Preparation of Manuscript

The manuscript, including all references, must be provided in Word or RTF format, double spaced with line numbering, on 8½ × 11 inch or A4 page sizes, with at least 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins. Please see the guidelines for specific manuscript types for further guidance. Manuscripts should be arranged as follows:

1. Main Document (consisting of one file):
   1. Title page with the full title, running title, and full author names with affiliations (including contact information for the Corresponding Author)
   2. Abstract and keywords
   3. Text
   4. Acknowledgments, including sources of funding
   5. Conflict of Interest statement
   6. References
   7. Tables
   8. Figure captions
2. Figures
   Each figure must be uploaded as a separate file.
3. Supplementary Files
   Each supplementary file must be numbered (Supplementary file 1, 2 etc.), referred to in the text, and have a title.
4. Completed Conflict of Interest forms for each author

Cover Letter. The cover letter must attest that 1) each author contributed to the conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data and the writing of the paper (ICMJE rules); 2) each has approved the version being submitted; and 3) the content has not been published nor is being considered for publication elsewhere.

Title Page. The title page should include the full title (20 words maximum) in all caps, running title (50 characters maximum), and full author names with professional degrees and affiliations. Include a complete mailing address, telephone number, and email address for the Corresponding Author.

Abstract and Keywords. Most manuscript types should include a 100- to 250-word abstract, placed on a separate page without a heading, summarizing the objectives of the study or analysis, the major arguments and/or results, and conclusions/recommendations. See information on manuscript types above for further guidance. Three to five keywords, using terms from the Medical Subject Headings from Index Medicus, should follow the abstract.

Text. Manuscripts must be in English using American spelling. Spelling, capitalization, and punctuation should conform to the 17th Edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (University of Chicago Press). Refer to recent articles as a guideline when preparing your manuscript. The Journal does not accept footnotes or appendices.

Acronyms should be clearly spelled out on first use. The use of product trade names should be avoided; generic names should be used except where discussion of proprietary brands is essential to the manuscript. Spell out “percent” rather than using the % symbol except in Tables/Figures. Authors may use their local currency but should also include a conversion to either USD or EUR in brackets.

Numerals should be spelled out for numbers up to ninety-nine (forty reports, ninety-nine patients) and numerals should be used for numbers 100 and greater (100 patients, 125 countries) However, with units of measure, numerals are always used (15 sec, 2 weeks, 15 ml, 99 years). However, within any one sentence, if >100 of an entity is stated and then <100 of that same entity is also stated, numerals are used for both instances. For example, “...200 questionnaires were received, but only 50 questionnaires met criteria for inclusion in the study.”

Acknowledgements and Sources of Funding. Authors must include a Funding Statement in their manuscript. Within this statement please provide details of the sources of financial support for all authors, including grant numbers, for example: “Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (grant number XXXXXXX)”.

Grants held by different authors should be identified as belonging to individual authors by the authors’ initials, for example: “Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (AB, grant numbers XXXX, YYYY), (CD, grant number ZZZZ); the Natural Environment Research Council (EF, grant number FFFF); and the National Institutes of Health (AB, grant number GGGG), (EF, grant number HHHH).” Where no specific funding has been provided for research, you should include the following statement:

“Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.”

References. The references must be arranged according to ICMJE Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM): numbered consecutively in order of appearance in the text, identified by Arabic numerals. Bibliographic citations in the text should be indicated by Arabic numerals in parentheses. When authors are mentioned in the text, the citation number should immediately follow the name(s) as follows:

"Jones and Smith (7) maintained that..."

Please do not use auto-numbering in the reference list. If a work has more than six authors, the first six authors should be listed, followed by et al. If a work has five or fewer authors, include all author names. Abbreviate journal titles according to the listing in the current Index Medicus. Title abbreviations should be italic and end in a period. Capitalize the first word that follows a colon in journal article titles, book chapter titles, and book titles. Do not include month or issue numbers for journals with consecutively numbered volumes. An Endnote style for the ICMJE Uniform Requirements is available here, however as neither Cambridge University Press nor the Journal are responsible for maintaining or updating this file, accuracy of references should always be checked by authors. Examples follow below:

Book:

1. Jones AB, Smith JK. Computer diagnosis and results. New York: Penta Publishers; 2011

Journal:

1. Jones AB, Smith JK. The relationship between health needs, the hospital, and the patient. J Chron Dis. 2012;49:310-2.
2. Garattini L, De Compadri P, Clemente R, Cornago D. Economic evaluations in Italy: A review of the literature. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2003;19:685-737.

