Chapter 20, Additional Exercise 13: Evaluating a Set of Instructions

In groups of three or four, use the Writer's Checklist at the end of Chapter 20 to evaluate the effectiveness of the following excerpt, taken from the "Instructions to Authors" section of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. Be prepared to summarize your evaluation for the class. (Source: Environmental Health Information Service. Manuscript preparation. Retrieved March 16, 2000, from http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/admin/instruct.html.)

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be typed double-spaced in English on only one side of the paper. Type the article on white paper, 216 x 279 mm (8.5 x 11 in) or ISO A4 (212 x 297 mm), with margins of at least 25 mm (1 in). Number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. The references and notes lists, tables, and figure legends should be on separate pages and should also be double-spaced. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, a computer disk copy must be submitted along with two printed copies of the revised manuscript.

Titles should not exceed 20 words and should generally not contain abbreviations or numerical values. The title page should list title, authors (first or second names spelled out in full), full address of the institution where the work was done, and affiliation of each author. Indicate author to whom page proofs should be sent (include complete address for express mail service, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address).

Place a running title, not to exceed 50 characters and spaces, on the second page of the manuscript. Also list on this page 5-10 key words for indexing purposes and include acknowledgments and grant information, not to exceed 50 words. Nomenclature and symbols should conform to the recommendations of the American Chemical Society or the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).

All articles except Meeting Reports must include an abstract not to exceed 250 words, which should be placed on the third page of the manuscript. Do not include references or details of the materials and methods in the abstract.

Text should begin on the fourth page. For research involving human subjects, include a statement that informed consent was obtained. For animal subjects, include a statement that care and treatment was conducted in accordance with established guidelines and identify the source of those guidelines. Concise headings (not to exceed eight words) may be used to designate major sections. Recommended headings, where appropriate, are "Materials and Methods," "Results," and "Discussion" or "Conclusion."

Articles intended for publication under Grand Rounds should include an abstract and the following three sections: "Case Presentation," "Discussion," and "Conclusion." "Case Presentation" should be less than 500 words, and the rest of the paper should not exceed 2,500 words (not including tables, figures, legends, or references). Visual images (e.g., X rays, microscopic pathology) or other graphics are encouraged.

Tables. Each table must be on a separate page. Tables should be numbered with Arabic numerals, followed by a brief title (not to exceed 25 words). List abbreviations and definitions under each table. General footnotes to tables should be indicated by lowercase superscript letters beginning with "a" for each table. Footnotes indicating statistical significance should be identified by asterisks (*, **) and number signs (#, ##). Type footnotes directly after the abbreviations. Tables should contain no more than three layers of column headings, and the entire table should fit on one journal page. When setting up tables, do not use table layouts; type tables as text and use tabs to align the columns.

Figures. Figure legends should be typed together on a separate page. Legends should be as brief as possible without compromising explanation of the figure. Use Arabic numerals to number figure legends. Define any abbreviations in the legend.

Four sets of publication-quality figures must be submitted. Electronic versions of figures are encouraged, but should be submitted in addition to, not in lieu of, hard copies of the figures. Dot-matrix computer drawings are not acceptable as original art. The style of figures should be uniform throughout the paper. Letters, numbers, and symbols must be drawn to be at least 1.5 mm (6 points) high after reduction. Choose a scale so that each figure may be reduced to one-, two-, or three-column width in the journal. Identify all figures on the back with the authors' names and figure number and indicate orientation. Label axes of graphs clearly and define all symbols used. Provide an internal marker (measured in micrometers) for all photomicrographs; for example, "Bar = 10 µm. Color: blue."

Material suitable for inclusion as online documentation, such as kinetic studies, is welcome. Contact the EHP editors for instructions regarding submission.

Formats and Files. Electronic copies of manuscripts are required. We prefer 3.5-inch diskettes or ZIP disks in the Macintosh platform, Microsoft Word, but IBM PC-compatible files are acceptable. Text, references, tables, and figure legends should be contained in one file. Send figure illustrations separately from the text, i.e., not integrated into it. Label the diskette with title, author, manuscript number, and type of software used. Diskettes are not returned to authors. Electronic files created by word processors or similar equipment are not acceptable.

Send color images as RGB (8 bits per channel) in TIFF or JPEG format, at a final resolution of 300 dpi. Line art images should be at a resolution of 600–1200 dpi. When using JPEG, use the highest quality setting to ensure lossless compression. Save black and white images with gray tones in either TIFF or JPEG. Vector graphics exported from a drawing program should be stored in an editable EPS format with the fonts converted to path outlines. All file formats should be converted to Macintosh format whenever possible. Always send printed copies with electronic figures, as the printouts will be regarded as definitive.