Information for Authors: January 2009Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare General InformationThe purpose of Proceedings of UCLA Healthcare Journal is to offer faculty in the UCLA School of Medicine an opportunity to describe, discuss and explore clinical issues in a context useful for medical education. All UCLA fulltime faculty are required to document creative contributions for advancement in the Clinical Compensated series and the Proceedings is an excellent vehicle for this purpose. To maximize the diversity of topics in the Proceedings, authors are encouraged to communicate prospective subject matters with Robert Oye, MD, Editor, prior to submission. Only original, unpublished materials from UCLA School of Medicine Faculty will be considered for publication. The 2009 volume represents our thirteenth year of publication. The printed journal was last published in 2003 and the journal has been in an entirely electronic format since 2004. 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. Article SubmissionSubmissions 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 will be emailed or faxed to the authors, and should be completed before the submissions can be reviewed. Previous or Duplicate Publication and Duplicate SubmissionWhen 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. AuthorshipThe 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. Manuscript Format and StyleAll 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. FormatThe Proceedings currently receives the following types of submissions: Clinical Vignettes, Clinical Commentaries, Brief Clinical Updates and Clinical Reviews. See format descriptions below. General information: - Express all measurements in SI and standard units where applicable.
- Limit the use of abbreviations; non-standard abbreviations should be avoided in the text and tables whenever possible.
- Do not use trade names, always use generic names or descriptions (generic names should not be capitalized).
- Handouts should be included as an appendix following the references.
- Respect patient confidentiality. Do not use names, initials, dates or other information that would identify the patient.
References - All concepts and supporting information must be supported by published articles from medical/scientific literature or other legitimate sources.
- Data taken from the literature must be cited in a bibliography.
- Number all references in the order that they are cited in the text.
- 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.
- Statements of common medical knowledge should not be referenced.
Tables - Should be limited.
- Abbreviations may be used in tables, but must be explained in footnotes. However, it is recommended that abbreviations be avoided whenever possible.
- Do not include a table if the information being described is part of the text; avoid duplicating information.
Figures and Clinical Images - Should be submitted in JPEG format.
- Should be either 3” or 6” wide (to span one or two columns).
- Should have all patient identifiers removed prior to submission.
- Please limit the size of the images to 500 kb/ each.
Submitting a Manuscript Submissions to the Proceedings should include the following: - a cover letter (see Previous or Duplicate Publication and Duplicate Submission)
- the manuscript
- permissions (if applicable – inclusion of previously copyrighted materials requires permission from the publisher)
- 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 TypesClinical Vignette/Case Report: suggested length: 800-1600 wordsThe 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 wordsA 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 wordsA 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
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