GUIDE TO AUTHORS
About the journal |Preparation of manuscripts |
Format of manuscripts |
Disclosure/Conflict of Interest |
Acknowledgments |
References |
Figures |
Color on the web |
Tables |
Journal style |
File formats |
Supplementary material |
Publication charges |
Submission and publication |
Contact information |
Top of page
About the journal
Aim and Scope
Mucosal Immunology is the official publication of the Society of Mucosal Immunology (SMI). It aims to provide a forum for both basic and clinical scientists to discuss all aspects of immunity and inflammation involving mucosal tissues. The journal reflects the interests of scientists studying gastrointestinal, pulmonary, nasopharyngeal, oral, ocular, and genitourinary immunology through the publication of original research articles, scholarly reviews, and timely commentaries, editorials and letters. Publication of basic, translational, and clinical studies will all be given equal consideration. In addition, Mucosal Immunology aims to provide a primary method of communication for the SMI governing board and its members through the publication of society news, announcements of planned meetings and conferences, discussions of policy concerns, and advertisements for job and training opportunities.
URL
ISSN
ISSN: 1933-0219
EISSN: 1935-3456
Frequency
Bi-monthly.
Top of pagePreparation of manuscripts
Content types
Manuscripts published by Mucosal Immunology include: (1) Editorial, (2) Letters to the Editor, (3) Commentaries, (4) Images, (5) Reviews, (6) Original Articles
Preparation of manuscripts
(1) Editorial [only by invitation of Editors]
Word Limit: 1600 words excluding references, tables and figures
Abstract: no abstract for this article type
References: 5 maximum
Figures/Tables: 1
Proposals for Editorials may be submitted
(2) Letters to the Editor
Word Limit: 400 words excluding references, tables and figures
Abstract: no abstract required for this manuscript type
References: 5 maximum
Figures/Tables: 1 maximum
Letters to the Editor typically should address issues concerning recently published information in Mucosal Immunology. A Letter to the Editor must reference the original source, and a Response to a Letter must reference the Letter to the Editor in the first few paragraphs. Letters to the Editor can use an arbitrary title, but a Response must cite the title of the Letter: e.g. Response to [title of Letter].
(3) Commentaries [only by invitation of Editors]
Word Limit: 1600 words excluding references, tables and figures
Abstract: no abstract required, however, manuscript should include an introduction not to exceed 75 words
References: 10 maximum
Figures/Tables: 2 maximum
Commentaries typically highlight findings of a paper in the same issue, presented in a wider scientific and clinical context
(4) Images
Illustrative images which are unique or highly illustrative of specific occurrences in mucosal immunology. They will be reviewed by the Editorial Board prior to acceptance. They should be accompanied by a brief one-paragraph description not to exceed 200 words of relevant clinical or basic scientific information.
(5) Review [only by invitation of Editors]
Word Limit: 6,000 words including abstract but excluding references, tables and figures.
Abstract: 150 words maximum
References: No maximum
Reviews are comprehensive analyses of specific topics in mucosal immunology that are usually solicited by the Editors. Proposals for reviews may be submitted; however, in this case authors should only send an outline of the proposed paper for initial consideration. Both solicited and unsolicited review articles will undergo peer review prior to acceptance.
(6) Articles
Word Limit: 5,000 words excluding abstract, references, tables and figures
Abstract: 150 words maximum
References: 50 maximum
Figures/Tables: 10 maximum
Substantial novel research
Format of manuscripts
General format
Manuscripts must be typed in English and double-spaced. All manuscript pages must be numbered.
Title page
This should include (a) the complete manuscript title; (b) all authors' names (listed as first and middle initials followed by last name), and affiliations; and (c) the name and address for correspondence, fax number, telephone number, and e-mail address.
Text
For contributions requiring abstracts, the lengths are defined in the respective sections of Preparation of Manuscripts. For contributions that do not require an abstract, introductory paragraphs may contain references to cited work. Manuscripts should nominally be organized under following main headings: Introduction, Results, Discussion, Methods, and Disclosure.
Originality
A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be reproduced elsewhere without the consent of the Society for Mucosal Immunology. Although the editors, editorial board, and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with Mucosal Immunology, its editors, the SMI or Nature Publishing Group.
