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| INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS |
SCOPE EDITORIAL POLICY Use of Microbiological Information General Requirements Supplemental Material Primary Publication Permissions Copyright Authorship Conflict of Interest Warranties and Exclusions Compliance Review Process Notification of Acceptance Page Proofs Reprints PDF Files Editorial Style HOW TO SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS ORGANIZATION AND FORMAT References. Correspondent Footnote Errata Authors’ Corrections Abbreviations General. Not requiring introduction. Reporting Numerical Data Nomenclature ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES Image Manipulation Illustrations Minimum resolution. Size. Contrast. Labeling and assembly. Fonts. Compression. Color illustrations. Drawings Tables Presentation of Nucleic Acid Sequences
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The editors welcome any suggestions for topics and authors from either prospective authors or others. Prospective authors are advised to discuss with the editor in chief the suitability of their proposed contribution. The preparation of an annotated topical outline is required, since it often elicits constructive suggestions from editorial consultants. In addition, a list of key references showing the author's contributions to the field as well as other investigators’ findings and a one- or two-paragraph statement detailing the aim, scope, and relevance of the review should be included with the outline.
A review, whether invited or not, cannot be finally accepted until the finished product has been reviewed and found to be satisfactory.
| EDITORIAL POLICY |
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ASM recognizes that there are valid concerns regarding the publication of information in scientific journals that could be put to inappropriate use as described in the CPC resolution mentioned above. Members of the ASM Publications Board will evaluate the rare manuscript that might raise such issues during the review process. However, as indicated elsewhere in these Instructions, research articles must contain sufficient detail, and material/information must be made available, to permit the work to be repeated by others. Supply of materials should be in accordance with laws and regulations governing the shipment, transfer, possession, and use of biological materials and must be for legitimate, bona fide research needs. Links to, and information regarding, these laws and regulations can be found at http://www.asm.org/Policy/index.asp.
All authors of a manuscript must have agreed to its submission and are responsible for its content (initial submission and any subsequent versions), including appropriate citations and acknowledgments, and must also have agreed that the corresponding author has the authority to act on their behalf in all matters pertaining to publication of the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining such agreements and for informing the coauthors of the manuscript's status throughout the submission, review, and publication processes. For Authors’ Corrections, signed letters of agreement from all of the authors must be submitted (see p. 8).
It is expected that the authors will provide written assurance that permission to cite unpublished data or personal communications has been granted.
Supplemental material intended for posting by ASM must be uploaded in Rapid Review and will be reviewed along with the manuscript. The maximum size permitted for an individual file is 25 MB. If your file exceeds this size, you must use a file compression utility (e.g., WinZip or Stuffit) to reduce the size below 25 MB. The decision to publish (i.e., post online only) the material with the article if it is accepted will be made by the editor in chief and conveyed to the corresponding author in the acceptance e-mail. Note, therefore, it is possible that a manuscript will be accepted but that the supplemental material will not be.
If the software required for users to view/use the supplemental material is not embedded in the file, you are urged to use shareware or generally available/easily accessible programs.
Unlike the manuscript, supplemental material will not be edited by the ASM Journals staff and proofs will not be made available. References related to supplemental material only should not be listed in the References section of an article; instead, include them with the supplemental material hosted by ASM or posted on a personal/institutional website.
Supplemental material will always remain associated with its article and is not subject to any modifications after publication.
Material that has been published previously (print or online) is not acceptable for posting as supplemental material. Instead, the appropriate reference(s) to the original publication should be made in the manuscript text.
Copyright for the supplemental material remains with the author, but a license permitting the posting by ASM will be sent, along with the article copyright transfer agreement, to the corresponding author for signing. If you are not the copyright owner, you must send directly to the editor in chief, outside the Rapid Review system and no later than the modification stage, signed permission from the owner that allows posting of the material, as a supplement to your article, by ASM. You are responsible for including in the supplemental material any copyright notices required by the owner.
