Simplified Submission Process

These checklists are intended to serve as a guide to authors in preparing their manuscripts for submission to PCD.

For new submissions, PCD staff members will conduct a brief evaluation based on the criteria in the Simplified Checklist only. Our intention is to make submission to PCD easy and to encourage authors to focus on research results and implications for practice rather than formatting.

Manuscripts that move through peer review to the revision stage will be required to conform to all published manuscript requirements and will be subject to an in-depth evaluation based on the Full Submission Checklist.

Do not submit these checklists with your manuscript; they are for reference only.

1. Simplified Checklist for New Submissions

• • All authors are listed on the manuscript and are the same as those entered in the online submission system.
  • The manuscript file is a clean and final copy without watermarks, tracked changes, colored font, or other markups.
  • The manuscript is double-spaced.
  • A correct and complete cover letter on official letterhead has been uploaded.
    • The cover letter includes a date, mailing address, email address, and signature.
    • A statement is made regarding conflicts of interest. If there are no conflicts of interest, the cover letter should state the following: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
    • A statement is made regarding prior publication. If any part of the manuscript has been published before — tables and figures included — it must be noted in the cover letter.
    • A statement is made regarding responsibility for the work.
    • A statement is made regarding financial support for the work. Provide grant numbers, if applicable. If no financial support was received, the cover letter should state the following: The authors received no external financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
    • A statement is made regarding permission to adapt or reuse any copyrighted material. Copyrighted material refers to a) any photos, figures, images or other images that require permission to be republished in the article and b) any tools, surveys, or other instruments that require permission to be adapted or reused in the research described in the article. If no copyrighted material was used, include the following statement: No copyrighted material, surveys, instruments, or tools were used in the research described in this article.
    • A statement is made regarding institutional review board (author institution) approval. If approval was unnecessary or the study was exempt, please state this.
  • Word and reference counts are within limits for the article type.
  • Submission files follow the correct file type and content:
    • • Manuscript file (text)
        • Title page
        • Abstract (if applicable to article type)
        • Body
        • Acknowledgments (including statements on conflicts of interest, funding and use of copyrighted materials)
        • References
        • Tables (no more than the number stated for the article type)

     

    • • Additional files uploaded separately
        • Figures, multimedia, and other audio/visual files (no more than number stated for the article type)
        • Appendices and other supplemental files (optional, but not encouraged). Publication of these materials is unlikely.

2. Full Submission Checklist for Revisions After Peer Review

• • • Revised and resubmitted manuscript meets the following requirements:
      • Revisions are complete and carefully detailed in the Author Response section of PCD’s online submission system
      • Includes a tracked-changes file
      • Includes a clean and final copy without markups
    • Submission files follow the correct file type and content order:
    • Manuscript file (text)
      • Title page
      • Summary box (if applicable to article type)
      • Abstract (if applicable to article type)
      • Body
      • Acknowledgments (including statements on conflicts of interest, funding, and use of copyrighted materials)
      • References
      • Tables
    • Additional files uploaded separately
      • Tracked-changes markup of the revised manuscript
      • Figures, multimedia, and other audio/visual files
      • Appendixes and other supplemental files
    • The text is in a readable font and size (12-point font size and 2.0 line spacing)
    • Pages are numbered in sequence.

Title, Byline, Keywords, and Summary Box

• • • A title page is included and begins on page 1 of the manuscript file.
      • Try to engage readers. Short, to-the-point titles that describe the results are cited more often than long titles!
    • A byline is inserted directly after the title. The byline lists authors and their degrees in the correct order.
      • Full name and highest degree(s) or professional certification(s) of each author is listed.
      • Affiliated institution of each author is listed.
      • The corresponding author is clearly identified.
      • Do not redact author names or details. PCD uses the single-anonymous review model, which means that we want all author information to be visible.
    • The corresponding author’s complete contact information is provided.
      • Full mailing address
      • Telephone number
      • Email address
    • All authors are listed on the manuscript and are entered into the online submission system.
      • If any change in authorship has occurred since the previous submission, please address this change in the Author Response and note it in the tracked changes file.
      • A full explanation of the circumstances of any change in authorship will be required.
    • Key words/terms are provided (up to 10).
    • A Summary is provided if required for the article type.
    • • The following questions are answered in 1 or 2 sentences for each (100 words in all): What is already known on this topic? What is added by this report? What are the implications for public health practice?
      • These answers contain key public health message as well as justification for publication.

Abstract

• • • An abstract is provided if required for the article type.
      • The abstract should be formatted according to the requirements of the article type.
      • No reference citations in the abstract.
      • Avoid the use of acronyms, abbreviations, or initialisms. (If unavoidable, expand these terms at first mention.)
    • Abstract word count is within limits for the article type.

