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MANUSCRIPT CRITERIA AND INFORMATION
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Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts submitted to the Archives of Surgery should meet the following criteria: the material is original; the study methods are appropriate; the data are valid; the conclusions are supported by the data; the information is important and new; and the topic is of interest to the general, clinical surgery readership. Because space in the Archives of Surgery is limited, papers should be as brief as possible, and tables and figures should be limited to only those that clarify and augment the text.
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. Copies of possibly duplicative material that has been previously published or is being considered elsewhere must be provided at the time of manuscript submission. Duplication may arise if 2 or more manuscripts by overlapping authors use the same source of data and either (a) the manuscripts address essentially the same question, or (b) the 2 publications could be readily combined into 1, thereby presenting more information in less space.
Electronic Submission. Manuscripts should be submitted via our online manuscript submission and review system (http://manuscripts.archsurg.com). Please note that although preliminary information must be entered into the online submission form, the following should also be included on the title page of the manuscript: manuscript title, names and affiliations of all authors, word count, and contact information of the corresponding author. Manuscripts submitted through our online system should not also be submitted by mail or fax. Signed authorship forms, with the manuscript number indicated, should be sent by regular mail or fax after the manuscript has been submitted via the online system and a manuscript number has been assigned. See Manuscript Checklist and details in these Instructions for additional requirements.
To ensure that the electronic submission is usable, please adhere to the following guidelines when submitting your manuscript electronically.
Text: Save the text in Word or WordPerfect.
Tables: Save any tables in the same file as the manuscript text, placing the tables at the end of the manuscript. Make certain that 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: Please refer to the instructions in Technical Requirements for Figures for guidelines at submission and acceptance. Each figure must be submitted in a separate file. Figures should be submitted as high-resolution TIF or JPG files. Submit your photographic images at 5 inches (13 cm) wide at 300 pixels per inch (120 pixels per centimeter), minimum. This applies to each part for multipart figures. Save them as TIF (with LZW compression), JPG (with “maximum quality” setting), or PSD (native Adobe Photoshop format). Please do not add arrowheads, “a,” “b,” asterisks, etc directly to the file that contains the single figure. A separate composite figure in PowerPoint may be submitted to indicate the location of arrows, asterisks, etc.
Copyright Form and Patient Consent: Upon submission, the corresponding author receives an acknowledgment from the editorial office. This acknowledgment gives the number assigned to the manuscript. All authors must complete an author responsibility form and place this manuscript number at the top of the form. The corresponding author should collect all the forms and review them for accuracy and completeness and then fax them as a set to the editorial office at (410) 502-3131. At the same time, please send a signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient photographs and pedigrees from all persons who can be identified in such photographs and pedigrees (see Patient Consent Form).
Editorial Office Contact Information. Archives of Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 720 Rutland Ave, Ross 759, Baltimore, MD 21205; telephone: (443) 287-0026; fax: (410) 502-3131; e-mail: archsurg{at}jama-archives.org.
Archives Express. Archives Express provides rapid peer review and publication of original clinical or basic science research of seminal importance. Authors who wish to have manuscripts considered for Archives Express should contact the editor by e-mail to inquire about the suitability of an article for Archives Express.
Categories of Articles
Archives publishes original contributions, systematic and narrative reviews, special communications, editorials, commentaries, contributions from residents, research letters, and letters to the editor. The most frequently submitted categories of articles are listed below.
Original Articles. Randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, cohort studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, case-control studies, and surveys with high response rates. Registered trials should include the registry and the registration number. Each manuscript should clearly state an objective or hypothesis; the design and methods (including the study setting and time period, patients or participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, or data sources and how these were selected for the study); the essential features of any interventions; the main outcome measures; the main results of the study; a “Comment” section placing the results in the context of published literature; and the conclusions. Maximum length: 3000 words (exclusive of abstract, tables, figures, and references).
Reviews. Systematic, critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical or basic science topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and test or outcomes. All articles or data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion in the review and critically evaluated, and the selection process should be described in the paper. Meta-analyses also will be considered as reviews. Maximum length: 3000 words (exclusive of abstract, tables, figures, and references).
