EDITOR'S OUTLOOK NOTICE TO AUTHORS. A slightly revised reprint of the JOURNAL'S "Notice to Authors" appears elsewhere in this issue (page XVI). Attention is hereby called to the few changes made, and to various unchanged items more frequently ignored than observed. The request that manuscripts be submitted in duplicate is made for two reasons. When it is desirable that a paper be submitted to more than one referee for criticism, submissions may be made simultaneously, rather than consecutively. Also, the duplicate copy is often a material aid to the editorial office in proofreading and in checking au'thors' proofs. The request for ample spacing, both interlinear and marginal, is made in the interest of efficiency and clarity in editing. Even when little or no editorial alteration in the text is required, certain typographical annotations must be made, and it is both difficult and timeconsuming to enter these in cramped space. It is especially desirable that the practice of ample spacing be extended to literature references and to mathematical and chemical equations. The former request that manuscripts be accompanied by summary abstracts has been dropped in the interest of space conservation. Desirable as these summaries appeared to many readers, their omission permits the inclusion of one or more additional short articles or notes in each issue.
The request that authors' initials be included in literature references has likewise been dropped. This omission will tend to make the JOURNAL'S practice more uniform, to bring its practice into conformity with that of the majority of scientific publications, and to spare the writer what seems, on the whole, unnecessary labor. When it is desirable to identify specifically the bearer of a rather common name, or to distinguish between father and son, this can well be done by mention of the author's full name in the actual text. All references should be double-checked for accuracy. Prospective authors are again urged to pay careful attention to the instructions relating to illustrative material. If one defect occurs more frequently than any other in the productions of amateur draftsmen, it is the tendency to ink too lightly. Zinc cuts bearing very thin lines are all too likely to break down during press runs. When diagrams are reduced in size for reproduction line thickness is reduced i n the same proportion as other dimensions. It is better to err on the side of too-heavy inking, if error there must be. Scrupulous observance of these and other practices suggested in the "Notice to Authors" will increase editorial efficiency, obviate errors and delays, and insure better service to authors.
