TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK

TABLE OF CONTENTS XXX

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• Description p.1
• Audience p.2
• Impact Factor p.2
• Abstracting and Indexing p.2
• Editorial Board p.2
• Guide for Authors p.6
ISSN: 0165-9936

DESCRIPTION
.

The articles in TrAC are concise, critical overviews of new developments in analytical chemistry,
which are aimed at helping analytical chemists and other users of analytical techniques.
These critical reviews comprise excellent, up-to-date, timely coverage of topics of interest in
analytical chemistry, such as: analytical instrumentation, biomedical analysis, biomolecular analysis,
biosensors, chemical analysis, chemometrics, clinical chemistry, drug discovery, environmental
analysis and monitoring, food analysis, forensic science, laboratory automation, materials science,
metabolomics, pesticide-residue analysis, pharmaceutical analysis, proteomics, surface science, and
water analysis and monitoring.

General issues contain critical review articles. Special Issues provide comprehensive updates with
critical review articles on particularly topical fields of interest in analytical chemistry.

Please note that all articles published in the journal are by invitation of one of the Editors. If you wish
to submit a review to TrAC and have not been invited by one of the Editors, please first submit a
short proposal using the standard review proposal template directly to the Journal Editorial Office,
[email protected].

When submitting a Proposal, please indicate which of the listed Contributing Editor(s) of TrAC you feel
is best suited to review your proposal (please list a maximum of 3 in order of preference). Authors
will then be required to select the same Editor that approved the proposal when completing their
final submission.

Only once you have received approval from a Contributing Editor that your proposal has been accepted
should you submit your paper to the journal. All reviews should be submitted via Editorial Manager
and will be subject to the normal peer review process.

If you wish to submit a proposal for a Special Issue, please submit first a short proposal using the
standard Special Issue template directly to the journal ([email protected]) and include the listed
Contributing Editor(s) of TrAC you feel is best suited to support your proposal.

PLEASE NOTE: TrAC will not accept any submissions that have not had either an approved
proposal or invitation to submit from an Editor.

Benefits to authors

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We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts
on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.

Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further
information or help, please visit our Support Center.

AUDIENCE
.

All scientists, managers and students who are interested in keeping up-to-date with the latest
developments and applications of analytical techniques.

IMPACT FACTOR
.

2021: 14.908 © Clarivate Analytics Journal Citation Reports 2022

ABSTRACTING AND INDEXING

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Analytical Abstracts
Mass Spectrometry Bulletin
Metals Abstracts
Science Citation Index
World Aluminum Abstracts
BIOSIS Citation Index
Chemical Abstracts
Current Contents - Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences
Engineering Index
FSTA (Food Science and Technology Abstracts)
INSPEC
Biological Abstracts
Chemical Engineering and Biochemical Abstracts (CEBA)
Chemistry Citation Index
Current Biotechnology
Current Chemical Reactions
Current Index to Statistics
Embase
Environmental Abstracts
Embase
GeoRef
Index to Scientific Reviews
Science Citation Index Expanded
Journal Citation Reports - Science Edition
Reaction Citation Index
BIOSIS Previews
BIOSIS Reviews Reports and Meetings
Scopus
Research Alert
Chromatography Abstracts

EDITORIAL BOARD
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Editor-in-Chief
Janusz Pawliszyn, University of Waterloo, Department of Chemistry, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Sampling; Sample preparation; Separation techniques; Extraction techniques; Detection in
Separations; Hyphenation of separation techniques; Microextraction technologies; SPME;
Chromatography; Electrophoretic techniques, Mass spectrometry
Contributing Editors
Damià Barceló, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Barcelona, Spain

