Computational Biology and Chemistry (CBAC) publishes papers in English on pivotal aspects of computational
life science.
Submission of manuscripts reporting non-trivial research work in biomolecular sequence analysis, molecular evolution, molecular
genetics (functional genomics and proteomics), theory and practice of either biology-specific or chemical-biology-specific modeling,
and structural biology of nucleic acids and proteins (including computer-assisted predictions of folding) is particularly encouraged.
Methodological papers and research reports that describe novel approaches to bioinformatics, systems biology, cybernetics, ecology, environmental
sciences, computational pharmacology, metabolism, biomedical engineering, epidemiology, and statistical genetics are also welcomed.
The following main categories of articles will be considered for publication in the journal: Research Papers are the most
frequent form
of publication, and may be of any length that is justified by their content. They are expected to be complete reports of
original work. Brief Communications are short reports describing particularly novel and significant findings or methods.
Accepted communications, which normally should not exceed five journal pages in length, will be published as rapidly as possible. Review Articles will usually be solicited by the Editors. However unsolicited reviews can also be considered for publication
in CBAC. Prospective authors should indicate their intent to write a review by sending one to three pages synopsis via e-mail (or, in
exceptional cases, fax) to the appropriate Editor at the address listed in section 2.1. entitled SUBMISSION ADDRESSES.
In addition
to the foregoing major categories the Editors may decide to use more appropriate headings for some review articles. For example a given
review paper may end up being published under the heading "Methodological Overview", "Opinion Paper" "Perspective",
or "Commentary"
It is essential that the authors provide a fax number and e-mail address when submitting a manuscript.
Articles must be written in good English.
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.
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.
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.
2.
Submission
2.1. Submission addresses
Before submitting their manuscript the authors will need to designate the editor
to whom their work will be sent. The following table indicates to which editor manuscripts at a given general topic should be submitted.
If general topic of interest to a prospective author is not listed below, he/she should inquire about the address of submission by sending
an e-mail to either one of the Editors or to both of them. The e-mail should contain a brief description or an abstract of the manuscript
intended for submission to CBAC and a brief explanation why the author(s) think the manuscript should be sent to this journal.
Manuscripts
that pertain to general research areas listed below should be sent to the Editor Prof. M. J. C. Crabbe;
e-mail: James.Crabbe@beds.ac.uk
Contact details:
Prof. M. James C. Crabbe
University of Luton,
Dean of Faculty of Creative Arts,
Technologies & Science,
Park Square,
Luton,
LU1 3JU, UK
Tel/Fax: +44 118 9318894
• Chemistry (including bio-organic,
bioinorganic, and biophysical) • Biochemistry • Biochemical kinetics and thermodynamics • Drug design
• Molecular modeling • Molecular pharmacology • Chromatography • Electrophoresis • Mass spectrometry
• Biological chemistry • Molecular biology instrumentation & analysis (including microchips) • Structural
biology (including methods of structure determination) • Crystallography • Environmental science (including evolution
of natural habitats
Manuscripts that pertain to general research areas listed below should be sent to the Editor Dr.
A. K. Konopka;
e-mail: akk@BLINGUA.org
Contact details:
Dr. Andrzej K. Konopka
BioLingua
Research, Inc.
10331 Battleridge Place
Gaithersburg, MD 20886, USA
Tel/Fax: +1 301 527 1088
• Computational
biology • Computer-assisted sequence analysis • Molecular biology software development • Molecular evolution
• Bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics • Theoretical and mathematical biology • Systems biology, epigenetics,
and integrative biology • Cybernetics (general systems theory) • General mathematical and methodological aspects of
modelling • Statistics, genetics and mathematical ecology • Origins of life and "prebiotic" chemistry
• Chemical models and theories of life • Programming, scripting and database tools (including database designs) •
Text analysis and computational linguistics
2.2. Online electronic submission to the journal prior to acceptance
Authors
can upload their article as a LaTeX, Microsoft® (MS) Word®, WordPerfect®, PostScript or Adobe® Acrobat PDF® document
via the "Author Gateway" page of this journal (http://authors.elsevier.com/journal/compbiolchem), where you will
also find a detailed description on its use. The system generates an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used for the
reviewing process. Apart from uploading separately, it is crucial that all graphical and tabular elements be also placed within the text,
so that the file is suitable for reviewing. Authors, Reviewers and Editors send and receive all correspondence by e-mail and no paper
correspondence is necessary.
