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The Science Contributors FAQ
What kinds of manuscripts does Science consider?Science is interested in a wide range of manuscripts presenting original research and commentary in all areas of science. For original research, the common thread is that the work should reveal novel concepts of broad importance to the scientific community. Categories of papers include Research Articles of up to approximately 4,500 words; Reports of up to 2,500 words; and Brevia, short contributions of about 800 words. Science also publishes brief Technical Comments (approximately 1000 words in length) on research papers that have previously appeared in the journal; these comments are published on the journal's Web site, Science Online, with an abstract in the Letters section of the print version of Science. Technical Comments are considered equivalent to a citation in Science and are indexed on Medline. A variety of material under the general heading of Commentary -- including Editorials, Book Reviews, Education Forums, Policy Forums, Perspectives, and Reviews -- is usually solicited by Science editors, although on occasion the editors will consider unsolicited manuscripts of these types. Brief Letters to the Editor, commenting on previous material in Science or matters of interest to the global scientific community, are welcome. For a more detailed description of the categories of manuscripts we consider, please see our general information for authors. What percentage of submissions does Science accept?Because of the stiff competition for space in the journal, Science now accepts less than 10% of the original research papers submitted. Most submissions are evaluated by the staff editors and our Board of Reviewing Editors for potential significance, quality, and interest. The Board, composed of more than 120 leading scientists worldwide, evaluates manuscripts electronically with a 48-hour turnaround and provides prompt, expert assessment and input into editorial decisions and the selection of reviewers. About 75% of submitted manuscripts are rejected during this initial screening stage, usually within one week to 10 days. Science's editorial staff includes more than 20 editors with Ph.D.'s and postdoctoral training, who have, on average, at least seven years' editorial experience and regularly attend important meetings in their fields of specialization. How fast can Science evaluate my manuscript?Science is committed to speedy evaluation of manuscripts, and our record in this respect in recent years compares favorably with those of major competing publications. For most papers, reviewers are asked to return comments within two weeks; papers that call for particularly rapid assessment, owing to competition or other factors, can often be reviewed within 48 hours or less. Most papers are published within 14 weeks of initial submission, considerably faster than our competition. Through our online publish-before-print program, Science Express, we publish certain papers within ten days to two weeks of acceptance, and in some cases within two weeks of receipt. Will my manuscript remain confidential?Yes. Science treats all submitted manuscripts as confidential documents. Science also instructs and expects our Board of Reviewing Editors and reviewers to treat manuscripts as confidential material. Our peer review process is also confidential, and identities of reviewers are not released. (Letters and Technical Comments are sent to the authors of papers on which they comment for response or rebuttal, but otherwise are treated in the same way as other contributions with respect to confidentiality.) What is Science Express?Under our Science Express program, particularly interesting or topical papers are selected by Science editors for rapid online publication two to six weeks ahead of the scheduled print publication date. Papers are considered to be published on the date that they are posted online; the print version of a paper previously published on Science Express indicates the date the paper was published online and gives access and citation information. Science Express papers are available free to AAAS members and through site licenses, and for a nominal $20 fee to nonmembers. Is Science an American Journal?Science is not just an American journal. We view science as a global enterprise and want to publish the best papers in science, from all countries and regions. We welcome submissions from non-U.S. authors. Our commitment to a broad geographical base runs deeper than just an interest in non-U.S. manuscripts, however. A substantial share of both our Board of Reviewing Editors and our referees are from outside of the United States. We review most manuscripts electronically to facilitate the use of expert referees, regardless of location. We maintain a Europe office (in Cambridge, UK). Our editors frequently visit worldwide scientific labs and professional meetings. Similarly, our readers come from all over the world. What is Science's embargo policy? Can I present work pending at Science at a scientific meeting?The most important aspects of Science's embargo policy -- which is designed to ensure broad and accurate coverage of authors' research -- can be briefly summed up as follows:
Does Science require copyright transfer?No. Authors retain copyright of their work, but must grant an exclusive publication license to Science and AAAS for their paper to be accepted for publication. Further details on this license are available here. Authors with questions about copyright transfer should contact one of the Deputy Editors. What's the policy on prior publication of results?Science will only consider research papers that are reporting primary data and the main conclusions for the first time. Your cover letter should clarify how the Science submission is original. Any related manuscript that is under consideration or accepted in another journal but not yet published by any author on the manuscript should be sent to Science with your submission (please send these to science_editors{at}aaas.org and include your Web submission number as a reference). Discovery of a related paper by any author that is not disclosed may be cause for immediate rejection without appeal or editorial retraction after publication. What about manuscripts that have been posted online before submission?We do not consider manuscripts that have been previously published elsewhere. Posting of a paper on the Internet may be considered prior publication that could compromise the originality of the Science submission, although we do allow posting on not-for-profit preprint servers in many cases. Please contact the editors for advice about specific cases. We provide a free electronic reprint service to authors that allows visitors to the authors' web site free access to the published version of the Science paper on Science Online immediately after publication. What's the policy on publication of data sets?As a condition of publication, authors must agree to make available all data necessary to understand and assess the conclusions of the manuscript to any reader of Science. Data must be included in the body of the paper or in the supporting online material, where they can be viewed free of charge by all visitors to the site. Certain types of data must be deposited in an approved online database, including DNA and protein sequences, microarray data, crystal structures, and climate records. The accession numbers must be included in the published paper and coordinates must be released at the time of publication. A list of acceptable databases can be found here. What's Science's policy with respect to depositing papers on PubMed Central (PMC) and other archives?For research papers created under grants awarded no earlier than 2 May 2005, and for which the authors are required by their funding agencies to make their research results publicly available, authors can have the "accepted version" of the paper posted to the funding body's archive or designated repository, as long as the posting is no earlier than six months after final publication in Science, is linked back to the final Science version, and includes the published paper's full reference citation. The "accepted version" is the version of the paper accepted for publication in Science after changes resulting from peer review, but before Science's editing, image quality control, and production. This policy does not apply to editorials, reviews, or commentary pieces. In submitting to archives such as PMC, authors of Science papers should set the time of public release of the accepted version at six months after final publication in Science. How do I prepare a manuscript for Science?The guidelines differ for initial submission of a manuscript and for resubmission of a revised manuscript after peer review. To see the details, see our instructions for preparing your manuscript and figures. For initial submissions, follow the instructions in the left-hand column of that page; for resubmission after peer review, use the right-hand column. How should I prepare figures for Science?As with the manuscript itself, how figures should be prepared depends on whether you are initially submitting a new a manuscript or resubmitting a revised manuscript after peer review. In particular, for new manuscript submissions, figures should generally be included as part of a single manuscript file that also includes text and tables, whereas for resubmissions they should be submitted separately from the text and tables. For details, see our instructions for preparing your manuscript and figures. What's the optimum resolution for Science figures?The appropriate resolution for figures differs depending on whether you are initially submitting a new manuscript or submitting a revision after peer review:
What is supporting online material? How should I prepare it?Supporting online material (SOM) consists of additional material accompanying Science papers that is posted on our Web site, Science Online. We can post additional text (such as information on methods, tables, diagrams, and images that bear directly on the conclusions of the paper but that cannot be accommodated in the print version for reasons of space) and other material, such as video clips and sound files, that enrich the content of the paper by extending it beyond the possibilities of the print medium. The material is subject to the same editorial standards and peer-review procedures as the print publication. To be accepted for posting, supporting online material must be essential to the scientific integrity and excellence of the paper. Authors submitting a new manuscript (before peer review) should include most supplementary online material at the end of, but as part of, the main manuscript file. Audio or video files can be submitted separately. For revised manuscripts (after peer review), SOM should be uploaded as a separate pdf file accompanying the revised manuscript and figures. Please carefully read the guidelines on preparing supporting online material for complete information. How do I refer to supporting online material in a manuscript?The appropriate style can be found in our guidelines on preparing supporting online material. Can I submit an image for consideration as the cover of Science?Yes. Our Web submission site for resubmissions after peer review includes a field for uploading digital files of cover candidates. Alternatively, you may send a hard copy image of the cover candidate directly to the editor handling your manuscript. The cover is usually related to a particularly significant Report or Research Article in the issue, or to the contents of a special issue. Images from significant papers that are striking to the nonspecialist have the best chance of being chosen. Images that cannot be used on the cover may be chosen for use on our table of contents or in the "This Week in Science" section. How do I submit a manuscript to Science?First, carefully read and follow our instructions for preparing manuscripts and figures, taking careful note of the differing guidelines for initial submission and resubmission of revised manuscripts. Then, when you have assembled all electronic files and other required information, proceed to our initial submission or revised manuscript upload site at www.submit2science.org. You should receive an e-mail acknowledgment of your submission within one to two full business days after submission.You should receive an e-mail acknowledgment of your submission within one to two full business days after submission. We no longer accept submissions by postal mail. To whom should I direct my manuscript?It is not required that you address your paper to a specific editor when submitting a new manuscript. If you wish, however, you can direct the cover letter for your manuscript to the editor who handles its subject area. A list of editors and their subject areas is available on our Web submission site www.submit2science.org and on our staff page. MY FILES ARE TOO LARGE FOR THE SUBMISSION WEB SITE. HOW DO I GET THESE FILES TO SCIENCE?Our Web submission site www.submit2science.org cannot accommodate files larger than about 6 MB. Larger files will need to be sent to Science separately by mail. These may include large high-resolution figures and large files of supporting online material. If your paper contains large images or photographs that must be viewed at a high resolution for review, and that therefore would make your manuscript file exceed the 6 MB size limit of our initial manuscript submission site, you should submit only the text and tables of your paper online and send the image files separately by mail. Please mention in your cover letter that you are submitting the images separately and use your Web submission number as a reference. Supporting online material should generally be included at the end of the main manuscript file, unless so doing would exceed the 6 MB upload limit, in which case it should be sent separately by mail. Please see our detailed instructions for initial manuscript submission for more information. Science rejected my manuscript. Should I revise it and submit it again?This is probably not a good idea. Most editorial decisions at Science are based not only on the paper's technical merit but also on the general interest or importance of the work, and on comparison with other papers that we are considering in the paper's field and in related ones. Thus, we will only reconsider papers for which we have specifically invited resubmission or when a significant error has been made during review that determined our final decision. Editors will entertain appeals (best sent by e-mail), but most papers are not reconsidered. |
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