| | A. Aims and Scope
Medical Dosimetry aims to publish articles that will enhance the overall knowledge of the medical dosimetrist.
Articles are published from the point of view not only of dosimetrists, but also of medical physicists, radiation oncologists, radiologic
technologists, and other specialists. Therefore, submissions to Medical Dosimetry must concern subject matter relevant to the
common field of medical dosimetry. Content should add to or improve the working knowledge of a medical dosimetrist or to the field of
radiation oncology in general. Articles that do not meet these requirements will be deemed out of scope and returned without review.
B. Maintenance of Profile
It is the responsibility of the Author to assure all contact and personal information is current
in his/her user profile. Medical Dosimetry will not assume responsibility for obtaining updated contact information for any
Author. Manuscripts for which the listed Corresponding Author's information is invalid will be automatically assigned a status of "withdrawn."
Failure to maintain user profiles may result in rejection of the manuscript, even after an acceptance has been issued, when a communication
pathway for correspondence with the journal is required and determined by the Editor-in-Chief to be unavailable.
C. Rights of Co-Authors
Even though persons may have been a part of a research endeavor, they may not attest to the data being transmitted into the
scientific mainstream with their name attached to it. Conversely, if the researcher was a major part of the work conducted, there should
be consideration to include them as an author of the manuscript or in the Acknowledgements section. These two possibilities are to be
decided upon by the Corresponding Author, who is solely responsible for every component of the manuscript submitted. The Journal does
not endorse or protect authors from failure to comply with copyright laws or litigation related to publication and research credit.
The Corresponding Author shall always provide ample time for Co-authors to discuss and edit the manuscript both prior to initial submission,
after every revision required, and throughout publication production processes. It is recommended that complete communication be provided
to each co-author. This includes updates on submission review status and comments from the Associate Editor and/or Reviewers.
D. Prior Publication
The submission of a manuscript with the exact same words or general premises as that of another document is
plagiarism. Authors do not have the right under any circumstances to try to double-publish any information or phrasing whatsoever in
an article submitted to Medical Dosimetry. Although it is rare, such acts have been identified within the journal on different
levels. The most common motive behind these types of publications involves academic advancement by increasing their professional productivity
(Benos DJ, Fabres J, Farmer J, et al. Ethics and scientific publication. Advan Physiol Edu 2005;29:59-74). Authors are strongly recommended
to review the types of plagiarism below, to become familiar with unacceptable practice histories, in order to avoid actions taken by
the journal or through copyright litigation from other authors or researchers.
Often, plagiarism is identified on a minor level where
the occurrence is when the authors were found to plagiarize words from their own prior published works. Regardless of whether or not
the two documents are from the same author(s), it is an unacceptable practice occurrence. Plagiarism also comes in the form of inadequate
referencing or quoting the conclusions of published papers without a link to authorship. This is a more common situation. However, it
is a more serious problem for the author, because it involves other authors with copyright protected publications already in press. From
this standpoint, the issue is less of a conflict professionally if it is caught during the review or editing process, because it would
not have been published yet.
Given the possibility of an article submission to take on a form of redundancy (repetitive ideas of the
same author), duplication (double-publishing) or plagiarism (copying), such instances may result in swift and direct action, possibly
prohibition from further submissions to the Journal altogether.Medical Dosimetry and the AAMD do not tolerate plagiarism or
any misrepresentation of original work. Authors found in violation of this position will be barred from further submissions to the Journal.
This is a risk for not only the Corresponding Author, but to all other Co-authors on the identified manuscript as well.
E. General
Category of Articles
- 1. Articles Category:
- a. Dosimetry Contribution
- b. Medical Physics Contribution
- c. Clinical Radiation Oncology Contribution
It is recognized that radiation oncology is a specialty that uniquely integrates
different professional aspects. As such, it is natural that many manuscripts will incorporate elements of each of the former categories.
Therefore, the Corresponding Author should identify the predominant theme of the manuscript and submit it under that category.
Dosimetry
Contribution:
The theme of an article submitted as a Dosimetry Contribution should indicate how theory is translated
into practical implementation for use by the medical dosimetrist.
-
Examples:
- use of treatment planning involved
in the research process
- how new technology can be incorporated into practical treatment delivery or planning
- implementation
and use of new techniques
Medical Physics Contribution
The theme of an article submitted as a Medical
Physics Contribution should predominantly address radiation oncology related physics theory, quality assurance, and/or subject matter
that pertains to the function of a medical physicist working in radiation oncology.
-
Examples:
- machine or
beam characteristics
- algorithm development or their implementation
- analysis of models (physical or biological)
-
quality assurance mechanics, control practices, or techniques
Clinical Radiation Oncology Contribution:
The theme of an article submitted as a Clinical Contribution should predominantly address how a class of patients responds to a particular
treatment or technique.
