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UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings

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Submission Guidelines

Instructions for Authors

The following information is provided to ensure timely peer-review and publication of your article. Failure to follow these guidelines may delay consideration and/or publication of your article.

Manuscript Types

The following are the types of manuscripts accepted for publication:

  • Case Reports | Case Series
  • Case Reports | Case Series with radiologic-pathologic correlation
  • Original Research
  • Technical Briefs
  • Review Articles
  • Clinical Updates
  • Pearls from the Workstation or Interventional Suite
  • Clinical Commentary

None

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS - New Submission

The following guidelines apply for all types of manuscripts. Please follow the additional instructions for the specific submission type as necessary.

Manuscript Organization and Content

Submit each of the following documents separately:

1. Cover Letter: Manuscript title, complete author list, description of any conflict of interest or funding/industry support for the work, and statement that this work will be published solely in UCLA Radiological Sciences Proceedings.

2. Manuscript file. Submit as a single document in the following order:

  • Full Title Page, including:
    • Manuscript title
    • All authors in order: list by first name, middle initial, last name, and academic degree.
    • Corresponding author: telephone number, email address, and complete address
    • Funding information: include granting agency and number (if applicable) or industry sponsor.
    • Manuscript type: original research, review, case report, case series, etc.
    • Word counts for abstract (if applicable) and main text, excluding references, tables, and figures
    • Keywords
    • Abbreviations
  • Abstract (where applicable): begin on separate page. See individual manuscript types for maximum word count.
  • Main text: begin on separate page. See individual manuscript types for required headings and subheadings.
  • Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate statement
  • Author contributions
  • Acknowledgements
  • References: begin on a separate page.
  • Figures: one per page in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Upload each figure or multi-part figure as individual TIF, PSD, or JPEG files
  • Tables: one per page in the order in which they appear in the manuscript.

3. Supplemental Materials (if any): may include figures, tables, or more detailed explanations that are not appropriate for the main text of the manuscript.

4. ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.

5. Faculty senior author attestation.

Text Formatting and Style

  • Text should be submitted as Office 2010 (or later) Microsoft Word format. Do not submit PDFs.
  • Text margins should be at least 0.7 inches.
  • Text should use 1.5 line spacing. Tables and References should be single-spaced.
  • Use the following fonts at 11 point: Arial, Calibri, or Times New Roman
  • Special, mathematical characters, and Greek letters should use the symbol font. Equations should be embedded where cited in the text.
  • Number the pages of the manuscript in the right margin of the footer.

Conflict of Interest and Financial Disclosure Policy

  • All authors are required to complete his or her own ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. These forms should be uploaded at submission by the corresponding author.
  • Authors should also include all financial support of the research and conflict of interest disclosures in the manuscript's accompanying Cover Letter.
    • Declare every author’s (use the authors’ initials) financial and non-financial potential influences that may undermine the objectivity, integrity, or perceived conflict of interest of the manuscript.
    • If you do not have any competing interests, provide the following statement "The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

Faculty Senior Author Attestation

Medical Students, Residents and Fellows who submit manuscripts, please have your Senior Faculty Author (usually the last author) sign via Adobe Acrobat the following attestation form and email to EFonacier@mednet.ucla.edu -- Downloadable here: https://uclahs.box.com/s/97h4jazefpvgnzrer2yc4bdqbt0zxeef

Manuscript Titles 

  • Avoid abbreviations unless they relate to the name of an entity that is best known by its acronym. In these cases expand the abbreviation in the abstract and at the first appearance in the text.3
  • Capitalize the first letter of each major word, including 2-letter verbs (“Is” or “Be”). Do not capitalize subsequent articles, prepositions of 3 or fewer letters, coordinating conjunctions, or the “to” in infinitives.3
  • Avoid shrewd and amusing titles; articles with these titles are cited less than articles with conventional scientific titles.4

Keywords

  • Submit a list of 3-5 keywords that represent the main content of the manuscript for its indexing and easy online retrieval.3
  • Use American spelling.
  • Avoid the use of general and plural terms and multiple concepts.5

