Editorial Purpose: Professional Case Management: The Leader in Evidence-Based Practice is a peer-reviewed, contemporary journal that crosses all case management settings. The journal features best practices and industry benchmarks for the professional case manager and also features hands-on information for case managers new to the specialty. Articles focus on coordination of services, management of payer issues, population- and disease-specific aspects of patient care, efficient use of resources, improving the quality of care/patient safety, data and outcomes analysis, and patient advocacy. The journal provides practical, hands-on information for day-to-day activities, as well as cutting-edge research.
All manuscripts must be submitted on-line through the journal's Editorial Manager Web site at https://www.editorialmanager.com/pcm/. See submission instructions under "Electronic Manuscript Submission."
Preparing Your Manuscript
Format: The manuscript should be prepared using a standard word processing program. Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced on one side of the paper with 1-inch margins. Include page numbers at either the top or the bottom of the page. Submissions should not exceed 20 manuscript pages, excluding references, tables, and figure legends. An Acknowledgments section may follow the text.
Title Page: The title page should include the title of the article, all authors' names and academic degrees, the institution(s) each author represents, authors' current addresses, a complete description of any grants supporting the research, and the complete mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author and reprint request author. Author identities should only appear on the title page. The Title Page should also disclose funding received for this work from any of the following organizations: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Wellcome Trust; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); and other(s).
Brief biographies: Approximately 50 words for each author should be included for submission with the title page.
Abstract: PCM Journal uses structured Abstracts. The Abstract should describe briefly the ideas conveyed in the article. The Abstract is what case managers will read first- and if they think it is of interest, they will read the article. A most important part is the "Implications for Case Management Practice." What are the most important results, conclusions, etc. that you came to? Two types of Abstracts may be used, depending on the degree of research in the manuscript.
1. Research Abstracts: Please include the following headings in your abstract:
Purpose of Study
Primary Practice Setting(s)
Methodology and Sample
Results
Implications for Case Management Practice: "Implications" should contain 3 to 5 Key Points or take-home messages gleaned from the study
2. General Abstracts (for non-statistical research manuscripts): Please include the following headings in your abstract:
Purpose / Objectives
Primary Practice Setting(s)
Findings / Conclusions
Implications for Case Management Practice: "Implications" should contain 3 to 5 Key Points or take-home messages gleaned from the study
Key Words: List 3 to 5 key words or phrases for indexing.
Table, Figures, Illustrations, Diagrams: Illustrations, tables, figures, or diagrams can be produced and sent using the following programs: a word processing program (such as Microsoft Word), PowerPoint, Excel, etc.
Authors have the option of submitting camera-ready art electronically using the following guidelines: Images must be high-resolution (300 dpi) and may be submitted electronically either as a Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) or an Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) file in Illustrator, Photoshop, or Quark Express. A laser proof must accompany the electronic art that is being submitted on disk. The publisher reserves the right to establish a reasonable limit on the number and format of illustrations.
Lettering should be large enough to be legible after necessary reduction. Illustrations should be numbered, and the top indicated. A separate typewritten sheet of legends for the illustrations should be supplied at the end of the manuscript.
Style:Dorland's Medical Dictionary (28th Edition or later) and Webster's Dictionary (10th Edition or later) should be used as standard references. Scientific (generic) names of drugs should be used when possible. Copyright or trade names of drugs should be capitalized and placed in parentheses immediately following the name of the drug. The manufacturers of supplies and equipment cited in a manuscript should be cited in parentheses, along with the city and state or country of the manufacturer. Units of measure should be expressed in the metric system. Temperatures should be expressed in degrees Celsius.
Authorship Responsibility: All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Each author should have participated significantly in the conception and design of the work and the writing of the manuscript and be willing to take public responsibility for it. The Editor-in-Chief may request justification of assignment authorship. Names of those who contributed general support or technical help may be listed in an acknowledgment.
Permissions: Written permission must be obtained from (1) the holder of copyrighted material used in the manuscript; (2) persons mentioned in the narrative or acknowledgment; and (3) the administrators of institutions mentioned in the narrative or acknowledgment. Where permission has been granted, the author should follow any special wording stipulated by the grantor. Letters of permission must be submitted before publication of the manuscript.
Compliance with NIH and Other Research Funding Agency Accessibility Requirements: A number of research funding agencies now require or request authors to submit the post-print (the article after peer review and acceptance but not the final published article) to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, LWW will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and will transmit the post-print of an article based on research funded in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, or other funding agencies to PubMed Central. The revised Copyright Transfer Agreement provides the mechanism.
Copyright Transfer Agreement: All authors and coauthors must sign a copyright transfer agreement upon submission of their manuscript for consideration. In the event the manuscript is not accepted for publication, this agreement will be returned so that authors may pursue publication elsewhere.
CE Disclosure Statement/Conflict of Interest: (if applicable) When manuscripts are submitted for possible use as continuing education in the journal, a Disclosure Statement/Conflict of Interest form must be completed and submitted with the manuscript.
