Introduction



The Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (JACLP)-formerly known as Psychosomatics-is dedicated to helping its readers achieve excellence in the clinical care of patients with medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Since the approval of consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatry as a psychiatric subspecialty by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in 2003, many readers have turned to the pages of this journal for its peer-reviewed articles and research reports in the field. JACLP also aims to provide crucial knowledge for trainees and providers in C-L psychiatry of all levels and disciplines. The following article types are considered for publication.

Types of article

1. Original Research Reports
Articles containing original research in the area of C-L psychiatry should not exceed 3,500 words with a structured abstract of no more than 350 words, a maximum of 5 tables and figures (total), and up to 50 references.Original Research Reports must include a Conflict of Interest /Disclosure statement and an Ethical Publication Statement just before the reference section.

2. Reviews
Clinically focused reviews in the area of C-L psychiatry with special emphasis on topics of relevance to clinical practice. Reviews are restricted to 3,000 words with a structured abstract of no more than 350 words, a maximum of 5 tables and figures (total) and up to 50 references. Priority will be given to articles that feature a systematic literature review following PRISMA guidelines (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).Reviews must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement just before the reference section.

3. C-L Case Conference
This article type is for real cases or case vignettes involving interesting diagnostic or management challenges. These may include diagnostic dilemmas, barriers or obstacles to care occurring at a systems level, interdisciplinary disputes, or common clinical scenarios that are a frequent source of frustration. The manuscript should begin with a detailed case description written by a trainee or early career psychiatrist that highlights a patient seen within the scope of C-L practice. Next, the case should be discussed by 2-3 additional co-authors with expertise in specific topics related to the case. At least one discussant should be from a different institution.These co-authors should include literature reviews in their discussion. For cases featuring a diagnostic dilemma, a discussant who is unaware of the diagnosis may be utilized to describe the differential diagnosis and how a C-L psychiatrist might work through this. Cases featuring a diagnostic dilemma should ultimately have one or two diagnoses to explain the symptoms and should be relatively "clean" or unambiguous in outcome. The total word limit for articles in this category is 3000, and the case description itself should not exceed 750 words. Articles should include an unstructured abstract up to 150 words, be restricted to 3 tables or figures (total) and have no more than 50 references. Please contact the editorial office before starting preparation of the manuscript. Whereas cases with unusual presentations will be considered, this is not the venue for 'fascinomas' unless they can be used to teach general principles.C-L Case Conference submissions must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement and Patient Consent Statement just before the reference section. If the case report included in the submission is a fictional case for illustrative purposes, please specify that in the Patient Consent Statement.

4. Literature Review with Illustrative Case Report/Small Case Series
This article type is for under-recognized or emerging clinical presentations, and its emphasis is on the literature review contextualizing the report/series (click here to see an example). The article should feature an illustrative case report or small case series (in general, n <5) accompanied by a literature review including prior cases to describe what is currently known about risk factors, clinical associations, management, natural history, and relevant mechanisms. Authors are encouraged to characterize clinical findings using validated scales (e.g., Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale, Naranjo Algorithm, etc.) and diagnostic criteria


(e.g., DSM-5, ROME IV, ICSD-3, etc.) to enhance reproducibility. Authors should follow the CAse REport (CARE) checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/care/) for reporting standards and submit the completed CARE checklist as a supplementary file. The total word limit for articles in this category is 3000, and any individual case report should not exceed 500 words (for case series, less than 1000 words). Articles should include a structured abstract with a limit of 350 words, be restricted to 3 tables or figures (total) and have no more than 50 references.Literature Review with Illustrative Case Report/Small Case Series articles must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement and Patient Consent Statement just before the references. If the case report included in the submission is a fictional case for illustrative purposes, please specify that in the Patient Consent Statement.

Authors may consider submitting a clinical case WITHOUT accompanying formal literature review as a Letter to Editor: Brief Case Report section, which has a limit of 750 words.

5. Letter to the Editor: Brief Case Report This article type may describe rare clinical presentations, unusual decisions, surprising outcomes, or other uncommon aspects of clinical care. Reports describing teaching points of C-L psychiatry using commonly encountered clinical scenarios may be considered as a C-L Case Conference. Brief Single Case Reports should contain an introduction, case report and discussion. Authors must clearly state the novel observation being reported. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. The total word limit for articles in this category is 750, and the case report itself should not exceed 300 words. Articles of this type should be submitted as a Letter and are restricted to 3 authors and 5 references. They should not include an abstract. Letter to the Editor: Brief Case Report articles must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement and Patient Consent Statement just before the references.

