IMPORTANT CHANGES IN MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION, REVIEW, AND PUBLICATION!

SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

AllenTrack is the online manuscript tracking system provided by Allen Press. Using this system, all aspects of the review process are carried out online. After September 1, 2003, online submission will be required, except in special circumstances. To submit an article online, please go to the journal?s AllenTrack website at http://vetpathol.allentrack.net.

If you do not have access to the necessary resources for online submission, please send one copy of your manuscript; a cover letter giving the corresponding author's address, telephone and FAX numbers, and Email address; a diskette or CD containing the text of your article in Word format; and one copy of your tables and figures to the Editorial Office of Veterinary Pathology at the following address:

Veterinary Pathology
Editorial Office
P.O. Box 4264
Cary, NC 27519
PHONE/FAX: (919) 439-3788
vetpath{at}nc.rr.com

Authors are urged to consult a recent issue of the journal and follow the style therein as closely as possible. Veterinary Pathology will also review, if suitable for consideration, manuscripts prepared according to the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (The New England Journal of Medicine 336:309-316, 1997). Please indicate in your cover letter and as a footnote on the title page of your manuscript that you have prepared your manuscript in the Uniform Requirements format.

Only original papers written in English will be accepted.

The acceptance and publication of a manuscript is based solely on scientific merit as determined by stringent peer review. However, due to the competitive, controversial, or specialized nature of their manuscript, authors may provide the editorial staff with a list of potential reviewers for their work. Final selection of reviewers will be determined by the editorial staff and, where appropriate, the Editorial Board.

Ethical Treatment of Animals
By submitting a manuscript to Veterinary Pathology, the author indicates that animal care and experimentation were carried out in accordance with all applicable institutional, local, and national guidelines. These guidelines may include, but are not solely limited to, the National Institutes of Health's Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals that can be obtained from the NIH Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare at their website http://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/olaw.htm and the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Agricultural Research and Teaching available from the Federation of Animal Science Societies through their website at http://www.fass.org/.

Prior or Duplicate Publication
In the cover letter accompanying the manuscript the author should always make a full statement to the editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as prior or duplicate publication of the same or very similar work. Copies of such material should be included with the submitted paper as Word or PDF files that are uploaded to AllenTrack as supplemental information files. Veterinary Pathology does not endorse activities related to redundant publication and will make every effort to monitor, investigate, and report such activities through appropriate channels.

Conflict of Interest Policy
It is in the best interest of authors and reviewers to learn of any potential conflict of interest before initiating a review. Such information will not alter established editorial and review policies, but will assist the editorial staff in avoiding any potential conflicts that could give the appearance of a biased review.

Authors
Many authors of manuscripts published in Veterinary Pathology cite the source(s) of support for the work in the Acknowledgment section. The Editorial Board encourages this practice, but requires it in only one instance: If the study evaluates a commercial or potentially commercial pharmaceutical product or medical device, the authors must divulge any and all financial support in a cover letter submitted when the manuscript is submitted for initial review. Such information will be held in confidence by the editor, but, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, the editor will discuss with the authors how such information is to be communicated to the reader.

Because review articles, commentaries, and letters to the editor require selection and interpretation of the literature or the justification of a scientific opinion, it is expected that authors of such material will not have any financial interest in a company (or its competitor) that makes a product discussed in the submission.

Publication of papers dealing with a commercial or potentially commercial pharmaceutical product or medical device does not convey or imply an endorsement by the journal Veterinary Pathology or the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Reviewers
Potential reviewers of all manuscripts submitted to Veterinary Pathology are asked to consider carefully any potential conflicts of interest they may have in reviewing a manuscript. Such conflict could range from a simple collaborative research or previous faculty-student mentoring relationship to a commercial or research conflict between the reviewer and one or more of the authors in a competitive business or academic environment. Such associations or relationships usually do not disqualify a potential reviewer; however, if a reviewer is concerned about a possible conflict, the circumstances should be discussed with the Editorial Assistant or Editor-in-Chief. We expect that reviewers with a serious conflict of interest will disqualify themselves from reviewing a manuscript.

