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Science:Preparing Your Manuscript for Initial Submission

已有 23469 次阅读 2008-12-21 13:16 |个人分类:未分类|系统分类:科研笔记| Science

Information on acceptable lengths of papers in various categories can be found on our general information for authors page. One page in the journal contains approximately 1000 words and one small figure. Use double-spacing throughout the text, references and notes, tables, and figure legends; leave margins of at least 1.25 inches (~3 cm). Electronic files should be formatted for standard U.S. letter paper (8.5" × 11").

Here are some things to keep in mind in crafting a manuscript for a typical Science Research Article, Report, or Review submission:

  • Titles should be no more than 90 characters.
  • One-sentence summaries capturing the most important point should be submitted for all papers.
  • Authors and their affiliated institutions, linked by superscript numbers, should be listed beneath the title on the opening page of the manuscript.
  • Subheadings are used only in Research Articles, Reviews, and invited special-issue articles. Use descriptive clauses, not full sentences. Two levels of subheadings may be used if warranted; please distinguish them clearly.
  • Abstracts explain to the general reader why the research was done and why the results are important. They should start with some brief BACKGROUND information: a sentence giving a broad introduction to the field comprehensible to the general reader, and then a sentence of more detailed background specific to your study. This should be followed by the RESULTS, or if the paper is more methods/technique oriented an explanation of OBJECTIVES/METHODS and then the RESULTS. The final sentence should outline the main CONCLUSIONS of the study, in terms that will be comprehensible to all our readers. The abstract should be 125 words or less.
  • Text starts with a brief introduction describing the paper's significance, which should be intelligible to readers in various disciplines. Technical terms should be defined. Symbols, abbreviations, and acronyms should be defined the first time they are used. All tables and figures should be cited in numerical order.
  • References and notes (see examples of Science reference style) are numbered in the order in which they are cited, first through the text and then through the references and the table and figure legends. Each reference should have a unique number; do not combine references or embed references in notes (this is a change from previous Science style). Any references to in-press manuscripts or personal communications should be given a number in the text and placed, in correct sequence, in the references and notes. Such references should not, however, be used to support claims or conclusions. We do not allow references to unpublished data in support of claims or conclusions; necessary data should be included in the manuscript, its Supporting Online Material, or an approved archival database. Do not use op. cit. or ibid in references.
  • Acknowledgments, including all funding information, accession numbers, and any clarification regarding conflicts of interest of the authors, should be gathered into a brief statement at the end of the references and notes.
  • Tables should be included after the references and should supplement, not duplicate, the text. Each table should be presented with its legend double-spaced above the table. The first sentence of the legend should be a brief descriptive title. Every vertical column should have a heading consisting of a title with the unit of measure in parentheses. Units should not change within a column.
  • Figure legends should be double-spaced in numerical order. No single legend should be longer than about 200 words. Nomenclature, abbreviations, symbols, and units used in a figure should match those used in the text. The figure title should be given as the first line of the legend. Any individually labeled figure parts or panels (A, B, etc.) should be specifically described by part name within the legend.
  • Schemes (e.g., structural chemical formulas) can have very brief legends or no legend at all. Schemes should be sequentially numbered in the same fashion as figures.
  • Supporting online material is posted permanently on ScienceOnline, is linked to the manuscript, and is freely available. Supporting online material includes materials and methods, plus extra text, figures, tables, and references that are important for the integrity of the paper. Online sound files, video clips, and more complex data may also be acceptable, as described in our detailed instructions for preparing and submitting supporting online material.
  • Figures should be submitted electronically as part of the manuscript file upload. For initial submission, figures may be embedded directly in the manuscript file; allowable formats for manuscript files are .pdf, .ps, .eps, .prn, .doc, .wpd, as discussed below. Do not send irreplaceable artwork; we will not return submitted figures or disks. Authors submitting revised manuscripts after peer review will receive more specific information about electronic submission of art for publication; at the initial-submission stage, we ask that authors consult our tips for preparing efficient figures to assure a smooth manuscript upload.

    Most figures will not be relabeled by Science. The size of figures, when printed, will usually be 5.5 cm (2.25 inches or 1 column) or 12.0 cm (4.75 inches or 2 columns) in width. Bar graphs, simple line graphs, and gels may be reduced to a smaller width. Symbols and lettering should be large enough to be legible after reduction. Avoid wide variation in type size within a single figure. In the printed version of the figure, letters should be about 7 points (2 mm) high. High-resolution images can be included as supporting online material.

