Guidelines for Authors on Preparing Manuscripts

General Policies
Types of Articles
Manuscript Organization and Format
Processing of Accepted Manuscripts
Manuscript Submission

General Policies

The requirements stated below are in accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. See “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals,” Ann Intern Med 1997; 126:36–47 (icmje.org).

PRIOR PUBLICATION
Manuscripts are accepted for consideration by The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences with the understanding that they represent original material, have not been published previously, are not being considered for publication elsewhere, and have been approved by each author. Authors submitting manuscripts containing data or clinical observations already used in published papers or used in papers that are in press, submitted for publication, or to be submitted shortly should provide information on those papers to the Editor.

AUTHORSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY
By submitting a manuscript to The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, all persons named as authors warrant that they have reviewed and approved the manuscript prior to submission, and that they accept responsibility for the information contained in the submission. Individuals who were not principal researchers or writers should not be listed as authors, but should be acknowledged instead for their ancillary role in an acknowledgment footnote. By submitting original research, the authors warrant that the original research data are available for review upon a formal request from the Editor.

DISCLOSURE OF COMMERCIAL INTERESTS
All forms of support, including pharmaceutical industry support, must be acknowledged in the author’s footnote (see “Acknowledgments” below, in the Title Page section). Also, authors must disclose in their cover letter any commercial or financial involvements that might present an appearance of a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article, including (but not limited to) institutional or corporate affiliations not already specified in the author’s footnote, paid consultancies, stock ownership or other equity interests, and patent ownership. This information will be kept confidential and will not be shared with reviewers. Such involvement will not be grounds for automatic rejection of the manuscript. Should the article be accepted for publication, the Editor and the authors will consult on whether, and to what extent, this information should be included in the published article.

COPYRIGHT TRANSFER
The Journal requires a written transfer of copyright to American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., so that the author(s) and the publisher are protected from misuse of copyrighted material. A copyright transfer form, which must be signed by all authors, is available here. Work done in the capacity of a federal employee is in the public domain and not subject to copyright. Authors must obtain written permission from publishers for use of extensive text quotations (more than 500 words). The Journal does not publish previously published tables or figures.

PATIENT ANONYMITY
Ethical as well as legal considerations require careful attention to the protection of a patient’s anonymity in case reports and elsewhere. Identifying information such as names, initials, hospital numbers, and dates must be avoided. In addition, authors should disguise identifying information about the characteristics and personal history of patients.

INFORMED CONSENT
Manuscripts that report the results of experimental investigation with human subjects must include a statement that informed consent was obtained after the procedure(s) had been fully explained. In the case of children, authors are asked to include information about whether the child’s assent was obtained in addition to that of the legal guardian.

PEER REVIEW PROCESS
All submissions are reviewed by at least two experts to determine the originality, validity, and importance of content and conclusions. Authors will usually be advised within 8 weeks on the decision on their submission, although delays are sometimes unavoidable. Reviewers’ comments will be returned with rejected manuscripts at the discretion of the Editor. All reviewers will remain anonymous.

ACCELERATED PUBLICATION POLICY
Papers submitted with a request for accelerated publication must meet stringent criteria of originality and be of major, immediate importance. Authors must state their reasons for wanting accelerated publication in a cover letter. These papers are given priority in all aspects of the review and publication process.

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Types of Articles

SPECIAL ARTICLES
These are usually overview articles that bring together important information on a topic of general interest to neuropsychiatry and the clinical neurosciences. Authors who have ideas for such articles are advised to query the Editor in writing to ensure that a similar work is not in preparation. Special Articles may not exceed 7,500 words plus a maximum of 100 references (totaling about 25 double-spaced pages). The word count includes the abstract (not to exceed 100 words), tables (to be counted as 100 words per manuscript half-page), and figures (to be counted as 200 words per published half-column).

REGULAR ARTICLES
Priority will be given to reports of original research related to the assessment and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders or related to the clinical neurosciences. Regular Articles may not exceed 3,600 words plus a maximum of 40 references (totaling about 12 double-spaced pages). The word count includes the abstract (not to exceed 100 words), tables (to be counted as 100 words per manuscript half-page), and figures (to be counted as 200 words per published half-column).

CLINICAL AND RESEARCH REPORTS
These articles present 1) new research findings, 2) data from pilot studies, 3) worthwhile replication studies, and 4) clinical studies involving a number of patients. Essays, program descriptions, literature reviews, and single case reports do not meet the criteria for this section. Clinical and Research Reports may contain no more than 1,500 words, one table, and 15 references (a total of about five double-spaced pages). The word count includes the abstract (not to exceed 40 words) and the optional table (to be counted as 100 words per manuscript half-page). Submissions to this category that exceed 1,500 words will be returned to the author.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Brief letters (maximum of 500 words and 5 references) will be considered if they include the notation “for publication.” The number of words should appear in the upper right corner of the submitted letter. Letters that comment on an article published in the Journal will automatically be sent to the authors for reply. Because of space limitations, not all letters can be printed. The Journal will notify authors about the disposition of their letters but does not return those that are not published. A letter must be signed by all of its authors. All letters will be edited for length and clarity. Letters that do not meet these specifications will be returned to the author for revision. Reprints of letters are not available. Single case reports, except under unusual circumstances, should be submitted as Letters to the Editor.

SINGLE CASE REPORTS
Single case reports, except under unusual circumstances, should be submitted as Letters to the Editor. All single case reports will be peer reviewed. If peer review reflects that the report is worthy of a more detailed discussion, it will be published according to the format requirements of a Clinical and Research Report (see Clinical and Research Reports above). Reports of successfully treated patients should include data on the number of patients treated unsuccessfully by the same method, with an indication of the temporal order of the successes and failures.

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Manuscript Organization and Format

All parts of the manuscript, including case reports, quotations, references, and tables, must be double-spaced throughout. Manuscripts must be printed in upper- and lowercase on one side only of 8.5 x 11 inch nonerasable bond paper. All four margins must be at least one inch. The manuscript should be arranged in the following order, with each item beginning a new page: 1) title page, 2) abstract, 3) text, 4) references, and 5) tables and/or figures. All pages must be numbered.

TITLE PAGE
The number of words, tables, and figures in the submitted manuscript and the telephone number and e-mail address of the corresponding author should be typed in the upper right corner of the title page. At least three key words that describe the content of the submission should be typed in the lower right corner of the page. The title should be informative and as brief as possible. Avoid two-part titles.

Byline. Authors listed in the byline should be limited to principal researchers and/or writers; collaborators may be acknowledged in a footnote. Authors’ first names are preferred to initials. Degrees should be included after each author’s name.

Previous Presentation. If the paper has been presented at a meeting, include the name of the meeting, the place, and the inclusive dates.

Location of Work and Address for Reprints. Provide the department, institution, city, and state where the work was done. Include a full address for the author who is to receive reprint requests.

Acknowledgments. Grant support should be acknowledged in a separate paragraph and should include the full name of the granting agency and grant number. Acknowledgment of individuals may be no more than four typed lines. Pharmaceutical company or other industry support of any kind must be acknowledged.

ABSTRACT
The abstract is a single paragraph no more than 100 words for Special Articles and Regular Articles, and no more than 40 words for Clinical and Research Reports. Authors should use the active voice and third person.

TEXT
Use the active voice and first person; headings and subheadings should be inserted at reasonable intervals. Footnotes to text may not be used, and summaries are usually unnecessary.

Research Design and Statistics. The following information regarding research design should be included: 1) a clearly stated hypothesis, 2) the names of the statistical tests used, 3) whether tests were one- or two-tailed, and 4) what test was used for each set of data. Reporting of standard deviations, rather than standard errors of the mean, is required. Statistical tests that are not well known should be referenced. All significant and important nonsignificant results must include the test value, degree(s) of freedom, and probability. For example, “The analysis of variance indicated that those who abstained from coffee had significantly higher course grades than those who did not abstain (F=4.32, df=3,17, P=0.05).” Reviewers will evaluate the appropriateness of the analyses.

Abbreviations. Spell out all abbreviations (other than those for units of measure) the first time they are used. Idiosyncratic abbreviations should not be used.

Drugs. Generic rather than trade names of drugs should be used. Trade or manufacturers’ names are used only if the drug or equipment is experimental, unavailable in this country, or if such information is crucial to the evaluation of the results or replication of the study.

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REFERENCES
References are numbered and listed by their order of appearance in text; the text citation is followed by the appropriate reference number in {curly brackets}. Do not arrange the list alphabetically. References should be restricted to pertinent material. Accuracy of citation is the author’s responsibility. References should conform exactly to the original spelling, accents, punctuation, etc. Authors should be sure that all references listed have been cited in the text.

Personal communications, unpublished manuscripts, manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted, and similar unpublished items should not appear in the reference list. Such citations may be noted in the text. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain permission to refer to another individual’s unpublished observations. Manuscripts that are actually “in press” (that is, accepted for publication) may be cited as such in the reference list; the name of the journal or book publisher must be included.

Type references in the style shown below, double-spaced throughout. List up to three authors, designate one or more authors past the third as “et al.” Journal names should be abbreviated as they appear in Index Medicus; journals not currently indexed there should not be abbreviated.

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TABLES AND FIGURES
The Journal does not publish tables or figures that have appeared in other English-language publications. Tables and figures that duplicate 1) material in text or 2) each other will not be used. Authors will be asked to delete tables and figures that contain data which could be given succinctly in text. Each table and figure should be understandable without reference to the text; a descriptive, concise title should be included and units of measure should be specified. Consult recent issues of the Journal for format. A legible copy of each table and figure must be included with each copy of the manuscript. If digital files of figures exist, they must be provided with the manuscript submission.

Tables. Tables are reserved for presentation of numerical data and should not be used as lists or charts. Values expressed in the same unit of measurement should read down, not across; when percentages are given, the appropriate numbers must also be given. A copy of each table must be submitted with the manuscript and must be accessible for copyediting. Tables cannot be embedded within the document or provided as figure art. Authors providing tables in such a manner will be required to resubmit tables in a format that allows for copyediting.

Figures. Figures express trends or relationships between data. Figures that contain numerical data which could be expressed more succinctly or clearly in tabular form should be converted to tables. Figures must be submitted as camera-ready prints, and/or in electronic form, and be clearly marked with the author’s name, the title of the submitted paper, and the software used, if any. Figures must be able to withstand reduction to about 3.5 inches.

Color figures will be considered for publication only when the use of color makes a significant contribution to the figure. Because of the high production cost, color figures will be kept to a minimum. 3-D effects should not be used in bar graphs unless needed to express the data.

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Processing of Accepted Manuscripts

Manuscripts are accepted with the understanding that the Editor and the editorial staff have the right to make revisions aimed at greater conciseness, clarity, and conformity with Journal style.

Accepted manuscripts will be edited and proofs will be sent to the first-named (or corresponding) author for corrections and answers to editorial queries. Authors who will be away from their offices for a long period or who change address after notification of acceptance should inform the Journal staff. Please provide the e-mail address of the corresponding author with all submissions.

Manuscript Submission

The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences has implemented a web-based manuscript submission and tracking system to accelerate the peer review process and shorten the time from manuscript submission to publication decision. Thus, the Journal WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT MANUSCRIPTS AND LETTERS BY MAIL.

To submit your paper, please visit the manuscript submission site at Manuscript Central and either create an account or use your existing account. Then follow the instructions to upload your manuscript. All submissions must include a title page and be accompanied by a cover letter and list of suggested reviewers.

Reprints & Permissions
Contact the Journal Editorial Office

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