Instructions for Authors

Contributions are welcomed from any pertinent source but should be written clearly enough to be understood by scholarly clinical readers and clinical researchers. Pertinent symposia and reviews will be considered for publication.

The Journal of Clinical Epidemiology does not accept articles reporting material that has been published at any length elsewhere. The author(s) should state, in a covering letter, that the submitted material has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. If any form of preliminary publication other than an abstract of not more than 400 words has occurred or is being considered, a reprint or manuscript should accompany the material submitted to the Journal.

Conflict of Interest

As a scientific forum for research and commentary, the Journal is willing to consider submissions from any appropriate source, and to review them according to pertinent scientific and editorial standards. Since the text itself may not always allow evaluators and subsequent readers to discern possible conflicts of interest, authors should always acknowledge all sources of funding for the research. In addition, authors (and reviewers) should disclose any financial relationships (such as consultancies, stock ownership, contracts, honoraria, etc.), as well as personal relationships, academic competition, or intellectual commitments that might bias the work or interfere with objective judgment. The covering letter is the appropriate place for such disclosures. All sources of funding must be disclosed as an acknowledgment in the text.

Submission Process

As of 01 May 2005, the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology will use only a web-based, online submission and review system. (Note thatmanuscripts submitted before 01 February 2005,will continue to be processed in the previous system.) Please visit http://ees.elsevier.com/jce and the website will guide you step by step through the electronic submission. Manuscripts must be written in English. Please note that an editable file is needed for production purposes, in the case that your manuscript is accepted; original source files, not PDF files, are required.

• In an accompanying letter, authors should state that the manuscript, or parts of it, have not been and will not be submitted elsewhere for publication.
• Authors are highly encouraged to provide the contact details (including e-mail addresses) of three or more potential peer reviewers for their manuscript. These should be experts in their field of study, who will be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Any suggested peer reviewers should not have published with any of the authors of the manuscript within the past five years and should not be members of the same research institution. Members of the Editorial Board of the journal can be nominated. Suggested reviewers will be considered alongside potential reviewers identified by their publication record or recommended by Editorial Board members.
• Authors' submission items include a cover letter, suggested reviewers, the manuscript (including title page, abstract, manuscript text, references, and table/figure legends), tables, and figures. Note: A "Letter to the Editor" does not require an abstract.
• Supplemental information such as extensive statistical tables, computer algorithms and original questionnaires will not be included in the print version of the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, but will be made available on the web site; the link will be provided in the printed article. Please note: supplemental pieces will not be copy edited.
• Revised manuscripts should also be accompanied by a unique file (separate from the covering letter) with responses to reviewers' comments.
• The preferred order of files is as follows: cover letter, suggested reviewers, response to reviews (revised manuscripts only), manuscript file(s), table(s), figure(s).
• Files should be labelled with appropriate and descriptive file names (e.g., SmithText.doc, Fig1.eps, Table3.doc).
• Upload text, tables and graphics as separate files.
• Do not import figures or tables into the text document.
• Complete instructions for electronic artwork submission can be found on the Author Gateway, accessible through the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology's home page.
• Once the submission files are uploaded, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing.
• All correspondence, including the Editor's decision and request for revisions, will be by e-mail.

Authors who are unable to provide an electronic version or have other circumstances that prevent online submission must contact either our Ottawa or Maastricht editorial office at the address listed below, prior to submission to discuss alternate options. The Publisher and Editors regret that they are not able to consider submissions that do not follow these procedures.

André Knottnerus Editor Journal of Clinical Epidemiology Dept of General Practice P.O. Box 616 6200 MD Maastricht THE NETHERLANDS Tel: +31-43-388-2322 Fax: +31-43-367-1458 E-mail: kim.luyten@hag.unimaas.nl Website: www.jclinepi.com

Peter Tugwell Editor Journal of Clinical Epidemiology Centre for Global Health 1 Stewart Street Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada E-mail: ltugwell@uottawa.ca

Manuscripts and Abstracts

Manuscripts should be typewritten and double spaced. Author(s) should retain the original to facilitate revisions or resubmissions. The letter of submission should identify an address for the corresponding author, and where possible, the author's fax number, e-mail address, and telephone number.

JCE has adopted the editorial policy of "more informative titles" (MITs) that crisply and concisely tell our readers what our authors found in their research. A MIT states the study type and summarizes its key findings, using the past tense for individual studies and the present tense for systematic reviews. Although we are ready to assist authors in generating MITs for their work, we encourage them to submit draft MITs with their original submissions.