    Science does not allow certain electronic enhancements or manipulations of micrographs, gels, or other digital images. Figures assembled from multiple photographs or images must indicate the separate parts with lines between them. Linear adjustment of contrast, brightness, or color must be applied to an entire image or plate equally. Nonlinear adjustments must be specified in the figure legend. Selective enhancement or alteration of one part of an image in not acceptable. In addition, Science may ask authors of papers returned for revision to provide additional documentation of their primary data.

    If possible, use scale bars in place of, or in addition to, magnification numbers; the scale bar units should be specified in the figure legend. In gels, the lanes should be numbered and identified by number in the figure legend.
  • Graphs should be labeled on the ordinate and abscissa with the parameter or variable being measured, the units of measure, and the scale. Scales with large or small numbers should be presented as powers of 10. Definitions of symbols should usually appear in the figure legend and not in the figure. Simple solid or open symbols (, , , , , , , and ) reproduce well. Avoid the use of light lines and screen shading. Instead, use black-and-white, hatched, and cross-hatched designs for emphasis. Use heavy lines or boxes for emphasizing or marking off areas of the figure. Additional design guidelines can be found in our tips for preparing efficient figures.
  • Composite figures should be labeled A, B, C, etc.
  • Digital color art should be submitted as CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) rather than RGB (Red, Green, Blue). Composite figures should be labeled A, B, C, etc. Authors are charged $650 for publication of the first color figure and $450 for each additional color figure. There is an additional charge for color figures in the reprints.
  • Lettering in Helvetica font is preferable for figures. Use boldface type for axis labels and for part labels (A, B, etc.) in composite figures; use italic type only as it would be used in the text (e.g., for variables and genes). The first letter of each entry should be uppercase; otherwise, use uppercase letters as they would be used in the text (e.g., for acronyms).
  • Sequences may be reduced considerably, so the typeface in the original should be clear. There should be about 130 characters and spaces per line for a sequence occupying the full width of the printed page and about 84 characters and spaces per line for a sequence occupying two columns.
  • Units should be metric and follow SI convention.

Submitting Your Manuscript

General Guidelines

Please submit your manuscript or letter to the editor, plus the information, below through our electronic submission site, www.submit2science.org. Before submitting manuscripts, please carefully read the information in the sections below on preparing your electronic files, appropriate file formats, file naming conventions, and the upload process. We no longer accept submissions by mail or email for manuscripts or letters.

Include with your submission a cover letter containing:

  • the title of the paper and a statement of its main point;
  • any information needed to ensure a fair review process;
  • names of colleagues who have reviewed the paper.

 

Also required for submission are the following:

  • Names, telephone, and e-mail addresses for all authors.
  • A statement that none of the material has been published or is under consideration elsewhere, including the Internet.
  • Names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses of five potential referees.
  • For investigations on humans, a statement indicating that informed consent was obtained after the nature and possible consequences of the studies were explained.
  • For authors using experimental animals, a statement that the animals' care was in accordance with institutional guidelines.
  • Copies of any paper by you or your coauthors that is in press or under consideration elsewhere that relates to the work submitted to Science, or of any paper that is cited in your paper as in press. These materials should be sent as attached PDF files in an email to science_editors@aaas.org or on a CD by mail, with the WWW submission ID of your main manuscript upload included for reference. For more information, please see instructions on supplemental information, below.
  • Written permission from any author who is not an author of your manuscript but whose work is cited as a personal communication or in press. Permission must allow distribution of in press manuscripts or relevant data to reviewers or any interested reader upon publication.
  • Any suggested cover illustrations.

 

Preparing Your Electronic Files

The maximum total file size for each manuscript submission is 6 MB (including figures and supporting online material) when using the electronic submission form. If larger figure files or supporting online material files are necessary, please send these by mail on CD or DVD.

Format all pages to 8.5" × 11" (standard U.S. letter-sized paper) with at least 1.25-inch or 3-cm margins. This can be done using the "Page Setup" command in most word processors and graphics programs. Please reformat pages from A4 to this size with these margins. PostScript files should be formatted for standard U.S. letter-sized paper. This will ensure that if we need to print a hard copy of your paper, it is formatted correctly.

