- Email: [email protected]
Writing for Physiotherapy Guide Lines for Authors
681
Writing for Physiotherapy Guide Lines for Authors Physiotherapy is the official journal of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Its customary functions are to inform, instruct and comment, to be the primary archive of the profession, and to provide a credible and authoritative outlet for original papers about all aspects of physiotherapy into the literature of health care. Physiotherapy is dedicated to the advancement of the principles and practice of physiotherapy through critical review and publication of research and scholarly work relating to its scientific basis and clinical application, to the education and training of its practitioners, and to the provision and management of physiotherapy services. The principles and paradigms of physiotherapy are in the process of being verified and legitimate controversy is characteristic of areas of practice in which a consensus is not yet established. Therefore, Physiotherapy is also an outlet for speculative theories and a forum for ideas that challenge custom and practice. Policy is made by the Journal Committee, a standing committee of the Council of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, of which the executive editor and the scientific editor are officers. The scientific editor has responsibility for the clinical, scientific and technical content of Physiotherapy and for maintaining standards. She will consider for peer review papers which fit one of the manuscript types listed here and which conform to the guide lines for presentation. She reserves the right to reject without review any manuscript that does not fit these criteria. Review may be open or blind depending on the type of manuscript. Open review assumes that the papers are written by acknowledged experts either by nominating themselves or at the invitation of the scientific editor. Consequently, the identity and qualificationsof the authors play a role in determining whether or not the papers are acceptable. For other papers, the identities of authors will be kept confidential from reviewers. Reviewers are selected by the scientific editor on the basis of their expertise. Their identities will be kept confidential from authors and a complete list of all reviewers will be published for each volume of Physiotherapy starting with volume 78. The integrity of the Journal is dependent on their unbiased critical evaluation and the ability to respond to the need to communicate swiftly. A turn-around time is aimed at of four to six weeks between receipt of a manuscript and informing an author of the outcome of review. Consequently, reappointment of reviewers depends on whether they fulfil their responsibilities in a timely, as well as effective, manner. Anyone may propose herself or himself as a reviewer by sending a brief CV which supports a claim to expertise in a particular clinical, theoretical, educational, management or other area relevant to the content of papers published in Physiotherapy. Authors may suggest possible reviewers who have particular expertise related to the content of their papers. Even if the scientific editor does not invite a nominee to review that particular paper, they will be
followed up as potential reviewers for other papers in the same area. Most manuscripts require some revision. The scientific and executive editors reserve the right to edit copy when minor revisions are required to ensure consistency, but not rigidity, of style. When more extensive revisions are required, both the manuscript and reviewers’ suggestions will be returned to the author.
Types of Manuscript Research report: A report which permits examination of the method and argument of research which has been organised and conducted in a disciplined and systematic way using any method or design (qualitative or quantitative approaches, single-subject or group designs, etc).
References: Pertinent, up to date and adequate to support arguments and suppositions. Excessive use of references should be avoided. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Scholarly paper: A descriptive paper which addresses professional, educational, clinical and research issues which may be expounded from a specific theoretical, conceptual or practical perspective. This excludes unsubstantiated personal perspectives, which should be submitted as either ‘Forum’ commentaries or letters to the editor.
References: Extensive enough to support opinions. Reviewing: Open; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Review paper: A critical appraisal of primary source material on a specific topic which may or may not be linked to a particular theoretical, political or conceptual view. This covers literature reviews from theses and dissertations so long as, in this case, the theoretical or conceptual perspective is explicit.
References: Comprehensive. Reviewing: Open; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Treatment report: A report of the treatment of a patient or a series of patients which provides new insights into the application of techniques or the treatment of individuals with particular problems.
References: Minimal and bibliographic,as a list for further reading. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Technical evaluation: A description of a mechanical or technological device used in assessment, treatment, management or education, including specifications and summary evaluation.
References: Minimal. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor.
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9
682
Other Types of Editorial Material Reviews of books, software and videos: Critical appraisals of commercially published material of interest to physiotherapistswhich is made available for review by the publishers, suppliers or other agents. Persons invited to review any material should declare if they have contributed to it in any way. A more detailed paper of guidance for book reviewers is available on request from the Journal office. Anyone wishing to submit an unsolicited review should check with the executive editor that an assessment of the same item has not already been commissioned. Abstracts of articles published in other journals: Unsolicited abstracts will not normally be accepted but individuals may promote themselves as monitors and abstracters of journals of other health care and related professions and of non-English language physiotherapy journals which are not easily accessible to British physiotherapists. Abstracts of theses and dissertations: Abstracts not exceeding 200 words which will usually have appeared as the first page of a doctoral thesis or master’s dissertation. Letters to the editor: These can be about any issue pertinent to current practice, on any topic relevant to physiotherapists or physiotherapy, or in response to any article published in the Journal. The Journal Committee has final responsibility for deciding which letters will be published. In the case of comment about published articles, letters must be received within two months of publication of the article. Wherever appropriate and possible, they will be printed with a response by the author of the article. Letters for publication should be no longer than 400 words, and preferably shorter. Longer items may be suitable for the ‘Forum’ category (see below). Professional and historical notes: Articles of 250-1,000 words which illuminate and colour the establishment and development of the profession. These may summarise the lives and careers of recently deceased physiotherapists or be ‘thumb-nail sketches’ of more historical characters (not necessarily physiotherapists) who have made a contributionto physiotherapy. Authors who think they have an interesting historical topic are advised to consult the scientific editor before they write it up. Commentaries (‘Forum’): Articles of 250-500 words discussing controversial issues of contemporary interest and other matters relating to clinical, professional, educational, political or legal issues and their implications. Commentaries on topical issues may be invited by the scientific editor or submitted as personal perspectives. Research techniques: Short articles of 250-500 words using material from research projects which provide an example of use of a particular research design, statistical test or method of data analysis. Product news: Anyone who has used a new or redesigned piece of equipment and wishes to draw it to the
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9
attention of colleagues is invited to submit a short appraisal. The CSP accepts no responsibility for these assessments and writers are not expected to have made a scientific trial - if they have, their report should be presented as a technical evaluation (see previous page). In other journals: Any reader who has written or seen a useful article in a publication not usually read by physiotherapists is invited to submit brief details - see any issue of Physiotherapy for the format.
Preparation of Edito riaI Material Copy should be submitted double-spaced, typed or in the highest quality printing available, on one side only of A4 paper with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins all round, and with the sheets numbered consecutively. The first page, which will be held in confidence by the scientific editor during the review process, should give: 0 The title of the article. 0 The author(s) names. 0 A complete name and address for correspondence. 0 Up to three relevant professional and academic qualificationsfor all authors and their current positions. 0 A brief note about each author which, for research papers, indicates their contribution to the work. 0 Any source of funds supporting the work. 0 The name of the conference if the paper is an adaptation of a presentation. 0 A count of the number of words, including the summary and references. (If this is not available from a wordprocessor, take the average of ten lines and multiply, by the number of lines on a page and then the number of pages.)
For All Manuscripts Except ‘Other Types of Editorial Material’ The title page should give: 0 The title of the paper. 0 Up to five key words from which three can be selected to index the paper. 0 A summary of no more than 200 words which explains the purpose and summarises the key points and conclusions and, where appropriate for research reports, summarises design, methods, findings and results. The text should be well organised and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. For example, the text of research reports is usually, but not necessarily, organised under the following headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. Other types of article will need other formats. Authors should refer to previous issues of Physiotherapy and other scientific journals for examples. The positions of tables and figures should be indicated, eg Figure 1 here Fifteen or fewer typed pages (up to 4,000 words) including references are preferred.
683
References should be given in the Harvard system. In text cite only the author(s) surname(s) followed by the date of publication - eg (Robinson, 1894). Use a, b, and so on to indicate more than one publication by the same author(s) in the same year (eg 1992a, 1992b). Where there are three or more authors of a cited paper, list the first name followed by e t , eg (Smith e t , 1990).
On a separate sheet after the text all papers and books should be listed by first named author or editor in alphabetical order. For citations from journals, give the names and initials of all authors, the year of publication (in parentheses), the title of the article, the full name of the journal (underlined), the volume number, the issue number and the first and last page numbers, eg: Brown, A, Green, B and Gold, C (1992). ‘The value of exercise’, Physiotherapy, 78, 1, 77-79. When referring to books, give the names and initials of all authordeditors, the year of publication(in parentheses), the title (underlined), the publisher, the place of publication, and the chapter number or the page number of the citation or both, eg: Gardner, M (1965). The Annotated Alice, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, chap 10, page 210. Tables should be given an appropriate title and numbered consecutively as they are referred to in the text. Only horizontallines should be used: one above and one below the column headings and one at the foot. All abbreviations should be explained in a footnote. Tables should ba placed on separate sheets after the references. Figures should be numbered consecutively as they are referred to in the text and placed on separate sheets after the tables. The captions to all figures should be listed on one separate sheet. 0 Photographs which are black and white, 173 mm by 127 mm (7 in by 5 in) in sharp focus with good contrast are preferred. 0 Line drawings, graphs and charts should be of professional quality with sharp and clear lettering and with lines thick enough that when they are reduced for publication all details will be clearly discernible. All abbreviations should be explained in a footnote. 0 The first author’s name, the figure number and an arrow indicating the top of the figure should be given on the back of each original figure.
0 Photocopies of figures to accompany copies of the text which will be sent to reviewers should not be labelled, with names.
Appendices, consecutively numbered, may be placed after the figures for material which is essential to understanding of the text but is not suitable for figures or tables. Acknowledgments, if desired, may be listed on a separate sheet.
Measurements In most countries, the International System of Units (SI) is either standard or becoming so and scientific journals in general are in the process of requiring data to be reported in SI units. As this is not yet universal and both metric and imperial units are used in the United Kingdom and the USA in different circumstances,while adoption of SI units is desirable, it is permissible for data to be reported in imperial units if they were used for the original calculations. They should be followed by the SI equivalent in parentheses. Alternatively, many people would appreciate SI measurements to be followed by imperial measurements in parentheses.
Copyright All original material submitted for publication in Physiotherapy is understood to be offered to Physiotherapy exclusively. By submitting their work, authors are assumed to have assigned copyright to the Journal if it is published in Physiotherapy and to have given the Journal the right to edit, revise, abridge, condense, translate and allow reprinting of their work. Authors are normally advised, as a courtesy, of any requests to reprint their articles.
Permissions Protection of subjects: Authors must either provide written permission from the patients, parents or guardians to publish photographs of recognisable individuals; or obscure facial features. For reports of research involving patients, students or other individuals, written confirmation of informed consent is required. Reprinting of tables, figures, photographs or other Illustrations: Complete source references or the names of copyright holders are required so that the executive editor can obtain permission to reprint them in the Journal.
Submission of Articles Authors should submit three copies of articles. Where illustrations are used, one original copy and two photocopies of each table and figure should be submitted. A covering letter from the principal author should state the type of article being submitted, release copyright, confirm that appropriate permissions have been obtained, and state what reprinting permissions are required. Articles should be securely packaged in a heavyweight envelope with illustrations between cardboard to prevent bending and sent to: Dr A W Parry Scientific Editor of Physiotherapy Journal Division of Health Sciences School of Health and Community Studies Sheffield Hallam University 36 Collegiate Crescent Sheffield S10 2BP
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9
Writing for Physiotherapy Guide Lines for Authors Physiotherapy is the official journal of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Its customary functions are to inform, instruct and comment, to be the primary archive of the profession, and to provide a credible and authoritative outlet for original papers about all aspects of physiotherapy into the literature of health care. Physiotherapy is dedicated to the advancement of the principles and practice of physiotherapy through critical review and publication of research and scholarly work relating to its scientific basis and clinical application, to the education and training of its practitioners, and to the provision and management of physiotherapy services. The principles and paradigms of physiotherapy are in the process of being verified and legitimate controversy is characteristic of areas of practice in which a consensus is not yet established. Therefore, Physiotherapy is also an outlet for speculative theories and a forum for ideas that challenge custom and practice. Policy is made by the Journal Committee, a standing committee of the Council of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, of which the executive editor and the scientific editor are officers. The scientific editor has responsibility for the clinical, scientific and technical content of Physiotherapy and for maintaining standards. She will consider for peer review papers which fit one of the manuscript types listed here and which conform to the guide lines for presentation. She reserves the right to reject without review any manuscript that does not fit these criteria. Review may be open or blind depending on the type of manuscript. Open review assumes that the papers are written by acknowledged experts either by nominating themselves or at the invitation of the scientific editor. Consequently, the identity and qualificationsof the authors play a role in determining whether or not the papers are acceptable. For other papers, the identities of authors will be kept confidential from reviewers. Reviewers are selected by the scientific editor on the basis of their expertise. Their identities will be kept confidential from authors and a complete list of all reviewers will be published for each volume of Physiotherapy starting with volume 78. The integrity of the Journal is dependent on their unbiased critical evaluation and the ability to respond to the need to communicate swiftly. A turn-around time is aimed at of four to six weeks between receipt of a manuscript and informing an author of the outcome of review. Consequently, reappointment of reviewers depends on whether they fulfil their responsibilities in a timely, as well as effective, manner. Anyone may propose herself or himself as a reviewer by sending a brief CV which supports a claim to expertise in a particular clinical, theoretical, educational, management or other area relevant to the content of papers published in Physiotherapy. Authors may suggest possible reviewers who have particular expertise related to the content of their papers. Even if the scientific editor does not invite a nominee to review that particular paper, they will be
followed up as potential reviewers for other papers in the same area. Most manuscripts require some revision. The scientific and executive editors reserve the right to edit copy when minor revisions are required to ensure consistency, but not rigidity, of style. When more extensive revisions are required, both the manuscript and reviewers’ suggestions will be returned to the author.
