any letters of permission needed to reproduce published material or use illustrations of identifiable subjects
copies of any possible duplicative published material
a letter from any contributor to the study who is being acknowledged (see guidelines for acknowledgements) stating that he/she has read the manuscript and is comfortable with the acknowledgment as written
telephone, fax, and e-mail address for the corresponding author
a statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors
a brief description of each author's contributions to the study and its publication; these will be published with the paper
an explanation of any financial or other relationships that might be considered a conflict of interest (held in confidence until the manuscript has been accepted for publication and the author contacted) (see CMAJ 2001;45:786–788)
the names and addresses of up to 5 persons who potentially could serve as unbiased and expert reviewers (optional). The editor retains the right of final selection.
Send the package to: Managing Editor Canadian Veterinary Journal 339 Booth Street Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1R 7K1 Telephone: 613-236-1162 ext. 124 Fax: 613-236-9681 E-mail:
The Canadian Veterinary Journal (CVJ) provides a forum for the discussion of all matters relevant to the veterinary profession. The mission of the Journal is to educate by informing readers of progress in clinical veterinary medicine, veterinary research, and in other related fields of endeavor. The key objective of the Journal is to promote the art and science of veterinary medicine and the betterment of animal health.
A report suggesting that animals have been unnecessarily subjected to adverse, stressful, or harsh conditions or treatments will not be processed for publication. Experimental studies using animals will only be considered for publication if the studies have been approved by an institutional animal care committee, or equivalent, and the guidelines of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (1), or equivalent, have been followed by the author(s).
The CVJ welcomes manuscripts in English or French.
FORMAT
The CVJ publishes 2 categories of articles:
Non-peer-reviewed articles
These include feature articles, special reports, student papers, commentaries, letters to the editor (maximum 500 words), etc. Unsolicited material will be considered. Consideration for publication as a student paper is limited to those articles that were written by students while they were attending a Canadian veterinary college. Students interested in submitting a manuscript for publication in this category should consult with the Assistant Editor at their college.
Peer-reviewed articles
These include: 1) scientific articles, 2) case reports, 3) brief communications, and 4) review articles. Manuscripts are reviewed for possible publication by at least 2 peer reviewers, with the understanding that they are being submitted to one journal at a time and have not been published, self-archived as a preprint, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. This does not preclude consideration of a manuscript that has been rejected by another journal or of a complete report that follows publication of preliminary findings elsewhere, usually in the form of an abstract.
Guidelines for authorship
All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship, and all those who qualify should be listed. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article.
Authorship credit should be based only on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or 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. Conditions 1, 2, and 3 must all be met. Acquisition of funding, the collection of data, or general supervision of the research group, by themselves, do not justify authorship (2).
Guidelines for acknowledgments
Include persons who have made substantive contributions to the study, but do not qualify for authorship, and persons who have contributed their skills (editorial, linguistic, graphic, photographic) to the preparation of the paper. Do not include recognition of secretarial assistance.
The CVJ publishes 4 types of peer-reviewed articles:
1. SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES
1) Original Study — These include reports on significant new investigations or observations, with appropriate experimental design and statistical analysis, especially those with application to veterinary practice in Canada. ii) Retrospective Study — This type of article provides a critical review of case records, with statistical analy-ses where appropriate, that will contribute substantial new information to the veterinary literature.
Format for Scientific Articles
Authors should refer to scientific articles published in previous issues of The CVJ for explicit format.
If your article is written in French, please use the reference style and format outlined in the French instructions for authors (« Directives à l’intention des auteurs », Can Vet J 2005;46:41–45).
Studies involving trials of drugs and biologics
When planning studies and preparing manuscripts that involve drug trials, authors should consider the influence that their publication may have on the use of therapeutic agents in the field, particularly in an off-label context. Information should be included that covers such matters as current approval status of the drug in Canada, withdrawal period, and what procedures were used to detect deleterious effects, such as injection site lesions or systemic reactions. The Editor can be consulted in advance and will make the final decision as to whether sufficient information has been included for the protection of various interests for which the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association is responsible.
2. CASE REPORTS
These deal with one or more cases that concern a new or rare condition, or a unique combination of features, that either will contribute substantial new information to the scientific/veterinary literature or will advance a testable hypothesis (3).
Format for Case Reports
abstract should be no more than 50 words
text should not exceed 3500 words
unheaded introduction
include case description, discussion, acknowledgments, references
3. BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
These include clinical notes and other short subjects.
