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MANUSCRIPT CRITERIA AND INFORMATION
INTRODUCTION
These instructions apply to all categories of manuscripts, including letters to the editor. Additional information and guidelines are located under Categories of Manuscripts and Manuscript Preparation.
Manuscript Submission
All manuscripts should be sent to the Editor, Michael M. E. Johns, MD, Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, Emory University, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Administration Building, Suite 400, 1440 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322; telephone (404) 778-2322; fax (404) 778-3100; e-mail: archoto{at}jama-archives.org. Manuscripts may be submitted as hard copy or via e-mail. When submitting by e-mail, print mail address and telephone and fax numbers must be included. Tables, figures, and text should be submitted in the same file. See information under Manuscript Preparation for specifics on mailing and e-mailing your submission.
Prior Publication or Duplicate Submission
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium.
Accepted Manuscripts
Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the AMA and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the AMA.
Authorship
Designate a corresponding author and provide a complete address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Authors are required to identify their contributions to the work described in the manuscript. With the cover letter include the authorship form with statements on (1) authorship responsibility, criteria, and contributions, (2) data access and responsibility (if the manuscript contains original data, this statement must be signed by at least 1 author, eg, the principal investigator), (3) financial disclosure, and (4) either copyright transfer or federal employment. (5) The corresponding author must sign the acknowledgment statement.1 See the form at the end of these instructions.
Group Authorship. If authorship is attributed to a group (either solely or in addition to 1 or more individual authors), all members of the group must meet the full criteria and requirements for authorship described in these instructions. A group must designate at least 1 or more individuals as authors or members of a writing group who meet full authorship criteria and requirements and who will take responsibility for the group, in which case the other group members are not authors, but may be listed in an acknowledgment.2
Acknowledgments. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from all persons named in an acknowledgment, if applicable.3 The corresponding author must sign the acknowledgment statement of the required form.
Editing
Accepted manuscripts are copyedited according to AMA style and returned to the author for approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the manuscript editor and authorized by the corresponding author.
Reprints
Reprint order forms are included with the edited typescript sent for approval to authors. Reprints are shipped 3 weeks after publication.
Embargo Policy
Information regarding the content and publication date of accepted manuscripts is confidential. Information contained in or about accepted manuscripts cannot appear in print, radio, television, or in electronic form or be released to the media until 3 PM CST on the third Monday of the month.
Rejected Manuscripts
Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to authors unless specifically requested in the cover letter. All original illustrations, photographs, and slides will be returned.
Categories of Manuscripts
Original Articles. Original articles are concise (1) reports of clinical data, (2) reports of basic science data, or (3) reviews, including meta-analyses, that represent advanced information and a new contribution to biomedical literature as determined by the Archives editorial staff. Original Articles require structured abstracts as detailed under "Abstract." For manuscripts reporting the results of randomized controlled trials, the CONSORT checklist (Table 1) should be completed and submitted with the manuscript. Text should not exceed 12 double-spaced pages, 25 references, and a maximum of 6 to 8 figures/tables.
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Checklist of Items to Include When Submitting Reports of Randomized Controlled Trials to the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery*
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Clinical Notes/Case Reports.4 A case report should be concise and focused on one topic that results in final publication of not more than 2 journal pages, including references. As best as possible, the title should state the compelling point that draws the reader's attention. In lieu of a structured abstract, the first 150 words will explicitly identify the compelling point of the report. These reports will describe a new disease state (with diagnostic documentation including pathologic findings), identification of a new complication from a treatment or procedure, a new diagnostic technique, or a new technology transferred from one field to another. The case report should not be simply the report of an old disease in a new site solely because it has not been reported in the medical literature, unless there is a diagnostic point to distinguish it from other diseases. If the report provides a new treatment option, the disease should be of such rarity that it is unlikely that a series could be developed that would be amenable to standard investigational analysis. Case reports may also be based on seminal observations that provide an understanding of the mechanism of disease, particularly when the pathophysiology involves a rare and not easily retested event. Text should not exceed 6 double-spaced pages, 15 references, and a maximum of 4 figures/tables.
Clinical Problem Solving: Radiology and Pathology. Residents and fellows in otolaryngology and radiology are invited to submit quiz cases for this section and to write letters to the Archives commenting on cases presented. Quiz cases should be set up in the established format. It is suggested that authors consult previously published quiz cases for examples when preparing a submission. Text should not exceed 5 double-spaced pages and 10 references. No more than 4 figures are allowed and there can be no multiple parts to the figure. There are no figure legends in this section.
