Information for Authors

For submission questions, please contact the Editorial Staff.

Cutis is referenced in Index Medicus.

Manuscripts submitted for publication in Cutis will be accepted with the understanding that they are original and have not been submitted elsewhere nor are being considered by other journals.

Visit our Editorial Manager site to submit articles for our regular issue only and track the status of submissions online.

No manuscript will be sent for review unless a reasonable attempt has been made to conform to the guidelines in our Information for Authors.

Articles are reviewed by 2 members of our Editorial Board and a final decision is made by our Editor-in-Chief. Please allow a minimum of 12 weeks for a decision to be made; the average time to first decision is 54 days.

FILES TO SUBMIT VIA EDITORIAL MANAGER

The manuscript (without any author information), cover letter, title page, financial disclosures, permissions, and figures should be submitted as separate files using Editorial Manager. Tables should be created in Word and included in the same file as the manuscript.

The title page should include the name, address, telephone number, and email of the corresponding author. The corresponding author is responsible for all revisions and final approval of the proofs. Also, list all authors (with their highest academic degree), author affiliations, financial disclosures, and correspondence address. The corresponding author must approve the PDF of submission materials before the manuscript is sent to the journal office.

AUTHOR FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

The following statement of financial disclosure should be signed by each author. Copy/paste the following statement into a Word document or PDF and provide e-signatures from each author: "I certify that any affiliations with or financial involvement in any organization or entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript (eg, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, expert testimony) is disclosed below. Any financial project support of this work is identified in an acknowledgment in the manuscript." We only require the statement above for peer review; however, all authors of accepted manuscripts will be required to submit a conflict of interest form prior to publication, which is provided in the official acceptance letter.

GUIDANCE ON CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

When an article is submitted, each author is required to provide the journal with any potential conflicts of interest involving the work under consideration for publication (see above).

Upon manuscript acceptance, the corresponding author will be sent copyright and disclosure forms to be completed by each author. Disclosures listed on the form will be reported in the final manuscript.

Disclosures include:

Conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise, that may undermine an author’s impartiality;
A relevant relationship occurring with the past 12 months between an author and/or an individual with whom you have a close personal relationship and a relevant company (as outlined in the form) that could create a potential or actual Conflict of Interest; and/or
Funding of the work.

Authors should err on the side of full disclosure and should contact the editorial office if they have questions or concerns.

If an author(s) does not have any conflicts of interest, this will be reported in the final manuscript.

Failure to provide these forms will result in a delay in publication.

Undisclosed conflicts discovered after a manuscript is published may result in published statements of correction, retraction, or removal of a manuscript from the journal archives and PubMed database.

GUIDELINES ON USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS

Nonhuman artificial intelligence (AI) technologies do not qualify for named authorship. Chatbots cannot meet ICMJE requirements for authorship and therefore cannot be authors. All those named as authors must meet authorship criteria.
Authors should be transparent about the use of AI technologies to aid in writing content. Authors should disclose in a cover letter to the journal which tool was used (name, version, and manufacturer) and how it was applied in the article submitted to the journal.
Human authors are responsible for the accuracy of work compiled by an AI tool, including the absence of plagiarism. Proper referencing/sources of statements is necessary.
Images created by AI tools are not permitted for publication. However, AI tools may be used to help illustrate a concept or study methodology for publishing staff to create a new original image; all guidelines above apply to ensure that content is accurate and properly referenced.

ARTICLE TYPES
Note: All articles are geared toward practicing dermatologists and/or dermatology residents

Case Letter

Brief description of notable case with a concise review of relevant literature; include novel observations not already reported in the literature; published online only

Requirements: No abstract; 2 to 3 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient identifiable; 1600 to 2400 words^b; no tables

Published Case Letters https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/case-letter

Case Report

Description of 1 or more notable cases with a more in-depth review of relevant literature, diagnosis, and treatment options; include novel observations not already reported in the literature; published in print or online only at the discretion of the Editorial Board

Requirements: Abstract; 2 to 3 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient(s) identifiable; 2400 words maximum^b; no more than 1 table^c

