Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals (excerpts)

The Vancouver Convention is renowned among editors who publish dental and related research. It is the standard for what content goes in the Methods section, how tables and figures are to be laid out, and how references are to be cited, among many other particulars. Almost no biomedical research journals follow the Vancouver Convention in every detail; virtually all come very close. In addition to the mechanics of manuscript submission and formatting for publication, the Vancouver Convention is looked to as the standard for the ethics of publication. Common practice is defined for who counts as an author to what constitutes an acceptable republication. Very clear language is included regarding conformity with the Belmont Report or Helsinki Declaration and other requriments for ethical treatment of subjects. Conflicts of interest, confusion of advertising with research, relations with the popular press, and sponsorship of supplements are addressed. The Vancouver Convention makes a special point of emphasizing the responsibility of journal editors as having the final check in the chain of research ethics that begins with scientists pursuing a line of inquiry and ends when the results are reported. The Journal of the American College of Dentists endorses and honors the Vancouver Convention. In 2000, the Board of Regents of the American College of Dentists and the officers of the American Association of Dental Editors approved a joint Code of Ethics for Dental Editors. The code is based on the Vancouver Convention, but also addresses journal content beyond reports of research findings. The joint ACD-AADE code can be accessed at http://acd.org/ codefordentaleditors.htm.