Submissions
All submissions should be accompanied by a letter of request forpublication. Three copies of the typescript, including three copies ofall figures and tables, should be forwarded to the Editor:
Massimo Zoppi, Dept. of Rheumatology, Institute of Internal Medicine,Careggi, 50134 Florence, Italy
Tel. +39 55 412063 and +39 55 4277512, Fax +39 55 4378638. E-mail:m.zoppi@dfc.unifi.it
The authors should keep a copy for reference. Submitted papers must nothave been published in, nor have been submitted simultaneously to anyother journal. The Pain Clinic and its publishers, will haveshared copyright of all material accepted for publication. The author isresponsible for obtaining permission to reproduce any copyright materialand this permission should be acknowledged in the paper. Authors shouldavoid the use of hospital numbers or names of patients. Patients shouldnot be recognizable from photographs unless their written permission hasbeen first obtained. Papers based on clinical investigation shouldconform to the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki.
Preparation
Contributions, in the English language only, should be typeddouble-spaced and single-sided on A4 paper and should be numberedconsecutively beginning with the title page. Where appropriate, thepaper should be organized into the following sections: Abstract, Tables,Illustrations, Legends and Text.
Title page
The first page of the article should contain: the title of the article;the authors'names (given name, middle initial and surname of eachauthor) and affiliation. Name, address, telephone, fax, and if availableE-mail address of the author responsible for correspondence, thecategory for which the manuscript is being submitted (review, researchpaper, clinical note, etc.) should be provided.
Abstracts
The abstracts should provide a brief background: the aims, method,results and conclusions reached should be described. Abstracts ofreviews and of clinical notes should focus on the main topic.
Tables
Each table should be typed double-spaced on A4 paper with a separatesheet for every table. The tables should be numbered consecutively withRoman numerals (e.g. Table IV) but should not be given a page number.The caption should appear above the material and units in which theresults are expressed should (where appropriate) appear in parenthesesat the top of each column.
Figures
Figures, in a form suitable for reproduction, should be submitted asoriginal drawings in black ink, or as high-contrast, sharp unmountedphotographs on glossy paper. Lettering on figures should be proportionalto the size of the figure to ensure legibility after reduction. Theappropriate figure(s) will be referred to in the text using Arabicnumbers (e.g. Fig. 3). All figures will have an appropriate legend andthese will be typed (in numerical order) on a separate sheet of paper atthe end of the typescript.
General
All scientific measurements will be given in SI units are still incommon use (e.g. blood pressure, mmHg). The BP generic names of drugswill be used, but the appropriate proprietary name may be added inbrackets when it is first mentioned. Oxford English spelling ispreferred and the 24-hour clock used for reporting times.
References
Use the form of references adopted by the US National Library ofMedicine and used in Index Medicus. Numbers (in brackets) areassigned consecutively as they appear in the text and are to be listedin numerical (not alphabetical) order in the list of References.
Abbreviate titles of journals according to Index Medicus.Examples:
For a journal
1. Demirturk F, Gungor T, Demirturk F, et al. Relief of primarydysmenorrhea by supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids, ThePain Clinic, 1, 81--4 (2002).
For a book
2. Wall PD, Melzack R (Eds). Textbook of Pain, 4th edn, WBSaunders, Philadelphia (1999).
For a chapter in a book
3. Sola AE, Bonica JJ. Myofascial pain syndromes. In: Bonica JJ (Ed),The Management of Pain, 2nd edn, pp. 352--67, Lea and Febiger,Philadelphia (1990).
For proceedings
4. Tolksdorf W. Cancer pain --- diagnosis and treatment. In: Erdmann W,Oyama T and Pernak MJ (Eds), The Pain Clinic 1: Proceedings ofthe First International symposium, pp. 33--40, VNU Science Press,Utrecht (1985).
If a publication is in press, the reference should be made as completeas possible, stating the name of the journal followed by `in press' (inparentheses).
Proofs
Page proofs will be sent to the nominated author to check fortypesetting accuracy. No changes to the original typescript are acceptedat this stage. Proofs should be returned within two days of receipt.
Offprints
Offprints may be ordered at the prices shown on the publisher's orderform which is sent to the author together with the proofs.
Acknowledgement
All papers will be acknowledged and will receive prompt attention. Thefinal decision concerning acceptance or rejection of typescripts will beat the discretion of the Editor.
VSPPostal address: P.O. Box 9000, 2300 PA Leiden, The Netherlands