Posting of a method/protocol on a nonpersonal website should not interfere with the author's ability to have a manuscript utilizing that technique considered for publication in an ASM journal; however, ultimately, it is an editorial decision whether the method constitutes the substance of a paper.
Posting of a limited amount of original data on a personal/university/company website or websites of small collaborative groups working on a problem does not preclude subsequent submission to, and publication by, an ASM journal. The posted data, however, may not constitute the substance of the submission. Specific questions about this policy may be referred to the Publications Board chairman on a case-by-case basis.
Posting of theses and dissertations on a personal/university-hosted website does not preclude subsequent submission to, and publication by, an ASM journal. Similarly, posting for sale on a commercial or similar website of an original, unmodified thesis or dissertation (i.e., as submitted to, and accepted by, the thesis/dissertation committee) does not preclude subsequent submission to, and publication by, an ASM journal.
Posting of unpublished sequence data on the Internet is usually not considered prior publication; however, the address (URL) of the source of the sequence should be included in the text.
Preliminary disclosures of research findings webcast as meeting presentations or published in abstract form as adjuncts to a meeting, e.g., part of a program, are not considered prior publication.
It is incumbent upon the author to acknowledge any prior publication, including his own articles, of the data contained in a manuscript submitted to an ASM journal. A copy of the relevant work should be submitted with the paper as supplemental material.
Ultimately, it is an editorial decision whether the material constitutes the substance of a paper.
Written, signed permissions must be secured at the modification stage and submitted with the revised manuscript in Rapid Review. They should be scanned and submitted as supplemental material. If they cannot be scanned and transmitted this way, they should be mailed or faxed to the editor. Permissions should be identified as to the relevant item in the ASM manuscript (e.g., "permissions for Fig. 1 in submitted manuscript"). In addition, a statement indicating that the material is being reprinted with permission must be included in the relevant figure legend or table footnote of the manuscript. Reprinted text must be enclosed in quotation marks, and the permission statement must be included as running text or indicated parenthetically.
For supplemental material intended for posting by ASM (see above), if the authors of the CMR manuscript are not also the owners of the supplemental material, the corresponding author must submit, no later than the modification stage, signed permission from the copyright owner that allows posting of the material, as a supplement to the article, by ASM. The corresponding author is also responsible for incorporating in the supplemental material any copyright notices required by the owner.
In the copyright transfer agreement signed by an author, ASM grants to that author (and coauthors) the right to republish discrete portions of his (their) article in any other publication (print, CD-ROM, and other electronic forms) of which he is (they are) the author(s) or editor(s), on the condition that appropriate credit is given to the original ASM publication. This republication right also extends to posting on a host computer to which there is access via the Internet. Except as indicated below, significant portions of the article may not be reprinted/posted without ASM's prior written permission, however, as this would constitute duplicate publication.
Authors may post their own published articles on their personal or university-hosted (but not corporate, government, or similar) websites without ASM's prior written permission provided that appropriate credit is given (i.e., either the copyright lines shown on the top of the first page of the PDF version or "Copyright © American Society for Microbiology, [insert journal name, volume number, page numbers, and year]" for the HTML version).
The copyright transfer agreement asks that authors who were U.S. government employees and who wrote the article as part of their employment duties be identified. This is because works authored solely by such U.S. government employees are not subject to copyright protection, so there is no copyright to be transferred. The other provisions of the copyright transfer agreement, such as author representations of originality and authority to enter into the agreement, apply to U.S. government employee-authors as well as to other authors.
Copyright for supplemental material (see p. 1) remains with the author, but a license permitting the posting by ASM will be sent, along with the article copyright transfer agreement, to the corresponding author for signing at the acceptance stage. (If the author of the article is not also the copyright owner of the supplemental material, the corresponding author must send directly to the editor in chief, outside the Rapid Review system and no later than the modification stage, signed permission from the owner that allows posting of the material, as a supplement to the article, by ASM. The corresponding author is also responsible for incorporating into the supplemental material any copyright notices required by the owner.)
