MANUSCRIPT CRITERIA AND INFORMATION FREE

Send manuscripts by first-class mail to James E. Dalen, MD, MPH, Editor, Archives of Internal Medicine, 1228 E Prince Rd, Suite A, Tucson, AZ 85719; phone: (520) 408-7413, fax: (520) 408-7414. Manuscripts received are not to be under simultaneous consideration by another publication. Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the Archives and may not be published elsewhere without permission from the publisher (AMA). Manuscripts submitted to the Archives will NOT BE RETURNED. Authorship Responsibility, Financial Disclosure, and Assignment of Copyright forms will be returned for manuscripts not accepted for publication.

Authorship Responsibility, Financial Disclosure, and Assignment of Copyright Forms (http://www.archinternmed.com). Authorship responsibility forms must be completed and signed by each author and accompany submitted manuscripts. Each author must submit a statement that specifies whether he/she has financial or proprietary interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.

Authorship Responsibility. All accepted manuscripts are copyedited and an edited typescript is sent for the author's approval. The author is responsible for all statements in the work, including the copy editor's changes.

Refer to patients by number (or, in anecdotal reports, by fictitious given names). Do not use real names or initials in the text, tables, or illustrations.

Style of Writing. The style of writing should conform to acceptable English usage and syntax. Slang, medical jargon, obscure abbreviations, and abbreviated phrasing are to be avoided.

Metrication. Use Système International (SI) measurements throughout the manuscript and add units in milligrams per deciliter in parentheses for cholesterol levels.

Informed Consent. For experimental investigations of human or animal subjects, state in the "Methods" section that an appropriate institutional review board approved the project. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees (institutional or regional), the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. For investigations of human subjects, state in the "Methods" section the manner in which informed consent was obtained from the subjects.

Clinical Observations. The Archives receives many more Clinical Observations than we can publish. Those we are most likely to publish are concise reports that provide potential new insights into pathophysiology, diagnosis, or treatment.

Manuscript Preparation. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the American Medical Association Manual of Style and/or the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Submit 5 high-quality sets of the entire manuscript (title page, text, references, legends, tables). All copy must be typed double-spaced on standard-sized white bond paper, with 1-in margins, numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page. For revisions, Editorials, and Editorial Correspondence, follow the same procedure, but submit a diskette and 3 sets of the entire editorial or letter. If a word processor is used, do not justify lines.

Title Page. Titles should be concise, specific, and informative, and should contain the key points of the work. Include the full names and academic affiliations of all authors, indication of the corresponding author, his/her address, phone, fax, and e-mail address, the address for reprint requests, and, if the abstract or any portion of the manuscript was presented at a meeting, the name of the organization, place, and date on which it was read. Include a word count for text only, exclusive of title, abstract, references, figure legends, and tables. Financial disclosure information should be included as a footnote. Editorial and Commentary title pages must include each author's name, degrees, institution, department, street address, city, state, and country.

Abstract. Original Investigations require an abstract of less than 250 words consisting of 4 paragraphs labeled Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Begin Review Articles, Special Articles, and Clinical Observations with an appropriate summary of less than 150 words. Editorials and Commentaries do not require an abstract.

Acknowledgment Section. List all persons who have made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript (including writing and editing assistance), but who are not authors; any financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript; any research or project support/funding; grant support. Manuscripts with statistical evaluations should include the name and affiliation of statistical reviewer(s).

References. List references in consecutive numerical order (not alphabetically). All subsequent reference citations should be to the original number. Cite all references in the text or tables. Unpublished data and personal communications should not be listed as references. References to journal articles should include (1) author(s) (list all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list first 3 and "et al"), (2) title, (3) journal name (as abbreviated in Index Medicus), (4) year, (5) volume number, and (6) inclusive page numbers, in that order. References to books should include (1) author(s) (list all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list first 3 and "et al"), (2) chapter title (if any), (3) editor (if any), (4) title of book, (5) city of publication, (6) publisher, and (7) year. Volume and edition numbers, specific pages, and name of translator should be included when appropriate. The reference numbers in the reference list (if any) should be keystroked. Do not let the word processing program generate the reference numbers, using such features as automatic footnotes or endnotes. The author is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references and for their correct text citation.

Do not include "personal communications" in the list of references. Authors who name an individual as a source for information in a personal communication, be it through conversation, a letter, e-mail message, or telephone call, should obtain written permission from the named individual.

