Manuscript Submission

We encourage authors to submit manuscripts as e-mail attachments to the Editorial Office at: sumroc@sumroc.org.tw

If you are unable to submit your manuscript by e-mail, you may submit it on a 3.5" floppy disk or CD-R and post it, together with 4 hard copies of your manuscript (that match the disk file exactly) and a cover letter (that includes your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address), to:

Editorial Office
Journal of Medical Ultrasound The Chinese Taipei Society of Ultrasound in Medicine
Room 203, Jin-Fu Building
1, Chang-Te Street
Taipei 10016
Taiwan.

If there are figures, please also enclose 4 sets of the original figures to the Editorial Office at the above address. They will not be returned.

Manuscript file requirements
• The complete manuscript should be in one Microsoft Word document (*.doc) file. The manuscript should include the following: title page, abstract, key words, main text, acknowledgments, references, tables and table headings, and figure legends.
• Each figure should be submitted as a separate high resolution picture file, in *.EPS or *.TIFF format. Please ensure that files are supplied at the correct resolution of a minimum of 600 dpi.

Previous Publication/Duplicate Submission

Submitted manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format (except in abstract or poster form) and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

All authors are required to sign and submit the following financial disclosure statement at the time of manuscript submission:

I certify that all my affiliations with or financial involvement in, within the past 5 years and foreseeable future, any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript are completely disclosed (e.g. employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, royalties).

Authors who have no relevant financial interests should provide a statement indicating that they have no financial interests related to the material in the manuscript.

Basic Criteria

Articles should be written in English (using American English spelling) and meet the following basic criteria: the material is original, the information is important, the writing is clear (clinical or laboratory jargon is to be avoided), the study methods are appropriate, the data are valid, and the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data.

Article Categories

Original Articles
These may be randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, cohort studies, costeffectiveness analyses, case-control studies, and surveys with high response rates, that represent new and significant contributions to ultrasonography. Each manuscript should state the objective/hypothesis, design and methods (including the study setting and dates, patients/participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, or data sources and how these were selected for the study), the essential features of any interventions, the main outcome measures, the main results, discussion placing the results in context with the published literature, and conclusions. Section headings should be: Abstract, Introduction, Materials (or Patients) and Methods, Results, Discussion.

Case Series
A case series is a paper that describes a group of cases or particular observations with unique imaging features or involving interventional procedures never before reported. Case series are usually retrospective and not associated with extensive statistical analysis.

Case Reports
These are short discussions of a case or cases with unique features not previously described. Section headings should be: Abstract, Introduction, Case Report(s), Discussion.

Review Articles These should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject related to ultrasonography, and should be systematic and critical assessments of literature and data sources. All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, application, and tests or outcomes. All articles or data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion in the review and critically evaluated. Figures, tables, algorithms and other forms of illustration should be included as appropriate. An abstract is required.

Brief Communications
These manuscripts are short and concise presentations (1000- 2000 words) of clinical or technical notes, evaluations or preliminary experimental results. A new method, procedure, technology, or treatment with a practical approach may be described, or a recommendation for improving scanning may be presented, with a description of how the technique should be implemented, detailing the technique's limitations, and explaining why the technique is important and how it will enhance clinical practice. An abstract is required, and the manuscript may be prepared according to the format of original articles.

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the editor are welcome in response to previously published content or correspondence in the Journal of Medical Ultrasound, or to present your views on a particular subject in ultrasound. It may include some review of the literature in making a point, although it is clearly an opinion piece rather than a review of the subject. Letters to the editor should be objective, constructive and educational. The editors reserve the right to edit any letter received.

Pictorial Essay
The message in a pictorial essay is contained in the images presented. The text is short (about 1000 words, with no more than 20 references), but the figure legends are key. No introduction, methods or discussion sections are required as the message is conveyed through unique, exceptional and timely ultrasound images.

Manuscript Preparation
Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, updated in February 2006 by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and available at: http://www.icmje.org/index.html.

Text should be typed double-spaced on one side of A4 (297 x 210 mm) paper. Pages should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numbers, beginning with the title page. Each section of the manuscript should begin on a new page.

Manuscripts should be prepared in the simplest form possible. We will add in the correct font, font size, margins and so on according to our house style. You may use automatic page numbering, but please do NOT use other kinds of automatic formatting such as footnotes, endnotes, headers and footers.

