Lab on a Chip

Full papers

These must represent a significant development in the particular field, and are judged according to originality, quality of scientific content and contribution to existing knowledge. Although there is no page limit for Full papers, appropriateness of length to content of new science will be taken into consideration.

Comments

Comments and Replies are a medium for the discussion and exchange of scientific opinions between authors and readers concerning material published in Lab on a Chip.

For publication, a Comment should present an alternative analysis of and/or new insight into the previously published material. Any Reply should further the discussion presented in the original article and the Comment. Comments and Replies that contain any form of personal attack are not suitable for publication. 

Comments that are acceptable for publication will be forwarded to the authors of the work being discussed, and these authors will be given the opportunity to submit a Reply. The Comment and Reply will both be subject to rigorous peer review in consultation with the journal’s Editorial Board where appropriate. The Comment and Reply will be published together.

Communications

These must report preliminary research findings that are highly original, of immediate interest and are likely to have a high impact on the journal readership. Communications are given priority treatment, are fast-tracked through the publication process and appear prominently at the front of the journal.

Communications present innovative miniaturisation concepts with important implications. Authors should provide at the time of submission a short paragraph explaining why their work justifies urgent publication as a Communication. 

Reviews & Perspectives

These are normally invited by the editorial board and editorial office, although suggestions from readers for topics and authors of reviews are most welcome. Interested review authors should complete the following review proposal form and return it to the editor at loc-rsc@rsc.org. The proposal form will be assessed and those that are approved will be encouraged to submit the full review article for peer review.

LOC Review proposal form

Reviews and Perspectives must be high quality, authoritative, state-of-the-art accounts of the selected research field. They should be timely and add to the existing literature, rather than duplicate existing articles, and should be of general interest to the journal's wide readership.

All Reviews and Perspectives undergo rigorous peer review, in the same way as regular research papers. Notes on the preparation of these articles are available from the editor, and will be provided to reviewers.

Critical reviews report a detailed, balanced and authoritative current account of the existing state of knowledge on a particular facet of lab-on-a-chip science/engineering/technology. Simple literature surveys will not be accepted for publication. Critical reviews should not contain unpublished original research. 

Tutorial reviews should provide an introduction and overview of an important topic of relevance to the journal readership. The topic should be of relevance to both researchers who are new to the field as well as experts and provide a good introduction to the development of a subject, its current state and indications of future directions the field is expected to take. Tutorial reviews should not contain unpublished original research. 

Perspectives present an authoritative state-of-the-art account of a research field. A Perspective may take the form of a personal account of research, or a critical analysis of a topic of current interest. In either form, some new unpublished research may be included.

Videos

Lab on a Chip can also host videos related to published research in the journal. These can be submitted as part of the electronic supplementary information (ESI) during manuscript submission.

Chips & Tips

A unique and regularly updated forum for scientists in the miniaturisation field. Chips & Tips aims to provide a place where ideas and solutions can be exchanged on common practical problems encountered in the lab, which are seldom reported in the literature. More information about Chips and Tips and how to submit your own can be found on our Chips & Tips page.

Chip design masks

Lab on a Chip can also host the chip design mask used in the construction of your chip. These are displayed with your article on the web as electronic supplementary information, where they can be freely accessed by all. We hope that by providing such a comprehensive record of chip designs, accessible by the wider miniaturisation community, this will:

• benefit future research and save researchers time and expense
• increase quality and reputation of on-chip research by making results easy to reproduce and verify
• enhance the impact of your paper.

Researchers that use your designs will be asked to acknowledge them through appropriate citation.

Please note, although there is no compulsion to provide your masks, it is hoped that all authors will submit them voluntarily to benefit the miniaturisation community. Please provide your files as supplementary information during the submission process.

Use of the Royal Society of Chemistry template is not required.