Tables, Illustrations, Legends. Number all tables and illustrations in the order of their citation in the text. Include a title for each table and figure—a brief, succinct phrase, preferably no longer than 10 to 15 words.

Tables. Title all tables and number them in order of their citation in the text. Double-space each table on separate sheets of standard-sized white paper. If a table must be continued, repeat the title on a second sheet, followed by "cont."

Illustrations. Submit 5 copies of all illustrations: (1) 5×7-inch matte-finish (or glossy) photographs for all graphs and black-and-white photographs (computer-generated graphs produced by laser printers are acceptable); (2) high-contrast prints for x-ray films; (3) color slides (and corresponding color prints) for color illustrations. Affix a label with figure number, title, name of first author, short form of the manuscript title, and an arrow indicating "top" to the back of the print. Do not mark on the print or the transparency. Original illustrations, photographs, and slides from rejected manuscripts will be returned to authors. Those from accepted manuscripts will not be returned unless specifically requested.

Digital Art Submissions. RGB color submissions are preferred. Calibrated color proofs should be submitted with color digital files, if possible. The canvas size of continuous-tone images should be at least 5 inches wide (depth not important) with an image resolution of at least 350 ppi. Line art images should have a minimum resolution of 1270 ppi. Formats accepted are EPS, TIFF, and JPG.

Legends. Include double-spaced legends (maximum length, 40 words) on separate pages. Indicate magnification and stain used for photomicrographs and method of enhancement for digitally enhanced images. Photographic Consent. A letter of consent must accompany all photographs of patients in which a possibility of identification exists. It is not sufficient to cover the eyes to mask identity.

Acknowledgments. Acknowledge illustrations from other publications and, when applicable, include author(s), title of article, title of journal or book, volume number, page(s), month, and year. The publisher's permission to reproduce (in print and online and in Archives licensed versions) should be submitted to the Archives after the manuscript has been formally accepted.

Each author must read and sign (1) the statement on authorship responsibility; (2) the statement on financial disclosure; and (3) either the statement on copyright transfer or the statement on federal employment. If necessary, photocopy this document to distribute to coauthors for their signatures. Please return all copies to the address below.

I certify that I have participated sufficiently in the conception and design of this work and the analysis of the data (where applicable), as well as the writing of the manuscript, to take public responsibility for it. I believe the manuscript represents valid work. I have reviewed the final version of the manuscript and approve it for publication. Neither this manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under my (our) authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in an attachment. Furthermore, I attest that I shall produce the data upon which the manuscript is based for examination by the editors or their assignees should they request it.

Author(s) Signature(s) Date Signed

I certify that I have no affiliation with or financial involvement in any organization or entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (eg, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria), except as disclosed in an attachment. If you have a financial involvement as defined above, this information must be specified in the affiliation footnote on page 1. Any financial project support of this research is identified in an acknowledgment in the manuscript.

Author(s) Signature(s) Date Signed

In compliance with the Copyright Revision Act of 1976, effective January 1, 1978, the American Medical Association (AMA), in consideration of taking further action in reviewing and editing your submission (manuscript, tables, and figures), requests that each author sign a copy of this form before manuscript review can proceed. Such signature shall evidence the mutual understanding between the AMA and the undersigned author(s) thereby transferring, assigning, or otherwise conveying all copyright ownership, including any and all rights incidental thereto, exclusively to the AMA. In consideration of the action of the AMA in reviewing and editing this submission, the author(s) undersigned hereby transfer(s), or otherwise convey(s), all copyright ownership to the AMA in the event that such work is published by the AMA.

Author(s) Signature(s) Date Signed

US Federal Employees: If you are an employee of the US federal government, please sign the following statement: I was an employee of the US federal government when this work was conducted and prepared for publication; therefore, it is not protected by the Copyright Act and there is no copyright, thus ownership cannot be transferred.

Author(s) Signature(s) Date Signed

All persons who have made substantial contributions to the work reported in the manuscript (including writing and editing assistance), but who are not authors, are named in the acknowledgment and have given me their written permission to be named. If I do not include an acknowledgement, that means I have not received substantial contributions from nonauthors.

Return the original signed form to James E. Dalen, MD, Editor, Archives of Internal Medicine, 1228 E Prince Rd, Suite A, Tucson, AZ 85719, phone (520) 408-7413, fax (520) 408-7414. Retain one copy for your files. (Photocopies may be made as needed.)