Instructions for Authors
The Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition welcomes manuscripts of high scientific quality which are relevant to human nutrition. Submissions will be considered in the following categories:
1. Original articles pertaining to innovative research of nutritional importance with useful application for physicians and health care specialists.
2. Critical reviews and updates that summarize the current status of research developments or present new concepts to unify relationships among nutrition, health maintenance, pathogenesis and treatment of disease. Key teaching points and nutritional relevance must be highlighted.
3. Letters to the editor about topics presented in the journal. Authors will be given the opportunity to respond to letters that address their published work.
4. Book reviews.
5. Abstract clusters of a particular topic in the scientific literature with editorial comments.
6. Supplements representing symposia, workshops, or other long reports will be considered on an individual basis. Topic proposals should be presented first to the Editor-in-Chief. Individual papers will be peer-reviewed.
The Journal of the American College of Nutrition is published bimonthly and mailed at the beginning of February, April, June, August, October and December. All manuscripts are reviewed by a minimum of two distinguished referees with expertise in research relevant to the manuscript topic. Result of the review — i.e., acceptance, suggestion for revision, or fully justified rejection — will be communicated rapidly to authors.
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
· Submit an original and three copies of all manuscript elements including: title page, abstract, key words, text, acknowledgments, references, appendices, tables, figure legends, and figures.
· Also submit a 3.5 inch disk. The preferred format is IBM compatible in either MS-Word or WordPerfect. Label the disk with the corresponding author file name, DOS or Macintosh, software used and version number.
· Double-space all manuscript elements and type on 22 x 28 cm (8.5 X 11 inch) heavy-duty white bond paper. Provide 2.5-3 cm margins and type on one side of the sheet only. Do not divide or hyphenate words at the end of a line.
· Arrange manuscript elements in the following order on separate pages: title page, key words, abstract, text, acknowledgments, footnotes, references, appendices, tables, figure legends and figures.
Title Page
· Provide the first name, middle initial, and last name of all authors, followed by academic degrees. Fellows of the American College of Nutrition should include the FACN designation after academic degrees.
• List the institutional affiliation of each author at the time of the study. Place an asterisk (*) following an author’s name and provide a key for the present address if it differs.
• Provide a complete address phone and fax number for the corresponding author (who will also review page proofs). Also indicate the author to whom reprint requests should be sent.
• If the manuscript was presented at a meeting, provide the name of the organization, place, and date it was presented.
·Provide a running title of not more than 45 characters.
·Any current personal financial interest in the work or with a commercial sponsor should be disclosed here.
Abstract
• Immediately before the abstract, list 4-6 key words appropriate for indexing subject matter of the article. Use items from the medical subject headings list from Index Medicus whenever possible.
• For original research, use a structured abstract that includes subheadings for Objective (1-2 sentences); Methods (3-4 sentences), which may be divided into Design, Setting, Subjects, Interventions, and Measures of Outcome as appropriate; Results (3-4 sentences); and Conclusions (1-2 sentences).
·Abstracts for review papers should be in summary style with 250 words or less. Review paper abstracts must be followed by 4-6 teaching points in bullet style.
Text
Articles should be as concise as the subject matter allows. They must be written in a manner to permit readers to understand clearly what was done, the reasons for doing it, and conclusions drawn from the work.
• Begin the text on a new page.
• Arrange elements of original research papers in the following order: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. Review papers should include Introduction (with significance and nutritional relevance), Background (with historical perspective and controversy or conflicting information), Description of subject (with appropriate subheadings), and Conclusion. Type these level I subheads in all capital letters.
• Type level 2 subheads in upper and lower case, and set them on lines of their own.
• In rare cases when a third level of subheading is needed, include these in the line of text that begins the paragraph.
• Define all abbreviations at their first mention. Abbreviate units of measure (cm, mL, g) according to the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual, 5th ed. All measurements must be in metric units.
• Statistical levels and dam analysis should be explained so inter ested but nonexpert readers can interpret the findings.
• All figures and tables must be cited in the text in sequential order.
Acknowledgments
• Any grant or corporate sponsorship should be noted here.