-
Examples:
- use of tumor dose limits for better tumor treatment
- biological
motivation or changes in outcomes due to the use of new treatment or simulation approaches
- dose-related response characteristics
2. Article Type
Submissions may be in the form of a (a) Research Article , (b) Review Article, (c) Case Study, (d),Technical
Note, (e), Didactic Note, or (f) Letter to the Editor. For length estimation, a rule of thumb is to divide the double-spaced manuscript
text by 3 and the number of figures/tables by 4 to estimate the total count of resulting printed pages.
- a. A Research
Article is a report of original experimental or theoretical research. Authors should keep in mind that attention to clarity and conciseness
facilitates the review process and also the impact of the published article. Limit: 10 journal pages.
b. A Review Article
is an authoritative review of a subject important to the field of radiation oncology. It may be either invited or proffered. In either
case, the review process will be employed. Limit: 10 journal pages.
c. A Case Study is a concise description of
a technique, procedure, clinical implementation, or clinical patient-related complication of relevance to the practice of medical dosimetry.
Appropriate for this article type are "tricks-of-the-trade," helpful hints to solve a specific problem, or "how-tos" on application to
clinical practice. Limit: 3 journal pages.
d. A Technical Note is a brief description of a specific new development,
procedure, or use of a device that offers a solution to a current specific problem and has sufficient relevance to be useful to many
readers of Medical Dosimetry. Limit: 3 journal pages.
e. A Didactic Note is a short explanation of technical
or clinical concepts that are specifically relevant to the practice and understanding of medical dosimetry. The Didactic Note may still
present some newly measured data or a new derivation of some kind, but this must be done with pedagogic purpose in mind. These submissions
should contain a brief introduction that explains why clarification of the topic is necessary. Limit: 4 journal pages.
f.
A Letter to the Editor is a brief response to a published article of general interest to readers. It may be either invited or
proffered. Letter must reference Medical Dosimetry articles no older than two issues from the last published volume. Limit:
1 journal page.
Manuscripts are normally reviewed by an Associate Editor and by one or more independent Reviewers chosen
by the Associate Editor. Upon submission, the Editor-in-Chief and/or Associate Editor will determine whether the topic is relevant and
should proceed through the review process. The Associate Editor will determine whether the article is appropriate for the category as
stated by the Corresponding Author. The article may be rejected at this point or returned to the Corresponding Author with suggestions
on how it would be more appropriate for a category and type. Reviewer comments are requested to be both general and specific. It is important
for the Corresponding Author to respond to each specific comment or suggestion in an itemized fashion after apprising all Co-authors
of the communications from the journal office.
All correspondence is to be carried solely by the Corresponding Author. The Corresponding
Author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals included as Co-authors have: (1) made substantial contributions to conception
and design, and/or acquisition of data, and/or analysis, and/or interpretation of data; (2) drafted the article and/or revised it critically
for important intellectual content, and (3) given final approval of the version to be published. All Co-authors should meet conditions
(1), (2) and (3). The Corresponding Author is also responsible for ensuring that no legitimate Co-authors have been omitted. For submissions
where the first author of a paper is a student or fellow, the Corresponding Author should be an experienced scientist with supervisory
responsibilities.
Corresponding Author are responsible for ensuring that manuscripts are written in clear English. For a list of
companies that can offer language editing services, please see  http://www.elsevier.com/languagepolishing. If English is
not the first language of the Corresponding Author, he or she should seek help from a colleague for whom English is the first language
to review and edit the paper before its initial submission. Articles that do not strictly adhere to the submission guidelines and
format will be returned without review.
The word "significant" should be used in a manuscript only in a statistical context and
should be accompanied by the results of a statistical analysis. It should not be used as a modifying adjective. As specified below, for
specific article types, it may be necessary to explain the use of statistics in more detail than usual.
Submission of Manuscripts
should be done through the Medical Dosimetry submission and review website ( http://ees.elsevier.com/meddos ). Authors
are requested to submit the text, tables, and artwork in electronic form at this site. In an accompanying letter, Corresponding Authors
should attest that the manuscript has not been published previously, has not been concurrently submitted or being published elsewhere.
Please note that an editable file is needed for production purposes, so text files are to be uploaded as Word (.doc) files, not as Portable
Document Format (PDF) files.
Corresponding Authors are requested to include a Cover Letter (saved as a separate file for upload),
the body manuscript, tables, and figures, as well as any ancillary materials. Files should be labeled with file names according to the
following format:
- - Text.doc
- Fig1.tif
- Table1.doc
No names shall be used. This is a double-blind
journal review process. The Corresponding Author does not know the Reviewer and the Reviewer does not know the Corresponding Author.
