1. Introduction
2. Types of articles published: CME, reviews, case reports
3. Types of articles published: original research
4. Types of articles published: departments
5. Letters to the editor
6. Problem areas (citing references, submitting images, and borrowing material from another source)
7. How to prepare and submit the manuscript
8. What happens after manuscript submission
1. Introduction
JAAPA's mission is to support the ongoing education and advancement of PAs by publishing current information and research on clinical, health policy, and professional issues. The American Academy of Physician Assistants provides JAAPA to more than 72,000 PAs in the United States, including all members of AAPA. The Journal is indexed in the Medline and CINAHL databases, and each issue offers AAPA-approved Category I CME. JAAPA is published monthly (12 times a year), with content posted to www.jaapa.com. The Web site also contains additional content and resources available only online.
In addition to reading the section in these guidelines that describes the type of article you wish to submit, authors should read Problem areas and How to prepare and submit the manuscript before writing and sending in a manuscript. The last section (What happens after manuscript submission) describe the steps between submission and publication.
Authors with potential conflicts of interest:
Please note that JAAPA does not consider for publication within the Journal any articles with industry or medical education company involvement or sponsorship. Authors may have relationships to industry (which must be disclosed), but the manuscript itself must be independent: written by the author without industry or medical education company planning, oversight, editing, review, financial support, or approval. Manuscripts with industry involvement may be considered for publication as a separately bound and sponsored supplement. Authors interested in this option should contact the publisher for pricing information.
How to increase your chances of getting published:
1. Choose a topic that takes advantage of your experience and passion. The resulting article will be more practical, richer in detail, and offer more meaningful pearls than would a standard literature review; consequently, it will do a better job of teaching readers things they didn't know before.
2. Search the JAAPA Web site for previously published articles on your topic. (Enter the search phrase surrounded by quotes to get the best results.) If we have published on your topic within the past 2 or 3 years, we will not want another article on that subject unless there is substantial new information to convey.
3. Be familiar with the journal you want to write for. If you aren't a regular reader of JAAPA, go through some recent issues to get a feel for the types of articles and departments we publish, how long our articles are, how they are formatted, and so forth.
4. Write your article specifically to fit one of the journal's sections or departments. Or, if the manuscript was prepared for some other purpose, such as an academic requirement, revise it to fit a section or department in the journal before you submit it.
5. Read the author guidelines, and follow the requirements in the guidelines while preparing and submitting your manuscript.
6. Be prepared for the steps involved in getting your article into print. Improve the quality of your manuscript before submission by asking a trusted colleague to review it for organization and quality of writing. Understand that your article will undergo peer review, and expect to be asked to revise (almost all submissions require revision before we can accept them). Expect that your article will change—perhaps substantially—during editing. Finally, be aware that publishing is a deadline-driven business: When the editor contacts you with questions and requests, please respond quickly.
In their manuscripts, authors should also consider and address the PA competencies and should be mindful of issues related to health disparities involving race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, income, geographic location, sexual orientation, etc., as may be appropriate.
Inexperienced authors may want to consult our Roadmap to Better Writing for help on planning and developing a manuscript. A Webcast entitled Writing for Publication: Ten Steps to Success also presents useful information on writing professionally.
What constitutes authorship?
JAAPA uses ICMJE standards as the source for its definition of authorship. Authors should satisfy all of the following, except that item 3 applies only to authors of original research. Each author should 1) contribute substantially to the article's conception, planning, organization, and/or design; 2) contribute to the performance of the literature search and/or critical analysis of the literature; 3) help to acquire, analyze, and/or interpret data; 4) participate in the writing and/or revising of the article at all stages of development; and 5) review and approve the final edited copy.
Before the manuscript is developed and submitted, the authors as a group should decide who should be listed on the byline. Resources that may help with this process are listed below.
Avoiding and Resolving Authorship Disputes
Co-authorship of Scholarly Reports, Papers, and Publications
Authorship Orders in Scientific Papers
After submission, it is the corresponding author's role to ensure that all authors have met the conditions noted above. It is not the role of journal editors to make authorship decisions or to arbitrate conflicts related to authorship.
