Journal Submission Guidelines

The Editorial Board encourages reader participation and welcomes diverse and varied opinions. Submission of a letter to the editor does not guarantee publication. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any letter that is unclear, shows disrespect, endorses a commercial product or is in poor taste. All submissions must include the writer’s complete name and contact information.

Please send your letters, opinions and comments to Kathy Walden at kathy@indental.org, fax to 317-634-2612, or mail to 550 W. North Street #300, Indianapolis, IN 46202.

Peer Review
In order to provide reliable and credible research and information to the dental community, the Journal IDA is a double-blind peer reviewed publication. Our double-blind review system reduces bias by maintaining complete anonymity of authors and reviewers. By submitting a manuscript for publication to JIDA, authors are agreeing to undergo the IDA peer review process. A copy of our peer review policy is below.

Technical Specifications
Unless prior arrangements have been made, scientific manuscripts and case studies must be between 1,500 and 5,000 words, not including the title, abstract, references and captions. All manuscripts, graphics, illustrations, and charts must be submitted as digital files. Microsoft Word is the preferred format for all text submissions; graphics should be high resolution and submitted as JPG, JPEG, TIFF or EPS files. Please avoid GIF files as the quality is generally not acceptable for print.

Photo Release
Any patient who is clearly identified in the manuscript text, graphics, or photographs must sign and submit an identification release consent form. The consent form must be submitted to IDA with the manuscript. A copy of the consent form is available from IDA upon request.

Funding Sources
All authors are requested to provide information concerning funding sources: who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement, then this should be stated.

Bio and Headshot
A short bio and headshot is requested for each author of the manuscript. Bios should be no more than 150 words and include author’s affiliations, academic degrees and preferred contact information. In the case of manuscripts with multiple authors, please list authors in preferred order of appearance. If no preference is to be given, authors will be listed alphabetically by last name.

References
All references and resources should be cited using AP style in order of appearance in the manuscript.

Content Specifications
IDA encourages authors to submit articles on topics that affect dentistry, oral health, dental practice management, patient relations, and the dental profession. Articles that are educational, informative, entertaining or that stimulate active debate are welcomed. Articles that are advertising in nature or endorses a commercial product or service will not be accepted. Such advertorials may be submitted as an advertisement and will be charged the regular advertising rate.

Technical Specifications
Articles pertaining to practice management, advocacy, legislative issues, social issues, or other topics related to the dental community should be submitted as a Microsoft Word document of no more than 3,000 words. Graphics or photographs should be high resolution and submitted as JPG, JPEG, TIFF or EPS files.

Photo Release
Any person who is clearly identified in the article text, graphics, or photographs must sign and submit an identification release consent form. The consent form must be submitted to IDA with the manuscript. A copy of the consent form is available from IDA upon request.

Bio and Headshot
A short bio and headshot is requested for each author of the manuscript. Bios should be no more than 150 words and include author’s affiliations, academic degrees and preferred contact information.

References
Any references used should be cited at the end of the article using AP style.

Reprint Permission
Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce any materials, text, photographs, charts, graphics, etc. that are reproduced or adapted from a published source. A copy of the written permission letter must be submitted along with the article. A reprint request letter is available upon request from IDA.

Copyright Transfer Agreement
The Indiana Dental Association owns the copyright for all content published in the Journal. All authors will be asked to submit a copyright transfer agreement which assigns copyright permissions to IDA and grants exclusive publication rights to the Indiana Dental Association.  Submitted content may appear in the IDA Journal, on any IDA web property and/or in any IDA digital or print communication. All accepted manuscripts and their accompanying illustrations become the permanent property of the Indiana Dental Association and may not be published elsewhere in full or in part, in print or electronically, without written permission from IDA. Authors will receive credit whenever articles are used. If the submission is rejected by IDA, all copyrights will be retained by the original author.

Conflict of Interest
All authors are required to submit a statement disclosing any conflicting interests or verifying lack of any conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, sources of funding, financial interest, personal bias, access to study data, personal or professional relationships, etc.

In order to provide reliable and credible research and information to the dental community, the Journal IDA is a double-blind peer reviewed publication.  Our double-blind review system reduces bias by maintaining complete anonymity of authors and reviewers.

The values of peer review are many:

• The significance of the Journal IDA is enhanced. Utilizing our peer review process allows us to consistently publish only the highest quality, substantiated material.
• Dentists and members of the dental community can better prioritize their reading. Readers of the Journal IDA can have confidence that the material has been vetted by experts in the field of dentistry and dental specialties.
• The value of the author’s work is increased. Having the cogency of research verified by our panel of dental experts augments the validity of the dental manuscript, paper, or scientific article.
• The general public can benefit from the fact that members of their oral health team are using the peer reviewed Journal IDA in their ongoing education.

Our peer review process is designed to establish the originality of the submission, evaluate the validity of the science behind the paper’s conclusions, determine the significance of the findings and whether they advance the field of dentistry, and identify scientific, medical, or factual errors and recommend correction.

The Journal IDA reviewers are chosen from members of the American Dental Association, associates of the Indiana University School of Dentistry, directors of the Indiana Dental Association and other practitioners and educators in the oral health field. Reviewers are assigned particular manuscripts based on expertise, previous experience, reputation or recommendation.

The steps in our peer review process are:

1. Manuscript submitted to the Indiana Dental Association (both solicited and non-solicited manuscripts are reviewed prior to publication)
2. Manuscript initially reviewed by Journal editor
3. Anonymous manuscript assigned to appropriate reviewer(s)
4. Reviewer(s) return manuscript to editor with one of the following recommendations:
   1. accept the manuscript as submitted
   2. accept the manuscript with minor revisions
   3. invite the author to submit a major revision (major revisions must pass peer review before publication)
   4. reject the manuscript altogether
5. Editor informs author of peer review results

Once a manuscript has passed the peer review process, it will either be assigned to a future issue of the Journal IDA, or held in our manuscript repository. Manuscripts in the repository may be published in a future issue of the Journal based on an appropriate theme.

Should a difference of opinion arise between reviewers, the editor will consider all comments and determine whether the manuscript is fit for publication or should be returned to the author for suggested edits.

Questions or comments should be addressed to:

Indiana Dental Association
Kathy Walden, Director of Communications
550 West North Street #300
Indianapolis, IN 46202
800-562-5646
Kathy@indental.org