WOUNDS: A Compendium of Clinical Research and Practice is peer reviewed and publishes original research, reviews, case series, commentaries, clinical conference reports, letters, brief communications, and other materials relevant to wound care and related fields. Single-patient case reports will be published exclusively online unless deemed extraordinary or unique, as determined by the editors.
WOUNDS will consider for publication suitable articles on topics pertaining to wound healing and care: bioengineering, tissue regeneration, surgical and nonskin wounds, genomics, tissue repair, skin measurement, grafting, growth factors, chronic wounds, pressure ulcers, burn wounds, vascular site wounds, leg ulcers, and diabetic wounds. If unsure of the suitability of a manuscript for WOUNDS, contact the Managing Editor by phone at 800-237-7285, extension 258, or 610-560-0500, extension 258, or by email.

Circulation and Readership
The readership of WOUNDS is multidisciplinary and broad-based and comprises dermatologists, general surgeons, plastic surgeons, vascular surgeons, internal medicine/family practitioners, podiatrists, gerontologists, researchers in industry or academia (PhDs), orthopedic surgeons, clinical nurses, and others interested in wound healing and care. WOUNDS mails 12 times yearly and is the official journal of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC), a nonprofit, world-wide association of clinicians, organizations, industries, patients, and caregivers. For more information on the AAWC, visit www.aawconline.org.

Manuscript Submissions
For further instruction on submitting biomedical papers for consideration in WOUNDS, authors are encouraged to review Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org).

All submissions for consideration should be submitted online using the Rapid Review Web-Based Review System at www.rapidreview.com. Authors should scroll down to HMP Communications and click on Author. Authors should follow the online instructions found at this website for uploading a manuscript. Formatting instructions for the document and supporting files are included here. Questions regarding the submission process can be directed to Managing Editor, WOUNDS, 83 General Warren Blvd., Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, 610-560-0500, extension 258, fax 610-560-0502, email.

For those who do not have access to the internet, please submit one hard copy of the complete manuscript with one set of original figures and an electronic copy on disk. See formatting
instructions below. Use standard-sized paper, and double space throughout. Address all submissions to Managing Editor, WOUNDS, 83 General Warren Blvd., Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355.

Review Process

All articles are peer reviewed by 3 or more referees. Acceptance is based upon significance and originality. Editorial revisions may be made to articles accepted for publication as an aid to clarity. If an article is accepted for publication, the corresponding author will be notified by e-mail or letter of a tentative publication date, along with any revision requirements by the Board. If an article is not accepted, the corresponding author will be notified by e-mail or letter as soon as possible. Submitted materials will not be returned to author unless specifically requested in writing. The WOUNDS review process typically takes 1 to 3 months but may take longer in some cases. Accepted articles requiring no or minor revisions are typically published within a 3- to 5-month period following review. Accepted articles requiring heavy revisions are typically published within a 6- to 9-month period following the original review and may require additional reviewing by the Board. Publication priority is given to articles that contain new or ground-breaking material that is considered to be of particular interest to the WOUNDS readership.

Informed Consent

WOUNDS adheres to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Uniform Requirements for Patients and Study Participants as updated February 2006.

Section II. E.1. Patients and Study Participants:

Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information, including patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should identify individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for this assistance.

Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note.

The requirement for informed consent should be included in the journal’s instructions for authors. When informed consent has been obtained it should be indicated in the published article.-->

Manuscript Formatting Instructions

Authors are encouraged to consult Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical
Journals published by the International
Committee of Medical Journal Editors (www.icmje.org) for further formatting suggestions.

• Type the manuscript on 8.5- by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins on all four sides.
• Double space the manuscript, including quotations, footnotes, references, legends, and tables.

Cover Letter. A covering letter should be submitted that identifies the corresponding author (include the address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address). Please make clear that the final manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors and that the authors accept full responsibility for the design and conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.

Authorship. As stated in the Uniform Requirements, credit for authorship requires substantial contributions to: (a) conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data; and (b) the drafting of the article or critical revision for important intellectual content. Acknowledgments will be limited to one page of Journal space, and those acknowledged will be listed only once. At least one person’s name must accompany a group name.

Abstract. Each article should include a brief abstract summarizing the methods and significant results of the study.

• Case reports no longer than 100 words.
• Original research (no longer than 250 words).

Text.

• Use appropriate headings throughout the text (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections).
• Number pages consecutively at the top right corner of the page.
• Indent new paragraphs and skip two lines between paragraphs.
• Use abbreviations only if they are previously spelled out in the text.
• Obtain appropriate consent for quotations of more than 50 words.
• Consult the American Medical Association Manual of Style for current usage.

References. References should be listed at the end of the manuscript. Numbered references must be cited in the same order as found in text. A complete periodical reference includes: (1) authors’ names (list all authors up to four, for five or more authors, list first three followed by et al.); (2) title of article; (3) abbreviated journal name; (4) name of publisher; (5) year of publication; (6) volume number; (7) specific page numbers. For books include: (8) name of
editor(s), if any; and (9) place of publication. For example:

Periodical. (List all authors up to 4; for 5 or more authors, list 3 followed by et al.):
1. Mulder G, Kissil M, Mahr JJ. Bacterial growth under occlusive and nonocclusive wound dressing. WOUNDS. 1989;1:63–69.

Book:

2. Taussig M. Processes in Pathology and Microbiology. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Grune & Stratton; 1981:165–166.

Chapter in Book. (Author is not editor of the book):

3. Alvarez OM, Goslen JB, Eaglstein WH, et al. Wound healing. In: Fitzpatrick T, Eisen A, Wolff K, et al., eds. Dermatology in General Medicine. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Mcgraw Hill; 1987:321–336.