6. Letter to the Editor: Subjects of Interest to C-L Psychiatry
This article type may include: 1) comment on a published article, 2) general subjects of interest to readers, and 3) a brief report or original research. Comments on published articles are forwarded to authors for reply at the discretion of the editors. Letters reporting research findings should not include subheadings or sections, but should be written in order of a usual research report (i.e. brief objective, methods, results, discussion). The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length. The total word limit for articles in this category is 750. Submissions are restricted to 3 authors and 5 references, and 1 Table or Figure. They should not include an abstract.Letter to the Editor: Subjects of Interest to C-L Psychiatry submissions must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement just before the references.


7. Editorial
This article type describes a current issue in C-L Psychiatry or discussed an article published in JACLP. Most editorials will be solicited by the Editors. Occasionally, unsolicited Editorials will be considered. Please contact the editorial office before preparing an unsolicited Editorial. The total word limit for articles in this category is 1000. Submissions are restricted to 1-2 authors and 10 references. Most Editorials will have 1 author only. Editorials should not include an abstract.Editorials must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement just before the references.

8. Special Articles
This article type includes articles of interest to JACLP readership that do not fit into the other article types. Examples of articles in this category include reports from national workgroups, scholarly discussions of contemporary topics, or commentaries on policies and clinical practice. The total word limit for articles in this category is 4000, with a 50-reference limit, though longer manuscripts may be considered pending editorial review. Special articles should include an unstructured abstract. We encourage authors to inquire with the editorial office prior to submission.Special Articles must include a Conflict of Interest/Disclosure statement and an Ethical Publication Statement just before the reference section.

9.Invited Commentary
This article type is solicited by the Editor-in-Chief. An invited commentary accompanies a paper published in the Journal of the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. This article type does not include an abstract and should have no more than 1200 words, 12 references, and one figure or small table.

10.Perspectives This article type should describe current topics in medicine, applicable to Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, preferably with references. Most will have a maximum 3000 words, and 30 references. Opinions, viewpoints, and timely issues are welcome, as are ideas for models of care or medical hypotheses. We will not consider introspective/self-reflective manuscripts.


SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

JACLP uses a Web-based manuscript submission and tracking system. To submit your paper, visit the web site at https://www.editorialmanager.com/jaclp/default.aspx and either create an account or use your existing account. Then follow the instructions to upload your manuscript.

Submission checklist
You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review. Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more
details.

Ensure that the following items are present:
One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:

  • E-mail address
  • Full postal address

All necessary files have been uploaded:
Manuscript:

  • Include keywords
  • All figures (include relevant captions)
  • All tables (including titles, description, footnotes)
  • Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided
  • Indicate clearly if color should be used for any figures in print
    Graphical Abstracts / Highlights files (where applicable)
    Supplemental files (where applicable)

Further considerations

  • Manuscript has been 'spell checked' and 'grammar checked'
  • 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 Internet)
  • A competing interests statement is provided, even if the authors have no competing interests to declare
  • Journal policies detailed in this guide have been reviewed
  • Referee suggestions and contact details provided

For further information, visit our Support Center.

Before you Begin

Ethics in publishing

Please see our information pages on Ethics in publishing and Ethical guidelines for journal publication.

Submission declaration
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis, see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more information), 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, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise to seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he, she," or "he/she." We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition unless they are relevant and valid. These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.

Changes to authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.
Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.


Clinical trial results
In line with the position of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the journal will not consider results posted in the same clinical trials registry in which primary registration resides to be prior publication if the results posted are presented in the form of a brief structured (less than 500 words) abstract or table. However, divulging results in other circumstances (e.g., investors' meetings) is discouraged and may jeopardize consideration of the manuscript. Authors should fully disclose all posting in registries of results of the same or closely related work.

