print friendlyInstructions for authorsEditor: Professor J. F. Knott, FRS, FREngContributions to the journal should now be submitted onlineat See below for details of the file requirements, etc.Click here to download an Endnotes style file for this journal.Click here to download a .bst file to format LaTeX bibliographies.Scope and types of contributionMaterials Science and Technology is an international forum for the publication of refereed contributions covering both fundamental and technological aspects of the properties, characterisation and modelling, processing, and fabrication of engineering materials. The journal has a particular interest in the continuum from understanding and modelling of process routes leading to the generation of microstructure, through characterisation, understanding and modelling of how microstructure is controlled and manipulated, to the modelling, control and prediction of relevant engineering properties. 'Microstructure' is shorthand for nano/micro/meso/macrostructure, provided that 'structure' is identified at the appropriate size scale. 'Properties' may be electrical, mechanical, electronic, chemical, magnetic, thermal, optical, or biochemically related.Contributions addressing any part of the continuum in an insightful manner, whatever the material system, are invited. What is important is that an attempt is made to relate 'properties' back to effects of'microstructure'.Manuscripts are considered on the understanding that they present original work that has not been submitted elsewhere or previously published in the same or essentially similar form. Authors must sign a declaration that this is so.Accepted papers are fast track published online, with a DOI for citation purposes, once proof corrections and a copyright transfer form are received.Types of contribution include:∙papers reporting research and practice, typically 3500 words in length plus figures and tables∙short communications, providing a rapid publication route for preliminary announcements of the results of current work, or short accounts of new techniques, typically 1000-1500 words in length with, at most, four figures and/or tables∙perspectives, personal assessments of the current state of a field with a view to its future, selecting important current issues and indicating how the field may develop and the progress required to facilitate this. Informed speculation and well arguedunconventional views are encouraged, with the aim of stimulating discussion: 2000-3000 words in length, plus selected references and illustrations∙critical assessments/reviews/overviews: should deal with their subject in a broad perspective, examining the current positioncritically and comprehensively: typically 4000-5000 words plusfigures and tables, and well referenced.Prospective authors of perspectives, critical assessments, reviews, or overviews should, in the first instance, submit an abstract for consideration and comment.Conditions of submissionBy submitting to Materials Science & Technology, authors acknowledge and accept that papers are considered for publication on the basis:1. that the paper presents original work that is not being considered or reviewed by any other publication, and has not been published elsewhere in the same or a similar form2. that all authors are aware of, and have consented to, the submission of the paper to Materials Science & Technology3. that due regard has been paid to ethical considerations relating to the work reported4. that the paper contains no libellous or unlawful statements.CopyrightAuthors will be required, before publication, to transfer copyright of their article to the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (this condition may be waived if Crown (or equivalent) copyright is involved and a licence to publish given). Authors are responsible for obtainingpermission to reproduce any material or illustrations for which they do not hold the copyright. Under Maney's standard agreement, authors reserve:1. all proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights;2. the rights to use all or part of the article in future works of their own.Under Maney's open access policy, authors will receive a PDF file of the published version of their paper. This PDF may be forwarded to co-authors without separate permission being required from the publisher. The PDF cannot be used for commercial purposes. Materials Science and Technology must be cited as the original source of publication and a linkto /content/maney/mst included with any listing. This PDF may be posted, with appropriate acknowledgement of source and copyright, on authors' individual websites or that of their institution. Authors are entitled to make copies of the article for reasonable personal use only.Submission procedure and file requirementsArticles must be submitted online at .If you have not already done so, you will need to register to obtain a username and password. (Select the 'REGISTER' option from the main navigation bar at the top of the homepage.)Information on the submission procedure is provided online, but you will be asked to provide the information and files listed below.Failure to conform to these requirements may delay typesetting and publication of your paper. Authors will be asked to submit their work according to the requirements of the journal.For an initial submission you must upload:∙ a Word file containing the complete paper∙OR a Word file containing the text, references, tables and figure captions plus an individual file of each figure, prepared to the specification laid out below.You will be asked to input separately the title, abstract and