Abbreviations

  • List and spell out all abbreviations that have been used in the manuscript.
  • Provide the expanded from of an abbreviation in lowercase letters (unless it is a proper noun or a formal name).
  • Avoid nonstandard abbreviations.
  • Do not use periods with honorifics or abbreviations (exceptions: “No.” for “number” and “St.” when it is part of a person’s name).1,3

Abstracts

  • Where applicable, the abstract should contain sufficient information to understand the main features and conclusions of the manuscript without additional information.3
  • The abstract is a summary of a manuscript; therefore, consider writing the abstract last.4
  • Do not repeat the title in the opening statement.
  • Ensure that all concepts and data mentioned in the abstract are also included in the text.
  • Avoid abbreviations unless they appear numerous times (otherwise spell them out at first mention).
  • Do not include any citations, references, URLs, figures, or tables or any information that is not present in the main text.
  • Avoid the use of proprietary or manufacturers’ names.3
  • Do not use the abstract as an introduction.4

References

  • References should begin on a separate page.
  • Please do NOT use reference software or the end notes/footnotes feature in Microsoft Word, as this causes problems during editing.
  • Use in-text references as often as applicable.
  • In the main text, references are numbered in parentheses as they appear. For example - “…has been shown to correlate with right ventricular dysfunction (3).”
  • On the reference page, list references in the order in which they are first mentioned in the manuscript.
  • Use the style of the National Library of Medicine, including journal abbreviations. For cited articles with up to five authors, list all authors. For references with more than five authors, include only the first three, adding “et al.”
  • Format for print articles:
    1. Smith LR, Johnson MG, Tyler PP, Gutierrez TL, Jones PM. Assessment of acute coronary syndrome using coronary CT angiography. N Engl J Med 2005; 14:616-623. doi: 10.1121/NEJMd070741
    2. Lawrence MK, Jones PB, Funkelstein AA, et al. Correlations between coronary CT angiography and catheter angiography. JAMA 2007; 21:1526-1533. doi: 5.1342 JAMAc52131
  • Format for online articles; follow the same citation format as for print articles with the addition of the date the article was accessed:
    1. Wilson CR, Sherritt L, Gates E, Knight JR. Are clinical impressions of adolescent substance use accurate? Pediatrics 2004; 114:e536-e540. doi:10.1542/peds.2004-0098. Published November 1, 2004. Accessed November 10, 2004.
  • Format for books; provide chapter authors, chapter title, editor(s), book title, edition, city and state, publisher, year, and specific pages. Include the complete page numbers for the citation (for example, 1537-1544 rather than 1537-44):
    1. Brown M, Gray L. Indications for hematology. In: Wintrobe MM, ed. Clinical Hematology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Febiger, 1975; 1146-1167.

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

  • This section is mandatory for all manuscripts. “After a manuscript has been submitted, if the editors determine that the information could result in recognition—even if only by the patient—they should ask the author to delete identifiable details and material.” 3
  • If the manuscript does not report about animal or human data or tissue, or the patient is sufficiently anonymized, or when publication is approved by the authors’ ethics committee or privacy officer, provide the statement “Not applicable” in this section.
  • Any patient who might be identified by their case description (even if only by the patient) should read the manuscript and must give written informed consent for the purpose of the publication:
  • Obtain the patient’s (or their parents/legal guardians or next-of-kin) informed consent for the manuscript to be published and place the consent in the patient’s chart.
  • In this section of the manuscript, provide the following statement: “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article and accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief of this journal.”
  • If written consent from a deceased patient’s next-of-kin could not be obtained, provide the following statement: “Written informed consent could not be obtained for publication of this article and accompanying images despite all reasonable attempts. Every effort has been made to protect the patient’s identity and there is no reason to believe that our patient would have objected to publication.”

Author Contributions

  • Describe each author’s (use authors’ initials) substantive intellectual contribution to the following:
    • conception and/or design of the work
    • data acquisition, analysis and interpretation
    • drafting the work and/or its substantial revision*
    • final approval of the version to be published
  • Include a statement that all listed authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work and in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
  • List all other contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship (persons who provided technical, writing,* general, administrative and other types of support) in an Acknowledgment section (see below)

*DGSOM Faculty, staff, and trainees who author manuscripts submitted to the journal are responsible for all professional content that may never be ghostwritten.