Persons who have discussed the article topic with the authors, read and commented on drafts of the article, provided technical, financial, or editorial assistance, or otherwise assisted the authors may be thanked in acknowledgements at the end of the article. These contributions do not qualify as authorship
Instructions for PA students:
Please note that these instructions apply only to PA-S-authored manuscripts—that is, to manuscripts written by students who are not yet practicing PAs and who have not practiced medicine.
If you are a PA, have been in clinical practice, and have returned to school for a graduate degree, this section does not apply to you.
1. All student authors must have a co-author who is a faculty mentor, a practicing clinician (PA, physician, or other clinician), or both. The co-author does not have to do any of the research or write any portion of the manuscript, but this person should guide the student closely, reviewing all phases of article development, making suggestions for improvement as appropriate, and making sure, before the manuscript is submitted to JAAPA, that it satisfies the requirements listed in these author guidelines. The co-author should be very familiar with these author guidelines and ensure that the manuscript has been edited and revised as necessary to be appropriate for the section or department in JAAPA for which it is intended (see number 5 below).
IMPORTANT: All student papers must include a statement from a physician, PA, or other clinician who practices clinically in the topic area of the paper. The statement should provide a brief description of the reviewer's qualifications to review the paper and should indicate that the clinician has evaluated the paper and attests to its clinical accuracy. This statement may come from the paper's co-author or from an independent clinician who is not a co-author but who has reviewed the manuscript before its submission.
2. The non-student co-author must submit the manuscript and must act as the corresponding author throughout the submission and publishing process. The student author may be copied on correspondence.
3. In the submission e-mail, the non-student co-author should clearly identify the submission as a student manuscript and should explain the roles played by all listed authors in the development of the manuscript.
4. Please note that all student submissions are screened by members of the JAAPA editorial board, who determine whether the manuscript is suitable for consideration and should go out to peer review.
5. PA programs should not ask their students to submit articles for publication to fulfill any program or graduation requirement. Instead, we ask that programs limit submissions to a few (5 or less) of the best quality student papers--those that have the greatest chance of being accepted and published. Finally, PA faculty should ensure that Capstone projects, masters papers, and the like are revised and edited as needed to fit the requirements of the Journal.
If you are not sure whether your manuscript qualifies as a student submission or you have other questions about these instructions, please contact the editor at jaapa@haymarketmedia.com.
2. Types of articles published: CME, reviews, case reports
Prospective authors are encouraged to look at past issues of JAAPA to see how various types of articles read and look in print. Please also consult Problem areas later in these guidelines for important information on submitting photographs, imaging studies, and other illustrative material; citing references; and borrowing information from a previously published source. Authors should also read How to prepare and submit the manuscript.
Note that the word ranges specified in the following descriptions include all text that is part of the article. That is, the reference list, content of tables, figure captions, sidebar text, etc, are included in the total word count. Authors need not write exactly to size, but manuscripts should not be substantially shorter or longer than the ranges specified.
Note also that all feature articles (except research reports) should list the article's 4 or 5 key points at the end of the manuscript.
CME, Review, and Surgical Review articles (2,000 words minimum; 3,500 words maximum): These articles offer either a concise critical assessment of the current state of knowledge about a disease or condition encountered by PAs or a how-to approach to diagnosing and/or managing a specific problem. A Surgical Review might focus on a particular type of surgery, a medical problem in surgical patients (for example, atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing heart surgery), and or practical applications of recent primary research or new guidelines. The author should avoid writing a standard academic literature review, which is systematic, comprehensive, and heavily referenced, in favor of a selective review and update that emphasizes what is practical, current, and evidence-based. Do not simply summarize and describe what the literature shows; instead, explain how what the literature reveals can be practically applied. References should be recent and should, for the most part, be drawn from peer-reviewed journals. Textbook references and generic medical Web sites should be largely avoided. These articles are intended above all to be useful. Once PAs read the article, they should be able to put the information it provides immediately into practice.
Authors should note that articles intended for CME should be on topics consistent with the NCCPA Content Blueprint for PANCE and PANRE. That is, the topic should be one that might be covered on the certification or recertification exam.
