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Topics in Companion Animal Medicine is dedicated to providing the practitioner with the most recent advances in companion animal medicine. Each quarterly issue includes a comprehensive review of the latest developments and techniques regarding an important topic in veterinary medicine, guest edited by a leading expert in the field. The Journal also features peer-reviewed original research articles, case reports and review articles; as well as timely editorials addressing issues that affect the companion animal practitioner.

Peer review
All submissions will be reviewed by at least 2 anonymous reviewers and evaluated for originality, a clear statement of a hypothesis, experimental design, completeness of methods, thoughtfulness of the discussion, and conclusions that are supported by data. Authors may name up to 5 potential reviewers; however, the Editors retain the right to assign different reviewers as deemed appropriate.

Types of contribution
1. Original Research Papers
2. Review Articles
3. Case Reports

Original Research PapersPapers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere, except in a preliminary form. If the authors are uncertain of whether prior presentation or publication in abstract form poses a potential conflict, they should contact the Editors prior to submission. Research papers are required to be organized as follows:
  1. Introduction: should acquaint the reader with the subject and justify the objective(s) of the research. There should be three parts to the introduction: first, a clear description of the nature and extent of the problem to be studied; second, a presentation of the pertinent research by others in the field of the study; and third, a statement of how the authors study challenges, expands or improves the known material. The hypothesis or objective(s) addressed in the study must be clearly stated in the final paragraph.
  2. Materials and Methods: : must contain enough information to allow another scientist to duplicate the study. Materials should be named specifically, including the manufacturer, city, state, and country where the equipment or supplies were obtained. Descriptions of animals should include species, breed, sex, and age should also be included. Husbandry methods, climate, photoperiod and geographic location of the study. A logical description of the experimental methods should follow and include an explanation of the experimental design. It may be useful to prepare a table or schematic diagram to explain the procedures, such as how the animals were divided into groups or how samples were obtained. The method of statistical evaluation must be stated, the treatment and response variables identified, and assignment of experimental units into groups specified.
  3. Results: must contain sufficient information to fully describe the outcome of the research. The use of tables and figures is encouraged, but text should be used to emphasize important points, connect results, and to restate the trend of the idea (the objective already mentioned in the INTRODUCTION). Tables and figures must contain enough information within them and in their respective titles or legends to be understandable without referring to the text.
  4. Discussion: contains an explanation of the meaning of the results. The principles, relationships, and general truths shown by the results should be presented without retelling the results if at all possible. Exceptions or lack of correlation should be pointed out and unsettled points defined. Agreement or disagreement with previous work should be shown. The theoretical or practical implications of the work should be discussed. Finally, the major conclusions and implications should be stated in a brief paragraph.

Review Articles Articles should be current, in-depth articles or discussions focusing on topic-specific diseases or areas in a way that relate to the practicing veterinarian; current review of literature relating to a specific topic; clinical data and research concerning specific diseases or species if there is a practical understanding and application, or if it adds clarity to the article. Images and tables are encouraged to clarify understanding of procedures, techniques, or disease processes.

Case Reports Reports can focus on any companion animal species, but by definition, must include core clinical content. Content can focus on a report of a new condition, treatment and follow-up of complex presentations. The format for case reports, generally, is as follows: presentation, history and presenting signs, physical and laboratory evaluation and any other diagnostic assessments deemed relevant, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, summary and discussion, acknowledgements, and references.

All questions regarding the organization of article content should be directed to the Editorial Office.

Submission of manuscripts
All manuscripts must be submitted online through the Elsevier Editorial System (EES) for the Topics in Companion Animal Medicine at External link http://ees.elsevier.com/tcam. First-time authors will need to register initially and then submit their papers online.

Registration Instructions:
External link http://epsupport.elsevier.com/article.aspx?article=1044&p=3
MANUSCRIPTS SHOULD NOT BE SUBMITTED UNLESS COMPLETE (that is, title page, abstract and key words, figures, legends, tables, references, and permissions are included). If the Editor requests any changes to the manuscript, it is the author's responsibility to ensure that a revised version is re-submitted through the Elsevier Editorial System (EES) site.

Because the review process will be conducted in a double-blind format, you will be asked to provide separate files for your title page (containing all of the author details and contact information) along with a blinded version of your paper containing no author details.

If you require assistance with your submission, tutorials, contact information for live support, and other resources are available online via the following link: External link http://epsupport.elsevier.com

Before submitting your manuscript, please be sure of the following:

1. You are sending the final version of the manuscript.
2. All illustrations and legends are included.
3. Complete contact information is included on the Title Page.

Copyright
Submission of an article is understood to imply that the article is original and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Submission also implies that all authors have approved the paper for release and are in agreement with its content, and that any person cited as a source of personal communications has approved such citation. It is understood that materials accepted for publication reflect the opinion(s) of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent the opinion of the Editor, the Editorial Board or the Publisher.

