gms | German Medical Science

Information for authors

• Authors' Guidelines
• Authors' Contract
• Go to Manuscript Submission

GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung – Authors' Guidelines, Status: 17/10/2011

1. General Information

GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung – German Journal for Medical Education (GMS Z Med Ausbild) is an open access, interdisciplinary e-journal which publishes a wide range of papers, in both English and German, on the field of medical education and continuing medical education. Members of the German Society for Medical Education (GMA) and subscribers also receive a printed version of the journal four times a year. All submissions go through a peer review process before publication. These authors' guidelines follow the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.
The processing fee for manuscript submission amounts to 200 € for non-GMA-members as of 01/01/2012. Relevant is the corresponding author.
Please submit manuscripts as an e-mail attachment to GMS Z Med Ausbild Editorial Office. Electronic submissions may be sent as Microsoft Word (*.doc) or Rich Text Format (*.rtf) files.
Authors also may upload their submissions into the Manuscript Operating System (MOPS) of German Medical Science (GMS). This option is available via "Login & Submit" on the GMS Web site (http://www.egms.de).
Instructions for electronic submissions:
- Enter your text as running text (i.e., only use hard line breaks at the end of a paragraph)
- To indent a paragraph, use a tab stop or the indent function instead of spaces
- Enable the automatic page numbering feature of your application
- Use no more than one form of emphasis in your manuscript (e.g., only bold)
- Put tables on a separate page
- Use the ASCII code for special characters
- Print-outs must correspond exactly to the files
- No special page layout is necessary 
The Editorial Office will confirm receipt of the manuscript and inform you of the manuscript's acceptance or rejection. GMS accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.

2. Publication Requirements

GMS Z Med Ausbild accepts submissions on medical education and continuing medical education, medical pedagogy, adult education, quality management in teaching, pedagogical psychology (insofar as it is relevant to medical education), educational policies and higher education. The journal's objective is to provide information and communications on medical education and continuing medical education, including relevant research. The target audience includes all persons involved in higher education as well as the interested public.
Contributions can take a number of different forms: editorials, review articles, research articles, innovative projects, commentaries and hypotheses, book reviews, conference reports, rapid publications or short communications, letters to the editor, guidelines, obituaries and laudations, news and notes, and rapid responses.
Separate categories are reserved for contributions from dentistry and veterinary medicine, on students, medical and health care, medical assistant professions, public health and health policy.

2.1 Authorship and Copyright

All authors ensure that they have each made a substantial contribution to the article and that they are in agreement with regards to the form and content of the manuscript. The author conducting the negotiations confirms in the Author's Contract that he holds the rights to both the work and the text and illustrations therein. If material (e.g., illustrations or tables) is used from other sources, the author must submit a written statement from the holder of the copyrights indicating agreement with publication in GMS Z Med Ausbild. The exact source is to be cited in the text or in the corresponding legend or caption. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the author shall grant GMS Z Med Ausbild exclusive rights of use in accordance with Sections 15 ff of the German Copyright Law, and in particular the right of translation, duplication by photocopier or other procedure, and the right of digital use, for the duration of the legal term of copyright (Section 64, German Copyright Law). In case of publication, the author shall grant GMS Z Med Ausbild the right to store the article for an unlimited amount of time in databases, the right of distribution and reproduction of the article in electronic form, as well as the right to provide individualized prints for users of the print-on-demand service. All remaining usage rights of the author are not restricted; however, any further publication of the article must carry a notice of where it was published first ("originally published in: GMS Z Med Ausbild. 2005;1…").

2.2 Conflicts of Interest

Financial or other kinds of support received from institutes or companies, as well as public funding, is to be listed in the Acknowledgments. The author should disclose in an attached form any financial or other ties he or she has to a company whose products or whose competitor's products are central to the facts contained in the article. This information will be treated confidentially. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the Editorial Office will discuss with the author how this information will be communicated.

