Guidelines for Authors

The purpose of the journal is: (i) to publish contributions on the prevention, management, and treatment of prevalent diseases in developing countries, and on the promotion of health; and (ii) to present a picture of the problems of health and disease in these countries as a step towards lessening the sense of isolation felt by those working far from advanced medical centres.

The Editorial Committee, with help of the International Advisory Board, will invite those with special experience to write papers on selected subjects directed to the practical needs of those working in government, mission, and other hospitals, in outstations, medical dispensaries and health centres. The journal will attempt to provide the reader with a continuing postgraduate course in the practice of medicine in tropical countries.

Papers may be submitted as (1) two copies typed in double spacing, (2) on disk accompanied by one printed copy, or (3) via e-mail, to Tropical Doctor Editorial Office: Dr Chris Whitty, Editor, Tropical Doctor, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Mortimer Market, Capper Street, London WC1E 6AU, UK (E-mail: TropDoc@compuserve.com).

The Editors will provide support for authors whose first language is not English. No paper will be rejected merely on the basis of a lack of familiarity with the style of written English language. We are pleased to consider papers in the following categories:

Short Reports/Case Reports
Up to 600 words (one page of Tropical Doctor ). No summary is required. The contents should be logically ordered, but division into sections is optional. One table or figure is allowed in addition to text. Up to five references may be given. Suitable for presenting descriptive studies (a series of cases of . . ., etc.), some field studies, personal experience or individual case reports of particular interest.

Original Articles
From 1000–3000 words. The content of the paper must justify its length. For reports of original investigative work, traditional division into sections is required: summary (maximum 150 words), introduction, patients/methods, results, discussion, acknowledgements, references. Black and white photographs and line drawings are welcomed if they illuminate the text.

Any Questions?
A request for expert advice on a problem encountered in any health-related field. The question may arise out of general experience or may be based on a particular patient or community issue. It should be posed in 50–200 words: we will print the question with a reply from one or two experts in the appropriate field.

Letters to the Editor
Welcomed on any subject, including editorials or articles that have appeared in Tropical Doctor. Suitable for voicing opinions, which need not be orthodox. Letters may also be a suitable vehicle for presenting items of experience or observation that are too brief for Short Reports.

Methods and Devices
Papers describing procedures, techniques or equipment adapted by readers to their own conditions of work are welcomed. Papers should be typed in double spacing on one side of the paper only. The author's name, qualifications, position, and place of work should be given. Illustrations, either clear black and white drawings or black and white photographic prints with good contrast, can be considered. References should be kept to a minimum. They should be identified by numbers in the text and listed consecutively at the end in the order in which they are first cited in the text. The full list of references should include: names and initials of all authors (unless more than 6, when only the first 3 are given followed by 'et al.'); title of the paper; journal title; year of publication; volume number; first and last page numbers. References to books should give book title, place of publication, publisher and year; those of multiple authorship should also include chapter title, first and last page numbers, and names and initials of editors. For example:


Papers accepted but not yet published should be included in the references followed by '(in press)'. Those in preparation (including any submitted for publication), personal communications and unpublished observations should be referred to as such in the text.

Consent
(a) Original textual matter quoted from other authors must have formal citation and be appropriately referenced. (b) The consent of patients and approval of the protocol by an ethical committee or the relevant authority on ethical matters should be confirmed for human investigations. (c) Any statements which might be construed as being potentially defamatory must be avoided. (d) Any tables or illustrations previously published should be accompanied by the written consent of the copyright holder to republication, an acknowledgment included in the caption, and the full reference included in the list.

Patient Confidentiality
Where a patient might be identified via an illustration or from the text, it is essential that written permission is obtained from that patient and forwarded with the manuscript.

Proofs and Offprints
Proofs are sent to the author designated to receive them, and corrections should be kept to a minimum. Twenty-five offprints of each published article (except Letters or Book Reviews) are supplied free of charge, and an order form for additional offprints is sent with the proofs.

Editorial communications should be addressed to Tropical Doctor at The Royal Society of Medicine (Tel: +44(0) 20 7290 2926; Email: helen.mckay@rsm.ac.uk).