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Guide for AuthorsWelcome to the electronic manuscript submission website for Heredity. The instructions below are structured so you can quickly and easily answer the following questions:
Heredity is published monthly by Nature Publishing Group and is abstracted or indexed in:
ScopeHeredity is the official journal of the Genetics Society. It covers a broad range of topics within the field of genetics and therefore papers must address conceptual or applied issues of interest to the journal’s wide readership. The journal particularly encourages submissions in the following areas:
Heredity’s original articles cover new theory and primary empirical research. The journal also publishes regular reviews and news & commentary articles. Editorial PolicyFor full contact details of Editors please click here and for a full list of Editorial Board Members, please click here Managing Editor Professor Roger Butlin, Animal and Plant Sciences, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK Reviews Editor Dr Christian Biémont, Université Claude Bernard, Lyon With its move to Nature Publishing Group, Heredity has augmented its coverage to reflect the development of genetics in the post-genomic era. Papers report new theories and the results of important research. In addition, Heredity publishes regular book reviews. Heredity is essential reading for research workers, teachers and students in genetics. Data PolicyAuthors are strongly encouraged to follow established minimum guidelines for the reporting of biological data, wherever appropriate. Guidelines for many relevant data types are available from MIBBI: Minimum Information for Biological and Biomedical Investigations (www.mibbi.org). DNA sequences published in Heredity must be deposited in a publicly available database, usually EMBL/GenBank/DDBJ, and accession numbers must be included in the final version of the manuscript. Where public databases exist for other data types, such as microarray data (see www.ebi.ac.uk/Databases/microarray.html, for example), they must be used and the relevant reference should be included in the manuscript. Where no public database exists, authors are strongly encouraged to provide the data on which their analyses are based as Electronic Supplementary Information. The data should be formatted for use in a relevant, readily available software package, ideally one which allows data export in a variety of formats (such as CREATE for population genetic data: https://bcrc.bio.umass.edu/pedigreesoftware/node/2). Sufficient metadata (such as sample locations, individual identities, etc.) should be provided to allow easy repetition of analyses presented in the manuscript. Heredity proposes to make public archiving of data a requirement for publication in the near future and welcomes feedback from authors on this proposal (please address comments to heredity@shef.ac.uk). Except in very exceptional circumstances, the journal will not accept RAPD based studies for publication, and authors wishing to submit papers on this subject should contact the editorial office beforehand for advice. Format of PapersPreparation of manuscripts Authors are urged to write as concisely as possible. Full-length manuscripts should not exceed eight PRINTED pages, including references, figures and any appendices. IN ORDER TO COMPLY WITH THIS LIMIT, THE TEXT SHOULD NOT EXCEED 7000 WORDS (EXCLUDING REFERENCES). Arrangement of Full Length Manuscripts: All manuscripts should be in English. Please ensure that the manuscripts are well presented and that grammar, spelling and punctuation are checked. We do not expect reviewers or editors to make corrections to the English presentation, spelling or grammar. If one of the authors is a native English speaker, they should carefully read the first submitted version of the manuscript for such errors or problems with idiom. Otherwise we ask that the authors find an appropriate person to carefully read and check the paper. If this is not possible, please contact the editorial office before submission. Title page: This should include the following, in sequence:
Abstract: This should not exceed 250 words and should be provided on a separate page in the file, as well as on the online submission form. Conflict of Interest: A conflict of interest statement for each contributing author must be included between the Acknowledgements section and the References. (Conflict of interest information must also be included in the manuscript Cover Letter). For further information please see the Conflict of Interest guidelines at the end of the “Format of Papers” section. References There should normally be no more than 40 references. These should be indicated in the text by the surnames of the authors with the year of publication, as shown in the examples below. References to more than one publication by an author in the same year should be distinguished alphabetically with small letters, eg (Watson, 1991a,b). The abbreviated author and date reference should be placed in parentheses unless the name forms part of the text, eg Willmer (1982) has demonstrated that… If no person is named as author, the name of the appropriate body should be used, eg (The Genetics Society, 2000). The full list of references should be given in alphabetical order at the end of the article, double-spaced, in the form of the examples below. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to Medline. All authors up to the first six should be listed, followed by et al for seven or more authors.
