As of 2007, this journal is no longer published by Elsevier
All enquiries should be directed to the Editor: Dr Salim Daya 2407
Carrington Place Oakville Ontario L6J 7R6 Canada Tel 905 842 1171 E-mail dayas@mcmaster.ca
Guide for Authors
Information for Authors
Digital object identifers (DOIs)
Churchill Livingstone assigns a unique digital object
identifier (DOI) to every article it publishes. The DOI appears on the title page of the article. It is assigned after the article has
been accepted for publication and persists throughout the lifetime of the article. Due to its persistence, it can be used to query Churchill
Livingstone for information on the article during the production process, to find the article on the Internet through various Web sites,
including IDEAL, and to cite the article in academic references. When using a Churchill Livingstone article in a reference section, it
is important to include the article's DOI in the reference as volume and page information is not always available for articles published
online. Samples of DOIs included in references are shown below. Further information may be found at http://academicpress.com/doi.
When citing a Churchill Livingstone journal, include the digital object identifier (DOI), if noted, from the article's
title page. Please note the following example:
Joos U, Kleinheinz J: Reconstruction of the severely resorbed (class VI) jaws: routing
or exception? J Craniomaxillofac Surg 28: 1-4, 2000. doi:10.1054/jcms.2000.0102
Policies & Procedures
The purpose
of Evidence-based Obstetrics and Gynecology is to assist obstetricians, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, perinatologists,
gynecological oncologists, urogynecologists and family physicians to keep up with important clinical developments in obstetrics and gynecology
and a timely and efficient manner. The journal consists primarily of short structured abstracts of current key articles, each accompanied
by a brief critical commentary by an expert. The commentator will address the methodological problems of the study, place the findings
of the study in context of previous knowledge in the field, and provide recommendations for the clinical application of the results of
the study. Original reports on the causes, clinical course, diagnosis, economics, prevention, quality of care and treatment of disorders
in obstetrics and gynecology are identified by manual and electronic searching of journals. The journals routinely reviewed for Evidence-based
Obstetrics & Gynecology are listed below. Criteria for review and selection for abstracting include all English language original
articles in an issue of a candidate journal, provided the topics are important to the clinical practice of general obstetrics and gynecology
or within any of the major subspecialties. Additional methodologic criteria (1) are applied, depending on the type of investigation reported,
and include:
Prevention and treatment. Random allocation of participants in the study to two or more comparison groups,
in which the experimental group receives the intervention being studied and the control group(s) receives the alternate intervention,
placebo or no treatment. Concealment of random allocation, blind assessment of outcome measures of clinical importance and sufficient
statistical power to demonstrate a clinically meaningful difference are desirable. Ideally, follow-up information should be available
on a high proportion (more than 90%) of participants entering the study. The appropriate statistical analysis should have been performed.
Diagnosis. The comparison groups should be clearly identified and at least one group should have the target disorder
and the control group should be free of the target disorder. The gold standard used for diagnosis should be clearly identified with objective
and reproducible criteria. There must be interpretation of the diagnostic test without knowledge of the result of the gold standard and
interpretation of the diagnostic standard wtihout knowledge of the test result. The statistical analysis should be appropriate and consistent
with the study design.
Prognosis. The inception cohort should include all subjects who are initially free of the outcome
of interest. The follow-up should involve a high proportion of the study participants until the occurrence of either the major study
endpoint or the end of the study. The statistical analysis should be appropriate and consistent with the study design.
Causation.
The comparison group for those at risk of, or having, the outcome of interest should be clearly identified. There should be appropriate
blinding (or masking) of observers to the exposure, when outcome is ascertained in randomized or cohort studies, or to outcome, when
exposure is ascertained in case-control studies. Analysis of results should be appropriate for the study design.
Economic
analysis. The economic question addressed in the study should focus on a comparison of alternate diagnostic methods, therapeutic
services or quality improvement activities. The comparison should be based on both the outcomes produced (effectiveness) and resources
consumed (cost). The evidence for effectiveness must come from high-quality studies. A sensitivity analysis should be performed when
there is any uncertainty in the estimates of the effect. The results should be presented in a manner whereby the incremental or additional
costs and outcomes incurred and realised by one group can be easily compared with the control group. On occasion, a research report may
be included because it offers a unique contribution to clinical practice, even though it may not meet the usual rigorous methodological
standards. Abstracts for the journal will conform to the published standards for more informative abstracts (2). In addition, the journal
will also contain three feature sections. Understanding Statistics will present an account of various statistical and epidemiological
terms in a manner that is readily understood. The concepts will be illustrated with examples taken from obstetrics and gynecology. The Systematic Review Corner will be devotd to summarizing a systematic review from the published literature, the Cochrane Library,
or other sources. Hot Off The Podium will provide a summary of onoe or more important high-quality studies reported at a recent
major scientific meeting of obstetrics and gynecology.
References
1. Sackett DL, Haynes RB, Guyatt G, Tugwell P. Clinical
Epidemiology. A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine. Second Edition. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1991
2. Haynes RB, Mulrow
CD, Huth EJ, Altman DG, Gardner MJ. More informative abstracts revisited. Ann Intern Med 1990; 113: 69-76
