Guide to Authors

The full Molecular Psychiatry Author Instructions provide details on manuscript preparation, manuscript formatting, manuscript submission, and editorial policies.

To view the full Molecular Psychiatry Authors Instructions, please click here.

REVISED LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY: Please refer to the Instructions for Authors before submitting your manuscript. Effective October 2013, Molecular Psychiatry no longer accepts original data papers submitted as Letters to the Editor. For questions, please contact the journal office.

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

For optimum performance, your browser should be either Netscape 4.7 or above, or Internet Explorer 5.0 and above. Make 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 system
When 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 next to a "Manuscript" link. Throughout the system, red arrows reflect pending action items which you should address. If there are no red arrows visible on your Home page, then you are finished and have no outstanding tasks to complete. At any time please press HOME to go to the submission home page.

'What you'll need'
You will need to have the following details for all authors to submit your paper online. Items in parenthesis are not essential for co-authors:

• Email Addresses
• First and Last Names
• Institution
• (Full Postal Address)
• (Work Telephone Numbers)
• Fax Numbers

• Covering letter (including Conflict of Interest statement)
• Title and Running Title (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript
• Abstract (you can copy and paste this from your manuscript)
• Manuscript files in Word, WordPerfect, text or any RTF format
• Figures/Images in external files in TIFF or JPEG, in RGB format
• Tables in Excel (preferred) as separate files or embedded at the end of the manuscript file

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:

1. The 'Files' primary task allows you to select the actual file locations (via an open file dialogue). You will be able to 'Browse' for the relevant files on your computer. Please include the figure number in the title line for each figure. On the completion screen, you will be asked to specify the order in which you want the individual files to appear in the merged document. Editors and/or reviewers will also be able to look at the individual PDF files if necessary. For more information on accepted file types, view the Artwork Guidelines PDF.
2. The 'Manuscript Information' primary task asks for author details, the manuscript title, abstract, other associated manuscript information and types/number of files to be submitted. Please note, if you are the corresponding author please submit your details in the corresponding author fields; DO NOT re-enter the same details in the contributing author fields. For more information on Page Charges, please refer to the “Costs” section within the Instructions for Authors before submitting your manuscript.
3. The 'Validate' primary task gives you the opportunity to check and verify the manuscript files and manuscript information uploaded. If you are submitting manuscript files separately, we create a merged PDF containing your manuscript text, figures and tables to simplify the handling of your paper. You will need to approve the merged PDF file, and a PDF or any other file not included in the merge, to submit your manuscript. You may also update and/or change manuscript files and manuscript information by clicking on the 'Change' or 'Fix' links respectively.
4. The 'Submit' primary task is the last step in the manuscript submission process. At this stage the Manuscript Tracking System will perform a final check to ensure that all mandatory fields have been completed. Any incomplete fields will be flagged by a red arrow and highlighted by a red box. Click on the 'Fix' link to return to relevant section for completion. Once your manuscript has been finalized, click on the 'Approve Submission' button to submit your manuscript for consideration. A 'Manuscript Approved' message will display on your author desktop to confirm the submission.

Conflict of interest
It is essential that you note whether or not there is any conflict of interest in the submission form. This does not act as a substitute for the information that must be provided in the manuscript. See the Conflict of Interest documentation in the Editorial Policy section for detailed information.

Six preferred reviewers
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable independent reviewers and may also request that the journal excludes one or two individuals or laboratories. It is at the editor's discretion to determine the choice of referees and these decisions are final.

Submitting additional files
For more information on submitting figure files and tables, please refer to the artwork guidelines PDF.

Saving files with Microsoft Office 2007
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”

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"

Adobe Acrobat
Best results are achieved if you have access to Adobe Acrobat Reader (6.0 or above). The program is FREE and is downloadable from the link here. (Once the download is complete, you should amend the default settings. Select: Edit - Preferences - Web Capture, and select Open Web links: In Acrobat. This will open PDF files in Acrobat Reader rather than in your browser. The amendment will not affect functionality of either Acrobat Reader or your browser.) If the site replicates your details on screen, then your paper was successfully submitted. Once the files are submitted, the system will convert them to PDF. The conversion process can take up to 10 minutes before the PDF is ready for approval. Please note the manuscript will not move to the next stage and progress to the editorial office until you have approved the converted files.

Getting help
If you need additional help, you can click on help signs available throughout the system and a box will appear with context sensitive help. If further assistance is required, then please contact the Platform Support Helpdesk.

Manuscript status
After your manuscript is approved, you will receive an email acknowledgement. You can check the manuscript’s status at any time in the review process by:

1. Accessing the system with your password or via the link provided in the acknowledgement email.
2. Clicking on the link represented by your manuscript tracking number and abbreviated title on your homepage.
3. Clicking on the "Check Status" link at the bottom of the displayed page.

Please press HOME to continue. document.title="Molecular Psychiatry";