Medical Acupuncture is a journal with an international scope, focusing on the evolving specialty of medical acupuncture. The editor welcomes articles on all aspects of medical acupuncture, including research, education, clinical practice, technology, policy, ethics, law, schools of thought, history, and related disciplines. Communications regarding Academy activities are also appropriate.

All material submitted should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, as formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. These requirements appear in their entirety in the Annals of Internal Medicine (1997;126: 36-47) and are also available online at www.icmje.org/index.html.

Please adhere to STRICTA (Standards for Reporting Interventions in Controlled Trials of Acupuncture [see Vol. 13/No. 3/ pg. 9]); available online at www.ftcm. org.uk/stricta.htm.

Authorship
All persons designated as authors must qualify for authorship. Criteria include substantial contributions to the following: (a) conception, design, and/or analysis and interpretation of data; (b) writing or revising the manuscript for intellectual content; and (c) final approval of the article for publication. All 3 criteria must be met. Contributors who do not meet these 3 criteria should be listed, with their permission, in an acknowledgement paragraph.

The order of the author byline should be reached by consensus of the co-authors. All authors should be listed by full name, degrees, and affiliations along with other pertinent information for the "Author Information" section. Due to space constraints, senior or equal co-authors are limited to 35 words each, junior authors to 20 words each, not including name and address. The journal retains the right to edit if necessary.

Biographical and contact information (including address, phone and fax numbers, E-mail address, where applicable) for all authors must be initially provided.

All manuscripts should be mailed to the Editor-in-Chief, Medical Acupuncture, The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, 4929 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 428, Los Angeles, CA 90010; 323.937.5514 voice; 323.937.0959 fax; email: jdowden@prodigy.net.

Once material is published in the journal, it becomes the copyrighted property of the AAMA. Permission must be attained from the AAMA to publish in other medical journals.

Financial Disclosure
All affiliations with or financial involvement in any entity with a financial interest in or in competition with the article's subject matter must be disclosed. This includes stock ownership, employment, consultancies, honoraria, grants, patents, and royalties.

Redundant or Duplicate Publication
If a submission could be considered redundant or duplicative of a previous published work, a full statement of such should be made to the editor. If duplicate publication is attempted without such notification, editorial action may be taken, including prompt rejection of the manuscript. Any subjects discussed in the submitted manuscript who have been mentioned in another publication should be noted, with a reference to the previous work. If a manuscript is submitted elsewhere concurrently, the manuscript will be withdrawn.

Informed Consent, Study Ethics Approval, and Subject Confidentiality
When articles include reports of studies on human subjects, state in the Methods section that an appropriate review board or ethics committee approved the study. Authors who do not have formal ethics review committees should fol-low the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. In the Methods section, state that informed consent was obtained from subjects (specify oral or written).

In addition, text, photographs, and pedigrees should not reveal identifying information unless it is essential for scientific purposes (in which case consent should be obtained). Masking the subjects' eyes in photographs is often insufficient to protect their identity.

Animals. The principal author must state that if animals were used experimentally, permission was obtained from the appropriate committee(s), and that the animals were treated humanely and conforming to the standards of current ethical animal research practices.

Manuscript Preparation
Title Page
The title page should include the article title, names and affiliations of all authors, and corresponding biographical information on all authors, including mailing address, fax and telephone numbers, and E-mail address, if applicable.

Abstract
For original research, reviews, and meta-analyses, provide a structured abstract of no more than 200 words. Include information as applicable for the following headings: Background, Objective, Design, Setting, Patients (or Subjects), Intervention, Main Outcome Measures, Results, and Conclusions. For all other major manuscripts, include an unstructured Abstract of no more than 100 words that summarizes the objective, main points, and conclusions of the article.

Key Words
Underneath the Abstract, provide 3-10 key words (preferably Medical Subject Heading terms) that will assist indexers and researchers using electronic databases such as MEDLINE.

Text
Introduction. Provide a brief background for the article, including the rationale for the study or observation. Do not present data from the current work.

Methods. Describe the selection of subjects, including demographics and study design. Identify the procedures in sufficient detail so others may replicate the results. Provide references to established methods and new techniques; provide the rationale for their use and also describe their limitations. Authors submitting review articles should describe the methods used to locate, select, extract, and synthesize data.

The principal author must state that verbal or written consent was obtained from the patient(s) when appropriate. The principal author must state whether a human research committee granted approval for treating and obtaining data or employing protocols which involved human subjects.

Statistics. As necessary, describe statistical methods and provide appropriate indicators of error or uncertainty (eg, 95% confidence intervals). Specify any statistical software used.

Results. Present results in a logical sequence. Do not duplicate data in the text and tables/figures.

Conclusion. Emphasize important and new findings of the study. Include implications of the findings and their limitations. Recommendations for future work may be included.

Nomenclature and Abbreviations
Authors must conform to the standard nomenclature for medical acupuncture, listed at the end of these instructions. As a general rule, use only these abbreviations and those easily recognizable in the literature. The full term should appear at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Standard units of measure are acceptable to abbreviate without expansion. When discussing particular products, it is preferable to use the nonproprietary (generic) name or descriptive term throughout. If desired, the brand name can be included parenthetically at first mention.

