The Ocular Surface

Information for Authors

Introduction

The Ocular Surface is a peer-reviewed quarterly journal whose mission is to provide concise, state-of-the-art, referenced review articles to share and elucidate the diverse knowledge being developed in this rapidly evolving specialty. Its purview ranges from molecular biology to surgery, encompassing lacrimal, lid and ocular surface physiology, pathology, pharmacology and medical/surgical therapeutic interventions. Most reviews are written at the invitation of the editors, but independent proposals of articles are welcomed. To propose a review article, please send a brief description of the intended review to any of the following people. If a similar review is not already assigned to another author, the editors will be delighted to consider your proposal.

Editor-in-Chief: Gary N. Foulks, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Kentucky Lions Eye Center, University of Louisville, 301 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202. (Email: GNFoulks@msn.com OR gnfoul01@louisville.edu Tel: 502-852-6150)

Section Editor, Laboratory Science: James V. Jester, PhD, Professor of Ophthalmology, University of California at Irvine, Bldg 55, 2nd floor, 101 The City Drive, Orange, CA 92868-4380. (Email: jjester@uci.edu. Tel: 714-456-5044. Fax: 724-456-5073)

Section Editor, Clinical Science: Gary N. Foulks, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology, Kentucky Lions Eye Center, University of Louisville, 301 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202. (Email: GNFoulks@msn.com OR gnfoul01@louisville.edu. Tel: 502-852-6150)

Section Editor, Clinical Practice: John Sutphin, Jr, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd. MS 3009, Kansas City, MO 66160. (Email: jsutphin@kumc.edu. Tel: 913-588-6605. Fax: 913-588-0888)

Concept and Content of Review Articles

The purpose of the review should be to provide an in-depth, critical well-referenced discussion of the topic. The Ocular Surface will serve not only as an objective, authoritative source of current knowledge, but also as an archive of the development of concepts and scientific approaches related to the evolution of "the ocular surface" as an integrated "organ." The review should cover important concepts and reference previously published works appropriately and with critical perspective. Authors are encouraged to write with a Scientific American-approach, providing adequate explanation, background, and definition of terms for the understanding of a diverse group of basic science and clinical specialists.

The Ocular Surface does not publish original research reports; however, it may be possible to incorporate original results into a review article (See Guidelines for Incorporating Original Work into Review).Please submit a proposal to the Editor-in-Chief, stating your intention of present results. Original work may also be presented in articles for the section, "New and Evolving Techniques and Technology" (See section Guidelines).

All manuscripts undergo peer review by two or more reviewers. Authors are asked to revise their manuscripts, addressing all the reviewers' suggestions or explaining their reasons for declining to do so.

Manuscript Preparation

Questions regarding manuscript preparation may be addressed to the Managing Editor: Susan Erickson, 130 Winchester St., Brookline, MA 02446. (Email: s.erickson7@verizon.net. Tel: 617-731-3415)

Submission requirements:

Submit an electronic copy of the manuscript in Microsoft Word format, and, if possible, electronic copies of the figures in high resolution format. Figures should be submitted as separate attachments and not embedded in the manuscript. (If electronic materials are not adequate for peer review and/or publication, printed copies may be requested.) All manuscripts, including those invited by the editors, are subject to editorial review and revision. Manuscripts will be considered with the understanding that they have not been previously published and are not under consideration for publication in any other journal, book or publicly available electronic source. These stipulations are made to assure the originality of articles published in The Ocular Surface. It may be acceptable to publish portions of the manuscript elsewhere, but this must be approved in advance by the Editor-in-Chief (Gary N. Foulks, address given above). Send copies of previously published or to-be-considered-for-publication portions of the manuscript to Dr. Foulks for evaluation, along with information regarding the other source of dissemination. After publication of an article in The Ocular Surface, permission to reprint may be requested from the publisher: David Kellner, Ethis Communications, 75 Maiden Lane, Room 408, New York, NY 10038 (Email: eyecareMD@aol.com. Tel: 212-791-1440)

The attached Copyright Transfer Agreement and Author Disclosure Statement describes journal requirements for disclosing financial interests related to content of the article, as well as compliance with institutional policies with regard to use of humans and other animals in reported research.

Organization and Format

The manuscript should be formatted in a style appropriate for a review article, e.g., organized according to topics and concepts (not in sections labeled "Methods," "Results," etc.) The review should begin with an "Introduction" and end with a "Summary and Conclusions" section.

Appropriate length is usually 10-12 printed pages (equivalent to 20-30 double-spaced typed pages, including references, tables and figures). Depending on the topic, longer or shorter reviews may be appropriate.