Text

  • Include text, references, figure captions, and all tables as part of a single text file.
  • For best conversion, we recommend use of Times and Symbol fonts only.

Graphic files and figures

  • For initial submission, it is acceptable to embed graphic files into the text file in any of the allowed formats, and we encourage submission of one complete manuscript file containing text, tables, and all figures (including figures intended as supporting online material). In general, line drawings and simple graphics can be pasted into a Microsoft Word or WordPerfect file without loss of resolution. This is not the case for halftones or complicated graphics, and these files should be sent separately.
  • Please either include all figures as part of the text file (if it can be done within the 6 MB manuscript size limit) or do not include any figures with the text -- i.e., do not include some figures for a given manuscript as part of the text file and others as separate files.
  • Graphic files should be sized to fit on 1 page (8.5" by 11") at a resolution of no higher than 300 dots per inch (dpi). Higher resolution files will be requested upon acceptance for publication. Keep in mind that colors will appear different on different screens or printers.
  • Each figure should be complete and contain all of the figure parts. If this is not possible, rework figure parts as complete figures. Reports should generally have no more than four complete figures; Research Articles, no more than six; Reviews, no more than five.
  • Please include an identifying number (e.g., "Fig. 1") on the same page that includes the figure.
  • Photoshop files should be saved as .ps, .eps, or .pdf files.
  • Adobe Illustrator also supports export to PDF format in version 7.0.
  • Authors assembling new manuscripts for initial submission are encouraged to review our tips for preparing efficient figures.

Supporting Online Material

  • Please include supporting online text (including information on materials and methods), tables, figures, and references at the end of the main manuscript file, in a separate section titled "Supporting Online Material," when it can be easily done and the total file size does not exceed 6 MB. Alternatively, Supporting Online Material can be included as a separate file that can be uploaded as the final figure file within the 6 MB upload limit. Only the file types listed above that are allowable for figures and text can be uploaded (.pdf, .ps, .prn, .doc, .wpd).
  • Supporting online material that exceeds the 6 MB limit or that involves file formats other than those we allow for WWW submission (such as video or audio files) should be sent on a CD or DVD to the address below. For reference, please write the confirmation number you received during the upload of your paper on these disks and in a cover letter. Note that we cannot review your paper until we have received the supporting material.
  • Please carefully read our guidelines for preparing supporting online material for complete information regarding categories, file size limitations, criteria, and referencing style.

How to Save Files in Acceptable Formats

We now convert most submissions including hard copies to PDF files for initial evaluation and review (and use hard copies where necessary). To ensure accurate conversion of manuscripts, we are able to accept only the following formats:

  • .pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format)
  • .ps (PostScript)
  • .eps (Encapsulated PostScript)
  • .prn (Printer file for a PostScript printer)
  • .doc (Microsoft Word, version 6.0 and higher) -- note that we cannot accept files in Word 2007 (.docx) format, as explained here.
  • .wpd (WordPerfect, version 7.0 and higher)

Most applications can save files into one of these formats. A few additional notes are indicated below. Please send only one manuscript text file; figures should be either included in the text file or uploaded separately.

  • Please do not send TeX or LaTeX files for your initial submission. Convert the files to PostScript or PDF instead. [Important: Screen legibility of the PostScript or PDF file is essential for rapid and thorough evaluation of your manuscript; please ensure that the .ps or .pdf file you generate from your TeX/LaTeX source does not include Type 3 bitmapped fonts.]

    Although we do not accept TeX and LaTeX source for initial manuscript submission, these formats are acceptable for manuscripts that have been revised after peer review. To save time at this later stage, authors using these packages for their initial submission are encouraged to review our instructions for preparing text and tables using LaTeX.
  • On a PC, you can make .prn (print) files from most applications that allow printing to a file. You must select a PostScript printer driver first. Install any PostScript printer driver on your list of available printers. PostScript printer drivers will have a "PS" or "PostScript" after the driver name. PostScript printer drivers are often included on your printer disk for laser writers, or can often be downloaded from the printer manufacturer's web site. Follow the directions in Windows for selecting and installing this driver (you do not need to have the actual printer, only the driver installed). In any application, select "Print," and in the print menu, select the PostScript printer you have installed. Select the checkbox next to "Print to file" on the right side of the dialogue box under the "Properties" button. Click "Print". The next dialog box will ask for the file name and designate its location. The .prn file extension will automatically be added (whether filename extensions are visible will depend on your machine's settings).
  • File sizes for .ps and .prn files are typically somewhat larger than the parent file. You cannot view these files (unless you have a raster program such as GhostView), but they can be printed to a PostScript printer and readily converted to pdf files.
  • For Microsoft Word and WordPerfect, you can cut and paste graphics into the files. For initial submission, we can accept Microsoft Word or WordPerfect files with embedded graphics; alternatively, you can convert these to .pdf or .prn files as indicated above. Embedding the figures usually works fine for most line drawings and diagrams. In some figures with detailed shading or color, this process will degrade the quality of the figures in the .pdf files created from these files. Thus, these graphics should be kept as separate files. If your paper is accepted, we'll need you to submit the manuscript again without figures embedded.

