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Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA)

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Information for Authors
Revised January 2008

The following editorial guidelines for the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) are in accordance with the fifth edition of "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" [1].

To top of page Scope of Articles

The JMLA is an international, peer-reviewed specialty journal that aims to advance the practice and research knowledgebase of health sciences librarianship and information provision. The JMLA welcomes the submission of any original manuscript that seeks to improve the practice of health sciences librarianship or information provision in health or biological sciences or articulates developments and history of the profession and related fields. The JMLA also welcomes manuscripts that extend the knowledgebase through research in the organization, delivery, use, and impact of information on health care, biomedical research, and health professionals' education.

Manuscripts are reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that they have not been published, submitted, or accepted for publication elsewhere. General availability or mass distribution in an online format is considered publication. Presentation of a paper at a conference or inclusion of a preliminary report in a published proceedings are not considered to be prior publication provided that the submitted manuscript is substantially more complete than an initial report and any duplicative material is kept to a minimum. Specific cases should be referred to the editor.

Material published in the quarterly journal may also appear in an online format accessed through the web server of the Medical Library Association and through the National Library of Medicine's PubMed Central digital archive.

To top of page Categories of Articles

The JMLA publishes accepted manuscripts in a variety of categories to best serve readers of the journal. The most frequent categories are described below.

Full-length paper

Manuscripts that present original hypotheses and findings or cover the topic of investigation in a comprehensive manner including a review of the relevant literature are published as full-length papers. Full-length papers reporting research findings should have a clear statement of the purpose of the study and description of the methods, provided in enough detail to allow readers to evaluate the study's validity and reproducibility. Results should be stated clearly and conclusions should proceed logically from the study. Papers should also address the limitations and generalizability of study findings.

All full-length papers must have an informative abstract of not more than 200 words and use a structured abstract format.

Authors should also submit a list of up to 5 significant highlights of the paper and up to 3 significant implications for library and information science practice. Highlights and implications should be worded as brief "bullet point" phrases and should encapsulate the unique and significant messages of a paper. Highlights and implications should not restate the abstract, but should alert readers to the key, central messages of a paper. The list of significant highlights and implications should not exceed 150 words and will be published in a separate box on the opening pages of accepted papers.

Full-length paper submissions should be double-spaced, not to exceed 5,000 words, excluding illustrations and hightlights and implications.

Brief communication

Manuscripts that report interesting and important developments related to the practice of health sciences librarianship but do not aim to be comprehensive or research oriented in nature may be published as brief communications.

While brief communications may not present a complete study or comprehensive review of a topic, they should nonetheless adhere to a high standard of quality and rigor of thought. Brief communication submissions should be double-spaced and generally no more than 1,800 words, excluding illustrations. An abstract is not necessary for a brief communication.

Comment and opinion

Manuscripts that are primarily editorial in nature, meet the quality standards of the JMLA, and cover important and timely topics are published in the comment and opinion section of the journal. Submissions should be double-spaced and no longer than 2,500 words. An abstract is not necessary for comment and opinion pieces.

Letter to the editor

Letters commenting on, questioning, or criticizing a recent JMLA publication, including responses from original authors, are welcomed. All letters are limited to 300 words.

An electronic copy of the letter manuscript must be submitted to the editor as an email attachment using any standard word processing software.

Though letters may take issue with an author’s work, all letters must be respectful in tone, avoid confrontational or inflammatory language, and limit criticism to the scholarly methods or import of a paper. Letters may include no more than five references.

The editorial team sends all letters to the lead author of a paper to invite commentary if the author desires; anauthor’s response (if provided) is generally not sent back to individuals submitting a letter to the editor. Letters and associated commentary (if provided) are typically published in the same issue of the journal.

To top of page Publication Format

To complement the print work, the editorial team, in conjunction with the author, may elect to publish some of the paper's supplementary material in electronic format only (e.g. extensive data tables; survey instruments).

The editorial team may also elect to publish articles in their entirety online. In this case, the abstract (for full papers) or first 200 words for brief communications will appear in the print version of the JMLA to direct readers to the online content. Appropriate pointers will also appear in the issue table of contents and annual index. Online content is indexed in PubMed, paginated, and referenced or cited in the same manner as content appearing in the print journal.

To top of page Writing Guidelines and Editorial Style

Writing Guidelines

Many published guidelines can be of assistance in organizing the content and preparing a manuscript for submission to the JMLA. Because the peer-review evaluation examines the writing style in addition to the content, authors should take great care to submit a manuscript that is well written and adheres to applicable style guidelines. The JMLA follows the style and format guidelines for scientific and medical publications, and authors are encouraged to consult a guide with this emphasis. Examples of such guides include works by Day [2], Hall [3], Huth [4], and Matthews [5]. General writing guides such as Fowler [6] and Strunk [7] can also be of assistance in the preparation of a well-written manuscript.

Editorial Style

The style conventions used by the JMLA conform to the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [1]. Authors are referred to "Uniform Requirements" and the examples below for the reference style used by the JMLA. Other authoritative sources that guide the editorial process include the Medical Library Association Style Manual, the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style for punctuation and form and other areas in which "Uniform Requirements" is silent, and the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary for spelling. Specialized style publications such as Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information by Li and Crane [8] are also used as appropriate.

To top of page Editorial Review and Processing

Peer-review Evaluation

Members of the JMLA Editorial Board evaluate all contributed manuscripts with certain exceptions. Exceptions include the invited Janet Doe Lecture on the history and philosophy of medical librarianship, editorials, proceedings of the annual meetings of the Medical Library Association, invited columns, comment and opinion pieces, letters to the editor, and reviews of books and electronic resources.

The JMLA uses a double-blind peer-review process, in which members of the editorial board do not know the identity of the author, and the identity of manuscript reviewers is not revealed to the author. Manuscripts are reviewed by three members of the editorial board or by subject experts chosen by the editor. The JMLA aims to complete the review process and provide feedback to authors within eight weeks of submission. All submitted manuscripts are treated as confidential communication.

The editor notifies the corresponding author of acceptance, provisional acceptance requiring revision of the manuscript before publication (revision may include significantly shortening full papers), or rejection.

The formal notification will include feedback from the review panel and suggestions for revising the manuscript if it has been accepted for publication. Reviewers are asked to examine carefully the content and style of the manuscript for relevance, originality, contribution to the knowledgebase of the field, and importance to the aims of the JMLA. Reviewers evaluate the methodology used, validity of data, presence of supportable conclusions, clarity of writing style, and appropriateness of the literature review.

Manuscript Submission

Authors should submit an electronic copy of the manuscript to the editor (jmlaeditor@vanderbilt.edu) as an email attachment using any standard word-processing software. Manuscripts should clearly indicate which author should be contacted for correspondence regarding the manuscript. The manuscript must be in one file, except graphic files should be submitted as separate electronic files.

The manuscript formatting checklist, copyright license statement, and disclosure forms signed by all authors must accompany each submission, and may be faxed to 615.936.1384 or sent via postal mail. It is the responsibility of the first author to ensure that all coauthors submit copyright and disclosure forms. Please note that papers not adhering to JMLA guidelines, including word count, reference style, and inclusion of the copyright and disclosure forms will not be sent for review but will be returned to the submitting authors.

Authors will be notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision of their manuscripts (see "Peer-review Evaluation") via email.

The JMLA reserves the right to make minor editorial changes in manuscripts if these changes will not affect the meaning.

Proofs

Manuscripts are considered final at proof stage. Page proofs are provided to authors for correction of serious errors; minor alterations cannot be made at this stage. Prompt return of proofs to the copy editor at MLA headquarters is essential. Use fax, email, or overnight express services. Order blanks for reprints are provided to authors with the proofs and should be returned according to the instructions given.

Title Page

The first page of the manuscript should be a separate title page—giving the title, bylines, authors' email addresses and institutional affiliations, and title page footnotes described below. The title should be specific, descriptive, and concise. Bylines should include first and middle names or initials, highest degrees earned, and the authors' professional titles. Institutional affiliations should include address and zip code.

