Materials Today

Materials Today is an open access magazine covering the latest research, news, reviews, comments, and opinions in materials science. While the majority of our content is specially commissioned by the editors, we also welcome unsolicited manuscripts which fall within the scope of Materials Today.

This guide describes how to prepare contributions for submission. In addition to peer-review, manuscripts are also internally reviewed to assess the style and the suitability for publication in Materials Today: we recommend contributors familiarize themselves with the Materials Today style and content by accessing the magazine at http://www.materialstoday.com/mt/archive/. Authors should follow the guide carefully, and ensure that all of the necessary information is provided during submission, as this will greatly speed-up the processing of your manuscript.

If you have any questions, or wish to propose a contribution prior to submission, please contact the editorial team.

Content

Materials Today is first and foremost a magazine, and as such has different requirements to traditional journals. Our content can be divided into two categories: editorial and research articles. Both types of article should be accessible to a broad range of materials researchers; however, editorial articles are more journalistic than the academic style of peer-reviewed research papers.

Editorial content may be submitted by invitation only. However, we encourage readers who wish to contribute to the magazine in this manner to contact the editorial team for guidance.

There are no page charges and color is free in both the print and online versions.

Peer-reviewed research articles

Reviews

Reviews should inform readers of new research advances, while looking ahead to future directions. The features may be less formal than review papers in traditional journals and can express the contributors' personal perspectives, but they should be scientifically rigorous and pitched at a level suitable for an audience of materials researchers.

Length: 2500-3500 words, not including captions or references.
A maximum of 100 references should be included.
Up to ten figures and tables can be included. Color is encouraged (at no charge).

Current research articles

Current research articles are the ideal platform for informing the materials science community of major breakthroughs and significant results. The features may report on emerging technologies or potential new applications of relevance and importance to materials researchers. As with reviews, articles should be written in a clear, concise fashion, and be accessible to readers from a broad scientific background.

Length: 2500-3500 words, not including captions or references.
A maximum of 50 references should be included.
Up to ten figures and tables can be included. Color is encouraged (at no charge).

Manuscript formatting

General

• Microsoft Word is preferred.

• Define all acronyms, abbreviations, and terms on first mention in the text.

• US spelling and SI units should be used throughout. Units should have a single space between the number and the unit.

• Numbers with five or more digits should be expressed as follows: 10 000, 100 000, etc.

• Only one space should be used after full stops.

• Equations should be numbered as they appear in the text and referred to as eq 1, etc.

Title

• The title should not exceed 45 characters (including spaces).

• The title should be followed by the contributors' full names and affiliations. The corresponding contributor should be clearly indicated and their e-mail address supplied.

Abstract

• An abstract of 75-100 words should be included separate from the main body of the text. This should introduce the topic of the feature and its content. It should contain no unexplained acronyms, abbreviations, or references. If possible, we request this be provided in advance of submission.

Main text

• We encourage the use of short subheadings for longer papers. Up to a maximum of three levels are acceptable and should not be numbered.

• Figures should be referred to as 'Fig. 1' and so on in the text.

• Text boxes may be included to explain basic concepts or theories, complex math or terminology.

• A glossary of technical terms can be included if necessary.

• A 'Further information' section may be included, listing relevant websites and databases.

• An 'Instrument citation' section should be included, which contains a list of any apparatus used to perform the research contained within the paper.

Acknowledgments

• Brief acknowledgments may be given at the end of the text body.

References

• References should be individually numbered, ordered sequentially as they appear in the text, and listed in numeric order at the end of the text. Only one publication should be listed for each number.

• When cited in the text, reference numbers should be superscript, with no spaces or parentheses. Example: To meet the increasing energy demand^1,2, we will be forced to seek environmentally clean alternative energy resources^3-5.

• Published conference abstracts, patents, and preprints on recognized servers should be included in reference lists, but text, grant details, and acknowledgments should not.

• Contributors are encouraged to use reference managing programs.

