Nutrition in Clinical Care (NCC) is a peer-reviewed journal intended for clinicians and researchers who are interested in the role of nutrition in clinical medicine and its application to optimal patient care. NCC’s primary audience includes general internists, family practitioners, pediatricians, nurse practitioners, medical specialists, and nutrition specialists including physician nutrition specialists, nutritionists, and dietitians.
Manuscripts will be critically reviewed by the editors and appropriate independent experts. Acceptance of papers for publication is based on the originality and quality of the work, the clarity of presentation, and the clinical usefulness of the information. Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they are submitted solely to NCC and that no part of the submission has previously appeared elsewhere. This restriction does not apply to previous publication in the form of abstract, government or industrial reports, or press reports from scientific meetings. Where questions exist authors should submit copies of material that has appeared or has been submitted elsewhere.
Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
Please include the enclosed manuscript checklist with your submission.
General Appearance: All manuscript material—text, references, tables, and figures—should be in Times New Roman 12 point, and on double-spaced, left-justified, numbered pages with 1” margins. Include line numbers on all pages of text.
Manuscript Submission: Submit three copies of your manuscript and all figures and tables. Also include one set of camera-ready prints of tables and figures. An electronic copy of the manuscript, including tables (and figures, if possible) is also required. You may e-mail the manuscript to the address noted below or submit a computer disk labeled with your name, the file name, and the word processing program used. Submit materials to:
Nutrition in Clinical Care
International Life Sciences Institute
One Thomas Circle, NW, 9th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Telephone: 202-659-0074
Fax: 202-659-3617
Email: ncc@ilsi.org
Order of Pages: Arrange and number the manuscript pages in the following order, with each section beginning on a separate page: 1) author page, 2) abstract with key words, 3) text, 4) acknowledgments, 5) references, 6) glossary (if needed), 7) tables (each on a separate page), and 8) legends.
Author page: Please include the following: 1) full title of the paper, 2) authors’ full names, 3) degrees and institutional affiliations of all authors, 4) name, full address, phone, fax, and e-mail of the corresponding author, and 5) a running title of three or four words.
Abstract: Summarize the article in 250 words or less, and include two to five key words.
Text: The sections of the text and their arrangements should be suitable for the needs of the subject.
Style: All manuscripts should conform to the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 9th edition (Williams & Wilkins; 1997). A few key guidelines are listed here:
- Numbers: Numerals should be used to express numbers except when a number begins a sentence, title, subtitle, or heading; or in the case of the ordinals first through ninth. For example: “In the second phase of the study, 3 of the investigators administered the 5 tests to the 17 subjects.” Do not use a comma with four-digit numbers, eg, 1000 and 9738, but do use a comma with numbers containing five or more digits, eg, 45,000.
- Units of Measure: Use conventional metric, or SI (Systeme International d’unites), abbreviations with units of measure, eg, g, mg, M, mM, etc; however, use capital L, not l, for liter.
- Units of Time: Use numerals, but do not use abbreviations for units of time. For example, “The ages of the 9 subjects ranged from 7 to 15 years. They participated in intermittent trials that lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes over a period of 3 months.”
- Percentages: Use numerals and the % symbol, eg, 9%, 47.6%.
- Statistics: Use conventional statistical abbreviations: P for probability, n for number in sample, r for correlation coefficient, f for frequency, SD for standard deviation, etc.
- Abbreviations: Terms such as central nervous system (CNS) or body mass index (BMI), when they appear many times in an article, may be abbreviated. The abbreviation should be defined the first time the term appears (excluding the abstract) and used thereafter, but do not begin sentences with abbreviations.
- Serial Comma: Use a comma before the last item in a series of three or more. For example, “Important risk factors for heart disease include age, sex, and serum cholesterol.”
Acknowledgment: Acknowledgment information should follow the end of the text. Begin this page with the word “Acknowledgment.” Disclaimer information should also be included in this paragraph. Also, mention any grant support here.
References: Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation. Number references in the order they appear in the text. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript Arabic numerals.1 When listing references, follow AMA style and abbreviate names of journals according to Index Medicus (http://www.medscape.com/Home/Search/IndexMedicus/IndexMedicus-A.html). List all authors and/or editors up to six; if more than six, list the first three followed by “et al.” See examples below. References to unpublished work or personal communications generally should be avoided but, when essential, should be identified in the text, not in the reference list. This is done by noting the author, the date, and the nature of the information within brackets before the end punctuation. For example: “…found similar results [Bradley 1998, unpublished data].”
- Journal Article: Lyketsos CG, Hoover DR, Guccione M, et al, for the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study. Depressive symptoms as predictors of medical outcomes in HIV infection. JAMA. 1993;270:2563-2567.
- Book Chapter: Marcus R, Couston AM. Water-soluble vitamins: the vitamin B complex and ascorbic acid. In: Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Molinoff PB, Ruddon RW, Gilman AG, eds. Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. 9th ed. New York, NY:McGraw-Hill; 1996:1555-1572.
Tables and Figures: Title all tables and figures and number them in order of their citation in the text. Information presented in tables and figures should not be duplicated elsewhere in the manuscript. Abbreviations should be explained in footnotes to the table. Acknowledge all tables and figures adapted or reprinted from other publications and provide, with your manuscript, a letter showing permission to reprint from the original publishers.
Illustrations: Title all illustrations and number them in order of their citation in the text. Provide two sets of unmounted, glossy, black and white photographic prints for each illustration, with a label on the back of each, giving the first author’s name, figure number, and an arrow indicating the top. Photocopies of the illustration(s) should be attached to each copy of the manuscript. If possible, illustrations should be one column width (7.62 cm or 3 inches) or full-page width (15.88 cm, or 6 ¼ in). If illustrations have been published elsewhere, submit copies of letters from the publisher and author granting permission for their use with your manuscript.
Legends: For each illustration, provide a typed, double-spaced legend on a separate sheet of paper. These legends should be placed at the end of the manuscript and numbered consecutively within the text. Credit for any previously published illustration must be given in the corresponding legend as follows: (From Warren et al.2).
Color Figures: Color figures that will enhance the article may be accepted for publication. Part of the reproduction and printing costs will be paid by NCC, however the author must be prepared to pay a per page charge of $700 for the first illustration and $150 each for additional pieces on the same page, as well as for any special effects. Submit color prints and positive color transparencies, 35 mm, carefully packed and sent with the manuscript in a separate container or between two sheets of cardboard.
Conflict of Interest: Authors should disclose, at the time of submission, any financial arrangements they may have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review and will not affect the editorial decision, but if the article is accepted for publication, the editors will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be communicated to the reader.
Other Information
Proofs: Authors will receive page proofs and are responsible for the final content of articles.
Reprints: Reprints are available in multiples of 100 and should be ordered prior to publication on the form sent to the author with page proofs. Reprints ordered after the issue has gone to press can be provided only at increased cost.