Instructions for Authors

ALTEX publishes original articles, short communications, reviews, as well as news and comments, meeting reports and book reviews.           ALTEX is devoted to the publication of research on the development and promotion of alternatives to animal experiments according to the 3R concept of Russell and Burch: Replace, Reduce, and Refine. Animal experiments are defined as all experimental procedures involving the use of animals in testing, research and education or to obtain tissues, organs, and other animal-derived products which may cause pain or distress to animals. ALTEX further publishes manuscripts on the bioethics of the complex relationship between humans and animals.           Articles published in ALTEX must express a basic concern for the dignity of living creatures and the recognition of animals as our partners. All articles will be judged according to stringent scientific standards. Manuscripts submitted to ALTEX are evaluated by two reviewers. The evaluation takes into account the scientific merit of a manuscript and its contribution to animal welfare and the 3R principle.           Please send manuscripts via e-mail to editor-Blindtext-@altex.ch. Include a cover letter stating that all authors concur with the submissionand whether there are any copyright issues on the paper or parts of it.           Articles must be written in English. Language should be based on the Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html).

Structure of full articles:

Title: 12 words maximum Authors: with full first names Affiliations of all authors Summary: 150 words maximum Keywords: 3-5 words Introduction: include a specific statement concerning the 3R relevance of the article Materials and methods: do not list animals as materials (To describe animal experiments refer to the ARRIVE guidelines: http://www.nc3rs.org.uk/ARRIVE) Results Discussion References: see examples below Acknowledgements Correspondence address: full address of corresponding author Table legends and figure captions Contributions from the humanities and short communications may diverge from this structure. Please use the international standard measuring system (SI). Numbers should be written in the decimal system (e.g. 1,000.25). Use a separate line for equations. Indicate trademarks (™) and registered goods (®). Abbreviations should be explained when used for the first time. If several abbreviations are used, please add an abbreviation index as a footnote. Technical terms should be comprehensible also for readers who are not experts in your particular field.

Citations in the text / References Citations in the text should be marked with name/s of the author/s and the year of publication, e.g. (Harvey and Smith, 2008; Kimmel et al., 2010). In case of several publications by the same author/s within one year, please mark them with a, b, c, etc.           Please format the references at the end of the text according to the example below. If you use Endnote, you may use the ALTEX style (download ALTEX style for Endnote (.ens file)). Examples Journal articles Two authors Houck, K. A. and Kavlock, R. J. (2008). Understanding mechanisms of toxicity: insights from drug discovery research. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 227, 163-178. Three and four authors Honegger, P., Lenoir, D. and Favrod, P. (1979). Growth and differentiation of aggregating fetal brain cells in a serum-free defined medium. Nature 282, 305-308. More than four authors Fan, C. Y., Cowden, J., Simmons, S. O. et al. (2010). Gene expression changes in developing zebrafish as potential markers for rapid developmental neurotoxicity screening. Neurotoxicol. Teratol. 32, 91-98. Book chapters Honegger, P. and Schilter, B. (1992). Serum free aggregate cultures of foetal rat brain and liver cells: methodology and some practical applications in neurotoxicology. In G. Zbinden (ed.), The brain and bits and pieces: In vitro techniques in neurobiology, neuropharmacology and neurotoxicology (51-79). Zollikon, Switzerland: MTC Verlag. Books Goldberg, A.M. (ed.) (1983). Alternative methods in toxicology, product safety evaluation. Vol. 1. New York: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. Regulations European Commission (2006). Regulation (EC) of No 1907/2006 of the European parliament and of the council 18 December 2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH), establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive 76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC. Tables and figures Upon submission of the manuscript, you may include tables and figures at the end of the manuscript document on separate sheets and mark them with the name of the first author and the figure or table number. Tables must be supplied with a title and figures with a caption (i.e., title and explanation). Tables and figures must be self-explanatory without further reference to the manuscript text. Refer to all tables and figures within the manuscript, e.g. (Tab. 1) or (Fig. 1). Use the tabulator key for spacing in the tables.           Upon submission of the final, accepted version of the manuscript, figures must have a resolution of 300 dpi upon and must be submitted as separate .jpg, .tif or .ppt files. Labelling in Helvetica/Arial must still be legible even in a reduced size. The size of the ALTEX type area is 27.2 x 17.4 cm. This represents the maximum size for a figure or table.           If using another author’s illustration, enclose a copyright transfer from that author or the relevant copyright holder. Choice of expert reviewers Authors may suggest up to five potential reviewers from their field of expertise. Please include full name, postal address, e-mail for each potential reviewer.           Articles having no 3R relevance are rejected before entering the evaluation procedure. Two experts’ reviews are obtained for full articles and short communications with 3R relevance. In case of disagreement, a third review is commissioned. The final decision rests with the editor. The content of the reviews is submitted to the authors independent of whether the manuscript is accepted for publication.