American Journal of Public Health
Production Information

If an article of yours has been accepted for publication in the Journal (congratulations!), this page is intended to help you navigate the production process. If your article has not yet been accepted, or you're thinking about submitting to the Journal, this page will give you an idea of what to expect following acceptance.

Please help conserve precious Journal resources by consulting this and our other informational pages before directly contacting production staff with questions (ajph.production{at}apha.org).

Production Timeline:
The following list summarizes the order of postacceptance/production procedures. Clicking on the hyperlinks will take you to detailed instructions for each stage of the production process.

1. Acceptance (Without Caveats) and Production Guidelines
2. Formatting Your Final Version and Copyright Consent/Permissions/Image Agreement
3. Responding to Your Copyedited Manuscript
4. Responding to Your First Proofs
5. Publication and Complimentary Copies

Acceptance and Production Guidelines

Please note that the production process begins only after acceptance without caveats. Manuscripts that have received "Accept if Revised" or "Accept if Revised Slightly" decisions will need to undergo revision and possible re-review before final acceptance.

For those authors who have received an acceptance e-mail that directed them to this page: Congratulations! The production staff look forward to working with you. Please keep the following guidelines in mind throughout the production process.

• As with pre-acceptance procedures, production staff will communicate exclusively with a designated corresponding author. If contact information for the corresponding author changes after acceptance of the article, staff need to be informed promptly. Likewise, if the corresponding author plans to be unavailable in the months leading up to publication, an alternative contact (an assistant or co-author) must be provided.

• Please do not telephone production staff to discuss edits at any stage unless absolutely unavoidable (e.g., if access to e-mail is limited or nonexistent). E-mail is our principal and most efficient mode of communication.

• At each stage in the production process both staff and authors will need to work with the version in hand (the "edit" or the "proof"). Directions from the author such as "revert to the original," cannot be responded to accurately. Similarly, if changes to a sentence are necessary, please highlight or reference exactly (e.g. page 1, column 2, line 14) the changes you have made.

• Consistency in style and layout ensures that our readers, who come from a variety of disciplines, will understand and benefit from your published work. Please be aware that your text, tables, and figures will be edited for clarity and consistency and to fit Journal style, and may change significantly between Final Version submission and publication. You will be queried regarding any content changes at the copyedit and proof stages, but you will not be queried on (U)or informed of routine stylistic changes (though you may notice them at both the copyedit and proof stages). Please note that some changes requested by authors will be rejected or modified owing to style constraints.

• We ask that corresponding authors make every effort to clearly communicate necessary alterations to copyeditors and production staff. Misunderstandings can occur so, without clear instructions, we cannot guarantee that your wishes will be followed. We suggest that our authors become familiar with the basics of AMA style, as this will facilitate the production process for everyone concerned. Please direct all unresolved concerns regarding edits to the production staff (ajph.production{at}apha.org).

• Please remember that the contents of accepted papers are embargoed until after publication. The paper's essential results must not be circulated, distributed electronically, or reported by the media before the embargo date, which typically falls one month before print publication. (However, authors may speak with the media upon condition that reporters do not release the information before the embargo date.) For the relevant embargo date for your paper or to coordinate your public relations activities with those of APHA, please contact Patricia Warin at patricia.warin{at}apha.org (202/777-2511). To learn more about AJPH embargo policies and guidelines, please see APHA's Press Policy page.

Instructions: Formatting Your Final Version

Note: We will always need the corresponding author to upload a Final Version, because we require new information even if there are no changes to the last revision.

The Final Version manuscript MUST be a Word .DOC.

The Final Version manuscript title page must contain:

1. Contact information for the corresponding author (phone number, fax number, and e-mail address).
2. Names and degrees for all authors (Note: We publish undergraduate degrees if they are the highest awarded).

