Guide for Authors

!!! Important information for NIH authors !!!


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INTRODUCTION
Editorial policy - Speed of publication - Sequence data - Structural data - NMR assignments - Cell lines - Types of paper - - - Contact details for submission
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
Ethics in Publishing - Conflict of interest - Submission declaration - Copyright - Retained author rights - Funding body agreements and policies - Language and language services - Submission - Referees
PREPARATION
Use of wordprocessing software - Article structure - Subdivision - Introduction - Results - Discussion - Material and methods - Glossary - Appendices - Essential title page information - - Abstract - - Keywords - Abbreviations - Acknowledgements - Accession numbers - - Footnotes - Electronic artwork - - Color artwork - Figure captions - Tables - References - Citation in text - Web references - Reference style - Journal abbreviations source - Supplementary material - Submission checklist - Additional information
AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Use of the Digital Object Identifier - Proofs - Offprints
AUTHOR INQUIRIES


INTRODUCTION

The Journal of Molecular Biology publishes original scientific research concerning studies of organisms or their components at the molecular level. Published weekly, the journal provides up-to-date and comprehensive coverage of all aspects of molecular biology.

Research Areas Include:

• Gene structure, expression, replication, and recombination in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms
• Structure, function, chemistry, and in vivo modification and processing of proteins, nucleic acids, and other biologically important macromolecules
• Cellular and developmental biology
• Genetics, structure, and growth cycles of viruses and bacteriophages

The Journal will not as a rule publish papers which fall outside the areas defined above.

Editorial policy

Acceptance of papers for publication in the Journal is at the discretion of the Editors. All manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editorial Board and only those papers that meet the scientific and editorial standards of the Journal will be sent for outside review. Authors should indicate a suitable Editor to whom the paper could be allocated. However, the Journal reserves the right to reallocate manuscripts to the most appropriate Editor.

In general, Editors will seek advice from two or more expert reviewers about the scientific content and clarity of presentation of papers. Authors are required to suggest the names, affiliations, and contact information for up to six individuals who could serve as referees and indicate their specific areas of scientific expertise. Suggested referees should be established scientists with expertise in the field of the paper. If a revision of the manuscript is required, authors will be provided with the comments of the reviewers and specific instructions from the Editor handling the manuscript.

Many acceptable papers require minor revision or condensation. It is in the mutual interest of both the authors and the journal that amended manuscripts be returned promptly. A revised paper will retain its original date of receipt only if it is received by the Editor within 60 days of the date of return to the author.

As soon as the paper has been reviewed, the corresponding author will receive a decision letter from the Editor. Revised manuscripts and correspondence concerning such manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor at the address indicated on the decision letter.

The Journal of Molecular Biology discourages authors from submitting multiple manuscripts on closely related topics. Authors wishing to submit a series of manuscripts intended for simultaneous publication must obtain permission from the editors prior to submitting the manuscripts.

Speed of publication

Decisions on manuscripts will be taken as rapidly as possible. Authors should expect to have reviewers' comments within approximately 6 weeks. Authors should expect to receive page proofs and comments from the copy editors within 3 weeks of acceptance. Publication in print ordinarily follows within 4 weeks from receipt of authors corrected proofs. The authors' original files will be published online in as little as 2-5 days following acceptance.

Sequence data

Papers dealing with amino acid sequences of proteins or with nucleotide sequences must carry a statement that the data have been deposited with an appropriate data bank, e.g., the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) or GenBank Data Libraries. The data base accession number must be given at the end of the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript under the separate heading 'Accession numbers'. For example: Coordinates and structure factors have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank with accession number 2XYZ. Lengthy nucleotide sequences will be published only if, in the judgement of the Editorial Board, these results are of general interest and importance.

