Official Journal of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Society of
Reproductive Surgeons, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, and Pacific Coast Reproductive
Society
Guide for Authors
Original papers, contributed solely to Fertility and Sterility® and limited to the fields of fertility, sterility, or
the physiology of reproduction, will be considered for publication. Authors are advised to keep a
copy of all manuscripts submitted.
As of January 2005, all new
manuscripts must be submitted to the Fertility and Sterility Editorial
Office through the Elsevier
Editorial System (EES) website for
this journal; go to www.fertstert.org.
Authors are requested to submit
the text, tables and artwork (in color if possible) in electronic form (not as a PDF) to this
address.
In an accompanying letter, authors should state that the
material contained in the manuscript has not been published, has
not been
submitted, or is not being submitted elsewhere for publication.
If possible, please include the names and addresses of three
reviewers
who would be qualified to review your manuscript.
Submission items include a cover letter, suggested reviewers, the
manuscript (including
the running title, title page, capsule, structured
abstract, manuscript text, references, and table/figure legends), tables,
and figures.
The cover letter should identify the person (with the
address, telephone number, fax numbers, and e-mail) responsible for
correspondence
concerning the manuscript. 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 manuscript
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
and do not upload your text as a PDF. Complete instructions
for electronic artwork submission can be found on the Author Gateway,
accessible
through the journal home page.
All correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts will be handled
via e-mail through EES. Send all
other correspondence to:
Alan
H. DeCherney, M.D. Editor-in-Chief, Fertility and Sterility
American Society
for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
1209 Montgomery Highway
Birmingham, AL 35216
P: 205-978-5000 x139
F: 205-978-5012
E: fertstert@asrm.org
Authors who are asked to revise their manuscripts must
return their revisions within 2 months
of receipt of the letter from the
editorial office.
Prior to publishing, the author(s) must sign and return the "Assignment
of Copyright and Financial Subsidy Disclosure Form." This form will be supplied by the publisher. A written statement must be attached
with the original correspondence indicating whether or not Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained or equivalent guidelines
followed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 on human experimentation; if not, an explanation must be provided. The manuscript,
when published, will become the property of the journal and copyright will be taken out in the name of the publisher, the American Society
of Reproductive Medicine. No responsibility is assumed by the Editor, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, or the Publisher
for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation
of any methods, products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Fertility
and Sterility ® follows the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals." Manuscripts must be typed
double-spaced with margins of at least 25 mm (1 in).
Each of the following manuscript components should begin on a new page in the
following sequence: Page 1, Running Title, a maximum of 40 spaces and letters; Page 2, Title Page, provide the full title,
full name(s) of author(s), highest awarded academic degree, institutional affiliation(s), address(es), and acknowledgement of financial
support (grant number, institution, and location); Page 3, Capsule, a 30-word summary of the abstract, which will be published
in the Table of Contents. The final conclusions should be described; Page 4, Structured Abstract and Key Words. The abstract should
present the study objective, design, setting, patients, interventions, main outcome measure(s), results, and conclusions. Emphasize new
and important aspects of the study or observation. Word limitation, 200 words. Below the abstract provide and identify as such, 3 to
10 key words or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article. The following components should be identified
after the abstract: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Legends.
All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. The order of authorship should be a joint decision of the coauthors.
Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. In general, no more than
six authors is considered appropriate.
Acknowledgments. Persons who have contributed intellectually to the paper but whose
contributions do not justify authorship may be named and their function or contribution described, e.g. "scientific adviser," "data collections,"
or "participation in clinical trial." Such persons must have given their permission to be named. Authors are responsible for obtaining
written permission from the persons acknowledged by name, because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions.
Units
of Measurement. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter)
or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. All hematologic and clinical-chemistry measurements should
be reported in the metric system in conventional units. If values are represented in SI units, the conversion factor must be included.
Statistical Validation.When describing statistical analyses that
have been performed, tests that were used to evaluate
a specific data set
must be clearly indicated. When data are presented in tables, indicate
the statistical test(s) that was used to evaluate
the data with a footnote.
When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or
uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols.
Abbreviations and Symbols.
Use only standard abbreviations. See the checklist for accepted abbreviations that must be used without definition.
CONFLICT
OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest: All conflict of interest (financial or otherwise) and all sources of financial support must
be listed on the title page. These include providers of supplies and services from a commercial organization. All commercial affiliations
must be disclosed, regardless of whether they are a source of funding. The conflict of interest form can be found at www.ees.elsevier.com/fns under "Author Files."
