Editor
Charles E. Irwin, Jr., M.D., Editor-in-Chief
Tor D. Berg, Managing Editor
Phone: 415-502-1373
E-mail: tor.berg@ucsf.edu
Editorial Office, Journal of Adolescent Health
University of California, San Francisco
Research and Policy Center for Childhood & Adolescence
3333 California Street, Suite 245
San Francisco, California 94118-6210

Publisher
Andrea Boccelli, Publisher
Phone: 215-239-3713
E-mail: a.boccelli@elsevier.com Elsevier
1600 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Suite 1800
Philadelphia, PA 19103

http://www.jahonline.org/
http://ees.elsevier.com/jah/

Editorial Policies

General Information
The Journal of Adolescent Health publishes Original Articles, Adolescent Health Briefs, Review Articles, Clinical Observations, and Letters to the Editor.

Duplicate/Prior/Overlapping Publication or Submission
Manuscripts are submitted for review with the understanding that they are being submitted only to the Journal of Adolescent Health. The Journal will not consider for review any manuscript that has been published elsewhere, that is currently under consideration by another publication, or that is in press. Poster and platform presentations and abstracts are not considered duplicate publications, but should be noted in the manuscript's cover letter and Acknowledgements section of the manuscript.

If the submitted manuscript contains data that have been previously published, is in press, or is currently under review by another publication in any format, the authors are required to submit a reprint of the published article or a copy of the other manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief with a clarification of the overlap and a justification for consideration of the current submitted manuscript.

The Editors encourage authors to report fully the complete findings of their studies. The editors recognize that large and longitudinal datasets often result in multiple publications both on different topics and on the same topics across the span of development. Therefore, it is the authors' strict responsibility both to notify the editors of the existence of multiple manuscripts arising from the same study and to cross-reference all those that are relevant.

Manuscripts accepted for peer review may be submitted to the iThenticate plagiarism checker. iThenticate compares a given manuscript to a broad range of published and in-press materials, returning a similarity report, which the editors will then examine for potential instances of plagiarism and self-plagiarism.

Failure to disclose multiple or duplicate manuscripts may result in censure by the relevant journals and written notification of the appropriate officials at the authors' academic institutions.

Authorship Criteria
As a condition of authorship, all listed authors must have seen the final draft of the manuscript, approve of its submission to the Journal of Adolescent Health, and be willing to take responsibility for it in its the entirety.

The Journal limits manuscripts to 6 named authors. If you would like to request permission to submit an article with more than 6 authors, please send a detailed description of each author's contribution to tor.berg@ucsf.edu. Under no circumstances will the Journal consider manuscripts listing more than 10 named authors.

For manuscript's accepted for peer review, a signed Statement of Authorship will be requested from each named author. The Journal's Statement can be downloaded in PDF format here. We prefer an electronic copy of the statement: please electronically sign the PDF using Acrobat or print the PDF, sign it by hand, and scan it. We can also receive statements by fax at (415) 476-6106, though it may delay processing of your manuscript.

If there are concerns about how all persons listed as authors meet the criteria for authorship according to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication available at www.icmje.org, we will request further information from the corresponding author and, if necessary, request written documentation of each person's work on the report.

The names, along with any conflicts of interest, funding sources, and industry-relation, of persons who have contributed substantially to a study but who do not fulfill the criteria for authorship are to be listed in the Acknowledgments section. This section should include individuals who provided any writing, editorial, statistical assistance, etc.

Ethical Approval of Studies, Informed Consent, and Identifying Details
Studies of human subjects must document that approval was received from the appropriate institutional review board. When reporting experiments utilizing human subjects, it must be stated in writing, in the Methods section, that the Institution's Committee on Human Subjects or its equivalent has approved the protocol. The protocol for obtaining informed consent should be briefly stated in the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief may require additional information to clarify the safeguards about the procedures used to obtain informed consent. Within the United States, the authors should verify compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPPA) prior to submission. When reporting experiments on animal subjects, it must be stated that the institution's animal care and use committee has approved the protocol.

Authors must immediately disclose to the Journal of Adolescent Health in writing the existence of any investigation or claim related to the manuscript with respect to the use of human or animal subjects that may be initiated by an institutional, regulatory, or official body at any time, including investigations or claims arising subsequent to manuscript submission, approval or publication.

