AnaesthesiaJournal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland
2001; Wiley; Volume: 56; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1046/j.0003-2409.2001.anae.doc.x
ISSN1365-2044
Tópico(s)Medical History and Innovations
ResumoAnaesthesiaVolume 56, Issue 1 p. i-vi Free Access AnaesthesiaJournal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland First published: 28 June 2008 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0003-2409.2001.anae.doc.xAboutSections ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Notice to contributors Anaesthesia is the official journal of the Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland and is published monthly. It is international in scope and comprehensive in coverage. It publishes original, peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of general and regional anaesthesia, intensive care and pain therapy, including research on equipment. The editors regret that failure to comply with the following requirements may result in a delay in publication of accepted papers. Submission of manuscripts and covering letter Manuscripts should be double-spaced with adequate margins (at least 2 cm) and page numbers at the bottom of each page. Use Times New Roman in 11 or 12 point. Please send ONE printed copy plus a disk (Word for Windows or rich text format), which should EXACTLY match the printed version, to: Professor M. Harmer, Editor, Anaesthesia, Department of Anaesthetics, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK. E-mail: anaesthesia@cf.ac.uk Covering letter The covering letter must be signed by all the authors and should include the following points: Confirmation that the paper itself or the data upon which it is based have not been published or accepted for publication elsewhere other than as an abstract or as part of a thesis for a higher degree. Confirmation that the paper is not currently under consideration for publication by any other journal. Confirmation that all authors have made a substantial contribution to the conduct of the study and/or preparation of the manuscript in keeping with the guidelines published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (Annals of Internal Medicine 1988; 108: 258–65). Correspondence may be asked to provide details of individual contributions during the editorial process. Mention of any prior or forthcoming presentation of the data in the form of an abstract/free paper/poster at a scientific meeting. Details of any competing interests amongst the authors relating to publication of the data. If there are no such competing interests, this should be stated. For guidance, see the BMJ web-site: http://www.bmj.com/ content/vol317/issue7154/fulltext/supplemental/291/index.shtml#aut Types of manuscript Anaesthesia has the following regular sections: Editorials, Main Articles, Case Reports, Apparatus, Forum, Correspondence and Book Reviews. Reviews, Historical Articles or Special Articles may also be included. Although Editorials and Reviews are usually commissioned, authors may contact the Editor if they wish to discuss potential topics. Case Reports Please note that the overall acceptance rate for Case Reports is about 30%. Case Reports can be divided into four broad categories: 1 Case reports of complications. Publication is more likely if the complication arises from a new procedure, if it is a new or unusual complication, if it is serious or fatal or it involved a novel method of diagnosis. The case report is likely to be rejected if the complication is well-known, the technique used was inappropriate or it is primarily a surgical complication. 2 Single case reports of rare syndromes will not be published because of rarity alone, unless there is a new or unusual aspect. 3 A series of reports of a disease, technique or operation is more useful for the readers than a report of a single occurrence. 4 A report of how a clinical problem was solved is often of interest. Critical care case reports are difficult to write because of their complexity. If they are well written, they have a greater chance of being accepted. When writing the report, the Summary should be clear and concise. It describes the clinical scenario and sequence of events rather than what might have been done. As with main articles, meaningless statements such as ‘and the literature is discussed’ should be avoided and the Summary should contain no abbreviations. The Introduction should also be brief and should set the scene in relation to the existing literature. The case history should include important positive and negative signs, while the Discussion should be confined to aspects relevant to the case rather than a complete review of the literature, unless, of course, the literature is sparse. Only acknowledge individuals who have made a significant contribution to the paper. Content of manuscripts A typical manuscript will have the following sections in the following order, each section starting on a new page: Title page The name and address (including E-mail: address) of the Correspondence should appear in the top left-hand corner. The rest of the page should be as follows: Title of paper: as short as possible but capturing the essence of the paper without stating the conclusion or posing a question* A. B. Author1 and C. D. Author2 1 Position/designation of 1st author, with full postal address. 2 Position/designation of 2nd author with full postal address. Correspondence to: Dr Corresponding Author (incl. e-mail address) *footnote if presented in part at any national or␣international meetings, with details including location and date Summary & keywords A Summary of fewer than 150 words should state the purpose of the study or investigation, basic procedures, main findings and their statistical significance, and principal conclusions. The summary should not be structured nor in note or abbreviated form. It should not state that ‘the results are discussed’ or that ‘work is presented’. Abbreviations should not be used except for units of measurement. Up to 10 keywords may be provided below the Summary. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings list from Medline. The keywords may be modified at proof stage by the Editor. Introduction No heading is required for this section. The Introduction should give a concise account of the subject's background. Previously published work should only be␣quoted if it has a direct bearing on the present study. The Introduction should clearly and explicitly state the aims of the project. Methods A statement confirming Local Research Ethics Committee approval and written informed consent should be at the beginning of this section (see Ethical considerations, below). The Methods section must describe in sufficient detail the techniques and processes used so that the investigation can be interpreted and repeated by the reader. Any modification of previously published methods should be described and the appropriate reference given. If the methods are commonly used, only a reference to the original source is required. If special equipment is used, then the manufacturer's details should be given in␣parentheses. Drugs should be given by their international non-proprietary name. Label groups in a way that is easy to follow; thus ‘propofol group’ and ‘thiopental group’ instead of ‘Group 1’ and ‘Group 2’. In some circumstances, abbreviated group titles may be better, e.g. ‘Group BLEB’ instead of ‘bupivacaine–lidocaine–epinephrine–bicarbonate group’. Remember to include inclusion/exclusion criteria, a justification of sample size (see Statistics, below) and the method of randomisation and blinding. The statistical methods used to investigate data should be given at the end of the Methods section (see below). Results Express results as mean (SD), median (interquartile range [range]) –, i.e. use parentheses then square brackets – or number (proportion) as appropriate. Results must be presented for all measurements detailed in the Methods section, and in the same order. Sufficient raw data should be supplied to allow the reader to repeat the statistical analysis. However, data should not be repeated unnecessarily in the text, Tables and Figures. Results should not be given to an unwarranted number of decimal places and 95% confidence intervals should be used where possible (see Statistics, below). Discussion The Discussion should not merely recapitulate the results but should present their interpretation against a background of existing knowledge. Any conclusions must be warranted by the results. In general, avoid a paragraph headed ‘Conclusions’ which merely repeats a summary of the results. Also avoid ending with ‘further work is needed’ (it almost always is) unless you have specific areas of research to suggest. Acknowledgements The authors should acknowledge those who have made substantial contributions to the study or preparation of the manuscript but whose contributions do not fulfil the requirements for authorship. Sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest should be given here. Appendices Information or data not directly a result of the study but necessary for the reader to understand the manuscript should be included as an Appendix. Examples might include copies of questionnaires used, recognised mathematical processes used to generate results or previously published and validated classification systems. All should be appropriately referenced and the authors must obtain permission from the copyright holders if the contents have been previously published. References Number references consecutively in the order they appear in the text, using Arabic numerals enclosed in square brackets on the line (not superscript). Use [1-4] instead of [1-4]. References cited only in Tables or Figures should be numbered in the sequence established by the particular Table's/Figure's position in the text. All references (including those in press) should be listed at the end of the text in the order they are quoted; when submitting your manuscript please submit copies of any articles accepted for publication but not yet published. Abstracts may be quoted as references so long as they have been published in peer-reviewed journals. Unpublished observations, personal communications and abstracts published only in proceedings of meetings should be quoted within the text of the manuscript, in parentheses. Information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted should be cited in the text as unpublished observations. List all authors unless there are more than six, in which case give the first three followed by ‘et al.’