While the following instructions are for original articles, they apply generally to other article categories also.

Title Page
The title page is the first page and must contain the following information:
• category of paper
• manuscript title
• short running title not exceeding 50 characters
• the names (spelled out in full) of all the authors and their institutions
• corresponding author details (e-mail, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)

Abstract
The second page should contain a concise abstract and up to 5 relevant key words in alphabetical order for the purposes of cross-indexing. Abstracts should be structured, with the section headings:
• Background: briefly explain the importance of the study topic and state a precise study question or purpose
• Materials (or Patients) and Methods: briefly introduce the methods used to perform the study; include information on the study design, setting, subjects, interventions, outcome measures and analyses as appropriate
• Results: briefly present the significant results, with data and statistical details where appropriate; check that information in the abstract matches that in the main text
• Conclusion: state the meaning of your findings concisely, being careful to address the study question directly and to confine your conclusions to aspects covered in the abstract; give equal emphasis to positive and negative findings
• Key Words: these should be taken from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus ( http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html)

Abstracts for Case Reports are unstructured, but should nevertheless include information on the background of the report, methods, results (or case report), and conclusion.

Main Text
The main text should begin on the third page and, for most original articles, should include the following sections: Introduction, Materials (or Patients) and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Subheadings in long papers are acceptable if needed for clarification and ease of reading.

The Introduction should address the subject of the paper. The Materials and Methods section should identify the population, patient samples or animal specimens used, explain the laboratory or study methods followed, and state the statistical procedures employed in the research. Any statements of informed consent or ethical treatment of animals should also be included in this section (see below). The Results section should include pertinent findings and necessary tables and figures. The Discussion should contain conclusions based on the findings of the study, a review of the relevant literature, a discussion of the application of the conclusions and implications for future research or clinical applications. Following the Discussion, Acknowledgments may be given. Those acknowledged should not include secretarial, clerical or technical staff whose participation was limited to the performance of their normal duties.

Ethical Approval of Studies and Informed Consent
For human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee approval is required, and such approval should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed (World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Available at: http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/17c.pdf).

For investigations of human subjects, state explicitly in the methods section of the manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all participating adult subjects and from parents or legal guardians for minors or incapacitated adults, together with the manner in which informed consent was obtained (i.e. oral or written).

Identification of Patients in Descriptions, Photographs, and Pedigrees
A signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees should be obtained from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified (including by the patients themselves) in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees, and should be submitted with the manuscript. Such persons should be shown the manuscript before its submission. Omitting data or making data less specific to deidentify patients is acceptable, but changing any such data is not acceptable.

Funding/Support and Conflicts of Interest
All financial and material support for the research and the work should be clearly and completely identified in an Acknowledgments in the manuscript. Ensure that any conflicts of interest are explicitly declared.

Abbreviations
Where a term/definition will be continually referred to, it must be written in full, followed by the subsequent abbreviation in brackets, when it first appears in the text. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used.

Units
Please use Système International (SI) units for all hematologic and clinical chemistry measurements. Blood pressure values should be reported in mmHg. The metric system should be used for the expression of length, height, weight, mass, area and volume. Temperatures are to be given in degrees Celsius.

Drug Names
Use the Recommended International Non-proprietary Name for medicinal substances, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.

Tables
Tables should be labeled in Arabic numerals and titled concisely. Number all tables in the order of their citation in the text. Tables should be typed double-spaced in as simple a form as possible. The following symbols (in order of appearance) should be used for items that require footnotes:*,†, ‡, §, ||, ¶, #, **, ††, ‡‡.

Figures

The number of figures should be restricted to the minimum necessary to support the textual material. Figures should be labeled in Arabic numerals in the order of their citation in the text. Figure legends should indicate the anatomic area and/or pathologic condition shown. For photomicrographs, include the type of specimen, original magnification, and stain. All symbols and abbreviations not defined in the text should be defined in the legend.

Each figure should be submitted as a separate high resolution picture file, in *.EPS or *.TIFF format. Please ensure that files are supplied at the correct resolution of a minimum of 600 dpi.

