for the journal for which the paper is intended and include the names and addresses of four individuals for possible use as external reviewers.

Authors in Japan please note: Upon request, Elsevier Japan will provide you with a list of people who can check and improve the English of the paper (before submission). Please contact our Tokyo office:
Elsevier
9-15, Higashi-Azabu
1-chome, Minato-ku
Tokyo 106
Japan
Tel: (+81) 3-5561-5033
Fax: (+81) 3-5561-5047
E-mail: info@elsevier.co.jp

Address: All of the authors' full names, academic or professional affiliations, and addresses should be included on the first page. The name and complete address of the author to whom proofs are to be sent should be given. Please provide telephone, fax and email contact information for the corresponding author on the first page.

Summary: The article should start with a summary of approximately 100-200 words.

Keywords: A list of 3-6 keywords (or short phrases) necessary for correct indexing and subsequent retrieval must be submitted with the manuscript. Important facts of the investigation as a whole should be selected as keywords. General terms should be avoided, e.g. cell, evolution, etc. In some cases the general term can be used when qualified, e.g. bacterial evolution, protist cell, etc.

References: Should be cited in the text by giving the name of the author followed by the year of publication in brackets, e.g. Ris (1995). All references should be listed alphabetically on a separate sheet. The abbreviations of journal titles should conform to those adopted by International Series Catalogue, 1978.

The reference list style should accord with the following examples:

For journal articles:
Sporns, O., Seeling, F.F., 1986. Oscillations in theoretical models of induction. Biosystems 19, 83-89.

For books:
Anderson, O.R., 1983. Radiolaria. Springer-Verlag, New York pp. 343-355. Ebeling, W., 1983. Stochastic aspects of the evolution of macromolecules. In: Geissler, E., Scheler, W. (Eds.), Darwin Today. Academic - Verlag, Berlin, pp. 1-30.

Figures: Line drawings (including graphs) should be drawn in black ink on white paper. Alternatively, sharp photoprints may be provided. The lettering should be large enough to permit photographic reproduction. Half-tone illustrations may be included. They should be submitted as clear black-and-white or colour prints on glossy paper. Authors will be charged for the extra costs of colour reproduction as follows: EUR.350 for the first page and EUR.175 for each subsequent page.

Tables: Should bear a short descriptive title and should also be double-spaced and typed on separate sheets.

Electronic Submissions
Electronic manuscripts have the advantage that there is no need for the retyping of text, thereby avoiding the possibility of introducing errors and resulting in reliable and fast delivery of proofs. For the initial submission of manuscripts for consideration, hard copies are sufficient. For the processing of accepted papers, electronic versions are preferred. After final acceptance, your disk plus two final and exactly matching printed versions are preferred. It is important that the file saved is in the native format of the wordprocessor program used. Label the disk with the name of the computer and wordprocessing package used, your name, and the name of the file on the disk. Further information may be obtained from the Publisher.

Proofs
Authors will receive proofs which they are requested to correct and return within 48 hours of receipt. No new material may be inserted in the text at the time of proof reading unless accepted by the editors and given as "Note added in proof". Failure to return proofs within the given time period will be taken as approval of the proofs.

Offprints
A total of 25 offprints of each paper will be provided free of charge. Additional copies may be ordered at prices shown on the reprint order form which will be sent to the author.

Copyright
All authors must sign the "Transfer of Copyright" agreement before the article can be published. This transfer agreement enables Elsevier Ltd to protect the copyrighted material for the authors, but does not relinquish the author's 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. It includes the right to adapt the article for use in conjunction with computer systems and programs, including reproduction or publication in machine-readable form and incorporation in retrieval systems. Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder permission to reproduce any figures for which copyright exists.

Author Services
All questions arising after acceptance of the manuscript, especially those relating to proofs, should be directed to:
Elsevier Ireland
Elsevier House
Brookvale Plaza
East Park
Shannon
Co. Clare
Ireland
Tel: +353 61 709600
Fax: +353 61 709109

Authors can also keep track of the progress of their accepted article through our OASIS system on the Internet. For information on an article go to the Internet Page: http://www.elsevier.com/oasis and key in the corresponding author's name and the Elsevier reference number.

BioSystems has no page charges.