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Irogers{at}ajroffice.org
But be advised. Just as with the performance of research, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about writing a paper. After all that work on the research, this is no time to get hasty or sloppy. The preparation of a manuscript takes time, effort, and the same attention to detail that was required to perform the research in the first place.
A poorly prepared manuscript may negate all the hard work you and your colleagues put into the research project. A poorly prepared manuscript can lead reviewers and editors to question the validity of your research. In fact, a poorly prepared manuscript may cast your work in such a poor light that the paper is rejected.
So take pains to prepare your manuscript properly.
First, select a journal that is most appropriate for your paper.
Second, and most important, get a copy of that journal's most recently published guidelines for authors. Most journals base their guidelines on instructions set forth in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" [1]. As a result, author guidelines are similar from one journal to another, but it is unlikely that they are precisely the same. Some journals, such as the AJR, publish their guidelines in each issue; other journals may publish theirs quarterly, or even less often. The Guidelines of the AJR are also available on the Web at www.arrs.org/pdf/authguide.pdf, which can be accessed directly or through the Web sites of the ARRS (www.arrs.org) or the AJR (www.ajronline.org). Such guidelines are subject to change without notice, so make certain you have the most recent version published by the journal to which you plan to submit your paper. Don't assume that all guidelines for authors are the same. Don't cut corners and try to use the guidelines of another journal.
Third, read and follow the guidelines when writing your paper. An Author's Checklist (Appendix 1 on the reverse of this page) in the AJR Guidelines for Authors describes the format and style to use for the title page, abstract, tables, references, and figures and legends for articles submitted to our Journal. Share our Guidelines with whoever is actually typing the manuscript and provide a copy of the Guidelines to any copy editor who assists you with your manuscript.
Remind typists to use the spell checker. Poor spelling gives manuscript reviewers and editors a bad impression. If authors are sloppy with the simple nuts and bolts of a manuscript, they might well have been just as sloppy with their research. If English is not your native language, seek the assistance of someone who has command of the English language to review and correct your manuscript.
Audible groans are often emitted in the AJR Editorial Office when the mails arrive with manuscripts from certain institutions. These institutions shall remain nameless, but they often enjoy national and international academic reputations of the highest order. But these same institutions have become notorious among the AJR staff for not following our Guidelines for Authors. Some researchers at these institutions seem to have the attitude that they don't follow guidelines, they write them. It takes a lot of extra work for our staff to identify and correct the resultant deficiencies in their manuscripts. Frequently, a manuscript must be returned to the authors because it has been submitted single-spaced, or the manuscript must be held back from being reviewed because it is incomplete, missing some component—for instance, a second set of figures or even the figure legends themselves. Such carelessness creates more work for all involved.
Much of this extra effort could be avoided if authors would check their manuscripts closely to make certain they are complete and properly prepared before they are submitted. The AJR provides an Author's Checklist (Appendix 1) for this purpose. In fact, authors are requested to complete this Checklist. However, some authors appear to make the requested check marks without ever taking the trouble to actually read the list and verify that their manuscripts are complete and follow our instructions. As a result, certain manuscripts arrive incomplete or improperly prepared. That is unfortunate. Corresponding authors would save themselves and others a lot of trouble if, before manuscripts are submitted, they would take the time to actually read our Checklist to determine if their papers truly comply with the requirements of our Journal.
And for heaven's sake, if your article has been rejected by one journal and you are now submitting it to another journal, make certain that, at the very least, you prepare a new cover letter before sending the paper onward. It is also possible that a new title page will be required. The AJR has actually received papers with notes scrawled on the title page, or with Post-its applied thereto, that read something like, "Charlie, bad news. Paper rejected by Radiology. Turn it around and send it to the AJR. Thanks, Susie." No, I am not making this up. True story (although, admittedly, the names have been changed to protect the guilty). Also true that we have received manuscripts accompanied by cover letters addressed to the editor of another journal or cover letters that contain a statement to the effect that the authors "are pleased to submit our article to such an outstanding journal as — [which was, of course, the name of a journal other than the AJR]." I phone the corresponding author when this happens. Needless to say, the author is embarrassed; although, in this circumstance, all I am trying to do is be helpful. After all, we must establish to which journal the author actually intended to submit the paper.
So seek guidance to avoid embarrassment and the rejection of your academic efforts. Turn to the Guidelines for Authors in preparing your manuscripts for submission. Find out what you are supposed to do and know where you are headed. Our Guidelines are a map. Find the yellow brick road and follow it. It is the road to publishing success.
APPENDIX I. AJR Author's Checklist
Complete the following checklist, sign the copyright agreement, and
include both with the manuscript.
___All authors must have signed a copyright form.
___A cover letter has been included, signed by the corresponding author, that lists phone, fax, and e-mail contacts and states the type of article being submitted.
___Two copies of the manuscript (the original and a photocopy) and two complete sets of figures are submitted. The author has retained one copy of the manuscript and the figures.
___If appropriate, AJR Guidelines for types of articles other than major papers have been followed.
___The manuscript, including references, tables, and figure legends, is printed double-spaced in 12-point typeface on 81/2 x11 inch (21.6x27.9 cm) nonerasable paper and printed on both sides of the page, if possible. Right-hand margins are not justified.
___All manuscript pages are numbered consecutively beginning with the abstract. Neither authors' names nor their affiliations appear anywhere on the manuscript pages or on the images.
___The manuscript for a major paper is organized as follows: title page, blind title page (title only), abstract, introduction, materials (or subjects) and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, references, tables, figure legends, and figures.
