| Overview • Current Issue • Back Issues • Search MPMI Search Back Issues • Subscribe • Acceptances • Editorial Board

|  |  | Instructions to Authors PDF version for printing (updated June 2007) How to Submit a Paper for Initial Review Preparing the Manuscript for Review NOTE: This journal does not accept Microsoft Word 2007 documents at this time. Please use Word's "Save As" option to save your document as an older (.doc) file type. Click on PDF version link above for most up-to-date instructions. MOLECULAR PLANT–MICROBE INTERACTIONS (MPMI) publishes peer-reviewed fundamental and advanced applied research on the molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics of pathological, symbiotic, and associative interactions of microbes and insects with plants. Research should be directed at understanding the molecular mechanisms of plant–microbe interactions rather than merely describing such interactions. Research to be published in MPMI must be novel and not simply repeat results obtained in other systems. MPMI will consider papers on molecular analysis of relevant factors in either the microbe or plant alone or molecular analysis of components that affect or modulate plant-microbe interactions, traditional genetics or other nonmolecular research, if such research contributes significantly to our understanding of microbe–plant interactions, or methodological research papers if they report important new advances in technology for studying the molecular aspects of plant–microbe interactions. In addition to papers reporting original, in-depth research, papers may be submitted to other sections. The Technical Advances section includes short manuscripts that describe in detail an innovative experimental technique and its uses. Spotlight papers are manuscripts of special interest to a broad readership. The Editor-in-Chief and the Senior Editors choose Spotlights from regularly submitted manuscripts. The Focus section highlights papers from a particular field accompanied by a review. A group of authors can solicit a Focus section by coordinated submission of two or more manuscripts and a suggestion for an accompanying review. Current Reviews are short (4 to 5 pages) and should cover a rapidly developing area of the molecular aspects of plant-microbe interactions. These may be solicited by the Editor-in-Chief, a Senior Editor, or the Reviews Editor. Authors interested in writing a review should contact the Reviews Editor. A manuscript submitted to MPMI must not be under review and may not be submitted for review by another publication, even in part, while under consideration for publication in MPMI. MPMI will not publish a paper that contains data that have been or will be published elsewhere. If a paper submitted to MPMI is closely related to one or more papers under consideration or accepted elsewhere, copies must accompany the manuscript submitted to MPMI. Papers are accepted on the condition that all experimental materials, including recombinant plasmids and bacteriophages, microbe strains, and plant variants developed in the course of the research, will be available for distribution to all qualified members of the scientific community, either directly from the author(s) or by deposit in national or international collections. The management of the review and the final decision with regard to acceptance reside with the Senior Editors, who are identified on the Editorial Board page. Most manuscripts will be reviewed by two Associate Editors or ad hoc referees. However, a Senior Editor may return, without further review, any manuscript that does not conform to the criteria for publication in MPMI. If revisions are required, the author has three months to revise an article before the article will be automatically rejected. After three months, the revised manuscript must be submitted as a new manuscript and go through the review process again. The final files submitted to Manuscript Central and accepted by the senior editor will be used by the editorial office to process the manuscript for publication. The American Phytopathological Society (APS) biosecurity policy in regard to screening potential articles for research that may constitute misuse of plant pathological methods or a potential danger from the improper application of knowledge is available at http:// www.apsnet.org/members/ppb/PDFs/ BiosecurityAPSPubBoardPolicy.pdf. Charges. Manuscripts accepted for publication in MPMI will be charged a $150 processing fee for manuscripts of up to six published pages. A $150 charge will apply to each additional page or fraction thereof. Color charges are $500 for the first illustration, $500 for the second, and $250 for the third and each subsequent color illustration in one article. In addition, there is a $20 fee charged for each black and white figure or line drawing. Fees are subject to change without notice. For reprints, a price sheet will be provided with galley proofs. Authors will be billed after the article is printed. Online article enhancements and supplementary material. MPMI offers a service called e-Xtra to enhance the online version of articles or to include supplementary materials. Supplemental materials will be reviewed. e-Xtra options include: figures in color online that appear as black and white in print ($20 each) supplemental tables or figures linked to the online abstract ($20 each) external links from the online abstract to public databases, such as GenBank or other approved websites. Five links will be added free of charge; additional links are $5 each. Authors should submit