Thank you for agreeing to write for us. The following notes should help. They cover: • who our readers are • our editorial
procedure • planning your contribution • your text technical information • your illustrations technical
information • references
YOUR READERS
Our intention in MEDICINE is to cover topics at a level appropriate
to the non-specialist. For example, a contribution on tachycardias would not be intended for cardiologists, but rather for physicians
in other fields and GPs who inevitably see patients with tachycardia from time to time and need to know both what they should do and
how the cardiologist would approach the more complicated case.
Pitch your contribution at the doctor who has been qualified for
2-3 years and has a good grounding in both the theoretical background and the practical techniques for medical practice. In the UK,
the appropriate level is that of the MRCP candidate.
Be practical, paying particular attention to diagnosis and management.
However, brief coverage of pathogenesis and physiological mechanisms are required.
OUR EDITORIAL PROCEDURE
After we receive
your manuscript, it is read by our specialist Chapter Editors, possibly by a clinical pharmacologist, a general practitioner or other
advisers, and by our in-house Editor (Vicky Hawkins). It is then edited in accordance with our house style by our own editorial team.
All this takes time, but you will eventually be sent a copy of the edited galley proof complete with redrawn illustrations via e-mail (if you can not receive proofs via e-mail, please let us know as soon as possible and we will make alternative arrangements).
Highlighted in the text of this galley, you will find comments and questions from our various advisers. We would be grateful if you would
attend to these very carefully, as extensive amendments to later page proofs are not always possible. Final page proofs will be sent
to you shortly before publication. At this stage, we can accept only essential corrections.
Copyright
Authors contributing
a manuscript do so on the understanding that once it is accepted for publication, copyright in the article, including the right to reproduce
it in all forms of media shall be assigned exclusively to the Publisher. The Publisher shall not refuse any reasonable request by the
author to reproduce any of his or her contribution elsewhere.
Practice Points
A bulleted list of the main take-home messages
from the article should be provided where applicable.
YOUR TEXT TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Please supply an abstract and
keywords upon submission. These will appear in the printed journal. Please supply a brief (250 word) abstract of your article, together
with 5-10 keywords. Abstracts are the only portion of the article indexed in many databases so please ensure it reflects the content
accurately. Keywords should preferably be taken from the MESH index of Index Medicus.
Length. The length of your
article and number of figures should be as stated on your contract letter. This limit is not inclusive of references. Please do
not write overlength. If you do, your specialist Chapter Editors will have to cut the length of your contribution, and this will be time
consuming for them and very unsatisfactory for you.
Please send us an electronic version of your article, preferably in Word.
The article should be in English and typed double spaced with 3.5 cm margins each side. Please mail us a disk, or send your article
by email to medicine@medicinepublishing.co.uk (There is no need to send a paper version in addition.) If you cannot
send us an electronic version for any reason, please send a paper version, at least 3 copies of your article, typed double spaced
with 3.5 cm margins each side.
Don't delay sending your article because you are “waiting for illustrations”.
These can follow later.
If possible, try to introduce a heading every 100-200 words. We have four levels of heading if any
confusion is likely, please indicate the relative importance of each heading by labelling them A, B, C or D in the margin (A =
major heading, D = small italic heading).
Use only approved generic names for drugs. Doses and routes of administration
should always be stated and, if it is different from the manufacturers' recommendations, please explain why.
Units and abbreviations. The International System of Units (SI) should be applied (e.g. mm, kg etc.). For abbreviations, capitals
without full stops are preferred. If uncommon abbreviations are used they should be defined at first mention. For more detailed recommendations
please consult Units, Symbols and Abbreviations published by the Royal Society of Medicine, London.
Genetics. All
genes should be underlined to indicate italicization. Proteins should be left as Roman.
Text. Any words or letters which
are to appear in italics should be set in italics and underlined. Clearly identify unusual hand-written symbols and Greek letters. Differentiate
between the letter O and zero and the letters I and L and the number 1.
Practice Points. Where appropriate, present the
most important points of relevance in current clinical practice; these should be brief and set out as a bullet point list at the end
of the main text.
Tables. The intended position of any Tables should be clearly indicated in the text. They should be numbered
consecutively using the order in which they are cited in the text (e.g. Table 1, Table 2). The table should be typed double spaced, printed
on a separate sheet of paper and given a brief explanatory caption. Tables can be prepared using standard word processing facilities
or an appropriate spreadsheet package. Save your tables on disc in a file separate from the rest of the text.
Personal details: if you haven't already returned your personal details sheet, please include all author names, main qualifications, contact
details, short biographies and conflicts of interest on the cover sheet.
YOUR ILLUSTRATIONS TECHNICAL INFORMATION
All
illustrations must be numbered sequentially according to their order of citation in the text (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2 etc.). Ensure that
all the illustrations are referred to in the text. Captions should be prepared on a page separate from the main text.
Line
illustrations. For line diagrams, please supply these in Powerpoint, Word or as EPS files. If supplied in Word do not embed them
in the main text but supply them in separate files. If it is not possible to supply in electronic format then they should be presented
as good quality hard copies. Hard copies should be identified by placing on the back of each a label showing the author's name and
figure number. These will usually be redrawn by our illustrator.