Published Case Reports https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/case-reports

Clinical Pearl

Brief description of a clinical challenge encountered in your practice and how you solved it; discuss the practice gap, tools used and technique, and practice implications; published in print and online

Requirements: Abstract; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient(s) identifiable; 800 to 1200 words^b; no tables

Published Clinical Pearl https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/article/169764/melanoma/clinical-pearl-mohs-cantaloupe-analogy-dermatology-resident

Clinical Review

Up-to-date review of the literature on a particular disease to be used to guide readers on clinical decisions; may include a systematic review; published in print or online only at the discretion of the Editorial Board

Requirements: Abstract; 2 to 3 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient(s) identifiable; 2400 to 3200 words^b; no more than 2 tables^c

Published Clinical Reviews https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/clinical-review

Close Encounters With the Environment

Brief review of characteristics, transmission, symptoms/presentation, and management of skin conditions caused by the environment including insects (What’s Eating You?), sea creatures (Aquatic Antagonists), and plants (Botanical Briefs); case description also may be provided; published in print and online

Requirements: Abstract; 2 to 4 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient(s) identifiable; 1600 to 2400 words^b; no more than 1 table^c

Published Close Encounters With the Environment https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/environmental-dermatology

Commentary

Short essay that discusses a specific viewpoint; published in print and online

Requirements: No abstract; 800 to 1200 words^b; no figures or tables

Dermatopathology Diagnosis

Notable case illustrating the importance of correct diagnosis from histopathology; quiz format; published in print and online

Requirements: 1 quiz image (can include 1 inset) with brief vignette describing patient (no more than 250 words) and 5 multiple-choice answer options; discussion describes the differential diagnosis and correct answer, with accompanying images (800 to 1200 words^b); no more than 6 images in the discussion^a; no tables

Published Dermatopathology Diagnosis https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/dermpath-diagnosis

Dermoscopy Diagnosis

Notable case illustrating the clinical presentation of skin condition along with dermoscopy; quiz format; published in print or online only

Requirements: 3 quiz images (1 clinical, 1 dermoscopy, and 1 dermatopathology) with brief vignette describing patient (no more than 250 words) and 5 multiple-choice answer options; discussion describes the differential diagnosis and correct answer, possibly with accompanying photographs (approx 600 words^b); must include the correlation between dermoscopy and dermatopathology; no more than 3 additional photographs in the discussion^a; no more than 1 table^c

Letter to the Editor

Response or comment to an article published in Cutis; must be submitted within 6 months of article’s publication; letter will be sent to the author(s) of original article for comment; published in print and online

Requirements: No abstract; 500 to 1200 words^b; no figures or tables

Original Research

Unpublished original data in the form of randomized controlled trials, parallel-design double-blind trials, crossover trials, observational studies, case-control studies, case series, meta-analysis, or survey studies; review ICMJE criteria; provide registry at Clinicaltrials.gov; published in print and online

Requirements: Abstract; 2 to 4 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient(s) identifiable; no more than 3200 words^b; no more than 3 tables^c

Published Original Research https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/original-research

Photo Challenge

Notable case illustrating the clinical presentation of skin condition; quiz format; published in print or online only

Requirements: 1 quiz image with brief vignette describing patient (no more than 250 words) and 5 multiple-choice answer options; discussion describes the differential diagnosis and correct answer, possibly with accompanying photographs (800 to 1200 words^b); no more than 6 photographs in the discussion^a; no more than 1 table^c

Published Photo Challenges https://www.mdedge.com/cutis/photo-challenge

NOTE ON FIGURE GUIDELINES: All photographs should be attached as an Adobe Photoshop.eps, .tif, or .jpeg file with a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi). Do not embed files into the Word document. Our art department may not be able to use your electronic submission if it does not meet our production standards.

Research Letter

Brief description of unpublished original data; review ICMJE criteria; provide registry at Clinicaltrials.gov; published online mostly

Requirements: No abstract; 2 to 3 Practice Points; no more than 6 photographs^a; patient permission required if patient identifiable; 1600 to 2400 words^b

^aCount each part of a composite figures separately (ie, Figure 1A and 1B counts as 2 figures).
^bWord counts include body text and references.
^cA single table should not exceed 1 typed page in Microsoft Word.

