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Author Guidelines

Please carefully read and follow the instructions on this page as well as the Author Instructions page. Failure to do so may result in delayed processing or rejection of your manuscript. 

We recommend visiting our Writing Resources page prior to submitting. This page contains links to how-to guides, useful checklists (CARE, PRISMA, etc.), and other resources to help you prepare your manuscript for publication. 

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements:

  • This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Instructions and Editorial Policies.
  • This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration. 
  • All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
  • All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
  • Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided with this submission.

Prior to submission, please ensure that you have the following ready:

  • A cover letter (optional) briefly summarizing your main results, including their importance and implications. If you choose not to provide a cover letter, please be prepared to enter a short paragraph describing your work and its significance.
  • An editable (i.e. Word Document) title page containing your manuscripts title, shortened running title, and all author information.  
  • An anonymous Word Document or PDF (if submitting in LaTeX) of your manuscript. If you are using LaTeX, you will be required to submit the source files if the paper is accepted. Please make sure that this is an anonymized version of your manuscript as it will be sent to reviewers. Please indicate this in the name of the document i.e., name your anonymous version "manuscript_title_anonymous.docx" and select "Anonymized Manuscript" when uploading. 
  • Figures saved in an acceptable format
  • Any supplementary material
  • IRB approval or exemption if necessary

Original Research Article

Original research articles should follow the general guidelines outlined in the Author Instructions. Max words: approx. 3500 not including figures, tables, or references. Limit of 5 figures and 5 tables. Additional figures and tables may be included as supplemental material.

Systematic Review

Systematic reviews should adhere to PRISMA guidelines for reporting and should follow the same general structure as original research articles. Please include a copy of the PRISMA checklist with submission. Max words: approx. 4500 not including figures, tables, or references. Limit of 5 figures and 5 tables. Additional figures and tables may be included as supplemental material. Other structured review types including but not limited to scoping reviews, rapid reviews, umbrella reviews, etc. should follow the guidelines for systematic reviews.

Meta-Analysis

Meta-analyses should adhere to PRISMA guidelines for reporting. Meta-analyses should follow the structure laid out for Original Research articles in the Author Instructions. Please include a copy of the PRISMA checklist with submission. Please contact the editor if you feel your meta-analysis requires a significantly higher word count. 

Narrative Review

Narrative reviews are welcome. In addition to summarizing current literature, narrative reviews should provide new insights into the topic. There are no word, figure, or table limits on narrative reviews. All narrative reviews must be comprehensive. Narrative reviews do not need to include Results and Discussion sections. Instead  you may present your findings in a dedicated "Review" section.

 

Mini-Review

Mini-reviews are concise narrative reviews that summarize recent literature on a narrow topic. They should provide new insights into the topic and/or explore current trends. Mini-Reviews should be limited to <1500 words. Limit of 1 figure and 1 table. Mini-reviews are generally invitation only. Please contact the editor-in-chief if you would like to submit a proposal for a mini-review. Mini-reviews do not need to include Results and Discussion sections. Instead you may present your findings in a dedicated "Review" section. Authors may choose to omit the Methods section as well, although inclusion of a brief description of search methodology is prefered. 

Method

Methods papers should comprehensively describe a novel methodology or the methodology of a previously completed study in greater detail than normally allowed in the Methods section of an article. Methods papers describing existing methods without new contribution will be rejected. Methods papers should not describe hypothetical methods that have not been tested, validated, or otherwise employed by the authors. There is no word, figure, or table limit. There are no structure requirements.

Protocol

Protocol papers should concisely describe a planned study. Protocol papers may be submitted for all study types e.g., clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, laboratory studies, etc. Max words: approx. 2000 not including figures, tables, or references. Limit of 5 figures and 5 tables. Additional figures and tables may be included as supplemental material. Protocol papers must include the following:

  • Project Summary
  • Rational and Background
  • Study Goals
  • Study Design
  • Detailed Methods
  • Statistical Analysis
  • Expected Outcomes
  • Anticipated Duration
  • Anticipated Problems
  • Ethical Considerations

References should be included at the end as usual.

Comments

Comments include a variety of article types that range from letters to the editor, editorial pieces, responses, and other opinion pieces. Comments must be <1000 words and include no more that 10 citations. Figures and tables are discouraged but may be included if the authors feel they are necessary. There are no structural requirements for comments. These articles will be assessed by the editor for content, clarity, and general accuracy but are not peer-reviewed and will be denoted as having undergone “Editorial Review” only.

Case Report

Case reports and case series (≤3 cases) should describe interesting or rare cases and should be structured similarly to original research articles. Max words: approx. 1500 not including figures, tables, or references. Limit of 5 figures and 5 tables. Author lists for case reports should, in most cases, be limited to 5 or fewer authors. Case reports with excessively long author lists may be rejected or may require additional explanation during the editorial process. It is recommended that every case report/case series include the following sections:

  • Introduction
  • Case Description (including treatment and follow-up)
  • Discussion
  • Clinical Recommendations
  • Conclusion

Case reports and case series do not need IRB approval or exemption.  Note that any case series with more than 3 cases should be submitted as an original research article, following those guidelines, and requires IRB approval or exemption.

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