Instructions to Authors Main Page
Manuscript Preparation
Parts of a Manuscript
Manuscripts should include the following sections
in this order:
Author names
Author affiliations
Name and address of corresponding author
Acknowledgments/grant support
Disclaimers/Competing Interests Declaration
Short running head
Key words
Abbreviations
Outline of manuscript section headers
Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusions
References
Tables
Figure legends
Figures
Supplemental material
All manuscripts must be submitted to EHP in English. Manuscript pages must be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page, and lines should be numbered in the original submission. Standard font types (e.g., Helvetica, Times New Roman) and font size (12 point) should be used, and all parts of the manuscript, except tables, should be double-spaced. The reference list, tables, and figure legends should each begin on separate pages.
Page 1: The first page should include a) manuscript title, b) authors (first or second names spelled out in full), c) full address of the institution where the work was performed, and d) affiliation of each author. Titles should not exceed 20 words and should generally not contain abbreviations or numerical values. Indicate the author to whom page proofs should be sent, and include complete address for express mail service, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
Page 2: The second page should include a) a running title, not to exceed 50 characters and spaces; b) 5–10 key words for indexing purposes; c) acknowledgments and grant information, not to exceed 50 words; d) competing interests declaration; and e) a list of all abbreviations and definitions used in the manuscript. Nomenclature and symbols should conform to the recommendations of the American Chemical Society or the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (http://www.iupac.org).
Page 3: Authors should provide an outline of section headers (i.e., Abstract, Introduction, Methods, etc.) to facilitate copyediting and manuscript layout.
Page 4: All articles must include a structured abstract, which is not to exceed 250 words and should not contain references. No information should be reported in the abstract that does not appear in the text of the manuscript. Headings to be used in the structured abstracts vary by article type.
- Commentaries: Background, Objectives, Discussions, and Conclusions
- Reviews: Objective, Data Sources, Data Extraction, Data Synthesis, and Conclusions
- Research articles: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions (with an exception for Environmental Medicine articles: Objective, Design, Participants, Evaluations/Measurements, Results, Conclusions, and Relevance to Clinical or Professional Practice)
- Grand Rounds Articles or Case Reports: Context (the relevance to environmental exposures and environmental health), Case Presentation, Discussion, and Relevance to Clinical or Professional Practice.
Page 5 and subsequent pages: Text should begin on the fifth page. Concise headings (not to exceed 8 words each) may be used to designate major sections under the headings "Materials and Methods," "Results," "Discussion," and "Conclusions." Do not include tables and figures in the text; place tables after the References section and upload figures individually.
Resources for assistance with research, presentation, and language are available from the following organizations:
Required Cover Letter
A cover letter should accompany the manuscript and include the following points:
- Assurances that the manuscript a) is an original work, b) has not been previously published whole or in part, and c) is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- A statement that all animals used in the
research have been treated humanely according to institutional guidelines,
with due consideration to the alleviation of distress and discomfort.
The identity of the source of those guidelines must be provided.
- A statement that participation of human subjects did not occur until after informed consent was obtained.
- Confirmation that all authors have disclosed any potential competing interests regarding the submitted article and the nature of those interests (required Competing Interest Declaration form available at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/cfi.pdf).
- If applicable, written permission from any copyright holder (usually the publisher) to reproduce figures, tables, questionnaires, or a substantial block of text in both print and electronic forms.
- A statement indicating that all authors a) have read the manuscript, b) agree that the work is ready for submission to a journal, and c) accept responsibility for the manuscript's contents.
- The names and e-mail addresses of possible reviewers for the manuscript.
- Information on the software programs used, file names, and the number of tables and figures for each submission (see "Files and Formats" for electronic file requirements). Inquiries may be made by e-mail (EHPmanuscripts@niehs.nih.gov), telephone (919-316-4544), or fax (919-541-0273).
- If applicable, a request to consider the submission for inclusion in the Environmental Medicine or Children's Health section of the journal.
Competing Interest Statement
Corresponding authors are required to submit with the manuscript a declaration of competing interests on behalf of all authors. The form can be downloaded at http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/cfi.pdf. As noted above, authors must also include a sentence in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript identifying any competing financial or nonfinancial interests.
Conformance to EHP Style Guidelines
Manuscripts submitted to EHP must conform to all EHP style requirements. Authors should take special note of requirements for citations/references, figures, and tables. Manuscripts that do not conform to style requirements will be returned to the authors for modification before the initiation of the peer-review process. This step will cause a significant delay in the review and possible acceptance of the manuscript.
References and citations should be formatted according to EHP style. This will reduce copyediting time and the number of author queries included in page proofs. Authors should double-check all references for accuracy and completeness of information, spelling, diacritical marks, symbols, subscripts/superscripts, and italics. Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy of their references. Check the final draft to ensure citations and references match.
Preparing Tables and Figures
Tables. Each table must begin on a separate page. Tables should be numbered with Arabic numerals, followed by a brief title (not to exceed 25 words). When setting up tables, do not use table layout format; type tables as text and use tabs to align the columns. Tables should contain no more than three layers of column headings, and the entire table should fit on one journal page or less. Tables that are more than one page may be published online as Supplemental Material. A column heading must be provided for each column. Rather than placing additional column heads in the middle of a table, a new table should be created. List abbreviations and definitions under each table. General footnotes to tables should be indicated by lowercase superscript letters beginning with "a" for each table. Footnotes indicating statistical significance should be identified in the following order: asterisks (*, **), number signs (#, ##), and daggers (†, ††). Type footnotes directly after the abbreviations beginning on the next line.
Figures. Figure legends should be typed on one page using Microsoft Word; this page should precede the figures. Graphics must fit standard letter size paper (8.5 
11 inches or smaller), and resolution should be at least 300 dpi. All letters, numbers, and lines should be clearly legible and easy to differentiate. Provide a key defining representational elements (e.g., dotted/dashed lines, symbols, asterisks, error bars) for each figure. All axes should be clearly labeled, giving both the measure and the unit of measurement where applicable. No lines of demarcation or measurement should appear inside the graph itself, only on the axes. Consistency among terms and styles used in figures is desirable. Photomicrographs should include a scale bar in each image, and the length should be specified in the typed figure legend (e.g., bar = 10 µm). Multiple panels within a figure should fit on one page. If you have questions or problems, contact the journal (EHPmanuscripts@niehs.nih.gov).
Image integrity. Adjusting the image for brightness and contrast is acceptable if it is applied to the entire image. Background data of gels and blots must not be removed. The final image must accurately represent the original data.
Supplemental Material
EHP welcomes material suitable for inclusion as online documentation, such as kinetic studies, background material, and supporting tables, figures, videos, etc. Materials and Methods should be briefly described in the manuscript, but intricate details, including tables or figures, should be included in Supplemental Material. Supplemental Material should be uploaded as a separate, preferably single, pdf file and designated as such. Questions regarding supplemental materials should be e-mailed to EHPManuscripts@niehs.nih.gov.
