Manuscript Submission Guidelines
Nutrition in Clinical Practice (NCP) Instructions for Authors
Nutrition in Clinical Practice is a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) that publishes articles about the application of nutrition to clinical practice, particularly nutrition support and its scientific base, including practical clinical research. Nutrition in Clinical Practice is also seeking nutrition articles with a healthcare management focus including those dealing with cost-effectiveness of therapy, outcomes research, practice in the managed care environment, or other administrative issues.
Editorial Sections
Review: Articles about a specific clinical subject that review pertinent literature. These articles are well-referenced and designed to bring the reader up to date on the subject and provide a scientific basis for practices in the area.
Clinical Research: Well-designed prospective or retrospective studies describing practical results that are immediately applicable to patient care. Studies involving human subjects require approval by an Institutional Review Board or Human Subjects Review Board.
Clinical Observations: Observations of clinical experience. These articles will range from clinical reports of one or several patients to reviews encompassing particular areas of clinical practice.
Techniques and Procedures: “How-to-do-it” contributions by practitioners. This section should include descriptions of certain procedures, treatments, or other aspects of managing patients receiving nutrition support.
Pivotal Paper: A review of a previously published pivotal article. The front page of the original article will be reprinted as the second page of this article. The rest of the article should be comprised of 4 sections: Prevailing Belief System–What were the prevailing common beliefs and practices of the nutrition community at the time the original paper was published; Unique Scientific Contribution–What scientific information was imparted by this paper that changed thinking and practices; Validation–What studies have subsequently supported or contradicted the findings of this paper and how has the information held up over time; Future Considerations–Are the concepts established by this paper likely to be challenged in the future by new issues, developments, modifications or change in thinking?
Clinical Controversies: A review of management in an area that is in dispute. There should be at least 2 opposing views on management of a particular clinical problem, and each view should be defensible from the literature.
Clinical Dilemmas: A discussion of a clinical problem for which there appears to be no entirely satisfactory method of management. The discussion should emphasize the nature of the dilemma and should discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the various alternatives available for management of the clinical problem.
Invited Commentary: An expression of an opinion or viewpoint concerning a subject that has been discussed in the journal or a subject about which the writer has an opinion to share (solicited by NCP Editorial Staff only).
Letter: A forum for the readers to share information, express an opinion, or communicate with other readers.
Articles will be considered for publication with the stipulation that the work is original and unpublished and has been submitted only to Nutrition in Clinical Practice. When submitting a paper, an author should always make a full statement to the editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as prior or duplicate publication of the same or very similar work. Copies of such material should be included with the submitted paper to help the editor decide how to deal with the matter.
When reporting experiments on human subjects, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation. All authors should report any real or potential conflict of interest that may influence the readers’ perception of the work. Articles will be subject to peer review and revision and to the rules governing the Copyright Act of 1978.
Procedure for Submission of Manuscripts
Manuscripts are to be submitted online at: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncp. Author instructions, guidelines, and forms are available at this site. There is no submission fee. Please note that your author account will be the same for NCP as well as for the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (JPEN), since authors submitting manuscripts for publication in NCP are submitting their manuscript to the A.S.P.E.N. journals’ office database. Authors who are unable to submit electronically are asked to first create a manuscript record and complete the online submission form. When you have completed the manuscript submission form, click “Submit Manuscript by Mail” and contact the editorial office (ncp@aspen.nutr.org) indicating why the electronic files are being mailed. Please note that submission by regular mail will result in a significant delay in the review process.
If you must submit your manuscript by postal mail, send CD/disk with 1 hard copy of the manuscript, and printout of online submission form to:
Arssy Hagos, Editorial Assistant
American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 412
Silver Spring, MD 20910
E-mail: ncp@aspen.nutr.org
Phone: 301-920-9124
Fax: 301-587-3323
All submissions MUST INCLUDE:
1. Cover letter stating the authors’ wish that the manuscript be evaluated for publication in NCP. Include full name, licensures and accreditations, postal mail and e-mail addresses, telephone number, and fax number for one corresponding author. You may also list the names of suggested reviewers and those to be excluded from the peer review process.
2. Completed and signed authorship forms (available at the online submission Web site, http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncp) for all co-authors. This form can be scanned and emailed, postal mailed, or faxed to the editorial office and should include the manuscript title and number assigned via online submission.
