Pearls
Author instructions for manuscript preparation
Current Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed, monthly journal that serves more than 40,000 practicing psychiatrists, residents, and advanced practice nurses in the United States.
Pearls are brief, tightly focused articles featuring practical advice from psychiatrists on confronting clinical challenges (eg, hidden keys to diagnosis, a successful medication change, calming an angry patient).
We encourage you to draw upon your years of valuable practice experience when writing this article. Please also write in a conversational tone, as if you were speaking to a group of colleagues.
Follow these guidelines to increase the likelihood that your article will be accepted for publication and minimize the need for revisions.
For further guidance and encouragement, check out the essential advice offered by Pearls Department Editor Lorraine S. Roth, MD, in "A PEARL of wisdom about writing 'Pearls'."
Software: Prepare the article as a Word document for PC or Macintosh.
Length: About 500 words, including references, tables, and figures. If you think that your topic merits a longer article, contact Editor Jeff Bauer (jbauer@mdedge.com).
Byline: No more than 3 authors, please—each of whom must be an MD, DO, PhD, PharmD, or advanced-practice psychiatric nurse. Authors who are in residency should enlist a more experienced clinician as a co-author, or instead submit their article to our Residents’ Voices department. List any 1) additional authors and 2) other contributors (medical students, research assistants, etc.) under "Acknowledgments."
Contact information: Provide your mailing address, phone, fax, and e-mail address.
Author credentials: State your current affiliation, academic appointment(s), or practice location at the end of the article. Examples:
Dr. Jones practices psychiatry in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Dr. Jones is an Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
References: Provide references—3 maximum—to back up assertions about specific medications or treatments. Follow AMA style. Number the references (1, 2, 3) in the text as they are cited. At the end of the article, list the references in numerical order.
Guidelines on Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools in Journal Articles
- Nonhuman artificial intelligence (AI) technologies do not qualify for named authorship. Chatbots cannot meet ICMJE requirements for authorship and therefore cannot be authors. All those named as authors must meet authorship criteria.
- Authors should be transparent about the use of AI technologies to aid in writing content. Authors should disclose in a cover letter to the journal which tool was used (name, version, and manufacturer) and how it was applied in the article submitted to the journal.
- Human authors are responsible for the accuracy of work compiled by an AI tool, including the absence of plagiarism. Proper referencing/sources of statements is necessary.
- Images created by AI tools are not permitted for publication. However, AI tools may be used to help illustrate a concept or study methodology for publishing staff to create a new original image; all guidelines above apply to ensure that content is accurate and properly referenced.
Manuscript submission/review: E-mail your article as an attachment to Editor Jeff Bauer (jbauer@mdedge.com)
Peer review: Manuscripts are subject to peer review and editing. Often we ask authors to work with us to revise articles prior to publication. We will ask you to review the edited version in time to make necessary corrections.
Publication: All Pearls manuscripts are considered for publication as either a print article or a “Web Exclusive” (online only) article at the discretion of the Editors and based on the publication’s editorial needs. (Web Exclusive Pearls are listed on the Table of Contents of the print edition and published on the CURRENT PSYCHIATRY web site. Web Exclusive Pearls also are published ahead of the print issue with which they are associated. Authors of Web Exclusive Pearls receive the same honorarium as authors whose work is published in print.)