JALA Information

About JALA

JALA is a multi-disciplinary international forum devoted to the advancement of technology in the laboratory. It is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation (ALA). Six issues are published each year, providing a unique forum for the presentation of method-focused scientific papers, and related news, events, and product announcements.

Manuscripts

JALA publishes manuscripts in four main categories: Original Reports, Technical Briefs, JALA Tutorials, and Technology Reviews. JALA also publishes Letters to the Editor, and product and company news announcements.

Original Reports

Original Reports contribute new, original, significant information and applications. Original Reports are a minimum of 2,000 words, with no maximum word limit. The editorial staff and reviewers will evaluate a manuscript's content against its length and may suggest shortening the manuscript as appropriate. Original Reports are peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

Technical Briefs

Technical Briefs are practical descriptions of a process, technique, instrumentation, device, or software containing technical content that would be of interest and use to readers of JALA, but which do not necessarily represent original or novel work. Technical Briefs are typically shorter than Original Reports (approximately 2,000 words). Technical Briefs should be of sufficiently non-commercial nature, so as not to be categorized as a Technology Review. This does not preclude Technical Briefs being written by product-providing companies. Technical Briefs are also peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

JALA Tutorials

Tutorials provide an introductory overview of a core topic in the field of laboratory automation or related areas. The content of a Tutorial must be presented in an instructional manner. Tutorials are a minimum of 2,000 words, with no maximum word limit. Long Tutorials may be published in multiple parts. Tutorials are peer-reviewed by at least two experts in the field.

Technology Reviews

Technology Reviews describe new and innovative products of interest to JALA readers. They may focus on instruments, devices, or software. Technology Reviews are a minimum of 1,000 words. All Technology Reviews are edited for commercial content. Technology Reviews are reviewed by at least one expert in the field.

Manuscript Guidelines

JALA accepts manuscript submissions via the Elsevier Author Gateway at http://ees.elsevier.com/jala.

All manuscripts and news releases submitted to JALA must be written in the English language. Microsoft Word is preferred. Manuscripts must be prepared double-spaced, with wide margins (25 mm or 1 inch), and pages should be consecutively numbered. Tables may be embedded in the Word file. Figures must be provided as separate, original files (for more information, see Figure Guidelines).

Manuscripts should include an introductory abstract of approximately 200 words or less that states the purposes of study or investigation, main findings, and the principal conclusions. In addition, three to five keywords should be provided for indexing purposes.

Manuscripts are expected to be concise, well organized, and clearly written. The format of the paper should follow that found in Chapter One of The ACS Style Guide (Janet Dodd, Editor: American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1997). The author is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references. Use the SI system of units and Celsius degrees; use L for liter. Where a company is mentioned, indicate location (city, state, country if non-U.S.). All abbreviations, acronyms, and symbols must be defined upon their initial use in the text.

Figure Guidelines

It is the author's responsibility to provide original, high-resolution images for all figures, photos, and illustrations. Images should be at least five inches wide and saved as TIF files at 1000 dpi for line-drawn images or at least 300 dpi for color or black/white photography. Color images should be saved as CMYK. Each image submitted should be saved as a separate file, and the file name should include the lead author's last name and identified as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.

Author Agreements and Copyright Assignment

Manuscripts are considered for publication with the understanding that (1) if the paper is accepted, copyright is transferred to the Association for Laboratory Automation, and (2) no paper presenting the same information has been or will be published elsewhere.

The Peer-Review Process

The review process is confidential, and reviewers are obliged not to discuss papers or authors with anyone outside of the JALA editorial staff. Manuscripts are typically evaluated in response to the peer-review guidelines at http://labautomation.org/jalaprguidelines. php, and initial feedback is usually provided to authors within four weeks after submission. Manuscripts can be accepted as written by reviewers, declined as inappropriate, or as is often the case, reviewers will suggest revisions. Authors are then offered the opportunity to revise and resubmit their manuscripts, or provide explanations in response to reviewer questions or suggestions. Revisions and responses are re-reviewed by the peer reviewers before final publishing decisions are made.

Other Submissions

Letters to the Editor

Comments on published articles are welcome and will be published if deemed appropriate by the Editor. Letters should not exceed three double-spaced manuscript pages. Please include a brief title succinctly stating the topic of your letter. Letters to the Editor are screened, but also may be peer-reviewed or subjected to rebuttal by the authors of the initial article. Send Letters to the Editor to [e-mail].

