Guide for Authors
Published on behalf of the
European Federation of Biotechnology
Guide for Authors New Biotechnology
Please note: these guidelines apply for all regular and Special Issue papers
published within the journal, such as the Biotechnology Annual Reviews Special Issues and Special Issues edited by the International
Society for Biocatalysis and Biotechnology (ISBB).
New Biotechnology is a journal covering both science of biotechnology
and its surrounding political, business and financial milieu. Taking its lead from biology itself, the journal will be "agnostic" with
respect to the application areas of biotechnology, covering "red", "white", "green", "yellow" and other frequencies in the biotechnology
colour spectrum.
The peer-reviewed research and mini-review section of
New Biotechnology will cover the following core
areas:
•
Molecular intervention - the use of non-living biological agents of change in biological systems: nucleic
acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, derivatives and mimetics of natural molecules. Encompasses interventions in human and veterinary
medicine, in plant protection, enzymes in food processing or chemical synthesis/conversion, and other applications •
Cellular
interventions - regenerative medicine (stem cells, tissue engineering, biomaterials); agricultural inocula; process organisms (e.g.
the adaptation of eukaryote (mammalian, insect, plant, fungal) or prokaryote cells for the improvement of productivity or substrate range,
or biological containment). Includes the whole-organism or part-organism products of molecular or cellular manipulation such as transgenic
crops, transgenic animals, human tissues and organs.
•
Delivery - delivering the agents of intervention to the site
of intervention: Includes biological methods for delivery of treatments and preventions; methods for the delivery of biological agents
including macromolecules and cells. Encompasses the delivery of health, industrial, agricultural and environmental agents.
•
"Omics" - the physical and biological techniques for capturing organism- or population-wide information; the methods for data
storage, retrieval and analysis; the association of "omics" data with physiological or whole organism behaviour; functional genomics
(e.g. resequencing, arrays, SAGE, SNP analysis), proteomics (e.g. SPR, NMR, MS, expression arrays), systems biology.
•
Biochemical
and process engineering - generic advances in the design, handling and operation of controlled cellular cultivation processes, including
fermentation and mammalian cell culture.
•
Detection and sensing - diagnostics and sensors for biological analytes;
biological diagnostics or biological sensors for all analytes. Of particular interest are reporter systems of general utility, and transduction
systems of general utility. Includes the identification and detection of biologically important traits and their use in processes such
as marker-assisted breeding.
•
Macromolecular modelling - the theory: computational methods for understanding molecular
form and function, and designing interventions. Includes the handling of "omics" data and the integration of diverse and dispersed data.
•
Macromolecular construction - the practice: engineering new or refined functions in biomolecules (including antibodies,
enzymes, receptors and other proteins, complex carbohydrates, structural carbohydrates, DNA and RNA). "Engineering" in this context includes
pseudonatural processes such as molecular evolution. This category also includes constructions built from the molecule upward (i.e. nanobiotechnology).
New Biotechnology will publish the best in the science relevant to biotechnology as well as being a forum for technical
and political discussion. The watchword of the journal will be inclusiveness. Rather than allowing the biotechnology edifice to fragment
along disciplinary or geographical lines, the journal will build bridges between those working in different scientific and engineering
disciplines, and between the scientific/technical domain and those in business, regulation and politics.
The journal will be interested
in fundamental science and the scientific method, but will focus on advances in knowledge and practice that opens opportunities for exploitation
of knowledge, either commercially or otherwise. The journal will take a scientific approach to non-scientific issues, and will comment
on scientific and broader issues.
Special Issue edited by the International Society for Biocatalysis and Biotechnology (ISBB)
As of 2009, the International Society for Biocatalysis and Biotechnology (ISBB) will publish a number of Special Issues in
New Biotechnology.
Papers submitted to these Special Issues should follow the
New Biotechnology guidelines as described in the Guide for Authors.
Authors are requested to submit their manuscripts electronically by using the EES online submission tool
http://ees.elsevier.com/nbt
and selecting "Special Issue ISBB" in the drop-down menu "Article Type."
Submission of manuscripts
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 transfer
copyright. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.
A letter will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will
be provided.
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 on-line via the Elsevier homepage (www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions).
