UTMJ: Submissions

Submission Procedures for 2006-2007

The University of Toronto Medical Journal (UTMJ), an official journal of the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine, is devoted to the publication of significant, original studies and review articles in all areas of basic, clinical, translational, and epidemiological medical research, as well as medical education, medical ethics, medical jurisprudence, and the history of medicine. Submissions of editorials, letters, and comments regarding matters pertinent to the areas above are also welcomed. In addition, submission of case reports will be entertained. All submissions must be in the English language.

Procedure for Submission

Please submit articles as attachments to editors.utmj@utoronto.ca

Text files should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. Images should be submitted as a TIFF, JPEG, or Photoshop document with a resolution of at least 300dpi at the intended print size (at least 3" in width). In the event that an electronic figure cannot be obtained, submit the original figure to the above address with a self-addressed, stamped envelope for the return of the figure.

The paper should be submitted by an author, preferably the principal author, who should indicate in a covering letter:

1. that the paper is being submitted for consideration for publication in the UTMJ;

2. the exact address to which all related correspondence should be sent and the email, telephone, and fax numbers at which the author can be reached;

3. that neither the submitted manuscript nor any similar paper, other than an abstract of preliminary communication, has been or will be submitted to, or published, in any other primary scientific journal;

4. that all of the authors are aware of, and agree to, the content of the manuscript and that authorization has been given to use any information conveyed by either personal communication or release of unpublished experimental data;

5. three to six key words describing the paper, to assist in the selection of the reviewers 6. the authors’ full names, highest degree obtained, and medical school class (if applicable).

Organization

Papers should conform strictly to UTMJ style. Any issue from Volume 80 of the UTMJ will provide authors with assistance in the proper arrangement of manuscripts or see backissues online at http://www.utmj.org. Papers are to be written in clear, grammatical English. Data must be presented concisely. The manuscript should be typed using 12 point Times New Roman font with double spacing throughout, allowing for 1 inch margins. Submissions should not exceed a maximum of 4000 words (not including references) and shorter papers are preferred. Consecutive numbering of all pages is required, with the title page as page 1.

Title Page

The title page should include a) the complete names of all authors, highest degree obtained, medical school class (if applicable), and appointments; b) the complete address to which correspondence should be addressed including email, telephone, and fax; c) three to six key words describing the text. To facilitate the peer review process, this information must not appear on any other part of the manuscript. Make sure that the manuscript includes a contact email address.

Abstract

The second page of every manuscript must contain only the abstract, which should be a single paragraph not exceeding 200 words. The abstract should be comprehensive to readers, and abbreviations and reference citations should be avoided.

Sections of the Manuscript

Please subdivide original manuscripts into the following sequence of sections: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, Legends to figures. Subheadings (within the Materials and Methods, Results or Discussion sections) are encouraged if they facilitate the presentation of material. Figures should be presented in separate files.

References

Please note that authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders when utilizing any copyright protected material within their manuscripts (e.g., reproduced figures, tables, etc.) Documents and articles from the World Wide Web should only be used when an equivalent printed source is not available. Additionally, authors will be responsible for the accuracy of the references. In the text, a reference should be cited by an Arabic superscript. The list of references should be provided in the order described above and should follow the order in which they appear in the text. References must adhere to the following style. Incorrect formatting of references may result in the rejection of an article.

Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals guidelines listed in this website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

Tables

Tables should be on a separate page with a short title and be numbered and referred to in the text. Column headings and descriptive matter in table should be brief. Vertical rules should not be used.

Illustrations

Each figure should be designed to fit into an area of either one or two columns of text. Photographs and illustrations must be of good quality. The figures are to be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals, and each one must be referred to in the text as Figure 1, etc. On the manuscript indicate the most appropriate position for the figure. Figure legends should be on a separate, numbered page and titles for figure legends should be in the form of a concluding statement. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. All figures are to be attached separately or to the end of the article.

Drug Names

Both non-proprietary (generic) and trade names should be provided for all drugs mentioned.

Review Process

Submitted articles will be reviewed by both a faculty member and a medical student, both of whom will have expertise in the field of the submitted paper. The results of this review process will then be reviewed by the Associate Editors, who on the bases of both the reviewers’ comments and their own, will come to a decision as to recommend the manuscript for publication in the UTMJ. All rejected papers will then have a final evaluation by the Editors and if confirmation of rejection is established, the Editors will inform the authors of the decision of the review process. Rejected papers are encouraged to be resubmitted only if all of the reviewers’ comments have been considered and corresponding changes made in the manuscript. The revised re-submitted articles will be considered new submissions and will be subjected to the standard review process by the UTMJ.