Clinical Trials Registration
In order to foster a comprehensive, publicly available database of clinical trials, journals Increasingly are requiring the registration of clinical trials. At this time, registration is not required for submission or publication in the Journal of Adolescent Health. However, the Editors strongly recommend registration of clinical trials in an appropriate registry. Please provide the site of registration and the registration number on the title page.

One such registry is ClincalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. A number of other registries are available.

Conflict of Interest/Disclosure Policy
According to the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME):

"...a conflict of interest (competing interest) is some fact known to a participant in the publication process that if revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived (or an author, reviewer, or editor feel defensive). Conflicts of interest may influence the judgment of authors, reviewers, and editors; these conflicts often are not immediately apparent to others. They may be personal, commercial, political, academic, or financial. Financial interests may include employment, research funding (received or pending), stock or share ownership, patents, payment for lectures or travel, consultancies, nonfinancial support, or any fiduciary interest in the company. The perception of a conflict of interest is nearly as important as an actual conflict, since both erode trust."

Authors are required to disclose on the title page of the initial manuscript any potential, perceived, or real conflict of interest. Authors must describe the role of the study sponsor(s), if any, in 1) study design; 2) the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; 3) the writing of the report; and 4) the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Authors should include statements even when the sponsor had no involvement in the above matters. Authors should also state who wrote the first draft of the manuscript and whether an honorarium, grant, or other form of payment was given to anyone to produce the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the disclosure statements may be published.

Fast-Tracking for Critical Issues in Adolescent Health and Medicine : The Journal of Adolescent Health has developed a fast-tracking system in order to facilitate and encourage the submission of high quality manuscripts with documented findings that may change the content of clinical practice or assist with the national and/or international dialogue about critical issues affecting adolescents and young adults. Manuscripts accepted for a fast-track review will be forwarded to two reviewers from our Editorial Board, who are given two weeks to conduct an expedited review. The Journal will notify authors of the outcome of the review within three weeks of submission. If the review is favorable, fast-track authors will be asked to complete any necessary revisions within two weeks.

Upon acceptance, fast-track manuscripts are prioritized for publication, and should appear in print within two months.

Fast tracking is a rare event intended for high-priority findings and should not be viewed simply as a mechanism for an expedited review. The article should be prepared in the same manner as an Original Article.

The Editorial Process

Acceptance for Review
Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Adolescent Health are reviewed internally for interest and relevance. Approximately half of all submitted manuscripts are returned to the authors without full peer review. That decision is made quickly, within two weeks of submission

Peer review and Decision
Manuscripts accepted for peer review are sent to three external reviewers. Reviewers are anonymous; authors' names are revealed. The Journal's goal is to complete peer review and reach a decision within seven weeks of submission.

Manuscripts will either be declined based on reviewer comments or referred back to the authors for revision. This is an invitation to present the best possible paper for further review; it is not an acceptance.

Authors are asked to complete revisions within 30 days. If the authors do not respond within 30 days, the editors may decline to consider the revision. The editors reciprocate by providing a final decision quickly upon receipt of the revision.

Acceptance for Publication
All manuscripts accepted for publication will require a written assignment of the copyright from the author(s) to the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Elsevier Inc. will maintain all records of the copyright for the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. No part of the published material may be reproduced elsewhere without written permission from the publisher.

Authors will receive typeset galley proofs via e-mail from the Journal's issue manager at Elsevier. Proofs should arrive approximately four to six weeks following acceptance.

The article will be published in the print edition of the Journal approximately five to seven months after acceptance.

Articles Online First
The Journal of Adolescent Health publishes articles online ahead of print publication in the Articles Online First section of our web site. Articles are published online approximately four to six weeks following the galley proofs. The online article is identical to the version subsequently published in the print journal, and is citable by the digital object identifier (DOI) assigned at the time of online publication.

Reprints
Reprints may be ordered prior to publication by using the special reprint order form that accompanies proofs.

Release to Media
Until the time of publication on the Journal of Adolescent Health's website, it is a violation of the copyright agreement to disclose the findings of an accepted manuscript to the media or the public. If you require an embargo date for your article, please contact the Journal's editorial office.

Supplements
The Journal of Adolescent Health publishes funded supplements after approval and review by the Editorial Office. Initial inquiries and proposals for supplements should be directed the editorial office and to Elsevier's Senior Supplements Editor:

Craig Smith
Elsevier Supplements Department
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
Tel: (212) 462-1933
Fax: (212) 462 1935
E-mail: c.smith@elsevier.com

Manuscript Preparation

General information
Manuscripts are submitted to the journal electronically. Manuscript documents must comply with layout and length requirements outlined below. All accepted manuscripts may be subject to editing and revision by the editors and their agents. Authors should take care to avoid redundancy within the text and between the tables, figures, and text. Due to page limitations, the editors may decide that figures, appendices, tables, acknowledgements, and other materials be published online only and referenced in the print edition of the Journal.