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST

Submit the manuscript using Editorial Manager. The corresponding author must approve the PDF of submission materials before the manuscript is sent to the journal office.

Only Word documents are acceptable, with the exception of figures.
Write a caption for each figure and make sure that each is mentioned in the article.
Provide a signed statement of financial disclosure from each author. See statement above to be signed and submitted via fax or Editorial Manager.
Include cover letter with contact information (address, telephone, and email) for the corresponding author.
Place all text in Times New Roman, 12 point, double spaced, left aligned, without bold.
Provide an unstructured abstract without references.
Make sure that each reference is cited in order in the text. Check each citation for accuracy, completeness, and conformity with AMA style.
Format the article as specified.
Call out the meaning of all abbreviations and acronyms.
Maximum number of figures is 6. Before and after photographs count as 2 figures.

GENERAL STYLE AND FORMATTING

All copy, including titles and headings, should be in Times New Roman font, 12 point, and left aligned. Nothing should be bold or centered. Nothing should be typed in all capital letters. The entire paper should be double spaced without page breaks between sections of the manuscript. Please consult a recent issue of Cutis for formatting of individual article types published in the journal (ie, photo quiz).

The first paragraph of the manuscript and the first paragraph under each subhead should be left aligned. Subsequent paragraphs should have the first line indented by one tab space.

There should be no blank lines between paragraphs.

Secondary subheads should be italicized and run-in to copy. For example:

Case Reports

Patient 1—Note that "patient" is used as the identifier, not "case." When referring to patient 1 in text, use lowercase.

Patient 2—This subhead is italicized and indented one tab space

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Do not use periods after abbreviations, which includes MD, PhD, etc. Terms may be abbreviated if they appear at least 3 times within the text. Abbreviated terms must be spelled out at the first use with the abbreviation in parentheses. For example:

Acanthosis nigricans (AN) is an eruption of velvet warty benign growths. In adults, AN may be associated with internal malignancy.

Write out the genus name the first time it is used in text and tables; italicize it if it is singular. After the first mention, abbreviate the genus name, except when the species is other than that given at first mention (eg, Proteus mirabilis at first mention, P mirabilis at subsequent mentions, and Proteus vulgaris at first mention, even though genus is the same).

Treat the abstract separately. If an abbreviation, acronym, or genus name is called out in the abstract, it also must be called out in the body text, and vice versa.

States should only be abbreviated in mailing addresses and in references when a city and state are needed with a publisher’s name. In all other cases, states should be spelled out.

Numbers

Do not spell out a number unless it is the start of a sentence. Use Arabic numbers and the percent symbol (%) for percentages unless the number appears at the start of a sentence. Use a comma in numbers of 5 digits or more (52,980) but not in 4-digit numbers (5621).

When a range of numbers is given in text, use "to" instead of a hyphen (eg, "20 to 25 mg").

Close up spaces around mathematical symbols (eg, 2+2=4; P<.05). Note that the P in Pvalues is capitalized and italicized. Do not use a zero before the decimal point in P values.

Spelling

Use Webster's Dictionary for general terms, Physicians’ Desk Reference for trade names, and Stedman's Medical Dictionary for medical terms. Use the American spelling of terms (eg, hematology, not haematology).

If there are 2 or more accepted spellings of a word, Cutis defers to Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Some preferred spellings include: acneform, comedones, Köbner phenomenon, and Tzanck test.

SECTIONS OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The order of an article's components should be Title, Author(s), Author Affiliation(s), Financial Disclosure, Correspondence, Unstructured Abstract, Text of Article, References, Acknowledgments, Tables, and Figure Captions. Do not use page breaks between sections of the manuscript.

Titles

Titles should be no longer than 95 characters, including spaces. As outlined above, titles should be left-aligned in Times New Roman font, no bold, upper and lowercase letters.

