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Guide for Authors
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Donald E Stull, PhD
Health Outcomes Research in Medicine
United BioSource Corporation
20 Bloomsbury Square
London WC1A 2NS
MANAGING EDITOR
David Newcombe
Stellar
Medical Publications
20 North Street-Unit 1
Plymouth, MA 02360
Tel: 508-732-6767 ext. 11
Fax: 508-732-6766
dnewcombe@stellarmed.com
PUBLISHER
Elsevier Inc.
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010-1710 USA
Pamela M. Poppalardo
Publishing
Director
Voice: 212-633-3911
Fax: 212-633-3913
Cell: 201-755-5957
p.poppalardo@elsevier.com
Editorial Policies
General Information
Health Outcomes Research in Medicine (HRIM) publishes Original
Research Articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, examples of putting research into practice, research methods didactics,
comparative effectiveness studies, health policy papers, letters to the editor, editorials, and commentaries. There will be periodic
supplements on special topics. Contributors are welcome to submit suggestions for supplements. Invited Commentaries, Special Articles, Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs, Inc. (AMSPDC) commentaries, Insights, Letters to the Editor,
and Supplements.
Duplicate/Prior/Overlapping Publication or Submission
Manuscripts are accepted for review with
the stipulation that they are submitted solely to HRIM. The Journal will not consider for review manuscripts that have
been published elsewhere, even if in another language, manuscripts that are being considered by another publication, are in press, or
will be published or submitted elsewhere. Although poster presentations and abstracts are not considered duplicate publication, they
should be stated in the initial letter of submission.
If any part of a manuscript by the same author(s) contains any information that
was previously published, is in press, or is under consideration by another publication, a reprint of the previous article or a copy
of the other manuscript must be submitted to the Editor at the point of submission, with a justification or explanation by the authors
of any potential overlap or duplication.
The Editors are disinclined to publish more than one paper arising from the study of the
same patient population. Please combine papers from the same study whenever possible. If you are unable to combine the papers, a reprint
of the other article(s) or a copy of the other manuscript(s) must be submitted to the Editor at the point of submission, with a justification
or explanation by the authors as to why the papers could not be combined.
If the Editor is made aware of such overlapping or duplicate
manuscripts that have not been disclosed by the authors, a written explanation will be requested. If, in the judgment of the Editor,
the explanation is inadequate, the submission will be rejected. If there is no disclosure, an appropriate official of the primary author's
academic institution may be notified.
Authorship Criteria
As a condition of authorship, all authors must have seen and
approved the submission of the manuscript and be willing to take responsibility for the entire manuscript. Multi-authored manuscripts
must have a declaration of each author's contributions in the letter of submission. If there are concerns about how all persons listed
as authors meet the criteria for authorship according to the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals:
Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" available at www.icmje.org,
we will request further information from the corresponding author and, if necessary, request written documentation of each person's work
on the report. The names, along with any conflicts of interest, funding sources, and industry-relation, of persons who have contributed
substantially to a study but who do not fulfill the criteria for authorship are to be listed in the Acknowledgment section of HRIM. This
section should include individuals who provided any writing, editorial, statistical assistance, etc.
If the byline includes the
name of a study group, a list of all members of the study group must be provided and would be published in the online version of The
Journal. All authors of a submitted manuscript must sign a form declaring that they meet the criteria for authorship according to www.icmje.org, approve the most recent submitted version of the manuscript, and take full responsibility for the manuscript. This form will be sent
to the corresponding author when the Editors reach a decision that the manuscript may be potentially publishable. An explanation for
adding, removing, or changing the order of an author(s) must be provided with direct verification from the added/removed author(s).
Ethical
Approval of Studies and Informed Consent
Research manuscripts must include a statement in the Methods section that ethical approval
for human research was received from the appropriate independent review board (IRB) and/or meets the Helsinki Declaration. If this study
was not approved by the appropriate IRB, include a statement as to why it was exempt.
Manuscripts describing research involving human
subjects should indicate that written informed consent was obtained from the parents or guardians of the children who served as subjects
of the investigation and, when appropriate, from the subjects themselves. In the event that either the Editors or the reviewers question
the propriety of the human investigation with respect to the risk to the subjects or to the means by which informed consent was obtained,
HRIM may request more detailed information about the safeguards employed and the procedures used to obtain informed consent. Copies of
the minutes of the committees that reviewed and approved the research also may be requested. Authors should verify compliance with the
Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) prior to submission.