Letters to the Editor. Letters discussing a recent Archives of Surgery article should be received within 2 months of the article’s publication and should not exceed 250 words of text and 4 references. The Archives also offers the Research Letter. It is intended to provide a means to communicate short, original, clinical outcomes or clinical trials research. Research letters should not exceed 600 words of text and 6 references. A single table or figure may be included.
Image of the Month. No abstract is needed for submissions for this feature. The manuscript should be no more than 3 pages. There should be a brief introduction, the multiple-choice question “What is the diagnosis?” with 4 possible answers, and the main text. Limit references to 10 or fewer. No more than 2 photographs should be submitted, and they should be cited in the introductory text.
Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the Image of the Month, the Archives has temporarily discontinued accepting submissions for this feature. The Archives will publish an announcement when requests for submissions will resume.
Resident’s Corner. Residents are invited to submit short articles, including interesting case reports, small case series, historical reviews, summaries of recent developments in surgery, and laboratory studies. At the time of submission, the first author must be a resident in training. The submission must be accompanied by a letter from the resident’s program director verifying that the resident is in good standing. Submissions should be limited to 1000 words and no more than 3 figures. A narrative abstract of no more than 135 words should be included.
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Editorial Policies for Authors
Authorship Responsibility, Criteria, and Contributions; Financial Disclosure; Copyright Transfer; and Acknowledgment Statement. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article. Authorship credit should be based only on (1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. Conditions 1, 2, and 3 must all be met. Authors are required to identify each author’s contribution to the work described in the manuscript. With the cover letter include (1) statement on authorship responsibility, (2) statement on financial disclosure, (3) 1 of the 2 statements on copyright or federal employment, and (4) a statement of acknowledgment. Each of the first 3 statements must be read and signed by all authors. The corresponding author must sign the acknowledgment statement. (See Authorship Form.)
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. 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 (Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB, DeAngelis CD. Authorship for research groups. JAMA. 2002;288[24]:3166-3168).
Conflict of Interest. A conflict of interest may exist when an author (or the author’s institution or employer) has financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence (or bias) the author’s decisions, work, or manuscript. All authors are required to report potential conflicts of interest, including specific financial interests relevant to the subject of their manuscript, in their cover letter and on Archives of Surgery’s financial disclosure form or in an attachment to the form. Authors without relevant financial interests in the manuscript should indicate no such interest (DeAngelis CD, Fontanarosa PB, Flanagin A. Reporting financial conflicts of interest between investigators and research sponsors. JAMA. 2001;286[1]:89-91).
Authors are required to report detailed information regarding all financial and material support for the research and work, including but not limited to grant support, funding sources, and provision of equipment and supplies. Each author also is required to sign and submit the following financial disclosure statement: “I certify that all my affiliations with or financial involvement (eg, employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, royalties) with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript are completely disclosed.”
Funding/Support and Role of Sponsor. All financial and material support for the research and the work should be clearly and completely identified in an acknowledgment. The role of the funding organization or sponsor in each of the following should be specified: “design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript” (DeAngelis CD, Fontanarosa PB, Flanagin A. Reporting financial conflicts of interest and relationships between investigators and research sponsors. JAMA. 2001;286[1]:89-91).
Data Access and Responsibility. For clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, authors must state in their letter of submission that (1) they have had full access to all the data, (2) they have the right to publish all the data, and (3) they have had the right to obtain independent statistical analyses of the data. For any report containing original data, at least 1 author (eg, the principal investigator) should indicate that he or she “takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis” (DeAngelis CD, Fontanarosa PB, Flanagin A. Reporting financial conflicts of interest and relationships between investigators and research sponsors. JAMA 2001;286[1]:89-91). For industry-sponsored studies, the data analysis should be conducted by statisticians at an academic center, rather than only by statisticians employed by the company sponsoring the research. Manuscripts containing statistical evaluations should include the name and affiliation of the statistical reviewer.
Duplicate Previous Publication or Submission. Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they are not under simultaneous consideration by another publication.
Reporting Race/Ethnicity. If race and/or ethnicity is reported, indicate who classified individuals as to race/ethnicity, the classifications, and whether the options were defined by the investigator or the participant. Explain why race and/or ethnicity was assessed in the study (Winker M. Measuring race and ethnicity: why and how? JAMA. 2004;292[13]:1612-1613).
