Editorials are articles that provide commentary on a topic. They are meant to influence opinions, promote critical thinking, and ellicit a response to take action.
Order of Sections
- Title Page
- Abstract (not required)
- Body of Article
- References
- Illustrations (Figure/Tables)
Manuscript Limits
- Total Length: up to 1500 words (not including abstract, illustrations, and references)
- Abstract Length: up to 150 words
- Table/Figure Limits: up to 3 tables and figures
- References: up to 30 sources
Title Page
The title page should carry the following information:
- Article Title (concise information about the study, limited to 100 characters)
- Author Names (Mark D. Smith B.S.1, Jeremy Michael Howes M.S.2, Jessica P. Masters M.D. Ph. D.1,2*)
- Institutional Affiliations of all authors in order of appearance in author names (1 College of Human Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA. 2 Dept. of Internal Medicine, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA)
- Contact information for corresponding author(s) including address, email, phone, and fax. The corresponding author should indicate clearly whether his or her e-mail address can be published. Corresponding author(s) is indicated with asterisk by name in author listing.
- Key Phrases – Relevant words or short phrases that aid search engines or indexes in finding your work (use MeSH headings if possible). Maximum of 6, e.g. (Pemphigus, Bullous Skin Disorder, Autoimmune, Blistering, Skin Diseases, Monoclonal Antibody)
- Disclaimers, if any
- Word Count: Abstract and Body (excluding abstract, illustrations, and references)
- Table and Figure Count
- Source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these
- Conflict of Interest Statement
Abstract
Abstracts are not required in editorials, but if written, should be a concise and accurate summary of the article. As in other article types, abstracts are the only substantive portion of the article indexed in many electronic databases, and the only portion many readers read. Authors must be careful that they accurately reflect the content of the article in the abstract. This description should include:
- Context or background for the study
- Purpose, basic procedures, main findings, and principal conclusions
- Emphasis on new and important aspects of the study or observations
- No references, illustrations, or references to illustrations are allowed in the abstract
- The abstract should be structured with similar headings as in the main article (e.g. introduction, patient profile, interventions, conclusions), but if the editorial does not possess headings or sub-headings, a freeform abstract is permitted
Body of Article
This article type is unrestricted in its formatting, and the main portion of text will go here. The text may be divided by subheadings marked in bold.
References
Please see the directions for formatting References.
Illustrations (Figures and Tables)
Should follow the same format as mentioned in the General Guidelines.
Copyright Notice
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