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Journal of Endodontics

Guidelines for Publishing Papers

in the JOE
Writing an effective article is a challenging assignment. The
following guidelines are provided to assist authors in submitting
manuscripts.
The JOE publishes original and review articles related to the
scientific and applied aspects of endodontics. Moreover,
the JOE has a diverse readership that includes full-time clinicians,
full-time academicians, residents, students and scientists.
Effective communication with this diverse readership requires
careful attention to writing style.

General Points on Composition

Authors are strongly encouraged to analyze their final draft with
both software (e.g., spelling and grammar programs) and
colleagues who have expertise in English grammar. References
listed at the end of this section provide a more extensive review
of rules of English grammar and guidelines for writing a scientific
article. Always remember that clarity is the most important
feature of scientific writing. Scientific articles must be clear and
precise in their content and concise in their delivery since their
purpose is to inform the reader. The Editor reserves the right to
edit all manuscripts or to reject those manuscripts that lack clarity
or precision, or have unacceptable grammar. The following list
represents common errors in manuscripts submitted to the JOE:

a. The paragraph is the ideal unit of organization. Paragraphs

typically start with an introductory sentence that is followed by
sentences that describe additional detail or examples. The last
sentence of the paragraph provides conclusions and forms a
transition to the next paragraph. Common problems include onesentence paragraphs, sentences that do not developthe theme of
the paragraph (see also section c, below), or sentences with
little to no transition within a paragraph.
b. Keep to the point. The subject of the sentence should support
the subject of the paragraph. For example, the introduction of
authors names in a sentence changes the subject and lengthens
the text. In a paragraph on sodium hypochlorite, the sentence, In
1983, Langeland et al., reported that sodium hypochlorite acts as
a lubricating factor during instrumentation and helps to flush
debris from the root canals can be edited to: Sodium
hypochlorite acts as a lubricant during instrumentation and as a
vehicle for flushing the generated debris (Langeland et al.,
1983). In this example, the paragraphs subject is sodium
hypochlorite and sentences should focus on this subject.
c. Sentences are stronger when written in the active voice, i.e.,
the subject performs the action. Passive sentences are identified
by the use of passive verbs such as was, were, could, etc.
For example: Dexamethasone was found in this study to be a
factor that was associated with reduced inflammation, can be
edited to: Our results demonstrated that dexamethasone
reduced inflammation. Sentences written in a direct and active
voice are generally more powerful and shorter than sentences
written in the passive voice.

d. Reduce verbiage. Short sentences are easier to understand.

The inclusion of unnecessary words is often associated with the
use of a passive voice, a lack of focus or run-on sentences. This is
not to imply that all sentences need be short or even the same
length. Indeed, variation in sentence structure and length often
helps to maintain reader interest. However, make all words count.
A more formal way of stating this point is that the use of
subordinate clauses adds variety and information when
constructing a paragraph.(This section was written deliberately
with sentences of varying length to illustrate this point.)
e. Use parallel construction to express related ideas. For example,
the sentence, Formerly, Endodontics was taught by hand
instrumentation, while now rotary instrumentation is the common
method, can be edited to Formerly, Endodontics was taught
using hand instrumentation; now it is commonly taught using
rotary instrumentation. The use of parallel construction in
sentences simply means that similar ideas are expressed in
similar ways, and this helps the reader recognize that the ideas
are related.
f. Keep modifying phrases close to the word that they modify. This
is a common problem in complex sentences that may confuse the
reader. For example, the statement, Accordingly, when
conclusions are drawn from the results of this study, caution must
be used, can be edited to Caution must be used when
conclusions are drawn from the results of this study.

g. To summarize these points, effective sentences are clear and

precise, and often are short, simple and focused on one key point
that supports the paragraphs theme.