2.3 Protection of Patients and Subjects

When using photographs of patients or subjects, the authors must ensure that the person is rendered unidentifiable. Otherwise, the author must seek explicit consent from the person concerned (or their representative) that he or she agrees to the publication in the present form. The author shall confirm in writing that this consent has been given.

2.4 Informed Consent

All manuscripts on educational research must include a section declaring that the research project has been approved by the relevant ethics committee. The vote by the ethics committee should include a decision on whether patients or subjects must give their consent.

3 Manuscript Preparation

3.1 General

The manuscripts should be submitted in German or English. Manuscripts may also contain tables, figures and pictures as well as audio and video sequences. Following acceptance for publication, the text must be translated into English or German (as applicable) by a native speaker as the ZMA publishes bilingually.

3.1.1 Cover letter

Each manuscript should be accompanied by a cover letter. In this letter the authors must declare whether their submission to GMS Z Med Ausbild has already be submitted or published, in whole or in part, elsewhere. In addition, the authors should declare that each author has contributed to the research project and the preparation of the manuscript, and specify how each one has done so. The author submitting the manuscript must also provide a statement that all co-authors have read the finished manuscript and approve of its publication in the present form. Finally, any conflicts of interest must be disclosed. Studies on persons must be in compliance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki (2008 Seoul version) and those of the Declaration of Geneva. In the case of clinical studies and educational interventions, it is necessary to first solicit the opinion, and if necessary the approval, of an ethics committee. If applicable, the authors must state that the informed consent of patients and subjects as well as the approval of an ethics committee has been granted. Any recourse to legal action is excluded.

3.1.2 Scope of the manuscript

Research articles (systematic review articles, randomized studies, prospective cohort studies) should be no longer than 12–14 DIN A4 pages; project reports should be a maximum of 6–8 pages, while all other publications (including commentaries, hypothesis papers, responses) should be a maximum of 4–6 pages. Manuscripts that are short and concise have better chances for publication.
1 manuscript page = 30 lines (double spaced) of 60 characters each using 12 pt font on a DIN A4 page with a 5-cm left margin.
Figures, tables and references, etc., are included in this scope.

3.1.3 Proofs

The publisher will send the proofs to the corresponding author. The proofs should be checked carefully and then returned to the publisher. Corrections to the proofs must be made by the specified deadline; proofs returned after this deadline cannot be considered. The publisher reserves the right to seek reimbursement from the author for proofs returned late or which contain exceptionally extensive corrections or corrections for which the author is responsible. The proofs must be returned by the deadline in order to ensure that the journal can be published on time. The author shall bear the costs of proof corrections if they exceed 10% of the original typesetting costs.

3.1.4 Title page

Title page The first page of the manuscript should state the title of the article in English and in German, followed by the authors' full names, their e-mail addresses and institutional affiliations. Below this, the name, postal and e-mail addresses of the corresponding author should be listed separately.

3.1.5 Abstract and keywords

All research articles, case descriptions and review articles must be preceded by an abstract in English and in German (non-German-speaking authors may request assistance with the translation into German; see 3.1). The abstract is a condensed summary of the paper. It should be divided into sections with the bold-faced headings "Objective", "Methods", "Results" and "Conclusion". At the bottom the author should list appropriate keywords, which should be selected from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) as far as is possible. In addition, the author should specify any trade names or manufacturer names of pharmaceuticals and medical products used, as well as chemical substances and their CAS numbers, in order for this information to be indexed in appropriate databases. See "Article Types" for further information on manuscript guidelines.

3.1.6 References

The literature cited in the text is listed at the end of the article and in accordance with the Vancouver Style of References, which is also used in MEDLINE. References can be listed in the order in which they were cited in the text, or they can be ordered alphabetically by the last name of the first author. The References list is to be numbered consecutively in any case. The numbers from the References list are used for the citations in text, tables and legends, whereby the Arabic numerals are placed within square brackets. Please do not use footnotes!

Some examples:

Standard journal article:

Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347(4):284-7.

Monograph:

Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

Chapter/Contribution in a monograph:

Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

CD-ROM:

Anderson SC, Poulsen KB. Anderson's electronic atlas of hematology [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002.

Online journal article:

Eysenbach G. SARS and population health technology. J Med Internet Res. 2003;5(2):e14. Available from: http://www.jmir.org/2003/2/e14/

Web site:

Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/

For further detailed sample references, see

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html.

3.2 Article Types

Editorials

are short texts that offer commentary on the main subjects of the journal, on individual articles in the issue or on topics of general importance. They are solicited by the editor-in-chief. They may contain figures and/or a short reference list.

Review articles

give a detailed yet concise description of the state of current research and clarify open research questions. Review articles should include an abstract and an introduction; they may be subdivided into further sections according to the requirements of the topic. Meta-analyses or structured review articles are welcome.

Pro & contra

Contains papers aimed at stimulating discussion and which can then receive responses and replies quickly. Papers in this column only reflect the opinion of the authors but they are checked, and if necessary commented upon, by the publishers, the GMA management board and the head of the board prior to publication.

Research articles

address current research problems using adequate empirical or experimental methods and generalizable results. Research articles should be a significant contribution toward clarifying the formulated problem (research question). The research question should be described in detail and should lead to the formulation of a hypothesis. We recommend employing the assistance of a statistician. Research articles are divided into the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.

Project reports

present projects relevant to the scientific interest in medical education. They have the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Project Description, Discussion, Conclusion.

By students

This column contains papers by students addressing aspects of medical under and postgraduate education and CPD. This is meant to increase the visibility of people who will profit most by successful improvements of teaching and learning. Positions papers, personal opinions and experiences and research projects in medical education will be especially welcome.

Commentaries/hypotheses

are statements of opinion and hypothetical assumptions which are well argued and deal with current issues in medical education. They should include an abstract and an introduction, and possibly other sections according to the requirements of the topic.

Rapid publications/short communications/letters to the editor

are commentaries or news-worthy notices and announcements and represent a welcome addition to the journal insofar as they play a central role in the discussion of research findings. They go through a peer review process like the other articles.

Book reviews/Conference reports

are short commentaries on books or events.

Guidelines

are evidence-based recommendations for medical education that are the product of a consensus-building process; this process is to be described in a transparent manner.

Obituaries

are short reports on deceased personalities who made major contributions to the field of medical education.

News and notes

are current reports on events in the field of medical education. They do not need to follow a particular format.

Rapid responses

are commentaries that are directly attached to an article which enable users to debate issues raised in the article. They are limited in length and cannot be cited. The editorial staff reserves the right to select, abridge and edit rapid responses at any time. This feature will be implemented shortly.

Announcements

about awards, scientific prizes and personalities should be submitted to the editor-in-chief (see below).

3.3 Categories

The following categories are available:
Medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, medical and health care, medical assistant professions, students, public health and health policies.

3.4 Technical requirements

3.4.1 Typography and technical terms

Do not use block style or end-of-line hyphenation when drawing up your manuscripts. Only insert line breaks at the end of paragraphs. Citations are to be numbered consecutively in the text as explained in 3.1.4 and listed as text in the References section at the end of the document. Do not use the automatic footnote function. All figures and tables are to be provided with legends and numbered consecutively. Please indicate clearly in the manuscript where figures and/or tables are to be inserted. The basic units of the International System of Units (SI) and the units derived from them are to be used for all units of measurement. The unit "mmHg" is permissible for blood pressure values; the unit "° C" may be used for temperature. If other units of measure are used in figures and tables, please indicate the conversion factors in the legend. For the designation of chemical substances, use the nomenclature of the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) or the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB). We recommend indicating the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number in addition. Generic names should be used for pharmaceuticals in most cases. If commercial products were used during the research, then their trade names and the names of their manufacturers should be mentioned in the Methods section. In addition, this information will be indexable by recording it in special data fields. For articles written in German, the orthography of "Rote Liste" applies. Common acronyms such as DNA and WHO may be used without further explanation. The complete term for all other acronyms should be given when they are first used. A list of acronyms and abbreviations may be added to the manuscript if necessary.

