Instructions to the Author, Progress in Polymer Science

Please check the following url for instructions to the author from Elsevier:

Additional examples are expanded in the Instructions to the Author document in the following pages.

In addition to the instructions in the preceding, please submit the names of five (5) persons who would be appropriate referees for your manuscript, including email contacts for the persons named. These should be published, knowledgeable experts on the subject of your paper, and should not have published or collaborated with you in the past unless you bring such collaborations to our attention.

Update: May 2008

Preparation of manuscripts for publication in Progress in Polymer Science

G. C. Berry and K. Matyjaszewski

Editors-In-Chief, Progress in Polymer Science

4400 Fifth Ave

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Abstract

Examples of some of the format issues in preparing a manuscript for submission to Progress in Polymer Science are discussed and illustrated by example, using the format of a typical paper in the journal for that purpose. Links are provided for additional information from Elsevier Science Ltd.

Keywords

format, bibliography, figures, tables

Table of Contents

Nomenclature

1.Introduction

2.Main text

3.Bibliography

4.Illustrations

4.1 Line Drawings

4.2 Photographs

5.Tables

6.Manuscript Submission

7.Copyright Permission

8.Warranty of Work

Acknowledgements

Appendix (if used)

References

Figure Captions

Tables

Nomenclature

A table of nomenclature would be placed here if appropriate.

1. Introduction

Progress in Polymer Science is devoted to the publication of definitive critical reviews of progress in the research area addressed, supported by relevant citations to the published literature, including a majority of citations to literature of the preceding decade. The goal is to make each paper a splendid starting point to understand the state-of-the-art of its subject. Our Editorial published on the establishment of the Editorial Office of Progress in Polymer Science at Carnegie Mellon University emphasizes this goal [1].

The general instructions for the preparation of a manuscript for Progress in Polymer Science may be found on the inside of the rear cover of any issue of the journal; a copy of that document is included in Appendix 1. The purpose of this document is to illustrate by example some of the features expected in the components of a paper submitted to Progress in Polymer Progress. The order in which the major components are presented is as follows: Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, Table of Contents, Nomenclature, Main text, Acknowledgements, Appendix (if used), References, Figure Captions and Tables. In addition, supporting documents that must be provided with a final version of a manuscript accepted for publication are discussed in sections on Copyright Permission and Warranty of Work.

In addition to reviewing the material in this document, prospective authors are urged to review the format of papers in recent issues of Progress in Polymer Science. For example, many of the format issues discussed here may be seen in reference [2].

Manuscripts are accepted either by invitation from the Editors, are as unsolicited contributions. In either case, manuscripts will receive a peer review to assist the Editors in evaluating the suitability for publication in Progress in Polymer Science.

2. Main Text

In general, a text of approximately 10,000 to 20,000 words is desirable for a full review; authors who anticipate a longer text should consult the Editors. The paper should emphasize the relevant literature over the preceding decade. A few Trends articles of approximately 5,000 words in length emphasizing recent developments are published each year; interested authors should consult the Editors with proposed topics. Unless otherwise arranged with the Editors, the text portion of the manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word format. Some formats may be acceptable to the publisher, but not useful to the Editors or referees, such as LaTex—Elsevier provides a package to assist authors who wish to use LaTex [3]; authors who use LaTex should submit a pdf file copy of their manuscript for the use of the Editors. Authors should avoid the use of format options such as automatic word breaking, justified layout, double columns or automatic paragraph numbering (especially for numbered references), but should use bold face, italic, subscripts, superscripts etc. in formatting their text. Units should be SI throughout whenever possible. Unlike this example, which is typed in single space, manuscripts should be submitted in double-space format.

The text should make use of suitable graphics, including figures, reaction schemes, etc., to augment the written word. These often make the difference between a manuscript that is considered by the reader to be boring and difficult and one that attracts the reader to the article, and helps to present its principal message.

Equations should be embedded in the text, and number sequentially. For example, an equation might be presented in a manuscript in a form similar to the following:

n + (sin + cos)= (1)

(A discriminating referee might reject this expression, since by careful consideration of its terms, one can see that it reduces to the equality 1 + 1 = 2!)

Manuscripts suitable for Progress in Polymer Science should be reviews of recent advances in the topics discussed, not reviews of the same. For example, Figure 1 shows a very acceptable distribution of citations by year in a review, whereas Figure 2 illustrates the distribution of citations in a submission that was a fine review, but not a review emphasizing recent progress—the latter was not accepted for publication in Progress in Polymer Science.

Fig. 1.A distribution of citations by year for an example with an unusually large fraction of the citations to literature published in the preceding decade.

Fig. 2.A distribution of citations by year for an example with much too small a fraction of the citations to literature published in the preceding decade.

Note that in this example the figures and tables are embedded in the text. This is acceptable for a version submitted for review by the referees and the Editors, but is not suitable for submission to the publisher. For the latter, the figures, figure captions and the tables should each be in separate files, accompanied by a file for the abstract, keywords, text, appendix (if used) and bibliography.

