GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
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The British Columbia Medical Journal is a general medical journal that seeks to continue the education of physicians through review articles, scientific research, and updates on contemporary clinical practices while providing a forum for medical debate. Several times a year, the BCMJ presents a theme issue devoted to a particular discipline or disease entity.

We welcome letters, blog posts, articles, and scientific papers from physicians in British Columbia and elsewhere. Manuscripts should not have been submitted to any other publication. Articles are subject to copyediting and editorial revisions, but authors remain responsible for statements in the work, including editorial changes; for accuracy of references; and for obtaining permissions. The senior author of scientific articles will be asked to check page proofs for accuracy.

The BCMJ endorses the “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (updated October 2008), and encourages authors to review the complete text of that document at www.icmje.org.

Material may be submitted for publication consideration by either e-mail or post, though upon acceptance an electronic file must be provided for all submissions except short letters. Send submissions to:

The Editor
BC Medical Journal
115-1665 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC V6J 5A4 CANADA

E-mail: journal@bcma.bc.ca
Tel: 604 638-2815
Fax: 604 638-2917
Web: www.bcmj.org

EDITORIAL PROCESS
Letters to the editor, articles, and scientific papers must be reviewed and accepted by the BCMJ’s eight-member Editorial Board prior to publication. The Board normally meets the last Friday of every month, at which time submissions are distributed for review the following month. We do not acknowledge receipt of submissions; the editor will contact authors of articles by post or e-mail once the submission has been reviewed by the Board (usually within 8 to 10 weeks of submission).

The general criteria for acceptance include accuracy, relevance to practising BC physicians, validity, originality, and clarity. The editor contacts authors to inform them whether the paper has been rejected, conditionally accepted (that is, accepted with revisions), or accepted as submitted. Authors of letters are contacted only if the letter is accepted and editorial staff need further information. Scientific papers and other articles typically take 5 to 10 months from the date of receipt to publication, depending on how quickly authors provide revisions and on the backlog of papers scheduled for publication. Manuscripts are returned only on request. The BCMJ is posted for free access on our web site immediately.

FOR ALL SUBMISSIONS
•    Avoid unnecessary formatting, as we strip all formatting from manuscripts.
•    Double-space all parts of all submissions.
•    Include your name, relevant degrees, e-mail address, and phone and fax numbers.  
•    Number all pages consecutively.
•    If submitting hardcopy, use 8 1/2" x 11" white paper, leaving wide margins.

Opinions
BCMD2B (medical student page). An article on any medicine-related topic by a BC physician-in-training. Less than 2000 words. The BCMJ also welcomes student submissions of letters and scientific/clinical articles. BCMD2B and student-written clinical articles are eligible for an annual $1000 medical student writing prize.

Blog. A short, timely piece for online publication on bcmj.org. Less than 500 words. Submissions on any health-related topic will be considered. Should be current, contain links to related and source content, and be written in a conversational tone.

The Good Doctor. A biographical feature of a living BC physician. Less than 2000 words.

Personal View (letters). All letters must be signed, and may be edited for brevity. Letters not addressed to the Editor of the BCMJ (that is, letter copied to us) will not be published. Letters commenting on an article or letter published in the BCMJ must reach us within 6 months of the article or letter’s appearance. No more than three authors. Less than 300 words. 

Point-Counterpoint. Essays presenting two opposing viewpoints; at least one is usually solicited by the BCMJ. Less than 2000 words each.
Premise. Essays on any medicine-related topic; may or may not be referenced. Less than 2000 words.

Proust for Physicians. A lighthearted questionnaire about you. Submit responses online by completing our SurveyMonkey questionnaire, print a copy from the BCMJ website, or contact journal@bcma.bc.ca or 604 638-2858.

Special Feature. Articles, stories, history, or any narrative that doesn’t fit elsewhere in the BCMJ. Less than 2000 words.

Departments
In Memoriam. Include birth and death dates, full name and name deceased was best known by, key hospital and professional affiliations, relevant biographical data, and photo. Less than 300 words.

Pulsimeter (news). A miscellany of short news items, announcements, requests for study participants, notices, and so on. Submit suggestions or text to journal@bcma.bc.ca or call 604 638-2858 to discuss. Less than 300 words.