• The reference list should use the journal acronyms defined by the American Chemical Society. For further details see: Dodd, J. S., The ACS Style Guide: A Manual for Authors and Editors, ACS, Washington.

Reference style

Journal (1 or 2 authors)	1. Author, A. Z., and Author, B. C., Publication (Year) Volume, Page (or doi).
Journal (3 or more authors)	2. Author, D. C., et al., Publication (Year) Volume, Page (or doi).
Book	3. Author, F. E., Title, Publisher, Location, (Year), Page.
In an edited work/conference proceedings	4. Author, G. H., et al., Chapter title. In Book title, Edition no., Editor, A., et al., (eds.), Publisher, Location, (Year), Volume, Page.
Conference (no proceedings)	5. Author, A., et al., Title (if any) Presented at (Conference Title), Place, Year.
Thesis	6. Author, A., Title, Level, University, Location, Year.
Patents	7. Patent Owner, A., et al., Title. Patent number, Year.
Reports	8. Author, A., et al., Title, Report Number, Publisher, Location, Year.

Journal titles should be abbreviated, and should not include full stops. Eg., Mater Today, Prog Mater Sci, etc.

Tables

• Tables should be supplied separately with a short, one-line title.

Figures

• Figures should be supplied as individual, separate, high-resolution tif, jpg, or eps files (at least 300 dpi). The use of color in figures is encouraged (at no charge).

• Figure captions should be listed sequentially at the end of the manuscript and should not exceed 75 words. The captions should contain a short description of the figure and state if it has been previously published elsewhere. Please do not write a caption below each figure.

• Poor quality schematic diagrams can be redrawn, but please consult with the editor in advance.

• Please ensure that the captions match the figures and that the citation in the text matches the relevant figure.

• Please ensure that all figures are referred to in the main body of text.

Instrument citation

• Apparatus used to collect significant results should be listed at the end of the manuscript, in the form: Apparatus type, model name/number, manufacturer.

Figure copyright permission

Permission must be obtained to reproduce any copyrighted material from the original authors and publishers. Permission from publishers can usually be obtained by following the appropriate links on the web page of the original article. Please apply early for figure permissions as they can take a long time to be processed by publishers.

The Materials Today office can provide advice and help with this process where necessary.

Conflict of interest

Contributors are required to acknowledge on the title page of their manuscript all funding sources that supported their work, as well as all institutional or corporate affiliations of the contributors. A publishable statement disclosing any commercial associations, current and within the past five years, that might pose a potential, perceived, or real conflict of interest should be provided separately. These include grants, patent licensing arrangements, consultancies, stock or other equity ownership, advisory board memberships, or payments for conducting or publicizing the study. This disclosure will be held in confidence during the peer-review process. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, such relationships may be disclosed in the magazine at the discretion of the editor. When no competing interests are present, the publishable title page disclosure statement should say so. The editor asks reviewers to disclose any competing interests or to excuse themselves if a competing interest might interfere with their objectivity.

Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover letter via e-mail to the commercial editor:

Jonathan Agbenyega
j.agbenye@elsevier.com
Tel: +44 (0)1865 843784

Authors of non-commissioned articles should include a summary of their paper of between 600 – 800 words in their cover letters, explaining the importance and relevance the work.

Contributors are asked to provide a list of 5-6 potential referees. Contributors may also stipulate any individuals they specifically prefer not to be contacted. However, the editors cannot guarantee that preferences will be met. Following peer-review contributors will be advised by the editors of any comments and a suggested course of action.

Manuscripts will also be reviewed internally to assess the suitability for publication in Materials Today. Please note: the editor's decision is final and commissioning/invitation does not automatically guarantee publication.

PDF page proofs will be provided prior to publication and contributors are asked to return comments promptly, typically within 72 hours.



Deadlines

Materials Today has strict print schedules to ensure the magazine reaches readers on time every month. Therefore, contributors must adhere strictly to deadlines. Please be aware that late manuscripts may be rejected.

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