Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine is published by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). It will be distributed to more than 6,500 readers.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS
All manuscripts must be submitted electronically. To submit an original manuscript, sleep medicine pearl, board review, editorial, review, special article, book review, case report, debate, or letter to the editor, please go to https://www.rapidreview.com/AASM/CALogon.jsp. Complete instructions for the electronic submission process can be found on this site.

SCOPE/CATEGORIES OF MANUSCRIPTS
The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine focuses on the publication of papers with direct applicability and/or relevance to the practice of clinical sleep medicine. In addition, the Journal will publish proceedings from conferences, workshops and symposia on topics related to the practice of clinical sleep medicine.

Manuscripts must not be concurrently submitted to any other publication, print or electronic. The AASM is not responsible in the event that any manuscript or any part thereof is lost. Published manuscripts become the permanent property of the AASM and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the AASM. All accepted manuscripts are subject to manuscript editing for conciseness, clarity, grammar, spelling, and Journal's style.

The following categories of unsolicited manuscripts will be considered.

ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Original articles are reports of clinical investigations or case series of direct relevance to the clinical practice of sleep medicine. Typically, original articles will contain new data derived from a series of patients or subjects. In general, original articles should not exceed 5,000 words. A structured abstract of no more than 250 words, references, tables, and figures are not included in the 5,000 word limit. References should be limited to no more than 40 citations.

REVIEWS
These are usually overview articles that bring together important information on a topic of general interest to a clinical sleep medicine practitioner. Authors who have ideas for such articles are advised to contact the editor to ensure that a similar work has not already been submitted. The main text of reviews should not exceed 7,500 words. An abstract of no more than 250 words, references, tables and figures are not included in the 7,500 word limit. This section is not intended to be a forum for the presentation of new data.

CASE REPORTS
Case reports present unique, unusual or important clinical observations of interest to clinical sleep medicine practitioners. Case Reports should not exceed 750 words, including an abstract of no more than 150 words, no more than 6 pertinent references, and no more than one table or one figure. Case Reports should be organized with the following sections: Introduction, Report of Case, Discussion, References and Table/Figure.

JCSM PEARLS
These are brief descriptions and discussion of interesting polysomnographic, actigaphic or other laboratory findings, or brief descriptions of a case with significant teaching value. Sleep Pearls should not exceed 500 words in total length including not more than 2 references. No more than one figure can be included.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Brief letters (maximum of 500 words, including references; no tables or figures) will be considered if they include the notation "for publication." A letter must be signed by all of its authors. Case reports should not be submitted as letters, but rather as formal case reports. Letters commenting on an article published in the Journal must be received within 10 weeks of the article's publication. Letters received after the deadline will not be considered for publication; those accepted will be sent to the authors for reply. Such letters must include the title and author of the article and the month and year of publication. Letters that do not meet these specifications will be returned unreviewed. The Journal will notify authors about the disposition of their letters. All accepted letters will be edited; proofs will not be sent to authors for approval. Reprints are not available.

BOOK REVIEWS
Books for review may be sent to the Journal's Managing Editor, Ms. Jennifer Markkanen, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154. Book reviews are usually solicited by the Editor. Authors interested in reviewing books should communicate directly with him indicating their areas of interest and expertise. In appreciation for their completed reviews, authors may retain the book for their own use. All reviews will be subject to editing. Reprints of reviews are not available.

OTHER TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS
The Journal will consider for publication manuscripts in other areas as Special Reports. These include medical, political or economic commentary; perspectives on the history of medicine; technical considerations in polysomnography; and sleep medicine practice issues. Authors are advised to discuss their concepts for these manuscripts with the Editor before unsolicited submissions.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Each submitted manuscript must address the following elements:

1. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form
Each author MUST disclose all potential conflicts of interest by submitting the Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Attestation of Authorship form for every submitted editorial, review, and manuscript. Substantive changes to the disclosure must be reported as they occur. Conflicts of interest will be reviewed by the Editor-In-Chief and the Journal staff. This information will be listed within the article, but dollar amounts will not be included. No submission will be considered for review without complete disclosure. When completed and signed by all contributing authors, this form may be scanned and then uploaded as part of your manuscript submission, faxed to (708) 492-0943, or sent to APSS, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154.

2. Authorship responsibility
Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work and analysis of data, as well as the writing of the manuscript, for his or her name to be listed as a co-author and should attest to this responsibility. Authors should be limited to not more than ten.

3. Ethics of investigation
Authors should specify within the manuscript whether ethical standards were used in their research. If results of an experimental investigation in human or animal subjects are reported, the manuscript should include the notation that the institutional review board on human or animal research approved the study and that appropriate informed consent was obtained from human subjects. If approval by an institutional review board is not possible, then information must be included indicating that clinical experiments conform to the principles outlined by the Declaration of Helsinki.

4. Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective Form (Transfer of author copyright)
A signed copy of the Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective form MUST be submitted with your manuscript. Include the title of the article being submitted, as well as the date. When completed and signed by all contributing authors, this form may be scanned and then uploaded as part of your manuscript submission, faxed to (708) 492-0943, or sent to AASM, One Westbrook Corporate Center, Suite 920, Westchester, IL 60154.