The body of the Final Version manuscript should include:

3. Abstract (structured for articles and unstructured for briefs, commentaries, and analytic essays; 180-word limit for articles, 150-word limit for Public Health Then and Now, 120-word limit for commentaries, and 80-word limit for briefs), if required for article type (editorials and letters are not published with abstracts).
4. Text (with appropriate heads and subheads).

The last pages of the Final Version manuscript must include (in the following order):

5. A statement of author affiliations ("About the Authors") at the time the research/composition was completed.
Examples: "Jane Smith and Jon Doe are with..." -or- "At the time of the study Jane Smith was with..."
6. Contact information (address and e-mail) for reprint requests.
Example: "Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr Joe Smith, Department of Public Health, XXX University, 100 University St, College Park, MD 20000 (e-mail: joes@university.edu)."
7. A brief statement of author contributions ("Contributors").
Example: "E.C. Frampton conceived of the study and supervised all aspects of its implementation. S. Hampton assisted with the study and completed the analyses. R.E. Lewison synthesized analyses and led the writing. N.C. Smithson assisted with the study and analyses. All authors helped to conceptualize ideas, interpret findings, and review drafts of the manuscript." 8. "Acknowledgments" (be sure to include funding information, with any grant and/or award numbers).
9. A statement of institutional review board approval ("Human Participant Protection") for all research papers, regardless of whether human participants were involved in your study.
Examples: "This study was approved by the University of XXX's institutional review board." -or- "No protocol approval was needed for this study." -or- "No human participants were involved in this study."
10. References:
• Follow the AMA Manual of Style to format your references. For Public Health Then and Now and Public Health Matters ONLY, authors may follow endnote style (Documentation 1) in the Chicago Manual of Style (14th ed. 1993:487-635).
• As prescribed by AMA, remember to (a) list up to 6 authors--- if there are more, list the first 3 and add "et al"; (b) give specific page numbers for secondary sources, direct quotations, and citations from books or reports; and (c) cite personal (written or oral) communications in the text only, giving source, degrees, type, and date. Example: "H.R. Smith, PhD, MPH, oral communication, May 1996."
• Number references in the order cited in text, tables, and figures (assume tables and figures fall at first call-out). (Letters and Responses are limited to 10 references.)
• Verify all references using MEDLINE. Remember that readers will not be able to find references that are incorrectly cited.
• If you have used an automatic footnote or endnote system, remove all automatic links between the citation numbers and the references. (Some bibliographic software offer one-step removal of linking codes specifically for submitting manuscripts to publishers.)
11. Any necessary figure legends, figure notes, and image captions.

Then:

1. Save your manuscript file as "Manuscript#_Corresponding Author's last name.doc" (Example: 12345_Brown.doc).

Carefully check your tables, figures, and references, as mistakes are easily made in these areas. All graphs MUST be in black and white (no color). Please be sure that all your tables, figures, and images comply with Journal graphics requirements.

Do not leave any tables, figures, or images in the manuscript file itself. All tables, figures, and images should be saved in separate files and in their native file formats (figures and tables created in Excel should be sent to us as Excel files, PowerPoint figures should be sent to us as PowerPoint files, etc.), or saved as PS/EPS/PDF files for graphs from advanced statistical packages. (Print to a file to create a PS file.) Name your saved figure, table, or image files as follows: "Mmanuscript#_Corresponding Author's last name_T1(or F1).doc(or xls, ppt, etc.)" (Examples: 12345_Brown_T1.xls -or- 12345_Brown_F1-3.ppt).

2. Once you've completed the preparations described above, go to http://submit.ajph.org and sign into your "Author Area." You'll find your accepted paper in the "Accepted Papers, Send Final Version/Source Files" queue. Once there, click on the "Upload All Source Files" link. You'll then be prompted to enter the number of files you intend to upload--- the manuscript file category will always be set at 1, but the number of table/figure/image files will vary according to how many tables, figures, and images are to be printed with your article. On the next "Upload Source Files" page, use the "browse" button to locate the files you wish to upload. Please label each file in the space provided using these examples as a guide: label your manuscript file as "Author Final," and the Figures/Tables/Images as "Table 1," "Tables 1-4," "Figure 1," "Figures 2-3," etc.