Authors who wish their article to be considered for CME should include three or four learning objectives and a needs assessment with the manuscript. The needs assessment explains why a CME article on this topic is justified by identifying gaps between what is and what ought to be. In other words, why do PAs need a CME article on the topic you are proposing? Evidence and data that a CME article on the topic is needed may be drawn from the following sources (intended as examples rather than a comprehensive list): surveys, Board of Director and/or committee meeting minutes, expert opinion, evaluation results/reports from other educational activities, informal discussions/interviews, focus groups, consensus conferences, practice guidelines, epidemiologic data, and new treatments/advances in existing treatments. The needs assessment should be relatively brief (no more than 150 words) and does not contribute toward the total word count of the article.
Note that some Review and Surgical Review articles are published online only. Both html and pdf versions are provided on the Web site for online-only articles.
Case Reports (1,500 words minimum; 2,000 words maximum): A Case Report should recount an interesting or unusual experience with a patient, discuss the intervention and the reasons it was chosen, and provide the outcome. The manuscript must be written in two main sections: CASE and DISCUSSION. Do not include an introduction before the CASE portion. There may be a final CONCLUSION in which the outcome for the patient is given, but otherwise the patient experience should be confined to the CASE portion of the manuscript. In the DISCUSSION section, review the pertinent literature briefly. At the end of the file, each manuscript should include 3 to 5 teaching points, which are crucial to the value of a case report. Photographs, radiographs, or other types of clinical images should be submitted if appropriate. Authors should take care to remove any information from the case description that could identify the patient. If this is not possible, authors should obtain the patient's permission to publish the details of the case.
Note that a Case Report is not the venue for a complete review of the literature on a topic. Refer to only a few of the most important papers on the condition you are discussing. Note also that a Case Report is not the place to discuss the standard diagnosis and treatment of a common condition. A CME or Review Article is usually a better choice for topics of this type.
Some Case Reports are published online only. Both HTML and PDF versions are provided on the Web site for online-only articles.
3. Types of articles published: original research
Research Reports (2,000 words minimum; 3,500 words maximum) should be reports of original research conducted by the author(s). JAAPA welcomes original research on topics that are of particular relevance to practicing PAs. Submissions might include smaller studies and pilot trials that speak to quality of care delivered by PAs, assess the effectiveness of unique models for PA-directed care, provide models for enhancing productivity within clinics or hospitals, describe innovative ways to enhance PA performance, or explore PA demographics.
If your research involves a survey, please read the information on surveys at the bottom of section 3. Note also that all manuscripts that report survey results must include the original survey instrument as part of the submission.
Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.icmje.org/). Please also consult Problem areas later in these guidelines for important information on submitting photographs, imaging studies, and other illustrative material; citing references; and borrowing information from a previously published source. Authors should also read How to prepare and submit the manuscript.
All research reports submitted to JAAPA should include the following:
Abstract: Please structure your abstract according to the following subheadings: Objective(s), Methods, Results, Conclusions. Limit your abstract to 150 words. Note that your abstract will be available online and will be far more widely read than your paper.
Introduction: The introduction should be less than 500 words. A 3-paragraph structure is usually sufficient to convince the reader that your topic is new, important, and relevant. Your first paragraph should set the stage for the study by briefly describing the background for the circumstance surrounding the investigation. In the second paragraph, describe why your study is important, what implications it has for PA practice, and how it relates to the material in the first paragraph. In your third paragraph, state what you hope to achieve.
Methods: Describe the design of your study. The following link provides some standard vocabulary and definitions: http://jama.ama-assn.org/misc/auinst_term.dtl. Select the one that most accurately describes your study. Describe the study participants and how they were chosen. If you conducted a survey, please describe the underlying frame from which your sample was chosen and your response rate. Please clearly state the outcome of interest and how it was measured. Inform your readers of your explanatory variables and how you hypothesize they are related to your outcome.
Describe your data analysis in detail. Your analytic strategy should demonstrate your familiarity with basic biostatistical methods for continuous and categorical data. These methods include, but are not limited to, measures of central tendency and variability (mean, median, mode, variance, standard deviation, standard error) as well as measures of association (chi square statistic, correlation coefficients, rate differences, relative rates, odds ratios). If you are not comfortable with the statistical aspects of your study, you are strongly encouraged to include a co-author who is. In general, confidence intervals are to be preferred over simple P values. Please note that surveys utilizing all but the most straightforward simple random samples will require statistical techniques, such as those found in SUDAAN software, to account for complex design factors.
