JAVMA Narrative Review

Author Instructions: Narrative Review

The digital edition of JAVMA is the journal of record. Accepted articles may be published in both the print and digital editions or the digital edition alone, as decided by the editorial staff.

Narrative Review: Is a critical and concise summary of information about subject areas in which important advancements have been made over the past 5 years. This information has clear potential to aid in achievement of the highest quality, ethical standards of clinical veterinary care, animal welfare, and public health. The article builds on previous work and has clearly defined search criteria, focusing on salient articles.


Limits
Title: ≤ 160 characters
Word count for main text: ≤ 4,000 (Includes abstract and any acknowledgments; Excludes references)
References: ≤ 50
Tables and figures: ≤ 5 in total


Formatting (applies to main text, references, and figure legends)

  • 8.5 x 11-inch page size
  • Double spaced (tables are single spaced)
  • Left justification
  • Sequential line numbering
  • 12-point font
  • 1-inch (2.5-cm) margins

Organization
Manuscript text file (in order of inclusion; uploaded as a single document)

  • Title page—Includes the following:
    • Manuscript title—Declarative titles are preferred (eg, New targeted treatments aid in management of allergy-associated itch and inflammation in dogs)
    • First name, middle initial (if applicable), and last name of each author, along with each author’s professional degree and highest earned academic degree (eg, MS or PhD, MPVM) and, for authors who are diplomates of veterinary specialty organizations recognized by the AVMA’s American Board of Veterinary Specialties or similar specialty organizations recognized by other countries, diplomate status (eg, DACVS or DACVIM). List a bachelor’s or associate’s degree only if it is the author’s only degree. Do not list other specialty board designations, certifications, or honorary degrees.
    • List of professional affiliations of the authors at the time of the review.
    • Name of the corresponding author and their email address.
  • Abstract (≤ 250 words): Provides the purpose of the article, including the current knowledge gap and the key takeaways.
  • Body of manuscript: No specific structure
  • Acknowledgements, Disclosures, and Funding
  • Authors will be required to address these three statements during submission. This information does not need to be included in the manuscript document.
    • Acknowledgement/s: Identify individuals who made important contributions to the study but who do not meet the criteria for authorshipIf none, include the statement “None reported.” 
    • Disclosure/s:
      • Include any conflicts of interest. If none, include the statement “The authors have nothing to disclose.” 
      • Include the use of any artificial intelligence (AI)–assisted technology such as ChatGPT or another Large Language Model in the writing of the manuscript or production of images. If none was used, include the statement “No AI-assisted technologies were used in the generation of this manuscript.” If an AI tool was used, the authors must be transparent in disclosing here, in the disclosures section, which AI tool was used and how the AI tool was used. AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a manuscript.
    • Funding: If none, include the statement “The authors have nothing to disclose.” 
  • References: Are formatted using the current American Medical Association Manual of Style. Include pivotal papers on the subject. Use primary references (eg, original studies) rather than secondary references (eg, textbooks and review articles). Please note that authors bear primary responsibility for the accuracy of all references.
  • Figure legends: Provide sufficient information to allow the figures to be understood without reference to the text, including defining abbreviations used. See our detailed instructions on figures.
  • Tables: Are limited to those that aid reader comprehension, are created with the table tool in Microsoft Word, appear after the list of references and figure legends in the manuscript, and have legends that provide sufficient information to allow the tables to be understood without reference to the text, including defining abbreviations used. See our detailed instructions on tables.

Figures (Uploaded separately from the manuscript file)

  • Have a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch and legible indicators when sized to the width of 1 printed column or 8 cm for publication.
  • See our detailed instructions on figures.

Supplementary materials (Uploaded separately from the manuscript file)

  • Used for additional materials that are not essential to the understanding of the article but provide an important expansion of the article contents. Examples include tables of identified literature. Such materials will not appear in the article but will be posted on the journal's website. Publication of supplementary materials is at the discretion of the scientific editors.
  • Prepared in compliance with the general guidelines for manuscript style.
  • Are subject to copyright.
  • Clarity and accuracy of content and consistency with the full article is the responsibility of the authors; supplementary materials will be posted as is, without copy editing.

Manuscript submission
Submit manuscripts electronically at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/avma.

Keywords
You will be required to provide 5 keywords at submission. Keywords increase discoverability, ranking, and visibility in search engine results, and therefore increase readership and citation of a manuscript. Include 1 or 2 of your 5 keywords in the title, in the first 2 sentences of the abstract, and throughout the article where they can be worked in naturally and in context. Keywords also help us promote your manuscript.

Return to JAVMA instructions for authors