Chapter Title
The title should be limited to 25 words or less and should not contain abbreviations. The title should be a brief phrase describing the contents of the chapter.
Abstract
The abstract should be informative and self-explanatory, briefly present the topic, state the scope, indicate significant data, and point out major findings and conclusions. It should summarize the chapter in 300 words or less. Standard nomenclature should be used and abbreviations avoided. Following the abstract, include 3–10 keywords and relevant abbreviations.
Text
Introduction
The introduction should provide a clear statement of the study, relevant literature and the proposed approach or solution. It should be broad enough to attract readers from related scientific disciplines.
Materials and Methods
Provide a complete overview of the study design, materials or participants, comparisons, interventions and analysis. New procedures should be described in detail; previously published procedures should be cited and modifications explained briefly. Capitalize trade names and include the manufacturer's name and address where relevant.
Results
Provide the details required to support the study conclusions. Findings from the authors' experiments should generally be written in the past tense; previously published findings may be discussed in the present tense. Results and discussion may be combined or separated. Detailed interpretation belongs in the discussion rather than the results.
Acknowledgement
Include acknowledgements of people, grant details, funding and other relevant support.
References
Only published or accepted chapters and papers should be included in the reference list. Meeting abstracts, conference talks, or submitted but not yet accepted papers should not normally be cited. Personal communications should be supported by correspondence from the relevant authors.
SM Group uses the numbered citation-sequence method. References are listed in the order in which they appear in the text and citations are indicated using reference numbers in brackets, for example [1,5-7,28]. Authors are requested to provide at least one online link for each reference where possible, preferably a PubMed link.
Published paper examples
Laemmli UK (1970) Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227: 680-685.
Brusic V, Rudy G, Honeyman G, Hammer J, Harrison L (1998) Prediction of MHC class II-binding peptides using an evolutionary algorithm and artificial neural network. Bioinformatics 14: 121-130.
Note: List the first five authors and then add “et al.” if there are additional authors.
Tables
Tables should be used at a minimum and designed as simply as possible. Submit tables in editable document format where possible. Number tables consecutively in Arabic numerals and provide headings and legends. Tables should be self-explanatory and the same data should not be duplicated in both table and graph form.
If a submission is supplied as PDF, authors should retain the editable document version to support the production process.
Figures
Preferred formats for photographic images include TIFF and JPEG. Images should be supplied at or above intended display size. Recommended resolutions are 800 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for combination line art and halftone, and 300 dpi for halftone images.
Use Arabic numerals to designate figures and uppercase letters for figure parts. Each legend should begin with a title and include enough description for the figure to be understood independently.
Figure legends
Figure legends should be supplied in numerical order on a separate sheet or clearly separated section.
Tables and Equations as Graphics
If equations cannot be encoded in MathML, submit them in TIFF or EPS format as discrete files. Tables should only be submitted as graphics when they cannot be encoded in structured form. Font sizes in equations and tables should remain consistent and legible.
Supplementary Information
Supplementary figures, tables or other discrete items should be referred to at the appropriate point in the main chapter. Where possible, supplementary information should be supplied as a single PDF file. Images should normally not exceed 640 × 480 pixels when supplied for supplementary use.
Proofs and Reprints
Electronic proofs will be sent to the corresponding author as a PDF. Page proofs are considered the final version of the chapter, so changes should be limited to typographical or minor clerical corrections. Authors will have electronic access to the full text of their chapter and may download the available PDF for personal use and printing.