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Environmental analysis, Water and soil quality, Organic mass spectrometry, Emerging organic
contaminants, Nanomaterials
Alejandro Cifuentes, Institute of Food Science Research (CIAL-CSIC), Bioactivity and Food Analysis
Department, Madrid, Spain
Foodomics, Metabolomics, Proteomics, Transcriptomics, Advanced analytical techniques, Food
science, Food analysis, Food bioactivity, Food safety, Natural compounds
Günter Gauglitz, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
Computer applications, UV/Vis spectroscopy, Optical methods in sensing and related applications,
Spectroscopy, Optical sensors
Elena Ibáñez, Institute of Food Science Research, Madrid, Spain
Green extraction, Sustainability, Compressed fluids, Bioactive compounds
Jin-Ming Lin, Tsinghua University, Department of Chemistry, Beijing, China
Microfluidic chip mass spectrometry combined with cell drug metabolism
Juewen Liu, University of Waterloo, Department of Chemistry, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
DNAzymes, aptamers, nanozymes, bioconjugate chemistry, gold nanoparticles, metal oxide
nanoparticles, graphene oxide, fluorescence, FRET, metal ions, environmental monitoring
Gangfeng Ouyang, Sun Yat-sen University School of Chemistry, Guangzhou, China
Solid-phase microextraction, Bioanalysis, Environmental analysis
Stig Pedersen-Bjergaard, University of Oslo School of Pharmacy, Oslo, Norway
Sample preparation, Microextraction, Pharmaceutical analytical chemistry
Guowang Xu, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, China
Metabolomics, LC-MS, GC-MS, Lipidomics, Metabolic Profiling
Editorial Advisory Board
Jared Anderson, Iowa State University, Department of Chemistry, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
Development of stationary phases for single and multidimensional chromatography, Sample
preparation, Bioanalytical chemistry, and Developing analytical tools for trace-level analysis within
active pharmaceutical ingredients
Hemant Bhutani, Bristol-Myers Squibb India Pvt Ltd, Mumbai, India
Chromatography, impurities, solid state characterization, degradation chemistry, stability, Stability
Barbara Bojko, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz,, Department of
Pharmacodynamics and Molecular Pharmacology, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Introduction of new analytical solutions based on microextraction techniques and mass spectrometry
to clinical diagnostics and research in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, Metabolomic and lipidomic
analysis towards biomarkers discovery, Spatial and temporal resolution analysis of organs in vivo,
On-site sampling in surgery and emergency room as a part of rapid diagnostic process.
Philippe Buhlmann, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Electrochemical sensors, Molecular recognition, Fluorine chemistry, Surface analysis
Farid Chemat, Avignon University, Avignon, France
Food processing, Green Extraction, Alternative solvents, Innovative techniques, Combined
processes
Heather Clark, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
nanosensors, fluorescence, photoacoustics, chemical imaging
Andre De Villiers, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
Liquid chromatography, Gas chromatography, Multidimensional chromatography, Mass
spectrometry, Ion mobility spectrometry, Sample preparation for chromatographic analysis, Natural
product analysis
Zhifeng Ding, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
Electrochemistry spectroscopy and microscopy to multidisciplinary research
W. Alexander Donald, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Mass spectrometry, Ion mobility, Proteins, Environmental, Bioanalytical, Metal organic frameworks,
Ion chemistry, Tandem mass spectrometry, Single cell mass spectrometry, Native mass
spectrometry
Devendra Dubey, Defence Research and Development Establishment, Gwalior, India
Analytical chemistry, organic synthesis, CHROMATOGRAPHY, MASS SPECTROMETRY, SAMPLE
PREPARATION
Xiaohong Fang, Institute of Chemistry Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
biophysical and biochemical analysis, new fluorescent probes for real-time detection of DNA and
protein, optical imaging of single molecule and biomolecular interaction at the single molecular level
Marianne Fillet, University of Liege, Liège, Belgium
pharmaceutical analysis, biopharmaceutics, therapeutic oligonucleotides, microfluidics, capillary
electrophoresis, chromatography, ion mobility mass spectrometry, biomarkers of diseases
Frantisek Foret, Institute of Analytical Chemistry Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia

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Capillary electrophoresis, Microfluidics, Mass spectrometry coupling
Xueyun Gao, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
Dr. Gao is engaged in bio-analytical methods and medical effect of metal clusters. His main interest
is to develop Mass analytical methods to describe molecular pathway in cells and early pathological
changes in tissues.
Davy Guillarme, University of Geneva, Genève, Switzerland
Chromatography in general, LC-MS, SFC-MS, Characterization of proteins biopharmaceuticals,
Intact proteins analysis, Analysis of drugs in biofluids, Doping control analysis
Andras Guttman, University of Pannonia, Faculty of Engineering, Veszprém, Hungary
Capillary Electrophoresis, Glycomics, Biotherapeutics
Parastoo Hashemi, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America
Voltammetry, neuroscience, neurochemistry, quantitative measurements, in vivo measurements
Michal Holcapek, University of Pardubice, Department of Analytical Chemistry, Pardubice, Czechia
Lipidomic analysis, Mass spectrometry, Liquid Chromatography, Supercritical fluid chromatography,
Cancer biomarkers
Kiril D. Hristovski, Arizona State University Ira A Fulton Schools of Engineering, Tempe, Arizona, United States
of America
Environmental nanomaterial applications and implications, Water quality, Water and wastewater
treatment, Solid and hazardous waste
Cheng Zhi Huang, Southwest University, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chongqing, China
Biosensing and Bioimaging, Nanoprobes, Resonance Spectroscopy, Biomaterials, Optical sensors
Huangxian Ju, Nanjing University School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing, China
Analytical biochemistry, nanobiosensing, bioimaging and molecular diagnosis, focusing on signal
amplification and life analytical chemistry
Uwe Karst, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
Elemental speciation analysis, Liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, Electrochemistry/mass
spectrometry, Mass spectrometric imaging, Elemental bioimaging
Shaoping Li, University of Macau, Taipa, Macao
Herbal glycol-analysis; standard development of Chinese medicines; development of quality control
methods; culture, fermentation, active ingredients and quality control of medicinal mushroom
Chao Lv, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China
Synthesis, characterization, imaging analysis of materials, Synthesis, characterization of
nanostructured materials and nano-sensors, Chemiluminescence and electrochemiluminescence
characterization of nanomaterials
Ashok Kumar Malik, Punjabi University Chemistry Department, Patiala, India
Inorganic Chemistry, Environmental Analytical Chemistry, Instrumentation in Analytical Chemistry
Badal Mandal, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India
Development of novel analytical methods using hyphenated techniques, Carbon based nanomaterials
and its various applications, Hazardous waste removal technology, Nanomaterials and its various
applications, Thin films and its different applications, Food Analysis and health risk assessment,
Drug delivery and related analytical method development
Andreas Manz, Korea Institute of Science and Technology European Research Centre, Saarbrucken, Germany
Microfluidics, Lab-on-chip, Analytical chemistry
Maria Luisa Marina Alegre, University of Alcala, Alcala De Henares, Spain
Capillary Electrophoresis, Micro/Nano-chromatography, Chiral separations, Metabolomics, food/
pharmaceutical/agrochemical analysis, Revalorization of food residues, Bioactive compounds
Lucie Nováková, Charles University, Praha, Czechia
Liquid chromatography, Supercritical fluid chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Sample preparation,
Pharmaceutical analysis, Bioanalysis
Zheng Ouyang, Tsinghua University, Department of Precision Instrument, Beijing, China
Analytical Instrumentation, Simulation and data processing, Direct Sampling Ionization,
Miniaturization of mass spectrometer, Biomedical analysis and point-of-care diagnosis
Ilaria Palchetti, University of Florence, Department of Chemistry 'Ugo Schiff ', Florence, Italy
Electrode materials, Electroanalysis, Materials for sensors and biosensors, Material characterization,
Biosensors, Bioelectrochemistry, DNA-based sensor, Environmental DNA, Natural and biomimetic
recognition elements
Yolanda Picó, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
soils, exposure assessment, biomarkers, bioindicators, food contamination, food
safety, pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, organics, analytical, Water quality, water pollution
Jianfeng Ping, Zhejiang University Library, Hangzhou, China
Analytical Chemistry, Nanotechnology, Internet of Things, Agricultural Information, Sensor,
Nanogenerator

