Submissions

Author Guidelines

Articles submitted for publication to West Texas Journal of Medicine (WTJOM) should be aimed at advancement of medical and health science research. This Journal recommends that authors follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Submissions should be made using the submissions page and following all instructions below as outlined. Separate files should be uploaded for each manuscript feature including cover letter, title page, figures, tables, main document, etc. Any correspondence, queries, or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the WTJOM editorial office as follows: westtexasjom@gmail.com 

STYLE GUIDELINES 

Authors are required to follow WTJOM's style, which is consistent with the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. AMA Manual of Style. We recommend use of citation aids including: Citation Machine, Grammarly, etc. 

Manuscripts should be prepared using a standard 12-point font on 8.5 x 11.0 inch (216 x 279 mm) paper (ISOA4 also acceptable), with margins of at least 1 inch (25 mm). It should be single-spaced, including cover letter, title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, and figure legends. Pages must be numbered.

COVER LETTER

All manuscripts should include a cover letter, with the following:

• Name of Corresponding Author with full mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address
• Manuscript section preference
• Brief explanation of the topic's significance to patient care
• Explanation about any similar work by the author(s) or data from the same study that is under review or in press, or results previously presented or published. 

TITLE PAGE 

The title page should contain:

• Article title (concise, but indicating main focus of paper);
• Name of each author in line-by-line fashion. Please ensure that the appearance and spelling of author names and surnames is correct and in accordance with previous publications;
• Highest academic degree held by each author. Please list graduate-level degrees only per AMA guidelines. Please do not list bachelor’s degrees or Doctorate candidacies.
• Names of current departments and institutions with which each author is affiliated;
• Name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of corresponding author;
• Name, address, fax number, and email address of author to whom reprint requests should be sent, if different from corresponding author;
• Statement pertaining to funding and conflict of interest (see “Conflict of Interest Section”);
• Information about presentation of the work as an abstract or poster, if applicable;
• Separate word counts of abstract, main text, and references; and
• Key words for purposes of indexing and searching.

ABSTRACT

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. All manuscripts submitted to WTJOM, with the exception of Image Challenge and Pharmacotherapy Consult, require an abstract that is structured with the appropriate headings as shown below.

• Background
• Objective
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES

Original research involving clinical practice or basic science evaluations. Meta-analyses are also considered research. Well-designed prospective studies are given highest priority for acceptance. Limitations of studies must be stated in the text. All reports must include, when applicable, a statement in the Methods section that the work was conducted in compliance with Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects Research Committee requirements.

• Background:
  • Brief description of why the study is needed and it's importance to field. 
• Objective:
  • Statement of the objective or hypothesis to be addressed. 
  • Primary objective identified and stated first, followed by any key secondary objectives.
• Methods: 
  • Design: Clear statement of the study’s design, including all aspects (eg. parallel group, randomized, blinded). Indicate if Institutional Review Board or other ethical considerations were needed and/or approved.
  • Participants and setting: The most pertinent inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the setting within which the study was conducted.
  • Interventions: Complete details on treatment (eg. drug dose, route of administration, and duration of administration) and, if pertinent, control interventions.
  • Outcome: Primary and secondary outcome measures, identified as such.
• Results: 
  • Number of participants: Total number, with breakdown into defined groups (eg. treatment, control) shown, followed by number of participants analyzed, again with breakdown into defined groups shown. 
  • Outcome: Numbers of participants and events shown, with summary of the outcome in each group reported as effect size (eg. relative risk, odds ratio) and precision (confidence interval). Data on all outcome measures and any negative and/or non-significant findings must be included. 
  • Limitations: Factors affecting accurary or generalizability of results (eg. small sample size, open label design). 
• Conclusion and Relevance: 
  • Conclusions (not summary) of the study, based only on the results shown, with balance of benefits and harms. 
  • What is new about the report and how do these results affect both our knowledge of the medical condition under discussion and future clinical treatment of the disorder? What is the clinical application of the findings, based only on the data obtained (ie. avoid over-generalization)?

REVIEW ARTICLES

Comprehensive, significant, critical, and analytical reviews that include essential information on a well-delineated subject. Reviews must synthesize and critically evaluate available data rather than simply describing the findings.

After the Introduction section, methods used to search the literature (databases including PubMed, search terms, search period, and limits), as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria for articles chosen for the review, should be described. Authors should consider inclusion of studies available on clinicaltrials.gov in the reviews. Study designs and outcomes, including limitations of research included in the review, should be discussed.

In addition to general reviews, the following categories may be considered for focused reviews:

New Drug Approvals: Brief reviews of single drug entities that have recently received FDA approval.

Formulary Forum: Comprehensive, comparative reviews of single drug entities to aid in the understanding of the merits of the agent relative to others in its class.

Clinical Controversies: Critical and balanced assessments of current problems or controversial issues in clinical practice that provide recommendations based on literature and clinical experience.

