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2011 Meeting
MANUSCRIPT
INSTRUCTIONS
SUBMISSION DEADLINE:
APRIL 13, 2011
Authors of abstracts accepted for AVAS
presentation are encouraged to submit a manuscript for consideration
for publication in the American Journal of Surgery through the AVAS
as part of the AVAS annual meeting issue. Manuscripts should be
typed, doubled-spaced, on 8½ × 11-inch paper with 1-inch
margins. This includes the references which must also be double-spaced,
not just double-spaced between references. The reference style should
conform to Am J Surg format. The type font should be 12 point Arial
or similar non-proportional spacing. Each section introduction,
methods, etc., must start on a new page. For basic science papers,
the total manuscript should not exceed a total of 12 pages, INCLUDING
one page for the abstract, etc. and INCLUDING figures. For clinical
or epidemiology papers, the page limit is 10 pages. Each figure
or part of a composite figure counts as a separate page. The figures
and references count toward the page limit. Figure legends do not
count toward the page limit, but should be concise and appropriate
and should not be used to substitute for text. No more than 5 tables,
figures, or combination thereof, will be considered. There should
be no more than 40 references. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically
through the website of the American Journal of Surgery with a cover
letter that indicates that they should be considered as part of
the AVAS annual meeting issue. A footnote on each manuscript should
indicate that the paper was presented at the AVAS annual meeting,
giving the date of presentation.
Please note the following key issues:
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Manuscripts that exceed the page limits or do not conform
to length or formatting restrictions will be rejected. Manuscripts
that exceed a combination of 5 figures and tables will be rejected.
Composite figures count as individual figures for this purpose.
Thus, while it may be reasonable for convenience of the reader
to create a figure with multiple parts, a manuscript including
Figure 1a and 1b will be counted as including two figures. It
is imperative that we maintain these page limitations in order
to maximize the number of papers that can be accepted. Questions
about the page limits can be directed in advance to the AVAS
Recorder, Dr. Marc Basson at marc.basson@hc.msu.edu.
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Senior authors are strongly encouraged to review these limitations
and formatting instructions with those responsible for formatting
the manuscript to ensure compliance. First authors should review
them with the senior author for guidance.
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In unusual cases in which the nature of the material being
discussed makes it impossible to comply with length restrictions,
there may be an opportunity for the senior author to reimburse
the AVAS for the cost of additional pages of publication. The
current cost is quoted by the Journal at $110 / printed page
(as opposed to typed manuscript page). The equation between
manuscript pages, figures, etc., and printed pages is not exact
and not negotiable, and the Journal’s cost may change
in the future. Any manuscript being submitted that exceeds the
page limit with intent to reimburse the AVAS for additional
page costs must be discussed with the Recorder in advance and
must be accompanied at the time of submission and then again
at the time of submission of any revised manuscript by a letter
from the senior author to the Recorder indicating willingness
to reimburse the AVAS for such charges if the manuscript is
accepted for publication. Such exceptions will only be made
if the senior author contacts the Recorder IN ADVANCE of manuscript
submission. Overly long or incorrectly formatted manuscripts
will not be accepted for review without such discussion and
will not be sent back for revision or discussion of these issues
but will simply be rejected.
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All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the
Am J Surg website by midnight EST on the day after the annual
meeting. Authors are strongly encouraged to submit their manuscripts
prior to this time. http://ees.elsevier.com/ajs
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Authors are encouraged to submit the names and contact information
(including email) of at least four potential reviewers, although
we cannot guarantee that these reviewers will actually be asked
to or consent to review the manuscript. Note that it is not
acceptable to suggest reviewers with conflicts of interest.
Reviewers from the same institution as one or more of the authors
are automatically considered to have conflicts of interest,
as are reviewers with a history of recent collaboration or who
have recently moved from one of the authors’ institutions.
- Submission of a manuscript for consideration for publication
as part of this process implies as well a willingness by the senior
author of the manuscript to review 1-3 other manuscripts in a
timely fashion if requested to do so. For the peer review process
to function well, it is imperative that all senior authors be
willing to participate in the process as reviewers in addition
to functioning as authors. Refusal to participate in the peer
review process or to submit requested reviews in a timely fashion
may result in rejection of the senior authors’ own manuscript.
For questions about the
manuscript process, please contact the AVAS Recorder, Dr. Marc Basson.
Dr. Marc Basson, Chair,
MSU Dept. of Surgery
1200 East Michigan Avenue, Suite #655
Lansing, MI 48912
marc.basson@hc.msu.edu
Phone: 517-267-2477
Fax: 517-267-2488
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