See also Elsevier Library and Information Sciences programme home


Correspondence

Although both print and electronic submissions are accepted, electronic submission as a Word attachment to an e-mail to the editor is preferred. E-mail submission should be sent to the editor at david.kohl@uc.edu.

If you would rather submit hard copies, please send four copies (three blind copies and one original) to:

David Kohl
2929 Courtropes Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45244, USA

Receipt of all manuscripts will be acknowledged. Unaccepted manuscripts will be returned; please enclose a self-addressed envelope with ample postage.

Papers must be neither previously published nor submitted elsewhere simultaneously. Manuscripts are evaluated using a double blind-reviewing process. On completion of this process, usually within 4-6 weeks, authors will be notified of the decision. To determine whether a manuscript fits within JAL' s scope of interest, consult recent issues for content. Write in a style that is clear and concise, and use references only when they are required. Copies of speeches are rarely accepted unless they are rewritten for publication.

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright, see http://authors.elsevier.com). This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided after acceptance.

If material from other copyrighted works is 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 Global Rights Department, P.O. Box 800, Oxford OX5 1DX, UK; phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: permissions@elsevier.com.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Although paper manuscripts will be accepted, submission of manuscripts as Word attachments in an email to the Editor in Chief are much preferred and will speed consideration. Only a single attachment with the complete paper (including endnotes, charts and tables) is preferred. All manuscripts must be word processed (double-spaced) on one side only and numbered consecutively, including references at the end and an abstract of no more than 50 words (highlighting the scope, methodology, and conclusions of the paper) at the beginning. The author's full name, affiliation, and, when applicable, e-mail address should appear on the title page. Headings and subheadings should be included to make the paper more readable. Standard United States spelling will be used throughout. All acronyms and abbreviations should be spelled out when first used in the text.

Tables, figures, and illustrations should accompany the manuscript on separate sheets. Captions should clearly identify all separate matter. Each table, figure, illustration, and photograph should be numbered in sequence, using Arabic numerals in order of its mention. All tables, etc., should be gathered together at the end of the manuscript. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures, then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork.

Please note: Because of technical complications that can arise in converting color figures to "gray scale" (for the printed version should you not opt for color in print), please submit in addition usable black-and-white files corresponding to all the color illustrations.

References

References should be double-spaced at the end of the text. JAL follows the 15th edition of the Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press. For journal articles, include the issue number only when issues within a journal volume are not consecutively numbered. Examples of the correct format for references are:

Article from a Journal: Paul Metz, "Thirteen Steps to Avoiding Bad Luck in a Serials Cancellation Project," Journal of Academic Librarianship 18 (May 1992): 76-82.

Ibid: Ibid., pp. 77-81.

Book: Charles T. Meadow, Text Information Retrieval Systems (San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1992), p. 177.

Articles from a Book: Joe E. Hewitt, "The Role of the Library Administrator in Improving LIS Research," in Library and Information Science Research, edited by Charles R. McClure & Peter Hernon (Norwood, NJ: Ablex, 1991), pp. 163-178.

Web Sources: Thomas J. Pritzker, An Early Fragment from Central Nepal. Online. Ingress Communications. (N.D.) Available: http://www.ingress.com/~astanart/pritzker/pritzker.html (June 8, 1995). (For other examples, see Electronic Sources: MLA Style of Citation. Available: http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/mla.html.)

Shortened Reference: Metz, "Thirteen Steps," p. 78.

Provision of Disks

Upon acceptance of the paper, authors should supply the editor with an electronic version of the paper, in an IBM-compatible format preferably in Word or WordPerfect 8 or under, with text files stripped of all embedded graphics. Use only required hyphenation: do not use discretionary hyphens, and do not break words at the end of lines. Save graphics as an .eps or .tiff file. Graphics include complex equations, graphs, and line drawings. Tables should be in separate files.

Publication

The lead author will receive PDF proofs for final inspection before publication. Changes on page proofs are expensive; aside from errors made during production, changes will be billed to the author.

Offprints

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 cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.

Additional paper offprints and copies of the issue can be ordered at a specially reduced rate using the order form sent to the corresponding author after the manuscript has been accepted. Orders for reprints (produced after the publication of an article) will incur a 50% charge.

Guidelines for Book Reviews

Our audience expects JAL book reviews to be based on a thorough, careful reading, and on informed judgment. There can be no single model for all reviews, but an ideal review should include the essential elements in a statement that reflects both the reviewer's way of thinking and the character of the book. The following guidelines are offered to help our reviewers and to inform our readers about editorial policy.

Basic Requirements

JAL book reviews should be addressed to library professionals--those interested in keeping abreast of the literature and/or involved in book selection. Within 250-300 (2 double-spaced pages), unless the editor authorizes a longer review, the reviewer should provide a brief description of the contents or statement of the thesis, critically appraise both the substance and the execution, indicate the book's value for a collection, and make a personal recommendation. The reviewer's full name, affiliation, and mailing and e-mail addresses should appear following the review. In addition to the paper copy, either a disk or an electronic submission (david.kohl@uc.edu) or (ZLATOS@WSUVM1.CSC.WSU.EDU) would be appreciated.

Reviews should be written within 2-4 weeks after receipt of the book. If reviewers do not receive the book shortly after having agreed to review it, they should contact either Book Review Editor.

Points to Remember

Because library budgets are tight, the review should compare the new title with one or two alternatives. If little else is available on the topic, that should also be noted. The importance of the topic itself and the level of its treatment should be noted, if it is not self-evident. If the book makes a significant contribution to the professional literature, that should be clearly noted. Objectivity is essential. Note any bias in an essentially nonpolemical work, but resist becoming embroiled in parochial academic debate.

Accuracy

Pay special attention to accuracy in the reviews. Quoted passages should be checked against the text; names and dates should be verified; in reference to other authors and titles, give the author's name in full and the title exactly, as well as the publisher and date.

Statements made about the book (e.g., that it is full of errors) should be supported by examples. We expect reviewers to check the "facts" from the publisher's blurb or the book jacket (e.g., that it is "the most comprehensive to date") before using them.

Editorial Policy

When necessary, reviews are condensed or reorganized and editorial changes are made to conform to house style, but the reviewer's essential opinion is preserved. We do reserve the right to reject a review, if necessary.

We ask that our contributors not review for any other publication the book they review for JAL. Reviewers should not send copies of reviews to publishers or authors.

Format

The book's citation should include the full name of the work; author/editor; city of publication; publisher and year; pagination; price; and ISBN, ISSN (if available), and LC numbers. Please double-space citations.

Opportunity to Serve as a Reviewer

Anyone interested in serving as a book reviewer should send a letter of intent, a sample of his/her writing, and areas of interest to the Editor-in-Chief at 2929 Courtropes Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45244, USA ; or Christy Zlatos, Washington State University, Holland Library, Pullman, WA 99164-5610, USA.