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Instructions to authors
Electronic submission via the Web using EES.
The preferred method of submission for all
categories
of manuscript is online to the Editorial Office. The preferred medium of submission to the accepting Editor is online with
the accompanying
manuscript, illustrations, tables and annexes. Submission of a paper to Neuromuscular Disorders is understood
to imply that
it has not previously been published (except in abstract form) and that it is not being published elsewhere. Submitted
manuscripts should
be accompanied by a statement undersigned by all listed authors that they concur with the submission and that the
manuscript has been
approved by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. If accepted, the manuscript shall not be
published elsewhere
in the same form in either the same or any other language, without the consent of the Editor and Publisher. The
decision of the Editor
is final.
Neuromuscular Disorders uses an online, electronic submission system called EES (Elsevier
Editorial System). By
accessing the following website
http://ees.elsevier.com/nmd
you will be guided stepwise through
the creation and
uploading of the various files. When submitting a manuscript to EES, authors need to provide an electronic version
of their manuscript.
The author should select a category designation for their manuscript (original article, letter to the editor, short
communication, etc.)
and may provide keywords and comments to the Editor separately.
Authors may send queries concerning the submission
process, manuscript
status, or journal procedures to the Editorial Office (j.miller@ich.ucl.ac.uk). Once the uploading is done, the
system automatically
generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence, including the Editor's
decision and request
for revisions, will be by e-mail.
Funding body agreements and policies
Elsevier has established agreements
and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier, to comply with potential manuscript
archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing agreements and policies please
visit http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies
Hardcopy manuscript submission
If online submission is not a
feasible option, manuscripts
may still be sent in triplicate with one disk copy to the Editor-in-Chief.
Manuscripts should be accompanied by a covering letter
including the name and address of the author to whom correspondence should be sent. Authors should retain
an additional copy of
the manuscript and figures for their own files. After final acceptance, your disk plus two, final and
exactly matching printed
versions should be submitted together. Double density (DD) or High density (HD) diskettes (3.5 or 5.25 inch)
are acceptable. It is important
that the file saved is in the native format of the wordprocessor program used. Label the disk with the
name of the computer and wordprocessing
package used, your name, and the name of the file on the disk. Further information may be obtained
from the publisher.
E-mail submission
Manuscripts containing no more than two figures may be sent to the Editorial Office
(j.miller@ich.ucl.ac.uk) by email only, with a covering
note, subject to prior agreement from the Editorial Office.
Manuscript
Preparation
The journal has a zero tolerance for non-standard abbreviations and these should be avoided in the abstract and also
in the text. Use double spacing throughout, including
the reference section.
Organize the manuscript in the order indicated below,
with each component beginning on a separate page and
with a running title and page number typed in the upper right-hand corner of each
page.
Title Page
Page 1 should include:
(a) the title of the article
(b) the authors' names
(c) affiliations
(the name of the department, if any, institution, city and
state or country where the work was done) indicating which authors are associated
with which affiliations
(d) the name and address
of the author to whom proofs and reprint requests are to be sent.
Abstract
Page 2 should include the title of the article
followed by the abstract, which should have no more than 150 words of continuous text;
ie please do not insert subheadings. The abstract
should state the purpose of the study, basic procedures, most important findings
and principal conclusions, with an emphasis on the new
aspects of the study. All non-standard abbreviations should be spelled out in
the abstract. Keywords for indexing should be given at
the end of the abstract.
Text
Papers should be organized in the
following format: Introduction, Materials (or Patients)
and Methods, Results and Discussion. Other descriptive headings and sub-headings
may be used if appropriate. Every effort should be made
to avoid jargon and non-standard abbreviations. Contents of the study should
be presented as clearly and as concisely as possible.
Manuscripts containing English or American spelling are acceptable. Be sure
that all references are cited in numerical order in the text
and that all tables and figures cited in the text are numbered according
to the order in which they appear. Data appearing in the tables
or figures should be summarized, not duplicated, in the text. All data
cited in the text should be checked carefully against the data
in the tables to ensure that they correspond, and all the names cited
in the text should be checked carefully against the references.
Any ambiguous symbols (e.g. the letter 'O' vs the numeral '0', the letter
'l' vs the numeral '1') should be identified. Unnecessary abbreviations
should be avoided.
At his discretion the Editor-in-Chief
will convert any such abbreviations into their unabbreviated form in order
to maintain the flow and sense of the text. Acknowledgements
of grant support and of individuals who were of direct help in the preparation
of the study should be included at the end of the text.
Any experimental work on human subjects should be accompanied by a statement
relating to appropriate ethical approval.
At the
beginning there should be a title page which provides a title and addresses for all of the authors as they should appear in
the publication and full contact details for the corresponding author (address with postal codes and countries, phone, fax and
e-mail).
References
Type references double spaced and number them consecutively in the
order in which they are first
mentioned in the text, not alphabetically. Identify references in the text, tables, and legends
by Arabic numerals within square
brackets. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with a
sequence established by the first
mention in the text of a particular table or figure.
