Annals of Clinical and Laboratory Science: Information for Authors
Purview. The Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science welcomes manuscripts that report research in clinical science, including pathology, clinical chemistry, biotechnology, molecular biology, cytogenetics, microbiology, immunology, hematology, transfusion medicine, organ and tissue transplantation, therapeutics, toxicology, and clinical informatics. Manuscripts on clinically relevant studies, using experimental animals or in vitro models, are welcome, as well as reviews of topics that pertain to diagnosis, prognosis, or therapy, or that deal with laboratory procedures, instrumental advances, or therapeutic innovations. Brief manuscripts are published as “Communications,” “Commentaries,” “Case Reports,” “Technical Notes,” “Editorials,” or “Letters to the Editor.”
Manuscript Submission. Manuscripts must be sent to the Editor, N. Tatevian, M.D., PhD., by e-mail to annclinlabsci@ascp.org (the text should be submitted in English as a word-processing file, using Microsoft Word, and images and figures should be submitted using JPEG format). Please resubmit manuscripts if the confirmation does not follow within 48 hours. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors will be financially responsible for publishing of the manuscript. Charges are $120.00 per printed page. No additional charges are applicable for the color figures; number of figures and tables is not limited. PDF version will be provided to authors before publication for approval.
Text. The text (which includes the abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, references, tables, and figure legends) should be submitted in English as a word-processing document (Microsoft Word). Times and Symbol fonts (12 point), 1-inch margins, unjustified, double-spaced, without page breaks between sections, excepting tables, which should each begin on a separate page. Outlining, formatting, or reference citation programs should be avoided since they hamper processing the manuscript.
Figures. Images, figures should be submitted using JPEG format only.
Cover Letter. A cover letter is required for all manuscripts. The original copy of the cover letter, signed by all authors, should be submitted with the manuscript. It is important that the cover letter include: (a) the corresponding author’s postal address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address; (b) a copyright assignment statement, as specified herein; (c) an authors’ responsibility statement, as specified herein; (d) human or animal experimentation statements, if relevant; and (e) a conflict of interest statement.
Copyright Assignment Statement. “The authors undersigned hereby assign copyright ownership of this article, including rights to reproduce it in all forms and media, to the Association of Clinical Scientists, provided it is published in the Annals of Clinical & Laboratory Science,” or “Copyright ownership of this article cannot be assigned since one or more of the authors undersigned was employed by the US Federal Government when the study was performed or prepared for publication.”
Authors’ Responsibility Statement. “The authors undersigned certify that each author participated sufficiently in the study conception or design, data analysis or interpretation, and drafting or revision of the manuscript, so that each author takes responsibility for the validity and objectivity of the entire study. Each author has approved the final version of the manuscript. Neither this manuscript nor one with similar content has been published or is being considered for publication in any language, except as an abstract or academic thesis. If requested, the authors agree to provide the Editor copies of the original data.”
Human or Animal Experimentation. If the research involves humans or animals, the cover letter must certify that the study was approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board. The study protocol should be summarized in the methods and materials section, including how informed consent was obtained from human subjects.
Conflict of Interest. An author with financial interest in, or indebtedness to, any commercial organization (eg, employment, research grant, travel support, consultation fees, honoraria, equipment or reagent donation) is obliged to disclose the relationship in the cover letter and in the acknowledgments section if the manuscript concerns products or services of that organization or its competitors. Any financial or other factors that might be perceived as a potential source of bias should be declared. Sources of research funds should be stated.
Structure and Content. The first page begins with (a) the title of the article; (b) full names and institutional affiliations of all authors; and (c) a running title with no more than 60 characters. If an author’s affiliation has changed since the work was finished, the current affiliation is stated in a footnote. An abstract of about 200 words is given in a full-length manuscript, summarizing the goals, procedures, results, and conclusions. An abstract of about 125 words is provided in a “Communication,” “Commentary,” “Case Report,” or “Technical Note,” but not in an “Editorial.” Research reports are structured as follows: abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, references, tables, figure legends, and figures. Reviews are structured according to the author’s discretion.
Style. The text should follow the current edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press). Arabic numbers are used throughout. Italics are not used for emphasis. Footnotes to the text are included parenthetically within the text. Footnotes to tables are typed on the last page of the table to which they apply, and are designated in order of appearance by symbols or superscript lowercase letters. Figure legends and table captions are concise and descriptive. Legends for photomicrographs include the magnification and stain.
Abbreviations. Jargon and excessive abbreviations should be avoided. Some common abbreviations include m (meter), cm (centimeter), mm (millimeter), µm (micrometer), nm (nanometer), kg (kilogram), g (gram), mg (milligram), µg (microgram), ng (nanogram), L (liter), dl (deciliter), ml (milliliter), µl (microliter), nl (nanoliter), mol (mole), M (molar), mM (millimolar), µM (micromolar), °C (degees Celsius), sec (second), min (minute), hr (hour), wk (week), mo (month), yr (year), cpm (counts per min), dpm (disintegrations per min), Ci (Curie), kDa (kiloDalton), G (gravitational acceleration), sc (subcutaneous), im (intramuscular), ip (intraperitoneal), iv (intravenous), po (oral), LD50 (median lethal dose), SD (standard deviation), SE (standard error), CV (coefficient of variation), and ANOVA (analysis of variance). Periods are not used after abbreviations. When an uncommon abbreviation is used for the first time, the abbreviation is placed in parentheses after the word or phrase for which it stands.
Nomenclature and Data. Nomenclature should be consistent and comply with the Rules of Nomenclature of IUPAC, IUB, IFCC, and CAS. For biological names, the genus and species are both italicized and the genus is capitalized. Generic names of drugs are used unless trade names are relevant. Compositions of solutions and buffers should specify the concentrations of all ingredients. Data should not be duplicated in tables and figures. Quantitative data are presented so that readers can judge their significance. Statistical methods are cited by references or mention of computer programs.
References. In the text, references are identified numerically in brackets in order of citation. References are listed in numerical sequence and include all authors, as follows:
1. Abbi R, Daum F, Kahn E. Ontogeny of renal dysplasia in Ivemark syndrome. Ann Clin Lab Sci 1999;29:9-17.
2. Sunderman FW Jr. Teratogenicity and embryotoxicity of metals. In: General and Applied Toxicology, 2nd ed (Ballantyne B, Marrs T, Syversen T, Eds), Macmillan, London, 1999; vol 2, pp 1203-1213.
Checking bibliographic citations for accuracy is the authors’ responsibility. For journal abbreviations, authors should consult PubMed. Each reference must be complete; the use of ibid, et al, etc, is not permitted. Citing personal communications, unpublished data, or manuscripts “in preparation” or “submitted for publication” in the list of references is unacceptable. If needed, such material may be noted in parentheses in the text.
Proofs and Charges. The corresponding author will receive proofs by e-mail in pdf format, to be corrected and returned. New material may not be inserted at the time of proofreading. Corrections to proofs should generally be limited to printer’s errors. An invoice for publication cost is sent by e-mail to the corresponding author. Charges are $120.00 per printed page.
