Guide for Authors

Acta Tropica publishes original research papers, short communications and review articles. Original papers should normally not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. Short communications should not exceed 4 printed pages including tables and figures. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a letter signed by all the authors. Submission of a paper to Acta Tropica is understood to imply that it has not previously been published (except in an abstract form), and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to Acta Tropica carries with it the right to publish the paper. Responsibility for the accuracy of the material in the manuscript, including bibliographic citations, lies entirely with the authors.


Submission
Submission to this journal proceeds totally online and you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of your files. The system automatically converts source files to a single PDF file of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF files 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 removing the need for a paper trail.


Submit your article
Please submit your article via http://ees.elsevier.com/actrop.
Please suggest 4-6 potential reviewers for your submission, providing contact details and specific reasons for your suggestions. Please note that the journal may not use your suggestions, but your help is appreciated and may speed up the selection of appropriate reviewers.


Journal Scope
The content of papers submitted must fall within the Journal's Scope. Manuscripts based on parasite/microbe or vector inhibition experiments with crude extracts or fractions, where the active ingredients are not defined, will normally not be accepted.


Original papers should be organized as follows: Abstract - Key words - Introduction - Material (or Patients) and Methods - Results - Discussion Acknowledgements - References.


(a) Manuscripts should be complete in all respects and be typewrittenwith double spacing and wide margins. The metric system is to be used throughout.


(b) Manuscripts must be checked carefully before submission. No changes will be allowed at the proof stage.


(c) The title page should include: title, the names, affiliations and complete postal addresses of all authors. One corresponding author is to be designated, with a telephone and e-mail address.


(d) An abstract, of not more than 5% of the length of the article, should be provided.


(e) Keywords (indexing terms), normally 3-6 items, should be provided.


References should be assembled alphabetically on a separate sheet. In the text they should be referred to by name and year (Harvard System), the year being placed in parentheses, e.g., (Jones, 1970). More than one paper from the same author in the same year must be identified by the letters a, b, c, etc., placed after the year of publication. In the text, when referring to a work by more than two authors, the name of the first author should be given followed by et al. Literature references must consist of names and initials of all authors, year, title of paper referred to, abbreviated title of periodical, volume number and first and last page numbers of the paper. Periodicals, books and multi-author books should be in accordance with the following examples.


Musaka, R.A., Nayambati, V.M., Nantulya, V.M., Majiwa, P.A.O., Moloo, S.K., Musoke, A.J., 1988. The chromosome profiles of Trypanosomacongolese isolates from Kilifi, Kenya and their relationship to serodeme identity. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 30, 105-112.


Garcia, L.S., Bruckner, D.A., 1988. Diagnostic Medical Parasitology. Histological Identification of Parasites. Elsevier Sci. Publ. Co. Inc., New York, NY, pp. 326-334.


Scorza, J.V., Medina, R., Pérez, H., Hérnandez, A.G., 1985. Leishmaniasis in Venezuela. In: K.-P. Chang and R.S. Bray (Eds.), Human Parasitic Diseases, Vol. 1, Leishmaniasis, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 283-296.


Journal titles should be abbreviated according to theList of Serial Title Word Abbreviations (available from International Serials Data System, 20 rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, France. ISBN 2-904938-02-8). References concerning unpublished data should not be cited in the reference list; work accepted for publication should be referred to as in press. Incomplete references can result in publication delay.


Artwork. Full details for electronic submission of artwork can be obtained from http://authors.elsevier.com.

Instructions for authors regarding GenBank/DNA sequence linking
DNA sequences and GenBank Accession numbers Many Elsevier journals cite "gene accession numbers" in their running text and footnotes. Gene accession numbers refer to genes or DNA sequences about which further information can be found in the databases at the National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine. Elsevier authors wishing to enable other scientists to use the accession numbers cited in their papers via links to these sources, should type this information in the following manner:


For each and every accession number cited in an article, authors should type the accession number in bold, underlined text. Letters in the accession number should always be capitalised. (See Example 1 below). This combination of letters and format will enable Elsevier's typesetters to recognize the relevant texts as accession numbers and add the required link to GenBank's sequences.


Example 1: "GenBank accession nos. AI631510, AI631511, AI632198, and BF223228), a B-cell tumor from a chronic lymphatic leukemia (GenBank accession no. BE675048M), and a T-cell lymphoma (GenBank accession no. AA361117)".


Authors are encouraged to check accession numbers used very carefully. An error in a letter or number can result in a dead link.


In the final version of the printed article, the accession number text will not appear bold or underlined (see Example 2 below).


Example 2: "GenBank accession nos. AI631510, AI631511, AI632198, and BF223228), a B-cell tumor from a chronic lymphatic leukemia (GenBank accession no. BE675048), and a T-cell lymphoma (GenBank accession no. AA361117)".


In the final version of the electronic copy, the accession number text will be linked to the appropriate source in the NCBI databases enabling readers to go directly to that source from the article (see Example 3 below).


Example 3: "GenBank accession nos. AI631510, AI631511, AI632198, and BF223228), a B-cell tumor from a chronic lymphatic leukemia (GenBank accession no. BE675048), and a T-cell lymphoma (GenBank accession no. AA361117)".


Submission of a paper to Acta Tropica, including a revised version, implies the transfer of copyright from the author(s) to the publisher and therefore that the corresponding author has obtained the approval of all other authors to the text and that it does not contain information previously published (except as a meeting abstract or by submission of sequence data to an electronic database) and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Publication in Acta Tropica is taken to imply the authors' willingness to comply with reasonable requests to supply reagents such as recombinant clones and monoclonal antibodies, and sequence data in electronic form to persons lacking access to computer databases.


Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a "Journal Publishing Agreement" (for more information on this and copyright see http://www.elsevier.com/copyright). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding authors confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a "Journal Publishing Agreement" form or a link to the online version of this agreement. 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).


Manuscripts returned for revision should be returned to the editor within 3 months.


Page charges. There will be no page charges.


Proofs. One set of page proofs will be supplied for the author to check for typesetting accuracy, to be returned to the Publisher within 3 days of receipt. No changes to the original manuscript will be allowed at this stage.


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 coversheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining terms and conditions of use. An order form will be sent to the author enabling further offprints to be ordered at prices listed on the form.


Author enquiries: Authors can keep a track on the progress of their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the "Track a Paper" feature at http://www.elsevier.com/trackarticle.


Authors in Japan please note: Upon request, Elsevier Japan will provide authors with a list of people who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact our Tokyo office: Elsevier Japan, 1-9-15 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106; Tel. (03)-5561-5032; Fax: (03)-5561-5045.