Journal Home
Search for


Editor-in-Chief, Foad Nahai, MD
Associate Editor, Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD
Aesthetic Surgery Journal
c/o Melissa Knoll
3200 Down Wood Circle, Suite 640
Atlanta, GA 30327
Tel: (800)364-2147 or (562)799-2356 ext. 302
E-mail: melissa@surgery.org



Submit Manuscripts Online

Aesthetic Surgery Journal uses an online, electronic submission system. Starting at the ASJ Web site (www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com), authors will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files. When submitting a manuscript to Elsevier Editorial System (EES), authors need to provide an electronic version of their manuscript. For this purpose original source files, (not PDF files), are preferred. The author should specify a category designation for the manuscript (original investigation, preliminary report, case report, etc.) and choose a set of classifications from the prescribed list provided online. Authors may send queries concerning the submission process, manuscript status, or Journal procedures to the Editorial Office (journal@surgery.org). Once the submission files are uploaded, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence, including the Editor's decision and any requests for revisions, will be by e-mail.

Editorial policies

Statements and opinions expressed in the articles and communications herein are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the editors, the publisher, or the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), and the editors, the publisher, and ASAPS disclaim any responsibility or liability for such materials. The Journal encourages reader response and publishes a "Letters and Brief Communications" section. The editors, the publisher, and ASAPS do not guarantee, warrant, or endorse any product or service advertised in this publication, nor do they guarantee any claim made by the manufacturer of such product or service.

For manuscripts that describe experimental studies on human beings, the author should state in the manuscript that he or she has obtained institutional review board (IRB) approval and informed consent from patients. In those cases where IRB approval is unavailable, the guidelines of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects or the Belmont Report must be followed. For international authors, the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki must be followed. Copies of these documents are available online at the following sites:

DHHS Regulations, http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/guidelines.php3
Belmont Report, http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/mpa/Belmont.php3
Declaration of Helsinki, http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/mpa/Helsinki.php3

For manuscripts that describe animal studies, the US Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals must be followed. Prior to submitting a manuscript, authors must read and agree to the Ethics in Publishing statement posted on the Journal website. This statement reflects key principles outlined in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts" and the Council of Science Editors' "Editorial Policy Statement."

Aesthetic Surgery Journal requires all articles reporting results of clinical trials to be registered in a public registry that conforms to the standards of the Internation Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Further information on clinical trial registry, including a list of approved registries, can be found in our online Instructions.

Review process

Submitted articles are first evaluated by the editors and if judged appropriate, are peer-reviewed, in a blinded fashion by at least two selected experts. These experts are queried about potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, between their work and any of the work described in the manuscript they are reviewing. Reviewers may be plastic surgeons, other medical/surgical specialists, researchers/scientists, or others with special expertise in a specific research area. When necessary, articles will be additionally reviewed by a statistician. The Journal makes every effort to notify authors of acceptance/rejection of their articles within 3 months of submission. Articles with particular timeliness may be fast-tracked for more rapid publication. Articles provisionally accepted for publication may be returned to the author for additions, clarifications, or alterations, in response to suggestions by the editor and reviewers, prior to final acceptance. Articles submitted by foreign authors are evaluated on the merit of the research or techniques presented, and imperfect command of the English language should not be a factor in acceptance or rejection. Articles may be edited for improved readability prior to publication.

Copyright statement

Copyright to all articles and supplementary tables, illustrations, or other information published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal will be held by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Copyright forms are handled by the production department of the publisher once the manuscript is accepted and scheduled for publication. The corresponding author will be asked to sign on behalf of all co-authors of the manuscript and is responsible for sharing the terms of the copyright transfer with his co-authors.

Conflicts of interest

Aesthetic Surgery Journal requires all authors to acknowledge, on the title page of their manuscript, all funding sources that supported their work, as well as all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors. In addition, at the time of submission of their manuscript, authors are also required to disclose to the editor, on a separateform, any relationships with public or private commercial or noncommercial entities, any institutional affiliations, or any personal associations that might pose a conflict of interest. These include, but are not limited to, employment, consultant arrangements, stock or other equity ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent licensing arrangements, benefits to the authors? institutions, or payments for conducting or publicizing the study. Disclosure of dollar amounts is not required. Authors should describe the role of the study sponsor, if any, in study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing the report; and the decision to submit the report for publication. If the supporting source had no such involvement, the authors should so state. Authors should disclose potential conflicts of interest to study participants and should state in the manuscript that they have done so. Disclosures made by the authors will appear on the accepted manuscript in both the print and online editions of the Journal.

Manuscript preparation

Original contributions should be submitted online at www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com. The text must conform to acceptable English usage. In the case of foreign authors, English translation is required; however, the Journal will accept submissions from foreign authors that may require additional editing by journal staff prior to publication. if abbreviations cannot be avoided, use the expanded form when first mentioned and abbreviate thereafter. Use generic drug and equipment names (with tradenames and the manufacturer's name and location listed in parentheses afterward).

