Guidelines for Other Authors

Manuscript Format

We prefer to receive submissions electronically. Please e-mail articles as Microsoft Word attachments and include references, legends, etc. We prefer tables created in Word, figures made in Microsoft Excel, and photographs that are JPEG files.

A cover letter should identify the author with whom we should correspond (include e-mail address, mailing address, and phone number).

Submissions should include:

A Title and the Authors' Names
Please strive for titles that are short, specific, and direct. Include the full names of all authors, with their academic degrees and their academic appointments and positions in hospitals or other institutions.

Abstract
Articles about clinical and health affairs, including research studies, should include an abstract that highlights the essence of the work. It should focus on facts rather than descriptions, emphasize the importance and uniqueness of the findings, and briefly list the approach used for gathering data and the conclusions drawn.

Author Responsibility

All authors should be involved in the drafting, revision, and intellectual content of the manuscript and be sufficiently familiar with the paper to defend its findings. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by copy editors. Manuscripts are edited for clarity and grammar and to conform to Minnesota Medicine style, which is based on JAMA style. Authors will receive an edited copy of their paper for review before it is sent to the printer.

All authors sign a copyright form that conveys all copyright ownership to the Minnesota Medical Association. This form is mailed to the authors after a manuscript is accepted for publication in Minnesota Medicine, and must be completed and returned.

Style

Please use JAMA style or consult the AMA Manual of Style. Use generic drug names, unless citing a brand name relevant to your findings; brand names in parentheses may follow generic names if desired. Do not use abbreviations in the title, and limit their use in the text. Avoid medical and health care jargon.

Tables

Tables must have a title and be numbered. If the data in the tables have been previously published, appropriate reference should be given in the text, and permission should be obtained from the original publisher before submission to Minnesota Medicine. We prefer tables that are created in Microsoft Word.

Illustrations

Figures should be professionally drawn, computer-generated, or photographed, if possible. We prefer high-resolution photographs (300 DPI or better) in JPEG or TIF format. Each figure should have a legend and be numbered. Legends should be included in the text of the manuscript with numbers corresponding to the figures. If a patient in a photo is identifiable, a written release form from the subject must accompany the photo.

References

All references must be cited in the text and should be arranged in the order in which they are cited . Journals should be abbreviated as in Index Medicus. Please do not hyperlink references.

Examples:
1. Benson RC Jr. Laser photodynamic therapy for bladder cancer. Mayo Clinic Proc. 1986;61:859-64.
2. Guttormson NL, Bubrick MP. Mortality from ischemic colitis. Dis Colon & Rectum. To be published.
3. Chaterjee SN. Use of GOR-TEX grafts as vascular access procedure for chronic hemodialysis. Abstract of a paper submitted to the European Society for Artificial Organs Eighth Annual Meeting, Copenhagen. August, 1981.
4. Thompson NW. Thyroid and parathyroid. In: Welch KJ, Randolph JG, Ravitch MM, et al., eds. Pediatric Surgery, 4th ed. Chicago: Year Book Medical, 1986:522-33.

Financial Interest

List all affiliations with or financial interest in organizations that may have a direct interest in the subject matter of your manuscript. This information will be held in strict confidence until publication, and then will be printed with the article as is deemed appropriate.