Structural data

For papers describing structures of biological macromolecules, the atomic coordinates and the related experimental data (structure factor amplitudes/intensities and/or NMR restraints) must be deposited at a member site of the Worldwide Protein Data Bank ( http://www.wwpdb.org): RCSB PDB ( http://www.pdb.org), MSD-EBI ( http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pdbe/), PDBj ( http://www.pdbj.org), or BMRB ( http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu). Manuscripts must carry a statement that coordinates and structure factors (or NMR restraints) have been deposited in the Protein Data Bank. The accession number(s) must be cited in the manuscript at the end of the Materials and Methods section. Authors must agree to release the atomic coordinates and experimental data immediately upon publication.

It is increasingly common for coordinates to be deposited in the Protein Data Bank without an associated publication. Before submission to JMB, authors are expected to search the Protein Data Bank for related structures using one or more alignment programs and report the outcome. Prior deposition of related coordinates, without an associated publication, does not necessarily preclude publication in JMB. The primary criteria for publication of a structure in JMB are that it provides novel structural insights or important new functional and biological insights that are likely to be of general interest.

NMR assignments

Tables listing resonance assignments will no longer be published in the Journal but should be supplied as supplementary material for posting on the Internet on ScienceDirect. Supplementary material must be included with the manuscript submitted for review (see below for full instructions). Authors are strongly encouraged to deposit assignment data in the BioMagResBank (BMRB; http://www.bmrb.wisc.edu).

Cell lines

In keeping with NIH guidelines, the Journal considers it to be good practice for cultured cell lines to be authenticated. A description of the methods used to authenticate cells should be included in the Materials and Methods section. Authors are expected to check that cell lines used in their experiments are free from mycoplasma infections.

Types of paper

The Journal of Molecular Biology will publish full Articles, Reviews and Communications.

Articles should normally be no longer than 15 printed pages with no more than 10 figures and four tables.

Reviews should be sharply focused and balanced accounts of progress in fields of interest to the general reader. Reviews should be no longer than 12 printed pages and with no more than 12 figures and tables. Authorship is normally by invitation: an Editor should be consulted in advance by anyone wishing to submit an unsolicited Review.

Communications are brief papers that make a specific well-documented point. In general, a Communication should include no more than four figures and tables. The text will be continuous, with technical and methological detail printed in the legend to the tables and figures.

The following specific points are brought to the attention of authors.


(a) Originality. The Board will reject those papers that it considers reveal no more than minor differences from previously published material.
(b) Methodology papers. Papers that deal only with new methods and do not contain important new results discovered by means of these methods will be accepted only when the general applicability and interest of the method are immediately obvious and clearly documented in the manuscript. Improvements on existing methods will in general be viewed as appropriate to more specialized journals unless it can be shown that they lead to important new insights that were not accessible with current technologies.
(c) Sequences. Papers describing new members of a gene family will not ordinarily be accepted unless they contain results of particular importance for studies of evolution or of the function of the gene. In general, papers describing the cloning and sequencing of new genes will be acceptable only if there is experimental evidence for the function of the gene.
(d) Structural studies. Communications describing preliminary crystallographic data (crystallization conditions and diffraction pattern and space group) will, in general, no longer be accepted. Papers of this type will be considered only if, in the judgement of the Editorial Board, they contain results of exceptional interest and importance. Low-resolution structural studies will be acceptable only if they have clear biological implications and exhibit features of special interest. Papers describing structures of mutant proteins are appropriate if the mutations have been successfully designed to provide new insights into structural principles or biological function. Similar criteria apply to structures of proteins from variant species. In the particular case of unliganded antibody Fab fragments, papers would not normally be acceptable unless they provide novel structural or biological insight.
(e) Modeled structures. Papers describing modeled structures will in general be considered only if they provide novel and important biological insights. The reliability of the model must be clearly documented, including evidence that the expected accuracy level of the model is consistent with the application that is described. This could be based, for example, on the known success rate of the modeling procedure at specified levels of sequence identity, or the application of model validation procedures. Validation of the model through experimental tests is always desirable.
(f) Theory and computer simulation. Papers reporting theoretical studies should have direct applicability to experimental work in a field normally represented in papers published in JMB or should address issues of current interest to the broader biological community. As a general rule, all theory papers should deal directly with experimental data; the papers should provide predictions that are testable experimentally or provide an interpretation of experimental observations. Papers describing computer simulations are generally acceptable only if they provide new insights of high biological significance or lead to novel interpretations of experimental data. As is the case for modeled structures, evidence must be provided that the accuracy level of the method is consistent with the application that is described. This might involve, for example, control simulations on systems that have been well-characterized experimentally.
(g) Database papers. Papers describing biological or molecular databases will only be accepted if they report important new results discovered by means of that database or the development of a methodology that meets criterion (b) above. Authors are advised that the emphasis of such papers, including the title and abstract, must be on the results discovered or the methodology developed rather than on the construction and availability of the database.

