A Multidisciplinary Journal of Spinal Disorders Official Journal of The North American Spine Society
Guide for Authors
The Spine Journal, the official journal of the North American Spine Society, is an international and
multidisciplinary journal that publishes original, peer-reviewed articles on research and treatment related to the spine and spine care,
including basic science and clinical investigations. The Spine Journal also publishes major reviews of specific topics, technical
notes, editorials and special features.
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION & TRACKING http://ees.elsevier.com/spinee The Spine Journal uses an electronic submission and tracking system available at: http://ees.elsevier.com/spinee
. Authors may submit their article by simply registering, logging in and uploading. After registering and submitting, authors may also
track their manuscript's progress through the editorial and review process.
Detailed instructions on the use of the online submission
system are available at http://ees.elsevier.com/spinee . Please read the helpful "Hints" for information on how to register,
and review the "Tutorial for Authors" for an overview of the submission process. If you need further help, please contact the Author
Support Department via e-mail at authorsupport@elsevier.com.
FORMAT The following components are required
(except as noted when optional):
1. manuscript document (blind/ no cover page)
2. abstract
3. keywords
4. table(s)
(optional)
5. figure(s) (optional)
6. conflict of interest/ disclosure(s)
Text files:The Spine Journal
can accept text files in most standard word processing formats but Microsoft Word is preferred. Manuscripts should be blind (no cover
page or author/contact information) keyed double-spaced throughout, including references with 1" margins in 12 pt. Times New Roman font.
Acronyms and other abbreviations should be first defined and then remain consistent throughout the manuscript. Any reference in the text
to manufacturers or commercial products or equipment must include the manufacturer's name and location in brackets.
Distinguish between capital letter
O and number 0, as well as capital letter I, lowercase letter l and number 1. However, authors should not attempt to determine the visual
presentation of the article. All design considerations regarding typeface, page layout, artwork, etc. will be handled by the Publisher;
do not use any special formatting. All text should be flush left. Do not indent paragraphs. Double hard return between paragraphs and
between list items. Do not use hard returns within a paragraph or list item. There should be no tabs on a disk file, except in tables,
where they should be used to align columns. Do not use your word processor's hyphenation capabilities.
CONTENT REQUIREMENTS Abstract and Keywords: A structured abstract must be included and must use the following
subheadings in the order shown (please do not combine subheads):
Background Context
Purpose
Study Design/Setting
Patient Sample (must be included in Clinical Studies)
Outcome Measures (must be included in Clinical Studies)
Methods
Results
Conclusions
Keywords. Please include 6 to 10 keywords or phrases for indexing following
the abstract.
Please note: the Outcome Measures subheading must provide information on one or more of the following categories,
listed in the following order:
Self-report Measures, eg, validated pain rating scale, disability questionnaire, etc.
Physiologic Measures, eg, imaging or electrodiagnostic tests, aerobic capacity, range of motion or strength, etc.
Functional
Measures, eg, work status, health utilization, activities of daily living assessment, etc.
References: References
should be identified in the text by Arabic numerals in the order in which they are cited in the text. Personal communications and unpublished
data should be mentioned in the text in parentheses rather than being included in the reference list.
Authors are responsible for
the accuracy and completeness of references. References from journals should include the first six authors (followed by "et al" for any
additional authors), the full title of the article, the name of the journal abbreviated according to Index Medicus, year of
publication, volume number and inclusive page numbers. Reference style and punctuation must follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts
Submitted to Biomedical Journals prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (available at: http://www.icmje.org/#prepare
) as shown in the following examples. Extensive examples of citation formats for all types of referenced material can be found at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html
Article - Goyal RN. Epidural lipoma causing compression of the spinal cord. Surg Neurol. 1980;14:77-79.
Chapter in
a Book - Ozonoff MD, Burrows EH. Intracranial calcification. In: Newton TH, Potts DG, eds. Radiology of the skull and brain, vol
1, book 2. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1974:323-373.
Figures: Figures should be consecutively numbered (Arabic) as they appear in
the text and accompanied by legends. Four-color figures will be printed in color at the AUTHOR's expense. Figures that have been previously
published must be submitted with a letter of permission to reprint from the original publisher. All figures must be high resolution TIFF
or EPS format only.
Figure Legends: Legends should be double-spaced, numbered corresponding to the figures on a separate page.