Product and Company News Announcements

Announcements for World News and the Meetings and Events Calendar that may be of interest to JALA readers should be sent to [e-mail] for consideration at least three months before the first day of the month of issue.

Editorial Correspondence

Send questions, suggestions, ideas, or concerns regarding JALA to:

Nan Hallock

Managing Editor

Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation

819 Shorewood Blvd.

Manitowoc, WI 54220 USA

Tel: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

E-mail: [e-mail]

CUSTOMER SERVICE (orders, claims, online, change of address):

Elsevier Periodicals Customer Service, 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: [phone] (U.S. and Canada); +1.407.345.4000 (outside U.S. and Canada). Fax: [phone] (U.S. and Canada); +1.407.363.9661 (outside U.S. and Canada). E-mail: [e-mail].

Address changes must be submitted four weeks in advance.

ALA Members: Please record change of address information at http://labautomation.org/login/ or e-mail [e-mail].

Yearly Subscription Rates

The annual subscription rate for U.S. and overseas members of the Association for Laboratory Automation is $90 and is included in annual association membership dues of $120. For membership information, visit http://labautomation.org or e-mail [e-mail].

2005 nonmember subscription rates for United States and possessions: Individual $187; Institution $253. All other countries (prices include airspeed delivery): Individual $211; Institution $277. Single Issues $47. Current prices are in effect for back volumes and back issues.

JALA Online

Members of the Association for Laboratory Automation may access full text articles from past and present issues of JALA at http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/xyjala. To activate an online subscription, ALA members must register or log-in at this Web site (registration is brief and free). When registering, members will be prompted to provide an ALA membership number in the “My society membership includes this journal” box. ALA membership numbers can be found on individual JALA mailing labels, or members may contact JALA Managing Editor Nan Hallock at [e-mail]. Last names must be entered exactly as they appear on JALA mailing labels.

When searching for JALA in the Elsevier system, enter the full name of the journal: Journal of the Association for Laboratory Automation.

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Further information on this journal is available from the Publisher or from this journal's website (http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/xyjala). Information on other Elsevier products is available through Elsevier's website (http://www.elsevier.com).

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Author inquiries

For inquiries relating to the submission of articles (including electronic submission), please visit Elsevier's Author Gateway at http://authors.elsevier.com. The Author Gateway also provides the facility to track accepted articles and set up e-mail alerts to inform you of when an article's status has changed, as well as detailed artwork guidelines, copyright information, frequently asked questions, and more. Please see Information for Authors for individual journal. Contact details for questions arising after acceptance of an article, especially those relating to proofs, are provided after registration of an article for publication.

The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

Reprints

For queries about author offprints, e-mail [e-mail]. To order 100 or more reprints for educational, commercial, or promotional use, contact the Commercial Reprints Department, Elsevier Inc., 360 Park Ave. South, New York, NY 10010-1710. Fax [phone], e-mail [e-mail]. Reprints of single articles available online may be obtained by purchasing Pay-Per-View access for $30 per article on the journal Web site, http://labautomation.org.

© 2005 Association for Laboratory Automation. All rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Association for Laboratory Automation, and the following terms and conditions apply to their use:

Photocopying

Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the Publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying, including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Special rates are available for educational institutions that wish to make photocopies for non-profit educational classroom use.

Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier's Rights Department in Philadelphia, PA, USA: phone [phone], fax [phone], e-mail [e-mail]. Requests may also be completed on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions).

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Derivative Works

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution.

Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations.

Electronic Storage or Usage

Permission of the Publisher is required to store or use electronically any material contained in this journal, including any article or part of an article.

Except as outlined above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the Publisher.

Address permissions requests to: Elsevier Rights Department, at the fax and e-mail addresses noted above.

Notice

No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher or the Association for Laboratory Automation for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein. Because of rapid advances in the medical sciences, in particular, independent verification of diagnoses and drug dosages should be made.

Although all advertising material is expected to conform to ethical (medical) standards, inclusion in this publication does not constitute a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of such product or of the claims made of it by its manufacturer.

Indexing and Abstracting

Volume indexes appear in the December issue and JALA is available on Elsevier's ScienceDirect. JALA is abstracted and/or indexed in Chemical Abstracts, Analytical Abstracts, CINAHL, and EMBASE/Excerpta Medica.