ISSN 1019-9128 printed version

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

• Scope and policy
• Form and preparation of manuscripts
• Manuscripts submission

Article types published by the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association:

• Book reviews: the editor or book-review editor may request book reviews on any books relevant to aspects of disability studies and rehabilitation sciences. Please contact the editor if you would like to suggest a review or book for consideration.
• Case reports: documented diagnosis and treatment of a patient or group, or a potential description of the implementation of an educational programme or healthcare-related intervention towards the improvement of human development (between 500 and 1500 words).
• Conference reports, proceedings and abstracts: the publication of conference reports are arranged with the Editor-in-Chief (no longer than 1500 words).
• Community papers: project reports, life stories, testimonials, news, views and commentaries (between 500 and 1500 words).
• Educational material: education module or course content, or any material used in the education and training of students (less than 3500 words and free from copyright).
• Interactive communications: a concise but complete description of a limited investigation that will not be included in a later paper (between 500 and 1000 words with a maximum of 10 references).
• Original articles: innovative research in a particular field within or related to the focus and scope of the Journal presented according to a clear and well–structured format (between 3500 and 7000 words with a maximum of 60 references).
• Review articles: articles that inform a broad readership about fields in which there have been recent, important advances of immense, fundamental significance and highlight unresolved questions and future directions (between 2500 and 4000 words with a maximum of 40 references; abstract required).
• Short communications: intended to rapidly communicate novel ideas and results in new and developing areas of veterinary science, but which are insufficient to fill the requirements of a full-length article. (up to 800 words).

Please note that most articles published by the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association follow a specific format, visit http://www.jsava.co.za for a detailed overview for the abovementioned types.

References: Begin the reference list on a separate page. The Journal of the South African Veterinary Association uses the Harvard referencing style, details of which can be downloaded from the Journal website, http://www.jsava.co.za – note: no other style will be permitted.

Please use British English, that is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. Avoid Americanisms (e.g. use 's' and not 'z'). Consult the Oxford English Dictionary when in doubt and remember to set your version of Microsoft Word to UK English.

• Language: Manuscripts must be written in British English
• Line numbers: Insert continuous line numbers.
• Font:
• Font type: Palatino
• Symbols font type: Times New Roman
• General font size: 12pt
• Line spacing: 1.5
• Headings: Ensure that formatting for headings is consistent in the manuscritp.
• First headings: normal case, bold and 14pt
• Second headings: normal case, underlined and 14pt
• Third headings: normal case, bold and 12pt
• Fourth headings: normal case, bold, running–in text and separated by a colon.

Our publication system supports a limited range of formats for text and graphics. Text files can be submitted in the following formats only:

• Microsoft Word (.doc): We cannot accept Word 2007 DOCX files. If you have created your manuscript using Word 2007, you must save the document as a Word 2003 file before submission.
• Rich Text Format (RTF) documents uploaded during Step 2 of the submission process. Users of other word processing packages should save or convert their files to RTF before uploading. Many free tools are available that will make this process easier.

Please see the Journal website for formatting requirements regarding graphic files.

Cover page: The format of the compulsory cover letter forms part of your submission and is located on the first page of your manuscript and should always be presented in English. You should provide all of the following elements:

• Article title: Provide a short title of 50 characters or less.
• Significance of work: Briefly state the significance of the book being reported on.
• Full author details: Title(s), Full name(s), Position(s), Affiliation(s) and contact details (postal address, email, telephone and cell phone number) of each author.
• Corresponding author: Identify to whom all correspondence should be addressed to.
• Authors' contributions: Briefly summarise the nature of the contribution made by each of the authors listed.
• Possible reviewers: Include, if possible, the names and full contact details (including email addresses) of two or three potential reviewers to evaluate the work (reviewers should not be people with whom the researcher has recently collaborated or published).
• Summary: Lastly, a list containing the number of words, pages, tables, figures and/or other supplementary material should accompany the submission.

Ethical considerations: Experimental research on animals must follow internationally recognised guidelines (see Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare as published on the website of the South African Veterinary Association). A statement to this effect must appear in the Ethical Considerations section of the manuscript, including the name of the body that gave approval, with a reference number where appropriate.

The authors of an article need to decide who the corresponding author will be that will take responsibility during the submission, peer review and editing processes. By submitting an article for publication you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that AOSIS OpenJournals will be communicating with you about the article.

All submissions are made on the Journal website: http://www.jsava.co.za

Firstly, register or ensure you have an author account with the Journal of the South African Veterinary Association on http://www.jsava.co.za. Secondly, ensure your contact details are updated in your electronic profile with the Journal.

After you have logged in and clicked on Author, click on the link 'start a new submission' to go to Step 1 of the five–step submission process.

For editorial contact details visit the Journal website at http://www.jsava.co.za