Article in edited work:

1. Jones AB, Smith JK. The diagnostic process. In: Brown R, Wilson T, editors. New technology and its medical consequences, vol. 1. New York: Apple Publishers; 2013. p. 101-34.

Online sources:

1. European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) [Internet] Transcatheter implantable devices for mitral valve repair in adults with chronic mitral valve regurgitation v1.4. c2015 [cited 2016 Aug 12]. Available from: http://www.eunethta.eu/sites/5...

In the reference list, do not include material that has been submitted for publication but has not yet been accepted. This material, with its date, should be noted in the text as "unpublished data" as follows:

Unpublished data:

"Similar findings have been noted by LW Smith (unpublished data, 2013)."

Tables. Tables should be numbered consecutively. All tables must be cited in the text and have an explanatory caption/legend. All abbreviations used in each table must be defined underneath, even if the abbreviations have been defined previously in the text or other Tables. Tables must be submitted in Word or RTF. Tables may be included in the Main Document file after References (not inside text) or uploaded separately.

Figure Captions. Include a list of figure captions (but not the figures themselves) in the Main Document file, after any tables.

Figures. Figures should be numbered consecutively and have a Title after the number. All figures must be cited in the text and must have an explanatory caption/legend. Abbreviations in figures should be avoided, except in the case of acronyms already used in the text. All abbreviations used in each figure must be defined in the caption, even if the abbreviations have been defined previously in the text.

Each figure must be uploaded separately in tif, jpg, or eps format. The figure captions should be included at the end of the Main Document file and not in the individual figure files.

For detailed figure formatting recommendations, please refer to the Cambridge Journals Artwork Guide.

Supplementary Files. Tables and figures exceeding the limits given in the Manuscript Types table above may be submitted as Supplementary files and will be accessible through a link in the published article.

Supplementary tables and figures should be numbered separately from the tables and figures, beginning with Supplementary Table 1 and Supplementary Figure 1.

Please note that the Typesetters will not amend Supplementary files in any way before publishing. Authors should ensure that Supplementary files appear exactly as intended when submitted. Please ensure that captions are included in supplementary material and that they are sufficient to allow the files to be understood without the main text.

Conflicts of interest. Authors should include a Conflicts of Interest declaration in their manuscript, after the main text and following the Acknowledgements and Sources of Funding information. Conflicts of Interest are situations that could be perceived to exert an undue influence on an author’s presentation of their work. They may include, but are not limited to, financial, professional, contractual or personal relationships or situations. Conflicts of Interest do not necessarily mean that an author’s work has been compromised. Authors should declare any real or perceived Conflicts of Interest in order to be transparent about the context of their work. If the manuscript has multiple authors, the author submitting the manuscript must include Conflicts of Interest declarations relevant to all contributing authors.

Example wording for your Conflicts of Interest declaration is as follows: “Conflicts of Interest: Author A is employed at company B. Author C owns shares in company D, is on the Board of company E and is a member of organisation F. Author G has received grants from company H.” If no Conflicts of Interest exist, your declaration should state “Conflicts of Interest: None”.

All authors must disclose any financial arrangements with companies whose products are discussed in the paper or their competitors; such information will not be revealed to reviewers but may be included in a suitable format in the final publication if the manuscript is accepted. Please find the Conflict of Interest Form here. These forms should be uploaded to ScholarOne with the submitted manuscript.

Ethical standards

As relevant to the content of the paper, the manuscript should attest to the fact that any research with human or animal subjects conforms to the legal and ethical standards of the country in which it was performed.

Where research involves human and/or animal experimentation, the following statements should be included (as applicable): "The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committees on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2013." and "The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional guides on the care and use of laboratory animals."

Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to publish material for which they do not own the copyright.