The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry Author Checklist for Manuscript Preparation and Submission

Manuscript Preparation

Give the article an informative title that includes study design (also include details relevant to the study’s generalizability, e.g., setting or population characteristics)
For individuals whose assistance is acknowledged, list highest degree(s) as applicable, institutional affiliation (including funding source for acknowledged assistance), and any relevant financial disclosure
Describe financial support received for the study, and include grant numbers as applicable
Indicate previous presentation of the data, including meeting date(s) and location

Provide a structured abstract of about 250 words or less; use the required formats
For clinical trials, include the trial registry, URL, and registration number at the end of the abstract
Specify the diagnostic criteria used (for example, DSM-IV), if applicable
Specify the primary outcome measure of the study
For original research, give the relevant range of dates in which the study was conducted (month/year to month/year)
State the significance level (CIs, P values, or other relevant measure) of statistically significant results
Ensure that data in the abstract match data in the article text and tables

For experimental studies with human subjects, include a statement that subjects gave informed consent to participate, and state whether institutional review board approval was obtained; if not, please explain. Investigators without access to formal ethical review committees should follow Declaration of Helsinki guidelines and state this
For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, include keywords, database(s), and any year or language limits used
Cite references using the required format, numbered sequentially in the text. Do NOT use auto-reference programs that bury references within the text

For studies with a sample size <100, include the corresponding numbers of patients if percentages of patients are given
Submit tables in Excel, PDF, or Word format. If necessary, set the print settings to landscape (instead of portrait) for Excel files. All files will be converted to PDF for review purposes
Clearly label figure/image files and submit in PDF, Postscript, or EPS format. For guidelines about publication-quality figures, please see Tables and Figures.

Give the letter a descriptive title with relevant details (e.g., number of cases reported)

Include a short introductory paragraph
Ensure that the chronology of events is clear, and specify the month/year of events
Specify diagnostic criteria used
Provide references for scales/assessment tools used
For multiple case reports, ensure that clinical and demographic details are given consistently (e.g., if occupation is given for 1 case, it should be given for all cases)
If a literature search was conducted, specify the data sources, keywords, and any date/language limitations

Include a numbered reference to the article discussed
Support your assertions with references as applicable [Note: the authors of the original article will be given the opportunity to reply to letters commenting on their article]

Gather the following information for each author:
- First names, middle names/initials, last names [consistent presentation of an author’s name prevents scattering of the author’s publications within databases]
- Postal addresses
- Work telephone numbers
- E-mail addresses
Gather contact information (e-mail address and institution) of 5 experts on your topic to list as potential peer reviewers at the time of electronic submission
Have each author submit an Authorship/ Copyright/ Disclosure/ Acknowledgement Form with the manuscript number and corresponding author indicated at the top [Forms can be mailed to Physicians Postgraduate Press, P.O. Box 752870, Memphis, TN 38175-2870; faxed to the Production Coordinator at 901-273-2752; scanned and uploaded during the electronic submission process, or e-mailed to JClinPsych@psychiatrist.com.]
Supply at least 2 keywords
Submit cover letter and manuscript files in Word or RTF format