CLINICAL ARTICLES/CASE REPORTS
Manuscripts of scientific/clinical articles and case reports should be 2000 to 4000 words in length, including tables and references. Electronic submission preferred (e-mail to journal@bcma.bc.ca). If sending hardcopy, submit only one copy of the article, but two sets of figures (prints). Retain one copy of the article and prints for yourself. Keep an up-to-date electronic copy of the manuscript as we will require it upon final acceptance. The first page of the manuscript should carry the following:

•    Title, and subtitle, if any.
•    Preferred given name or initials and last name for each author, with relevant academic degrees.
•    All authors’ professional/institutional affiliations, sufficient to provide the basis for an author note such as: “Dr Smith is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of British Columbia and a staff gynecologist at Vancouver Hospital.”
•    A structured or unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words. If structured, the preferred headings are “Background,” “Methods,” “Results,” and “Conclusions.”
•    Three key words or short phrases to assist in indexing.
•    Disclaimers, if any.
•    Name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of corresponding author.

Authorship, copyright, disclosure, and consent form
When submitting a clinical/scientific/review paper, all authors must complete the BCMJ’s four-part "Authorship, copyright, disclosure, and consent form." Download PDF

1. Authorship. All authors must certify in writing that they qualify as an author of the paper. To be considered an author, an individual must meet all three conditions:

•    Made substantial contributions to the conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, and
•    Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content, and
•    Given final approval of the version to be published. 

Order of authorship is decided by the co-authors. 

2. Copyright. All authors must sign and return an “Assignment of copyright” prior to publication. Published manuscripts become the property of the BC Medical Association and may not be published elsewhere without permission.

3. Disclosure. All authors must sign a “Disclosure of financial interests” statement and provide it to the BCMJ. This may be used for a note to accompany the text.

4. Consent. If the article is a case report or if an individual patient is described, written consent from the patient (or his or her legal guardian or substitute decision maker) is required.

Papers will not be reviewed without this document, which is available here.

References to published material
Try to keep references to fewer than 30. Authors are responsible for reference accuracy. References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Avoid using auto-numbering as this can cause problems during production.

Include all relevant details regarding publication, including correct abbreviation of journal titles, as in Index Medicus; year, volume number, and inclusive page numbers; full names and locations of book publishers; inclusive page numbers of relevant source material; full web address of the document, not just to host page, and date the page was accessed. Examples:

1. Gilsanz V, Gibbons DT, Roe TF, et al. Vertebral bone density in children: Effect of puberty. Radiology 2007;166:847-850.
(NB: For more than three authors, list first three, followed by “et al.”)
2. Mollison PL. Blood Transfusion in Clinical Medicine. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Scientific Publications; 2004. p. 78-80.
3. O’Reilly RA. Vitamin K antagonists. In: Colman RW, Hirsh J, Marder VJ, et al. (eds). Hemostasis and Thrombosis. Philadelphia, PA: JB Lippincott Co; 2005. p. 1367-1372.
4. Health Canada. Canadian STD Guidelines, 2007. Accessed 15 July 2008. www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/publicat/std98/index.html.
(NB: The access date is the date the author consulted the source.)

A book cited in full, without page number citations, should be listed separately under Additional or Suggested Reading. Such a list should contain no more than five items.

References to unpublished material
These may include articles that have been read at a meeting or symposium but have not been published, or material accepted for publication but not yet published (in press). Examples:

1. Maurice WL, Sheps SB, Schechter MT. Sexual activity with patients: A survey of BC physicians. Presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, Winnipeg, MB, 5 October 2008.
2. Kim-Sing C, Kutynec C, Harris S, et al. Breast cancer and risk reduction: Diet, physical activity, and chemoprevention. CMAJ. In press.  

Personal communications are not included in the reference list, but may be cited in the text, with type of communication (oral or written) communicant’s full name, affiliation, and date (e.g., oral communication with H.E. Marmon, director, BC Centre for Disease Control, 12 November 2007).

Material submitted for publication but not accepted should not be included.

Permissions
It is the author’s responsibility to obtain written permission from both author and publisher for material, including figures and tables, taken or adapted from other sources. Permissions should accompany the article when submitted.

Scientific misconduct
Should possible scientific misconduct or dishonesty in research submitted for review by the BCMJ be suspected or alleged, we reserve the right to forward any submitted manuscript to the sponsoring or funding institution or other appropriate authority for investigation. We recognize our responsibility to ensure that the question is appropriately pursued, but do not undertake the actual investigation or make determinations of misconduct.  

Tables and figures
Tables and figures should supplement the text, not duplicate it. Keep length and number of tables and figures to a minimum. Include a descriptive title and units of measure for each table and figure. Obtain permission and acknowledge the source fully if you use data or figures from another published or unpublished source.

Tables. Please adhere to the following guidelines:
•    Submit tables electronically so that they may be formatted for style.
•    Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each.
•    Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading.
•    Explain all nonstandard abbreviations in footnotes.
•    Ensure each table is cited in the text.

Figures (illustrations). Please adhere to the following guidelines:
•    Send scans of X-ray films or other material at 300 dpi or higher, at approximately 100% final size.
•    Number figures consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each.
•    Place titles and explanations in legends, not in or on the illustrations themselves.
•    Provide internal scale markers for photomicrographs.
•    Ensure each figure is cited in the text.
•    Color is not normally available, but if it is necessary, an exception may be considered.

Units
Report measurements of length, height, weight, and volume in metric units. Give temperatures in degrees Celsius and blood pressures in millimetres of mercury. Report hematologic and clinical chemistry measurements in the metric system according to the International System of Units (SI).

Abbreviations
Except for units of measure, we discourage abbreviations. However, if a small number are necessary, use standard abbreviations only, preceded by the full name at first mention, e.g., in vitro fertilization (IVF). Avoid abbreviations in the title and abstract.

Drug names
Use generic drug names. Use lowercase for generic names, uppercase for brand names, e.g., venlafaxine hydrochloride (Effexor). Drugs not yet available in Canada should be so noted.

Reprints
Reprint order forms will be sent to authors upon publication of the article. If you know that you would like additional copies prior to printing, please advise us and we can arrange a larger print run.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION CHECKLIST
Before you submit your paper, please ensure you have completed the following, or your paper could be returned:

•    Authorship, copyright, disclosure, and consent form is completed and included (available at www.bcmj.org).
•    Abstract is provided.
•    Three key words are provided.
•    Author information is provided for all authors.
•    References in text are in correct numerical order.
•    Reference list is in correct numerical order and is complete.
•    References list contains up to three authors only.
•    All figures and tables are supplied.
•    Permissions letters are included.

Guidelines for guest editors of BCMJ theme issues

A theme issue in the British Columbia Medical Journal is a collection of articles on a single topic coordinated by a guest editor. Guest editors are usually, but not always, physicians. It is recommended that the potential guest editor write a letter to the BCMJ editor outlining proposed topics and authors.
 
Theme issues usually comprise three to eight articles of about 3000 words each, plus a guest editorial of 500 to 1000 words. If there are more than five articles, the theme issue will be split into two consecutive issues of the BCMJ and two guest editorials will be needed.

Guest editors should consider soliciting articles from authors outside Vancouver and Victoria, and include articles of specific relevance to physicians outside the urban centres. It isn’t necessary that all articles be either long or academic. One or more short pieces on community services or allied health workers in the subject area, for instance, can complement academic reviews.

Time frames
A theme issue can take a year or more to compile. The BCMJ Editorial Board meets on the last Friday morning of the month, and all papers go out for review at that time. Please ensure your papers are submitted by the Wednesday prior to the meeting. Papers are discussed and a decision is made at the following month-end meeting.

Normally, at least 6 months elapse between the time all papers are received by the Editorial Board and the publication date. Guest editors who want the theme issue to be published in a specific month are advised to submit the finished articles at least 6 to 9 months before the anticipated publication date.

Submission and review process
Supply all authors with the BCMJ’s Guidelines for Authors. The guidelines contain important information that all authors should review prior to writing.

Each paper must be accompanied by the BCMJ’s “Authorship, copyright, disclosure, and consent” form.

All materials for the theme issue—all papers, the guest editorial(s), and the Author Form—must be submitted together. An incomplete theme issue will not be sent out for review. Submit one copy of everything to the BCMJ office for review by the Editorial Board. After the Editorial Board has reviewed the papers, the editor will write you a letter detailing the Board’s decision. Some revisions are normally requested, which the guest editor coordinates.

