Pro/Con Debates Formatting

Manuscript Format

All manuscripts must be created in Microsoft Word, double spaced, have one-inch margins (top, bottom, and sides), and include page numbers. Figures should not be included in the manuscript, but should be uploaded separately. Manuscripts should be structured using the following components:

Title Page

The title page must include the following:

  • Title and Subtitle (if applicable)
  • Authors (first name, last name, degrees and affiliations)
  • Corresponding author’s full address and corresponding author’s current Email
  • A statement that all authors have seen and approved the manuscript
  • Declarations for each author:
    • Financial support (presence or absence)
    • Off-label or investigational use (if applicable)
    • Conflict of interest (presence or absence) defined as any financial interests or connections, direct or indirect, or other situations that might raise the question of bias in the work reported or the conclusions, implications, or opinions stated--including pertinent commercial or other sources of funding for the individual authors or for the associated departments or organizations, personal relationships, or direct academic competition for each author.
  • Number of tables
  • Number of figures
  • Abstract word count (if applicable)
  • Manuscript word count

Article Format

  • The article (not including title, references, tables or figures) must be limited to 3,000 words (~1500 words per author) or less.
  • The article should be organized into sections: an introduction, a pro, a con, a conclusion and references.
  • Abstracts are not needed for this submission.

Acknowledgments

The minimum compatible with the requirements of courtesy should be provided.

Reference List

See Details of Style for references and citation formatting guidelines.

Figure Titles and Captions

Provide a short title for each figure included with the manuscript. This title should be no more than 20 words. Include the figure number in the title (eg, Figure 1—Flow chart of patient care). Provide a caption for each figure included with the manuscript. Give the meaning of all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure in the caption. For further guidelines see Figure Guidelines.

Tables

Include tables at the end of your manuscript. Each table should have a short title and caption. The title should be no more than 20 words. Include the table number in the title (eg, Table 1—Results of first night polysomnogram). For further guidelines, see Table Guidelines.

Supplemental Material

See Supplemental Material Guidelines.

Details of Style

References and Citation Formatting

JDSM uses the AMA Manual of Style, 10th Edition. A brief summary of the formatting requirements follow, but please reference this source for specific detail.

  • Each reference should be cited in the text, tables, or figures in consecutive numerical order by means of superscripted Arabic numerals placed outside periods and commas and inside colons and semicolons.
  • When three or more references are cited at one place in the manuscript, a hyphen should be used to join the first and last numbers of a series; commas should be used without spaces to separate other parts of a multiple-reference citation.
  • A standard bibliography program such as EndNote or Reference Manager may be used.
  • JDSM uses abbreviated journal names in references; for abbreviations of journal names, refer to listings in the Pubmed database. Exclude periods following each abbreviated journal name word. Include a period at the end of the full journal name. See the Journal Article example below.
  • Provide all authors' names when fewer than seven; when seven or more, list the first three and add et al.
  • Provide journal article titles in sentence case, and provide inclusive page numbers.

Accuracy of reference data is the responsibility of the author. We cannot guarantee that citation/reference software will match all JDSM author guidelines. Failure to initially comply with JDSM’s style requirements may result in manuscripts returned to authors for correction and may potentially delay publication.

Sample Citations Within the Body of a Paper

  • According to our previous work1,3-8,19
  • The patients were studied as follows 3,4:

Sample References

Journal Article:

  1. Rainier S, Thomas D, Tokarz D, et al. Myofibrillogenesis regulator 1 gene mutations cause paroxysmal dystonic choreathetosis. Arch Neurol.2004;61(7):1025-1029.

Book:

  1. Modlin J, Jenkins P. Decision Analysis in Planning for a Polio Outbreak in the United States. San Francisco, CA: Pediatric Academic Societies; 2004.

Chapter of a Book:

  1. Solensky R. Drug allergy: desensitization and treatment of reactions to antibiotics and aspirin. In: Lockly P, ed. Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Marcel Dekker; 2004:585-606.