All persons designated as authors should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors provides guidelines for determining authorship.

Title page footnotes, if needed, should indicate present addresses of the authors or acknowledgment of grant support, including grant numbers. Manuscripts based on papers presented at a meeting should include a footnote giving the date, name, and place of the meeting. Use the following symbols in the order noted for explanatory footnotes on the title page or within the text: *, †, ‡, §, **, ††, etc. Footnotes should be included in a single list at the end of the manuscript.

Example:

* This program was supported by NIH Grant no. 5-GO4-LM-01609-03 from the National Library of Medicine.

† Based on a presentation at MLA '05, the 105th Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association; San Antonio, TX; May 16, 2005.

The title page, abstract, and text of the paper should be submitted as one file; it is not necessary that the title page or abstract be separate documents from the paper text.

Abstract

Full-length articles must have a structured abstract of not more than 200 words, typewritten and double-spaced, on a separate page. The abstract for research papers must be structured to include objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. The structured abstract should state the purposes of the study or investigation, basic procedures (e.g., selection of subjects, analytical methods), main findings (giving specific data and their statistical significance as appropriate), and principal conclusions. It should emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations. All acronyms must be defined. Consult MLA's Research Section's structured abstract guidelines for examples of common forms and other various formats of structured abstracts.

Highlights and Implications

All full papers should also be accompanied by a list of up to 5 significant highlights of the paper and up to 3 significant implications for library and information science practice. Highlights and implications should be worded as brief "bullet point" phrases and should encapsulate the unique and significant messages of a paper. Highlights and implications should not restate the abstract, but should alert readers to the key, central messages of a paper. The list of significant highlights and implications should not exceed 150 words and will be published in a separate box on the opening pages of accepted papers.

Organization of Manuscripts

Manuscript pages on which the text appears should be numbered consecutively. Divide full-length papers into sections, each with an appropriate, brief heading. Footnotes in the text and personal acknowledgments should be kept to a minimum. Text footnotes if needed should be typed together on a separate page, not at the bottom of the page on which they occur. Relate them to the text by means of the symbols noted above in the instructions for the title page (e.g., *, †, etc.). Include any questionnaire used as a survey instrument as an appendix when submitting a manuscript.

Acknowledgments

Personal acknowledgments may be placed at the end of the text, ahead of the references. People named in the acknowledgments must be notified that they will be included and must agree to be so named.

Reference Style
  • Number references in the order they are mentioned in the text using Arabic numerals enclosed in brackets (e.g., …as reported in JAMA [1].) in the same font and size as the rest of the text.
  • When using word processing software, do NOT use the autoinsert feature for reference numbers.
  • If a particular citation is referred to again, the same number should be used again.
  • References should be listed on a separate page and double-spaced.
  • Bibliographies unrelated to the text are generally not acceptable.
  • Abbreviations of journal titles should conform to the style of Index Medicus and the American National Standard Z39.5-1985, Abbreviations of Titles of Periodicals.
  • List all authors or editors.
  • Italics should not be used in references.
  • Capitalize only the first word and proper names.
  • Words following punctuation in the title of a work are not capitalized, unless they are a proper name.
  • The full date—including month, day, or season, as well and volume and issue number—must be included.
  • Citations to web documents MUST include the date accessed.
  • If papers not yet published but accepted are included in the list of references, authors must verify acceptance when a manuscript is submitted to the JMLA.
  • An abbreviated reference should include the word "forthcoming."
  • Authors are responsible for bibliographic accuracy and must compare bibliographic citations carefully with the original publications.
  • Papers cannot be accepted for publication unless all references conform to JMLA format.
  • Provide the digital object identifier (DOI) of citations where possible. DOIs should be provided in the following format and should follow the citation as shown in this example:

Payne PRO, Starren JB.Quantifying visual similarity in clinical iconic graphics. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2005 May–Jun;12(3):338–45. doi: 10.1197/jamia.M1628.

Reference Style Examples

Use the reference style of the examples below that are based on the formats used by the National Library of Medicine in Index Medicus.

1. Weller AC. Editorial policy and the assessment of quality among medical journals. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 1987 Oct;75(4):310–6.

2. Frisse ME, Braude RM, Florance V, Fuller S. Informatics and medical libraries: changing needs and changing roles. Acad Med. 1995 Jan;70(1):30–5.

3. Day RA. How to write and publish a scientific paper. 3rd ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press; 1988.

4. Lessick SR. Administration and organization of services. In: Lipscomb CE, ed. Information access and delivery in health sciences libraries. Lanham, MD: Medical Library Association and Scarecrow Press; 1996; p. 1–57. (Current practice in health sciences librarianship, v.3.)

5. National Library of Medicine. Medical informatics. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 1986 Dec; p. 16–25. (National Library of Medicine Long Range Plan, Report of Panel 4.)

6. Medical Library Association. MLANET [Internet]. Chicago, IL: The Association; 1996 [rev. 1 Jan 2008; cited 24 Jan 2008]. <http://www.mlanet.org>.

Consult the Medical Library Association Style Manual for further information and examples.

Illustrations and Tables

Illustrations often help to present complex information directly pertinent to the study in a way more easily conveyed than by text alone, however they should not be included for purely illustrative or decorative purposes. Tables, figures, and other illustrations should not be extensively re-stated in the text of the work.

Authors may include a total of six illustrations (photographs, tables, figures) for a full-length manuscript and one for a brief communication. All graphs, charts, photographs, and so on, must be submitted in black and white for publication in the print journal. Color versions may be submitted in addition and will be used for the online version.

If an illustration has been published, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher, except for documents in the public domain.

Print illustrations:

If photographs or figures are used, the JMLA requires one original copy of the material, ready to be photographed, and four xerographic copies. Submit black-and-white, high-quality glossies or camera-ready figures from a high-quality laser printer. Materials should be prepared using black ink on white paper or blue-lined coordinate paper for line drawings and graphs. Do not combine line drawings and typewritten material in one figure; lettering must be professionally or computer produced, must be very clear, and must be large enough to permit considerable reduction in size by the printer. Care must be taken to use the same scale on all graphs and charts. Photographs should have a glossy finish, with sharp contrast between black and white areas. To assist in the layout of the publication, each figure should be marked on its back indicating the figure number, author's name, and the top of the figure. Captions for illustrations should be typewritten and double-spaced on a separate sheet, with numbers corresponding to those on the illustrations.

Digital illustrations:

Halftone images should be scanned at a minimum of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). Line art should be scanned at 1200 ppi. Please note that nearly all images that are downloaded from the Internet or that are in JPEG or GIF format will be 72 dpi and not acceptable for the printing process. Halftones should have end dot settings of 2% in the lightest area of the image and 98% in the darkest area of the image. Indicate the file format of the graphics. TIFF or EPS format for both Macintosh and PC platforms are accepted. More details about requirements for illustrations can be found at http://www2.allenpress.com/allen_press/apguides/Digital_Art_Spec.pdf. [PDF]

Tables should be typed, double-spaced, on separate sheets at the end of the file, numbered consecutively, and headed by a brief, descriptive title. Use your word processor's table commands or use a single tab between columns and a hard return between rows.

Indicate the placement of all illustrations and tables in the text with callouts. For example, "Table 1 shows the relationship of authors to their citations" or "Students preferred electronic reserves to print reserves (Table 1)."

To complement the print work, the editorial team, in conjunction with the author, may elect to publish some of a paper's tables, figures, or supplementary material in electronic format only (e.g., extensive data tables, survey instruments).

To top of page Manuscript Checklist and Copyright and Disclosure Agreement

The Journal of Medical Library Association requires authors to include a copy of the JMLA copyright license agreement and disclosure form, dated and signed, when submitting material for possible publication in the JMLA. All coauthors also must sign the agreement and disclosure form; it is the responsibility of the first author to ensure that coauthors sign and submit the forms.