If you are not submitting your manuscript by e-mail, then please post 4 sets of the original figures to the Editorial Office. They will not be returned. The figures should be in the form of unmounted, unretouched glossy prints (about 3 x 5 inches in size), and marked on the back with the figure number, an arrow to indicate the top of the figure, and the first author's name, using a soft lead pencil or stickon labels. Patient identification should be obscured. Do not mark directly on the prints. Indicators/arrows and labels may be marked on a photocopy of the original print to indicate subtle but salient points. Include internal scale markers in photomicrographs and electron micrographs. Illustrations should be drawn with black ink on white paper and should preferably be done by a professional illustrator. Arrows and other symbols must be of professional quality and of a size permitting some reduction in the final copy.

Personal Communications and Unpublished Data
A signed statement of permission should be included from each individual identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data; the date of communication and whether the communication was written or oral should be specified.

References
• Each reference citation within the main body of the text should be enclosed in square brackets, not a superscript.
• References must be numbered consecutively in order of appearance in the text, and listed in number order in the reference list: do not alphabetize.
• References cited in tables or figure legends should be included in sequence at the point where the table or figure is first mentioned in the text.
• Abstracts should not be cited unless the abstract is the only available reference to an important concept.
• Do not cite uncompleted work or work that has not yet been accepted for publication as references.
• Abbreviations for journals should conform to those used in Index Medicus.
• References should include the complete title of the article and the last names and initials of all the authors up to 3. If there are more than 3 authors, include the last names and initials of the first 3 authors followed by "et al".
• Always give the last page number as well. If there is only 1 page, state if the article is an abstract or letter.
• If citing information from a website, please provide the author information, article title, the website address and the date you accessed the information.
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

Examples are given below.

Journal articles:
1. Park SB, Kim JK, Cho KS. Imaging findings of a primary bilateral testicular carcinoid tumor associated with carcinoid syndrome. J Ultrasound Med 2006;25:413-6.
2. Ueno M. Evaluation of blood flow by color Doppler sonography in free jejunal interposition grafts between the hypopharynx and esophagus after radical pharyngoesophagectomy.J Med Ultrasound 2004;12:82-5.
3. Lin ZY, Chen SC, Hsieh MY, et al. Incidence and clinical significance of spontaneous intrahepatic portosystemic venous shunts detected by sonography in adults without potential cause. J Clin Ultrasound 2006;34:22-6.
4. Matsuoka H. Paradoxical brain embolism. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 2005;45:849-51. [In Japanese]

Books: 1. Kremkau FW. Diagnostic Ultrasound: Principles and Instruments, 6th edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2002.
2. Scheerer LJ, Bartolucci L. Ultrasound evaluation of the cervix. In: Callen PW. Ultrasonography in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 4th edition. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2000: 577-96.

Editorial and Peer Review

Submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editorial Board, whose members will determine which articles will be considered for publication based on their scientific merit, readability and interest. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication are rejected promptly. Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to authors unless requested. All other manuscripts are sent to 2 or more expert consultants for peer review.

Preparation for Publication

Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, the authors should submit the FINAL VERSION of their manuscript (in MS Word format) by e-mail (ctsum@sumroc.org.tw) or by post to the Editorial Office (save manuscript on 3.5" floppy disk or CD-R; enclose 2 paper copies of the manuscript that match the disk file exactly, and a cover letter that includes your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail).

All persons listed as authors should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content, and should have made substantial contributions to all of the following aspects of the work: (a) conception and design; (b) analysis and interpretation of the data; (c) drafting the article or revising it critically for intellectual content; and (d) final approval of the version to be published. These points should be stated in the cover letter. If six or more authors are listed, the specific contributions of each should be described in the cover letter.

Authors are responsible for obtaining consent from human subjects and the local ethics board or institutional review board (IRB), and such consent should be noted in the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript.

Accepted manuscripts are presented to the Publisher to be copyedited according to the house style. Galley proofs are returned to the corresponding author for final approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor and authorized by the corresponding author. Authors must sign a statement of authorship responsibility and copyright transfer prior to publication of their paper. This form will be provided by the Publisher, together with the galley proofs.

Reprints

Authors receive 50 offprints of their articles free of charge. Additional professional reprints may be ordered at terms based on the cost of production. A reprint order form is provided by the Publisher, together with the galley proofs.

Copyright

Published manuscripts become the permanent property of the Publisher, Elsevier, and the Chinese Taipei Society of Ultrasound in Medicine, and may not be published elsewhere, in any media or translated into another language, without written permission.