Instructions for Authors
SCOPE
The American Journal of Surgical Pathology has achieved worldwide recognition for its outstanding coverage of the state of the art in human surgical pathology. In each monthly issue, experts present original articles, review articles, detailed case reports, and special features, enhanced by superb illustrations. Coverage encompasses technical methods, diagnostic aids, and frozen-section diagnosis, in addition to detailed pathologic studies of a wide range of disease entities.
Instructions for Authors (this page)
Reprint Ordering
Permissions Requests
Reprints
ETHICAL/LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in similar form, in any language, without the consent of Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the study to a significant extent. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts on-line through the journal's Web site at https://www.editorialmanager.com/ajsp. See submission instructions on the next page, under "On-line manuscript submission."
Patient Anonymity and Informed Consent
It is the author's responsibility to ensure that a patient's anonymity be carefully protected and to verify that any experimental investigation with human subjects reported in the manuscript was performed with informed consent and following all the guidelines for experimental investigation with human subjects required by the institution(s) with which all the authors are affiliated. Authors should mask patients' eyes and remove patients' names from figures unless they obtain written consent from the patients and submit written consent with the manuscript.
Conflicts of interest
Authors must state all possible conflicts of interest in the manuscript, including financial, consultant, institutional and other relationships that might lead to bias or a conflict of interest. If there is no conflict of interest, this should also be explicitly stated as none declared. All sources of funding should be acknowledged in the manuscript. All relevant conflicts of interest and sources of funding should be included on the title page of the manuscript with the heading “Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding:”. For example:
Conflicts of Interest and Source of Funding: A has received honoraria from Company Z. B is currently receiving a grant (#12345) from Organization Y, and is on the speaker’s bureau for Organization X – the CME organizers for Company A. For the remaining authors none were declared.
In addition, each author must complete and submit the journal's copyright transfer agreement, which includes a section on the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (www.icmje.org/update.html).
A copy of the form is made available to the submitting author within the Editorial Manager submission process. Co-authors will automatically receive an Email with instructions on completing the form upon submission.
Compliance with NIH and Other Research Funding Agency Accessibility Requirements
A number of research funding agencies now require or request authors to submit the post-print (the article after peer review and acceptance but not the final published article) to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, LWW will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and will transmit the post-print of an article based on research funded in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, or other funding agencies to PubMed Central. The revised Copyright Transfer Agreement provides the mechanism.
Permissions
For permission and/or rights to use content for which the copyright holder is LWW or the society, please go to the journal's website and after clicking on the relevant article, click on the "Request Permissions" link under the "Article Tools" box that appears on the right side of the page. Alternatively, send an e-mail to customercare@copyright.com.
For Translation Rights & Licensing queries, contact Silvia Serra, Translations Rights, Licensing & Permissions Manager, Wolters Kluwer Health (Medical Research) Ltd, 250 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8RD, UK. Phone: +44 (0) 207 981 0600. E-mail: silvia.serra@wolterskluwer.com
For Special Projects and Reprints (U.S./Canada), contact Alan Moore, Director of Sales, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Square, 2001 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Phone: 215-521-8638. E-mail: alan.moore@wolterskluwer.com
For Special Projects and Reprints (non-U.S./Canada), contact Silvia Serra, Translations Rights, Licensing & Permissions Manager, Wolters Kluwer Health (Medical Research) Ltd, 250 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8RD, UK. Phone: +44 (0) 207 981 0600. E-mail: silvia.serra@wolterskluwer.com
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
On-line Manuscript Submission
All manuscripts must be submitted on-line through the new Web site at https://www.editorialmanager.com/ajsp. First-time users: Please click the Register button from the menu above and enter the requested information. On successful registration, you will be sent an e-mail indicating your user name and password. Print a copy of this information for future reference. Note: If you have received an e-mail from us with an assigned user ID and password, or if you are a repeat user, do not register again. Just log in. Once you have an assigned ID and password, you do not have to re-register, even if your status changes (that is, author, reviewer, or editor). Authors: Please click the log-in button from the menu at the top of the page and log in to the system as an Author. Submit your manuscript according to the author instructions. You will be able to track the progress of your manuscript through the system. If you experience any problems, please contact Nancy Kriigel, Managing Editor, njk3q@virginia.edu , 434-924-9136, fax 434-924-8767.
Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals
Authors should read and follow the ICMJE general guidelines for conducting and reporting medical studies, as well as the specific guidelines outlined here for AJSP submissions.
http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review.
Title Page
Include on the title page (a) complete manuscript title; (b) authors' full names, highest academic degrees, and affiliations; (c) name and address for correspondence, including fax number, telephone number, and e-mail address; (d) address for reprints if different from that of corresponding author; and (e) all sources of support, including pharmaceutical and industry support, that require acknowledgment.
The title page must also include disclosure of funding received for this work from any of the following organizations: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Wellcome Trust; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); and other(s).
Unstructured Abstract and Key Words
Abstract must be submitted as a separate file. Limit the abstract to 250 words. It must be factual and comprehensive. Limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms, and avoid general statements (eg, "the significance of the results is discussed"). List three to five key words or phrases.
Text
Organize the manuscript into four main headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. References and figure legends should be placed after the Discussion section. Define abbreviations at first mention in text and in each table and figure. If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer's name and address (city and state/country).
Abbreviations
For a list of standard abbreviations, consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Guide (available from the Council of Science Editors, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other standard sources. Write out the full term for each abbreviation at its first use unless it is a standard unit of measure.
References
The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. Enter the references (double-spaced) in order of citation after the Discussion section. Cite unpublished data—such as papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication and personal communications, including e-mail communications— in parentheses in the text. If there are more than three authors, name only the first three authors and then use et al. Refer to the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus for abbreviations of journal names, or access the list at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html. Sample references are given below:
Journal article
1. Band NS, Dawson JM, Juliao SF, et al. In vivo macrophage recruitment by murine intervertebral disc cells. J Spinal Disord. 2001;14:339--342.
Book chapter
2. Crowe VR. Visual information analysis: frame of reference for visual perception. In: Kramer P, Hinojosa J, eds. Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999:205–256.
Entire book
3. Dellman RM, Marentette LJ. Atlas of Craniomaxillofacial Fixation. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999.
Software
4. Epi Info [computer program]. Version 6. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 1994.
Online journals
5. Friedman SA. Preeclampsia: a review of the role of prostaglandins. Obstet Gynecol [serial online]. January 1988;71:22-37. Available from: BRS Information Technologies, McLean, VA. Accessed December 15, 1990.
Database
6. G-PDQ [database online]. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 1996. Updated March 29, 1996.
World Wide Web
7. Hostin LO. Drug use and HIV/AIDS [JAMA HIV/AIDS Web site]. June 1, 1996. Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/special/hiv/ethics. Accessed June 26, 1997.
Figures & Artwork
A) Creating Digital Artwork
Learn about the publication requirements for Digital Artwork: http://links.lww.com/ES/A42
Create, Scan and Save your artwork and compare your final figure to the Digital Artwork Guideline Checklist (below).
Upload each figure to Editorial Manager in conjunction with your manuscript text and tables.
B) Digital Artwork Guideline Checklist
Here are the basics to have in place before submitting your digital artwork:
Artwork should be saved as TIFF, EPS, or MS Office (DOC, PPT, XLS) files. High resolution PDF files are also acceptable.
Crop out any white or black space surrounding the image.
Diagrams, drawings, graphs, and other line art must be vector or saved at a resolution of at least 1200 dpi. If created in an MS Office program, send the native (DOC, PPT, XLS) file.
Photographs, radiographs and other halftone images must be saved at a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
Photographs and radiographs with text must be saved as postscript or at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.
Each figure must be saved and submitted as a separate file. Figures should not be embedded in the manuscript text file.
Remember:
Cite figures consecutively in your manuscript.
Number figures in the figure legend in the order in which they are discussed.
Upload figures consecutively to the Editorial Manager web site and enter figure numbers consecutively in the Description field when uploading the files.
