Information for Authors:
June 2012

Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare

General Information

The purpose of Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare Journal is to offer Health Sciences faculty in the UCLA School of Medicine an opportunity to describe, discuss and explore clinical issues in a context useful for medical education.  All fulltime faculty are required to document creative contributions for advancement in the Health Sciences Professorial series and the Proceedings is an excellent vehicle for this purpose.  Only original, unpublished materials from UCLA School of Medicine Faculty will be considered for publication.  The Journal was started in 1997 and the 2012 volume represents our sixteenth year of publication.  The printed journal was last published in 2003 and the journal is now entirely electronic.  The website is: http://www.med.ucla.edu/modules/wfsection/proceeding.php  Instructions to authors and copyright transferral forms are accessible at the website.  Formatted PDF files are available for each published article.  The journal is not currently included in pub med nor is indexed by the National Library of Medicine.   Although all submissions are reviewed by at least one editor, they are not routinely sent out for formal peer review and should not be listed as peer reviewed research.  We have welcomed submissions from UCLA affiliated institutions and have associate editors.  Neil Paige, MD is the associated editor for the Greater West Los Angeles VA Health System and Janine Vintch, MD serves as associate editor for Harbor/UCLA Medical Center.  These associate editors serve as resources for their respective faculty and can assist in the submission and review process.

Article Submission

Submissions should be made electronically (in Microsoft word format as an e-mail attachment) to Betty Morgan at BMorgan@mednet.ucla.edu .  The submitting author will be considered the corresponding author unless otherwise indicated.  Disclaimers and copyright release forms are available on the website for download, and should be completed and returned before the submissions can be reviewed.

Previous or Duplicate Publication and Duplicate Submission

When submitting your manuscript to the Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare provide full details on any possible previous or duplicate publication of any content of the paper in a cover letter to the Editor. Also attach a copy of any document that might be considered a previous publication.  If at any time a paper that is under review by the Proceedings is also submitted to another journal, the author must inform the Proceedings Editor immediately.  Previous publication of a small fraction of the content of a paper does not necessarily preclude its being published in the Proceedings. However, the Editors need information about previous publication when making publication decisions.  Failure of full disclosure by authors of possible prior publication is considered an ethical breach.  Copyrighted materials must have permission from the publisher to be included in the journal. 

Authorship

The specific contributions of the author(s), as well as those listed in the acknowledgements (if applicable) should be indicated in the appropriate section of the Authors’ Form.  As most of the submissions are brief, authorship should generally be limited to two.  Submissions with more than two authors should be cleared with the editor prior to the review process.  Please be sure to include the specific role for each author on the form.

Manuscript Format and Style

All parts of the manuscript should be double-spaced and pages should be numbered consecutively.  Manuscripts should be written so they can be understood by a sophisticated general medical readership.  Authors are encouraged to follow the writing style as described in Writing and Publishing in Medicine, Third Edition, Edward J. Huth, MD.  Copy editing is based on: Iverson C (chair) et al., American Medical Association Manual of Style 9th Edition, Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1998.

Format

The Proceedings currently receives the following types of submissions: Clinical Vignettes, Clinical Commentaries, Brief Clinical Updates and Clinical Reviews. See format descriptions below. 

General information:

1. Express all measurements in SI and standard units where applicable.
2. Limit the use of abbreviations; non-standard abbreviations should be avoided in the text and tables whenever possible.
3. Do not use trade names, always use generic names or descriptions (generic names should not be capitalized).
4. Handouts should be included as an appendix following the references.
5. Respect patient confidentiality.  Do not use names, initials, dates or other information that would identify the patient.

References

1. All concepts and supporting information must be supported by published articles from medical/scientific literature or other legitimate sources. 
2. Data taken from the literature must be cited in a bibliography.
3. Number all references in the order that they are cited in the text.  Use of endnotes/footnotes (Microsoft Word feature) is discouraged, as they can be problematic during editing.
4. Use the reference style of the National Library of Medicine (e.g. Wilkes MD, Skootsky SA, Hodgson C, Wilkerson L. Health care reform as perceived by first-year medical students.  J Comm Health. 1994;19:253-269.
5. Use of electronic citations (hyperlinks) is discouraged, unless the reference is ONLY available online.
6. Statements of common medical knowledge should not be referenced.

Tables

1)   Should be limited.

1. Abbreviations may be used in tables, but must be explained in footnotes.  However, it is recommended that abbreviations be avoided whenever possible. 
2. Do not include a table if the information being described is part of the text; avoid duplicating information.

Figures and Clinical Images

1. Should be submitted in JPEG format.
2. Should be either 3” or 6” wide (to span one or two columns).
3. Should have all patient identifiers removed prior to submission.
4. Please limit the size of the images to 500 kb/ each.

Submitting a Manuscript

Submissions to the Proceedings should include the following:

1. a cover letter (see Previous or Duplicate Publication and Duplicate Submission)
2. the manuscript
3. permissions (if applicable – inclusion of previously copyrighted materials requires permission from the publisher)
4. the signed Authors Form

Manuscript Processing

Acceptance or Rejection:
Manuscripts are read and edited by one or more of the editorial staff.  If a manuscript is unsuitable for publication, the Editor will return it to the author for revisions.

Suggested Article Types

Clinical Vignette/Case Report: suggested length: 800-1600 words

The Clinical Vignette format offers contributing faculty the opportunity to review, discuss, and provide interesting details of noteworthy cases they have encountered in their practice. This format provides an opportunity for physicians to educate and update fellow physicians and other health professionals. Vignettes follow the tenets of traditional case based instructions. The case should be presented concisely, including only the pertinent information.  Specific identifiers -- patient, dates and location such as the UCLA Emergency Department -- should be avoided. The most effective Clinical Vignettes are teaching pearls and should include two or three teaching points.  In keeping with the educational intent of the journal, a Clinical Vignette should generally provide an emphasis on unappreciated aspects of common diseases rather than a discussion of rare cases.  The articles can provide insights into current treatment and diagnosis standards for conditions that may be encountered and identified by the primary care practitioner. 

Clinical Commentary: suggested length: 800-2400 words

A Clinical Commentary is a review of potentially controversial topics in clinical medicine from your perspective.  It may cover issues related to the practice of medicine such as medical or patient education, insights from practice experience or resource utilization.  Although similar to a Clinical Vignette in format, a commentary does not focus on a single patient or case.

Brief Clinical Update: suggested length: 1200-2400 words

A focused review of a specific aspect of a current treatment or diagnosis that highlights recent advances.  Tables are helpful in outlining or comparing information.

Clinical Review: suggested length: 1600-3200 words

Similar to a review article in a general medical journal. A Clinical Review should provide a comprehensive review, examination and synthesis of the literature on a pertinent clinical topic. We generally suggest this format for more experienced authors. 

Please contact the Editor for any questions or concerns.

Robert K. Oye, MD
Editor
Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare
Professor of Clinical Medicine
Department of Medicine
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA

roye@mednet.ucla.edu