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Bhagwat Prasad, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, United States of America
Mass spectrometry, precision medicine, proteomics, metabolomics
Giorgia Purcaro, University of Liege, Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Gembloux, Belgium
Solid-phase microextraction, Microwave-assisted extraction, Chromatography, Hyphenated
techniques, Food, Lipid analysis, Contaminants
Teresa A. P. Rocha-Santos, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
Study of organic contaminants and microplastics fate and behaviour in the environment and
during wastewater treatment, Biodegradation of microplastics, Development of novel methods for
environmental, food and heath care applications (fit for purpose)
Ajit Sarmah, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Organic contaminant analysis in water and soil samples, Mass spectrometry, Emerging
contaminants, Pesticides, Nanomaterials, Fate and Risk of PPCPs in terrestrial and aquatic systems,
Microplastic quantification, Biochar
Oliver Schmitz, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
Ion sources, two-dimensional Chromatography, mass spectrometry, origin-of-life
Albert Sickmann, ISAS Leibniz Institute for Analytical Sciences, Dortmund, Germany
Bioanalytics, Protein Chemistry, System Biology, Mass Spectrometry, Posttranslational
Modifications.
Robert E. Synovec, University of Washington, Department of Chemistry, Seattle, Washington, United States
of America
Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, Chemometric
data analysis, High-speed gas chromatography, Applications in fuels, Metabolomics, Foods,
Environmental, and Forensics
Peter Q. Tranchida, University of Messina, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Messina, Italy
Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography, Multidimensional gas chromatography, GC-
MS, Fast GC-MS, Multidimensional liquid-gas chromatography, Mass spectrometry, Food analysis
Stephen Weber, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Chemistry, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
of America
Separation science including capillary liquid chromatography, Electrochemistry, Sampling by
microdialysis and electroosmosis, Applications in neuroscience

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK 13 Jan 2023 www.elsevier.com/locate/trac 5

GUIDE FOR AUTHORS
.

INTRODUCTION
TrAC has an interdisciplinary readership, which includes scientists in industry, academia and service
laboratories. Its aim is to publish concise reviews covering the latest advances in analytical chemistry.
Recent trends and developments, problems (and their solutions), and the limitations and the potential
of the topic under discussion are all within the scope. Reviews should interpret rather than be
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discuss the proposed subject and scope of their review with one of TrAC's Contributing Editors before
submission via a new proposal form. Please see below under "Additional Information" for further
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Reviews should comprise about 4000 words and include about four figures and tables. References
should be limited to about 50 and should include other reviews and recent articles that readers can
use to pursue their interest in the topic. Primary research papers describing the results of the authors'
research work are not within the scope of TrAC. Please note: TrAC is a review journal and most articles
published in the Journal are by invitation of one of the Contributing Editors.
Additional information
TrAC reserves the right to edit, shorten or decline publication of all submitted articles. Authors will
be consulted regarding major alterations to the text before printing. Galley proofs will be supplied
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Please note that most articles published in the journal are by invitation of one of the Editors. If you wish
to submit a review to TrAC and have not been invited by one of the Editors, please submit first a short
proposal using the standard review proposal template directly to [email protected].
Please indicate which of the listed Contributing Editor(s) of TrAC you feel is best suited to review
your proposal (please list a maximum of 3 in order of preference). All reviews should be submitted
via the Elsevier Editorial Manager System and will be subject to the normal peer review process.
If you wish to submit a proposal for a Special Issue, please submit first a short proposal using the
standard Special Issue template directly to the journal ([email protected]) and include the
listed Contributing Editor(s) of TrAC you feel is best suited to support your proposal.