REFERENCES
Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References appearing for the first time
in tables and figures must be numbered in sequence with those cited in the text where the table or figure is mentioned. References are
identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses.
Abstracts, unpublished observations, and personal communications may not be used as
references, although references to written, not oral communications may be inserted (in parentheses) in the text. Include among the references
papers accepted but not yet published; designate the journal and add "In press." Information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted
should be cited in the text as "unpublished observations" (in parentheses). If a foreign manuscript is included in the reference list,
the author(s) must provide two copies of a translated English abstract. If author's(s') own papers are quoted as "In press" in the reference
list, two copies of such papers must be provided so that the referees can properly assess the paper submitted. References must be verified
by the author(s) against the original documents. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus.
List all authors in an article, but if the number exceeds six, give six followed by et al.
Examples of
References
Journal
Article
1. Takihara
H, Sakatoku J, Cockett ATK. The pathophysiology of varicocele in male
infertility. Fertil
Steril
1991;55:861-8.
Books
2. Colson
JH, Armour WJ. Sports injuries and their treatment. 2nd rev. ed.
London: S.
Paul, 1986.
3. Diener HC, Wilkinson M,
eds. Drug-induced headache. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1988.
4. Weinstein L, Swartz
MN. Pathologic properties of
invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, eds. Pathologic
physiology: mechanisms of disease.
Vol. 1. Philadelphia: WB Saunders,
1974:457-72.
Letter
6. Kremer
J. Yardsticks for successful donor insemination
[letter]. Fertil
Steril 1991;55:1023-4.
In
Press
7. Lillywhite HB, Donald JA.
Pulmonary blood flow regulation in an
aquatic snake. Science. In
press.
TABLES, ILLUSTRATIONS, LEGENDS, AND PERMISSION
Tables. Should
be typed double-spaced
on separate pages, and they should be titled and
numbered in arabic numerals in the order of their first citation in the
text. Do not
submit tables as photographs. Give each column a short
heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. For
footnotes
use the following symbols, in this sequence: a, b, c, d, e, f.
Do not use internal horizontal and vertical
rules.
Illustrations.
Figures should be professionally
drawn and photographed; freehand or typewritten lettering is
unacceptable. Figures
should be submitted
in a separate tiff or eps file.
Lettering and identifying marks
should be clear, and type size should be consistent on each figure.
Capital letters should be used for specific areas of identification in
a figure. Symbols, lettering, and numbering should be distinctly
recognizable so that when the figure is reduced for publication each
item will still be legible. Titles and detailed explanations belong
in
the legends for illustrations, not on the illustrations themselves.
Slides are not acceptable. There is a page charge for color
photographs, with the
exception of color graphs and color charts.There is a maximum of one illustration and/or table
for every
600 words (approximately 3 typewritten pages).
Legends. Type legends double-spaced in consecutive order
on a separate
page.
Permissions. Materials taken from
other sources must be accompanied by a written statement from the
copyright holder
giving permission to Fertility and
Sterility® for
reproduction.
All papers that are submitted must report unpublished work and
cannot be under consideration for publication elsewhere. If a manuscript
contains more than 200 words of previously published text or if
previously published figures or tables are submitted, written permission
must be obtained from the holder of the copyright. Copies of permission
letters must be submitted with the original manuscript. Material
that is
published without permission from the copyright holder will be considered
duplicate publication, which is a serious offense.
Previously published material can be cited in a manuscript, but it must be
indicated by quotation marks. If more than 200 words from
a previously
published manuscript appear in a manuscript that is submitted as an original
work and if this material is not indicated
with quotation marks, the material
will be considered to be plagiarized. Plagiarism is also a serious offense.
Publishing Manuscripts
on the Internet
We will consider manuscripts (including tables and figures) that are
posted on a host computer to which anyone
on the Internet can gain
access to be duplicate publication. If, however, a manuscript is sent by
e-mail to a limited number of colleagues,
this would not be considered
duplicate publication since it is similar to faxing the manuscript to a
group of investigators who are involved
in the research project.
Future Articles
Articles that are accepted for publication are now listed in the "Future Articles"
section of the journal's website (www.fertstert.org).
Tracking Your
Manuscript
Authors can track the progress of a manuscript on the journal's website (www.ees.elsevier.com/fns/)
by logging into their accounts with their user name and password.
