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Indian Pediatrics 2000;37: 122-126 |
Style Matters |
| Information for Authors Indian Pediatrics, the official journal of the Indian Academy of Pediatrics, is indexed by leading International Services including Index Medicus and Embase. It is published monthly and has a circulation of about 13,000 per month. The journal gives priority of original reports of outstanding clinical and experimental work, as well as important contributions related to common and topical problems in India and developing countries. Brief communications concerning clinical, laboratory and therapeutic observations and preliminary communications will be published as short reports or in a still condensed form as Letters to the Editor. Single case reports will usually not be accepted, unless some new or unusual aspect is brought out which adds to the existing knowledge. The manuscripts should be addressed to Dr. H.P.S. Sachdev, Editor-in-Chief, Indian Pediatrics, Post Box No. 3889, New Delhi 110 049. Registered/Courier letters should be mailed to Dr. H.P.S. Sachdev, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi 110 002, India (Telefax 91-11-6252265, E-mail: [email protected]). Peer Review Process The journal peer reviews all the material it receives with the understanding that it has been submitted exclusively to Indian Pediatrics (IP) and has not been published, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. This does not preclude consideration of a manuscript that has been rejected by another journal or of a complete report that follows publication of preliminary findings elsewhere, usually in the form of an abstract. Copies of any possible duplicative published material should be submitted with the manuscript that is being sent for consideration. About one-tenth of the manuscripts are rejected after review in house. The usual reasons for rejections at this stage are insufficient originally, serious scientific flaws or the absence of a message that is important for the target audience. We aim to reach a decision on such papers within two weeks. The remaining articles are sent to two or more referees in a "masked fashion". Indian Pediatrics finally publishes about four of ten submitted articles. Submission of Manuscript All manuscripts should be submitted exclusively to IP. Three copies of the manuscript enclosed in heavy paper envelope should be mailed/submitted to the Editorial Office, typed double space on white bond paper, 20.3�26.7 cm or 21.6�27.9 cm (8"�10" or 8�"�11") with margins at least 2.5 cm (1"). Place photographs and transparencies in a separate heavy paper envelope (enclosed in cardboard if needed, to prevent bending during mail handling). The manuscript should be accompanied by a covering letter with a statement signed by all authors that they have read and approved the contents of the manu-script and consent for transfer of copyright to Indian Pediatrics. The journal also accepts manuscripts in electronic version as MS Word attachments We will acknowledge receipt of all submitted manuscripts. In the event of rejection of the manuscript, copies will be retained for three months to answer any queries, followed by shredding. Authorship The uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to medical journals state that author-ship credit should be based only on substantial contribution to (a) concept and design, or analysis and interpretation of data; and to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and on (c) final approval of the version to be published. Conditions (a), (b) and (c) must all be met. Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship(1,2). The corresponding author(s) should assure that all the authors included in the manuscript fulfill the criteria for authorship outlined above and that no one else who fulfils the criteria for authorship has been excluded(2). The exact contribution of each author must be clearly indicated in the title page, which will be printed if the article is accepted for publication. Indian Pediatrics reserves the right to satisfy itself regarding the specific role of each listed authors to justify authorship. All authors must give signed consent to publication. No change in authorship will be permitted after the manu-script has been submitted to the journal without the consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Acknowledgements There may be persons who do not fulfill the authorship criteria listed above. They might have contributed in various stages of planning, conduction of the study (such as data collection) and reporting the work. Such individuals can be acknowledged by listing them at the end of the manuscript giving details of their contribution to the study. Authors are responsible for obtain-ing written permission from everyone acknow-ledged by name because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions. Declaration of Competing Interest A competing interest exists when professional judgement concerning a primary interest (such as patients' welfare) may be in-fluenced by a secondary interest (such as financial gain or personal rivalry)(2). If any of the authors have accepted reimbursement for attending symposium, a fee for speaking, fee for organizing educational activities, funds for research, funds for a member of the staff or consultation fees from an organization that may in any way gain or lose financially from the results of the study, review, editorial or letter, a competing interest would be deemed to exist. If any of the authors had been employed by an organization that may in any way gain or lose financially from the publication, or if any of them hold stocks or shares in such an organiza-tion, competing interest would be deemed to exist. If competing interest exists, the author(s) must disclose them while submitting the manuscript. Original Articles Original Articles should report original research relevant to clinical pediatrics. The format for Original Articles is provided below. Title Page. Title page should contain: (i) the title of the article, which should be concise but informative; (ii) a short running title of not more than 40 characters (count letters and spaces) place at the foot end of the title page; (iii) initials and surname of each author, with the highest academic degree(s) and designation at the time when the work was done; (iv) list the contribution of each author; (v) name of department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed; (vi) disclaimers, if any; (vii) name, address, telephone, FAX, E-mail address of the corresponding author; (viii) name and address of author to whom reprint requests should be addressed; and (ix) the source(s) of support in the form of grant, equipment, drugs, or all of these. Abstract and Key (indexing) Words. Abstract should be structured (divided into objectives, design, setting, subjects, interven-tions, main outcome measures, results and conclusions) in not more than 250 words. A short list of four to five key words (in alpha-betical order) to facilitate indexing should be provided below the abstract. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings list from Index Medicus. Text. Text should contain sections on intro-duction, methodology, results and discussion. Introduction: Must state clearly the purpose of the article. Summarize the rationale for conducting the study. Give only strictly perti-nent references, and do not review the subject extensively. Methodology: It should provide details of subjects selection (patients or experimental animals). The methods, apparatus (manufactu-rer's name and address in parentheses) and procedures must be given in sufficient details to allow other workers to reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, provide references and brief descriptions of methods that have been published but not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, giving reasons for using them and evaluate their limitations. The design of study and details of interventions used must be clearly described. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dosage(s) and route(s) of administration. Patient identification must be avoided. In consonance with current international trends, wherever indicated, the manuscripts will be subjected to detailed epidemiological cum statistical review. There-fore statistical methods used for analysis must be described in detail. Excellent guidelines on the use of statistical methods and on the interpretation of statistical material(3) as well as check list for statisticians have been published(2). While reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs), authors must attempt to be in conformity with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement(4). Some of the issues that must be taken note of while reporting RCTs' include how allocation sequence was generated and concealed till randomization was done; methods for blinding; pre-study calculations of sample size; definition of primary and secondary outcome variables; duration of post-intervention follow-up; selection of controls; etc. Results: Present results in logical sequences in the text, tables and illustrations; avoid presenting more than 6 tables and two illustra-tions per original article. Discussion: Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat the detailed data given in the Results section. Discuss the implications of the findings and their limitations. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statments and conclusion not completely supported by your data. State new hypotheses when warranted, but clearly label them as such. Recommendations, when appropriate may be included. Key Messages. Important key messages (3-5 abbreviated single line statements), which the authors feel need highlighting for the target audience, should be provided at the end of the manuscript. Review Articles Authoritative and state of the art review articles on topical issues are also published. The author(s) should consult the Editor-in-Chief before submitting such articles. Brief Reports Short clinical and laboratory observations are included as Brief Reports. The text should contain no more than 1000 words, two illustra-tions or tables and up to 10 references. An abstract and key words are not required. Case Reports Instructive cases with a message are published as case reports. Routine syndromes or rare entities without unusual or new features are invariably rejected. The text should contain no more than 1000 words, two illustrations or tables and upto 10 references. The authorship should not exceed 3-4 persons. Letters to the Editor These may relate to material published in the IP, topic of interest to pediatricians, and/or unusual clinical observations. A letter should not be more than 300 words, one figure and 3-5 references. Personal Viewpoint Such articles are also published on topical pediatric issues including sociological aspects. These should not exceed 2000 words and will be peer reviewed. Notes and News Announcements of conferences, symposia or meetings may be sent for publication atleast 12 weeks in advance of the meeting date. Details of programs should not be included. References Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables and legends by Arabic numerals (in parenthesis). References cited only in tables or in legends to figures should be numbered in accordance with a sequence established by the first identification of the particular table or illustration. The title of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. The reference style must conform to the style for international biomedical journals. Do not use abstracts, unpublished observations and personal communications as references. Such items may however, be inserted in the text in parentheses. Include among the references, manuscripts accepted but not yet published; designate the journal followed by "in press" in parentheses. Information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted should be cited in the text as "unpublished observations" in parentheses. Examples of correct form of references are given below: Journal 1. Standard Journal Article (list all authors when six or less. When seven or more, list only first six and add et al.) Kumar L, Singh S, Goraya JS, Uppal B, Kakkar S, Walker R, et al. Henoch-Schonlein pupura: The Chandigarh experience. Indian Pediatr 1998; 35: 19-25. 2. Corporate Author Indian Council of Medical Research. A Baseline Survey of Reproductive Health Care Services in 23 Districts (14 states), New Delhi. Indian Council of Medical Research, 1997. Books and Other Monographs 3. Personal Author(s) Singh M. Care of the Newborn, 2nd edn. New Delhi, Sagar Publications, 1979; pp 102-110. 4. Chapter in Book Singhi S, Hiranandani M. Shock. In: Principles of Pediatric and Neonatal Emer-gencies, 1st edn. Eds. Sachdev HPS, Puri RK, Bagga A, Choudhury P. Delhi, Jaypee Brothers, 1994; pp 23-44. Tables Type each table double space on a separate sheet. Tables should be simple and should not duplicate information in the text of the paper. Number tables (Roman numbers) consecutively and supply a brief title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in footnotes all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each table. For footnotes, use the following symbols in the sequence. *, N, �, O, �, **, !!, etc. Identify statistical measures of variations, such as SD and SEM. Cite each table in the text in consecutive order. If you use data from another published or unpublished source, obtain permission and acknowledge fully. Illustrations Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed. Roentgenograms and other material should be submitted as black and white glossy photographic prints usually 12.7�17.3 cm (5"�7") but not larger than 20.3�25.4 cm (8"�10"). Each figure should have a label pasted on its back indicating the number of the figure, the names of the authors, and the top and left side of the figure. Photomicrographs must have internal scale markers. For illustrations in color, supply negatives or positive transparencies. If photo-graphs of persons are used, either the subject must not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph. Cite each figure in the text in consecutive order. If a figure has been published, acknow-ledge original source and submit written per-mission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. Permission is required, regardless of authorship or publisher, except for documents in the public domain. Legends for illustrations must be typed on a separate page and explain each legend clearly. Copyright All authors transfer copyright to the Indian Pediatrics just before publication. Readers may make single copies of articles for their own use, but they need permission from IP to make multiple copies or to republish partial parts of the original. References 1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Philadelphia, PA: ICMJE, 1993. 2. Advice to Contributors. Electronic BMJ, 1999. www.bmj.com 3. Gardner MJ, Altman DG. Statistics with Confidence. London, BMJ, 1989. 4. Improving the Quality of Reporting Randomized Controlled Trials: The CONSORT Statement. JAMA 1996; 276: 637-639. |
