ELSEVIER SCIENCE - ELECTRONIC MANUSCRIPTS: A GUIDE FOR AUTHORS



I. General

This information is general in nature and valid for all Elsevier science journals. For more journal-specific information you are referred to the Instructions to Authors published in the journal concerned.

Advantages

Electronic manuscripts have the advantage that there is no need for the rekeying of text, thereby avoiding the possibility of introducing errors during typesetting and resulting in reliable and fast delivery of proofs.

Hardware/Software

It does not really matter which computer or wordprocessor you use; but it does help us to process your file further if you let us know such details. Please complete the form at the end of this leaflet and enclose it with the diskette and the last revised (accepted) version of your manuscript.

Note: we cannot guarantee the usability of all formats; much will depend on your adherence to the following guidelines. Should your file prove to be unusable, for whatever reason, we reserve the right to publish your article from the printout supplied.

II. Electronic manuscripts on diskette

In the beginning

Before you start, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the journal's style and arrangement, and in particular, the reference citation style and structure of the reference list as given in Instructions to Authors for that journal.

Order of material

Please adhere to the following order: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, Main text, Acknowledgments, Appendix, References, Vitae, Figure legends, Tables. For information on Graphics (electronic illustrations), see Section III.

Presentation

Most formatting codes will be removed or replaced by codes on processing your article. It is, therefore, not important how you display titles, headings, etc., as long as you do so in a consistent manner throughout the entire manuscript. If your word processor allows presentation in double column format or you have a page make-up option, do not use them: use the single column format. In addition, do not use options such as automatic word breaking or a justified layout. However, you are encouraged to use your wordprocessor's facilities to indicate text attributes, such as bold face, italics, subscript, superscript, etc. When preparing tables, use tabs, not spaces, to align the columns.

Keyboard discipline and accuracy

Please take care to distinguish properly between the digit 1 and the letter l (also 0 and O). Use tables for indents (paragraphs), not spaces or the indent function. Be accurate: in processing your manuscript your typing errors might stay undetected. Use the spell check if your wordprocessor has such a feature.

Diskettes

Your file is valuable. Take no risks and use a new diskette. Both Double Density and High Density diskettes (5BC or 3BD inch) are acceptable as long as the diskette has been formatted correctly. Save your file in the native format of the wordprocessor used. If you have the option to save your files in 'flat ASCII', please do not use it. Ensure that only the relevant file (one complete article only) and any graphics (see Section III) are on the diskette.

Upon acceptance

After final revision, your diskette plus the required number of printed and exactly matching versions (as printouts) should be submitted together to the accepting editor. The diskette and the printout(s) will then be forwarded to Elsevier. It is important that the file on diskette and the printout(s) are identical. Please not that no deviations from the version accepted by the Editor are permissible without the prior and explicit approval of the Editor. Such changes should be clearly indicated on an accompanying printout of the file.

Don't forget

Label the diskette with your name, the name of the file and the name of the journal in which your article is to be published. Please do not forget to complete the form at the end of this leaflet and enclose it with the diskette and the last revised (accepted) version of your manuscript.

Problems?

If you run into any difficulties, are unsure about anything or would like further information, please do not hesitate to contact us:



Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.

Elsevier House Brookvale Plaza East Park Shannon, Co. Clare Ireland

Tel: (+353) 61 709600

Fax: (+353) 61 709100/101

e-mail: postmaster@elsevier.ie



III. Graphics

General

If your are considering the submission of your manuscript as an electronic file, you may wonder whether we would also like to have an electronic version of the illustrations. The answer is yes! Although there are still a large number of technical difficulties to overcome, we are processing graphic files in a growing number of cases. Both scanned and computer-generated illustrations, either colour or black & white are acceptable. (Note: most journals charge for colour printing! Please consult the Instructions to Authors for the journal concerned.)

Requirements

The following requirements are to be met:

Hard copy in all cases. Since we cannot a priori guarantee the usability of your graphic file(s) hard-copies of all illustrations should accompany the accepted printout of the manuscript in all cases. One set should be in publishable condition.

Diskette. Files should preferable be submitted on diskette, either IBM or Macintosh. Submission via e-mail is not recommended for large files.

Format. TIFF or EPS files are preferred. TIFF files should preferable be compressed, but only LZW (Macintosh) compression is acceptable. Please not that corrections in EPS figures are only possible if they have been prepared with Adobe Illustrator 3.0 or higher versions. The usability of other formats is to a large extent dependent on the information you supply us with concerning the soft- and hardware used. It is a good idea to put the relevant information in the header of the file.

Resolution

Drawings made with Adobe Illustrator and Aldus Freehand (Macintosh) and CorelDraw (IBM/DOS) generally give good results. Drawings made in WordPerfect or Word generally have too low a resolution; only if made at a much higher resolution (1016 dpi) can they be used. Files of scanned line drawings are acceptable if done at a minimum of 1016 dpi. For scanned halftone figures a resolution of 300 dpi is sufficient. Scanned figures compressed with JPEG usually give no problems. Please note that scanned figures cannot be enlarged, only reduced.

Specifications

Please complete the form at the end of this leaflet and enclose it with the diskette(s) and the last revised (accepted) version of your manuscript.



IV. Check list for files on diskette

If you are sending us a diskette containing text and/or graphic files, you will help us considerably by completing the list below and enclosing it with your diskette, and the require number of hard copies of the accepted manuscript and illustrations.

Please note: This checklist should accompany the last revised (accepted) version of your manuscript, and be sent directly to the accepting editor - not the publisher.



Journal: _________________________________________________________________

Title of article: ____________________________________________________________

Author(s): ________________________________________________________________

Text file

Wordprocessor and Version:

______________ MS Word

______________ WordPerfect

______________ WordStar

______________ Other (please specify)



Hardware used:

_____ IBM (compatible)

_____ Macintosh

_____ Other (please specify)





Remarks/special characters:





Graphic File(s)

Scanned:

_____ No ______ Yes Resolution: __________ dpi



Drawing program:

_____ Adobe Illustrator

_____ Aldus Freehand

_____ CorelDraw

_____ Other (please specify)



Hardware used:

_____ IBM (compatible)

_____ Macintosh

_____ Other (please specify)





File format:

_____ TIFF

_____ EPS

_____ Other (please specify)



Compression:

_____ LZW

_____ Other (please specify)





Any additional comments: