Please print these instructions and save for future reference during the submission process

Before proceeding with these instructions, please read the Author Information, which contains formatting instructions and policies for this journal. Then, upload a single file containing the entire manuscript (including references, tables, figures, and captions) in one of the following source file formats: MS Word or LaTeX. Additionally, upload any multimedia files separately (optional).

See the detailed multimedia guidelines given in the instructions for how to prepare a manuscript. Acceptable video file formats include QuickTime nonstreaming video (.qt or .mov), MPEG (.mpg), and DV (.dv). Acceptable audio file formats include PCM (.pcm), WAV (.wav), AIFF (.aif), and MP3 (.mp3) at 128 Kbs or greater. We cannot accept any other types of multimedia files. Please note that AVI files are no longer a recommended file format, because the wide variety of AVI codecs cannot be reliably archived.

Manuscript Types

Cover Letter

A cover letter file is required. The cover letter will not be accessible to the reviewers; it is accessible only to Editors and Staff. In the cover letter, authors should explain the significance of the work, the problem that is being addressed, and why the manuscript belongs in this journal. The cover letter should also contain any pertinent information regarding your submission. If you are submitting a Letters manuscript (which is a short technical communication intended for rapid publication), you must include a statement in the cover letter file setting forth the significance of the paper and why it merits rapid publication.

The manuscript submission process proceeds through a series of screens that gather detailed information about your manuscript and allow you to upload the pertinent files. Uploaded source files are automatically converted by system software into Portable Document Format (PDF) file versions. It is the PDF files that are made available to editors and reviewers; such files can be viewed via a web browser and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The sequence of submission screens is as follows:

• An initial screen that includes important excerpts from the Author Instructions.
• A manuscript-submission form asking you to enter authors, title, abstract, keywords, quantities of files to upload, etc.
• A screen asking for the files to be uploaded. After completing this screen, your files will be uploaded to our server.
• A file-upload confirmation screen that will provide you with a specific tracking number for your manuscript submission.
• A screen that advises you that the Corresponding Author is being sent an email message to serve as a reminder that the submission process has been started and that they should assure/check on the progress of the file conversion, author approval, and final submission step. The screen gives you the option to immediately proceed to check on the file conversion, or to Log Out or return to the Home screen to address other business.
• A file-conversion status & approval screen that advises you of the progress of converting each source file to its PDF version, and, when conversion is successfully completed, requires you to verify that each of the files uploaded and converted to PDF correctly. If a conversion is incorrect, you can replace or delete a file as necessary at this stage. You may also add (upload) new files (one at a time). Once all converted files are viewed and approved as correct, you will need to click on "Confirm Approved Converted Files" to officially register and notify the editorial office of the submission.
  NOTE: Until you complete this step, your manuscript is not considered as submitted to the editorial office for peer-review handling.

If conversion of a file seems to be having difficulty, i.e., has not converted within several minutes after upload, please consult the Checklist for Conversion of Source Files. A link to this document also appears on the file-conversion status & approval screen while one or more files are undergoing conversion.

Upon confirming approval of the converted files, you are returned to your Home screen (Main page), with a message indicating that the submission has been registered. You now have the opportunity to view summary data, converted files, and current status information about your manuscript by checking the "Live Manuscripts" folder.

Upon receiving system notification of a submission, the journal Staff will check to make sure the manuscript submission is complete and that the files are properly prepared. If the submission is ready to be processed, the Author will receive a "confirmation of receipt" email message and the submission passes to the Editor. If the journal Staff has any questions or needs additional information, the Author will receive a "quality check" email message with a description of what is needed and instructions for amending the submission and/or supplying additional information.

The process for submitting a revised manuscript proceeds through the same series of screens as before. However, there are some important differences.

Please double check that each file that is uploaded is the most current version.

Publication charges of $300 per article for articles up to 10 pages in length plus $50 per page thereafter apply to both contributed and special section papers. Editorial acceptance of papers is not tied to payment of publication charges, but such payments are expected. These are financial contributions from authors' institutions to help defray the cost of publishing research results and should be regarded as an essential and proper part of their research budgets. To pay publication charges, authors must complete a Publication Charge Certification Form.

Open Access Option: SPIE offers authors the option to pay a fee of $1500 to support publication costs and to provide free online access to the full text of their published journal article, in perpetuity, to any online user, independent of any subscriptions to the journal. To select open access, please return the Open Access Publication Form with payment to SPIE immediately upon acceptance of your paper.

Open access to the article can be ensured only if payment in full is received by SPIE. An author’s choice to select open access has no impact on any aspect of the peer-review process or on the Editor’s ultimate decision regarding publication. If an author chooses open access, but SPIE does not receive full payment in a timely manner, the article will be published conventionally, that is, without open access. Payment of the open access fee covers regular page charges.

Color Figures

The Transfer of Copyright Form must be completed and returned prior to publication of an accepted article. The form is available via a link in the navigation bar at the bottom of the pages of this site.

Download the copyright form, print it, complete it in full (include manuscript code number and journal name), sign it, and e-mail, fax, or mail it to the Editorial Office as soon as you are notified that your article has been accepted for publication. E-mail is the preferred delivery option.

The upper right-hand corner of every screen has links that allow you to:

Throughout the system, red arrows reflect pending action items that you should address by clicking on the associated link.

If you need additional help, you can click on the help signs located throughout the system. A help dialog box will pop up with context-sensitive help comments.

Checking a Manuscript's Status; Viewing Manuscript Files

After you have approved the file upload and conversion for your manuscript submission, you may obtain the status of your manuscript, or view the manuscript files, at any time by:

To send email to the journal staff regarding a manuscript that has already been submitted and is being processed, please use the "Send Manuscript Correspondence" link located at the end of the Detailed Status Information screen. This feature allows you to send email attachments and to cc: (e.g., to yourself). Your email is automatically recorded and stored within the system and accessible to journal staff. An author might use this feature to send in a corrected file for a recently submitted manuscript (provided the editorial process has not yet progressed too far).

Start the manuscript submission process by clicking the "Submit Manuscript" link on your Home screen (Main page).

Return to Main Page to continue.