Title Page

Title page should include complete name(s), academic degree(s), affiliation(s), and source of support of all authors. It should provide the complete address, telephone number, fax number, and E-mail address of the corresponding author, indicating the name and complete address of the person to whom page proofs and reprint requests are to be sent. A short version of the title (no more than 40 characters) should be provided for the running head.

Include footnotes providing:
1) Sources of support for work related to the manuscript; and
2) Disclosures of proprietary or commerical interests related to the manuscript. If no such interests exist, include the following statement: "The authors have no proprietary or commercial interests in any concept or product discussed in this article."

· Abstract
A 150-200 word abstract should be written in narrative style, stating the purpose of the review, the major points covered in the review, and relevant conclusions and recommendations. The abstract should be different from the introduction and conclusion section of the manuscript. Structured abstracts specifying methods, results, etc., are not appropriate for review articles.

· Key Words
Provide 5-10 key words.

· Text Style

Pages should be numbered consecutively in the following order: title page, abstract/key words, outline, text, references, legends, and tables. Tables and figures must be separate attachments; they must not be embedded in the text. The last name of the first author should appear at the top right of the page. Figures and tables must be cited in text in numerical order. All references listed must be cited in numerical order in text. Statements must be appropriately referenced, with full credit to the source. Written permission to reproduce material previously published must be obtained by the author, and a copy of the letter granting permission should accompany the manuscript. Written permission to cite unpublished or personal communications must also be provided.

· Tables
Tables should be logically and clearly organized, and appropriately referenced. A brief title should appear at the top of each table. All abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. Numerical data should be complete, e.g., if percents are given, the numbers they are based on should also be given.

· " Illustrations: Note: It is not necessary to submit prints if you can provide high-resolution electronic copies suitable for transmitting by email to the reviewers and for reproduction. See "Digital Figures" below.
Color art will be published at the discretion of the editor without cost to the author.

· Digital figures

Electronic figures should be submitted as individual files. They must not be embedded in the manuscript.

Electronic art should be submitted as either a TIFF (tagged image file format) or an EPS (encapsulated PostScript) file. Line art must have a resolution of at least 1200 dpi (dots per inch), and electronic photographs - radiographs, CT scans, and scanned images must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. If fonts are used in the artwork, they must be converted to paths or outlines or they must be embedded in the files. Color images must be saved and submitted as CMYK files. Files can be submitted as email attachments or on a 3½-inch high-density disk, a CD-ROM, or an Iomega Zip disk. Some office programs, such as Power Point, are acceptable. Questions about acceptable formats should be addressed to Susan Erickson (s.erickson7@verizon.net).

· Legends
Legends should be typed double-spaced and listed in order. Previously published figures must include the statement: "Reprinted from (authors), (title), (Journal-Year-Vol #-page #s) with the permission of the authors and the publisher." Letters from authors and publishers conveying permission to reprint must accompany the manuscript. Magnification and stain should be stated for photomicrographs.

· References
The references should be numbered consecutively and typed double-spaced. Journal titles should be abbreviated, without periods, according to the Index Medicus style. Citation of abstracts may be acceptable if 1) the cited report is not available in full-length form, and 2) the abstract is published in an indexed journal (e.g., ARVO abstract published Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci). In the text, statements referenced by abstracts should be acknowledged as such, e.g., "Preliminary findings suggest…" Complete information should be given for each reference, as shown below. Publications with 1-4 authors should give all names; publications with more than four authors should name the first three followed by "et al." Author last names are followed by initials without commas or periods.

· Journal Article

1. Foulks GN. Pitfalls in the design of clinical trials for anti-dry eye agents. Ocul Surf 2003;1:2-16

· Abstract

2. Smith PS, Williams LC. Effects of artificial tear solutions on osmolarity of dry eyes (abstract). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 40 (suppl): S145, 1999

· Book
3. Charles PO, van Housen Q Jr, Duchen PX, et al (eds): Cornea, conjunctiva, lid: new concepts. New York, NY, Ethis Communications, 2003

· Chapter in book

4. Aay OK: Effect of estrogen medications on the cornea, in Charles PO, van Housen Q Jr, Duchen PX, et al (eds): Cornea, conjunctiva, lid: new concepts. New York, NY, Ethis Communications, 2003, pp 234-25

Proofs and Offprints. Proofs are emailed to authors in pdf format. Reprints are not provided gratis by the publisher, but authors receive final pdf's of their articles, which they may distribute as reprints in electronic or printed form.

Copyright on articles published in The Ocular Surface will be held by Ethis Communications, Inc. A copyright transfer form will be sent to the corresponding author when the manuscript is accepted. All authors must sign the form. Permission to reprint may be requested from David Kellner, Ethis Communications, 75 Maiden Lane, Room 408, New York, NY 10038 (Email: eyecareMD@aol.com. Tel: 212-791-1440)