Information for Authors

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Please read and follow these instructions carefully. Manuscripts not meeting all of the requirements outlined below cannot be considered for publication and may be returned to the authors for completion.

For support and more information please contact the Age and Ageing Editorial Office. The Editorial Manager is Katy Ladbrook.

Editorial office

Age and Ageing Editorial Office
The Hub
72 Prince Street
Bristol
BS1 4QD
UK

Tel: 0117 3700988
Fax: 0117 3721875
E-mail: aa@bgs.org.uk

ARTICLE CATEGORIES

All articles must conform to our formatting guidelines and not exceed the word count limit for its category. Where the author wishes to exceed the word limit or use a large data set, we may be able to accommodate additional information on our web site as Supplementary Data if the paper is accepted.

The following manuscript categories must be submitted electronically via the journal's online submission system, online submission system.

Research Papers: Should report original findings and include a structured abstract using appropriate headings. Those including original data may be sent for peer review. A maximum of 2500 words of text, plus abstract, 30 references, 3 tables or figures.

Research Letters: A shorter article which should report original findings. Research Letters may contain no more than 2 tables or figures, a maximum of 1500 words and 30 references. Research Letters do not include an abstract and should begin: “Sir, …”. Authors of full articles may be invited to re-submit a shorter version of their manuscript for publication in this section. Those including original data may be sent for peer review.

Reviews and Systematic Reviews: We are particularly interested in reviews of any whole field or aspect of geriatric medicine or gerontology that is of relevance to our mainly clinical readership. These should be authoritative and identify any gaps in our knowledge or understanding. Systematic Reviews must contain a brief section entitled “Search strategy and selection criteria.” This should state clearly: the sources (databases, journal or book reference lists, etc) of the material covered, and the criteria used to include or exclude studies – for example, English language only or studies conducted after a specific date. Maximum 3000 words, 30 references, 250 word structured abstract, 4 tables OR figures.

Editorials: While most of our editorials are commissioned to relate to papers appearing in the journal, we also welcome editorials that deal with important topics on which the author would like to express an opinion, i.e. 'hot' topics. Maximum 1000 words and 15 references.

Case Reports: Clinically interesting cases should be written in a maximum of 600 words (plus 125 word abstract) with no more than 1 figure or table and maximum of 10 references. Case reports should be of conditions that provide new insight, describe rare but modifiable disorders or present new treatments or understanding. Case reports are usually peer-reviewed.

Clinical Reminders: Very short and simple resumes of Case Reports that are not unusual enough to be published in full, but are still useful messages that could be of use to general readers and juniors. Clinical Reminders should be of no more than 150 words, 1 small table or figure and 3 references. They do not contain abstracts or Key Points.

Commentary: Commentaries include debate articles, long comments or personal observations on current research or trends in gerontology or geriatric medicine that is likely to be of interest to Age and Ageing readers. Maximum 1500 words, 15 references and 1 table or figure.

The following articles can be emailed straight to the Editorial Office

Letters to the Editor: We welcome lively, provocative, stimulating and amusing letters on general points of interest, as well as comments on and criticisms of articles previously published in the journal. This correspondence offers an opportunity for feedback, debate and the promotion of ideas for future articles.

Letters should be submitted online using the E-letters function. E-letters should be of no more than 450 words, 5 references, 1 table or figure. E-letters may be edited and some will be featured in the print version of Age and Ageing. The E-letters page is moderated by the editorial team.

Fillers and Special Sections: We are always pleased to receive short pieces of a thoughtful or humorous nature that touch on the personal or professional experiences of colleagues working in care of the elderly. We also welcome suggestions for relevant short quotations from any source. Maximum 900 words.

Book Reviews: Before submitting a book review, it should first be discussed with the Book Reviews Editor. Please contact Dr Kalman Kafetz at the Age and Ageing Editorial Office.

Web Sites: We are pleased to accept short descriptions of web sites that are likely to be of interest to our readers. These should first be sent to the Web Reviews Editor, Dr Taj Hasan, at the Age and Ageing Editorial Office.