The authors are responsible for the accuracy
and completeness of the references.
For journal articles the following information should be included: (a) for up to and including six
authors, all author names (surnames
followed by initials), and for more than six authors, only the first three authors' names (surnames
followed by initials) followed by et al., (b) title of the article, (c) the journal title which may be abbreviated according
to the rules set out in Index
Medicus, (d) the year of publication, (e) the volume number and (f) the first and last page numbers.
If the article is published
in a language other than English the title should be translated into English and followed by the original
language in brackets, for
instance ''(in Swedish)''. For books, include the chapter title, chapter authors, editors of the book, title
of the book (including
volume and edition number), publisher's location and name, year of publication and appropriate page numbers.
Examples of the correct
format are as follows:
[1] Ervasti JM, Ohlendieck K, Kahl SD, Gaver MG, Campbell KP.
Deficiency of a glycoprotein
component of
the dystrophin complex in dystrophic muscle.
Nature 1990; 345: 315-319.
[2] Dubowitz V. A Colour Atlas of Muscle
Disorders
in Childhood.
London: Wolfe Medical Publications, 1989.
[3] Williamson R. Molecular biology in relation to medical
genetics.
In: Emery A E H, ed. Principles and Practice of Medical Genetics.
Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone,1983: 16-25.
''Unpublished
observations'' and ''personal communications'' should not appear in the references. These should be inserted in parentheses
in the text,
and letters of permission from all individuals cited in this way should accompany the manuscript Information obtained from manuscripts
that have been submitted for publication but not yet accepted should be cited
in the references: include authors and manuscript
title followed by ''submitted for publication''. Manuscripts that have been accepted
for publication but have not yet been published
may appear in the references: include the authors, manuscript title, and name of the
journal followed by ''(in press)''.
Tables
Tables should be submitted online as a separate file and should bear a short descriptive title. In case of hardcopy, tables should be
submitted on separate sheets of paper. If a table must exceed one typewritten page, duplicate all headings on the second sheet. Number
tables in the order in which they are cited in the text. Every column in the table should have an abbreviated heading. Define all abbreviations
and indicate the units of measurements for all values. Explain all empty spaces or dashes. Indicate footnotes to the table with the superscript
symbols cited in order as you read the table horizontally.
Unless tables are unavoidably wide, please present them in portrait format
with adequate left and right-hand margins to ensure they do not defailt to landscape presentation at the typesetters.
Figures
Figures of good quality should be submitted online as a separate file. Letters, numbers and symbols should be clear
throughout and should
be large to permit photographic reduction. If a figure cannot be submitted online, a hardcopy may be submitted
in professionally drawn,
photograph or high-quality laser printed form.
Be sure that all spelling is correct, that there are no broken
letters or uneven
type, and that abbreviations used are consistent with those in the text. Use a label on the back of each figure to
indicate the article's
running title and the top of the figure. Do not write directly on the back of photographs. Do not trim, mount,
clip or staple the illustrations.
Submit photomicrographs in the final desired size. The colour transparency or negative should be supplied,
in addition to colour prints.
Photographs of recognizable persons should be accompanied by a signed release from the patient or legal
guardian authorizing publication.
Masking eyes to hide identity is not sufficient.
Colour Reproduction
For colour reproduction
in print, a limited number
of colour figures may be printed in the Journal without cost, at the discretion of the Editor, who will make
the judgement based on
the academic necessity of the colour illustrations. Otherwise you will receive information regarding the costs
from Elsevier after receipt
of your accepted article.
For further information on the preparation of the electronic artwork, please
see
http://www.elsevier.com/locate/authorartwork
Figure and Table Legends
Legends should be typed double
spaced on a separate page and numbered with Arabic numerals corresponding
to the illustrations.
When symbols, arrows, numbers or
letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each should be explained
clearly in the legend.
The legends should permit
the figures to be understood with reference to the text. If the figure has been
published previously a credit line should be included.
Preparation of Supplementary Material
Elsevier accepts electronic
supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the author additional possibilities
to publish supporting figures, tables, applications, high-resolution images, background datasets, movies, animation sequences, sound
clips, videos and more.
NB: Please contact the Editorial Office and discuss before attempting to submit sound or video files.
Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier web products, including
ScienceDirect http://www.sciencedirect.com in order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure
that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Contact the Editorial Office prior to submission.
Section Editor
Categories
In addition to submitting regular original articles, letters and meeting reports, we invite readers
to submit interesting
articles to the special sections listed below. All items should be submitted online in the usual way to the main
Editorial Office in
London, with the relevant section category selected from the drop-down menu.
If you wish to discuss anything
with section editors
prior to submission please refer to the journal homepage online or the inside front cover of the printed journal
for up-to-date contact
information of each section editor.
Reviews
Review papers should cover recent, important developments
related to diagnosis,
pathogenesis or therapy of a neuromuscular disorder. They can be either in-depth and comprehensive, or short, mini-reviews.
Please
include an abstract and key words. Reviews will be directed to Anders Oldfors who will co-ordinate peer review.
