Western Journal of
Pharmaceutical Care®
WJPhC
A Peer-Reviewed Journal

This peer-reviewed journal is published quarterly of each year and focuses on contemporary issues in pharmaceutical care. Eligible papers are insightful articles related to original research, review articles, special communications and opinion issues in clinical care and patient health. Informational articles on interesting and bioethical practices, as well as world health profiles, and other articles of interest in clinical health care may be accepted. There is an open submission policy with no deadline. There is no submission fee and no compensation is provided for accepted manuscripts.

Manuscript Submission:
All manuscripts should be sent by email to Bruce Woolley, PharmD, Editor-in-Chief. Authors must include mailing address and telephone and fax numbers. Tables, figures, and text should be included in the same file if possible. Contact Bruce Woolley, PharmD at 801-762-0499 or email to: bwoolley@wjphc.com.

Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission:
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium. Copies of possibly duplicative materials (ie, those containing substantially similar content or using the same or similar data) that have been previously published or are being considered elsewhere must be provided at the time of manuscript submission.

Previous Presentation or Release of Information:
A complete report following presentation at a meeting or publication of preliminary findings elsewhere (eg, an abstract) can be considered. Media coverage of meeting presentations will not jeopardize consideration, but direct release of information through press releases or news media briefings may preclude consideration

Types of Manuscripts:
Research articles are to follow the the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals format and contain an abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.

Original Research Contributions. Each manuscript should clearly state an objective or hypothesis; the design and methods (including the study setting and dates, participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, or data sources and how these were selected for the study); the essential features of any interventions; the main outcome measures; the main results of the study; a comment section placing the results in context with the published literature; and the conclusions. Typical length: up to 3000 words (not including tables, figures, and references). Registered trials should include the registry and registration number. Reports of original data should include an abstract of no more than 300 words following the instructions listed below.

Review articles. All articles or data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion and be critically evaluated, and the selection process should be described in the paper. The specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes should be described for each article or data source. Meta-analyses also will be considered as reviews. Typical length: up to 3000 words (not including tables, figures, and references). Maximum length: 3000 words of text, with no more than a total of four tables and/or figures, and no more than 50 references. Manuscripts reporting the results of meta-analyses should include an abstract of no more than 300 words using the following instructions. The text of the manuscript should also include a section describing the methods used for data sources, study selection, data extraction, and data synthesis. Each heading should be followed by a brief description: Authors interested in submitting a Clinical Review manuscript should contact the editorial office prior to manuscript preparation and submission.

Special Communications:
Short reports or unique, first-time reports of significant current issues. Typical length: 750-1200 words (not including tables, figures, and references).

Letters to the Editor and Opinion Issues:. Readers are invited to submit comments and opinions for publication. Letters should be addressed to the Editor and must be signed with a return address and telephone number. Selected letters and opinion statements will be published in the Journal. Letters may be edited to fit available space. Every effort will be taken to insure that opinions and statement content and meaning are not modified. Letters discussing a recent WJPhC article will have the best chance of acceptance if they are received within four weeks of the article's publication. Such letters should not exceed 400 words of text and five references. Letters should be double-spaced and a word count should be provided with each letter. 

Instructions for Abstract Preparation:
All reports of original data, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and clinical reviews should be submitted with structured abstracts as follows:

Abstract:
Include a structured abstract of no more than 300 words for reports of original data, reviews and, meta-analyses. For other major manuscripts, include an unstructured abstract of no more than 200 words. For brevity, parts of the abstract may be written as phrases rather than complete sentences. No information should be reported in the abstract that does not appear in the text of the manuscript. Each abstract should include the following:

1. Context. The abstract should begin with up to two sentences explaining the importance of the study question.

2. Objective. State the precise objective or study question addressed in the report (eg, "To determine whether . . ."). If more than one objective is addressed, the main objective should be indicated and only key secondary objectives stated. If an a priori hypothesis was tested, it should be stated.

3. Design. Describe the basic design of the study. State the years of the study and the duration of follow-up. If applicable, include the name of the study.

4. Setting. Describe the study setting to assist readers to determine the applicability of the report to other circumstances.

5. Study Participants. State the clinical disorders, important eligibility criteria, and key sociodemographic features of patients. The numbers of participants and how they were selected should be provided, including the number of otherwise eligible individuals who were approached but refused. If matching is used for comparison groups, characteristics that are matched should be specified. In follow-up studies, the proportion of participants who completed the study must be indicated. In intervention studies, the number of patients withdrawn because of adverse effects should be given. For selection procedures, these terms should be used, if appropriate: random sample (where random refers to a formal, randomized selection in which all eligible individuals have a fixed and usually equal chance of selection); population-based sample; referred sample; consecutive sample; volunteer sample; convenience sample.