Results: Results should be presented to reflect the methods section. Where possible, confidence intervals in the original clinical metric of interest are much preferred over P values. For example, rather than state: "Patients lived longer under PA care (P <.0001)," it is much more informative and appropriate to say: "Patients lived 2 hours longer under PA care (95% CI, 1.9-2.1 hours)." In this way, the reader can better evaluate the clinical importance of your results.
Do not repeat results presented in graphs and tables. Please create and label all tables and graphs so that they are self-explanatory and could stand alone without reference to the text.
Discussion: Relate your results to the extant literature. Note that our readers are clinically practicing PAs. Statistical significance is much less important or relevant to them than is clinical importance. Frame your discussion with the JAAPA audience in mind.
Limitations: Clearly and succinctly state both the potential limitations of your study and their implications for your conclusions. If, for example, your response rate was low, how would you expect that to affect your results?
Conclusions: This should be a brief, at most 1-paragraph statement. Please be as explicit as possible. If, for example, you suggest more research is needed, please state precisely what the next step should be.
Acknowledgements: All studies involving human data require a statement of institutional review board approval or exemption. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that all funding sources, including proprietary and for-profit entities such as pharmaceutical companies as well as not-for-profit and government funding sources, are listed in this section.
Brief Reports (a 50-word abstract plus 700 words of text (not counting references, tables, and figures) are short reports of original research that is relevant to practicing PAs and to others interested in the impact of the PA workforce on health care costs, quality of care, and access to health care. A Brief Report is an alternative to a more in-depth Research Report and is appropriate when a more concise format for sharing the findings of original research is preferred or when a synthesis of published research by other authors is felt valuable to share with the practicing PA. Note that the abstract and text appear in print; references, tables, and figures appear online only when the Brief Report is posted.
A Brief Report should address the following as applicable and appropriate: importance of the research, objective, design, setting, participants, interventions, primary outcome(s), results, and discussion.
Important note about survey research: High survey response rates help to ensure that results are representative of the target population. A survey must have an adequate response rate in order to produce accurate, useful results. Obtain the response rate by dividing the number of people who submitted a completed survey (80% or more of questions answered) by the number of people you attempted to contact. If you asked 200 participants to complete the survey and 150 responded, the response rate is 150/200 or 75%. Acceptable response rates vary by how the survey is administered, but the table below offers some general assessments. If the work you are describing yielded a lower response rate but you believe it is truly representative of the sample studied, provide a detailed justification (eg, the sample studied was very similar to the AAPA census by specialty practice, age, and geographic distribution).
| Format |
Response rate evaluation |
| Mailing |
50% adequate; 60% good; >70% very good |
| Telephone |
80% good |
| Email / Online |
40% adequate; 50% good; >60% very good |
| In-person |
80% good |
4. Types of articles published: departments
Prospective authors are encouraged to look at past issues of JAAPA to see how various types of articles read and look in print. Please also consult Problem areas later in these guidelines for important information on submitting photographs, imaging studies, and other illustrative material; citing references; and borrowing information from a previously published source. Authors should also read How to prepare and submit the manuscript.
Note that the word ranges specified in the following descriptions include all text that is part of the article. That is, the reference list, content of tables, figure captions, etc, are included in the total word count. Authors need not write exactly to size, but manuscripts should not be substantially shorter or longer than the ranges specified.
Please be aware that JAAPA does not accept outside submissions for all of its departments. This section lists the departments for which outside submissions are welcomed.
Finally, authors should know that some departments may on occasion be published online only if space limitations make it impossible to fit them into their scheduled print issue. Both html and pdf versions are provided on the Web site for online-only articles.
