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Manuscript Requirements

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The editorial staff of Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) uses the AMA Manual of Style, 10th Edition, to review and revise manuscripts before publication for organization, clarity, accuracy, and style. Please consult this reference book on such matters as usage, nomenclature, punctuation, and other standards and conventions.

If you do not follow the general guidelines and requirements outlined below, your manuscript will be returned.

  • Create manuscript in Microsoft Word or save as a .doc file. Other file extensions are not acceptable.
  • Use 12-point Times New Roman font. 
  • Double space every page.
  • Do not indent the first word of each paragraph; leave an extra line between paragraphs. 
  • Put only one space after punctuation marks, including periods. 
  • Use left justification for all text; do not center article titles or author names. 
  • Number each page in sequence. 
  • Use italics (rather than underline) for scientific names. 
  • Submit figures (with figure legends placed below figures) in a file separate from the text. 
  • For manuscripts requiring sections, use the following order: 

Title page 

  • Include full name, graduate degree(s), and affiliated institution of each author. Provide the name of the institution where the work was done, if different from author’s present institution. 
  • Identify clearly the corresponding author and his or her mailing address, telephone number, and e-mail address. 
  • Provide separate word counts for the abstract and for the full text.

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Key words 

Provide up to 10 key words; use terms listed in the Medical Subject Headings from Index Medicus.

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Abstract 

  • An abstract must be submitted for Original Research, Special Topics, Reviews, Community Case Studies, Tools & Techniques, Step-by-Step, Essays, and Editorials. Abstracts are not required for Book Reviews, Letters to the Editor, or Announcements.
  • Maximum number of words depends on the type of article. See Types of Articles
  • For reports on original research, use a structured format with the following headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Consult Types of Articles for information on requirements for other types of articles. 
  • Do not cite references in the abstract. 
  • Do not use acronyms, abbreviations, or initialisms in the abstract.

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Text 

  • See Types of Articles for exact specifications. 
  • For Original Research articles, use the following subheadings in the body of the text: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
  • For Community Case Studies, use the following subheadings in the body of the text: Background, Context, Methods, Consequences, and Interpretation.

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Acknowledgments 

This section identifies sources of financial support for the work being published. If there are no such acknowledgments, we will assume that you received no such support. In addition, this section lists donors of equipment or supplies, technical assistance, and other important contributions from individuals who do not qualify for authorship. It also includes any statements disclaiming endorsement or approval of any views or products mentioned in the paper. The AMA describes contributions commonly recognized in Acknowledgments. Individuals identified in Acknowledgments must provide written consent to be acknowledged; corresponding authors are responsible for obtaining these permissions.

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References 

  • Verify all references using PubMed. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references.
  • Follow Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (also known as the Vancouver Group), for guidance on how to format references.
  • For journal articles, give year of publication, as well as volume, issue, and page number(s).
  • Number in-text reference citations, using parentheses, in the order they appear in the text, figures, or tables. If a reference citation occurs in a table, it should be numbered consecutively according to the table's mention in the text.
  • Do not use superscripts (e.g, Endnotes).
  • If you have used automatic bibliographic software, eliminate all automatic links between citation numbers and references.
  • Consult List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus for accepted journal abbreviations. If a journal is not listed, spell out the journal title in full. 
  • List the first six authors followed by “et al.” 
  • For material that has been submitted for publication but not yet accepted, note within the text using the following format: (EL Smith, PhD, unpublished data, December 2003).
  • For personal communications, written or oral, use this format: (MW Johnson, MD, oral [or written] communication, December 2003).

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Tables 

  • Publishers of figures or tables included in the manuscript and previously published (or adapted from previously published figures or tables) must provide signed consent to the authors to publish this information in PCD. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reprint.
  • Create tables with Microsoft Word's table tool. Use “Table Grid” format. Tables should fit into Portrait orientation rather than Landscape.
  • Do not use paragraph returns or tabs to create tables; tables formatted in this way will be returned to the author for proper formatting.
  • Each piece of data must be contained in its own cell.
  • Do not align cells with paragraph returns or extra spaces.
  • No cell should contain a paragraph return or tab.
  • Minimize the width of tables.
  • Number tables in the order they are cited in the text. 
  • Because tables should be clearly understood without reference to the text, titles and legends should include details of place of study, dates of study, study population (if applicable), and definitions of all abbreviations and symbols.
  • Construct the table so that comparisons between groups are read horizontally.
  • Use footnotes to define all abbreviations and symbols. Use superscripted lowercase letters to designate footnotes.
  • Cite references. Designate references with superscript Arabic numbers if they appear within the body of table or with nonsuperscripted numbers in parentheses if they appear in the footnotes.
  • Identify all variables and units of measure.
  • Explain with a footnote why numbers may not sum to group totals or why percentages do not total to the expected value.
  • If you have an empty cell, please indicate with a footnote why the cell is empty (e.g., data missing, data not available, does not apply).

