Abstract
The Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography (JDMS) is the official journal of the Society of Diagnostic Medical Sonography. It is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research, review articles, and case reports pertinent to diagnostic medical sonography. The JDMS author’s manual and additional guides for authors are available at http://www.sdms.org/jdms.
Submission of Manuscripts
All manuscripts should be submitted via
Automated online submission using the JDMS authors’ portal: SAGE Track (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sdms-jdms)
Manuscript Specifications
All manuscripts should be submitted with Microsoft Word.
Pages should be 8.5 × 11 in, double-spaced.
All patient identifiers must be removed from images.
Digital images with highest quality: minimum dpi of 300.
Preferred format for images: TIFF or JPEG.
Format
Title Page: Title, author’s name, author’s affiliation, address for correspondence, a telephone number, and an e-mail address.
Manuscript Body: Format according to type (i.e., case study, original article, review article) and recommendations from the author’s manual (http://www.sdms.org/pdf/jdmsauthor.pdf)
Illustrations:
Figures should be professionally drawn, computer drafted, or photographed. Freehand or typewritten lettering is not accepted. Figures must be cited in numeric order in the text. For any previously published figures, the author must obtain proper permission from the author and copyright holder. Forward a copy of the permission with the manuscript at the time of submission. Legends should be typed double-spaced and appear on a separate page.
Tables:
Used to summarize data and should be self-explanatory with concise titles. Cited in numeric order in the text and appear on separate pages. Captions should be submitted for each table.
Video/Multimedia Format Guidelines: Submission should be in MPEG or AVI formatting (for a JDMS video example, see http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/27278_JDMS_Video_2.wmv).
Formatting Specific to Manuscript Type
Research Article
A report of an original research project. The research can represent retrospective or prospective clinical research, basic research on physics, and instrumentation.
Abstract: a statement of 150 words that summarizes the content of the article.
Keywords: three to five words that reflect the content of the article.
Introduction: briefly reviews the literature, defines terms, and provides background information necessary to understanding the research being reported.
Materials and Methods: should include enough details of equipment, personnel, time span, patient characteristics, and techniques to permit the reader to duplicate the study.
Results: report findings, tables, and figures.
Discussion: analysis of the findings, comparison with other studies, critique of the study, clinical applicability of findings.
Conclusion: summarizes study.
Review Article
A review article clarifies and summarizes existing knowledge using a thorough literature search in a particular area.
Abstract: a statement of 150 words that summarizes the content of the article.
Keywords: three to five words that reflect the content of the article.
Introduction: defines terms and provides background information necessary to understand the reasons for reporting the review.
Body: reviews the literature, provides tables and figures, compares contrast and critique studies, discusses clinical applicability of findings.
Conclusion: summarizes review.
Case Report
Case reports feature, for example, rare findings, unusual combinations of pathology, excellent examples of normal sonographic anatomy, first reported incident of a particular normal or pathologic finding.
Abstract: a statement 150 words that summarizes the content of the article.
Keywords: three to five words that reflect the content of the article.
Introduction: explaining the significance of the case study.
Case Reports: relevant patient information, results of other diagnostic tests, sonographic equipment and technique used, a description of the sonographic findings, and patient outcome.
Discussion: reviews the etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment for the case and summarizes the sonographic criteria that the case has demonstrated.
Conclusion: summary statement of sonographic characteristics and techniques related to the pathology.
References
References should be cited in the text in numeric order and listed on a separate page
Once a reference is cited, all subsequent citations should be to the original number (do not use ibid or op cit). For a reference style guide, see International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” (N Engl J Med 1997;336:309–315; available online at http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejm199701233360422.
Garten KJ, Pulliam RP: Prenatal diagnosis of lethal short-limbed dwarfism. J Diagn Med Sonography 1985;1:7–13.
Brenbridge ANAG, Buschi AJ: Ultrasonic diagnosis of fetal anomalies, in Armstrong P (ed): Critical Problems in Diagnostic Radiology. Philadelphia, PA, JB Lippincott, 1983, pp 131–170.
Copyright
All authors are required to sign a copyright release form before having an article published. The editor will send the form to authors when an article is accepted. This form may also be downloaded from the SDMS website at http://www.sdms.org/jdms/transfer.pdf.
Duplicate Submissions
The JDMS will not accept submission of a manuscript that has been simultaneously submitted to other journals. The JDMS will not routinely reprint articles that have appeared in other journals
Reprints
Order reprints by contacting
Conflict of Interest Statement
Conflicts of interest are defined as contributing authors or their institutions having relationships with persons or groups that may inappropriately influence their actions or the content of the manuscript. These relationships may be personal or financial or arise from academic competition. Such possible perceived conflicts of interest should be recognized and disclosed upon submission of the manuscript. Failure to disclose may results in nonpublication of the manuscript or an erratum. Author requirements include
Disclosure of possible conflict of interest in the manuscript, after the title page, upon submission.
Disclosure of the nature of the financial or personal relationship—for example, stock ownership, employment, consultant relationships, patents, grants (including travel grants), and speakers bureau.
Disclosure of funding sources—but not the specific details of the relationship. The role of the study sponsor should be described in the cover letter to the editor and/or in the Methods section of the research article.
Research Ethics
All articles reporting animal and human studies must include whether written consent was obtained from the local ethics committee or institutional review board. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee and an ethics committee reference number.
We accept manuscripts that report human and/or animal studies for publication only if it is made clear that investigations were carried out to a high ethical standard. Studies in humans that might be interpreted as experimental (e.g., controlled trials) should conform to the Declaration of Helsinki (http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html), and typescripts must include a statement indicating that the research protocol was approved by the appropriate ethical committee. In line with the Declaration of Helsinki 1975, revised Hong Kong 1989, we encourage authors to register their clinical trials (at http://clinicaltrials.gov or other suitable databases identified by the ICMJE, http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/clinical-trial-registration.html). If your trial has been registered, please state this on the title page. When reporting experiments on animals, indicate on the title page which guideline/law was followed regarding the care and use of laboratory animals.
Patient Consent
Authors are required to ensure the following guidelines are followed, as recommended by the ICMJE’s “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.” Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information—including patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers—should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published.
Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning, and editors should so note. When informed consent has been obtained, it should be indicated in the submitted article.
Authorship
Articles should be submitted for consideration only once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting manuscripts should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all of those who
made a substantial contribution to the concept and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data,
drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content, and
approved the version to be published.
Please refer to the ICMJE authorship guidelines at http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html.
Acknowledgments
Any acknowledgments should appear at the end of your article before your declaration of conflicting interests (if applicable), notes, and references.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgments section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help or writing assistance or a department chair who provided only general support. Authors should disclose whether they had any writing assistance, and they should identify the entity that paid for this assistance.
Funding
To comply with the guidance for research funders, authors, and publishers issued by the Research Information Network, the JDMS additionally requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading. Please visit Funding Acknowledgements on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway (http://www.uk.sagepub.com/authors/journal/funding.sp) to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state in your acknowledgments, “This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”
Peer Review Policy
The JDMS adheres to a rigorous double-blind reviewing policy in which the identities of the reviewer and the author are always concealed from each other.
As part of the submission process, you will be asked to provide the names of peers who could be called upon to review your manuscript. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Please be aware of any conflicts of interest when recommending reviewers. Examples of conflicts of interest include but are not limited to the following:
The reviewer should have no prior knowledge of your submission.
The reviewer should not have recently collaborated with any of the authors.
Reviewer nominees from the same institution as any of the authors are not permitted.
Please note that the editors are not obliged to invite any recommended/opposed reviewers to assess your manuscript.