keywords for the article and contact details for all authors. This information may be cut and pasted.You must also download, complete and return the author agreement.Supplementary information such as datasets, animations, models or videos must be submitted offline, but you will need to indicate that an item of this type is being included in the submission.When submitting a revised article you must upload:∙ a text file containing the revised text, references, tables and figure captions, prepared to the specification described below.This file must not include graphics. The preferred file format is Word (.doc) or rich text format (.rtf), but Word-compatible word processor files (e.g. .wpd) and LaTeX2e files will also usually be acceptable∙ a separate image file of each figure. Ensure that figures will be legible and comprehensible at final size and are of sufficiently high resolution (see guidelines below). Permitted file formats are TIFF (.tif), JPEG (.jpg) and EPS (.eps).∙ a response to the referees' comments, as a Word or PDF file.It is not necessary to upload, for a second time, files that were uploaded with the initial submission and have not been altered.Formatting and style guidelinesFormatting of manuscriptIn preparing the manuscript as a Word or rtf file, there is no need to format the article to a specific template, but please include italic or bold type where necessary.Use hard returns at the end of paragraphs only; switch autohyphenation off; and do not justify text.Consistency in spacing, punctuation, and spelling is essential. The journal uses UK and 'ise' spellings, e.g. 'characterise' rather than 'characterize'.Tables should be included within the manuscript file, not provided as separate files. Use Word Table mode, not tabs or spaces between columns. Do not provide tables as image files.Equations should be produced using Word Equation EditorStructure of submissionThe submitted manuscript must contain:∙ a title page giving full contact details for all authors. Pages should be numbered consecutively with the title page as page 1 ∙an abstract of no more than 150 words, giving a concise summary of the aims, content, and conclusions∙up to six keywords to be used for indexing purposes∙list of symbols (if appropriate)∙text: section and subsection headings should be clearly differentiated, using a structured numbering system if necessary (note that this numbering is to guide typesetting and will notappear in the printed version)∙appendices (if any)∙acknowledgements (if any)∙references (see below)∙ a list of figure captions. Each figure should have a caption that is intelligible without reference to the text; discussion offigures should appear in the text of the paper, not the caption.Where appropriate, scales or magnifications must be provided ∙tables.Style guidelinesUse of SI units is mandatory. Journal style is to use the form S m-1, A m-2, W m-1 K-1, not S/m, A/m2, W/m.K.The full form of any abbreviation or acronym should be given in the text when the term is first used. Do not use full points within abbreviations (e.g. SEM, XPS).Be careful not to use the same symbol to represent more than one variable. Ensure that Greek symbols are clear and that similar characters, e.g. the letter 'el' and the number 'one' and the letter 'oh' and the number 'zero', are clearly distinguished and used consistently. A list of symbols should be provided if helpful to the reader.Figures should be cited in a single sequence throughout the text as 'Fig.1', 'Fi g.2', …Equations and tables should also be numbered in sequence and referred to in the text as, for example, 'equation (1)' and 'Table 1' respectively.Important note on equations in Word 2007: equations generated in Word 2007 cannot be used for typesetting because they are stored as images (unlike in previous versions of Word). Papers that include equations must be prepared in Word 2007 compatibility mode (as described below) or in an earlier version of Word, or using the MathType package to set the equations.Compatibility mode must be used from the outset to typeset equations; it is not possible to convert equations retrospectively. To use compatibility mode: (1) Using a new document, turn on compatibility mode by saving as a Word 97-2003 document (use the Office button in the top left corner, select Save As, then choose ‘Word 97-2003 document’ from the dropdown menu when naming the document). (2) It should be possible to paste text (but not equations) into the document without loss of formatting, although some Word 2007 features are not available in compatibility mode. (3) To insert an equation, clickInsert/Object/Microsoft Equation 3.0 to access the equation editor. The editor can be used for both displayed and inline equations, though for single symbols Insert/Symbol may be used. Inline equations must be on one line only. (4) Continue to save the document as a Word 97-2003 document (this should happen automatically once step 1 has been completed).Reference and notes should be numbered serially in a single sequence. Citations in the text should be as superior characters, thus,1,2,4-6outside any punctuation marks. References cited for the first time in a table or figure caption should be numbered as if they appeared in the text where the table or figure is first mentioned. References should be set out in a complete list at the end of the paper, numbered according to their appearance in the text, not positioned as footnotes.All references given must be complete, including all authors where known, and should be verified at source. Click here to download an Endnotes style file for this journal.Journal abbreviations in references follow the ISO system, e.g.R. Sinclair, M. Preuss and P. J. Withers: Mater. Sci. Technol., 2005, 21, 27-34.J.-W. Park, J. M. Vitek, S. S. Babu and S. A. David: Sci. Technol. Weld. Joining, 2004, 9, 472-482.M. M. Stack: Int. Mater. Rev., 2005, 50, 1-18.If the abbreviation is not known, the journal title should be given in full. Where the pagination is not consecutive through the volume, it is essential to give the month or part number.Book references should give full bibliographic details, e.g.H. K. D. H. Bhadeshia: 'Bainite in steels', 2nd edn, 240; 2001, London, IoM Communications.J. V. Wood: in 'Future developments of metals and ceramics', (ed. J. A. Charles et al.), Vol.1, 235-239; 1992, London, The Institute of Materials. Standard texts should not be cited in their entirety: indicate the appropriate page or section.Conference references must include the date, location, and organiser or publisher of the meeting, e.g.M. H. Loretto: Proc. 2nd Int. Conf. on 'Research and development in net shape manufacturing', Birmingham, UK, March 1999, University of Birmingham, Paper 23.Reports, theses, etc. should be presented in the form:R. D. Niel: 'Interfacial structures in intermetallic/steel joints after high temperature service', Report 1131, AVS plc, Huntingdon, UK, 2000.D. Sha: 'Characterisation of melt integrity in injection micromoulding', PhD thesis, Imperial College, London, UK, 2002.IllustrationsAuthors must provide high resolution digital files of all figures to the specification laid out below.Policy on colourBarring the exceptions below, all illustrations must be suitable for reproduction in black and white. Limited use of colour in the printed journal may be possible at the Editors’ discretion: otherwise colour is available in print only if the author is prepared to pay the additional cost of colour reproduction.Colour illustrations will carried free in the online version of the journal, where this enhances the information being presented, provided the figures involved are supplied in the correct electronic format (see below). For these figures, two separate files must be supplied, optimised for black and white and colour reproduction respectively.Conversion of colour figures for greyscale reproductionGraphs with coloured lines and keys, contour maps, model outputs, etc. will not reproduce adequately if converted direct to greyscale. In particular, red and blue convert to similar grey levels and will not be distinguishable. Suitable labelling or reformatting must be used to ensure clarity.Colour photographs will in general convert to greyscale satisfactorily but optimisation for greyscale reproduction may improve the final result.Figure size and legibilityCheck that all labels are correct and free of spelling or numerical errors.In general, figures will be reproduced to single column width (80mm) or page width (168mm).Authors must ensure that the labelling on figures will be legible when reduced to final size. Lettering should be approximately 8pt in size (equivalent to 2mm in height for capital letters) at final width (i.e. figures that are wider before reproduction generally require larger type sizes). Keys must be legible when the figure is reduced to final size.Ensure that curves on multiple plots are clear, in particular that any symbols used on graphs can be distinguished following reduction. Labelling of individual curves may be preferable to keys in these circumstances.Axis labels should be of the form:∙Stress, MPa∙Velocity (v), m s-1∙log(l, nm)Image file formats and resolutionEach figure must be supplied in digital form as a separate, clearly named file.Acceptable file formats are TIFF, JPEG and EPS. If supplying EPS files ensure that all fonts are attached. Figures embedded in Word documents are not suitable for reproduction.Images should be saved at a resolution of at least 600 dpi at final size (dpi=dots or pixels per inch; 600dpi=240 dots per centimetre). Do not save at the default resolution (72dpi).Crop any unwanted white space from around the figure before sizing.Halftones (photographs) should be supplied as greyscale images.Line drawings or diagrams should be scanned as line art or produced to the appropriate resolution using a standard package such as PhotoShop.Diagrams with shaded or toned areas or line/tone figures should be submitted as greyscale images.Colour figures for printing should be provided in CMYK format.Colour figures for online use only should be provided in RGB format. In some instances a reduced resolution of 72dpi at final size may be acceptable for these figures.Supplementary materialSupplementary material such as videos, animations, models or datasets will be accessed via a hyperlink from the online version of the paper. There is not therefore a requirement to use specified file or software formats but be aware of the need to use commonly available platforms and to minimise file size for ease of downloading.Following acceptanceFollowing typesetting, you will receive by email PDF proofs for checking together with a copyright transfer form. It is imperative that authors check proofs carefully, particularly numerical data and equations. All corrections should be returned together within three days of receipt, by email fax or first class post/airmail. Corrections should be kept to a minimum and authors may be asked to bear the cost of excessive changes, other than typesetting errors.Authors will receive a PDF file of the final version of the paper on publication and will be sent details on how to order hard copy reprints with their proofs.Further informationFor further information or clarificationcontact mst.ed@。