Note: compuscripts submitted are converted into PDF for the review process but may need to be edited
after acceptance to follow journal standards. For this an "editable" file format is necessary. See the section on "Electronic
format requirements for
accepted articles" and the further general instructions on how to prepare your article below.
2.3.
Online electronic submission checklist
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 "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)
2.4. Submission to the journal, not
online, prior to acceptance
Three copies of the manuscript, including one set of high-quality original illustrations,
suitable for direct reproduction, should be submitted. (Copies of the illustrations are acceptable for the other sets of manuscripts,
as long as the quality permits refereeing.) Send your manuscript to the appropriate Editor at the address listed in section 2.1. SUBMISSION
ADDRESSES.
If at all possible authors should also send an electronic version of their article by e-mail to the appropriate address
given in section 2.1. This electronic version will be used for the reviewing process. Authors, Reviewers and Editors send and receive
all correspondence by e-mail and no paper correspondence is necessary.
Note: electronic articles submitted for the review process
may need to be edited after acceptance to follow journal standards. For this an "editable" file format is necessary. See the
section on "Electronic format requirements for accepted articles" and the further general instructions on how to prepare your
article below.
Please submit, with the manuscript, the names and addresses of potential referees.
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.
2.5. Submission checklist, for non-online submission
Ensure that the
following items are present:
• One author designated as corresponding author • E-mail address • Full postal
address • Telephone and fax numbers • Disk is enclosed • The electronic version and the hardcopy of the
manuscript are identical • Disk has been labelled with
• Article details (first author, first words of title)
• File name(s)
• Media format (e.g., PC, Mac)
• File format (e.g., Word, LaTeX)
•
All text pages
• Keywords
• Original artwork (high-quality prints)
• All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes)
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) • Colour figures are clearly marked as being intended for colour reproduction or to be reproduced in black-and-white
3. Electronic
format requirements for accepted articles
3.1 General points
We accept most word-processing formats, but Word, WordPerfect
or LaTeX is preferred. An electronic version of the text should be submitted together with the final hardcopy of the manuscript. The
electronic version must match the hardcopy exactly. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Label
storage media with your name, journal title, and software used. Save your files using the default extension of the program used. No changes
to the accepted version are permissible without the explicit approval of the Editor. Electronic files can be stored on 31/2 inch diskette,
ZIP-disk or CD (either MS-DOS or Macintosh).
3.2 Word processor documents
It is important that the file be saved in the
native format of the word processor 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 word processor'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 word processor'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 Author Gateway's Quick guide:
http://authors.elsevier.com). 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 Preparation of electronic illustrations.
To avoid
unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell checker' function of your word processor.
3.3 LaTeX documents
If the LaTeX file is suitable, proofs will be produced without re-keying the text. The article should preferably be written using
Elsevier
document class 'elsart', or alternatively the standard document class 'article'.
The Elsevier LaTeX package (including detailed
instructions for LaTeX preparation) can be obtained from the Author Gateway's Quick guide: http://authors.elsevier.com.
It consists of the files: elsart.cls (use this file if you are using LaTeX2e, the current
version of LaTeX), elsart.sty and elsart12.sty
(use these two files if you are using LaTeX2.09, the previous version of LaTeX), guidelines for users of elsart, a template file for
quick start, and the instruction booklet "Preparing articles with LaTeX".
Although Elsevier can process most word
processor file formats, should your electronic file prove to be unusable, the article will be typeset from the hardcopy printout.
4. Presentation of manuscript
4.1 Presentation of text
Please write your text in good English (American or British
usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors for whom English is a foreign language are strongly recommended to have the manuscript
thoroughly checked and corrected before submission. English language help service: Upon request, Elsevier will direct authors to an agent
who can check and improve the
English of their paper (before submission). Please contact authorsupport@elsevier.com for
further information.
Italics are not to be used for expressions of Latin origin, for example, in vivo, et al., per se. Use decimal
points (not commas); use a space for thousands (10 000 and above).
Print the entire manuscript on one side of the paper only, using
double spacing and wide (3 cm) margins. (Avoid full justification, i.e., do not use a constant right-hand margin.) Ensure that each new
paragraph is clearly indicated. Present tables and figure
legends on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. If possible, consult
a recent issue of the journal to become familiar with layout and conventions. Number all pages consecutively.
Provide the following
data on the title page (in the order given):
• 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-casesuperscript 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 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.
• Abstract. A concise and factual
abstract is required (maximum length 300 words). The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results
and major conclusions. 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. Non-standard or uncommon
abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.
• Keywords.
Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 5 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 purposes
N.B. Acknowledgements. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of
the article and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise.
4.1.1 Arrangement
of the article
Subdivision of the article
Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections
should be numbered 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section numbering). Use this numbering also
for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text'. Any subsection may be given a brief heading. Each heading should appear
on its own separate line.
• Introduction. State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding
a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
• Experimental/Materials 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.
• Theory and/or calculation. A Theory section should extend, not repeat, the background to the
article already dealt with in the Introduction and lay the foundation for further work. In contrast, a Calculation section represents
a practical development from
a theoretical basis. Include in figure legends and table texts technical details of methods used, while
describing the methods themselves in the main text. 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 forth. Figure legends, tables, figures, schemes. Present these, in this order, at the end of the article.
They are described in more detail below. If you are working with LaTeX and have such features embedded in the text, these can be left,
but such embedding should not
be done specifically for publishing purposes. Further, high-resolution graphics files must be provided
separately (see Preparation of illustrations).
Further considerations:
• Text graphics. Present incidental
graphics not suitable for mention as figures, plates or schemes at the end of the article and number them 'Graphic 1', etc. Their precise
position in the text can then be defined similarly (both on the manuscript and in the
file). See further under the section, Preparation
of illustrations. If you are working with LaTeX and have such features embedded in the text, these can be left, but such embedding should
not be done specifically for publishing purposes. Further, high-resolution graphics files must be provided separately (see Preparation
of illustrations). • Mathematical formulae. Present simple formulae in the line of normal text where possible. In
principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line, e.g., Xp/Ym.
Powers of e are
often more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed
separate from the text (if referred
to explicitly in the text).
• Footnotes. Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the
article, using superscript Arabic
numbers. Many word processors 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 on a separate sheet at the
end of the article. Do not include
footnotes in the Reference list. Table footnotes. Indicate each footnote in a table with a superscript
lowercase letter.
• 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.
• Nomenclature
and units. Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other quantities
are mentioned, give their equivalent in SI.
• Computer programs. Program descriptions, where necessary, should take
the form of flowcharts, with short listings of pertinent sections of code. Program listings should be limited in length to that necessary
to define the algorithm; since available space precludes the reproduction of lengthy program listings, code that can be reproduced by
a skilled
programmer should be omitted. See also under "Supplementary Data".
• Supplementary data. Deposition
of large quantities of data is inappropriate in the context of printed journal articles. Such data may be held and made available by
(one of) the authors or can be submitted to a specific database. For details please
contact the Editor. It should then be clearly stated
in the article, at an appropriate point in the text or in a separate section before Acknowledgements, which data are available and exactly
how they can be obtained. Although it is unnecessary to supply full sets of such data along with the manuscript for refereeing, you may
wish to submit or mention any material
considered to aid the refereeing process. Such material should be clearly marked as not for publication.
4.1.2 References
Responsibility for the accuracy of bibliographic citations lies entirely with the authors.
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. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the
reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.
Text: All citations in
the text should refer to:
1. Single author: the authors 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
authors 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 yearmust be identified
by the letters "a", "b", "c"" etc., placed after the year of publication.
Examples:
Reference
to a journal publication: [1] J. van der Geer, J.A.J. Hanraads, R.A. Lupton, The art of writing a scientific article, J. Sci. Commun.
