CE/CME Submission Guidelines

CE/CME articles address a particular condition, illness, or disorder (eg, “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease” or “Urinary Tract Infections”). A CE/CME article should include all or most of the major sections below (see “Abstract” and following sections). 

Target word count is 3,000 to 3,500 (not including references or tables).

Abstract
In 100 words or less, summarize the most important points in your clinical review article. Some writers find it easier to write this section last.

Introduction
To draw your readers into the article, this section should explain its importance to them and their patients. Incidence of the condition, associated morbidity/mortality figures, and epidemiology would be appropriate to include.

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Patient Presentation/Patient History
How does a patient with this condition typically present? Atypically? What are the definitive signs or symptoms? What in the patient’s history (immediate past or past) may put him/her at risk for this disorder and should raise the clinician’s index of suspicion? Discuss the differential diagnosis: What other conditions might present in this manner?

Physical Examination
Walk the reader through the examination of a patient in light of this particular condition or illness. What findings are normal? Which should be considered pathologic?

Laboratory Workup
Based on findings from the physical examination and history, what laboratory and/or imaging tests should be ordered? Depending on test results, what additional tests might be ordered to confirm/rule out a diagnosis?

Diagnosis
Considering the patient presentation, history, and physical exam findings and test results, how do you arrive at your diagnosis? What differentials can you exclude? Which patients can the primary care NP or PA manage, and which should be referred to a specialist?

Treatment/Management
Provide detailed information on treatment, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic options. When discussing drugs, use generic names and include drug dosage. Be sure to review the recent literature to confirm that treatment choices are up-to-date, cost-effective, and appropriate for this patient, considering the history and other underlying conditions.

Patient Education
Discuss information it is essential to relay to the patient (and possibly the family) about the condition, including treatment options, management, and prognosis.

Follow-Up
When/how should the patient be monitored and followed? At what point should a patient who is not responding to treatment be referred to a specialist?

Conclusion
Summarize the main points of the article in a paragraph or two.

Needs Assessment, Learning Objectives, Posttest
In addition to the manuscript, writers of CE/CME articles are requested to provide

1. Needs Assessment: Describe the didactic usefulness of your topic to primary care clinicians in 500 characters or less (including spaces)

2. Learning Objectives: Craft 3 to 5 educational objectives, starting with this lead-in “After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to” followed by a bullet-point list with verbs like 

Explain, Describe, Discuss, Define, Identify, Instruct, Name, Differentiate, List

3. Posttest: Ten multiple-choice questions with 4 to 5 answers, only one of which is correct. No True/False questions; however, “Which of the following except” and “All of the following but” formats are acceptable. Provide an answer key listing the correct answers for all questions. Posttest questions should appear in the order in which the information is presented in the article and should not be drawn from data that is available only in a table or figure.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR ALL CLINICAL MANUSCRIPTS
References
Your manuscript should include references from major scientific literature to support all statements concerning specific published data, particularly specific research findings and treatment recommendations. Journals listed in the Index Medicus are preferred; textbook references and Web sites (eg, CDC, FDA) should be used sparingly. The AMA Manual of Style, 10th Edition, should be used, particularly when formatting your consecutively numbered list of references. References should be current (within the past 10 years, apart from “landmark” studies) and keyed in appropriately; please do not use an automated reference-numbering system.

Please e-mail (or fax to 973-206-9251) a packet of the references you use in your article to allow for complete fact-checking. Be sure to include for every reference:

• Complete citation data (author names, title, journal, date, page numbers), usually located on the first page.
• Page(s) where the information you cite is circled or clearly marked; you don't need to send the entire article, just the pertinent pages
• Complete reference list, usually the last 2-3 pages

Tables
Consider using tables to replace long lists, such as “risk factors,” “differential diagnosis,” or “medication choices.” Do not repeat information from the text in a table. Be sure to include references citing the sources of information you used to create each table. Photocopies of cited sources are welcome. If applicable, please include proof of permission you have obtained to reprint or adapt any previously published table.

Artwork
Original clinical images (photos, radiographs, slides, drawings) to illustrate your article may enhance its prospects for publication. Images should be submitted as .jpg or .tif files, taken, scanned, and/or saved at 300 dpi (dots per inch) at 100%. It is essential to verify this prior to submission, as “print resolution” is different from “screen resolution” (ie, how the image appears on a home computer). Each image should be accompanied by a descriptive legend.