. Spell out the names of all journals in full, and give the first and last page number, not just the first. Examples: Author AB, Author CD. Title of paper. Journal Title Written out in Full in Italics 1999; 12: 123–4. Author AB, Author CD, Author EF et al. Six or more authors – what's the point? (chapter title). In: Editor GH, Editor IJ, eds. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, 1998: 345–67. Author AB. Book Title, 5th edn. Place: Publisher, 2000. Tables Do not include Tables in the text. Each Table should be on a separate page and double-spaced. Number the Tables consecutively with Arabic numerals and mark the approximate position of each Table with a highlighted instruction within the text. Each Table should have a brief legend immediately above it; the legend should provide enough information for readers to follow it without having to look through the text. The legend should explain whether the values refer to mean (SD), number (proportion), etc. Abbreviations should not be mentioned in the legend without explanation. Abbreviations used in the body of the Table should be explained as footnotes in the order in which they are first mentioned, using the following symbols (nb not superscript) in the following order: *, †, ‡, §, ¶, **, ††, etc. The study groups should form the columns rather than the rows. If statistical comparisons are being made, a separate column with exact p-values should appear. Example: Legends for figures Each Legend should provide enough information for readers to follow it without having to look through the text. Thus ‘Changes in arterial blood pressure and heart rate in patients given propofol (●) or thiopental (○)’ instead of ‘Cardiovascular changes’. Figures Each Figure should be on a separate page. Number the Figures consecutively with Arabic numerals and mark the approximate position of each Figure with a highlighted instruction within the text. Figures may be included in the disk in separate files and should be placed at the end␣of the text or collected together in an envelope or folder. Please ensure related graphs have the same format (fonts, use of symbols, etc.). The same requirements for abbreviations and units apply as for those in the text. Plot frames and legends within the graph itself should be removed. Avoid colour and the use of 3-D unless absolutely necessary. Hard copy Figures should be clearly drawn or printed and should be twice the size of that desired in the published version. Photographs should be glossy black-and-white prints with good contrast. Each hard copy Figure should be identified by its sequential number in pencil on the reverse with the paper's title and authors' names included. Illustrations may also be submitted in electronic form. Ideally, save vector graphics (e.g. line artwork) in Encapsulated Postscript Format (EPS), and bitmap files (e.g. half tones) in Tagged Image File Format (TIFF), at a resolution of 250–300 dpi final size. Excel and Powerpoint files may also be used. Figures may be embedded within the body of the Word document or supplied as separate files. Detailed information on our publisher's digital illustration standards is available on their website (http://www.blackwell-science.com/elecmed/digill.htm). See notes below for ethical considerations relating to photographs. Style In general, we prefer a clear, precise style to jargon. Please avoid long, complicated sentences and the passive voice when the active is more appropriate (e.g. ‘We chose epidural anaesthesia because…’ instead of ‘Epidural anaesthesia was chosen by the authors because…’). Remove unnecessary clutter and focus on the actual message of each sentence; thus ‘Hypotension is important because…’ instead of ‘It would be remiss of us not to mention hypotension because…’). Remember that lungs are ventilated, not patients (nor are they intubated – their tracheas are). Similarly, patients are not induced – anaesthesia is – or put on ventilators. Correct terms are tracheal (not endotracheal) tube and neuromuscular blocking drugs (not muscle relaxants). For more comprehensive information about use of English and the preferred house style, see the Blackwell Science House Style Guide (http://www.blackwell-science.com/elecmed/house.htm). Abbreviations In general, the Journal does not encourage the use of abbreviations, since their frequent use makes papers difficult to read. However, it will accept abbreviations in the following circumstances: Universal abbreviations that do not need to be written out in full when first mentioned in the text. These include abbreviations that appear in a large proportion of the articles published in the Journal, e.g. ECGSDSpO2 BPSEMFIO2 ASAIQRFÉCO2 pHanova Acceptable common abbreviations that can be used but should be written out in full at their first mention, e.g. EEGCNSICUPCA PAPCSFHDUCTG PCWPHMESCBUECT CVPPEEP Acceptable abbreviations that do not need to be written out in full when first mentioned in the text but