Submit Comparative Medicine articles to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-cm. Submit JAALAS articles to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-jaalas.

General Information

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS) currently publishes two journals containing data-driven, peer-reviewed articles.

The mission of Comparative Medicine (CM) is to disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed information that expands biomedical knowledge and promotes human and animal health through the study of laboratory animal disease, animal models of disease, and basic biologic mechanisms related to disease in people and animals.

The mission of The Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS) is to disseminate high-quality, peer-reviewed information on animal biology, technology, facility operations, management, and compliance as relevant to the AALAS membership.

Article Type Definitions Example Case Report Example Case Study Example Overview

The types of articles accepted are Case Report, Case Study, Research Report, Overview, and Letter to the Editor.

The editorial style of AALAS journals is based on that described in Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (seventh edition). Consult previous issues of the relevant journal for information not addressed in Scientific Style and Format or the following material.

Manuscript Preparation

Title page
Manuscript should be single spaced, with no page or line numbers On the first page of the manuscript, include the:

• Full Title—a concise informative description of the presented work including the common name of the animals used (add genus and species in parentheses for nonhuman primates and species whose common name may be unfamiliar to readers).
• List of authors—the first name, middle initial (or first initial and middle name), and last name of each author
• Institutional affiliation of each author—the Department (or Program), Institution (or Company), City, State (or province), and Country (if not USA) at which the described work was done.

  • Use superscripted Arabic numerals to indicate respective institutions
  • Spell out all locations in full
• Corresponding author—the person who readers can contact regarding information or reagents

  • Indicate with * in the list of authors and provide that author’s email address
• Running title—a descriptive phrase of no more than 72 characters (including spaces) to be used as a running head on each printed page
• Abbreviations and acronyms—a list of all nonstandard acronyms and abbreviations used throughout the manuscript and their definitions

  • Standard Abbreviations need not be included on the title page.
  • Do not abbreviate terms used fewer than five times in a manuscript.

Abstract
Provide a single paragraph (no subheadings) of 300 words or fewer that sequentially summarizes the background, rationale, methods, results, and conclusions of the work.

Body
Use coded or nonproprietary language throughout the manuscript. Cite the proprietary, brand, or vendor name associated with an assay, instrument, machine, service, or compound only in Materials and Methods.

Define all nonstandard abbreviations and acronyms at first use. Limit the number of novel abbreviations used. Refer to the list of Standard Abbreviations for abbreviations that can be used without definition.

The length of and subsections comprising the body of the manuscript will vary depending on the type of article submitted . The manuscript may include some or all of the following sections:

• Introduction
  

  • Provide the rationale and supporting background for the presented work and its importance and relevance.
    
  • Extensive reviews of the existing literature are inappropriate for research reports and case studies/reports.
    

Example Materials      & Methods

• Materials and Methods
  

  • Describe the animals, husbandry, tests, equipment, procedures, reagents, and services used in sufficient detail to permit replication of the work, with citation of published references as consistent with brevity and clarity.
    
    • Clearly define use of the term ‘specific pathogen-free’ by including specific criteria (for example, tests, organisms surveilled, housing, husbandry conditions) or citing publications providing that information.
      
    • Include statistical methods where relevant and attribute (name of software program used and name and location of vendor) or reference them appropriately. In addition, provide the P value used to define statistical significance.
      
  • Include a statement regarding Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval (or equivalent) for procedures and protocols involving animals.
    
  • Provide assurances regarding humane care and use of animals , citing AALAS Position Statements and national standards as appropriate to the country in which the work was performed.
    
  • For research involving human subjects, identify the committee that approved the experiments and include a statement that informed consent was obtained from all subjects, that measures are in place to protect the identity of all subjects, and that no coercion was used to solicit subjects.
    
  • Provide the vendor’s name and location for any sole-source item or service.
    
  • Insert callouts (in parentheses) for all Figures and Tables, which are numbered in order of their mention in the text.
    
  • Follow correct nomenclature for laboratory animals, genes, genetic markers, alleles, mutations, and microbes.
    
  • Wherever possible, use International System of Units base and derived units for numerical data.
    

Example Results

• Results
  

  • Use headings as needed to guide readers.
    
  • Accompany statements of differences between groups with appropriate statistics.
  • Summarize selected data from Figures and Tables in the Results section; do not merely repeat all information presented in graphics.
    
  • Save interpretation of data for the Discussion section.
    

Example Discussion

• Discussion
  

  • Begin the Discussion with a brief summary of the key findings.
    
  • Limit discussion of study findings to those that have been presented in the Results.
    
  • Address any limitations of the study and directions for potential future research.

Acknowledgments
Recognize (with their permission) people and institutions whose contributions of funding, technical assistance, reagents, data collection and analysis, and other services do not meet the criteria for authorship.

Example References

References
Provide complete and accurate bibliographic information for all cited materials. Only information that is published or is already accepted for publication (that is, “in press”) can be used as references. We will not accept citations of unpublished information or materials (for example, personal communications, unpublished data, manuscripts still undergoing review) in a reference list or parenthetically in the text.

Journals published by AALAS follow a modified version of the citation style found in Scientific Style and Format. Refer to previous issues of JAALAS or CM or the Example References Word file linked at left for specific types of referenced material.

Organize references numerically in strict ("letter-by-letter") alphabetical order. List references by the same author(s) chronologically.

Journal style template files are available for EndNote and RefMan.

