Note: The average time between submission and review is 5 weeks. The average time between acceptance and publication is 4 months.
The Journal of Studies on Alcohol, founded in 1940, publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts dealing with diverse aspects of alcohol and other substances of abuse. The range of materials includes biological, medical, epidemiological, social, psychological, and other aspects of alcohol and other drug use, abuse, and dependence. The Journal will publish the following types of manuscripts:Original Studies: These are reports of original investigations that convey the discovery of new knowledge and whose main emphasis is not the development of methods. The recommended length for these reports is 20 double-spaced typewritten pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and references but including tables and figures.
Brief Reports: These are brief communications that describe new methods, techniques, or apparatus of general interest to the field of alcohol and other drug studies or that present the results of experiments that can be reported concisely with a minimum number of figures and tables. These papers are limited in length to eight double-spaced typewritten pages, excluding the references but including tables and figures.
Rapid Communications: These must contain new information of unusual interest and importance for the field of alcohol and other drug studies. Submissions in this category are eligible for rapid review. These papers are limited in length to eight double-spaced typewritten pages, excluding the references but including tables and figures. Authors should follow the same guidelines in preparing these type of submissions that apply to original studies and brief reports.
Manuscripts submitted as rapid communications must be accompanied by a cover letter that clearly explains the work and its potential significance for the field. Rapid communications accepted for publication will appear in the next available issue of the Journal.
Reviews and Theoretical Articles: A limited number of comprehensive reviews and theoretical treatises will be published as space permits. Although there are occasional exceptions, these reports should be limited to 20 double-spaced typewritten pages, excluding the title page, abstract, and references but including tables and figures.
Correspondence: The Editor encourages readers’ letters, whether they respond to articles or editorial comments published in the Journal, concern important issues of general interest to the field of alcohol and other drug studies, or describe upcoming meetings and events of interest to the Journal’s readership. Authors will be given the opportunity to reply to accepted letters critical of their work. Correspondence should be sent directly to the Editor: Marc A. Schuckit, M.D., Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Department of Psychiatry (116A), VAMC & UC San Diego, 3350 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego, CA 92161-2002, USA.
Book Reviews: Books for review should be sent to Patricia Castellano, Editorial Secretary, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8001, USA. Although book reviews are ordinarily solicited by the Book Review Editor, individuals interested in reviewing books should contact Dr. Valerie Johnson (vjohnson@rci.rutgers.edu) directly.
PAGE CHARGESThe Journal does not assess page charges on its contributors.
Four clean copies, double-spaced in 12 point type on 8.5" × 11" paper, accompanied by a diskette, should be sent to: The Editor, c/o Patricia Castellano, Editorial Secretary, Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Center of Alcohol Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 607 Allison Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854-8001, USA. Most word processing languages are acceptable, but MS WORD is preferred. Each manuscript must be complete with respect to photocopies of tabular and illustrative material (do not use footnotes). One set of original camera-ready figures and four photocopies should be submitted with the manuscript. Include a separate file for each figure in its original format on the diskette.
Each manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter indicating whether the paper is submitted as an original study, a brief report, a rapid communication, or a review or theoretical article. The cover letter should also contain (1) the name, address, email address, and telephone/fax numbers of the corresponding author; (2) a statement that the paper contains original material, not submitted, in press, or published elsewhere in any form; (3) a note describing if the manuscript is one of several papers derived from the same dataset or if similar or overlapping data are reported in any other manuscripts and, if so, how the current submission differs from the others (this should also be stated clearly in the introduction to the manuscript); (4) a statement that each author has contributed significantly to the work and agrees to the submission; (5) a note describing any conflict of interest regarding the paper or a statement that no conflict exists; (6) an explanation of the contribution of the present manuscript to the literature; (7) if desired, suggestions for possible reviewers; and finally (8) the signatures of all authors. If revisions are requested, all authors must also sign the cover letter accompanying the revised paper.
The Journal has adopted the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors regarding authorship. These state that “All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. The order of authorship should be a joint decision of the co-authors. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of data; and to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and on (c) final approval of the version to be published. Conditions (a), (b), and (c) must all be met ... [The editor] may require authors to justify the assignment of authorship” (Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, 1994).
If the manuscript is accepted for publication, it will be necessary for the Journal to receive a written Assignment of Copyright from all authors. Forms for the Assignment of Copyright will be mailed from the Editorial Office at Rutgers University. When a manuscript is accepted for publication in the Journal, it is understood that the authors are agreeable to other competent scientists having access to sufficient data to verify the study’s results.
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT AND ORGANIZATIONEach manuscript must be in English, typewritten on only one side of the paper, with everything double-spaced (including references) and liberal margins. The following sections must be included in the order listed: (1) Title page, (2) Abstract, (3) Introduction, (4) Method, (5) Results, (6) Discussion, (7) Acknowledgments, (8) References, (9) Tables, (10) Captions for Figures, and (11) Figures.