Each original article must have an abstract/summary not exceeding 200 words. Abstracts must be structured with the following headings: Objective, Study Design and Setting, Results, and Conclusion. Double-space abstracts, and print them on a separate page. Abstracts not in compliance with this format will be returned to the authors for revision. The bottom of the abstract page should list six key words (index-appropriate terms),a running title, and a word count.

Research Articles
The Journal endorses the World Health Standards for registration of all human medical research ( http://www.who.in/ictrp/about/details/en ). JCE considers original papers reporting results of clinical trials if they have been registered in a clinical trial registry. Authors are asked to provide registration details in the submission letter and the manuscript.

Length of Articles
The following are guidelines for various article lenghts:

• Reviews and Original Articles - 3,000 to 5,000 words
• Letters - 500 words
• Brief Reports - 1,500 words
• Commentaries - 2,500 words.

The correct use of statistical methods is paramount for a proper interrogation and interpretation of study data. There are several checklists available that can be used to help authors. One checklist we have found to be helpful is from the Department of Biostatistics, Venrbilt University School of Medicine ( http://biostat.mc.vanderbilt.edu/ManuscriptChecklist ) and we refer authors submitting articles to the JCE to this checklist. The list covers general statistical problems, filtering, missing data, multiple comparison problems, multivariate modeling issues, use of imprecise lanaguage, graphics/tables and other areas.

Authors are asked to provide a text box entitled 'What is new?' that summarizes what this paper adds to the existing literature up to 5 items/points addressing the following areas:

• key finding
• what this adds to what was known
• what is the implication, what should change now .

Please place this box below the abstract but before the introduction of your paper.

References

All references should be to publications that are readily available or in press, avoiding personal communications, presentations at meetings, and manuscripts submitted but not yet in press. Citations should be placed at the end of each article (not as footnotes on each page), and should be numbered consecutively in the text, enclosed in square brackets on the lines of writing (not as superscript numbers). At the end of the article, references should be listed in the numerical order in which they are cited. The references should be typed, double-spaced, and should conform to the styles noted either in the 'Vancouver Convention' or by Index Medicus or the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual (available from http://www.icmje.org or the American Institute of Biological Sciences, 1401Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209, U.S.A.). Ultimate responsibility for accuracy of citations rests with the author(s).

The publisher has specific requirements for electronic files in which text citations must be properly matched to the reference list. Please review any revised manuscript for discrepancies (especially with numbering) and correct the references appropriately.

Examples

(i) Book chapter
Temple R. Dose-response and registration of new drugs. In: Lasagna L, Erill S, Naranjo CA, Eds. Dose-Response Relationships in Clinical Pharmacology. Amsterdam: Elsevier;1989:145-70.

(ii)Book
Kramer MS. Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics: a Primer for Clinical Investigators and Decision-makers. Berlin: Springer; 1988.

(iii) Journal
Garraway WM, Whisnant JP, Kurland LT, O'Fallon WM. Changing pattern of cerebral infarction: 1945-1974. Stroke 1979; 10:657-63.

(iv) Miscellaneous
Ontario Ministry of Health. Schedule of Benefits, Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Kingston, Ontario: Ontario Ministry of Health; April 1987.

Abbreviations, Symbols and Nomenclature

Well-known abbreviations (e.g. DNA, EKG) may be used without definition; all others must be defined when first used. Units of measurement should be used in accordance with current custom and acceptability. Generic names of drugs are preferred; a proprietary name may be used if its generic equivalent is identified.

Illustrations

Illustrations accompanying manuscripts should be numbered and provided with suitable legends, in a separate electronic file. Authors should indicate on the manuscript the appropriate positions of the tables and text figures. Each illustration should be in form that is suitable for direct conversion to publication. Complete instructions for the electronic submission of artwork can be found on the Author Gateway at http://authors.elsevier.com/artwork .

The cost of color (to be borne by the author) requires consultation with the Publisher.

Human Medical Research

The Journal endorses the World Health Organization Standards for registration of all human medical research ( http://www.who.in/ictrp/about/details/en ). JCE considers original papers reporting results of clinical trials if they have been registered in a clinical trial registry. Authors are asked to provide registration details in the submission letter and the manuscript.

Review and Production Process

Manuscripts are examined by both Editors and two reviewers. Decisions of the Editors are final. All material accepted for publication is subject to copy-editing. Authors will receive page proofs of their article before publication, and should answer all queries and carefully check all editorial changes at this point. Authors are urged to check their proofs carefully before return, since late corrections cannot be guaranteed for inclusion in the scheduled issue. Authors are responsible for the specific content of their articles. Reprints may be purchased using the order form that is sent with the page proofs.

Neither the Editors nor the Publisher accept responsibility for the views and statements expressed by authors in their communications.



Updated July 2008