Transfer of Copyright
In order to publish your manuscript we require a signed Copyright Transfer Agreement from one author (usually the corresponding author) with the understanding that all authors have seen and agree to the contents of the manuscript. Employees of the Federal Government are required to indicate this on the same form. Access the Copyright Transfer Agreement form at this link: http://vetpathol.allentrack.net/html/VETP-Copyright-Transfer-Agreement.pdf

Return the signed Copyright Transfer Agreement to:

Veterinary Pathology
Editorial Office
P.O. Box 4264
Cary, NC 27519

Or it may be sent electronically with a scanned signature to: vetpath{at}nc.rr.com

For permission to reproduce material from articles published in Veterinary Pathology, please contact Wendy Coe, Executive Director, ACVP at wcoe{at}acvp.org or by phone at 608-443-2466.

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR ALL TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS

Margins, Legibility
Electronic text files should be submitted as Word files. Tables may be submitted as Word or Excel files. A common typeface, such as Courier should be used at 10 (pica) or 12 (elite) characters per inch. Margins on all sides should be at least 25 mm (1 inch) with no right justification. All sections of the manuscript should be double-spaced. Every page should be numbered. Line numbers are added by AllenTrack when the Word file containing the manuscript is converted to PDF format.

If a manuscript must be submitted as hard copy, submit a single copy on white paper. Paper should be either 8.5 x 11 inches (215 x 280 mm) in size or A4 paper (210 x 297 mm). Laser printing or comparable print quality is required. A diskette or CD containing a cover letter in Word format, the manuscript text in Word format, and tables in Word or Excel format should be included. If you are unable to submit electronic files,

Arrangement
There are more specific guidelines for full-length manuscripts and brief communications/case reports; however, the general arrangement of the sections of the manuscript is the following:

1. Author cover letter
2. Title page
3. Abstract
4. Key words
5. Introduction
6. Materials and methods
7. Results
8. Discussion
9. Acknowledgments
10. References
11. Request for reprints information
12. Tables
13. Figure legends

For full-length manuscripts, sections should include Author cover letter, Abstract, Introduction (untitled), Materials and Methods or Case History, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Figure Legends. For brief communications/case reports, only Author cover letter, Abstract, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Figure Legend headings should be used. The format for review articles and animal models articles is flexible and depends upon the nature of the article. Discussion with the appropriate Associate Editor (listed in the front of each issue of the journal) and examination of similar material published in the journal will help authors determine the appropriate format.

Use of Case Numbers

Number cases starting with case No. 1, regardless of your particular numbering system, and include them in all sections of the manuscript where the cases are described or discussed (e.g., case Nos. 1-10, case Nos. 2, 3, and 5). Manuscripts that do not have case numbers in the text, tables, or figure legends will be returned for correction, unless only one animal or tissue is reported.

Citation of Figures, Tables, Footnotes, etc.
Figures and tables should be cited in numerical order in the text. Footnotes are used for tables only and are designated by symbols used in the following progression (*, †, ‡, §, ¦, #, ¶, **, etc.). Notes within the text, such as name and location of a manufacturer, are put in parentheses at the appropriate location.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations
Only abbreviations in common use (e.g., DNA, HE) and only metric units of measurement are accepted. Keep abbreviations to a minimum and define them at first mention in each section, for example, neuron specific enolase (NSE). Avoid abbreviations in the Abstract.

Use the anatomic terminology of the Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria (fourth edition, Published by the International Committees on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature, Veterinary Histological Nomenclature, and Veterinary Embryological Nomenclature under the financial responsibility of the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists. Z?lt;/span> and Ithaca, New York, 1994). For listing the genetic strains of mice, refer to the Handbook on Genetically Standardized JAX Mice available from the Jackson Laboratory at http://jaxmice.jax.org/library/requests.html) and Mouse Nomenclature Rules and Guidelines online at http://www.informatics.jax.org/mgihome/nomen/table.shtml.

Title Page
The first page should carry the full title of the paper (punctuation is discouraged, but colons are acceptable), the names and locations of the institutions where the work was conducted (with the authors' initials in parentheses after the appropriate institution), and a short title for use as a running head.

