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AAAOM Author Guidelines:

The American Acupuncturist is an international journal focused on the evolving field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine. The journal welcomes papers on all aspects of acupuncture and Oriental medicine including original research, education, clinical practice, case studies, meta-analyses, business practice, policy, ethics, law, history and culture, nomenclature, translation, and related disciplines.  All articles submitted to the journal are subject to expert and editorial board review.  The American Acupuncturist is indexed by CINAHL. CINAHL provides indexing for 1,835 journals covers nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines. The American Acupuncturist has a circulation of more than 18,000 in printed form.

Online Submission and Editorial Response

Manuscripts must be submitted online using the following URL: http://www.aaaomonline.org/45100.asp

Many factors influence which articles are chosen for The American Acupuncturist.  All articles receive an initial review and will be passed on for more detailed evaluation if accepted. We do our best to afford authors a timely response to articles submitted.

Statement of Original Work

The American Acupuncturist generally does not publish papers that have been submitted or published elsewhere. Special consideration, however, may be made for articles originally published in another language or outside the United States.  Specify the publication status on the title page.

NOTE: All accepted manuscripts, artwork, and photographs become the property of the publisher and cannot be returned. Once material is published in The American Acupuncturist, it becomes the copyrighted property of the AAAOM. Written permission must be obtained from the AAAOM to publish in other journals. Copyright reverts to the author one year following publication in The American Acupuncturist, but AAAOM retains all rights to reprint in any media format.

Please take time to review these guidelines below before submitting your article.  Authors who do not follow these guidelines may have their submissions rejected without further review.

Title Page 

The title page should include the full title. All authors should be listed by full name, degrees, and affiliations. Include mailing address, fax and telephone number, and e-mail address of the primary contact.   

Author(s) Bio Information

Biographies of authors and co-authors must not exceed 100 words each. This information must be placed at end of the article, following the references and/or endnotes.

Abstract 

An abstract, if appropriate, should be provided and can include information on: background, objective, design, setting, patients (or subjects), intervention, main outcome measures, results, and conclusions. Limit this section to 250 words.

Key Words

Following the abstract, provide  NO MORE THAN 5 key words (preferably Medical Subject Heading terms(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/mesh.html) to assist indexers and researchers using electronic databases such as MEDLINE.

Format

The suggested journal format follows the International Community of Medical Journal Editor (ICMJE) guidelines, found at:  http://www.icmje.org/

The text should be double-spaced, in 12 point font, with margins set at one inch on all sides.  Remember to do a spell-check and please confirm the spelling of all technical terms and names.  All parts of the manuscript should be in an electronic format (preferably Microsoft Word).

Suggested Length

Manuscript length varies.  For original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses we recommend that articles do not exceed 3500 words, though longer works may be considered. For pilot studies, case reports, and other original work 1000-1500 words is suggested, and for book reviews and research letters, 750-1000 words. 

Writing a Case Studies Article

The American Acupuncturist welcomes articles about case studies. Please read "Writing a Case Report" by S. P. Vinjamury, MD, MAOM, MPH(c) and model your article after this format.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should not be embedded in the text, but included as separate sheets or files as Word files. The authors should indicate the desired placement of tables and figures in the text (i.e., "place Figure 1 here"). A short descriptive title should appear above each table with a clear legend and any end notes suitably identified below. All units of measurement must be included. Figures should be completely labeled, taking into account necessary size reduction. Captions should be typed, double-spaced, on a separate sheet. All original figures should be indicated clearly. Do NOT use Power Point; use only Microsoft Word Tables format or Excel.

Figures reprinted from other sources must be acknowledged in the legend, and permission to use must be obtained by the author(s). The legend should be submitted as part of the text and not typed on the actual figure. Clearly identify all symbols and abbreviations, and explain scales if necessary. Any other explanatory information should be given in the legend.

Please name your artwork files with the submitting authors name, i.e. SmithFig1.tif, SmithTable2.tif, etc.

Endnotes

Endnotes should be noted in numerical order (do not use Roman numerals, use superscript numbers) within the text and then placed at the end of the manuscript, preceding the references. Do NOT use footnotes; they cannot be adapted to the format for the printed issue.

References

Within the text, citations should be cited by author(s) and date in parentheses.  In the reference section of the paper, the corresponding full citations are required and should be arranged alphabetically, per examples provided below.

For further reference information, consult the NLM style guide: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=citmed.TOC&depth=2

Avoid citing “personal communications” unless they provide essential information; do not list them in the references but place them parenthetically in the text. Authors should obtain permission from the source of such communications and indicate the date they occurred and whether the communication was oral or written. Also include the first initial, surname, and degree of the source. See examples below.

Required Format:

CITING PRINT RESOURCES- EXAMPLES

Internet References:

From http://nnlm.gov/archive/20061114111119/netcite.html

Articles in Journals or Other Periodicals:

Tong, Vincent; Abbott, Frank S.; Mbofana, Salome; Walker, Michael J. In vitro investigation of the hepatic extraction of RSD1070, a novel antiarrhythmic compound. Journal of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences [Internet]. 2001 [cited 2001 May 3]; 4(1):15-23. Available from: http://www.ualberta.ca/~csps/JPPS4(1)/F.Abbott/RSD1070.pdf

Nomenclature and Abbreviations

Authors must conform to the standard nomenclature for medical acupuncture, listed at the end of these instructions. As a general rule, use only these abbreviations and those easily recognizable in the literature. The full term should appear at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Standard units of measure are acceptable to abbreviate without expansion. When discussing particular products, it is preferable to use the nonproprietary (generic) name or descriptive term throughout. If desired, the brand name can be included parenthetically at first mention.

