Virology publishes the results of original basic research on viruses of animals (vertebrate and invertebrate),
plants, bacteria, and yeasts/fungi. We invite articles on all areas of research, including virus replication and gene expression, virus
structure and assembly (including atomic structure), virus-cell interaction (including cellular changes as a consequence of viral infection),
viral pathogenesis and immunity (at both molecular and organismal levels), viral vectors/gene therapy, and molecular aspects of prevention
of viral infection. Papers describing results on emerging viruses and unconventional agents will receive special attention.
EDITORS
The editors and their areas of responsibility are given
here
CATEGORIES AND TYPES OF ARTICLES
Papers will be published in Virology under one of the following
subheadings:
Virology publishes three forms of manuscripts: (a) regular
manuscripts, including short but complete studies; (b) rapid communications; and (c) minireviews.
Regular manuscripts present the
results of original basic research in all areas of virology (above) that break new ground and serve as a valuable addition to the literature
in the field.
A Rapid Communication is a brief, definitive report of highly significant and timely findings in the field. Authors
should indicate the submission as such, and if on preliminary inspection the editor believes the paper is of a nature to warrant this
category, the paper will receive very rapid review and, if acceptable, will be published within an average of 8 weeks from receipt.
Minireviews bring cutting-edge developments and themes in the field to virologists, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and others
interested in the field. The goal of these minireviews is to focus on a sharply defined topic in an interesting area in virology or on
recent research (such as two or three papers coming in a specific area of virology). The objective is to make the information accessible
to researchers who work in other areas of virology. Minireviews should be pithy, that is, should not cover the field in question comprehensively
but rather address fundamental concepts, challenges, and problems in the field. In summary, virologists and others, both directly in
and outside the area of the minireview, should benefit from reading these minireviews. The minireviews should provide a critical view
of the field. Minireviews would also be an appropriate forum for introducing new viewpoints, indicating important issues to be addressed,
and challenging concepts.
SPEED OF PUBLICATION
Peer Review Process: Each editor is responsible for having
manuscripts reviewed and for making the final decision concerning the disposition. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers.
All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, and an editorial decision is usually reached within 4 to 5 weeks of the manuscript's
submission.
EDITORIAL POLICIES
There are no page charges for publication in Virology.
Authors should understand
that space limitations make it impossible to publish manuscripts that describe work that does not break new ground conceptually, particularly
if the work merely mirrors work done on a closely related virus without adding significant new knowledge, such as partial sequences of
related viruses, evolutionary studies based on partial sequences, or descriptions of antigenic relationships and epitopes. Exceptions
will be made, however, if these data reveal new insights into the fundamental properties of the virus.
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 Publisher.
Publication of
a research article in Virology is taken to imply that the authors are prepared to distribute freely to academic researchers
for their own use any materials (e.g., viruses, cells, DNA clones, antibodies) used in the published experiments. Prior to publication,
nucleotide sequences and protein sequences must be deposited with GenBank (Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Genbank/)
and an accession number obtained for publication in the manuscript. X-ray crystallographic coordinates must be deposited with the Protein
Data Bank (Web site: http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/).
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 author
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).
Special Subject Repositories
Certain repositories such as PubMed Central ("PMC") are authorized under special arrangement with Elsevier to process and post certain
articles such as those funded by the National Institutes of Health under its Public Access policy (see elsevier.com for more detail on
our policy).
Articles accepted for publication in an Elsevier journal from authors who have indicated that the underlying research reported
in their articles was supported by an NIH grant will be sent by Elsevier to PMC for public access posting 12 months after final publication.
The version of the article provided by Elsevier will include peer-review comments incorporated by the author into the article. Because
the NIH 'Public Access' policy is voluntary, authors may elect not to deposit such articles in PMC. If you wish to `opt out and not
deposit to PMC, you may indicate this by sending an e-mail to mailto:NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com.
As an author you
(or your employer or institution) may do the following: •Make copies (print or electronic) of the article for your own personal
use, including for your own classroom teaching use •Make copies and distribute such copies (including through e-mail) of the
article to research colleagues, for the personal use by such colleagues (but not commercially or systematically, e.g., via an e-mail
list or list server) •Post a preprint version of the article on Internet Web sites including electronic preprint servers, and
to retain indefinitely such version on such servers or sites •Post a revised personal version of the final text of the article
(to reflect changes made in the peer review and editing process) on your personal or institutional Web site or server, with a link to
the journal home page (on elsevier.com) •Present the article at a meeting or conference and to distribute copies of the article
to the delegates attending such a meeting •For your employer, if the article is a "work for hire," made within the scope of
your employment, your employer may use all or part of the information in the article for other intra-company use (e.g., training)
•Retain patent and trademark rights and rights to any processes or procedure described in the article •Include the article
in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation (provided that this is not to be published commercially) •Use the article or
any part thereof in a printed compilation of your works, such as collected writings or lecture notes (subsequent to publication of your
article in the journal) •Prepare other derivative works, to extend the article into book-length form, or to otherwise reuse
portions or excerpts in other works, with full acknowledgment of its original publication in the journal
SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Authors should submit their papers electronically by using online manuscript submission available at http://ees.elsevier.com/viro.
This site will guide authors stepwise through the submission process. Authors can upload their articles as Microsoft (MS) Word, WordPerfect,
or LaTeX files. It is also possible to submit an article in PostScript or Adobe Acrobat PDF format, but if the article is accepted, the
original source files will be needed. If you submit a word processing file, the system generates an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the
article, which is used for the reviewing process.
The above represents a very brief outline of this form of submission. It can be
advantageous to print this Guide for Authors section from the site for reference in the subsequent stages of article preparation.
Submission Checklist:
Please note that submitted manuscripts must be double spaced
You will be
asked to submit:
• Cover Letter: Document (Word, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF, LaTeX) containing your cover letter to the Editors.
• Response to Reviews (Resubmissions Only): Document (Word, WordPerfect, RTF, PDF, LaTeX) detailing your response to the
reviewers' and editor's comments of a previously rejected manuscript that you are resubmitting. • Manuscript: Single
word processing (Word, WordPerfect, RTF) or LaTeX file consisting of the title page, abstract, manuscript text, and any figure/table
legends. • Tables: Tables may be inserted after the manuscript text, following the references or separate from the manuscript
text, uploaded individually or consolidated into a single file. The file description you input when uploading your table must include
the table number or range (e.g., Table 1, Tables 2-4). • Figures: Figures should be uploaded individually as TIF or EPS
files. Although other figure formats are allowed by the system (GIF, JPEG, Postscript, PICT, PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint), they will delay
the production process should your manuscript be accepted. The file description you input below when uploading your figure must include
the figure number (e.g., Fig. 2A).
Please note: Authors are required to submit the names and email addresses of
four to six potential referees who are not current Editors of the journal.
Manuscripts should be written as concisely as possible with minimum repetition
between Results and Discussion and Materials and Methods and figure legends. All figures must be of a quality such that the reviewers
can judge the data.
(a) Regular Manuscripts
The organization shown below must be followed (in the order given):
The Title page should contain the following elements: The title should be concise and informative. Titles are
often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulas 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 lowercase 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 is willing to handle correspondence
at all stages of refereeing and publication, also postpublication. 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.
Abstract. A concise and factual abstract is
required (maximum length 150 words). The abstract should summarize the main findings of the paper. An abstract is often presented separate
from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. References should therefore be avoided, but if essential, they must be cited in
full, without reference to the reference list.
Keywords. Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 10 keywords,
avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations
firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing and searching purposes.
The Introduction
should be succinct with no subheadings. It should contain material directly relevant to the research that is described and should state
clearly the aims of the investigation in the light of related work. Fair citation of the work of others is essential. Authors are asked
to use nomenclature approved by the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) (Web site: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/)
the first time a virus name appears. Commonly used vernacular names may be used after viruses are first correctly identified. Genetic
loci should be italicized; protein products of the loci are not italicized.
Results and Discussion may be divided by
subheadings or may be combined into one section when substantial redundancy cannot be avoided in two separate sections or if a long discussion
is not warranted. A Discussion section should be constructively interpretive and not restate experimental data.
Materials and
methods should provide sufficient information to permit the work to be repeated and should be kept concise by referring to previously
published procedures. With increasing studies on pathogenicity of viruses, it is important that the provenance of viruses be stated clearly.
Acknowledgments. Place acknowledgments, including information on grants received, before the references, in a separate section,
and not as a footnote on the title page.
References should include only articles that have been published or are in press.
Unpublished data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications should be cited within the text. Personal communications should be
documented by a letter of permission. Abstracts of work presented at meetings many not be cited. Names of authors should be mentioned
in the text with year of publication in parentheses. References should be listed alphabetically at the end of the paper. Journal names
should be abbreviated according to the Chemical Abstracts Service index: http://www.cas.org/.
Text. All citations
in the text should refer to:
1. Single author: the author's name (without initials, unless there is ambiguity) and the year of publication.
2. Two authors: both authors' names and the year of publication.
3. Three or more authors: first author's name followed by "et
al." and the year of publication.
Citations may be made directly (or parenthetically). Groups of references should be listed first
alphabetically, then chronologically.
Examples: "as demonstrated (Allan, 1996a, 1996b, 1999; Allan and Jones, 1995). Kramer et al.
(2000) have recently shown ...."
List. References should be arranged first alphabetically and then further sorted chronologically
if necessary. More than one reference from the same author(s) in the same year must be identified by the letters "a", "b", "c", etc.,
placed after the year of publication.
Reference to a journal publication:
Park, J., Nadeau, P.E., Mergia, A., 2002. A minimal
genome simian foamy virus type 1 vector system with efficient gene transfer. Virology 302, 236-244.
Reference to a book:
Hagag,
N., Viola, M.V., 1993. Chromosome Microdissection and Cloning: A Practical Guide. Academic Press, San Diego.
Reference to a chapter
in an edited book:
Mettam, G.R., Adams, L.B., 1999. How to prepare an electronic version of your article. In: Jones, B.S., Smith,
R.Z. (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age. E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281-304.
Citations in the 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 should not be in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the
text. Citation of a reference as "in press" implies that the item has been accepted for publication.
Citing and listing of Web
references. As a minimum, the full URL should be given. Any further information, if known (author names, dates, reference to a source
publication, etc.), should also be given.
DNA sequences and GenBank accession numbers. 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 capitalized (see example below). This combination of letters
and format will enable the typesetter to recognize the relevant texts as accession numbers and add the required link to GenBank's sequences.
Example: 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).
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. 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.
Tables must be numbered 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.
Figure legends should contain a brief description of the experiment performed so that
the figure can be understood without reference to the body of the text. However, the legend should not repeat Materials and Methods or
contain interpretive statements.
Figures. Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text. Figures intended
to be montages of separate panels should be assembled into one figure by the authors. A set of figures, particularly for montages of
electron micrographs, can be submitted and labeled as such. Please visit our Web site at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions
for detailed instructions on preparing electronic artwork. 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 finalized, 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 gray-scale photographs
(halftones): always use a minimum of 500 dpi.
TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF: Combinations
bitmapped line/halftone (color or gray scale): 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: • Embed graphics
in the body of your manuscript. • Supply files that are optimized for screen use (such as 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.
Color figures. One color figure will be published free of charge in each article, provided that color is deemed
necessary by the editor. Additional color figures will be charged to the author. However, 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://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. [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.]
Preparation
of supplementary material. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article
in Elsevier Web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted
material is directly usable, please ensure that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material
in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file. For more detailed instructions
please visit our artwork instruction pages at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. For further advice, please contact
the Editorial Office via e-mail: virology@elsevier.com; telephone: (619) 699-6538; or fax: (619) 699-6859.
(b)
Rapid Communications
Manuscripts in general should be no longer than 12 double-spaced typewritten pages, containing an abstract
of approximately 100 words, keywords, a one-paragraph introduction, Results, a concise Discussion section, and an abbreviated Materials
and Methods section. A maximum of 20 references and four items for the display of data (any combination of figures and tables) will be
allowed.
Rapid Communications will be reviewed within 1 to 2 weeks. No significant revisions will be permitted. PDF proofs will be
e-mailed to authors. Corrections must be returned with 48 hours. Rapid communications will appear in a special section at the front of
the journal. Rapid communications are distinct from the previously published "short communications." This category is not intended for
reporting preliminary studies or brief studies of a descriptive nature.
(c) Minireviews
The minireviews will
be short (2-4 pages). Inclusion of figures/cartoons to illustrate points is strongly encouraged. The minireview should also direct the
reader to a few key papers in the field, which come under the heading "Selected Reading." There is no formal Reference section.
Cover
illustrations
Authors are encouraged to submit interesting figures for possible publication on the front cover of an issue
of this journal; the figure should be related to the author's article.
MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST
It is hoped that this list
will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to submitting it to the journal for review.
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) are provided
Further considerations
• Manuscript has been
"spell-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 contact the Author
Support Department at authorsupport@elsevier.com.
PROOFS
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to
the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited)
manuscript will be allowed at this stage. Authors are requested to return proof corrections within 72 hours of receipt in order to expedite
publication. It is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections
will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete. Note that this does not mean you have any less time to make your
corrections, just that only one set of corrections will be accepted.
