• Author Instructions

    Updated 11/15/23

    FP Essentials is a monthly continuing medical education publication of the American Academy of Family Physicians. Designed to educate practicing family physicians and other health care professionals, FP Essentials is based on a curriculum that complements the general content of the American Board of Family Medicine examination.

    Manuscripts must be original, case-based, and focused on new and clinically relevant information. Lengthy coverage of epidemiology, pathophysiology, or anatomy is not appropriate. Authors should make good use of the content guidelines that were provided in the Call for Authors, including the references.

    Manuscript Review and Management

    One author must be designated the corresponding author responsible for the overall manuscript and communication with the editors throughout the process. An FP Essentials associate medical editor will be assigned to assist with development of the manuscript. After the draft manuscript is completed, the associate medical editor will conduct a review to ensure that all requirements are met. The associate medical editor will then enlist peer reviewers in family medicine and other pertinent specialties to evaluate the manuscript. Queries and changes may be extensive and require significant review and revision. The corresponding author will be expected to address comments and concerns resulting from these and the associate medical editor’s reviews of the manuscript and to respond to the associate medical editor in a timely manner. The associate medical editor should be notified well in advance of any anticipated prolonged absences.

    The associate medical editor will submit the manuscript to the FP Essentials editorial staff for fact checking and further editing to ensure that it conforms to program style and format. Additional queries will be generated at this stage, and the corresponding author will need to review and respond to these queries and approve the final edited version of the manuscript.

    Strict deadlines will be provided to the corresponding author by editors and staff to ensure the edition is published on schedule. The corresponding author is responsible for timely completion of all work. Substantial delays that interfere with production schedules for FP Essentials may result in a reduction in author compensation or nonpayment. 

    Requirements and Policies

    1. Length. The completed manuscript text must include four sections, each with approximately 2,500 words for a total of approximately 10,000 words. This total does not include abstracts figures, tables, references, resources, key pracitce recommendations, or table of contents.

    2. Format. Use Microsoft Word with left justification, 1-inch margins, and 12-point Times New Roman font. Include tables and figures with the manuscript. Remove all tracked changes and inserted comments prior to submission. Submit the completed manuscript electronically by email to the assigned associate medical editor and fpeeditorial@aafp.org.

    3. Cover Page. Include a) a title for the monograph and titles for each of the four sections; b) each author’s name, professional degrees, and affiliation as you want them listed by PubMed; c) each author’s work and cell phone numbers and email address for our records; d) the order in which author names should be listed on the title page of the print edition; and e) the order in which author names should be listed for each section (PubMed treats each section of FP Essentials as a separate article and uses this information for indexing purposes) (see Sample Cover Page). 

    4. Biographic Sketch. For each author, provide a 75- to 100-word biographic sketch that includes current position and information that establishes the author’s credentials and credibility for the particular topic (see Sample Author Biographic Sketches below). This information will be published on the title page in the print edition.

    5. Key Practice Recommendations. Include one to two practice recommendations corresponding to the main points of each section of the manuscript, for a total of four to six recommendations. They should be supported by citations from the text references and rated using the SORT taxonomy. Use the most timely and up-to-date evidence available. Recommendations should be written as action statements that physicians should implement in practice (see Sample Key Practice Recommendation below). For example, “Screen all adults ages 45 to 75 years for colorectal cancer.”

    6. Abstracts. Each of the four sections should begin with an abstract of no more than 200 words. These abstracts will appear in the PubMed listing for the edition. Abstracts should summarize the content of the section rather than describe what the section is about (eg, abstracts should state, “Management of heart failure includes diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors…” rather than “This section will discuss management of heart failure…”).

    7. Cases. Provide at least one illustrative case in each section of the text. Cases should highlight key decision points in diagnosis and management and be integrated into the text.  Each case should have a description and a resolution. Authors are encouraged to use the cases provided in the Call for Authors, though modifications may be made if needed to illustrate key points.

    8. References. The manuscript should have a sufficient number of references (up to 200) to provide support for all factual statements; references typically should cite recently published and accessible literature. References to peer-reviewed journals indexed in MEDLINE are preferred to other sources. Web references are acceptable. To the extent possible, cite original research, systematic reviews, explicitly developed practice guidelines, and evidence-based summaries from such organizations as the Cochrane Collaborative.

    Avoid citing editorials and sources that are older or of historic interest only. Do not use abstracts, unpublished observations, manuscripts in preparation or submitted for publication, personal communications, or obscure or non-English-language journals. Avoid citing textbooks, clinical review articles, and other secondary sources, including UpToDate, DynaMed, and similar online publications.

    FP Essentials requires references in all text, tables, and figures for all data, statistics, recommendations, guidelines, study results, drug dosages and regimens, comparative statements (eg, “most effective,” “fewer adverse effects,” “less weight gain”), and factual statements that are not common medical knowledge. Avoid using multiple references to support individual facts or statements; cite the best reference only. Extensive re-referencing of the same source is discouraged unless guidelines are being cited for recommendations.

    Note to the authors of FP Essentials #546 Addiction Medicine and all subsequent editions: References must be numbered sequentially by section, with section headers dividing the list and each new section starting over at “1.” References should conform to the MEDLINE style (see Sample References Formats below) and include volume and inclusive page numbers.

    Reference numbers should be formatted as superscript in the text. The use of reference management software such as Mendeley (https://www.mendeley.com) or Zotero (https://www.zotero.org), which are free, is encouraged. Do not use the built-in Microsoft Word reference tools.

