GENERAL INFORMATION
The Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy (JWHPT) is the official publication of the a peer-reviewed publication that is focused on the clinical interests of physical therapists practicing in women's health, as well as those of other health care workers who interface with physical therapists in the health care of women.
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Original manuscripts submitted for review must be accompanied by a cover letter with original signatures of all authors. The cover letter must address copyright release, conflict of interest disclosures, photographic releases, author(s) statement that written permission has been obtained from persons named in the acknowledgment, subject protection, research or project support/funding, and reprint permission for tables or figures. Contact information for all authors must include mailing addresses, fax and phone numbers, and electronic mail addresses. These must be updated as necessary during the review process. Manuscripts must be submitted in triplicate along with one original and 3 copies of photographs and figures. An electronic version of each manuscript is required on the initial submission, and additional electronic files may be requested later in the review process.
The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to return manuscripts without review that do not meet minimal submission requirements. The Editorial Board adheres to the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM) submitted to biomedical journals. These are available from the International committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) at http://www.icmje.org/index.html Authors should consult the most current edition (at this writing this is the 9th edition) of the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style, available from Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins, 351 West Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-2436, USA for detailed descriptions of acceptable style and format, as well as specifics related to the preparation and submission of manuscripts. Clarification of submission requirements can be obtained by contacting the Editor-in-chief. Manuscripts previously published or currently under review for publication should not be submitted. Authors who submit manuscripts that contain substantially similar content that has been published or is currently being considered elsewhere for publication, must inform the Editor-in-Chief of this and must provide the Editor-in-Chief with a copy of the other article. The Editor-in-Chief will make the determination of the duplicative nature of the submitted manuscript and may decide that the submitted manuscript is unacceptable for publication in JWHPT. Published abstracts of oral presentations at scientific conferences or meetings will not be considered duplicative.
All manuscripts accepted for review undergo blinded peer review. The Editor will assist authors as necessary to make manuscripts acceptable for publication. Submissions that do not meet essential requirements will be returned to the author without review. The Editorial staff reserve the right to make literary and copyediting changes to manuscripts as necessary to meet publication criteria and standards.
Submit manuscripts (original, 3 copies, and electronic copy) to:
Nancy Rich, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy c/o Kathie St. Clair, Editorial Assistant American Physical Therapy Association 1111 North Fairfax Street Alexandria, Virginia 22314 [email protected]
MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
Research Report
A report of original research relevant to women's health research studies utilizing qualitative, quantitative, and single subject design methods are all included in this category.
A research report must contain:
* Abstract containing a maximum of 250 words divided into 6 sections with the following bolded headings: Objective (specific purpose or research question, or hypothesis of the investigation), Study Design (randomized controlled, blinded, case series, etc.) Background (rationale for the study), Methods and Measures (subject/participants, setting, outcome measures, interventions), Results (Main results with statistical significance), Conclusions (those that are supported by the data, along with implications for physical therapist practice). All abstracts must end with a Key Words section containing 3 to 5 key words that are not contained in the manuscript title.
* Manuscript text - the body of the manuscript must contain the following bolded headings: Introduction (The purpose of the study as well as a rationale, with background from the literature, for the importance of the research question, and the significance to physical therapists), Methods and Measures (selection and description of participants, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, intervention(s), outcome measures, methods of data collection, reduction and analysis in enough detail that would allow others to replicate the study, statistical analyses), Results (most important findings relevant to the research hypothesis), Comment (critical explanation for the findings, comparison to previous studies, limitations and generalizability of the study), Conclusion (Brief summary of the main findings, implications for clinicians, researchers, educators, or others involved in women's health physical therapy, possible directions for future research). There may be any number of sub-headings that are appropriate to make the manuscript easier to read.
* Acknowledgements are placed after the Conclusion Section.
* References must be cited numerically in the text, tables, or figures with superscript numbers. The entire reference is listed in numerical order at the end of the manuscript. The reference format must that which is outlined in the American Medical Association (AMA) Manual of Style.
Literature Review
A literature review is s comprehensive review and critical analysis of previously published literature. The review should focus on a particular topic in women's health and include justifiable conclusions and recommendations that are relevant to the practice of physical therapy in women's health. The purpose of the literature review may be to provide readers a summary of what is currently supported by the literature. It may be that there are several competing theories about your topic and you wish to complete a critical review to determine if there is support for one particular theory, or to identify gaps in the literature. They may also be systematic reviews or meta-analyses. Manuscripts in this category must be invited by the Editor-in-chief. Self-nominations for an invitation to submit a literature report for review are welcome. Literature review proposals must be sent to the Editor-in-Chief. A current curriculum vitae must also be enclosed.
The format for a literature report submission is as follows:
* Title page
* Abstract with the identical guidelines as for research reports
* Manuscript text with the identical guidelines as for research reports
* References as outlined above
Clinical Commentary
A scholarly paper addressing a specific clinical approach or intervention of relevance to the practice of physical therapy in women's health. Clinical experiences may be reported to support rationales and approaches, however, references from the published research literature must also be utilized.
The format of a clinical commentary is as follows:
* Title Page
* An abstract of no more than 250 words. The abstract for a clinical commentary is unstructured.
* The abstract ends with a Key Words Section, containing 3 to 5 key words that are not contained in the manuscript title.
* Following the Introduction Section, the text is separated into relevant sections with appropriate bolded headings.
Case Report
Brief reports describing evaluation and treatment of one to three patients that illustrate or critique an approach or aspect of the clinical management relevant to women's health. References must be utilized to support rationale and approaches.
The format of a case report is as follows:
* Title Page
* Abstract of no more than 250 words with the following bolded headings: Background, Study Design, Case Description, Outcomes, Discussion.
* The text must have the following bolded headings: Introduction or Background, Study Design, Case Description (Examination (History, Systems Review, Tests and Measures, including Outcome Assessment tools) Evaluation/Diagnosis, Intervention, Outcome, Discussion, Conclusions.
Tables
Each table must be organized and formatted according to the AMA Manual of Style, section 2.13
Figures
Each figure must be prepared according to the AMA Manual of Style, section 2.14
Additional Documents Required For Submitted Manuscripts:
1. Photograph Release Statement. This statement must contain the manuscript title, names of all authors, a statement granting the Journal of Women's Health Physical Therapy the royalty-free right to publish the photographs and/or videos of the participant for the JWHPT and the manuscript in which the participant appears, as well as on the journal's website (http://www.womenshealthapta.org/). The statement must be signed by the participant who is on the photograph and/or video.
2. Protection of Human Subjects. The name of the Institutional Review Board that approved the research protocol must be placed on the title page. In addition, The Methods section must contain a statement that informed consent was obtained and that the rights of the subjects were protected.