PLEASE NOTE: TrAC will not accept any submissions that have not had either an approved
proposal or invitation to submit from an Editor.
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One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
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Supplemental files (where applicable)

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Further considerations
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Internet)
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declare
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Use of inclusive language
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codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the word
processor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts,
superscripts etc. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each
individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns.
The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see
also the Guide to Publishing with Elsevier). Note that source files of figures, tables and text graphics
will be required whether or not you embed your figures in the text. See also the section on Electronic
artwork.
To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell-check' and 'grammar-check'
functions of your word processor.
Article structure
Subdivision - numbered sections
Divide your article into clearly defined and numbered sections. Subsections should be numbered
1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), 1.2, etc. (the abstract is not included in section numbering). Use this
numbering also for internal cross-referencing: do not just refer to 'the text'. Any subsection may be
given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line.
Introduction
State the objectives of the review and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature
survey or a summary of the results.
Discussion
This should explore the significance of the topic of the review

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Conclusion
The main conclusions of the review may be presented in a short Conclusions section.
Appendices
If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in
appendices should be given separate numbering: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix,
Eq. (B.1) and so on. Similarly for tables and figures: Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.
Essential title page information
• Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid
abbreviations and formulae where possible.
• Author names and affiliations. Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s)
of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. You can add your name between
parentheses in your own script behind the English transliteration. Present the authors' affiliation
addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-
case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address.
Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the
e-mail address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing
and publication, also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about
Methodology and Materials. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details
are kept up to date by the corresponding author.
• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was
done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as
a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be
retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.
Highlights
Highlights are mandatory for this journal as they help increase the discoverability of your article via
search engines. They consist of a short collection of bullet points that capture the novel results of
your research as well as new methods that were used during the study (if any). Please have a look
at the examples here: example Highlights.

Highlights should be submitted in a separate editable file in the online submission system. Please
use 'Highlights' in the file name and include 3 to 5 bullet points (maximum 85 characters, including
spaces, per bullet point).
Abstract
A concise, factual abstract is required. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the review,
the principal points of discussion and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately
from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, references should be avoided,
but, if essential, they must be cited in full, without reference to the reference list. Also, non-standard
or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but, if essential, they must be defined at their first
mention in the abstract itself.
Keywords
Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 10 keywords, using British spelling and avoiding
general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, "and", "of"). Be sparing with
abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will
be used for indexing purposes.
Abbreviations
Define abbreviations that are not standard in this field an alphabetical list to be placed immediately
after the keywords on the first page of the article. Abbreviations in the abstract must be defined at
their first mention there. Ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article.
Acknowledgements
Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references, so
do not include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. List those individuals
who provided help in preparing the review (e.g., providing financial support, language help, writing
assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).
Formatting of funding sources
List funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements:

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Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy];
the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes
of Peace [grant number aaaa].

It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. When
funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research
institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.

If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or
not-for-profit sectors.
Math formulae
Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in
line with normal text where possible and use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small
fractional terms, e.g., X/Y. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Powers of e are often
more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed
separately from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text).
Footnotes
Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article. Many word
processors can build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Otherwise, please indicate
the position of footnotes in the text and list the footnotes themselves separately at the end of the
article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.
Artwork
Electronic artwork
General points
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Embed the used fonts if the application provides that option.
• Aim to use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or
use fonts that look similar.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Size the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the published version.
• Submit each illustration as a separate file.
• Ensure that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available.

You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Formats
If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then
please supply 'as is' in the native document format.
Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is
finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution
requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):
EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts.
TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black & white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of
500 dpi.
Please do not:
• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (e.g., GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); these typically have a
low number of pixels and limited set of colors;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK 13 Jan 2023 www.elsevier.com/locate/trac 12

Color artwork
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF), or
MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit
usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear
in color online (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations
are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive
information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please
indicate your preference for color: in print or online only. Further information on the preparation of
electronic artwork.
Figure captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A
caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep
text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.
Tables
Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables can be placed either next to the
relevant text in the article, or on separate page(s) at the end. Number tables consecutively in
accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Be
sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results
described elsewhere in the article. Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.
References
Citation in text
Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice
versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal
communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these
references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the
journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or
'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted
for publication.
Reference links
Increased discoverability of research and high quality peer review are ensured by online links to the
sources cited. In order to allow us to create links to abstracting and indexing services, such as Scopus,
Crossref and PubMed, please ensure that data provided in the references are correct. Please note that
incorrect surnames, journal/book titles, publication year and pagination may prevent link creation.
When copying references, please be careful as they may already contain errors. Use of the DOI is
highly encouraged.

