Publications

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Instructions for Authors

General Dentistry invites submission of original clinical manuscripts that have not been published in the past, or for which publication elsewhere is not pending.

Readership: 35,000+ general dentists

Content: Articles cover the full range of procedures general dentists perform, as well as the popular Pharmacology Today, Restorative Dentistry, and Dental Materials columns. If you are interested in writing a column for General Dentistry, please contact the acquisitions editor at generaldentistry@agd.org or 312.440.4092, directly with your idea.

Publication schedule: General Dentistry is published bi-monthly.

All manuscript submissions must be written in English and consist of:

1. Cover Letter
2. Article File
   1. cover page
   2. abstract
   3. body of text (including acknowledgments at end, if applicable)
   4. literature cited
   5. appendices (if any)
   6. figure captions
3. Tables and Figures

Within the article file, each section should begin on a new page. Tables and figures must be submitted as separate, independent files and not included as part of the article file. Electronic submissions are preferred, but faxed or mailed submissions are accepted as well.

The journal is peer-reviewed; the process may take up to two months. To ensure that your manuscript moves through the review process as quickly as possible, please follow the steps below when preparing your submission:

Step One: The Manuscript

Manuscripts should be double-spaced with one-inch margins. Use block style. Manuscripts should be five to fifteen pages in length and the pages should be numbered. Please do not include author names on actual article.

Readers of the journal have come to expect research and clinical findings presented in such a way that allows them to apply the research or technique to everyday practice. Technique and treatment planning details are balanced by scientific protocol and industry benchmarks.

Technique papers and clinical reports or findings
Should be clear, concise, thorough descriptions of a clinical or laboratory procedure and cite references to recognize contributions of others or to clarify information. Manuscripts that feature information about specialized or improved techniques or treatments should be supported by the documented experience, but need not relate specifically to individual cases.

Research reports, or clinical or laboratory investigations
Should reflect a practical application to general dentistry and inform readers of etiology, diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease or abnormality. Identify and document the purpose and plan, the methods, and the controls.

Case reports
Should demonstrate a comprehensive treatment plan and indicate why one course of action was chosen in lieu of others. Document and illustrate results in general practice applications.

Step Two: References

Literature citations
References must be cited in the text accurately and numerically and should be listed on the last page of the manuscript in order of appearance in the text. References should be no more than five years old, unless used in a historical context. General Dentistry follows the AMA Manual of Style for all citations.

Product references
The first mention in the manuscript of a brand name of a product must be followed by a reference containing information about the product’s manufacturer. These references should be enclosed in parentheses and list the manufacturer’s name and location (city and state); for example, Doe Burs (John Doe Corp., Waukegan, IL).

When the same company is the manufacturer of more than one product mentioned in a manuscript, only the company’s name is required for additional products; for example, Doe Toothpaste (John Doe Corp.).

Step Three: Graphics (Tables, Charts, Graphs, and Figures)

Digital files are preferred for publication. Product-only figures should not be included. All images must be of professional quality and sharply focused. Relevant illustrative material should be distinguishable from background material.

Tables and charts should be organized logically and included as a part of the manuscript with title and footnotes when needed. Tables and charts should be numbered consecutively and cited in the text. They should clarify or add to data presented, rather than simply repeat material in the text.

Each figure should be numbered (Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.) and correspond with a caption. The figure number and orientation (top, left, and right) must be indicated on all figures. Captions must be submitted for all figures as part of the manuscript on a separate page, not on the figures. For photomicrographs, magnification and stain must be specified. Faces will be masked to prevent identification in patient photographs.

Figures for initial submission/review may be submitted as lower resolution PDFs for faster upload; however, high resolution files are needed for print production. Figures should be submitted as separate files, not embedded in text files or as a single PDF and should not include any numbering or identification in the photo.

For best reproduction results, digital files should be in TIFF, Jpeg, Postscript, or EPS formats. Please follow these guidelines for the final submission of figures for accepted manuscripts:

Halftone images (for example, color or grayscale images/photographs prepared with software such as Adobe Photoshop) should be submitted as TIFF (.tif) files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi, although 600 dpi is preferred for optimal results. If the figure contains text (beyond figure part labels), the file must be at least 400 dpi.

Bitmap images (for example, exclusively black and white scans of graphs, drawings, or maps prepared with software such as Adobe® Photoshop) should be submitted as bitmapped (1 bit) TIFF (.tif) files with a resolution of 1200 dpi.

Vector or line drawings or files prepared with software such as Adobe Illustrator® (.ai) or CorelDRAW® (.cdr) should be submitted as EPS (.eps) files.

Graphs can be submitted as Postscript, EPS, or PDF formats.

Step Four: Cover Letter

The cover letter should contain the title of the manuscript, the names and affiliations of all authors, and contact information for the corresponding author (include all methods of contact). Include a brief, current biographical sketch of each author. If the author holds a teaching position, the title, department, and school should be included. The sketch should include rank or title and station of authors who are in federal service.

Address the cover letter to:

Roger Winland
Editor
211 East Chicago Avenue
Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60611-1999

Step Five: Author Agreement and Disclosure Statement

Copyright release
Articles that have been published, or for which publication is pending elsewhere, are not acceptable. Other materials (including tables, photographs, and radiographs) that have been published previously must be accompanied by written permission from the proper copyright holder. This is the author’s presubmission responsibility.

All manuscripts must be accompanied by a copyright release form signed by all authors.

Please print, sign, and return the copyright release form to the acquisitions editor when you submit your manuscript. You may submit the copyright release form either by fax 312.335.3427, or by e-mail at generaldentistry@agd.org.

Disclosure statement (if applicable)
Authors are required to include a statement that discloses any financial, economic, commercial, and/or professional interests related to topics presented in the manuscript. This statement must be signed by each author and should be included along with the submission, if necessary. Please submit a disclosure statement either by fax 312.335.3427 or by e-mail at generaldentistry@agd.org.

Step Six: Submit Your Manuscript

Once all the above steps are completed, you may submit your manuscript to General Dentistry for review.
To submit electronically, e-mail all files as attachments to generaldentistry@agd.org.

To mail your submission, please include a hard copy and disk or CD containing all the above-mentioned files. Mail to:

Acquisitions Editor, General Dentistry
211 East Chicago Avenue
Suite 900
Chicago, Illinois 60611-1999

Please note that if any of the above-mentioned steps are missing from your manuscript submission, the review process will be delayed until all of the materials are received.

If you have any further questions, please contact the acquisitions editor at generaldentistry@agd.org.