Guidelines for Authors

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Guarantee of Veracity Publication Agreement Guidelines for Authors

Rapid Review

Our Rapid Review system is a new feature which will allow authors the ability to submit manuscripts and reviewers to access and review manuscripts online. Since the feature is new we expect to continually update the website with new tools and information as they become available. Please check our website often for the most current information. We would appreciate any feedback you may provide. There is a feedback button available on both the author and reviewer portals. Please assist us in creating an easy, user friendly, and efficient webcentric system.

Author and Reviewer instructions are provided via links located under the "Guidelines for Contributor heading. If you are familiar with our system please choose the appropriate link to logon to the Rapid Review System.

Military Medicine is the official monthly journal of the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS). The objective of the Journal is to advance the knowledge of Federal Medicine by providing a forum for responsible discussion of common ideas and problems relevant to federal health care. Its mission is to provide health care education; to bring scientific and other information to its readers; to facilitate communication; and, to offer a prestige publication for members' writings.

An author does not need to be an AMSUS member, or be eligible for membership, to submit articles for consideration.

Journal Policy

Military Medicine accepts feature articles, clinical/case reports, editorials, and letters to the Editor for publication.

Contributions are suitable for consideration by Military Medicine if they represent original material, have not been published previously, are not being considered for publication elsewhere, and have been approved by each author. The Guidelines for Contributors are in accordance with the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals," as published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors at www.icmje.org.

Authors submitting articles that fit the description in the US Copyright Act of 1976 of a "US Government Work," are responsible for obtaining any required clearance from the appropriate federal agency prior to submission.

Military Medicine corresponds with only one author per manuscript. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to forward information to the other authors, maintain the author account, obtain and forward publication documents.

The current status of a manuscript submitted for review can be checked through the author link available through the AMSUS website, www.amsus.org. There are several behind the scene steps to each process so it may appear your manuscript is not moving through the process when in fact it is.

Time limit for author revision is 30 days. If no communication is received within 30 days, the contribution will be considered withdrawn.

Military Medicine maintains a peer review system for all submissions. ALL contributions (including editorials, but excluding letters to the editor) must pass peer review before they are considered for publication. Peer reviewer names are kept confidential, author names are not.

Manuscripts that do not comply with the Guidelines for Contributors, do not fit the general submission criteria, or whose use of the English language makes it difficult to understand will not be reviewed. The submitting author will be notified via email.

Authors alone are responsible for the opinions expressed in the paper.

Military Medicine is a copyrighted journal. While some papers submitted fit the description of the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976 of a "U.S. Government Work" and are therefore considered to be Public Domain Information, Military Medicine reserves the right to copyright its design and layout of that information.

Feature Articles treat topics in full, address new subjects, and are limited to 4,000 words of text including an abstract of not more than 150 words.

Clinical/Case Reports present new research findings, data from pilot studies, worthwhile replication studies, therapeutic interventions, or reports of noteworthy cases. Clinical/Case Reports are limited to 3,000 words, including an abstract of not more than 150 words. The author(s) should indicate in the cover letter if the submission is a clinical or case report.

Editorials are viewpoints, opinions, or proposals that discuss current knowledge concerning a subject of interest to the readership. Editorials should not exceed 1,500 words. References for editorials will be accepted, but must be kept to a minimum. No tables or figures will be accepted with editorials. Please see the attachments for a sample of the format. Print space in the journal is at a premium so editorials will be printed as space permits.

Letters to the Editor are a means of communication to the readership permitting publication of comments or criticisms on issues and on the contents of Military Medicine. Letters may explain, amplify, correct, or make other comments and may not exceed 1,000 words. References may NOT be cited in a Letter to the Editor. Should the author wish, the phrase "References available from the author(s)" may be placed at the end of the letter. If deemed appropriate by the Editor, the author of the original paper will be invited to provide a response, to be published with the letter. Letters may be edited to fit available space and may be held for publication until space is available. Letters are not acknowledged. Please see the attachments for a sample of the format.

Submission Procedure

Contributions are received with the understanding that the Editor and editorial staff have the right to make revisions in conformity with Journal style.

Contributions will be peer reviewed. Notification of decisions concerning publication will be sent to the corresponding author.

A notice will appear on the screen at the end of the electronic submission process providing Military Medicine's reference number for the submission. If the submission process is not completed in one sitting a temporary number will be assigned and the manuscript will be available for 2 weeks for completion of the process. After that time the files will not longer be accessible.

Authors

  • For Military personnel, the individual's title should conform to official service policy. Military Medicine will not use academic degrees when military rank, corps, and service are known. Include rank, corps, and service.
  • Non-military authors should be listed with highest academic degrees.
  • Authors should not use initials for both first and middle names. At least one given name should be written in full.
  • In order to maintain accountability for multi-authored papers, one (and only one) Author must agree to serve as "Guarantor" of the submission. Upon acceptance for publication, the Guarantor will be asked to sign the following statement:

    I agree to take responsibility for the integrity and veracity of this paper and the work and research it represents. I am well acquainted with the entire paper and I am aware of the origins of all contributions on which this paper and its conclusions are based. I accept responsibility for the integrity and the legitimacy the individual contributions that comprise this paper.

    I understand I may be called upon to defend the veracity of this paper, should it ever be questioned or criticized in part or in full. In the event that some portion of this paper to which I did not personally contribute is called into question I am capable of directing such inquiries to the proper contributor.

    My co-contributors and I understand that by signing this document, I shall be listed as the "Guarantor" of this paper and all others shall be identified as "Contributors".

  • All other Authors will be listed as "Contributors" in the order submitted by the corresponding author.
  • One Author must serve as Corresponding Author.
  • We request that the Corresponding Author provide us with a current email address. Email addresses must remain current since all correspondence is sent electronically. We will also need a mailing address, phone and facsimile number as an alternate means of contact. If email correspondence is returned for any reason as non-deliverable, the manuscript associated with email address will be deactivated.
  • Author addresses indicated on the title page for publication should relate to the location where the research was undertaken or they should be work addresses. All addresses must contain street numbers, street names, city, state, and zip codes. If the addresses are outside of the United States, please provide them in English, and as a mailing address. Military Medicine prefers not to publish author's home addresses, except as a contact for requesting reprints.
  • If applicable, only one author should be indicated as the reader contact for reprint requests.
  • Corresponding Authors, who change addresses between the time a contribution has been received and the time it is accepted, forwarded to the printer, rejected, or withdrawn, must notify us of the new email and mailing addresses together with telephone numbers. Failure to provide current contact information will result in the manuscript being deactivated.
  • On a page separate from the manuscript but attached to the cover letter, a list is required of all authors with the following information: rank, full name, corps, service, and a complete current mailing address, telephone number and email address. This list is for administrative purposes only.

Online Manuscript Preparation

  • Please follow the step by step instructions to submit your manuscript. Instructions and help buttons are available throughout the system.
  • We request you use only standard 12-point font and spacing with the current version of a word processing program such as MS Word or WordPerfect. Do not use right-justified alignment; use unjustified (ragged) right margins and letter-quality printing.
  • Double-space throughout, including (in this order) title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, and legends for illustrations.
  • Titles should be concise and clear, subtitles avoided.
  • Use generic names of drugs, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.
  • If using acronyms, the first time the acronym is used write the entire name, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
  • The initial manuscript can be submitted with embedded illustrative material for the convenience of the reviewers. Please see the section on manuscript modification for further requirements.
  • Use generic names of drugs, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.

Author Questionnaire

  • Complete all questions in the questionnaire.
  • The submission letter and cover letter are one and the same. It should indicate the title of the manuscript and must identify the Guarantor and the Corresponding Author, including an address, telephone and facsimile number, and e-mail address.
  • Insert the abstract in the "Abstract Box"
  • Provide an accurate number of pages, words and illustrative material.