A study group, surveillance team, working group, consortium, or the like (e.g., the Active Bacterial Core Surveillance Team) may be listed as a coauthor in the byline if its contributing members satisfy the requirements for authorship and accountability as described in these Instructions. The names (and institutional affiliations if desired) of the contributing members only may be given in a footnote keyed to the study group name in the byline or as a separate paragraph in the Acknowledgments section.
If the contributing members of the group associated with the work do not fulfill the criteria of substantial contribution to and responsibility for the paper, the group may not be listed in the author byline. Instead, it and the names of its contributing members may be listed in the Acknowledgments section.
All authors must agree to the order in which their names are listed in the byline. Statements regarding equal contributions by two or more authors (e.g., X.J. and Y.S. contributed equally to ...) are permitted as footnotes to bylines and must be agreed to by all of the authors. Other statements of attribution may be included in the Acknowledgments section.
A change in authorship (order of listing, addition or deletion of a name, or corresponding author designation) after submission of the manuscript will be implemented only after receipt of signed statements of agreement from all parties involved.
Disputes about authorship may delay or prevent review and/or publication of the manuscript. Should the individuals involved be unable to reach an accord, review and/or publication of the manuscript can proceed only after the matter is investigated and resolved by the authors’ institution(s) and an official report of such and signed statements of agreement are provided to ASM.
Authors employed by companies whose policies do not permit them to comply with the ASM policies may be sanctioned as individuals and/or ASM may refuse to consider manuscripts having authors from such companies.
To expedite the review process, authors must recommend at least two reviewers who have expertise in the field, who are not members of their institution(s), who have not recently been associated with their laboratory(ies), and who could not otherwise be considered to pose a conflict of interest regarding the submitted manuscript. Please provide their contact information where indicated on the submission form.
Copies of in-press and submitted manuscripts that are important for judgment of the present manuscript should be included as supplemental material to facilitate the review.
When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, it is given a number (e.g., CMR00047-08 version 1) and assigned to the editor in chief. (Always refer to this number in communications with the editor and the Journals Department.) It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to inform the coauthors of the manuscript's status throughout the submission, review, and publication processes. The reviewers operate under strict guidelines set forth in "Guidelines for Reviewers" (http://www.journals.asm.org/misc/reviewguide.shtml) and are expected to complete their reviews expeditiously.
The corresponding author is notified by the editor in chief of his decision to accept, reject, or require modification. When modification is requested, the corresponding author must either submit the modified version within 2 months or withdraw the manuscript. A point-by-point response to the reviews must be provided in the designated section of the Rapid Review submission form for the revised manuscript, and a compare copy of the manuscript (without figures) should be included as supplemental material if the editor in chief requested one.
Manuscripts that have been rejected, or withdrawn after being returned for modification, will not be reconsidered by CMR.
Once all the material intended for publication has been determined to be adequate, the manuscript is scheduled for the next available issue and an acceptance letter indicating the month of publication, approximate page proof dates, and table of contents section is mailed to the corresponding author; a copyright transfer agreement is also included, as is a license to permit posting of supplemental material (if applicable). The editorial staff of the ASM Journals Department completes the editing of the manuscript to bring it into conformity with prescribed standards.
The proof stage is not the time to make extensive corrections, additions, or deletions. Important new information that has become available between acceptance of the manuscript and receipt of the proofs may be inserted as an addendum in proof with the permission of the editor in chief. If references to unpublished data or personal communications are added, it is expected that written assurance granting permission for the citation will be provided. Limit changes to correction of spelling errors, incorrect data, and grammatical errors and updated information for references to articles that have been submitted or are in press. If URLs have been provided in the article, recheck the sites to ensure that the addresses are still accurate and the material that you expect the reader to find is indeed there.
Questions about late proofs and problems in the proofs should be directed to the ASM Journals Department (telephone, 202-942-9384). Questions about accessing or viewing your PDF proofs should be directed to Katie Gay of Cadmus Communications at 804-261-3155 or gayk{at}cadmus.com.
