Clinical Trials Journal is a peer reviewed scholalry journal.
Notes for Authors
Submit your manuscript electronically here
MANUSCRIPTS
The editor of Clinical Trials: Journal of the Society for Clinical Trials will consider manuscripts containing original material providing neither the article nor any part of its essential substance, tables, or figures has been or will be published or is currently submitted elsewhere other than Clinical Trials: Journal of the Society for Clinical Trials. This restriction does not apply to abstracts or press reports published in connection with scientific meetings.
In addition to original research papers (2500-5000 words), Clinical Trials also welcomes Short Communications (manuscripts of 2000 or fewer words, excepting references, tables and figures), Research Letters (1000 or fewer words, 12 or fewer references) and letters to the Editor (500 or fewer words) for possible publication.
The editorial staff review all manuscripts. Two outside referees review all manuscripts accepted for peer review. The editorial staff encourages authors to suggest names of possible reviewers, but reserves the right of final selection.
Please ensure that your Microsoft Word or RTF document does NOT include a title page, an abstract, or page numbers; the Clinical Trials SAGETrack system will generate them for you, and then convert your manuscript to PDF for peer review. Furthermore, it is imperative that authors remove from their submissions any information that will identify them or their affiliations to reviewers. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by email.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Authors of research articles should disclose in the cover letter of the submission any financial arrangement they may have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review and will not influence the editorial decision. If the article is accepted for publication, the editors will discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be communicated to the reader.
PRESENTATION
When preparing your paper:
• Double-space manuscript.
• Use the minimum formatting.
• Roman, bold and italic type can be used, but use only one typeface and size.
• Capitals should be used only where they are to appear in the finished text.
• The text should be ranged left and unjustified, with hyphenation cancelled.
• Indents, underlining and tabs should be avoided unless absolutely necessary.
• Headings and paragraphs should be separated by two carriage returns.
• There should be only one space between words and only one space after any punctuation.
Title page
The title page should include the following information:
• the title of the paper;
• a running head (short title) of 40 or fewer letter spaces;
• the total number of words;
• the name of each author, including first name and no more than two graduate degrees;
• the institutional affiliation (including city, state and country) of each author;
• the name and address of the person to whom reprint requests should be addressed;
• and any grant support that requires acknowledgment.
Abstract and key words
On a separate page, provide an abstract of 300 or fewer words.
Utilize the following headings:
• Background
• Purpose
• Methods
• Results
• Limitations
• Conclusions
Following the abstract, provide three to ten keywords or short phrases.
References
Number references consecutively using Arabic numerals in square brackets, eg, [1, 2] as they are cited in the text. For references first cited in tables or figure legends, number so they will be in sequence with references cited in the text. For references with fewer than six authors, list all authors. For references with six or more authors, list the first three authors followed by et al., Abbreviate journal names using abbreviations from Medline. Adhere to the formatting (Vancouver style) found in Clinical Trials; see below.
Examples:
1. DuMouchel W. Bayesian meta-analysis. In: Berry D, ed. Statistical Methodology in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marcel Dekker, 1990.
2. Alvarez JM, Quiney NF, McMillan D et al. The use of ultra-low-dose aprotinin to reduce blood loss in cardiac surgery. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth 1995; 9: 29-33
3. Ashby D, Tan S-B. Where's the utility in Bayesian data-monitoring in clinical trials? Clinical Trials 2005; 2: 197-208
The reference list can include articles that have been accepted for publication but not yet published. List these as ‘in press’. The reference list cannot include personal communications, unpublished data, or manuscripts either ‘in preparation’ or ‘submitted for publication’. If essential, such material may be incorporated as appropriate in the text (see "Permissions").
If you are referencing websites please include the title of the site, the full URL and the date that you last accessed the site.
Tables
All tables must be cited in the text. Do not paste tables into the text but provide them on separate sheets at the end of your paper. Number tables using Arabic numerals sequentially in order of appearance. Put explanatory notes and other details relating to the body of a table in footnotes identified by superscript, lowercase letters.
Figures
All illustrations and figures must be cited in the text. Number illustrations and figures using Arabic numerals sequentially in order of appearance. Computer-generated figures produced by a 300 dpi laser printer are acceptable. Symbols, lettering and numbering must be clear and large enough to remain legible after the figure has been reduced. Include titles, figure or illustration numbers, and legends on a separate sheet. The titles, figure or illustration number, and legends should not appear on the figures and illustrations.
The cost of colour reproduction must be met by the author.
Acknowledgments
Prepare acknowledgments on a separate page. Obtain permission from all individuals named.
Abbreviations
Except for units of measurement, abbreviations are discouraged. Consult Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual of Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Sixth edition. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994) for lists of standard abbreviations. Define abbreviations and acronyms the first time they are used. Provide a list of all abbreviations at the end of the manuscript.
Drug Names
Generic names should generally be used. When proprietary brands are used in research, include the brand name in parentheses to refer to drugs.
PERMISSIONS
Authors must obtain permission from the original publisher to reproduce all matter in the following categories:
(i) All maps, diagrams, figures and photographs (forms are available from the original publishers).
(ii) Single passages of prose exceeding 250 words, or scattered passages totaling more than 400 words from any one work.
Please supply the original publisher with full information for all work cited, including author, date published, publisher and page references.
UK copyright extends to 70 years after the death of the author or 70 years after publication of a scholarly edition.
For unpublished data and personal communications, obtain permission in writing from at least one author.
PROOFS
Proofs of accepted papers will be sent to the corresponding author. Please read, correct, and return proofs within five days of receipt. Only typesetting errors can be corrected at this stage. Other corrections are subject to a charge.
OFFPRINTS
Access to 25 free e-prints will be provided; the corresponding author will receive one complimentary copy of the journal for each contributor.
PAGE CHARGES
Page charges are levied for supplemental issues and design papers. The charge for design papers is $200 per page after the third page. Charges for supplemental issues should be discussed with the editor at the time of submission.
BOOKS FOR REVIEW
Send to:
René Gonin, Ph.D
Westat
1441 W. Montgomery Avenue
Rockville
MD, 20850.
USA
SAGE Open:
If you wish your article to be freely available online immediately upon publication (as some funding bodies now require), you can opt for it to be included in SAGE Open upon payment of a publication fee. Manuscript submission and refereeing procedure is unchanged, but on acceptance of your article you will be asked to let SAGE know directly if you are choosing SAGE Open. For further information please visit http://www.sagepub.co.uk/sageopen
English Language Editing Services: Please click here for information on professional English language editing services recommended by SAGE.