5. Learning objectives
Authors should keep in mind the overall learning objectives of the Journal. After reading each issue, readers should be able to: 1) interpret new information and updates on clinical diagnosis/treatment and apply those strategies to their practice; 2) analyze articles for the use of sound scientific and medical procedures; and 3) recognize the inter-relatedness/dependence of sleep medicine with primary disciplines.

a. Title page: This page should include the title and subtitle; full first and last names, highest academic degrees, and institutional affiliations for all authors; the institution at which the work was performed; disclosure of the presence OR absence of financial support and off-label or investigational use; corresponding author's full address, phone and fax numbers and e-mail address.

b. Abstract: Each article must be preceded by a structured abstract. For clinical or original investigations, the abstract is limited to 250 words. The components of this format are (start each on a new line): Study Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Provide no fewer than three but no more than ten key words that reflect the content of your manuscript. For guidance consult the Medical Subject Headings - Annotated Alphabetic List, published each year by the National Library of Medicine and available in most hospital or institution libraries.

c. Introduction: State the object of research with reference to previous work.

d. Methods: Describe methods in sufficient detail so that the work can be duplicated, or cite previous descriptions if they are readily available.

e. Results: Describe results clearly, concisely, and in logical order. When possible give the range, standard deviation, or mean error, and significance of differences between numerical values.

f. Discussion: Interpret the results and relate them to previous work in the field.

g. Acknowledgments: The minimum compatible with the requirements of courtesy should be provided. Financial support for the study should be cited here.

h. Legends: Figure legends, numbered sequentially. Give the meaning of all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure.

i. Tables: ALL tables must be created using the table function in a word processor program and also must be formatted so that they can be printed in the width of one- (3.25") or two-columns (6.5"). Prepare each table with a title above and any description below the table. Tables should be self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material. They must be numbered and cited in consecutive order in the text, and must have a short title. Tables consisting of more than 10 columns are NOT acceptable. Previously published tables must have a signed permission from the publisher and complete reference data so that appropriate credit can be given. Table footnotes should be labeled using consecutive lower case superscripted letters.

j. References: The Journal complies with the reference style given in "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (see Ann Intern Med 1997;126:36-47 or online at http://www.acponline.org). Each reference should be cited in the text, tables, or figures in consecutive numerical order by means of superscripted Arabic numerals outside periods and commas and inside colons and semicolons. When 3 or more references are cited at one place in the manuscript, a hyphen should be used to join the first and last numbers of a series; commas should be used without spaces to separate other parts of a multiple-reference citation. The reference section should be included at the end of the text, following the sample formats given below. For abbreviations of journal names, refer to "List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus" (available from the Superintendent of Documents, US Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402, USA, DHEW Publication No. (NIH) 80-267; ISSN 0093-3821). Provide all authors' names when fewer than seven; when seven or more, list the first three and add et al. Provide article titles and inclusive pages. Accuracy of reference data is the responsibility of the author.

According to our previous work,^1,3-8,19
The patients were studied as follows^3,4:

Article:
1. Meier-Ewert K, Matsubayashi K, Benter L. Propranolol: long-term treatment in narcolepsy-cataplexy. Sleep 1985;8:95-104.

2. Carskadon MA, Dement WC. Sleep loss in elderly volunteers. Sleep 1985;8:207-21.

Book:
3. Guilleminault C, Lugaresi E, eds. Sleep/wake disorders: natural history, epidemiology, and long-term evolution. New York: Raven Press, 1983.

Chapter of a book:
4. Coleman RM, Bliwise DL, Sajben N, et al. Epidemiology of periodic movements during sleep. In: Guilleminault C, Lugaresi E, eds. Sleep/wake disorders: natural history, epidemiology, and long-term evolution. New York: Raven Press, 1983:217-30.

DETAILS OF STYLE
Drug names: Use generic names in referring to drugs; trade names may be given in parentheses after the first mention, but the generic name should be used thereafter.

Abbreviations: Follow the list of abbreviations given in "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (see section on References). For additional abbreviations, consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual (available from the Council of Biology Editors, Inc., 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other standard sources.

Please provide on a separate sheet all abbreviations used with their full definition. Each should be expanded at first mention in the text and listed parenthetically after expansion.

FIGURES AND ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Graphical figures (e.g., bar graphs, line graphs) should be black-and-white line drawings, professionally drawn and lettered. Avoid the use of screens and grayscale elements within a figure.

2. Each figure and illustration should be numbered and cited in consecutive numerical order within the text of the manuscript. A legend should be provided for each figure and illustration.

3. Figures and illustrations should be submitted in their final size, either 3.25 inches wide or 6.5 inches wide (see #5 below), and must be clear and easily readable.

4. Photographs, either black-and-white or color, are permitted, provided they fit the size requirements and are of high quality. A signed model release is required for photographs of patients in which the individual is identifiable.

5. Most figures and illustrations should have a maximum width of 3.25 inches so they can fit into the confines of a single printed column. Only illustrations of particular importance and relevance, or figures that incorporate several smaller elements, should appear in two-column size, which is 6.5 inches wide.