Body

• • • Subheadings in the body of the text are correct for the article type.
    • Callouts to references, tables, and other elements are numbered sequentially.
      • No text-based reference citations such as “(Smith et al, 2004).”
    • No footnotes are permitted in the body of the text.
    • Tables, figures, and other visual elements do not appear in the middle of the text.
    • The text word count is within limits for the article type.
      • To check the word count, select the text from the beginning of the Introduction to the end of the Acknowledgments section.

Acknowledgments

• • • A statement is made regarding conflicts of interest. If there are no conflicts of interest, the manuscript should state the following: The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
    • A statement is made regarding financial support for the work. Provide grant numbers, if applicable. If no financial support was received, the manuscript should state the following: The authors received no external financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.
    • A statement is made regarding permission to adapt or reuse any copyrighted material. Copyrighted material refers to a) any photos, figures, images or other images that require permission to be republished in the article and b) any tools, surveys, or other instruments that require permission to be adapted or reused in the research described in the article. If no copyrighted material was used, include the following statement: No copyrighted material, surveys, instruments, or tools were used in the research described in this article.

References

• • • References are formatted appropriately.
      • References are listed sequentially in the order that they appear in the text.
      • Each reference is complete and correct.
        • Verify all references using PubMed.
        • Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references.
      • PCD follows AMA style for references. Please consult the 11th edition of the AMA Manual of Style for proper formatting.
    • The number of references listed is within limits for the article type. See Types of Articles page for limits on number of references.

Tables

• • • The number of tables permitted for each article type is noted on our Types of Articles page.
    • Tables are presented in the order they are cited in the text.
    • Tables are appropriately formatted.
      • Each table begins on a new page in the manuscript file.
      • Tables may be as long as needed (no page limit).
      • Maintain normal 1-inch margins.
      • Tables must fit into portrait orientation.
      • Use a readable text font and size, but do not go below 9 point. This requirement may call for the reorganization of data.
      • No paragraph returns, tabs, or extra spaces should be used to create tables or align cells.
        • Use (Ctrl + Shift + 8) to show/hide paragraph marks.
        • No ¶ marks should be visible in this view.
      • Each piece of data is contained in its own cell, except for point estimates and their measures of precision.
        • Example: “Odds Ratio (95% CI)” or “Mean (SD)”
      • All abbreviations are defined and grouped together in one line placed just below the table, before the footnotes (if any).
      • Footnotes are designated by superscripted lowercase letters. Do not use special symbols such as asterisks and daggers.
      • References, if any, are listed in the same numerical sequence in which they appear in the text.
      • If P values are reported, the actual P values are given, not inequalities such as <.01 or <.05. Any value smaller than P = .001 should be reported as <.001.

Figure List

• • • • Figure and other file titles are listed after the tables to alert the reader that additional files accompany the manuscript document.

Figures

• • • • The number of figures permitted for each article type is noted on our Types of Articles page.
      • Figures appear in the order that they are cited in the text.
      • Tables and figures do not duplicate data.
      • Each figure is appropriately formatted.
        • Include a descriptive title.
        • All abbreviations and/or acronyms are defined.
        • The source of the figure is cited if it is not an original work, has been adapted from the original figure, or has been previously published elsewhere.
        • Each figure is accompanied by explanatory text (a legend) — a few sentences that describe and clarify the figure.
          • For photographs or illustrations, a short text description of the image is provided.
          • For flowcharts, logic models, or similar diagrams, a detailed text description of the information in the figure must be provided. This descriptive text will be needed by the editors to make the figure accessible to readers with disabilities (ie, alternative text for the visually impaired).
        • Acceptable graphic formats include
          • Flowcharts — MS Word or PowerPoint
          • Graphs or charts — Excel
          • Complicated figures not created in Excel — AI, EPS, SVG, DRW
          • Maps — AI, EPS, SVG, DRW
          • Photographs — High-resolution JPG or TIF
      • Numerical data points used to create figures and other visual elements are provided in an accompanying data table. Editors and reviewers need to see this information to evaluate the effectiveness of the figure presentation or to use as alternative text for the visually impaired.
        • Data tables should be presented with the explanatory text or they may be uploaded as supplemental files.
        • If an Excel file has been provided for a figure, data points should appear in a worksheet within the file.
      • Each figure graphic has been uploaded individually in high-resolution format. The original high-resolution source files will be needed by editors to make changes according to PCD formatting style.
        • Images pasted into Word, Excel, or PowerPoint or a PDF file are not acceptable.

Appendixes and Other Supplemental Files

• • • • PCD discourages the use of appendixes and other supplemental files.
      • Appendixes must be independent documents and should not be used to accommodate information that is essential to the text, additional references, or tables and figures in excess of the number allowed for the article type. For information that is already available online, provide a URL instead of an appendix.
      • PCD technical editors make the final decision on whether to include supplementary items at the time of publication. Final acceptance of a manuscript for publication does not guarantee publication of the accompanying appendixes or other supplemental files. All files are subject to editing for PCD style.