When submitting single-column width figures, the editor strongly recommends that these be oriented vertically to allow larger image size. The orientation of the figures in the electronic submission will be interpreted by the production staff as the desired orientation in the final publication. Therefore, authors should submit single-column figures oriented vertically if at all possible.
Figure Legends
Legends must be submitted for all figures. They should be brief and specific, and they should appear on a separate manuscript page after the references. Use scale markers in the image for electron micrographs, and indicate the type of stain used.
Color Figures
The journal accepts for publication color figures that will enhance an article. Beginning January 1, 2013, all figures submitted to the journal in color will be produced in color in print and online at no charge to the author.
Tables
Create tables using the table creating and editing feature of your word processing software (eg, Word, WordPerfect). Do not use Excel or comparable spreadsheet programs. Group all tables in a separate file. Cite tables consecutively in the text, and number them in that order. Each table should appear on a separate page and should include the table title, appropriate column heads, and explanatory legends (including definitions of any abbreviations used). Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript. They should be self-explanatory and should supplement, rather than duplicate, the material in the text.
Style
Pattern manuscript style after the American Medical Association Manual of Style (9th edition). Stedman's Medical Dictionary (27th edition) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) should be used as standard references. Refer to drugs and therapeutic agents by their accepted generic or chemical names, and do not abbreviate them. Use code numbers only when a generic name is not yet available. In that case, supply the chemical name and a figure giving the chemical structure of the drug is required. Copyright or trade names of drugs should be capitalized and placed in parentheses after the name of the drug. Names and locations (city and state in USA; city and country outside USA) of manufacturers of drugs, supplies, or equipment cited in a manuscript are required to comply with trademark law and should be provided in parentheses. Units of measure should be expressed in the metric system, and temperatures should be expressed in degrees Celsius. Conventional units should be written as SI units as appropriate.
Supplemental Digital Content:
Authors may submit supplemental digital content to enhance their article's text and to be considered for online-only posting. Supplemental digital content may include the following types of content: text documents, graphs, tables, figures, graphics, illustrations, audio, and video. Cite all supplemental digital content consecutively in the text. Citations should include the type of material submitted, should be clearly labeled as "Supplemental Digital Content," should include a sequential number, and should provide a brief description of the supplemental content. Provide a legend of supplemental digital content at the end of the text. List each legend in the order in which the material is cited in the text. The legends must be numbered to match the citations from the text. Include a title and a brief summary of the content. For audio and video files, also include the author name, videographer, participants, length (minutes), and size (MB). Authors should mask patients' eyes and remove patients' names from supplemental digital content unless they obtain written consent from the patients and submit written consent with the manuscript. Copyright and Permission forms for article content including supplemental digital content must be completed at the time of submission.
Supplemental Digital Content
Supplemental Digital Content (SDC): Authors may submit SDC via Editorial Manager to LWW journals that enhance their article's text to be considered for online posting. SDC may include standard media such as text documents, graphs, audio, video, etc. On the Attach Files page of the submission process, please select Supplemental Audio, Video, or Data for your uploaded file as the Submission Item. If an article with SDC is accepted, our production staff will create a URL with the SDC file. The URL will be placed in the call-out within the article. SDC files are not copy-edited by LWW staff, they will be presented digitally as submitted. For a list of all available file types and detailed instructions, please visit http://links.lww.com/A142.
SDC Call-outs
Supplemental Digital Content must be cited consecutively in the text of the submitted manuscript. Citations should include the type of material submitted (Audio, Figure, Table, etc.), be clearly labeled as "Supplemental Digital Content," include the sequential list number, and provide a description of the supplemental content. All descriptive text should be included in the call-out as it will not appear elsewhere in the article.
Example:
We performed many tests on the degrees of flexibility in the elbow (see Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1, which demonstrates elbow flexibility) and found our results inconclusive.
List of Supplemental Digital Content
A listing of Supplemental Digital Content must be submitted at the end of the manuscript file. Include the SDC number and file type of the Supplemental Digital Content. This text will be removed by our production staff and not be published.