whose use should be restricted to situations where space is limited, e.g. in formulae or in Tables and Figures, e.g. O2CO2Na+Ca2+ N2OHCO3–K+Mg2+ Numbers & units Numbers should be spelled out in full when they start a␣sentence, and when they are less than 10 (unless they are␣followed by units of measurement). Thus ‘Thirteen days later, five patients each received 7 ml solution …’ Commas are not used to indicate thousands; thus 2000 and 20 000 instead of 2000 and 20 000. Use the format mg.kg−1 not mg/kg. Use SI units thoughout the text except for vascular pressure measurements (mmHg or cmH2O) and haemoglobin concentration (g.dl−1). Use the 24-h clock for times. Ethical considerations Whatever their other merits, manuscripts will only be considered for publication in Anaesthesia if they adhere to the highest ethical standards. These are detailed in an editorial (Investigators, Anaesthesia and ethics. Anaesthesia 2000; 55: 521–2) which potential authors are strongly advised to consult. In brief: Local or Multicentre Research␣Ethics␣Committee␣(REC) approval must be obtained prospectively for all studies on human subjects. While some audit and epidemiological surveys may be exempt from this stricture, we strongly recommend that authors seek a view from their REC before undertaking such projects. While an essential preliminary step, REC approval does not guarantee that the ethical standards of a study will meet the requirements of the Editorial Board of Anaesthesia. If authors have any concerns that ethical issues might compromise publication, they are invited to contact the Editor before embarking on the study. The Editorial Board supports the view of the General Medical Council that full prospective written informed consent should be obtained from all subjects of clinical trials. Authors who do not follow this guidance will need to be able to mount a robust defence of their decision. In general, submission of a case report should be accompanied by the written consent of the subject to publication; this is particularly important where photographs are to be used or in cases where the unique nature of the incident reported makes it possible for the patient to be identified. While the Editorial Board recognises that it might not always be possible or appropriate to seek such consent, the onus will be on the authors to demonstrate that this exception applies in their case. In general, authors from outside the United Kingdom␣are expected to adhere to these same standards, although the Editorial Board will be sympathetic to minor variations. Statistics The following guidelines have been prepared by the Editorial Board of Anaesthesia to help authors avoid the common statistical errors that frequently lead to rejection of work submitted for publication. This should not be regarded as an exhaustive list and, of course, the Editorial Board and their reviewers may ask authors for revisions that are not detailed here. However, adherence to these guidelines in a paper that is otherwise acceptable will give researchers a good chance of publication and help ensure that their work is statistically valid. A good overview of the subject can be found in Pocock SJ, Hughes MD, Lee RJ. Statistical problems in the reporting of clinical trials. New England Journal of Medicine 1987; 317: 426–32. Methods Randomisation methods must minimise the possibility of predicting/breaking the code [1]. Blinding must be as good as can possibly be achieved. Where there are several outcomes to be reported, the most important (primary) outcome should be clearly stated. Power analysis [2]: Justification of sample size should always be performed before randomised controlled trials are started. Details provided should include the power level; the significance level at which a result is sought; and the expected control and study group proportions or mean and pooled SD, in order to allow reviewers and readers to follow the calculation. Power of study should be at least 80% – preferably 90%. The ‘clinically important difference’ which the study is designed to detect should be clinically relevant and should not be set unreasonably large (sometimes done to justify small sample size). Descriptive statistics: Use mean (SD) unless: data are discrete (i.e. Apgar scores, sedation scores) or grossly non-normally distributed – use median (IQR [range]). you are interested in the ‘true’ value for the population (use SE). Visual analogue scores (VAS) for pain may be treated as continuous data and be subjected to parametric tests as long as: the sample size is large (> 50). the data appear normally distributed when ‘eyeballed’. VAS for other modalities (nausea, drowsiness) have not been so extensively validated and are best treated as ordinal data. Inferential statistics: Use simple tests where possible. Avoid multiple comparisons, especially prevalent with t-tests [3]. Reference unusual tests. Include details of computer package/version used. When looking for relationship between variables [4]: Possible simple descriptive association between two variables – correlation. Possible relationship between two or more variables, especially where one is predictive and other(s) dependent – regression. To compare two methods of measurement – Bland–Altman method [5]. Results Baseline data (age, ASA status, duration of operation, etc.) should not be subjected to statistical comparison, since it is already known that the subjects were randomly allocated and that any difference is therefore due to chance. Describe characteristics and, if possible, allow for differences in the analysis and discussion. All outcomes mentioned in the Methods section must be reported (in the same order). The data should look sensible when ‘eyeballed’. The number of decimal places used to describe data should be appropriate to the method of measurement (e.g. mean systolic blood pressure of 124.75 mmHg is too precise). When reporting differences between groups, 95% confidence intervals should be included as well as p-values [6]. 95% CI must be used when reporting low or zero incidences (e.g. no headaches after 300 uses of a new spinal needle) [7]. When reporting the effect of an intervention, absolute risk (AR), relative risk (RR) and ‘number needed to treat’ (NNT) are easily understood by readers and may be preferable to odds ratio (OR) [8, 9]. Post-hoc comparisons should be avoided (comparing or categorizing results in ways that were not stated in the original protocol – sometimes called ‘data trawling’) [10]. Graphs and tables should be appropriate for the data to be displayed. Tables usually convey more precise numerical information; graphs should be reserved for highlighting changes over time or between treatments. Avoid judgemental terms such as ‘highly’ significant. Report actual p-values, rather than ranges or limits (e.g. p = 0.032, rather than 0.01 < p < 0.05 or p < 0.05). Conclusions All conclusions should be warranted by the results and not extend beyond the confines of the study conditions. A negative result does not mean that there is definitely no difference (confidence in conclusion is dependent upon the power of study). A positive result does not mean that there definitely is a difference (confidence in conclusion is dependent upon the α-error). References References 1 Altman DG. Randomisation. http://www.bmj.com/guides/random.shtml. Google Scholar 2 Yentis SM. The struggle for power in anaesthetic studies. Anaesthesia 1996; 51: 413– 4. Google Scholar 3 Smith DG, Clemens J, Crede W, Harvey M, Gracely EJ. Impact of multpile comparisons in randomized clinical trials. American Journal of Medicine 1987; 83: 545– 50. Google Scholar 4 Porter AM. Misuse of correlation and regression in three medical journals. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 1999; 92: 123– 8. Google Scholar 5 Bland JM, Altman DG. Statistical method for assessing agreement between two methods of clinical measurement. Lancet 1986; 1: 307– 10. Google Scholar 6 Gardner MJ, Altman DG. Statistics with Confidence London: BMJ books1989. Google Scholar 7 Hanley JA, Lippman-Hand A. If nothing goes wrong, is everything all right? Interpreting zero numerators. Journal of the American Medical Association 1983; 249: 1743– 5. Google Scholar 8 Sackett TR, Cook RJ. Understanding clinical trials. British Medical Journal. 1994; 309: 755– 6. Google Scholar 9 Laupacis A, Sackett D, Roberts R. An assessment of clinically useful measures of the consequences of treatment. New England Journal of Medicine. 1988; 318: 1728– 33. Google Scholar 10 Mills JL. Data torturing. New England Journal of Medicine 1993; 329: 1196– 9. Google Scholar Review process All papers are reviewed by the Editor and at least one other reviewer, usually an Assistant Editor. External review is used as deemed appropriate. The Editor's verdict on acceptance or rejection is final. Once accepted for publication, the manuscript will be subedited by an Assistant Editor; this usually involves some alterations to clarify points and maintain house style. Rather than be excessively prescriptive, the Editorial team try to be as helpful as possible at this stage – with the aim of improving your paper and its readability. The article is then sent to the publishers who will send a set of proofs to the author, Assistant Editor and finally the Editor. Changes by the authors at proof stage should be kept to a minimum – authors may be charged for excessive alterations. Time from acceptance to publication is usually under six months. Checklist for authors The following may help authors to check they have met the requirements: Covering letter: signed by all authors□ confirm no duplicate publication□ confirm this paper not submitted elsewhere□ confirm all authors have contributed to manuscript□ mention abstracts presented at meetings□ detail potential conflict of interests□ double-spaced□ margins at least 2 cm□ page numbers at bottom□ one copy + disk (Word for Windows or RTF)□ copyright obtained and submitted if appropriate□ papers in-press submitted if appropriate□ written consent for subjects of case reports if appropriate□ sections in appropriate order□ each section mentions points in same order□ references checked and in correct format□ Tables, Figures and statistics meet above requirements□ Volume56, Issue1January 2001Pages i-vi ReferencesRelatedInformation
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