___For any study involving human subjects (or animals), state in the Subjects (or Materials) and Methods section of the manuscript that an appropriate institutional review board approved the study.
___Informed consent has been obtained from patients who participated in clinical investigations. If experiments were performed on animals, authors complied with NIH guidelines for use of laboratory animals.
___Use of acronyms and abbreviations is discouraged and kept to a minimum. When used, they are defined at first mention, followed by the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses.
___SI measurements are used throughout, or the SI equivalent is given in parentheses.
___Names and locations (city and state only) of manufacturers are given for equipment and nongeneric drugs.
___Upon acceptance, the final version is submitted in a single file on a 31/2-inch diskette in MS Word or Word-Perfect format for Macintosh, MS-DOS, or Windows.
Title Page
___The following information is given: title of article; names and
complete addresses (including zip code) of all authors; present addresses of
authors who have moved since study; and acknowledgment of grants or other
assistance. The corresponding author is clearly identified, and a present
address, telephone and fax numbers, and an e-mail contact are given.
___A blind title page is included after the title page in each copy of the manuscript, giving only the title (without the authors' names) for use in the review process.
Abstract
___An abstract of one typewritten page (250 words or fewer) is organized
into the following paragraphs.
Objective. In one or two sentences, indicate the specific goal or purpose of the article, and indicate why it is worthy of attention. Explain the hypothesis to be tested, the dilemma to be resolved, or the deficiency to be remedied. The objective stated here must be identical to the one given in the title and introduction of the paper.
Materials (or Subjects) and Methods. Describe succinctly the methods used to achieve the objective explained in the first paragraph, stating what was done, how it was done, how bias was controlled, what data were collected, and how the data were analyzed.
Results. The findings of the methods described in the preceding paragraph are presented here. All results should flow logically from the methods described and not stray from the specific objective of the paper. Include as many specific data as possible within the overall length limitation of one typewritten page.
Conclusion. In one or two sentences, present the message to be remembered when all else is forgotten. Describe the conclusion of the study, based solely on the data provided in the body of the abstract. Conclusions must relate directly to the objective of the paper as defined in the title and first paragraph of the abstract.
___Do not use abbreviations. Do not use reference citations.
References
___References (not to exceed 35) are typed double-spaced, start on a
separate page, and are numbered consecutively in the order in which they
appear in the text.
___All references are cited in the text, are enclosed in brackets, and are typed on line with the text (not superscripted).
___Unpublished data are not cited in the reference list, but are cited parenthetically in the text, for example: (Smith DJ, personal communication), (Smith DJ, unpublished data). This includes papers submitted, but not yet accepted, for publication.
___Papers presented at a meeting are not cited in the reference list but are cited parenthetically in the text, for example: (Smith DJ et al., presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting, May 1996). After first mention, use (Smith DJ et al., ARRS meeting, May 1996).
___Inclusive page numbers (e.g., 333-335) are given for all references.
___Journal names are abbreviated according to Index Medicus.
___Style and punctuation of references follow the format illustrated in the following examples. (All authors are listed when six or fewer, when seven or more authors, the first three are listed, followed by et al.)
Journal article
1. Long RS, Roe EW, Wu EU, et al. Membrane oxygenation: radiographic
appearance. AJR 1986;146:1257-1260
Book
2. Smith LW, Cohen AR. Pathology of tumors, 6th ed. Baltimore:
Williams & Wilkins, 1977:100-109
Chapter in a book
3. Breon AJ. Serum monitors of bone metastasis. In: Clark SA, ed. Bone
metastases. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1983:165-180
Tables
___Each table is printed double-spaced in 12-point typeface on a separate
page without vertical or horizontal rules; each table has a short, descriptive
title. Tables do not exceed two pages in length and must contain at least four
lines and two columns of data.
___Tables are numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text.
___Abbreviations are defined in an explanatory note below each table.
___Tables are self-explanatory and do not duplicate data given in the text or figures.
___All arithmetic (percentages, totals, differences) has been double-checked for accuracy, and tabular data agree with data given in the text.
Figures and Legends
___Two complete sets of original figures are submitted unmounted in
envelopes. Figure numbers correspond to the order in which the figures are
cited in the text.
___Figures are clean, unscratched, glossy prints, uniform in size and magnification, with white borders. A separate print (not larger than 5 x 7 inches [13 x 18 cm]) is submitted for each figure part.
___Images that have been electronically enhanced or manipulated are identified and alterations are described. Original image accompanies the altered image.
___All figure parts relating to one patient have the same figure number.
___Each figure has on its back a nonremovable label with the figure number and an arrow indicating "top." Never write directly on images.
___Authors' names and affiliations are not written on the backs of figures nor do they appear in the images themselves.
___Only removable (rub-on) arrows and letters are used on figures. Symbols are uniform in size and style, are large enough to withstand reduction, are not broken or cracked, and are applied directly on the figure.
___Line drawings and graphs are done in black ink on a white background, using the same size type as the text, and are output to a 600 dpi or better printer. Avoid 0.5-mm/rule hairline.
___Written permission to reprint in print and electronic media, including online use, has been obtained for use of all previously published illustrations (and copies of permission letters are included), and an appropriate credit line is given in the legends. A form is available at www.arrs.org for this purpose.
___Legends use AJR style: Fig. 1.—47-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis. For each subject, supply age, sex, and condition or diagnosis.
___Authors wishing to submit images electronically—in addition to submitting prints required for cropping—can receive instructions by contacting the publisher at 800-438-2777 or by accessing the ARRS Web site at www.arrs.org.
___When published, figures become the property of AJR/ARRS and will be returned only on written request to the publisher in Leesburg, VA.
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