Example:
Supplemental Digital Content 1. wmv
SDC File Requirements
All acceptable file types are permissible up to 10 MBs. For audio or video files greater than 10 MBs, authors should first query the journal office for approval. For a list of all available file types and detailed instructions, please visit http://links.lww.com/A142.
www.themedicaleditor.com
www.biosciencewriters.com
www.bostonbioedit.com
www.sciencedocs.com
www.prof-editing.com
www.journalexperts.com
Please note that neither The American Journal of Surgical Pathology nor Lippincott Williams & Wilkins takes responsibility for, or endorses, these services. Their use does not guarantee acceptance of a manuscript for publication.
AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Compliance with NIH and Other Research Funding Agency Public Access Requirements
A number of research funding agencies require or request authors to submit the post-print (the article after peer review and acceptance but not the final published article) to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, WK will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and will transmit the post-print of an article based on research funded in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, or Howard Hughes Medical Institute, to PubMed Central. Authors may indicate such funding when completing the Copyright Transfer Agreement.
Open access
Authors of accepted peer-reviewed articles have the choice to pay a fee to allow perpetual unrestricted online access to their published article to readers globally, immediately upon publication. Authors may take advantage of the open access option at the point of acceptance to ensure that this choice has no influence on the peer review and acceptance process. These articles are subject to the journal's standard peer-review process and will be accepted or rejected based on their own merit.
The article processing charge (APC) is charged on acceptance of the article and should be paid within 30 days by the author, funding agency or institution. Payment must be processed for the article to be published open access. For a list of journals and pricing please visit our Wolters Kluwer Open Health Journals page.
Authors retain copyright
Authors retain their copyright for all articles they opt to publish open access. Authors grant Wolters Kluwer an exclusive license to publish the article and the article is made available under the terms of a Creative Commons user license. Please visit our Open Access Publication Process page for more information.
Creative Commons license
Open access articles are freely available to read, download and share from the time of publication under the terms of the Creative Commons License Attribution-NonCommerical No Derivative (CC BY-NC-ND) license. This license does not permit reuse for any commercial purposes nor does it cover the reuse or modification of individual elements of the work (such as figures, tables, etc.) in the creation of derivative works without specific permission.
Compliance with funder mandated open access policies
An author whose work is funded by an organization that mandates the use of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license is able to meet that requirement through the available open access license for approved funders. Information about the approved funders can be found here: http://www.wkopenhealth.com/inst-fund.php
FAQ for open access
http://www.wkopenhealth.com/openaccessfaq.php
Page Proofs and Corrections
Corresponding authors will receive electronic page proofs to check the copyedited and typeset article before publication. Portable document format (PDF) files of the typeset pages and support documents (eg, reprint order form) will be sent to the corresponding author by e-mail. Complete instructions will be provided with the e-mail for downloading and printing the files and for faxing the corrected page proofs to the publisher. Those authors without an e-mail address will receive traditional page proofs. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proofs. Changes that have been made to conform to journal style will stand if they do not alter the authors' meaning. Only the most critical changes to the accuracy of the content will be made. Changes that are stylistic or are a reworking of previously accepted material will be disallowed. The publisher reserves the right to deny any changes that do not affect the accuracy of the content. Authors may be charged for alterations to the proofs beyond those required to correct errors or to answer queries. Proofs must be checked carefully and corrections faxed within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, as requested in the cover letter accompanying the page proofs.
Reprints
Authors will receive a reprint order form and a price list with the page proofs. Reprint requests should be faxed to the publisher with the corrected proofs, if possible. Reprints are normally shipped 6 to 8 weeks after publication of the issue in which the item appears. For any questions regarding reprints or publication fees, contact the Reprint Department by mail at Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 351 W. Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201; by phone at 1-800-341-2258; via e-mail at reprints@wolterskluwer.com; or by fax at 410-528-4434.
Publisher's Contact
Fax corrected page proofs and any other related materials to Proof Manager, American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 1-866-978-5767.
