About The Medscape Journal of Medicine

 
 

Statement of Editorial Purpose

The Medscape Journal of Medicine (ISSN: 1934-1997) continues publication of MedGenMed beginning in January 2008.

MedGenMed: Medscape General Medicine was the original open-access peer-reviewed general medical journal, exclusively electronic and available on Medscape, the premier online publication for medicine and healthcare. MedGenMed was founded in 1999, and has been indexed in MEDLINE since 2000. It was positioned in the same conceptual field as other international general medical journals whose editors are members of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), also known as the Vancouver Group. This group, founded in 1978, sets the rules for medical journal authors and editors. MedGenMed followed these basic rules, which comprise the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.

The Medscape Journal is a continuation of MedGenMed which will cease publication at the end of December 2007, and the Medscape Journal will continue to follow the above standards. It will be available exclusively online at www.themedscapejournal.com.

  • As part of Medscape, The Medscape Journal of Medicine reaches many hundreds of thousands of physicians and many millions of other healthcare professionals and consumers in 249 countries. Access to the Medscape Journal is free wherever there is a Web connection.
Editorial Content/Focus
The Medscape Journal of Medicine publishes peer-reviewed:
  • Original articles, including clinical research and trials
  • Critical reviews
  • Editorials and commentaries
  • Policy papers and public health controversies
  • Consensus reports
  • Government reports
  • Letters
  • Book reviews
  • Special and other appropriate forms of communication in general medicine

Authors are welcome to suggest a new category of article -- we are very flexible (although flexibility does not replace rigorous standards). The Medscape Journal of Medicine is founded as well on reader advocacy. Recognizing that the reader's time is extraordinarily valuable, authors are encouraged to be concise.

Communicating With the Editors

The publisher prefers that communication between authors and Medscape, Inc., occur via email. Contact Michele Romaine, Managing Editor for The Medscape Journal of Medicine, at mromaine@medscape.net. Phone and fax messages can be sent to 212-301-6704.

Staff

Editor George D. Lundberg, MD
Managing Editor Michele Romaine
Administrative Assistant Kaytie Freier

Section Editors

  • Bioethics Erich H. Loewy, MD, FACP; Roberta Springer Loewy, PhD
  • Book Reviews Mindy Hung
  • Clinical Nutrition and Obesity Michael Dansinger, MD
  • eJIAS Mary Anderson, PhD; Elly Katabira, MD; Mark Wainberg, PhD
  • Gastroenterology Maria L. Gaiso, PhD
  • Hematology-Oncology George D. Lundberg, MD
  • Neurology Priscilla Scherer, RN
  • Ob/Gyn & Women's Health Paul D. Blumenthal, MD, MPH
  • Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine Robert Chevrier
  • Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery David Goldenberg, MD
  • Psychiatry Tziporah Cohen, MD; Jay Nathanson, MD, MPH
  • Pulmonary Medicine Margaret A. Clark, RN, RRT-NPS
  • TLC-The Learning Curve Steven Gelber, MSIV, BA
Copy Chief Susanna Leuci
Copy Editors Laura Healy; Kristin Jannacone; Vicki Porter; Sarah Strocchia

Executive Staff
  • President, WebMD Health Wayne Gattinella
  • EVP, Professional Information Services and Chief Medical Officer Steve Zatz, MD

Submission of Manuscript

Electronic Submission
All English language manuscripts should be submitted electronically to any of the Specialty Section Editors of The Medscape Journal of Medicine directly or to Michele Romaine. The editors, in consultation with authors, will determine the best placement of an article by category and interest regardless of the section to which an article is submitted.