Upon acceptance of the article by the journal, the author(s) will be required to transfer the copyright of the article to the Publisher. This transfer will enable the widest possible dissemination of the information.

Authors' Rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) may do the following:
  • make copies (print or electronic) of the article for your own personal use, including for your own classroom teaching use
  • make copies and distribute such copies (including through e-mail) of the article to research colleagues, for the personal use by such colleagues (but not commercially or systematically, e.g., via an e-mail list or list server)
  • post a pre-print version of the article on Internet websites including electronic pre-print servers, and to retain indefinitely such version on such servers or sites
  • post a revised personal version of the final text of the article (to reflect changes made in the peer review and editing process) on your personal or institutional website or server, with a link to the journal homepage (on elsevier.com)
  • present the article at a meeting or conference and to distribute copies of the article to the delegates attending such a meeting
  • for your employer, if the article is a "work for hire," made within the scope of your employment, your employer may use all or part of the information in the article for other intra-company use (e.g., training)
  • retain patent and trademark rights and rights to any processes or procedure described in the article
  • include the article in full or in part in a thesis or dissertation (provided that this is not to be published commercially)
  • use the article or any part thereof in a printed compilation of your works, such as collected writings or lecture notes (subsequent to publication of your article in the journal)
  • prepare other derivative works, to extend the article into book-length form, or to otherwise re-use portions or excerpts in other works, with full acknowledgement of its original publication in the journal

NIH "Public Access" Policy
US National Institutes of Health (NIH) voluntary posting ("Public Access") policy: Elsevier facilitates author response to the NIH voluntary posting request (referred to as the NIH "Public Access Policy"; see External link http://www.nih.gov/about/publicaccess/index.htm ) by posting the peer-reviewed author's manuscript directly to PubMed Central on request from the author, 12 months after formal publication. Upon notification from Elsevier of acceptance, we will ask you to confirm via e-mail (by e-mailing us at NIHauthorrequest@elsevier.com) that your work has received NIH funding and that you intend to respond to the NIH policy request, along with your NIH award number to facilitate processing. Upon such confirmation, Elsevier will submit to PubMed Central on your behalf a version of your manuscript that will include peer-review comments, for posting 12 months after formal publication. This will ensure that you will have responded fully to the NIH request policy. There will be no need for you to post your manuscript directly with PubMed Central, and any such posting is prohibited.

Preparation of manuscripts
Authors should have their manuscripts reviewed before submission by persons who have advanced command of English spelling, grammar, syntax and semantics, and who are familiar with scientific style.
  1. Manuscripts should be written in clear, concise and grammatically correct English and formatted according to the instructions listed below. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts checked by an English-speaking colleague prior to submission. Manuscripts that do not conform to standard English style, usage and grammar, and/or which are not adequately prepared, will be returned to the authors for modification prior to scientific review.
    Authors in Japan please note that, upon request, Elsevier Japan will provide authors with a list of people who can check and improve the English of their paper (before submission). Please contact our Tokyo office: Elsevier, 4F Higashi-Azabu, 1 Chome Bldg, 1-9-15 Higashi-Azabu, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0044, Japan; phone: (03)-5561-5032; fax: (03)-5561-5045; e-mail: jp.info@elsevier.com.
  2. Manuscripts should contain numbered lines, wide margins and double-spacing throughout (i.e. also for abstracts, references, etc). Every page of the manuscript, including the title page, references, tables, etc. should be numbered. However, in the text no reference should be made to page numbers; if necessary, one may refer to sections. Avoid excessive usage of italics to emphasize part of the text.
  3. All manuscript must be submitted in the following order:
    Title page (to include)
    • Title, which should be clear, descriptive and not too long
    • Running title, not more than 48 characters
    • Names and professional affiliations of all author(s)
    • Current and complete postal addresses for all authors and affiliate institutions
    • Clearly indicate corresponding author with complete correspondence information including mailing address, full telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address to which proofs should be sent.

    Abstract and Key Words: on a separate sheet not more than 250 words. The abstract should include the objective and main findings of the paper. Include at least five keywords for indexing.

    Article
    References (and reference numbers in the text)
    Figure legends (captions)
    Figures
    Tables (if appropriate)
  4. Articles should be divided into clearly defined sections (Original Research articles as defined above). Each subsection should be given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line. Subsections should used be when cross-referencing text: refer to the subsection by heading as opposed to simply "the text."

Tables
  1. All tables should be referred to in the text by consecutive Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
  2. Authors should take notice of the limitations set by the size and layout of the journal. Large tables should be avoided. Reversing columns and rows will often reduce the dimensions of a table.
  3. If many data are to be presented, an attempt should be made to divide them over two or more tables.
  4. Each table should be on a separate page of the manuscript. Tables should never be included in the text.
  5. Each table should have a brief and self-explanatory title.
  6. Column headings should be brief, but sufficiently explanatory. Standard abbreviations of units of measurement should be added between parentheses.
  7. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Leave some extra space between the columns instead.
  8. Any explanation essential to the understanding of the table should be given as a footnote at the bottom of the table.