Informed consent and ethics
When reporting experiments on human subjects, indicate whether the procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional or regional) or with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (as revised in 1983). Include Institutional Review Board or Animal Care and Use Committee approvals.
Clinical trials registry
Registration in a public trials registry is required for publication in Mucosal Immunology. A clinical trial is defined as any research project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome. Studies designed for other purposes, including exploring pharmacokinetics or safety and tolerability (e.g., phase 1 trials) are exempt. Registration must be with a registry that meets the following criteria: (1) accessible to the public at no charge; (2) searchable by electronic methods; (3) open to all prospective registrants free of charge or at minimal cost; (4) validates registered information; (5) identifies trials with a unique number; and (6) includes information on the investigator(s), research question or hypothesis, methodology, intervention and comparisons, eligibility criteria, primary and secondary outcomes measured, date of registration, anticipated or actual start date, anticipated or actual date of last follow-up, target number of subjects, status (anticipated, ongoing or closed) and funding source(s). Examples of registries that meet these criteria include (1) The registry sponsored by the United States National Library of Medicine (www.clinicaltrials.gov); (2) The International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Registry (http://www.controlled-trials.com); (3) The Cochrane Renal Group Registry (http://www.cochrane-renal.org/trialsubmissionform.php); (4) The National (United Kingdom) Research Register (http://www.update-software.com/national/); and (5) European Clinical Trials Database (http://eudract.emea.eu.int/).
Abbreviations
Abbreviations should be defined at the first mention in the text and in each table and figure. For a list of standard abbreviations, please consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Guide (available from the Council of Science Editors, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other standard sources. Write out the full term for each abbreviation at its first use unless it is a standard unit of measure.
Style
The American Medical Association Manual of Style (9th edition), Stedman’s Medical Dictionary (28th edition) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (11th edition) should be used as standard references. Refer to drugs and therapeutic agents by their accepted generic or chemical name, and do not abbreviate them (a proprietary name may be given only with the first use of the generic name). Code names should be used only when a generic name is not yet available (the chemical name and a figure giving the chemical structure of the drug are required). Copyright or trade names of drugs should be capitalized and placed in parentheses after the name of the drug. Names and locations (city and state in United States; city and country outside United States) of manufacturers of drugs, supplies, or equipment cited in a manuscript are required to comply with trademark law and should be provided in parentheses. Quantitative data may be reported in the units used in the original measurement, but SI units are preferred, including those applicable to body weight, mass (weight) and temperature.
Non-native speakers of English
Authors who are not native speakers of English who submit manuscripts to international journals often receive negative comments from referees or editors about the English-language usage in their manuscripts, and these problems can contribute to a decision to reject a paper. To help reduce the possibility of such problems, we strongly encourage such authors to take at least one of the following steps:
- Have your manuscript reviewed for clarity by a colleague whose native language is English.
- Use a service such as one of those listed below.
An editor will improve the English to ensure that your meaning is clear and identify problems that require your review. Note that the use of such a service is at the author's own expense and risk and does not guarantee that the article will be accepted. Nature Publishing Group accepts no responsibility for the interaction between the author and the service provider or for the quality of the work performed.
- American Journal Experts
- Inter-Biotec
- Inter-Biotec also provides a free online writing course to help biomedical scientists whose first language is not English to write and publish their papers in English-language journals.
- SPI Professional Editing Services
- Write Science Right
Disclosure/Conflict of Interest
All authors are responsible for recognizing and disclosing any conflict of interest that could be perceived to bias their work, making known all financial support and any other personal connections. This includes, but is not limited to: funding, such as salaries, equipment, supplies, reimbursement for attending symposia, etc, from organizations that may gain or lose financially through the publication of the paper; personal financial interests, such as stocks and shares in companies that may gain or lose financially from publication, consultation fees or forms of remuneration from organizations that may gain or lose financially, or patent and patent applications whose value may be affected; and, employment, whether recent, present or anticipated, by an organization that may gain or lose from publication of the paper. Such relationships will be reviewed, and further clarification may be requested if deemed necessary by the editors or reviewers. This information should be included in the title page and in the article under the heading "Disclosure." This section should appear after the "Methods" section (below Supplementary Material and Acknowledgments, if any). If you have no conflict of interest to declare, please state so in the "Disclosure" section.
