INSIDE WVSMA
West Virginia State Medical Association Manuscript Guidelines
GENERAL INFORMATION
• Only two manuscript types are considered for publication : original research and case reports
• Authors must strictly adhere to all manuscript guidelines listed below , or the manuscript will be desk rejected
• Publication policies are available at this link : https :// westvirginiastatemedicalassociation . growthzoneapp . com / ap / CloudFile / Download / pVqQ2lWr
• Artificial intelligence technologies may assist in the peer review process
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Education , Outcome Studies , Cost-Effective Analysis , Interventional Studies , Randomized Controlled Trials , Screening , and Diagnostic Test Studies
Guidelines :
• 3,000 words or less ( does not include abstract , references , or tables )
• No more than six authors
• No more than five visuals ( figures and tables combined ). Each visual must be accompanied by a descriptive caption near the area it references . Visuals must be no less than 300 DPI , ensuring the best quality for print
Manuscript Components :
• Title page to include manuscript title ; authors ’ names , degrees , and affiliations ; and corresponding author ’ s name , mailing address , and email addresses ; Disclosure statement ; Funding statement ; IRB approval statement
• The Abstract must be 250 words or less , and the unique information that the original research adds to the medical literature must be included . It must include 5 structured headings as follows : Introduction , Methods , Results , Discussion , Conclusion
• Main Manuscript headlines include Introduction , Methods , Results , Discussion , Conclusions and References
CASE REPORT
Reports that are unique , present challenges , and provide learning points for a general medical readership . Submissions must include unique information that will be added to the medical literature .
Guidelines :
• 1,500 words or less with the case report written in past tense ( does not include abstract , references , or tables )
• No more than five authors
• No more than four visuals ( figures and tables combined ). Each visual must be accompanied by a descriptive caption near the area it references . Visuals must be no less than 300 DPI , ensuring the best quality for print
• No identifying information about the patient , including dates of patient care
• Obtain written consent from the patient / family and keep it on file ; acknowledge that written consent has been obtained in the cover letter and in the Permission statement on the Title page
Manuscript Components :
• Title page to include manuscript title ; authors ’ names , degrees , and affiliations ; and corresponding author ’ s name , mailing address , and email addresses ; Disclosure statement ; Funding statement ; Permission statement
• The Abstract must be one paragraph of 200 words or less , and the unique information that the case report adds to the medical literature must be included
• Main Manuscript headlines include Case Presentation , Discussion , Conclusion and References
FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS
• Please screen your manuscript in a plagiarism checker and state in your cover letter that no more than 10 % plagiarism was detected .
• Cover letter : Must include title ; statement of value or uniqueness of manuscript to the literature ; plagiarism check statement ; and attestation that the manuscript has not been submitted or published elsewhere .
• Submit a line numbered Word document at 1.5 spacing . Each file must include tables with titles and figures with captions in place within the applicable document area .
• Superscripts must follow punctuation in the body of the manuscript without the use of parentheses or brackets .
• References : AMA Manual of Style . Do not capitalize the first letter of each word in the title of journal articles .
• Permission for use of copyrighted material , patient data or photos and the permission information must appear directly below the copyrighted material .
• Abstracts and the main manuscript components must be able to stand alone . Do not use information that needs to be cited in the abstract , and do not use abbreviations in either component if the abbreviation will not be used again . Abbreviations must be explained at first use .
• Do not use brand medication names .
• Mention of race : Race is a social construct and must be treated as such in medical publishing . Whenever the race of patients is included in submissions , authors must explain the reasoning for including race and how race was determined . If race is mentioned unnecessarily and considered as a biological construct in the submission , the submission will be desk rejected or at minimum returned for major revisions .
SUBMIT YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO WVSMA . ORG / SUBMIT-AN-ARTICLE