Title Page: This should contain the full manuscript title (which should concisely convey the article’s major contents); the names, academic degrees, and affiliations, with complete addresses, of all authors; and the institution(s) of origin. Indications of grant support should appear in the bottom of this page and should include the name of the granting agency and the grant number. This page should also include the name, telephone and fax numbers, and email and street addresses of the corresponding author to whom galley proofs should be sent. The number of tables and the number of figures in the manuscript should be indicated in the top left-hand corner of the title page.
Abstract Page: Abstracts should be 250 or fewer words and must include the following information under the these four headings: (1) Objective: the background and purpose of the study; (2) Method: the study design, setting, participants (including manner of sample selection, number and gender of participants) and interventions; (3) Results: details of major findings; and (4) Conclusions: main inferences drawn from results and potential application of findings.
Introduction: This section, which should begin a new page, should acquaint the reader with the background of the study and should contain a clear statement of the goals of the investigation or the hypotheses that the study was designed to test.
Method: The methods should be described in sufficient detail to allow the reader to judge their accuracy, reproducibility, and reliability. New methods or procedures and modifications of previously published methods should be described in sufficient detail to permit replication of the study. Commonly used methods require only a citation of the original source.
Results: The experimental data should be described succinctly but completely in text without redundancy between figures and tables or discrepancy between text and tables. Graphic and tabular displays are preferred to discursive narrative. Sufficient data must be provided to allow readers to judge the variability and reliability of the results. Average values must be accompanied by standard errors or standard deviations; for example: mean (SD) = 21.5 (0.95) years. Statistical analysis of the data should be explained early so that the interested but nonexpert reader can interpret the findings. The results of statistical tests should be accompanied by degrees of freedom (e.g., χ 2 = 12.3, 4 df, p = .02; t = 2.12, 27 df, p = .05; F = 6.51, 3/27 df, p = .01). For further guidance on the appropriate presentation of results, authors should consult Carpenter, J.A. Between acceptance and publication. A sampling of some common problems. J. Stud. Alcohol 57: 341-343, 1996.
Discussion: The discussion of the experimental findings and their interpretation should be brief and focused. Alternative interpretations and/or limitations in the procedures should be explained. Avoid repetition of material in the introduction and detailed repetition of the experimental findings. Speculative discussion should be limited and directly relevant to the results obtained.
Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments made to individuals should be as brief as possible.
References/Citations: Citations in text should include the author’s name and year of publication. With more than two authors, the text citation should contain the name of the first author followed by “et al.” and the date of the publication. If reference is made to more than one publication by the same authors in the same year, suffixes a, b, c, etc. should be added to the year, both in the text citation and in the reference list (e.g., use citations “Smith et al. 1991a” and “Smith et al. 1991b” even if the subsequent authors in the reference are different). The “a,” “b,” and “c” are determined by the order the reference falls into the reference list.
The citations are to be arranged alphabetically by author and not numbered in the reference list. The alphabetizing of the reference list is done by first author, then second author, then third author, etc., regardless of the number of authors. If there is more than one publication by the exact same authors, citations are then ordered chronologically by year, with “submitted for publication” and “in press” papers listed after the most recent year. If publications have identical authors and years, they are then ordered alphabetically by the first word in the title. See the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Edition, for more information on alphabetizing references (specifically “Order of several works by the same first author” [pp. 219-221]).
Each journal reference should be arranged as follows: all authors’ names and initials, title of the cited article, title of the journal in which the article appeared, volume number of the journal, inclusive pagination, and the year of publication.
Citations of personal communications or unpublished observations should be given in parentheses at the appropriate place in the text, not in the list of references. If a paper has been submitted for publication but has not yet been accepted, the reference should include the authors’ names and the title of the article, followed by “submitted for publication.” A paper may not be cited as “in press” unless it has been accepted for publication, and the journal name must be given.
Book references should include the author or editors; the title, the city, and state of publication; the publisher; and the year of publication.
Chapters in edited books should include all authors’ names, the title of the article, the editors’ names, the book title, the city and state of publication, the publisher, the year, and the chapter pages.
No more than four references should be cited in support of any given point except in very unusual circumstances. Examples of reference style follow. (Please double space references.)
Journal Articles
Goodwin, D.W., Schulsinger, S., Harnansen, L., Guze, S.B., and Winokur, G. Alcohol problems in adoptees raised apart from alcoholic biological parents. Arch. Gen. Psychiat. 28: 238-243, 1973.
Pert, C.B. and Snyder, S.H. Opiate receptor: Demonstration in nervous tissue. Science 179: 1011-1014, 1973.