Non-Native Speakers of English Researchers who are not native speakers of English who submit manuscripts to international journals often receive negative comments from referees or editors. To help reduce the possibility of such problems, we strongly encourage such authors to take at least one of the following steps:
American Journal Experts Figures Figures and images should be labeled sequentially, numbered and cited in the text. Figure legends should be printed, double spaced, on a separate sheet titled ‘Titles and legends to figures’. Figures should be referred to specifically in the text of the paper but should not be embedded within the text. The use of three-dimensional histograms is strongly discouraged when the addition of the third dimension gives no extra information. If a table or figure has been published before, the authors must obtain written permission to reproduce the material in both print and electronic formats from the copyright owner and submit it with the manuscript. This follows for quotes, illustrations and other materials taken from previously published works not in the public domain. The original source should be cited in the figure caption or table footnote. Colour figures can be reproduced if necessary, but the authors will be expected to contribute towards the cost of publication. A quote will be supplied upon acceptance of your paper. Artwork Guidelines Detailed guidelines for submitting artwork can be found by downloading the guidelines PDF. Using the guidelines, please submit production quality artwork with your initial online submission. If you have followed the guidelines, we will not require the artwork to be resubmitted following the peer-review process, if your paper is accepted for publication. Colour on the web Authors who wish their articles to have FREE colour figures on the web (only available in the HTML (full text) version of manuscripts) must supply separate files in the following format. These files should be submitted as supplementary information and authors are asked to mention they would like colour figures on the web in their submission letter. For Single Images:
For Multi-part Images:
Authors may be asked to pay the full colour fee for figures that are not submitted in the format described above. Tables These should be labeled sequentially as Table 1, Table 2, etc. Each table should be typed on a separate page, numbered and titled, and cited in the text. Reference to table footnotes should be made by means of Arabic numerals. Tables should not duplicate the content of the text. They should consist of at least two columns; columns should always have headings. Authors should ensure that the data in the tables are consistent with those cited in the relevant places in the text, totals add up correctly, and percentages have been calculated correctly. Unlike figures or images, tables may be embedded into the word processing software if necessary, or supplied as separate electronic files. House Style As the electronic submission will provide the basic material for typesetting, it is important that papers are prepared in the general editorial style of the journal.
File Formats: File formats for manuscript files, figures and tables that are acceptable for our electronic manuscript submission process are given on the online forms. Further advice on file types is also available from the Tips webpage. Please follow our artwork guidelines for submitting figures, and use a common word-processing package (such as Microsoft Word) for the text. Either embed tables converted into images at the end of your Word document, or as a separate files in which ever program you used to generate them. If you submit raw data, this can be done in Excel, or tab/comma delimited format. Supplementary information Supplementary information is peer-reviewed material directly relevant to the conclusion of an article that cannot be included in the printed version owing to space or format constraints. It is posted on the journal's web site and linked to the article when the article is published and may consist of data files, graphics, movies or extensive tables. The printed article must be complete and self-explanatory without the supplementary information. Supplementary information enhances a reader’s understanding of the paper but is not essential to that understanding. Supplementary information must be supplied to the editorial office in its final form for peer review. On acceptance the final version of the peer reviewed supplementary information should be submitted with the accepted paper. To ensure that the contents of the supplementary information files can be viewed by the editor(s), referees and readers, please also submit a ‘read-me’ file containing brief instructions on how to use the file. Supplying supplementary information files
Authors should ensure that supplementary information is supplied in its FINAL format because it is not subedited and will appear online exactly as originally submitted. It cannot be altered, nor new supplementary information added, after the paper has been accepted for publication. Please supply the supplementary information via eJP, the electronic manuscript submission and tracking system, in an acceptable file format (see below).
Accepted file formats
We cannot accept TeX and LaTeX. File sizes must be as small as possible, so that they can be downloaded quickly. Images should not exceed 640 x 480 pixels (9 x 6.8 inches at 72 pixels per inch) but we would recommend 480 x 360 pixels as the maximum frame size for movies. We would also recommend a frame rate of 15 frames per second. If applicable to the presentation of the supplementary information, use a 256 colour palette. Please consider the use of lower specification for all of these points if the supplementary information can still be represented clearly. Our recommended maximum data rate is 150 KB/s. The number of files should be limited to eight, and the total file size should not exceed 8 MB. Individual files should not exceed 1 MB. Please seek advice from the editorial office before sending files larger than our maximum size to avoid delays in publication. Further questions about the submission or preparation of supplementary information should be directed to the editorial office. Conflict of interest For the purposes of this statement, competing interests are defined as those of a financial nature that, through their potential influence on behaviour or content, or from perception of such potential influences, could undermine the objectivity, integrity or perceived value of a publication. They can include any of the following:
It is difficult to specify a threshold at which a financial interest becomes significant, but note that many US universities require faculty members to disclose interests exceeding $10,000 or 5% equity in a company. Any such figure is arbitrary, so we offer as one possible practical alternative guideline: \"Declare all interests that could embarrass you were they to become publicly known after your work was published.\" We do not consider diversified mutual funds or investment trusts to constitute a competing financial interest. The statement must contain an explicit and unambiguous statement describing any potential conflict of interest, or lack thereof, for any of the authors as it relates to the subject of the report. Examples include “Dr. Smith receives compensation as a consultant for XYZ Company,” “Dr. Jones and Dr. Smith have financial holdings in ABC Company,” or “Dr. Jones owns a patent on the diagnostic device described in this report.” These statements acknowledging or denying conflicts of interest must be included in the manuscript under the heading Conflict of Interest. The Conflict of Interest disclosure appears in the cover letter, in the manuscript submission process and before the References section in the manuscript. Following the Conflict of Interest heading, there must be a listing for each author, detailing the professional services relevant to the submission. Neither the precise amount received from each entity nor the aggregate income from these sources needs to be provided. Professional services include any activities for which the individual is, has been, or will be compensated with cash, royalties, fees, stock or stock options in exchange for work performed, advice or counsel provided, or for other services related to the author’s professional knowledge and skills. This would include, but not necessarily be limited to, the identification of organizations from which the author received contracts or in which he or she holds an equity stake if professional services were provided in conjunction with the transaction. Examples of declarations are:
Submission of papersThe first thing you need to do, if you have not done so already, is register for an account. After this, please consult the instructions below to enable you to submit your article through our secure server. Please be sure that your browser is set to accept cookies. Our tracking system requires cookies for proper operation. (If you have Windows XP the defaults will need changing. For more details on this, please refer to the 'Tips' function on this site.)
