Manuscripts will be considered only on the understanding that they have not been published and are not being considered for publication elsewhere, and that they will be accepted only on the recommendation of suitable referees and members of the Editorial Board. Authors must affirm that they have been engaged in the conception and design of an investigation and/or the analysis and interpretation of the data, that they have helped in the drafting of the manuscript and that they have seen the final version.

Authors are strongly advised to retain a copy of their text and illustrations as the Editors cannot be held responsible for loss or damage.

The following is a summary of the requirements for submitted papers. More detailed instructions are available from the Editorial Office. Four complete copies of the paper (including good quality photocopies, or additional photographs when photocopies are not adequate) are essential to facilitate refereeing. Please note, the editorial office cannot make colour photocopies. If submitting colour illustrations, authors must provide good colour copies for the referees. One set of high-quality illustrations must be included for reproduction. All text must be typed using double spacing on one side of paper only. All pages must be numbered. The text may be subdivided using numbered sections if the author so wishes: excessive subdivision should be avoided. A title page should be placed at the beginning, giving the full postal address of each author, the name of the author to whom proofs should be sent, and an abbreviated running title. Authors are asked to provide up to 12 key words, which should be placed as a footnote to the title page. Papers should include a summary intelligible without reference to the text, giving a brief statement of the results and conclusions.
Papers must be written in English (spelling as in the Oxford English Dictionary) and SI units should be used. Abbreviations are generally in upper case without stops.
Tables should be typed on separate sheets using generous spacing, and be placed after the main text: avoid long descriptive headings to columns.
Tables must be capable of fitting onto a single printed page or less. Under no circumstances will fold-outs be permitted. Data must not be presented in both tabular and graphical form. Vertical rules must not be used. Titles should be brief and written in upper and lower case.
Reference citations in the text are given in the following form: Joy (1990) or Joy & Williams (1991). For three or more authors, use the form Echlin et al. (1990). If more than one paper published in the same year by the same author is quoted, use the form Knowles (1990a) etc. A list of references in alphabetical order of first authors' names should be provided. The list of references must begin on a new page. All authors and the full title of the paper should be quoted. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the World List of Scientific Periodicals or the USA Standards Institute. The series (where appropriate), volume number, and first and last pages of the articles should be given. Book titles should be followed by the editor(s) (where appropriate), place of publication and publisher.
Please pay particular attention to the punctuation. Publications can only be cited as 'in press' if they have been accepted for publication: references to papers in preparation and submitted are not allowed. In referring to personal communications in the text, the person's full name and initials, and the year of the communication should be given.
Text figures and photographs are referred to as figures and should be numbered in a single series, and references made in the text in chronological order to Fig. 1 etc.
Compound figures should have a general title followed by a description of each part, identified by letters.

Text figures should be drawn in black ink on tracing paper or white card. Lettering may be indicated in pencil: it will then be inserted by the publisher. Original drawings, good glossy prints or laser printed diagrams should be provided for the printers: photocopy reproductions or dot-matrix printed figures are not acceptable (with the exception of spectra). Poor quality figures will be returned to the authors for redrawing, with consequent delays in production.
Photographs should be submitted the same size as they are to appear in the printed paper: the maximum size is 177 x 226 mm. They should be glossy prints of good contrast and wherever possible should be of the following widths: 84, 116 or 177 mm. Any necessary lettering, pin-pointing or arrows must be placed on the print to be used for reproduction, using 'instant lettering' transfers. If a group of photographs is to form a plate, they must be mounted accurately on a sheet of card. If a composite is to be constructed, authors must provide a composite of original micrographs and not a photograph of the composite. Scale bars must be included.
Authors who wish to use stereo-pair photographs should inform the Editors when submitting their papers. Stereo-pairs should be at the same magnification, of good and equal contrast and the same size as they are to appear. A gap of 1-3 mm should be left between the pictures.
Figure captions should be given on a separate sheet. These should make the figure comprehensible without reference to the text.
Revised manuscripts should be dealt with promptly and returned to the Guest Editor. Revised typescripts must be clean and free from any annotations in pencil or ink. Careful attention should be paid to the reference list following revisions. Areas of the figures that require attention/enhancement should be clearly marked for the benefit of the printers.
Fifty offprints of papers will be provided free of charge to the author. Further copies may be ordered when the proof is returned.

Final manuscript submission on disk
Final manuscripts may be submitted on computer or word processor disks. There is no limit to the operating system or word processing package. More detailed instructions are available from the Editorial Office. Disk submission must always be accompanied by the regulation number of printed copies Manuscripts will be considered only on the understanding