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Writing for Physiotherapy
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Writing for Physiotherapy The mission of Physiotherapy is to disseminate original research and facilitate continuing education for physiotherapists and other health professions. Thus it is dedicated to the advancement of physiotherapy through critical review and publication of research and scholarly work concerned with its scientific basis and clinical application, education of practitioners and management of 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. It is international in scope and invites submissions of English-language manuscripts from physiotherapists and members of associated professions around the world. Original, interpretive articles which examine the foundations of physiotherapy and advance the frontiers of knowledge are welcomed. Peer-reviewed Articles Scientific and academic articles ■ Research reports ■ Scholarly and interpretive papers ■ Review papers Clinical articles ■ Treatment reports ■ Management reports ■ Technical evaluations ■ Case reports Most articles should be no longer than 3,000 words excluding references and summary. Research reports and clinical articles are reviewed blind. Case reports should be no longer than 2,000 words. Specific guidelines were published in September 2001, page 498. Other Types of Editorial Material ■ Commentaries ■ Preliminary reports of research ■ Letters to the editor ■ Reviews of books, software and videos ■ Abstracts of theses and dissertations ■ Current awareness listings Preparation of Editorial Material Copy should be produced in Microsoft Word (preferably version 8.0). Wherever possible diagrams and tables should be produced in electronic form, eg Excel, and the software used clearly identified. Hard copies should be as close to Journal style as possible. Please avoid using capital letters throughout in headings or diagrams. The first page should give: ■ The title of the article ■ The names of the author(s) ■ A complete name and address for correspondence
■ Up to three relevant professional and academic qualifications for all authors and their current positions ■ For research papers, a brief note about each author which indicates their contribution to the work ■ Any source of funds supporting the work ■ The title, date and location of the conference if the paper is an adaptation of a presentation All Peer-reviewed Articles The title page should give: ■ The title of the paper ■ Up to five key words ■ A structured summary of no more than 300 words explaining the purpose and summarising the key points and conclusions. For research reports this should be under the headings of: Background and Purpose Methods Results or Findings Conclusions ■ A list of up to six brief points for the ‘Key Messages’ box which will appear at the end of the article. These should reflect the content of the article succinctly and accurately. Avoid terminology which would require explanation to a generalist physiotherapy readership All Articles The text should be well organised and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. The positions of tables and figures should be indicated. References should be in the Harvard style: In text, cite only the author(s) surname(s) followed by the date of publication, eg (Robinson, 1994) or Robinson (1994). Use a, b, etc, to indicate more than one publication by the same author(s) in the same year (eg 1992a, b). For three or more authors of a cited paper, name the first followed by et al, eg (Smith et al, 1990). In the reference list, include articles in journals and books alphabetically by author. For citations from journals, give Physiotherapy June 2003/vol 89/no 6
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the names and initials of all authors (year of publication), title of the article, full name of the journal, volume number, issue number and first and last page numbers, eg Brown, A, Green, B and Gold, C (2001). ‘The value of exercise’, Physiotherapy, 87, 1, 77-79. Referring to books, give the names and initials of all authors/editors (year of publication), title, publisher, place of publication, and the chapter number or the page number of the citation or both, eg Gardner, M (2001). The Annotated Alice, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, chap 10, page 210. Tables: Give them an appropriate title and number them consecutively as they are referred to in the text. Use only horizontal lines. Explain all abbreviations in a footnote. Place tables on a separate sheet after the references. Figures and photographic images: Number them consecutively as they are referred to in the text and place on separate sheets after the tables. List all captions (legends) on a separate sheet. ■ Coloured or monochrome transparencies or prints should be in sharp focus with good contrast ■ Line drawings, graphs and charts should be of professional quality with sharp and clear lettering and lines. Explain all abbreviations in a footnote ■ Bar charts should be two-dimensional, not simulated 3D ■ Digital images must be of high resolution, ie 300dpi. Suitable formats include TIFF, JPEG, or EPS, preferably in Macintosh format. These format options should be available when saving your images ■ Write the first author’s name, the figure number and an arrow indicating the top of the figure, on the back of each print with the original copy ■ Do not put names on photocopies for reviewers Acknowledgements may be listed on a separate sheet. Measurements As the International System of Units (SI) is not yet universal and both metric and imperial units are used in the United Kingdom and the USA in different circumstances, depending on which units were used for the original calculations, data may be reported in imperial units followed by the SI equivalent in parentheses, or SI measurements followed by imperial measurements in parentheses. If the article mentions an outcome measure, appropriate information about it should be included, describing measurement properties and where it may be obtained. Copyright All original material submitted for publication is understood to be offered to Physiotherapy exclusively. By submitting their work, authors are assumed to have
