JCSM - Author Information
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
The
Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM) is published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and is distributed to more than 8,500 readers.
SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All manuscripts must be submitted electronically. To submit an original manuscript, sleep medicine pearl, board review, editorial, review, special article, book review, case report, debate, or letter to the editor, please go to https://www.rapidreview.com/AASM/CALogon.jsp. Complete instructions for the electronic submission process can be found on this site.
SCOPE/CATEGORIES OF MANUSCRIPTS
The
JCSM focuses on the publication of papers with direct applicability and/or relevance to the practice of clinical sleep medicine.
In addition,
JCSM will publish proceedings from conferences, workshops and symposia on topics related to the practice of clinical sleep
medicine.
Manuscripts must not be concurrently submitted to any other publication, print or electronic. The AASM is not responsible in the event
that any manuscript or any part thereof is lost. Published manuscripts become the permanent property of the AASM and may not be published
elsewhere without written permission from the AASM. All accepted manuscripts are subject to manuscript editing for conciseness, clarity,
grammar, spelling, and JCSM style.
The following categories of unsolicited manuscripts will be considered.
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Original articles are reports of clinical investigations or case series of direct relevance to the clinical practice of
sleep medicine. Typically, original articles will contain new data derived from a series of patients or subjects. In general,
original articles should not exceed 5,000 words. A structured abstract of no more than 250 words, references, tables, and figures
are not included in the 5,000 word limit. References should be limited to no more than 40 citations.
REVIEWS
These are usually overview articles that bring together important information on a topic of general interest to a clinical sleep
medicine practitioner. Authors who have ideas for such articles are advised to contact the editor to ensure that a similar work
has not already been submitted. The main text of reviews should not exceed 7,500 words. An abstract of no more than 250 words,
references, tables and figures are not included in the 7,500 word limit. This section is not intended to be a forum for the
presentation of new data.
CASE REPORTS
Case reports present unique, unusual or important clinical observations of interest to clinical sleep medicine practitioners.
Case Reports should not exceed 750 words, including an abstract of no more than 150 words, no more than 6 pertinent references,
and no more than one table or one figure. Case Reports should be organized with the following sections: Introduction, Report of
Case, Discussion, References and Table/Figure.
JCSM PEARLS
These are brief descriptions and discussion of interesting polysomnographic, actigraphic or other laboratory findings, or brief
descriptions of a case with significant teaching value. Sleep Pearls should not exceed 500 words in total length including not
more than 2 references. No more than one figure can be included.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Brief letters (maximum of 500 words, including references; no tables or figures) will be considered if they include the notation
"for publication." A letter must be signed by all of its authors. Case reports should not be submitted as letters, but rather as
formal case reports. Letters commenting on an article published in the JCSM must be received within 10 weeks of the
article's publication. Letters received after the deadline will not be considered for publication; those accepted will be sent
to the authors for reply. Such letters must include the title and author of the article and the month and year of publication.
Letters that do not meet these specifications will be returned unreviewed. JCSM will notify authors about the disposition
of their letters. All accepted letters will be edited; proofs will not be sent to authors for approval. Reprints are not available.
BOOK REVIEWS
Books for review may be sent to JCSM Book Editor, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154. Book reviews
are usually solicited by the Editor. Authors interested in reviewing books should communicate directly with him indicating their
areas of interest and expertise. In appreciation for their completed reviews, authors may retain the book for their own use. All
reviews will be subject to editing. Reprints of reviews are not available.
OTHER TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
JCSM will consider for publication manuscripts in other areas as Special Reports. These include medical, political or economic
commentary; perspectives on the history of medicine; technical considerations in polysomnography; and sleep medicine practice issues.
Authors are advised to discuss their concepts for these manuscripts with the Editor before unsolicited submissions.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Each submitted manuscript must address the following elements:
1. Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Attestation of Authorship Form
Each author MUST disclose all potential conflicts of interest by submitting the Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Attestation of
Authorship form for every submitted editorial, review, and manuscript. Substantive changes to the disclosure must be reported as
they occur. Conflicts of interest will be reviewed by the Editor-In-Chief and the JCSM staff. This information will be listed
within the article, but dollar amounts will not be included. When completed and signed by all contributing authors, this form
may be scanned and then uploaded as part of your manuscript submission, faxed to (708) 492-0943, sent via email attachment to
sleepjournals@aasmnet.org, or mailed to APSS, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154. In addition,
list the presence OR absence of any conflicts of interest on the title page of every manuscript submission. No submission
will be considered for review without complete disclosure included on the title page.
