Journal of Biological Physics and Chemistry

Abbreviated guidelines for authors (a complete version is published in the first issue of each volume)

GENERAL

The journal publishes three main categories of papers: regular papers, (up to 2 printed pages) and reviews: short reviews containing original and interesting new ideas are especially encouraged. They may be written in the form of an essay, which is meant to be read, enjoyed, and discussed, rather than just archived. This category also includes notes, which are short and sharply focused. They may be a novel presentation of a familiar theme, or a lively discussion of a single issue, which may for example draw the attention of physicists to an interesting unsolved biological problem. The Journal will also carry a section (‘Forum’) for debating controversial issues. Critical book reviews and conference reports, and announcements of meetings, are also welcome.

Papers must not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Acceptance of a paper will be determined by its quality and interest. Especially for the reviews category, clarity of exposition and broad appeal are important criteria for acceptance. All contributions will be assessed by one or more independent referees, and where necessary an adjudicator.

SUBMISSION

Papers should preferably be submitted to the member of the editorial board whose expertise covers the research reported and with whom the author can communicate efficiently (see inside front cover). Submissions may also be made to the Journal office either in Basel or in Tbilisi, or to the Editor-in-Chief.

Figures and Tables must be prepared separately from the text, with their positions clearly indicated, e.g. by a marginal note or a boxed phrase ‘Figure … near here’.

Papers can be submitted either electronically (preferred) or on paper. They should be accompanied by a covering message or letter, stating the category of paper (see above). Authors are encouraged to suggest the names of referees. Please indicate to whom correspondence and page proofs should be addressed, and include contact telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.

Electronic submissions should preferably be made via e-mail, but diskettes and CD-ROMs are also acceptable, in which case two paper copies (see below) should also be supplied. Electronic submissions should bear the subject ‘submit JBPC [corresponding author’s name]’. The source code should be contained within a single file. Figures files should be supplied separately. If the figures are not encoded electronically at the time of submission, review copies may be faxed.

On paper, two copies are required, of which at least one must be single-sided, of both text and figures, on A4 paper or similar. The text must be double spaced. Two sets of any original photographs should be supplied.

The same provisions apply to the resubmission of revised manuscripts, except that the subject of the e-mail must begin with ‘resubmit’. Resubmissions should always be accompanied by a letter responding to reviewers’ criticisms.

STRUCTURE

Each paper should contain the following in order:

Title

Authors and full addresses where their work was carried out. Contact information, e.g. an e-mail address, may be given. Current addresses, where different, should also be given.

Summary (abstract) of no more than 200 words not containing references or unexplained abbreviations.

Key index words or phrases (3–6 choices, not including words occurring in the title). PACS numbers are optional.

Short title (max. 50 characters) for page headings.

Main body of the work, divided into numbered sections (and subsections where necessary) and described by short headings.

Acknowledgments.

Appendices (if necessary).

References (of all articles cited in the text, numbered in sequence as they first appear, the numbers to be placed in square brackets in the text), on separate sheets. References should be both sufficient and necessary. They should contain some or all of the following elements:

Author surnames with initial(s)

Title of paper (roman) or book (italic)

Journal name (italic), using standard abbreviation where known; if in doubt, give the full title

Volume number (bold)

Year of publication (in parentheses)

First and last page numbers

Examples:

1. Bellman, R. Asymptotic behaviour of solutions of differential-difference equations. Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 35 (1959) 123–134.

2. Bellman, R. & Cooke, K.L. Differential-Difference Equations, 2nd edn, pp. 342–348. New York: Academic Press (1963).

3. Bellman, R., Cooke, K.L. & Dyson, A. Shock dynamics in metals. In: Proc. Int. Conf. on Behaviour of Materials (ed. J.L. Miller & R.F. Smith), vol. 2, pp. 173–183. Oxford: Pergamon Press (1965).

Unpublished material should be referred to in the text as ‘unpublished data’ or ‘personal communication’.

Footnotes (numbered in sequence as they first appear, the numbers to be superscripted), on separate sheets.

Tables (numbered in sequence as they appear in the text), on separate sheets.

Captions for figures (numbered in sequence as they appear in the text), on separate sheets.

PREPARATION OF FIGURES

All line drawings will be reproduced as supplied wherever possible, i.e. with no relettering. They should be scaled for the final published size (the journal is printed in two columns on A4 paper). Electronic versions of all figures are preferred. Carefully review a printout of each figure before submitting. Figures must be in black and white. Photographs, if not available in electronic form, should be supplied either as slides or as prints with with the author's name and figure number on the back, and the top edge indicated if the orientation is unclear.

PAGE PROOFS, REPRINTS, COPYRIGHT

Authors who may be absent from their normal address must either inform the Editorial Office of their intended whereabouts or make alternative arrangements for their proofs to be checked quickly. Authors are liable for the cost of significant alterations to their proofs. An order form for reprints is provided with the proofs. 

Corresponding authors will be sent a copy of the issue in which their paper appears, and an electronic (pdf) file of their paper.

Each author will be asked to assign to the Publishers the copyright for any paper published in the journal. In assigning copyright, authors reserve the right to use their article (subject only to normal acknowledgments to the Journal) for the internal or educational purposes of their institution or company and are free to mount it on their own or institution's website, and use it as a basis for their own further publications or presentations. A copyright assignment form is available on the Journal website. A signed hard copy or fax must be sent to the Journal Office.