3. Once you've uploaded all your files, please complete the "Final Version Source Files Uploaded and Approved - Notify Staff" action. This is a MANDATORY step that will move your paper from your queue to the production area so the production process may begin (and stop any reminders that you may be receiving).

Instructions: AJPH Copyright, Disclosure, and Consent Statements, Permissions, and Image Use Agreement

All authors MUST sign the AJPH AJPH Copyright, Disclosure, and Consent Statements form according to instructions listed on the document. Mail, fax, or email the completed form (and the Image Agreement form if necessary) IMMEDIATELY after acceptance to AJPH-Final Version, American Public Health Association, 800 I St., NW, Washington, DC 20001-3710 (Fax: 202-777-2531) (ajph.submissions{at}apha.org). Author signatures may appear individually on separate forms or collectively on a single form. A confirmation email will be sent after all forms are received and processed. Please contact us if you do not hear back from us after sending in all forms.

Authors are responsible for obtaining (and keeping on file) written permissions from the copyright holders for any use of copyrighted/published text, tables, figures, or images. Additionally, if the authors are submitting their own photographic work, they are responsible for obtaining (and keeping on file) written permissions from any human subjects pictured. (The Journal has created a model release form for our authors' convenience.) In the "Acknowledgment and Informed Consent" section of the copyright consent form, the corresponding author must certify that all necessary written permissions have been obtained.

If the photographer or artist of an image does not provide a use agreement that is appropriate for Journal purposes, "AJPH's Nonexclusive Rights Agreement for Images" MUST be signed and returned to AJPH-Production (see contact information above). If photographs taken by one of the authors are to be included with the published article, much like other graphics (tables and figures), the copyrights for those photos are transferred along with the rest of the work, unless otherwise specified (for granting nonexclusive rights, the AJPH form above should be used).

Instructions: Responding to Your Copyedited Manuscript (a "Draft-Edit" File)

The copyeditor assigned to a manuscript sends the designated corresponding author an edited version, approximately 2 1/2 to 3 months prior to publication. We request that authors read this file carefully for scientific accuracy. Again, for scientific accuracy-- not punctuation, grammar, or reference formatting. If the author notices an obvious typo, please point this out to the copyeditor, but do not make stylistic comments, as we follow our Journal style, based on the AMA Manual of Style, 9th edition.

Each copyeditor has a preferred method of doing things, so if you have doubts about what he/she wishes you to do with your draft-edit file, please contact them via email.

More generally, passages that require clarification will be marked by queries. Queries will be listed at the top of the manuscript file and will also follow the individual passages to which they refer. Typically, the text is underlined and then followed by a query number in double carets (for example, "< < Q1 > >"). Authors will need to respond to these queries by typing directly underneath each item listed at the top of the document.

Other textual changes can be indicated in 1 of 2 ways:

1. Preferred method: itemize the changes at the top of the file, A1, A2, and so on, making sure to specify exactly where the change should appear in the text (for example, type "< < A1 > >" after the appropriate passage).
2. Type the changes directly into the body of the document, making sure to highlight each alteration. (Microsoft Word has a highlight feature that is easy to use. Underlining and boldfacing are also acceptable methods of emphasizing textual alterations.)

The copyedited file with the authors' saved responses should be uploaded and returned to the assigned copyeditor within 3 working days.

All substantive changes should be made at the edit stage before composition. Authors will have another more opportunity to review their work prior to publication. At the proof stage--- approximately 2 months prior to publication, composed proofs will be sent out to corresponding authors. However, changes to proofs are costly so they should be limited to corrections of significant inaccuracies.