JACLP requires, as a condition of consideration for publication, registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry. Trials must be registered at or before the onset of patient enrollment. For this purpose, a clinical trial is defined as any research project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome. Studies designed for other purposes, such as to study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity (for example, phase I trials), would be exempt. JACLP does not advocate one particular registry, but requires authors to register their trial in a registry that meets several criteria. The registry must be accessible to the public at no charge. It must be open to all prospective registrants and managed by a not-for-profit organization. There must be a mechanism to ensure the validity of the registration data, and the registry should be electronically searchable. An acceptable registry must include at minimum the following information: a unique identifying number, a statement of the intervention (or interventions) and comparison (or comparisons) studied, a statement of the study hypothesis, definitions of the primary and secondary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, key trial dates (registration date, anticipated or actual start date, anticipated or actual date of last follow-up, planned or actual date of closure to data entry, and date trial data considered complete), target number of subjects, funding source, and contact information for the principal investigator. To our knowledge, at present, only www.clinicaltrials.gov, sponsored by the United States National Library of Medicine, meets these requirements; there may be other registries, now or in the future, that meet all these requirements. Registration information must be provided in the cover letter at submission.

Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases.

For gold open access articles: Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete an 'Exclusive License Agreement' (more information). Permitted third party reuse of gold open access articles is determined by the author's choice of user license.

Author rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More information.

Elsevier supports responsible sharing
Find out how you can share your research published in Elsevier journals.

Open access

Please visit our Open Access page for more information.

Language (usage and editing services)
Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of these). Authors who feel their English language manuscript may require editing to eliminate possible grammatical or spelling errors and to conform to correct scientific English may wish to use the English Language Editing service available from Elsevier's Author Services.

Units
Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI.

Math formulae
Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in line with normal text where possible and use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms, e.g., X/Y. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separately from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text).

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Our online submission system guides you stepwise through the process of entering your article details and uploading your files. The system converts your article files to a single PDF file used in the peer-review process. Editable files (e.g., Word, LaTeX) are required to typeset your article for final publication. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, is sent by e-mail.

Submit your article
Please submit your article via https://www.editorialmanager.com/jaclp/default.aspx.

PREPARATION

Use of word processing software
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. 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 Guide to Publishing with Elsevier). Note that source files of figures, tables and text graphics will be required whether or not you embed your figures in the text. See also the section on Electronic artwork.
To avoid unnecessary errors you are strongly advised to use the 'spell-check' and 'grammar-check' functions of your word processor.

Article structure
Please review the types of article we publish for specific guidelines for each article type.

Each article must include a title page with authors, affiliations, keywords, and an abstract (250-word maximum);, text; a disclosure statement and a reference list.


1. Essential Title Page Information

Title.
Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

Author names and affiliations.
Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. You can add your name between parentheses in your own script behind the English transliteration. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.

Corresponding author.
Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about Methodology and Materials. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.

Present/permanent address.
If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

Structured abstract
A structured abstract, by means of appropriate headings, should provide the context or background for the research and should state its purpose, basic procedures (selection of study subjects or laboratory animals, observational and analytical methods), main findings (giving specific effect sizes and their statistical significance, if possible), and principal conclusions. It should emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations.

Keywords
Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 6 keywords, using American spelling and avoiding general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, 'and', 'of'). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible. These keywords will be used for indexing purposes.


2. Manuscript Text:

Divide your article into clearly defined sections. Each subsection is given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line. Subsections should be used as much as possible when cross-referencing text: refer to the subsection by heading as opposed to simply 'the text'.

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

Material and methods
Provide sufficient details to allow the work to be reproduced by an independent researcher. Methods that are already published should be summarized, and indicated by a reference. If quoting directly from a previously published method, use quotation marks and also cite the source. Any modifications to existing methods should also be described.

Results
Results should be clear and concise.

Discussion
This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Conclusions
The main conclusions of the study may be presented in a short Conclusions section, which may stand alone or form a subsection of a Discussion or Results and Discussion section.

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 on. Similarly for tables and figures: Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.


Acknowledgements
Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references and do not, therefore, include them on the title page, as a footnote to the title or otherwise. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).

Role of the funding source
You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement then this should be stated. The Role of Funding Source should appear just before the Disclosure section.

Formatting of funding sources
List funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements:

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of Peace [grant number aaaa].

It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. When funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.

If no funding has been provided for the research, please include the following sentence:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.