Authors

Authors should each be listed with his/her highest academic degree. US fellowship designations and honorary designations are not used in bylines. Cutis prefers that the author’s nonmilitary academic degree(s) be used in the byline.

Author Affiliations

Each author's affiliation should be listed in the following format: "Dr. X is from . . . Dr. Y is from . . ."

Correspondence

List "Correspondence:" followed by the corresponding author's name, address, and e-mail as a run-in list without line breaks.

In the correspondence address, abbreviate the following: Avenue as Ave, Boulevard as Blvd, Building as Bldg, Drive as Dr, East as E, North as N, Parkway as Pkwy, Highway as Hwy, Post Office as PO, Road as Rd, Route as Rte, South as S, Street as St, Suite as Ste, and West as W. Note that no periods are used in these abbreviations. Do not abbreviate room, department, or division.

Practice Points

The Practice Points include 2 to 4 take-home points (written as bullets) to help readers improve patient care based on the article’s contents. For example:

Practice Points

Dermatologists should be aware that smallpox vaccinations are being administered to patients and may present with a myriad of cutaneous complications.
Progressive vaccinia should be suspected if a smallpox inoculation has not healed after 14 days and, most specifically, if there is no inflammation surrounding the site.
Generalized vaccinia generally is a benign condition seen in otherwise healthy patients and usually requires no treatment.
Atopic patients should be educated to avoid receiving routine smallpox vaccinations if they would be considered at risk for requiring the inoculation.

Abstract

The abstract should be in an unstructured format (ie, do not list objective, methods, results, conclusion, etc.). Abstracts should not include any material that is referenced or needs to be referenced. Additionally, information that does not appear in the text of the article should not be included in the abstract; the abstract should reflect data and/or findings discussed in the article.

Regarding abbreviations and acronyms, treat the abstract separately. If an abbreviation, acronym, or genus name is called out in the abstract, it also must be called out in the body text. If it is called out in the text and appears in the abstract, the callout should be included in the abstract.

Text of Article

Each portion (eg, introduction, methods, case reports, results, comment, conclusion) should be clearly identified.

Acknowledgments

Any individual listed in an acknowledgment must provide consent. Please supply this information when the article is submitted.

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references. Authors should not use secondary references. If you are citing an article from 1960, you should reference the original article, not a secondary reference that discusses the 1960 article.

Override the automatic numbering or footnote features in your word-processing software. Each reference number should be followed with a period and one space. Do not place a tab after the reference number. Do not separate references with a blank line space.

Reference numbers in text should be superscripted and appear after periods and commas but before colons and semicolons. Do not put reference numbers in parentheses.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. If there are references in tables or figures, references should be numbered consecutively based on where the table/figure is cited in text. The following information should be included in the citation: names of ALL authors, complete title of article or book chapter, name of journal or book, year of publication, volume and issue numbers, and first and last page numbers of the article or chapter. Note that the full page numbers are used (eg, 512-513, not 512-3). Please submit sufficient information to enable the reader to gain access to the material cited. The following are examples:

Books

1. Moschella SM, Pillsbury DM, Hurley HJ Jr, eds. Dermatology. Vol 1. WB Saunders Co; 1975.

Book chapters

2. Ackerman AB. Development, morphology, and physiology. In: Moschella SM, Pillsbury DM, Hurley HJ Jr, eds. Dermatology. Vol 1. WB Saunders Co; 1975:1-60.

NOTE: Be sure to provide the chapter title and authors when giving the page range for a chapter in the reference list.

Journal articles

3. Pousti BT, Jin A, Sklovar L. Dupilumab for the treatment of lichen planus. Cutis. 2021;107:E8-E10. doi:10.12788/cutis.0232

Include the DOI if provided. The DOI should be the final element and should not have a period at the end.