Types of Manuscript Research report: A report which permits examination of the method and argument of research which has been organised and conducted in a disciplined and systematic way using any method or design (qualitative or quantitative approaches, single-subject or group designs, etc).
References: Pertinent, up to date and adequate to support arguments and suppositions. Excessive use of references should be avoided. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Scholarly paper: A descriptive paper which addresses professional, educational, clinical and research issues which may be expounded from a specific theoretical, conceptual or practical perspective. This excludes unsubstantiated personal perspectives, which should be submitted as either ‘Forum’ commentaries or letters to the editor.
References: Extensive enough to support opinions. Reviewing: Open; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Review paper: A critical appraisal of primary source material on a specific topic which may or may not be linked to a particular theoretical, political or conceptual view. This covers literature reviews from theses and dissertations so long as, in this case, the theoretical or conceptual perspective is explicit.
References: Comprehensive. Reviewing: Open; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Treatment report: A report of the treatment of a patient or a series of patients which provides new insights into the application of techniques or the treatment of individuals with particular problems.
References: Minimal and bibliographic,as a list for further reading. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor. Technical evaluation: A description of a mechanical or technological device used in assessment, treatment, management or education, including specifications and summary evaluation.
References: Minimal. Reviewing: Blind; two reviewers plus scientific editor.
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9
682
Other Types of Editorial Material Reviews of books, software and videos: Critical appraisals of commercially published material of interest to physiotherapistswhich is made available for review by the publishers, suppliers or other agents. Persons invited to review any material should declare if they have contributed to it in any way. A more detailed paper of guidance for book reviewers is available on request from the Journal office. Anyone wishing to submit an unsolicited review should check with the executive editor that an assessment of the same item has not already been commissioned. Abstracts of articles published in other journals: Unsolicited abstracts will not normally be accepted but individuals may promote themselves as monitors and abstracters of journals of other health care and related professions and of non-English language physiotherapy journals which are not easily accessible to British physiotherapists. Abstracts of theses and dissertations: Abstracts not exceeding 200 words which will usually have appeared as the first page of a doctoral thesis or master’s dissertation. Letters to the editor: These can be about any issue pertinent to current practice, on any topic relevant to physiotherapists or physiotherapy, or in response to any article published in the Journal. The Journal Committee has final responsibility for deciding which letters will be published. In the case of comment about published articles, letters must be received within two months of publication of the article. Wherever appropriate and possible, they will be printed with a response by the author of the article. Letters for publication should be no longer than 400 words, and preferably shorter. Longer items may be suitable for the ‘Forum’ category (see below). Professional and historical notes: Articles of 250-1,000 words which illuminate and colour the establishment and development of the profession. These may summarise the lives and careers of recently deceased physiotherapists or be ‘thumb-nail sketches’ of more historical characters (not necessarily physiotherapists) who have made a contributionto physiotherapy. Authors who think they have an interesting historical topic are advised to consult the scientific editor before they write it up. Commentaries (‘Forum’): Articles of 250-500 words discussing controversial issues of contemporary interest and other matters relating to clinical, professional, educational, political or legal issues and their implications. Commentaries on topical issues may be invited by the scientific editor or submitted as personal perspectives. Research techniques: Short articles of 250-500 words using material from research projects which provide an example of use of a particular research design, statistical test or method of data analysis. Product news: Anyone who has used a new or redesigned piece of equipment and wishes to draw it to the
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9
attention of colleagues is invited to submit a short appraisal. The CSP accepts no responsibility for these assessments and writers are not expected to have made a scientific trial - if they have, their report should be presented as a technical evaluation (see previous page). In other journals: Any reader who has written or seen a useful article in a publication not usually read by physiotherapists is invited to submit brief details - see any issue of Physiotherapy for the format.
Preparation of Edito riaI Material Copy should be submitted double-spaced, typed or in the highest quality printing available, on one side only of A4 paper with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins all round, and with the sheets numbered consecutively. The first page, which will be held in confidence by the scientific editor during the review process, should give: 0 The title of the article. 0 The author(s) names. 0 A complete name and address for correspondence. 0 Up to three relevant professional and academic qualificationsfor all authors and their current positions. 0 A brief note about each author which, for research papers, indicates their contribution to the work. 0 Any source of funds supporting the work. 0 The name of the conference if the paper is an adaptation of a presentation. 0 A count of the number of words, including the summary and references. (If this is not available from a wordprocessor, take the average of ten lines and multiply, by the number of lines on a page and then the number of pages.)