Website: Include as many of the following elements that are available. Author(s); Title of the specific item cited (if not given, give the name of the organization responsible for the site); Name of the website; URL (verify that URL is active and working); Published date; Updated date; and Accessed date. Example:

  1. International Society for Infectious Diseases. ProMED-mail website. http://www.promedmail.org. Accessed April 29, 2004.

Sleep Medicine Terminology

Follow the terminology usage recommendations in the AASM Style Guide for Sleep Medicine Terminology. Authors should use respiratory event index (REI) instead of using apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) when using home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The abbreviations are acceptable on second use within a document, after the abbreviation has been previously defined.

Drug Names

Use generic names in referring to drugs; trade names may be given in parentheses after the first mention, but the generic name should be used thereafter.

Figure Guidelines

Submitted figures that do not meet journal guidelines may result in delays to the publication of a manuscript. The AADSM reserves the right to modify figures in order to meet journal guidelines. Include the number of figures on the title page of the manuscript submission.

  1. Figures must be a useful visualization of data that could not otherwise be accomplished in a few lines of text.
  2. The following graphics can be submitted as figures: charts, graphs, illustrations, and photographs.
  3. Figures must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the manuscript. Figures should be numbered using Arabic numerals (eg, 1, 2, 3). Include the figure number in the figure’s filename.
  4. Each figure must have a corresponding short title and caption included in the manuscript text.
  5. All figures must make economical use of space. Large areas of white space are not acceptable (eg, axes of graphs extending beyond the relevant points needed to display data).
  6. The resolution of all figures must be a minimum of 300 dpi.
  7. Figures must be submitted in their final size. One-column figures have a maximum width of 3.3 inches and a maximum height of 8 inches. Two-column figures have a maximum width of 7 inches and a maximum height of 8 inches. Lengthy figure captions may require that the height of the figures be reduced.
  8. All figures must fall within the maximum height and width values and must be viewable without rotation.
  9. Figures must be submitted as .tif, .eps, or .pdf files. Figured embedded as images in a Word document are not acceptable for publication. PowerPoint files are not acceptable for publication. Charts and graphs that are built in a Word document or an Excel spreadsheet can be submitted as a Word .doc file or an Excel .xls file provided that a .pdf version accompany these files.
  10. Each figure must be self-contained and comprehensible without referring to the manuscript. This includes the following requirements:
    1. All symbols used in a figure must be defined for that figure (e.g, *, †). If a symbol is used in multiple figures, the definition of the symbol must also be repeated for every figure in which it appears. Symbols may be defined in a key within the figure or in the figure caption.
    2. All abbreviations used in a figure (including those used in the figure’s title and caption) must be defined in the figure caption. This includes abbreviations defined in the manuscript. If the same abbreviation is repeated in multiple figures, the definition of that abbreviation must be repeated for every figure in which it appears. Only the most widely recognized abbreviations are the exception to this rule.
  11. Type within figures must be consistent and legible when viewing the figure at its final size. The preferred font is Arial 9 pt. The use of italic and bold styling should only be used when meaningful (eg, differentiating between gene and protein names).
  12. Charts and graphs must be two-dimensional unless the data require a third dimension.
  13. Illustrations must be professionally drawn. Use color where appropriate. There is no charge for color.
  14. Visual representation of animal subjects through the use of illustrations is preferred to photographs.
  15. Photographs of subjects in which the individual is identifiable require a signed model release.
  16. Authors are responsible for obtaining full permission to publish figures for which they do not hold the copyright. Proof of this permission is required prior to publication. See Third-Party Copyright.
  17. The use of clip art and stock photography is not allowed.

Table Guidelines

Submitted tables that do not meet journal guidelines may result in delays in publication. The journal reserves the right to modify tables in order to meet journal guidelines. Include the number of tables on the title page of the manuscript submission.

  1. Tables must not duplicate data reported in the manuscript text or figures.
  2. All tables must be created using the table function in Microsoft Word. Tables created in PowerPoint are not acceptable. Tables submitted as images are not acceptable.
  3. Tables must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the manuscript.
  4. Each table must have a corresponding short title above the table and caption below.
  5. Authors are responsible for obtaining full permission to publish tables that have been previously published. Proof of this permission is required prior to publication. Third-Party Copyright.
  6. Tables can be no more than 10 columns wide. Lengthy column headings may require that the number of columns be reduced.
  7. Tables can be no more than 45 rows tall. Lengthy captions may require that the number of rows be reduced.
  8. Each table should fit on one, letter-sized page in portrait orientation. If necessary, large datasets can be submitted as supplemental material.
  9. Each table must be self-contained and comprehensible without referring to the manuscript. This includes the following requirements:
    1. All symbols used in a table must be defined for that table (eg, *, †). If a symbol is used in multiple tables, the definition of the symbol must also be repeated for every table in which it appears. Symbols should be defined in the table caption.
    2. All abbreviations used in a table (including those used in the table title and caption) must be defined in the table’s caption. This includes abbreviations defined in the manuscript. If the same abbreviation is repeated in multiple tables, the definition of that abbreviation must be repeated for every table in which it appears. Only the most widely recognized abbreviations are the exception to this rule.
  10. Footnotes are acceptable in tables. Footnotes should clearly be marked with superscript lowercase letters or symbols in the table. Do not use numbers (Arabic or Roman numeral) to indicate a footnote. All footnotes should be fully expanded in the table caption.

Supplemental Material Guidelines

Supplemental material can provide additional detail on study methods, or on data that are informative, but not critical to the aims of the study. However, indiscriminate or excessive use of supplemental material can also undermine the concept of a self-contained research paper by providing a place for critical material to get lost. It is the author’s responsibility to make sure that the main manuscript can be read and understood without reference to supplemental materials. Information that is essential to understanding the article must NOT be provided as supplemental material. While discouraging indiscriminate use of supplemental materials, some forms of data (videos and large datasets, explanations of data sources, details of computational algorithms) may be appropriately presented as supplemental material. All supplemental material must be succinct, organized carefully, and labeled appropriately.
Reviewers are instructed to review supplemental materials of reasonable length (eg, typical figures and tables) at the same level as the content of the main manuscript. Reviewers cannot reasonably be expected to review large supplemental data formats (eg, large databases). Reviewers are also asked to comment on the appropriateness of supplemental materials, including if they contain essential information that belongs in the main article and if they sufficiently enhance the presentation of the main article to justify inclusion. Readers are expected to communicate directly with the corresponding author about supplemental material, not with the Editor-in-Chief. No comments or critiques of supplemental material will be considered for publication in JDSM.

General Formatting Guidelines for Supplemental Material

Supplemental materials are not copyedited or formatted by JDSM, and therefore authors must ensure that all files are checked carefully before submission and that the style of figures and tables conforms to the recommendations spelled out in the manuscript submission guidelines for figures and tables. Refer to each piece of supplemental information within the text of the main manuscript using the file name and the term “supplemental material,” (eg, see Video 1 in the supplemental material).

Supplemental Figure and Table Guidelines

A maximum of four supplemental figures of no more than 5 MB in total are permitted per manuscript. Figures and tables should be numbered sequentially using the prefix “S” to differentiate them from figures and tables presented in the main manuscript (eg, see Figure S1 and Table S3 in the supplemental material).

Video Guidelines

Videos should be provided in .mp4 format. Videos submitted in alternate formats will be converted. File names should be as short as possible (eg, Video 1). Please provide a separate Microsoft Word file containing a description of the videos. Please keep the description as short as possible and ensure that the description is necessary for the comprehension of the videos. Releases signed by persons who appear in any video must be provided with the submission of videos. JDSM will not publish any video where persons can be identified without suitable permission forms on file.

Dataset Guidelines

Large datasets should only be submitted when necessary to support a manuscript’s conclusions, when solicited by JDSM’s Editors/Reviewers, or if the authors feel that the publication of the dataset is critical to advancing research in the field. These should be submitted as an Excel spreadsheet, which will be made available for download. The dataset will not be copyedited or formatted in any way by JDSM. It is the author’s responsibility to carefully check and correct any errors in the content or formatting of the dataset. Authors have the option of providing a link to large data sets and hosting them on their own website.