links with the article for review. supplementary material should be submitted in MS Word, WordPerfect, MS Excel, or .jpg formats How to Submit a Paper for Initial Review All MPMI manuscripts must be submitted electronically via Manuscript Central. Electronic submission speeds the handling of your manuscript and allows you to monitor its status at any time during the review process. Procedure. Type http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mpmi in your internet browser to bring up the log-in screen. First-time users must create an account. Follow the on-screen directions to create your account and submit your manuscript. Text files can be in Word, WordPerfect, Rich Text, or most common word-processing programs. Figures should be submitted in .tif, .eps, or .jpg format. Line drawings and composite figures generated in an MS office program can be submitted in their original format. Detailed instructions are found below. Technical problems . Assistance with technical difficulties in submission is available from ScholarOne, Inc., the parent company of Manuscript Central. First, however, click the “Get Help Now” button on your screen and consult “FAQs” (frequently asked questions), or contact ScholarOne by telephone (+1.434.817.2040, ext. 167); fax (+1.434.817.2020); or E-mail Support@ScholarOne.com Manuscripts will be reviewed for a decision on acceptance, revision, or rejection within one month. A paper will be published two to three months after acceptance. The date of acceptance will appear under the authors’ names on the first page of the printed paper. Preparing the Manuscript for Review Format Double spaced (including tables and figures). Typescript should be in 12 point font size. Line numbers are recommended to help reviewers. First author’s name, page number, and MPMI on each page. Tables on numbered pages after Literature Cited section. Figure captions on a separate page follow tables. Title should not exceed 180 characters and spaces. Author name(s) listed under the title. Affiliations and addresses given in separate paragraphs beneath the name(s) of the author(s). Corresponding author’s name and E-mail address given before the abstract. Abstract should be limited to 200 words in one paragraph. Additional keywords. Up to six words or phrases that are not in the title or abstract but are in the text, exactly as given in the list, and that would be useful in index retrieval systems. Listed in alphabetic order. Organization of text Major sections after the introductory statements are Results, Discussion, Materials and Methods, Acknowledgments, Literature Cited, and the optional Author-Recommended Internet Resources. Subheadings may be used, but avoid excessive fragmentation of the text. Footnotes to the text are not permitted. Literature citations. References listed in alphabetic order by authors’ surnames. Citations in text given by author year. Figures. Each illustration is labeled with the figure number, first author’s name, and MPMI. Numbered according to reference in text. Prepare figures for same-size reproductions (84 or 177 mm). Consistent style and sizing is used for all figures. Supporting material Copy of first page or letter of acceptance provided for all in press citations. Copies of personal communication verification provided. Permission to use copyrighted material. Accession numbers obtained for nucleotide and/or amino acid sequences and provided as a footnote to the first page. Voucher cultures and specimens deposited in recognized collections. Scientific nomenclature and language. Scientific language, such as measurements, specialized vocabulary, and nomenclature, is always in flux. Nevertheless, internal consistency within a manuscript should be maintained and attention paid to current standards of usage. Where legitimate differences in language and nomenclature exist, author preference will be respected. Following is a brief survey of guidelines and references, along with usage policies. Although APS publications do not generally follow it for copyediting style, Scientific Style and Format issued by the Council of Biology Editors (1994) provides an excellent background on the origins of scientific terms and the governing bodies that rule on current nomenclature in a given field. Apparatus and materials. Names of unusual proprietary materials and special apparatus should be followed by the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses (the city and the state or the city and country if outside the United States). It is only necessary to cite these materials by specific name if the work cannot otherwise be replicated. Trade names may be used and should be capitalized; trademark symbols should not be used and will be deleted before publication. Authorities for Latin binomials. Citation of authorities for Latin binomials is optional but is appropriate for manuscripts dealing with taxonomy or nomenclature or for organisms with unfamiliar binomials. When used, authorities should be provided at first mention of the organisms discussed. Bacteria. Spellings should follow Bergey’s Manual of Systemic Bacteriology (Krieg and Holt 1984), the Approved List of Bacterial Names (Skerman et al. 1980), or the lists of species in the International Journal of Systemic Bacteriology (IJSB). Note that, according to Bergey’s style, groups below the level of subspecies should be italicized. Common names of plant diseases . The APS Committee on Standardization of Common Names for Plant Diseases (1994) has developed listings of approved common names for plant diseases, the