Conference Reports: We would be interested in reports distilling the essence of papers presented at conferences that would be of interest to the readers of Age and Ageing. Before submitting such a report, please contact the Editor for prior agreement. Maximum 1000 words.

FORMATTING GUIDELINES

General Points

• Please submit your paper as one integral document - avoid sending your table, figures etc as separate files.
• We operate double blind peer review, so your submission must be anonymous. Please be careful to remove all author details from the document including from the file name.
• Your paper should be double-spaced and numbered on each page.
• Please provide a running heading: a shortened version of the title

Key Point and Keywords
If you are submitting a manuscript online, you will be asked to provide 3-5 Keywords, which will be used by our search engine. We recommend using terms from the Medical Subject Headings in Index Medicus.

Please also include 3-5 Key Points in your manuscript. These should be short bullet points which summarise the main message of your paper.

Abstracts
Research Papers, Case Reports, Reviews and Systematic Reviews only) headings might include background, objective, design, setting, subjects, methods, results, conclusions.

References
References should be numbered in order of citation and cited in the text by numbers in square brackets. They should be listed in the reference list in the form prescribed in the Uniform Requirements (giving the names and initials of all authors, unless there are more than six, when the first three should be given, followed by et al.). Provenance of laboratory and biochemical equipment specifically mentioned in the text of your paper must also be provided, including full contact details of manufacturers.

Illustrations
Please provide a title for each table or figure. If your paper is accepted you may be asked to send electronic versions of any illustrations as high-resolution image files. Degree of magnification should be indicated where necessary. Captions should be included separately in the main text of the manuscript. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to ensure that any requirements of copyright and courtesy are fulfilled in reproducing illustrations and appropriate acknowledgements included with the captions.

Abbreviations
Please ensure all abbreviations are defined at first usage, scientific measurements are in SI units, and approved names are used for drugs. Please try to avoid abbreviations wherever possible. In particular, avoid using them in the abstract. If abbreviations are essential, ensure that they are defined at first usage.

Language
Try to avoid language that might be deemed unacceptable or inappropriate (e.g. 'older people' is preferred to 'the elderly', the word 'senile' is best avoided). Take care with wording that might cause offence to ethnic or cultural groups.

Language Editing
All publications in the journal will be in English. Authors whose 'first' language is not English should arrange for their manuscripts to be written in idiomatic English before submission.

Particularly if English is not your first language, before submitting your manuscript you may wish to have it edited for language. This is not a mandatory step, but may help to ensure that the academic content of your paper is fully understood by journal editors and reviewers. Language editing does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted for publication. If you would like information about one such service please click here. There are other specialist language editing companies that offer similar services and you can also use any of these. Authors are liable for all costs associated with such services.

SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

Where the author wishes to exceed the word limit, use a large data set, or a longer list of references we may be able to accommodate additional information on our web site as Supplementary Data. This should be referenced in the paper as Appendices. The material should not be essential to understanding the conclusions of the paper, but should contain data that is additional or complementary and directly relevant to the article content.

References:
If, for example the limit for your manuscript is 30 references, select the 30 most important references and put the reference numbers for these in bold type throughout the text. Example: “Several previous publications have addressed the management of asymptomatic PHPT in the general population [4,5,6,7,8,9,10].” In the reference list at the end of the paper, list only these 30 references. Insert an instruction to the readers to advise that the full list is on the website. Eg:

"PLEASE NOTE: The very long list of references supporting this review has meant that only the most important are listed here and are represented by bold type throughout the text. The full list of references is available on the journal website http://www.ageing.oxfordjournals.org/ as appendix 1..."

Upload the full list of references separately to the main body of the paper, clearly marked as Supplementary Data.

Tables or Figures:
If, for example the limit for your manuscript is 3 tables or figures, select the 3 most important and assign the rest as supplementary data. You should reference each of the omitted tables/figures as appendices and insert the following type of instruction in the printed version of the paper. Eg:

"...please see the table Appendix 2 in the supplementary data on the journal website http://www.ageing.oxfordjournals.org/ "

Upload the supplementary tables or figures separately to the main body of the paper, clearly marked as Supplementary Data.

