The Editors of The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (JTCVS), and the European Journal of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EJCTS) recognize the value of a streamlined and consistent submission process. To provide a simplified experience for authors as they submit, the three journals have harmonized their submission requirements for full-length original research articles. The newly aligned standards are listed below:
- 4,500-word count maximum (this includes all elements of the manuscript)
- Maximum combined limit of 7 figures and tables
- 40 reference maximum
- Strict adherence to the AMA Manual of Style for citations
- No limit to the number of videos an author can submit
These changes are intended to reduce confusion and save time for the specialty’s busy authors. These unified requirements will make it easier to resubmit to a different journal, if needed. Additionally, strict adherence to AMA style will make it easier for authors to use reference management tools such as EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley.
This congruency will simplify the user experience when submitting to EJCTS, JTCVS, and The Annals.