This prevents their contact, bias or favoritism. The Corresponding Author may compress multiple figure files into a Zip file and upload
them in a single step. The journal's web system will then unpack the files and prompt you to name each figure.
Artwork files should
be submitted in separate files in EPS or TIF format, at minimum resolution of 300 dpi (halftones) or 1,000 dpi (line art). Complete instructions
for electronic artwork design and submission can be found through Elsevier at http://www.elsevier.com/artwork.
All artwork
submitted in color will be published in color in the online version of the article, at no charge to the author. Figures will appear in
black and white in the printed journal unless the author agrees to bear the cost of print color reproduction.
When a revision is called
for, Corresponding Authors will have three (3) months within which to submit their revision. If a revision is not submitted, the submission
will be archived and rejected without further processing. For all revisions, the manuscript will be assigned a new manuscript number
and considered as a new submission to the Journal. It is likely that the same Associate Editor and Reviewers will handle the revision(s).
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
- A. Style: Authors are expected to follow the conventional writing, notation, and illustration
style prescribed in the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Style Manual. A free copy is available by clicking on the link provided ( http://www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/toc.html
). Authors are encouraged to gain familiarization with the journal's form and style by reviewing recent issues of Medical Dosimetry.
The order of information should be provided as follows: title with the first word capitalized, authors' names, authors' affiliations,
abstract, text, acknowledgments, appendixes (if necessary), collected references in the order in which they are cited, tables each with
a caption, collected figure captions, and figures. Some additional highlights are summarized below.
B. Title Page: The title
should be brief and specific. The title page should contain the title, Corresponding Author and Co-authors, as well as institutions and
addresses for each. If the paper was presented at a meeting, the name of the organization, place, and date of the meeting should be listed.
Provide the Corresponding Author's full mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
C. Abstract: An
abstract must accompany every article (except for a Letter to the Editor). The abstract should not exceed 300 words for the following
article types.
D. Keywords:
Up to 4 keywords should be chosen that capture the topic and subject matter addressed in the article. These keywords are used for bibliographic
searching and indexing and should be chosen thoughtfully.
E. Format: Manuscripts must be in English and must be submitted
through the journal website. Hard copy submissions are not accepted. All pages of the manuscript must be double spaced, 12 point Times
New Roman font on 8½ x 11 inch (21.6 x 27.9 cm) paper with 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins.
F. Every article (except letters to the
editor) must include an Introduction section that identifies the background and subject matter in the article, describing why it is important
to address.
G. Mathematics: Do not use mathematical derivations that are easily found elsewhere in the literature unless
a Didactic Note is being submitted. Merely cite the references.
H. Tables: Extensive numerical material should be presented
in tables rather than in the body of the text. Each table must have a caption that makes the data in the table intelligible without reference
to the text. Complicated column headings should be avoided, but symbols used in the tables should be in the caption. Long tables should
be avoided if possible. Footnotes to tables should be indicated by lower case letters in the following order: *,†, ‡,
#, ||, §, **. Tables should not include extensive detail that could be included in the main manuscript. Tables should
be numbered using Arabic numerals starting from 1.
I. Permissions: If a table or figure has been previously published, the
manuscript should include a credit line and the Corresponding Author should include a permission letter from the original publisher.
J. References: References should be assigned consecutive numbers as they occur in the body of the text. They should also be
listed in the same order on a separate sheet. Titles of articles, complete lists of authors, and inclusive pagination must be included.
References must be in the accessible, archival literature. Private communications and commercial identifications and manuals are not
appropriate for the reference list, but can be identified as parenthetical references within the text. A minimum of 10 references should
be cited for all submissions with the exception of Case Reports, Technical Notes, and Letters to the Editor. For these two, no more than
10 references are permitted. References should be submitted in the following formats:
Journal:
1. Ling, C.C.; Spiro,
I.J.; Mitchell, J.; Stickler, R. The variation of OER with dose rate. Int. J. Radiat. Oncol. Biol. Phys. 11:1367-1373; 1985.
Book:
2. Bentel, G.C.; Nelson, C.E.; Noel, K.T. Treatment planning and dose calculation in radiation oncology. 3d ed. Elmsford,
NY: Pergamon Press; 1986.
Chapter in Edited Book:
3. Marks, J.E.; Lee, F. Irradiation techniques for head and neck cancer.
In: Levitt, S.H.; Tapley, N.V., editors. Technological basis of radiation therapy: practical clinical applications. Philadelphia: Lea
and Febinger; 1984:116-119.
Note: Any manuscript that does not fulfill all of the formatting requirements will be returned
to the Corresponding Author without review.
Updated January 2010
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