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Appendices 

Appendices contain supplementary information to clarify an article’s contents for readers. We encourage authors to relegate highly technical material to appendices.

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Figures 

  • Publishers of figures or tables included in the manuscript and previously published (or adapted from previously published figures or tables) must provide signed consent to the authors to publish this information in PCD. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reprint.
  • Number figures in the order that they are cited in the text.
  • Color as well as black-and-white images are accepted. 
  • Send graphics in native, high-resolution (200 dpi minimum) TIF (Tagged Image File), EPS (Encapsulated Postscript), or JPG format. 
  • Send graphics in a separate electronic file from text file. 
  • Convert Macintosh files into PC format.
  • Place figure key within the figure. 
  • Label x-axis and y-axis clearly and consistently.
  • Send data in table format as well, so that we can create alternative text for the visually impaired.

Figure legends 

  • Place figure legends below figures. Double space, number, and title the legend.
  • Because figures should be clearly understood without reference to the text, titles and legends should include details of place of study, dates of study, study population (if applicable), and definitions of all abbreviations and symbols.
  • Identify all variables and units of measure.
  • Symbols, letters and numbers should be clear and large enough to remain legible when reduced.

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P values

  • Report exact numbers for P values (e.g., P = .03); do not express P values as inequalities (e.g., P < .05).
  • Report P values .01 to two digits past the decimal point, regardless of significance (e.g., P = .31, P = .04, P = .01).
  • If P < .01, express to three digits past the decimal point.
  • If P < .001, express as P < .001.
  • Do not express P values as numbers with more than three decimal places.
  • P values cannot equal 0 or 1.
  • Refer to the AMA for more detailed information on reporting P values correctly.

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Use of first person 

We encourage authors to use the pronouns I and we as well as the active voice.

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Verb tense 

The past tense is typically used to narrate past events, such as the procedures used to carry out a study. The present tense is used for generally accepted facts, authors' conclusions, and the conclusions of previous researchers. Generally, most of the abstract, methods, and results are in past tense, and most of the introduction and some of the discussion are in present tense. For a discussion of the proper use of verb tense in scientific publications, please refer to the AMA style guide.

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Footnotes

Do not use footnotes except in tables and figures. Indicate footnotes in tables and figures with superscripted lowercase letters (e.g., a, b, c, d).

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Race, national origin, and ethnicity

PCD follows the guidelines of the Office of Management and Budget, which published standards (October 30, 1997) for collecting data on race and ethnicity. Five races and two categories of ethnicity are listed.

Races: 
American Indian or Alaska Native 
Asian 
Black or African American 
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 
White 
Ethnicities: 
Hispanic or Latino 
Not Hispanic or Latino

American Indian 
A person whose origins are in any of the original people of North, Central, or South America (except Alaska) and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment. Whenever possible, specify the nation or peoples (e.g., Navajo, Nez Perce, Inuit) rather than use the more general term.

Alaska Native, Alaskan 
Alaska Native is a person whose origins are in any of the original peoples of Alaska and who maintains cultural identification through tribal affiliation or community attachment. Alaskan is anyone who was born in Alaska or who is a long-term resident of Alaska.

Asian 
A person whose origins are in any of the original people of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.

black, African American 
A person whose origins are in any of the black racial groups of Africa. If appropriate, specific terms such as Haitian or Bahamian may also be used. When discussing scientific data, use the term that was used when the research (the source of the data) was being conducted. Note that black is not capitalized (nor is white).

Pacific Islander 
A person whose origins are in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific islands. Other terms such as Native Hawaiian may also be used when appropriate.

white 
A person whose origins are in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Note that white is not capitalized (nor is black).

Hispanic, Latino 
A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. The term Spanish origin may also be used.

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The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors’ affiliated institutions. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by any of the groups named above. URLs for nonfederal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. URLs do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of Web pages found at these URLs.


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This page last reviewed June 06, 2008
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