Clinical Trials Registration
Although currently not required for submission or publication, the Editors encourage registration of clinical trials in an appropriate
registry. Provide the site of the registry and the registration number in the letter of submission and on the title page; this information
may be published. Please see the guidelines for registering clinical trials at  http://www.icmje.org/#clin_trials.
Conflict
of Interest/Disclosure Policy
Potential conflicts
of interest for all authors should be discussed in a separate document. An electronic cover letter from the corresponding
author is acceptable. Authors of all articles, editorials, commentaries, and letters/replies to the editor should disclose any affiliation
with any organization with a financial interest, direct or indirect, in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (ie,
consultancies, employment, expert testimony, honoraria, retainers, stock) that may affect the conduct or reporting of the work submitted.
If uncertain as to what might be considered a potential conflict of interest, authors should err on the side of full disclosure. Information
about potential conflict of interest will be made available to reviewers and will be published with the manuscript at the discretion
of the editors.
Preparation of Manuscripts
General Information
Manuscripts are to be submitted via the
Elsevier Editorial System (EES), the electronic submission website at http://ees.elsevier.com/horm. Authors should review
carefully the Authors' Tutorial for the system at http://ees.elsevier.com/eeshelp/EES_Author_Tutorial.html. Manuscripts
must adhere to standard layout and length guidelines, outlined below. After submission, the corresponding author can log onto EES to
view the status of the manuscript. All accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial revision and shortening. Authors should avoid redundancy
between sections of text and between illustrations and text.
Letter of Submission
A letter of submission must accompany
all submissions and provide the following information in accordance with the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical
Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" available at http://www.icmje.org :
- Disclosure of any
prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information including Methods; a copy of the work(s) must be provided; or a statement
that there are no prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information;
- A statement that the work is not and
will not be submitted to any other journal while under consideration by Health Outcomes Research in Medicine;
- A statement
of any potential conflict of interest, real or perceived, the role of the study sponsor, and additional disclosures, if any; this must
also appear on the title page;
- A statement that each author listed on the manuscript has seen and approved the submission
of this version of the manuscript and takes full responsibility for the manuscript; if more than 6 authors, an explanation of the contributions
of each author must be provided.
Potential Reviewers
To assist with a prompt, fair review process, authors
should provide in the letter of submission the names, complete addresses, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses of 3 to 4 potential
reviewers who have the appropriate expertise to evaluate the manuscript. Failure to provide 3 to 4 potential reviewers may result in
delays in the processing of your manuscript. Authors may also provide the names of persons who should not be asked to review the manuscript.
Ultimately, the Editors reserve the right to choose reviewers.
Title Page
The title page should include authors' full
names and highest academic degrees; departmental and institutional affiliations of each author; and sources of financial assistance or
potential conflicts of interest, if any (see Conflicts of Interest/Disclosure Policy). Listed authors should include only those
individuals who have made a significant, creative contribution to the manuscript as defined by the International Committee of Medical
Journal Editors (www.icmje.org); a list of more than 6 authors must be justified
to the Editors in the letter of submission. One author must be designated as the correspondent, with complete address, business telephone
number, fax number, and e-mail address. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the Editorial Office and all other
co-authors. Proofs and order forms for reprints will be sent to the corresponding author if the manuscript is published. Include a list
of key words not in the title. Trade names of drugs and other products must not appear in the article title.
Drug Nomenclature
Drugs should be described in both the United States Adopted Name (USAN) and International Nonproprietary Name (INN) nomenclature.
At first usage (once in the Abstract and once in the Methods section), cite the USAN, with the INN and manufacturer name in parentheses;
subsequent appearances should use the USAN only. Trade names of drugs and other products must not appear in the article title. The trade
name may appear once in the abstract and once in the introduction or methods section; all other mention of the product must be in the
form of the generic name.
Laboratory Values
Laboratory values should be described in metric mass units. The International
System of Units (SI units) can be provided in parentheses immediately after metric units. Conversion tables are available (see JAMA 1986;
255:2329-39 or Ann Intern Med 1987; 106:114-29).
References
References must be numbered according to order of appearance
in the text and use superscript or parenthesized numbers in the text. For reference style, follow the format set forth in "Uniform Requirements
for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" ( http://www.icmje.org/ ) and the National Library of Medicine of the U.S.
National Institutes of Health ( http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html ).