Major sections should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals, and written in a bold font. Subsections are written in plain font, and are numbered sequentially based on the relevant preceding section or subsection, e.g, 3. Main section; 3.1. First subsection to 3.; 3.2. Second subsection to 3.2; 3.2.1. First sub to 3.2.; 3.2.2. second sub to 3.2; 3.3. Third subsection to 3., etc.

Footnotes may be used; they are placed at the bottom of the page on which they are cited, per this example,[1] and are referred to in the text as superscript numbers to distinguish them from reference numbers, discussed in the next section.

Authors in Japan may request assistance from Elsevier Science Japan in the form of a list of people who can check and, if necessary, improve the English of their paper, preferably prior to submission of the original draft. To investigate this resource, please contact

Elsevier Science K.K.

1-9-15 Higashi-Asabu 1-chome

Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044

Tel:(03) 5561-5032

Fax:(03) 5561-5045

e-mail:

3. Bibliography

All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text (or Appendices if used), with most of the literature citations being within the preceding decade. Examples for citation in the text and the format for the bibliography should follow the examples given here. For most papers, the references will fall into several categories, illustrated in Table 1.

Table 1
Examples of Citation Types
Citation Type
/ Example in Bibliography
Journal / [1, 2, 4-10]
Book / [11]
Book section / [12-15]
Edited book / [16]
Electronic / [3, 17-19]
Dissertation / [20]
Patent / [21, 22]

As illustrated above, citations should be referred to in the text refer to references by a number in square brackets on line, with references separated by commas if nonsequential, or by a dash if in a sequential list of three or more citations.

An EndNote® Style file designed to produce the format for Progress in Polymer Science available on-line may be useful to authors who use this application in formatting their references [17]. Authors who do use EndNote® for this purpose are requested to include the EndNote® file when submitting their manuscript.

4. Illustrations

Illustrations should be in camera-ready form, suitable for reproduction (which may include reduction) without retouching. Photographs, charts and diagrams are all to be referred to as 'Figure(s)' and should be numbered consecutively in the order to which they are referred. They should accompany the manuscript, but should not be included within the text. All illustrations should be clearly marked on the back with the figure number and the author's name. All figures are to have a caption. Captions should be supplied on a separate sheet. General information follows, but additional details are available on-line [18].

Computer-generated illustrations and halftones/line/tones (either color or black & white) are acceptable. Please note however that there is a charge for color printing so please ensure that color illustrations are essential to your paper. (See the individual journal's guide for authors for more information.) Since the usability of graphic files cannot be guaranteed, original hardcopies of all illustrations must accompany the accepted printout of the manuscript in all cases.

4.1 Line drawings

Good quality printouts on white paper produced in black ink are required. All lettering, graph lines and points on graphs should be sufficiently large and bold to permit reproduction when the diagram has been reduced to a size suitable for inclusion in the journal; all print must be at least 6-point in the figure sized as it will appear in print (i.e., this is 6-point font). Electronic image files should also be provided—see the guidelines in Table 2.

4.2 Photographs

Original photographs must be supplied as they are to be reproduced (e.g. black and white or color). If necessary, a scale should be marked on the photograph.

Table 2
Guidelines for submission of electronic image files
1. TIFF or EPS files are the preferred format. Suggested packages for line graphics are Adobe Illustrator (version 3.0 or above), Freehand, and Corel Draw. Graphics made in WordPerfect or Word generally have too low a resolution. Files of scanned line graphics can be accepted preferably at a resolution of 1000 dpi, for scanned halftones (300 dpi) and scanned line/tones (500 dpi).
2. Black & white photos, micrographs etc should not be saved as color.
3. Color illustrations should be scanned in at 300 dpi (500 dpi for color/line tones).
4. Prepare your artwork for a reduction in size of at most 50% and ensure that the lettering used does not vary too much in size. The final font size should be about 6-8 pt. Make sure that the physical dimensions of your pieces of artwork match the dimension of the journal you are submitting to. Check with recent copies of the journal you are interested in for practical examples of image sizes and fonts used.
5. If the image files are large and you compress them prior to submission, please indicate the compression software used.

5. Tables

Tables should be numbered consecutively, typed on a separate sheets, and given a caption. Examples may be found throughout this manuscript; it is acceptable to embed tables in the manuscript for review by the Editors and referees, but tables should be separate, one per page, for a final version accepted for submission to the publisher.

6. Manuscript Submission

Prospective authors must provide an electronic file of their manuscript (including figures, tables and references) to the Editors. Authors should submit the names and contact information for five (5) potential referees for their contribution. Electronic files can be submitted as an attachment to an email message or on CD ROMs. Text and references should be in .doc format. Full details of electronic submission and formats are available on-line [19], or from Author Services at Elsevier Science. Authors who use EndNote® to aid in the preparation of their bibliography or requested to submit an electronic copy of their EndNote® file.

Since Elsevier Science is now publishing all manuscripts using electronic production methods, authors must provide identical paper and electronic copies of the final draft of their manuscript to the Editors for them to prepare and submit to the publisher. To ensure fast and easy processing of floppy disk submissions, please use the following guidelines in Table 3.

