All authors listed in a paper submitted to Asian Archives of Pathology (AAP) must have contributed substantially to the work. It is the corresponding author who takes responsibility for obtaining permission from all co-authors for the submission. When submitting the paper, the corresponding author is encouraged to indicate the specific contributions of all authors (the author statement, with signatures from all authors and percentage of each contribution can be accepted). Examples of contributions include: designed research, performed research, contributed vital new reagents or analytical tools, analysed data, and wrote the paper. An author may list more than one type of contribution, and more than one author may have contributed to the same aspect of the work.
Authors should take care to exclude overlap and duplication in papers dealing with related materials. See also paragraph on Redundant or Duplicate Publication in “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” at http://www.icmje.org.
At AAP, the editor-in-chief does an initial review of all submitted manuscripts to determine whether they meet the journal's requirements. This means that the submitted manuscripts must comply with the journal's guidelines (format, minimum and maximum number of words, and style) and fit the journal's goals and editorial policy. If the manuscript is not aligned with the journal's interests or objectives or if a very preliminary version has been submitted (with errors, shortcomings or a poorly developed argument), it will be rejected by a journal without being sent out for peer review (desk rejection). A desk rejection is normally decided within the first week after submission.
AAP uses DOUBLE-BLIND PEER REVIEW for all articles it publishes. Each submitted manuscript is reviewed by THREE members of the Editorial Board or THREE scholars from different institutions. A procedure keeps both the author (s) and the reviewers anonymous, hence the term 'double-blind'. The decision (reject, invite revision and accept) letter will be coming from the Editorial Board after completing the manuscript’s review. The editor’s decision is based not just on technical merit of the work, but also on other factors such as the priority for publication and the relevance to the Journal’s general readership. All papers are judged in relation to other submissions currently under consideration.
Categories of Manuscripts
1. Letters to the Editor
The letters to the editor are the reactions to any papers published in AAP. These letters will be reviewed by the Editorial Board and sent to the authors of the original paper with an invitation to respond. Letters and eventual responses will be published together, when appropriate.
- Word Count: 300 – 500 words (excluding references and figure or table legends)
- Abstract: Not required
- References: Maximum of 10
- Figure or Table: Maximum of 1 (if needed)
2. Original Articles
The original articles are the researches describing the novel understanding of anatomical pathology, clinical pathology (laboratory medicine), forensic medicine (legal medicine or medical jurisprudence), molecular medicine or pathobiology. Systematic reviews, meta-analyses and clinical trials are classified as articles. The articles should be clearly and concisely written in the well-organised form (see Organisation of Manuscripts): abstract; introduction; materials and methods; results; discussion; and conclusions. The manuscripts that have passed an initial screening by the Editorial Board will be reviewed by two or more experts in the field.
- Word Count: 3,000 – 5,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and figure or table legends)
- Structured Abstract (see Organisation of Manuscripts): 150 – 200 words
- References: Maximum of 150
- Figures or Tables: Maximum of 6
3. Review Articles
The review articles are generally invited by the Editor-in-Chief. They should focus on a topic of broad scientific interest and on recent advances. These articles are peer-reviewed before the final decision to accept or reject the manuscript for publication. Therefore, revisions may be required.
- Word Count: 3,000 – 5,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and figure or table legends)
- Unstructured Abstract: 150 – 200 words
- References: Maximum of 150
- Figures or Tables: Maximum of 4
4. Case Reports
AAP limits publication of case reports to those that are truly novel, unexpected or unusual, provide new information about anatomical pathology, clinical pathology (laboratory medicine) or forensic medicine (legal medicine or medical jurisprudence). In addition, they must have educational value for the aforementioned fields. The journal will not consider case reports describing preventive or therapeutic interventions, as these generally require stronger evidence. Case reports that involve a substantial literature review should be submitted as a review article. The submitted case reports will undergo the usual peer-reviewed process.
- Word Count: 1,200 – 2,000 words (excluding abstract, references, and figure or table legends)
- Unstructured Abstract: 150 – 200 words
- References: Maximum of 20
- Figures or Tables: Maximum of 4
5. Case Illustrations
Case illustrations are aimed to provide education to readers through multidisciplinary clinicopathological discussions of interesting cases. The manuscript consists of a clinical presentation or description, laboratory investigations, discussion, final diagnosis, and up to 5 take-home messages (learning points). Regarding continuous learning through self-assessment, each of the case illustrations will contain 3 – 5 multiple choice questions (MCQs) with 4 – 5 suggested answers for each question. These MCQs are placed after the final diagnosis and the correct answers should be revealed after the references. The questions and take-home messages (learning points) are included in the total word count. The manuscripts that have passed an initial screening by the Editorial Board will be reviewed by two experts in the field.