Documents to Upload

Title Page

  • All manuscripts require a Title Page. A title page needs to include the number of words, number of pages, number of tables/photos/graphics, contact author, guarantor; contact author email address, the title of the manuscript, and all authors listed in the order you want the names to appear in the finished manuscript. The author's names must have rank, corps, military service, or the highest academic credentials received. The complete mailing address of each of the authors, including street numbers, street names, city, state and zip code are necessary. If in countries other than the U.S., please provide this information in English and in a mailing address format.
  • Provide at least 4 keywords
  • Provide information regarding any previous presentation; include the event name, organization, location and date.
  • List funding sources
  • Please see the attachments for a sample of this document.

Abstract

  • Must be the same as listed in the author questionnaire.
  • Follows title page on a page of its own.
  • Include an abstract not longer than 150 words for Feature Articles and Clinical/Case Reports. Use the active voice and the third person, when relevant. Do not use the abstract as an "Introduction."
  • The abstract must contain the objective, methods, results, and conclusions. It must be written in paragraph form, not as a list. Abstracts must be suitable for use by abstracting journals without rewording.

Text

  • Write text in the active voice and first person, when applicable. Headings and subheadings should be inserted at reasonable intervals. Examples of headings are: Introduction, Subjects, Materials, Methods, Observations, Results, Discussion, and Comments.
  • Manuscripts should include a clear introductory statement of purpose, an historical review, if applicable, and a description of the methods and scope of the experiments or observations.

Acknowledgment

  • An acknowledgment of persons or agencies having contributed substantially to the work of the author(s) may be included.
  • Acknowledgments may be no longer than four typed lines.
  • Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from all persons named in an acknowledgment, if applicable, since readers may infer their endorsement of data and conclusions. The corresponding author must include the following statement in the cover letter: "I have obtained written permission from all persons named in the Acknowledgment."
  • Grant support must be acknowledged in a separate paragraph and must include the full name of the granting agency and grant number.
  • Drug companies are acknowledged only if they provide experimental drugs or drugs unavailable in this country.

Illustrative Materials

  • Submit one per page
  • Must be clearly numbered on the illustrative material.
  • Submit in black and white format only.
  • Illustrative materials must be scaled to fit within either one or two columns of Military Medicine text. Single columns are 3 3/8 inches wide, double columns are 7 inches. Figures, charts, diagrams, graphs and tables should all meet one of these widths. Figures that have to be resized during printing to fit this requirement may suffer some distortion and loss of quality. Photographs do not have to meet this requirement, but may be cropped in order to fit properly without distortion.
  • All submitted illustrations, including photographs, must be self-explanatory and complementary to the text.
  • Units of measurement must be specified.
  • Proof of reprint permission must be included with the submission, if applicable.
  • Releases to use likeness of subject in a photo must be included with submission. If not included, means to protect the identity of the subject must be used.
  • Text within figures, charts, diagrams, graphs or tables should not be larger than 8 point.

Do NOT use grayscale shading in any figures, charts, diagrams, graphs, or tables. Grayscale shading does not reproduce well when transferred from hard copy. Use solid black and solid white first. If more shades are required, then use horizontal bars, vertical bars, crossed bars, left diagonals, double diagonals or right diagonals.

Tables

  • Place the name of the table above the table; do not embed the title within the table.
  • Values expressing the same units of measurement must read down, not across. Approximate numbers must be presented if percentages are used.
  • Values expressing the same units of measurement must read down, not across. Approximate numbers must be presented if percentages are used.
  • References to specific tables are to be contained in the text.
  • All tables must be double-spaced.
  • Do not submit a table that repeats information provided in the text.

Figures

  • Use figures to express trends or relationships between data, either graphic or pictorial in nature.
  • A figure may not exceed one manuscript page.
  • Submit figures as camera-ready graphics.
  • Acknowledge all figures and tables taken from other publications and submit written permission to reprint from the original publisher.
  • Do not include tables or figures in the manuscript word count.

References

  • List and number references by their order of appearance in the text.
  • Do not arrange the list alphabetically.
  • Do not list a reference more than once.
  • Do not use ibid or other such terms.
  • All listed references must be cited within the text.
  • References are restricted to closely pertinent material.
  • Use exact spelling, accents, punctuation, etc.
  • Unpublished works or personal communications are not to be cited as numbered references, or to appear in the reference list. They are to be noted in the text in parentheses. It is the author's responsibility to obtain appropriate permission to refer to another individual's unpublished works.
  • References that are actually "in press" may be cited as published references in the text, but listed with notation of status, name of journal or publication, and anticipated date of publication.
  • Accuracy of citation is the author's responsibility.
  • Type references in the style shown below, double-spaced throughout. List all known authors or editors of a work.
  • Abbreviations of journal names should conform to the style used in Index Medicus; journals not indexed there should not be abbreviated.
  • For references found in Web sites, show them in the text parenthetically giving the URL address; in the references include author(s), year, and URL address and the date accessed.

Examples

  1. Scarlett JA, Mako ME, Rubenstein AH: Factitious hypoglycemia: diagnosis by measurement of serum C-peptide immuno-reactivity and insulin-binding antibodies, N Engl J Med 1977; 297:1029-32.
  2. Service FJ, Moore GL: Factitial and autoimmune hypoglycemia in Hypoglycemic Disorders, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis and Treatment, pp 129-41. Boston, GK Hall, 1983.

Modifications/Rewrites

  • Manuscript modifications or rewrite notifications will be sent by the editor in letter form via email to the contact author.
  • Reviewer and editor comments will be provided with the letter.
  • Authors have 30 days to complete and upload the revised manuscript. Requests for additional completion time must be received one week prior to the original modification due date and will be granted on a case by case basis.
  • The modified manuscript must be re-uploaded in its entirety, including all illustrative material.
  • Create a new submission letter and place it in the "Cover Letter Box".
  • Address all reviewer and editor comments, point by point, in the "Rebuttals Box". If you do not agree with a recommendation and decide not to incorporate the change in your manuscript, please indicate your reasons.
  • Update the author questionnaire to reflect any changes you may have made, number of words, graphs, etc.
  • Your modified manuscript will be handled according to the editor's instructions. This may mean one or both of the original reviewers will be asked to re-review your manuscript, or the editor may request the revisions be sent directly to him for a final decision.

Upon Acceptance

Final Submission Format

  • Once your manuscript has been accepted please upload your documents in the following order:
  • Review the author submission form to assure that it is correct.
  • Upload the title page, text and references in one file.
  • Then upload the graphics, one per page and one graphic per file in tif or eps format. This format will provide the best reproduction quality for your illustrative materials.

To the Printer

  • Accepted manuscripts with the appropriately signed documents are scheduled for printing and forwarded electronically to the printer for editing and typesetting.

Additional Steps Required by the Printer

Contributions received are subject to routine editing procedures. Author(s) alone are responsible for all statements made in their work.

The copy editor will provide page proofs with queries. This is for minor corrections only! Manuscripts will not be available for rewrites.

You will be notified by email that the page proofs are available for your review. At that time you will have 48 hours to complete the corrections/queries. Please send corrections to the name, email address, facsimile number, or postal address listed at the bottom of the letter requesting proof changes.

If you choose to try to rewrite your manuscript at this time, it will be removed from the publication schedule and you will have to resubmit your manuscript as a new submission and begin the review process anew.

If you do not complete the proofs in the allotted time frame, or do not provide them in the manner requested by the copy editor, your manuscript will be removed from the publication schedule and you will have to resubmit your manuscript as a new submission and begin the review process anew.

Reprints

An order form for reprints will be sent with page proofs to the corresponding author. Reprints and copies of the issue are not furnished gratis. Reprint order forms are returned directly to the printer, Cadmus Journal Services (not to the Editorial Office).

All accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of AMSUS and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from AMSUS.

Format Samples

All samples are in .doc format