Do's and Don'ts

• Please do not send the copyeditor a new version of your article. The version copyeditors received from the production office (which in turn was received from the corresponding author at the final version stage) is the onnly version that will be edited.
• Please do not remove the embedded queries from the manuscript.
• Please do not refer to page numbers when making comments--- page numbers change as one adds or deletes in-text comments.
• Please note that AJPH uses vertical lines "|" to indicate thin spaces. If 10,000 has been changed to 10|000, the copyeditor has correctly edited the text to meet AJPH style. Thin spaces are also used around some symbols such as > and < and between author initials.
• Please pay special attention to symbols, and mark changes carefully and clearly. During file and font conversions, symbols are sometimes lost or changed. For example, a greater than or equal symbol might appear as a greater than symbol, or an alpha symbol might appear as "a" or even "_". Only an author can be certain the correct symbol has been used.

Instructions: Responding to Your First and Further Proofs

First Proofs: Approximately 2 months prior to publication, the corresponding author will receive notification to download "First Proofs" off the online tracking system. We ask that corresponding authors return corrected proofs within 48 hours.

Proofs will need to be read carefully. Editors' queries to the authors will be listed on a separate page, titled "Query Sheet," and will also appear at the bottom of appropriate pages within the proofs. The text being queried is generally underlined and is accompanied by "Q#" in the margin. Comments to PE in double carets, < < PE: XXX > >, may be ignored. This indicates a note to the production editor.

Authors should:

• Check proofs for typographical accuracy and proper placement of illustrations and tables.
• Pay special attention to equations, tables, figures, and references. Errors are easily made in these areas, and symbols often transfer incorrectly.
• Make sure the authors' affiliations at the time of the study and the address for reprints are accurate.
• Mark corrections in dark ink directly on the text itself. (Note: fax machines often cut off margins, and pencil does not transfer via fax.)
• If necessary, attach or e-mail a list of corrections and responses to queries, labeling them 1, 2, 3, and so on, with placement indicated on the proof. (Please send large text inserts as e-mail attachments.)

Remember:

• Changes are costly at this stage, so authors will need to limit their corrections to the essential.
• Directions from the author such as "revert to the original," cannot be responded to accurately. Please indicate exactly how the text should read.
• Oral communication is not an effective way to communicate textual changes because it leaves no record. E-mail is our principal and most efficient mode of communication.

Further (2nd) Proofs: About 2 weeks after returning 1st proofs, the corresponding author will receive notification to download "further proofs" from the online tracking system. Answers to queries and author comments must be returned within 24 hours.

Please read the notification email carefully, because it 1. gives you specific instructions; 2. lets you know the precise embargo date and the First Look policy; and 3. asks you any further queries.

Authors should:

• Check proofs for typographical accuracy and proper placement of illustrations and tables.
• Pay special attention to equations, tables, figures, and references. Errors are easily made in these areas, and symbols often transfer incorrectly.
• Make sure the authors' affiliations at the time of the study and the address for reprints are accurate.
• Mark corrections in dark ink directly on the text itself. (Note: fax machines often cut off margins, and pencil does not transfer via fax.)
• If necessary, attach or e-mail a list of corrections and responses to queries, labeling them 1, 2, 3, and so on, with placement indicated on the proof. (Please send large text inserts as e-mail attachments.)

Remember:

• Changes are costly at this stage, so authors will need to limit their corrections to the essential.
• Directions from the author such as "revert to the original," cannot be responded to accurately. Please indicate exactly how the text should read.
• Oral communication is not an effective way to communicate textual changes because it leaves no record. E-mail is our principal and most efficient mode of communication.

Publication and Complimentary Copies

Putting words into print is a lengthy and exacting process, but fully worth it when the Journal is printed and your work reaches the public. The production staff of the American Journal of Public Health greatly appreciates your attention to these guidelines and your contribution to the field of public health.

Upon publication, complimentary copies of the issue in which your article appears will be mailed to the corresponding author to distribute among coauthors. (Additionally, if you would like to order professional reprints of your work, you may do so on our Reprints Page.)

Revised 2/17/2006