Author information | Instructions for authors |
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Environmental Biosafety Research (EBR) publishes peer-reviewed original research papers and review articles, as well as other types of articles (see Aims and Scope). EBR is intended primarily as a forum for publication of original research articles in all fields pertinent to GMO biosafety. Because the underlying objectives are to favor circulation of scientific information and to foster scientific debate, great care will be given to avoid polemical treatment of biosafety questions. For this reason, particular attention will be paid to assure the technical and statistical validity of the research data presented. The discussion section of research papers will focus not only on pointing out conclusions that can be drawn, but also on limits to interpretation of results, and on questions that remain open in the light of the new results and others previously published. Review articles, commentaries, etc. will also be expected to adhere to the highest standards of scientific objectivity. The journal appears quarterly, and is also published electronically. It is recommended to read the instructions to authors in full. The instructions to authors are organized as follows:
Manuscript Preparation Instructions for all types of articles The entire manuscript should be typed using double spacing (including references, tables and figure legends) in a typeface of 12-point size, with margins of 40 mm (left) and 20 mm (right). The text should be typed in lower case with upper case only where grammar or convention demands (initials, symbols, acronyms, formulae, abbreviations). Do not underline. Do not break words at the end of a line. Microsoft Word files (.doc or .rtf) are preferred; use of other formats may delay processing. Authors preparing disks on Macintosh computers must not use the Fast Save option because formatting is deleted when converted. Please do not submit ASCII files or files created on desktop publishing or proprietary typesetting systems. Research articles should be organized as follows: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Results (divided and possibly subdivided), Discussion (possibly divided), Materials and Methods (divided), Acknowledgments, References, Tables and Figure legends. An alternative presentation places under one heading Results and Discussion (with possible divisions and subdivisions); in this case a formal Conclusion (10-15 lines, without bibliographic references) should be added. All the Text (Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Results, Discussion, Materials and Methods, Acknowledgments, References, Table, Figure Legends) should be saved as a single text file.
It should include: (a) full title; (b) all authors' full names; (c) all affiliations clearly indicated; (d) a shortened version of the title for use as a running head (maximum 60 characters); (e) name, address, fax number and e-mail of the corresponding author for editorial correspondence and (f) key words for use in indexing. It should be a single paragraph (maximum 300 words) to indicate the object of the work, the material (with full taxonomic name) and the essential results. Enzymes are identified with official nomenclature. No references are to be cited. If the article is particularly pertinent in a non-English speaking region, a translation of the abstract into the appropriate language can be published, if provided by the authors. All experimental results must first appear in Results, concisely and without duplication of data between tables and figures. No new results should be presented in the Discussion. However, tables and figures derived frim the results (e.g. comparisons, schemes, model) may be introduced in order to aid discussion or to generalize conclusions. They should be written in such a way that a reader with experience could repeat the experiment. When the techniques are not original they should be simply indicated by the appropriate reference. Preference should be given to references in peer-reviewed journals, and reference to abstracts should be avoided. Unpublished data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications should appear in the text and should include first initials and last names of authors. In the reference list, the references should appear in alphabetical order. If there is more than one author, the order is as follows: publications of a single author in chronological order; publications of the same author with one co-author in alphabetical order of the second author, and in chronological order; publications of the author with more than one co-author in chronological order. Journals should be written in their abbreviated form. References are name/date citations in text (Author et al., 2002) and should follow the format below:
Davison J, Brunel F, Kone K, Chevalier N (1990) Recombinant DNA Vectors for Pseudomonas. In Silver S, Chakrabarty AM, IglewskiB, Kaplan S, eds, Pseudomonas, Biotransformations, Pathogenesis and Evolving Biotechnology, American Society for Microbiology, pp 242-251 Review articles should be organized as follows. The Title Page and Abstract should be as for a research article. In the body of the manuscript, between an Introduction and a Conclusion, the subject is treated under headings, with possible subdivisions. Reviews should not exceed 40 typewritten pages. Case studies will assemble and present data required for the environmental risk assessment of the field release of a GMO. Unlike research articles, they will not contain appreciable unpublished results, and unlike review articles will not present a comprehensive overview of an area of research. Case studies may present a national or regional perspective on a particular impact of dissemination of a particular GMO. That perspective should be science-based, and not conflict with the journal's editorial policy of scientific objectivity. Case studies will also undergo anonymous peer review. EBR does to a lesser extent publish articles in which the authors' opinion plays a greater role. For these types of articles, if the initial submission is considered to be of interest to the readership of EBR, the manuscript is not reviewed anonymously, but instead goes through a series of exchanges with one or more members of the Editorial Board, until it is considered to be compatible with the journal¢s editorial policy of scientific objectivity. When a Commentary is based on the re-evaluation of data published by another group, it could become the starting point of a Roundtable. In this case the Editors will invite other scientists, usually the authors of the article(s) presenting the initial data, to respond to the Commentary manuscript, or an expanded version of it. Roundtables provide an opportunity for exchange between scientists, which is based on a detailed, carefully thought out consideration of an issue of interest. Roundtable papers on a specific point are published together as a group. Other types of submissions (except research and review articles, Case studies, Roundtables) Other types of submissions should be in undivided form. Number tables consecutively with Arabic numbers according to the order cited in the text. In the text write Table 1, Table 2 or (Tab. 1), (Tab. 2). Provide a concise title for each table. Use only horizontal lines and ensure that column headings are unambiguous in indicating columns to which they refer. Include table legends and footnotes where needed. Use footnotes placed under the table for explanatory information, as presented in the example below:
Table 1. Example of a table in EBR. Two sets of figures and pictures should be supplied as high-quality print-outs. For the best reproduction, halftones should be high contrast. Line drawings, graphs, charts, and chemical formulae should be electronically (e.g. .ppt) or professionally prepared and labeled. Indicate magnification with a bar scale. Multipart figures should be submitted as one composite. All color figures will be printed in shades of gray in the paper version of the journal (for color, consult the publisher for prices, but they can be reproduced in full color in the online version for free), so make sure they are legible in grayscale. The figures should be saved as independent files in the following format: .tif, .ppt, .gif, .ps, or .pdf, but never as word files. Label the back of each figure with the first author's name, figure number, and an indication of "top". Number figures consecutively with Arabic numbers in the order in which they are referred to. In the text write Figure 1, Figure 2 or (Fig. 1), (Fig. 2). Identify different parts of a composite figure by capital letters so that exact references may be made in the text: Figure 1A, etc. The figure size will be adjusted to fit the journal format; therefore, please keep labels and symbols in proportion to the figure size and detail. Figure legends should be brief and should not contain methods. Each legend consists of a brief title (without abbreviations) followed if necessary by a short technical comment so that the figure is comprehensible without reference to the text. Symbols indicated in the figure must be identified in the legend. If figures are reprinted from another source, permission to reprint is required. All figure legends should be grouped at the end of the manuscript. For any material reprinted from another source, permission is required. The article should be written in American English and should be checked by native English speakers. Punctuation rules of the English language should be used (semi-colons, colons, question marks and exclamation marks are never preceded by a space in English). Do not begin a sentence with a number, or if necessary, spell it out.
The following are given as examples: * buffers: 0.3 M phosphate buffer (pH 7.2);Structural formulae of organic chemicals generally have to be drawn and so constitute figures.
Certain current abbreviations may be used without definition, e.g. GMO, ATP, NAD, DNA. In other cases (e.g. CAM, IAA, EDTA, GA) define the abbreviations in order to avoid ambiguity. The SI units and their derivatives are to be applied over former terms [Pa and bar and not atm (100 kPa = 1 bar); Bq replaces Ci (1 Ci = 3.7 1010 Bq); J replaces cal (1 cal = 4185 J); kat (conversion of one mole of substrate per second) replaces IU (1 IU = 16.7 nkat)]. Authors are free to choose whether to use relative molecular mass (a pure number), or molar mass (g.mol-1), or molecular mass (Da), provided the manuscript is internally consistent. Unit abbreviations neither take a full stop nor change in the plural. For liter, the unit is L and not l, but it is ml and not mL. Use throughout the form: µl.h-1.mg-1 rather than the ambiguous notations µl/h·mg or µl/h/mg. Use absolute units, choosing dimensions that obviate power of 10; for instance 5 mM rather than 5 × 10-3 M; 0.5 mg.g-1 (or 500 mg.kg-1) rather than 50 mg/100 g. When an organism is first mentioned, the exact taxonomic name (genus, species, authority and cultivar where appropriate) should be given after the common name: corn (Zea mays (L.)). When only the Latin name is used (no common name), it is further used in abbreviated form (Z. mays). Certain common names should be avoided. Canola designates Brassica oilseed crops with low glucosinolate and erucic acid levels. This includes both B. napus and B. rapa varieties. It is thus not a synonym for B. napus (which we will designate oilseed rape). For plant viruses, the accepted form for species names is Tobacco mosaic virus (in italics), then abbreviated TMV. Foreign word (Latin, French, etc.) should be written in italics. Nomenclature of genes and proteins It is important to differentiate between genes and proteins. All gene names and loci should be italic; proteins should be upright (e.g. in bacteria the gene galK codes for the protein GalK, in plants, the gene ABC codes for the protein ABC and the mutant in the gene is termed abc). At its first mention in the main text, and also in the Abstract and Methods, a material or an enzyme must be identified by the official nomenclature. Subsequently a simplified form may be used, e.g. V. faba, malate dehydrogenase (or even MDH if defined under Abbreviations). Proofs are considered the final form of the paper and correction can be made only in the case of factual errors and within one week. If additional information must be added at this stage, it should be in the form of "Note added in proof", subject to the approval of the editors. Proofs will be sent via e-mail as an Acrobat PDF (portable document format) file. Therefore, the corresponding author should supply their email address when they submit their manuscript. The e-mail server must be able to accept attachments up to 4 MB in size. Acrobat Reader will be required in order to read this file. This software can be downloaded (free of charge) from the following Web site: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readermain.htmlThis will enable the file to be opened, read on screen, and printed out in order for any corrections to be added. Further instructions will be sent with the proof. Proofs will be posted if no e-mail address is available. In your absence, please arrange for a colleague to access your e-mail to retrieve the proofs.
There are no page charges for publication in EBR. At the time of receipt of the proofs, authors will receive a copyright transfer statement transferring the copyright to ISBR and EDP Sciences.
The journal will publish research papers that present original results that have not been published previously. Reviews are either invited by the editors or proposed by the authors for the editors' prior agreement. Submission to the journal implies that a paper is not being considered for another journal or book. Closely related papers that are in press elsewhere or that have been or will be submitted elsewhere must be included with the submitted manuscript. Authors should provide a list of five possible reviewers for their manuscript. Submitted manuscripts will be considered by the Editorial Board to determine whether they lie within the scope of the journal. Those that do, will be reviewed within two months of receipt. For papers requiring revision, the revised version must be submitted within three months, or it will be considered a new submission. The manuscripts that do not lie within the scope of the journal will be immediately returned to the authors so that resubmission elsewhere will not be unduly delayed. For all submissions, send one original paper version of the manuscript, including two copies of original figures as high-quality printouts, to the EBR Editorial Office. E-mail Submission Electronic submission is by far preferred. Please e-mail your article as attached files to: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Disk Submission If submitting a manuscript (on disk) by mail, please address it to: EBR Editorial Office
Submit one copy of the original manuscript (printed from the disk), including two copies of original figures, and a disk containing an electronic version of the manuscript. Label the disk with the corresponding author's name, manuscript title, operating system and version, and software program and version number.
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