- Word Count: 1,000 – 2,000 words (excluding references and figure or table legends)
- Abstract: Not required
- References: Maximum of 10
- Figures: Maximum of 2
- Tables: Maximum of 5
6. Technical Notes
The technical notes are brief descriptions of scientific techniques used in the anatomical pathology, clinical pathology (laboratory medicine), forensic medicine (legal medicine or medical jurisprudence), molecular medicine or pathobiology. The submitted manuscripts are usually peer-reviewed.
- Word Count: Maximum of 1,000 words (excluding references and figure or table legends)
- Abstract: Not required
- References: Maximum of 5
- Figures or Tables: Maximum of 2
Organisation of Manuscripts
1. General Format
The manuscripts written in English language are preferable. However, Thai papers are also acceptable, but their title pages, abstracts, and keywords must contain both Thai and English. These English and Thai manuscripts are prepared in A4-sized Microsoft Word documents with leaving 2.54-cm (1-inch) margins on all sides. All documents are required to be aligned left and double-spaced throughout the entire manuscript. The text should be typed in 12-point regular Times New Roman font for English manuscript and 16-point regular TH SarabunPSK font for Thai manuscript.
The running titles of English and Thai manuscripts are placed in the top left-hand corner of each page. They cannot exceed 50 characters, including spaces between words and punctuation.For the header of English paper, the running title will be typed in all capital letters. The page number goes on the top right-hand corner.
Footnotes are not used in the manuscripts, but parenthetical statements within text are applied instead and sparingly. Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and thereafter used consistently throughout the article. The standard abbreviations for units of measure must be used in conjunction with numbers.
All studies that involve human subjects should not mention subjects’ identifying information (e.g. initials) unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patients (or parents or guardians) give written informed consent for publication.
2. Title Page
The title page is the first page of the manuscripts and must contain the following:
- The title of the paper (not more than 150 characters, including spaces between words)
- The full names, institutional addresses, and email addresses for all authors (If authors regard it as essential to indicate that two or more co-authors are equal in status, they may be identified by an asterisk symbol with the caption “These authors contributed equally to this work” immediately under the address list.)
- The name, surname, full postal address, telephone number, facsimile number, and email address of the corresponding author who will take primary responsibility for communication with AAP.
- Conflict of interest statement (If there are no conflicts of interest for any author, the following statement should be inserted: “The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest with the contents of this article.”)
3. Abstract
A structured form of abstract is used in all Original Article manuscripts and must include the following separate sections:
- Background: The main context of the study
- Objective: The main purpose of the study
- Materials and Methods: How the study was performed
- Results: The main findings
- Conclusions: Brief summary and potential implications
- Keywords: 3 – 5 words or phrases (listed in alphabetical order) representing the main content of the article
4. Introduction
The Introduction section should clearly explain the background to the study, its aims, a summary of the existing literature and why this study was necessary or its contribution to the field.
5. Materials and Methods
The Materials and Methods section must be described in sufficient detail to allow the experiments or data collection to be reproduced by others. Common routine methods that have been published in detail elsewhere should not be described in detail. They need only be described in outline with an appropriate reference to a full description. Authors should provide the names of the manufacturers and their locations for any specifically named medical equipment and instruments, and all chemicals and drugs should be identified by their systematic and pharmaceutical names, and by their trivial and trade names if relevant, respectively. Calculations and the statistical methods employed must be described in this section.
All studies involving animal or human subjects must abide by the rules of the appropriate Internal Review Board and the tenets of the recently revised Helsinki protocol. Hence, the manuscripts must include the name of the ethics committee that approved the study and the committee’s reference number if appropriate.
6. Results
The Results section should concisely describe the findings of the study including, if appropriate, results of statistical analysis which must be presented either in the text or as tables and figures. It should follow a logical sequence. However, the description of results should not simply repeat the data that appear in tables and figures and, likewise, the same data should not be displayed in both tables and figures. Any chemical equations, structural formulas or mathematical equations should be placed between successive lines of text. The authors do not discuss the results or draw any conclusions in this section.
7. Discussion
The Discussion section should focus on the interpretation and the significance of the findings against the background of existing knowledge. The discussion should not repeat information in the results. The authors will clearly identify any aspects that are novel. In addition, there is the relation between the results and other work in the area.
8. Conclusions
The Conclusions section should state clearly the main summaries and provide an explanation of the importance and relevance of the study reported. The author will also describe some indication of the direction future research should take.
