This peer-reviewed journal is devoted to the publication of articles of interest to the membership of its sponsoring organization, the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, Inc. (OEP). It encourages authors to submit manuscripts that are based in the clinically relevant behavioral, functional and developmental aspects of the visual system. The category of articles that are considered follows in random order:
    1. clinical case reports
    2. preliminary and completed clinically relevant research reports
    3. speculative reports of new and adapted clinical diagnostic and therapeutic measures
    4. literature reviews
    5. guest editorials
    6. essays
    7. viewpoint articles

INTRODUCTION

This document is a revision of Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Optometric Journals. This revision was accomplished by JBO’s editorial staff, with input from members of its review board.

The JBO generally publishes original contributions pertaining to clinical and theoretical optometry. Manuscripts are usually considered for publication only if they are original contributions and have not been submitted for publication or accepted for publication elsewhere.

Manuscripts submitted for consideration are initially reviewed by the editor-in- chief (EIC). At this level, a judgment is made as to whether the article meets JBO’s criteria and manuscript format (see below). As deemed appropriate, the EIC will contact the corresponding author to make recommendations in order to send the manuscript for the next level of review.

This next level entails review by one or more members of JBO’s Editorial and/or Peer Review Board. Should they require additional input, with the concurrence of the EIC, the manuscript is sent to individuals the reviewers nominate. These individuals have special experience and expertise in the manuscript’s topic area.

CRITERIA

Manuscripts are judged on one or more of the following criteria:
    1. Usefulness to the practicing optometrist.
    2. Compliance with the editorial standards and objectives of the journal with regard to the
         originality of the contribution, its clinical or scientific significance to the profession,

and the suitability of the subject matter.
3. Enrichment of the optometric and other scientific literature. The JBO generally publishes

         seven basic types of articles:
        1. Research reports
        2. Clinical procedures
        3. Case reports
        4.   Literature review
        5.   Practice management manuscripts
        6.   Guest editorials
        7. Viewpoints

The distinction between the guest editorial and viewpoint articles is that the latter is generally of greater length than the former. The determination of which category an article is placed is made by the EIC.

FORMAT

All manuscripts, with the exception of editorials, should conform to the following instructions:
A. Title The title should be concise, meaningful, and clear. It generally should not be in the form of a complete sentence. Subtitles may be used whenever needed for specific purposes relating to the title or text. Titles should indicate the content of the manuscript, serve as a guide to reference librarians, and facilitate communication.

B. Author The name of the author, or the names of the authors, should be typewritten and centered, one double space below the title. Proper names should be in capital and lower case letters, and the appropriate academic degree(s) should be indicated. In a multi-authored manuscript, the person should be listed first who has made the most significant intellectual contribution to the work regardless of academic rank or professional status. This list should include only those who have made a substantial contribution to the design and execution of the work and the writing of the manuscript. Authors should identify the name and address of the author to whom correspondence should be sent.

C. Abstract Authors are required to submit abstracts with their papers. The abstract should be typed on a separate sheet of paper in one paragraph, and it should not exceed 200 words. The abstract should clearly and concisely inform the reader of the manuscript’s purpose; content, findings, when appropriate, and conclusions.

D. Key Words Authors should select key words that reflect the primary subject matter of the paper. The purpose of key words is to assist reference librarians and others in retrieval and cross-indexing.

E. Introduction The introduction should orient the reader to the remainder of the manuscript. The exact nature of the introduction will vary according to the type of manuscript. For example, in some articles, a review of the literature is appropriate, while in others, the review is better placed in a separate section.

F. Text Authors should use the active voice (“This study shows” rather than “It is shown by this study”) and the first person (“I did” rather than “the author did”). The past tense is appropriate for describing what was done in an experiment; the present tense is suitable for referring to data in tables and figures.

Lens formulas and associated acuities should be expressed as in the following example:

OD:+2.25 - 1.00 x 95, 20/20 (6/6).

Generic drug names should be used, followed by the proprietary name in parentheses at the first mention. Acronyms and abbreviations should always be spelled out at first mention.

G. Discussion This section should review the purpose of the manuscript, the logic used to attain the purpose and the authors’ conclusions. Essentially, it should be an expanded version of the abstract and include speculations that are supported by the text.

H. Research Reports In addition to the above elements, after the text section, there must sections on:
    1. Subjects
    2. Materials
    3. Procedures
    4. Results, which include the data analysis.

I. Acknowledgments These (if any) should recognize sources of support in the form of grants or other significant assistance, readers or others whom the authors feel have contributed significantly to the manuscript. They should be at the end of the manuscript.

J. References A list of references is placed after acknowledgments. They should be listed in sequential order as cited in the text by superscripted numbers. Further guidance for the precise documentation of each reference can be found in previously published articles in the JBO or in Optometry (previously the Journal of the American Optometric Association).

K. Sources A list of sources is placed after references. Each product or instrument that is cited in the text should be superscripted with a small letter, in sequential order. The list of sources should contain the company’s name and address for each item

L. Tables and Figures The positioning of each of these should be indicated in the text in capital letters, e.g., TABLE 1. ABOUT HERE. Tables and figures should be captioned sequentially with numbers. Each table and figure should be submitted on a separate page, and should be accompanied by a legend, either on a page devoted to legends or by label on the back of the table or figure itself.

Written permission must be obtained to reprint previously published tables, figures and photographs from an agent of the particular journal, book, or other publication.

FORMATS FOR DOCUMENTATION

Irwin B. Suchoff, OD, DOS, FAAO, FCOVD-A

At this time, all peer reviewed optometric journals use the Citation-Sequence System. Superscript numbers are arranged in the sequential manner they appear in the text. Each indicates the full citation of the source upon which a statement is made in the text. These full citations are contained in the reference list that is at the end of the article. For example: It has been proposed that glaucoma is a multi- faceted disease.¹ The superscript 1 is the source listed in the examples below.