Case Reports
Case reports should not exceed 2000 words and may include up to three tables or figures and a maximum of 25 references. They should take
the form of Title, Abstract (up to 100 words), Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, Acknowledgements and References. Case reports will
be directed to Luciano Merlini who will co-ordinate the editorial process.
Animal Models for Neuromuscular
Diseases
Gillian Butler-Browne will be allocated papers submitted under this section.
Veterinary Myology
Diane
Shelton will be
pleased to receive papers covering clinical or investigative aspects of spontaneously occurring myopathies, neuropathies
or disorders
of neuromuscular transmission in domestic animals.
Picture of the Month
Please send an interesting clinical
photograph,
histopathological or radiological image or any other pictorial material of clinical challenge or interest, accompanied by
a brief case
presentation and discussion of no more than 750 words and up to three references. These items will be referred to Beril
Talim for the
editorial process.
What the Journals Say
For this section we invite concise and critical commentaries (around
250 words)
about any relevant articles on the treatment of neuromuscular disorders, good, bad, or indifferent, published in other current
journals.
Please submit online and select this category from the drop-down menu and we will refer your article to Allan Bretag.
Clinical
Casebook
Victor Dubowitz invites short case reports that present a conflict of interpretation between the clinical
and the investigative
aspects of a case, with a view to raising questions, promoting thinking and discussion and potentially opening new channels of research
to advance our knowledge.
Historical Reports
We welcome articles of historical interest. These can be sent to the editorial
office in the first instance and will be redirected to the Historical Section Editor, Alan Emery.
ENMC Workshop Reports
These submissions will be treated as report on a workshop, with the convenor[s] listed as corresponding author[s]. They will not be
subjected to peer review and will be published in the next available issue of the journal. The format should be that of a workshop report
and not a review of the particular subject.
Under exceptional circumstances as, for example, with the "myocluster" research groups
funded by the EU, where a lot of new [unpublished] material was presented, special arrangements were agreed at the time, as listed in
the following set of guidelines.
The editor of NMD is prepared to follow the same guidelines in special cases, as listed in section
4 below, but the corresponding author will need to provide an accompanying letter justifying the special circumstances and listing the
specific new, unpublished contributions of the selected "authors".
Here follow the ENMC workshop Reports guidelines:
1.
The basic format of the ENMC based workshop reports will be the same as in the past with a TITLE reflecting the number of the ENMC workshop,
the number if appropriate of the topic workshop and the location and date
2. A full list of all PARTICIPANTS will be included at
the end of the report, with their city and country. This list will also include any ENMC representative [K. Busby or her representative]
as appropriate with [ENMC] after their name.
3. Full ACKNOWLEDGEMENT will be given to ENMC and all its sponsoring organisations at
the end of the report using the exact wording as requested by ENMC as one of the conditions in their original letter of acceptance of
the workshop.
4. In addition to the reporter [s]/ convenor [s] of the workshop, who alone were listed in the past as "AUTHORS" of
the report, it has been agreed that any participants of the workshop who have presented new and unpublished scientific data at the workshop
can also be included as "authors" of the report. The selection of these additional persons will be entirely at the discretion of the
workshop convenors whose decision will be final.
It is anticipated that in general there would probably be no more than 5 or 6 authors
in total to these reports, but under special circumstances when there was much new development in relation to a particular disorder,
a total of up to a maximum of 10 authors would be accepted by the Journal.
In future the list of authors will be included on the
first page of the report, under the title, with a similar format to the original papers in the journal. A full but preferably brief address
can be included for each author, and the corresponding author for proofs and reprints should also be indicated.
5. As in the past,
these reports will not be subjected to any peer review and it will be assumed that the content has the approval of all participants of
the workshop. Once received the report will be given priority publication in the next available issue of the journal.
6. Keywords
can be provided for reference
English language help service: Upon request, Elsevier will direct authors to an agent who can
check and improve the English of their paper
vvv (before submission). Please contact support@elsevier.com for further information.
Page Proofs
One set of page proofs in PDF format will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding Author (if we do not have an
e-mail address then paper proofs will be
sent by post). Elsevier now sends PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need
to download Adobe Reader version 7 available free from http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. Instructions
on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the proofs.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the
corrections (including replies to the Query Form) and return to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line number.
If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments (including replies to the Query Form) on a
printout of your proof and return by fax, or scan the pages and e-mail, or by post. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting,
editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication
will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly
and accurately.
Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication: please
check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.
Note that Elsevier may proceed with the publication of your article if no response is received.
E-offprints: Option for PDF or
Paper
Offprints. The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or,
alternatively, 50 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with
the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.
Preparation of Supplementary Material. Elsevier
accepts electronic supplementary material to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the author additional
possibilities to publish supporting figures, tables, applications, high-resolution images, background datasets, movies, animation sequences,
sound clips, videos and more.
NB Please contact the Editorial Office and discuss before attempting to submit sound or video files.
Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier web products, including
ScienceDirect (http://www.sciencedirect.com).
In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure
that data is provided in one of our recommended file formats. Contact the Editorial Office prior to submission. |
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