Illustrations
  1. All illustrations should be referred to in the text by consecutive Arabic numerals (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc).
  2. Units should be indicated in the figures.
  3. Each illustration should be identified by its number and the last name of the first author. An indication of the top of the illustration is required for photographs of profiles, thin sections, and other cases where doubt can arise.
  4. Illustrations should be designed with the format of the page of the journal in mind. Illustrations should be of such a size as to allow a reduction of 50%.
  5. Make sure that the size of the lettering is big enough to allow a reduction of 50% without becoming illegible. The lettering should be in English. Use the same kind of lettering throughout and follow the style of the journal.
  6. If a scale should be given, use bar scales on all illustrations instead of numerical scales that must be changed with reduction.
  7. Each illustration should have a caption. The captions to all illustrations should be typed on a separate sheet of the manuscript.
  8. Explanations should be given in the typewritten legend. Drawn text in the illustrations should be kept to a minimum.
  9. Photographs are only acceptable if they have good contrast and intensity. Reproductions of photographs already printed cannot be accepted.
  10. All digital artwork submissions MUST adhere to Elsevier's electronic artwork guidelines. The guidelines can be found at the following URL: External link http://www.elsevier.com/artwork .

References
  1. All publications cited in the text should be presented in a Reference section immediately following the Acknowledgements.
  2. Indicate references by superscript numbers in the text (with multiple citations separated by a comma with no space between comma and next citation, and three or more consecutive citations separated by a hyphen). The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given. Number the references in the list in the order in which they appear in the text. See recent issue of Topics in Companion Animal Medicine for examples.
  3. References should use the following style:
    Journal article: one to three authors
    Peterson ME: Feline hyperthyroidism. Vet Clin North Am (Sm Anim Pract) 14:809-826, 1984

    Journal article: more than three authors
    Olsen RG, Mathes LE, Tarr MJ, et al: Oncologenic viruses of domestic animals. Vet Clin North Am (Small Anim Pract) 16:1129-1144, 1986

    Journal article in press
    Griffin CE: Diagnosis and management of autoimmune skin disease: A review. Semin Vet Med Surg (Small Anim) (in press)

    Complete book
    Jubb KVF, Kennedy PC, Palmer N (eds): Bones and Joints in Pathology of Domestic Animals, vol 1 (ed 3). San Diego, CA, Academic, 1983

    Chapter of book
    Harvey JH: Principles of cancer surgery, in Ettinger SJ (ed): Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, vol 1 (ed 2). Philadelphia, PA, Saunders, 1983, pp 405-416

    Chapter of book that is part of published meeting
    Amoczky SP: Stifle surgery: An update, in: 1986 Scientific Proceedings, 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Hospital Association. Denver, CO, American Animal Hospital Association, 1986, pp 508-513

    Abstract
    Garson G, Harris B, MacDonald J: Postoperative hemmorrhage. Surgery 3:17 (abstr).

  4. Work accepted for publication but not yet published should be referred to as "in press".
  5. References concerning unpublished data and "personal communications" should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in the text.


Permissions
If any part of the article (e.g. illustration or table) has been previously published, the Author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by Authors in these cases available online at External link http://www.elsevier.com/authors . Requests for permission to use Elsevier material should be addressed to healthpermissions@elsevier.com or may be completed on-line via the Elsevier homepage (External link http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissions ).

A copy of the Letter of Permission from the copyright holder must accompany the illustration. The source of the illustration should be included among the References to the paper. The figure legend should conclude with "Reprinted with permission" followed by the reference number: "Reprinted with permission (23)."

*Note that the cost of any permission fees is the responsibility of the Author(s).

Proofs
Topics in Companion Animal Medicine uses the Rapid Proof™ online review system. With Rapid Review™, corresponding authors will receive an email with a link to a protected website where page proof can be viewed as a universal .PDF file. The email contains instructions on how to login, view pages, and return corrections. Only typographical corrections and critical changes in data or content will be accepted. All corrections must be returned to the Publisher within 48 hours.

Elsevier will do everything possible to get your article corrected and published as quickly and accurately as possible. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Subsequent corrections will not be possible, so please ensure your first sending is complete.

Author Services
Enquiries concerning manuscripts and proofs: questions arising after acceptance of the manuscript, especially those relating to proofs, should be directed to the Managing Editor.

Fred Sauter
Managing Editor
2214 Frederick Douglass Blvd.
Suite 315
New York, NY 10026
fredsauterTCAM@gmail.com

Authors can also keep a track of the progress of their accepted article, and set up e-mail alerts informing them of changes to their manuscript's status, by using the "Track Your Accepted Article" feature of Elsevier's Authors' Home at External link http://www.elsevier.com/authors .



Updated January 2010

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