World Spinal Column Journal (WScJ) official organ of the World Spinal Column Society. It is a peerreviewed, multidisciplinary journal directed at an audience of spine health care physicians and scientists. The official language of the journal is English. The journal publishes original articles in the form of clinical and basic research. The WScJ will only publish studies that have institutional review board (IRB) approval and have strictly observed a sufficient follow-up period. With the exception of reference presentation, WScJ requires that all manuscripts be prepared in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.

The WScJ is a quarterly journal whisch periodically publishes the following papers: Original article, Reviews, Clinical and Experimental Studies, Case Reports, Case Illustrations, Technical notes, Historical vignets, Letters to the editors, and the news from the MESS.

Manuscript Submission
Authors are to submit their manuscripts through the Web-based tracking system at http://wscj.org. The site contains instructions and advice on how to submit manuscripts, guidance on the creation/scanning and saving of electronic art, and supporting documentation. In addition to allowing authors to submit manuscripts on the Web, the site allows authors to follow the progression of their manuscript through the peer review process. Authors who submit their manuscripts through the Webbased tracking system are asked not to send hard copies of the manuscript to the editorial office. Please address all inquiries regarding manuscripts not yet accepted or published to the Journal's editorial office. The editorial office will acknowledge receipt of your manuscript and will send you a manuscript number for reference.

Revised Submission
Author's comments to the reviewers are required for revised submissions. Authors must address the reviewer's concerns/suggestions and whether the change was made or not. Authors must also highlight the changes made within the text. Do not track the additions or deletions to the manuscript. If the Authors do not want to revise the manuscript within a period of two months the manuscript will automatically be declined.

Patient anonymity and informed consent: It is the author's responsibility to ensure that a patient's anonymity is carefully protected and to verify that any experimental investigation with human subjects reported in the manuscript was performed with informed consent and followed all the guidelines for experimental studies with human subjects required by the institution(s) with which all the authors are affiliated. Authors should mask patients' eyes, private parts and remove patients' names from all figures.

Copyright: All authors must sign a copy of the Journal's "Copyright Transfer/Conflict of Interest and Device" and submit it to the Editorial Office if the manuscript is accepted for publication in the WScJ. The authors of all published material must sign this form at the time of manuscript acceptance.

Permissions: Authors must submit written permission from the copyright owner (usually the publisher) to use direct quotations, tables, or illustrations that have appeared in copyrighted form elsewhere, along with complete details about the source. Any permissions fees that responsibility of the authors requesting use of the borrowed material and not the the MESS.

Preparation of Manuscript
Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions WILL BE RETURNED to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review

General format: All manuscripts should be submitted in English, and formatted for standard 81/2 x 11-inch (21 x 28-cm) paper with at least a 1-inch (2.5 cm) margin on all sides and double-spaced.

Style: Pattern manuscript style after the American Medical Association Manual of Style (9th edition). Stedman's Medical Dictionary (27th edition) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) should be used as standard references. Refer to drugs and therapeutic agents by their accepted generic or chemical names, and do not abbreviate them. Use code numbers only when a generic name is not yet available. In that case, supply the chemical name and a figure giving the chemical structure of the drug. Capitalize the trade names of drugs and place

InstructIons to authors
II World Spinal Column Journal, Volume 2 / No: 2 / May 2011 them in parentheses after the generic names. To comply with trademark law, include the name and location (city and state in USA; city and country outside USA) of the manufacturer of any drug, supply, or equipment mentioned in the manuscript. Use the metric system to express the units of measure and degrees Celsius to express temperatures, and SI units rather than conventional units. Submit the manuscript electronically via: http:// wscj.org in the following order:

1) Title page: Author's exposed name, surname and titles; the names of the part in which the study takes place or clinic names; institution names; if it exists, the exposed names of the institutions or funds supporting the study; name and surname of the writer to whom we write; writer's address and e-mail and communication numbers (telephone, mobile, fax) should be stated. If the information mentioned above is existing in the writing, this information should be censored as "xxxxxx". The Journal is not responsible for published misspelled names due to author error. The running head should be no more than three to five words from the title, and should NOT include the authors' names

2) Structured Abstract (only for clinical and experimental research papers), and Key Words: The following subheads must be included in the Structured Abstract:
Objective (Background), Methods, Results, Conclusions. Do not cite references in the abstract, and limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms. The structured abstract must be no more than 200 words. List three to eight Key Words after the Abstract. It is not necessary to provide a structured abstract for submissions to the Case Reports, Review article, Technical note, Historical article and Letters to the editor sections.

3) Text: Organize the manuscript into four main headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. For Clinical Trials, Experimental and Anatomic Studies and similar study designs, please attach the Ethical Committee Approval Form to the manuscript submission. Define abbreviations at first mention in text and in each table and figure. If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer's name and address (city and state/country).

Terms: Do not use the term hardware. Acceptable substitutions include implants and instrumentation. Constructs or montage may be used if the reference is to a particular pattern of fixation points for the instrumentation. Abbreviations: For a list of standard abbreviations, consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Guide (available from the Council of Science Editors, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other standard sources. Write out the full term for each abbreviation at its first use unless it is a standard unit of measure.

4) References: The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. Key the references (double-spaced) at the end of the manuscript. Cite references in text in alphabetical order. Do not link the references to the text. Cite unpublished data, such as papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication or personal communications, in parentheses in the text. List all authors of the reference. Refer to the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus for abbreviations of journal names, or access the list at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html. Sample references are given below:

Journal article
1. Sheikh H, Zakharian K, De La Torre RP, Facek C,Vasquez A, Chaudhry GR,Svinarich D, Perez-Cruet MJ.
In vivo intervertebral disc regeneration using stem cellderived chondroprogenitors. J Neurosurg Spine. 10: 265- 272, 2009. Book chapter

2. Sweitzer S, Arruda J, DeLeo J: The cytokine challenge: Methods for the detection of central cytokines in rodent models of persistent pain. In: Kruger L, ed. Methods in Pain Research. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2001:109-132.

Entire book
3. Atlas SW. Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Brain and Spine. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001.

Software
4. Epi Info [computer program]. Version 6. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1994.

Online journals
5. Friedman SA. Preeclampsia: A review of the role of prostaglandins. Obstet Gynecol [serial online]. January 1988;71:22-37. Available from: BRS Information Technologies, McLean, VA. Accessed December 15, 1990. World Spinal Column Journal, Volume 2 / No: 2 / May 2011 III IV World Spinal Column Journal, Volume 2 / No: 2 / May 2011

Database
6. CANCERNET-PDQ [database online]. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute, 1996. Updated March 29, 1996. World Wide Web
7. Gostin LO. Drug use and HIV/AIDS [JAMA HIV/AIDS web site]. June 1, 1996. Available at: http://www.amaassn. org/special/hiv/ethics. Accessed June 26, 1997.

5) Tables and Figures:
Tables: Create tables in word format using the table creating and editing feature of your word processing software. Do not use Excel or comparable spreadsheet programs. Tables should not exceed page width of 41 picas or 17.5 cm. Supply tables together in a separate file. Cite tables consecutively in the text, and number them in that order. Key each on a separate sheet, include the table title, appropriate column heads, and explanatory legends (including definitions of any abbreviations used). Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript. They should be self-explanatory and should supplement, rather than duplicate, the material in the text.

Digital Figures: All electronic art can be submitted through the Web-based tracking system http://wscj.org

1. Format: Electronic art should be created/scanned and saved and submitted either as a JPEG file.

2. Sizing and Resolution: Line art must have a resolution of at least 1200 dpi (dots per inch), and electronic photographs, radiographs, CT scans, and scanned images must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. Figures should be sized to fit either 1 column (20 picas/8.4 cm), 1 1/2 columns (30 picas/12.65 cm OR 2 columns (41 picas/17.5cm) on a page. Sizing and Resolution can be checked through the free Sheridan Digital art checker at http://dx.sheridan.com/onl

3. Fonts: If fonts are used in the artwork, they must be converted to paths or outlines or they must be embedded in the files. Fonts must be 8 pt and be sized consistently throughout the artwork. The best font to use is Helvetica

Figure legends: The figure legends should be written at the end of the manuscript. The tables, figures and charts should be cited within the text.

Color figures: The journal accepts for publication color figures that will enhance an article. Authors who submit color figures will receive an estimate of the cost for color reproduction. If they decide not to pay for color reproduction, they can request that the figures be converted to black and white at no charge. The authors may also request that their color figures be posted online only.

Letter to the Editor: Letters to the Editor can also be submitted through Editorial Manager. Letters should refer to the title and authors of the article the letter is about and should be no longer than 300 words with no more than 3 references. Letters to the Editor are sent to the article authors for response. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on whether letters to the editor and the responses are published.

Publisher's contact: