Instructions to Authors
Rheumatology is the official Journal of the British Society for Rheumatology. It publishes original papers and correspondence concerning all aspects of rheumatology. Original articles on clinical, laboratory and therapeutic research are especially welcome; in general these should not exceed five printed pages of the Journal, c. 3500 or'4000 words or fewer depending on the number of figures and tables. Brief and Preliminary Reports of scientific work are also published but should contain less than 2000 words and no more than two figures or tables. Such articles will receive priority and their publication can be expedited on written request to the Editor. Reviews are welcomed as Viewpoints, Clinical Practice or Occasional Review Articles. Correspondence is encouraged and letters are published rapidly.
Four copies of each manuscript and accompanying tables, graphs and illustrations, including one set of the original photographic artwork, should be sent to:
- The Editor,
- Rheumatology,
- The British Society for Rheumatology,
- 41 Eagle Street,
- London WC1R 4AR, UK
- Rheumatology,
For Brief and Preliminary Reports, three copies are required. In the event of rejection, one copy of the manuscript and accompanying material will be returned. A covering letter must accompany all submissions and should be signed by all authors. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content.
An article is reviewed for publication on the understanding that the work it represents has not be submitted for publication elsewhere. If the work or an abstract of it has been previously published, for instance, in another language, then this fact should be made clear in the covering letter.
The Journal publishes all material on the understanding that the design of the work has been approved by local ethical committees or that it conforms to standards currently applied in the country of origin.
An increasing number of case reports are submitted each year and the rejection rate is high. Priority is given to previously undescribed conditions or complications and to those with a valuable message, particularly if submitted in the form of a Letter to the Editor.
The presentation of original work should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals obtainable from the Editor, British Medical Journal, BMA House, Tavistock Square, London WC1H 3JR, UK. These requirements are also given in the British Medical Journal 1988; 296: 401-5 and the Annals of Internal Medicine 1988; 108: 253-65.
TYPESCRIPT
It is essential that manuscripts be clearly reproduced with adequate space for editorial notes. Papers must be typewritten on A4 paper (212 x 297 mm), on one side of the paper only, with double spacing and 3 cm margins. Manuscripts that do not conform to these requirements will be returned for retyping. Each of the following sections should begin on a new page and all pages should be numbered serially.
- 1. Title page containing the title of the article, the authors' names
and affiliations, the name, address, telephone and fax no. of the author
responsible for correspondence, a short title of not more than 45 characters for
each page (running head).
- 2. A summary of not more than 150 words, followed by up to 10 key words.
- 3. Main text.
- 4. Acknowledgements.
- 5. References.
- 6. Tables, each table should be typed on a separate sheet with an appropriate legend and footnotes explaining any abbreviations.
- 7. Legends for illustrations.
- 2. A summary of not more than 150 words, followed by up to 10 key words.
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION
REFERENCES
References in the text should be given as numbers in brackets, placed in line with the text and in order of appearance. They should be listed in numerical order at the end of the paper. All authors should be included in a reference when there are six or less but only the first three followed by et al. when there are seven or more. Authors' names should be followed by the title of article, abbreviated name of the journal (a list is given in each January issue of Index Medicus), year, volume and first and last page numbers. References to books should state the author, followed by chapter title, editors' names, book title, place of publication, publisher, year, and appropriate page numbers.Examples:
- 1. Croft P, Cooper C, Wickham C, Coggon D. Is the hip involved in
generalized osteoarthritis? Br J Rheumatol 1992;31:325-8.
- 2. Mitchell SC, Waring RH. S-Oxygenase III human pharmacogenetics. In: Damani LA, ed. Sulphur-containing drugs and related organic compounds, Vol. 2B. New York: Ellis Horwood, 1989:101-19.
Unpublished communications should be cited in the text in parentheses.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Each figure should be marked on the back in soft pencil with its number, first author and top edge. Any previously published material should be accompanied by the permission of the author and copyright holder for its reproduction. Figures will be sized to fit the width of a single or a double column of text, i.e. 85 or 172 mm wide. Any lettering should be in proportion with the overall dimensions of the drawing. Parts of figures should be labelled, preferably with upper case A, B, C etc.If illustrations have been sent with the original manuscript and remain unaltered, no further copies are required. However, please indicate this when returning the revised version or send two copies of the new clearly labelled illustrations accompanied by the new figure legends.
Photographs. These should be of sufficiently high quality with respect to detail, contrast and fineness of grain to withstand the inevitable loss of contrast and detail inherent in the printing process. Please indicate the original magnification by a bar (e.g. 1 m) on the photograph. When several prints of the same figure are provided, please indicate which print should be used for reproduction in the journal.
Colour plates. Colour illustrations are accepted, but the authors will be required to pay the cost of the reproduction.
Line drawings. These should be provided as clear sharp prints. No additional artwork, redrawing or typesetting will be done. Faint or fine-grained stippling or shading or continuous-tone shading will be lost or may appear black on reproduction. Please use a coarse stippling or hatching.
Figure legends. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. Common abbreviations or those which have been defined in the text should not be redefined in the figure legend.
MEASUREMENTS
Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be reported in metric units (metre, kilogram, litre) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius and blood pressure in mmHg. All other measurements including laboratory measurements should be reported in the metric system in terms of the International System of Units (SI).Abbreviations for SI units and statistical terms are those in Baron DN (ed.): Units Symbols and Abbreviations: A Guide for Biological and Medical Editors and Authors, 4th ed. London: Royal Society of Medicine.
MATERIALS
When quoting specific materials or proprietary drugs, authors must state in parentheses the name and address of the manufacturer. Generic names should be used if possible.STATISTICS
Statistical methods must be detailed and should conform with the statistical guidelines published in Vol. 31, No. 1, p. 2 of the Journal.ABBREVIATIONS
Abbreviations should be unambiguous; if they do not appear in the list given below, their meaning should be clearly explained when they are first introduced.
- AIDS: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
- ANA: antinuclear antibodies
- ANCA: antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies
- ACR: American College of Rheumatology
- ARA: American Rheumatism Association
- AS: ankylosing spondylitis
- BMD: bone mineral density
- BMI: body mass index
- CI: confidence interval
- CPPD: calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate
- CRP: C-reactive protein
- CT: computed tomograph
- DIP: distal interphalangeal joint
- DISH: diffuse idiopathic skeletal hypeostosis
- DMARD: disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug
- ECG: electrocardiogram
- ELISA: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
- ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate
- HIV: human immunodeficiency virus
- IL: interleukin
- JCA: juvenile chronic arthritis
- MCP: metacarpophalangeal
- MHC: major histocompatibility complex
- MRI: magnetic resonance imaging
- NSAID: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug
- OA: osteoarthritis
- PI: proximal interphalangeal
- PsA: psoriatic arthritis
- RA: rheumatoid arthritis
- RF: rheumatoid factor
- S.D.: standard deviation
- S.E.M.: standard error of the mean
- SF: synovial fluid
- SM: synovial membrane
- SLE: systemic lupus erythematosus
- SS: Sjögren's syndrome
- TNF: tumour necrosis factor
- ANA: antinuclear antibodies
PROOFS
The first named or the nominated author will be sent proofs for correction. The Publisher reserves the right to charge authors for the cost of changes made to the text or the figures at proof stage when such changes are extensive. No charge will be made for corrections of errors made during the editorial process or by the printer.COPYRIGHT/OFFPRINTS
It is a condition of publication in the Rheumatology that authors assign copyright to the British Society for Rheumatology. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. In assigning copyright, Authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication, and Oxford University Press is notified in writing and in advance.The Publisher will supply 30 offprints of each paper. Further offprints may be ordered at an extra cost at proof stage.
For more information on preparing an electronic document for submission, as well as a copy of the disk submittal form, please read the OUP guide for authors preparing electronic documents (PDF).