All articles are commissioned by the Editors from specialists in their field and are based on strict guidelines for content and style. Unsolicited articles will not be accepted.

IMPORTANT: please read these guidelines carefully and observe all the directions given, paying particular attention to the instructions on REFERENCING STYLE and the requirements for ABSTRACT, KEYWORDS, PRACTICE POINTS. Failure to do so may result in unnecessary delays to the publication of your and other authors' articles.

NEW CONTRIBUTORS TO PSYCHIATRY

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 PSYCHIATRY is to cover topics at a level appropriate to the non-specialist. For example, a contribution on pharmacological treatment for bipolar disorder would not be intended for psychopharmacologists, but rather for psychiatrists in other fields, who need to know both what they should do and how the specialist would approach the more complicated case.

• Pitch your contribution at the clinician who has been qualified for 2-3 years and has a good grounding in both the theoretical background and the practical techniques for psychiatry. In the UK, the appropriate level is that of the MRCPsych 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 Managing Editor (Anne Askey). 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.

PLANNING YOUR CONTRIBUTION

While not all headings in this checklist can be applied to every contribution, they are an aide-mémoire to ensure that you adopt a parallel approach to that of your fellow contributors.

How common? UK and Worldwide
New cases seen annually in an average (2500) practice
Age spectrum
Definition - very brief
Epidemiology - brief, except where a disease, or group of diseases, is common and/or the absence is very dependent on environmental factors
Pathology and pathogenesis - brief account
Course of the disease
Diagnosis
History
Physical examination
Investigations
• at home and in general practice
• in out-patient departments
• in wards
Differential diagnosis
Management
• at home
• in hospital
• realistic assessment of results of treatment (NB:always be practical and precise about drug doses and the routes of their administration, and if your recommendations are different from those of the manufacturers please explain why).
Prognosis and explanation to patient
Follow up
• how often?
• by whom?
• how? (e.g. what tests are necessary?)
• complications and disabilities
• rehabilitation
Prevention
• of disease developing
• of complications and disabilities

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 may 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 psychiatry@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.

Please number your pages. (In Word, go to Insert and then Page Numbers.)

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 handwritten 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.

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.

Radiographs, scans etc. are often difficult for the uninitiated, so please send a labelled line drawing with each, showing the main features (see below). The drawing will be redrawn by our artist, so please ensure it is clear.

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 J, Gilvarry E, Farrell M. 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.

Journal supplement article
Addington J, Gleeson J. Implementing cognitive-behavioural therapy for first-episode psychosis. Br J Psychiatry 2005; 187(suppl 48): S72-76.

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 and 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”).

UPDATING YOUR PREVIOUS CONTRIBUTION

Thank you for agreeing to update your previous contribution. The following notes should help.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS OF UPDATING YOUR TEXT

You may use the paper version we have sent you, or you may update electronically.

To update electronically, ask for your previous article to be emailed to you, or put on a disk and posted to you. Please email: psychiatry@medicinepublishing.co.uk

Use “Track changes” in Word if updating electronically. This saves us and our Chapter Editors a lot of time, because we can see your new additions easily. In Word, go to Tools, then Track Changes. Click on Highlight Changes, then tick all 3 options in the next window (i.e. track changes while editing, highlight changes on screen, highlight changes in printed document).

To update your article on the paper version that we have sent you, simply write your comments in the margin.

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.

YOUR REFERENCES

Don't forget to update your references and further reading. We now like to have at least 15 references per article.

Please cite your references in the text: using a superscript number, and list the references in order of appearance at the end, following the instructions on Page 6.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Please supply some new illustrations. This will keep your contribution fresh-looking.

WHAT'S NEW BOX

This is intended to highlight the key changes to the subject described in the article since it was last published in Psychiatry, which is usually around 3 years previously. Please provide 3 or 4 sentences for this.

HOW TO CONTACT US….

Series Advisers
George Szmukler MD DPM FRCPsych
Andre Tylee MD MRCPsych FRCGP

Managing Editor
Vicky Chapman
Direct Line: 01865 843129
Email: psychiatry@medicinepublishing.co.uk

Publications Manager
Janet Knox
Direct Line: 01865 843065
Email: journals@medicinepublishing.co.uk


PROBLEMS AND QUERIES

•Contact your Chapter Editor(s) or Vicky Chapman if you need more information on the scope and content of your article.

•Contact Janet Knox if you have problems with the deadline or need advice about disks etc.

CORRIGENDA

Let us know immediately if you spot a mistake in the published version, so we can print a correction promptly.

Main Line: +44 (0)1865 843154
Fax: +44 (0)1865 843965
Email: psychiatry@medicinepublishing.co.uk

HOUSE STYLE POINTS

Abbreviations

Be consistent in the use of abbreviations. If uncommon, or unfamiliar to a non-English speaker, explain abbreviations in parentheses when you first use them in the text. Abbreviated forms of organisations, countries and medical terms expressed in capital letters should be written without points: WHO, DNA, UK, USA. Medical terms and other common abbreviations expressed in lower case should be written with points: e.g., i.e., a.m., t.i.d., i.v., i.m.

Units

All measurements should be expressed in SI units.

Note the space between the unit and its numerical quantity and the absence of full points, e.g. 14 ml, 8 cm, 45 mg/100 ml. However, there is no space in 25%, 25^oC. The unit is unaltered in the plural and should not be followed by a full stop, except at the end of a sentence. There is a space between the number and the unit.
e.g. 5 g not 5g., 5g, or 5gs
Unit symbols derived from proper names have an upper case initial letter, although the initial letter is in the lower case when it is written in full.
W – watt Gy – gray Hz - hertz
The solidus (/) or “per” should only be used once in each unit. Where necessary, the negative index may be used.
e.g. m.kg.s ² or m.kg/s² not m.kg/s/s
Time. SI symbols are:
Day d (i.e. 24 hours)
Hour h
Minute min (NB min.= minimum)
Second s (not sec)


The expression “per 24 hours” or “ …./24 h” is recommended rather than “per day” which could be misinterpreted as meaning “between the hours of sunrise and sunset”.
Time of day: use 24 h clock as shown:
e.g. 15:20 not 15.20 h
Physical quantities describing abstract properties represented by number and unit should be in sloping italic type.
e.g. P – partial measure
M – mass, but m = metre
Ionic charge: use e.g. Mg²⁺ not Mg⁺⁺


Numbers Spell out numbers from one to nine, but always use numerals for statistics, ages and measurements. Close up four figure numbers, e.g. 4000, and replace commas in numbers of five or more with a space, e.g. 25 000. For numbers less than one, a zero should precede the decimal point.
n for “number” is lower case italic, e.g. n=123.


Isotopes Iodine-131 is abbreviated to ¹³¹I and technetium-99m to ^99mTc. The symbol for an isotope substituted into a compound is placed in square brackets directly attached to the front of the compound or the part of the name to which it refers, e.g. [¹⁴C]glucose. If a compound does not normally contain the isotope with which it is labelled use ¹³¹I-labelled albumin, not [¹³¹I]albumin.

Micro-organisms and species nomenclature Genus and species names should be in italics (underline in the typescript), with an initial capital for the genus name, when used for identification. E.g. Lactobacillus acidophilus. However, when used generally, they shoud be in roman type, lower case (not underlined), e.g. streptococcal infection. Abbreviate genus names at second and subsequent mention; please note Staph and Strep.