Once revisions are complete, the guest editor resubmits them and the BCMJ editor reviews the revised papers and makes a final decision. Normally you will receive a letter detailing any final minor revisions along with a proposed publication date from the BCMJ’s production coordinator.

After papers are accepted
Once the theme issue is accepted and scheduled for publication, you will begin to work with the BCMJ’s managing editor. Articles will be copyedited into BCMJ style. The editors will make changes to improve clarity and bring the papers into stylistic conformity with our publication’s requirements.

The theme issue is then designed, and page proofs are e-mailed to you. Individual authors’ papers should be distributed to them for proofreading and should be checked by you before they are returned to the BCMJ.

As the issue date approaches there are usually a few final issues to resolve, so you should ensure you are available by telephone and e-mail in the month prior to publication.

Once the journal is published, you may be called upon by members of the media to comment on the issues you raise in your BCMJ articles. Media enquiries are handled by the BCMA’s media relations manager.

Enhancing your series online
Once articles are accepted and edited, they will be posted on the BCMJ’s open access website bcmj.org. BCMJ.org contains enhanced online features such as video and patient information sheets. Consider whether your theme issue could be enhanced by a 5-minute or shorter procedural video, or by a 1- or 2-page patient information sheet related to your theme that physicians could print from bcmj.org and provide to their patients.

These online enhancements should be discussed at the initiation of the theme issue.

Special requirements for theme issues
Authors must follow all the normal requirements detailed in the BCMJ Guidelines for Authors; however, there are a few additional elements for a theme issue, as follows:

• Guest editorial. This is usually written by the person who compiled the theme issue. However, if the guest editor is not a physician, it is suggested that the editorial be co-written with a physician contributor. A black-and-white head-and-shoulders photo of the guest editor(s) is published with the guest editorial and should be included with the complete submission. The guest editorial introduces the theme issue. It may be an overview of the papers, a historical survey of the subject from a BC perspective, or a discussion of the work of an institution. The editorial may be any length, but normally it runs between 500 and 1000 words.

• The front page. The front page of each paper should include the ordinal number of the paper; proposed title; author’s name as he or she wants it in the publication; author’s degrees and accreditations, normally beginning with MD or MB; author’s practice information and academic affiliations, sufficient for a brief author note; addresses for mail/courier, e-mail and telephone numbers for the author and one co-author (as a backup).

Guest editor’s responsibilities

• Provide deadlines/schedule to authors.

• Provide the BCMJ’s Guidelines for Authors to authors.

• Provide and ensure authors complete the BCMJ Author Form.

• Keep in touch with authors. If they don’t hear from you for a few months, they may assume that the project has been abandoned.

• Write the guest editorial(s).

• Review all papers.

• Ensure each paper contains an abstract.

• Ensure Canadian and BC statistics/studies used whenever possible.

• Ensure references are in the style detailed in the Guidelines for Authors.

• Ensure all tables and figures are cited in the text and included with the papers.

• Ensure the series contains no unnecessary repetition.

• Ensure the series contains no gaps of logic or content.

• Ensure the series contains no contradictions.

• Ensure terminology and abbreviations are consistent across the series.

• Ensure there is a caption for each figure and a title for each table.

• Ensure all figures clear, sharp, and at least 300 dpi.

• Ensure written permission has been obtained for any element that is being reprinted or adapted from another publication, and that a copy of the permission is included with the original submission.

• Suggest an order for the papers.

• Review page proofs of all articles once typeset.

Contact us:

BCMJ Editor
Dr David Richardson
journal@bcma.bc.ca
604 638-2835

Managing Editor
Jay Draper
jdraper@bcma.bc.ca
604 638-2814

Senior Editorial and Production Coordinator
Kashmira Suraliwalla
ksuraliwalla@bcma.bc.ca
604 638-2815

Assistant Editor
Tara Lyon
tlyon@bcma.bc.ca
604 638-2858

Proust Questionnaire

Tell us a bit about yourself. Please complete and submit a Proust Questionnaire--your colleagues will appreciate it.
 
Online:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/proust-questionnaire
 
E-mail:
E-mail us at journal@bcma.bc.ca and we'll send you copy of the survey in MS Word to complete and return.
 
Print:
Print a pdf copy, complete it, and either fax (604 638-2917) or mail it (BCMJ 115-1665 W. Broadway, Vancouver BC V6J 5A4).

Click here to download the Author Form