• MANUCRIPT SUBMISSION
  • Manuscript Submission
  • Cover Letter
  • Author Signature Form
  • Assignment of Copyright
  • Criteria for Authorship
  • Acknowledgment
  • Other Considerations
• ARTICLE CATEGORIES
  • Article Categories
  • Research Reports
  • Review Articles
  • Case Reports
  • Special Contributions
  • International Reports
  • Editorials and Opinions
  • Letters and Comments
• STYLE GUIDELINES
  • Style Guidelines
  • Manuscript Preparations
  • Title Page
  • Structured Abstract
  • Text
  • References
  • Appendices
  • Tables
  • Figures

Manuscript SubmissionReturn to Top

Submission should be made at The Annals' manuscript submission page. Upload the manuscript and cover letter in a format compatible with Microsoft Word for Windows. Combine title page, abstract, text, references, and table(s) into a single document prior to online submission. Art (eg, figures, photographs) must be computer-generated or scanned in high resolution (see also "Figures"). Each figure should be submitted as a separate electronic file. The Author Signature Form and other applicable documents (see "Other Considerations for Manuscript Submission") must be mailed to the Editorial Office within 10 days of manuscript submission. If online submission is not possible, a diskette or CD containing the cover letter, manuscript, and any figures must be mailed to the Editorial Office. Other applicable documents, as described above, must also be included.

Cover letter. All cover letters must include the following:

1. Name of corresponding author with full mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address;
2. Article category preference (see "Article Categories");
3. Brief explanation of the topic's significance to patient care;
4. Explanation about any similar work by the author(s) or data from the same study that is under review or in press, or results previously presented or published (see "Duplicate Publication");
5. Request for anonymity during peer review, if desired (see also "Title Page");

Author Signature Form
The Author Signature form, containing Assignment of Copyright, Criteria for Authorship, and Acknowledgment, must be signed by each author and received by The Annals within 10 days of manuscript submission. Original signatures of all authors are required; faxed, photocopied, or scanned signatures are not acceptable.

Assignment of Copyright
Authors must transfer all rights, title, and interest to their manuscript to Harvey Whitney Books Company, publisher of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

Criteria for Authorship
All authors must provide original signatures indicating that they have fulfilled the criteria for authorship, reviewed and approved the paper, and that they attest to the integrity of the work submitted. Authorship is based on substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) project conception or design and collection, analysis, and/or interpretation of data; (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) approval of the version to be published. Assistance solely in nonsubstantive aspects of the submission, for example, the acquisition of funding, assembly of data, and referral of patients, does not justify authorship. At least one author must be responsible for each section of the manuscript.

Acknowledgment
Persons who have contributed significantly to the substance of the paper, but whose contributions do not justify authorship, should be acknowledged. Acknowledgment of technical writers must include their sources of funding. Authors must ensure that all persons named in the acknowledgment, excluding those providing financial or technical support, have agreed in writing to be named.

Permission to use copyrighted material: Written permission (original stamp/signature) from the publisher, organization, or person who holds copyright is necessary for use of previously published tables, figures, or other copyrighted material.

Informed consent: Identifying information should not be present in written descriptions or photographs of persons unless considered essential for scientific purposes. In such cases, written informed consent from the person must be obtained by the authors, with documentation included with manuscript submission.

Manuscript Checklist Form: This form must be completed and submitted within 10 days of manuscript submission.

Duplicate publication: Work that has been published or is described in an article submitted for publication elsewhere may not warrant further consideration. It is the corresponding author's responsibility to inform the editor about all submissions and previous reports describing the same work.

Rapid publication: If requested, justification of need should be provided.

Conflict of interest statement: Authors must report any conflicts of interest including, but not limited to, consulting fees, paid expert testimony, employment, grants, honoraria, patents, royalties, stocks, or other financial or material gain that may involve the subject matter of the manuscript. If there are no conflicts, authors should make a statement of this fact.

Article CategoriesReturn to Top

Expanded article category guidelines are also available from the Editorial Office.

Research Reports: Original research involving medication effectiveness, safety, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenomics, interactions, adherence and use, and pharmacy practice. Meta-analyses are also considered research. Well-designed prospective studies are given highest priority for acceptance. Limitations of studies must be stated in the text. All reports must include, when applicable, a statement in the Methods section that the work was conducted in compliance with Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects Research Committee requirements.

• Abstract: 300 words
• Text: 3000 words
• References: 30
• Tables/figures: 4

Review Articles: Comprehensive, significant, critical, and analytical reviews that include essential information on a well-delineated subject. Some articles are selected for The Annals' continuing education program (PharmaCE), for which the author provides a goal, objectives, and questions according to guidelines available from the Editorial Office. Reviews must synthesize and critically evaluate available data rather than simply describing the findings. Articles are classified using the subcategories below:

Case Reports: New or unusual events in one or more patients that expand the knowledge about common disease states or provide significant information about drug safety, adverse reactions, or interactions. Clinical and laboratory data and concurrent medications or diseases should be documented. Case reports describing adverse events should adhere to the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology and International Society of Pharmacovigilance's Guidelines for submitting adverse event reports for publication (Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2007;16:581-7. DOI 10.1002/pds.1399). Before submitting a report of an adverse drug reaction, the Naranjo ADR probability scale (Clin Pharmacol Ther 1981;30:239-45) or other validated and appropriate scale should be used to assess the likelihood that the events were drug-related. Likewise, for reports of drug interactions, the DIPS scale (Ann Pharmacother 2007;41:674-80. DOI 10.1345/aph.1H423) or another validated scale should be applied. Ranking from the scale must be included in both abstract and text. Priority is given to cases for which the scores indicate a probable or definite association.

Special Contributions: Articles on unusual, topical, or historical subjects that are of unique interest or importance. Contact the Editorial Office prior to submission.

International Reports: Research, reviews, or reports on pharmacy practice and health care that are specific to countries other than the US.

Editorials and Opinions: Viewpoints on diverse, controversial, or topical subjects. Contact the Editorial Office prior to submission.

Letters and Comments: Letters and comments should address areas related to clinical practice, research, or education, including recently published articles. Letters are limited to no more than five authors. In cases where adverse effects or drug interactions are described, the Naranjo ADR probability scale or DIPS scale, respectively, should be used to determine the likelihood that the adverse effect was drug-related (see "Case Reports"). Comments must be submitted within 6 months of an article's publication.

Style GuidelinesReturn to Top

Authors are required to follow The Annals' style, which is consistent with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Other useful style references are the American Medical Association Manual of Style; Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors and Publishers; and The Chicago Manual of Style.

Manuscript Preparation: Manuscripts should be prepared using a 12-point font (Times, not Times New Roman, is preferred) on 8.5 x 11.0 inch (216 x 279 mm) paper (ISO A4 also acceptable), with margins of at least 1 inch (25 mm). All copy should be double-spaced, including title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, and figure legends. Pages must be numbered.

Title Page: The title page should contain:

1. Article title (concise, but indicating main focus of paper);
2. Name of each author as it should appear in print;
3. Highest academic degree, position title, and/or academic appointment of each author;
4. Names of departments and institutions with which each author is affiliated;
5. Name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of corresponding author;
6. Name, address, fax number, and email address of author to whom reprint requests should be sent, if different from corresponding author;
7. Statement pertaining to funding and conflict of interest (see "Conflict of Interest Statement");
8. Information about presentation of the work as an abstract or poster, if applicable;
9. Separate word counts of abstract, main text, and references; and
10. Key words for purposes of indexing and searching.

Authors desiring anonymity during peer review must request this in the cover letter and provide a second copy of the manuscript with all identifying information removed and a title page with only items 1, 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Structured Abstract: Abstracts should be no more than 300 words. See structured abstract examples and guidelines online or abstracts in any recent issue of the journal for examples of proper abstract subheadings and content for each article category. Reference citations are not used in the abstract.

Text: Appropriate headings and subheadings should be used liberally throughout the text. Abbreviations must be defined upon first use in the text. Use of abbreviations should be limited to, for example, lengthy terms; the majority of drug names should not be abbreviated. USANs or, when appropriate, chemical names, must be used for all drugs. Manufacturers' code numbers should be used only when a generic name is not yet available. Trade names should be included only to distinguish between different trade preparations, for some combination drugs, or in reviews of drugs that have been recently approved by the FDA.

References: All references, including those related primarily to figures and tables, must appear in the text and be cited consecutively. References in text, tables, and figure legends should be denoted with superscript Arabic numerals. Personal communications (ie, unpublished data) may not be used as numbered references. Information obtained through personal communication must be inserted in parentheses within the text and include the contact person's name, academic degree, affiliation, and date of communication. Signed permission letters from quoted sources indicating the content of the personal communication must be provided to the Editorial Office. Abstracts and Letters to the Editor may be used as numbered references but must be identified as such in the citations. Inclusive pagination must be provided for all references. Journal names should be abbreviated as they appear in PubMed. Those not appearing in PubMed should be spelled out. Referenced articles that are cited as "In press" must include the title of the journal that has accepted the paper. List all authors when there are 6 or fewer; with 7 or more authors, list the first 3, followed by et al. To facilitate online retrieval of references, include a citation's digital object identifier (DOI) if available. More information about DOIs can be obtained at www.crossref.org or dx.doi.org. When citing articles that have been published online prior to print, authors are encouraged to include the date published online (Epub date) in addition to the full print information. When the article has appeared in print, the URL will not be used; however, a DOI should be included if available. Examples of correct referencing style are given below.

• ARTICLE
  Baldwin DS, Heldbo Reines E, Guiton C, Weiller E. Escitalopram therapy for major depression and anxiety disorders. Ann Pharmacother 2007;41:1583-92. Epub 11 Sept 2007. DOI 10.1345/aph.1K089
  
• ARTICLE WITH URL
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Strongyloidiasis. www.dpd.cdc.gov/dpdx/HTML/Strongyloidiasis.htm (accessed 2007 Aug 17).
  
• ABSTRACT
  Rao N, Knebel W, Bergsma T, et al. Population pharmacokinetics of istradefylline (abstract 13). J Clin Pharmacol 2007;47:1185.
  
• JOURNAL SUPPLEMENT
  Ries AL, Bauldoff GS, Carlin BW, et al. Pulmonary rehabilitation executive summary: Joint American College of Chest Physicians/American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines. Chest 2007;131(suppl):1S-3S. DOI 10.1378/chest.07-0892
  
• JOURNAL OR MAGAZINE PAGINATED BY ISSUE
  Vyzral K. Legislative update. Ohio Pharmacist 2007;56(9):17.
  
• BOOK CHAPTER
  Shah M, Cunningham MJ. Toxicogenomics. In: Gad SC, ed. Handbook of pharmaceutical biotechnology. 1st ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007:229-51.
  
• PACKAGE INSERT
  Product information. Zantac (ranitidine). Research Triangle Park, NC: GlaxoSmithKline, June 2007.
  
• SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATION
  Davis TM, Yeap B, Bruce DG, Davis WA. Lipid-lowering therapy protects against peripheral sensory neuropathy in type 2 diabetes. Presented at: 67th Scientific Sessions. American Diabetes Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, June 22, 2007.
  
• MONOGRAPH IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT
  Tamoxifen. DRUGDEX System. Greenwood Village, CO: Thomson Micromedex, expires 2007 Dec 31 (accessed 2007 Jan 11).
  

Appendices: When necessary, appendices should be used to present lengthy or detailed surveys, descriptions of extensive mathematical calculations, and/or itemized lists. They should be placed (with legends as needed) following the reference list in the manuscript. Lengthy appendices, such as algorithms, surveys, and protocols, will be published only online; the URL will be provided in the printed article where the appendix is cited.

Tables: Each table must be double-spaced on a separate page. A brief title must be provided for each table. Each column requires a brief descriptive heading. Explanations and full terms for abbreviations used should appear alphabetically below the body of table. Statistical measures of variation (ie, standard deviation) should be identified in footnotes (designated as a, b, c, etc.). The units of measure used for all data in a column should be indicated. Internal horizontal or vertical rules should not be used. Duplication of table content within text should be minimized.

Figures: Figures should be computer generated, photographed, or professionally drawn and submitted in TIFF format (photographs 300 dpi; line art 1200 dpi). Original hard copies or electronic files are required; photocopies are not acceptable. Each figure should be provided as a separate page or electronic file. Figures generated in PowerPoint, as well as freehand or with typewritten lettering, are unacceptable. Send an electronic version of each figure or 2 sharp, glossy originals of photographs; sharp laser copies of line art are acceptable. Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear, uniform in size, and large and dark enough to be legible when the size of the figure is reduced to fit column width in the journal. Titles and detailed explanations should appear in the legends rather than in the figures. Bar graphs or pie charts should be in black and white only and not contain gray shading as filler or background; distinctive fillings should be used instead (eg, white or solid black; horizontal, vertical, or slanted stripes; cross-hatching; dots). Dotted lines and decimal points should be dark enough to reproduce well. Background horizontal or vertical lines should not be used. Figures should have labels on their margins or backs indicating file number, figure number, and corresponding author’s name at top of figure. The top of a figure should also be designated on the back if the figure lacks distinguishing features. Legends should be double-spaced, and each abbreviation and symbol used must be defined. Duplication of figure content within text should be minimized.