Instructions for Authors
Purpose
The mission of the International Journal of Surgical Pathology is to provide a forum for the communication of scientific information in the field of surgical pathology. Studies that emphasize important diagnostic and prognostic features involving human tissue provide the basis for publication of works utilizing standard techniques, as well as those from applied and basic science. Manuscript categories include: original articles; review articles; molecular surgical pathology; case reports; news; diagnostic pearls, pitfalls and mistakes; profiles of tumors and immunomarkers; images in pathology; controversies in surgical pathology; historical aspects; and medicolegal issues (invited and submitted).
Submission of manuscripts
Manuscripts must be submitted electronically at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijsp, where authors will be required to set up an online account in the SAGETRACK system powered by ScholarOne. Files should be submitted in Microsoft Word and should include the following elements: complete author names; author contact information, including credentials; departmental and institutional affiliations; acknowledgments; abstract (150 or fewer words); keywords; references; tables; illustrations; and legends. Original works will be accepted with the understanding that they are contributed solely to the International Journal of Surgical Pathology and have not been published by and are not under simultaneous review by another publication. Accepted manuscripts become the sole property of the journal and may not be published elsewhere without the consent of the publisher. A form stating that the authors transfer all copyright ownership to the publisher will be sent from the editorial office when the manuscript is accepted; this form must be signed by all authors of the article (faxes are accepted).
Manuscript preparation
Manuscripts, including all tables, illustrations, and references, should be arranged as follows: 1) Title page with: full title; authors’ names, degrees, institutional affiliations; a contact author responsible for proofreading and correspondence (name, address, telephone, fax, and e-mail); and the number of illustrations 2) Abstract page with: abstract not to exceed 150 words, without references; 5-6 keywords for indexing purposes at end of abstract; a brief title (no longer than 40 characters) to be used as a running head. 3) Text in following format: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion. 4) Grants and other acknowledgments. 5) References. 6) Tables. 7) Figure Legends. Pages should be consecutively numbered with title page as page 1; first author’s name in upper right corner of each page. Abbreviations should appear in parentheses immediately after the term first appears in the text.
Case Reports
Authors of case reports are asked to include in their submission to the journal 1 or more glass slides of the lesion being reported. The purpose of this request is for the editorial office to scan the slide and make it available to journal readers through the Internet to supplement the photographs included in the paper. The entire microscopic section will be scanned on low power and a selected portion (to be indicated by the author by making a circle not greater than 5 mm on the slide) will also be scanned at higher magnification. This will be done at no charge to the author. Upon completion of the procedure the original slide(s) will be returned to the author. This new feature will allow the author to be very selective in the photograph documentation included in the printed version of the paper, knowing that the readers will have the option to examine a large digital image of the case at the magnification they desire.
Letters to the Editor
The editor invites brief letters commenting on papers in the journal and other issues; however, not all letters will be accepted, and editorial changes may be made. Letters should be short, generally not to exceed 500 words.
Permissions
To use tables or figures borrowed from another source, permission must be obtained from the copyright holder, usually the publisher. This is necessary even if you are an author of the borrowed material. Give the source of a borrowed table in a footnote and of a borrowed figure in the legend. Use the exact wording required by the copyright holder. Send copies of the letter granting permission, identified by table or figure number, along with the manuscript.
Page proofs
Page proofs are sent from the publisher and must be returned promptly to avoid delay of publication.
References
References should appear in brackets and should be cited in numerical order in the text and listed at the end of the article in citation order. Unpublished data, personal communications, and other materials not accessible to the reader should not be listed as references but rather given in brackets in the text. The correct form, punctuation, and capitalization for references is shown in the following examples, using Index Medicus abbreviations for journal titles. Generally, periods are not used for author’s initials, journal abbreviations, or at the end of each reference. Note that all authors must be listed for each reference.
Book
Wall PD, Melzack R (eds). Textbook of pain, 2nd ed. Churchill Livingstone, New York, 1989
Journal Article
Mamelle G, Richard J, Luboinski BM, Schwaab G, Eschwege F, Micheau C. Synovial sarcoma of the head and neck: An account of four cases and a review of the literature. Eur J Surg Oncol 12:347-349.
Tables
Tables should be comprehensible without reference to the text and should not be repetitive of descriptions in the text. Every table should consist of two or more columns; tables with only one column will be treated as lists and incorporated into the text. Cite all tables in the text, number them in order of appearance, and provide a short heading. Each table should be typed double-spaced on a separate sheet of paper, using only horizontal rules. Explanatory matter and source notations for borrowed tables should be placed in the table footnote.
Figure and Artwork Submission
Electronic submission of figures is highly preferred, except for Case Reports. If hard copies of photographs are submitted, rather than digital images, they should be submitted in triplicate. Photographs should be black-and-white or color glossy prints, not films or negatives, and should not be mounted or trimmed. Mark lightly on the back, in soft pencil, the lead author’s name, figure number, and correct orientation ("top"). Photographs may be as large as 7" wide and 9" long (including legend). Artwork includes charts and graphs, maps, photographs, and line art. Acceptable file formats include the following: TIFF, EPS, JPEG, and PDF. Microsoft application files are acceptable for line art (vector art). These are figures that only contain black and white lines, such as charts, and no gray-shaded or color areas.
Scanned images
Line art should be scanned as a bitmap at 900 ppi. Photos should be scanned as a grayscale or CMYK at 300 ppi.
Color figures
Color figures that will enhance the article will be accepted for publication. Color figures should be be submitted at 300 ppi resolution.
Authors who want to refine the use of English in their manuscripts might consider utilizing the services of SPi, a non-affiliated company that offers Professional Editing Services to authors of journal articles in the areas of science, technology, medicine or the social sciences. SPi specializes in editing and correcting English-language manuscripts written by authors with a primary language other than English. Visit http://www.prof-editing.com for more information about SPi’s Professional Editing Services, pricing, and turn-around times, or to obtain a free quote or submit a manuscript for language polishing.
Please be aware that SAGE has no affiliation with SPi and makes no endorsement of the company. An author’s use of SPi’s services in no way guarantees that his or her submission will ultimately be accepted. Any arrangement an author enters into will be exclusively between the author and SPi, and any costs incurred are the sole responsibility of the author.
