FORMAT AND STYLE REQUIREMENTS

Authorship
Instructions for manuscript preparation
Title page
Abstract
Text
Acknowledgments
References
Tables
Figures

Articles are copyedited according to AJCN style policy, the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals," and the style manual of the Council of Science Editors (Scientific style and format: the CSE manual for authors, editors, and publishers. 7th ed. Reston, VA: The Council, 2006).

Please refer to the following references for recommendations on reporting the details of randomized trials:

Moher D, Schulz KF, Altman DG; CONSORT GROUP (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). The CONSORT statement: revised recommendations for improving the quality of reports of parallel-group randomized trials. Ann Intern Med 2001;134(8):657–62 or at www.consort-statement.org.

Altman DG, Schulz KF, Moher D, Egger M, Davidoff F, Elbourne D, Gotzsche PC, Lang T; CONSORT GROUP (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials). The revised CONSORT statement for reporting randomized trials: explanation and elaboration. Ann Intern Med 2001;134(8):663–94 or at www.consort-statement.org.

Gagnier JJ, Boon H, Rochon P, Moher D, Barnes J, Bombardier C; CONSORT Group. Reporting randomized, controlled trials of herbal interventions: an elaborated CONSORT statement. Ann Intern Med 2006;144(5):364–7 or at www.consort-statement.org.

Authorship

Scientific conduct
Each author must have participated sufficiently, intellectually or practically, in the work to take public responsibility for the content of the article, including the conception, design, and conduct of the experiment, and for the data interpretation. An article with corporate (collective) authorship must specify the key persons responsible for the article; others contributing to the work should be recognized separately. A description of the contribution of each author must be provided in the Acknowledgment section. The Editors may require authors to justify the assignment of authorship. All authors must sign a statement agreeing to all the requirements for authorship with the transfer of copyright (http://www.ajcn.org/misc/Authors'_Agreement_Form.pdf).

Conflict of interest
Authors must disclose in the Acknowledgment section any financial or personal interests in any company or organization sponsoring the research currently or at the time the research was done. Such interests may include employment, sharing in a patent, serving on an advisory board or speakers’ panel, or owning shares in the company.    Return to Top

Instructions for manuscript preparation
The manuscript should be formatted as follows: 216 x 279 mm (8½ x 11 in) or ISO A4 (212 x 297 mm), with margins of at least 2.5 cm; use double-spacing and 12-point type throughout. Do not justify the right margin. The abstract and text pages should have line numbers in the left margin. Number pages consecutively in the upper right-hand corner of each page, beginning with the title page. Foreign authors are advised to have their manuscripts reviewed by a scientific colleague who is fluent in English so that the manuscripts will conform to US English usage and grammar.    Return to Top

Title page
The title page should contain:
1) the title of the article, beginning with a key word if possible, with only the first letter of the first word capitalized;
2) the first name, middle initial, and last name of each author;
3) the affiliation of each author at the time the work was done, with the use of author initials in parentheses to designate which affiliation corresponds to which author;
4) disclaimers, if any;
5) the name, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript;
6) the name and mailing and e-mail addresses of the author to whom requests for reprints should be addressed or a statement that reprints will not be available from the author;
7) sources of support, including grants, fellowships, and gifts of materials (eg, chemicals, experimental diets); and
8) a short running head of not more than 50 characters (count letters and spaces).    Return to Top

Abstract
A properly constructed and informative abstract is helpful for the initial editorial review of the submitted manuscript. Original research articles must include a structured abstract that contains no more than 250 words, is written in complete sentences, and includes the following headings:

Background: Provide 1 or 2 sentences that explain the context of the study.
Objective: State the precise objective, the specific hypothesis to be tested, or both.
Design: Describe the study design, including the use of cells, animal models, or human subjects. Identify the control group. Identify specific methods and procedures. Describe interventions, if used.
Results: Report the most important findings, including results of statistical analyses.
Conclusions:Summarize in 1 or 2 sentences the primary outcomes of the study, including their potential clinical importance, if relevant (avoid generalizations).

Review articles, special articles, and reports should include an unstructured abstract (no more than 250 words) that states the purpose of the article and emphasizes the major concepts and conclusions.    Return to Top

Text
Use active voice whenever possible. Use past tense when describing and discussing the experimental work on which the article is based. Reserve present tense for reference to existing knowledge or prevailing concepts and for stating conclusions from the experimental work. Clearly differentiate previous knowledge and new contributions. Do not use level when referring to a concentration. Use metric units of measure; SI units are no longer required.

The text of observational and experimental articles should be divided into sections with the following headings: Introduction, Subjects (or Materials, for cell or animal studies) and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Long articles may require subheadings within some sections. Authors should consult recent issues of the AJCN for guidance on the formatting of other types of articles, book reviews, and editorials.

Introduction
Clearly state the purpose of the article. Summarize the rationale and background for the study or observation, giving only strictly pertinent references. Do not include methods, data, results, or conclusions from the work being reported. The Introduction should be limited to 1.5 manuscript pages.

Subjects (or Materials) and Methods
Describe clearly your selection of the experimental and control subjects and provide eligibility and exclusion criteria and details of randomization. Describe the methods for, and success of, any masking (blinding) of observations. Report any complications of experimental treatments. Identify the methods, apparatus (manufacturer’s name and location in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to reproduce the results. Do not use trademark names, such as Teflon, as generic terms. Give references for established methods, including statistical methods; provide references and brief descriptions of methods that have been published but are not well known; and describe new or substantially modified methods, giving reasons for using them and evaluating their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic names, dosages, and routes of administration. If trade names for drugs and chemicals are included, give the manufacturer’s name and location.

Ethics. When reporting experiments on human subjects, indicate that the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible institutional or regional committee on human experimentation or in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 as revised in 1983. Do not use patients’ names, initials, or hospital identification numbers. When reporting experiments on animals, indicate approval by the institution’s animal welfare committee and state whether the National Research Council’s guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.

Clinical Trials. The AJCN requires registration of all clinical trials that begin after July 1, 2008 in the appropriate public trials registry. Such registries include those maintained by the US National Library of Medicine (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov) and Current Controlled Trials (http://controlled-trials.com). Prior to July 1, 2008, the AJCN strongly recommends that such trials be registered.

Statistics. Describe statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (eg, CIs, SDs, or SEs), even for differences that were not significant. Report the numbers of observations. Specify any general-use computer programs used, including the version number and the manufacturer’s name and location. Include general descriptions of statistical methods in the Subjects (or Materials) and Methods section and specific descriptions in each table and figure legend. Indicate whether variables were transformed for analysis. Provide details about what hypotheses were tested, what statistical tests were used, and what the outcome and explanatory variables were (where appropriate). Indicate the level of significance used in tests if different from the conventional 2-sided 5% alpha error and whether or what type of adjustment is made for multiple comparisons.

When data are summarized in the Results section, specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Avoid nontechnical uses of technical statistical terms, such as random (which implies a randomizing device), normal, significant, correlation, sample, and parameter. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and symbols not listed under "Commonly used approved abbreviations." Detailed statistical analyses, mathematical derivations, and the like may sometimes be suitably presented as one or more appendixes.

Results
Present your results in a logical sequence in the text, tables, and figures. Do not present specifics of data more than once and do not duplicate data from tables or figures in the text; emphasize or summarize only important observations. Do not present data from individual subjects except for very compelling reasons. Report losses to observation (such as dropouts from a clinical trial). Use boldface for the first mention of each table or figure.

Discussion
The Discussion should not exceed 4 typewritten pages except in unusual circumstances as approved by the Editor. Emphasize concisely the novel and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or Results. Include the implications of the findings and their limitations and relate the observations to other relevant studies. Link conclusions with the goals of the study and avoid unqualified statements and conclusions that are not completely supported by the data. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed. State new hypotheses and recommendations when warranted by the results and label them clearly as such.    Return to Top

Acknowledgments
Acknowledge only persons who have made substantive contributions to the study. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from everyone acknowledged by name and for providing to the Editor a copy of the permission, if requested. Each author is required to list his or her contribution to the work (such as design of the experiment, collection of data, analysis of data, writing of the manuscript, or provision of significant advice or consultation) and to disclose any financial or personal relationships with the company or organization sponsoring the research at the time the research was done. Such relationships may include employment, sharing in a patent, serving on an advisory board or speakers’ panel, or owning shares in the company. The source of support for the research reported in the paper should be listed on the title page, not as an acknowledgement.    Return to Top

References
Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited in tables or in legends to figures should be numbered according to the first citation of the table or figure in the text. Appendixes should have a separate reference section.

