Are you a veterinarian with a fascinating case that sharpened your diagnostic skills? The “What Is Your Diagnosis?” section of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) offers a unique platform to share your expertise and engage with colleagues. This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the submission guidelines, ensuring your manuscript is perfectly tailored for this widely read and highly educational feature.
This section serves as an invaluable learning tool, particularly for general practitioners. It presents diagnostic imaging challenges – radiographs, ultrasonographs, CT scans, MRIs, and scintigraphy – allowing readers to hone their interpretive abilities. We invite submissions showcasing cases where imaging was pivotal in reaching a definitive diagnosis.
Crucially, we prioritize cases with broad educational value for the general veterinary community. While rare and complex referral cases are interesting, our focus is on scenarios and diagnostic dilemmas that resonate with and provide learning opportunities for a wider audience of veterinary professionals.
I. Manuscript Specifications: Keeping it Concise and Focused
To maintain clarity and reader engagement, “What Is Your Diagnosis?” submissions adhere to specific limits:
- Title: Keep it succinct and informative, with a maximum of 160 characters. It should hint at the case context without revealing the diagnosis outright. Examples include: “Lethargy and Abdominal Distension in a Young Labrador Retriever” or “Chronic Cough and Exercise Intolerance in a Senior Feline.”
- Word Count: The main text should be no more than 1,400 words, excluding acknowledgments and references. This encourages focused and impactful writing.
- Authors: A maximum of six authors can be listed per manuscript, ensuring focused contributions.
- References: Limit your references to a maximum of five, emphasizing key and directly relevant sources.
- Figures: A total of four figures are permitted, prioritizing the most diagnostically significant images.
II. Formatting Your Submission: Ensuring Readability and Professionalism
Adhering to the specified formatting ensures consistency and readability within JAVMA. Please follow these guidelines meticulously:
- Page Size: Use standard 8.5 x 11-inch page dimensions.
- Line Numbering: Employ sequential line numbering throughout the document, starting from the title.
- Spacing: Maintain double-spaced text for ease of reading and editing.
- Justification: Use left justification for all text.
- Font: Utilize a 12-point font size for optimal readability.
- Margins: Set 1-inch (2.5-cm) margins on all sides of the page.
- File Format: Submit your manuscript as a Word document (.doc or .docx).
III. Structuring Your Manuscript: A Step-by-Step Guide
Organize your manuscript into the following sections, presented in this specific order within a single document upload:
A. Title Page: Your Manuscript’s Identity
The title page is the first impression of your submission. It must include:
- Manuscript Title: As mentioned, create a title that is informative and engaging yet avoids giving away the diagnosis. Think of it as a compelling teaser that piques reader curiosity.
- Author List: Limit to six authors. Provide the full first name, middle initial (if applicable), and last name for each author. Include professional degrees (e.g., DVM, BVSc) and the highest earned academic degree (e.g., MS, PhD). For authors who are board-certified specialists, include their diplomate status (e.g., DACVR, DACVIM). Do not include specialty designations (e.g., Large Animal) with diplomate status. Bachelor’s or associate’s degrees should only be listed if they are the author’s highest qualification. Omit other specialty board designations, certifications, honorary degrees, fellowships, or memberships (e.g., MRCVS). Credentials like CVT, RVT, LVT, and RN can be listed alongside the highest earned academic degree.
- Professional Affiliations: List each author’s professional affiliation at the time of case management.
- Corresponding Author: Clearly state the name and email address of the corresponding author, who will handle communication regarding the manuscript.
B. Body of Manuscript: The Core of Your Case
The body of your manuscript should be structured into these essential sections:
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History: Begin with the patient’s signalment (age, breed, sex, species) and a concise description of the patient’s history. Include pertinent clinical signs and relevant laboratory findings that led to the diagnostic imaging.
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Formulate Differential Diagnoses: Immediately following the history, include the explicit statement: Formulate differential diagnoses, then continue reading. This crucial instruction encourages active learning by prompting readers to engage in their own diagnostic reasoning before being presented with the imaging findings.
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Radiographic Findings and Interpretation OR Diagnostic Imaging Findings and Interpretation: Use the heading that accurately reflects the imaging modality used in your case.
- Figure 1: This is the primary image essential for diagnosis. It should be presented without any identifying marks other than necessary positional labels (e.g., lateral, VD).
- Figure 2: Figure 2 should present the same image as Figure 1, but critically, it must be cropped to highlight the region of interest. Furthermore, include arrows or other clear labels to pinpoint key anatomic landmarks and any abnormalities. These annotations are vital for guiding the reader’s eye and emphasizing the diagnostic features.
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Treatment and Outcome: Provide a brief (ideally ≤ 5 sentences) summary of the clinical management implemented and the ultimate outcome of the case. Was the treatment successful? What was the patient’s long-term prognosis?
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Comments: This section is crucial for the educational value of your submission. It should offer a concise discussion focusing on:
- The differential diagnoses you considered.
- The treatment strategies employed.
- The final outcome.
