LCGC International Author Guidelines

LCGC International welcomes articles that describe techniques and applications of all forms of chromatography and capillary electrophoresis and that are of immediate interest to users in industry, academia, and government.

Information for Authors

LCGC International accepts a variety of contributed articles including technical and review articles, feature stories and profiles about trending topics, blogs, and peer-reviewed content. The editors also review press releases for publication. When submitting an article to LCGC International, please note that we cannot guarantee publication in the print magazine. If you would like your article to appear in print first, please indicate this in your initial email. Print-first articles may experience a wait time of several months.

We are seeking articles that cover important topics in separation science. Including, but not limited to, method development, applications, sample preparation, data analysis, new technology, education, artificial intelligence, instrumentation, business, and more.

The analytical techniques covered in LCGC International include the diverse methods of sample preparation, single- and multi-dimensional liquid and gas chromatography, mass spectrometry (including MSn), capillary electrophoresis, supercritical fluid chromatography, and related techniques, as well as chemometrics and artificial intelligence (machine learning).

Papers for Current Trends in Mass Spectrometry (CTMS) should focus on advances in mass spectrometry techniques or their application. For CTMS, studies involving separation techniques should focus on the mass spectrometry aspect of the technique or method; papers focusing on the separation step should be submitted for consideration in a regular issue of LCGC International.

Manuscripts are reviewed with the understanding that they have not been published previously and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work. All manuscripts are subject to peer review and copyediting. Authors of accepted papers will have an opportunity to review galleys. If illustrations or other material in a manuscript have been published previously, the author is responsible for obtaining permission to republish.

Types of Manuscripts

Technical articles
Technical articles describe improved methods or improvements in techniques and should be of immediate relevance to chromatography users. Authors should not make comparisons between commercially available products from different manufacturers. Manuscripts for regular issues of LCGC or for CTMS should be ~2500-3500 words long plus up to six figures and tables (combined total).

Review articles
Review articles survey recent developments and the state of the art of current techniques or emerging technologies. We urge authors to submit a proposal to the editor before completing a manuscript.

Feature articles
A feature article should provide a new or interesting analysis of a trend in analytical chemistry or separation science. These articles should be no more than 2,000 words in length and include at least three sources.

Blogs
Blog articles should be short in length (about 500-700 words) and should explain, in a conversational tone, a topic that impacts separation scientists and their work. These articles run exclusively online.

Technical Manuscript Submission Process

For papers with multiple authors, designate a single author to handle correspondence. Include this author's e-mail address in the manuscript and in the e-mail message that accompanies the manuscript. Before submitting the completed work, authors are urged to review manuscripts for clarity of expression, details of grammar, and typographical accuracy.

Key words or phrases

All manuscripts should include a list of approximately five key words or phrases.

Technical manuscripts should be presented in an abbreviated scientific format and should include the following:

Abstract: Very brief (100–150 words). Mention subjects studied, methods used, principal observations made, and conclusions reached.

Introduction: Without repeating published information, discuss the relationship of your work to previously published work. Describe the novelty or importance of the research presented.

Experimental: Present enough information that an experienced chromatographer would be able to reproduce the work. List those components of the experimental design that are of a specialized nature, including equipment manufacturers names and locations in parentheses after reference to specific types of equipment. Do not list equipment, reagents, or procedures that are normally found in the laboratory or that are common knowledge in the field. Include the following minimal information as it pertains to the particular type of chromatography being used: column dimensions, film thickness, packing type, mobile-phase composition, flow rate, detection method, injection conditions, instrument temperatures, applied potential, and instrument program.

Results and discussion: Focus your comments on the needs of users of chromatography, and stress the practical importance of your findings.

Conclusion: Summarize the main points of your article, and state important conclusions or recommendations.

Formatting: Please see the “LCGC International and Spectroscopy Formatting Help Guide” below for the details of how to format your manuscript, including figures, tables, and references.

Where to Submit Manuscripts

Send manuscripts for LCGC International or Current Trends in Mass Spectrometry to Caroline Hroncich at chroncich@mjhlifesciences.com and Alasdair Matheson at amatheson@MJHlifesciences.com.

Send manuscripts for The Column to Kate Jones at kjones@MJHlifesciences.com and Alasdair Matheson at amatheson@MJHlifesciences.com.