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Guidelines for Authors on Preparing Manuscripts
 Manuscript Submission
Peer Review
Manuscript Specifications
Types of Articles
Editing
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Manuscript
Submission 
Psychosomatics uses a
Web-based manuscript submission and tracking system called Manuscript
Central. To submit your paper, visit the web site at appi.manuscriptcentral.com
and either create an account or use your existing account. Then follow
the instructions to upload your manuscript.
The editors welcome contributions of
original manuscripts that are not under consideration for publication
elsewhere. Authors submitting manuscripts containing data or clinical
observations that have already been published or are in press, submitted
elsewhere, or to be submitted elsewhere must provide full details of this
in a cover letter. Upon acceptance of an article, the author(s) will be
required to assign copyright ownership in writing to the Academy of Psychosomatic
Medicine. A copyright transfer form, which must be signed by all authors,
is available here.
PUBLIC ACCESS POLICY
Broad access to the research literature and the rights of our authors
are important to American Psychiatric Publishing, the publisher of Psychosomatics.
Read our public
access policy for guidelines on deposit mandates for research funded
by NIH and others and institutional repositories.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
Psychosomatics requires, as a condition of
consideration for publication, registration of clinical trials in a public
trials registry. Trials must be registered at or before the onset of patient
enrollment. For this purpose, a clinical trial is defined as any research
project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison
groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention
and a health outcome. Studies designed for other purposes, such as to
study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity (for example, phase I trials),
would be exempt. Psychosomatics does not advocate one particular registry,
but requires authors to register their trial in a registry that meets
several criteria. The registry must be accessible to the public at no
charge. It must be open to all prospective registrants and managed by
a not-for-profit organization. There must be a mechanism to ensure the
validity of the registration data, and the registry should be electronically
searchable.
An acceptable registry must include
at minimum the following information: a unique identifying number, a statement
of the intervention (or interventions) and comparison (or comparisons)
studied, a statement of the study hypothesis, definitions of the primary
and secondary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, key trial dates
(registration date, anticipated or actual start date, anticipated or actual
date of last follow-up, planned or actual date of closure to data entry,
and date trial data considered complete), target number of subjects, funding
source, and contact information for the principal investigator. To our
knowledge, at present, only www.clinicaltrials.gov,
sponsored by the United States National Library of Medicine, meets these
requirements; there may be other registries, now or in the future, that
meet all these requirements. Registration information must be provided
in the cover letter at submission.
Peer
Review
All manuscripts are subject to peer
review to determine the originality, validity, and significance of the
submitted material. Criteria for publication include scientific merit,
interest to clinicians, and pertinence to clinical psychiatry and
the interrelationship of psychiatry and medical practice. The review
process is usually completed within 8 weeks, but delays sometimes occur.
Reviewers’ comments will be returned with rejected manuscripts at
the discretion of the editors.
Manuscript
Specifications
The first page must contain the article
title, authors’ names and affiliations, address for correspondence
and reprint requests, and phone number. Each article must include an abstract
(100-word maximum) and a reference list. References are cited by number
in the text in sequence of first appearance and listed numerically at
the end of the text. All authors for a study should be listed. Do not
use “et al.” Reference format and punctuation must conform
to the following style:
- Kline BR, Smith GH, Gonzales MH:
Factitious cancer on the consultation-liaison service. Psychosomatics
1992; 33:124–135
- Walsh B (ed): Diagnosis of posttraumatic
stress disorder, in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. New York, Bookhouse
Press, 1992, pp 23–45
Correct Index Medicus journal abbreviations
must be used; those not in Index Medicus should include full journal
title. Figures must be submitted in camera-ready form, usually as glossy
black and white prints. Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be
encouraged to send an electronic copy of their article.
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Types
of Articles
REVIEWS
Clinically focused reviews in the area of psychosomatic medicine, with
special emphasis on topics of relevance to clinical practice, restricted to 3,000 words with a structured abstract of no more than 250 words, a maximum of 5 tables and figures (total) and up to 50 references..
ORIGINAL RESEARCH REPORTS
Articles containing original research should not exceed 3,500 words with a structured abstract of no more than 250 words, a maximum of 5 tables and figures (total), and up to 40 references.
CASE REPORTS
Each case report should be preceded by an introduction
and followed by a brief discussion of the significance of the case(s)
and suggestions for further study. References should be kept to a minimum.
Case reports are restricted to 2,400 words with up to 20 references and may include 1 table or figure.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Brief letters (maximum of 750 words and 5 references) should comment on
published articles or other subjects of interest to readers. Comments
on published articles are forwarded to authors for reply at the discretion of the editors. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity and length.
Editing
All manuscripts will be edited for clarity,
conciseness, and conformity to journal style. Authors are given an opportunity
to review editorial changes prior to publication.
Reprints
& Permissions
Contact the Journal Editorial
Office
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