Bodies of Text:
If you are required to edit down the length of your paper, you may want to select sections of text to be Supplementary Data. These sections (for example, methodology) will be removed from the printed version of your paper but be left in the online version that will be published on our website. Please label the sections of Supplementary data as appendices and insert an instruction to the readers from the place where the data is removed. Eg:

"...please see Appendix 3 in the supplementary data on the journal website (http://www.ageing.oxfordjournals.org/)..."

Upload the supplementary text files separately to the main body of the paper, clearly marked as Supplementary Data.

There is also a possibility of instead paying extra page charges incurring where the typeset article exceeds the limit for its category. Please contact the Editorial Office for more information.

All authors must give signed consent to publication. Please download the Authors' Statement form click here. The peer review of a submission will not be delayed while completion of this statement is pending, but accepted manuscripts will not be able to proceed to publication until signed statements from all authors have been received.

Proofs
Proofs are sent to authors for the correction of printer's errors only. Authors making extensive alterations will be required to bear resulting costs. Reprints of articles can be ordered. For an offprint order form click here. The offprint order form should be returned to the publishers with payment. Electronic offprints are supplied free to the first named author on publication.

Licence to publish
It is a condition of publication in the journal that authors assign copyright to the British Geriatrics Society. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. In assigning licence, authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication, and Oxford University Press is notified in writing and in advance. For licence to publish form click here.

Declaration of Sources of Funding
All sources of funding must be disclosed at the end of the Methods section or, if there is no Methods section, as an acknowledgement at the end of the text, under the heading ‘Declaration of Sources of Funding’. Authors must also describe what role their financial sponsors played in the design, execution, analysis and interpretation of data, or writing of the study. If they played no role the authors should state this.

The following rules should be followed:

- The sentence should begin: ‘This work was supported by …’
- The full official funding agency name should be given, i.e. ‘National Institutes of Health’, not ‘NIH’ (full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies) Grant numbers should be given in brackets as follows: ‘[grant number xxxx]’
- Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma as follows: ‘[grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]’
- Agencies should be separated by a semi-colon (plus ‘and’ before the last funding agency)
- Where individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to [author initials]'

An example is given here: ‘This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [hfygr667789].’

Oxford Journals will deposit all NIH-funded articles in PubMed Central. See Depositing articles in repositories – information for authors for details. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as NIH-funded using the guidelines above.

OPEN ACCESS OPTION FOR AUTHORS

Age and Ageing authors have the option, at an additional charge, to make their paper freely available online immediately upon publication, under the Oxford Open initiative. After your manuscript is accepted, as part of the mandatory licence form required of all corresponding authors, you will be asked to indicate whether or not you wish to pay to have your paper made freely available immediately. If you do not select the Open Access option, your paper will be published with standard subscription-based access and you will not be charged.

For those selecting the Open Access option, the charges for Age and Ageing vary depending on the institution at which the Corresponding author is based:

NEW CHARGES – FOR ALL PAPERS ACCEPTED ON OR AFTER 1 DECEMBER 2009

For an author based at an institution with a full price online subscription:
Regular charge - £1275 / $2250 / €1900
List B developing country charge** - £638 / $1125 / €950
List A developing country charge** - £0 / $0 / €0

For an author based at an institution that does not have a full price online subscription:
Regular charge - £1700 / $3000 / €2550
List B developing country charge** - £850 / $1500 / €1275
List A developing country charge** - £0 /$0 / €0

*Visit http://www.oxfordjournals.org/jnls/devel/ for list of qualifying countries

Orders from UK will be subject to a 17.5% VAT charge. For orders from the rest of the EU, we will assume that the service is provided for business purposes, please provide a VAT number for yourself or your institution and ensure you account for your own local VAT correctly.

The above Open Access charges are in addition to any page charges and colour charges that might apply.

If you choose the Open Access option you will also be asked to complete an Open Access charge form online Open Access charge form online. You will be automatically directed to the appropriate version of the form depending on whether you are based at an institution with an online subscription to Age and Ageing. Therefore please make sure that you are using an institutional computer when accessing the form. To check whether you are based at a subscribing institution please use the Subscriber Test link for Age and Ageing.

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