Disclosure
Every article must contain a Disclosure section, which appears just before the references. In this section, every author must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could potentially and inappropriately influence (bias) their work and conclusions. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and research grants or other funding. The existence of competing interests is common and often inevitable. Competing interests are not inherently unethical, but not declaring them is. Any grant funding or support for the article should be listed in this section. If no conflicts exist, the authors should state: The authors report no proprietary or commercial interest in any product mentioned or concept discussed in this article.

Patient Consent Statement
For C-L Case Conferences, Literature Review with Illustrative Case Report/Small Case Series and Letter to the Editor: Brief Case Reports, please include a consent statement in the Patient Consent section of the manuscript. Specify who provided consent (patient or legal guardian) and whether consent was obtained in writing. Appropriate consents, permissions and releases must be obtained where an author wishes to include case details or other personal information or images of patients and any other individuals in an Elsevier publication. Written consents must be retained by the author and copies of the consents or evidence that such consents have been obtained must be provided to Elsevier on request. For more information, please review the Elsevier Policy on the Use of Images or Personal Information of Patients or other Individuals, https://www.elsevier.com/patient-consent-policy. Unless you have written permission from the patient (or, where applicable, the next of kin), the personal details of any patient included in any part of the article and in any supplementary materials (including all illustrations and videos) must be removed before submission. If patient consent was not available, the authors must state: "Consent was not available; all personally identifiable details have been removed from the submission." If the case report included in the submission is a fictional case for illustrative purposes, please specify that in the Patient Consent Statement.

Ethical Publication Statement
Submissions should include a statement that the research reported has adhered to relevant ethical guidelines (e.g., "The research reported in this paper adhered to X guidelines"). Examples of relevant guidelines are:


  • Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Guidelines set forth by the Office of Human Research Protection that is supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
  • Clinical trials: CONSORT guidelines
  • Genomic data: MIAME guidelines
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA guidelines

Examples of Ethical Publication Statements:
The study was approved by the local ethics committee and conducted according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. All patients gave written informed consent.

This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and adhered to the guidelines set forth by the Office of Human Research Protection that is supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. All patients provided written informed consent. Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent were waived due to the use of retrospective and de-identified data. This study adhered to the guidelines set forth by the Office of Human Research Protection that is supported by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

References

Citation in text
Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

Reference links
Increased discoverability of research and high quality peer review are ensured by online links to the sources cited. In order to allow us to create links to abstracting and indexing services, such as Scopus, CrossRef and PubMed, please ensure that data provided in the references are correct. Please note that incorrect surnames, journal/book titles, publication year and pagination may prevent link creation. When copying references, please be careful as they may already contain errors. Use of the DOI is highly encouraged.

A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it as a permanent link to any electronic article. An example of a citation using DOI for an article not yet in an issue is: VanDecar J.C., Russo R.M., James D.E., Ambeh W.B., Franke M. (2003). Aseismic continuation of the Lesser Antilles slab beneath northeastern Venezuela. Journal of Geophysical Research, https://doi.org/10.1029/2001JB000884. Please note the format of such citations should be in the same style as all other references in the paper.


Web references
As a minimum, the full URL should be given and the date when the reference was last accessed. Any further information, if known (DOI, author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given. Web references can be listed separately (e.g., after the reference list) under a different heading if desired, or can be included in the reference list.

Data references
This journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

References in a special issue
Please ensure that the words 'this issue' are added to any references in the list (and any citations in the text) to other articles in the same Special Issue.

Reference management software
Most Elsevier journals have their reference template available in many of the most popular reference management software products. These include all products that support Citation Style Language styles, such as Mendeley. Using citation plug-ins from these products, authors only need to select the appropriate journal template when preparing their article, after which citations and bibliographies will be automatically formatted in the journal's style. If no template is yet available for this journal, please follow the format of the sample references and citations as shown in this Guide. If you use reference management software, please ensure that you remove all field codes before submitting the electronic manuscript. More information on how to remove field codes from different reference management software.