General manuscript submission address: submissions@themedscapejournal.com

Specialty Section Submissions:

The publisher supports Microsoft Word. If using another application for preparation of the text, save the file as Plain Text (ASCII) or Rich Text Format (RTF). When preparing the manuscript, please keep the format simple (ie, no hidden codes that indent text or create auto-numbered lists or the "track changes" tool). Also, please do not use codes that place references at the bottom of each page or reference-managing programs to create reference lists. Instead of embedding graphics in the manuscript, leave a box or space with a note for placement of graphics and submit graphics as separate files (see below). Text files can be sent as Microsoft Word attachments within the email enclosures. For technical assistance in submitting a manuscript as an email enclosure contact Michele Romaine, by phone at 212-301-6704, or by email at mromaine@medscape.net

Photos, Illustrations, Videos, and Supplemental Material
Graphics should be submitted as slides or high-quality, glossy photographic prints (no more than 8" x 10" in size). Each graphic submitted must be numbered and cited in the text. Be sure each is labeled with the appropriate figure number, title of the manuscript, name of senior author, and arrow indicating the top. For photographic prints, type the information on a gummed label and affix it to the back of the photograph. Submission of original x-rays or copies is discouraged; high-quality, right-reading glossy photographic prints are preferred. All illustrative material will be returned to the author upon request.

Electronic Submission of Art: Images -- high-resolution illustrations or photos may be submitted preferably by electronic email OR by CD Rom. Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop High Resolution (.TIFF, EPS, PICT) files are preferred; as are PowerPoint for Windows files. All PowerPoint slides should be saved within 1 presentation. We cannot re-create or scan in hand-drawn charts or graphs. Do not embed images in Word documents or create images within Word documents. Give each figure a number, note its placement within the article, and list all captions at the end of the article.

Multimedia and Supplemental Material: Publishing on the Internet can transform an article into a multimedia presentation. Authors are strongly encouraged to submit photos, illustrations, illustrative sketches, tables, videotapes, movies, sound clips, or any other nontext material to enhance the content and increase understanding of the material presented. Acceptable formats are AVI, MPEG, WMV, or MOV. Authors may also take advantage of the vast amount of information available on the Internet and provide an annotated list of Web sites posting information relevant to the article topic. The possibilities for supplemental material are limited only by the imagination.

Review Process
All articles that survive the initial editor's screening are sent for peer review, the process by which editors ask experts to read, criticize, and comment on the suitability of a manuscript for publication. Articles may be edited for clarity. All major revisions will be submitted to the author for approval prior to publication.

Preparing the Manuscript
Length: Flexible, ranging from 2500 to 5000 words (10 to 20 double-spaced, typed pages), plus photos, charts, tables, and illustrations. Subjects that require extended treatment may be presented as a series (ie, Part I, Part II).

Format: Narrative text can be used for review articles, case studies, grand rounds, journal club discussions, and research reports. Case-history and question-and-answer formats can be used for interactive case challenges. In the interactive case challenge format, authors (a) give HPI and other case information, (b) pose 3 or more diagnostic and/or treatment choices from which the reader/viewer must select the correct action, and (c) discuss why each choice is right or wrong.

Organization: Where possible, articles presenting original data should be organized using standard scientific sections and subheadings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. For articles in which these headings are not appropriate, such as review articles, descriptive subheadings should be provided to clarify the article's content.
Reviews and other types of articles may be organized in a similar manner. For example, the introduction to a review article could describe the number of studies reviewed and the basic conclusions reached.

Presenting Data: Essential to any scientific article -- be it original research or a review article -- is the clear presentation of statistically significant numeric relationships. The American Society of Information Science classifies relationships as significant (P < .05), nonsignificant, and not statistically tested. Numeric relationships are preferable to language descriptors of a relationship: For example, instead of "most infections were community acquired," it is preferable to write, "in one series, 60% of infections were community acquired." Statistics should, of course, always be double-checked for accuracy and completeness. Errors most commonly occur when lists of statistics are presented: "Of the total suggested dose, 53% is excreted unchanged and 30% as the hydroxylated form" (what happened to the last 17%?). Wherever possible, statistical information presented in the text should be repeated in a figure or table.