A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it as a permanent link to any electronic article.
An example of a citation using DOI for an article not yet in an issue is: VanDecar J.C., Russo R.M.,
James D.E., Ambeh W.B., Franke M. (2003). Aseismic continuation of the Lesser Antilles slab beneath
northeastern Venezuela. Journal of Geophysical Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JB000884.
Please note the format of such citations should be in the same style as all other references in the paper.
Web references
As a minimum, the full URL should be given and the date when the reference was last accessed. Any
further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.),
should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a
different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.
Data references
This journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them
in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the
following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year,
and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly
identify it as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK 13 Jan 2023 www.elsevier.com/locate/trac 13

Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal
publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that
cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced.
Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the name
of the preprint server, as part of the reference. The preprint DOI should also be provided.
References in a special issue
Please ensure that the words 'this issue' are added to any references in the list (and any citations in
the text) to other articles in the same Special Issue.
Reference management software
Most Elsevier journals have their reference template available in many of the most popular reference
management software products. These include all products that support Citation Style Language
styles, such as Mendeley. Using citation plug-ins from these products, authors only need to select
the appropriate journal template when preparing their article, after which citations and bibliographies
will be automatically formatted in the journal's style. If no template is yet available for this journal,
please follow the format of the sample references and citations as shown in this Guide. If you use
reference management software, please ensure that you remove all field codes before submitting
the electronic manuscript. More information on how to remove field codes from different reference
management software.
Reference formatting
There are no strict requirements on reference formatting at submission. References can be in any
style or format as long as the style is consistent. Where applicable, author(s) name(s), journal title/
book title, chapter title/article title, year of publication, volume number/book chapter and the article
number or pagination must be present. Use of DOI is highly encouraged. The reference style used by
the journal will be applied to the accepted article by Elsevier at the proof stage. Note that missing data
will be highlighted at proof stage for the author to correct. If you do wish to format the references
yourself they should be arranged according to the following examples:
Reference style
Text: Indicate references by number(s) in square brackets in line with the text. The actual authors
can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given.
Example: '..... as demonstrated [3,6]. Barnaby and Jones [8] obtained a different result ....'
List: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear
in the text.
Examples:
Reference to a journal publication:
[1] J. van der Geer, J.A.J. Hanraads, R.A. Lupton, The art of writing a scientific article, J. Sci. Commun.
163 (2010) 51–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.Sc.2010.00372.
Reference to a journal publication with an article number:
[2] J. van der Geer, J.A.J. Hanraads, R.A. Lupton, 2018. The art of writing a scientific article. Heliyon.
19, e00205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00205.
Reference to a book:
[3] W. Strunk Jr., E.B. White, The Elements of Style, fourth ed., Longman, New York, 2000.
Reference to a chapter in an edited book:
[4] G.R. Mettam, L.B. Adams, How to prepare an electronic version of your article, in: B.S. Jones, R.Z.
Smith (Eds.), Introduction to the Electronic Age, E-Publishing Inc., New York, 2009, pp. 281–304.
Reference to a website:
[5] Cancer Research UK, Cancer statistics reports for the UK. http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/
aboutcancer/statistics/cancerstatsreport/, 2003 (accessed 13 March 2003).
Reference to a dataset:
[dataset] [6] M. Oguro, S. Imahiro, S. Saito, T. Nakashizuka, Mortality data for Japanese oak wilt
disease and surrounding forest compositions, Mendeley Data, v1, 2015. https://doi.org/10.17632/
xwj98nb39r.1.
Reference to software:
[7] E. Coon, M. Berndt, A. Jan, D. Svyatsky, A. Atchley, E. Kikinzon, D. Harp, G. Manzini, E. Shelef,
K. Lipnikov, R. Garimella, C. Xu, D. Moulton, S. Karra, S. Painter, E. Jafarov, S. Molins, Advanced
Terrestrial Simulator (ATS) v0.88 (Version 0.88), Zenodo, March 25, 2020. https://doi.org/10.5281/
zenodo.3727209.