Case of the Month (900 words maximum): This 1-page department offers a forum in which to share case reports that demonstrate interesting, unusual, or particularly instructive presentations of common problems. (Cases involving rare or obscure conditions require more detail and review of the literature than will fit in Case of the Month and thus are better suited to a feature-length case report.) A Case of the Month write-up should be brief, as though you were describing the case to a colleague over coffee. Include the presentation, results of the history and examination, and the relevant test results. Provide a short list of the differential diagnosis (without definitions, please), the final diagnosis with a brief description or definition, and the outcome. We encourage you to provide an image that illustrates and helped you make the diagnosis, such as an ECG tracing, radiograph or CT scan, or clinical photograph. Please also include 2 or 3 references. Authors should take care to remove any information from the case description that could identify the patient. If this is not possible, authors should obtain the patient's permission to publish the details of the case.
Dermatology Digest (600 words): The manuscript should provide a brief description of a patient with a particular dermatologic diagnosis, a question about the diagnosis or the case with 4 plausible responses, and a brief discussion section that explains what the right answer is and why. Please consult issues of JAAPA for examples. Include one high-quality photo that illustrates the patient's condition. Authors should take care to remove any information from the case description that could identify the patient. If this is not possible, authors should obtain the patient's permission to publish the details of the case.
Diagnostic Imaging Review (800 words minimum; 1,600 words maximum): Manuscripts for this department provide a brief case description leading up to the ordering of imaging studies. Readers are then asked, "What do the imaging studies show?" This is followed by a discussion of how the imaging studies obtained revealed the diagnosis. A brief review of the disease diagnosed is usually included, along with 2 or 3 references. Authors should take care to remove any information from the case description that could identify the patient. If this is not possible, authors should obtain the patient's permission to publish the details of the case.
Authors must provide high-resolution digital image files of the imaging studies discussed in the article. Please send two copies of each image; one should be unmarked, and the other should be labeled with arrows or other marks that point clearly to the pathology revealed by the study. Provide caption material for each image as well.
PA Quandaries (1600 words, including references): Start with a hypothetical case that is an amalgam of real and hypothetical events; the patient or case should not be identifiable. After the case description, state the ethical quandary. In the discussion section, frame your analysis within bioethical principles (autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice). Authors need not cover all four but should include those that are relevant. (Click here for a good resource related to the bioethical principles.) Review and incorporate recent articles from the bioethics literature. The department editors can assist with this or with putting together a literature search that will incorporate work from this literature. Finally, use past PA Quandaries columns (available online) for guidance regarding formatting. Two good examples are available here and here.
Quick Recertification Series (1300 words maximum): If you have an idea for a QRS topic, please write to jaapa@haymarketmedia.com. All topics should come from the NCCPA content blueprint for the physician assistant certification and recertification exams, and all QRS manuscripts are prepared under the direction of the department editors.
The Surgical Patient (1,500 words minimum; 2,500 words maximum): Authors of this department typically work in a surgical practice. Some articles can be written for others in your subspecialty. Topics might include innovations in surgical care (such as new procedures), procedure outlines, or other how-I-do-it pieces. Case histories that culminate in a description of how a surgical procedure dealt with the problem are also appropriate here. Other articles might be aimed at all surgical PAs, as well as at PAs who care for hospitalized patients. Topics might include preoperative management of the surgical patient, intensive care management of the surgical patient (fluids, shock, respiratory complications), the implications of specific medical problems (diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease, etc) for surgical management, or specific surgical pharmacology issues. Clinical images and photographs are encouraged.
What's New in .... (1600 words): This department describes cutting edge advances in various medical specialties and explains their significance to all PAs, particularly those practicing outside the author's specialty. The name of the department changes according to the specialty being featured: What's New in Cardiology, What's New in Dermatology, What's New in Oncology, etc. A What's New manuscript should have 5 sections, organized as follows: (1) WHAT is the new development? (Describe briefly); (2) WHY is it considered to be an advance or an improvement? (Explain.); (3) WHAT do primary care PAs (and others not working in your specialty) most need to know about this new development? (The focus here should be the effects on patients.); (4) WHAT ELSE (if anything) is important to convey about this topic? (Discuss any issue of importance not covered in an earlier section.); (5) What are the 4 or 5 TAKE-HOME POINTS for readers? (summary). Limit the reference list to no more than 10 to 12 items.