Figures

  • Submit every image separately in the order in which it appears in the manuscript and without letter markers (eg, a, b, c) on the image.
  • Each figure requires a title and figure legend.
  • Capitalize each major word in a figure title.
  • Identify in the figure title the specific topic and data presented in the figure.
  • Where applicable, include relevant aspects of the patient’s condition in the figure title.
  • Describe necessary details of imaging modalities (eg, equipment, view, imaging protocol) in the figure legend.
  • Provide arrows, arrowheads, asterisks, or other markers to indicate every described part of an image.
  • Define all symbols, indicators, line styles, colors, and abbreviations in a figure legend.
  • Where applicable, describe in the figure legend as many imaging characteristics of the patient’s condition as possible to make the figure comprehensible without undue reference to, or being overly duplicative, of the text.

Tables

  • Submit each table one per page in the order in which they appear in the manuscript.
  • Tables should be single spaced.
  • Each table is numbered and has a short, descriptive title. The table number and title appear at the top of the table.
  • Define all abbreviations in the table in the bottom footnotes of the table.

Acknowledgments

  • List all non-author collaborators and other contributors who provided technical, general, administrative and other types of support.
  • Consider acknowledging (anonymously) the patient on whom the case report is based.
  • Obtain permission to acknowledge from everyone mentioned in this section. If you do not have anyone to acknowledge, write "Not applicable" in this section.1,3,7

Revised Manuscript

When submitting a revised manuscript in response to reviewer/editor comments, the following are required:

  • A point-by-point response letter specifying how each of the comments has been addressed.
  • Annotated version of the manuscript: Use Track Changes to identify revisions or deletions. 
    • If references, tables, or figures have been moved, added, or deleted in revision, renumber them to reflect such changes and correspondingly revise the reference to them in the main text.
  • Clean version of the revised manuscript.
  • Upload of each individual figure in TIF, EPS, AI, or PSD file format.

Contact Us

For inquiries about the preparation and/or status of a submission, please contact us at:

RSProceedings@mednet.ucla.edu

The following section provides more explicit information on each article type

Case Reports

Case reports are intended to contribute to medical knowledge, have educational value, and typically describe common presentations of important rare conditions or important unusual presentations of common problems. They convey clear, practical lessons relevant to a general audience. Examples of types of case reports:

  • Unreported or unusual appearances of a particular disease or condition
  • New associations or variations in disease processes.
  • Presentations, diagnoses and/or management of uncommon or emerging diseases.
  • An unexpected association between diseases or symptoms.
  • An unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient.
  • Findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect.

Word Count

Total 1500 words.

Number of Authors

Maximally 4

Reference Limit

Maximum 10

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 3 (Includes images, charts, graphs and tables)

Title

  • Add “A Case Report” or “Case Reports” to the title. This will include the title in one of the 6 searchable article type categories used by JAMA Network journals online.3

Abstract

  • Include an unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words.

Case Presentation

  • This section should provide an objective, concise, and chronological description of all relevant details of the case to help the reader establish her/his own conclusions about case validity.
  • Present the patient’s primary complaint.
  • Describe the patient (provide pertinent and anonymized demographic information).
  • Include any of following that are necessary to understand the case:
    • the patient’s relevant medical history
    • physical examination (symptoms and signs)
    • tests results, including imaging and pathology findings
    • diagnostic assessment
    • description of any treatment or intervention
    • actual treatment/diagnostic outcomes.1,2,4-6

Discussion

This section should address the results of the study and their analysis on whether they support or refute the study hypothesis. It should also evaluate the case for accuracy, validity, and uniqueness.