Errata
Errata are published in the journal, but if
an erratum represents the author's failure to pick up a mistake on the galley proofs, this will be noted in the erratum.
Permission
Requests
Permission requests are handled by Elsevier Inc. in Philadelphia. Please contact the permissions editor at: healthpermissions@elsevier.com.
MODERN TRENDS
Manuscripts
should be prepared according to the format of the journal. Manuscripts
should total approximately
15 to 20 journal pages in length. Address manuscripts to: Edward E. Wallach, M.D., Johns
Hopkins Division of Reproductive Endocrinology
and Infertility, Foxleigh
Building, Suite 301, 2330 West Joppa Road, Lutherville, Maryland
21093 (Telephone: 410-583-2751; FAX: 410-583-2766;
E-mail:ewallach@jhmi.edu).
CASE REPORTS, TECHNIQUES AND INSTRUMENTATION, AND CORRESPONDENCE
As of the
April 2005 issue, the title of your case report as well
as a short 100-word summary of your article will be published inFertility
and Sterility. Readers will be directed to the journal's
website, where the case report will appear in its entirety.
Case
reports
should be succinct, informative, and limited to seven
double-spaced pages of text (not including the running title, title
page, capsule, or abstract) and one table or one figure. Techniques
and Instrumentation is limited to seven double-spaced pages
of text
(not including the running title, title page, capsule, or abstract) and
three illustrations (e.g., three figures OR two figures
and one table).Correspondence should be limited to five double-spaced pages of
text (not including the running title, title
page, capsule, or abstract)
and a maximum of one figure or one table. Include a 2-sentence
narrative abstract, but do not include section
headings.
LETTERS-TO-THE-EDITOR
This section of the journal is set aside for critical comments directed to a specific article
that has recently been published in the journal. Letters should be brief (400 words),double-spaced, and limited to a maximum of 5 citations.
The letters and replies should be prepared according to journal format. Illustrative material accepted only with permission
of the Editor. With your
correspondence, please include your complete mailing address, telephone
and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
The
Editor reserves the right to shorten letters, delete objectionable comments, and make other changes to comply with the style of the journal.
Send communication to:
Paul G. McDonough, M.D. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical College of Georgia Augusta,
Georgia 30912
Telephone: 706-721-3832 Fax: 706-721-0574; 706-721-4302 E-mail: pmcdonou@mail.mcg.edu
EDITOR'S
CORNER
Brief manuscripts written in editorial fashion on current social, political, and medical issues pertinent to reproductive
medicine. The manuscripts should be double-spaced and are limited to 1,000 to 1,500 words.
IMAGES IN REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE
Appropriate images to be submitted for this section include photographs
of surgical or physical findings, photomicrographs, and
ultrasound
images with clinical correlates. The images must be
original and previously unpublished. Most often, one or two pictures
will be appropriate,
although more may be acceptable. The images
and manuscript must fit onto one journal page.
Prospective authors should submit three
figures in a separate tiff
or eps file. Written materials should be original and brief (150
words), double-spaced, and limited to a maximum
of 5 references.
With the manuscript, please include a complete mailing address,
telephone and fax numbers, and an e-mail address, if
available.
Address submissions to: Richard J. Paulson, M.D., Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, Women's and Children's Hospital,
Room 8-K-9, LAC-USC Medical Center, 1240 North Mission
Road, Los Angeles, California 90033 (Telephone: 323-226-3026;
FAX: 323-226-2850;
e-mail: rpaulson@usc.edu).
MONOGRAPHS, SUPPLEMENTS, AND COMPILATIONS
Supplements are paginated like
a regular journal issue and consist of
peer-reviewed original research. The cover is clearly identified with the
volume and number, and
the articles can be cited. Monographs are not
peer reviewed, are not identified as part of the regular journal, are not
paginated,
and cannot be cited. Compilations are previously published
journal articles with an index indicating where each article was
published.
All requests for publication of monographs, supplements, or
compilations should be referred to the Publications Committee.
OFFPRINTS
Offprints may be ordered by using the form that is sent by
Elsevier Inc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announcements
regarding meetings, postgraduate courses, and symposia will be accepted for publication. For rates and placing an
announcement, contact
Ms. Traci Peppers,
Classified Advertising
Dept., Elsevier Inc., 360 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10010;
tel. 212-633-3766; FAX: 212-633-3820.