Drug Names and Doses: Use the generic drug name in text and include in parentheses any trade names that would be more recognizable to clinicians than the generic name. Drug dosing information should include dose, frequency, route, and length of time it was administered.

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Essential Elements in the Manuscript

Author Responsibilities: It is required that all authors (including every author of a multiauthored article):

  • Certify sufficient participation in the conception, design, analysis, interpretation, writing, revising, and approval of the manuscript.
  • Attest no other article by the author substantially similar in content has been published or is currently being considered for publication.
  • Disclose any and all financial information relevant to the article.

Every manuscript should contain the following elements, each beginning on a new page:

  • Title page
  • Abstract and keywords
  • References
  • Tables
  • Illustrations and captions
  • Acknowledgments and permissions
  • Copyright transmittal

Title Page: The title should be concise and informative. Authors should be listed by first name, middle initial, last name, and degree(s). A primary academic title and department affiliation should be provided for each author. Give the name, mailing address, and email address of the author responsible for correspondence.

Abstract and Keywords: The abstract, structured or unstructured as appropriate, should highlight the significant content of the article. A list of 3 to 5 keywords should be provided beneath the abstract for use by indexing and abstracting services.
When submitting original articles, clinical research and trials, critical reviews, and consensus reports, authors should submit a structured abstract. The structured abstract is to be up to 250 words with the following headings: Context, Objective, Design, Setting, Patients, Interventions (if any), Main Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions.
Authors submitting a meta-analysis report are asked to provide a structured abstract of up to 250 words with the following headings: Objective, Data Source, Study Selection, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, and Conclusions.

Systematic Review (Including Meta-analysis)
These manuscripts are systematic, critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. All articles or data sources should be searched for and selected systematically for inclusion and critically evaluated, and the search and selection process should be described in the paper. The specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes should be described for each article or data source. The data sources should be as current as possible, ideally with the search having been conducted within several months of manuscript submission. A structured abstract is required; for more information, see instructions for preparing structured Abstracts. Recommended length: 3000-4000 words (not including abstract, tables, figures, and references).

Clinical Review
These review articles address a specific question or issue that is relevant for clinical practice and provide an evidence-based, balanced, patient-oriented review on a focused topic. Clinical reviews should include the clinical question or issue and its importance for general medical practice, specialty practice, or public health; description of how the relevant evidence was identified, assessed for quality, and selected for inclusion; synthesis of the available evidence such that the best-quality evidence (eg, well-conducted clinical trials, meta-analyses, and prospective cohort studies) should receive the greatest emphasis; and discussion of controversial aspects and unresolved issues. A structured abstract is required; for more information, see instructions for preparing structured Abstracts.

Abstracts for Systematic Reviews/Meta-analyses: Manuscripts reporting the results of meta-analyses should include an abstract of no more than 300 words using the following headings: Context, Objective, Data Sources, Study Selection, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, and Conclusions. The text of the manuscript should also include a section describing the methods used for data sources, study selection, data extraction, and data synthesis. Each heading should be followed by a brief description:

Context: A sentence or 2 explaining the importance of the review question.
Objective: State the precise primary objective of the review. Indicate whether the review emphasizes factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention and include information about the specific population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes that are being reviewed.
Data Sources: Succinctly summarize data sources, including years searched. The search should include the most current information possible, ideally with the search being conducted within several months before the date of manuscript submission. Potential sources include computerized databases and published indexes, registries, abstract booklets, conference proceedings, references identified from bibliographies of pertinent articles and books, experts or research institutions active in the field, and companies or manufacturers of tests or agents being reviewed. If a bibliographic database is used, state the exact indexing terms used for article retrieval, including any constraints (for example, English language or human subjects). If abstract space does not permit this level of detail, summarize sources in the abstract including databases and years searched, and place the remainder of the information in the Methods section.
Study Selection: Describe inclusion and exclusion criteria used to select studies for detailed review from among studies identified as relevant to the topic. Details of selection should include particular populations, interventions, outcomes, or methodological designs. The method used to apply these criteria should be specified (for example, blinded review, consensus, multiple reviewers). State the proportion of initially identified studies that met selection criteria.
Data Extraction: Describe guidelines used for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity (such as criteria for causal inference). The method by which the guidelines were applied should be stated (for example, independent extraction by multiple observers).
Data Synthesis: State the main results of the review, whether qualitative or quantitative, and outline the methods used to obtain these results. Meta-analyses should state the major outcomes that were pooled and include odds ratios or effect sizes and, if possible, sensitivity analyses. Numerical results should be accompanied by confidence intervals, if applicable, and exact levels of statistical significance. Evaluations of screening and diagnostic tests should include sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, receiver operating characteristic curves, and predictive values. Assessments of prognosis should summarize survival characteristics and related variables. Major identified sources of variation between studies should be stated, including differences in treatment protocols, co-interventions, confounders, outcome measures, length of follow-up, and dropout rates.
Conclusions: The conclusions and their applications (clinical or otherwise) should be clearly stated, limiting interpretation to the domain of the review.

Abstracts for Clinical Reviews: Clinical Review articles should include an abstract of no more than 250 words with the following sections: Context, Evidence Acquisition, Evidence Synthesis, and Conclusions.

Context: Include 1 or 2 sentences describing the clinical question or issue and its importance in clinical practice or public heath.
Evidence Acquisition: Describe the data sources used, including the search strategies, years searched, and other sources of material, such as subsequent reference searches of retrieved articles. Methods used for quality assessment and inclusion of identified articles should be explained.
Evidence Synthesis: The major findings of the review of the clinical issue or topic should be addressed in an evidence-based, objective, and balanced fashion, with the highest quality evidence available receiving the greatest emphasis.
Conclusions: The conclusions should clearly answer the questions posed if applicable, be based on available evidence, and emphasize how clinicians should apply current knowledge.

When consensus statement manuscripts are submitted, authors should include a structured abstract of up to 250 words with the following headings: Objective, Participants, Evidence, Consensus Process, and Conclusions. Other major manuscripts should be accompanied by an unstructured abstract of up to 150 words. Unstructured abstracts should address the objective, main points, and conclusion of the article.
Abstracts are not required for editorials, commentaries, policy papers, book reviews, or special features.

References: References should be numbered in the order they appear within the text. References should not be listed in alphabetical order. Use AMA style for references [For books: Iverson CL, Flanagin A, Fontanarosa PB, et al. American Medical Association Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 9th ed. Baltimore, Md: Williams & Wilkins; 1998. For journals: Colditz GA, Hankinson SE, Hunter DJ, et al. The use of estrogens and progestins and the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med. 1995;332:1589-1593.] Please remove all autoformatting and automatic reference numbering from the final document. References should be cited in superscripted brackets, not parentheses. We do this to accurately differentiate between references and parenthetically numbered lists in text.

Captions: Captions for graphics or other supplemental material should be no more than 50 words. Include magnification, stain, and other pertinent data where applicable.

Acknowledgments and Permissions: Illustrations and tabulated data from other publications must be acknowledged and must have received permission from the previous publisher. Provide the following information where applicable: author(s), title of article or chapter, title of journal or book, volume number, page number(s), month and year of publication, and publisher name and location. The publisher's signed permission to reprint or adapt must be submitted with the manuscript.

Informed Consent: When human or animal subjects have been used in experimental investigations, the Methods section of the manuscript should include confirmation that appropriate institutional review board approval has been secured. When human subjects have participated in the investigation, the Methods section should also include a description of how informed consent was obtained from the patients.