Clinical Challenges in Otolaryngology. This series is for invited manuscripts only; however, the Editor does welcome suggestions of topics for the monthly series. The author's charge is to present a fair and balanced reflection of the good-quality information in the recent medical literature. The format is (1) Hypothesis: the controversial or puzzling statement; (2) Pro: a summary of current knowledge supporting this statement; (3) Con: a summary of current knowledge refuting this statement; (4) Bottom Line: your opinion of the truth or fallacy (or partial truth/fallacy) of the original hypothetical statement; and (5) References: the most relevant only, 10 or fewer. Also, list the key words used in your search so others can duplicate it if they wish. This review should be concise. Text should not exceed 8 to 10 double-spaced pages. The author should enclose a self-photograph to be published along with the article. When this review is published, it will appear along with a short clinical commentary by 1 or 2 other otolaryngologists generally regarded as experts in this area. While the review is intended as straightforward information, these commentaries will reflect the personal experience of the clinicians.
Reflections. This section features an essay of 1 journal page designed to relate those personal experiences in medicine that have no scientific or statistical basis. All submissions to Reflections must be previously unpublished. Any references to individuals mentioned by name must be accompanied by a signed release from the individual or from the individual's family, if the person is deceased. Text should not exceed 3 double-spaced pages.
Letters to the Editor. Letters discussing a recent Archives article should not exceed 400 words of text and 5 references. Research letters reporting original research, including case series or case reports, also are welcome and should not exceed 600 words of text and 6 references.
Cover Photographs. Submissions must be formatted horizontally. They can be black and white or color and at least 3.5 x 5 inches but no larger than 8 x 10 inches. If you wish to submit a digital photo, please see our Digital Art Submission guidelines. Due to legal concerns, no recognizable people should appear in the picture. Please include details about where the picture was taken, how you happened to be there, and anything else you think is interesting about the image. We need the photographer's complete name, highest academic degree, city and state of residence, and a statement explaining how the photographer is affiliated with the journal. If you would like your photo returned, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Cover photos will be chosen at the discretion of the Archives editorial staff.
Manuscript Checklist
 1. If submitting by mail, send 3 copies of the manuscript along with a diskette or disk labeled with the software package and version.
2. If submitting by mail, send 3 copies of all tables and figures.
3. If submitting by e-mail, include text, tables, and figures in a single file (if possible).
4. On the title page, designate a corresponding author and provide a complete address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
5. On the title page, include a word count for text only, exclusive of title, abstract, references, tables, and figure legends.
6. Provide an abstract that conforms with the required abstract format, if applicable.
7. Double-space manuscript and leave right margins unjustified.
8. Check all references for accuracy and completeness. Put references in proper format in numerical order, making sure each is cited in sequence in text.
9. Include statements signed by each author on authorship responsibility, criteria and contributions; data access and responsibility (if applicable); financial disclosure; and copyright or federal employment.
10. Indicate specific contributions from each author (see authorship checklist).
11. Include acknowledgment statement signed by the corresponding author.
12. Include research or project support/funding in an acknowledgment.
13. Include written permission from each individual identified as a source for personal communication or unpublished data.
14. Include written permission from publishers (or other copyright owner) to reproduce or adapt previously published text, figures, and tables in print and online, and licensed versions of the Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. See online form.
15. Include informed consent forms for identifiable patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees. See online form.
Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the American Medical Association Manual of Style5 and/or the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals." 6
- If submitting by mail, submit 3 copies; use 1 side of standard-sized paper and 1-inch margins. Submit 3 sets of all tables and figures. Submit a diskette or disk with the paper and any tables, figures, and line art.
- If submitting electronically, tables and figures should be embedded in the same file at the end of the text document. Manuscripts submitted by e-mail should not also be submitted by mail. If an electronic submission is accepted for publication, we will require hard copies of the manuscript and slides or high-quality glossies of all figures (computer-generated graphics produced by high-quality laser printers are acceptable for black-and-white line art only). At this stage we will also require text, tables, and figures be put in separate files.
- Use only 10- or 12-point font size.
- Double-space throughout, including title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables.
- Number pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, beginning with the title page.
- Titles should not exceed 75 characters, including punctuation and spacing. Avoid abbreviations in the title, abstract, and text.
