Guidelines for Authors

Revised January 2011

Guidelines for Authors

The aim and scope of European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry (EAPD) is to promote research in all aspects of dentistry for children, including interceptive orthodontics and studies on children and young adults with special needs. The EAPD focuses on the publication and critical evaluations of clinical and basic science research related to children. The EAPD will consider clinical case reports of interest to Paediatric Dentistry, but usually only where there are new findings and where details of treatment carried out and the success of such treatment is given.

Submission of manuscripts. All Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via email to the Editor-in-Chief: Prof. K.J. Toumba, at k.j.toumba@leeds.ac.uk.  Only original papers written in English are considered and should be accompanied by a letter signed by the authors stating that the manuscript is not being considered for publication in another journal. Only those who are actively involved in the work should be named, as authors and this will normally be up to three authors. Multiple authors, over and above three, must be justified. Copies of a permission to reproduce material, that has been published elsewhere, or to use illustrations that may enable readers to identify children or individuals, should be included.

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via email or on a computer disc (Word/Windows preferably XP). Illustrations must also be submitted electronically. The text must be typed one and a half spaced in Times New Roman Font in 12 point. Layout: for major headings (Introduction, Methods, Results etc) use 14pt bold, subheadings should be in 12 pt italics and should conform to those as printed in EAPD. Authors should always look at past copies of the EAPD for the style andlayout. Underlining should not be used.

Condition of submission. All manuscripts are subject to editorial and scientific review. Submission of an article for publication implies the transfer of the copyright from the author to the Editor-in-Chief upon acceptance. Accepted papers becomethe permanent property of European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry and the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the Editor.

Organisation of the text

Research Articles: Title Page: Page one of each paper should indicate the title, the authors' names with initials only (no qualifications or titles), and the institution where the work was conducted.Department or institution affiliations should be designated after each author’s name as *, **, ***etc. A Short Title, of no more than 30 characters, must be given. Key words:  For Pubmed indexing purposes, a list of 3-5 key words in English is essential. A Postal Address of the principal author, complete with postal code must be given at the bottom of the title page with telephone number and the corresponding author’s e-mail address.  The title page should be part of the main manuscript and not as a separate document.

Abstract.  Each paper requires an abstract to include brief details of the work. The abstract should give details of the methods used and also the most important data findings. There should be headings in bold/capitals for: AIM: STUDY DESIGN: METHODS: RESULTS: STATISTICS: and the important CONCLUSIONS:

Introduction:  This section should review the pertinent background literature to the research. Key references to previous research should be given and a rationale for the further work reported in the paper arrived at. The aim of the study should conclude the introduction. Materials and methods: This section must be clearly written and in sufficient detail for the work to be repeated by other workers. Only the FDI tooth notation system must be used. The statistical methods used should be stated. Results: These should be clearly and succinctly presented and only related to the methods described. Where appropriate data should be given as to the reproducibility of the findings.  Statistical analysis should be included in this  section. Figures, numbered in Arabic numerals (graphs, illustrations and photographs), should be presented in a separate document. Figure legends should be listed at the end of the text document. 

Tables and figures: Arabic numbers are to be used and titles of tables and figures are required giving clear information as to what is included in the table/figure. All tables and figures should be placed at the end of the manuscript and not interspaced within the text. All figures, including graphs and pie-charts, should be in colour (normally at no extra charge up to 5 figures per paper) and submitted electronically. Due to technical reasons, figures with a screen background should not be submitted. When possible, group several illustrations on one block for reproduction (max. size 181 x 223 mm) or provide crop marks. Each figure must have a clear indication as to its number.

Discussion.  There should be a discussion of the findings and a brief conclusion should be given but this must be based upon the evidence derived from the research. Authors should be wary of extrapolating their results beyond the evidence provided.

Conclusion.  This should briefly outline the most important findings.

References (usual maximum 30 except for reviews of the literature): The reference style used is that known as Harvard. Identify references [in square brackets] in the text by naming the authors and the year. One author: [Koch, 1990]; 2 authors: [Martens and Marks, 1998]; 3 and more authors: [Welbury et al., 1996]. Multiple references within a set of brackets must be in chronological order, oldest first [Welbury et al., 1996; Martens and Marks, 1998]. Abstracts should not normally be used as a reference unless it can be shown that they are crucial to the sense of the text. Material submitted for publication but not yet accepted should be noted as ‘unpublished data’ and must not be included in the reference list. The list of references should include only those publications cited in the text. Arrange the reference list in strict alphabetical order according to the first author’s name. The authors' surnames followed by their initials should be given, and a comma should separate each name. For papers by the same authors, listing should be according to the year published; for papers by the same authors published in the same year, use the letters a, b, c, etc. directly (no space) connected to the year. For journal abbreviations, use the Index Medicus system.  Authors will be responsible for the accuracy of the references both within the main text and the reference list. Authors should pay attention to accuracy.

Examples. Papers published in Periodicals: Marthaler TM, O’Mullane DM, Vrbic V. The prevalence of dental caries in Europe. Caries Res 1996;30:237-255. Monographs: Matthews DE, Farewell VT: Using and Understanding Medical Statistics. Basel, Karger, 1985. Edited books or chapters in books: Curzon, M.E.J.: Strontium: in Curzon, M.E.J. and Cutress, T.W. (eds): Trace Elements and Dental Disease. PSG-Wright, pp 283-304.

Case reports and case series reports

Case reports have lower priority for publication. The format for these reports should follow a similar layout to research papers. The Title page, author’(s) address should be the same. There should be an abstract briefly describing the case and treatment provided. The headings in the abstract and in the text must be – BACKGROUND to the clinical case/technique should be briefly explained and the CASE REPORT(S) described in detail. There must be a description of the FOLLOW-UP clinical care carried out, which should have been for a minimum of two years where appropriate, this is to indicate the degree of success and finally there should be a brief CONCLUSION.  

Galley proofs. Unless indicated otherwise, galley proofs will be sent to the first-named author via email and should be returned with the least possible delay, preferably within 48 hours. Alterations made in galley proofs, other than the correction of printer's errors, are charged to the author. No page proofs are supplied.

Complimentary Journal. The corresponding author will be sent two complementary copies of the journal in which their paper has been published.  A pdf file copy of an author’s paper will be available on request.

Re-publication of a published manuscript

Author(s), who wish to reproduce their published paper for other purposes, such as doctoral submissions, should apply for permission to the Editor-in-Chief. This will normally be given but an acknowledgement as to original publication in the EAPD is required.