Chapters in Books (always include chapter pages) Griffiths, R.R.,
Bigelow, G., and Henningfield, J.E. Similarities in animal and human drug taking behavior. In: Mello, N.K. (Ed.) Advances in Substance Abuse, Behavioral and Biological Research, Vol. 1, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, Inc., 1980, pp. 1-90.
Jaffe, J.H. Drug addiction and drug abuse. In: Gilman, A.G., Goodman, L.S., and Gilman, A. (Eds.) The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics (5th Edition), New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1980, pp. 535-584.
Books
Kissin, B. and Begleiter, H. (Eds.) The Pathogenesis of Alcoholism: Biological Factors. The Biology of Alcoholism, Vol. 7, New York: Plenum Press, 1983.
Mendelson, J.H. and Mello, N.K. (Eds.) The Diagnosis and Treatment of Alcoholism, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1979.
Corporate Authors and Government Publications
Krasnegor, N.A. (Ed.) Self-Administration of Abused Substances: Methods for a study, NIDA Research Monograph No. 20, DHEW Publication No. (ADM) 78-727, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1978.
Tables: Each table should be typewritten on a separate page and should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Each table must have a concise descriptive heading, and the table format should be constructed as simply as possible: Use only tabs and text typed directly in the word processing document rather than boxes or other formatting functions. Tables must be intelligible without reference to the text. Footnotes to tables should be referred to by italicized lowercase superscript letters ( a, b c, etc.) and should appear beneath the table involved, not on a separate page of the manuscript. Do not use any functions or tools that format footnotes, but instead set footnotes in plain type below the table.
Figures Captions: These should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals and should appear on a separate page of the manuscript. Captions should explain the figures in sufficient detail so that repeated reference to the text is unnecessary. Abbreviations in the captions should conform to those in the text.
Figures: One set of graphs and diagrams must be submitted as original laser (not inkjet) prints, with the figure number and the author’s name indicated on the front of each print (at the top of the print, above the material to be reproduced). Photocopies of all figures must accompany each of the four copies of the manuscript submitted and should be embedded within the word processing file at the end of the manuscript. Figures will be photo-reproduced and thus must be supplied fully camera-ready. In addition, provide on the diskette a separate computer file for each figure in the format that figure was originally designed in (e.g., .xls for an Excel file). Figures should be black and white only, with black and white hatching or design used in the place of gray or color. (If a figure requires grayscale and cannot be altered to contain black and white only, create a file of the figure in .tif format with 300 dpi. If a file requires color, create a high-resolution CMYK .eps file with 300dpi. Authors will be charged a fee for the use of color. Because gray or color figures result in files too large to fit on a standard diskette, the managing editor will contact the corresponding author to email these figures during the production of an accepted article.) Symbols, numbers, and letters should be supplied in 11-14 point boldface (2.5-3.5 mm); all borders, rules, and lines should also be printed in boldface. The title of each figure should appear in the caption rather than on the figure itself. Line drawings and graphs should be professionally drawn and lettered; freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable.
Abbreviations, Symbols, and Nomenclature: Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) should be expressed in percent for whole blood and in mg/dl for plasma. Whether whole blood or plasma was used should be indicated. The forensic standard for BAC in some states (e.g., driving while intoxicated = .10%) is measured in whole blood and is 85% of BAC measured in plasma (118 mg/dl).
Alcohol dose should be expressed in g/kg to facilitate comparisons across preparations and species.
Alcohol used within in-vitro studies should be expressed in mM.
Standard abbreviations for the route of alcohol administration are as follows: IG = intragastric; IP = intraperitoneal; IV = intravenous; PO = orally.
Nonstandard abbreviations, symbols, or acronyms not easily understood by the general scientific reader should be avoided. In general, abbreviations should be avoided in text except for standard units of mass, concentration, time, length, volume, and temperature; routes of drug administration; standard error; and standard deviation.
Drugs: Generic names should be used in the text, tables, and figures. Trade names may be mentioned in parenthesis in the first text reference to the drug but should not appear in titles, figures, or tables. When a trade name is used, it should be capitalized; generic or chemical names are not capitalized. The form of drug used in calculations of doses (e.g., base or salt) should be indicated.
Ethical Assurances: Studies involving human subjects should explicitly indicate that informed consent was given for participation in the research.
Studies involving animals should indicate that care and maintenance were conducted in accordance with National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council (NAS-NRC) guidelines. The type and dose of anesthetic agent used in surgical procedures should be specified.
Pagination: Each manuscript page should be numbered consecutively in the upper right-hand corner, and the last name of the first author should appear next to the page number in the header. Other than the Introduction, sections do not need to begin on a new page.
Galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author and should be returned within 72 hours. A reprint order form and price list will accompany galley proofs.
Please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office if you have any questions or comments about these instructions.
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