Committee on Standardization of Common Names for Plant Diseases (1994). These terms are official names for use in APS journals and publications. Please refer to the publication Common Names for Plant Diseases found in the free public access section of APSnet under Online Resources. Chemicals, chemistry, and biochemistry terms. The ACS Style Guide (Dodd 1986) describes conventions in chemistry and biochemistry. The Merck Index (Budavari 1989) and Hawley’s Chemical Dictionary (Lewis 1993) are good sources for checking the spellings of chemical terms. Cultures. Indicate the source of cultures. Include the designation of cultures obtained from or deposited in recognized collections. Authors are encouraged to deposit voucher cultures and specimens documenting their research at recognized institutions and to cite the place of deposit in the text. Enzymes. Use the enzyme names recommended in the latest issue of Enzyme Nomenclature (International Union of Biochemistry, 1984). Give the number (classification) of the enzyme at first use (e.g., EC 1.1.75.6). Genetics . Rieger et al. (1991), Stenesh (1989), and King and Stansfield (1990) are good specialized genetics and molecular biology dictionaries. Fungi. The preferred source for common and scientific names and authorities of fungi is Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States (Farr et al. 1989). Ainsworth and Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi (Hawksworth et al. 1995) is another good reference. Insects. Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms (Stoetzel 1989) can be used to verify insect names. Nucleotide sequences. Accession numbers (GenBank or EMBL) for primary nucleotide or amino acid sequence data must be provided as a footnote on the first page of the paper. Plants. Farr et al. (1989) is a good source for the spelling of common and scientific names. Other good sources include Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (1994), Terrell et al. (1986), and Mabberley (1987). Use the term “cultivar” for agronomic and horticultural varieties. Identify the source of the cultivars and include CI and PI numbers when appropriate. The cultivar name may be preceded by “cv.” Software. Software used should be treated as proprietary material or apparatus. Give the manufacturer’s or developer’s name in parentheses with location. References to software should not be given in the Literature Cited section. Viruses . Guidelines provided in the Seventh Report of the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses (Van Regenmortel et al. 1999), as described by Mayo and Horzinek (1998) and Van Regenmortel (1999), will be followed. In formal taxonomic usage, virus family, subfamily, and genus should be capitalized and printed in italics. When used formally, the name of the taxon should precede the term for the taxonomic unit, e.g., the family Bunyaviridae and the genus Tospovirus. Formal use of a virus species name also should be printed in italics, with the first word and any subsequent proper noun capitalized, e.g., Wheat American striate mosaic virus. Generally, the designation of the taxonomic unit “species” need not precede the species name, e.g., Tomato spotted wilt virus need not be written as “the species Tomato spotted wilt virus.” The first use of a virus species name in a paper usually should be formal and, therefore, italicized with the first word capitalized. Subsequent reference to the same virus should be by the accepted acronym, which is not italicized, e.g., TSWV. Virus names written in tables should be written formally. The name of a tentative species whose taxonomic status is uncertain should not be written in italics, but its first word (and any proper nouns) should be capitalized. In informal vernacular use, the virus family, subfamily, and genus should be lowercase and not printed in italics. This generally does not apply to virus species names, because acronyms are applied after the first use, which is formal. The name of the taxon, if used, should follow the term for the taxonomic unit, e.g., the tospovirus genus. When used informally, the name of the taxon should not include the formal suffix, e.g., the bunyavirus family, not the bunyaviridae family. Usually, these constructions should simply be avoided, because they lead to unnecessary ambiguity. Formal taxonomic usage is preferred, particularly when the formal family and genus names have the same root terms, e.g., Bromoviridae and Bromovirus. General editorial style. Most of the style guides mentioned have good discussions of English, grammar, and style. Other good general references include The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press 1993) and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (1994). Literature cited. List references in alphabetic order by authors’ family names (surnames). When citing multiple works by the same author, list articles by one author before those by several authors. Determine the sequence by alphabetizing according to the first author’s surname, by year of publication (most recent last), and if necessary, by page numbers of articles published in the same journal. Italicize Latin binomials, capitalize German nouns, and include diacritical (accent) marks. List specific pages of books. Refer to the BIOSIS List of Serials for accepted abbreviations of journal names. Do not abbreviate one-word titles of journals. Double-check the accuracy of title abbreviations, page and volume numbers, and dates, and check that each reference is cited in the text. Only references generally available through libraries should be listed in the Literature Cited section. If work cited is in preparation, submitted but not accepted for publication, or not readily available in libraries, cite the work in parentheses in the text, e.g., (J. Jones, unpublished data) or (J. Jones, personal communication). Authors must obtain written permission from the person(s) cited as the source of the unpublished information, and a copy of the letter from the person supplying information must be included when submitting a manuscript. To cite an article as “in press,” you must have a letter of acceptance from a journal or book editor or have a copy of the galley proof for book chapters, bulletins, etc. Avoid excessive reference to unpublished information. Online publications. For literature citations of publications available or referenced online originally published in traditional print form, the original printed version should be cited. Materials originally published online by established sources (the Senior Editor will make the assessment of the online source) should be cited as published online. Online material citations should include author(s), date, title, publication name or sponsoring organization, and publication number or equivalent identifier, if any, e.g., Nadeem, A. 1997. Title. Mol. Plant Pathol. Online, publication/1997/0612nadeem. As of 1996, each article appearing in an APS journal has a unique publication or digital object identifier (DOI) number assigned to it. Do not reference the electronic address or filename of the material because they frequently change. If information used in the manuscript can be found online but is not from an established publication, it should be referenced in the manuscript as a personal communication (requiring the same verification from the authors as any other personal communication), e.g., (J. Jones, B. Myers, and P. Johnson, personal communication). Online software , programs, models, etc. that are used to analyze data should be cited in text by referencing the sponsoring organization and program, e.g., NIH Image, is available online from the National Institutes of Health. Website addresses are not to be listed within the text of a manuscript. The optional section heading Author-Recommended Internet Resources provides an opportunity to highlight relevant websites. The website addresses are reviewed by the Senior Editor. The section is placed after Literature Cited, but the websites should not take the place of literature citations. It is the policy of APS journals to make changes to online pdf files if an error occurs that requires publication of an erratum for that article. A note will appear at the end of the revised file to describe the change. Tables. Tables are used to present precise numerical data that show comparisons or interrelationships. When only a few values are to be presented, the data may be better presented in the text. Cite tables in numeric order in the manuscript. The minimum number of columns is two. Lists should be incorporated into the text. Titles should be self-explanatory and include enough information so that each table is intelligible without reference to the text or other tables. The title should summarize the information presented in the table without repeating the subheadings. Subheadings should be brief. Abbreviations are acceptable; nonstandard ones should be explained in footnotes. Footnotes are designated with superscript lowercase letters. Ditto marks should never be used. Data presented in tables should not be repeated in the text. Figures. Each figure should be submitted in its own separate file labeled with the figure number, author’s name, and MPMI. Figure captions should be included at the end of the text body file. Captions should describe the contents so that each illustration is understandable when apart from the text. All figures must be cited in the text in numeric order. Unusable files may result in delays in publication. Each digital figure file should contain the figure with the top and bottom indicated as well as the figure number, author’s name, and MPMI. Figures should be no larger than one page in size. Exact widths for same-size reproductions are 84 mm for one column and 177 mm for two columns. Maximum height is 250 mm, including the caption. On figures, numbers and lettering should be in a 10-point sans serif type (Helvetica preferred) and bold. Capitalize the first word and proper nouns in each label. Panel designations (A, B, C) should be uppercase letters in an 18-point sans serif type matching the font used for the rest of the labeling. Keep fonts and font sizes consistent among figures. Photographic images should be clear and of high quality. Poor alignment, blurred lines, or out-of-focus letters and symbols are not acceptable. Photographs should be cropped at right angles to show essential details. Scale bars should be inserted to indicate magnification. Include labeling in the digital file. Line drawings. Affix index marks to ordinates and abscissae. Avoid excessively bold lettering, numbers, and lines for coordinate axes and curves. Be sure that the letters and numbers are legible at the final figure size. Graphs should be “boxed” with tick marks on left and bottom axes. Lines should be no less than 0.5 pt in width. Use solid black or white or hatch or stripe patterns in bar graphs (Fig. 1); shaded columns do not reproduce well, becoming either muddy and indistinguishable or fading to white. Use solid black or white rules and symbols; shaded or screened rules and symbols will not reproduce well. Use only standard symbols (boxes, circles, triangles) or other typographic elements. If necessary, provide a key to any symbols as part of the figure (e.g., Fig. 2). Only standard symbols can be reproduced in captions and may change in conversions. Portions of a composite line drawing or graph should be provided as a single illustration. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Composite figures. Figures can be created with more than one photograph or with both line drawings and photographic images. Match photographs for similarity of contrast, background density, and subject content, and arrange in a square or rectangle. Any labeling should be set in from the outside edges, to avoid being cut off in print. Color illustrations. Color figures may be used. The cost of color reproduction must be paid by the authors (for color costs see the Charges section above). Color images should be in .tif, jpg, or .eps format saved in CMYK mode, with adequate resolution for print. One-column images must have a minimum of 1,170 pixels in width, and two-column images must have a minimum of 2,520 pixels in width. If you have questions on submission of these images, please contact Patti Ek at pek@scisoc.org. Digital image files. Digital image files must be provided in .tif, .eps, or .jpg format for PC or in .tiff, .pict, .jpeg, or .eps format for Macintosh. If good quality, high-resolution image files cannot be provided in the formats listed above, image files generated with MS Office programs or images embedded in text documents (such as Word, Powerpoint, or Excel) can be submitted, and we will attempt to convert them into the format we need. Image resolution must be 360 pixels per inch (ppi) at the final printed image size. If any part of the figure appears outside the image (e.g., labels), file resolution should be 600 ppi at its final printed size. If the final printed image size is unknown, size the image at a larger-than-final-print size, maintaining a 600 or 360 ppi resolution, and MPMI will downsample the image to fit the final print dimensions (to maintain quality, MPMI cannot enlarge a digitized image). Black-and-white images must be saved as grayscale images. LITERATURE CITED American Phytopathological Society Committee on the Standardization of Common Names for Plant Diseases. 1994. Common Names for Plant Diseases. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A. Published online. BIOSIS. (Current) Serial Sources for the BIOSIS database. BIOSIS, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A. Budavari, S. 1989. The Merck Index. 11th ed. Merck & Co., Rahway, NJ, U.S.A. Council of Biology Editors Style Manual Committee. 1994. Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 6th ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Dodd, J. S., ed. 1986. The ACS Style Guide. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Farr, D. A., Bills, G. F., Chamuris, G. P., and Rossman, A. Y. 1989. Fungi on Plants and Plant Products in the United States. American Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, MN, U.S.A. Hawksworth, D. L., Kirk, P. M., Sutton, B. C., and Pegler, D. N. 1995. Ainsworth and Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi. 8th ed. CAB International, Wallingford, U.K. International Union of Biochemistry. 1984. Enzyme Nomenclature 1984. Academic Press, Orlando, FL, U.S.A. King, R. C., and Stansfield, W. D. 1990. A Dictionary of Genetics. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, New York. Krieg, N. R., and Holt, J. G., eds. 1984. Bergey’s Manual of Systemic Bacteriology. Vol. 1. Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A. Lewis, R. J., Sr. 1993. Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary. 12th ed. Van Nostrand-Reinhold, New York. Mabberley, D. J. 1987. The Plant-Book. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Mayo, M. A., and Horzinek, M. 1998. A revised version of the international code of virus classification and nomenclature. Arch. Virol. 143:1645-1654. Rieger, R., Michaelis, A., and Green, M. M. 1991. Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular. 5th ed. Springer-Verlag, New York. Skerman, V. B. D., McGowan, V., and Sneath, P. H. A., eds. 1980. Approved Lists of Approved Bacterial Names. 2nd ed. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, U.S.A. Stenesh, J. 1989. Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2nd ed. Wiley-Interscience, New York. Stoetzel, M. B., ed. 1989. Common Names of Insects and Related Organisms. Entomological Society of America, Lanham, MD, U.S.A. Terrell, E. E., Hill, S. R., Wiersema, J. H., and Rice, W. E. 1986. A Checklist of Names of 3,000 Vascular Plants of Economic Importance. USDA Handb. 505. University of Chicago Press. 1993. The Chicago Manual of Style. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Van Regenmortel, M. H. V. 1999. How to write the names of virus species. Arch. Virol. 144:1041-1042. Van Regenmortel, M. H. V., Fauquet, C. M., Bishop, D. H. L., Carstens, E., Estes, M., Lemon, S., MsGeoch, D., Wickner, R. B., Mayo, M. A., Pringle, C. R., and Maniloff, J. 1999. Virus Taxonomy. Seventh Report of the International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses. Academic Press, New York. Webster’s 10th New Collegiate Dictionary. 1994. Merriam-Webster, Springfield, MA, U.S.A.

Home • Visitor's Center • Media/Outreach Center • Education Center • APS Interactive Careers & Placement • Journals & News • Online Resources • Meetings APS Press Bookstore • Member Area • Directories & Rosters Viewing Tips • Copyright • Disclaimer