| The following instructions for submitting to
Acta Crystallographica Section C
are organized in
question-and-answer format. You can read through the questions in
order, or click on any of the questions to jump directly to the answer.
When you're ready to continue, go back to the submissions
home page. Context sensitive help is available throughout the submission procedure by holding your mouse over underlined text in the submission forms or by clicking on the help icons ![[info]](http://www.iucr.org/iucr-top/logos/info.gif){kind=small} Please note: These instructions should be read together with the Notes for Authors, which give overall guidelines on submitting an article. Getting started
Getting started How do I begin submitting an article? When you are ready to submit an article and have all the necessary items ready, you should go to the submissions home page to start the process. To submit your article, you will be asked to provide information on your submission, to upload your article, structure factors and graphics files, and to select a Co-editor. The process is reasonably self-explanatory, and detailed help is provided along the way. Back to contents What should I have ready before starting a new submission? Before you begin submitting, you should have the following items ready:
Note that if you wish to submit a covering letter, it may be pasted into the form at Stage 5 of the submission, or uploaded using the contact co-editor tab at Stage 7 of the submission. In addition, it may be useful to identify, in advance, Co-editors who you would prefer to handle your article. Back to contents What does the overall submission and review procedure involve? The overall procedure involves seven stages:
Submission and review What kinds of file may I submit? The files should be prepared for submission according to the Notes for Authors; the files that we will require are as follows: WORD or OpenOffice submissions:
Once you have uploaded all your files, you should CONTINUE to the next stage. All files will be automatically converted into a PDF review document by the submission system. This document will also include checkCIF and duplication reports. CIF submissions:
Once you have uploaded all your files, you should CONTINUE to the next stage. All files will be automatically converted into a PDF review document by the submission system. In addition to your article, this document will also include checkCIF and duplication reports. Back to contents How do I create and pre-check my CIF? Guidelines for the preparation and editing of your CIF, the data items required therein, standard data codes and keywords, CIF templates, example CIFs, and data-validation criteria and procedures are available from an online CIF help page. A free CIF editor (publCIF) is available for preparing and editing your CIF. Most standard crystallographic packages will generate CIFs suitable for submission. In cases where this is not possible, or if you wish to generate CIFs to a standard pattern, templates are provided for the preparation of single-crystal and powder CIFs. Once you have created your CIF, you should pre-check it using the checkcif service at http://journals.iucr.org/services/cif/checkcif.html. Any reported problems with the submitted data will need to be corrected before submission. If the report contains validation alerts about the consistency, adequacy or quality of the data, these will need to be addressed, or, if there are specific valid or unavoidable reasons for these alerts, the validation response form (VRF) supplied by checkcif must be completed and included in the submitted CIF, preferably with the addition of appropriate explanatory text in the published experimental section of the CIF. For CIF submissions, it is also recommended that you preview your CIF before submission using the printcif service at http://journals.iucr.org/services/cif/printcif.html. Back to contents Should I use a template to prepare my article? For WORD submissions, you should prepare your article using the templates available from http://journals.iucr.org/services/wordstyle.html. If you include any experimental or geometry tables, these should be prepared using the Table Tools menu in the template. Graphics should not be included in WORD files as they will be appended by the submission system. Back to contents How do I prepare an enhanced figure? A toolkit is available which allows you to create one or more enhanced figures and their corresponding static figures.
This application uses the CIF for your structure to produce a figure
which you can manipulate as required. You may use the toolkit
before submission by clicking
here. Alternatively, during the submission process, you may
create an enhanced figure directly from your uploaded CIF.
An example of an enhanced figure which has been prepared in this way is
Machado et al. [Acta Cryst. (2008), C64, m233-m236].
Back to contents How do I prepare figures and chemical schemes? A set of guidelines for preparing figures is available. You should prepare figures and chemical structure diagrams in HPGL, PostScript, encapsulated PostScript or TIFF format. The resolution of bitmap graphics should be a minimum of 600 d.p.i. at 8.8 cm width. You should provide a chemical structural diagram (a typical example is shown below) for molecular compounds. You are also encouraged to submit chemical connectivity (CDX, CML, MOL, SDF, SMI) files for all reported structures (see below for more information).  A labelled ellipsoid diagram is required for each species in a structural report. You are also encouraged to supply additional figures, e.g. packing diagrams. Back to contents Should I submit supplementary data? A separate structure factor or Rietveld data file in CIF format should be submitted for each structure reported. Additional supplementary material may also be submitted; for a full list of allowed file types, click here. Chemical connectivity (CDX, CML, MOL, SDF, SMI) files are particularly welcome (see below for more information). Back to contents Should I submit chemical connectivity files? A chemical connectivity (CDX, CML, MOL, SDF, SMI) file should be submitted for each reported structure. These files will be made available as part of the supplementary materials for each article and will be used to provide InChI (International Chemical Identifier) keys for the article, making the structures easier to find in the chemical literature. Back to contents What do I need to do about copyright? When the files for your article have been successfuly uploaded, you will be asked to confirm that you agree to transfer of copyright of your article. If for any reason you are unable to transfer copyright, you should fill out the reasons for this in the space provided on the copyright page. If you have any questions about copyright, please contact support@iucr.org. Back to contents Where should I put my response to a review of my article? You should generally respond to review comments by e-mailing the Co-editor handling your article using the contact co-editor tab on the article review page; if your article has been revised it should also be re-uploaded at this stage, see below. Short responses to review comments may be pasted or typed into the space provided at the foot of the upload revision tab. Back to contents How do I submit a revised article? To upload a revised version of your article following review comments, you should use the web address supplied to you during the initial submission procedure. The Co-editor will instruct you as to which files they require to be revised. In some circumstances, the Co-editor may elect to revise your article and ask you to view the revised article at the web address for your article. Revised graphics files and supplementary materials may also be requested at this stage. If figures need to be renumbered as a result of the revisions, use the change ordering of figures button to renumber the figures. Please note: revisions should be submitted only at the specific request of the Co-editor handling your article. Back to contents Getting help What are some common pitfalls I should avoid?
What tools are available to help prepare my article? A number of tools are available to help with the preparation of your article:
What if the Co-editor I wish to submit to is unavailable? If you have a preference for a particular Co-editor, and that Co-editor is not available when you submit your article, you should, before selecting a Co-editor, contact support@iucr.org to see when the Co-editor will next be available. Likewise, if you wish to submit a series of related papers to the same Co-editor, please contact support@iucr.org before starting your submissions. Back to contents What is an IUCr ID? Your IUCr ID is your user name for all IUCr online services. The International Union of Crystallography has brought several of its online services for users, including the World Directory of Crystallographers and e-mail alerting for IUCr journals (Crystallography Journals Online), under a single registration system. With this system, each user needs to register information such as their name and e-mail address only once, and can simply and easily keep their own information up to date. Registration is simple, with only a small amount of information required, although users who wish to be included in the World Directory of Crystallographers should provide contact and biographical information that is as complete as possible. Once registered, each user may use their IUCr ID and password at any time, for instance to log in to update their details for the World Directory of Crystallographers, to change e-mail addresses and the e-mail alerts received at each address. If you are already registered (if you are already in the World Directory of Crystallographers), click here to search for your IUCr ID. Back to contentsWhat should I do if I do not have the e-mail address of a co-author? During submission you will be asked to provide e-mail addresses for all authors. These addresses will be used to inform your co-authors that the article has been submitted. In some cases, e.g. where a co-author is a student who is no longer at your institution, it may be difficult to provide an e-mail address. If you are unable to find an address for a coauthor, you may substitute your e-mail address when filling out the form at Stage 2 of the submission. Back to contents What should I do if I get stuck? You will find detailed help links throughout the submission
pages, and you can use any of these links without stopping the
submission. If you are having more serious problems, you should contact
support@iucr.org. Back to contents |