Physiotherapy June 2003/vol 89/no 6
assigned copyright to the Journal if it is published in it 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 in entirety for unrestricted circulation. Permissions and Ethical Certification Protection of subjects: Either provide written permission from patients, parents or guardians to publish photographs of recognisable individuals, or obscure facial features. For reports of research involving people, written confirmation of informed consent is required. Where appropriate, reports should be accompanied by a signed certificate of approval from the appropriate hospital or university ethics committee. Any paper based on a study of human subjects, submitted to Physiotherapy, must have received ethical approval. If for any reason your study is exempt, you must make a statement within the covering letter explaining why it is not applicable. It is the responsibility of the author or authors to ensure that their submission complies with this condition. In all other instances, submission of material will be assumed to have received appropriate ethical approval. The use of names for patients is encouraged in case studies for clarity and humanity, but they should not be their real names. Reprinting of tables and illustrations: Authors should either enclose notice of permission to reprint from copyright holders or provide complete source references or the names of the copyright holders so that the managing editor can obtain permission. Submission of Articles The disk and five hard copies of each article, plus one original copy and four photocopies of each figure, should be sent with a covering letter from the principal author stating the type of article being submitted, releasing copyright, confirming that appropriate permissions have been obtained, or stating what reprinting permissions are needed. Package submissions securely in a heavyweight envelope with illustrations between cardboard to prevent bending and send to: Dr Michèle Harms, Scientific and Clinical Editor Physiotherapy Journal 14 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4ED, England. Further Information If you require any additional information about the preparation of your manuscript the scientific editor will be happy to help.
Writing for Physiotherapy The mission of Physiotherapy is to disseminate original research and facilitate continuing education for physiotherapists and other health professions. Thus it is dedicated to the advancement of physiotherapy through critical review and publication of research and scholarly work concerned with its scientific basis and clinical application, education of practitioners and management of 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. It is international in scope and invites submissions of English-language manuscripts from physiotherapists and members of associated professions around the world. Original, interpretive articles which examine the foundations of physiotherapy and advance the frontiers of knowledge are welcomed. Peer-reviewed Articles Scientific and academic articles ■ Research reports ■ Scholarly and interpretive papers ■ Review papers Clinical articles ■ Treatment reports ■ Management reports ■ Technical evaluations ■ Case reports Most articles should be no longer than 3,000 words excluding references and summary. Research reports and clinical articles are reviewed blind. Case reports should be no longer than 2,000 words. Specific guidelines were published in September 2001, page 498. Other Types of Editorial Material ■ Commentaries ■ Preliminary reports of research ■ Letters to the editor ■ Reviews of books, software and videos ■ Abstracts of theses and dissertations ■ Current awareness listings Preparation of Editorial Material Copy should be produced in Microsoft Word (preferably version 8.0). Wherever possible diagrams and tables should be produced in electronic form, eg Excel, and the software used clearly identified. Hard copies should be as close to Journal style as possible. Please avoid using capital letters throughout in headings or diagrams. The first page should give: ■ The title of the article ■ The names of the author(s) ■ A complete name and address for correspondence
■ Up to three relevant professional and academic qualifications for all authors and their current positions ■ For research papers, a brief note about each author which indicates their contribution to the work ■ Any source of funds supporting the work ■ The title, date and location of the conference if the paper is an adaptation of a presentation All Peer-reviewed Articles The title page should give: ■ The title of the paper ■ Up to five key words ■ A structured summary of no more than 300 words explaining the purpose and summarising the key points and conclusions. For research reports this should be under the headings of: Background and Purpose Methods Results or Findings Conclusions ■ A list of up to six brief points for the ‘Key Messages’ box which will appear at the end of the article. These should reflect the content of the article succinctly and accurately. Avoid terminology which would require explanation to a generalist physiotherapy readership All Articles The text should be well organised and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. The positions of tables and figures should be indicated. References should be in the Harvard style: In text, cite only the author(s) surname(s) followed by the date of publication, eg (Robinson, 1994) or Robinson (1994). Use a, b, etc, to indicate more than one publication by the same author(s) in the same year (eg 1992a, b). For three or more authors of a cited paper, name the first followed by et al, eg (Smith et al, 1990). In the reference list, include articles in journals and books alphabetically by author. For citations from journals, give Physiotherapy June 2003/vol 89/no 6
388
the names and initials of all authors (year of publication), title of the article, full name of the journal, volume number, issue number and first and last page numbers, eg Brown, A, Green, B and Gold, C (2001). ‘The value of exercise’, Physiotherapy, 87, 1, 77-79. Referring to books, give the names and initials of all authors/editors (year of publication), title, publisher, place of publication, and the chapter number or the page number of the citation or both, eg Gardner, M (2001). The Annotated Alice, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, chap 10, page 210. Tables: Give them an appropriate title and number them consecutively as they are referred to in the text. Use only horizontal lines. Explain all abbreviations in a footnote. Place tables on a separate sheet after the references. Figures and photographic images: Number them consecutively as they are referred to in the text and place on separate sheets after the tables. List all captions (legends) on a separate sheet. ■ Coloured or monochrome transparencies or prints should be in sharp focus with good contrast ■ Line drawings, graphs and charts should be of professional quality with sharp and clear lettering and lines. Explain all abbreviations in a footnote ■ Bar charts should be two-dimensional, not simulated 3D ■ Digital images must be of high resolution, ie 300dpi. Suitable formats include TIFF, JPEG, or EPS, preferably in Macintosh format. These format options should be available when saving your images ■ Write the first author’s name, the figure number and an arrow indicating the top of the figure, on the back of each print with the original copy ■ Do not put names on photocopies for reviewers Acknowledgements may be listed on a separate sheet. Measurements As the International System of Units (SI) is not yet universal and both metric and imperial units are used in the United Kingdom and the USA in different circumstances, depending on which units were used for the original calculations, data may be reported in imperial units followed by the SI equivalent in parentheses, or SI measurements followed by imperial measurements in parentheses. If the article mentions an outcome measure, appropriate information about it should be included, describing measurement properties and where it may be obtained. Copyright All original material submitted for publication is understood to be offered to Physiotherapy exclusively. By submitting their work, authors are assumed to have
Physiotherapy June 2003/vol 89/no 6
assigned copyright to the Journal if it is published in it 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 in entirety for unrestricted circulation. Permissions and Ethical Certification Protection of subjects: Either provide written permission from patients, parents or guardians to publish photographs of recognisable individuals, or obscure facial features. For reports of research involving people, written confirmation of informed consent is required. Where appropriate, reports should be accompanied by a signed certificate of approval from the appropriate hospital or university ethics committee. Any paper based on a study of human subjects, submitted to Physiotherapy, must have received ethical approval. If for any reason your study is exempt, you must make a statement within the covering letter explaining why it is not applicable. It is the responsibility of the author or authors to ensure that their submission complies with this condition. In all other instances, submission of material will be assumed to have received appropriate ethical approval. The use of names for patients is encouraged in case studies for clarity and humanity, but they should not be their real names. Reprinting of tables and illustrations: Authors should either enclose notice of permission to reprint from copyright holders or provide complete source references or the names of the copyright holders so that the managing editor can obtain permission. Submission of Articles The disk and five hard copies of each article, plus one original copy and four photocopies of each figure, should be sent with a covering letter from the principal author stating the type of article being submitted, releasing copyright, confirming that appropriate permissions have been obtained, or stating what reprinting permissions are needed. Package submissions securely in a heavyweight envelope with illustrations between cardboard to prevent bending and send to: Dr Michèle Harms, Scientific and Clinical Editor Physiotherapy Journal 14 Bedford Row, London WC1R 4ED, England. Further Information If you require any additional information about the preparation of your manuscript the scientific editor will be happy to help.