International Journal of Acute Pain Management


Affilliated with the Special Interest Group on Acute Pain of the International Association for the Study of Pain® (IASP®)

Description
Acute Pain is a peer-reviewed international journal, and has a specific emphasis on the clinical presentation and treatment of acute pain, in particular the practical issues of organisation, techniques, safety and efficacy. The topics covered will reflect the multidisciplinary approach taken, making it the only journal devoted specifically to acute pain and its management. The journal covers all areas of acute pain management including: post-operative pain, post-traumatic pain and acute disease related pain.

The balance of subject matter published in the journal is determined by the editor. The international editorial board provides guidance on the direction the journal should take and by reviewing submitted manuscripts, helps to set and maintain high quality standards.

Acute Pain also provides information on forthcoming meetings and events, critically reviews newly published books as an aid to the selection of books for your library and encourages links with organisations working in the field of pain management.

Audience
Acute Pain provides an interdisciplinary forum for all practitioners with an interest in the management of patients suffering acute pain.

Submission checklist
It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to the Journal's Editor for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any item.

Ensure that the following items are present:

• One Author designated as corresponding Author
• E-mail address
• Full postal address
• Telephone and fax numbers
• All necessary files have been uploaded
• Keywords
• All figure captions
• All tables (including title, description, footnotes)

Further considerations:

• Manuscript has been "spellchecked"
• References are in the correct format for this Journal
• All references mentioned in the Reference List are cited in the text, and vice versa
• Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Web)
• Colour figures are clearly marked as being intended for colour reproduction on the Web (free of charge) and in print or to be reproduced in colour on the Web (free of charge) and in black-and-white in print
• If only colour on the Web is required, black and white versions of the figures are also supplied for printing purposes

For any further information please contact the Author Support Department at authorsupport@elsevier.com

Submission of articles
Submission to Acute Pain proceeds totally on-line. Use the following guidelines to prepare your article. By accessing the following link http://ees.elsevier.com/acpain you will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. The system automatically converts source files to a single Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files are converted to PDF at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further processing after acceptance. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail and via the Author's homepage, removing the need for a hard-copy paper trail.

The above represents a very brief outline of this form of submission. It can be advantageous to print this "Guide for Authors" section from the site, for reference in the subsequent stages of article preparation.

Authors submitting hard copy papers will be asked to resubmit using Elsevier Editorial System.

Authors should select a set of classifications for their papers from a given list, as well as a category designation (Original Research Paper, Short Communication, and so on).

Authors should send queries concerning the submission process or journal procedures to authorsupport@elsevier.com . Authors can check the status of their manuscript within the review procedure using Elsevier Editorial System.

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration (in whole or in part) for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all Authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Funding body agreements and policies
Elsevier has established agreements and developed policies to allow authors whose articles appear in journals published by Elsevier, to comply with potential manuscript archiving requirements as specified as conditions of their grant awards. To learn more about existing agreements and policies please visit http://www.elsevier.com/fundingbodies .

Electronic format requirements for accepted articles
General points
We accept most word-processing formats, but Word or WordPerfect is preferred. Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Save your files using the default extension of the program used.

Word processor documents
It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the word processor used. The text should be in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the word processor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. Do not embed "graphically designed" equations or tables, but prepare these using the word processor's facility. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of conventional manuscripts (see also the Author Guide to Publishing with Elsevier). Do not import the figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text and on the manuscript. See also the section on Artwork Instructions.

To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the "spellchecker" function of your word processor.

Although Elsevier can process most word processor file formats, should your electronic file prove to be unusable, the article will be typeset from the printout.

Format of Manuscript
All contributions should be typed, double-spaced, with wide margins and on one side of the page only. They must be written in English. All pages must be numbered in sequence. Authors for whom English is a foreign language are recommended to have the manuscript thoroughly checked and corrected before submission. The Editors will warmly appreciate the co-operation of authors in preparing papers in a manner that will facilitate the complex work of publication. For research papers an abstract not exceeding 200 words should be provided. The title page should indicate the title of the article, the full name(s), qualifications and postal address of the first or corresponding author, telephone, fax and email address of the first or corresponding author. Authors must provide five key words at the end of each abstract for future indexing. Keywords should not be general in nature such as: epidureal. The corresponding author should be identified on the manuscript by "*" and a footnote.

Preparation of text
Manuscripts should be written in good English. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission. Manuscripts that do not conform to standard English style, usage or grammar will be returned to the authors for modification prior to scientific review.

International Science Editing and Asia Science Editing can provide English language and copyediting services to authors who want to publish in scientific, technical and medical Journals and need assistance before they submit their article or, before it is accepted for publication. Authors can contact these services directly: International Science Editing ( http://www.internationalscienceediting.com) and Asia Science Editing ( http://www.asiascienceediting.com) or, for more information about language editing services, please contact authorsupport@elsevier.com who will be happy to deal with any questions.

Please note Elsevier neither endorses nor takes responsibility for any products, goods or services offered by outside vendors through our services or in any advertising. For more information please refer to our terms & conditions by visiting http://www.asiascienceediting.com and clicking 'terms and conditions' at the very bottom of the page.