  • Briefly summarize the study in relation to hypothesis (research questions) posed in introduction section.
  • Present the study results, their interpretation (in the context of published literature), and generalization.
  • Discuss the study strength and limitations and their possible effect on the study results
  • Provide evidence to support or refute the problems introduced by the study limitations.
  • Describe the implications for clinical/imaging practice.
  • Offer specific directions for future research/imaging protocols (avoid generic uninformative recommendations).1-3,5,6

Conclusions

This section should address clearly and concisely the main conclusions and their importance and relevance.

  • Provide the key points covered in the case report.
  • Propose an explanation of the mechanism/effect of what had been observed in the case.
  • Describe the area of impact of the case on a particular clinical specialty and/or across medicine.
  • Briefly discuss the advantages in knowledge and skills brought about by the case.
  • Give recommendations/teaching points.1-4

Summary Box

Provide two to three bullet points of key information (brief, single sentences).

Case Series: Two or more representative cases

Case series should be original and provide clinical impact. Frequently they represent the first observations of a disease, condition, or manifestation.

Structure

The case series should be structured as:

  • Abstract: Maximally 150 words. Unstructured, with inclusion of brief description of the condition.
  • Manuscript text with the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion.

For four or more cases, explicitly state that the study received IRB approval.

Summary Box

On a separate page, provide the following:

  • Key Points: Up to three main results or conclusions that advance medical knowledge.
  • Summary Statement: 1-2 sentences that summarize the important findings of the manuscript.

Number of Authors

Maximally 5

Word Count

Total 1500 words (exclusive of Abstract)

Reference Limit

Maximum 10

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 4 (Include images, charts, graphs, and tables)

Case Reports or Case Series with Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation

Case reports or case series with radiologic-pathologic correlation must be presented with relevant images of surgical pathology or histologic examination.

Structure

The case report or case series with radiologic-pathologic correlation should be structured as described in the Case Reports or Case Series sections above.

For four or more cases, explicitly state that the study received IRB approval.

Summary Box

On a separate page, provide the following:

  • Key Points: Up to three main results or conclusions that advance medical knowledge.
  • Summary Statement: 1-2 sentences that summarize the important findings of the manuscript.

Number of Authors

Maximally 5

Word Count

Total 1500 words (exclusive of Abstract)

Reference Limit

Maximum 10

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 4 (case report with radiologic-pathologic correlation) or 5 (case series with radiologic-pathologic correlation) (Include images, charts, graphs, and tables)

Original Research

These articles provide new knowledge based on original research. Meta-analyses are also acceptable in this category. Studies should be hypothesis-driven.

Structure

Original research involves the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. An Appendix is appropriate if additional material beyond what is allowable will be included.

  • The Abstract is maximally 300 words and must be structured. Subsections: Background (why was the study done/why is it relevant?) Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections
  • In the Methods section:
  • The Discussion section must include commentary on the limitations of the research.

Summary Box

On a separate page entitled Summary Box, provide the following:

  • A list of all abbreviations used in the manuscript
  • Key Points: Up to three main results or conclusions, including summary data
  • Summary Statement: 1-2 sentences that summarize the important findings of the manuscript.

Number of Authors

Maximally 7

Word Count

Total 3000 words (exclusive of Abstract)

Reference Limit

Maximum 35

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 8 (Include tables, images, charts, or graphs)

Technical Briefs

Technical developments provide a brief description and results of new imaging techniques, procedures, contrast agents, or equipment. These are typically exploratory feasibility studies. These articles should have appropriate statistical analyses. The Introduction and Discussion are more limited than in Original Research articles. The article should be unpublished.

Abstract

  • Abstract is structured, maximally 300 words, and includes: Background (why was the study done/why is it relevant?), Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion sections;

Methods

  • Include a Methods section and explicitly state that the study received IRB approval or exemption and should describe the statistical methods.
  • Sub-headings are encouraged (Study Participants, Image Acquisition, Statistical Methods, etc.)
  • Reference the clinical trial number if one exists. Possible registries include ClinicalTrials.gov or WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).

Discussion

  • The Discussion section must include commentary on the limitations of the research.

Summary Box

Include a Summary Box, which provides one to three sentences that summarize the important findings of the manuscript.

Number of Authors

Maximally 5

Word Count

Total 2000 words (exclusive of Abstract)

Reference Limit

Maximum 25

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 5 (Include tables, images, charts, or graphs)

Review Articles

Review articles are focused, in depth reviews of the scientific knowledge on a topic of interest. No new research information is described in a review. Reviews should be written for the general radiologist/physician rather than the specialist.

Abstract

The abstract is unstructured and maximally 200 words.

Summary Box

Include a Summary Box, which provides the following:

  • A list of all abbreviations used in the manuscript
  • Three to five bullet points of key information (brief, single sentences)
  • Summary Statement: Single sentence that summarizes the important findings of the manuscript.

Number of Authors

Maximally 6

Word Count

Total 4000 words (exclusive of Abstract)

Reference Limit

Maximum 100

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 8 (Include tables, images, charts, or graphs)

Clinical Updates

A Clinical Update is a focused review of a specific aspect of a current treatment or diagnosis that highlights recent advances.

Structure

  • Include a brief background of the treatment or diagnosis, then an Update section that describes new state-of-the-art approaches.
  • Provide an unstructured abstract of 150 words maximally.

Summary Box

On a separate page, provide a summary statement of 1-2 sentences that summarize the major point of the update.

Number of Authors

Maximally 4

Word Count

Total 2000

Reference Limit

Maximum 25

Figure & Table Limit

Maximum 4

Pearls from the Workstation or Interventional Suite

The criteria for publishing Pearls from the Workstation or Interventional Suite include any of the following:

  • the results of patient-specific diagnostic or interventional radiologic examinations of an unusual or a typical condition to highlight:
    • imaging characteristics of the condition
    • diagnostic challenges
    • diagnostic value of utilized imaging modalities
  • the results of patient-specific interventional radiologic procedures to highlight
    • imaging characteristics of the condition
    • the diagnostic and the treatment values of the procedure

Pearls from the Workstation or Interventional Suite should not include an Abstract. In addition to following the General Instructions listed above, all Pearls from the Workstation or Interventional Suite manuscripts should have the following components:

Discussion

  • Provide an imaging definition of the condition.
  • Describe clearly, concisely, and in the context of published literature the key points, significance, and clinical relevance of imaging findings and observations.
  • Address the importance of imaging characteristics for diagnosis of the condition.
  • Explain the value of specific imaging modalities for examination and diagnosis of the condition.
  • Do not exceed 150 words.
  • Use language suitable for a broad audience of healthcare professionals, including physicians in training.

Teaching Point

  • Describe in one short, informative, and memorable phrase the implications of the presented findings/observations for clinical/imaging practice.
  • Construct a teaching point based on the relevant clinical experience of a senior author to secure interesting and memorable interpretation of the important facts and concepts.

Figures

  • There is no limit on the number of figures which can be included; use as many as needed to effectively illustrate the case.

References

  • Refer the readers to reputable, most current, and comprehensive review articles or systematic reviews.
  • Use in-text references as often as applicable.
  • Provide a maximum of two sources for references.

References for Submission Guidelines

  1. Rison RA. A guide to writing case reports for the Journal of Medical Case Reports and BioMed Central Research Notes. J Med Case Reports. 2013;7(1):239. Published online 2013 Nov 27. doi:10.1186/1752-1947-7-239
  2. Guidelines to writing a clinical case report. Heart Views. 2017 Jul-Sep; 18(3):104–105. doi: 10.4103/1995-705X.217857
  3. AMA Manual of Style Committee. AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors. 11th ed. Oxford University Press; 2020. doi: 10.1093/jama/9780190246556.001.0001
  4. Packer CD, Berger GN, Mookherjee S. Writing Case Reports: A Practical Guide from Conception through Publication. Springer International Publishing Switzerland; 2017.
  5. Author Information Pack. Radiol Case Reports. Accessed September 6, 2020. https://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/736967?generatepdf=true
  6. Bannas P. Instructions for Radiological Case Reports. Fortschr Röntgenstr. 2017;189: 333–337. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-101525
  7. BioMed Central. Editorial Policies. Accessed September 4, 2020. https://www.biomedcentral.com/getpublished/editorial-policies

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