Submitting the manuscript

Transfusion Medicine Reviews provides an international forum for the publication of scholarly review articles in English, in the various subdisciplines that comprise transfusion medicine. The scope of the journal covers all basic science and practical aspects of transfusion medicine, ranging from the basic sciences of the various blood products to major clinical laboratory developments, blood banking, and immunohematology.

Manuscripts may be invited by the Editor on behalf of the Editorial Board, or may be submitted by interested authors. Prospective authors of review articles should submit, to the Editor, an outline of the proposed article and a tentative date for submission. Manuscripts are accepted for consideration on the condition that they are contributed solely to Transfusion Medicine Reviews. No substantial part of a paper may have been or may be published elsewhere. Manuscripts will be reviewed for scientific accuracy by the Editor, referees drawn from the Editorial Board, or other experts. Acceptance of papers for publication will be based on timeliness, authoritativeness, and clarity of presentation.

Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor are welcomed and will be published, if appropriate. They should be typewritten, double spaced, and should generally be no more than two typewritten pages in length.

Authors must accept the responsiblity of conforming to the instructions in "Information for Contributors." Articles, editorials, letters to the editor, and other text material in Transfusion Medicine Reviews represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the Editor, the Publisher, or the institution with which the author is affiliated, unless the contrary is specified.

Authors submitting a manuscript do so with the understanding that, if it is accepted for publication, copyright in the article, including the right to reproduce the article in all forms and media now or hereafter known, shall be assigned exclusively to the Publisher.

To comply with US copyright law, authors of accepted manuscripts and letters will be requested to sign a copyright release form.

Submit papers and related correspondence to:

Morris A. Blajchman, MD
Editor-in-Chief
Transfusion Medicine Reviews
Department of Pathology
McMaster University Medical Centre
1200 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario
Canada L8N 3Z5
FAX: 905-527-4866
Email: blajchma@mcmaster.ca

Papers reporting human experimentation will be reviewed in accordance with the precepts established by the Helsinki Declaration. Copies of this declaration may be obtained by writing to the American Medical Association, 535 North Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60610. Such papers must include a statement that the human investigations were performed after approval by a local Human Investigations Committee and in accord with an assurance filed with and approved by the Department of Health and Human Services when appropriate.

Preparing the manuscript

The original and two complete copies of the manuscript, as well as an electronic copy on computer disk, must be submitted. Manuscripts must be typewritten, double or triple spaced, on good quality 8½- by 11-inch white paper with margins of at least 1 inch.

The first page of the manuscript should contain the following information: (1) title of the paper, (2) authors' names; (3) name of institution in which work was done; (4) short title; (5) abstract; (6) acknowledgments for research support; (7) name and address of the author to whom communications regarding the manuscript should be directed. A brief summarizing paragraph, or abstract, of 100 to 200 words, should follow on the second page.

Manuscripts must be submitted on a disk, preferably in Microsoft Word. A double-spaced hard copy version of the final manuscript, free of hand-written alterations, must accompany the disk. All components of the manuscript must appear within a single electronic file: references, figure legends, and tables must appear at the end of the manuscript. Please refrain from using end notes as references or automatic list numbering because these features are lost in conversion: simply type the reference number in parentheses in the text and type the reference list. Formatting, such as Greek letters, italics, super- and subscripts, may be used: the coding scheme for such elements must be consistent throughout.

Transfusion Medicine Reviews subscribes, in general, to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals published in Ann Intern Med 108:258-265, 1988.

Preparing illustrations and tables

Tables and illustrations must be cited in order in the text using arabic numerals. All line drawings should be submitted as clear, glossy, black and white photographs. Hand-drawn or hand-lettered illustrations are unacceptable. Photomicrographs and other photographic illustrations must be submitted in triplicate; photocopies are not acceptable. Legible copies of line drawings may be used only with the duplicate manuscripts. The name of the first author, figure number, and designation of the top of the illustration should be marked on the back of each illustration with a soft lead pencil. Legends for illustrations should be typewritten, double spaced, on a separate sheet, and included at the end of the manuscript. A legend must accompany each illustration. The cost of color plates must be borne by the author. Color prints are not acceptable for reproduction as black and white prints.