Top of pageAcknowledgments
This should include sources of support, including federal and industry support.
Top of pageReferences
References should be listed in order of appearance (Vancouver style). In the text, number references in order of appearance using superscript numbers for citations. The reference list (starting on a separate page) should contain the references in the order in which they are cited in the text. Only published works, as well as manuscripts in press, should be included in the reference list; articles that are submitted or in preparation should be referred to as "unpublished data" in the text (for which all authors up to six total should be listed, then et al.). For publications in the reference list, all authors should be included unless there are more than six in which case only the first author should be given, followed by 'et al.' Authors should be listed last name first, followed by a comma and initials of given names. Titles of articles should be in Roman text and titles of books in italics. The titles should be written exactly as they appears in the work cited except that article titles should have only the first word capitalized, and they should end with a period. Journal names are italicized and abbreviated (with periods after each abbreviated word) according to common usage; refer to Index Medicus (PubMed) for details. Volume numbers appear in bold. For book citations, the publisher and city of publication are required; include the country (and state for US) for lesser-known cities or where any ambiguity is possible (e.g., John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA, 2003; MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA).
The following examples demonstrate correct reference style:
Journal articles:
Fairbairn, J.W. & Muhtadi, F.J. Biosynthesis and metabolism of anthraquinones in Rumex obtusifolius. Phytochemistry 11, 215-219 (1972).
Kashuba, A.D. et al. Effect of fluvoxamine therapy on the activities of CYP1A2, CYP2D6, and CYP3A as determined by phenotyping. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 64, 257-268 (1998).
Books:
Eisen, H.N. Immunology: An Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Principles of the Immune Response 5th edn. (Harper & Row, New York, 1974).
Articles in books:
Weinstein, L. & Schwartz, M.N. Pathogenic properties of invading microorganisms. In Pathologic Physiology: Mechanisms of Disease (Sodeman, W.A. Jr. & Sodeman, W.A., eds) 457-473 (W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1974).
Figures
Figures should be labeled sequentially, numbered and cited in the text. If a table, figure or any other previously published material is included, 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. The original source should be cited.
Top of pageFigure legends
Legends should be brief and specific, and should appear on a separate manuscript page after the Reference section.
Top of pageGuidelines for figures and artwork
Detailed guidelines for submitting figures and artwork can be found at: http://www.nature.com/aj/artworkguidelines.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.
Top of pageFigures in print [color charges may apply]
Minimum Resolutions:
- Halftone images 300 dpi (dots per inch)
- Color images 300 dpi saved as CMYK
- Images containing text 400 dpi
- Line art 1000 dpi
Sizes:
- Figure Width - Single Image
86 mm (Should be able to fit into a single column of the printed journal) - Figure Width - Multi-part Image
178 mm (Should be able to fit into a double column of the printed journal) - Text Size
8 point (Should be readable after reduction - avoid large type or thick lines) Line Width between 0.5 and 1 point
Color on the Web
For FREE color figures on the web (only available in the HTML (full text) version of manuscripts), authors should supply separate files in the following format. These files should be submitted as supplementary material and indicated as such in the submission letter.
| For Single Images: | |
| Width | 500 pixels (authors should select "constrain proportions," or equivalent instructions, to allow the application to set the correct proportions automatically.) |
| Resolution | 125 dpi (dots per inch) |
| Format | JPEG for photographs GIF for line drawings or charts |
| File naming | Please save image with .jpg or .gif extension to ensure it can be read by all platforms and graphics packages. |
| For Multi-part Images: | |
| Width | 900 pixels (authors should select "constrain proportions," or equivalent instructions, to allow the application to set the correct height automatically.) |
| Resolution | 125 dpi (dots per inch) |
| Format | JPEG for photographs GIF for line drawings or charts |
| File naming | Please save image with .jpg or .gif extension to ensure it can be read by all platforms and graphics packages. |
Top of page
Tables
Each table should be double-spaced on a separate sheet and numbered consecutively in the order of first citation in the text. Minimize empty space. Supply a brief title for each, but place explanatory matter in the footnotes (not in the heading). Do not use internal horizontal and vertical lines.