Should coauthors or colleagues be interested in viewing the paper for their own use, the corresponding author may provide them with the URL; a copy of the article may not be forwarded electronically. However, they must be made aware of the terms and conditions of the ASM copyright. (For details, go to http://www.journals.asm.org/misc/terms.shtml.) Note that each such download will count toward the corresponding author's total of 10. After 10 downloads, access will be denied and can be obtained only through a subscription to the journal (either individual or institutional) or after the standard access control has been lifted (i.e., 1 year after publication).
The editors and the Journals Department reserve the privilege of editing manuscripts, whether invited or not, to conform with the stylistic conventions set forth in the aforesaid publications and in these Instructions. Any deviations from this style must be approved by the Journals Department.
| HOW TO SUBMIT MANUSCRIPTS |
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PDFs of submitted manuscripts are retained in Rapid Review for 1 to 2 years, after which they are deleted.
| ORGANIZATION AND FORMAT |
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The title page must include the title, the running title (not to exceed 54 characters and spaces), the name and affiliation of each author, and a footnote indicating the complete mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author. A table of contents showing the major headings and subheadings of the text should follow the title page. Headings and subheadings have the following format:
LEVEL 1 HEAD
Level 2 Head
Level 3 head. (i) Level 4 head. (a) Level 5 head.
The summary, which will be included in the issue table of contents and must be no longer than 200 words, should be placed at the end of the electronic file, after the References section and the figure legends (but before any tables).
Type every portion of the manuscript double spaced (a minimum of 6 mm between lines), including figure legends, table footnotes, and References, and number all pages in sequence, including the figure legends and tables. Place the last two items after the References section. Manuscript pages should have line numbers; manuscripts without line numbers may be editorially rejected by the editor, with a suggestion of resubmission after line numbers are added. The font size should be no smaller than 12 points. It is recommended that the following sets of characters be easily distinguishable in the manuscript: the numeral zero (0) and the letter "oh" (O); the numeral one (1), the letter "el" (l), and the letter "eye" (I); and a multiplication sign (x) and the letter "ex" (x). Do not create symbols as graphics or use special fonts that are external to your word processing program; use the "insert symbol" function. Set the page size to 8
by 11 inches (ca. 21.6 by 28 cm). Italicize or underline any words that should appear in italics, and indicate paragraph lead-ins in bold type.
Authors who are unsure of proper English usage should have their manuscripts checked by someone proficient in the English language.
Manuscripts may be editorially rejected, without review, on the basis of poor English or lack of conformity to the standards set forth in these Instructions.
Follow the styles shown in the examples below for print references.
*A reference to an in-press ASM publication should state the control number (e.g., CMR00577-08) if it is a journal article or the name of the publication if it is a book.
Online references must provide the same information that print references do, but some variation is allowed. For online journal articles, posting or revision dates may replace the year of publication, and a DOI or URL may be provided in addition to or in lieu of volume and page numbers. Some examples follow.
NOTE: A posting or accession date is required for any online reference that is periodically updated or changed.
(ii) References cited in the text. References to unpublished data, manuscripts submitted for publication, unpublished conference presentations (e.g., a report or poster that has not appeared in published conference proceedings), personal communications, patent applications and patents pending, computer software, databases, and websites (home pages) should be made parenthetically in the text as follows.
... similar results (R. B. Layton and C. C. Weathers, unpublished data).
... system was used (J. L. McInerney, A. F. Holden, and P. N. Brighton, submitted for publication).
... as described previously (M. G. Gordon and F. L. Rattner, presented at the Fourth Symposium on Food Microbiology, Overton, IL, 13 to 15 June 1989). {For nonpublished abstracts, posters, etc.}
... this new process (V. R. Smoll, 20 June 1999, Australian Patent Office). {For non-U.S. patent applications, give the date of publication of the application.}
... available in the GenBank database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Genbank/index.html).
... using ABC software (version 2.2; Department of Microbiology, State University [http://www.stu.micro]).