Tables
Tables are
to be uploaded into EES as separate files, formatted in .doc or .xls. A concise title should be supplied for each. Tables should be self-explanatory
and should supplement, not duplicate, the text. If a table or any data therein have been previously published, a footnote must give full
credit to the original source. (See Permissions)
Figure Legends
Each illustration must be provided with a legend.
Legends should be double-spaced on a separate page within the main document file following the references page. If an illustration has
been previously published, the legend must give full credit to the original source. (See Permissions)
Illustrations
A reasonable number of black-and-white illustrations will be reproduced at no cost to the authors, but the Editors retain the right
to edit or delete illustrations and tables for the sake of brevity (See Article Type). Figure legends must be separate from the
figures. (See Figure Legends) Each figure must be uploaded into EES as a separate file.
All illustrations must be clear and
legible. Patterns or shadings must be distinguishable from each other and dark enough for reproduction. Lines, symbols, and letters must
be smooth and complete. Illustrations may be original drawings in black ink with typographic lettering; typewritten or freehand lettering
is unacceptable.
Color illustrations are acceptable. Note that the colors must be of sufficient contrast for viewing on color monitors/screens.
If the Editors determine that color illustrations will be clear in black and white, the illustrations may be published online in black.
All images should be at least 5 inches wide. Images may be provided in a variety of formats, preferably .tif, .eps, or .jpg. Line
art (black lines on a white background) must be created at 1000 dpi. Combination line art (e.g. line art with gray fill patterns) must
be created at 1200 dpi. Black and white or color photographs must be created at 300 dpi. For complete instructions, please go to http://ees.elsevier.com/horm/
and click on
Artwork Guidelines
. If you are unable to upload illustrations into EES, please go to http://ees.elsevier.com/horm/
and click on
Help
to contact EES Technical Support.
Multi-Media Files
In addition, short movie, animation,
or audio files can be published in the online version of The Journal; a reference to the electronic material would appear in
the print version. Each file should be uploaded into EES as an "e-component." For specifications for these types of files, please go
to http://ees.elsevier.com/horm/ and click on
Artwork Guidelines
.
Permissions
Direct quotations,
tables, or illustrations, even if modified, that have appeared in copyrighted material must be accompanied by written permission for
their use from the copyright owner and original authors along with complete information as to source. For further information on how
to obtain permission, please go to www.elsevier.com/permissions
and follow the instructions.
Written permission from the patient, or parent or guardian of a minor child, is required for publication
of photographs or other images that include the upper portion of the face; black bars over the eyes are not sufficient. Patient initials
should not be used anywhere in the text, tables, or figures.
Abbreviations
Complex terms used frequently in the manuscript
may be abbreviated. Abbreviations are placed in parentheses at first use in the abstract and again at first use in the text. The manuscript
should include a list of all abbreviations used.
Article Types
Original Articles
Full-length manuscripts
for the Original Articles section of Health Outcomes Research in Medicine must include a structured abstract of ?250 words,
to appear after the title page, in the general outline described by the Ad Hoc Working Group for Critical Appraisal of the Medical Literature
(Ann Intern Med 1987; 106:598-604 and 1990; 113:69-76). The abstract must contain the following headings: Objective(s), Study design,
Results, and Conclusion(s). The objective(s) reflects the purpose of the study, that is, the hypothesis that is being tested. The study
design should include the type of study, the setting for the study, the subjects (number and type), the treatment or intervention, principal
outcomes measured, and the type of statistical analysis. The results section should include the outcome of the study and statistical
significance if appropriate. The conclusion(s) states the significance and relevance of the results to clinical practice and health care.
Original research articles should not exceed 6 published pages (about 18 double-spaced manuscript pages, including the title page,
references, figures, and tables). Failure to comply with length restrictions may result in a delay in the processing of your paper.
The following length targets are recommended for Original Articles:
Structured Abstract: ?250 words
Introduction: 1 page
Methods: 2-3 pages
Results: 2-3 pages
Discussion: 3-5 pages
Graphics: 4 Tables + Figures total for OA
References: 30
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor should pertain to papers published in Health Outcomes Research in Medicine
within the past year or to related topics and should not exceed 300 words. Provide a unique title for the Letter on the title page with
complete contact information for the author(s). Double-space the text of the Letter. References, including reference to the pertinent
article(s) in The Journal, should conform to style for manuscripts (see References).