Top of pageJournal style
Papers should be prepared as follows:
- See the artwork guidelines for information on labeling of figures
- Do not make rules thinner than 1 pt (0.36mm)
- Use a coarse hatching pattern rather than shading for tints in graphs
- Color should be distinct when used as an identifying tool
- Use SI units throughout
- Commas, not spaces, should be used to separate thousands
- Abbreviations should be preceded by the words for which they stand in the first instance of use
- Text should be double-spaced with a 1 inch margin
- At first mention of a manufacturer, the city (and state if USA) and country should be provided
File Formats
File formats are provided on the online forms. Please use a common word-processing package (such as Microsoft Word*) for the text. Tables should be provided at the end of the Word document.
*Microsoft 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
- Select the Office Button in the upper left corner of the Word 2007 Window and choose "Save As"
- Select "Word 97-2003 Document"
- Enter a file name and select "Save"
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:
- Select "Object" on the "Text" section of the "Insert" tab
- In the drop-down menu - select "Equation Editor 3.0"
Do not use the "Equation" button in the "Symbols" section of the "Insert" tab.
Top of pageSupplementary material
Supplementary material 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 include data files, graphics, movies or extensive tables. The printed article must be complete and self-explanatory without the supplementary information. Supplementary material must be supplied to the editorial office in its final form for peer review. On acceptance, the final version of the peer-reviewed supplementary material should be submitted with the accepted paper. To ensure that the contents of the supplementary material 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.
Supplementary material charges
Supplementary material may be included online at a rate of $125 per file.
Supplementary material files
Authors should ensure that supplementary material is supplied in its FINAL format because it is not copy edited and will appear online exactly as originally submitted. It cannot be altered, nor new supplementary material added, after the paper has been accepted for publication. Please supply the supplementary material through the electronic manuscript submission and tracking system, in an acceptable file format (see below). Authors should include a text summary (no more than 50 words) to describe the contents of each file; identify the types of files (file formats) submitted and include the text 'Supplementary Material is linked to the online version of the paper at http://www.nature.com/mi' at the end of the body of text (before Acknowledgments, if any, and Disclosure).
Accepted file formats
Quick Time files (.mov), graphical image files (.gif), HTML files (.html), MPEG movie files (.mpg), JPEG image files (.jpg), sound files (.wav), plain ASCII text (.txt), Acrobat files (.pdf), MS Word documents (.doc), Postscript files (.ps), MS Excel spreadsheet documents (.xls) and PowerPoint files (.ppt). 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 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 material, use a 256-color palette. Please consider the use of lower specification for all of these points if the supplementary material 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 material should be directed to the editorial office.
Top of pagePublication charges (Do not apply to invited authors)
Page charges
Manuscripts accepted for publication in Mucosal Immunology will incur page charges to cover, in part, the cost of publication. A charge of $35 will be issued for each journal page.
Color charges
Authors will be expected to contribute towards the cost of publication of color figures. A quote will be supplied upon acceptance of your paper. Charges are $550 per figure.
Upon acceptance authors must fill in the color artwork form available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mi.
Offprints
Offprints may be ordered using the order form available for download with the proofs.
Top of pageSubmission and publication
Submission of papers
Please visit the online submission page http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mi to submit a manuscript.
License to publish
The corresponding author must complete and sign the License 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 License to Publish form can be found under "Instructions & Forms" on the online submission page: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mi.
The Society for Mucosal Immunology does not require authors of original research papers to assign copyright of their published contributions. Authors grant the Society for Mucosal Immunology an exclusive license to publish, in return for which they can re-use their papers in their future printed work. 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 to the research they fund, and strongly encourages authors to participate in such efforts.
Advance online publication
All original articles and reviews 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 by fax within 48 hours of receipt. Failure to do so may result in a delay to publication. Extensive corrections cannot be made at this stage.
Top of pageContact information
Editorial
For all business regarding manuscripts and peer review, please contact: Mucosal Immunology, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA Tel: +1 434 977 5494. Fax: +1 434 977 5494
Managing Editor: Taylor Bowen mi@nature.com
Business matters
All business correspondence and enquiries should be addressed to: Mucosal Immunology, Nature Publishing Group, The Macmillan Building, 4 Crinan Street, London, N1 9XW, UK. Tel: +44 207 833 4000. Fax: +44 207 843 4839
Executive Editor: Allison Lang a.lang@nature.com
Assistant Editor: Emma Greenwood emma.greenwood@nature.com