URLs for companies that produce any of the products mentioned in your study or for products being sold may NOT be included in the article. However, company URLs that permit access to scientific data related to the study or to shareware used in the study are permitted.
(iii) References related to supplemental material. References that are related only to supplemental material hosted by ASM or posted on a personal/institutional website should not be listed in the References section of an article; include them with the supplemental material itself.
(iv) Referencing publish-ahead-of-print manuscripts. Citations of ASM Accepts manuscripts should look like the following example.
If an author of an article cites an ASM Accepts manuscript in his paper but wishes at the proof stage to change the reference entry to that for the published article, the following style should be used:
Other journals may use different styles for their publish-ahead-of-print manuscripts, but citation entries must include the following information: author name(s), posting date, title, journal title, and volume and page numbers and/or DOI. The following is an example:
For corrections of a scientific nature or issues involving authorship, including contributions and use or ownership of data and/or materials, all disputing parties must agree, in writing, to publication of the Correction. For omission of an author's name, letters must be signed by the authors of the article and the author whose name was omitted. The editor who handled the article will be consulted if necessary.
Submit an Author's Correction via Rapid Review (see "How To Submit Manuscripts," above). In the submission form, select Erratum as the manuscript type; there is no separate selection in Rapid Review for Authors’ Corrections, but your Correction will be published as such if appropriate. In the Abstract section of the submission form (a required field), put "Not Applicable." Upload the text of your Author's Correction as an MS Word file. Please see a recent issue for correct formatting. Signed letters of agreement must be supplied as supplemental material (scanned PDF files).
It is often possible to use pronouns or to paraphrase a long word after its first use (e.g., "the drug" or "the substrate"). Standard chemical symbols and trivial names or their symbols (folate, Ala, Leu, etc.) may also be used.
Define each abbreviation and introduce it in parentheses the first time it is used; e.g., "cultures were grown in Eagle minimal essential medium (MEM)." Generally, eliminate abbreviations that are not used at least three times in the text (including tables and figure legends).
Not requiring introduction. In addition to abbreviations for Système International d'Unités (SI) units of measurement, other common units (e.g., bp, kb, and Da), and chemical symbols for the elements, the following should be used without definition in the title, summary, text, figure legends, and tables: DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid); cDNA (complementary DNA); RNA (ribonucleic acid); cRNA (complementary RNA); RNase (ribonuclease); DNase (deoxyribonuclease); rRNA (ribosomal RNA); mRNA (messenger RNA); tRNA (transfer RNA); AMP, ADP, ATP, dAMP, ddATP, GTP, etc. (for the respective 5' phosphates of adenosine and other nucleosides) (add 2'-, 3'-, or 5'- when needed for contrast); ATPase, dGTPase, etc. (adenosine triphosphatase, deoxyguanosine triphosphatase, etc.); NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide); NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, oxidized); NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, reduced); NADP (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate); NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, reduced); NADP+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, oxidized); poly(A), poly(dT), etc. (polyadenylic acid, polydeoxythymidylic acid, etc.); oligo(dT), etc. (oligodeoxythymidylic acid, etc.); UV (ultraviolet); PFU (plaque-forming units); CFU (colony-forming units); MIC (minimal inhibitory concentration); Tris [tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane]; DEAE (diethylaminoethyl); EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid); EGTA [ethylene glycol-bis(β-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid]; HEPES (N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'-2-ethanesulfonic acid); PCR (polymerase chain reaction); and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Abbreviations for cell lines (e.g., HeLa) also need not be defined.
The following abbreviations should be used without definition in tables:
When fractions are used to express units such as enzymatic activities, it is preferable to use whole units, such as "g" or "min," in the denominator instead of fractional or multiple units, such as µg or 10 min. For example, "pmol/min" is preferable to "nmol/10 min," and "µmol/g" is preferable to "nmol/µg." It is also preferable that an unambiguous form such as exponential notation be used; for example, "µmol g–1 min–1" is preferable to "µmol/g/min." Always report numerical data in the applicable SI units.