Informed Consent. For experimental investigations of human or animal subjects, state in the “Methods” section of the manuscript that an 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. For investigations of human subjects, state in the “Methods” section the manner in which informed consent was obtained from the subjects. A letter of consent must accompany all photographs of patients in which a possibility of identification exists. It is not sufficient to cover the eyes to mask identity.
Patient Descriptions, Photographs, and Pedigrees. Include a signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees. Refer to patients by number (or, in anecdotal reports, by fictitious given names). Real names or initials should not be used in the text, tables, or illustrations. (See Patient Consent Form.)
Personal Communications and Unpublished Data. Include a signed statement of permission from each individual identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data, and specify the date of communication and whether the communication was written or oral.
Embargo Policy. All information regarding the content and publication date of accepted manuscripts is strictly confidential. Information contained in or about accepted articles cannot appear in print, on radio or television, or in electronic form or be released by the media until 3 pm CST on the third Monday of the month.
Unauthorized Use. Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the American Medical Association (AMA) and may not be published elsewhere without permission from the publisher (AMA). AMA does not charge a permissions fee to authors who wish to use their articles or parts thereof in other books or journals. However, an author must obtain permission from the AMA, as the copyright holder, for such use. To do so, send a written request to Rhonda Bailey Brown, Department of Licensing and Permissions, AMA, 515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610; fax: (312) 464-5835; e-mail: permissions{at}ama-assn.org. In the permission you receive, the proper credit line will be indicated.
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Editorial Review and Publication
Peer Review. All submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by an editor. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication are rejected promptly. Other manuscripts are sent to expert consultants for peer review. Peer reviewer identities are kept confidential, but author identities are made known to reviewers. The existence of a manuscript under review is not revealed to anyone other than peer reviewers and editorial staff. Information from submitted manuscripts may be systematically collected and analyzed as part of research to improve the quality of the editorial or peer review process. Identifying information remains confidential. Reviews and decisions on manuscripts in which the editor or one of the associate editors is a coauthor are managed independently by another editor, in conjunction with a member of the editorial board.
Editing. Accepted manuscripts are copyedited according to AMA style and returned to the author for approval. The author will receive an edited typescript rather than galley proofs for approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor and authorized by the corresponding author.
Reprints. Reprints may be ordered when the edited typescript is sent for approval to the corresponding author (download Reprint Order Form). Reprints are shipped 3 weeks after publication. AMA does not charge a permission fee to authors who wish to use their articles or parts thereof in other books or journals. However, an author must obtain permission from AMA, as the copyright holder, for such use. To do so, send written request to Rhonda Bailey Brown, Department of Licensing and Permissions, AMA, 515 N State St, Chicago, IL 60610; fax: (312) 464-5835 (permissions{at}ama-assn.org). In the permission you receive, the proper credit line will be indicated.
e-Prints. Corresponding authors who provide an e-mail address for publication will receive an electronic link that provides 25 free online accesses to the PDF view of their article.
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Manuscript Checklist
- 1. Submit your manuscript electronically. Include title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables in a single file. Load each figure as a separate file (to be merged by the system).
- 2. On the title page, provide first and last names of all authors, their highest academic degrees, and affiliations.
- 3. On the title page, designate a corresponding author and provide a complete postal/mail address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
- 4. On the title page, include a word count for text only, exclusive of title, abstract, references, tables, and figure legends.
- 5. For manuscripts presented at meetings, on the title page specify the name of the meeting, the city where it was held, and the exact date of presentation.
- 6. Provide an abstract that conforms with the required abstract format.
- 7. For clinical trials, add trial registry name, registration number, and the registry URL at the end of the abstract.
- 8. Double-space manuscript and leave right margins unjustified (ragged). Do not use line numbering.
- 9. Check all references for accuracy and completeness. Put references in proper format and in numerical order, making sure each is cited in sequence in the text.
- 10. Include a title for each table and figure—a brief, succinct phrase, preferably no longer than 10 to 15 words. Make sure each table and figure is cited in sequence in the text.
- 11. For digitally enhanced images, indicate method of enhancement in legend.
