EDITORIAL PURPOSE
The Journal of Clinical Outcomes Management® (JCOM®) is an independent, peer-reviewed journal offering evidence-based, practical information for improving the quality and value of health care.


CONTENT
JCOM publishes several different article types:

Original Research
Reports of investigations that address questions about clinical care or the organization of health care and its impact on outcomes. Reports of randomized controlled trials should follow the recommendations contained in the revised CONSORT statement (www.consort-statement.org).

Brief Reports
Short descriptions of original research.

Clinical Reviews
Systematic or narrative reviews of clinical topics to help guide evidence-based practice.

Case-Based Reviews
Reviews addressing common clinical problems in which a clinical case is used to frame a discussion of evidence-based management. A question-and-answer format is used. Case-based reviews usually are solicited by the editors.


Reports From the Field
Descriptions and evaluations of quality improvement, disease management, or other programs or strategies intended to improve health care quality.

Clinical Communication
Articles on physician-patient communication, often featuring example dialogues to illustrate communication skills and missteps.

Perspectives
Essays expressing opinions or discussions of topical issues.

Editorials
Opinions on current topics related to outcomes management. Editorials usually are solicited by the editors.

Letters
Opinions on cases or articles published in JCOM, opinions on other current topics, or short reports of clinical interest. Text should not exceed 400 words. There should be no more than 5 references. Letters about articles published in JCOM should be received within 2 months of the article’s publication.

PUBLICATION POLICIES
JCOM has agreed to follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals (available at www.icmje.org). Authors should follow the recommendations in that document and should consult the Requirements regarding matters not specifically addressed below.

Ethical Considerations
Authorship
Authorship credit should be based on (1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet conditions 1, 2, and 3. Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an acknowledgments section.

Privacy and Confidentiality
Identifying details regarding patients should be omitted from the manuscript. Informed consent must be obtained in cases where reporting details are deemed essential, and authors must indicate in their manuscript that informed consent was obtained.

Disclosure of Competing Interests
Authors are asked to disclose any financial arrangements or affiliations with companies or organizations having a direct interest in the subject of the paper.

Clinical Trials

As set forth in the Uniform Requirements, as a condition of consideration for publication investigators are required to register their trial in a public trials registry. A clinical trial is defined as any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects of health outcomes.

For all human research, the authors must confirm review of the study by the appropriate institutional review board or affirm that the procedures were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000. For animal studies, research must conform to National Research Council guidelines.

Author Form
Authors of manuscripts that are accepted will be asked to complete an Author Form, which has several components:

Authorship and Contributions
The form asks authors to certify that they substantially contributed to the (a) conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data and the (b) drafting of the article and critical revision for important intellectual content and have reviewed the final version and approved it for publication. Authors are asked to provide a description of what each contributed and the editor will publish this information with the article.

Financial Disclosure

The form asks authors to certify that they have disclosed any financial arrangements or affiliations with companies or organizations having a direct interest in the subject of the paper.

Assignment of Copyright
Authors must transfer copyright to Frontline Medical Communications, publisher of JCOM. Transfer of copyright signifies transfer of rights for print publication, electronic publication, production of reprints, facsimiles, or publication in a language other than English. Permission is usually granted on request and without charge for authors to use portions of their works published in JCOM for limited educational purposes.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
Manuscript specifications as described below largely conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals (available at www.icmje.org). Authors should consult the Requirements regarding matters not specifically addressed below.

Text Format
Text should be double-spaced and in 10- to 12-point typeface, including references and legends. Do not use a running head. Pages should be numbered consecutively at the bottom of the page.

Title Page
The title page should contain the following elements: title, author names and institutional affiliations, sources of financial support, and name of corresponding author with his or her contact information.

Abstract and Key Words
Include a structured abstract and keywords. For original research, abstracts should be organized into the following categories: Objective, Design, Setting, Participants, Measurements, Results, Conclusion. For reviews or other reports, use the following categories: Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion. Abstracts should be limited to 250 words.

References
Number references in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Place the reference numbers as superscript in text. Supply complete bibliographic data for each reference in a numbered list at the end of the paper, including DOI numbers. List all authors when 4 or fewer; when 5 or more, list the first 3 and add et al. With the exception of number of authors listed, JCOM follows the reference style set forth in the Uniform Requirements.

Examples:
Vega KJ, Pina I, Krevsky B. Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. Ann Intern Med. 1996;124:980–3. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-124-11-199606010-00005
Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.

Images
Digital files should be in GIF, JPEG, TIFF, or EPS format or from Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator programs. Images such as radiographs and CT scans should be the original file, if possible. Tables or simple graphs made in PowerPoint are OK. For previously published tables or figures, provide a complete reference. JCOM will make the necessary permission requests.

Proprietary and Generic Names
Generic names must be used for all drugs. Identify instruments by proprietary name and give name and location of manufacturer.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
Submit the manuscript electronically as an e-mail attachment.
Send the email to rlitchkofski@mdedge.com

Electronic submissions should include as attachments (1) the manuscript, including references, tables, figures, etc. and (2) a cover letter. The cover letter should indicate the JCOM category for which the paper is being submitted. The cover letter should give details on any possible previous or duplicate publication of any of the content and should state that the paper is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. In the letter, authors should disclose any financial arrangements or affiliations with companies or organizations having a direct interest in the subject of the paper. This information may be made available to reviewers. For Letters to the Editor, please indicate whether the letter is intended for publication.

EDITORIAL PROCESS
Invited case-based reviews are reviewed by external reviewers who are asked to comment on the importance and relevance of the content and quality of the literature review. All other manuscripts received are read by an Editor, who decides whether to reject the paper or send the paper for peer review. About 70% of these are peer reviewed, of which roughly two thirds are accepted. The quality and promptness of reviews are graded to help maintain the quality of reviewing. Reviewers are asked to disclose any conflicts of interest. Acceptance decisions are based on the scientific strength of the paper, the importance of the topic, and relevance for JCOM readers. Decisions about manuscripts sent for peer review are usually made within 8 weeks of receipt. Papers are edited for clarity, consistency, and correct grammatical construction. Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author for corrections, and a 48-hour turnaround time is requested. All authors receive a complimentary copy of the issue in which their article appears.