Presentation of manuscript
Manuscripts should have numbered lines with wide margins and double spacing throughout, i.e. also for abstracts, footnotes and references. Every page of the manuscript, including the title page, references, tables, etc., should be consecutively numbered. However, in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, one may refer to sections. Avoid excessive usage of italics to emphasize part of the text.

Ensure that each new paragraph is clearly indicated. Present tables and figure captions on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. If possible, consult a recent issue of the Journal to become familiar with layout and conventions.

Provide the following data on the title page (in the order given).

1) Title page:

• Title (this should be clear, descriptive and not exceed 85 characters, including spaces)
• Name(s) of author(s) with their highest earned degrees. Authorship should only be assumed by those workers who have contributed materially to the work and its report. Colleagues who have otherwise assisted or collaborated should be recognized in the Acknowledgement section
• Complete postal address(es) of affiliations
• Full telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the corresponding author
• Present address(es) of author(s) if applicable
• Complete correspondence address (including postal zip code) and e-mail address to which the proofs should be sent
• Grant support
• Statement that there is no conflict of interest

2) Abstract: This should contain no more than 200 words. For original articles, the abstract should be structured (i.e., divided into the sections Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion). Abstracts should briefly describe the problem being addressed in the study, how the study was performed and which measurements were carried out, the most relevant results, and what the authors conclude from the results.
An abstract is often presented separate from the article, so it must be able to stand alone.
References should therefore be avoided, but if essential, they must be cited in full, without reference to the reference list.
Non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

3) Key words: A list of 3-6 words or short phrases should be included after the abstract for indexing purposes. Use terms from the Medical Subjects Headings from the Index Medicus.

Arrangement of the article

4) Introduction: State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.

5) Materials and Methods: Experimental/Materials and methods. Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference: only relevant modifications should be described. You must include a sentence saying that informed consent was obtained from participants in the study and/or that the institution's ethics committee approved the study.

6) Results:These should be presented precisely. Keep discussion of their importance to a minimum. Do not present the same information in tables and figures.

7) Discussion: This should directly relate to the study being reported. Do not include a general review of the topic. Please include the conclusion in this section, unless it is a review article.

8) Appendices: If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: (Eq. A.1), (Eq. A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, (Eq. B.1) and so forth.

9) Acknowledgements: This section should acknowledge colleagues who have assisted or collaborated in the study who are not listed on the title page. It should also include details on sponsoring and possible conflicts of interest.

10) References
The references should be numbered consecutively throughout the text and should be collected together in a reference list (headed References) at the end of the paper. Footnotes and legends should not include bibliographic material, and reference lists should not include material that could more appropriately appear as a footnote. Authors should ensure that every reference appearing in the text is in the list of references and vice versa. Numerals for references are enclosed in square brackets in the text, e.g., [1]; numerals referring to equations are enclosed in parentheses. Journals: Reference number (on the line without a full stop) authors' names (preceded by initials and in upper and lower case) comma title of article comma abbreviated title of the periodical comma volume number year (in parentheses) page numbers full stop. Only key references should be cited (ideally no more than 40 except for review articles). Authors should follow the reference style shown in the following three examples:

Journal
1. Foley KM. The treatment of cancer pain. N Engl J Med 1985;313:84-95.
Book
1. Shapiro EG, Rosenfeld AA. The somatizing child: diagnosis and treatment of conversion and somatization disorders. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1987.
Edited Book
1. Twycross RG. Nonnarcotic corticosteroids and psychotropic drugs. In: Twycross RG, Ventafridda V, eds. The continuing care of terminal cancer patients. New York: Pergamon, 1979:117-134.

11) URLs should be included for linking to websites that are relevant to the article.

12) Figures and Photographs: Figures and photographs of good quality should be submitted online as a separate file. Please use a lettering that remains clearly readable even after reduction to about 66%. For every figure or photograph, a legend should be provided. All authors wishing to use illustrations already published must first obtain the permission of the author and publisher and/or copyright holders and give precise reference to the original work. This permission must include the right to publish in electronic media.

13) Footnotes: Footnotes should be used sparingly. Number them consecutively throughout the article, using superscript Arabic numbers. Many word processors build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Should this not be the case, indicate the position of footnotes in the text and present the footnotes themselves on a separate sheet at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.

14) Tables
Tables should be kept to a minimum; no data should be recorded in both graphical and tabular form. All tables should be provided with headings and should be intelligible without reference to the text.

15) Nomenclature and Units
Each paper should be consistent within itself as to abbreviations, symbols and units. Authors should use SI units wherever possible and when these are not used should provide a conversion factor to SI units. Negative indices should be used (mg h-1).

