A complete submission includes...

1. A cover letter from the corresponding author that states that the manuscript is being submitted exclusively to JCE and indicates why it is appropriate for the Journal. Authors are invited to suggest reviewers (please include complete, current postal addresses) and to suggest graphics that could be used for cover illustrations.

2. A cover sheet that includes the title of the manuscript, the area (In the Classroom, etc.) in which the manuscript best fits, the number of words in the manuscript, the name of the corresponding author, and the names of all other authors. For each author give complete postal and email addresses and telephone and fax numbers. Indicate which method of communication the corresponding author prefers. If the manuscript is suitable for any of the Journal's feature columns, please indicate which one(s).

3. An original plus three copies (four total) of the manuscript. The manuscript must be printed, double-spaced (no more than one line per vertical centimeter), in a font no smaller than 10 point. Number each page at the bottom right corner. Use 1-in. (2.5-cm) margins on top and sides of the page, and adjust the bottom margin so that all text and page numbers are no more than 10.5 in. (26.5 cm) from the top of the page. Fasten the pages in the upper left corner (paper clip the original and staple the copies). Do not put them in binders, folders, report covers, or plastic page protectors. The manuscript should include, in this order:

• Abstract. Page 1 should contain the title of the manuscript, the authors' names and institutional addresses, the abstract, and the keywords, in that order. The abstract should be no more than 200 words long and should summarize the important points made in the manuscript. (Abstracts will appear in JCE Online and JCE CD but not in print.)
• Keywords. Page 1 should also contain at least three keywords selected from the Journal's list; Keywords help categorize your manuscript and aid in the preparation of the index.
• Manuscript text. Page 2 should begin with the title and the authors' names and institutional addresses, followed by the manuscript text. The text should follow ACS style guidelines (see The ACS Style Guide, 2nd ed.; Dodd, J. S., Ed.; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1997.) Place tables, and figures with their captions, in the text where they will be most useful to the reader. Also print or copy all tables and figures, one per page, and collect them, with a separate list of captions, at the end of the manuscript text.
• Literature Cited. Place the bibliography at the end of the manuscript text, following the adopted style of the Journal. If you cite no references, include the results of a literature search that cites your own and others' work that has a bearing on the manuscript you are submitting and explain why no citations are needed. Include in this section only material that has been published in the literature or on the Internet. Additional comments may be placed in numbered endnotes, indicated by superscripts in the text.
• Tables (if any) should be collected on separate sheets as well as included in the manuscript at the point where they are referred to. Column headings for physical quantities should consist of quantity/units. (For a concentration of 2.47 µmol/L, the heading would be concentration/µmol L^-1 or concentration/10^-6 mol L^-1, and the number entered in the table would be 2.47.)
• Figures (if any) should be collected at the end of the manuscript, each on a separate page. Four copies of each color figure must be submitted in color. Four copies (not photocopies) of each photograph must be submitted. Axes of graphs should be labeled with quantity/units in the same way that table headings are done.

Digital versions on disk are required only after a manuscript has been accepted. However, consulting our Instructions for Final Manuscript Preparation while you are preparing your manuscript may save you time later.