Table 3
Guidelines for submitting files on floppy disks
1.Name your files using the correct extension, e.g. Fig1.cdr, tbl1-6.xls, text.doc, fig1a.eps, fig1.tif, etc.
2.Label all disks with your name, journal to be published in, and filenames. Please also include details of the word-processing software, compression software, and platform (PC, Mac, UNIX etc) used in the creation of your files.

7. Copyright Permission

Copyright permission may be required in certain cases; if required, publication cannot proceed until the necessary documents have be supplied. The Copyright Permission form is included below in Appendix 2. Executed Copyright Permission slips should be returned to the Editorial Office (Pittsburgh, PA) along with the paper and electronic copies of the final manuscript. Although it is obvious that a Copyright Permission is required if a figure is used in the form originally published, the situation is a bit more complex if the figure is redrawn from material in the literature, as outlined in Table 4. The form of acknowledgement for the use of copyright material is given in the caption to Figure 3.

Fig. 3.The viscosity of linear, randomly branched and comb-shaped branched poly(vinyl acetates), for the circles, squares and diamonds, respectively (filled, 183°C; open, 155°, after reduction to 183°C) [23]. Copyright 1964, Elsevier Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.

For additional information on copyright issues, authors may contact Elsevier at any of the following:

Tel:
Fax:
e-mail: / 44-1865 843830
44-1865 853333

Table 4
Guide-lines for Authors regarding copyright permissions
1.It is the actual form of representation of the data in figures that is copyrighted, than the data itself. An author can therefore take data from one or more different sources and represent it in his own layout without asking for permission. However, he should acknowledge the source, even though he does not need permission.
2.Simply redrawing a figure is not enough if it is in effect a copy of the original - the author will need permission to do this.
3.There is obviously a gray area where a figure has been redrawn to look somewhat different from the original, but also retains a similarity to it. Unless the author is sure that it is sufficiently different as to constitute a 'new' figure, he should always err on the side of seeking permission where it may not be required rather than the other way round.

8. Warranty of Work

A Warranty of Work form must be completed. The necessary form is given in Appendix 3. The completed Warranty of Work form should be returned to the Editorial Office (Pittsburgh, PA) along with the paper and electronic copies of the final manuscript.

9. Acknowledgement

Acknowledgements should be placed here as appropriate.

Appendix 1. Instructions to the Author printed in Progress in Polymer Science (inside rear cover)

Instructions to Authors: Progress in Polymer Science

All materials should be sent to the Editorial Office of Progress in Polymer Science, 4400 Fifth Ave., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA.

Manuscript Preparation

Mission:Progress in Polymer Science is devoted to the publication of definitive critical reviews of progress in the research area addressed, supported by relevant citations to the published literature, including a majority of citations to literature of the preceding decade. All papers will receive peer review. The goal is to make each paper a splendid starting point to understand the state-of-the-art of its subject.

General:Manuscripts must be typewritten, double-spaced with wide margins on one side of white paper. Good quality printouts in 12 Pt font are required. The corresponding author should be identified (include a Fax number and E-mail address). Full postal addresses must be given for all co-authors. Authors should consult a recent issue of the journal for style if possible, or an example format included in the on-line Instructions to the Author referenced below.

Abstracts:An abstract and a list of keywords should be provided on a separate page.

Text:Follow this order when typing manuscripts, including all components:
Title, Authors, Affiliations, Abstract, Keywords, Table of Contents, Nomenclature, Main text, Acknowledgements, Appendix (if used), References, Figure Captions and Tables. The text should be 10,000 to 20,000 words in length.

Units:SI units should be used throughout whenever possible.

References:All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manuscript, with most of the literature citations within the preceding decade. In the text refer to references by a number in square brackets on the line (Poser et al. 1]). References should be given in the following form (note the inclusion of titles):

1]Gao J, Penlidis A. Mathematical modeling and computer simulator/database for emulsion polymerizations. Progr Polym Sci 2002;27:403-535.

2]Bolton W, Wang C. Industrially important monomers. In: Seymour RB, Mark HE editors. Applications of polymers. New York: Plenum Press, 1988. p.79-86.

Please consult the on-line information referenced below for additional examples, along with a link to a Style suitable for use with EndNote® that may be useful to authors who use this resource.

Illustrations:Illustrations should be in camera-ready form, suitable for reproduction (which may include reduction) without retouching. Photographs, charts, schemes and diagrams are all to be referred to as 'Figure(s)' and should be numbered consecutively in the order to which they are referred. They should accompany the manuscript, but should not be included within the text. All illustrations should be clearly marked on the back with the figure number and the author's name. All figures are to have a caption. Captions should be supplied on a separate sheet.
Line drawings: Good quality printouts on white paper produced in black ink are required. All lettering, graph lines and points on graphs should be sufficiently large and bold to permit reproduction when the diagram has been reduced to a size suitable for inclusion in the journal.
Photographs: Original photographs must be supplied as they are to be reproduced (e.g. black and white or color). If necessary, a scale should be marked on the photograph.
Additional details from the url: