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Lupus
Instructions for authors
Editorial policy
Lupus is published nine times a year. The Editor will consider for publication all suitable papers dealing directly or indirectly with lupus or related diseases. The journal includes both clinical and non-clinical research papers. In addition to peer-reviewed (two referees) original papers, the journal publishes editorials, reviews and letters as well as a brief news section giving details of forthcoming conferences and meetings and other items of interest.
Authors are asked to write their manuscripts in English. Spelling and phraseology should conform either to standard English or to standard American usage and should be consistent throughout the paper.
A manuscript will be considered for publication on the understanding that all named authors have agreed to its submission and that if accepted it will not be published later in the same or similar form in any language without the consent of the publishers. The Editor will consider for publication manuscripts containing data already in press elsewhere or published previously in unreviewed format, such as abstracts or camera-ready papers for proceedings of scientific meetings. The new manuscript should differ from the one previously published and should not contain any identical figures or tables. It will be the responsibility of the senior author to bring to the Editor's attention details of previous publications and if necessary to enclose relevant photocopies for the use of referees. The existence of such related papers (published or in press) should be mentioned as a footnote to the manuscript or documented with appropriate references. Page charges of US$25 per page are due on original research papers and case reports. An invoice will be sent with the proofs.
Preparation of Manuscripts
Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced with a wide margin using one side of the paper only. Manuscripts submitted with single spacing will be returned for resubmission in the proper format. Manuscripts prepared by dot matrix printer are acceptable provided that the print is dark enough to be photocopied. Three copies should be submitted to the editorial office, an original and two photocopies. Any special points should be emphasised in the covering letter from the submitting author. The paper should be arranged as follows:
-
Title page
- Summary
- Keywords (maximum 5)
- Introduction
- Materials (or Patients) and methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Tables
- Figures.
The Title page should include the full names of the authors and full postal address and telephone and fax numbers of the author to whom correspondence, proofs and reprint requests are to be sent, and a running title of not more than 50 letters and spaces. The Summary should not exceed 200 words. It should be written in a style that conveys the essential message of the paper in abbreviated form. The Introduction should assume that the reader is knowledgeable in the field and should therefore be as brief as possible. In the Materials and methods section, methods that have been published in detail elsewhere should not be described in detail. SI units should be used throughout the text.
References
Exhaustive lists should be avoided. References should follow the Vancouver format, listed (double-spaced) in numerical order corresponding to the order of citation in the text. All authors should be quoted for papers with up to six authors; for papers with more than six authors, the first three only should be quoted followed by et al. Abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals should conform to those used in the latest editions of Index Medicus and Current Contents. The first and last page numbers for each reference should be provided. Abstract and letters must be identified as such. Papers in press and papers already submitted for publication may be included in the list of references. No citation is required for work that is not yet submitted for publication.
Personal communications may be allocated a number and included in the list of references in the usual way or simply referred to in the text. Authors must obtain permission from the individual concerned to quote his or her unpublished work.
Examples of References
Journal article:
1 Derksen RHWM, Bouma BN, Kater L. The association between the lupus anticoagulant and cerebral infarction in systemic lupus erythematosus. Scand J Rheumatol 1986; 15: 179-184.
Journal article, in press:
2 Galli M, Bouma BN, Kater, L et al. Anticardiolipin antibodies (ACA) directed not to cardiolipin but to a plasma protein cofactor. Lancet (in press).
Journal article submitted for publication:
3 Khamashta MA, Cervera R, Asherson RA. Association of antibodies against phospholipids with heart valve disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (submitted for publication).
Complete book:
4 Wallace DJ, Dubois EL. Dubois' Lupus Erythematosus. Lea & Febiger: Philadelphia, 1987, p 51.
Chapter in book:
5 Christian CL. Etiologic hypotheses for systemic lupus erythematosus. In: Lahita RG (ed). Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Wiley: New York, 1987, pp 65-79.
Abstract:
6 Valesini G, Luan FL, Falco M. Clonal analysis of affinity purified anticardiolipin antibodies. Clin Exp Rheumatol 1988; 6: 214 (abstract 102).
Letter to the Editor:
7 Sills EM. Systemic lupus erythematosus in a patient diagnosed as having Shulman disease. Arthritis Rheum 1988; 31: 694 (letter).
Tables
Each table should be numbered consecutively with an Arabic numeral. Each should have a separate caption or title. Methods not described in the text and abbreviations should be explained at the foot of the table. Footnotes should be designated by superior lower case letters (a, b, c etc). Vertical lines should not be inserted in the table. Tables should be referred to specifically in the text of the paper.
Figures
Figures should be numbered in numerical order in Arabic numerals. Each figure should have a title and a detailed legend, as appropriate, listed consecutively on a separate sheet of paper entitled Titles and Legends to Figures. Figures should be referred to specifically in the text of the paper. Figures, including photographs, line drawings and graphs, should be submitted as glossy prints about 1.5 times final size. The original paper and the copies should include photocopies of the figures; only one original of each illustration is required in addition to the photocopies. Figures drawn by computer graphics are acceptable for publication provided the print-out is adequate. The use of three-dimensional histograms is strongly discouraged when the addition of the third dimension gives no extra information.
Colour photographs can be reproduced if necessary but the authors will be expected to contribute towards the cost of publication.
Editorials or Brief Reviews
Editorials or brief reviews are solicited by the Editor but suggestions for such material will be very welcome.
Case Reports
The Editor will consider for publication case reports that illustrate points not previously reported in the literature. They should not exceed two printed pages in length. The number of references should not exceed ten.
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They may deal with material in published papers or they may raise new issues. In the former case the Editor may send the letter first to the authors of the original paper so that their comments may be published at the same time as the letter.
Editorial Office
Manuscripts and other editorial correspondence should be sent to the Editor:
Dr GRV Hughes
Lupus Research Unit
The Rayne Institute
St Thomas' Hospital
London SE1 7EH, UK
Tel: +44 20 7620 2567
Fax: +44 20 7620 2658
E-mail: 106404.2325@compuserve.com
Proofs
One marked copy of the proof will be sent to the principal author who should read it carefully for errors. The corrected copy must be returned to the Editor as soon as possible. Major alterations to the text cannot be accepted at this stage. The principal author must complete and return to the publisher the copyright assignment form enclosed with the proofs.
Offprints
Twenty-five offprints will be supplied free of charge to the principal author as long as the relevant page charges have been paid. Additional offprints may be ordered on the form accompanying the proofs. The charges are necessarily higher if orders for reprints are received after the issue has gone to press.
Business correspondence and enquiries relating to advertising, subscriptions, backnumbers or reprints should be addressed to the relevant person at Nature Publishing Group, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, UK.
Last Updated 6 October 2000
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