For a review of some common errors associated with statistical analyses and reports, plus guidelines on how to avoid them, see the article by Olsen (Infect. Immun. 71:6689-6692, 2003).
For a review of basic statistical considerations for virology experiments, see the article by Richardson and Overbaugh (J. Virol. 79:669-676, 2005).
Names used for viruses should be those approved by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) and published in Virus Taxonomy: Eighth Report of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (C. M. Fauquet et al., ed., Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 2005). In addition, the recommendations of the ICTV regarding the use of species names should generally be followed: when the entire species is discussed as a taxonomic entity, the species name, like other taxa, is italic and has the first letter and any proper nouns capitalized (e.g., Tobacco mosaic virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus). When the behavior or manipulation of individual viruses is discussed, the vernacular (e.g., tobacco mosaic virus, Murray Valley encephalitis virus) should be used. If desired, synonyms may be added parenthetically when the name is first mentioned. Approved generic (or group) and family names may also be used.
For enzymes, use the recommended (trivial) name assigned by the Nomenclature Committee of the IUB as described in Enzyme Nomenclature (Academic Press, Inc., New York, NY, 1992) and at http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/enzyme/.
For nomenclature of restriction enzymes, DNA methyltransferases, homing endonucleases, and their genes, refer to the article by Roberts et al. (Nucleic Acids Res. 31:1805-1812, 2003).
Genetic nomenclature should essentially follow the recommendations of Demerec et al. (Genetics 54:61-76, 1966) and those given in the instructions to authors of the Journal of Bacteriology and Molecular and Cellular Biology (January issues) and Eukaryotic Cell (February issue). To facilitate accurate communication, it is important that standard genetic nomenclature be used whenever possible and that deviations or proposals for new naming systems be endorsed by an appropriate authoritative body. Review and/or publication of submitted manuscripts that contain new or nonstandard nomenclature may be delayed by the editor or the Journals Department so that they may be reviewed by the Genetics and Genomics Committee of the ASM Publications Board. Before submission of manuscripts, authors may direct questions on genetic nomenclature to the committee's chairman: Maria Costanzo (e-mail: maria{at}genome.stanford.edu). Such a consultation should be mentioned in the manuscript submission letter.
| ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES |
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We strongly recommend that before returning their modified manuscripts, authors check the acceptability of their digital images for production by running their files through Rapid Inspector, a tool provided at the following URL: http://rapidinspector.cadmus.com/RapidInspector/zmw/index.jsp. Rapid Inspector is an easy-to-use Web-based application that identifies file characteristics that may render the image unusable for production.
Illustrations may be continuous-tone images, line drawings, or composites. Suggestions about how to ensure accurate color reproduction are given below.
The preferred format for tables is MS Word; however, WordPerfect and Acrobat PDF are also acceptable (see the section on tables
below).
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Color PowerPoint files are not accepted because the application, designed for developing on-screen computer presentations, uses the RGB color mode whereas the printing process uses the CMYK color mode. Colors that are represented in a PowerPoint image may not be reproducible on a printing press. Although black-and-white Microsoft PowerPoint files are accepted, we do not recommend the use of PowerPoint. PowerPoint requires users to pay close attention to the fonts used in their images (see the section on fonts below). If instructions for fonts are not followed exactly, images prepared for publication are subject to missing characters, improperly converted characters, or shifting/obscuring of elements or text in the figure. Use of PowerPoint is therefore not recommended for either color or black-and-white illustrations.
Acceptable file types and formats for production are given in the charts above. More-detailed instructions for preparing illustrations are available at http://art.cadmus.com/da/index.jsp. Please review this information before preparing your files. If you require additional information, please send an e-mail inquiry to digitalart{at}cadmus.com.