Acknowledgement
At the end of the article, include a paragraph, when appropriate, acknowledging support for the work. This can include contributions that do not justify authorship, technical support, and financial and technical help. This is also an appropriate place to mention previous presentation
(eg, as an abstract or poster at a meeting). Relationships that may pose a conflict of interest should also be disclosed.

References
A minimum of 3 references is required. References should be numbered consecutively in the text; do not alphabetize the reference list but present citations in numerical order to correspond with mention in the text. References cited only in tables or figures should be numbered in accordance with the order established by the first mention of that table or figure in the text.

Use the formatting of reference citations as based on Index Medicus style. Avoidciting "personal communications"  unless they provide essential information; do not list them in the references but place them parenthetically in the text. Authors should obtain permission from the source of such communications and indicate the date they occurred and whether the communication was oral or written.

Tables
Tables should be typed on separate pieces of paper, double-spaced. Number tables consecutively in the text as they appear. Provide a title for each, as well as column headings. Provide footnotes for explanatory material, using the following symbols in sequence: * † ‡ § || ¶ #. Identify statistical measures, such as mean (SD). Data from other sources require permission and a statement of such in a table footnote. The use of too many tables in relation to length of text may cause problems for journal page layout. Avoid duplicating data in text and tables/ figures, with the exception of significant findings and main outcomes.

Figures
Submit 3 camera-ready copies of figures along with the text. Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and of sufficient size when printed in the journal. Label each figure on the back with the author's name, article title, and figure number. If pictures of patients are used, either the subjects must be completely unidentifiable or written informed consent must be obtained and submitted.

Figures reprinted from other sources should be acknowledged in the legend, and permission must be granted. The legend should be submitted as part of the text and not typed on the actual figure. Clearly identify all symbols and abbreviations, and explain scales if necessary. Any other explanatory information should be given in the legend.

ACUPUNCTURE CHECKLIST
(Based on STRICTA requirements)¹

1. Provide rationale for treatment, and style of acupuncture used.
2. upply needling details: unilateral/bilateral points employed.
3. Number of needles inserted; needle type (gauge, length, manufacturer [include address]); insertion depth; responses elicited (Qi); twirled counter clockwise or clockwise.
4. Electrostimulator device (type, model, manufacturer [include address]); time; stimulation frequency; which leads are designated + or - and where placed.
5. State treatment regimen: number of treatments, frequency (treatments per week, etc.); interventions employed such as moxibustion, cupping, herbs, etc.; treatment duration; environment: music, lighting, aromatics, etc.

¹(MacPherson H, White A, Cummings M, Jobst K, Rose K, Niemtzow RC, for the STRICTA Group. Standards for reporting interventions in controlled trials of acupuncture: the STRICTA recommendations. Medical Acupuncture. 2002; 13(3): 9-11)

Submission and Editing Process
Submit 3 copies of the manuscript as well as the tables and figures. The journal prefers that the article be composed using a 12-point font in Microsoft Word. Along with hard copies, submit a diskette with the manuscript and figures/tables saved to it. On the front of the disk, include author's name, article title, operating system used, and software. The author's request to withdraw the manuscript after undergoing the editing process will result in possible penalty fees based on editing costs, and possible exclusion from future publishing in Medical Acupuncture.

Manuscript Review Process
Each manuscript will be initially reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief for preliminary acceptance or rejection. The manuscript is then forwarded to a minimum of 3 AAMA physicians for review, and scored appropriately. The manuscripts are categorized as fully accepted, accepted pending revisions, or rejected with recommendations for resubmission. After submission, no revisions or new versions will be accepted unless requested by the Editor-in-Chief.

STANDARD INTERNATIONAL NOMENCLATURE FOR MERIDIANS  Name of Meridian Alphabetic Code Principal Meridians Lung Meridian LU  Large Intestine Meridian LI  Stomach Meridian  ST Spleen Meridian  SP Heart Meridian  HT Small Intestine Meridian SI  Bladder Meridian  BL Kidney Meridian  KI Pericardium Meridian  PC  Triple Energizer Meridian TE  Gallbladder Meridian GB  Liver Meridian  LR Governor Vessel (Dumai) GV  Conception Vessel (Renmai)  CV Extra Meridians GV Dumai Governor Vessel CV Renmai Conception Vessel TV Chongmai Thoroughfare Vessel BV Daimai  Belt Vessel YinHV Yinqiaomi Yin Heel Vessel YangHV Yangqiaomai Yang Heel Vessel YinLV Yinweimai Yin Link Vessel YangLV Yangweimai Yang Link Vessel Miscellaneous Fu Hollow organs Zang Solid organs Front Mu Collecting points Back Shu Transporting points Sheng Generating cycle Ke Controlling cycle Ah Shi "Ouch" point De Qi Arrival of Qi Command and Special Points Ting Well Ying Spring Shu Stream Jing River He Sea Yuan Source Luo Vessel Xi Cleft Hui Influential Energy Levels or Axes Tai Yang Tai Yin Shao Yang Shao Yin Yang Ming Jue Yin

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