| ovp_author_guidelines.pdf |
Optometry & Visual Performance Author Guidelines
These Guidelines for Authors have been developed to make it as easy as possible for authors to complete the peer review
process successfully. Please follow these guidelines exactly.
Audience and Circulation
Optometry & Visual Performance, the official publication of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, has an
international circulation of more than 12,000. Issues are distributed quarterly internationally. OVP is provided to libraries,
schools and colleges of optometry, and others who may request copies. It is available online: https://www.oepf.org/ovpjournal-
editions/Online articles are available with enhanced content (videos, extra tables/figures/photos, links, etc.).
Manuscript Instructions
These instructions apply to all manuscripts and are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts
Submitted to Biomedical Journals (Uniform Requirements).1,2
Manuscripts
Submission of manuscripts is done through the following portal. http://www.editorialmanager.com/ovp/default.aspx. The
author should receive an acknowledgement of the manuscripts being received within 24 hours. If you do not, please reemail
the manuscript or call the managing editor (901-722-3335). There is no charge for article submission when publishing
with OVP.
Criteria
Manuscripts are judged on one or more of the following criteria:
Usefulness to the practicing optometrist.
Compliance with the editorial standards and objectives of the journal with regard to the originality of the
contribution, its clinical or scientific significance to the profession, and the suitability of the subject matter.
Enrichment of the optometric and other scientific literature.
Optometry and Visual Performance generally publishes eight basic types of articles:
1. Research reports:
Apart from reporting formal laboratory or clinical research or the results of surveys, the format of an original
research paper can also be used for reporting case studies involving a series of related clinical cases.
2. Clinical procedures:
This can be used to present a new clinical procedure or an established procedure being used in a new manner
relating to clinical diagnosis, management, or treatment.
3. Case reports:
This can be used to present a case report when that case report illustrates a viewpoint on clinical diagnosis,
management, or treatment.
4. Literature review:
This includes comprehensive review of a broad or complex subject. The reference list can be extensive if one
of the intentions of the research underpinning the review is the compilation of a comprehensive
bibliography. Otherwise, the reference list should be limited to the originating references and the most
important and/or most recent subsequent references.
5. Practice management manuscripts:
Topics covered may include billing and coding, insurance, staffing, etc.
6. Guest editorials:
Most editorials are invited, but unsolicited editorials are welcome. Please speak to the Editor-in-Chief prior to
the submission of an editorial to discuss the potential topic.
7. Book Reviews:
This includes not only what is covered in the book and the manner in which it is covered but why it is
relevant to optometrists.
8. Viewpoints:
These are articles that make an observation, express a viewpoint, or argue a particular interpretation of facts.
They can discuss an issue in visual science, vision therapy and rehabilitation, diagnosis, treatment, public
health, or public health policy.
Authorship requirements
One author should act as correspondent and on submission of the manuscript should provide his/her address, phone and
fax numbers, and e-mail address. Manuscripts should have no more than six authors. Each author must be willing to take
public responsibility for the paper. Data collection does not in itself justify authorship. Credit for authorship must also
include: (1) conception or design, analysis and interpretation of data, or both; (2) drafting (or revising) paper for critically
important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. OVP may require authors to justify
assignment of authorship.
Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose upon submission the existence of any financial arrangement with a company whose products figure
prominently in the manuscript or with any competitor company. For articles in which frequent references are made to namebrand
devices, medications, or products, whether any of the authors has such an affiliation or not, a disclaimer should be
submitted for clarification and published at the end of the article.
Ethical/Legal Considerations
A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary
report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in
similar form, in any language, without the consent of the OVP Editor-in-Chief (on behalf of the Optometric Extension
Program Foundation). Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the study to a significant extent.
During the manuscript submission process, the corresponding author will be required to state that all authors accept public
responsibility for the manuscript. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published
manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher. All manuscripts
must be submitted via email as per the guidelines. See submission instructions, under “Manuscripts.”
Human Subjects and Informed Consent/Animal Subjects: If human subjects were involved in the study, the authors
must confirm that the research followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, that informed consent was obtained from
the subjects after explanation of the nature and possible consequences of the study, and, where applicable, that the research
was approved by the appropriate institutional review board (IRB). A statement confirming this must appear in the Methods
section of the manuscript.
It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that a patient’s anonymity be carefully protected and that all guidelines for
experimental investigation with human subjects required by the institution(s) with which each of the authors are affiliated
were followed. Authors should mask identifying features and remove patients’ names from figures unless they obtain written
consent from the patients and submit written consent with the manuscript.
All authors of research involving animals are expected to follow the ARVO guidelines, outlined in detail
at: http://www.arvo.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site_arvo2&webcode_AnimalsResearch#Recommended%20References.
Disclosure statement: Each author must warrant that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock
ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might be perceived as a conflict of interest in connection
with the submitted manuscript. If a commercial interest or potential conflict of interest exists, it MUST be disclosed for
each author during the submission process and included in the “ACKNOWLEDGMENTS” of the manuscript. All funding
sources supporting the Work and all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors are also to be listed in the
“ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.”
Copyright
Consideration for publication is based upon assurance that the manuscript (in whole or in part) is neither being considered
by any other publication, nor has it been previously published. Authors who have submitted an article for review
automatically have transferred copyright to OVP and OEPF when it is accepted for publication in the Journal. Authors
retain ‘unrestricted’ publishing rights (authors have rights to republish the article elsewhere without restrictions, such as
individual person’s blog, department webpages, etc. It does not include the case that authors republish the article as it is in
another academic journal, which is regarded as duplicate publication.) Should permission be desired by authors, translators,
or future publisher(s) to reprint all or portions of an article published by OVP (including the use of figures or tables), a
formal written request must be submitted to the managing editor.
Peer review and manuscript processing
Manuscripts are acknowledged upon receipt; rejected manuscripts are returned within 6-12 weeks. Papers are peer-reviewed
by two or more content experts, who serve as referees. The peer-review process is open, meaning the reviewers know the
identity of the author(s). Referees’ identities are kept confidential. The peer review cycle takes approximately 2-4 months.
Every effort is made to publish manuscripts in a timely fashion. There is no charge for article processing when publishing
with OVP.
Title Page
The title page should contain only the manuscript title, name(s) of Author(s), and degree(s). Professional or institutional
affiliations of authors should also be provided. The title page should list the contact information for the corresponding
author, including the address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
The following should be placed at the bottom of the article:
Correspondence regarding this article should be emailed to [Primary author's email address here] or sent to [Primary author's
name and address here]. All statements are the author's personal opinion and may not reflect the opinions of the
representative organizations, Optometry & Visual Performance, or any institution or organization with which the author(s) may
be affiliated. Permission to use reprints of this article must be obtained from the editor. Copyright [year] Optometric
Extension Program Foundation. OVP is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals. Online access is available at www.oepf.org/ovp-journal-editions/
Abstract
The abstract should be no longer than 300 words in length consisting of four basic sections: Background, Methods, Results,
and Conclusions, which should briefly describe, respectively: the problem or topic addressed, how the study was conducted,
the most important results, and what can be concluded from the results.
For Case Reports, substitute Case Report(s) for Methods and Results, and succinctly describe the case(s) (i.e., Background,
Case Report, Conclusions).
Editorials require no abstracts, but a brief executive summary is encouraged.
Keywords
Include three to eight Keywords (or short phrases) at the end of the abstract. Keywords should make the article easy to find
electronically.
Tables and illustrations
An appropriate number of photographs, tables, figures, and illustrations is encouraged. Authors should consult the CBE
Style Manual for further information on the preparation of tables, figures, and other illustrative material.3 All should go on
separate pages at the end of the paper. DO NOT embed tables, figures, or illustrative material within the body of the paper.
If you are using a table, figure, or illustration from another source, a signed permission to do so must accompany the
submission of the paper.
Photographs
All photographs of identifiable individuals require photograph release forms signed by the person(s) in the picture and sent
to the editor before the paper can be published. All photographs must be sent as separate files in JPG format. DO NOT
embed photographs within the body of the paper. Images (photos or illustrations) should be in the JPG format, at least 300
pixels per inch, no smaller than 500kb and no larger than 6Mb. Please do not submit images captured from a website, as they
are not suitable for print publication. When saving your .JPG file, save as Baseline Standard, best quality, and not progressive
or optimized. If you are not sure about the quality of your images, please contact the managing editor to verify well in
advance of the submission deadline.
Style
Authors should use the active voice (“This study shows” rather than “It is shown by this study”) and the first person (“I did”
rather than “the author did”). The past tense is appropriate for describing what was done in an experiment; the present tense
is suitable for referring to data in tables and figures.
Lens formulas and associated acuities should be expressed as in the following example:
OD: +2.25-1.00x95, 20/20 (6/6).
Abbreviations
Except for units of measurement, abbreviations are discouraged. The first time abbreviations or acronyms are used, they
should be spelled out.
Generic and proprietary names
Use generic names in referring to drugs. Use proprietary names only to differentiate between drug forms or if a specific
product was used in a study or associated with an adverse drug reaction. Instruments, devices, or other products may be
referred to by their proprietary names. Provide the name and location (city/state or country) of the manufacturer (domestic
or foreign) and set in parentheses following the first mention of the proprietary name.
Units of measurement
Authors should express all measurements in conventional units.
References
Use MS Word “Insert,” “Reference,” “Footnote,” “Endnotes” options for inserting references in the manuscript. Use
numbers starting with the number “1” and place all references at the end of the paper. OVP uses the Vancouver style from
Uniform Requirements throughout the manuscript. (Go to http://www.icmje.org and
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html for more information about references)
Always list four authors and then add “et al.” if more than four authors are on the paper.
Basic examples of the Vancouver style are provided here:
Book citation
Schepens CL, Trempe CL, Takahashi M. Atlas of vitreous biomicroscopy. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999:83-
105.
Chapter in book
Schlange D, Maino D. Clinical behavioral objectives: assessment techniques for special populations. In: Maino D (ed).
Diagnosis and Management of Special Populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Yearbook, Inc.,. 1995:151-88.
Journal citation
Pang Y, Maino D, Zhang G, Lu F. Myopia: Can its progress be controlled? Optom Vis Dev 2006:37(2):75-9.
Journal article on the Internet
Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the
Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 3 p.]. Available from:
http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm
Homepage/Web site
Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated
2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.
References must be numbered consecutively as cited in the paper. References to personal communication, unpublished
information, and papers either “in preparation” or “submitted for publication” are discouraged. A reference may be cited as
“in press” only if it has been accepted for publication.
Accepted manuscripts
Accepted manuscripts are returned to authors for revisions and copy-editing changes. Authors must be able to take public
responsibility for all statements in their paper, including those changes made by the copy editor and authorized by the
corresponding author. Revised manuscripts must be returned to the editor in electronic form. The revised copy should have
the word “revised (put date)” as part of the file name. PC or Macintosh word-processing software is acceptable (MS Word
preferred).
Review by author(s)
Before publication, the corresponding author will receive page proofs for final review. These will be e-mailed as a PDF file.
Corrections must be returned/communicated to the managing editor of OVP within 72 hours.
Reprints
Reprints and/or PDFs of articles may be available upon request.
These Guidelines for Authors have been developed to make it as easy as possible for authors to complete the peer review
process successfully. Please follow these guidelines exactly.
Audience and Circulation
Optometry & Visual Performance, the official publication of the Optometric Extension Program Foundation, has an
international circulation of more than 12,000. Issues are distributed quarterly internationally. OVP is provided to libraries,
schools and colleges of optometry, and others who may request copies. It is available online: https://www.oepf.org/ovpjournal-
editions/Online articles are available with enhanced content (videos, extra tables/figures/photos, links, etc.).
Manuscript Instructions
These instructions apply to all manuscripts and are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts
Submitted to Biomedical Journals (Uniform Requirements).1,2
Manuscripts
Submission of manuscripts is done through the following portal. http://www.editorialmanager.com/ovp/default.aspx. The
author should receive an acknowledgement of the manuscripts being received within 24 hours. If you do not, please reemail
the manuscript or call the managing editor (901-722-3335). There is no charge for article submission when publishing
with OVP.
Criteria
Manuscripts are judged on one or more of the following criteria:
Usefulness to the practicing optometrist.
Compliance with the editorial standards and objectives of the journal with regard to the originality of the
contribution, its clinical or scientific significance to the profession, and the suitability of the subject matter.
Enrichment of the optometric and other scientific literature.
Optometry and Visual Performance generally publishes eight basic types of articles:
1. Research reports:
Apart from reporting formal laboratory or clinical research or the results of surveys, the format of an original
research paper can also be used for reporting case studies involving a series of related clinical cases.
2. Clinical procedures:
This can be used to present a new clinical procedure or an established procedure being used in a new manner
relating to clinical diagnosis, management, or treatment.
3. Case reports:
This can be used to present a case report when that case report illustrates a viewpoint on clinical diagnosis,
management, or treatment.
4. Literature review:
This includes comprehensive review of a broad or complex subject. The reference list can be extensive if one
of the intentions of the research underpinning the review is the compilation of a comprehensive
bibliography. Otherwise, the reference list should be limited to the originating references and the most
important and/or most recent subsequent references.
5. Practice management manuscripts:
Topics covered may include billing and coding, insurance, staffing, etc.
6. Guest editorials:
Most editorials are invited, but unsolicited editorials are welcome. Please speak to the Editor-in-Chief prior to
the submission of an editorial to discuss the potential topic.
7. Book Reviews:
This includes not only what is covered in the book and the manner in which it is covered but why it is
relevant to optometrists.
8. Viewpoints:
These are articles that make an observation, express a viewpoint, or argue a particular interpretation of facts.
They can discuss an issue in visual science, vision therapy and rehabilitation, diagnosis, treatment, public
health, or public health policy.
Authorship requirements
One author should act as correspondent and on submission of the manuscript should provide his/her address, phone and
fax numbers, and e-mail address. Manuscripts should have no more than six authors. Each author must be willing to take
public responsibility for the paper. Data collection does not in itself justify authorship. Credit for authorship must also
include: (1) conception or design, analysis and interpretation of data, or both; (2) drafting (or revising) paper for critically
important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. OVP may require authors to justify
assignment of authorship.
Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose upon submission the existence of any financial arrangement with a company whose products figure
prominently in the manuscript or with any competitor company. For articles in which frequent references are made to namebrand
devices, medications, or products, whether any of the authors has such an affiliation or not, a disclaimer should be
submitted for clarification and published at the end of the article.
Ethical/Legal Considerations
A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or a preliminary
report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in
similar form, in any language, without the consent of the OVP Editor-in-Chief (on behalf of the Optometric Extension
Program Foundation). Each person listed as an author is expected to have participated in the study to a significant extent.
During the manuscript submission process, the corresponding author will be required to state that all authors accept public
responsibility for the manuscript. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published
manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher. All manuscripts
must be submitted via email as per the guidelines. See submission instructions, under “Manuscripts.”
Human Subjects and Informed Consent/Animal Subjects: If human subjects were involved in the study, the authors
must confirm that the research followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki, that informed consent was obtained from
the subjects after explanation of the nature and possible consequences of the study, and, where applicable, that the research
was approved by the appropriate institutional review board (IRB). A statement confirming this must appear in the Methods
section of the manuscript.
It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that a patient’s anonymity be carefully protected and that all guidelines for
experimental investigation with human subjects required by the institution(s) with which each of the authors are affiliated
were followed. Authors should mask identifying features and remove patients’ names from figures unless they obtain written
consent from the patients and submit written consent with the manuscript.
All authors of research involving animals are expected to follow the ARVO guidelines, outlined in detail
at: http://www.arvo.org/eweb/dynamicpage.aspx?site_arvo2&webcode_AnimalsResearch#Recommended%20References.
Disclosure statement: Each author must warrant that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g., consultancies, stock
ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangements, etc.) that might be perceived as a conflict of interest in connection
with the submitted manuscript. If a commercial interest or potential conflict of interest exists, it MUST be disclosed for
each author during the submission process and included in the “ACKNOWLEDGMENTS” of the manuscript. All funding
sources supporting the Work and all institutional or corporate affiliations of the authors are also to be listed in the
“ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.”
Copyright
Consideration for publication is based upon assurance that the manuscript (in whole or in part) is neither being considered
by any other publication, nor has it been previously published. Authors who have submitted an article for review
automatically have transferred copyright to OVP and OEPF when it is accepted for publication in the Journal. Authors
retain ‘unrestricted’ publishing rights (authors have rights to republish the article elsewhere without restrictions, such as
individual person’s blog, department webpages, etc. It does not include the case that authors republish the article as it is in
another academic journal, which is regarded as duplicate publication.) Should permission be desired by authors, translators,
or future publisher(s) to reprint all or portions of an article published by OVP (including the use of figures or tables), a
formal written request must be submitted to the managing editor.
Peer review and manuscript processing
Manuscripts are acknowledged upon receipt; rejected manuscripts are returned within 6-12 weeks. Papers are peer-reviewed
by two or more content experts, who serve as referees. The peer-review process is open, meaning the reviewers know the
identity of the author(s). Referees’ identities are kept confidential. The peer review cycle takes approximately 2-4 months.
Every effort is made to publish manuscripts in a timely fashion. There is no charge for article processing when publishing
with OVP.
Title Page
The title page should contain only the manuscript title, name(s) of Author(s), and degree(s). Professional or institutional
affiliations of authors should also be provided. The title page should list the contact information for the corresponding
author, including the address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address.
The following should be placed at the bottom of the article:
Correspondence regarding this article should be emailed to [Primary author's email address here] or sent to [Primary author's
name and address here]. All statements are the author's personal opinion and may not reflect the opinions of the
representative organizations, Optometry & Visual Performance, or any institution or organization with which the author(s) may
be affiliated. Permission to use reprints of this article must be obtained from the editor. Copyright [year] Optometric
Extension Program Foundation. OVP is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals. Online access is available at www.oepf.org/ovp-journal-editions/
Abstract
The abstract should be no longer than 300 words in length consisting of four basic sections: Background, Methods, Results,
and Conclusions, which should briefly describe, respectively: the problem or topic addressed, how the study was conducted,
the most important results, and what can be concluded from the results.
For Case Reports, substitute Case Report(s) for Methods and Results, and succinctly describe the case(s) (i.e., Background,
Case Report, Conclusions).
Editorials require no abstracts, but a brief executive summary is encouraged.
Keywords
Include three to eight Keywords (or short phrases) at the end of the abstract. Keywords should make the article easy to find
electronically.
Tables and illustrations
An appropriate number of photographs, tables, figures, and illustrations is encouraged. Authors should consult the CBE
Style Manual for further information on the preparation of tables, figures, and other illustrative material.3 All should go on
separate pages at the end of the paper. DO NOT embed tables, figures, or illustrative material within the body of the paper.
If you are using a table, figure, or illustration from another source, a signed permission to do so must accompany the
submission of the paper.
Photographs
All photographs of identifiable individuals require photograph release forms signed by the person(s) in the picture and sent
to the editor before the paper can be published. All photographs must be sent as separate files in JPG format. DO NOT
embed photographs within the body of the paper. Images (photos or illustrations) should be in the JPG format, at least 300
pixels per inch, no smaller than 500kb and no larger than 6Mb. Please do not submit images captured from a website, as they
are not suitable for print publication. When saving your .JPG file, save as Baseline Standard, best quality, and not progressive
or optimized. If you are not sure about the quality of your images, please contact the managing editor to verify well in
advance of the submission deadline.
Style
Authors should use the active voice (“This study shows” rather than “It is shown by this study”) and the first person (“I did”
rather than “the author did”). The past tense is appropriate for describing what was done in an experiment; the present tense
is suitable for referring to data in tables and figures.
Lens formulas and associated acuities should be expressed as in the following example:
OD: +2.25-1.00x95, 20/20 (6/6).
Abbreviations
Except for units of measurement, abbreviations are discouraged. The first time abbreviations or acronyms are used, they
should be spelled out.
Generic and proprietary names
Use generic names in referring to drugs. Use proprietary names only to differentiate between drug forms or if a specific
product was used in a study or associated with an adverse drug reaction. Instruments, devices, or other products may be
referred to by their proprietary names. Provide the name and location (city/state or country) of the manufacturer (domestic
or foreign) and set in parentheses following the first mention of the proprietary name.
Units of measurement
Authors should express all measurements in conventional units.
References
Use MS Word “Insert,” “Reference,” “Footnote,” “Endnotes” options for inserting references in the manuscript. Use
numbers starting with the number “1” and place all references at the end of the paper. OVP uses the Vancouver style from
Uniform Requirements throughout the manuscript. (Go to http://www.icmje.org and
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html for more information about references)
Always list four authors and then add “et al.” if more than four authors are on the paper.
Basic examples of the Vancouver style are provided here:
Book citation
Schepens CL, Trempe CL, Takahashi M. Atlas of vitreous biomicroscopy. Boston, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999:83-
105.
Chapter in book
Schlange D, Maino D. Clinical behavioral objectives: assessment techniques for special populations. In: Maino D (ed).
Diagnosis and Management of Special Populations. St. Louis, MO: Mosby-Yearbook, Inc.,. 1995:151-88.
Journal citation
Pang Y, Maino D, Zhang G, Lu F. Myopia: Can its progress be controlled? Optom Vis Dev 2006:37(2):75-9.
Journal article on the Internet
Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the
Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 3 p.]. Available from:
http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm
Homepage/Web site
Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated
2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.
References must be numbered consecutively as cited in the paper. References to personal communication, unpublished
information, and papers either “in preparation” or “submitted for publication” are discouraged. A reference may be cited as
“in press” only if it has been accepted for publication.
Accepted manuscripts
Accepted manuscripts are returned to authors for revisions and copy-editing changes. Authors must be able to take public
responsibility for all statements in their paper, including those changes made by the copy editor and authorized by the
corresponding author. Revised manuscripts must be returned to the editor in electronic form. The revised copy should have
the word “revised (put date)” as part of the file name. PC or Macintosh word-processing software is acceptable (MS Word
preferred).
Review by author(s)
Before publication, the corresponding author will receive page proofs for final review. These will be e-mailed as a PDF file.
Corrections must be returned/communicated to the managing editor of OVP within 72 hours.
Reprints
Reprints and/or PDFs of articles may be available upon request.