If a source is used later in the text, the same superscripted number is used.

Some statements require multiple references. When they do not run sequentially in the reference list, a comma separates each superscripted number. For example: Steroids are not always the drug of choice in iritis.^4,7,9,16 When the references are sequential, and more than two numbers, the sequence is joined by a hyphen. For example: There is growing evidence that progressive addition lenses are contraindicated in patients with vestibular disorders.^1,3,7-10

There is general uniformity on how sources appear in the reference list. However, the writer should read the instructions to authors for the journal to which they plan to submit the article. Below are some generic examples.

Book with one or more authors

1. Able LJ, Frend TK. The Glaucomas. Boston: Lewis Press, 1999.

Chapter in an edited book

2. Wade DT, Katz M, Diller NV. Convergence insufficiency. In: Press LJ, Maples WC, eds. The Treatment of Dysfunctions of Binocular Vision. Chicago: Tech Univ Press, 2001:631-41. The last set of numbers indicate the pages of the chapter. If the book itself is the source, then…..

Edited book

3. Press LJ, Maples WC, eds. The Treatment of Dysfunctions of Binocular Vision. Chicago: Tech Univ Press, 2001.

Journal article

4. Smith VN, Jones TK, Wells FC, Seth L, et al. The treatment of iritis- a review. Optom 2003;80:379-87. When there are multiple authors or editors of a book, current useage is to list only the first four, followed by et al. In a journal article the number following the year is the volume number of that publication. In this example it is 80, and 379-87 are the pages where the article appears.

In some journals, the issue number of the volume is included in parentheses. In the present example, the citation would be changed to: 2003;80(4):379-87/

Government or agency report

US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2010 2^nd edition. Understanding and improving health..Washington, DC. US Govt Printing Office. Nov 2000.

Information obtained from the world wide web

The documentation format for information obtained electronically is a work in progress. Some journals insert it in the text, while other superscript and list it in the reference list. An example for a Website citation is: Remarks made by John Jones at the AOA annual conference, Oct 7^th, 2003. Available at http://www.aoa.org/news Accessed Jan 4^th 2004.

The accessed date indicates when you retrieved the information.

Further information can be obtained from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

Figures and Tables

Although they may be embedded in the text, they must also be sent electronically as separate files. In the transmission, each one should be identified; e.g., Figure 1; Table 3. A separate file entitled “Legends” should explain each transmitted figure and legend. Photos can be identified either as photos or figures.

SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT

The Journal encourages authors to submit manuscripts electronically. The file(s) should be written in a basic word processing format (Microsoft Word or Word Perfect) and sent as an e-mail attachment to: smcorngold@oep.org and idrga@aol.com. If there are questions, please call Sally Corngold, JBO Managing Editor, (949) 250-8070.

If electronic submission is not possible, the manuscript should be sent on disk.

A cover letter should accompany all manuscripts, and the letter should identify the corresponding author and attest that all other authors have approved the manuscript. The letter should state that it is an original manuscript and has not, at the time of submission, been sent to another publication. A disclaimer or disclosure statement must be made regarding the author’s(s) financial interest in commercially available products that are substantially cited in the manuscript. Copies of letters of permission to utilize tables and figures of publications should be included.

The author(s) will be notified by the EIC as to the acceptance, need to revise or rejection of the article. Questions about the progress of review should be sent to the EIC at idrga@aol.com or (678) 797-5420.

BEFORE SUBMITTING
It is beneficial for authors to review their manuscripts according to the

following points:

FOR ALL ARTICLES

            1.     Does the title accurately reflect the article’s content?
            2.     Does the abstract give an accurate synopsis of the article?
            3.     Is the abstract too long, too short, or of appropriate length?
            4.     Are the key words basic to the article?
            5.     Are opinions and statements of fact properly expressed or numbered in text?
            6.     Are the items in the reference list accurately and appropriately documented?
            7.     Are commercial products properly referenced in the text?
            8.     Do these products accurately and appropriately appear in the source list?
            9.     Have the author(s):
                    Provided a statement that this is an original article, not submitted elsewhere?
                    Provided a statement regarding financial or other interest in commercial
                    products?
            10.   Is the article’s purpose clearly and concisely stated in the abstract and text?
            11.   Does the text flow in a logical manner?
            12.   Are there appropriate headings and subheadings in the text?
            13.   Are figures and tables accurate and appropriately titled?
            14.   Are figures and tables referred to in the text?
            15.   Are sentences clear, concise, and grammatically correct?
            16.   Has permission been granted to include previously published photos, tables and
                    figures?

FOR RESEARCH ARTICLES

            17.     Does the “Subject” section provide full details of the subjects?
            18.     Does the “Materials” section provide appropriate and full details?
            19.     Does the “Procedures” section provide appropriate and full details?
            20.     Were appropriate statistical methods used?
            21.      Is the presentation in “Results” based on accurate interpretation of the statistics,
                       and presented in a clear, concise and logical manner?

FOR CASE PRESENTATIONS

            22.     Have the chief complaints been given?
            23.     Are the patient’s age, sex and occupation presented?
            24.     Have the visual and medical histories been given?
            25.     Are the tests that were done appropriate?
            26.     Are the results clearly stated?
            27.     Are the clinical encounters dated or appropriately designated?
            28.     Are the diagnosis(es) and management for each encounter specified?

(REMAINDER FOR ALL ARTICLES)

            29.     Does the “Discussion” section serve as a useful and accurate expanded
                      summary of the article?
            30.     Are the “Conclusions” appropriate, logical and do they contain a “take home
                      message” for the reader?
            31.     Is this article appropriate for JBO (or the journal of choice) and of value to

its readers?

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