3.4.2 Text formats

Authors may upload their submissions into the Manuscript Operating System (MOPS) of German Medical Science (GMS). This option is available via "Login & Submit" on the GMS Web site (http://www.egms.de). Alternatively, manuscripts may be submitted as an e-mail attachment to the editor-in-chief. Electronic submissions may be sent as Microsoft Word (*.doc) or Rich Text Format (*.rtf) files. The processing fee for manuscript submission amounts to 200 € for non-GMA-members as of 01/01/2012. Relevant is the corresponding author.

3.4.3 Graphic formats

The following graphic formats can be used: TIFF and BMP (bitmap formats with no data loss), GIF and PNG (compressed bitmap formats) for charts, JPG (compressible bitmap format) for photos. Even if the graphics are integrated in the text, please provide them additionally as separate files with clear file names.

3.3.4 Research data / primary data (supplementary material)

We expect from our authors that the research data presented in the manuscript are available for peer review and, where required, for publication. The publishing of research data complies with the requirements of "good scientific practice" outlined by funding organizations like Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and European Research Council. The benefits of publishing research data/primary data include:
For authors:

• Citeability: via persistent identifiers (DOI, URN)
• Long-term archiving
• Independent quality assurance through peer review
• Legal security: As with the article itself, data are published under a Creative commons licence, allowing non-commercial subsequent use, provided the original source is properly cited.

For the scientific community:

• Subsequent use: enables further interpretation of data, utilization for follow-up research projects, cross-referencing between data sets, data/text mining
• Transparency: through traceability and (if applicable) reproducibility of research results
• Efficiency: through the limitation of work and financial expenses

In the event that your research data are chosen to be published, please submit a descriptive caption together with your data. Use of platform-independent file formats is required, such as:

• For additional documentation (e.g. detailed case reports): PDF
• For image data: GIF, TIFF, PNG, JPG
• For audio-visual material: MPG
• For text or tabular data: TXT, CSV

If you have any questions (e.g., regarding special file formats or very large files), please contact the GMS Editorial Office prior to submission.

4. Review Process

The Editorial Office of GMS Z Med Ausbild confirms the receipt of every manuscript. All submissions go through a review process which assesses the originality and scientific quality of the presented material. The review is conducted by at least two experts chosen by the editorial advisory board. In case of a positive review (where necessary, after a revision by the author), the editorial advisory board sends its recommendation to the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief makes the final decision on whether the manuscript will be accepted or not. The Editorial Office communicates this decision to the authors as soon as possible.

5. Tips on Preparing the Manuscript

The main sections of a manuscript should be set apart from each other using short headings and decimal numbering (up to 3 figures) (e.g., 1. Introduction 1.1 Problem 1.1.1 Historical background … 1.1.4 Objective of the paper ... 1.2 Question, etc.).
The following applies to all submitted manuscripts:
Abstract: An abstract in English and in German is to be submitted with all scientific papers; the abstract should provide a short (maximum 250 words) and concise summary of the essential points (results in numbers and dimensions) of the paper. The abstract should be divided into the following sections: Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Neither tables, references to figures nor statements of a general nature may appear in the abstract. The abstract must be able to be cited in Abstracts.
Keywords: Each manuscript may include a maximum of 5 keywords in English and in German. Keywords should be selected from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) as far as is possible.
Acknowledgments: Acknowledgments, for example of persons who provided material assistance but who were not involved in the preparation of the manuscript, should appear after the References list. They should be kept short and include a reason for making the acknowledgment.
References: Only works cited in the text may be listed here. Personal communications and unpublished works should not be listed. The references are either numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the paper, or they are ordered alphabetically by the last name of the first author.
Figures and Tables: Figures and graphic illustrations serve to present facts in a condensed form. They may be used to visualize structures or interactions. They should help to clarify the text. Figures and/or tables should not be used to repeat what has been presented in the text, nor should the text repeat the information in the figures/tables; numerical figures in particular should only be presented once, either in the text or, preferably, in a table or figure.