Naming Files

  • Our electronic submission form will only accept files with the correct extension designating the file type.
  • Name all files starting with the last name of the first author. Follow this by an indication of whether this is the text or the figure name. The file name ends with the extension.
  • Examples of acceptable file names are:
    smithtext.doc
    smithtextfigs.prn
    smithfig1.eps
    smithtextfigs.ps
    smithms.ps
    smithsupp.pdf
  • Unacceptable file names are:
    smithfig1C.ps (each figure should be complete, not broken into parts)
    smithtext (all files should end in a file extension)
  • We have put a limit of 6 MB on file uploads for initial submissions, so collectively the text and figure files should all be less than this limit. If your manuscript requires larger file sizes, please complete the online submission, upload the text, and send the figure files separately on a CD or DVD directly to Science.

How to Use the Science Web Form to Submit a Manuscript

The Web form will take you through a series of screens to upload a manuscript. You will first accept terms regarding submission of a manuscript to Science. Next, you will be asked to provide the first author's last name and your E-mail address. We will then provide you with a Web submission I.D. number for your paper; the number allows you to return repeatedly to the site to complete your submission (that is, you can enter some information in one session and return in a later session or sessions to finish the submission). The I.D. number will also be used to identify your manuscript if we find an error in your submission or in processing your uploaded files.

The main submission form is a series of tabbed windows, which you can move among by clicking the tabs at the top of the form. (The form may be filled out in any order.) The specific steps to be completed include the following:

  1. Provide contact information for first author.
  2. Provide contact information for corresponding author (if different from the first author).
  3. Provide contact information for all other authors (order is not important).
  4. Indicate the type of manuscript submitted (e.g., Report), enter or paste a text version of the title and abstract, and paste or enter general information regarding the review and submission of your paper that are typically included in the cover letter (such as a statement of the main point and relation of the paper to prior work and a list of colleagues who have reviewed the paper).
  5. Provide contact information (name, department, phone, and email) for up to five suggested reviewers.
  6. Upload the manuscript, figure, and supporting online material files.
  7. Confirm and complete the submission (we will not consider a submission complete until it is confirmed).

Usually within one business day, the corresponding author will receive a formal acknowledgment by email, which will include a final manuscript number to be used in all further communication.

Reference Material

Authors must supply Science with an electronic or print copy of any of their papers that are related to the Science manuscript and are under consideration or in press at other journals. This condition applies at all times while the Science manuscript is under consideration. This material should not be sent using the WWW manuscript upload site; instead, it should be sent by email to science_editors@aaas.org or by mail to the attention of the editors at:

Science
1200 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20005

or

Science International
Bateman House
82-88 Hills Road
Cambridge, CB2 1LQ, UK
FAX: + 44 (0) 1223 326532;
Telephone: + 44 (0) 1223 326500

Indicate that the additional material is being sent separately on the upload page in our submission form and use the submission ID as a reference.

For authors whose papers are supported by substantial electronic databases located on their own Web sites, thorough peer review of such papers often requires access to those sites by Science's referees. Authors wishing to maintain secure access to such data sites before publication can arrange for limited referee access through standard HTTP password authentication. In order to keep the identity of referees confidential (in keeping with Science policy), our referees log into these password-protected database Web sites through an "anonymizer" service to which Science subscribes. Under the anonymizer, JavaScript routines and other client-based scripting schemes will not run; authors should ensure that, if their sites include such routines, the sites function properly for review purposes with script support turned off. For more detail on this issue, please e-mail us at science_editors@aaas.org .

Good luck with your manuscript, and thanks for submitting to Science.



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