Selecting a Journal

Potential journals in Public Health American Journal of Epidemiology American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Clinical Infectious Diseases (CID) Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) International Journal of Infectious Diseases International Journal of Tb and Lung Disease Journal of Clinical Investigation Journal of Clinical Microbiology (J Clin Micro) Journal of Infectious Disease (JID) Journal of Medical Entomology Journal of Parasitology Journal of Virology Parasite Immunology Parasitology

When to choose target journal? Journal choice determines: - Length of paper - Number of figures - Reference format EARLY !

Choosing a Journal 1. Evaluate journals to find best match for your study 2. Confirm choice with co-authors (maybe with journal editors)

Evaluating a Journal 1. What do they publish? - Subject Areas - Hypothesis vs. Descriptive vs. Methods - Full length articles only? Short reports as well? 2. Who is their audience? 3.Does my study meet their requirements? Ref: Penrose & Katz

Briefly read published articles American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene “Effect of Mosquito Midgut Trypsin Activity on Dengue-2 Virus Infection and Dissemination in Aedes aegypti” Emerging Infectious Diseases “Leptospirosis during Dengue Outbreak, Bangladesh” “Retinal Hemorrhages in 4 Patients with Dengue Fever” Does my article fit in?

Review the journal’s website About the Journal

Goal: “Emphasis on laboratory science and the application of technology in the fields of tropical medicine, parasitology, immunology, infectious diseases, epidemiology, basic and molecular biology, virology and international medicine.” Audience: “Microbiologists, epidemiologists, virologists, parasitologists, pharmacologists, and clinicians at major granting institutions including philanthropic & governmental institutions active in the public health field, and medical and scientific libraries.” From the website: The American Journal of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene

Additional factors to consider Costs (do they charge per page?) Acceptance rate (10% ? 30%?) Publication speed (2 months? 1 year?) Figures - Number - Color charges - Picture resolution Free full-text access to readers on-line?

Short articles Called “Short reports”, “Dispatches” or “Notes” Style/length vary by journal For submission of important preliminary observations, technique modifications, or data that do not warrant publication as a full paper Fewer words, figures, tables, references A brief abstract is required for indexing, but delineated sections are not always used

Not sure? Ask! Ask colleagues, co-authors Send editors a short summary of your paper & ask them if interested Find address on website e.g., for Emerging Infectious Disease: “Inquiries about the suitability of proposed articles may be directed to Send a brief abstract or synopsis of the proposed manuscript for assessment.”

After choosing a journal Obtain “Instructions to Authors” from web or paper journal Read the rules of the game Follow every direction they give Why? Make it easy for them to say yes!

Finding the “Instructions to Authors” Instructions to Authors

Instructions to authors 1. Preparation of the manuscript Line spacing and margins Page numbers Font & size (often 12 pt, Times New Roman) Order: figures and figure legends? Number of characters in title & running title Word limit Subheadings (if style not specified, look at published articles)

2. Tables, figures, and graphs: Font Internal lines in tables? File format:.TIFF?.JPG?.EPS? - be careful with.PPT from Mac! Required resolution: dpi Color mode: RGB or CMYK? Follow the guidelines & your data will look the best! Instructions to authors

3. 3. Abstract/Summary - Word limit (150 to 300 words usually) - Structured or not? 4. Acknowledgments - Who & what to include 5. References - Journal specific format! Instructions to authors

Format of References: Journal #1 (AJTM&H) 1 Michaels E, Bunyan DJP, Charlesworth JM Jr, Black JM III, Global mapping: lymphatic filariasis in perspective. Parasitol Today 11: Journal #2 (EID) (1) Michaels E, Bunyan DJP, Charlesworth JM Jr, Black JM III. Global mapping: lymphatic filariasis in perspective. Parasitol Today. 2004;11: Use Endnote TM software Instructions to authors

Questions? Ask editors! “Your website says figures must be 300 dpi BUT the latest issue of the paper journal says 600 dpi. Which one do you prefer?” the editors! …and thank them for their help

Journal Impact Factor 2007 impact factor = A/B A = the number of times articles published in were cited in indexed journals during 2007 B = the number of articles, reviews, proceedings or notes published in The 2007 impact factor could only be published in 2008, since it could not be calculated until all of the 2007 publications had been received