Package inserts and prescribing information

5. Tazorac. Prescribing information. Allergan, Inc; 1998.

Web sites

6. Academy sets Guinness World Record. American Academy of Dermatology Web site. Accessed January 24, 2011. http://www.aad.org/media/cancer/guinness/index.html

Items presented at a meeting but not published

7. Grimes PE, Callender VD. Tazarotene cream in the treatment of facial post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation associated with acne vulgaris: a two-center, double-blind, randomized, vehicles-controlled study. Poster presented at: American Academy of Dermatology 61st Annual Meeting; March 21-26, 2003; San Francisco, CA. P52.

Data on file

8. Data on file. Abbott Laboratories, 2006.

Unpublished data

Material that has been accepted for publication but not published is included in the reference list. Do not include material that has been submitted for publication but has not yet been accepted in the reference list. This material should be noted in the text as "unpublished data" and should include the author and date. For example:

This therapy recently was used in patients with acne (J. Smith, unpublished data, March 2006).

Figures and Figure Captions

Each figure file name should be labeled with the first author's last name and numbered to correspond with the accompanying caption. Clearly identify the orientation, if needed (top).

Each photograph should be attached as an individual Adobe Photoshop.eps, .tif, or .jpeg file with a minimum resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi). Figures with 2 parts (ie, A and B) should be submitted as 2 separate files. Do not embed files into the Word document. Our art department may not be able to use your electronic submission if it does not meet our production standards. All graphs should be saved as individual Adobe Illustrator 10 files for MAC using CMYK colors (version CS2). PDFs are not acceptable for publication.

When a photograph is submitted of a face or identifiable body part (eg, tattoo, jewelry), authors must submit written permission from the identifiable subject or a legally authorized representative, even if the eyes are blacked out. We do not have a standard patient permission form that needs to be completed, so please ensure that the permission form your institution uses extends to the print publication and electronic use (Web site).

When a figure is a histologic photograph, provide the stain and magnification used. For example: (H&E, original magnification x40).

Clothing will be cropped out of photographs. Please ensure that photographs are large enough if cropped to eliminate clothing.

Each figure should be called out in the text of the article. Do not abbreviate "Figure." The style may be either of the following:

Figure 1 shows the clinical appearance of tinea pedis.

The clinical appearance of tinea pedis is distinct (Figure 1).

If a figure lists references, please be sure that the reference numbers are in numeric order based on where the table is cited in the text.

Tables

Tables should be created using the Table function in your word-processing software. Do not use tabs to create a table.

A maximum of 4 tables may be submitted, and you may be asked to omit or shorten tables if your article exceeds the length requirements based on article type. Tables should not exceed more than 1 page in the Word document (at Times New Roman 12-point font).

When any abbreviations are used in a table, they must be expanded in a line above any footnotes. For example:

Abbreviations: F, female; M, male; PPD, purified protein derivative.

Footnotes are indicated with superscript lowercase letters in alphabetical order (a-z). Footnote symbols appear after periods and commas but before colons and semicolons.

Each table should be called out in the text of the article. The style may be either of the following:

Table 1 lists the differential diagnoses.

There are many differential diagnoses (Table 1).

If a table lists references, please be sure that the reference numbers are in numeric order based on where the table is cited in the text.

If a table is reprinted or adapted from another source, you must submit a permission letter from the original source, and credit the original source below your own table in the manuscript. Please ensure that permission extends to the print publication and electronic use (Web site).

MULTIMEDIA

Multimedia (ie, videos) may now accompany manuscript submissions to be posted online at www.mdedge.com/dermatology with the full-text article. Videos must be submitted to the Editorial Office (after peer review is complete and the article has been accepted for publication) as .FLV, .MOV, .MP4, .RM, and .AVI files. All videos are subject to review by our Editorial Board. If the patient is identifiable, patient permission to post the video online must be supplied.

EDITING

Accepted manuscripts are copyedited to conform with Cutis style. Edited galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author prior to publication, typically with 3-day turnaround. Please be sure to notify the editorial staff with any changes to your contact information. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the Cutis staff and authorized by the corresponding author.

REPRINTS

Authors may request order forms for reprints, which are available at a nominal cost.

Contact:

Sharon Finch

973-206-8952

sfinch@frontlinemedcom.com

For additional style information, consult the American Medical Association Style Manual, 10th edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc; 2007.