References: References should conform to the following style: the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 5th Edition, 2001 (or later), published by the American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, Washington, DC 20002. A bibliography of references should appear alphabetically, double-spaced at the end of the manuscript, with references in APA format in the text. Unpublished data, personal communications, material published only in abstract form, or papers presented at meetings should be cited parenthetically in the text (e.g., Jones SA, personal communication, April 1995; or Jones SA, presented at the 1994 Annual Meeting of the Council of Biology Editors). Some APA examples follow:
Journal Article:
Smith, B., & Jones, M. (2000). Care delivery in the new millennium. Program evaluation: Key to success. Journal of Nursing Administration, 30(3), 15-21.
Magazine Article:
Posner, M. I. (1993, October 29). Seeing the mind. Science, 262, 673-674.
Book:
Chandler, R. (2000). Nursing care delivery of tomorrow (pp. 87-103). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Electronic Citations: (See APA Manual for other electronic references): Follow guidelines found at http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html
Author, I., & Author, II. (Year). Title of article. Name of Periodical [online]. Retrieved on (Date). Available: (specify path/Web site).
Submitting Your Manuscript
Timeframe for Submission:Professional Case Management typically works 6 to 9 months in advance of publication. Submit articles targeted for a future topic as far in advance as possible. Timely or outstanding manuscripts can be accepted 3 to 6 months ahead of publication.
Review process. The author is notified when the manuscript is received. All manuscripts are reviewed by at least two members of the Editorial Staff, Advisory or Review Panels. The review process normally takes 8 to 2 weeks. Reviewers evaluate the accuracy and relevance of content, organization, style, clarity, originality, use of verifiable and current references. All reviews are anonymous, so author identification should only appear on the title page. Authors are notified of the results of the review of their manuscript and potential for publication. You will receive feedback from the editorial staff and reviewers' comments. Acceptance of manuscripts is based on the reviews and the Editor's decision. We may ask you to revise an article based on reviewers' suggestions. Note that all accepted manuscripts are edited to conform to the style and standards of the Professional Case Management journal.
Electronic Manuscript Submission: Manuscripts for Professional Case Management may now be submitted via Editorial Manager. Please go to https://www.editorialmanager.com/pcm/, or use the Editorial Manager link in the left navigation bar to review instructions and login as an author. Authors should submit an original copy of the manuscript as well as retain a personal copy of their manuscript and all supporting documents. Original manuscripts will be accepted with the understanding they are contributed solely to Professional Case Management. Authors are responsible to notify the editor if data from submitted research has been used in other publications.
First-time users: Please click the Register button from the menu and enter the requested information. On successful registration, you will be sent an e-mail indicating your user name and password. Print a copy of this information for future reference. Note: If you have received an Email from us with an assigned user ID and password, or if you are a repeat user, do not register again. Just log in. Once you have an assigned ID and password, you do not have to re-register, even if your status changes (that is, author, reviewer, or editor).
Submission Checklist: Compliance with these requirements will expedite consideration of your manuscript. See "Guidelines for Authors" for further instructions.
[black small square] Cover letter stating name, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the author chosen for correspondence.
[black small square] Title page (the only section that should include author information)
[black small square] Abstract (see "Abstract Headings" above)
[black small square] Brief biography(s) of 50 words or less for all authors
[black small square] Text, double-spaced, 1' margins
[black small square] References, double-spaced, APA Format
[black small square] Numbered pages, starting with the title page
[black small square] Legends, double-spaced on a separate sheet of paper
[black small square] Permissions to reproduce published material (see Instructions)
[black small square] Copyright Transfer Agreement signed
[black small square] CE Disclosure Form (if applicable)
[black small square] Statement about institutional review board approval (if appropriate)
[black small square] Complete manuscript and all tables, figures, diagrams, and illustrations
Inside Case Management (ICM) Guidelines:
ICM reports on emerging trends, tools, and techniques; the sharing of ideas and successes is enhanced by case studies. The format of ICM is short, simple and nonrestrictive, as these practical, hands-on articles are not peer-reviewed. "Results" oriented articles are important. If you have been able to reduce length of stay, reduce costs, or improve patient care, make this a prominent feature of the article. If available, include quantifiable data (e.g., an increase in your patient satisfaction rate), forms, checklists, guidelines, policies, etc.
Word count: Articles should be no longer than 2,500 words. Ideal article length is approximately 1,500 words.
Biographies: Biographies should be brief: approximately 50 words for each author, and should be included with manuscripts. State where you currently work, what position you hold, and how the reader can contact you.
Copyright Transfer Agreements: See above.
References (APA Format): See above.
Permissions: See above.
Submission: You may submit your article by e-mail or via postal; if postal, include the article on floppy or CD. Submit to:
Fran Snowden
255 Grand Ridge Road
St. Charles, IL 60175-1074
Phone: 630-433-8843
E-mail: [email protected]