We recommend the following format for research articles: Introduction (why is this study necessary? Theoretical background with current literature; statement of objective; logical structure of introduction; comprehensive presentation of the research question). Methods (who, when, where and how? Adequate planning and description of the study design; suitable methods for answering the study question; sufficient justification for the selection of study design; exact specification of interventions and treatments; framework conditions for the study). Results (what are the findings of the study? Must be understandable, plausible and limited to significant results; results that are not significant may be reported if they have been found using impeccable methods; appropriate selection of tables and figures; use the correct scaling for diagrams. Discussion (summary of the study's objective and research question; summary of the procedures and results; results must be discussed in relation to the current literature; presentation of author's interpretations and comparison of these interpretations with the findings of the current literature; critical discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the study; description of unexpected external influences or distortions and how the author dealt with them; straightforward conclusions; recommendations for further-reaching studies; structure and layout must be transparent). References (adequate selection; must be current).
We recommend the following format for qualitative research articles: Introduction (description of problem; definition of research question). Methods (the methods of data acquisition and analysis are to be described precisely; adequate data collection/random samples; compliance with the quality criteria for qualitative research; evaluation: suitable evaluation methods). Results (adequate presentation). Discussion (opinion on the results and limitations). References (adequate selection; should be current).
We recommend the following format for experimental/project reports: Introduction (goal of the project; formulation of question), Methods (how was the project conducted?), Results (what were the findings?), Applicability (extent applicable; why is it worth reporting?).
We recommend the following format for review articles: Introduction (presentation of theoretical background and current literature; statement of objective; logical structure of introduction; research question). Methods (adequate description of literature search, including search strategies; defined result parameters and method of analysis, including inclusion and exclusion criteria; suitable methodology for answering the research question). Results (understandable, plausible and significant? Appropriate presentation of the results of the literature used; appropriate synthesis of the results). Discussion (transparent structure; summary of methods and results; results in relation to comparable review articles; critical discussion of strengths and weaknesses of the study; plausible and straightforward conclusions).
We recommend the following format for rapid responses: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions.
We recommend the following format for commentaries/hypotheses and letters to the editor: Introduction, Content (main criteria: innovation, the anticipated effects of the paper, transparency of the argument; secondary criteria: brevity and conciseness).
We recommend the following format for guidelines: Introduction (background; status quo of the domestic situation; short summary of the guidelines; applicability and purpose of the guidelines: overall goal of the guidelines; issues/problems covered; who they apply to and who will apply them; participation of interest groups: relevant groups (e.g., preclinical students or residents), and gathering the views and preferences of the relevant groups; target user group; where necessary, application within a pilot study). Evaluation and opinion (methods of developing guidelines; applied methods; selection criteria for "evidence", where necessary consensus process; cost-benefit analysis of the recommendations and, where necessary, external validation of the recommendations; proposal of how the recommendations will be updated; distribution and implementation plan). Recommendation (systematic presentation of recommendations: recommendation, justification based on the evidence available, tips on practical implementation). Acknowledgments (authors, cooperation partners, sponsors).

Misc.:
Only manuscripts that have been prepared carefully and in accordance with these guidelines can be printed.
Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to the authors, with the exception of original illustrations.
In the event that a patient is recognizable in one of the figures, the author must secure permission from the patient or the patient's legal representative to reproduce the figure in question.

