CIF Submissions to Acta C

From January 1996 on Acta Crystallographica Section C will require all manuscripts to be submitted electronically (e-mail or floppy) as CIFs. Currently over 85% of Acta C submissions are electronic, and significant benefits will accrue to authors and the journal in terms of processing times and costs when CIFs are the sole mode of submission. Every assistance possible will be given to authors needing to make the transition from hard-copy to electronic submission.

An important reminder to Acta C authors: The Acta Crystallographica office in Chester provides automatic e-mail facilities for checking and printing CIF manuscripts. A CIF e-mailed to "checkcif@iucr.ac.uk" will be previewed automatically and a check report will be sent to the reply address. Similarly, a CIF manuscript sent to "printcif@iucr.ac.uk" will be returned as a PostScript image of the contained text. This feedback usually takes a few minutes, and used in advance of a submission, can significantly reduce editorial delay.

Software for checking and displaying CIF data

The program package Xtal_GX is available via anonymous ftp for reading, validating and displaying structural data in the CIF format. The program is supplied as executables for most commonly used graphics work stations and for a PC. An executable, files, test data, and documentation may be obtained from the IP 130.95.232.12 in directory /free. Get and read the README file as the first step.

Xtal_GX supports the reading, writing, and validation of CIFs, along with the interactive display, manipulation, and geometry analysis of structural parameters. It includes ORTEP plotting facilities. It is not intended to process diffraction data or refine structural parameters.

Syd Hall
Editor, Section C
Acta Crystallographica