Authors are requested to submit their manuscripts
electronically, by using the
EES online submission tool:
http://ees.elsevier.com/nbt. After registration, authors
will be asked to upload their article, an extra copy of the abstract, and associated artwork. The submission tool will generate a PDF
file to be used for the reviewing process. The submission tool generates an automatic reply and a manuscript number will be generated
for future correspondence.
Preparation of manuscripts
Please 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-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.
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.
Please note that full-length research
articles should not exceed 7500 words.
Reports/reviews should be approximately 2500 words.
All pages should be numbered consecutively.
Abstract: A concise and factual abstract is required (maximum length 150 words). An abstract is often presented separate from
the article, so it must be able to stand alone.
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 purposes.
Language Polishing
Authors who require information about language editing and copyediting services pre- and post-submission please visit
www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorshome.authors/languagepolishing
or contact
authorsupport@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.
References
The journal uses the Vancouver (author-number) style.
References
should be listed in numerical order as they appear in the text.
Example
"The author has discussed the implications of these proposals
on the National Health Service in another paper (1). Other writers have commented on related issues, notably Lane (2,3) and Lewis (4).
"
Reference to a journal publication:
1 Duffy, D.C. et al. (1998) Rapid prototyping of microfluidic systems in poly
(dimethylsiloxane). Anal. Chem. 70, 4974-4984
2 Mc Donald, J.C. and Whitesides, G.M. (2002) Poly (dimethylsiloxane) as a material
for fabricating microfluidic devices. Acc. Chem. Res. 35, 491-499.
Reference to a book:
3 Siuzdak, G. (1996) Mass
Spectrometry for Biotechnology. Elsevier Inc.
Reference to a chapter in a book or edited volume:
4 Kovacs, G. (1994) Introduction
to the theory, design and modeling of thin-film
microelectrodes for neural interfaces. In Enabling Technologies for Cultural Neural
Networks (Stenger, D.A. and McKenna, T., eds), pp. 121-166, Academic Press.
Tables and figures
These should 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.
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. Submit colour illustrations
as original photographs, high quality computer prints or transparencies, close to the size expected in publication, or as 35 mm slides.
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF, EPS or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. Polaroid
colour prints are not suitable. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable colour figures then Elsevier will ensure,
at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in colour on the Web (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether
or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For colour reproduction in print, you will receive information
regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for colour in print or on the
Web only. For further information on the preparation of electronic artwork, please see
www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.
Equations should be numbered consecutively with the numbers in brackets at the right margin.
Symbols and
SI
units should conform to standard guidelines (e.g.,
ACS Style Guide, Washington DC) and, if extensive, be listed in a
Nomenclature section prior to the References at the end of the manuscript.
DNA sequences and GenBank Accession numbers
Many
Elsevier journals cite "gene accession numbers" in their running text and footnotes. Gene accession numbers refer to genes or DNA sequences
about which further information can be found in the databases at the National Center for Biotechnical Information (NCBI) at the National
Library of Medicine. Elsevier 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 capitalised
(see Example below). This combination of letters and format will enable Elsevier's typesetters to recognise 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.
Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format 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). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download
Adobe
Reader (available free). Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs. If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations
function, you may list the corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return 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.
There
are no page charges.
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.
Questions arising after acceptance of a manuscript should be directed
to the journal manager.
US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voluntary posting/"Public Access Policy"
Elsevier facilitates
author posting in connection with the voluntary posting request of the NIH (referred to as the
NIH "Public Access Policy") by
submitting the peer-reviewed author's manuscript directly to PubMed Central on request from the author, immediately after final publication.
Please email us at NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com that your work has received NIH funding (with the NIH grant/project number(s), as well
as name and e-mail address of the Principal Investigator(s)) and that you intend to respond to the NIH request. Upon such confirmation,
Elsevier will submit to PubMed Central on your behalf a version of your manuscript that will include peer-review comments, for public
access posting 12 months after the final publication date.
This will ensure that you will have responded fully to the NIH request
policy. There will be no need for you to post your manuscript directly to PubMed Central, and any such posting is prohibited (although
Elsevier will not request that manuscripts authored and posted by US government employees should be taken down from PubMed Central).
Individual modifications to this general policy may apply to some Elsevier journals and its society publishing partners.
Authors' rights
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 pre-print version of the article on Internet websites including electronic
pre-print 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 website
or server, with a link to the journal homepage (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 re-use portions or excerpts in other works, with full acknowledgement of its original publication in the journal