Minimum resolution. It is extremely important that a high enough resolution is used. Any imported images must be at the correct resolution before they are placed. Note, however, that the higher the resolution, the larger the file and the longer the upload time. Publication quality will not be improved by using a resolution higher than the minimum. Minimum resolutions are as follows:
Size. All graphics MUST be submitted at their intended publication size; that is, the image uploaded should be 100% of its print dimensions so that no reduction or enlargement is necessary. Resolution must be at the required level at the submitted size. Include only the significant portion of an illustration. White space must be cropped from the image, and excess space between panel labels and the image must be eliminated.
inches (ca. 8.4 cm) 
inches (ca. 17.4 cm) 
inches (10.8 cm) 
inches (23.0 cm) Contrast. Illustrations must contain sufficient contrast to withstand the inevitable loss of contrast and detail inherent in the printing process. See also "Color illustrations" below.
Labeling and assembly. All final lettering, labeling, tooling, etc., must be incorporated into the figures. It cannot be added at a later date. If a figure number is included, it must appear well outside the boundaries of the image itself. (Numbering may need to be changed at the copyediting stage.) Each figure must be uploaded as a separate file, and any multipanel figures must be assembled into one file; i.e., rather than sending a separate file for each panel in a figure, assemble all panels in one piece and supply them as one file.
Fonts. To avoid font problems, set all type in one of the following fonts: Helvetica, Times Roman, European PI, Mathematical PI, or Symbol. All fonts other than these five must be converted to paths (or outlines) in the application with which they were created. For proper font use in PowerPoint images, refer to the Cadmus digital art website, http://art.cadmus.com/da/instructions/ppt_disclaimer.jsp.
Compression. Images created with Macintosh applications may be compressed with Stuffit. Images created with Windows applications may be compressed with WinZip or PKZIP.
Color illustrations. Because of the requirements of print production, color illustrations must be in the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color space. The "normal" color mode for most computer software is RGB (red, green, blue), which is also the color space of your computer monitor. Since CMYK is a smaller color space (meaning it can define fewer colors), colors often shift when an RGB file is converted to CMYK. In particular, figures showing red or green fluorescence and those with a significant range of colors may be difficult or impossible to reproduce during the printing process.
Color illustrations must be supplied in the CMYK color mode, as either (i) CMYK TIFF images with a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch (raster files, consisting of pixels) or (ii) Illustrator-compatible EPS files with CMYK color elements (vector files, consisting of lines, fonts, fills, and images). See the charts above for a list of supported applications.
We cannot accept any Microsoft Office files (PowerPoint, Word, Excel) for color illustrations because they are restricted to the RGB color space.
When creating line art, please use the following guidelines:
In figure ordinate and abscissa scales (as well as table column headings), avoid the ambiguous use of numbers with exponents. Usually, it is preferable to use the Système International d'Unités (SI) symbols (µ for 10–6, m for 10–3, k for 103, M for 106, etc.). A complete listing of SI symbols can be found in the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) publication Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (Blackwell Science, Oxford, United Kingdom, 1993); an abbreviated list is available at http://www.iupac.org/reports/1993/homann/index.html. Thus, a representation of 20,000 cpm on a figure ordinate is to be made by the number 20 accompanied by the label kcpm.
When powers of 10 must be used, the journal requires that the exponent power be associated with the number shown. In representing 20,000 cells per ml, the numeral on the ordinate would be "2" and the label would be "104 cells per ml" (not "cells per ml x 10–4"). Likewise, an enzyme activity of 0.06 U/ml would be shown as 6 accompanied by the label 10–2 U/ml. The preferred designation would be 60 mU/ml (milliunits per milliliter).
Tables should be formatted as follows. Arrange the data so that columns of like material read down, not across. The headings should be sufficiently clear so that the meaning of the data is understandable without reference to the text. See the "Abbreviations" section (p. 8) of these Instructions for those that should be used in tables. Explanatory footnotes are acceptable, but more extensive table "legends" are not. Footnotes should not include detailed descriptions of the experiment. Tables must include enough information to warrant table format; those with fewer than six pieces of data will be incorporated into the text by the copy editor. Table 1 is an example of a well-constructed table.
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| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Vaccine Immunol. |
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| J. Clin. Microbiol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |
