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Author Guidelines
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Author Guidelines
http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/acr
Arthritis Care & Research Editor: Marian T. Hannan,
DSc, MPH
Hebrew SeniorLife and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Editorial office phone: 919-650-1459
E-mail:[email protected]
Articles are accepted for publication on the condition that they are submitted to this journal only. Articles should pertain to the field of rheumatic disease.
Manuscripts not in compliance with the following instructions may be subject to a delay in the review process.
Arthritis Care & Research, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology and the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals (a division of the College), is a peer-reviewed publication that publishes original research, review articles, and editorials that promote excellence in the clinical practice of rheumatology. Relevant to the care of individuals with rheumatic diseases, major topics are evidence-based practice studies, clinical problems, practice guidelines, educational, social, and public health issues, health economics, health care policy, and future trends in rheumatology practice.
Author Guidelines Table of Contents
Format and organization
Original
Articles
Clinicopathologic
Conferences (CPC)
Brief
Reports
Review
Articles
Letters to the
Editor
English-language
editing service
Clinical assessment instruments
Compliance with research ethics
standards
Illustrations
Tables
Supplementary material
References
Assignment of reviewers
Related manuscripts/duplicate
publication
Authorship criteria
Disclosure of interest
Copyright: Wiley Author Licensing
Service
Author corrections on proofs
Page charges
Format and organization
Manuscripts not in compliance with the following instructions may be subject to a delay in the review process.
Submit all new manuscripts online. Launch your web browser and go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/acr. Check for an existing account. If you are submitting for the first time, create a new account. Follow all instructions. At the end of a successful submission, a confirmation screen with manuscript number will appear and you will receive an e-mail confirming that the manuscript has been received by the journal. If this does not happen, please check your submission and/or contact tech support at [email protected].
Submit manuscript and all figures as one file if possible. You do not need to mail any copies.
An electronic cover letter should accompany the manuscript. Note in cover letter what type of manuscript is enclosed (Original Article, CPCs, Brief Report, Review Article, or Letter to the Editor). Confirm that each individual named as an author meets the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals criteria for authorship (http://www.icmje.org/ethical_1author.html). Confirm that the manuscript has not been submitted or is not simultaneously being submitted elsewhere, and that no portion of the data has been or will be published in proceedings or transactions of meetings or symposium volumes. The publication of data in abstracts, and presentation in oral or poster sessions at meetings, do not constitute previous publication. Indicate any financial support or other benefits from commercial sources for the work reported on in the manuscript, or any other financial interests that any of the authors may have, which could create a potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with regard to the work. Corresponding author should include address, telephone number, fax number, and E-mail address.
Type all pages of the manuscript, including those containing references, tables, and figure legends, double space in 12-point type, with 1- to 1½-inch margins. Number all sheets in succession, including references, tables, and figure legends. Title page is page 1. On the first page, type the running head (short title for top of each page), title (which cannot include any acronyms), name(s) of the author(s) and their major degrees, grant(s) or other financial supporter(s) of the study, address for correspondence and corresponding author's telephone and fax numbers and E-mail address. Also indicate the word count for the manuscript (not including abstract, references, tables, and figure legends). The word and table/figure limits are outlined for each manuscript type below.
Also on the first page, again indicate any financial support or other benefits from commercial sources for the work reported on in the manuscript, or any other financial interests that any of the authors may have, which could create a potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with regard to the work.
Original Articles
Definition: Original Articles are descriptions of original research that adds to the body of knowledge in arthritis and the rheumatic diseases.
On the second page of Original Articles include an abstract of fewer than 250 words. The abstract should be divided into the following sections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
On the third page, included a section titled Significance and Innovations. Provide 2-4 bullet points highlighting the significant and/or innovative findings from your article.
On the fourth page, begin the introduction(no heading is necessary). Follow this plan of organization: Materials and Methods (or Patients and Methods), Results, Discussion, References, Tables, and Figure Legends.
Original Articles should not exceed 3,800 words from introduction through discussion (not including references, tables, and figure legends). The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 6, and the number of references may not exceed 50.
Clinicopathologic Conferences (CPC)
Definition: CPCs emphasize new ideas in medical science that shed light on the approach to diagnosis, disease management, or an emerging aspect of pathophysiology. The editors welcome queries about cases that might be appropriate subjects for CPCs, and invite submissions of CPCs.
No abstract is necessary. On the second page, begin the case presentation using the following headings (as applicable): Case Presentation (history of the present illness, past medical history, social and family history, review of systems, physical examination, laboratory evaluation) Case Summary, Differential Diagnosis, Discussion, the Patients' Course, Final Diagnosis.
Brief Reports
Definition: Brief reports are short articles of original research consistent with the mission of Arthritis Care & Research to publish articles relevant to clinical care and public policy for people with rheumatic diseases.
Brief reports should not exceed 2,500 words from introduction through discussion. On the second page, include an abstract of fewer than 250 words. The abstract should be divided into the following sections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. On the third page, include a section titled Significance and Innovations. Provide 2-4 bullet points highlighting the significant and/or Innovative findings from your article. The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 3, and the number of references may not exceed 15.
Review Articles
Definition: Review Articles are discussions of clinical, economic, or basic science issues involved in arthritis care and research.
Review Articles should not exceed 3,800 words from introduction through references. The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 3. This category does not apply to Systematic Reviews. Please submit Systematic Reviews as Original Articles and follow the format for Original Articles.
Letters to the Editor
Definition: Letters to the Editor should be limited to commentaries on previous articles published in Arthritis Care & Research and issues affecting rheumatology and the American College of Rheumatology. Letters that are commentaries on previous articles must be submitted within 6 months after publication of the article. Length of Letters to the Editor should be no more than 2 pages, including references. Only 1 table or figure may accompany a Letter to the Editor.
English-language editing service
Click here to send your manuscript to Wiley English Language Editing Service. The English Language Editing Service can help to ensure your paper is clearly written in standard, scientific English language appropriate to your discipline. Visit our site to learn about the options. Using the Wiley English Language Editing Service does not guarantee that your paper will be accepted for publication.
NOTE: Using this link will NOT submit your manuscript to the journal - it opens a new window for the English Language Editing Service.
Clinical assessment instruments
For articles describing a new assessment tool or instrument, the journal’s copyright may include copyright of the tool or instrument itself, unless it has been copyrighted by the authors prior to submission.
Compliance with research ethics standards
Research carried out with human subjects must be in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration (http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm). A statement to this effect must appear in the Methods section of the manuscript, including the name of the body that gave approval.
Clinical research studies must be registered with the appropriate national body. Compliance with Open Access regulations required by funding bodies, such as the National Institutes of Health, is required.
As of January 1, 2007, all prospective, interventional studies (be they initiated before or after that date [but not including trials that were completed before that date]) must be registered at either http://www.clinicaltrials.gov or http://www.controlled-trials.com in order to be considered for publication in Arthritis Care & Research. For studies initiated after January 1, 2007, registration must occur before the first patient is enrolled. In addition to prospective studies of drugs, biologic agents, and devices, this requirement will include prospective investigations of prevention strategies, screening procedures, diagnostic algorithms, health promotion approaches, behavioral interventions, and health care economics. Phase I clinical trials, those that do not involve a concurrent control group, retrospective reviews, studies designed only to generate pharmacokinetic data, and observational studies that do not involve interventions are not included in the policy at this time.
The journal reserves the right to subject any submitted text or figures to electronic scrutiny to ensure that text has not been plagiarized and images have not been inappropriately manipulated.
Illustrations
When preparing charts and graphs, consult the journal’s graph/chart/table guidelines.
Images should be submitted with the manuscript in one of the following formats: tif (preferred), .eps, .xls, or .doc.
Each figure must contain no more than 4 panels. A multiple-panel figure should be printed on 1 page; i.e., Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C should be on 1 page not 3 pages. Each figure must be small enough that it can be reduced such that the figure, including the legend below it, will occupy no more than half of a journal page (i.e., 3 1/4 inch width x 8 1/2 inch height or 7 inch width x 4 1/2 inch height. Lettering and symbols on figures should be large enough, and shading distinct enough, to remain readable after the figure is reduced.
Lengthy descriptions of methods should appear in the Methods section of the article and not in figure legends.
Although the letter of a multiple-part figure may be printed directly on the figure, the main figure number should not be (i.e., for Figure 2A, an "A" may appear on the figure, but "2" may not); the number will appear in the text of the figure legend.
Obtain releases from any patients whose pictures will be printed in the journal. Blinders on the eyes are not a substitute for patient's permission.
An article may include one page of color at no charge to the author. For subsequent pages of color, the author will be billed $500 per page.
Tables
When preparing charts and graphs, consult the journal’s graph/chart/table guidelines.
Type tables entirely in double space. Do not include any vertical lines in tables. Include horizontal lines below the title and headings and above the table footnotes only; there should be no horizontal lines separating the individual lines of data in the table body. Limit the width of each table (number of columns) such that it will fit in portrait (not landscape) orientation on a journal column (3¼ inches) or page (7 inches) and will not exceed the height of the page. Refer to current issues of the journal for further guidance regarding table style.
Tables with sections (e.g., Table 1a, Table 1b) are not acceptable and will be handled as two separate tables unless the information can be logically combined into one table with one set of headings.
Provide each table with an explanatory title so that it is intelligible without specific reference to the text. Provide each table column with an appropriate heading. Indicate clearly any units of measure on a table. Lengthy descriptions of methods should appear in the Methods section of the article and not in table footnotes.
Supplementary material
Supplementary material will be considered for publication in the online edition of Arthritis Care & Research. Authors should note that supplementary material is not copyedited by Arthritis Care & Research staff, and therefore should be carefully reviewed by the authors before the final version of the manuscript is submitted.
The format of supplementary material will generally be limited to tables, figures, or a study instrument. Editorial discretion is permitted, to discern whether data are essential for the manuscript.
If there is supplementary material that does not meet the above-described criteria but that the author believes is highly integral, a request for a waiver of the criteria may be made during the review/revision process and will be considered by the Editor. A request by a reviewer for supplementary material to be considered in the review process does not guarantee that the material will meet criteria for publication in the online edition of the journal, should the article be accepted. For submitted supplementary material that is not accepted for publication in the online edition of the journal, the author may state in the manuscript that the information is available from the corresponding author upon request; however, the material may not be referred to using the term “supplementary.”
References
Compile references numerically according to the order of the citation. Consult recent issues of Arthritis Care & Research for reference style. If using Endnote, refer to the Arthritis & Rheumatism citation style.
For references to journal articles, Include the first six authors, followed by "et al". If there are more than six authors, the author names are followed by the title (with only the first word capitalized), the abbreviated name of the journal (use abbreviations that conform to those in the National Library of Medicine journals database), the year, volume, number (without issue number), and page range. Example: Brunner HL, Klein-Gitelman MS, Higgins GC, Lapidus SK, Levy DM, Eberhard A, et al. Toward the development of criteria for global flares in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Care Res 2010; 62: 811-20. If the journal material being cited is an editorial, review, abstract or letter, indicate this in brackets at the end of the title.
For chapters of books that have an editor(s) and individually authored chapters, include the names of the chapter authors, followed by the chapter title, the book editors, the book title, the city of publication, publisher name, year of publication, and chapter page range. Example: Katz JN. Developments in surgery for rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders. In: Pisetsky DS, editor. The ACR at 75: a diamond jubliee. Hoboken(NJ): Wiley-Blackwell; 2009. p. 87-91.
For references to electronic publications, include the author or organization as applicable, title as appropriate, and the URL; prior to submission, please confirm that the URL is active.
Assignment of reviewers
Authors are asked to suggest potential reviewers of their manuscript. If there are individuals they would prefer not to review their manuscripts, they may also indicate. Editors will consider these suggestions but are not bound by them.
Related manuscripts/duplicate publication
If the authors are aware of any related manuscript that has been or will be published by or submitted to another journal or to Arthritis Care & Research (e.g., another manuscript resulting from the same study), a copy of the other manuscript should be sent along with the one that is being submitted for publication in Arthritis Care & Research .
Articles are received only for exclusive publication in Arthritis Care & Research with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (in part or in full, in other words or in the same words, in letter or article form, or otherwise), are not at the time of submission under consideration by another journal or other publication, and will not be submitted elsewhere unless rejected by Arthritis Care & Research . Publication of preliminary data in the form of an abstract generally is not considered duplicate publication unless the abstract exceeds two pages in length and/or is cited in PubMed.
If an author violates this requirement or engages in other similar misconduct, the Editor may, in addition to rejecting the manuscript, impose a moratorium on the acceptance of new manuscripts from the author and, if the misconduct is deemed sufficiently serious, may refer the matter to the author's academic institution or hospital and/or the appropriate state or local disciplinary body.
Authorship criteria
At the time a manuscript under consideration is sent for revision, the corresponding author must provide a listing of each co-author’s contributions, in relation to the journal’s criteria for authorship, and the journal may publish this information. A downloadable form, in Microsoft Word, is provided on the manuscript submission site to assist corresponding authors in compiling the information.
To qualify for authorship, individuals must meet criterion 1 (1a
and/or 1b and/or 1c), AND criterion 2 AND criterion 3 below:
Criterion 1: a) Substantial contributions to study
conception and design; and/or b) Substantial contributions to
acquisition of data; and/or c) Substantial contributions to
analysis and interpretation of data.
Criterion 2: Drafting the article or revising it critically
for important intellectual content
Criterion 3: Final approval of the version of the article to
be published
Disclosure of interest
At the time a manuscript under consideration is sent for revision, the corresponding author must collect information from each co-author, regarding financial relationships that might be interpreted as constituting a possible conflict of interest for the study. A downloadable form, in Microsoft Word, is provided on the manuscript submission site to assist corresponding authors in collecting this information. Manuscripts will not be officially accepted until the corresponding author has obtained disclosure information from all co-authors and provided it in a single document, with disclosure information for all authors (in the order that their names appear on the manuscript title page). Reported information that constitutes a possible conflict of interest, or the appearance thereof, will be divulged in a footnote in the published article.
The journal regards a relationship that requires disclosure as a relationship (on the part of the author, any member of the author’s immediate family, or any individual with whom the author has a significant relationship) with any entity that may potentially benefit from, or be harmed by, the publication of the results of the research or study. Disclosure is also necessary if the author (or any member of the author’s immediate family, or any individual with whom the author has a significant relationship) would personally benefit financially from the publication of the results of the research or study. We wish to know about relationships currently, or in the past 2 years, that are relevant to the manuscript being submitted. Relevant disclosures may include consulting fees, speaking fees, or honoraria; stock ownership or options; expert testimony; patents, licenses, or licensing fees received or pending; royalties; paid consultation with investment analysts; or other.
Copyright: Wiley Online Licensing Service
Upon acceptance of a manuscript (except letters to the editor and replies, which are exempt), the corresponding author will receive an email with a link to the Copyright: Wiley Author Licensing Service, where he/she must promptly complete and electronically sign the appropriate copyright and/or license agreement. The article will not be published in an issue if this has not been done.
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting him/her to log into Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
For authors of Letters to the Editor and
Replies
Articles classified as "Correspondence" do not
require a signed copyright transfer agreement (CTA). If you have
submitted a letter to the editor or an authors' reply, you will not
receive an email notification asking you to sign the CTA. All
correspondence will be published under the standard journal
copyright line. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].
For authors signing the copyright transfer
agreement
If the OnlineOpen option is not selected the corresponding author
will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to
sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the
samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below:
CTA Terms and Conditions:
http://exchanges.wiley.com/authors/faqs---copyright-_301.html
For authors choosing OnlineOpen
If the Online Open option is selected the corresponding author will
have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access
Agreements (OAA):
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No-Derivs License
OAA
To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements
please visit the Copyright
FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services and visit
http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html
If you select the OnlineOpen option and your research if funded by
certain funders [e.g. The Wellcome Trust and members of the
Research Councils UK (RCUK) or the Austrian Science Fund (FWF)],
you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a
CC-BY license supporting you in complying with the Funder's
requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal's
compliant self-archiving policy please visit: http://www.wiley.com/go/funderstatement.
For RCUK and Wellcome Trust authors click on the link below to
preview the terms and conditions of this license:
Creative Commons Attribution License OAA
To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements
please visit the Copyright
FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services and visit
http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--
License.html
Author corrections on proofs
The corresponding author will be provided with page proofs and asked to check for errors and editorial queries. Although the correction of editorial and typographical errors will be made without charge, the cost of excessive additional alterations may be charged to the author.
Authors are requested to return corrected proofs and accompanying forms within 72 hours. Publication of the article may be delayed if the proofs are not sent back on time.
Page charges
A $70.00 per page charge will be assessed for publication in Arthritis Care & Research. Instructions for payment will be sent to authors along with the proofs. In extreme cases of inability to pay, the page charge may be reduced or waived. There is no page charge for solicited articles or letters to the editor. There is no page charge if the first author or corresponding author has been a member of ARHP (Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals) for at least 3 years. Questions regarding the page charge should be directed to the Managing Editor, Arthritis Care & Research , 2220 Lake Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30319-5312.