Title Page (page 1 of manuscript). Give full names, highest academic degrees, and institutional affiliations of all authors. (If an author's affiliation has changed since the work was done, list the new affiliation as well.) Designate a corresponding author and include a complete mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address. Specify the address to which requests for reprints should be sent. If the manuscript was presented at a meeting, please specify the name of the meeting, the city where it was held, and the exact date on which the paper was read or the poster was presented. Also include on the title page a word count for the text only, exclusive of the title, abstract, references, tables, and figure legends.
Abstract (page 2 of manuscript). Include a structured abstract of no more than 250 words for reports of original data from clinical or basic science investigations and reviews (including meta-analyses).7 (See "Instructions for Preparing Structured Abstracts.")
Case Descriptions and Photographs. Include a signed statement of consent to publish (in print and online) all case descriptions and photographs from all patients (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees. Please do not send masked photographs of patients. (See patient permission form.)
Informed Consent. For experimental investigations of human subjects, state in the "Methods" section of the manuscript that the appropriate institutional review board approved the project. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees (institutional or regional), the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed.8 Specify in the "Methods" section the manner in which consent was obtained from all human subjects.
Animal Experimentation. For experimental investigations of animal subjects, specify in the "Methods" section of the manuscript what animal-handling protocols were followed, eg, "Institutional guidelines regarding animal experimentation were followed." For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees (institutional or regional), the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed.8
Units of Measure. Conventional units of measure are preferred, with Système International (SI) units expressed secondarily (in parentheses). In tables and figures, a conversion factor to SI may be presented in the footnote or legend to economize space. Exceptions to this policy include calories, hematocrit, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood cell counts, and ejection fraction, for which conventional units alone should be expressed. The metric system is preferred for length, area, mass, and volume. (See SI Conversion Table.)
Drug Names. Use generic names of drugs, unless the specific trade name of a drug used is directly relevant to the discussion.
References. Number references in the order they are mentioned in the text; do not alphabetize. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript arabic numerals. In listing references, follow AMA style, abbreviating names of journals according to Index Medicus. List all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list the first 3 and "et al." The reference numbers in the reference list should be keystroked. Please do not use a word processing program to generate the reference numbers, using such features as automatic footnotes or endnotes.
Web References. Please keep a print copy of any reference to Web-only information. If the URL changes or disappears, interested readers may contact the corresponding author for a copy of the information.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.
Tables. For hard copy submission, provide 3 sets of all tables. Double-space each table on a separate sheet of standard-sized white paper. Title all tables and number them in order of their citation in text. If a table must be continued, repeat the title on a second sheet, followed by ("cont"). For electronic submission, embed any tables in the manuscript file at the end of the text document. Make certain each item in the table is in its own table cell. Do not use paragraph returns (to start new rows) or tabs (to start new columns) to format the table.
Figures. For initial manuscript submissions, figures must be of sufficient quality for peer review. Illustrations should preferably be in a proportion of 12.7x17.3 cm (5x7 inches). For hard copy submission, provide 3 sets of all figures. For black-and-white graphs and illustrations, provide high-resolution laser printouts. For color graphs and illustrations, provide color inkjet or laser printouts. For photographs (halftone, including radiographic images, and color) provide high-quality prints and for color include slides along with the prints. Affix a label with figure number, first author, and an arrow indicating "top" on the back of each figure. Line drawings should be submitted as glossy prints and must be accompanied by a signed copyright transfer (see section 4 of the Required Forms page) from the illustrator(s). For electronic submission, embed any figures in the manuscript file at the end of the text document. See Digital Art Submissions for instructions on proper formatting and resolution requirements.
Acknowledge all illustrations and tables reprinted from other publications and submit written permission to reproduce (in print and online and in all licensed versions) from the original publishers. (See permission form.)
Digitally enhanced images (eg, computed tomographic–magnetic resonance imaging scans, blots, photographs, photomicrographs, ultrasound images, x-ray films) must be clearly identified in the figure legends as electronically enhanced or manipulated. Please include and clearly label 3 copies of the enhanced images and 3 copies of the original images for review by our referees.
Digital Art Submissions. RGB color submissions are preferred. Calibrated color proofs should be submitted with color digital files, if possible. The canvas size of continuous tone images should be at least 5 inches wide (depth not important) with an image resolution of at least 350 ppi. Line art images should have a minimum resolution of at least 1270 ppi. Formats acceptable are EPS, TIFF, and JPG. (See guidelines.)