Colour and black and white photographic illustrations. For
both colour and black and white half-tone images, please supply these as either TIFF or JPEG files, with a minimum resolution of 300
dpi at 12 cm width, with colour images supplied in CMYK. (Please avoid using Word or Powerpoint as the standard of reproduction is often
unsatisfactory.) If illustrations cannot be supplied in electronic format then the preferred alternatives are first, the original transparencies
or second, high-quality glossy prints. Please note that if files sizes are too large to be emailed (larger than 5 Mb unlikely to transmit)
then they should be saved to CD and mailed to the address given at the end of this document. A duplicate set of illustrations should
be retained by the author.
Pay a lot of attention to your caption they often draw readers into the article. Describe what
is seen and its significance, and take the reader a little further. Here is a good caption from our liver issue:
“This boy
has chronic neonatal liver disease and has developed cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Note the distended abdomen and malnutrition with
loss of fat stores and muscle bulk. He also suffered pathological fractures from metabolic bone disease.”
Colour transparencies
should be good quality 35mm transparencies. Each should be clearly marked with your name, figure number, top and front. Unless
the abnormality is very obvious, please attach a line drawing showing the main features (especially if the slide is histology).
Radiographs,
scans etc. are often difficult for the uninitiated, so please send a labelled line drawing with each, showing the main features.
The drawing will be redrawn by our artist, so please ensure it is clear.
ECGs will usually be redrawn on a standard background
grid. The quality of your material is therefore unimportant, but originals, photocopies or life-size photographs of originals should
be sent. Beware of distortion often introduced when ECGs are photocopied.
PowerPoint presentations have to be converted for
printing purposes and this procedure can affect the quality of the image. It is preferable to have the original slide in a JPEG/TIFF
format.
You wish to include extra illustrations? Please do so, but subtract 200 words from your text to give space for each
additional illustration.
Permissions to reproduce copyright material or patient photographs
Owing to problems in obtaining
permission to reproduce and store material electronically, authors are requested to avoid the use of previously published material. Written
permission to reproduce previously published material (illustrations or tables) must be obtained by the author from the copyright holder
(usually the publisher) and submitted with the manuscript. Such borrowed material should be acknowledged in the caption in this style “Reproduced by kind permission of (copyright holder) from Title of publication” or such other form of words as the copyright
holder may specify.
Clinical photographs which may reveal the patient's identity can only be included if they are accompanied
by the written permission of the patient or next of kin. Without such permission such illustrations will be either cropped or masked
sufficient to disguise the patient's identity.
If you wish to retain copyright for any figures submitted, this can be
arranged.
REFERENCES
We would like at least 10–15 references for the most important studies you mention (maximum
of around 30), and these should be cited in the text using Vancouver referencing.
PLEASE PRESENT REFERENCES ONLY IN THE STYLE
DESCRIBED BELOW: • Indicate reference(s) in the text sequentially with superscript numerals. • At the end of the
chapter, provide a corresponding numbered reference list. This should not be alphabetized, but should appear in the same sequence as
the numbers in the text.
References to journals should include the author's name and initials (list all authors when there are
six or fewer authors, when seven authors or more list only the first three followed by et al), full title of the paper, journal's
title abbreviated according to Index Medicus, year of publication, volume number, first and last page numbers. Journal article
Scott JT, Gilvarry EN, Farrell M F. Managing anxiety and depression in alcohol and drug dependence. Addict Behav 1998; 23:
919–31.
McGuire PK, Jones P, Harvey I, et al. Morbid risk of schizophrenia for relatives of patients with cannabis-associated
psychosis. Schizophr Res 1995; 15: 277–81.
Unnamed author article
No authors listed. Risk factors for stroke and efficacy of antithrombotic therapy in atrial fibrillation.
Analysis of pooled data from five randomised controlled trials. Arch Intern Med 1994; 154: 1449–57.
Foreign
language article
Li W, Gueyffier F, Boissel JP, Girard P, Boutitie F, Cucherat M. Identification and prediction of responders
to a therapy. A model and its preliminary application to hypertension. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 1988; 91: 1059–63.
[In French].
Editorial
Editorial. One world, one response needed, but not yet forthcoming. Lancet 2005; 365:
95-96.
Book, first edition
Graham HL, Copello A, Birchwood MJ, Mueser KT, eds. Substance misuse in psychosis: approaches
to treatment and service delivery. Chichester: Wiley, 2003.
Book, subsequent edition
Miller WR, Rollnick S. Motivational
interviewing. Preparing people for change, 2nd edn. New York: Guilford, 2002.
Book chapter
Marsden J, Strang J, Lavoie
D, et al. Drugs needs assessment. In: Stevens A, Raftery J, eds. Health care needs assessment, 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press,
2004.
Newspaper article
McGuire B. We need a warning system too. Guardian. 30 Dec 2004: 18.
Online document
National Self Harm Network. Self-injury: myths & common sense. http://www.nshn.co.uk/facts.html (accessed 6 Sep 2006).
Print and online publication
Department of Health. Drug misuse and dependence: guidelines on clinical management. London:
Stationery Office, 1999. Also available at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/81/98/04078198.pdf (accessed 6 Sep 2006).
We would also like four or five suggestions for Further Reading. These should be from reasonably easily obtainable books or
journals, and should be accompanied by a few words of explanation (e.g. A clear description of clinical features.)
