Author instructions for Journal of Veterinary Cardiology

Complete instructions can be found at Elsevier but have also been provided below. Artwork instructions can be found here.

Instructions for authors

Mission

The Journal of Veterinary Cardiology is dedicated to publishing peer-reviewed articles of the highest quality involving research and clinical practice that promote greater understanding of cardiovascular disease, and enhance the health and well being of animals and humans. The Journal presents original contributions that cover the spectrum of cardiology including prospective and retrospective studies, clinical trials, epidemiology, observational studies, interventional imaging, cardiovascular techniques, and advances in applied and basic research in companion animals, non-companion species, and laboratory animals.

 The Journal invites submission of original manuscript from clinicians and scientists. Specific content areas of interest include clinical cardiac disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, acquired and congenital heart disease, cardiovascular medicine and surgery, hypertension, health outcomes research, diagnostic imaging, interventional and cardiovascular techniques, genetics, molecular cardiology, translational research, pharmacology, therapeutics, toxicology, and cardiovascular pathology.

 A unique aspect of the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology is the integration of multimedia and graphic files that add considerable value to printed manuscripts. The Journal accepts electronic video and sound files which permits the detailing of clinical procedures, diagnostics, and techniques. Previously, such data and information were limited to printed, static, graphics. These video and sound images can be viewed (by those readers with subscription access) by going here. The issue to be viewed is clicked and the available PDF and image downloading is available via the 'Summary Plus' link. The supplementary material for a given article appears at the end of the page. Downloading the videos may take several minutes. Another means to view the material is to go here and enter the specified digital optic identifier (doi) number unique to each corresponding paper.

To facilitate the viewing of videos, readers are advised to download one of the many freeware video player programmes available such as VLC media centre. 

 
Ethical Policy

Submission of a manuscript implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all Authors and by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the Publisher.

Ethical Use of Animals

All studies involving use of animals must contain a statement that animals received humane care in accordance for example, with humane care guidelines specified by the author's institution. Where appropriate, authors must attest that animal studies were approved by the Institutional Review Board, Institutional Animal Use and Care Committee, or similar body. Prospective clinical studies involving client-owned animals must be designed to assure written client informed consent.

Conflict of interest

Authors must acknowledge funding sources that supported submitted research. The authors must also inform the Editor of any associations that could be considered as conflict of interest.

Authorship

Guidelines of the World Association of Medical Editors regarding authorship (www.icmje.org) are followed. For an individual to be included as an author of a paper, the individual should have made substantial contributions to the ideas, conception and design of the study and acquisition of data, and analysis and interpretation of data. In addition, the individual must have been involved in drafting and revising the manuscript and must have approved the final version. Authorship is NOT justified for editorial assistance or writing suggestions of the manuscript, acquisition of funding or collection of data, routine patient care or enrollment of cases, or general supervision of the research group or clinic. The order of authorship and corresponding author will not be suggested or implemented by the editors but is solely decided by the authors.

Submissions

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology must conform to the style and format of the Journal as provided below (How to Prepare a Manuscript). Manuscripts will be judged on the basis of scientific content, originality, and suitability for the Journal and are peer reviewed. The Journal does not perform extensive editing and authors must obtain assistance if necessary to assure professional manuscript composition and English syntax before submission. Authors who submit manuscripts that include numerical data are responsible to assure that statistical analyses conform to current, accepted statistical practices. Manuscripts which contain faulty English composition will not be accepted. The Journal of Veterinary Cardiology will not accept manuscripts that contain poor quality images. Particularly meritorious manuscripts that are of high priority and significance will be considered for fast track review and rapid communication.

Peer Review

All manuscripts are examined by the editorial staff and evaluated by expert reviewers selected by the editors or editorial board. Where appropriate, manuscripts will also be subject to statistical review. All comments provided by reviewers must be satisfactorily addressed by the authors in order for the manuscript to be accepted for publication.

How to Prepare a Manuscript

The Journal of Veterinary Cardiology publishes several types of manuscripts under the following sections (a brief description follows):

Investigations and Reports

Original research and clinical studies involving cardiovascular disease including: congenital and acquired heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias, physiology, genetics, molecular cardiology, diagnostic imaging, epidemiology, clinical trials and outcomes research, hypertension, and cardiovascular surgery. Reports of case series with 6 or more animals may be formatted as described for this section. If 5 or fewer animals are in the case series, papers should be submitted as case reports. Final decisions regarding placement of a paper are made by the editors.

Interventional Imaging

Manuscripts should detail the methodology and interpretation of invasive procedures through still images, videos and accompanying text. The purpose of this section is to have experts communicate in detail how to perform invasive procedures. Such papers should be the constellation of experience and not constitute single case reports or comprise a literature review.

Cardiovascular Techniques

These manuscripts offer concise, focused, clinical reports, supported by illustrative graphics, intended to highlight new and contemporary techniques in clinical cardiovascular medicine and surgery. Such articles detailing singular techniques should be written and illustrated comprehensively to provide a novel and superior learning opportunity. Their technical and scientific level should be directed to the cardiology resident and above. Reports must not exceed 3000 words excluding references.

Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Manuscripts report experimental studies or clinical trials that focus on pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, efficacy, and safety aspects of drugs.

Cardiovascular Pathology

Manuscripts include disease-oriented morphology and pathogenesis, including relevant gross, histopathologic, ultrastructural, and molecular aspects. Papers should provide insights to basic mechanisms of disease, or highlight clinical correlates of structural and functional cardiovascular pathology.

Translational Science

Manuscripts should relate (i.e., translate) the application of basic science to the etiopathogenesis, diagnosis, or treatment of cardiovascular disease in clinical medicine. Manuscripts should be co-written by a research scientist and a clinician. Papers submitted to this section will be reviewed by scientific experts for content and clinician scientist for understandability. Supporting graphics and videos are encouraged.

Brief Communications

Small, completed investigations that are less than 2500 words long excluding references, are designated as "Brief Communications". References must be limited to 25 or less.

Case Reports and Clinical Vignettes

Case reports will be considered for publication if they contain information not previously reported, or, if they have sufficient merit to spark future studies or expand the understanding of disease, or, improve treatment. Alternatively, case reports will be considered that contain supporting graphic or video images that are exceptionally insightful, cutting-edge, or offer a new perspective regarding disease pathophysiology or therapy. Case series comprising 5 animals or fewer can be considered as case reports. An unstructured abstract comprising 250 words or less should be included. The entire report must not exceed 2500 words (excluding references, which should be limited to 25 or less). All graphics must be of excellent quality and clarity. Clinical vignettes comprise a short description of one case report, do not require an abstract, have 10 or fewer references, should be 2000 words or less, and should be marked "Clinical vignette".  

Review Articles

Review articles may be solicited by the editorial board or submitted without invitation. Their purpose is to provide an overview of a specialized area of cardiology. Such manuscripts will only be considered for publication if submitted by author(s) who have an established record of publication related to the review article. An outline should be submitted to the Editors-in-Chief for pre-approval before writing and submitting the review article. Both solicited and unsolicited review articles will undergo the same rigorous peer review as all manuscripts.

Submission of Manuscripts

Submissions to the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology are processed via the Elsevier Editorial System: http://ees.elsevier.com/jvc. Authors will be guided step-by-step to upload manuscript and illustration files directly from their computers. Authors must select a classification that most closely fits their submission, from a given list that is made available during this process, and the related category designation (e.g., Investigations and Reports, Interventional Imaging, etc). Electronic PDF proofs will be automatically generated from uploaded files, and used for subsequent reviewing.

Authors should send queries concerning the submission process or procedures to: AuthorSupport@elsevier.com. Authors can check the status of their manuscript within the review procedure using Elsevier Editorial System.

Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Submission also implies that all authors have approved the paper for release and are in agreement with its content. Upon acceptance of the article by the journal, the author(s) will be asked to transfer the copyright of the article to the Publisher. This transfer will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information.

General Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be double-spaced with margins of 2.5 cm (1 in.) and numbered lines. The text should be appear in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be removed and replaced when processing the article. In particular, do not use the word processor's options to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, and superscripts. Do not embed "graphically designed" equations or tables, but prepare these using the word processor's facility. Pages are to be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page.

Format manuscripts and tables in Microsoft Word (use Office 2003 for Windows, Mac, or more current versions). Always keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety. Save your files using the default extension of the program used.

Present Tables and Figure Captions on separate pages at the end of the manuscript.

All figures must be submitted as separate files (do not imbed any figures into the manuscript). Information concerning the preparation of figures for all can be found at  http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. Please note this site provides generic artwork information for all Elsevier journals and authors should ignore any information regarding disk submission (as any figures for the Journal of Veterinary Cardiology should be uploaded via the Elsevier Editorial System). You are urged to visit this site (note: some excerpts from the detailed information are given below under the heading 'Figures').

Title Page

The first page should include the title of the manuscript, the first and last names of the authors, their highest degrees, institutions or affiliations, and a short title for use as running head. Following the list of authors, present the addresses of the authors' affiliations (i.e., where the actual work was done). Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the country name.

Corresponding author: Clearly specify the name of the author who will handle correspondence at all stages of peer review, publication, and post-publication. Include telephone and fax numbers (with country and area code), e-mail address, and complete postal address.

