Responses to reprint requests: form letters versus preprinted cards.

Nine hundred ninety-four reprint requests were made for almost all the original articles that appeared in five pediatric journals between August and October in 1985, 1986, and 1987. Half of the reprint requests were made with form letters and the other half with preprinted cards. A total of 636 (64%) reprints were received within 6 months of mailing the request. The return rates for reprints solicited by form letters and preprinted cards were 68% and 60%, respectively. The response to reprint requests was greater for more recent articles. The number of articles that came in the form of photocopies was directly proportional to the time interval between the publication and the reprint request. Forty-one requests (4.1%) were returned by the authors because their reprint supply was exhausted. Thirty-eight requests (3.8%) were returned undelivered. We conclude that letter requests solicit a slightly better response than card requests and that the response is greater for more recent articles.