Guide for Authors

    Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica (ABBS) is a scientific journal publishing monthly research papers and reviews in biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics and cell biology, by the editorial office of ABBS in association with Oxford University Press (OUP) on behalf of the Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, SIBS, CAS. Research papers should report original work not published or considered for publication elsewhere. Reviews should provide a concise introduction to the subject matter to inform the readers of the latest developments in a certain area. The acceptance criteria for a manuscript are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editorial Board, who reserves the right to refuse any material for publication.

Submission of manuscripts

   Manuscripts should be written in English and submitted online through our Manuscript Central System. Authors are encouraged to read Manuscriptcentral User Guide before submission.
   Initial submission should include a cover letter (filling in the cover letter section) stating that: (i) the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere; (ii) all authors have contributed significantly and are in agreement with the content of the manuscript. Authors must declare any financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest. If tables or figures have been reproduced from other sources, a letter from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher) stating authorization to reproduce the material must be attached to the covering letter.
  Submission of revised manuscript should include: (i) the revised manuscript with revisions marked, (ii) a letter answering all reviewers' questions point by point.

Style of the manuscript

  Manuscripts should follow the style of the Vancouver agreement detailed in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' revised "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication", as presented at http://www.ICMJE.org/. The Journal uses US spelling and authors should therefore follow the latest edition of the Merriam-Websters Collegiate Dictionary. All measurements must be given in SI or SI-derived units. Please go to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) website at http://www.bipm.fr for more information about SI units.

Format of manuscript (illustration; example article)

   Manuscript should be arranged in the following order: (i) the title, (ii) the full names of the authors and their affiliations (iii) the full postal and email address, plus facsimile and telephone numbers, of the author to whom correspondence about the manuscript should be sent, (iv) the running title, (v) abstract and keywords; (vi) introduction; (vii) materials and methods; (viii) results; (ix) discussions; (x) acknowledgements, (xi) references; (xii) footnote; (xiii) table and figure legends; (xiv) tables; (xv) figures. The locations of figures and tables in the text should be indicated. Footnotes to the text are not allowed and any such material should be incorporated into the text as parenthetical matter. The present address of any author, if different from that where the work was carried out, should be supplied in a footnote.

  Title--The title should be short and informative, less than 20 words, and should not include non-standard acronyms or abbreviations.
  Running Title--The running title should be less than 60 characters.
  Abstract--The abstract should describe clearly the aim, major findings and conclusions of the research.
  Keywords--Five or fewer key words should be listed below the abstract. Keywords should be taken from those recommended by the Index Medicus Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) browser list at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html
  Introduction--The basic principles of research, background, earlier related work and the purpose of the present studies should be described in the introduction.
  Materials and Methods--Materials and methods should be brief but complete enough to be repeated; procedures published previously should be cited in references.
  Results--Results should be presented in figures and tables along with a suitable description in the text.
  Discussion--Discussion should be concise (no more than three pages) and focus on the interpretation of the results.
  References--The Vancouver system of referencing should be used (examples are given below). In the text, references should be marked using Arabic numerals in square brackets in the order in which they appear. In the reference list, if a reference has many authors, list only the first seven authors, followed by "et al." Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should not appear in the list but should be cited in the text only (e.g. Smith A, 2000, unpublished data). All citations mentioned in the text, tables or figures must be listed in the reference list. Names of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references.

1. Neufeld EB, Remaley AT, Demosky SJ, Stonik JA, Cooney AM, Comly M, Dwyer NK et al. Cellular localization and trafficking of the human ABCA1 transporter. J Biol Chem 2001, 276: 27584-7590.

2. Hanahan D, Jessee J, Bloom FR. Techniques for transformation of E. coli. In: Glover DM, Hames BD eds. DNA Cloning: A Practical Approach. 2nd ed. England: Oxford University Press 1998, 122-123.

  Footnotes--A footnote below the key words can include (1) source of grants, (2) present address of any author(s) if required.
  Tables--Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text. Tables should be consecutively numbered in the text in Arabic numerals. Legends should be concise but comprehensive--the table, legend and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. Vertical grid lines should not be used to separate columns. Each column in a table must have a heading, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations must be defined in footnotes.
  Figures--Figures should be cited in consecutive order in the text, if possible. Graphs should be drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package. Pictures should be supplied electronically (600 dpi for black and white, 300 dpi for color). Individual photographs forming a composite figure should be of equal contrast. Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration. Figure legends should be concise but comprehensive--the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement. Further information regarding the preparation of electronic figures is available at: http://www.abbs.info/tools/figureguide.pdf.

Abbreviation

  Abbreviations should be used sparingly-only where they ease the reader's task by reducing repetition of long, technical terms. Initially use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation only. Genetic nomenclature Standard genetic nomenclature should be used. For further information, including relevant websites, authors should refer to the genetic nomenclature guide in Trends in Genetics (Elsevier Science, 1998). Nucleotide sequence data can be submitted in electronic form to any of the three major collaborative databases: DDBJ, EMBL or GenBank. It is only necessary to submit to one database as data are exchanged between DDBJ, EMBL and GenBank on a daily basis. The suggested wording for referring to accession-number information is: "These sequence data have been submitted to the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession number U12345." Addresses are as follows: DNA Data Bank of Japan (DDBJ) http://www.ddbj.nig.ac.jp EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Submissions http://www.ebi.ac.uk GenBank http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Copyright

   The copyright of papers accepted for publication belong to Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica. In signing the Licence to Publish Form which is sent to the corresponding author with the PDF proof, it is assumed that authors have obtained permission to use any copyrighted or previously published material. All authors must read and agree to the contents outlined in the Form and must sign the Form or agree that the corresponding author can sign on their behalf. Articles cannot be published until a signed Form has been received.

Proofs

   It is essential that corresponding authors supply an email address to which proofs can be emailed and a mobile phone number for urgent contact. Full instructions on how to correct and return the file will be attached to the email. If the proof is not returned by the appointed date, it may be signed off on by the Editor or held over to the next issue.

Offprints

   Offprints will be provided upon request at US$ 2  per copy. An Offprint Order Form will be sent to the corresponding author with the PDF proof.

Publication fees

   A publication fee of US$ 30 per printed page is required. No additional charge is required for black-white figures. A surcharged of US$ 120 is required for each color page reproduced in the journal. Authors unable to pay publication fee may apply at the time of submission for a waiver. Application form must be signed by the senior official of the institution with which the corresponding author is affiliated and sent to the editorial office by Fax (86-21-5492-1091).
   Publication fees should be paid to Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica by Telegraph Transfer or Money Order. Please provide your manuscript ID number in the remark.

(1) Telegraph transfer
ITEM TITLE: Publication fee paid to Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica  

RECEIVING BANK: Agricultural Bank of China, Shanghai Branch, Xuhui Sub-Branch

SWIFT CODE: ABOCCNBJ090.
A/C Title: Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences
A/C No:  033924-00801048006

ADDRESS: 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China

(2) Money Order
Payable to: Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica
Mailing Address: Room 407, Building 31B, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China