Instructions to authors

Articles for the Annals and the Bulletin should adhere to the same general guidelines - see below.

The preferred method of submission to both the Annals and the Bulletin is via email to annals@rcseng.ac.uk.

Alternatively, you may post your submission to:

The Editor
Annals of The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35–43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3PE, UK

 
Types of submissions invited:

• Research articles
• Review articles
• Case reports
• Technical notes
• Authorship and writing for the technical section
  
• Technical tips
• Trainees' presentations
• Internet viewings
• Hunterian/Arris and Gale lectures
• Correspondence

Submission guidelines

When submitting a manuscript please enclose all relevant items from our check list for authors.

Prepare the text using word processing software only (eg MS Word). Please use double line spacing with 3cm margins on A4 paper (210 x 297 mm).

DO NOT embed tables and figures; simply give specific reference to each in the text. Add tables and figure captions at the end of the text after the reference list.

Authors submitting articles via email must send a declaration with all co-authors’ signatures in the post or a scanned copy via email to the address given above.

If you are submitting your manuscript in the post please send three complete hard copies of your text together with any tables or figures as well as an electronic version on CD or floppy disk of the full manuscript (with separate files for text, tables and figures). If your article includes graphs or tables please also supply the raw data.

Send your paper in by email OR post, not both.

DO NOT send incomplete submissions. The first version you send will be sent for review. If you send in other parts at a later date, they will not be considered as part of your paper.

DO NOT submit your paper more than once. If you have not received an acknowledgement within 10 days after the submission would have been received by the Annals office, feel free to enquire by email or telephone but please do not resend your paper.

A consent form must be signed by the patient or their guardian/relative if the patient is identifiable from any images used in the manuscript.

Questions concerning dual publication or conflict of interest should be sent to annals@rcseng.ac.uk. Simultaneous submission of the same or related material may prejudice subsequent publications from the authors or their departments. Existing or potential financial or other interests in the described techniques, products or their competitors should be stated.

Peer review, publication and copyright

Most submissions are reviewed by two or more referees. For all articles, reviewers pay particular attention to clarity and brevity. (The reviewers’ form can be downloaded from our website.) The corresponding author will then receive a letter from the editor informing them that their manuscript is accepted, rejected or needs revision. Once accepted, manuscripts are published in chronological order of acceptance and the corresponding author will receive page proofs when publication is imminent. However, authors are not sent proofs of articles for the technical or correspondence sections.

On publication, articles and illustrations will (with rare exceptions) become the copyright of the Annals or the Bulletin and the College reserves the right to publish the articles on its website.

Manuscript preparation

Research articles

Text pages should be numbered consecutively in the following order:

1. TITLE PAGE - Include the full title of the article and the names of ALL authors, together with their main appointment, department, and hospital/university address at the time. Please notify us if the corresponding author moves before publication is complete.
2. ABSTRACT - This should be concise and complete in itself and with the subheadings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion (if appropriate). Randomised controlled trials should be identified as such in both the title and abstract. At the end give three to six key words, using medical subject headings from MeSH.
3. MAIN TEXT - This should be divided into Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion, with additional subheadings where appropriate. Include a word count, exclusive of abstract, reference lists, tables and legends. The ideal position of each table and figure must be indicated in the main text, eg (see Table 2 and Fig 3). These should be numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance in the text. Use SI units and their recognised abbreviations (eg 10 kg) with the exception of blood pressure in mmHg and haemoglobin in g/dl. Abbreviations should always be preceded on their first appearance by the word(s) for which they stand. Use generic names for drugs unless a proprietary product is a key part of the study.  Include the names and the source of any new or experimental preparation or instrument. Avoid inappropriate generalisations, such as the use of ‘pathology’ as a synonym for a disease or condition. Always use specific medical terms to ensure your meaning is clear. Acknowledgements should include all funding bodies. Individuals should not be acknowledged without their consent.
4. REFERENCES - These should be given in Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order of their appearance in the text. Use the abbreviated journal titles as given in Index Medicus. Personal communications or unpublished material referred to in the text should not be included in the reference list.
5. TABLES - These should be designed to present large amounts of numerical data clearly and concisely. They should not duplicate the text and should be given after the reference list. A hard copy of ALL tables must be submitted in double spacing without horizontal or vertical lines, together with their identifying number and legend/title.
6. FIGURES - Captions to all figures should be listed at the end of the manuscript with their appropriate number. DO NOT embed images in the text - they should all be sent separately, but ensure that your legend indicates exactly where they should go. If submitting via post three copies of each figure should be included. All figures must have a clear label placed on the back to identify the figure number and its authors. Indicate its orientation (arrow to TOP). Figures will be printed in black and white unless the author is willing to pay for the increased costs of colour printing. Photographs: The quality of illustrations is dependent on that of the images provided. For digital images use a minimum resolution of 300 pixels per inch and save the image as a .tiff file. DO NOT send in low-resolution images where possible. If pictures are taken with a digital camera, or hard copies are scanned in, you can set the parameters on your camera/scanner to ensure the highest quality. Always submit multipart figures in separate files and make sure your legend explains all parts of the figure. Do not use pencil or pen on the front or back of a photograph, or directly apply any paper clips/staples. Arrows and labelling should be indicated on a tracing paper overlay. In photo-micrographs add a scale indicating the magnification, together with the staining techniques used. Line-art: These should be prepared by computer graphics software and submitted on disk as *.eps, *.tiff or *.pdf files together with a copy on paper printed from a laser printer. DO NOT send in images drawn by hand. DO NOT use grey-tints in your illustrations; however, hatching is acceptable. The IT department in your hospital should be able to help you create and format all kinds of computer-generated images.

Review Articles

These should be 2000 words in length with no more than 50 references. Each review should be accompanied by a structured abstract, containing ‘Introduction’, ‘Methods’, and ‘Findings’.

Case reports

These should be 750–1,000 words in length with one figure or table. Reviewers will expect ‘rarity’ combined with clarity, precise documentation and informed discussion, with clearly defined clinical messages. There should be a maximum of five references. Most case reports that are accepted are published online (still fully citable) but the editor may select exceptional submissions for publication in print.

Technical notes

These should be no more than 250 words in length and should be presented as Background, Method and Discussion, with a maximum of five references. Any figures should be relevant and very clear.

Authorship and writing for the technical section

Technical tips

These should be 100 words or less with an initial sentence about the background followed by a description of the technique (no headings). One reference and one clear figure may be included.

Trainees' presentations

Consultant surgeons involved in organising local registrar meetings are invited to submit abstracts to the Annals. No dual publication is permitted. Abstracts should be no more than 200 words in length and, usually, up to three from each meeting may be submitted. Please provide the following information: name of society, region, specialty, date of meeting and contact number for local officer responsible for the meeting.

Internet viewings

A topic that can reasonably be summarised in 6-8 sites should be selected. Please provide web addresses, with a short description of the strengths, weaknesses and value of the site. Include details such as the clarity of the imagery and general user-friendliness of the site as well as the veracity of the text. Quoting text from the site can often be useful in giving the reader a feel for the value and content. Authors should check recent issues of the Annals to avoid repeating material that has previously been published.

Authors wishing to submit an internet review should email the section editor Richard Gibbs directly at r.gibbs@imperial.ac.uk. 

Hunterian/Arris and Gale lectures

The manuscript should be no longer than 3,000 words, with a maximum of six figures and 20 references. It should be written in a style for written publication rather than for verbal presentation, ie it should not be a transcript of the lecture or part of the lecture. The manuscript will be subject to peer review. If accepted it will be given priority to ensure early publication.

Correspondence

Letters to the editor intended for publication should not exceed 200 words. Up to five references may be given. Please also see the e-letters section.