3. Abstract, complete text, references formatted to NCP style (see below), and all related tables and figures.
Organization of the Manuscript
Text: The manuscript should be double-spaced—including references, legends, and tables—on 8½ x 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins. Since NCP uses a double-blind peer review, please feature the title only at the top of the first page (no author information). Use generic names of commercial products, unless the specific trade name is directly relevant to the discussion; when using trade names, please identify manufacturer and headquarters location.
Abstract: Please include an abstract of not more than 250 words. If the paper is a research manuscript, the abstract should be labeled with and include the following sections: (1) Background: State the problem or purpose of the study; (2) Methods: Briefly describe the study design and variables; (3) Results: Describe the main findings; and (4) Conclusions: Emphasize new or important aspects of the study or of the observations. If the manuscript is not a research paper, a descriptive abstract is sufficient. Also, please list 3 to 10 key words to assist in indexing the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus are preferred.
References: Please be judicious in your citation of references, providing a solid overview of the relevant literature while refraining from citing studies of little or no clinical consequence. References should be current, i.e., having been published within the last 5 years, unless you are citing a landmark study. Papers in press may be included in the reference list. Unpublished material may be cited only in the text. Number references in the order they are mentioned in the text; do not alphabetize.
In text, tables, and legends, identify references with Arabic numerals.
In listing references, follow AMA style (see below), abbreviating names of journals according to PubMed. LIST ALL AUTHORS UP TO SIX NAMES; if there are more than six authors, use et al following the third author.
Tables: Tables should be self-contained and independent of the text. They should be consecutively numbered, each typed and double-spaced on a separate page, and headed by a brief title. If a table must be continued, repeat the title on a second sheet, followed by “(cont.).”
Figures: Photographs: Images should be submitted with high resolution (file size 500 KB to 1 MB). Number illustrations in order of their citation in the text. Note that there will be a charge to the authors for printing color illustrations. When providing hard copy, affix figure number, author’s name, manuscript code (if known), short form of manuscript title, and an arrow indicating “top’’ to the back of the illustration. Never mark on the print or transparency itself.
Legends: Legends for figures should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and placed on a page separate from the manuscript.
Permissions: If any figures or tables have been previously published (whether reprinting exactly as is or adapting from the original), the author must secure permission from the original publisher to reprint them. Please submit copies of letters granting such permission with your manuscript. If permission has not yet been received, forward a copy of the letter requesting permission, a photocopy of the original material, and a copy of the copyright page from the original book or journal. Please note that if material is published in a book or journal with notation in the legend “Courtesy of ———-” or “adapted from Journal of ——”, permission must be obtained from the original source, even if you were the original author of this material. Any questions regarding permissions or previously published material should be directed to the Editorial Assistant, Arssy Hagos (arssyh@aspen.nutr.org).
Accepted articles may be edited for clarity, conciseness, and style.
Page proofs will be sent to the designated correspondent, together with reprint information. Cost for last minute or extensive changes and color figures will be charged to the author.
Citation (from AMA Manual of Style, 10th edition, 2007):
Journals
Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue, part, or suppl number):inclusive pages. (AMA p 34, 2.12.12)
Article (3.11.3 [#2])
Hyduk A, Croft JB, Ayala C, Zheng K, Zheng Z-J, Mensah GA. Pulmonary hypertension surveillance-United States, 1980-2002. MMWR Surveill Summ. 2005;54(5): 1-28[b1] .
Supplement (3.11.8 [#1])
Body JJ, Greipp P, Coleman RE, et al. A phase I study of AMGN-0007. Cancer. 2003;97(3)(suppl): 887-892.
Abstract (3.11.9 [#3])
Fliesler SJ, Richards MJ, Peachey NS, Buxhan B, Vaughan DK, Organisciak DT. Potentiation of retinal light damage in an animal model of Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome [abstract 3373]. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001; 42 (suppl): S627.
Books
Chapter Author(s). Chapter title. In: Book Author(s) or Editor(s). Book Title. Edition number. Place of publication: Publisher; year:inclusive pages. (AMA p 52, 3.12.1)
Entire Book (3.12.2 [#8])
Venables WN, Ripley BD. Modern Applied Statistics With S. 4th ed. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Co; 2003.
Chapter in Book (3.12.4 [#1])
Solensky R. Drug allergy: desensitization and treatment of reactions to antibiotics and aspirin. In: Lockey P, ed. Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2004:585-606.
Gov’t Bulletins (3.13.2 [#3])
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Maternal, infant, and child health. In: Healthy
