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Writers' Guidelines

AAOS Now
AAOS Now is an official membership publication of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. It presents timely news and in-depth reviews of orthopaedic practice and risk management, socioeconomic trends, regulatory issues, clinical and subspecialty topics, continuing medical education, technology updates, AAOS activities and other relevant information of interest to orthopaedic surgeons. It has a controlled circulation of approximately 28,000 readers.

AAOS Now welcomes feature articles, particularly those that focus on the activities or interests of AAOS members; short news items about grants, fellowships, and society meetings; opinion and point/counterpoint articles on regulatory, socioeconomic, clinical, and technology issues, as well as occasional articles for specific columns or departments. Articles must be written by orthopaedic surgeons and others who have knowledge of topics that directly affect orthopaedic surgeons and the practice of orthopaedic surgery. AAOS Now does not accept scientific manuscripts or articles of fiction. AAOS Now does not pay for articles submitted by outside authors. Articles should not have been previously published in another publication.

Article Length
Articles in AAOS Now range from 300 to 2500 words in length. If your article is accepted for publication, a staff editor will work with you to decide the appropriate length. Submissions must be in electronic format (i.e., as a Microsoft Word document or within an e-mail message). Submissions made via e-mail should be sent to: aaoscomm@aaos.org.

Illustrations
AAOS Now encourages authors to submit photographs, radiographs and other original illustrative material with manuscripts. Such materials can be submitted as hard copy versions or electronic files (jpg or tif format). Materials must be in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) format, suitable for reproduction purposes. Illustrations taken or adapted from a source such as a book, journal, or Web site must be identified so that permission to reprint can be determined and obtained.

Deadlines
To be considered for publication, material should be submitted at least three months in advance to enable editorial review and scheduling (i.e., submit an article for the April issue by January 1).

A Word About Style
In general, articles published in AAOS Now employ a journalistic approach and follow the Associated Press Style Manual, rather than scientific journal style. Avoid a didactic tone; feel free to use personal examples and quotes.

Please keep references to a minimum. However, if you are submitting an article with references, please include them at the end of the article. References should be listed sequentially (not alphabetically). Extensive references may only be published online. If you include charts, graphs or other statistics, please include the source(s) with them. Listing additional resources is encouraged; please be sure to include the correct URL when listing a Web resource.

What to Expect if Your Article Is Accepted
An editor will work with you to finalize your article for publication. Articles will be edited for length, clarity, and style; final copy will be provided to you before the design process begins. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their articles, so please be sure to check your final draft with care.

If your article is accepted for publication, you will need to complete and sign a release form transferring copyright of the article to the AAOS. The release form will be sent with the final draft of the article and must be received before the article can be published. An electronic signature is acceptable.

Articles accepted for publication become the property of AAOS and AAOS Now unless other arrangements have been agreed upon in writing by both the author and AAOS Now. Two copies of the issue in which your article is published will be provided to you with our thanks for your participation in a developing dialogue that advances the specialty of orthopaedic surgery.

Not Sure About Your Story Idea?
Send your idea to us with a brief outline (abstract) of what you intend to cover and how you will approach the material. If the idea sounds promising for publication in AAOS Now, we will contact you. If you would like to see samples of previously published articles, visit the AAOS Now Web site.

Manuscript Accessories
With your manuscript, please submit the following:

§ Contact information. If you are a physician, please include your name, academic or professional degrees, title or position, practice affiliation, phone number, and e-mail address. If you are a consultant, please include your firm’s name, location, phone number, e-mail address, Web site address, and a brief description of the business.

§ References. As previously stated, please keep references to a minimum; the AAOS Now is not a scientific journal. Do supply sources for tables, graphs, charts, and statistics. References should be provided in numeric order, sequentially as they appear in the text.

§ Graphics. All illustrative materials must be submitted electronically. Sources for all graphic materials must be provided; see “Illustrations” above for specific guidelines.

Questions or for more information
Contact AAOS Now at:

AAOS
Attn: Mary Ann Porucznik, Managing Editor
6300 N. River Road
Rosemont, IL 60018
Phone: (847) 384-4015
E-mail: porucznik@aaos.org

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