Legends. Legends (maximum 40 words) should be typed double-spaced, on a separate page from the text. Indicate magnification and stains used for photomicrographs. Include specific postoperative intervals where applicable.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING STRUCTURED ABSTRACTS*
All manuscripts that are (1) reports of clinical data, (2) reports of basic science data, or (3) reviews, including meta-analyses, should be submitted with structured abstracts as described below.
To permit quick and selective scanning and allow more information to be conveyed per unit of space, the headings outlined below should be included in the abstract. For brevity, parts of the abstract can be written in phrases rather than complete sentences. (For example: "2. Design. Double-blind randomized trial," rather than "2. Design. The study was conducted as a double-blind, randomized trial.")
*Adapted from Haynes RB, Mulrow CD, Huth EJ, Altman DG, Gardner MJ. More informative abstracts revisited. Ann Intern Med. 1990;113:69-76.
Reports of Clinical Data
Authors submitting manuscripts reporting clinical data should prepare an abstract of no more than 250 words under the following headings: Objective, Design, Setting, Patients (or Other Participants), Interventions (if any), Main Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions. The content following each heading should be as follows:
1. Objective. The abstract should begin with a clear statement of the precise objective or question addressed in the report. If more than 1 objective is addressed, the main objective should be indicated and only key secondary objectives stated. If an a priori hypothesis was tested, it should be stated.
2. Design. The basic design of the study should be described. The duration of follow-up, if any, should be stated. As many of the following terms as apply should be used.
A. Intervention studies: randomized controlled trial; nonrandomized controlled trial; double-blind; placebo controlled; crossover trial; before-after trial.
B. For studies of screening and diagnostic tests: criterion standard (that is, a widely accepted standard with which a new or alternative test is being compared; this term is preferred to "gold standard"); blinded or masked comparison.
C. For studies of prognosis: inception cohort (subjects assembled at a similar and early time in the course of the disorder and followed thereafter); cohort (subjects followed forward in time, but not necessarily from a common starting point); validation cohort or validation sample if the study involves the modeling of clinical predictions.
D. For studies of causation: randomized controlled trial; cohort; case-control; survey (preferred to "cross-sectional study").
E. For descriptions of the clinical features of medical disorders: survey; case series.
F. For studies that include a formal economic evaluation: cost-effectiveness analysis; cost-utility analysis; cost-benefit analysis. For new analyses of existing data sets, the data set should be named and the basic study design disclosed.
3. Setting. To assist readers to determine the applicability of the report to their own clinical circumstances, the study setting(s) should be described. Of particular importance is whether the setting is the general community, a primary care or referral center, private or institutional practice, ambulatory or hospitalized care.
4. Patients or Other Participants. The clinical disorders, important eligibility criteria, and key sociodemographic features of patients should be stated. The numbers of participants and how they were selected should be provided (see below), including the number of otherwise eligible subjects who were approached but refused. If matching is used for comparison groups, characteristics that are matched should be specified. In follow-up studies, the proportion of participants who completed the study must be indicated. In intervention studies, the number of patients withdrawn for adverse effects should be given. For selection procedures, these terms should be used, if appropriate: random sample (where "random" refers to a formal, randomized selection in which all eligible subjects have a fixed and usually equal chance of selection); population-based sample; referred sample; consecutive sample; volunteer sample; convenience sample. These terms assist the reader to determine an important element of the generalizability of the study. They also supplement (rather than duplicate) the terms used by professional indexers when articles are entered into computerized databases.
5. Intervention(s). The essential features of any interventions should be described, including their method and duration of administration. The intervention should be named by its most common clinical name (for example, the generic term "chlorthalidone"). Common synonyms should be given as well to facilitate electronic text word searching. This would include the brand name of a drug if a specific product was studied.
6. Main Outcome Measure(s). The primary study outcome measurement(s) should be indicated as planned before data collection began. If the paper does not emphasize the main planned outcomes of a study, this fact should be stated and the reason indicated. If the hypothesis being reported was formulated during or after data collection, this information should be clearly stated.
7. Results. The main results of the study should be given. Measurements that require explanation for the expected audience of the manuscript should be defined. Important measurements not included in the presentation of results should be declared. As relevant, it should be indicated whether observers were blinded to patient groupings, particularly for subjective measurements. Due to the current limitations of retrieval from electronic databases, results must be given in narrative or point form rather than tabular form if the abstract is to appear in computerized literature services such as MEDLINE. If possible, the results should be accompanied by confidence intervals (for example, 95%) and the exact level of statistical significance. For comparative studies, |