Invited Commentaries
Commentaries are generally invited only. Authors who wish to propose a commentary should e-mail a proposal letter and outline to the
Editors for approval before submitting the full manuscript. Commentaries should serve as a forum for governmental health policies, economic
issues, medical/scientific ethics, psychosocial issues, and international health, particularly in the developed world.
Methods Corner
Manuscripts presenting new statistical or research methodologies of relevance to health outcomes and clinical research or comparative
effectiveness and health policy should provide some non-technical discussion of the method, its relevance to the readers of the journal,
and how the method provides new insights to our understanding of health outcomes in medicine and health care practice and policy. The
Journal encourages authors to include any software syntax and corresponding data or matrices to allow readers to conduct the analyses
themselves as part of the didactics of this section.
Supplements
HRIM publishes funded supplements after approval
and review by the Editorial Office. Initial inquiries and proposals for supplements should be directed to
- Brian Jenkins,
Senior Supplements Editor
Elsevier Supplements Department
360 Park Avenue South
New York, NY 10010
Tel: 212-462-1924
Fax: 212-462-1935
E-mail: b.jenkins@elsevier.com
Books for Review
HRIM does not publish
book reviews. Books sent to the Editor will not be returned.
Decisions
Authors will receive e-mail notification from the
Editorial Office of HRIM after a decision has been made. All accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial revision and shortening.
Authors should avoid redundancy between sections of text and between illustrations and text.
Inquiries Regarding Decisions
All inquiries concerning manuscript decisions should be in writing from the designated corresponding author; please see contact information
above. The complete manuscript file will be forwarded to the appropriate Editor for response to the inquiry. The Editors are not available
for telephone calls regarding decisions.
Release to Media/Embargo Policy
It is a violation of the copyright agreement
to disclose the findings of an accepted manuscript to the media or the public before publication in HRIM. Information in the
manuscript may be announced when it is published on The Journal's website. Please notify the Editorial Office if your institution
anticipates writing and distributing a press release regarding an accepted article.
Public Access Policy Mandate
As of
April 7, 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a revision to its Public Access Policy for accepted manuscripts receiving
NIH funding. Please see Elsevier's NIH Policy Statement for details ( http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authors.authors/nihauthorrequest
). Additional funding body agreements and policies can be found at http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/fundingbodyagreements.
Checklist for Manuscripts
• Review Guide for Authors and instructions for submitting manuscripts through Elsevier
Editorial System (EES), the electronic submission website at http://ees.elsevier.com/horm
• Letter of submission
- o Names and complete contact information for 3-4 suggested reviewers
o Disclosure of any prior publications or submissions
with any overlapping information, including Methods; a copy of the work(s) must be provided -OR- A statement that there are no prior
publications or submissions with any overlapping information;
o A statement that the work is not and will not be submitted to any
other journal while under consideration by HRIM;
o A statement of any potential conflict
of interest, real or perceived; this includes a description of the role of the study sponsor(s), if any, in 1) study design;
2) the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; 3) the writing of the report; and 4) the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Include statements even when the sponsor had no involvement in the above matters. Also state who wrote the first draft of the manuscript
and whether an honorarium, grant, or other form of payment was given to anyone to produce the manuscript. This information must also
appear on the title page;
o A statement that each author listed on the manuscript has seen and approved the submission of this
version of the manuscript and takes full responsibility for the manuscript; if more than 6 authors, an explanation of the contributions
of each author must be provided (See
Authorship Contributions
).
• Title page
- o Title of
article;
o Full name(s), academic degrees, and affiliations of authors;
o Name, address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers
of corresponding author;
o Name of corresponding author;
o List of key words not in the title;
o Source of funding and conflict
of interest statement, if applicable.
• Abstract (double-spaced), structured (?250 words) for Original Article
• Article proper (double-spaced), including
- o List of abbreviations (double-spaced)
o References (double-spaced),
in a separate section following main body of text
• Tables including title (double-spaced), each on a separate
page, saved and uploaded as a separate file
• Illustrations, each on a separate page, saved and uploaded as a separate
file
• Letter(s) of permission to reproduce previously published material in all forms and media-must be mailed or scanned
and e-mailed
• Letters of permission to publish patient photographs in all forms and media-must be mailed or scanned
and e-mailed
• Copies of prior and/or in press publications-if not uploaded, must be e-mailed, faxed, or mailed
Updated July 2010
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