Title page
The title page should include the full name(s) of author(s), academic degrees, institutional affiliations, and current status. Give the complete mailing address, business and home telephone numbers, and fax number of the author to whom correspondence should be directed. Do not type authors' names on the manuscript pages.

Abstract
Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and should appear on the first page after the title page. The abstract should be factual, not descriptive, and present the key points in the manuscript. The structure should include the following headings: Background; Objective (including the major hypothesis tested, if any); Methods (study design, the setting, sample, and measures used to collect data); Results (major outcomes and statistical significance, if appropriate); Conclusions (the significance of results). Note that some categories of articles (eg. Case Reports, Preliminary Reports) use unstructured abstracts.

References
References must be cited consecutively in the text as superscript numerals and listed on a separate sheet in numerical order at the end of the text. Reference format should conform to that set forth in American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th ed. Journal abbreviations should conform to the style used in Cumulated Index Medicus. Each reference should include the following:

For journals
Authors' names and initials, title of article, journal name, date, volume number, and inclusive pages (list all authors when six or fewer; when six or more, list only three and add "et al").
  • Sarris GE, Moore KA, Schroeder JS, et al. Cardiac transplantation: The Stanford experience in the cyclosporine era. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1994;108:240-252.
  • Morrow WR, Smith VC, Ehler WJ, VanDellen AF, Mjllins CE. Balloon angioplasty with stent implantation in experimental coarctation of the aorta. Circulation 1994;89:2677-2683.


For books
Authors' names, chapter title, editor's name, book title, edition, city, publisher, date, and pages:
  • Kouchoukos NT, Wareing TH. Management of complications of aortic surgery. In: Waldhausen JA, Orringer MB, eds. Complications in Cardiothoracic Surgery. 1st ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 1991:224-236.


Unpublished data and personal communications should not be listed as references. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their references.

Illustrations
Illustrations should be submitted online along with the manuscript and should be numbered in the order of their mention in the text. Each figure should be a separate file. Drawings and graphs should be prepared in black India ink or typographic (press-apply) lettering. Typewritten or freehand lettering is unacceptable. All lettering must be done professionally and should be in proportion to the drawing, graph, or photograph. Photographs with good black-andwhite contrast or color balance are preferred.

All images should be at least 5 inches wide. Images should be provided in EPS, JPEG, or TIFF format. Graphics software such as Photoshop and Illustrator should be used in the creation of the art. Illustrations created with presentation software such as PowerPoint, CorelDraw, or Harvard Graphics cannot be accepted. Images for multi-part figures should be submitted individually, not as a single, combined figure. Color images need to be CMYK, at least 300 DPI. Gray scale images should be at least 300 DPI. Combinations of gray scale and line art should be at least 1000 DPI with a proof. Line art (black and white or color) should be at least 1000 DPI.

Preoperative and postoperative photographs should show the patient at the same distance and angle and with the same body pose and/or facial expression. Preoperative and postoperative photographs should be taken with the same background color, lighting, film, and lens type. For facial photography, when possible, patients should be shown without makeup and jewelry, both preoperatively and postoperatively. If patients prefer not to remove makeup, both preoperative and postoperative makeup should be similar. In addition, if patients are amenable, pulling hair and bangs off the face in both preoperative and postoperative photographs illustrating facial procedures is preferred.

For photographs illustrating breast or body contouring procedures, distracting clothing of any kind should be avoided within the photographic field. In no instance should postoperative results, including scars, be obscured by clothing.

Video Clip Submission

For ease of download, the recommended upper limit for the size of a single MMC file is 100 MB; 10 MB is recommended.

For acceptable formats, extensions, and other details, please check our website: www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com.



Figure legends
Legends should be typed double-spaced on a separate sheet of paper and numbered to correspond with the figure. If an illustration has been previously published, the legend must give full credit to the original source.

Tables
Tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text. They should be self-explanatory and numbered in consecutive order according to their mention in the text. A brief title should be provided for each table. If a table, or any data therein, has been published previously, full credit to the original source must be given in a footnote.

Permissions
Direct quotations, tables, or illustrations that have appeared in copyrighted material must be accompanied by written permission for their use from the copyright owner and the original author along with complete identification as to source. For all photographs in which the patient is identifiable, a signed patient release form that states the photographs may be used for publication is necessary (a standardized form is available through the Editorial Office). The Journal will not black out patients' eyes.

Invited Commentaries

Invited commentaries of accepted manuscripts may be requested by the editors. Manuscript preparation for a commentary is the same as that for an original contribution. The title page for a Commentary should include the title of the original article, the list of authors of that article, and the words "Commentary by," followed by the list of authors of the commentary.

Reprints

Single reprints may be obtained from the author.



Updated July 2009