Only those persons who actually contributed to the manuscript should be listed as authors. "Those who have given technical assistance or moral or financial support or supplied equipment" should be recognized in the Acknowledgments (McNab SM: Coping with Clutter in a Scientific Paper. European Science Editing 45: 8, 1992). Linnean nomenclature should be included in the title for all but common domestic species.

The address, telephone number, FAX number, and Email address of the corresponding author should be placed at the bottom of the title page.

Key Words
Identify three to eight key words and place them after the Abstract in alphabetical order. Use terms from the medical subject headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html; if suitable MeSH terms are not yet available for recently introduced terms, current terms may be used. The type of animal, the organ system studied, and the methods used should always be listed.

Tables
Tables should be presented on separate pages and placed after the text in numerical order rather than incorporated into it. Tables may also be submitted as separate Word or Excel files. Tables should be identified with Arabic numerals. The heading or title of the table should be complete enough that the reader is able to understand the table without reference to the text. All parts of a table must be double-spaced and in full-size type. Omit all vertical lines from the table format.

Illustrations
All illustrations must be identified with Arabic numerals. They must have a legend and should be numbered consecutively and mentioned consecutively in the text. Do not use Fig. 1a, 1b, 1 c, etc. except for different staining techniques on the same sample, preferably on the same microscopic field (e.g., HE and avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method).

Digital images of high quality only will be accepted. Images should be saved at a minimum of 300 pixels per inch and at 90 mm (one column width) or 180 mm (two column widths) wide. Figure files should be saved as TIF files using an IBM-compatible rather than a Mac format. Image modification or enhancement should be limited to that obtainable by ordinary photographic techniques. Micrographs cannot contain photographic or tissue artifacts. In gross photographs and photomicrographs, correct anatomic orientation should be maintained; for instance, the surface of the skin should be at the top of the figure. Do not give magnifications in figure legends. Length or scale bars are optional, unless required for interpretation of the image. If these are required, include a bar or scale about 1 cm long and give its equivalent (10, 25, 100 µ, etc.) in the legend. Length bars should be placed in the lower right hand corner of the figure. Figure numbers should be placed in the lower left hand corner and should be arial font at size 14. If appropriate, figures may be grouped as a plate with edges directly apposed and no border. Plates must consist of sequentially numbered figures, in the appropriate order, that form a square or rectangle. See recent issues of the journal for examples of appropriate figure arrangement in plates. The maximum size for a plate is 180 mm wide and 210 mm high. Each figure file should contain a single figure or plate.

If you are unable to obtain digital images, please indicate this in your cover letter and submit one copy of each figure to the Editorial Office by mail. Figures should be printed on photo quality glossy paper. The figure number, corresponding author's name, and the top of each figure (indicated with an arrow) should be lightly penciled on the back of each figure. Individual figures must be printed at a width of 90 or 180 mm and a length of not more than 210 mm.

If color or contrast in your figures is unacceptable, the Editorial Office may make suitable adjustments. The editor reserves the right to regroup figures as required to meet typesetting requirements.

For the style of x and y axes in graphs, please check Illustrating Science: Standards for Publication available from the Council of Science Editors at http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/publications/catalog.cfm.

Please note, it is not the policy of Veterinary Pathology to review manuscript figures in color and then publish in black and white. The figures that are reviewed must be the figures that are published. The full cost for color illustrations must be borne by the author. Authors will be allowed one free color plate and US $450 for each additional plate. The author will be billed directly by: ACVP Executive Offices, 7600 Terrace Avenue Suite 203 Middleton, WI 53562. Tel: (608) 833-8725. Fax: (608) 831-5122. E-mail: info{at}acvp.org. Color proofs will be sent for the author's approval prior to publication.

Figure Legends
Figure legends should be placed in a separate section at the end of the manuscript and written in the following style:

Fig. 1. Organ or tissue; animal identification, Case No. Sentence description of the change that is visible in the figure. Complete staining method with names of stains and counterstains. Bar = X ?m.