When the Patient Asks (850 words maximum per page): This is JAAPA's patient education department and consists of 2 pages printed back to back. The first page of When the Patient Asks is for the PA and provides a brief review of the topic in question, along with no more than 5 to 8 references. The second page is for the patient and provides educational information in a question-and-answer format. The page for the patient should have no references and should be written at a 5th- to 6th-grade reading level. A small table or graphic element may be included if the text is shortened correspondingly.
5. Letters to the Editor
• Letters to the Editor must be written in response to articles published in JAAPA. Letters on other subjects cannot be considered. If you are requesting that we publish a correction, please state this specifically.
• Authors of the published article will be given the opportunity to respond to the letter.
• Letters should be timely and, ideally, should be received within 3 months of the JAAPA article's publication.
• Letters submitted to JAAPA become copyrighted material when they are published. Thus, writers should not submit duplicate letters to any other print or online publication.
• Letters should follow the same scholarly standards required of other content in JAAPA. They should be referenced if appropriate, using evidence-based sources.
• Limit letters to 300 words (including references) and no more than 5 references. Letters will be edited for clarity, style, and length as appropriate.
• All letters must include the writer's full name and degrees, work affiliations, city, state, and e-mail address. Anonymous letters or those in which the writer incompletely identifies himself or herself cannot be considered. In certain cases we will agree to publish a letter with the writer's name withheld, but contact information must be provided when the letter is submitted.
• Submit all letters via e-mail to JAAPA@haymarketmedia.com. Letters are published online only.
6. Problem areas (citing references, submitting images, and borrowing material from another source)
Citing references: Reference lists should not be overly long. Keep in mind that JAAPA content should review the literature selectively and should emphasize what is practical, current, and evidence-based. Consult recent issues of the Journal to get an idea of what constitutes an appropriate reference list. When compiling references for your article, keep the following guidelines in mind:
Cite recent sources. If you are citing a paper that was published more than 5 years ago, the paper should be either one of a kind (a seminal study) or the only source for the data you are citing. If neither of these is the case, you probably either do not need to cite a source at all, or you need to find a more recent one.
Epidemiologic data should be absolutely current. Please look for absolutely the most recent information available.
Cite primary sources whenever possible since these carry the most weight. The primary source is the place where the information was first published. For example, the study where the data on the effectiveness of a certain treatment were first reported is the primary source; a review article that cites this study is a secondary source and is less desirable. Check the paper you are citing carefully to make sure that the authors have not in fact taken their information from another source. If they have, that other source is probably primary.
Cite peer-reviewed journals. Peer-reviewed primary source information appears in such journals, giving them more credibility than textbooks and medical Web sites that provide generic reviews (eMedicine, Up-To-Date, etc).
Multiple references are not required in most cases. Usually, you can cite the most recent reference, the most respected reference, or the primary reference and let it go at that. (If you can't decide which reference is most respected, there probably isn't one. Sometimes this is obvious, however. For instance, if you are citing epidemiology figures for sexually transmitted diseases, probably the best source is MMWR from the CDC.)
Do not reference statements that most clinicians would consider common knowledge. Many citations from textbooks fall into this category.
Do reference all statements that cite data or studies.
Do reference statements that your readers may find controversial.
Do reference anything that is someone else's thoughts, data, or conclusions.
Number references sequentially in the text using superscript Arabic numbers. If a reference is cited more than once, it should always have the number assigned to it at its first occurrence. Key in references at the end of the text in numeric sequence using the form prescribed in the AMA Manual of Style or the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Use the abbreviations for journal titles provided on PubMed. Authors should note that submissions using APA style will not be accepted
Do not use word processing options that automatically number references or embed information in a footnote or endnote. When you key in references at the end of the text, please number them manually. (The easiest way to do this is to use your automatic program up until the point where the manuscript is complete and you are ready to submit. Then go back and manually renumber.)
Save the hard copies of your references after submission. If your article is accepted, we will ask you to send the hard copies to us for use during editing and fact-checking.
A special note on hard copies of references: The standards of scholarship require (1) that authors obtain and read primary source material during the research phase of manuscript preparation and (2) that they not cite anything in a scholarly paper that they haven't read and evaluated themselves. Authors must provide a hard copy of the primary source reference of all material cited when their manuscript is accepted. Abstracts from MEDLINE are not sufficient, nor is it sufficient to cite references that have been cited by another author without first reading the primary source. When we edit and fact-check your article, we must be able to consult the primary source to determine whether the information you have cited is actually in that article and that you have represented it accurately.
