Frédéric Crampon1, Grégoire Prum1, Olivier Trost1, Bruno Grignon2, Fabrice Duparc3. 1. Laboratory of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine-Pharmacy, Rouen-Normandie University, 22 Boulevard Gambetta, 76183, Rouen, France. 2. Department of Anatomy, University of Lorraine, Avenue de la Forêt de Haye, 54505, Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy, France. 3. Laboratory of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine-Pharmacy, Rouen-Normandie University, 22 Boulevard Gambetta, 76183, Rouen, France. fabrice.duparc@univ-rouen.fr.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Our goal was to study the influence of the author's compliance with the Instructions for Authors for a submitted manuscript to a journal, on the final outcome of the submission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1200 consecutive submissions to the journal Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy have been evaluated and divided into four groups: A: Accepted, R: Rejected, I + : Instructions for Authors followed, I - : Instructions for Authors not followed. The quantity of manuscripts in the groups was measured and compared through statistical tests. We tried to determine if a specific category of authors was more likely to incorrectly follow the Instructions for Authors by verifying the lists of authors and the tables of contributions of co-authors. 322 (26.83%) manuscripts were accepted, 248 were I + , 74 were I - ; 878 (73.16%) were rejected, 526 were I + ; 352 were I - . RESULTS: The comparisons of the observed values and percentages showed significant differences between the groups. We could not identify a specific type of author associated with non-compliance with the Instructions for Authors. CONCLUSION: Most of the guidelines that have been published concern the preparation of the scientific contents of the manuscript (How to write), but the submission process (How to submit) has rarely been explained. We suggest including the rules of submitting a manuscript in graduate and post-graduate medical education.
INTRODUCTION: Our goal was to study the influence of the author's compliance with the Instructions for Authors for a submitted manuscript to a journal, on the final outcome of the submission. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 1200 consecutive submissions to the journal Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy have been evaluated and divided into four groups: A: Accepted, R: Rejected, I + : Instructions for Authors followed, I - : Instructions for Authors not followed. The quantity of manuscripts in the groups was measured and compared through statistical tests. We tried to determine if a specific category of authors was more likely to incorrectly follow the Instructions for Authors by verifying the lists of authors and the tables of contributions of co-authors. 322 (26.83%) manuscripts were accepted, 248 were I + , 74 were I - ; 878 (73.16%) were rejected, 526 were I + ; 352 were I - . RESULTS: The comparisons of the observed values and percentages showed significant differences between the groups. We could not identify a specific type of author associated with non-compliance with the Instructions for Authors. CONCLUSION: Most of the guidelines that have been published concern the preparation of the scientific contents of the manuscript (How to write), but the submission process (How to submit) has rarely been explained. We suggest including the rules of submitting a manuscript in graduate and post-graduate medical education.
Keywords:
Guidelines for submitting; Instructions for authors; Medical education; Scientific publication
Authors: Leighton Chipperfield; Leslie Citrome; Juli Clark; Frank S David; Robert Enck; Michelle Evangelista; John Gonzalez; Trish Groves; Jay Magrann; Bernadette Mansi; Charles Miller; LaVerne A Mooney; Ann Murphy; John Shelton; Philip D Walson; Al Weigel Journal: Curr Med Res Opin Date: 2010-08 Impact factor: 2.580