The Hong Kong Journal of Paediatrics (HKJP) is a joint publication of Hong Kong College of Paediatricians (HKCPaed) and Hong Kong Paediatric Society (HKPS). The HKJP publishes original research papers, review articles, case reports, editorials, commentaries, letters to the editor and conference proceedings. Topics of interest will include all subjects that relate to clinical practice and research in paediatrics and child health.

Manuscripts are accepted on the condition that they are submitted solely to the HKJP and have not been published elsewhere previously and are not under consideration by another journal. A complete report following presentation or publication of preliminary findings elsewhere can be considered.

Categories of articles include the following:

Original Articles The text should not usually exceed 5,000 words; the number of tables, figures, or both should normally be not more than six, and references not more than 50.

Review Articles Reviews are usually invited systematic critical assessments of literature.

Case Reports Length should not exceed 1,500 words; the number of tables or figures used should not be more than two, and references should not be more than 10.

Commentaries Commentary on current topics are welcome. Length should not exceed 1,200 words; no tables or figures allowed, and references should not be more than 20.

Letters to the Editor Letters discussing a recent article in the HKJP are welcome. Original letters that do not refer to an HKJP article may also be considered. Letters should not exceed 500 words and have no more than five references. Published letters may be edited.

Manuscript Preparation

1. Use Arabic numerals for numbers above nine, for designators (e.g. case 5, day 2, etc.) and for units of measure; numbers should be spelled out if below 10, at the beginning and end of sentences, and for fractions below one.

2. Manuscripts should be word-processed or typed double-spaced on one side of good quality A4 (210 x 297 mm) paper. Pages should have margins of 1 inch (25 mm). Three copies of the manuscript should be sent. If possible, a floppy disc (preferably 3.5") prepared on IBM-compatible personal computer can be sent as well. Authors must use a common software program. Discs should be labelled with : manuscript number; author names; manuscript title; program and file name.

3. Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract and limit their use in the text. Standard abbreviations may be used and should be defined on first mention in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement.

Ethics

Ethical considerations will be taken into account in the assessment of papers that have experimental investigations of human or animal subjects. An appropriate institutional review board approval should be obtained.

The manuscript should usually be arranged as follows:

Title page
This page should include the full names, and affiliations of all authors. A short title of no more than 40 characters should also be given. Up to three academic degrees for each author are allowed. If an author's affiliation has changed since the work was done, list the new affiliations as well.

Abstract and Key words
The abstract should be no more than 150 words summarising the purpose, methods, findings and conclusions. Authors should provide no more than five key words to assist with cross-indexing of the paper. Key words should be taken from Index Medicus.

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

References
Number references in the order they appear in the text. References should follow the Vancouver style and should appear in the text, tables and legends as arabic numerals in superscript. Journal titles should be abbreviated in accordance with Index Medicus. List all authors and/or editors up to six; if more than six, list the first three and "et al".

Examples of References:

Articles in Journals

1. Standard journal article Greenberg DL, Root RK. Decision making by analogy. N Engl J Med 1995;332:592-6.

2. Organisation as author The Royal Marsden Hospital Bone-Marrow Transplantation Team. Failure of syngeneic bone-marrow graft without preconditioning in post-hepatitis marrow aplasia. Lancet 1977;2:742-4.

3. No author given Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. BMJ 1981;283:628.

4. Issue with supplement Gardos G, Cole JO, Haskell D, Marby D, Paine SS, Moore P. The natural history of tardive dyskinesia. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1988;8(4 Suppl):31S-37S.

5. Type of article indicated as needed [i] Fuhrman SA, Joiner KA. Binding of the third component of complement C3 by Toxoplasma gondii [abstract]. Clin Res 1987;35:475A. [ii] Feldman N. Laparoscopic nephrectomy [letter]. N Engl J Med 1991;325:1110.

Books and Other Monographs

6. Personal author(s) Colson JH, Armour WJ. Sports injuries and their treatment. 2nd ed. London: S. Paul, 1986.

7. Editor(s), compiler as author Dausset J, Colombani J, editors. Histocompatibility testing 1972. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1973.

8. Chapter in a book Steiner RE, Bydder GM. Clinical nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. In: Dawaon AM, Compston ND, Besser GM, editors. Recent advances in medicine no. 19. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingston, 1984:39-56.

9. Conference paper Harley NH. Comparing radon daughter dosimetric and risk models. In: Gammage RB, Kaye SV, editors. Indoor air and human health. Proceedings of the Seventh Life Sciences Symposium; 1984 Oct 29-31; Knoxville(TN). Chelsea(MI): Lewis, 1985:69-78.

10. Dissertation Cairns R.B Infrared spectroscopic studies of solid oxygen [dissertation]. Berkeley, (CA): Univ. of California, 1965.

11. Scientific and technical report Akutsu T. Total heart replacement device. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health, National Heart and Lung Institute; 1974 Apr Report No: NIH-NHLI-69-2185-4.

Unpublished Material

12. In press Lillywhite HD, Donald JA. Pulmonary blood flow regulation in an aquatic snake. Science. In press.

13. A reference to unpublished work which has not yet been accepted for publication should not appear in the reference list but should be cited in the text as unpublished data or personal communication.

Tables
Type or print out each table double-spaced on a separate sheet of A4 paper. Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Vertical rules and horizontal rules should be omitted.

Illustrations (Figures)
Submit 3 complete sets of figures. Illustrations include photographs, photomicrographs, charts and diagrams, and these should be camera-ready. Freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Illustrations should be sharp, glossy black-and-white photographic prints, and no larger than 210 x 297 mm. Letters, numbers and symbols should be clear and of sufficient size to retain legibility when reduced. Titles and detailed explanations should be confined to legends and not included in illustrations. Costs of colour printing will be charged to authors.

Number illustrations consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. Each figure should be identified clearly on the back with a label which states its number, name of first author, short form of title, and an arrow to show orientation. Photomicrographs must have internal scale markers and include magnification. Photographs of persons must be retouched to make the subject unidentifiable, or be accompanied by written permission from the subject to use the photograph.
All illustrations require legends, typed on a separate page, double-spaced and with arabic numbers corresponding to the illustrations. Explain the internal scale and identify the method of staining in photomicrographs.

Declaration of Conflicts of Interest
Authors are responsible for disclosing explicitly all financial and personal relationships that might be perceived as influencing their work in the submitted manuscript.

Reprints
Twenty-five offprints are supplied free to the leading author of each published paper. Extra reprints can be ordered at the time of proof-reading at a cost.

Subscription
The HKJP is published quarterly and distributed to all members of HKCPaed and all members of HKPS as part of their membership. It is also available to non-members on subscription. The rate for four issues is HK$600 per year for Hong Kong delivery.

Correspondence
All manuscripts, correspondence and subscription should be addressed to:- Chief Editor, Hong Kong Journal of Paediatrics Limited, c/o Hong Kong College of Paediatricians, Room 801, Hong Kong Academy of Medicine Jockey Club Building, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong. [Fax: (852) 2785 1850]

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in the HKJP are those of the authors and not those of HKCPaed, HKPS or the publisher. The HKJP, HKCPaed and HKPS do not hold any legal responsibility for the opinions expressed in the articles, unless this is clearly specified. The authors should hold legal responsibility for the content and opinion expressed.

Manuscripts and discs are submitted at the sender's risk and the HKJP, HKCPaed and HKPS assume no responsibility for return of material.