Note also that the hard copy of the reference must contain the complete publication information: authors, titles, year of publication, volume and issue number, inclusive page numbers, city/state of publication and publisher (in the case of books), etc.
Providing images: If you have photographs, imaging studies, ECGs, or other visual illustrations to submit with your article, you must provide these as individual digital image files. Images embedded in text files or in PowerPoint are not usable.
Submit high-resolution jpeg or tiff files. Image resolution should be at least 300 dpi, approximately 3"×4" in size. Although small file sizes can sometimes be high resolution, it is usually advisable to submit files that are at least 400KB. Note also that images scanned from a previously printed source, such as a textbook or journal article, cannot be used because they will not reproduce well. We must have original images, either as digital files or hard copies.
Submit images via e-mail or on a CD. Or contact the editor about submitting to our ftp site. Very large files should not be e-mailed as they will crash our system.
Good quality color photographs are also acceptable. Black and white is acceptable only for imaging studies. If you choose to submit hard copies, provide two copies of each photograph and label them clearly. Do not bend photographs or mount them on cardboard. If you want the photographs to be returned to you after publication, include a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Please also do not submit original photographs without keeping a duplicate in your files. And please do not submit original films; these should instead be turned into photographs.
Provide legends or captions for all figures, and label top and bottom clearly for orientation. Legends for photomicrographs should note stain and magnification.
Mark the images to highlight the pathology. If the pathology being shown will not be completely obvious to any and all clinicians, including those working outside your specialty, please place arrows or circles on a hard copy of the image to identify the area of interest and mail us the copy. As an alternative, you may provide two digital copies for the image: One should contain the arrows or circle, and one should be clean and unmarked.
Mail or fax signed releases for photographs showing identifiable persons. A parent or guardian must sign the release for a photograph that shows a child. Download our photo release form here.
Borrowing material from another source: Authors picking up previously published material should not write to the publisher of the material to obtain permission to use it. The JAAPA editorial staff will do that to ensure that we have met necessary legal requirements and that we have permission to use material both in print and online.
Authors should, however, clarify the copyright status for every item in their manuscript that is not part of the main text. ("Every item" means all tables, graphs, algorithms, photos, imaging studies, ECGs, etc.)
On your submission form, list each accessory item and state clearly whether the item is original to you or, if not, who holds the copyright.
For each item, specify one of the following:
1. The accessory material is original to you (and hence requires no permission to use)
2. The material was created by you from material in another source (and hence requires a source or reference line, but does not require permission). In this case, provide the complete publication information for the source.
3. The material was borrowed in its current form from another source (and does require permission). Again, provide the complete publication information.
If any accessory material in your manuscript does require us to write to the original publisher for permission to reuse, please e-mail, fax, or mail us a copy of the original item as it previously appeared in print, along with full contact information for the original publisher. Our legal department requires that we obtain this material and keep it on file.
Please also note the following important points:
Permission is required ONLY if the item appeared in print IN THE SAME FORM that it appears in your article. For example, if you have re-used a table that appeared as a table in the original source, we are legally required to request permission (even if you "adapted" the table or changed it slightly). If, however, you created the table yourself using data or text material from the source, that requires only a source line.
Bear in mind that to reuse material that has been previously published, we must request permission from the ORIGINAL holder of the copyright. In some cases, you may have to determine who that is before we can proceed. It is not uncommon for authors to pick up an item—for example, a table—from a journal article they have read, not realizing that the authors of that journal article themselves picked up the table from yet another, in this case primary, source. To use the table, we must write to the publisher of the primary source because that publisher owns the copyright to the material. Please check all of your accessory items to see whether a primary source is referenced.
Finally, if at all possible, please develop your own accessory material rather than seeking to reuse something that would require us to obtain permission. Increasingly, publishers are charging fees to reuse material, and sometimes these fees are large. Our budget for paying for permissions is limited.