Format for Brief Communications
please refer to recent issues of The CVJ for the format used
include an abstract, not exceeding 50 words, that briefly states the purpose, results, and principal conclusion(s) of the study
limit the text to 2000 words (no headings)
subheadings are not required
include acknowledgments and no more than 10 references
Figures, Tables, or both, should not exceed 2
4. REVIEW ARTICLES
These are usually commissioned, but unsolicited reviews are welcome upon prior consultation with a CVJ editor. A review article should be comprehensive and critical or analytical, or tutorial, in nature, so that it will provide practitioners with reliable facts and conclusions without their having to search the literature for themselves, or inform researchers where a field stands and in which directions research should go. Unpublished data should not be included in a review paper. A review article that simply documents the published literature is of limited value (4).
text should not exceed 5500 words
STYLE
1. General style
The CVJ style follows accepted biomedical format (2). When submitting your manuscript, please:
number lines continuously
use single-sided paper
double space
left justify, 2.5-cm (1-in) margins
begin each section on a separate page: title page, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, references, tables, figure legend(s), and figures
provide the frame of reference for magnification of photographs and photomicrographs by means of a scale bar on the print and the value of the bar either on the print or in the legend
number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page, in the upper right-hand corner of each page
use 12-point font size
spell English words according to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary (5)
spell medical terms according to Dorland’s Medical Dictionary (6)
3. Guidelines for submission of electronic files (diskette) for manuscripts
Manuscripts
Manuscripts should be saved on CD or IBM-formatted diskettes, not those diskettes formatted for Macintosh. Documents should be saved in one of WordPerfect 6.0 (or higher) or Microsoft Word 6.0 (or higher). Manuscripts should be named according to their manuscript number. All tables should be included at the end of the manuscript. Please don’t send articles for peer review via e-mail.
Figures
Simple figures, such as line drawings, bar charts, and line graphs, should be incorporated at the end of the main manuscript, after the tables, so that they can be altered, if necessary; alternatively, they may be saved as separate files on the same diskette. If a figure file is too large to fit on the same diskette as the manuscript file, use of second diskette is acceptable. The following are general guidelines for figure format:
It is not necessary to provide an electronic copy of a figure if it is a photograph; for example, photographs of an electrophoresis gel or gross post-mortem findings.
Figures should not be downloaded from the Internet, as they do not have sufficient resolution. Photographs and figures may be scanned and submitted on a diskette, but they must be at least 500 dpi resolution, and they must be saved as *.tif files.
Line drawings, bar charts and other figures should be in “encapsulated postscript” (*.eps) format.
If a figure was created by using CorelDraw graphics software, it must be exported to Adobe Illustrator and saved there as an Illustrator file (*.eps) before it can be used.
If scanning a line graph or drawing for submission on a diskette, or if providing only a paper copy of a figure, the lines used must be thicker than “hair-line”; they must be at least 0.03-cm (0.01-in) wide, or they will not scan clearly.
4. Title page
All title pages will include:
the title of the article, which should be concise but informative without using abbreviations
usual first name, initial(s), and last name of each author
name and address of department(s) and institution(s) or practice(s) to which the work should be attributed
name of corresponding author (plus the mailing address, if different from address above, and the e-mail address)
disclaimers, if any
a statement that reprints will not be available from the author, if so
the source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these
5. References
number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text
identify references in text, tables, and legends by arabic numerals (in parentheses)
number references cited only in tables or in legends to figures in accordance with a sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or illustration
abbreviate titles of journals according to the style used in Index Medicus (consult the “List of the Journals Indexed,” which is printed annually in the January issue of Index Medicus, or visit www.medscape.com/Home/Search/IndexMedicus/IndexMedicus.html)
use only refereed abstracts published within the last 5 years as references
do not use “unpublished observations” and “personal communications” as references; references to written, not verbal, communications may be inserted (in parentheses)
nclude among the references manuscripts accepted, but not yet published, by specifying the journal or book, year and volume number, if known, and adding “In press” (see example 8).
cite information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted as “unpublished observations” (in parentheses)
verify all references against the original documents
provide 2 copies of references that are not readily or freely available to reviewers (for example, electronic publications where payment is required to obtain the full text).
list all authors when they number 6 or fewer; when 7 or more, list only first 3 and add et al.
Examples of reference style
Standard journal article
Osborne CA. Don’t just do something — stand there: An exposition of Hippocrates’ admonition “First do no harm.” Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet 1991;13:1248–1261.
Journals paginated by issue
Mullis KB. The unusual origin of the polymerase chain reaction. Sci Am 1990;262 (4,Apr):56–65.
