Preparation of manuscripts
The manuscript should be double-spaced throughout using 11pt Times New Roman/Arial. Number all pages,beginning from section of title page, and followed by abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgements, references, figure legends and figures/tables.Gene symbols should be italicized; protein products are not italicized. Non-standard abbreviations should be defind when first used in the text.

Title page: The title page should include: Full title (a brief declarative statement of the major findings of the research), Running title (no more than 60 characters including spaces), and corresponding author's contact information.

Abstract: The abstract should briefly (no more than 250 words) describe in complete sentences the scope of the investigation, the results obtained and the major conclusions.3-7 keywords should be given after the abstract.

Introduction: The introduction should begin with a brief introduction of background related to the research and should be as concise as possible.

Results: The results should present the experimental data in tables and figures with suitable descriptions.

Discussion: The discussion should focus on the interpretation and significance of the findings with concise objective comments.

Materials and Methods: The materials and methods should be described clearly and referenced in sufficient detail.

Acknowledgments: The acknowledgements should be brief and include references to financial supports along with the numbers of grants.

Gene nomenclature: Authors should use approved nomenclature for gene symbols, and use symbols rather than italicized full names (Ttn, not titin). Please consult the appropriate nomenclature databases for correct gene names and symbols.For proposed gene names that are not already approved, please submit the gene symbols to the appropriate nomenclature committees as soon as possible, as these must be deposited and approved before publication of an article. Avoid listing multiple names of genes (or proteins) separated by a slash, as in ‘Oct4/Pou5f1’, as this is ambiguous (it could mean a ratio, a complex, alternative names or different subunits). Use one name throughout and include the other at first mention: ‘Oct4 (also known as Pou5f1)’.

References
The references should include only articles that are published or in press. The references are each numbered, ordered sequentially as they appear in the text. List all authors unless there are more than 6, in which case only the first 3 should be given, followed by “et al”.
Please use the following style for references:
Article in a Journal:
1 Pan GJ, Chang ZY, Schöoler HR, Pei DQ. Stem cell pluripotency and transcription factor Oct4. Cell Res 2002; 12:321-329.
Chapter in a Book:
2 Hirsimaki P, Arstuka AU, Trump BF, Marzella L. Autophagocytosis. In: Trump BF, Arstuka AU, eds. Pathobiology of cell membranes. New York: Plenum Press, 1983:201-236.
A book:
3 Kryger M, Roth T, Dement W, eds. The Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine. 2nd Edition. Philadelphia:WB Saunders, 1994.
Online Publication:
4 Jelinic P, Stehle JC, Shaw P. The testis-specific factor CTCFL cooperates with the protein methyltransferase PRMT7 in H19 imprinting control region methylation. PLoS Biol 2006; 4: e355. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040355

Figures
Figures and images should be labeled sequentially, numbered and cited in the text. Figure legends should be printed and double-spaced on a separate sheet titled ‘Titles and legends to figures’. Figures should be referred to specifically in the text of the paper but should not be embedded within the text. The use of three-dimensional histograms is strongly discouraged when the addition of the third dimension gives no extra information. If a table or figure has been published before, the authors must obtain written permission to reproduce the material in both print and electronic formats from the copyright owner and submit it with the manuscript. This follows for quotes, illustrations and other materials taken from previously published works not in the public domain.
For initial submission, figures could be embedded with the text as one Word file. For a revised manuscript, tiff , psd and jpeg are the only acceptable formats for the figures, which should be submitted separately. Use quality graphic programs such as Adobe PhotoShop, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Draw, or Freehand to create your figures. Figures should be approximately the same size as you would like them to appear in press.

Note: While an image may look perfect on the screen, it is often of insufficient resolution for publication. Try viewing your figure at 100% and 300 dpi in resolution on the screen; if it is not blurry, it is probably of high enough resolution for the printing process.

Figure legends
Legends must be submitted for all figures. They should be brief and specific, and should appear on a separate manuscript page after the Reference section. Use scale markers in the image for electron micrographs, and indicate the type of stain used.

Tables
These should be labeled sequentially as Table 1, Table 2, etc. Each table should be typed on a separate page, numbered and titled, and cited in the text. Reference to table footnotes should be made by means of Arabic numerals. Tables should not duplicate the content of the text. They should consist of at least two columns; columns should always have headings.Authors should ensure that the data in the tables are consistent with those cited in the relevant places in the text, totals add up correctly, and percentages have been calculated correctly.Supply tables as Word, Excel or HTML files (one table per file). Include the table title and legend in the table file.

House style
As the electronic submission will provide the basic material for typesetting, it is important that papers are prepared in the general editorial style of the journal.

1.Do not make rules thinner than 1 pt (0.36mm)
2.Use a coarse hatching pattern rather than shading for tints in graphs
3.Color should be distinct when used as an identifying tool
4.Use SI units throughout
5.Spaces, not commas should be used to separate thousands
6.Abbreviations should be preceded by the words for which they stand in the first instance of use
7.Text should be double spaced with a wide margin

File formats
File formats for manuscript files, figures and tables that are acceptable for our electronic manuscript submission process are given on the online forms. Please follow our artwork guidelines for submitting figures, and use a common word-processing package (such as Microsoft Word) for the text.

 

Proofs
Once the manuscript has been accepted, correspondence will receive PDF proofs and are responsible for proofreading and checking the entire article. Authors should correct only typesetting errors, no major alteration of the text will be accepted. Page proofs must be returned within 48 hours to avoid delays in publication along with the reprint order if required.

Offprints
Offprints may be ordered on the form accompanying the proofs.

Page charges are currently 400 RMB (US$50) per print page in black and white and 1500-1200 RMB (US$200) percolor page in the journal. These charges can be paid to Cell Research by Telegraph Transfer or Check by International Express Companies or through Post Office registered letter to avoid losses.

(1)Telegraph transfer: Item Title: Publication fee to Cell Research Bank Name: Agricultural Bank of China, Shanghai Branch. Account Number: 033924-00801048006 Account Name: Cell Research, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Address: Room 401, Building 31B, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.

(2)Remittance through Post OfficeAccount Name: Cell Research Address: Room 401, Building 31B, 319 Yueyang Road, Shanghai 200031, China.

Guidelines for authors (English or Chinese),

Cover Letter, licence to submission and licence to publish