7. How to prepare and submit the manuscript
Specific requirements for the type of manuscript you are submitting are given in the sections on types of articles published. In addition, authors should adhere to the following guidelines:
• When you write, use a plain, readable typeface, such as 12-point Arial or Times New Roman. Do not use decorative or italic fonts that make the manuscript difficult to read. Do not place borders or section breaks in the manuscript or use other types of formatting or stationery that may be difficult to remove or may otherwise make editing difficult.
• Provide an abstract if you are submitting a report of original research. The abstract should be no longer than 150 words. Other feature-length manuscripts and departments do not require abstracts.
• Create all text—the article body, tables, figure captions, etc—in Microsoft Word so that it can be edited. Do not use Excel or any other spreadsheet application to create tables; please create tables using the Microsoft Word table program. PowerPoint may be used if you are providing a graphic illustration, such as a bar graph, that we can recreate; in this instance, supply the numerical data used to create the graphic.
• Provide appropriate headings and subheadings throughout the text that will clarify the organization of information for the reader. Consult recent issues of JAAPA for examples of how to use headings and subheadings.
• Expand all acronyms on first mention. Example: white blood cells (WBCs).
• Provide units of measure for all laboratory values or other clinical measures that are expressed in number form. Example: when giving a blood glucose level, please write 90 mg/dL, not 90.
• Refer to drugs using their generic names. Provide the salt if this helps to clarify which drug you are talking about. Example: use cefuroxime axetil for the oral form and cefuroxime sodium for the IM or IV form. If you are recounting a case and the patient took a specific brand name drug, please provide the brand name as well.
• Be sure that every table and figure has been cited at an appropriate place in the text. Example: "A radiograph of this fracture is shown in Figure 1." Number tables and figures sequentially in the order in which they are to appear.
• Place figures, tables, algorithms, and other accessory material at the end of the file (or in a separate file), and number them consecutively in order of their appearance in the text. Do not embed this material in the body of the text.
• For guidelines regarding images, please see Problem areas above.
• For guidelines regarding the types of references to cite and when to cite them, see Problem areas above.
• Do not include a title page with your article or place any identifying information within the manuscript files themselves that could identify you to a peer reviewer. Instead, download our article submission form, fill it out, and email it to us when you submit your manuscript files. (Please use Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat to complete and save your form.) Submit the manuscript electronically to JAAPA@haymarketmedia.com as an e-mail attachment. Electronic submission of an editable file is required. We cannot consider hard copy manuscripts or pdf files.
8. What happens after manuscript submission
After an article has been submitted to JAAPA, it is screened by editorial staff members, members of the JAAPA editorial board, and/or the department editor (for department manuscripts).
In most cases, articles that pass the preliminary screening are sent to at least two peer reviewers, who determine whether the manuscript will be accepted, rejected, or recommended for revision. Author names are not removed from the manuscript before peer review. Preliminary screening and peer review normally take 8 to 10 weeks.
Some clinical departments do not undergo outside peer review; instead, the department editor works with the author to revise the manuscript. In these cases, the time required to achieve a final manuscript can be shorter than 8 to 10 weeks.
After peer review is complete, JAAPA will notify the corresponding author of the manuscript's status. If revision is recommended, we will send revision instructions to the author. Authors are given access to each individual review, but the reviewers' identities are masked. Authors are asked to provide a revised manuscript for re-evaluation within 6 weeks.
Articles are scheduled for publication after acceptance. They are edited approximately 2 months before publication.
All manuscripts accepted for publication become the property of the Journal and may not be published elsewhere without the written permission of the publisher. Authors must sign copyright release and conflict of interest disclosure forms at the time of manuscript acceptance.
Authors should be aware that JAAPA receives a high volume of submissions and that, as a result, many articles must wait their turn to be published. Case Reports and Review articles that are not appropriate for CME take the longest time to be published. CME articles are typically published within a year of acceptance. Department pieces usually appear within a few months.
All articles that have been accepted and scheduled for publication are subject to editing. Authors should be aware that editing can be extensive and that further revision may be required at the editing stage.
Edited manuscripts are e-mailed to the author for review before printing. Authors are asked to respond with corrections and comments within 1 week of receipt. Authors can make no further changes after this point.
Manuscript submission guidelines last updated 5/2012