Online submission
Manuscripts must be submitted online via the Elsevier Editorial System (EES). To access EES, go to http://ees.elsevier.com/jah/ and register as a new user. You will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files and data. Once the uploading is done, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts will be handled via e-mail through EES.

For the purposes of EES, a manuscript submission consists of a minimum of two distinct files: a Cover Letter, and the Manuscript itself including the Title Page (with any Acknowledgements) and the Abstract. EES accepts files from a broad range of word processing applications. Both files should be set in 12-point double-spaced type and all pages should be numbered consecutively). The file should follow the general instructions on style/arrangement, and, in particular, the reference style.

In addition, Tables and Figures should be included as separate and individual files.

If Electronic submission is not possible, please contact Mr. Tor Berg, the managing editor at tor.berg@ucsf.edu, or by phone at 415-502-1373 or by mail at Editorial Office, Journal of Adolescent Health, University of California, San Francisco, Research and Policy Center for Childhood and Adolescence, 3333 California Street, Suite 245, San Francisco, California 94118.

Cover Letter
A Cover Letter must accompany all submissions. The Cover Letter should describe the manuscript's unique contribution and provide the following information in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication available at http://www.icmje.org

• Disclosure of any prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information, including Methods, or a statement that there are no prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information;
• A statement that the work is not and will not be submitted to any other journal while under consideration by The Journal of Adolescent Health;
• A statement of any potential conflict of interest, real or perceived, the role of the study sponsor, and additional disclosures, if any; potential conflicts must also appear on the Title Page.

Title Page/Acknowledgements
The title page should contain a concise but informative title (titles are limited to 150 characters). Include the full names of all authors, as well as the highest academic degrees and the departmental and institutional affiliation of each. Please note that the Journal does not list fellowships of professional or certifying organizations as credentials. Relevant sources of financial support and potential conflicts of interest should be reported for all authors (see the Journal's Conflict of Interest/Disclosure Policy).

Named authors must have made a significant contribution to the manuscript (see the Journal's Authorship Criteria). A list of more than 6 authors should be specifically justified in the manuscript's cover letter. Under no circumstances will the Journal consider a manuscript listing more than 10 named authors.

One author must be designated as the corresponding author, and should provide a complete postal address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. The corresponding author will conduct all correspondence with the Editorial Office on behalf of the other authors. If the manuscript is accepted, page proofs and reprint order forms will be sent to the corresponding of author.

The title page should also include an Acknowledgements section, listing any sources of support such as grants, equipment, or drugs; and any acknowledgements of persons who have made a substantive contribution to the study. Authors should obtain written permission from anyone that they wish to list in the Acknowledgement section. The corresponding author must also affirm that he or she has listed everyone who contributed significantly to the work in the Acknowledgements. Previous oral or poster presentations at local, regional, national or international meetings should be reported here.
Abstract and Key Words
The abstract should be provided in a structured table format with the following bolded headings: Purpose, Methods, Results and Conclusions. Emphasis should be placed on new and important aspects of the study or observations. Only common and approved abbreviations are acceptable. Three to 10 key words or short phrases should be identified and placed below the abstract. These key words will be used to assist indexers in cross-indexing the article and will be published with the abstract. For this, terms from the Medical Subject Headings list in the Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.

Manuscript
The text of original articles and briefs should usually - but not necessarily - be divided into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Additionally, the Journal requests an Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Implications and Contribution: In addition to the abstract, please include a summary statement at the beginning of your manuscript. This summary should be no more than 50 words in length and should describe the significance of your study's findings and its contribution to the literature in plain language. These summaries appear on the published articles and in various digests and newsletters.

Introduction: The Introduction should clearly state the purpose(s) of the article and summarize the rationale for the study of observation. Only pertinent references should be used.

Methods: The selection of observational or experimental subjects (patients or experimental animals, including controls) should be clearly described in the Methods section. The methods, apparatus, and procedures used should be described in enough detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. References should be provided for established methods, including statistical methods. Methods that are not well known should be concisely described with appropriate references. Any new or substantially modified method(s) should be carefully described, reasons given for its use, and an evaluation made of its known or potential limitations. All drugs and chemicals used should be identified by generic name(s), dosage(s), and route(s) of administration. The numbers of observations and the statistical significance of findings should be included when appropriate. Patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers should not be used.

