Instructions to author

Aims and scope Mechanisms of Development is an international journal whose purpose is to communicate contemporary studies in developmental biology with special emphasis on the characterization of molecular mechanisms underlying developmental processes in either vertebrates, invertebrates or plants. Areas of particular interest include embryogenesis, pattern formation, cell movement and morphogenesis, cell determination and differentiation, specification of tissue type, targeted disruption of developmental control genes, the roles of transcription factors in development, regulatory hierarchies of gene expression, cell-cell communication and signal transduction in development, as well as post-transcriptional controls of developmental processes such as regulated splicing and protein modification. Such a focus should provide a unique forum for comparing and contrasting strategies of development among a wide spectrum of organisms. The Editors are strongly committed to establishing the highest standards of quality and scientific merit. The journal will publish full-length articles describing original, high quality research and some invited Minireviews. Gene Expression Patterns will be published in a separate section. Submission of papers to Mechanisms of Development is understood to imply that the data contained therein have not previously been published (except in abstract form) nor are being considered for publication elsewhere, and that they have been tacitly or explicitly approved by all authors and by the responsible authorities in the laboratories where the work was carried out. If accepted, the paper shall not be published either in whole or in part elsewhere in the same or any other language without the consent of the Publisher. Submission also implies the transfer of the copyright from the author to the Publisher. Only submissions in English will be considered. One original plus two copies should be submitted to any one of the Managing Editors. Copies of submitted manuscripts will not be returned except in the case of rejected articles, where only the figures are returned to the author. Papers that do not conform to the general criteria for publication in Mechanisms of Development will be returned immediately to authors. The decision of the Editors is final; the Editors cannot enter into correspondence about a paper that is considered unsuitable for publication. For complete information on final submission of papers, please see the MOD checklist at the end of this guide. Please read this checklist carefully and cross-check items before final submission. Organisation of the manuscript The general organisation of the sections, nomenclature, reference system, etc., are the same as those adopted by the …