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, 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. Whenever possible and relevant, articles and research papers should include BC and Canadian statistics. 

The BCMJ endorses the “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (updated October 2004), 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 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.

• Use 8 1/2" x 11" white paper, leaving wide margins.

Opinions

Personal View (letters). All letters must be signed, and may be edited for brevity. Letters commenting on an article or letter published in the BCMJ must reach us within 6 months of the article or letter’s appearance. Less than 300 words. 

Premise. Essays on any medicine-related topic; may or may not be referenced. Less than 2000 words.

Point-Counterpoint. Essays presenting two opposing viewpoints; at least one is usually solicited by the BCMJ. Less than 2000 words each.

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

Practice Pearls. Clinical pearls from practising physicians, followed by a commentary by a BC expert. Less than 1000 words.

Back Page. Stories, reminiscences, history, or any narrative that doesn’t fit elsewhere in the BCMJ. Less than 2000 words.

Departments

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) 638-2815 to discuss. Less than 300 words.

In Memoriam. Include birth and death dates, full name and name deceased was best known by, name of spouse and children (if any), key hospital and professional affiliations, and relevant biographical data. Photos cannot be published. Less than 300 words.

SCIENTIFIC/CLINICAL ARTICLES

Manuscripts of scientific articles should be 2000 to 4000 words in length, including tables and references. 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.

Competing interests and assignment of copyright forms

When submitting a clinical paper, authors must sign a statement of competing interests and provide it to the BCMJ. Papers will not be reviewed without this document (available from www.bcmj.org/competing_interests_form.htm or from the journal office). The competing interests form helps reviewers determine whether the paper will be accepted for publication, and may be used for a note to accompany the text.

An assignment of copyright form will be provided to authors and is available at www.bcma.org/copyright.pdf and must be signed and returned prior to publication. Published manuscripts become the property of the BC Medical Association and may not be published elsewhere without permission.

Authorship

To be considered an author, an individual must meet all three of the following conditions:

• Made substantial contributions to the conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.

• Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content.

• Given final approval of the version to be published. 

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group, by themselves, do not entitle an individual to be considered an author. Order of authorship is decided by the co-authors. 

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 2002;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; 1999:178-180.

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; 2001:1367-1372.

4. Health Canada. Canadian STD Guidelines, 1998. www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/lcdc/publicat/std98/index.html (accessed 15 July 2002).

(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 2001.

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 2002).

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:

• Have figures drawn and photographed professionally; freehand or typewritten lettering will not be accepted. Instead of original drawings, X-ray films, or other material, send good-quality black-and-white photographic prints, usually 5" x 7" but no larger than 8" x 10", glossy finish preferred or scans of these at 300 dpi or higher. 

• Mark author name, top, and figure number clearly on a label pasted on the back of the print. Do not write on the back of figures or scratch or mar them with paper clips.

• 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 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:

• Abstract provided.

• Three key words provided.

• Author information provided for all authors.

• References in text are in correct numerical order.

• Reference list is in correct numerical order and is complete.

• References list up to three authors only.

• All figures and tables are supplied.

• Competing Interests statement and Assignment of Copyright are competed and included.

• Permissions letters are included.