- 12. In the Acknowledgment section of the manuscript, include the names, academic degrees, affiliations, and specific contributions of all persons who have contributed to the work reported in the manuscript but who do not fulfill authorship criteria. Written permission must be obtained from all persons named in the Acknowledgment (see also the Acknowledgment statement in the Authorship Form that must be signed by the corresponding author).
- 13. Indicate specific contributions from each author in the Acknowledgment section at the end of the manuscript (see authorship checklist on the Authorship Form).
- 14. Include all authors’ potential conflicts of interest, including financial interests and relationships and affiliations relevant to the subject of their manuscript in the Acknowledgment section of the manuscript.
- 15. In the Acknowledgment section, include all sources of financial and material support and assistance along with detailed information on the roles of each sponsor or funder.
- 16. Include written permission from each individual identified as a source of personal communication or unpublished data.
- 17. Include informed consent forms for identifiable patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees (see Patient Consent Form).
- 18. Include written permission from publishers (or other copyright owner) to reproduce or adapt previously published illustrations and tables in print and online editions of Archives of Surgery and its licensed versions (in print and online) (see Permission to Reproduce Copyright-Protected Material Form).
- 19. Obtain statements signed by all authors on (a) authorship criteria and responsibility, (b) financial disclosure, (c) copyright transfer or federal employment, and (d) acknowledgment statement (see Authorship Form). After a manuscript number has been assigned, the corresponding author should send all completed authorship forms by fax to (410) 502-3131.
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Manuscript Preparation and Submission Requirements
Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the American Medical Association Manual of Style (10th ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2007) and/or the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.”
Manuscript Components. Submit the original manuscript electronically (see Electronic Submission). Manuscripts are double-spaced throughout in 10- or 12-point font size. Do not use proportional spacing or line numbering; use unjustified (ragged) right margins. Margins of at least 1 inch should be used. The article file should contain the following components in the order listed: title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables. Each manuscript component should begin on a new page. Pages should be sequentially numbered beginning with the title page. Figures should be submitted in individual files (see Technical Requirements for Figures).
Title Page. Titles should be short, specific, and clear. They should not exceed 42 characters per line, including punctuation and spaces, and should be limited to 2 lines, if possible. Do not use abbreviations in the title. The title page should include the full names, highest academic degrees, and academic 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 in 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. Include a structured abstract of no more than 250 words for reports of original articles, reviews, and meta-analyses. For other major manuscripts, include an unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words (135 words for the Resident’s Corner) that summarizes the objective, main points, and conclusions. Abstracts are not required for editorials or commentaries. Abstracts for original articles should have the following 8 sideheads: Objective(s) or Hypothesis, Design, Setting, Patients (or Other Participants), Interventions (if any), Main Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions. Abstracts for review manuscripts and reports of the results of meta-analyses should have the following headings: Objective, Data Sources, Study Selection, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, and Conclusions.
Units of Measure. Laboratory values are expressed using conventional units of measure, with relevant Système International (SI) conversion factors expressed secondarily (in parentheses) only at first mention. Articles that contain numerous conversion factors may list them together in a paragraph at the end of the “Methods” section. In tables and figures, a conversion factor to SI units should be provided in a footnote or legend. The metric system is preferred for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. A Conversion Table is available on the Web site for the AMA Manual of Style.
Gene Names and Accession Numbers. Authors describing genes or related structures in a manuscript should include the names and accession numbers provided by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) or the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee.
Reproduced Material. Reprinted tables and figures are discouraged. Original material should be provided, except under extraordinary circumstances. Acknowledge all text, illustrations, and tables adapted or reproduced from other publications and submit permission from the original publishers (or other copyright owner) to republish in print and online editions of the Archives and its licensed versions. (See Permission to Reproduce Copyright-Protected Material Form.)
Acknowledgment Section. List all persons who have made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript, but who are not authors; authors’ contributions; any financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript; any research or project funding/support; information on independent statistical evaluation (if required); and names, degrees, and affiliations of members or participants in a large study or other group. Authors should obtain written permission to include the names of individuals in the Acknowledgment section (see Authorship Form).
