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At the same time as the manuscript editing and composition of articles for an issue are proceeding, advertisements are scheduled for specific issues, and possibly for specific positions in an issue (eg, back cover or facing the table of contents). Advertising sales and placement should be administratively separate from all editorial functions to ensure that there is no influence by an advertiser on any editorial decisions. As stated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, editors must have full and final authority for approving advertisements and enforcing advertising policies. Staff members responsible for issue makeup should ensure that there ...Less

Once the author’s and reviewing editor’s changes have been made in the manuscript file, the document is ready to be composed, or made into pages. Before the widespread use of electronic page makeup systems, galley proofs of typeset text in long columns were produced. A layout served as the model for the page, showing breaks (if any) in the title, type sizes and spacing in the text, and placement of tables, figures, and headings. The galley proofs were then cut and pasted along with the tables and art to make page proofs.In an electronic composition system, codes must be inserted ...Less

Errors are an inevitable part of the publishing process. Fortunately, authors or readers commonly call them to the journal’s attention, or they are found during the internal quality-review process, and corrections can be published. In JAMA, corrections are printed at the end of the Letters to the Editor section and are listed in the Table of Contents. Corrections should be indexed, with a cross-reference to the original article. This will enable online database services (such as MEDLINE) to link indexed articles with published corrections (see , Ethical and Legal Considerations, Editorial Responsibilities, Roles, Procedures, and Policies, Correspondence [Letters to the ...Less

Editorial processing refers to the processing of manuscripts after acceptance in preparation for publication (Figure ). With the development of electronic document processing, the term manuscript has moved increasingly far from its handwritten origins to refer to a prepublication document, whether it happens to be a hard-copy typescript or an electronic file. Manuscript submission, peer review, editing, processing, and tracking are now commonly performed electronically. A major technical issue for many publishers is the need to efficiently process content for multiple publication outputs, such as print, Web, reprints, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The use of electronic markup languages such ...Less

Indexes organized by subject and author’s surname are published regularly in most medical journals. Some journals publish indexes only online and not with their print version. Indexes may be created by indexing specialists or by indexing software that searches articles for key words. ...Less

For each journal issue, the production staff merges the editorial and the advertising material, numbers the pages, prepares the table of contents, and produces an imposition (a list that shows the sequential order of pages with placement of editorial and advertising content). The editorial content of each issue should be determined by the journal editor or managing editor, considering the balance of types of articles and thematic consistency (eg, there might be several articles on related topics). The made-up issue is reviewed by editorial and production staff, and final changes are incorporated. When final pages have been created, the electronic ...Less

After acceptance for publication, a manuscript undergoes copyediting, now often referred to as manuscript editing. Extensive editing for clarity, accuracy, and internal consistency may be necessary for some manuscripts. The manuscript editor coordinates communication between the editor, author, and production staff. Manuscript editors incorporate suggestions of the reviewing editor; correct grammar, spelling, and usage; query ambiguities and inconsistencies; verify mathematical calculations; verify reference citations; and edit to journal style. Tables, boxes, and figures are also edited for style (see , Visual Presentation of Data), accuracy, and consistency with the text. Original figures may be created by a graphics specialist in ...Less

The page proofs are checked by a proofreader and by the manuscript editor. In a traditional publishing process, the proofreader checks the manuscript copy word for word against the typeset copy, alerting the manuscript editor to any discrepancies (see , Manuscript Editing and Proofreading). In an electronic processing system, the role of the proofreader has changed. The proofreader may look only for line breaks and problems that arose through improper coding (eg, space problems or incorrect font) or page makeup (eg, misplaced blocks of type or improper line justification). The manuscript editor, reviewing editor, and/or author may perform the word-for-word ...Less

Authors have the option to purchase reprints or e-prints of their articles. Reprints may also be sold to individuals, organizations, or companies interested in disseminating the article (see , Ethical and Legal Considerations, Intellectual Property: Ownership, Access, Rights, and Management, Standards for Commercial Reprints and E-prints). ...Less