General Points on the Organization of Original

Research Manuscripts
a. Please Note: Starting in 2009, all abstracts should be
organized into sections that start with a one-word title (in
bold), i.e., Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, etc.,
and should not exceed more than 250 words in length.
b. Title Page: The title should describe the major conclusion of the
paper. It should be as short as possible without loss of clarity.
Remember that the title is your advertising billboardit represents
your major opportunity to solicit readers to spend the time to read
your paper. It is best not to use abbreviations in the title since this
may lead to imprecise coding by electronic citation programs such
as PubMed (e.g., use sodium hypochlorite rather than NaOCl).
The author list must conform to published standards on
authorship (see authorship criteria in the Uniform Requirements
for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals
at www.icmje.org).
c. Abstract: The abstract should concisely describe the purpose of
the study, the hypothesis, methods, major findings and
conclusions. The abstract should describe the new contributions
made by this study. The word limitations (250 words) and the
wide distribution of the abstract (e.g., PubMed) make this section
challenging to write clearly. This section often is written last by
many authors since they can draw on the rest of the manuscript.
Write the abstract in past tense since the study has been

completed. Three to ten keywords should be listed below the

abstract.
d. Introduction: The introduction should briefly review the
pertinent literature in order to identify the gap in knowledge that
the study is intended to address. The purpose of the study, the
tested hypothesis and its scope should be described. Authors
should realize that this section of the paper is their primary
opportunity to establish communication with the diverse
readership of the JOE. Readers who are not expert in the topic of
the manuscript are likely to skip the paper if the introduction fails
to provide sufficient detail. However, many successful
manuscripts require no more than a few paragraphs to
accomplish these goals.
e. Material and Methods: The objective of the methods section is
to permit other investigators to repeat your experiments. The
three components to this section are the experimental design, the
procedures employed, and the statistical tests used to analyze
the results. The vast majority of manuscripts should cite prior
studies using similar methods and succinctly describe the
particular aspects used in the present study. The inclusion of a
methods figure will be rejected unless the procedure is novel
and requires an illustration for comprehension. If the method is
novel, then the authors should carefully describe the method and
include validation experiments. If the study utilized a commercial
product, the manuscript should state that they either followed
manufacturers protocol or specify any changes made to the
protocol. Studies on humans should conform to the Helsinki
Declaration of 1975 and state that the institutional IRB approved
the protocol and that informed consent was obtained. Studies
involving animals should state that the institutional animal care

and use committee approved the protocol. The statistical analysis

section should describe which tests were used to analyze which
dependent measures; p-values should be specified. Additional
details may include randomization scheme, stratification (if any),
power analysis, drop-outs from clinical trials, etc.
f. Results: Only experimental results are appropriate in this section
(i.e., neither methods nor conclusions should be in this section).
Include only those data that are critical for the study. Do not
include all available data without justification, any repetitive
findings will be rejected from publication. All Figs./Charts/Tables
should be described in their order of numbering with a brief
description of the major findings.
Figures: There are two general types of figures. The first type of
figureincludes photographs, radiographs or micrographs. Include
only essential figures, and even if essential, the use of composite
figures containing several panels of photographs is encouraged.
For example, most photo-, radio- or micrographs take up one
column-width, or about 185 mm wide X 185 mm tall. If instead,
you construct a two columns-width figure (i.e., about 175 mm
wide X 125 mm high when published in the JOE), you would be
able to place about 12 panels of photomicrographs (or
radiographs, etc.) as an array of four columns across and three
rows down (with each panel about 40 X 40 mm). This will require
some editing on your part given the small size of each panel, you
will only be able to illustrate the most important feature of each
photomicrograph. Remember that each panel must be clearly
identified with a letter (e.g., A, B, etc.), in order for the reader
to understand each individual panel. Several nice examples of
composite figures are seen in recent articles by Chang, et al,
(JOE 28:90, 2002), Hayashi, et al, (JOE 28:120, 2002) and by

Davis, et al (JOE 28:464, 2002). At the Editors discretion, color

figures may be published at no cost to the authors. However, the
Editor is limited by a yearly allowance and this offer does not
include printing of reprints.
The second type of figure are graphs (i.e., line drawings) that plot
a dependent measure (on the Y axis) as a function of an
independent measure (usually plotted on the X axis). Examples
include a graph depicting pain scores over time, etc. Graphs
should be used when the overall trend of the results are more
important than the exact numerical values of the results. For
example, a graph is a convenient way of reporting that an
ibuprofen treated group reported less pain than a placebo group
over the first 24 hours, but was the same as the placebo group for
the next 96 hours. In this case, the trend of the results is the
primary finding; the actual pain scores are not as critical as the
relative differences between the NSAID and placebo groups.
Tables: Tables are appropriate when it is critical to present exact
numerical values. However, not all results need be placed in
either a table or figure. For example, the following table may not
necessary:
%
NaOCl
0.001
0.003
0.01
0.03
0.1
0.3
1
3

% Inhibition of
N/GroupGrowth
5
0
5
0
5
0
5
0
5
100
5
100
5
100
5
100

Instead, the results could simply state that there was no inhibition
of growth from 0.001-0.03% NaOCl, and a 100% inhibition of

growth from 0.03-3% NaOCl (N=5/group). Similarly, if the results

are not significant, then it is probably not necessary to include the
results in either a table or as a figure. These and many other
suggestions on figure and table construction are described in
additional detail in Day (1998).
6.

Discussion: The conclusion section should describe the

major findings of the study. Both the strength and weaknesses of
the observations should be discussed. What are the major
conclusions of the study? How does the data support these
conclusions? How do these findings compare to the published
literature? What are the clinical implications? Although this last
section might be tentative given the nature of a particular study,
the authors should realize that even preliminary clinical
implications might have value for the clinical readership. Ideally, a
review of the potential clinical significance is the last section of
the discussion.

7.

References: The reference style follows Index Medicus and

can be efficiently learned from reading past issues of the JOE.
Citations are placed in parentheses at the end of a sentence or at
the end of a clause that requires a literature citation. Do not use
superscript for references. Original reports are limited to 35
references. There are no limits in the number of references for
review articles.

1 Page Limitations for Manuscripts in the Category of

Basic Science/Endodontic Techniques
a. What is the limitation? Original research reports in
the category of basic science/endodontic techniques
are limited to no more than 2,000 words (total for the

abstract, introduction, methods, results and

conclusions), and a total of three Figs./Charts/Tables. If
a composite figure is used (as described above), then
this will count as two of the three permitted
Figs./Charts/Tables.
b. Does this apply to me? Manuscripts submitted to the JOE can
be broadly divided into several categories including review
articles, clinical trials (e.g., prospective or retrospective studies on
patients or patient records, or research on biopsies excluding the
use of human teeth for technique studies), basic science/biology
(animal or culture studies on biological research related to
endodontics, or relevant pathology or physiology), and basic
science/techniques (e.g.,
stress/strain/compression/strength/failure/composition studies on
endodontic instruments or materials). Manuscripts submitted in
this last category are the only category subject to these
limitations. If you are not sure whether your manuscript falls
within this category please contact the Editor by e-mail
[email protected].
c. Why page limitations? Most surveyed stakeholders of
the JOEdesire timely publication of submitted manuscripts and an
extension of papers to include review articles and other features.
To accomplish these goals, we must reduce the average length of
manuscripts since increasing the JOEs number of published pages
is prohibitively expensive. Although a difficult decision, restricting
this one category of manuscripts accomplishes nearly all of these
goals since ~40-50% of published papers are in this category.
d. How do I make my manuscript fit these limitations?
Adhering to the general writing methods described in these
guidelines (and in the resources listed below) will help to reduce

the size of the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to focus on

only the essential aspects of the study and to avoid inclusion of
extraneous text and figures. The Editor will reject manuscripts
that exceed these limitations.

2 Available Resources:
a. Strunk W, White EB. The Elements of Style. Allyn &
Bacon, 4th ed, 2000, ISBN 020530902X
b. Day R.. How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. Oryx Press,
5th ed. 1998. ISBN 1-57356-164-9
c. Woods G. English Grammar for Dummies. Hungry Minds:NY, 2001
(an entertaining review of grammar)
d. Alley M. The Craft of Scientific Writing. Springer, 3rd edition 1996
SBN 0-387-94766-3.
e. Alley M. The Craft of Editing. Springer, 2000 SBN 0-387-98964-1.