References. References should be listed in consecutive numerical order as they are cited in the text, not alphabetically. Once a reference is cited, all subsequent citations should be to the original number. All references must be cited in the text or tables. Unpublished data and personal communication are not encouraged and may not be listed as references. References to journal articles should include, in this order, (1) authors (list all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list the first 3 and “et al”), (2) title, (3) journal name as abbreviated in Index Medicus, (4) year, (5) volume number, (6) issue number, and (7) inclusive page numbers. References to books should include (1) authors (list all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list the first 3 and “et al”), (2) chapter title, if any, (3) editor, if any, (4) title of book, (5) year, (6) city, and (7) publisher. Volume and edition numbers, specific pages, and name of translator should be included when appropriate. The author is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references and for their correct text citation.
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.
Tables and Figures. Number all tables and figures in the order of their citation in the text. Include a title for each table and figure—a brief, succinct phrase, preferably no longer than 10 to 15 words.
Tables. Title all tables and number them in order of their citation in the text. Double-space each table and start each table on a new page. If a table must be continued, repeat the title on a second sheet, followed by “(cont).” See Instructions for Table Creation.
Illustrations. Use only those illustrations that clarify and augment the text. For initial submission, all illustrations should be submitted as individual digital files. If your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked to submit a high-quality original of each illustration. (See Technical Requirements for Figures.)
Legends. Include double-spaced legends (maximum length, 40 words) on separate pages. For photomicrographs, include the type of specimen, original magnification, and stain. Include internal scale markers on electromicrographs. Indicate the method of enhancement for digitally enhanced images.
Digital Enhancement of Images. Digitally enhanced images (CT/MRI, blots, photographs, photomicrographs, ultrasound images, x-ray films, etc) must be clearly identified in the figure legends as digitally processed images. If your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked for 3 clearly labeled print copies of the processed and original images.
Videos. For editorial and peer review of an initial submission, submit videos in .mov, .wmv, .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, or .avi file format. Individual videos should be less than 5 minutes long. Video dimensions should be a minimum of 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels deep. To facilitate uploading and reviewing, each video should not exceed 10 MB. Verify that all videos are viewable in QuickTime or Windows Media Player before submission.
For each video, provide a citation in the appropriate place in the manuscript text and include a title (a brief phrase, preferably no longer than 10-15 words) and a caption at the end of the manuscript. In the video caption, specify the video file format and briefly describe the content of the video. Also, enter the same title and caption in the designated fields on the Web-based manuscript submission system when uploading each video. If multiple video files are submitted, number them in the order in which they should be viewed. If a video is accepted for publication, the video title and caption will be included on the Web page that contains the link to the video.
Note: If the manuscript and accompanying video(s) are accepted for publication, all video files will be placed into a journal video frame and may be edited by the journal staff according to journal style. The journal staff may contact you to request the original full-size video without text or labels to be sent by e-mail, FTP, or CD/DVD.
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Preparing Reports of Randomized Controlled Trials
The CONSORT Checklist should be completed and submitted with the manuscript. In addition, a flow diagram illustrating the progress of patients throughout the trial should be included as a figure in the manuscript (see Figure for example). The checklist and flow diagram will be reviewed along with the manuscript.
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Flow diagram of subject progress through the phases of a randomized trial. Adapted from Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman D, for the CONSORT Group. The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel-group randomized trials. JAMA. 2001;285(15):1987-1991. |
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Trial Registration
In concert with the International Committee of Medical Journal editors (ICMJE), Archives of Surgery will require, as a condition of consideration for publication, registration of all trials in a public trials registry (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, http://www.anzctr.org.au, http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr, http://www.isrctn.com, http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp) (see DeAngelis CD, Drazen JM, Frizelle FA, et al. Clinical trial registration: a statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. JAMA. 2004;292[11]:1363-1364; DeAngelis CD, Drazen JM, Frizelle FA, et al. Is this clinical trial fully registered? a statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. JAMA. 2005;293[23]:2927-2929). Trials must be registered at or before the onset of patient enrollment. This policy applies to any clinical trial starting enrollment after March 1, 2006. For trials that began enrollment before this date, registration will be required by June 1, 2006, before considering the trial for publication. For this purpose, the ICMJE defines a clinical trial as any study that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison groups to evaluate 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 (eg, phase 1 trials), are exempt. Trial registration numbers and the URLs for the registry should be included at the end of the abstract.
Last updated February 2008.
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