6. Subscription Costs for the Print Version of GMS Z Med Ausbild

The subscription costs for 4 issues a year (60 typed pages each) are as follows:
For individuals: subscription 100 €, single issue 25 €
For institutions: subscription 300 €, single issue 75 €
Offprints may be ordered at extra cost from the publisher; orders for offprints must be placed in a timely manner.
The subscription price for 4 issues a year is due in advance at the beginning of each year. The subscription is automatically renewed by one year if it is not canceled by September 30. Orders can be placed with the Editorial Office of GMS Z Med Ausbild or with the GMS publishing house.
Members of the Society for Medical Education (GMA) receive the journal for a small fee.
Membership applications may be submitted online at http://www.gesellschaft-medizinische-ausbildung.org.

Authors' Guidelines for GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung (PDF)

GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung – Author's Contract

§ 1 Subject Matter of the Contract

1. The subject of this contract is the submitted work of the author under the title:
   ...........................................
2. The author insures that he or she alone is authorized to dispose over the rights of use on his work promoted by copyright and that hitherto he made no legal concessions that oppose to the provisions of this contract.
   This also applies to the standard texts or master illustrations supplied by the author and whose rights of use he or she holds. If he or she offers GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung – German Journal for Medical Education (GMS Z Med Ausbild) standard texts or master illustrations for which this does not apply, or where it is uncertain if this applies, then he or she has to inform GMS Z Med Ausbild about it and about all recognizable legally relevant facts known to him or her. As soon as GMS Z Med Ausbild assigns the author with the procurement of other standard texts or master illustrations, a special agreement is required.
3. The author is obligated to point out to GMS Z Med Ausbild in writing if the work includes interpretations from persons or incidents with which the risk of an infringement of personal rights is connected.

§ 2 Rights

1. The author transfers to GMS Z Med Ausbild the basic right of duplicaton and circulation of machine readable data media and their safeguard media.
2. The author transfers to GMS Z Med Ausbild the right to electronic storage in databases and web pages, to make available to the public for individual requests and display on the monitor.
3. The author transfers to GMS Z Med Ausbild the right for the translation into other languages.
4. The author transfers to GMS Z Med Ausbild the right of Print-on-Demand-Production.
5. If GMS Z Med Ausbild is entitled to process the work or to have it processed, then impairments which are suitable to endanger the intellectual and personal rights of the author on the work are to be avoided.
6. GMS Z Med Ausbild grants an online-access-right to the author pertaining to his or her work that is stored in the database.

§ 3 Contractual Obligation

1. The work will first appear exclusively in electronic form, subsequent changes of the form of the first edition require the author's agreement.
2. GMS Z Med Ausbild is obligated to duplicate, circulate and adequately campaign for the work in the form specified in section 1, once it has been accepted for publication.

§ 4 Fee

1. The author does not receive a fee for his or her work.

§ 5 Author Designation, Copyright-Note

1. GMS Z Med Ausbild is obligated to appropriately identify the author as originator of the work.
2. GMS Z Med Ausbild is obligated to attach the copyright note with the publication of the work in the sense of the Universal Copyright Convention.

§ 6 Change of Ownership and Program Structures of GMS Z Med Ausbild

1. GMS Z Med Ausbild is obligated to indicate to the authors if a substantial change results in its ownership or distribution of property. A change is substantial, if
   a) GMS Z Med Ausbild or relevant parts of GMS Z Med Ausbild are sold;
   b) in the distribution of the property of a company operated by GMS Z Med Ausbild, variances of at least 25 % of the capital or voting share arise as opposed to that at the time of the conclusion of the contract.

§ 7 Final Clause

If not regulated by this contract, the general legal provisions of law of the Federal Republic of Germany apply. The invalidity or inefficacy of individual regulations of this contract does not affect the validity of the remaining regulations. The parties are then obligated to replace the deficient regulation by such a regulation whose economic and legal sense comes closest to that of the regulation to be replaced.

Author's Contract for GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung (PDF)