Financial Disclosure, Conflict of Interest, and Data Access and Responsibility: All financial support for work should be noted in the submitted manuscript. Authors should disclose all financial information relevant to the article, such as employment, stock ownership or options, grants or patents received or pending, royalties, expert testimony, and the like. If there are no disclosures to be made, please state so clearly. For reports containing original data and funded by an agency with a proprietary or financial interest in the outcome, at least one author should state that he/she "had full access to all of the data in this study and takes complete responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis." See http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v286n10/ffull/jed10056.html

Copyright Transmittal: Copyright law requires that prior to publication of any manuscript the principal author sign a statement transferring the copyright and other rights to the publisher. The publisher will send a copyright transmittal form once the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

Additional Information: Further information on the preparation of manuscripts is available from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. See http://www.icmje.org/.

Citing Your Article After Online Publication: To reference your The Medscape Journal article, use the following example as a format:

Bottles K. The effect of the Information Revolution on American medical schools. Medscape General Medicine. July 26, 1999. Available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/408200

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Publication of Manuscript

The Medscape Journal of Medicine is a medical journal published exclusively on the Web. An accepted manuscript will be published in www.themedscapejournal.com on the Medscape publishing platform from WebMD. After publication, the citation and abstract of the article will be submitted for Medline indexing and the full-text version will be archived by PubMed Central. Authors who submit video to The Medscape Journal should supply video attachments in AVI, MPEG, WMV, or MOV formats; only these are acceptable as stated by PubMed Central.

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Letters to the Editor

We welcome original letters discussing recent articles published in The Medscape Journal and letters relating to unresolved publication issues in other medical journals, especially those involving the prior publication of conflicted results and interpretations not yet resolved by either retraction, correction or clarifying letters. We prefer that letters be of fewer than 450 words and 4 references and that are received within 3 weeks of an article's publication. Letters reporting on original work are also encouraged; these submission should not exceed 600 words and 6 references. Please submit letters via email to submissions@themedscapejournal.com along with your name, address, email address, and any affiliation information you might like included in the published letter. When appropriate, be sure to include the URL and title of the article about which you are writing.

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Article Reprints

For individual, educational and nonprofit reprints, please contact:

Permissions Coordinator
email: permissions@medscape.net
*Please include the URL of the article you wish to use with your request.

For pharmaceutical, medical device or bulk (1,000 +) copies, please contact:

Medical Reprint Services (MRS)
Marsha Fogler
phone: 800-482-1450 (within the U.S.)
phone: (856) 489-4446 (outside the U.S.)
email: mfogler@medicalreprints.com

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Book Review Submissions

We welcome submissions for our regular book review column.

The goal is to provide readers with a good overview of the book, including information about its scope, audience, and themes, and whether it proves useful or interesting.

DO:
  • State your opinion early on, ideally in the first or second paragraph.
  • Include a note about the author, his or her qualifications or experience in this field, and other notable/relevant books he or she may have written.
  • Note what the book is about, its purpose, target audience, and whether it meets its stated goals.
  • Make comparisons to other significant books in the field as appropriate.
  • For an atlas or heavily illustrated book, give the reader an idea of the "look and feel" of it.
  • Indicate whether the book is well indexed and/or organized, as appropriate.
  • Use quotations from the book to illustrate points, and ALWAYS explain why the quotation is interesting or important -- do not let it stand alone.
DON'T:
  • Use the first person.
  • Make obscene statements or libelous remarks.
  • Criticize without making constructive suggestions.
  • Write in a style that is too conversational or chatty (we will edit for style and length).
  • Tell readers to buy the book (or not to buy it).

Format
We accept email attachments in Microsoft Word format. Suggested length is 500-1000 words. Also, please remember to include in full:

  1. Title
  2. Author name
  3. Publisher
  4. Copyright year
  5. Number of pages
  6. ISBN number
  7. Price (US dollars)
  8. Your name
  9. Your affiliations, relevant information

Please contact Mindy Hung at mhung@medscape.net with queries and comments.

Review Copies
If you are a publisher and want your books to be considered for review, please contact Mindy Hung or send copies to:

Mindy Hung
The Medscape Journal Book Reviews
c/o Medscape, LLC
370 7th Avenue, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10001

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