6. Intervention(s). The essential features of any interventions should be described, including their method and duration of administration. The intervention should be named by its most common clinical name, and nonproprietary drug names should be used.

7. Main Outcome Measure(s). Indicate the primary study outcome measurement(s) as planned before data collection began. If the manuscript does not report the main planned outcomes of a study, this fact should be stated and the reason indicated. State clearly if the hypothesis being tested was formulated during or after data collection.

8. Results. The main outcomes of the study should be provided and quantified, including confidence intervals (for example, 95%) or P values. For comparative studies, confidence intervals should relate to the differences between groups. Explain measurements unfamiliar to the journal's general readership. Important measurements not presented in results should be declared. As relevant, indicate whether observers were blinded to patient groupings, particularly for subjective measurements. If differences for the major study outcome measure(s) are not significant, the clinically important difference sought should be stated and the confidence interval for the difference between the groups should be given. When risk changes or effect sizes are given, absolute values should be indicated. Approaches such as number needed to treat to achieve a unit of benefit are encouraged when appropriate; reporting of relative differences alone is insufficient. Studies of screening and diagnostic tests should report sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio. If predictive value or accuracy is given, prevalence or pretest likelihood should be given as well. All randomized controlled trials should include the results of intention-to-treat analysis, and all surveys should include response rates.

9. Conclusions. Provide only conclusions of the study directly supported by the results, along with implications for pharmaceutical and clinical practice, avoiding speculation and overgeneralization. Indicate whether additional study is required before the information should be used in usual clinical settings. Give equal emphasis to positive and negative findings of equal scientific merit.

Author Information:
Designate a corresponding author and provide a complete address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. The corresponding author will be identified as such in the published article.

Authorship Requirements:
Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article. Authorship credit should be based only on (1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. All three conditions must be met. Authors are required to identify their contributions to the work described in the manuscript. If authorship is attributed to a group, all members of the group must meet the full criteria and requirements for authorship as described above.

Conflict of Interest:
Authors should indicate to WJPhC any potential conflicts of interest, including specific financial interests relevant to the subject of their manuscript. If there is no relevant financial interests in the manuscript it should be so indicated.

Criteria for Review of Manuscripts and Publication:
Manuscripts are reviewed using the following criteria: material is original; writing is clear; study methods are appropriate; the data are valid; conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data; information is important; and topic has general readership

Peer Review:
All submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by a WJPhC editor. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication are rejected promptly. Other manuscripts are sent to expert consultants for peer review. Peer reviewer identities are kept confidential, but author identities are known by reviewers. The existence of a manuscript under review is not revealed to anyone other than peer reviewers and editorial staff. Information from submitted manuscripts may be systematically collected and analyzed as part of research to improve the quality of the editorial or peer review process. Identifying information remains confidential.

Rejected Manuscripts:
Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to authors unless specifically requested. Print copies of original illustrations, photographs, and slides will be returned.

Editing:
Accepted manuscripts are edited and returned to the author for approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the manuscript editor and authorized by the corresponding author.

Embargo Policy:
All information regarding the content and publication date of accepted manuscripts is strictly confidential. Information contained in or about accepted articles cannot appear in print, on radio or television, or in electronic form or be released by the news media until the day after its publication date.

Unauthorized Use:
Published manuscripts become the permanent property of the Western Journal of Pharmaceutical Care and may not be published elsewhere without written permission. Unauthorized use of the WJPhA name, logo, or any content for commercial purposes or to promote commercial goods and services (in any format, including print, video, audio, and digital) is not permitted.

Reprints:
Reprint order forms are included with the edited typescript sent for approval to the corresponding author. Reprints ship 2 weeks after publication.

Manuscript Preparation:
Double-space throughout, including title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables. Start each of these sections on a new page, numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page.

On the title page, include word count for text only, exclusive of title, abstract, references, figure legends, and tables.

Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract and limit their use in the text. • Use 10-, 11-, or 12-point font size.

On the title page include the full names, highest academic degrees, and affiliations of all authors. If an author's affiliation has changed since the work was done, list the new affiliation as well.

Units of Measure:
Conventional units of measure are preferred, with Système International (SI) units expressed secondarily (in parentheses). In tables and figures, a conversion factor to SI may be presented in the footnote or legend to economize space. Exceptions to this policy include calories, hematocrit, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood cell counts, and ejection fraction, for which conventional units alone should be expressed. The metric system is preferred for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume.