16) Illustrations

• All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) should be submitted as separate files, preferably in TIFF or EPS format
• Illustrations should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. References should be made in the text to each illustration
• Illustrations should be designed with the format of the page of the Journal in mind. Illustrations should be of such a size as to allow a reduction of 50%
• Lettering should be big enough to allow a reduction of 50% without becoming illegible. Any lettering should be in English. Use the same kind of lettering throughout and follow the style of the Journal
• If a scale should be given, use bar scales on all illustrations instead of numerical scales that must be changed with reduction
• Each illustration should have a caption. The captions to all illustrations should be typed on a separate sheet of the manuscript
• Explanations should be given in the figure legend(s). Drawn text in the illustrations should be kept to a minimum
• Photographs are only acceptable if they have good contrast and intensity
• If you submit usable colour figures, Elsevier would ensure that these figures appeared free-of-charge in colour in the electronic version of your accepted paper, regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. Colour illustrations can only be included in print if the additional cost of reproduction is contributed by the author. You would receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please note that because of technical complications which may arise by converting colour figures to 'grey scale' (for the printed version, should you not opt for colour in print), you should submit in addition usable black and white figures corresponding to all colour illustrations.

Artwork Instructions
Advice on the preparation of electronic artwork can be found here artwork instructions.

The author will pay the cost of colour illustrations.

Preparation of supplementary data
Elsevier now accepts electronic supplementary material (e-components) to support and enhance your scientific research. Supplementary files offer the Author additional possibilities to publish supporting applications, movies, animation sequences, high-resolution images, background datasets, sound clips and more. Supplementary files supplied will be published online alongside the electronic version of your article in Elsevier Web products, including ScienceDirect: http://www.sciencedirect.com. In order to ensure that your submitted material is directly usable, please ensure that data are provided in one of our recommended file formats. Authors should submit the material in electronic format together with the article and supply a concise and descriptive caption for each file.

Review articles
Unsolicited review articles, no longer than 15 pages excluding references, will be considered for publication in the Journal. They will be subject to fast-track peer review.

Refereeing of Manuscripts
Articles submitted to Acute Pain will be reviewed by expert referees, usually members of the International Editorial Board. The final decision on publication lies with the Editor-in-Chief, who will place the manuscript in one of four categories:

• a) to be accepted for publication
• b) to be reconsidered, after the authors have had an opportunity to make recommended revisions and reply in detail to referees comments
• c) to be rejected, with an invitation to the authors to submit an extensively revised manuscript. The revision will be treated as a new manuscript, with the difference that it must be accompanied by a set of detailed replies to all issues raised by the referees of the original manuscript
• d) to be rejected.

Manuscripts should be submitted exclusively to Acute Pain and are received with the understanding that they have not been published or submitted for publication in whole or part elsewhere. It is a condition of acceptance for publication that copyright becomes vested in the journal. Upon acceptance of a manuscript a copyright transfer agreement will be sent to the author. Manuscripts describing investigations in human beings will only be accepted if the text states that the study described was approved by an institutional review committee and that informed consent was obtained from all subjects. Manuscripts describing investigations in animals will only be accepted if the study described was approved by an institutional animal investigation committee. Authors should not use names, initials, etc. which might lead to the recognition of a patient. A patient must not be recognisable in a photograph unless written consent from the patient has been obtained. Permission MUST BE obtained for all copyright material and acknowledged as specified by the copyright holder. Evidence should be provided where permission has been granted.

Copyright
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all Authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.
Upon acceptance of an article, Authors will be asked to transfer copyright (for more information on copyright see Author's Rights). This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. A letter will be sent to the Corresponding Author confirming receipt of the manuscript. A form facilitating transfer of copyright will be provided.
Authors, when quoting from someone else's work or when considering reproducing an illustration or table from a book or journal article, should make sure that they are not infringing on a copyright. Although in general authors may quote from other published works, they should obtain permission from the holder of the copyright if they wish to make substantial extracts or to reproduce tables, plates, or other illustrations. If the copyright-holder is not the author of the quoted or reproduced material, it is recommended that the permission of the author should also be sought. Material in unpublished letters and manuscripts is also protected and must not be published unless permission has been obtained. A suitable acknowledgement of any borrowed material must always be made.
Elsevier has pre-printed forms for use by Authors in requesting copyright permission, available from Elsevier's Rights Department, Philadelphia, PA, USA: phone (+1) 215 238 7869, fax (+1) 215 238 2239, e-mail healthpermissions@elsevier.com. Requests may also be completed on-line at www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions.

Proofs
One set of proofs will be sent by e-mail to the Corresponding Author as given on the title page of the manuscript. Only typesetter's errors may be corrected; no changes in, or additions to, the edited manuscript will be allowed.
Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete.

Reprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.

Author Services
Enquiries concerning manuscripts and proofs: questions arising after acceptance of the manuscript, especially those relating to proofs, should be directed to Elsevier Ireland, Elsevier House, Brookvale Plaza, East Park, Shannon, Co. Clare, Ireland, Tel: (+353) 61 709600, Fax: (+353) 61 709111/113.
Authors can also keep a track of the progress of their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the Track article. For privacy, information on each article is password-protected. The author should key in the "Our Reference" code (which is in the letter of acknowledgement sent by the Publisher on receipt of the accepted article) and the name of the corresponding author.

Acute Pain Calendar
Material for the Calendar should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, Professor Stephan Schug; E-mail: schug@cyllene.uwa.edu.au

Conference organizers are asked to submit details at least six months before the date of the event.