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK 13 Jan 2023 www.elsevier.com/locate/trac 14

Journal abbreviation source
Journal names should be abbreviated according to CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service):
http://www.cas.org/sent.html.
Data visualization
Include interactive data visualizations in your publication and let your readers interact and engage
more closely with your research. Follow the instructions here to find out about available data
visualization options and how to include them with your article.
Research data
This journal requires and enables you to share data that supports your research publication where
appropriate, and enables you to interlink the data with your published articles. Research data
refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings. To facilitate
reproducibility and data reuse, this journal also encourages you to share your software, code, models,
algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.

Below are a number of ways in which you can associate data with your article or make a statement
about the availability of your data when submitting your manuscript. When sharing data in one of
these ways, you are expected to cite the data in your manuscript and reference list. Please refer to the
"References" section for more information about data citation. For more information on depositing,
sharing and using research data and other relevant research materials, visit the research data page.
MethodsX
You have the option of converting relevant protocols and methods into one or multiple MethodsX
articles, a new kind of article that describes the details of customized research methods. Many
researchers spend a significant amount of time on developing methods to fit their specific needs or
setting, but often without getting credit for this part of their work. MethodsX, an open access journal,
now publishes this information in order to make it searchable, peer reviewed, citable and reproducible.
Authors are encouraged to submit their MethodsX article as an additional item directly alongside the
revised version of their manuscript. If your research article is accepted, your methods article will
automatically be transferred over to MethodsX where it will be editorially reviewed. Please note an
open access fee is payable for publication in MethodsX. Full details can be found on the MethodsX
website. Please use the methods template or protocol template to prepare your MethodsX article.
Appeals Policy
You as an author may appeal an editorial decision within 30 days of receipt of the decision to decline
a manuscript for publication, please email us at [email protected] summarizing the scientific
basis on which you wish you appeal and including the manuscript number in the subject line of your
email. The basis for an appeal must be set forth clearly and fully in writing by the corresponding
author. The handing editor and, as needed, editorial team will consider your appeal and respond to
you once they have done so. Please note that when your paper is under appeal at TrAC, we regard
it as being under active consideration, so please let us know immediately if you decide to submit to
another journal instead. The editor's decision may be appealed only if the decision to decline involved
a serious mistake, and not merely a judgment call that could have gone either way. Only one appeal
is permitted per manuscript, and decisions on appeals are final. New submissions take precedence
for the editors over appeals.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Proofs
One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author (if we do not
have an e-mail address then paper proofs will be sent by post) or a link will be provided in the e-
mail so that authors can download the files themselves. To ensure a fast publication process of the
article, we kindly ask authors to provide us with their proof corrections within two days. Elsevier now
provides authors with PDF proofs which can be annotated; for this you will need to download the free
Adobe Reader, version 9 (or higher). Instructions on how to annotate PDF files will accompany the
proofs (also given online). The exact system requirements are given at the Adobe site.
If you do not wish to use the PDF annotations function, you may list the corrections (including replies
to the Query Form) and return them to Elsevier in an e-mail. Please list your corrections quoting line
number. If, for any reason, this is not possible, then mark the corrections and any other comments
(including replies to the Query Form) on a printout of your proof and scan the pages and return via e-
mail. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness
of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only

AUTHOR INFORMATION PACK 13 Jan 2023 www.elsevier.com/locate/trac 15

be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. We will do everything possible to get your
article published quickly and accurately. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back
to us in one communication: please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent
corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.
Offprints
The corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a customized Share Link providing 50 days free
access to the final published version of the article on ScienceDirect. The Share Link can be used for
sharing the article via any communication channel, including email and social media. For an extra
charge, paper offprints can be ordered via the offprint order form which is sent once the article is
accepted for publication. Both corresponding and co-authors may order offprints at any time via
Elsevier's Author Services. Corresponding authors who have published their article gold open access
do not receive a Share Link as their final published version of the article is available open access on
ScienceDirect and can be shared through the article DOI link.

AUTHOR INQUIRIES
Visit the Elsevier Support Center to find the answers you need. Here you will find everything from
Frequently Asked Questions to ways to get in touch.
You can also check the status of your submitted article or find out when your accepted article will
be published.
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