6. Figures should be of a uniform style within the manuscript; the same typeface should be used for each figure (the font and size is Times New Roman 9 point) you submit, and figures of the same type-such as bar graphs-should appear similar and be proportioned to the same scale.

7. Do not extend the vertical or horizontal axis of a graph beyond the point needed for the data shown.

8. Definitions of symbols appearing in the figure should be presented in a key within the figure, rather than in the title or footnotes.

9. Except for the key, avoid using internal type (e.g., placing statistical values within a graph).

10. Two-dimensional graphs should not be represented in three dimensions.

11. Each complete figure (including titles and footnotes) should be understandable without reference to the text.

12. Figures should represent data visually rather than numerically.

13. If error bars are included, standard deviations, rather than standard errors of the mean, should be used.

14. Only the most widely recognized abbreviations may be used.

15. In a graph comparing different groups of subjects, the number of subjects in group should appear with the name of the group-in the key, in the headings below the horizontal axis , or in the title.

16. Ordinary footnotes should be cited with lower-case superscript letters. Footnote citations may be given in both the title and the body of the figure; within the body of the figure, they should proceed from left to right.

17. All figures and illustrations will be reproduced in "portrait" format; The Journal cannot accommodate "landscape" presentation (i.e., no table or figure will be included that requires the reader to turn the journal sideways).

18. Reproduction in color must be approved by the Editor. Authors are required to pay a color fee for each color reproduction. The cost to the author will be $100.00 per figure/photo/illustration, and payment will be required before publication.

REVIEW PROCESS
All submitted manuscripts are peer-reviewed by reviewers selected based on their expertise related to the particular manuscript. Decisions of accept, reject, or major or minor revisions are made by the Editor or Deputy Editor, and are considered final.

Manuscripts are reviewed with due respect for the author's confidentiality. At the same time, reviewers also have rights to confidentiality, which are respected by the Editor. The Editor ensures both the authors and the reviewers that the manuscripts sent for review are privileged communications and are the private property of the author.

When submitting a manuscript for consideration for publication, authors may suggest the names of potential reviewers to invite and/or exclude.

EXPEDITED REVIEW PROCESS

At the option of the authors, manuscripts previously peer-reviewed by SLEEP, but not accepted for publication may be considered for expedited review for Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine (JCSM). An expedited review will consist of an analysis by the Editor of the previous critiques returned by SLEEP as well as an examination of the submitted manuscript. Using these documents, an initial decision of accept, reject or revision will be made without additional outside reviews. To obtain an expedited review, the corresponding author MUST request this in their cover letter to JCSM and upload the critiques returned from SLEEP with their manuscript submission. The Editor will decide whether to conduct an expedited review or to proceed with the standard review process. If a decision is made to conduct a standard review, the author will be so informed and given the option to withdraw the manuscript without prejudice.

RESUBMSSIONS
If a manuscript is returned to the author(s) for revisions, all resubmissions must follow the Instructions for Submitting a Manuscript and include the following:

Both a clean copy and a redline copy of the revised submission. NOTE: If the redline copy was created using “track changes” mode in Word, please create a PDF file of the redline version and upload the PDF file in Rapid Review. If you are not able to create a PDF file of your redline version, please use alternative font colors or highlighting tools in Word to show the redlined changes – not “track changes” mode.
You must also upload a letter (Corresponding Author’s Rebuttal) responding to each of the points made by the reviewers.

The deadline for submission of a revised manuscript is four months from the date of the notice. There is no guarantee that a revised manuscript will be accepted for publication.

PROOFING
After a manuscript is accepted, it will be chosen for publication in an upcoming issue of the Journal. Author(s) will be notified as to the assignment of their manuscript to an issue. Proofs will then be sent to the corresponding author. These proofs will be faxed or emailed approximately 2 months prior to the publication and the author will be expected to return their corrections or approval of these proofs within one week. It is the author's responsibility to notify the journal's administrative office if they will be located at a different address or fax number at that time or if they would like for the proofs to be sent to an alternative author. This notification should be given at the earliest convenience.

PAGE CHARGES
To recover part of publication costs, the AASM charges authors of unsolicited manuscripts $50 USD per printed page upon acceptance of the paper. By signing the mandatory Copyright Assignment Form, the author agrees to pay page charges upon return of the proofs of his/her paper. This fee will be waived for all manuscripts submitted before January 1, 2005 AND for invited submissions, Letters to the Editor, Sleep Pearls, Book Reviews, and manuscripts for which the corresponding author is a member of the AASM. Supplements sponsored by third parties such as industry will be published at negotiated rates.

Excessive changes made in proof will be subject to additional charges.

REPRINTS
Upon request, ten complimentary glossy copies of the manuscript can be sent to the corresponding author; requests must be received within 30 days of publication. To order additional reprints, contact the editorial office for an order form. For non-author reprints contact the editorial office or download the order form from the journal web site.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION CREDIT
All peer-reviewed scientific papers accepted for publication in Journal may be designated for category 1 continuing medical education credit. On the Copyright Assignment and CME Educational Objective Form, authors are asked to write a broad, one sentence learning objective to accompany their manuscript.

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