The Journal of Shelter Medicine and Community Animal Health (JSMCAH) is a society-published, open-access, continuous publication, peer-reviewed journal of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians. JSMCAH publishes research that advances shelter and community animal health, welfare, and access to veterinary care, promoting evidence-based practices to improve outcomes for animals and the people who care for them. Learn more >>
Review Outline
Download the review Word template and the title page template, which is uploaded as a separate file.
Contact the editor at eic@sheltervet.org before preparing a review, so that the scope and the target length can be agreed in advance.
At a glance
| Purpose | Synthesizes the available evidence on a defined topic. |
|---|---|
| Word limit | No fixed limit. Agree a target length with the editor before you write. Any agreed limit is counted excluding the abstract, the declaration sections (acknowledgments, artificial intelligence use, conflict of interest and funding, author notes), references, and tables. |
| Abstract | 250 words, unstructured. |
| Figures and tables | No fixed limit. Discuss with the editor. |
| Keywords | Five to ten keywords, drawn from MeSH where possible. Enter each keyword separately in the submission form rather than as one comma-separated string. |
| Flexibility | Word limits may be extended where necessary. Include a brief justification in your cover letter to the editor. |
| Reporting checklist | Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow PRISMA and include a completed flow diagram. Scoping reviews should follow PRISMA-ScR. Narrative reviews are not expected to follow a checklist but should still describe how sources were identified and selected. |
Outline
- Title
- Abstract (unstructured)
- Keywords
- Introduction
- Search methods
- Body, organized into subsections appropriate to the topic
- Conclusion
- References
- Author contributions
- Artificial intelligence use
- Acknowledgments
- Conflict of interest and funding
- Author notes
- Figures and tables
- Supplementary material
Before you submit
Review the Instructions for Authors for the requirements that apply to every submission, including double-blind masking, ethical review, CRediT author contributions, the artificial intelligence use statement, and AMA reference style. The submission checklist lists what you will be asked to confirm.
