About AMA

All manuscripts must be submitted online through Manuscript Central at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jppm. Submissions that arrive via mail or e-mail will not be processed for review.

First-time authors will be required to create a Manuscript Central user account in order to proceed. Each submission must adhere to the guidelines set forth below; those that do not follow the guidelines will be returned to the author for correction. If you have any questions, please contact us at jppm@ama.org. 

JPP&M manuscripts are judged not only on the depth and scope of the ideas presented and their contributions to the field but also on their clarity and whether they can be read and understood. Readers have varied backgrounds. Thus, the following guidelines should be followed:

To facilitate the double-blind peer-review process, each submission should be broken into two separate files: (1) Title Page and (2) Main Document. Identifying information should not appear anywhere within the main document file.

FILE 1: Title Page

1. title
2. author(s) name, title, institution, address, telephone number, and e-mail address
3. author(s) note
4. acknowledgment
5. financial disclosure, if applicable

FILE 2: Main Document

Title
The title should not exceed 25 words.

Abstract
The abstract is limited to 175 words and summarizes the key components of the manuscript, offering the reader a sample of the manuscript.

Keywords
Include 4–5 primary keywords that best suit the topic of the manuscript; these do not necessarily need to match the “Topics/Methods” that are selected in Manuscript Central upon submission.

Main Text
Please do not add any headers/footers on each page (other than the page number). Headings are text only (not numbered) and are formatted according to level.

• PRIMARY HEADING: Centered, upper- and lowercase, and in boldface. Add an extra carriage return before and after primary headings.
• SECONDARY HEADING: Flush left with title-style capitalization (first letter of each word) and in boldface. You must have at least two sections beginning with a secondary heading; if there is only one, the heading should be excluded.
• TERTIARY HEADING: Flush left with title-style capitalization (first letter of each word) and in italics. If only one tertiary heading is used, the heading should be excluded.
• FOURTH-LEVEL HEADING: Left justified and indented with sentence-style capitalization (first word only) in italics. Punctuate the heading with a period and begin the first line of the same section on the same line. If only one fourth-level heading is used, the heading should be excluded.

Mathematical Notations
Equations should be centered on the page. If equations are numbered, type the number in parentheses flush with the left margin. Please avoid using Equation Editor for simple in-line mathematical copy, symbols, and equations. Type these in Word instead, using the “Symbol” function when necessary.

References
References begin on their own page and are listed in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name. Only references cited within the text are included.

See the Accepted Manuscript Guidelines page for reference style and examples.

Footnotes
Footnotes are to be used sparingly and must be concise. No more than 10 total footnotes should appear in a manuscript. Format footnotes in plain text, with a superscript number appearing in text and the corresponding note after the reference section.

Tables
Tables should not appear within the text but at the end of the document. Each table should be numbered consecutively and submitted on a separate page. Please indicate appropriate table placement in the text (“Insert Table 1 about here”). Tables must be numbered in the order in which they are to appear. 

Figures
Figures should not appear within the text but follow any tables. Each figure should be numbered consecutively and submitted on a separate page. Please indicate appropriate figure placement in the text (“Insert Figure 1 about here”). Figures must be numbered in the order in which they are to appear. The term “figure” refers to a variety of material, including line drawings, maps, charts, graphs, diagrams, photos, and Web shots, among others.

Appendix
If Appendixes are provided, they appear on a new page after the figures. Multiple appendixes are labeled with letters (Appendix A, Appendix B). A single appendix is labeled without letters (Appendix). Multiple appendixes must be numbered in the order in which they are to appear.