Abstract and Keywords

The abstract must be limited to 250 words or less. For Investigations and Reports the abstract should provide a concise, factual condensation of the manuscript, presenting essential information in five paragraphs using the following designations: Objectives; Background; Animals, Materials and Methods; Results; Conclusions. For clinical case presentations, the abstract may be non-structured.

Keywords: provide 3 to 5 keywords that will assist indexers in cross-indexing your article.

Manuscript Style

Manuscripts for prospective and retrospective studies should include specified sections as follows: Introduction; Animals, Materials, and Methods; Results; Discussion; and Conclusions.  

Introduction

The introduction is untitled and should provide a brief and relevant literature overview, and a clear statement of study objectives and rationale.

Animals, Materials and Methods

This section provides a concise description of the experimental and statistical methods and of the procedures in sufficient detail to allow other investigators to reproduce the study and results. In studies involving use of animals, authors must attest that the animals were treated humanely and specify approval for the study by their Institutional Review Board, or similar body (see Ethical Policy, above).

Results

State concisely, in logical sequence, the results of the study. Do not reproduce the same data in both tables and figures.

Discussion

Provide a concise discussion of the investigation or study. Emphasize new and important implications of findings, how these observations relate to other relevant studies, and relevance to the literature that relates to the authors' investigation. Limitations of the study must be mentioned.

Conclusions

List and briefly summarize the major conclusions of the investigation.

Special Sections

Guidelines for the special section headings will vary and prospective authors are asked to read the specific guidelines on the website for this information.

Footnotes

Footnotes should be used sparingly. Cite footnotes by superscript, lowercase letters in the order in which they appear in the text. Indicate the position of footnotes in the text and present the footnotes themselves on a separate sheet at the end of the article, listing footnotes alphabetically. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list. For products and equipment, provide complete information in the footnote, including manufacturer's name and location (i.e., city, state, and country). Abstracts and personal communications should also be cited as footnotes.

References

Text: Indicate references by superscript numbers in the text. The actual Authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given.

List: Number the references in the list in the order in which they appear in the text.

References must be verified by the author(s) against the original documents. Please ensure that every reference that is cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Unpublished observations, personal communications, and submitted papers not yet accepted may not appear in the reference section. All authors must be listed for each reference.

 Journal article - example

Santilli RA, Spadacini G, Moretti P, Perego M, Perini A, Tarducci A, Crosara S, Salerno-Uriarte JA. Radiofrequency catheter ablation of concealed accessory pathways in two dogs with symptomatic atrioventricular reciprocating tachycardia. J Vet Cardiol 2006;8:157-165.

Chapter in a book - example

Sisson D. Medical management of refractory congestive heart failure in dogs. In: Bonagura JD, editor. Kirk's Current Veterinary Therapy XIII. Philadelphia, WB Saunders; 2000. p. 752-756.

Abstracts may be cited only if they are the sole source of information. They are to be identified as 'Abstract' at the end of the citation (in the footnote list).

"In press" citations must have been accepted for publication and must include the name of the journal.

Tables

Tables prepared with Excel are not accepted.

Use the same style font (at least 10 point) that is used in the text.

All abbreviations used in a table must be defined by footnote.

When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not spaces, to align columns.

Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body. Indicate table footnotes in this order: a, b, c, etc. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

Figure Captions

Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions on a separate page, not attached to the figure. A caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) followed by a description of the illustration. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Acknowledgements

Specify all sources of research support as well as major contributions of individuals.

Figures

Figures must be of high quality in order to meet publication standards. Each figure should be provided as a separate file. Number the figures according to their sequence in the text. Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats. (Note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):

EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".

TIFF: Colour or greyscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.

TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.

TIFF: Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (colour or greyscale): use a minimum of 500 dpi.

Do not supply files that are optimized for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG, PPT); the resolution of these files are too low.

Heading information should appear only in the figure legend.

Save text in illustrations as "graphics" or enclose the font. Font size must be 10 point or greater. Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.

Only use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Times, Symbol. Do not include hair lines in line art.

All symbols and abbreviations must be defined in the figure or its legend.

Videos

Information with regards to submission of videos can be found here. 

Offprints

1. The corresponding author will, at no cost, be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail or, alternatively, 25 free paper offprints. The PDF file is a watermarked version of the published article and includes a cover sheet with the journal cover image and a disclaimer outlining the terms and conditions of use.

2. Additional paper offprints can be ordered on an offprint order form, which is included with the proofs.

3. UNESCO coupons are acceptable in payment of extra paper offprints.

Copyright statement

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a "Journal Publishing Agreement" (for more information on this and copyright, see here). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.

If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases: contact Elsevier's Rights Department, Oxford, UK: phone (+1) 215 239 3804 or +44(0)1865 843830, fax +44(0)1865 853333, e-mail healthpermissions@elsevier.com. Requests may also be completed on-line via the Elsevier homepage.