Pinyin is the standard for Romanization. Chinese terms should not be capitalized but rather italicized, e.g., not Qi, but qi, not Shen, but shen. Chinese texts should be referred to by pinyin name and common English translation, e.g., Su Wen (Plain Questions).

Acupuncture points should be referred to using pinyin name and point number, e.g., Zusanli ST-36.

Use the following prefixes for point numbers:

Herb names should start with the italicized pinyin followed by the binomial pharmaceutical Latin in parenthesis, e.g., huang qi (Radix Astragali), mai men dong (Tuber Ophiopogonis japonici).

Herbal prescriptions should give the pinyin name first followed by the English name used in Formulas and Strategies (Eastland Press), e.g., Wu Ling San (Five Ingredient Powder with Poria).

Illustrations

Illustrations submitted (line drawings, halftones, photos, photomicrographs, etc.) should be clean originals or digital files. Digital files are recommended for highest quality reproduction and should follow these guidelines:

• 300 dpi or higher
• sized to fit on journal page
• EPS, TIFF, or PSD format only
• submitted as separate files, not embedded in text files

We can accept photographs and material for scanning via electronic transfer or medium. If tables, charts, etc. are to be included it is generally best if we produce the final version of these from your roughs.

Although The American Acupuncturist publishes articles in black and white, color illustrations will be considered for publication on a case-by-case basis; however, the author will be required to bear the full cost involved in their printing and publication. If accepted, color printing will be charged at the current rate. A custom quote will be provided for color art, with a letter of agreement delineating costs and the terms and conditions of publishing by both parties. Good-quality color prints or files should be provided in their final size. The publisher has the right to refuse publication of color prints deemed unacceptable.

Acknowledgements

At the end of the paper include a sentence or paragraph, when appropriate, acknowledging support for the work. This can include contributions that do not justify authorship, technical support, and financial and technical help. This is also an appropriate place to mention previous presentation (e.g., as an abstract or poster at a meeting). Relationships that may pose a conflict of interest should also be disclosed.

Authorship

All persons designated as authors must qualify for authorship through (a) conception, design, and/or analysis and interpretation of data; (b) writing or revising the manuscript for intellectual content. All authors must give final approval of the paper for publication. Contributors who do not meet these three criteria should be listed, with their permission, in an acknowledgement paragraph.

Informed Consent, Study Ethics Approval, and Subject Confidentiality

For controlled trial research of acupuncture, STRICTA standards are recommended (Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture), available online at www.ftcm.org.uk/stricta.htm.

When papers include reports of studies on human subjects, state in the Methods section that an appropriate review board or ethics committee approved the study. Authors who do not have formal ethics review committees should follow the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm.

In the Methods section, state that informed consent was obtained from subjects (specify oral or written).

In addition, there should be no identifying information in the submission unless it is essential for scientific purposes (in which case consent should be obtained). Masking the subjects’ eyes in photographs is often insufficient to protect their identity.

The principal author must state that if animals were used experimentally, permission was obtained from the appropriate committee(s), and that the animals were treated humanely and conforming to the standards of current ethical animal research practices.

AAAOM Board Policy on Endangered Species

The AAAOM strongly supports the production of Chinese herbal products that pose no risk to any endangered plant or animal species. Use of rare or endangered plants or animals is unsustainable and at odds with basic principles of harmony and balance, which are central to Oriental medicine philosophy. We applaud the producers and manufacturers who uphold these values, and we encourage our members to support them when purchasing herbs and other traditional medicines.

Financial Disclosure

All affiliations with, or financial involvement in, any entity with a financial interest in, or in competition with, the paper’s subject matter must be disclosed. This includes stock ownership, employment, consultancies, honoraria, grants, patents, and royalties.

Proofs and Reprints

Authors will be given the opportunity to approve or disapprove final copy for publishing and release. The corresponding author(s) will receive proofs, which should be reviewed and returned within 48 hours of receipt. Editorial article review is under the purview of the AAAOM editorial team. Copyright forms must be signed by the corresponding author(s) and returned with the page proofs to the publisher. Each author will receive two copies of The American Acupuncturist in which the article appears.

To purchase additional copies of The American Acupuncturist, please contact the AAAOM office at (866) 455-7999

Review and Approval

Contingent upon the backlog of submitted articles, review may take up to 60 days and, if selected, publishing may take up to one year from the date of approval. Authors of articles not selected for publication will be notified on or before the 60-day review period expires. Review critiques for rejected articles are not provided by the AA editorial staff, although articles can be granted provisional approval. Articles receiving provisional approval will be returned to the author with specific editorial suggestions. At the author’s discretion, provisional articles may be resubmitted for secondary review.

The American Acupuncturist is published by the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (AAAOM), PO Box 162340, Sacramento, CA 95816; Phone: 866-455-7999; Fax: 916-443-4766; Email: info@aaaomonline.org

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