ILLUSTRATIONS AND TABLES

Image Manipulation

Computer-generated images may be processed only minimally. Processing (e.g., changing contrast, brightness, or color balance) is acceptable only if applied to all parts of the image, as well as to the controls, equally, and descriptions of all such adjustments and the tools used (both hardware and software) must be provided in the manuscript. Unprocessed data and files must be retained by the authors and be provided to the editor on request.

Illustrations

To acknowledge a shift in readership and subscriptions from the print journals to the online publications, starting in 2009, the online version will be considered the journal of record for JCM and all other ASM journals. This change means that RGB (red, green, blue) color space will now be the preferred format for authors’ color files. The switch to RGB color will enable the online journals to reproduce scientific data with more accuracy and detail than is possible in a printed version. The RGB color space is the native color space of computer monitors and of most of the equipment and software used to capture scientific data, and it can display a wider range of colors (especially bright fluorescent hues) than the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color space used by print devices that put ink (or toner) on paper.

The print version of the journal (and reprints) must still use CMYK colors. CMYK versions of color illustrations will be created automatically from the supplied RGB versions by ASM's print provider. Figure color in the print journal may not match that in the online journal of record because of the smaller range of colors capable of being reproduced by CMYK inks on a printing press. For additional information on RGB versus CMYK color, refer to the Cadmus digital art site, http://art.cadmus.com/da/guidelines_rgb.jsp.

File types and formats. Illustrations may be continuous-tone images, line drawings, or composites. Color graphics may be submitted, but the cost of printing in color must be borne by the author. Suggestions about how to reduce costs and ensure accurate color reproduction are given below.

Illustrations may be supplied as PDF files for reviewing purposes only on initial submission; in fact, we recommend this option to minimize file upload time. At the modification stage, production quality digital figure files must be submitted. All graphics submitted with modified manuscripts must be bitmap, grayscale, or in the RGB (preferred) or CMYK color mode. Halftone images (those with various densities or shades) must be grayscale, not bitmap. JCM accepts TIFF or EPS files but discourages PowerPoint for either black-and-white or color images. Note that all figures submitted in RGB or CMYK color will be processed as color and that you will incur color figure charges. If you submit a single PowerPoint file containing multiple figures, it is important to ensure that each individual figure is saved in the color format (bitmap, grayscale, or RGB) in which you intend it to be published.

For instructions on creating acceptable EPS and TIFF files, refer to the Cadmus digital art website, http://art.cadmus.com/da/index.jsp. PowerPoint requires users to pay close attention to the fonts used in their images (see the section on fonts below). If instructions for fonts are not followed exactly, images prepared for publication are subject to missing characters, improperly converted characters, or shifting/obscuring of elements or text in the figure. For proper font use in PowerPoint images, refer to the Cadmus digital art website, http://art.cadmus.com/da/instructions/ppt_disclaimer.jsp.

We strongly recommend that before returning their modified manuscripts, authors check the acceptability of their digital images for production by running their files through Rapid Inspector, a tool provided at the following URL: http://rapidinspector.cadmus.com/RapidInspector/zmw/index.jsp. Rapid Inspector is an easy-to-use, Web-based application that identifies file characteristics that may render the image unusable for production.

If you require additional information, please send an e-mail inquiry to digitalart{at}cadmus.com.

Minimum resolution. It is extremely important that a high enough resolution is used. All separate images that you import into a figure file must be at the correct resolution before they are placed. (For instance, placing a 72-dpi image in a 300-dpi EPS file will not result in the placed image meeting the minimum requirements for file resolution.) Note, however, that the higher the resolution, the larger the file and the longer the upload time. Publication quality will not be improved by using a resolution higher than the minimum. Minimum resolutions are as follows:

• 300 dpi for grayscale and color
• 600 dpi for combination art (lettering and images)
• 1,200 dpi for line art

Size. All graphics should be submitted at their intended publication size; that is, the image uploaded should be 100% of its print dimensions so that no reduction or enlargement is necessary. Resolution must be at the required level at the submitted size. Include only the significant portion of an illustration. White space must be cropped from the image, and excess space between panel labels and the image must be eliminated.

• Maximum width for a 1-column figure: 3 inches (ca. 8.4 cm)
• Maximum width for a 2-column figure: 6 inches (ca. 17.4 cm)
• Minimum width for a 2-column figure: 4 inches (10.8 cm)
• Maximum height: 9 inches (23.0 cm)

Contrast. Illustrations must contain sufficient contrast to be viewed easily on a monitor or on the printed page.

Labeling and assembly. All final lettering, labeling, and tooling, etc., must be incorporated into the figures. It cannot be added at a later date. If a figure number is included, it must appear well outside the boundaries of the image itself. (Numbering may need to be changed at the copyediting stage.) Each figure must be uploaded as a separate file, and any multipanel figures must be assembled into one file; i.e., rather than uploading a separate file for each panel in a figure, assemble all panels in one piece and supply them as one file.

Fonts. To avoid font problems, set all type in one of the following fonts: Arial, Helvetica, Times Roman, European PI, Mathematical PI, or Symbol. Courier may be used but should be limited to nucleotide or amino acid sequences, where a nonproportional (monospace) font is required. All fonts other than these must be converted to paths (or outlines) in the application with which they were created. For proper font use in PowerPoint images, refer to the Cadmus digital art website, http://art.cadmus.com/da/instructions/ppt_disclaimer.jsp.

Compression. Images created with Macintosh applications may be compressed with Stuffit. Images created with Windows applications may be compressed with WinZip or PKZIP.

Color illustrations. The cost of printing in color must be borne by the author. For accepted manuscripts, the total cost of the color will be included in the acceptance letter sent out by ASM. For current per figure color costs, see "Publication Charges." Adherence to the following guidelines, in addition to the general ones below, will help to minimize costs and to ensure color reproduction that is as accurate as possible.

To maximize online reproduction, color illustrations should be supplied in the RGB color mode, as either (i) RGB TIFF images with a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch (raster files, consisting of pixels) or (ii) Illustrator-compatible EPS files with RGB color elements (vector files, consisting of lines, fonts, fills, and images). Color illustrations may also be supplied in the CMYK color mode; other than in color space, CMYK files must meet the same production criteria as RGB files.

Drawings. Submit graphs, charts, complicated chemical or mathematical formulas, diagrams, and other drawings as finished products not requiring additional artwork or typesetting. All elements, including letters, numbers, and symbols, must be easily readable, and both axes of a graph must be labeled. Keep in mind that the journal is published both in print and online and that the same electronic files submitted by the authors are used to produce both.

When creating line art, please use the following guidelines:

1. All art must be submitted at its intended publication size. For acceptable dimensions, see "Size" above.
   
2. Avoid using screens (i.e., shading) in line art. It can be difficult and time-consuming to reproduce these images without moiré patterns. Various pattern backgrounds are preferable to screens as long as the patterns are not imported from another application. If you must use images containing screens,
   1. Generate the image at line screens of 85 lines per inch or lower.
      
   2. When applying multiple shades of gray, differentiate the gray levels by at least 20%.
      
   3. Never use levels of gray below 20% or above 70% as they will fade out or become totally black upon scanning and reduction.
      
3. Use thick, solid lines that are no finer than 1 point in thickness.
   
4. No type should be smaller than 6 points at the final publication size.
   
5. Avoid layering type directly over shaded or textured areas.
   
6. Avoid the use of reversed type (white lettering on a black background).
   
7. Avoid heavy letters, which tend to close up, and unusual symbols, which the printer may not be able to reproduce in the legend.
   
8. If colors are used, avoid using similar shades of the same color and avoid very light colors.
   

In figure ordinate and abscissa scales (as well as table column headings), avoid the ambiguous use of numbers with exponents. Usually, it is preferable to use the appropriate Système International d’Unités (SI) symbols (µ for 10–6, m for 10–3, k for 103, and M for 106, etc.). A complete listing of SI symbols can be found in the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) publication Quantities, Units and Symbols in Physical Chemistry (RSC Publishing, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 2007); an abbreviated list is available at http://www.old.iupac.org/reports/1993/homann/index.html. Thus, a representation of 20,000 cpm on a figure ordinate should be made by the number 20 accompanied by the label kcpm.

When powers of 10 must be used, the journal requires that the exponent power be associated with the number shown. In representing 20,000 cells per ml, the numeral of the ordinate would be "2" and the label would be "104 cells per ml" (not "cells per ml x 10–4"). Likewise, an enzyme activity of 0.06 U/ml would be shown as 6 accompanied by the label 10–2 U/ml. The preferred designation would be 60 mU/ml (milliunits per milliliter).

Presentation of Nucleic Acid Sequences

Long nucleic acid sequences must be presented as figures in the following format to conserve space. Print the sequence in lines of approximately 100 to 120 nucleotides in a nonproportional (monospace) font that is easily legible when published with a line length of 6 inches (ca. 15.2 cm). If possible, lines of nucleic acid sequence should be further subdivided into blocks of 10 or 20 nucleotides by spaces within the sequence or by marks above it. Uppercase and lowercase letters may be used to designate the exon-intron structure or transcribed regions, etc., if the lowercase letters remain legible at a 6-inch (ca. 15.2-cm) line length. Number the sequence line by line; place numerals, representing the first base of each line, to the left of the lines. Minimize spacing between lines of sequence, leaving room only for annotation of the sequence. Annotation may include boldface, underlining, brackets, and boxes, etc. Encoded amino acid sequences may be presented, if necessary, immediately above or below the first nucleotide of each codon, by using the single-letter amino acid symbols. Comparisons of multiple nucleic acid sequences should conform as nearly as possible to the same format.

Figure Legends

Legends should provide enough information so that the figure is understandable without frequent reference to the text. However, detailed experimental methods must be described in the Materials and Methods section, not in a figure legend. A method that is unique to one of several experiments may be reported in a legend only if the discussion is very brief (one or two sentences). Define all symbols used in the figure and define all abbreviations that are not used in the text.

Tables

Tables that contain artwork, chemical structures, or shading must be submitted as illustrations in an acceptable format at the modification stage. The preferred format for regular tables is MS Word; however, WordPerfect and Acrobat PDF are also acceptable. Note that a straight Excel file is not currently an acceptable format. Excel files must be either embedded in a Word or WordPerfect document or converted to PDF before being uploaded. If your modified manuscript contains PDF tables, select "for reviewing purposes only" at the beginning of the file upload process.

Tables should be formatted as follows. Arrange the data so that columns of like material read down, not across. The headings should be sufficiently clear so that the meaning of the data is understandable without reference to the text. See the "Abbreviations" section (below) of these Instructions for those that should be used in tables. Explanatory footnotes are acceptable, but more-extensive table "legends" are not. Footnotes should not include detailed descriptions of the experiment. Tables must include enough information to warrant table format; those with fewer than six pieces of data will be incorporated into the text by the copy editor. Table 1 is an example of a well-constructed table.

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