Overall aspects
The manuscript must be a report of significant new work, a new review or overview, or a combination of the above—and be targeted toward the general technical reader. Although a shorter version may have been published (or submitted for publication) elsewhere— for example, in a rapid publication such as Applied Physics Letters or in a conference proceedings—the manuscript may be acceptable if it differs significantly from the shorter version.

Its title should be no more than ten words long. Its abstract should be no more than 200 words long, summarize the significant aspects of the manuscript, and indicate whether the manuscript is a report of new work, a review or overview, or a combination of the above.

Its introduction should provide background information (including relevant references) and indicate the purpose of the manuscript. Inclusion of statements at the end of the introduction regarding the organization of the manuscript can be helpful to the reader.

In addition to being grammatically correct, the manuscript should evolve so that each sentence, equation, figure, and table flows smoothly and logically from whatever precedes it. Relevant work by others, as well as relevant products from other companies, should be adequately and accurately cited. Sufficient support should be provided (or cited) for the assertions made and conclusions drawn.

The manuscript should be prepared using a 12-point font, double spacing, and 1.25-inch-wide margins; and its pages should be numbered.

Scalar variables and physical constants should be italicized, and a bold font should be used for vectors.

The procedures and/or apparatus used should be described or referenced.

The symbols and acronyms used should be defined within the text or in a separate list. The use of in-house technical jargon should be avoided; instead, generic technical terms should be used.

Figures and tables
A minimum number of figures and tables should be used. They should contain only essential entries and be designed to be clearly legible after reduction to a width of 3 inches (column width); if necessary, a 6-inch width is acceptable for a few figures.

Figures should be explained in the text and numbered in the order in which they are cited. Their captions should be concise.

If a figure or table has been (or is scheduled to be) published elsewhere (in a journal, conference proceedings, book, etc.), because of copyright laws, you must obtain permission from the editor of the publication in which it has been (or is scheduled to be) published in order to include it in the manuscript. Indicate that such permission has been received by adding either of the following statements to the figure/table caption: “From [reference no.], with permission,” or “Adapted from [reference no.], with permission.”

References
The references should be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the manuscript.

A reference to a paper that has been published in a journal or conference proceedings should contain the name of each author, title of the paper, journal/conference proceedings designation, volume, inclusive page numbers, and year of publication. The name(s) of its author(s) should appear exactly as in the paper.

A paper that has not yet been published in a journal or a conference proceedings, but is expected to be, should be cited as “submitted for publication in …,” “accepted for publication in …,” or “to be published in ….” Updated information regarding volume number, inclusive page numbers, year of publication, conference sponsor, etc. should be provided to us when page proofs are sent to you for correction.

A reference to a (company/university/government) report should be cited only if it is nonconfidential, and information should be supplied regarding its title, authorship, designation, year of issuance, and the source (including location) from which it can be obtained.

A reference to a book or book chapter should include information on its title, author(s) and/or editor(s), publisher, publisher's location, and year of publication.

A private communication or unpublished work citation should contain the affiliation and location (city, state, country) of the person to whom it is attributed, and should be included as a footnote rather than a reference.

Biographical sketches
We publish brief biographical sketches of authors and coauthors along with their manuscripts. The sketches should include information on academic background, previous and current areas of technical work, and professional society membership. For examples, see http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/rd/455/liebmaut.html.

Material to be submitted

1. A Microsoft Word file or Lotus WordPro file of the manuscript, including its figures, tables, and biographical sketches.
2. A copy of the above file in pdf format.
3. A copy of the publication approval form for the manuscript (IBM authors).
4. Signed “Transfer of Copyright” forms (non-IBM authors; the forms are available from us).