• Authors may also acknowledge any contributions to the work by non-authors.
Abbreviations
• Use only standard abbreviations (CBE Style Manual).
• An alphabetized key of all uncommon abbreviations used in the paper should be included. Use the style GNS = German Nutrition Society, PIR = poverty index ratio, TPP = thiamin pyrophosphate. The complete form should precede first use of an abbreviation inthe text.
References
· In the text, references should be cited as numerals on line and in brackets.
· In the final list, references should be typed double-spaced on a separate sheet and numbered in order of appearance in the text. Style of references and journal title abbreviations must conform to that adopted by Index Medicus; however, in the case of multiple authors, all author names should be listed. Names of unlisted journals should be spelled out.
· For journal articles, include names of all authors, title of article, abbreviated name of periodical, volume, inclusive pages, and year. For example:
1. Kummerow FA, Smith M, Mahfouz MM, Pikul J: Dietary fat and plasma lipid physical properties in swine. J Am Coll Nutr 4:346-354, 1991.
· Papers in press may be included in the reference list and should follow this format:
2. Bazzarre TL: Chronic disease risk factors in vitamin/mineral supplement users. J Am Coll Nutr, in press, 1994.
· For book citations, the following should appear in sequence: names of authors; chapter title, if any; names of editors, if any; book title; city of publication; publisher’s name; inclusive page numbers; and year. For example:
3. Conrad ME: Iron absorption. In Johnson LR (ed): “Physiology of the Gastrointestinal Tract,” 2nd ed. New York: Raven, pp 1437-1453, 1997.
4. Seelig MS: “Magnesium Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Disease.” New York: Plenum, 1980.
· Abstracts, editorials, and doctoral theses should be specified in parentheses after the article title.
Tables
· Tables should be typed on a separate sheet with a table title provided. Column headings should be kept brief, and units of measure should be indicated in parentheses.
• If a table is included from a previously published source, the copyright permission letter must be submitted with the manuscript.
• Define all abbreviations in a key at the bottom of each table.
Figures
· Figures should be submitted as black-and-white glossy prints and should not include titles. Whenever possible, figures will be reproduced to fit one journal column.
· If color is needed to clearly portray a photo, authors will be expected to cover the cost of color reproduction. Contact the managing editor for cost quotations.
· If a figure is included from a previously published source, the copyright permission letter must be submitted with the manuscript.
· Descriptive figure legends must be included for all figures. They should be typed double-spaced on a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Words should only be abbreviated in legends if they appear repeatedly. In this case, the word should be spelled out at the first mention.
AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITY
It is understood that manuscripts and the data they contain have neither been submitted elsewhere nor previously published, except as an abstract not exceeding 500 words. Authors will not disclose results from accepted papers to the news media prior to publication without permission from the Editor-in-Chief, except in relation to presentation at a scientific meeting.
Upon acceptance of a paper for publication, authors must sign an agreement transferring copyright to the publisher. No published material may be reproduced elsewhere without the written permission of the publisher.
All statements in, or omissions from, published manuscripts are the responsibility of the author, who will review proofs before publication. Reprint order forms will be sent with the proofs. If the author does not wish to provide reprints, it must be stated clearly on the title page.
PAGE PROOFS
Page proofs will be sent to the author for return to the editorial office within 48 hours. Authors should check page proofs carefully, with any necessary corrections (marked in blue) or printer’s errors (marked in red) clearly indicated in the margins of the proofs. Extensive or unnecessary changes in page proofs will result in delayed publication of the paper and/or alteration charges billed to the author.
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
A cover letter must contain a statement that all co-authors accept responsibility for content of the manuscript. If there are no conflicts of interest listed on the title page, the letter most state this. Submit an original and three copies of all elements of the manuscript as described above along with a disk of all text. After a manuscript is accepted, authors are to resubmit the final version along with a disk containing only the final version. A charge of $30 will be required if a disk is not submitted. Address correspondence to: David M. Klurfeld, PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Wayne State University, 3009 Science Hall, Detroit MI 48202-3424. Phone: 313-993-JACN, Fax: 313-577-8616, e-mail: jacn@wayne.edu