2. Authorship responsibility
Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work and analysis of data, as well as the writing of the manuscript, for
his or her name to be listed as a co-author and should attest to this responsibility. Authors should be limited to not more than
ten.
3. Ethics of investigation
Authors should specify within the manuscript whether ethical standards were used in their research. If results of an experimental
investigation in human or animal subjects are reported, the manuscript should include the notation that the institutional review
board on human or animal research approved the study and that appropriate informed consent was obtained from human subjects. If
approval by an institutional review board is not possible, then information must be included indicating that clinical experiments
conform to the principles outlined by the Declaration of Helsinki.
4. Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective Form
(Transfer of author copyright)
A signed copy of the Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective form MUST be submitted with your manuscript. Include the
title of the article being submitted, as well as the date. When completed and signed by all contributing authors, this form may be
scanned and then uploaded as part of your manuscript submission, faxed to (708) 492-0943, sent via email attachment to
sleepjournals@aasmnet.org, or mailed to AASM, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154.
5. Learning objectives
Authors should keep in mind the overall learning objectives of JCSM. After reading each issue, readers should be able to: 1)
interpret new information and updates on clinical diagnosis/treatment and apply those strategies to their practice; 2) analyze
articles for the use of sound scientific and medical procedures; and 3) recognize the inter-relatedness/dependence of sleep
medicine with primary disciplines.
The text of the manuscript should be in the following form:
a. Title page: This page should include the title and subtitle; full first and last names, highest
academic degrees, and institutional affiliations for all authors; the institution at which the work was performed; disclosure
of the presence OR absence of financial support, conflicts of interest, and off-label or investigational use; corresponding
author's full address, phone and fax numbers and e-mail address. No submission will be considered for review without complete
disclosure included on the title page. Title page should be a separate page from the manuscript.
b. Abstract: Each article must be preceded by a structured abstract. For clinical or original investigations,
the abstract is limited to 250 words. The components of this format are (start each on a new line): Study Objectives, Methods,
Results, Conclusions. Provide no fewer than three but no more than ten key words that reflect the content of your manuscript.
For guidance consult the Medical Subject Headings - Annotated Alphabetic List, published each year by the National Library of
Medicine and available in most hospital or institution libraries.
c. Introduction: State the object of research with reference to previous work.
d. Methods: Describe methods in sufficient detail so that the work can be duplicated, or cite previous
descriptions if they are readily available.
e. Results: Describe results clearly, concisely, and in logical order. When possible give the range, standard
deviation, or mean error, and significance of differences between numerical values.
f. Discussion: Interpret the results and relate them to previous work in the field.
g. Acknowledgments: The minimum compatible with the requirements of courtesy should be provided. Financial
support for the study should be cited here.
h. Legends: Figure legends, numbered sequentially. Give the meaning of all symbols and abbreviations used
in the figure.
i. Tables: ALL tables must be created using the table function in a word processor program and also must be
formatted so that they can be printed in the width of one- (3.25") or two-columns (6.5"). Prepare each table with a title above
and any description below the table. Tables should be self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material. They must be
numbered and cited in consecutive order in the text, and must have a short title. Tables consisting of more than 10 columns are NOT
acceptable. Previously published tables must have a signed permission from the publisher and complete reference data so that appropriate
credit can be given. Table footnotes should be labeled using consecutive lower case superscripted letters.
j. References: JCSM complies with the reference style given in “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted
to Biomedical Journals” (see Ann Intern Med 1997;126:36-47 or online at http://www.acponline.org). Each reference should be cited in
the text, tables, or figures in consecutive numerical order by means of superscripted Arabic numerals outside periods and commas and
inside colons and semicolons. When 3 or more references are cited at one place in the manuscript, a hyphen should be used to join the
first and last numbers of a series; commas should be used without spaces to separate other parts of a multiple-reference citation. The
reference section should be included at the end of the text, following the sample formats given below. It is highly recommended that
a standard bibliography program such as EndNote or ProCite be used. For EndNote users, the formatting style used by Circulation is very
similar to the one used by JCSM. For abbreviations of journal names, refer to “List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus” (available
from the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, USA, DHEW Publication No.