    Authors should be prepared to share PDF copies of their cited references with AAFP editorial staff, as on occasion some references may be requested to facilitate fact-checking.

    9. Resources. Include up to 15 items (eg, journal articles, practice guidelines, online resources, general websites with many pertinent links) for further reading. If any of the cited references were particularly helpful, you may also list a few of those here. These should be current (within the past 5 years) and accessible online or via the typical academic or hospital library. Do not cite blogs.

    10. Tables and Figures. Include up to a combined total of 15 tables and figures along with an index of those tables and figures. Tables and figures should be your own creation or from public domain sources (eg, government agencies such as the CDC or NIH), if possible. There should be no more than 10 sources per table or figure. If you wish to include borrowed items in the manuscript, the editorial staff will seek permission from copyright holders. If we are unable to secure permission to use such items, we will work with you on alternative solutions. 

    Tables should be created using the “Table” feature in the “Insert” tab in Microsoft Word rather than with tabs. Figures may be line drawings, computer-generated images, or high-resolution photographs or slides. Figures also may be algorithms or flow charts for complicated patient care, which should be created in Microsoft Word; use of such algorithms is encouraged. All tables and figures need to be submitted in a Microsoft Word document. They should not be submitted in any other format. 

    Table and figures should be placed at the end of the manuscript (after references), and each should be on a separate page. Individual tables and figures should be no longer than 1.25 pages (portrait, single space, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font). Tables and figures should be numbered sequentially for the whole manuscript and not by sections. They should be mentioned in the text and included in the index of tables and figures on a separate page.

    Each table and figure must have a legend below it that includes the full source citation(s), rather than a number from the reference list. Do not link the table and figure citations to the text reference list.

    11. Image Resolution. Images should be pasted within the manuscript and attached to the original submission email in a jpeg or tiff format. If the resolution is not at least 300 dpi (dots per inch), the corresponding author may be asked to provide new image files.

    12. Photographs. When including photos of patients, be mindful of including diverse skin tones and types. If possible, include images that demonstrate how a condition appears differently in patients with differing skin tones and types. Submit a signed photo release for any photo depicting a patient who is potentially identifiable. 

    13. Quiz Questions. Following completion of the manuscript, the associate medical editor will write quiz questions based on the content of the manuscript. The corresponding author will be expected to review, edit, and approve these questions.

    14. Off-label Use of Drugs, Devices, or Procedures. Because many off-label uses of drugs, devices, or procedures are common and long-standing, it is not always necessary to identify them as off-label uses. Authors should consider whether off-label statements are necessary and include them in the manuscript where needed. 

    15. Drugs. Generic drug names are used. If a generic version is not available, trade names are included in parentheses on first mention in the text. Brand names are not used in tables or figures unless brands are being compared (eg, hormones, pancreatic enzymes).

    16. Copyright. The copyright of monograph content is transferred from the authors to the AAFP as part of the author contracting process.

    17. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI, machine learning, and similar technologies including chatbots like ChatGPT (Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer) have been used in the drafting of scientific manuscripts. FP Essentials authors who choose to use this technology must disclose at the time of manuscript submission their use of AI, the type of AI utilized, and how they used AI. In addition, authors must provide correct references in the established literature for all AI-generated statements to ensure both accuracy and appropriate attribution. AI technology does not qualify for authorship credit because it cannot guarantee the veracity of the language generated, but its use must be acknowledged in the manuscript. This policy will be reviewed frequently and updated as AI technologies evolve.  

     18. Responsibility After Publication. After publication, the authors’ responsibility extends to assisting the associate medical and staff editors in responding to the occasional inquiry from subscribers regarding the content. These queries are uncommon, but the author may be expected to assist the editors in writing a response or an erratum, if appropriate.

    19. Writing Style. Please refer to the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition, 2020. Avoid convoluted sentences, personal pronouns, the first-person case, and direct address. The Elements of Style by Strunk and White and similar grammar and usage manuals are excellent resources.

    Sample Author Biographic Sketches

    Ralph A. Sample, MD, is professor and chair of the department of family medicine at Western Florida Medical University, Orlando. He has served on expert panels for the American Academy of Family Physicians and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which developed practice guidelines on [topic of FP Essentials edition]. Dr. Sample is the author of more than [number] publications on [topic of manuscript].

    Elena Smith, MD, is an assistant professor in the department of neurology at the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City. She completed a fellowship in  electromyography and neuromuscular disease. Dr. Smith holds a certificate of added qualification in clinical neurophysiology. Dr. Smith’s clinical interests include entrapment neuropathies and neuromuscular complications of critical illness. She is the author of more than [number] articles and book chapters on [topic of manuscript].

    Sample References Formats

    Journal article: Harris AM, Hicks LA, Qaseem A. Appropriate antibiotic use for acute respiratory tract infection in adults: advice for high-value care from the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ann Intern Med. 2016;164(6):425-434.

    Book chapter: Sawka MN, O’Connor FG. Disorders due to heat and cold. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 25th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2016:691-695. [Note: chapter titles are lowercase.]

    Web material: World Health Organization. Universal Eye Health: A Global Action Plan 2014-2019. https://www.who.int/blindness/AP2014_19_English.pdf

    Government or organizational material: Closing the Quality Gap: A Critical Analysis of Quality Improvement Strategies: Volume 7—Care Coordination. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2014. AHRQ Publication No. 04(07)-0051-7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK4401

    Sample Key Practice Recommendation

    1. Screen all children ages 3 to 5 years at least once for amblyopia or its risk factors.
    Strength of evidence: SORT B
    Source: JAMA, reference 15
    Website: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/265265