Contact details for submission

Please submit your manuscript for the Journal of Molecular Biology via the web site at http://ees.elsevier.com/jmb. If you are unable to provide an electronic version of your paper, please contact the Editorial Office prior to submission (e-mail: jmb@elsevier.com; telephone; 1 (619) 699-6342; fax: (619) 699-6859).

At the time of submission, authors will be asked to choose one of the following subject areas to which their manuscript is best suited.

Manuscripts submitted in one of the following subject areas will be allocated automatically to Dr Jonathan Karn.
• Gene structure and regulation
• Molecular genetics of prokaryotes and eukaryotes
• DNA replication, recombination and repair
• RNA synthesis, metabolism and catalysis
• Molecular basis of developmental biology
• Cell biology, signal transduction and motility
• Synthesis, trafficking and sorting of macromolecules
• Virus and bacteriophage genetics and growth cycle
All correspondence regarding manuscripts in these subject areas should be sent to jmb@elsevier.com.

Dr Jonathan Karn, Executive Editor
c/o Journal of Molecular Biology
525 B Street, Suite 1900
San Diego, CA 92101-4495, USA
Tel: +1 619 699 6234
Fax: +1 619 699 6859
E-mail: jmb@elsevier.com

Manuscripts submitted in one of the following subject areas will be allocated automatically to Dr Peter Wright.
Membrane structure and transport
• Protein and nucleic acid structure, function and interactions
• Protein and RNA folding
• Structure of viruses and supramolecular assemblies
• Computational molecular biology and bioinformatics
All correspondence regarding these manuscripts should be sent to jmb@scripps.edu

Dr Peter Wright, Editor-in-Chief
Department of Molecular Biology
The Scripps Research Institute
10550 North Torrey Pines Road
La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
Tel: +1 858 784 9797
Fax: +1 858 784 9851
E-mail: jmb@scripps.edu

A PDF comprising all text and figures is acceptable for initial submission. When submitting a revised manuscript, separate electronic files are required. Each manuscript is to be accompanied by an electronic cover letter outlining the basic findings of the paper and their significance. PDFs of all related manuscripts under consideration for publication must also be included with the submitted manuscript.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Ethics in Publishing

For information on Ethics in Publishing and Ethical guidelines for journal publication see http://www.elsevier.com/publishingethics and http://www.elsevier.com/ethicalguidelines.

Conflict of interest

All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work. See also http://www.elsevier.com/conflictsofinterest.

Submission declaration

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, 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 copyright-holder.

Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete 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 will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.
Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations (please consult http://www.elsevier.com/permissions). 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: please consult http://www.elsevier.com/permissions.

Retained author rights

As an author you (or your employer or institution) retain certain rights; for details you are referred to: http://www.elsevier.com/authorsrights.

Funding body agreements and policies

Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier, to comply with potential manuscript archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing agreements and policies please visit http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies.

Language and language services

Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit http://www.elsevier.com/languagepolishing or our customer support site at http://epsupport.elsevier.com for more information. Please note Elsevier neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside vendors through our services or in any advertising. For more information please refer to our Terms & Conditions: http://www.elsevier.com/termsandconditions.

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.

Referees

Authors should suggest at least six competent reviewers in their field and may also suggest individuals whom they wish to have excluded from the review process. The list should be included in the cover letter.