(NIH) 80-267; ISSN 0093-3821). Provide all authors’ names when fewer than seven; when seven or more, list the first three and add et al.
Provide article titles and inclusive pages. Note that JCSM does not include the issue number in its reference style. Accuracy of
reference data is the responsibility of the author. We cannot guarantee that citation/reference software will match all JCSM author
guidelines. Failure to initially comply with JCSM’s style requirements will result in manuscripts returned to authors for correction
and may potentially delay publication.
Sample citations:
According to our previous work,1,3-8,19
The patients were studied as follows3,4:
Sample references:
Article:
1. Meier-Ewert K, Matsubayashi K, Benter L. Propranolol: long-term treatment in
narcolepsy-cataplexy. Sleep 1985;8:95-104.
2. Carskadon MA, Dement WC. Sleep loss in elderly volunteers. Sleep 1985;8:207-21.
Book:
3. Guilleminault C, Lugaresi E, eds. Sleep/wake disorders: natural history, epidemiology,
and long-term evolution. New York: Raven Press, 1983.
Chapter of a book:
4. Coleman RM, Bliwise DL, Sajben N, et al. Epidemiology of periodic movements during
sleep. In: Guilleminault C, Lugaresi E, eds. Sleep/wake disorders: natural history,
epidemiology, and long-term evolution. New York: Raven Press, 1983:217-30.
DETAILS OF STYLE
DRUG NAMES
Use generic names in referring to drugs; trade names may be given in parentheses
after the first mention, but the generic name should be used thereafter.
ABBREVIATIONS
Follow the list of abbreviations given in "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts
Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (see section on References). For additional abbreviations,
consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual (available from the Council
of Biology Editors, Inc., 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other standard
sources.
Please provide on a separate sheet all abbreviations used with their full definition.
Each should be expanded at first mention in the text and listed parenthetically
after expansion.
FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Figures should be black-and-white line drawings, professionally drawn and lettered. Avoid the use of screens or
patterns within a figure.
2. Each figure and illustration should be numbered and cited in consecutive numerical order within the text of the
manuscript. A legend should be provided for each figure and illustration.
3. Figures and illustrations should be submitted in their final size, either 3.25 inches wide or 6.5 inches wide
(see #5 below), and must be clear and easily readable.
4. Photographs, either black-and-white or color, are permitted, provided they fit the size requirements and are of
high quality. A signed model release is required for photographs of patients in which the individual is identifiable.
5. Most figures and illustrations should have a maximum width of 3.25 inches so they can fit into the confines of a
single printed column. Only illustrations of particular importance and relevance, or figures that incorporate several
smaller elements, should appear in two-column size, which is 6.5 inches wide.
6. Figures should be of a uniform style within the manuscript; the same typeface should be used for each figure (the
font and size is Ariel 9 point) you submit, and figures of the same type-such as bar graphs-should appear similar and be
proportioned to the same scale.
7. Do not extend the vertical or horizontal axis of a graph beyond the point needed for the data shown.
8. Definitions of symbols appearing in the figure should be presented in a key within the figure, rather than in the
title or footnotes. Except for the key, avoid using internal type (e.g., placing statistical values within a graph).
9. Two-dimensional graphs should not be represented in three dimensions.
10. Each complete figure (including titles and footnotes) should be understandable without reference to the text.
11. Figures should represent data visually rather than numerically.
12. If error bars are included, standard deviations, rather than standard errors of the mean, should be used.
13. Only the most widely recognized abbreviations may be used.
14. In a graph comparing different groups of subjects, the number of subjects in group should appear with the name of
the group-in the key, in the headings below the horizontal axis, or in the title.
15. Ordinary footnotes should be cited with lower-case superscript letters. Footnote citations may be given in both the
title and the body of the figure; within the body of the figure, they should proceed from left to right.
16. All figures and illustrations will be reproduced in "portrait" format; JCSM cannot accommodate "landscape"
presentation (i.e., no table or figure will be included that requires the reader to turn the journal sideways).
17. Preferred electronic format for images and figures is EPS or PDF. High resolution figures will allow for the best
possible reproduction on press. Please submit figure as separate files – figures embedded in Word files will not reproduce well.
No screen capture images will be acceptable – please provide original images.
18. Reproduction in color must be approved by the Editor. Authors are required to pay a color fee for each color reproduction.
The cost to the author will be $100.00 per figure/photo/illustration, and payment will be required before publication.
REVIEW PROCESS
All submitted manuscripts are peer-reviewed by reviewers selected based on their expertise related to the particular manuscript.
Decisions of accept, reject, or major or minor revisions are made by the Editor or Deputy Editor, and are considered final.
Manuscripts are reviewed with due respect for the author's confidentiality. At the same time, reviewers also have rights to
confidentiality, which are respected by the Editor. The Editor ensures both the authors and the reviewers that the manuscripts sent
for review are privileged communications and are the private property of the author.
When submitting a manuscript for consideration for publication, authors may suggest the names of potential reviewers to invite and/or exclude.
EXPEDITED REVIEW PROCESS
At the option of the authors, manuscripts previously peer-reviewed by SLEEP, but not accepted for publication may be considered for
expedited review for Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM). An expedited review will consist of an analysis by the Editor-in-Chief of
JCSM of the previous critiques returned by SLEEP as well as an examination of the submitted manuscript. Using these documents, an initial
decision of accept, reject or revision will be made without additional outside reviews. To obtain an expedited review, the corresponding
author MUST request this in the cover letter to JCSM and upload the critiques returned from SLEEP with the manuscript submission. The
Editor-in-Chief will decide whether to conduct an expedited review or to proceed with the standard review process. If a decision is made
to conduct a standard review, the author will be so informed and given the option to withdraw the manuscript without prejudice.
RESUBMISSIONS
If a manuscript is returned to the author(s) for revisions, all resubmissions must follow the Instructions for Submitting a Manuscript and include the following:
- Both a clean copy and a redline copy of the revised submission. NOTE: If the redline copy was created using “track changes” mode
in Word, please create a PDF file of the redline version and upload the PDF file in Rapid Review. If you are not able to create a PDF
file of your redline version, please use alternative font colors or highlighting tools in Word to show the redlined changes – not “track
changes” mode.
- You must also upload a letter (Corresponding Author’s Rebuttal) responding to each of the points made by the reviewers.
The deadline for submission of a revised manuscript is four months from the date of the notice. There is no guarantee that a revised
manuscript will be accepted for publication.
PROOFING
Once a manuscript is accepted, it will be scheduled for publication in an upcoming issue of JCSM. The corresponding author will be
notified as to the assignment of the manuscript to an issue and page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author. These proofs will
be emailed as a PDF file and authors will be expected to return their corrections or approval of these proofs within the timeframe given
in the email. It is the authors’ responsibility to keep their account in Rapid Review current and to notify JCSM’s administrative office
of any changes in contact information after a paper has been accepted.
PAGE CHARGES
To recover part of publication costs, the AASM charges authors of unsolicited manuscripts
$50 USD per printed page upon acceptance of the paper. By signing the mandatory
Copyright Assignment Form, the author agrees to pay page charges upon return of
the proofs of his/her paper. This fee will be waived for all manuscripts submitted
before January 1, 2005 AND for invited submissions, Letters to the Editor, Sleep
Pearls, Book Reviews, and manuscripts for which the corresponding author is a member
of the AASM. Supplements sponsored by third parties such as industry will be published
at negotiated rates.
Excessive changes made in proof will be subject to additional charges.
REPRINTS
Upon request, ten complimentary tearsheet copies of the manuscript can be sent to the corresponding author; requests must be
made via email to sleepjournals@aasmnet.org within 30 days of publication. To order additional reprints, contact the editorial
office for an order form. For commercial reprint orders contact Shelly Leahy, Cadmus Printing, 500 Cadmus Lane, Easton, MD 21601.
Reprints2@cadmus.com
CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION CREDIT
Peer-reviewed scientific papers accepted for publication in JCSM may be designated for category 1 continuing medical education
credit. On the Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective Form, authors are asked to write a broad, one sentence learning
objective to accompany their manuscript.
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