References
In the text, citations should be in superscript, have no parentheses, and follow all punctuation marks (e.g., Previous studies have shown that mice are good models of this disease.^1,7,9-11). The reference list should be arranged alphabetically and references numbered consecutively. Journal abbreviations should be those used in Index Medicus. The following are the styles for references:

Article in a journal: Holman RT, Wiese HF, Smith AN: Essential fatty acid deficiency. Am J Pathol 95:255-257, 1976

Supplement in a journal: Nardley HJ: Sterols and keratinization. Br J Dermatol 81 (Suppl 2):29-42, 1969

Chapter in a book or dissertation: Sligh EG: Neutral lipid storage disease. In: Biochemistry of Lipids, ed. Dyer WJ, 5th ed., pp. 471-476. Academic Press, London, England , 1956

Book: Jones FG, Taylor QR: Anatomy of the Cat, 2nd ed., vol. 1, pp. 20-35. Academic Press, London, England , 1989

Only published materials or material that has been accepted for publication and is in press should be listed in the References section. In the case of "in press" papers, a copy of the letter of acceptance should accompany the manuscript. Personal communications, personal observations, and information from public databases should be cited in parentheses in the text (e.g., J. B. Williams, personal communication).

Request for Reprints
At the end of the References section, give the precise postal address, including the country, of the author to whom requests for reprints are to be sent. It is also very helpful to include an email address if possible.

FULL-LENGTH MANUSCRIPTS

Abstract
Each full-length paper must begin with an informative, rather than descriptive, abstract of 250 words or less that summarizes the essential data and is a concise, factual condensation of the article. The breed, age, and number of animals should be stated. Absolute numbers of subjects (either animals or tissue samples) should be given with the percentage in parentheses, for example, "and 75/250 (30%) of the tissues stained positively." Authors can utilize the "structured abstract format," if this format is appropriate for their subject matter. Please see "More Informative Abstracts Revisited" (Annals of Internal Medicine 113:69-76, 1990), "Proposal for More Informative Abstracts of Clinical Articles" (Annals of Internal Medicine 106:598-604, 1987), and "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (The New England Journal of Medicine 336:309-316, 1997).

Text
Full-length manuscripts should consist of sections in the following order: an Introduction (untitled), Materials and Methods or Case History (labeled), Results (labeled), Discussion (labeled), References (labeled), Tables (individually labeled), and Figure Legends (labeled). Please use logical subheadings to ensure that no more than one page of text would appear in the printed journal without a heading or subheading.

BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS AND CASE REPORTS

Abstract

Abstracts for brief communications and case reports are limited to 150 words.

Text
Brief communications and case reports are published together in the Brief Communications section of the journal. These manuscripts should have the same structure as full length manuscripts but in much shorter form. Section headings are used only for the Abstract, Acknowledgements, and References. Please use logical subheadings to ensure that no more than one page of text would appear in the printed journal without a heading or subheading. Brief communications may be about any suitable subject that does not warrant a full paper. If a brief communication presents a case report, this report must provide a unique or outstanding pathologic description of general interest to Veterinary Pathology readers; it is not sufficient to be the first report of an entity in one species of animal. Case reports that do not meet this criterion will be returned to the author without review.

Brief communications, including illustrations, tables, and references, should not exceed two to three printed pages, usually six manuscript pages. References should be limited to ten.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor are considered for publication provided they have not been submitted or published elsewhere. Letters should be submitted via the AllenTrack online system at http://vetpathol.allentrack.net.

Subject matter can include, but is not limited to, recently published manuscripts, current medical issues, and issues relevant to The American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

All individuals submitting a letter must sign or be willing to sign the letter and must provide their full name, title, institutional affiliation, and address. The principal submitter should also provide telephone and FAX numbers and an Email address. All individuals submitting a letter must disclose any financial associations or other possible conflicts or interest related to the letter.

We will acknowledge receipt of your letter and will notify you when a decision has been made about publication.

BOOK REVIEW ACTIVITIES

Veterinary Pathology reviews books and other educational materials that would be of interest to its readership and the members of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Books reviews are published on a regular basis. Titles of reviewed books can be located in the table of contents.

If you would be interested in serving as a reviewer for a book in your area of expertise or can suggest books the journal should review, please contact Dr. Matti Kiupel (kiupel@dcpah.msu.edu).