Navigating the SystemWhen you first access our tracking system, you will be taken to your Home page, where different categories of tasks are listed. If you are required to perform a pending action item or task, there will be a red arrow At any time please press HOME to go to the submission home page. Process for Manuscript SubmissionPlease make sure you have gathered all the required manuscript information listed above BEFORE starting the submission process. The manuscript submission process starts by pressing the "Submit Manuscript" link on your "Home" page. The manuscript submission process is broken down into a series of 4 primary tasks that gather detailed information about your manuscript and allow you to upload the pertinent text and figure/image files. The sequence of screens is as follows:
You will need to have the following details for all authors before commencing online submission. Items in parenthesis may not be compulsory for co-authors:
In addition you will need:
Do not embed images and figures within the text from word processing software as embedded images are not acceptable for production. (Tables are an exception to this rule as you may be generating them using the same software and as resolution quality tends to be less important for tables.) Conflict of interest. Saving files with Microsoft Office 2007Microsoft Office 2007 saves files in an XML format by default (file extensions .docx, .pptx and xlsx). Files saved in this format cannot be accepted for publication. Save Word documents using the file extension .doc
These instructions also apply for the new versions of Excel and PowerPoint. Equations in Word must be created using Equation Editor 3.0 Equations created using the new equation editor in Word 2007 and saved as a "Word 97-2003 Document" (.doc) are converted to graphics and can no longer be edited. To insert or change an equation with the previous equation editor:
Do not use the “Equation" button in the “Symbols” section of the “Insert” tab. Adobe Acrobat Once you have submitted your files and the conversion is in progress, you may log off the Internet and come back later to check and approve the conversion. This process can take up to 5 - 10 minutes before the PDF, created in the conversion process, is ready for approval. Please remember that your manuscript will not be submitted until you have approved the converted files. Getting Help If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs Manuscript Status After you approve your manuscript it is submitted and you will receive an acknowledgment email. You can check the status of your manuscript at any time in the review process by:
This procedure will display tracking information about where your manuscript is in the submission/peer review process. Licence to Publish The corresponding author must complete and sign the Licence to Publish form upon acceptance of the manuscript and return it to the editorial office. Failure to do so will result in delays to the publication of your paper. A copy of the Licence to Publish form can be found at http://mts-hdy.nature.com/letters/hdy_copyright.pdf GenSoc / TGS does not require authors of original research papers to assign copyright of their published contributions. Authors grant NPG an exclusive licence to publish, in return for which they can re-use their papers in their future printed work. NPG's author licence page provides details of the policy and a sample form. Authors are encouraged to submit their version of the accepted, peer-reviewed manuscript to their funding body's archive, for public release six months after publication. In addition, authors are encouraged to archive their version of the manuscript in their institution's repositories (as well as on their personal web sites), also six months after the original publication. Authors should cite the publication reference and doi number on any deposited version, and provide a link from it to the published article on the NPG website. This policy complements the policies of the US National Institutes of Health, the Wellcome Trust and other research funding bodies around the world. NPG recognizes the efforts of funding bodies to increase access of the research they fund, and strongly encourages authors to participate in such efforts. Advance Online Publication All original articles are published ahead of print on Advance Online Publication. This will be the final version of the manuscript and will subsequently appear, unchanged, in print. Proofs An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author with a URL link from where proofs can be collected. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt. Failure to do so may result in a delay to publication. Extensive corrections cannot be made at this stage. Offprints Offprints may be ordered on the form accompanying the proofs. The charges are necessarily higher if orders for reprints are received after the issue has gone to press. Business Matters To find out who to contact for business correspondence and enquiries such as advertising, subscriptions, permissions, papers in production or publishing a supplement, please visit our publisher’s contacts page. Alternatively, you can write to: Heredity, Nature Publishing Group, The Macmillan Building, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, UK. Please press HOME to continue. | |||||||||||||||||
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next to a 'Manuscript' link. Throughout the system, red arrows 
spread throughout the system. A help dialogue will pop up with context sensitive help. Should further assistance be required, then please contact Angela Wright,