Maxie MG. The urinary system. In: Jubb KVF, Kennedy PC, Palmer N, eds. Pathology of Domestic Animals. 3rd ed. vol 2. Toronto: Academic Pr, 1985:343–411.
Dissertation or thesis
Tessaro SV. A description and epizootiologic study of brucellosis and tuberculosis in bison in northern Canada [PhD dissertation]. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: University of Saskatchewan, 1988.
Published proceedings papers
LeCouteur RA, Kornegay JN, Higgins RJ. Late onset progressive cerebellar degeneration of Brittany spaniel dogs. Proc Annu Meet Coll Vet Intern Med 1988:657–658.
Unpublished material
Kent ML, Poppe TT. Diseases of coldwater marine fish in cage culture. In: PTK Woo, Bruno DW, Lim SL, eds. Diseases of Finfish in Cage Culture. Oxford: Agriculture and Biosciences Intl Publ, 1998. In press.
CD-ROM
Tams T. Upper GI Endoscopy [CD-ROM]. Guelph, Ontario: Lifelearn, 2000.
Journal Article on the Internet
Taylor D McD. The appropriate use of references in a scientific research paper. Emerg Med Aust 2002; 14:166–170. Available from: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.104b/j.1442-202b.2002. 00312.x/full/ Last accessed 7/31/2004.
Monograph on the Internet
Foley B. Dexamethasone for veterinary use [monograph on the Internet]. Swedesboro, New Jersey: Wedgewood Pharmacy c2001–2002. Available from http://www.wedgewoodpharmacy.com/monographs/dexamethasone2.asp Last accessed 8/3/2004.
Homepage/Web site
Glossary of Internet and Web Jargon. UC Berkeley Library [homepage on the Internet]. Berkeley: University of California c1995–2004 [updated 2004 January 7]. Available from http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Glossary.html Last accessed 4/8/2004.
Part of a homepage/Web site
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association [homepage on the Internet] c2003 The Canadian Veterinary Journal [updated monthly]. Available from http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/vetjournals/CVJ/index.html Last accessed 8/10/2004.
Database on the Internet
Canadian Directory of Veterinarians and Clinics [database on the Internet] Ottawa: Canadian Veterinary Medical Association c2003. Available from http://www.canadianveterinarians.net/directory/provinces1.asp Last accessed 8/10/2004.
6. Tables
use a separate sheet, double-spaced, for each table
number consecutively, using arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, …)
supply a brief title for each
give each column a short or abbreviated heading
place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading
explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in each table
designate footnote by superscript letter (abc)
identify statistical measures of variations, such as standard deviation and standard error of the mean
omit internal horizontal and vertical lines
cite each table in the text in consecutive order
7. Figures
use only professionally drawn or photographed figures; send sharp, glossy, black-and-white photographic prints instead of original drawings, radiographs, or other material
keep letters, numbers, and symbols clear and even throughout, and large enough to be legible when reduced for publication
put titles and detailed explanations in the legend, not on the illustration itself
include an appropriate scale for photomicrographs and electron micrographs in the legend, with an appropriate bar (measure) on the figure
identify the stains used
attach a label to each figure indicating the number of the figure, the names of the authors, and the top of the figure
contrast symbols, arrows, or letters used in the photomicrographs with the background
cite each figure in the text in consecutive order
for electronic submission of figures, see point 3 under “style,” titled “Guidelines for submission of electronic files for manuscripts.”
Color illustrations will only be published if the author has agreed to pay the extra cost.
use Système International (SI) measurements throughout the manuscript (7,8)
consult the references below (5–10) for correct abbreviations and symbols
avoid abbreviations in titles, in the abstract, and at the beginning of a sentence
when using an abbreviation, spell out the full term the first time it is used, unless it is a standard unit of measurement.
References
Canadian Council on Animal Care. Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, vols. 1 and 2. Ottawa: Canadian Council on Animal Care, 1993.
International Committee on Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Ann Intern Med 1988;108:258–265. Updated May 2000. www.icmje.org.
Maxie MG. On the value of the case report [editorial]. Can Vet J 1989;30:855.
Maxie MG. Critical writing and reading of review articles [editorial]. Can Vet J 1990;31:413–414.
Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 10th ed. Markham: Thomas Allen, 1993.
Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 29th ed. Toronto: WB Saunders, 2000.
Huth EJ. Medical Style and Format: An International Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. Philadelphia: ISI Pr, 1986.
International Organization for Standardization. ISO Standards Handbook 3. Statistical Methods. 3rd ed. Geneva, Switzerland: International Standards Organization, 1989.
Council of Science Editors. Scientific Style and Format. The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. 7th ed. New York: Cambridge University Pr, 2006.
