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	EDITORIAL PURPOSE The Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management® (JCOM®) is an independent, peer-reviewed journal offering evidence-based, practical information for improving health care quality. CONTENT JCOM publishes reports in the following categories: Original Research Reports of investigations that address questions about clinical care or the organization of health care and its impact on outcomes. Text should not exceed 4000 words. Reports of randomized controlled trials should follow the recommendations contained in the revised CONSORT statement (JAMA 2001;285:1987-91). Clinical Reviews Systematic or narrative reviews of clinical topics to help guide evidence-based practice. Text should not exceed 4000 words. Case-Based Reviews Reviews addressing common clinical problems in which a clinical case is used to frame a discussion of evidence-based management. A question-and-answer format is used. Length varies depending on topic and number of contributors. Case-based reviews usually are solicited by the editors. Reports from the Field Descriptions and evaluations of quality improvement, disease management, or other programs or strategies intended to improve health care quality. Text should not exceed 3500 words. Perspective Essays expressing opinions or discussions of topical issues. Text should not exceed 3000 words. Editorials Opinions on current topics related to outcomes management. Text should not exceed 1500 words. Editorials usually are solicited by the editors. Letters Opinions on cases or articles published in JCOM, opinions on other current topics, or short reports of clinical interest. Text should not exceed 400 words. There should be no more than 5 references. Letters about articles published in JCOM should be received within 2 months of the article’s publication. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION Send an electronic (the electronic copy may be e-mailed to blewis@turner-white.com) and hard copy of the paper to: Editor-in-Chief Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management 125 Strafford Avenue, Suite 220 Wayne, PA 19087-3391 Cover Letter Manuscripts should be submitted with a cover letter indicating the JCOM category for which the paper is being submitted. The cover letter should give details on any possible previous or duplicate publication of any of the content and should state that the paper is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. In the letter, authors should disclose any financial arrangements or affiliations with companies or organizations having a direct interest in the subject of the paper. This information may be made available to reviewers. For Letters to the Editor, please indicate whether the letter is intended for publication. Author Form Authors are asked to complete an Author Form, which has several components: Authorship The form asks authors to certify that they substantially contributed to the (a) conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data and the (b) drafting of the article and critical revision for important intellectual content and have reviewed the final version and approved it for publication. Authors are asked to provide a description of what each contributed and the editor will publish this information with the article. Financial Disclosure The form asks authors to certify that they have disclosed any financial arrangements or affiliations with companies or organizations having a direct interest in the subject of the paper. This information will be published with the article. Assignment of Copyright Authors must transfer copyright to Turner White Communications, publisher of JCOM. Transfer of copyright signifies transfer of rights for print publication, electronic publication, production of reprints, facsimiles, or publication in a language other than English. Permission is usually granted on request and without charge for authors to use portions of their works published in JCOM for limited educational purposes.		The author form is available at a www.turner-white.com/pdf/aujcform.pdf and from the JCOM editorial offices (610-975-4541 ext. 120). Authors who do not submit an author form with the manuscript will be sent one to complete if the paper is accepted. MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION Manuscript specifications as described below largely conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, located at www.icmje.org. Authors may consults the Requirements regarding matters not specifically addressed below. Typing The manuscript should be typed using double spacing throughout. Do not use a running head. Pages should be numbered. Title Page The title page should contain the following elements: title, author names and institutional affiliations, sources of financial support, name of corresponding author with his or her contact information (mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address), and word count (text only). Abstract Include a structured abstract. For original research, abstracts should be organized into the following categories: Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Measurements, Results, Conclusion. For reviews or other reports, use the following categories: Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion. Abstracts should be limited to 250 words. References Number references in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text; place the reference numbers in brackets. Supply complete bibliographic data for each reference in a numbered list at the end of the paper. List all authors when 4 or fewer; when 5 or more, list the first 3 and add et al. Do not use italics. With the exception of number of authors listed, JCOM follows the reference style set forth in the Uniform Requirements. Examples: Vega KJ, Pina I, Krevsky B. Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. Ann Intern Med 1996;124:980-3. Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996. Tables and Figures Each table must be numbered, titled, and typed double-spaced and be on a separate page following the text and references. Each figure must be accompanied by a legend that describes the figure and defines all abbreviations. For photographic figures, submit 1 black-and-white glossy print. For drawn figures, submit 1 clean, scannable copy. Provide a complete reference for borrowed material. It is not necessary to obtain permission to reproduce borrowed tables and figures prior to submission; the editorial office will do this for you. There is no limit on the total number of tables and figures that may be submitted, but excessive use of tables and figures is discouraged. Proprietary and Generic Names Generic names must be used for all drugs. Indentify instruments by proprietary name and give name and location of manufacturer. EDITORIAL PROCESS Invited case-based reviews are reviewed by external reviewers who are asked to comment on the importance and relevance of the content and quality of the literature review. All other manuscripts received are read by an Editor, who decides whether to reject the paper or send the paper for peer review. About 70% of these are peer reviewed, of which roughly two thirds are accepted. The quality and promptness of reviews are graded to help maintain the quality of reviewing. Reviewers are asked to disclose any conflicts of interest. Acceptance decisions are based on the scientific strength of the paper, the importance of the topic, and relevance for JCOM readers. Decisions about manuscripts sent for peer review are usually made within 8 weeks of receipt. Papers not accepted for publication are not returned unless specifically requested. An electronic copy of the paper will be requested if the paper is accepted for publication. Papers are edited for clarity, consistency, and correct grammatical construction. Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author for corrections, and a 48-hour turnaround time is requested. REPRINTS AND COMPLIMENTARY COPIES All authors receive a complimentary copy of the issue in which their article appears. A form for ordering reprints will accompany the issue.
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