Reference style
References are cited by number in the text in sequence of first appearance and listed numerically at the end of the text. Reference format and punctuation should conform to the Vancouver style. When seven or more authors are listed, include the first three and then use et al for the rest. Reference format and punctuation must conform to the following style:
  • Jones F, Bernstam E, Long D, Hunt J, Alebert X, Ross H, et al. Correct way to format a reference. Surv Ophthalmol. 2001;324(6):577-81
  • Smith D. Adding references in Vancouver format. Surgery. 2022; 99 (11):555-6
Journal abbreviations source
Journal names should be abbreviated according to the List of Title Word Abbreviations.

3. Figures

Electronic artwork
General points

  • Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
  • Embed the used fonts if the application provides that option.
  • Aim to use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or use fonts that look similar.
  • Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
  • Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
  • Provide captions to illustrations separately.
  • Size the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the published version.
  • Submit each illustration as a separate file.
  • Ensure that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision.
A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available.
You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.

Formats
If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then please supply 'as is' in the native document format.
Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):
EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts.
TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black &white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of 500 dpi.

Please do not:

  • Supply files that are optimized for screen use (e.g., GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); these typically have a low number of pixels and limited set of colors;
  • Supply files that are too low in resolution;
  • Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Color artwork
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF), or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color online (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for color: in print or online only. Further information on the preparation of electronic artwork.

Figure captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.


4. Tables

Please submit tables as editable text and not as images. Tables can be placed either next to the relevant text in the article, or on separate page(s) at the end. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text and place any table notes below the table body. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.

5. Supplementary material

Supplementary material such as applications, images and sound clips, can be published with your article to enhance it. Submitted supplementary items are published exactly as they are received (Excel or PowerPoint files will appear as such online). Please submit your material together with the article and supply a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file. If you wish to make changes to supplementary material during any stage of the process, please make sure to provide an updated file. Do not annotate any corrections on a previous version. Please switch off the 'Track Changes' option in Microsoft Office files as these will appear in the published version.

After Acceptance

Online proof correction

To ensure a fast publication process of the article, we kindly ask authors to provide us with their proof corrections within two days. Corresponding authors will receive an e-mail with a link to our online proofing system, allowing annotation and correction of proofs online. The environment is similar to MS Word: in addition to editing text, you can also comment on figures/tables and answer questions from the Copy Editor. Web-based proofing provides a faster and less error-prone process by allowing you to directly type your corrections, eliminating the potential introduction of errors.
If preferred, you can still choose to annotate and upload your edits on the PDF version. All instructions for proofing will be given in the e-mail we send to authors, including alternative methods to the online version and PDF.
We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

Offprints

The corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a customized Share Link providing 50 days free access to the final published version of the article on ScienceDirect. The Share Link can be used for sharing the article via any communication channel, including email and social media. For an extra charge, paper offprints can be ordered via the offprint order form which is sent once the article is accepted for publication. Corresponding authors who have published their article gold open access do not receive a Share Link as their final published version of the article is available open access on ScienceDirect and can be shared through the article DOI link.

Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses

Reporting guidance
For research involving or pertaining to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells, investigators should integrate sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) into their research design according to funder/sponsor requirements and best practices within a field. Authors should address the sex and/or gender dimensions of their research in their article. In cases where they cannot, they should discuss this as a limitation to their research's generalizability. Importantly, authors should explicitly state what definitions of sex and/or gender they are applying to enhance the precision, rigor and reproducibility of their research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer (see Definitions section below). Authors can refer to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the SAGER guidelines checklist. These offer systematic approaches to the use and editorial review of sex and gender information in study design, data analysis, outcome reporting and research interpretation - however, please note there is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and gender.

Definitions
Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and physiological features (e.g., chromosomal genotype, hormonal levels, internal and external anatomy). A binary sex categorization (male/female) is usually designated at birth (""sex assigned at birth""), most often based solely on the visible external anatomy of a newborn. Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities of women, men and gender-diverse people that occur in a historical and cultural context and may vary across societies and over time. Gender influences how people view themselves and each other, how they behave and interact and how power is distributed in society. Sex and gender are often incorrectly portrayed as binary (female/male or woman/man) and unchanging whereas these constructs actually exist along a spectrum and include additional sex categorizations and gender identities such as people who are intersex/have differences of sex development (DSD) or identify as non-binary. Moreover, the terms ""sex"" and ""gender"" can be ambiguous—thus it is important for authors to define the manner in which they are used. In addition to this definition guidance and the SAGER guidelines, the resources on this page offer further insight around sex and gender in research studies.