Use nonproprietary names of drugs, devices, and other products, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.

Ethical Requirements:
For human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board approval is required and should be so stated. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. For investigations of human subjects, state in the Methods section the manner in which informed consent was obtained from the study participants.

Identification of Patients in Descriptions, Photographs, and Pedigrees: Include a signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified (including by the patients themselves) in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees. Such persons should be shown the manuscript before its submission. Omitting data or making data less specific to deidentify patients is acceptable but changing any such data is not acceptable.

Reporting Race/Ethnicity:
If race and/or ethnicity is reported, indicate who classified individuals as to race/ethnicity and whether the options were defined by the investigator or the participant. Explain why race or ethnicity was assessed in the study.

Personal Communications and Unpublished Data:
Include a signed statement of permission from each individual identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data, and specify the date of communication and whether the communication was written or oral.

Permissions Required to Reproduce or Adapt Material:
Acknowledge all text, illustrations, and tables adapted or reproduced from other publications. Submit permission from the original publishers (or other copyright owner) to republish.

References:
Number references in the order they appear in the text; do not alphabetize. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript arabic numerals. Abbreviate names of journals according to Index Medicus. Note: List all authors and/or editors up to 6; if more than 6, list the first 3 followed by et al.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

Examples of Reference Style:
1. Gordon KB, Papp KA, Hamilton TK, et al, for the Efalizumab Study Group. Efalizumab for patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2003;290:3073-3080.

2. Dybul M, Connors M, Fauci AS. Immunology of HIV infection. In: Paul WE, ed. Fundamental Immunology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2003:1285-1318.

3. Key and critical objectives of JAMA. Available at: http://jama.ama-assn.org/about_current.dtl. Accessed July 4, 2004.

Tables and Figures:
Number all tables and figures in the order of their citation in the text. Include a title for each table and figure—a brief phrase, preferably no longer than 10 to 15 words.

Tables - Include all tables in the file that is submitted with the manuscript. If a table must be continued, repeat the title on a second sheet, followed by "(cont)."

Figures- For initial manuscript submissions, figures must be of sufficient quality for peer review.

For black-and-white graphs and illustrations, provide high-resolution (600 dpi minimum) laser printouts. For color graphs and illustrations, provide color inkjet or laser printouts. For photographs (halftone, including radiographic images, and color), provide high-quality, unlabeled prints. Do not mark directly on photographic prints. Apply indicators and labels only on a second print, overlay, or photocopy of the original print. Affix a sticker with figure number, title, name of first author, short form of the manuscript title, and an arrow indicating top to the back of each print.

For photographs, digitally processed images must not be altered. Include internal scale markers in photomicrographs and electron micrographs whether submitted as photographic prints or as digital files.

At the time of manuscript revision or acceptance, publication-quality photographic images will be requested. All graphs and illustrations will be re-created according to WJPhC style and standards prior to publication. Original illustrations, photographs, and slides from rejected manuscripts will be returned to authors.

Figure Legends (captions)- Include a legend for each figure at the end of the manuscript (maximum length, 40 words). For photomicrographs, include the type of specimen, original magnification, and stain.

Submission Format:
1. On the title page, include a word count for text only, exclusive of title, abstract, references, tables, and figure legends.

2. On the title page, designate a corresponding author and provide a complete address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.

3. Provide an abstract that conforms to the required abstract format.

4. Double-space manuscript and leave right margins unjustified (ragged).

5. Check all references for accuracy and completeness. Put references in proper format in numerical order, making sure each is cited in sequence in the text.

6. Include a title for each table and figure—a brief, succinct phrase, preferably no longer than 10 to 15 words—and explanatory legend as needed.

7. Send 4 sets (1 original and 3 copies) of all figures and tables with titles and legends for each if submitting by mail.

9. Include statements signed by each author for authorship responsibility, criteria, and contributions; financial disclosure; and opyright transfer or federal employment.

10. Indicate specific contributions from each author (see authorship checklist).

11. Include statement signed by corresponding author that written permission has been obtained from all persons named in the Acknowledgment.

12. For reports of original data, include statement from at least 1 author that she or he "had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis."

13. Include research or project support/funding in the Acknowledgment.

14. The role of the funding organization or sponsor in each of the following should be specified: design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript.

15. Include written permission from each individual identified as a source for personal communication or unpublished data.

16. Include written permission from publishers (or other copyright owner) to reproduce or adapt previously published text, figures, and tables in print. Provide a copy of the original source.

17. Include informed consent forms for identifiable patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees.