Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning

• Journal Information

• Guide for Authors



Journal Information

Journal Description
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning is a quarterly publication that is devoted to dissemination of high quality, peer-reviewed scholarship relevant to all areas of pharmacy education. The Journal and its Editorial Staff endeavor to attract and publish manuscripts from a variety of disciplines and educational settings to promote excellence in educational research. The Journal and its Editorial Staff look to incorporate a broad range of manuscript types (e.g. short communications, full research papers, review articles, opinions and perspectives) in each issue and, in so doing, attract contributions from educators at all levels, graduate students, pharmacists actively involved in student and/or patient education, as well as from other members of the healthcare team. Article topics shall span all components of pharmacy education including, but not limited to, innovative teaching and learning strategies, skills development, assessment of educational outcomes, practical tips from seasoned educators, new school and new program startup strategies, successful approaches to/implementation of curricular revision, as well as topics on attitudes and perceptions within pharmacy education.

Types of Manuscripts

1. Research Paper
This type of manuscript should report completed qualitative or quantitative original research. The length of the manuscript should not exceed 35 double spaced pages including references. The manuscript should include discrete sections including introduction/background, rationale and objectives, materials and methods, results and discussion/conclusions. Limitations of the research should be included in the discussion section. A thorough review of the literature should be conducted and a discussion of the same should be included in the manuscript text in the introduction/background section. Consideration of the literature in other relevant healthcare professions is recommended.

2. Short Communication
This type of manuscript should report the results from preliminary studies or when limited data is available from qualitative or quantitative original research. The length of the manuscript should not exceed 20 double spaced pages including references. The manuscript components are the same as described for "Research Paper". These manuscripts may be organized into one of the following four categories for publication purposes. Short communications on topics other than those that fit into this classification scheme are certainly appropriate for publication consideration.
• New Schools: Innovation at its Best!
• Pedagogy Pearls: Where the Chalk Meets the Board (focus primarily on didactic teaching)
• Put it into Practice: Experiential Tidbits
• Compounded with Interest: Recipes for Success in the Laboratory and Classroom

3. Research Letter
This type of manuscript should describe qualitative or quantitative original research in progress. The length of the manuscript should not exceed 15 double spaced pages including references. Those authors looking to identify collaborators or extend their research network might consider submitting this type of manuscript as a mechanism to showcase innovations, interventions, and/or solutions to issues that are underway and likely to be of immediate interest to the Journal readership. While the manuscript components are expected to be similar to that found in a research paper, it expected that they will be in an abbreviated form.

4. Perspectives and Commentary
This type of manuscript describes current views, reflections, or comments on topics important to any area within pharmacy education. The length of the manuscript should not exceed 10 double spaced pages. Manuscripts on specific topics may be solicited by the Journal's Associate Editors. Commentary on manuscripts previously published in the Journal will be considered, however the content of the commentary must contribute significantly to the mission of the journal, to promote excellence in educational research.

5. Review Article
This type of manuscript provides an up-to-date comprehensive review of a topic important to any area within pharmacy education. The length of the manuscript should not exceed 35 pages. Authors are encouraged to contact the Editorial Office (cptl@midwestern.edu) for manuscript topic suitability prior to submission.

6. Book Review
The Journal will consider publishing selected book reviews. Please contact the Editorial Office cptl@midwestern.edu for more information.





Guide for Authors

Electronic Manuscript Submission

Authors are requested to submit all manuscripts using the Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning online submission and review website External link http://ees.elsevier.com/cptl. This website will provide stepwise instruction through the manuscript submission process. Authors are encouraged to submit all text, tables, reference and artwork to this address in their original electronic form (not as Adobe Acrobat pdf files). If an electronic version of one or more documents is unavailable or there are circumstances that prevent online submission, then the corresponding author must contact the Editorial Office (cptl@midwestern.edu) prior to submission to discuss alternate arrangements. The Editorial Office reserves the right to not consider those submissions that do not follow these procedures.
The electronic system automatically generates a single Adobe Acrobat pdf file from all of the manuscript source files that are uploaded to the website. This Adobe Acrobat pdf file is then used in the peer review process. Be sure to maintain your original source files at least until the manuscript has been accepted for publication and all revisions have been completed and submitted.

General Information

1. Each manuscript must have one corresponding author who is responsible for all communication with the Editorial Office. The corresponding author is also responsible for sharing information provided by the Editorial Office with the rest of the manuscript authors as appropriate.

2. All copyright ownership will be transferred to Elsevier effective if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication. A Journal Publishing Agreement will be automatically sent to the corresponding author once the manuscript has been accepted for publication and received by Elsevier Editorial-Production Department. The corresponding author is expected to submit a completed agreement in a timely fashion. (An example can be found at: External link http://www.elsevier.com/framework_authors/pdfs/JPA_example.pdf )

3. Manuscript submission serves as certification for each of the following. Manuscripts found to not be in compliance with these conditions will not be considered eligible for publication.

A. That any research on human subjects is in accordance with the ethical standards of each author's institution. For manuscripts that report data from studies that involve human participants, approval must be granted from a formal Institutional Review Board (IRB) and this approval should be mentioned in the methods section of the manuscript.
B. That the manuscript is an original work, that it is being submitted exclusively to Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning and that neither the manuscript nor a version of it has been published elsewhere nor is being considered for publication elsewhere in English or in any other language.
C. That each author has provided substantive intellectual contribution to the manuscript (e.g., toward conception and design, data acquisition, and/or analysis and interpretation of data) and that each author has reviewed and approved the manuscript to be submitted for publication prior to submission. Those contributors who do not meet these criteria should be listed in the acknowledgements rather than as an author.


Manuscript Preparation

Each of the following manuscript components will be submitted as separate documents. The Editorial Office would prefer that zip files are not submitted.

1. Cover Letter: optional letter to editorial staff

2. Title Page
  • Submit as a separate document from the manuscript.
  • Manuscript title
  • Abstract (250 word maximum)
    The abstract should provide an overview of the manuscript and clearly state how the manuscript contributes to educational research in pharmacy education. Abstracts are required for Research Papers, Short Communications, Research Letters and Review Articles.
  • Key words (3-5) for indexing purposes
  • Name, title, institutional affiliation(s), credentials (including terminal degree) and contact information (including a mailing address, FAX number, phone number and an e-mail address) for all authors. Clear dentification of one corresponding author is required.
  • Financial Disclosure Statement In this statement all sources of financial support for the conduct of research and/or preparation of the manuscript should be provided, as well as a brief description of the specific role for each sponsor. This is especially important if the sponsor(s) had a role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report or in the decision where to submit the manuscript for publication. For additional information see External link http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/funding
  • Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement
    All authors must disclose any actual or possible conflicts of interest, including financial, personal or other relationships with other individuals or organizations that might inappropriately influence or could be perceived to influence their work. Please consult External link http://www.elsevier.com/conflictsofinterest for more information.

3. Manuscript
  • Cover Page
    - Submit as part of your manuscript (first page)
    - Manuscript title
    - Abstract (250 word maximum)
    - Key words (3-5) for indexing purposes
    - Financial Disclosure Statement (see description previously provided)
    - Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement (see description previously provided)
  • Manuscript Format: Manuscript text should be created in a word processing program (e.g., Microsoft WORD, Word Perfect) and submitted in its original form (not as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file). The text should be in a single column format and double spaced. Do not fully justify text or hyphenate words. Indent at the beginning of each paragraph. Bold face, italics, subscripts and superscripts are appropriate to use. Use one inch margins on all sides, 10-11pt Arial font, with page numbers in upper right starting with the first page of the manuscript (not including cover or title pages). For more information about manuscript format and for information about the recommended order of manuscript components see External link http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/formatdocument. Please note that it is not required that you submit a vitae with your manuscript.
  • De-identification: Remove all references to the institution(s), author(s), course number(s) in the manuscript and cover page
  • Line Numbering: In order to facilitate the peer review process all pages of the manuscript text should contain line numbers. Please restart line numbering with the start of each page. (Hint: Microsoft WORD File/Page Setup/Layout/Line numbers/Add line numbering/Starting at one/Count by one/Number: restart each page)
  • Length: Manuscripts may range in length from 5-35 typed pages double spaced (this includes references). See Journal Information (External link http://ees.elsevier.com/cptl/ ) tab for page limitations based on manuscript type. The editor may consider manuscripts that exceed the prescribed length, especially if the manuscript can be broken up into two or more parts for publication is successive journal issues.
  • Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation: Authors are responsible for ensuring that each submission is written in clear English with international comprehensibility and is free of errors of spelling, grammar and punctuation. If abbreviations are used, then be sure to provide the full name the first time that the abbreviation is used and be consistent with abbreviation use. Use standard abbreviations when appropriate. It is strongly suggested that the author(s) use the "spell check" and "grammar check" word processor features to avoid unnecessary errors. For assistance in this process please go to External link http://elsevier.com/languagepolishing. This website will provide links to companies that offer language editing services.
  • Numbers: Use Arabic numerals for all units of measure and time. Exceptions include numbers that begin a sentence, title, subtitle or heading. Spell out the ordinals first through ninth. For additional guidance, please refer to the most recent edition of the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors.
  • References: References, citations and the general style of the manuscript should follow the AMA Style (as outlined in the latest edition of the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors). References should be single spaced within an individual citation and double spaced between citations. The references should be listed numerically in the order that they are cited in the text. References prepared in another style may be accepted into the peer review process however, the corresponding author is fully responsible for revising the manuscript to reflect the AMA style prior to final submission.
  • Copyrighted Works: If other copyrighted works are included in the manuscript, then the corresponding author must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and provide a copy of such permission to the editor of the journal (cptl@midwestern.edu) at the time of initial manuscript submission. Please consult External link http://www.elsevier.com/permissions for a preprinted permissions form.
  • Graphics, Photos, and Charts
    Any component of a manuscript that is not text-based is considered artwork. This includes tables, figures, diagrams, charts, graphs, illustrations, appendices, screen captures, and photos. To ensure appropriate production quality, be sure that all artwork has a 300 dpi figure quality or better. For artwork specifications and recommendations see External link http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/authorartworkinstructions. Artwork should not be inserted within the text of the manuscript and should be placed after the manuscript text in order of citation. For more information please refer to External link http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/authorsview.authors/formatdocument. It is recommended that each piece of artwork have a brief title and should be numbered as they are cited in the manuscript text. Units of measure should be clearly indicated and used consistently.

Manuscript Status
  • Log into External link http://ees.elsevier.com/cptl/ using the username and password that you created at the time of manuscript submission.
  • Click on the link "Submissions being processed". You will be provided with the status of your manuscript during the submission/peer review process.

Peer Review Process
  • All identifiers, will be removed from all manuscript components, including institutional affiliation(s), prior to initiation of the peer review process. Authors should make every effort to avoid placing any type of identifier in the manuscript text or supporting documentation.
  • All manuscripts except opinion pieces will undergo double blinded peer review. Every attempt will be made to identify reviewers with appropriate expertise and publishing record. The time allotted for manuscript review is dependent on the type and length of the manuscript submitted. The editor will make every effort to provide feedback from the peer reviewers to the corresponding author in a timely fashion.
  • Should the Editorial Staff and/or peer reviewers request that the manuscript to be revised prior to acceptance for publication, then the revised version of the manuscript must be submitted within three months. A revised manuscript that is submitted after this deadline will be considered as a new submission.
  • A separate document that describes how you have addressed the reviewer and/or editorial comments should be submitted along with your revised manuscript. This letter should be in a bulleted format and should also include rationale for those reviewer comments that you elected not to address.

Manuscript Decisions

The Editorial Office is ultimately responsible for making all of the publication decisions and provides recommendations to the Elsevier Editorial-Production Department as to issue placement.
  • Accepted: The manuscript is ready for publication and requires no additional revision by the author.
  • Minor Revision: Manuscripts may be accepted for publication by the editor contingent upon minor revisions that are either mandated or requested by one or more peer reviewers and/or one or more of the journal editors. Submission of the revised manuscript will follow the same electronic process used to submit the original manuscript.
  • Major Revision: Manuscripts that require major revision prior to being accepted for publication will undergo a second peer review. The editor will work with the corresponding author to ensure that timely feedback is provided from the second peer review. Submission of the revised manuscript will follow the same electronic process used to submit the original manuscript.
  • Rejected: Manuscripts may be rejected due to identification of one or more "fatal flaws" in the research design and/or methodology. These manuscripts will not undergo a second peer review until the author(s) have clearly corrected the identified flaw and re-implemented the research project.

After Manuscript Acceptance
  • Elsevier will automatically send the corresponding author a Journal Publishing Agreement and an offprint order form upon manuscript acceptance. These forms are to be completed by the corresponding author and submitted prior to final printing of the manuscript.
  • A proof copy will be generated as an Adobe Acrobat pdf file and sent to the corresponding author for final review. This file can be annotated (you will need to download Adobe Reader version 7 - a free download; see External link http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html ). If you prefer to indicate corrections and/or address Query Form based issues by manuscript line number, this can be accomplished outside of this feature and submitted by e-mail. Although not preferred, corrections can be made on a print out of your proof and returned by FAX or by scanning the document to an Adobe Acrobat pdf file and submitting the pdf file by e-mail. All proof copy corrections must be submitted as one communication.
Correspondence

All correspondence related to Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning should be forwarded to:

Robin M. Zavod, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning
cptl@midwestern.edu


Midwestern University Chicago College of Pharmacy
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
555 31st Street
Downers Grove, IL 60515
(630)515-6478
(630)515-6958 (FAX)




Updated April 2011