Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
This document provides details on typesetting and layout requirements pertaining to manuscript submission to Oncology Rehabilitation in Practice.
Contents
- Formatting Requirements
- Language & Grammar
- Article Length
- Title Page
- Abstract Page
- Body of Manuscript
- Tables and Figures
- Number of Reference Limit
- Specific Article Requirements
- Submission of Revised Articles
Formatting Requirements
- Submit your manuscript, including title page, abstract page (if required), body of manuscript, references, tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single Word file.
- Page size should be 8.5 x 11-inches.
- All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1 inch, including your tables and figures.
- Double space your text, including references.
- Include page numbers and continuous line numbers.
- Use the most current version of the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style for references and in-text citations.
- Use a single column layout.
- Use Arial, 12-point font.
- If figures are included, use high-resolution figures, preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).
Language and Grammar
All submissions must be in English.
Oncology Rehabilitation in Practice promotes "people-first" language. That is, patients and participants should not be referred to by disability or condition (i.e., use "individuals with cancer" or "individuals surviving cancer" rather than "cancer patients" or "cancer survivors").
Article Length
Title Page
Titles should be no longer than 20 words. Titles should not be vague and should reflect measured variables. In addition to the manuscript title, include the name, degree, title, current place of work or affiliation for all authors. The following information must also be noted on the title page:
- Corresponding author, include an address, phone, and email address
- Conflict(s) of Interest
- Funding Sources
- Ethics Approval (should also be noted in the Methods section)
- Trial Registration (should also be noted in the Methods section)
- Data Sharing Statement
- Presentations – note where/when this information may have been presented
- Acknowledgements
Abstract Page
Abstracts are required for research reports, literature reviews, and case reports or case series. Abstracts must be 250 words or less, with appropriate headings for the article type as described in the Body of Manuscript section below. Include 3-4 Key Words after the abstract. Note: Key Words should not repeat words that are part of the title.
Body of Manuscript
Headings: Headings should be formatted according to type of manuscript being submitted.
Research Reports (clinical trials, observational and prognostic studies, diagnostic studies, measurement-focused studies) and Literature Reviews (scoping reviews, systematic reviews and meta-analyses) should include the following manuscript headings:
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusion
Discussion section should include limitations. Conclusion section should include clinical implications.
Case reports should include the following manuscript headings:
- Background
- Case Description
- Outcomes
- Discussion
Research Roundups, Clinical Conversations, Product or Technology Reviews, and Book Reviews have no required manuscript headings. Headings may be used to guide the reader.
Letters to the Editor have no manuscript headings.
Artificial Intelligence: Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Methods Section of the paper how the AI tool was used, and which tool was used.
Measurements: Please use the International System of Units. (English units may be given in parentheses.)
Equipment manufacturers: For all equipment and products mentioned in the text, including statistical software, place the model name/number and the manufacturer and location (city and state, country) in parentheses in the text.
Explanatory footnotes: For any explanatory footnotes, use consecutive symbols (*, †, ‡, §, ||, #, **, ††, ‡‡, §§, ||||, ##).
Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments should be formal, as brief as possible, and limited to recognizing individuals who have made specific and important contributions to the work being reported.
Funding Sources: A statement of funding source(s) should be placed after the Ethics Statement in the Body of the Manuscript.
Tables and Figures
No more than 6 tables and figures (combined total) are permitted for Research Reports, Literature Reviews, or Case Studies or Series. Clinical Conversations and Research Roundups may have no more than 2 Tables or Figures.
Tables: Use a separate page for each table. Tables may exceed a single page. Title all tables with a table number that corresponds to its order of appearance within the text. Assure that any abbreviations used in the table are written out in full in a footnote listed below the table.
Figures: Use a separate page for each figure. Each figure must be prepared according to the most current AMA Manual of Style. Title all figures with a figure number that corresponds to its order of appearance within the text. Captions should be included underneath each figure. Figures may be in color. Signed photographic release forms must accompany photographs of identifiable individuals.
Permission for re-use of illustrations, figures, or tables: Authors must obtain written permission to use photographs in which the subjects are recognizable. Authors must also obtain and submit written permission from original sources to publish illustrations, figures, or tables taken from those sources.
Number of Reference Limit
Specific Article Requirements
RESEACH REPORT
Ethical Approval of Studies/Informed Consent: Authors of articles that describe experimental studies on either humans or animals must include a statement that the study was approved by an institutional review board or ethics committee and that the participants provided informed consent; provide the name of the institutional review board (IRB), institutional animal care and use committee, or other similar body that approved the study. In those situations where a formal institutional review board process is not available, the authors must indicate that the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki have been followed. In addition, for studies conducted with human participants, the method by which informed consent was obtained from the participants (i.e., verbal or written) also needs to be stated in the Methods section.
For research reports, please see the reporting requirements detailed below for each study type.
Clinical Trials
CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials): Authors are required to follow these guidelines, include a flow diagram within the manuscript, and submit the checklist for randomized trials of nonpharmacologic treatment Authors must indicate the number of the page where each item was addressed in the manuscript.
Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR): this checklist is required in addition to the CONSORT checklist. When authors complete item 5 of the CONSORT checklist, they should insert "refer to TIDieR checklist" and provide a separate completed TIDieR checklist.
Observational and Prognostic Studies
STROBE statement: Authors are required to follow these guidelines, include a flow diagram within the manuscript, and complete the most appropriate checklist for the submitted paper (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional design).
Qualitative Studies
COREQ: For the reporting of interview or focus-group based qualitative research, COREQ is required.
SRQR: For use in other types of qualitative research, Standards for reporting qualitative research: a synthesis of recommendations, is required.
Diagnostic Studies
STARD statement: Authors are required to follow these guidelines, and include a flow diagram within the manuscript.
Other requirements: Sensitivity and specificity alone are insufficient for diagnostic studies. The likelihood ratio (LR) with CI must be reported, along with an interpretation of the clinical relevance of the findings.
Measurement-Focused Studies:
COSMIN: COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN). Authors are to follow these guidelines. Refer to the COSMIN checklist.
Measurement focused studies should report on standard error of the measure (SEM), minimal detectable change (MDC), minimally clinically important difference (MCID) as appropriate.
Required Statements following Discussion:
- Author Contributions
- Acknowledgements - Acknowledgments should be formal, as brief as possible, and limited to recognizing individuals who have made specific and important contributions to the work being reported.
- Ethics Statement – IRB or other appropriate body which approved study
- Funding Sources – Statement of disclosure
- Data Sharing Statement - Per the “Uniform Requirements” recommendations, a clinical trial data sharing policy requirement stipulates that the manuscript must contain a data sharing statement. This must be included after the Funding Statement in the Body of the Manuscript.
- Presentations – Identify any conferences at which the study was publicly presented.
LITERATURE REVIEWS
For literature reviews, please see the reporting requirements detailed below.
PRISMA Flow Diagram AND Checklist: Authors are required to complete the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram and include this figure in the manuscript; the checklist must indicate the page number on which each item can be found and submitted with the manuscript.
CASE STUDY OR SERIES
Authors are required to follow CARE guidelines in writing the manuscript. The CARE checklist and patient consent (if the case is patient-based) are required for submission. Authors must attest that patient, or a form that includes all the elements of the form, has been signed by the patient or a proxy. Authors of case reports who practice in the United States should include a statement about meeting the HIPAA (Health Insurance, Portability, and Accountability Act) requirements of the institution for disclosure of protected health information.
Submission of Revised Articles
Should an article receive a review which requests revision prior to determination of suitability for the publication, authors are to respond to reviewer comments in a separate document. To ensure clarity, please copy over reviewer comments, and indicate in the response where the changes are made in the manuscript. In the manuscript, DO NOT USE TRACK CHANGES, but rather highlight changes with red highlighted text.