Reviews, news, and comment on the diverse field of materials research



Guide for contributors

Materials Today is an international review magazine covering the latest research and policy news, reviews, applications, and opinion in materials science.

This guide describes how to prepare contributions for submission. We recommend contributors familiarize themselves with the Materials Today style and content by reading the magazine in print or online at http://www.materialstoday.com. We are happy to provide sample copies of the magazine upon request.

Articles
All content is specially commissioned by the editors, although unsolicited manuscripts can be considered in exceptional circumstances.

All articles should be written in a clear, concise fashion, accessible to readers from a broad scientific background.

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).

Applications
Applications focus on the technical and commercial aspects of materials research. The features should report on emerging technologies or potential new applications of relevance and importance to materials researchers. The style should be more journalistic than reviews.

Length: 2000-2500 words, not including captions or references.
A maximum of 25 references should be included.
Up to five figures and tables can be included. Color is encouraged (at no charge).

Insights
Insights are designed to cover broader topics of general interest. The features could profile a particular research institution or group, or look at new initiatives. Other issues such as funding, education, gender, implications to society, etc. may also be addressed. The style should be more discursive than reviews.

Length: 2000-2500 words, not including captions or references.
A maximum of 25 references should be included.
Up to five figures and tables can be included. Color is encouraged (at no charge).

Materials and methods
Materials and methods are brief overviews of a new technique that is likely to be influential; an improvement or adaptation of an existing method; or an important new tool of broad interest for the materials science community. The features should include a brief description of the method, examples of its application, and its advantage over existing approaches.

Length: 1200 words and two figures or tables, or 1500 words and one figure or table, not including captions or references.
A maximum of ten references should be included.

Book reviews
Book reviews cover newly published titles of interest to a broad materials science readership.

Length: 650-700 words.
No figures need to be supplied by the contributor.

Opinions
Opinions offer a chance to comment on topical issues or express strongly held views in a concise and accessible way.

Length: 900 words, or 750 words with one figure.
A photo of the contributor (preferably in color, at least 300 dpi, and in jpg, eps, or tif format) should also be supplied.

Manuscript formatting

General

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.

Reviews, Applications, and Insights

Title

The title should be short, not exceeding 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. 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.

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

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). Suggestions for the magazine's cover are welcome.
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.

Figure copyright permission

Permission must be obtained to reproduce any copyrighted material from the original authors and publishers (we can supply a permission request form). 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 via e-mail with full contact details to the assistant editor:

Katerina Busuttil,
Materials Today,
Elsevier Ltd,
The Boulevard,
Langford Lane,
Kidlington,
Oxford, OX5 1GB, UK
E-mail: k.busuttil@elsevier.com

Before submitting, please ensure that you have correctly prepared your manuscript and have provided all necessary material, including a signed copy of the journal publishing agreement (JPA). A checklist is provided to assist you, please complete this form and submit with your manuscript.

After submission, reviews, insights, applications, and materials and methods manuscripts are subject to peer review. 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. Please note: the editor's decision is final and commissioning 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.

After publication, corresponding contributors of reviews will receive five copies of the magazine, while contributors of all other types of article will receive one copy. Additional reprints are available on request.

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.