It is rarely necessary to cite more than 50 references in an original research article. Try to avoid citing published abstracts as references [if a published abstract is cited, include “(abstr)” at the end of the reference]. Abstracts from scientific meetings not published in peer-reviewed journals may not be used as references. Unpublished observations and personal communications (written, not oral) may not be used as references but may be inserted in parentheses with the names of the responsible researchers and the year of the observation or communication. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from everyone so cited and for providing to the Editor a copy of the permission, if requested. Doctoral dissertations may be used as references. Include manuscripts accepted but not yet published; designate journal name followed by “(in press).” Report foreign titles in the original language, identify the language, and provide the English translation in parentheses. The references must be verified by the author against the original documents.

Journals

1) Standard journal article: list all authors when 6 or fewer; when 7 or more, list only the first 3 and add “et al.” Abbreviate journal titles according to Index Medicus style, which is used in MEDLINE citations.
Jeffery RW, Wing RR, Sherwood NE, Tate DF. Physical activity and weight loss: does prescribing higher physical activity goals improve outcome? Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78:684–9.
2)Corporate author
National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III) final report. Circulation 2002;106:3143–421.

Books and other monographs

3) Personal authors
Shils M, Shike M, Olson J, Ross AC. Modern nutrition in health and disease. 9th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 1998.
4) Committee report or corporate author
National Research Council. Recommended dietary allowances. 10th ed. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1989.
Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium and carotenoids. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 2000.
5) Chapter in book
Young VR, Tharakan JF. Nutritional essentiality of amino acids and amino acid requirements in healthy adults. 2nd. ed. In: Cynober LA, ed. Metabolic and therapeutic aspects of amino acids in clinical nutrition. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2004:439–70.
6) Agency publication
US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Health and Human Services. Nutrition and your health: dietary guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 2000. [USDA Home and Garden Bulletin no. 232.]

Internet references

7) Website
National Center for Health Statistics. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Version current 1 October 2003. Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm (accessed 13 October 2003).
8) Online journal article
Sinha A, Madden J, Ross-Degnan D, Soumerai S, Platt R. Reduced risk of neonatal respiratory infections among breastfed girls but not boys. Pediatrics [serial online] 2003;112:e303. Internet: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/112/4/e303 (accessed 14 October 2003).    Return to Top

Tables
Each table should appear on a separate page; remember to use double-spacing. Number tables consecutively with Arabic numerals (do not use 1A, 1B, etc) and supply a brief descriptive title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading or table title. Each table should contain enough detail (including statistics) that the table is intelligible without reference to the text. Explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in the table. Commonly used approved abbreviations (see Units and Abbreviations) may be used without explanation. Additionally, explanations are not needed for ANOVA, BMI, F (females), and M (males). For footnotes, use superscript Arabic numerals. For reporting results of statistical analyses, superscript letters can be used if explaining the results in the usual manner would be too complicated (see a recent issue of the AJCN for examples). The first appearance in a horizontal row determines the order of the footnotes. Identify statistical measures of variation, such as SD and SE. Omit internal horizontal and vertical rules. Cite each table in the text in consecutive order. Use boldface for the first mention of each table. If you use data from another published source, acknowledge the source fully. Number references in tables according to the location of the first citation of each table in the text.    Return to Top

Figures
Cite each figure in consecutive order in the text. Use boldface for the first mention of each figure. Spell out the word “Figure”; do not use “Fig.” If a figure has been published, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material in print and electronic format. Except for documents in the public domain, permission is required from the copyright holder, regardless of authorship or publisher.

Legends for all figures should be typed with double-spacing on a separate page (not on the figures themselves). Each legend should contain enough detail, including statistics, to make the figure intelligible without reference to the text. Explain all nonstandard abbreviations used in the figure (see Units and Abbreviations for list of standard abbreviations under). When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the figures, identify and explain each one clearly in the legend. Explain internal scale and identify the method of staining in photomicrographs.

Lettering and symbols must be large enough to be readable when the figure is reduced to 1 column width (<8.5 cm) or, in rare cases, to 2 column widths. The use of color will be evaluated for each figure on an as-needed basis, and the author must pay an extra charge if color is used. Do not use 3-dimensional figures unless necessary. When labeling axes, capitalize only the first word and proper nouns; use lowercase letters for the remaining words and put units in parentheses.    Return to Top

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