Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association
Guidelines for Authors

Manuscripts are considered for publication in the Journal with the understanding that they have not been published or submitted for publication in whole or in part elsewhere. Accepted manuscripts become permanent property of the Journal and may not be reprinted elsewhere without permission from the Journal.

The guidelines listed below are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (February 2006 revision) of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (Uniform Requirements). The Journal adheres to the principles, policies, and general procedures listed in the Uniform Requirements as well as the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th Edition.

Copyright Transfer Form. The copyright transfer form includes the copyright transfer statement, statement of author responsibility, and financial disclosure. The form will be sent to the author(s) of each manuscript when a manuscript is submitted to the Journal. A signature is required for each author. The completed and signed form(s) should be returned by mail to the Editorial Office.

Authors. No more than six authors are allowed for one manuscript without permission from the Editor. Authors must limit their affiliations to two institutional affiliations. Resident manuscripts must be coauthored by a member of the residency staff, or a letter of approval must be submitted with the manuscript. Student manuscripts must be coauthored by a faculty member.

Text. A three- to six-sentence abstract is needed for all articles except Clinical Pathology and Clinical Correspondence submissions. For reports of research studies, the abstract should be structured using the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Other types of papers should have an unstructured abstract. Subheads should be used at regular intervals. Permission is needed to reprint quoted material; letters of permission (hard copy) should be sent to the Editorial Office at the time of the submission. With few exceptions, all abbreviations must be spelled out.

Figures. Digital figures are preferred and should conform to our digital-figure specifications. (See Technical Guidelines for Figures.) If initially submitted figures are not publication-quality, such figures should be submitted with any revised version of the manuscript. The author will be contacted if publication-quality figures are still needed at the time a paper is accepted. If digital figures are not available, hard-copy figures should be mailed to the Editorial Office. Traditional photographs should be glossy black-and-white prints, clear, and in sharp focus, preferably measuring 4 x 6 inches; x-rays must be converted to black-and-white prints. Do not clip, staple, or tape prints. The figures must be clearly marked in pencil on the reverse with the figure number, authors’ names, and orientation (top). All figures must be numbered and cited sequentially in the text. Figure legends are needed for all figures and should appear at the end of the text. Written permission is needed to reprint figures taken from another source.

Tables. Tables should add to the readers’ understanding of the text, not repeat what is in the text. Tables must be numbered sequentially and cited in the text; tables are not figures and should be numbered separately. Each table must have a complete title. Written permission is needed to reprint tables taken from another source.

References. All references must be numbered and listed in the order in which they appear in the text; after a reference has been cited once, it retains its original number. References must be formatted in JAPMA style:

The style for articles is: author(s), title of article, journal name, volume, page, and year:

Wiles S, Palladino SJ, Stavosky JW: Naviculo-cuneiform coalition. JAPMA 78: 355, 1988.

Jahss MH: “The Subtalar Complex,” in Disorders of the Foot, Vol 1, ed by MH Jahss, p 727, WB Saunders, Philadelphia, 1982.