- Most importantly, explicitly discuss how the chosen imaging technique was instrumental in achieving the diagnosis. Emphasize the specific features within the images that were most helpful in reaching the correct conclusion. Shift the focus from a general discussion of the disease to the diagnostic power of imaging in this specific scenario.
C. Acknowledgments, Disclosures, and Funding: Transparency and Integrity
While these sections are addressed during the online submission process, understanding their requirements is important:
- Acknowledgments: Recognize individuals who made significant contributions to the case or manuscript but do not meet the criteria for authorship. If no acknowledgments are due, state: “None reported.”
- Disclosures:
- Declare any potential conflicts of interest related to your manuscript. This includes financial interests (e.g., ownership, employment, consultancies, honoraria, grants, patents, equity interests, board membership), relevant activities, relationships, and affiliations not already listed on the title page. If no conflicts exist, state: “The authors have nothing to disclose.”
- AI Disclosure: Crucially, disclose the use of any AI-assisted technologies (like ChatGPT or other large language models) in writing the manuscript or generating images. If no AI tools were used, state: “No AI-assisted technologies were used in the generation of this manuscript.” If AI was used, be transparent about which tool and how it was employed. Note: AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
- Funding: Disclose all funding sources, financial support, or material support received from any third party, directly or indirectly, related to the manuscript’s content, writing, or publication. If no funding was received, state: “The authors have nothing to disclose.”
D. References: Crediting Sources Appropriately
- Format your references according to the current American Medical Association Manual of Style.
- Limit references to a maximum of five.
- Prioritize primary references (original research studies) over secondary sources (textbooks, review articles) whenever feasible.
- Accuracy is paramount. Authors bear full responsibility for the correctness of all cited references.
IV. Figures and Figure Legends: Visualizing the Diagnosis
Figures are uploaded separately during the submission process. Adhere to these detailed instructions:
- Image Types: Acceptable figures are radiographic, ultrasonographic, CT, MRI, or scintigraphy images. Photographs of animals, gross specimens, photomicrographs, or endoscopic images may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Radiographic Views: For radiographs, provide orthogonal views (e.g., lateral and ventrodorsal/dorsoventral) whenever possible to give a comprehensive perspective.
- Figure 1 & 2 Specifics: As detailed earlier, Figure 1 is the unannotated diagnostic image, and Figure 2 is the cropped and annotated version highlighting key findings.
- Annotation Guidelines:
- Legibility: Ensure text and symbols used for annotations are sufficiently large to remain legible even when the figure is reduced for publication. Aim for a minimum text/symbol height of 1.5 mm when the figure width is reduced to 8 cm.
- Unique Indicators: Use a distinct indicator (e.g., different symbol, color [black, white, or gray preferred], or text label) for each key finding or structure. Do not reuse the same indicator for different elements within the image. For multi-panel figures (A, B, C), avoid using similarly lettered indicators. Grayscale images are generally preferred, but color may be considered in specific cases.
- Figure Legends:
- Standalone Comprehension: Figure legends must be sufficiently detailed to allow each figure to be understood independently, without needing to refer back to the main text.
- Abbreviations: If you use abbreviations from the main text in figure legends, redefine them within each legend.
V. Manuscript Submission: Taking the Next Step
Submit your manuscript electronically via https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/avma.
- Title Entry: Enter your manuscript title exactly as it appears on your title page.
- Abstract: In the online submission system’s Abstract field, provide a concise synopsis (≤ 3 sentences) of your case. Include:
- Patient signalment and presenting complaint(s).
- Imaging modality (or modalities) used.
- The final diagnosis reached.
- Cover Letter (Strongly Encouraged): A well-crafted cover letter can significantly strengthen your submission. We recommend including the following points:
- Importance: Briefly explain (2-3 sentences) why this case is significant and contributes to veterinary knowledge.
- Key Findings: Summarize (2-3 sentences) the most important diagnostic findings of your case.
- Broad Interest: Articulate (2-3 sentences) why this case will be of wide interest and educational value to the JAVMA readership.
- Residency/Promotion: Indicate if the manuscript is being submitted for resident credentialing or professional promotion purposes.
- Reviewer Suggestions: Suggest 6-10 potential reviewers, including their names and email addresses. This can expedite the review process.
VI. Keywords: Enhancing Discoverability
During the submission process, you will be asked to provide five keywords. Strategic keyword selection is crucial for maximizing the discoverability and impact of your publication. Keywords significantly enhance your manuscript’s ranking and visibility in search engine results, leading to increased readership and citations.
- Keyword Integration: Aim to incorporate 1-2 of your five chosen keywords in your title, within the first two sentences of your abstract, and naturally throughout the body of your article where contextually appropriate. Avoid forced or unnatural keyword stuffing.
- Relevance: Select keywords that accurately reflect the core topics and diagnostic focus of your case. Think about terms that veterinary professionals might use when searching for information on similar cases or diagnostic challenges.
By meticulously following these guidelines, you can ensure your “What Is Your Diagnosis?” submission is well-structured, informative, and aligned with JAVMA‘s editorial standards, maximizing its potential for publication and contribution to the veterinary community’s collective knowledge. We look forward to receiving your insightful and educational case studies!