CASE REPORTS / SERIES

Detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an individual or series of patients. Describe unusual or novel occurrence and contain an extensive review of the relevant literature on the topic. The title should include diagnosis or intervention of primary focus follow by "case report". Key words (2-5 total) should be identified for the diagnosis or intervention as well. 

When submitting a case report, please follow the 2013 CARE guidelines founded by New England Journal of Medicine: CARE CHECKLIST FOR CASE REPORTS

• Abstract 
  • Should be no more than 200 words and briefly summarize the case, the problem it addresses, and the message it conveys. 
• Introduction 
  • Describe brief overview of the problem, context of the case, and its relevance / importance. 
  • Is the case unique? Does the case have an unusual diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or harm? Is the case an unusual presentation of a common condition or unusual complication? 
  • Describe teaching points that add value to the case. 
• Case Description 
  • Report the case in sequence. Describe the history, examination and investigations and include plausible explanations. Describe the treatments adequately. Include the patient's progress and outcome. 
• Discussion
  • Expand on introduction, focusing on why the case is noteworthy and the problem it addresses.
  • Report a literature review of other cases and how this case differs. Discuss rationale for decisions made and opportunities for a different approach in the future. Describe how this evidence adds value to future clinical practice. 
• Conclusion 
  
  • Key points should be summarized. Authors may provide suggestions and recommendations to clinicians. 

Informed Written Consent is a requirement for all case reports / series published with the WTJOM and should be provided at the time of manuscript submission. If the patient is a minor, parental consent is required. For adults who are unable to consent, consent of closest family member is required. Patient anonymity is required as well. Please do not disclose any patient identifying information, particularly with pictures / figures. 

PHARMACOTHERAPY CONSULTS AND IMAGE CHALLENGES

Comprehensive, significant, and case-based question that explores available information on a complex and/or unique subject.

This section is for documenting images and clinical pharmacy consult questions with an educational point. Since the aim of these articles is to stimulate the reader to think about the case, the title should be ambiguous and not give away the final diagnosis and or consult answer immediately, e.g. "Atypical chest pain in a young woman". Each case consult / image challenge will be presented in two parts.

For a pharmacotherapy case consult submission, the first part should contain a brief clinical introduction to a case (maximum 500 words), followed by a board-review format multiple-choice question designed to stimulate the reader to consider the case consult.

For an Image Challenge submission, the first part should contain a brief clinical introduction to a case (maximum 500 words), followed by a board-review format multiple-choice question designed to stimulate the reader to think about what the image shows. In addition to radiology imaging, other diagnostic images, such as an ECG or histology, are appropriate. The legend should not indicate the diagnosis but should simply describe the nature of the image e.g. “3D echocardiographic image of the mitral valve”. The image should be cited in the text.

For both submission types, the second part (maximum 1500 words) will appear separately from the case and should contain the answer. The answer should include a brief description of the key diagnostic features of the image / case question, the outcome, and a teaching point. The answer should explain why the correct answer is correct and why the other answers are not.

All identifying information must be removed from images, and the text also cannot contain any identifying information, including a specific age. Instead state 'A woman in her 40s', for example. If the article cannot be sufficiently anonymized, patient consent will be required.

TABLES, FIGURES, ILLUSTRATIONS, AND PHOTOS

Legends must accompany all tables and figures. Authors should indicate whether illustrations are original works or copies. Authors must obtain copyright releases for reprinting any previously published material. Copyright permission may also be necessary for any adaptations of previously published material, including tables which have been adapted from other sources. For more information on copyright visit www.copyright.gov/help/faq.

The total number of tables, figures, illustrations, and photos should not exceed 5 per article. For articles with greater than 5 tables, figures, illustrations, and photos, permission must be obtained from the section editor. All uploaded tables must be editable, include captions, and be uploaded in .xlsx or .csv format. 

Photographs must be accompanied by written permission of any individuals pictured in the photo, unless the image is historic or considered a public photo. Photograph releases from individuals in the photo should include permission to use the photo in print and online versions of the journal and all media forms. All images uploaded must be high resolution (at least 300 dots per inch). Do not embed photos or figures in word processing documents; they must be attached as separate files (JPGS or TIFFs) to your submission through Editorial Manager.

CITING REFERENCES

Reference lists should not be overly long. Keep in mind that WTJOM content should review the literature selectively and should emphasize what is practical, current, and evidence-based. Consult recent issues of the journal to get an idea of what constitutes an appropriate reference list. When compiling references for your article, keep the following guidelines in mind:

Cite recent sources. If you are citing a paper that was published more than 5 years ago, the paper should be either one of a kind (a seminal study) or the only source for the data you are citing. If neither of these is the case, you probably either do not need to cite a source at all, or you need to find a more recent one.

Epidemiologic data should be absolutely current. Please look for the most recent information available.

Cite primary sources whenever possible since these carry the most weight. The primary source is the place where the information was first published. For example, the study where the data on the effectiveness of a certain treatment were first reported is the primary source; a review article that cites this study is a secondary source and is less desirable. Check the paper you are citing carefully to make sure that the authors have not in fact taken their information from another source. If they have, that other source is probably primary.

Cite peer-reviewed journals. Peer-reviewed primary source information appears in such journals, giving them more credibility than textbooks and medical Web sites that provide generic reviews (such as eMedicine).

All direct quotes—including those from government sources, online publications, and publications that are in the public domain—must be presented as such, with quotation marks and appropriate citations. Treating direct quotes otherwise will be considered plagiarism. In addition, manuscripts that contain plagiarism or have extensive poor paraphrasing may be rejected, even after acceptance.

Multiple references are not required in most cases. Usually, you can cite the most recent reference, the most respected reference, or the primary reference and let it go at that. (If you can't decide which reference is most respected, there probably isn't one. Sometimes this is obvious, however. For instance, if you are citing epidemiology figures for sexually transmitted diseases, probably the best source is MMWR from the CDC.)

Do not reference statements that most clinicians would consider common knowledge. Many citations from textbooks fall into this category.

Do reference all statements that cite data or studies. If your sentence has numbers, the source of the numbers must be referenced.

Do reference statements that your readers may find controversial.

Do reference anything that is someone else's thoughts, data, or conclusions.

References. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation (see Sourcing, above). Number references sequentially in the text using superscript Arabic numbers. If a reference is cited more than once, it should always have the number assigned to it at its first occurrence. For editing purposes, manuscripts with references must be formatted using the form prescribed in the AMA Manual of Style or the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Use the abbreviations for journal titles provided on PubMed. Note that submissions using APA style will not be accepted.

Any online citations must include the URL and latest date the author accessed the page to verify its currency.

Do not use word processing options that automatically number references or embed information in a footnote or endnote. When you key in references at the end of the text, please number them manually. (The easiest way to do this is to use your automatic program up until the point where the manuscript is complete and you are ready to submit. Then go back and manually renumber.)

Save the PDFs of your references after submission. If your article is accepted, we may ask you to send the PDFs to us for use during editing and fact-checking.

A special note on PDFs of references: The standards of scholarship require (1) that authors obtain and read primary source material during the research phase of manuscript preparation and (2) that they not cite anything in a scholarly paper that they haven't read and evaluated themselves. Abstracts from MEDLINE are not sufficient, nor is it sufficient to cite references that have been cited by another author without first reading the primary source. When we edit and fact-check your article, we must be able to consult the primary source to determine whether the information you have cited is actually in that article and that you have represented it accurately.

Note also that the PDF of the reference must contain the complete publication information: authors, titles, year of publication, volume and issue number, inclusive page numbers, city/state of publication and publisher (in the case of books), etc.

PEER REVIEWS

Authors may be required to submit two completed peer-reviewer commentary with responses to reviewer suggestions. Authors will provide names, credentials, and contact information for each reviewer. Reviewers should be of appropriate academic standing and display experience in peer review process and/or content area. 

CRITERIA FOR AUTHORSHIP

WTJOM uses ICMJE standards as the source for its definition of authorship. Authors should satisfy all of the following, except that item 3 applies only to authors of original research. Each author should 1) contribute substantially to the article's conception, planning, organization, and/or design; 2) contribute to the performance of the literature search and/or critical analysis of the literature; 3) help to acquire, analyze, and/or interpret data; 4) participate in the writing and/or revising of the article at all stages of development; and 5) review and approve the final edited copy.

Persons who have discussed the article topic with the authors, read and commented on drafts of the article, provided technical, financial, or editorial assistance, or otherwise assisted the authors may be thanked in acknowledgements at the end of the article. These contributions do not qualify as authorship.

Before the manuscript is developed and submitted, the authors as a group should decide who should be listed on the byline. WTJOM recommends that authors review the ICMJE Recommendations on Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

After submission, the corresponding author's role is to ensure that all authors have met the conditions noted above. The editorial staff does not make authorship decisions or arbitrate conflicts related to authorship. Corresponding authors must be qualified professionals with the experience and credentials to submit scholarly work to WTJOM. Students or nonprofessional staff may not serve as a corresponding author on a clinical, research, or policy manuscript.

PEER REVIEW

All submissions to WTJOM are reviewed by the Section Editor and/or the Editor-In-
Chief. Submissions undergo extensive peer and editor’s review prior to publication. We request peer reviewers to submit comments online by following a secure link provided in the editor’s email within 10 days. Peer reviewers and editors are required to disclose any potential financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. Comments provided by two to four peer reviewers are used by the editors in making a decision about acceptance or rejection of each manuscript.