*Note that when reporting experiments utilizing human subjects, approval of the protocol by the sponsoring Institution's Committee on Human Subjects or its equivalent must be stated explicitly within the Methods section of the manuscript. In addition, the protocol for obtaining informed consent should be briefly described.

Results: Results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, table(s), and illustration(s). Only critical data from the table(s) and/or illustrations(s) should be repeated in the text.

Discussion: Emphasis in the Discussion section should be placed on the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that can be drawn. Detailed data from the results section should not be repeated in the discussion. The discussion should include the implications and limitations of the findings and should relate the observations to other relevant studies. The link between the conclusion(s) and the goal(s) of the study should be carefully stated, avoiding unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by the data. The author(s) should avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not yet been completed. New hypotheses, when stated, should be clearly identified as such. Recommendations, when appropriate, may be included.

Potential Reviewers
To assist with a prompt, fair review process, authors are asked to provide the names, institutional affiliations, and e-mail addresses of 5 potential reviewers who have the appropriate expertise to evaluate the manuscript. Failure to provide 5 potential reviewers may result in delays in the processing of your manuscript. Do not refer potential reviewers with whom you have a current or past personal or professional relationship. Do not recommend members of the Journal's editorial board. Authors may also provide the names of persons who should not be asked to review the manuscript. Ultimately, the Editors reserve the right to choose reviewers.

Article Types
The Journal of Adolescent Health publishes the following types of articles. Word count limits apply only to the main body of the manuscript, and do not include the title, references, or figure and table captions.

Original Articles are scientific reports on the results of original research. Text is limited to 3500 words with a 250-word structured abstract, 5 tables/figures, and 40 references. Original articles should include a 50-word Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Adolescent Health Briefs are scientific reports of original research that represent preliminary findings, small samples and newly described associations in unique populations. Briefs are limited to 1000 words, with a structured abstract of 150 words or less. A combined total of 2 figures and/or tables, and a maximum of 10 references will be accepted. Briefs should include a 50-word Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Review articles generally are solicited by the editors. If you would like to submit a review article the Journal, please submit a proposal letter, a detailed outline, and a preliminary reference list to the Managing Editor by e-mail at tor.berg@ucsf.edu. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are preferred, though strong, evidence-based integrative and narrative proposals will be considered.

One or more of the Associate Editors will review the proposal and will advise the authors on proceeding to a full manuscript. This internal review will take place within four weeks of receipt of the proposal.

The final format of the article should include the introduction, review of the relevant literature, discussion, summary and implications section. Each review article must have a 200-word summary abstract. Review articles are limited to 4500 words, 5 tables/figures, and an unlimited number of references. Review articles should include a 50-word Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Clinical Observations: These case reports represent rare and new observations in the clinical arena. Papers in this format are limited to 1000 words and should include an introduction, concise discussion of the clinical observation, and discussion. Clinical observations should include a 200-word summary abstract. A combined total of 1 figure, table or illustration and 10 references will be accepted.

Editorial Correspondence: Letters regarding articles published in the Journal within the proceeding 6 months are strongly preferred. Letters should not exceed 400 words. This correspondence is published at the discretion of the Editor-in-chief and the Associate Editors. The authors of the article that is subject of the correspondence will be invited to respond.

Invited Commentaries: Commentaries are invited only, and will be solicited solely by the editors. Commentaries serve as a forum for changes in adolescent healthcare training, economic issues, governmental health policies, international health, medical/scientific ethics, and meeting reports.

Journal Style
All aspects of the manuscript (tables, illustrations, and references) should be prepared according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) requirements.
Grammar, Punctuation, and Usage. Grammar, punctuation, and scientific writing style should follow the AMA Manual of Style, 10th edition.
Abbreviations. Authors should provide a list of abbreviations on the title page. All acronyms in the text should be expanded at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. The acronym may appear in the text thereafter. Do not use abbreviations in the title. Acronyms may be used in the abstract if they occur 3 or more times therein. Generally, abbreviations should be limited to those defined in the AMA Manual of Style, 10th edition. Uncommon abbreviations should be listed at the beginning of the article.
Units of Measure. Authors should use Système International (SI) values.
Proprietary Products. Authors should use nonproprietary names of drugs or devices unless mention of a manufacturer is pertinent to the discussion. If a proprietary product is cited, the name and location of the manufacturer must also be included.

References. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or figure. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE, posted by the NLM on the Library's web site.

Reference style should follow that of the , 10th edition, as shown in the following examples. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals AMA Manual of StyleIndexed for MEDLINE, posted by the NLM on the Library's web site. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html

Journal
1. Standard journal article:
References should list all authors when three or fewer; when four or more, only the first three should be listed, followed by et al.
Aalsma MA, Tong Y, Wiehe SE, et al. The Impact of Delinquency on Young Adult Sexual Risk Behaviors and Sexually Transmitted Infections. J Adolesc Health 2010;46:17-24. DOI:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.05.018.

2. Corporate Author:
Center for Health Promotion and Education: Guidelines for effective school health education to prevent the spread of AIDS. J Sch Health 1988;58:142-8.

Books and Monographs
1. Personal Author(s):
Romer D, ed. Reducing Adolescent Risk: Toward an Integrated Approach. Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications, 2003.

2. Editor(s) Compiler(s), Chairman as Author(s):
Rosen DS, Rich M, eds. The Adolescent Male. Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews. Vol 14. Philadelphia, Hanley & Belfus, 2003:3.

3. Chapter in a Book:
Marcell AV, Irwin CE Jr. Adolescent Substance Use and Abuse. In: Finberg L, Kleinman RE, eds. Saunders Manual of Pediatric Practice, 2nd edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2002:127-139.

4. Agency Publication:
America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2009. Washington, DC: Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2009.

Web site
World Health Organization. Good information practice essential criteria for vaccine safety web sites. Available at: http://www.who.int/vaccine_safety/good_vs_sites/en. Accessed January 13, 2010.

An effort should be made to avoid using abstracts as references. Unpublished observations and personal communications are not acceptable as references, although references to written, not verbal, communications may be inserted into the text in parentheses. References to manuscripts accepted but not yet published should designate the journal followed by (in press). All references must be verified by the authors against the original documents.

Tables
Any tables should be submitted as separate and individual files. Tables should be numbered consecutively, in order of citation in the text. Each table should be given a brief title; explanatory matter should be placed in a table footnote. Any nonstandard abbreviation should be explained in a table footnote. Tables should not rely on vertical lines for clarity or coherence and should contain as few horizontal lines as possible. Statistical measures should be identified as measures of variation such as S.D. or S.E.M. If data from another published or unpublished source are used, permission must be obtained and the source fully acknowledged. EES will accept files from a wide variety of table-creation software.

Figures
Any figures should be submitted as separate and individual files. Letters, and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size that when figures are reduced for publication (to approximately 3 inches wide), each item will still be legible. Figures should be numbered consecutively, in order of citation in text. Each figure must have a legend typed in a separate document that you will upload to EES immediately after the illustration that it references. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each should be identified and clearly explained in the legend.

The cost of color illustrations must be borne by the author(s).

If photomicrographs are to be submitted, the requirements for their presentation should be obtained from the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission.

If photographs of persons are used, either the subjects must not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to publish the photograph.

If an illustration has been published, the original source must be acknowledged and accompanied by written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. Permission is required regardless of authorship or publisher except for documents in the public domain.Guidelines for submitting your illustrations in an electronic format can be found by clicking on Artwork Guidelines at http://www.ees.elsevier.com/JAH/.

Checklist for Manuscript Submission

o Review author guidelines, article requirements, and instructions for submitting manuscripts through the Elsevier editorial system, located at http://ees.elsevier.com/jah/.

o Cover letter

• Disclosure of any prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information
• A statement that the work is not under consideration elsewhere
• Disclosure of any potential conflict of interest, real and perceived, for all named authors

o Names and contact information for 5 potential reviewers

o Title page:

• Article title
• Full names, academic degrees, and affiliations of all authors
• Name, address, e-mail address, telephone and fax number of the corresponding author
• Sources of funding and acknowledgements of support and assistance
• Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and perceived, for all named authors
• Clinical trials registry site and number
• List of abbreviations

o Abstract, structured for original articles and briefs, summary for review articles and clinical observations

o List of keywords

o Manuscript

• Please double-space
• Implications summary statement
• IRB statement in the Methods section
• References should be on a new page
• Figure legends should be on a new page

o Tables, including title and legend, each saved as a separate document

o Figures, each saved as a separate file

o Copies of prior and/or in press publications related to the current submission can be uploaded as separate files or e-mail to the Managing Editor at tor.berg@ucsf.edsu

Updated March 2012