Aims and Scope

 OPHTHALMIC EPIDEMIOLOGY GUIDE FOR AUTHORS
   (for original articles, studies or research)

All submissions should be submitted at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/nope
All submissions should be typewritten, double spaced, with consecutively numbered pages.
All abbreviations/acronyms must be defined at first use in abstract, again at first use in the text and in each and every table or figure, regardless of redundancy  

The following are the files need to make your online submission complete:

I.  MANUSCRIPT FILE
1.  Cover page -
 a)  list the title of your submission - no abbreviations or acronyms
 b)  list all authors in publication order and related affiliations,
 c)  indicate who is the corresponding author and contact information (especially email),
 d)  financial support - list all financial support
 e) list any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest for any and all authors related to this submission.  If none, please state:  None of the authors have any proprietary interests or conflicts of interest related to this submission.
 f) statement that this submission has not been published anywhere previously and that it is not simultaneously being considered for any other publication.
 g)  supply a running head -  a shortened version of title, not to exceed 50 characters
  
2.  Abstract - start on new page - not to exceed 250 words, define all abbreviations or acronyms used at first use, formatted into the following four sections:  
 a) Purpose,
 b) Methods 
 c) Results
 d) Conclusion

3.  Text - start on new page, should not exceed 4,000 words  -  define all abbreviations and acronyms at first use (even if previously defined in abstract) and should be divided into the following 5 sections:
 a) Introduction,
 b) Materials and Methods - should include a statement regarding adherence to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki as well as advising the name of the institution that granted the Institutional Review Board approval
 c) Results,
 d) Discussion,
 e) References - cite in the text as superscript, consecutively as they appear in the text.  Abstracts should be cited parenthetically within the text as well as any personal communication or unpublished data.  Only published and accepted (in press) articles can be cited.   Submitted articles are not citable.

4. References  - Cite in the text by reference number. The references should be numbered consecutively as they occur in the text. Prepare a numbered reference list. Abstracts and articles submitted or in press are not proper references. These should be listed as personal communication. Examples:

Journal: Mohney BG, Robertson DM, Schomberg PJ. Second nonocular tumors in survivors of heritable retinoblastoma and prior radiation therapy. Am J Ophthalmol. 1998;126(2):269-277.

Book: Raven JC, Court JH, Raven J. Manual for Raven' Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales. London: H.K. Lewis & Co. Ltd., 1986.
             
II.   TABLES - can be submitted as Word, Excel, or Power Point files.  Be sure each table has a brief title, all units used are identified, captions/legend should define any and all abbreviations or acronyms used within each table, even if redundant to another table.  Several tables can be included in one file - a separate file for each table is NOT needed.

III.   FIGURES/ILLUSTRATIONS -.  EACH FIGURE SHOULD BE IN A SEPARATE FILE, IDENTIFIED and have a LEGEND.  Figures can be submitted as EPS, TIFF, PSD, Word, Excel or Power Point files. Illustrations should be submitted 300dpi or higher. Every and all abbreviations/acronyms used in each figure should be defined in the caption/legend, even if redundant to another figure.

Color illustrations will be considered for publication; however, the author will be required to bear the full cost involved in their printing and publication. The charge for the first page with color is $1000.00. The next three pages with color are $500.00 each. A custom quote will be provided for color art totaling more than 4 journal pages. Good-quality color prints should be provided in their final size. The publisher has the right to refuse publication of color prints deemed unacceptable.

IV.   COPYRIGHT  FORM(s) - available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/nope
 On the right side of the page under “Resources”.   All authors need to sign a copyright form.  The top of the form should show the title exactly as it is to be published and listing the authors in the order they should appear in publication.  If multiple copies of the copyright are needed, be sure the information on top is identical.  It does not matter in what order authors actually sign the form(s).

If for any reason you cannot upload the copyright form with your submission you should fax it to 717-384-8436 with the manuscript number written on all pages.

V.   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:  The journal will print acknowledgements if requested by authors, please do not confuse this with financial support.  It is requested that these are kept to a minimum.   If you wish to acknowledge those who reviewed, discussed, translated references, provided extensive statistical assistance, or provided essential tissue, equipment, or other materials without which the study could not have been completed, written permission from the person being acknowledged is required.

OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION:

Submission of a review article needs approval from the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission.

Proofs  - Page proofs are sent to the corresponding  author using Informa Healthcare' EProof system. They must be carefully checked and returned within 48 hours of receipt.

Offprints/Reprints - The corresponding author of each article will receive one complete copy of the issue in which the article appears. Reprints of individual articles are available for order at the time authors review page proofs. A discount on reprints is available to authors who order before print publication.

SUBMISSION PROCESS:

1.   LOG IN AT:   http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/nope
2.   REGISTER AS AUTHOR - be sure you are not already in the system
3.   SELECT TYPE OF MANUSCRIPT
4.   SUPPLY TITLE OF MANUSCRIPT
5.  ABSTRACT:  Copy and paste your abstract from your manuscript file
6.  KEYWORDS:  Supply minimum of 5 key words for your submission
7.  AUTHORS:  enter the names and information of all authors
8.  REVIEWERS:  You can indicate the names of persons you prefer to or not to review  
    your submission.  This is considered but not guaranteed.
9.  DETAILS AND COMMENTS:  You must answer certain mandatory questions
     Number of figures in your submission 
     Number of color figures
     Number of tables
     Number of words
    Consent to pay for color figures
    Confirm that the manuscript has been submitted solely to this journal and is not published, in press, or  submitted elsewhere
     Confirm that all the research meets the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements of the study country and that a statement is included the manuscript regarding IRB approval is required.
     Confirm any potential conflict of interests
     Confirm you are aware of copyright issues
10. UPLOAD FILES:  manuscript:  including cover page, abstract text and references, tables, each figure and copyright(s)
11    REVIEW that these are the correct files etc.
12.   SUBMIT

Offprints/Reprints

The corresponding author of each article will receive one complete copy of the issue in which the article appears. Reprints of individual articles are available for order at the time authors review page proofs. A discount on reprints is available to authors who order before print publication.