Guidelines for Authors

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Practical Gastroenterology publishes articles for the primary care physician, and your article should therefore have a nuts-and-bolts slant. We urge you to keep the nonspecialist in mind as you write your article. We cannot stress strongly enough the importance of focusing your article on information that will be useful and instructive to the primary care physician. In this regard, it would be helpful for you to emphasize prevention and cost (of tests, drugs, surgery, hospital stay, procedures, techniques, etc.) whenever and wherever possible.

We offer the following list to help you conform to our mechanical requirements:

  1. Please submit one copy of your manuscript as a Microsoft Word file, typed on 8½″ × 11″ pages with 1″ margins, double-spaced throughout, including references, tables and figure legends. Ideally, the length of the manuscript should be 2000–2500 words (10–13 pages). Manuscripts should be submitted via e-mail to: PracticalGastro@aol.com
  2. Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word files without automatic footnoting and as final format documents (without indications of markup).
  3. Tables should be submitted with titles. If the table has been previously published, identify the source and provide all information that would be included in a standard reference list (see below), along with indication that permission to republish has been obtained. It is your responsibility to obtain permission.
  4. Figures and illustrations (photographs, drawings, charts) help explain the text, add to the visual appeal of the published article, and are very welcome. Each table should have a title, and each figure should have an accompanying legend. If figures and illustrations have been previously published, you should identify the source and provide all information that would be included in a standard reference list (see below), along with indication that permission to republish has been obtained. It is your responsibility to obtain permission. All figures and illustrations must be supplied in JPEG format and must be identified as Figure 1, Figure 2, etc. When e-mailing figures and illustrations, do not embed them into a text document. Each JPEG should be sent as a separate document attached to the e-mail. Tables, figures and Illustrations should not be submitted as Excel spreadsheets or in Power Point.
  5. The title page should include the names, addresses, phone numbers, complete titles and affiliations of all authors.
  6. A color head-shot photograph of each author should accompany the manuscript. These will be published with your article. These must be submitted as JPEG files.
  7. An abstract of 125–150 words should also accompany your paper. This will be published at the beginning of your article. Please do not exceed the 150-word limit.
  8. References should be used sparingly and cited in the body of the paper using consecutive superscript (raised) numbers. The references section should be numbered consecutively in the order in which the references are cited in the text. References should follow AMA style, and journal names should be abbreviated according to Index Medicus practice. Inclusive page ranges should be indicated. The following references illustrate AMA style:
  1. Jacobson IM, McHutchison JG, Dusheiko GM, et al. Telaprevir for previously untreated chronic
    hepatitis C virus infection. N Engl J Med. 2011;364:2405–2416.
  2. Bernatsky S, Clarke AE, Suissa S. Hematologic malignant neoplasms after drug exposure in
    rheumatoid arthritis. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:378-81.
  1. Articles will be copyrighted upon publication by Practical Gastroenterology Publishing, Inc. The manuscript must not have been published previously. Each article we publish is subject to review by members of our Editorial Board. Articles are also subject to final editing.

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