For All Manuscripts Except ‘Other Types of Editorial Material’ The title page should give: 0 The title of the paper. 0 Up to five key words from which three can be selected to index the paper. 0 A summary of no more than 200 words which explains the purpose and summarises the key points and conclusions and, where appropriate for research reports, summarises design, methods, findings and results. The text should be well organised and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. For example, the text of research reports is usually, but not necessarily, organised under the following headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. Other types of article will need other formats. Authors should refer to previous issues of Physiotherapy and other scientific journals for examples. The positions of tables and figures should be indicated, eg Figure 1 here Fifteen or fewer typed pages (up to 4,000 words) including references are preferred.
683
References should be given in the Harvard system. In text cite only the author(s) surname(s) followed by the date of publication - eg (Robinson, 1894). Use a, b, and so on to indicate more than one publication by the same author(s) in the same year (eg 1992a, 1992b). Where there are three or more authors of a cited paper, list the first name followed by e t , eg (Smith e t , 1990).
On a separate sheet after the text all papers and books should be listed by first named author or editor in alphabetical order. For citations from journals, give the names and initials of all authors, the year of publication (in parentheses), the title of the article, the full name of the journal (underlined), the volume number, the issue number and the first and last page numbers, eg: Brown, A, Green, B and Gold, C (1992). ‘The value of exercise’, Physiotherapy, 78, 1, 77-79. When referring to books, give the names and initials of all authordeditors, the year of publication(in parentheses), the title (underlined), the publisher, the place of publication, and the chapter number or the page number of the citation or both, eg: Gardner, M (1965). The Annotated Alice, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, chap 10, page 210. Tables should be given an appropriate title and numbered consecutively as they are referred to in the text. Only horizontallines should be used: one above and one below the column headings and one at the foot. All abbreviations should be explained in a footnote. Tables should ba placed on separate sheets after the references. Figures should be numbered consecutively as they are referred to in the text and placed on separate sheets after the tables. The captions to all figures should be listed on one separate sheet. 0 Photographs which are black and white, 173 mm by 127 mm (7 in by 5 in) in sharp focus with good contrast are preferred. 0 Line drawings, graphs and charts should be of professional quality with sharp and clear lettering and with lines thick enough that when they are reduced for publication all details will be clearly discernible. All abbreviations should be explained in a footnote. 0 The first author’s name, the figure number and an arrow indicating the top of the figure should be given on the back of each original figure.
0 Photocopies of figures to accompany copies of the text which will be sent to reviewers should not be labelled, with names.
Appendices, consecutively numbered, may be placed after the figures for material which is essential to understanding of the text but is not suitable for figures or tables. Acknowledgments, if desired, may be listed on a separate sheet.
Measurements In most countries, the International System of Units (SI) is either standard or becoming so and scientific journals in general are in the process of requiring data to be reported in SI units. As this is not yet universal and both metric and imperial units are used in the United Kingdom and the USA in different circumstances,while adoption of SI units is desirable, it is permissible for data to be reported in imperial units if they were used for the original calculations. They should be followed by the SI equivalent in parentheses. Alternatively, many people would appreciate SI measurements to be followed by imperial measurements in parentheses.
Copyright All original material submitted for publication in Physiotherapy is understood to be offered to Physiotherapy exclusively. By submitting their work, authors are assumed to have assigned copyright to the Journal if it is published in Physiotherapy and to have given the Journal the right to edit, revise, abridge, condense, translate and allow reprinting of their work. Authors are normally advised, as a courtesy, of any requests to reprint their articles.
Permissions Protection of subjects: Authors must either provide written permission from the patients, parents or guardians to publish photographs of recognisable individuals; or obscure facial features. For reports of research involving patients, students or other individuals, written confirmation of informed consent is required. Reprinting of tables, figures, photographs or other Illustrations: Complete source references or the names of copyright holders are required so that the executive editor can obtain permission to reprint them in the Journal.
Submission of Articles Authors should submit three copies of articles. Where illustrations are used, one original copy and two photocopies of each table and figure should be submitted. A covering letter from the principal author should state the type of article being submitted, release copyright, confirm that appropriate permissions have been obtained, and state what reprinting permissions are required. Articles should be securely packaged in a heavyweight envelope with illustrations between cardboard to prevent bending and sent to: Dr A W Parry Scientific Editor of Physiotherapy Journal Division of Health Sciences School of Health and Community Studies Sheffield Hallam University 36 Collegiate Crescent Sheffield S10 2BP
Physiotherapy, September 1992, vol78, no 9