PREPARATION

Use of wordprocessing software

It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the wordprocessor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the wordprocessor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. Do not embed "graphically designed" equations or tables, but prepare these using the wordprocessor's facility. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see also the Guide to Publishing with Elsevier: http://www.elsevier.com/guidepublication). Do not import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript. See also the section on Electronic illustrations.
To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the "spell-check" and "grammar-check" functions of your wordprocessor.

Article structure

Manuscripts should be submitted as a word processing file, with one inch margins anddouble spaced lines.

Subdivision

The conventions used in current issues of the Journal for headings, references etc. should be used in preparing manuscripts. Articles are divided into sections in the following order: Introduction; Results; Discussion; Materials and Methods. Other section headings (e.g., Theory, Results and Discussion) may be used if this improves the clarity of presentation. Communications should not be divided into sections but should include topic headings where appropriate.

Introduction

State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.

Results

Results should be clear and concise.

Discussion

This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Material and methods

Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described.

Glossary

Please supply, as a separate list, the definitions of field-specific terms used in your article.

Appendices

If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, Eq. (B.1) and so on.

Essential title page information

• Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
• Author names and affiliations. Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please indicate this clearly. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name, and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address.
• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a "Present address" (or "Permanent address") may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

All pages should be numbered serially.

Abstract

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, References should be avoided, but if essential, then cite the author(s) and year(s). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.
It should not exceed 300 words.

Keywords

Authors should supply five keywords after the Abstract.

Abbreviations

Define abbreviations that are not standard in this field in a footnote to be placed on the first page of the article. Such abbreviations that are unavoidable in the abstract must be defined at their first mention there, as well as in the footnote. Ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article.

Acknowledgements

Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).

Accession numbers

Accession numbers are unique identifiers in bioinformatics allocated to nucleotide and protein sequences to allow tracking of different versions of that sequence record and the associated sequence in a data repository [e.g., databases at the National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI) at the National Library of Medicine ('GenBank') and the Worldwide Protein Data Bank]. There are different types of accession numbers in use based on the type of sequence cited, each of which uses a different coding. Authors should explicitly mention the type of accession number together with the actual number, bearing in mind that an error in a letter or number can result in a dead link in the online version of the article. Please use the following format: accession number type ID: xxxx (e.g., MMDB ID: 12345; PDB ID: 1TUP). Note that in the final version of the electronic copy, accession numbers will be linked to the appropriate database, enabling readers to go directly to that source from the article.
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.

Example 1: "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 )".

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly. Designate them throughout the article, using an asterisk (*). Many wordprocessors build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Should this not be the case, indicate the position of footnotes in the text and present the footnotes themselves separately at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.

Electronic artwork

General points
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font.
• Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times, Symbol.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
• Submit each figure as a separate file.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available on our website:
http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions
You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalised, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):
EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
TIFF: color or grayscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale): a minimum of 500 dpi is required.
DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications please supply "as is".
Please do not:
• Supply embedded graphics in your wordprocessor (spreadsheet, presentation) document;
• Supply files that are optimised for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.
Composite figures. In general, no more than four sections should appear in a single figure. If more than four sections are required, it is better to create several separate figures. Label individual sections in composite figures clearly with lower case letters, using (a), (b), (c).

Stereo pairs. Stereo pairs should be in divergent (wall-eye) view and should be supplied at the same size as they are to appear in the Journal. Before submitting figures, authors should check carefully that stereo figures are correct and give the proper stereo image.

Color artwork

Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. 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) in addition to color reproduction in print. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.

Figure captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Tables

Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

References

Citation in text

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either "Unpublished results" or "Personal communication". Citation of a reference as "in press" implies that the item has been accepted for publication and a copy of the title page of the relevant article must be submitted.

Web references

As a minimum, the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Reference to material which is available on the Internet but has not been published elsewhere should be made in the text only and should not be included in the reference list.

Reference style

References should be listed at the end of the manuscript. They should be listed in the order in which they appear in the text, tables, and figure legends and numbered sequentially. When cited in the text, reference numbers should be superscripted. Only papers that have been published or accepted should be cited in the reference list. The title of the article, the volume number, and first and last pages should be cited. Journal titles should be abbreviated, e.g.,

1. Sanger, F. & Coulson, A. R. (1975). A rapid method for determining sequences in DNA by the primed synthesis with DNA polymerase. J. Mol. Biol. 94, 441-448.

2. Goto, Y., Calciano, L. J. & Fink, A. F. (1990). Acid-induced folding of proteins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 573-577. Articles in books should include the title of the article, the name of the book, editor(s), edition number, first and last page numbers, the name and the location of the publisher, e.g.,

3. Hanks, S. K. & Hunter, T. (1995). The eukaryotic protein kinase superfamily. In The Protein Kinase FactsBook: Protein-Serine Kinases (Hardie, G. & Hanks, S., eds), pp. 747, Academic Press, London.

Journal abbreviations source

SI units and the system of abbreviations and symbols formulated by the IUPAC-IUB Combined Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature should be followed. When non-SI units are used, their equivalent SI units should be given. Genetic names should be described according to the appropriate conventions. Genus and species names should be written in full at first use and in italics (e.g., Escherichia coli, Caenorhabditis elegans).

Supplementary material

The acceptance of supplementary material is at the Editor's discretion. Reference to its availability will be made in the printed paper. Manuscripts must not refer to supplementary material throughout the text.

Submission checklist

It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to the journal's Editor for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any item.
Ensure that the following items are present:
One Author designated as corresponding Author:
• E-mail address
• Full postal address
• Telephone and fax numbers
All necessary files have been uploaded
• Keywords
• All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes)
Further considerations
• Manuscript has been "spellchecked" and "grammar-checked"
• References are in the correct format for this journal
• All references mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web)
• color figures are clearly marked as being intended for color reproduction on the Web (free of charge) and in print or to be reproduced in color on the Web (free of charge) and in black-and-white in print
• If only color on the Web is required, black and white versions of the figures are also supplied for printing purposes
For any further information please visit our customer support site at http://epsupport.elsevier.com.

Additional information

Suggestions for cover illustrations should accompany accepted manuscripts. Cover illustrations may be either in color or in black and white, and the illustration need not correspond to a figure in the paper. Cover illustrations should illustrate a key point raised by the paper and be immediately recognizable. For structural studies this can be an aspect of the structure, but stereo diagrams should be avoided. For biological studies a diagram illustrating a mechanism is often effective, but other types of illustrations, including gels and other types of experimental data, can be used in the context of the cover.

The cover illustration will appear in a landscape format, 103 mm 162 mm. A short descriptive legend should be supplied along with the figure. The legend should be no longer than one sentence and supply information about the general topic rather than detailed information about the figure.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE

Use of the Digital Object Identifier

The Digital Object Identifier (DOI) may be used to cite and link to electronic documents. The DOI consists of a unique alpha-numeric character string which is assigned to a document by the publisher upon the initial electronic publication. The assigned DOI never changes. Therefore, it is an ideal medium for citing a document, particularly 'Articles in press' because they have not yet received their full bibliographic information. The correct format for citing a DOI is shown as follows (example taken from a document in the journal Physics Letters B):
doi:10.1016/j.physletb.2003.10.071
When you use the DOI to create URL hyperlinks to documents on the web, they are guaranteed never to change.

Proofs

One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author (if we do not have an e-mail address then paper proofs will be sent by post) or, a link will be provided in the e-mail so that authors can download the files themselves. Elsevier now provides authors with PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download Adobe Reader version 7 (or higher) available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs (also given online). The exact system requirements are given at the Adobe site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/acrrsystemreqs.html#70win.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return them to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.

Offprints

The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. 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.

AUTHOR INQUIRIES

For inquiries relating to the submission of articles (including electronic submission where available) please visit this journal's homepage. You can track accepted articles at http://www.elsevier.com/trackarticle and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed. Also accessible from here is information on copyright, frequently asked questions and more. Contact details for questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, will be provided by the publisher.