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ASOHNS Journal Supplement to be published in March

The first edition of the re-launched Australian Supplement to Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) is now in its final proof stages and will be published in March.

My thanks go out to the researchers who have submitted their work, the Editorial Board and reviewers for their input and the ASOHNS and OHNS staff for administrative support. 

We are now reviewing original articles / structured reviews / clinical photos / commentaries / letters and case reports for the next edition - due for publication in September 2010 - please keep the work coming in!  Please remember the Journal currently has a very respectable impact factor of 1.406 and is received by ASOHNS members and also all members of the American Academy.

Call for Reviewers:

We desperately need to lighten the load on our current review panel. If ASOHNS members (or trainees studying for/with a PhD, MSurg., etc.) are willing to act as reviewers for the Australian Supplement, could they please fill in the pro-forma and return it to myself at simoncarney@me.com

ASOHNS Supplement Reviewers pro-forma

With all the best for 2010.

Simon Carney, Editor, Adelaide, January 2010

The Australian Journal of Otolaryngology is being re-launched and will be published as a six-monthly, 100-page supplement to the American journal Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS), ASOHNS President Dr Stuart Miller has announced in an email sent to all ASOHNS members and trainees.

“We have renegotiated the Society’s publishing contract with OHNS which I believe will now allow ASOHNS to produce a supplement that will be of much greater relevance and benefit to members of the Society,” Dr Miller wrote.

“I would like to thank Professor Marcus Atlas, who is standing down from his role of Editor but remaining on the Editorial Board, for his work and effort he has put into the Journal in the past and during its transition to OHNS. He is being replaced as Editor by A/Prof Simon Carney from Adelaide. Most of you know Simon. He is committed to producing a Journal of high standard that will not only contain high quality original scientific papers, but also contains commissioned CPD articles of relevance to the Australian ENT Community. We will again have the ability to publish more registrar papers, selected abstracts from the ASOHNS Annual Scientific Meeting as well as letters to the Editor. Details providing individual login information will be available soon.

“I thank Simon and Dr Vince Cousins for their hard work and tenacity in negotiating this new arrangement with OHNS, often at odd hours as a consequence of the trans Pacific time difference.”

Dr Miller said it was important to have articles for publication for the Journal to be a success and hoped members and trainees would support ASOHNS and the Journal by submitting articles over the coming months.”

The deadline for first publication is July 2009 but articles have to reviewed and amended by that time. Articles submitted in March or April stand a realistic chance of making that deadline.

Details on submission are outlined below but A/Prof Carney is happy for anyone to contact him directly (see contact details below) should they wish to discuss submitting an article.

CALL FOR PAPERS:
Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery Australian Supplement

The Australian Supplement of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery intends to publish the types of articles defined below. When submitting your manuscript, please follow the instructions relevant to the applicable article category. Please check the Manuscript Preparation and Submission sections of the OHNS web-site for further details.

http://www.editorialmanager.com/otohns/

At the bottom of the page, there is a link to a page instructing authors how to ensure papers are directed to the Australian Supplement. The screenshot is reproduced via the link below.

http://www.editorialmanager.com/otohns/accounts/SelectSection-AusSup.jpg

Recruited articles & Editorials: The editor can recruit specific articles of CPD relevance to the Australian ENT Community.

Please contact Simon Carney personally if you would like to discuss submitting such a paper.  Contact details:

Tel:  +61 8 8277 0288  or Email: australianjournal@ent-surgery.com

Original Research: Original, in-depth, clinical or basic science investigations that aim to change clinical practice or the understanding of a disease process. Article types include, but are not limited to, clinical trials, before-and-after studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, cross-sectional surveys, and diagnostic test assessments. Components of original research are:

• A title page, including the manuscript title and all authors' full names, academic degrees, institutional affiliations, and locations. Designate ONE author as the corresponding author. See Authorship, below. Also indicate where the paper was presented, if applicable.
• A structured Abstract of up to 250 words with the headings: Objective, Study Design, Setting, Subjects and Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
• A brief Introduction outlining the wider context that generated the study and the specific issues or hypotheses the study addresses.
• A Methods section with enough detail to ensure reproducibility of the research, including statistical methods and sample size calculation.
• A Results section that uses appropriate descriptive and analytic statistics to summarize data. For all treatment or intervention studies, include a paragraph describing all harms and adverse events encountered (if none, so state).
• A Discussion section that summarizes key findings, highlights antecedent literature on the topic, explains what the current study adds to existing knowledge, and details the strengths and limitations of the current research.
• Manuscript length of no more than 3,000 words (exclusive of the title page and abstract,) with up to 20 references, and a total of 10 images (figures and/or tables).
• Adherence to the CONSORT statement (http://www.consort-statement.org )  when reporting a randomized trial, including a patient flow diagram.
• Ethics approval (called IRB in the OHNS web-site) is required.