163 (2000) 51-59. Reference to a book: [2] W. Strunk Jr., E.B. White, The Elements of Style, third ed., Macmillan, New York,
1979. Reference to a chapter in an edited book: [3] G.R. Mettam, L.B. Adams, How to prepare an electronic version of your article,
in: B.S. Jones, R.Z. Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age, E-Publishing Inc., New York, 1999, pp. 281-304. Introduction
to the Electronic Age, E-Publishing Inc., New York, pp. 281-304.
4.2 Preparation of illustrations
Illustrations can be
prepared in black else it should be avoided. Colour artwork will be published without cost to the authors subject to the discretion of
the Editor, and provided the artwork is of sufficient quality.
4.2.1 Preparation of electronic illustrations
Submitting
your artwork in an electronic format helps us to produce your work to the best possible standards, ensuring accuracy, clarity and a high
level of detail.
General points
• Always supply high-quality printouts of your artwork, in case conversion
of the electronic artwork is problematic. • 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, Helvetica, Times, Symbol. • Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text. • Use a logical
naming convention for your artwork files, and supply a separate listing of the files and the software used. • Provide all illustrations
as separate files and as hardcopy printouts on separate sheets. • Provide captions to illustrations separately. •
Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
Files can be stored on 3 1/2 inch diskette, ZIP-disk or CD (either
MS-DOS or Macintosh). This journal offers electronic submission services and graphic files can be uploaded via the Author Gateway page
of this journal via http://authors.elsevier.com/journal/compbiolchem
A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available
on our website:
http://authors.elsevier.com/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 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: Colour or greyscale 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 (colour or greyscale): 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.
4.2.2 Non-electronic illustrations Provide all illustrations as high-quality printouts, suitable
for reproduction (which may include reduction) without retouching. Number illustrations consecutively in the order in which they are
referred to in the text. They should accompany the manuscript, but should not be included within the text. Clearly mark all illustrations
on the back (or - in case of line drawings - on the lower front side) with the figure number and the author's name and, in cases of ambiguity,
the correct orientation. Mark the appropriate position of a figure in the article. 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. Line drawings
Supply high-quality printouts on white paper produced with black ink. The lettering
and symbols, as well as other details, should have proportionate dimensions, so as not to become illegible or unclear after possible
reduction; in general, the figures should be
designed for a reduction factor of two to three. The degree of reduction will be determined
by the Publisher. Illustrations will not be enlarged.
Consider the page format of the journal when designing the illustrations.
Photocopies are not suitable for reproduction. Do not use any type of shading on computer-generated illustrations.
Photographs (halftones)
Please supply original photographs for reproduction, printed on glossy paper, very sharp and with good contrast. Remove nonessential
areas of a photograph. Do not mount photographs unless they form part of a composite figure. Where necessary, insert a scale bar in the
illustration (not below it), as opposed to giving a magnification factor in the legend. Colour illustrations
Submit
colour illustrations as original photographs, high-quality computer prints or transparencies, close to the size expected in publication,
or as 35 mm slides. Polaroid colour prints are not suitable. Further information concerning colour illustrations and costs
is available
from Author Support.
5. Proofs
When your manuscript is received by the Publisher it is considered to be in its final
form. Proofs are not to be regarded as 'drafts'. Proofs in PDF
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. Proofreading is
solely your responsibility. Return deadline
The
Publisher reserves the right to proceed with publication if corrections are not communicated within 2 days, 48 hours, of receipt of the
proofs. Should there be no corrections, please confirm this. One set requirement
Elsevier will do everything possible
to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. In order to do this we need your help. When you receive
the (PDF) proof of your article for correction, 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.
Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors who
publish in Elsevier journals 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
8. Offprints
Twenty-five offprints are provided free of charge to the corresponding author. Extra offprints can be ordered at prices shown on the
offprint order form.
9. More information
Visit the Author Gateway from Elsevier Science (http://authors.elsevier.com)
for the facility to track accepted articles and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed. The Author
Gateway also provides detailed artwork
guidelines, copyright information, frequently asked question and more.
Contact details for
questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided when an article is accepted for publication.