Figures/Legends.

Digital images should be a minimum of 300 dpi. If images are embedded in the submitted document, they must be imbedded as high-resolution images.

• If submitting hard copies of photos or graphs, please provide them as high-quality glossy color or black and white prints.
• A descriptive legend must accompany each figure or illustration.
• All abbreviations must be identified at the end of the figure legend.
• If the figure or graph has been published previously, permission to reprint the figure must be obtained in writing from the copyright owner by the author and submitted with the manuscript.
• Most figures will be reduced to conform to single column size format. All symbols, letters, arrows, etc. must be large enough to permit identification at reduced size.

Ethics and Equity Positions.
Authors must comply with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines and animal welfare regulations of the authors’ institution. Authors must include signed consent forms from human subjects who can be identified in photos or in text. If applicable, the following statements or information should be provided in the manuscript:

• The research protocol was approved by the relevant institutional review boards or ethics committees.
• All human participants gave written informed consent.
• The source of funding for the study
• The identity of those who analyzed the data
• A statement acknowledging financial interest in products/companies relevant to submitted research or a statement that none is necessary

Types of Articles
WOUNDS primarily publishes original research, reviews, commentaries, and case series (single case reports are published online). We also will consider the following:

Brief Reports or Communications. These are concise reports of work of unusual interest or importance with limited but definitive data. To be considered as a Brief Communication, the manuscript should not exceed four pages (unformatted, double-spaced, 12 pt text), including all written material, figures, tables, and references. References should not exceed 30. Authors should indicate in the cover letter the article is intended as a Brief Report or Communication. Authors should follow the standard guidelines for submitting an article to WOUNDS.

Letters to the Editor. Letters should be no more than 300 words and five references. Type with double spacing. Letters commenting on a WOUNDS article will be considered if they are received within two months of the time the article was published. All letters are reviewed by the editors and are selected based upon interest, timeliness, and pertinence, as determined by the editors. There are no guarantees a letter will be published. Letters that are not intended for publication by the authors should state this in the body of the letter. Published letters are edited and may be shortened; tables and figures are included only selectively. If a letter is selected to be published, the author will be notified no more than two weeks before publication date. Submit letters online at www.rapidreview.com or send letters to: Managing Editor, attn: Letters to the Editor, WOUNDS, 83 General Warren Blvd, Suite 100, Malvern, PA 19355, or email.

Include the following signed statement with letter: “The undersigned author transfers all copyright ownership of the enclosed letter to HMP Communications in the event the work is published. The undersigned author warrants that the letter is original, is not under consideration by another journal, and has not been previously published. I sign for and accept responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of any and all co-authors.” 

Diagnostic Dilemmas. These are didactic reports of unusual or particularly interesting single cases relating to dermatology, wound care, or wound-care related podiatry. Submissions should include the presentation, significant physical findings, etiology, and management of the condition, and as well as treatment plans for the reported patient. A thorough but brief review of the condition also should be provided with appropriate references. The length of the article should be 12 to 16 pages unformatted (12 pt, double-spaced), including tables and graphs. At least one instructive color photo of the case should also be included. The author should review the WOUNDS  Information for Authors for formatting instructions and suitable topics. Authors should indicate in the cover letter the article is intended for Diagnostic Dilemmas.

Unusual Wounds. The objective of this department is to provide the readership with an interesting short case study of an unusual wound, an often misdiagnosed wound, or an otherwise mysterious wound that presented the author with a particularly challenging treatment regiment. The case should include one or two photographs or diagrams and be no longer than 300 words, which should include brief descriptions of the condition, what made it unusual, and diagnosis and management, with one to three references.

Reprints, Rights, Permission and Translation
For a single copy of an article that has appeared in Wounds, please contact the Editor: Michael McGovern.

For permission to photocopy UP TO 100 COPIES or to use material electronically from articles appearing in Wounds, please visit: www.copyright.com.

For author reprints, please contact our agent Lori Laughman at The Sheridan Press by email.

For 100 or more commercial reprints/eprints, please contact our agent, Beth Ann Rocheleau at Rockwater, Inc by email.
For more information on reprints, rights, permission and translation, click here.

Indexing
WOUNDS is indexed in Cinahl
Information Systems (www.cinahl.com); Current Contents® (under Clinical Medicine); EMBASE (www.embase.com); SCOPUS (www.scopus.com); Science Citation Index Expanded (included in the Web of Science); ISI Alerting Services; and Custom Information Services. WOUNDS is also a member of the Publishers’ Circle with Medscape—full articles can be viewed at www.medscape.com (go to Library link, click on “more” or go to: http:
//www.medscape.com/viewpublication/102_index).
Titles and abstracts and issue previews can also be viewed on the WOUNDS website, www.woundsresearch.com, which is fully searchable and is registered with all major internet search engines. Full content is available to WOUNDS print and online subscribers. Single article access available.

Editorial Policies
Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of HMP Communications, the editorial staff, or any member of the editorial advisory board. The publishers of WOUNDS accept no responsibility for statements made by contributors or claims made by advertisers nor does the publication of advertisements constitute or imply endorsement. Manuscripts are accepted for publication in WOUNDS with the understanding that their content, all or in part, have not been published elsewhere and will not be published elsewhere, except in abstract form or by the express consent of the Managing Editor.
The content of WOUNDS is protected by copyright.

All manuscripts submitted for publication must include
the following statement signed by the senior author: “The undersigned
author transfers all copyright ownership of the manuscript entitled (title
of article) to HMP Communications in the event the work is published. The
undersigned author warrants that the article is original, is not under
consideration by another journal, and has not been previously published. I
sign for and accept responsibility for releasing this material on behalf of
any and all co-authors.”