Systematic Review (including Meta-analysis): Critical assessments of literature and data sources on important clinical topics in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery. Systematic reviews that reduce bias with explicit procedures to select, appraise, and analyze studies are highly preferred over traditional narrative reviews. The review may include a meta-analysis, or statistical synthesis of data from separate, but similar, studies leading to a quantitative summary of the pooled results. The components of a review article are:

• A title page, including the manuscript title and all authors' full names, academic degrees, institutional affiliations, and locations. Designate ONE author as the corresponding author. See Authorship, below. Also indicate where the paper was presented, if applicable.
• A structured Abstract of up to 250 words with the headings: Objective, Data Sources, Review Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
• An Introduction outlining the explicit clinical problem, rationale for the intervention (if applicable), and the rationale for conducting the review.
• A Methods section that specifies the information sources, search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria for articles, criteria and process used for validity assessment (if none, so state), process for data abstraction, and statistical methods for summarizing data.
• A Results section that describes study selection, study characteristics, and, when applicable, uses statistical methods to summarize data and to assess heterogeneity.
• A Discussion section that summarizes key findings, makes clinical inferences based on validity, interprets results in light of the total available evidence, and lists potential biases in the review process.
• Manuscript length of no more than 4,500 words (exclusive of the title page and abstract), with up to 100 references and a total of 15 images (figures and/or tables).
• Adherence to the QUOROM statement,http://www.consort-statement.org/QUOROM.pdf  including a flow chart of article selection.

Commentaries: Communication of a novel, scientifically based opinion or insight as an independent contribution, or regarding a manuscript published in the journal within the past 6 months. Commentaries should contain a title page, unstructured abstract of up to 150 words, a main point and supporting discussion, and may be authored by an individual, group, society, or committee with an important concern of interest to readers.

Manuscript length: no more than 1,800 words (exclusive of title page and abstract), with up to 10 references, and a total of 3 images (figures and/or tables).

Short Scientific Communications: Quick communication of preliminary results (including small sample studies) or scientific research that is not yet ready for presentation in full form. Such research should have the potential to stimulate communications among researchers and clinicians that may lead to new concepts and supportive work.

Manuscript length: Submissions must have a title page, a maximum length of no more than 900 words, 5 references, and a total of 2 images (figures and/or tables). Ethics approval (called IRB in the OHNS web-site) is required.

Clinical Techniques and Technology: A short report of unique or original methods for:

(1) surgical techniques or medical management  OR 

(2) new devices or technology.

Submissions must have a title page and no abstract.

Manuscript length: no more than 900 words, 5 references, and a total of 2 images (figures and/or tables). Ethics approval is required.

Case Reports: Report of a truly unique, highly relevant, and educationally valuable case. Submissions should have a title page, no abstract, and include an Introduction and Discussion. Do not combine case reports with a review of the literature.

Manuscript length: no more than 700 words, 5 references, and a total of 2 images (figures and/or tables). Ethics approval is required.

Clinical Photographs: Color photograph (not picture of an x-ray) of a unique, relevant, and educationally valuable clinical entity with an accompanying discussion. Submissions must have a title page, and no abstract.

Manuscript length: no more than 400 words, and 5 references. In exceptional cases, with editor approval, a second photograph will be considered, although this will require reducing the text by 100 words. Ethics approval is required.

Letters to the Editor: Brief letters to the editor regarding published material or information of timely interest. If the letter is related to a previously published article in the supplement, it must be submitted within 3 months of publication, and those authors will be invited to reply. The letter should be titled and double-spaced. It should be brief and to the point, with no more than 400 words, 5 references, and only 1 figure and/or table.

Process for review: All submissions will need to be reviewed by 2 individuals – one from Australia and one from the USA. Authors should bear this in mind when finalizing their manuscripts. For example: if clinical practice in Australia differs from that in the USA because a certain product is not available or TGA approved, this should be highlighted in the discussion.

Simon Carney, Editor, Adelaide, March 2009.  

The official journal of the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery was established in 1954, initially publishing presentations from the Annual Scientific Meetings. The Society's first formal journal was published in 1961 and has since been the major form of clinical and research communication relating to Otolaryngology in Australia. The journal developed an international reputation by publishing high quality, peer-reviewed articles focusing on clinically relevant disorders in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery.

In 2007 the Australian of Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery and the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery entered an agreement to publish the Society's journal as an Australian supplement to Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (OTO-HNS). The supplement was received by all subscribers to OTO-HNS around the world including Europe, South America, Asia and Africa, as well as a very large North American circulation.