9. Acknowledgements
The Acknowledgements section should be any brief notes of thanks to the following:
- Funding sources
- A person who provided purely technical help or writing assistance
- A department chair who provided only general support
- Sources of material (e.g. novel drugs) not available commercially
Thanks to anonymous reviewers are not allowed. If you do not have anyone to acknowledge, please write “Not applicable” in this section.
10. References
The Vancouver system of referencing should be used in the manuscripts. References should be cited numerically in the order they appear in the text. The authors should identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in parentheses or as superscripts. Please give names of all authors and editors. The references should be numbered and listed in order of appearance in the text. The names of all authors are cited when there are six or fewer. When there are seven or more, only the first three followed by “et al.” should be given. The names of journals should be abbreviated in the style used in Index Medicus (see examples below). Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should not appear in the list but should be cited in the text only (e.g. A Smith, unpubl. Data, 2000).
- Journal article
1. Sibai BM. Magnesium sulfate is the ideal anticonvulsant in preeclampsia – eclampsia. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990; 162: 1141 – 5. - Books
2. Remington JS, Swartz MN. Current Topics in Infectious Diseases, Vol 21. Boston: Blackwell Science Publication, 2001. - Chapter in a book
3. Cunningham FG, Hauth JC, Leveno KJ, Gilstrap L III, Bloom SL, Wenstrom KD. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. In: Cunningham FG, Hauth JC, Leveno KJ, Gilstrap L III, Brom SL, Wenstrom KD, eds. Williams Obstetrics, 22nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005: 761 – 808.
11. Tables
The tables should be self-contained and complement, but without duplication, information contained in the text. They should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). Each table should be presented on a separate page with a comprehensive but concise legend above the table. The tables should be double-spaced and vertical lines should not be used to separate the columns. The column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses. All abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. The tables and their legends and footnotes should be understandable without reference to the text. The authors should ensure that the data in the tables are consistent with those cited in the relevant places in the text, totals add up correctly, and percentages have been calculated correctly.
12. Figure Legends
The legends should be self-explanatory and typed on a separate page titled “Figure Legends”. They should incorporate definitions of any symbols used and all abbreviations and units of measurement should be explained so that the figures and their legends are understandable without reference to the text.
If the tables or figures have been published before, the authors must obtain written permission to reproduce the materials in both print and electronic formats from the copyright owner and submit them with the manuscripts. These also follow for quotes, illustrations, and other materials taken from previously published works not in the public domain. The original resources should be cited in the figure captions or table footnotes.
13. Figures
All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. The figures should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.). They are submitted electronically along with the manuscripts. These figures should be referred to specifically in the text of the papers but should not be embedded within the text. The following information must be stated to each microscopic image: staining method, magnification (especially for electron micrograph), and numerical aperture of the objective lens. The authors are encouraged to use digital images (at least 300 d.p.i.) in .jpg or .tif formats. The use of three-dimensional histograms is strongly discouraged when the addition of these histograms give no extra information.
14. Components
14.1 Letters to the Editor
The Letter to the Editor manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Main Text
- References
- Table (if needed)
- Figure Legend (if needed)
- Figure (if needed)
14.2 Original Articles
The Original Article manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Structured Abstract
- Introduction
- Materials and Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Table (s)
- Figure Legend (s)
- Figure (s)
14.3 Review Articles
The Review Article manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Unstructured Abstract
- Introduction
- Main Text
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Table (s)
- Figure Legend (s)
- Figure (s)
14.4 Case Reports
The Case Report manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Unstructured Abstract
- Introduction
- Case Description
- Discussion
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Table (s)
- Figure Legend (s)
- Figure (s)
14.5 Case Illustrations
The Case Illustration manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Clinical Presentation or Description
- Laboratory Investigations
- Discussion
- Final Diagnosis
- Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Take-Home Messages (Learning Points)
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Correct Answers to MCQs
- Table (s)
- Figure Legend (s)
- Figure (s)
14.6 Technical Notes
The Technical Note manuscripts consist of the following order:
- Title Page
- Introduction
- Main text
- Conclusions
- Acknowledgements
- References
- Table (s)
- Figure Legend (s)
- Figure (s)
Proofreading
The authors of the accepted manuscripts will receive proofs and are responsible for proofreading and checking the entire article, including tables, figures, and references. These authors should correct only typesetting errors at this stage and may be charged for extensive alterations. Page proofs must be returned within 48 hours to avoid delays in publication.
Revised Manuscripts
In many cases, the authors will be invited to make revisions to their manuscripts. The revised manuscripts must generally be received by the Editorial Board within 3 months of the date on the decision letter or they will be considered a new submission. An extension can sometimes be negotiated with the Editorial Board.