Author responsibilities

A large number of papers are published each year; therefore it is important that each publication follows a production schedule. As an author you have significant input into the process and therefore your cooperation is vital in ensuring that papers publish to schedule.

Your main responsibility during the production process is to respond to the copy-editor’s queries, and check your proofs after your manuscript has been typeset (and after any subsequent revisions).

If any queries cannot be resolved at this stage, then these will be added to the proofs. You will also be sent editor queries and a draft headline and keywords.

Once copy-editing is complete, a PDF file of the proofs will be emailed to you for checking. 

Please read everything carefully, and pay particular attention to the following:

• Keywords – Please check that the keywords are appropriate and approve or amend as necessary.
• The layout of the tables
• Line figures (diagrams) – these are redrawn by an illustrator so please check they are accurate.
• Special symbols or fonts that may have been used (for example Greek letters, symbols, subscripts, superscripts, italics, bold, chemical formulae, mathematical equations).

Queries that arose during copy-editing or proofreading are listed in a PDF file. 

All queries must be answered.

Mark all text corrections clearly.

If you have very few and very minor changes, they may be listed in a Word file attachment and returned, by email, along with your answers to queries. Corrections must be described clearly by specifying page and line numbers.

Alternatively, and again only for very few and very minor changes, you may add corrections and comments to the PDF file and return the edited file by email. All PDF files supplied as first and/or revised proofs should be editable with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

We recommend that you make a copy of the corrected proof, for reference in any further correspondence concerning your report.