• RefMan template
• EndNote template file: download from the EndNote website (enter Comparative Medicine in the box titled Publication Name and click on Find Style)

Figure Legends
Provide complete, concise descriptions of all figures in order of their mention in the text. Define additional abbreviations or acronyms.

Indicate the original magnification of images by citing the magnification factor in the legend or by using scale bars within images themselves.

Use of previously published material (in whole or part) must be cited in the legend and accompanied by a signed Permission for Use form .

Appropriate manipulation of digital images must be made explicit in the accompanying legend.

Tables
Tables must be generated by using the Table function of Microsoft Word. Tables generated by using other programs (for example, Microsoft Excel) will be returned to the authors for reformatting, potentially delaying publication of the article.

Number tables in order of their mention in the text and provide a brief title describing the information presented. Footnotes to tables are indicated by using superscript lowercase letters.

Tables are used to present numerical data and are not wholly narrative. According to AALAS journal style, narrative information in a tabular format (for example, descriptions of scoring systems, experimental protocols) is submitted as a figure.

Figure Preparation
Figures are submitted electronically, separately from the manuscript. Do not embed any images within the manuscript file. Also, all submitted micrographs must be in color; black and white micrographs will not be accepted for publication.

File formats accepted are TIFF (preferred), EPS, high-resolution JPG, and high-quality PDF (no image compression). PowerPoint slides, Excel graphs, and images embedded in Word are not acceptable.

Minimal resolution: 600 dpi for line art (for example, graphs in black and white); 300 dpi for color (save as CMYK; not RGB or indexed) or grayscale images (save black and white images as grayscale); 1200 dpi for scanned line art (save as TIFF). Photos taken with a digital camera must have a resolution of at least 4 megapixels.

Create figures with a width of 89 mm (single column) or 187 mm (double column); do not enlarge created figure to meet these dimensions.

Designate panels of figures by using uppercase letters (no periods) in the upper left corner of the image; keep size of lettering and other labels (at least 2 mm in height as submitted) consistent between panels of a figure and between figures. Embed fonts within digital images.

Indicate the magnification factor of an image by including an appropriate size bar in its lower right corner.

Minimize the use of color in charts, graphs, and drawings to that necessary for clarity of communication and ease of understanding. Use solid fill or percentage screens (not pattern or textured fills) and a minimum line weight of 0.5 pt throughout.

Additional information regarding generating and formatting figures is available by emailing Amy Tippett.

Manuscript Submission
Letters to the Editor are submitted by email (journals@aalas.org; please specify whether the letter is intended for publication in CM or JAALAS in the subject line) or through the USPS (Letter to the Editor, CM or JAALAS; AALAS; 9190 Crestwyn Hills Drive, Memphis, TN, 38125).

Research Reports, Case Reports, Case Studies, and Overviews are submitted electronically through the Manuscript Central system. To avoid publication delays, ensure that all portions of the manuscript conform to the specifications in the Information for Authors.

To submit a manuscript for possible publication, you need

• A Microsoft Word file of the manuscript itself. Do not add line numbers to the file.
  
• All associated image files.
  
• A list of MeSH terms (maximum, 7) for use as key words appropriate for indexing of the article.
  
• Names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses (maximum, 4) of suggested persons to include or exclude as potential reviewers.
  

Submit all necessary files for CM manuscripts at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-cm. Submit files for JAALAS manuscripts at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-jaalas.

As part of the submission process, return signed copies of the Copyright Transfer and Declaration of Potential Competing Interests form by email (journals@aalas.org) or fax (901-334-5152).

The corresponding author must retain editable electronic copies of all text and illustrations used in the submitted manuscript.

Manuscript Review and Status
The Editor-in-Chief reviews all submissions and makes an initial determination regarding suitability for publication. If an Associate Editor transfers a submitted manuscript from CM to JAALAS (or vice versa), the contact author will be notified by email and may opt to withdraw the manuscript from consideration.

Before being sent for peer review, newly submitted manuscripts are screened to ensure that the text, figures (charts, graphs, images), and tables comply with the criteria described in the Information for Authors.

All manuscripts undergo thorough peer review (including digital assessment for plagiarism prior to acceptance), typically by three reviewers with relevant experience. Selection of the panel of reviewers ultimately is the prerogative of the Associate Editor.

AALAS gives timely review the highest priority. Once all reviewers for a manuscript have been assigned, authors can check the status of their submission through Manuscript Central. Whether a manuscript is accepted, requires revisions, or is rejected for publication typically is decided within 4 weeks of being sent for review. To avoid publication delays, regularly verify and update authors’ contact information (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-cm for CM manuscripts; http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aalas-jaalas for JAALAS manuscripts).

Changes requested by reviewers must be completed within 2 months or an extension requested (email journals@aalas.org or call the journals office at 901-754-8620). Without timely return of revisions or a request for extension, the manuscript will be withdrawn from the publication process.

Approximately 5 weeks before the slated publication date, the contact author receives a copyedited version of the manuscript, which will have undergone a final review by the Editor-in-Chief.

After any additional queries that arise during copyediting and final review are addressed satisfactorily, the contact author receives a PDF of the page proofs of the article. At this late stage in the publication process, only minor revisions can be accommodated.

Approved page proofs must be emailed to journals@aalas.org within 48 hours of receipt.

After publication, the manuscript will be submitted to PubMed Central for indexing. Articles will become available to the general public 6 months after publication.