The corresponding author should also complete the Checklist for Formatting JMLA Manuscripts attached to the copyright and disclosure forms. Please note that papers not adhering to JMLA guidelines, including word count, reference style, and inclusion of the copyright and disclosure forms will not be sent for review but will be returned to the submitting authors.

Download the JMLA copyright license agreement, disclosure form, and manuscript formatting checklist . [PDF]

To top of page Focus Issue (Symposium) Guidelines

Proposals for potential focus issues for publication in the JMLA should include the following details.

Focus Issue Organizer

The individual or individuals proposing the focus issue typically are responsible for developing content ideas and proposed authors as well as securing author participation. The focus issue organizer is also responsible for coordinating the submission of manuscripts and may elect to complete an initial review of manuscripts to ensure that they fit the theme of the focus issue.

The organizers do not make editorial decisions once papers are submitted for review. Articles submitted as part of a focus issue must also go through the regular JMLA peer-review process and are subject to the word limitations and organizational parameters of all JMLA papers.

Focus issue organizers should serve as the first author on no more than one paper included in the focus issue. Focus issue proposals should include a brief statement of the organizer's knowledge of the proposed topic and qualifications to serve as organizer.

Rationale

The proposal should include a description of the proposed focus issue topic, including:

  • pressures, challenges, changes, trends prompting the proposal
  • relevance to health sciences librarians, including discussion of practical and theoretical import
  • brief characterization of the current status of related literature and ways the proposed work would complement or add to the state of knowledge on the topic
  • overview of the scope and objectives of the proposed focus issue
List of proposed articles and authors

For each paper, the proposal should include:

  • a statement describing how the article relates to the overall theme
  • the specific objectives of the article
  • an outline of the main sections of the proposed article, with brief notes regarding section content
  • listing of the proposed authors' names and titles

This article-level detail should provide enough information and description to allow the editorial team to understand the relationship between the article and the overall theme, as well as judge significance and potential overlap of the proposed content.

No focus issue proposal or included articles should be considered accepted until formal notification in writing by the JMLA editor. The editor may suggest additional articles to round out the coverage or perspectives on a theme or reject individual articles proposed as part of the focus issue. The editor may also determine that focus issues, in whole or in part, be published online only.

When a focus issue proposal is accepted by the JMLA editor, the editorial team will develop a production timeline with specific deadlines for initial drafts that accommodate the time required for editorial review and manuscript revision.

Additionally, as noted, focus issue papers are subject to the JMLA review process. As such, individual articles submitted as part of a focus issue may be rejected or the editors may propose a reduction in content or shift in emphasis. The editorial team is not obligated to accept focus issue submissions in their entirety.

To top of page References

1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. JAMA. 1997 Mar 19;277(11):927–34.

2. Day RA. How to write and publish a scientific paper. 4th ed. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press; 1994.

3. Hall GM. How to write a paper. London, UK: BMJ Publishing Group; 1994.

4. Huth EJ. How to write and publish papers in the medical sciences. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1990.

5. Matthews JR. Successful scientific writing: a step-by-step guide for biomedical scientists. Cambridge, NY: Cambridge University Press; 1996.

6. Fowler HW. The new Fowler's modern English usage. 3rd ed. Oxford, UK: Clarendon Press; New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1996.

7. Strunk W. The elements of style. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Macmillan; 1979.

8. Li X, Crane NB. Electronic styles: a handbook for citing electronic information. 2nd ed. Medford, NJ: Information Today; 1996.

To top of page Addresses

Email manuscripts and letters for submission to the JMLA to:

Nunzia B. Giuse, AHIP
JMLA Editor
Director of the Eskind Biomedical Library
Professor, Department of Biomedical Informatics Professor, Department of Medicine
 Eskind Biomedical Library
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
2209 Garland Avenue
Nashville, TN 37232
Phone, 615.936.2797; fax, 615.936.1384

Send books or electronic resources for review in the JMLA to:

JMLA Review Editor
Medical Library Association
65 East Wacker Place, Suite 1900
Chicago, IL 60601-7246
Phone, 312.419.9094; fax, 312.419.8950
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