The legend should permit the figures to be understood without reference to the text. Please use lowercase letters to label multipart
figures. When symbols, arrows, numbers or letters are used for identification, each should be explained clearly in the legend. For microphotographs,
internal scale marks should be defined and the method of staining given. If the figure has been previously published, a credit line should
be included and a permission letter must accompany manuscript submission.
Tables: All tables should be typed, double-spaced
and be numbered consecutively with descriptive titles (no legends). All abbreviations used in the table must be defined in footnotes
at the bottom of the table. Acknowledgement of previously published material should be given in a footnote to the table, and the source
should be included in the reference list. Footnotes should be ordered as they appear in the table with superscript Arabic numerals.
Permissions: The author is responsible for obtaining in writing the permission of the publisher and/or copyright holder to
reprint in The Spine Journal any previously published material. Quotations must be accurate and full credit given to their source.
The author is responsible for any associated reprint fee. Reference to personal communication must be included in the text using the
following form (name, degrees of the person(s) with whom the author has communicated, written or oral communication, month and year).
Reference to unpublished data should follow a similar format (name, degree, unpublished data, month, year). The author MUST obtain written
permission from the source to use such information and copies MUST be submitted with the manuscript.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS The Spine Journal publishes many types of articles in additional to clinical studies. If you wish to submit an article type
listed below, please review these special requirements.
Review Articles: The manuscript should cover an established but controversial
area of multidisciplinary spine care with the goal of updating and consolidating knowledge and the conceptual framework. It should include
a minimum of 50 references with 20-30 pages of double-spaced text, 3-5 explanatory tables and appropriate artwork.
Technical Reports:
The manuscript should deal with newer material of interest. The text length may vary in length from 10-25 double-spaced pages and should
include a minimum of 15 references. Ample illustrations (radiographs, photo-graphs and original art) should be used to clearly show the
devices/ equipment, technique and pictorial evidence.
Case Studies: The manuscript should report on a specific case or series
of related cases of interest, with limited references to the literature. Text length should be relatively brief (8-10 double-spaced pages.)
Illustrations (radiographs, photographs) should be included.
Special Features: Authors are encouraged to submit material
for publication in any of the following special features sections of The Spine Journal. All should follow the general format
of instructions to authors provided above.
Letters to the Editor should be addressed "To the Editor" and should be
submitted with the understanding that the material may be shortened or otherwise edited. Letters that address material previously published
in The Spine Journal may be followed by responses from the author of the previous material and/or the Editor.
SpineFiles
includes a wide range of brief commentaries on spine-related issues such as spine education, spine and law, spine and public policy,
spine in the arts, etc.
Faces of Spine Care is composed of brief presentations of material in which the dominant
interest is in the visual image(s), including radiographic and MRI images, histo-pathology, photographs or electro-diagnostic tracings;
should be submitted as high quality images (TIFF or EPS format only) and accompanied by legends, very brief explanatory text and 1-8
references.
Information Resource Reviews (including reviews of books and other instructional material) may be submitted
unsolicited or assigned. If you wish to be assigned, submit a statement of willingness along with a brief statement of qualifications
and topics of interest.
SpinePosts are very brief notations of historical spine-related events.
DISCLOSURE,
AFFIRMATION OF AUTHORSHIP AND COPYRIGHT RELEASE Disclosure Statement: A North American Spine Society (NASS) Disclosure
Statement Form and Affirmation of Authorship are prompted automatically during the online submission process and must be completed (one
for each author) to finalize the submission. All grants and/or research funding must state full name of donor and include grant number(s).
FDA approval status is required for any devices and/or drugs identified as an important component within the manuscript.
Elsevier
and the TSJ Editors believe it useful to outline our expectations of authors and procedures that the journal will employ in
the event of questions concerning author conduct. Procedures and guidelines with respect to such queries and investigations are outlined
in the Elsevier position on Ethical Guidelines
for Journal Publication and should be reviewed by authors.
PROOFS AND REPRINTS
The corresponding author
will receive proofs, which should be corrected and returned within 48 hours. The authors must carefully check proofs to see that all
errors are corrected and queries from editors answered. Keep a copy for your records. Authors may order reprints using the order form
provided.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any general questions, please email
the NASS Editorial Office or call toll-free: (866) 960-6277; or direct: (630) 230-3645.
If you have questions related to the electronic
submission process or uploading your files, please contact the Author Support Department via e-mail at: authorsupport@elsevier.com.