ANIMAL MODELS SECTION

The Animal Models section features important topics in disease modeling, including genetically modified animal models, technical advances in animal model development and evaluation, novel models and their applications, and new applications for existing models. Guidelines for articles to be submitted to this section were published in the September, 2000, issue of Veterinary Pathology.

If you would be interested in writing an Animal Models article, providing topics for such articles, or serving as a potential reviewer for Animal Models articles, please contact Dr.Rani Sellers (rsellers{at}aecom.yu.edu) or Dr. Trent Schoeb (trs{at}aub.edu) Associate Editors for Animal Models.

REVIEW ARTICLES

Veterinary Pathology publishes review and mini-review articles on a regular basis. Review articles may be comprehensive or focused on a subject of interest to the readership of the journal and the members of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

If you would be interested in writing a comprehensive or focused review article, providing topics for review articles, or serving as a potential reviewer for review articles, please contact Dr. Carl Alden, Editor in Chief (carl.alden@mpi.com)

PAGE PROOF CORRECTIONS

Corrected page proofs must be returned to Allen Press within 48 hours of receipt. Only typographical errors will be corrected. Inquiries regarding proofs should be directed to Joy Richmond, Allen Press, 810 East 10^th Street, Lawrence, KS 66044. Telephone: 800-627-0326 x121, FAX: (785)843-1244, Email: jrichmond{at}allenpress.com.

MANUSCRIPT REVIEW PROCESS

Information about the status of a manuscript in the review process for which you are the corresponding author can be obtained on the AllenTrack website at http://vetpathol.allentrack.net.

At the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief, manuscripts may be returned without review if important submission information is missing, if the manuscript is improperly formatted, or if the subject matter is not of general interest for the readers of Veterinary Pathology.

Identification of appropriate reviewers and initial review by two experts in the field requires approximately 4 weeks. Evaluation of the reviewed manuscript and initial decision by the editor requires about one week.

The reviewed manuscript is returned to the author with an editorial decision (accept, reject, revise) and recommendations.

There is no deadline for the return of revised manuscripts to Veterinary Pathology; however, if the manuscript is not returned within one year, it is considered inactive. If a manuscript has been inactive for an extended period of time, it may, at the discretion of the Editor, be withdrawn from the review process.

Revised manuscripts are returned to the original reviewers for final approval. Evaluation of the revised manuscript and final reviews by the editor require about two weeks.

In cases of conflicting reviews, manuscripts are sent to a third reviewer, usually a member of the Editorial Board, to adjudicate the editorial decision.

A final decision (accept, reject, revise) is made by the editor. Authors and reviewers are notified of the final decision. If the manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author of a manuscript must sign a Copyright Transfer Agreement and return it to:

Veterinary Pathology
Editorial Office
P.O. Box 4264
Cary, NC 27519

Or it may be sent electronically with a scanned signature to: vetpath{at}nc.rr.com

Copyright Transfer Agreement forms may be downloaded from http://vetpathol.allentrack.net/html/VETP-Copyright-Transfer-Agreement.pdf. Manuscripts are not sent to the publisher for typesetting until all original signed Copyright Transfer Agreements have been received.

When Copyright Transfer Agreements have been received, the manuscript is prepared for the publisher. The printer copyedits and composes the text, figures, and tables. The corresponding author receives page proofs approximately three to four months after the manuscript is sent to the printer. Concerns about the status of a manuscript when at the printer should be directed to Joy Richmond (jrichmond{at}allenpress.com), Managing Editor, Veterinary Pathology, at Allen Press. If there are color plates in the manuscript, the author will be billed for cost of producing the color plate(s) at a later date. Billing is done through the American College of Veterinary Pathologists management office.

The editor determines in which issue the manuscript will be published and reserves the right to move a manuscript to a subsequent issue due to page limitations and the production schedule. The editor can expedite or delay an individual manuscript depending on the focus of an issue, timeliness of the manuscript, and the needs of the journal. The production schedule and tentative issue of publication for an accepted manuscript can be found at the journals HighWire website http://www.vetpathology.org/.

Manuscripts are published in both paper form by Allen Press and in electronic form by HighWire Press. Electronic and paper versions of each manuscript are identical.

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