Author Instructions

Submitted manuscripts must be written clearly and concisely in English and represent unpublished material that is not being considered for publication elsewhere. Manuscript content should be based on the presentations and/or discussions at the conference “Dental Informatics and Dental Research: Making the Connection.” The proceedings are intended to be a complete and accurate record of the conference.

Cover Letter

Submitted manuscripts must be accompanied by a cover letter certifying that the publication is:

• original
• not presently under consideration for publication elsewhere
• free of conflict of interest (e.g., edited by the funding agency or organization)
• conducted by the highest principles of human subject and animal welfare.

All contributors must sign the cover letter indicating their approval of the complete content.

All rights to the manuscripts shall be transferred to the Journal of Dental Research/Advances in Dental Research upon submission. Submission of a manuscript shall constitute each author's agreement that the Journal of Dental Research holds all proprietary rights to the manuscript submitted, including all copyrights. On acceptance and before publication of a paper, contributors will be asked to sign a formal transfer of copyright.

Proceedings Editor

The proceedings editors are Titus Schleyer, Assoc. Professor and Director, and Heiko Spallek, Asst. Professor. The correspondence address is Center for Dental Informatics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261. Inquiries may be e-mailed to ahyde@pitt.edu.

The editors reserve the right to make changes to improve the clarity of the text. All such changes will be subject to contributors’ approval before publication.

Reviewing Manuscripts

All submitted manuscripts will be reviewed by the editors, and by at least one other reviewer. Since we are striving for a very high quality of publication, it may be useful for authors to circulate their manuscripts among colleagues before submitting them for publication. For papers that report on discussions at the conference, other discussants should be involved in the review and possibly the authoring process.

Reviewing Page Proofs

Page proofs should be reviewed meticulously by the contributors to:

• approve changes recommended by the editor
• update information about "in press" and "submitted" references
• recognize and correct simple errors of fact, grammar, spelling, and typography

While articles cannot be rewritten at this stage, important new information can be added as an addendum in proofs. Authors will be charged for extensive revisions, and publication will be delayed.

Writing Style Suggestions

Authors should remember that they are writing to communicate to often-uninformed readers. Here are a few suggestions:

• Show a clear chronological progression and logic to the development of your ideas throughout the manuscript and within paragraphs and sentences.
• Speak to the reader in a direct and straightforward voice.
• Tell the reader your purpose, then provide background, data, and conclusions. You will make your point most effectively by illustrating it with a well-chosen example, rather than providing an encyclopedic discourse.
• In each paragraph and sentence, stick to the subject. For example, if the subject is "biophysical properties," don't write sentences in that paragraph that change the subject to the names of cited contributors.
• Each sentence should contain only one thought. Write short and simple sentences.
• Choose the best word so that you say what you mean.
• To make your information accessible to the widest possible audience, avoid jargon, acronyms, and needless words.
• Before submission, contributors must review their manuscripts with both computer grammar and spelling tools/filters and a colleague who is an expert in English language grammar and syntax. Manuscripts may not be reviewed or may be rejected on the basis of poor English or accepted standards of style.
• Ensure that all listed references, figures, and tables are cited in the text and that all cited references, figures, and tables are presented in the appropriate sections.

Authoritative References

The Random House Dictionary of the English Language (Unabridged) will be used as the authority for spelling of non-medical terms. Where two plural forms are provided, the American English form will be used. For anatomical nomenclature, Nomina Anatomica (5th ed.) and Dorland's Illustrated Dictionary will be considered authoritative.