Figures, especially charts, graphs, and line drawings, are generally reduced in size for publication (consult a recent issue of the journal for examples). To maintain legibility it is important that all numbers, letters, and symbols be large enough originally so that when reduced they will remain at least 1½ inch (2 mm) high (ie, approximately the same size as used for this line of type). Figures not properly prepared will have to be returned to the contributor for revision.

Each table should be typed on a separate sheet and numbered with an arabic numeral in order of citation in text. Table legends should be typed on the same sheets as the tables.

Failure to comply with the specifications for preparing illustrations and tables may result in a delay in publication.

Figures may be submitted in electronic format. Images should be provided in EPS or TIF format on Zip disk, CD, floppy, Jaz, or 3.5 MO. Graphics software such as Photoshop and Illlustrator, not presentation software such as PowerPoint, CorelDraw, or Harvard Graphics, should be used to create the art. Color images must be CMYK, at least 300 DPI, with a digital color proof, not a color laser print or color photocopy (this proof will be used at press for color reproduction). Gray scale images should be at least 300 DPI and accompanied by a proof. Combinations of gray scale and line art should be at least 1200 DPI and accompanied by a proof. Line art (black and white or color) should be at least 1200 DPI and accompanied by a proof. Please include hardware and software information, in addition to the file names.

References

References should be numbered with arabic numerals and be compiled at the end of the article according to the order of citation in the text. Generally, no more than 50 references should be cited per article. They should be typewritten, double-spaced, under the heading REFERENCES. Abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals should confirm to those used in the latest edition of Index Medicus. References to abstracts and Letters to Editors must be identified as such. Inclusive page numbers of references are required.

Transfusion Medicine Reviews will accept articles with references in the form outlined in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, N Engl J Med 324:424-428, 1991.

Example of references

Journal article, one author:
1. Beutler E: The effect of methemoglobin formation on sickle cell disease. J Clin Invest 40:1856-1858, 1961

Journal article, two or three authors:
2. Karpatkin S, Charmatz A: Heterogeneity of human platelets. III. Glycogen metabolism in platelets of different sizes. Br J Haematol 19:35-155, 1970

Journal article, more than three authors:
3. O'Malley JE, Eisenberg L, Smith J, et al: The hyperkinetic syndrome. Semin Psychiatry (in press)

Complete book:
4. Lillie RD: Histopathologic Technic and Practical Histochemistry (ed 3). New York, Blakiston, 1965, pp 39-57

Chapter of book:
5. Moore G, Minowada J: Human hemopoietic cell lines: A progress report, in Farnes P (ed): Hemic Cells In Vitro, vol 4. Baltimore, Williams & Wilkins, 1969, pp 100-102

Proceedings, published and unpublished:
6. Natvig JB, Kunkel HG, Gedde-Dahl T Jr: Genetic studies of the heavy chain sub-groups of G globulin, in Killander J (ed): Gamma Globulins, Proceedings of the Third Nobel Symposium, New York, Wiley, 1967

7. Polliak A: A morphologic study of the lymphoproliferative lesions induced by excess vitamin A. First Meeting, European Division, International Society of Hematology, Milan, 1971, pp 181-182

Abstract:
8. Curnutte JT, Karnovsky ML, Babior BM: Manganese-dependent NADPH oxidation by a particulate preparation from guinea pig granulocytes: An alternative interpretation. Clin Res 23:271A, 1975 (abstr)

Letter to the Editor:
9. Seeler RA: Sickle Cell anemia monthly variations. Blood 47:879, 1976 (letter)

Proofreading

Contributors are provided with galley proofs and are asked to proofread them for typesetting errors. Important changes in data are allowed, but authors will be charged for excess alterations in proof. Galley proofs should be returned within 48 hours.

Reprints

Fifty (50) reprints will be provided, without charge, to the principle author of each article printed in Transfusion Medicine Reviews. Additional reprints can be furnished to contributors when ordered in advance of publication. An order form, showing cost of reprints, is sent with proofs. Individuals wishing to obtain reprints of an article that appeared in Transfusion Medicine Reviews can do so by contacting the author at the address given in the journal.

Announcements

Announcements of meetings, conferences, and the like that are of interest to the readership of Transfusion Medicine Reviews should be sent to the Editor at least five months before the first day of the month of the issue.