The entire submission and review process this journal is now handled electronically, which shortens
publication times. All papers should be submitted electronically through http://www.ees.elsevier.com/jbb. Authors submit
their papers online by simply registering, logging on and submitting. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision
and requests for revisions, is by email and via the Author's homepage, removing the need for hard copy.
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.
Types of contributions: These may
take the form of research papers describing original studies (4000 to 6000 words), shorter technical notes and short communications (600
to 2000 words), state-of-the-art reviews, and topical reports. Society news and reviews of publications in this field are also accepted.
Corresponding author: Clearly indicate who is responsible for correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication,
including 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. Full postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Please consult a recent journal
paper for style if possible.
Original material: 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for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere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.
Editor's requirements:
Please allow a minimum of 30 days for your paper to be assigned to an editor and given a manuscript number. In order to speed up the
review process, please provide the names, addresses and email adresses of 3 potential reviewers for your manuscript.
Detailed
instructions on manuscript preparation and artwork instructions can be found below. The editor reserves the right to return manuscripts
that do not conform to the instructions for manuscript preparation and artwork instruction, as well as paper that do not fit the scope
of the journal, prior to refereeing.
General: Editors reserve the right to adjust style to
certain standards of uniformity. Original manuscripts are discarded one month after publication unless the Publisher is asked to return
original material after use. An electronic copy of the manuscript on disk should accompany the final accepted version. Please use Word,
Word Perfect or LaTeX files for the text of your manuscript. (For further information about LaTeX submission, please go to http://www.elsevier.com/latex.)
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Structure: Follow this order when typing manuscripts: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, Main text, Acknowledgements, Appendix,
References, Vitae, Figure Captions and then Tables. For submission in hardcopy, do not import figures into the text - see Illustrations.
The corresponding author should be identified with an asterisk and footnote. All other footnotes (except for table footnotes) should
be identified with superscript Arabic numbers. Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article and do not include
them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. Back to the contents list
Text Layout: Use 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, use 12 or 10 pt font size and standard fonts. If submitting in hardcopy, print the entire
manuscript on one side of the paper only. Back to the contents list
Corresponding
author: Clearly indicate who is responsible for correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, including
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. Full postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Please consult a recent journal paper
for style if possible. Back to the contents list
Abstract: An abstract (not exceeding 250 words) is required at the beginning of each paper (not technical notes and other
notes). Abstracts should complete in themselves as possible. Conclusions should be summarized as well as the methods used, since abstracts
are frequently quoted verbatim in abstracting journals. Back to the contents list
Keywords: Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of ten keywords
(avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible.
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Symbols: Explain ambiguous or uncommon symbols by making marginal notes in pencil. Avoid double superscripts or subscripts as well as superscripts
attached to the same symbol. Indicate vectors by placing a wavy line under the symbol. Do not underline any other symbols or use underlining
as part of a symbol. When the number e is modified by a complicated exponent use the symbol exp.
Units: Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). The author
should also provide alternate units in parentheses for the convenience of those readers who are not yet fluent in the use of S. I. Units. Back to the contents list
Mathematical Symbols
and Formulae: Authors should attempt to visualize mathematical expressions as they will appear in print. From
the standpoints of readability and printing costs, formulae should be composed carefully and with the utmost economy. Some general rules
are: a) The numbers which identify equations are to be placed at the right-hand margin in parentheses, with out use of the word "equation".
b) Explain ambiguous or uncommon symbols by making marginal notes in pencil. c) Double-line fractions should not be used in the
body of the text. To indicate such fractions, use the solids (/), the negative exponent, or the division sign; thus, use a/b or ab1,
or ab1, or a b. Double-line fractions should be avoided also in centred equations if they can be expressed conveniently by any of the
methods just noted and the resulting equation will appear on only one line. d) The radical sign should be avoided. To indicate roots,
use a fractional positive or negative exponent. e) Avoid double superscripts or subscripts as well as superscripts attached to the
same symbol. f) Indicate vectors by placing a wavy line under the symbol. Do not underline any other symbols or use underlining as
part of a symbol. g) When the number e is modified by a complicated exponent use the symbol exp. h) Negative exponents rather
than the solidus are to be used in statement of units (e.g. cm s-1 not cm/s).
References: All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript.
Text:
Indicate references by number(s) in square brackets in line with the text. The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s)
must always be given.
List: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear in the
text. Examples: Reference to a journal publication: [1] Van der Geer J, Hanraads JAJ, Lupton RA. The art of writing a scientific
article. J Sci Commun 2000;163:51-9. Reference to a book: [2] Strunk Jr W, White EB. The elements of style. 3rd ed. New York:
Macmillan; 1979. Reference to a chapter in an edited book: [3] Mettam GR, Adams LB. How to prepare an electronic version of
your article. In: Jones BS, Smith RZ, editors. Introduction to the electronic age, New York: E-Publishing Inc; 1999, p. 281-304
Note
shortened form for last page number. e.g., 51-9, and that for more than 6 authors the first 6 should be listed followed by 'et al.'
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FREE ONLINE COLOUR If, together with your accepted article, you submit
usable colour and black/white 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. ' Usable' means the formats comply with our instructions. See the information about Illustrations at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.
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Tables: Tables should be numbered consecutively and given suitable captions and each table should begin on a new page. No vertical rules
should be used. Tables should not duplicate results presented elsewhere in the manuscript (for example, in graphs). Footnotes to tables
should be typed below the table and should be referred to by superscript lowercase letters. Back
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Appendix: Mathematical analyses with details
which are subordinate to the main theme of the paper should normally be put into an appendix.
Electronic
Annexes We strongly encourage you to submit electronic annexes, such as short videos, computer-enhanced images,
audio clips and large databases. Please refer to the Artwork Instructions (Multimedia files) at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions
for details on file types to be used. If you are submitting on hardcopy, please supply 3 disks/CD ROMs containing the electronic annex
to the editor for review. In the text of your article you may wish to refer to the annex. This is not mandatory, however, if you do
wish to refer to the annex in the text then please do so using this example: "?see Electronic Annex 1 in the online version of this article."
Production will insert the relevant URL at the typesetting stage after this statement. Back to
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Authors will be notified of the
acceptance of their paper by the editor. The Publisher will also send a notification of receipt of the paper in production. Back
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All authors must sign the Transfer
of Copyright agreement before the article can be published. This transfer agreement enables Elsevier to protect the copyrighted material
for the authors, but does not relinquish the authors' proprietary rights. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive rights to reproduce
and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microfilm or any other reproductions of similar nature and
translations. Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder permission to reproduce any figures for which copyright
exists. For more information please go to our copyright page http://www.elsevier.com/copyright. Back
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One set of page proofs in PDF
format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author, to be checked for typesetting/editing. The corrections should be returned
within 48 hours. No changes in, or additions to, the accepted (and subsequently edited) manuscript will be allowed at this stage. Proofreading
is solely the author's responsibility. Any queries should be answered in full. Please correct factual errors only, or errors introduced
by typesetting. For more information on proofreading please go to our proofreading page http://www.elsevier.com/locate/guidepublication.
Please note that once your paper has been proofed we publish the identical paper online as in print. Back
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No page charges:
Publication in this journal is free of charge.
Free offprints: Twenty-five offprints will be supplied free of charge. Corresponding
authors will be given the choice to buy extra offprints before printing of the article. Authors who pay for colour illustrations will
receive an extra fifty offprints free of charge.
Author discount: Contributors to Elsevier journals are entitled to a 30%
discount on all Elsevier books. See http://www.elsevier.com/bookauthors for more information.
