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AHRQ Publishing and Communications Guidelines

Section I. Publishing Style

Contents

Introduction
   Clearances
   Printing and duplication
   Coordination with AHRQ Web site
   Copyrights
   Licensing agreements
   Disclaimers and disclosure statements
   Use of branding design/logos
   Trademarks and trade names
   Proprietary software
   Acknowledgments
   Funding
   Public domain notices
Quick Reference Guide to Editorial Style
   Style
   References
   Copyright permission
Reference Lists
   Citation style
   Journals
   Books
   Scientific and technical reports from Government agency
   Grant or contract reports
   Dissertations and theses
   Conference proceedings
   Nonprint data
   No author listed
Type Specifications for Camera-Ready or Web Manuscripts
   Front matter
   Report body
   Headings
   Tables and figures
   Back matter
Samples
   Headings
   Inside front cover for a final report
   Title page for a final report
   Back of title page
   Acknowledgments
   Abstract
   Contents
   Chapter opening
Type Specifications for Desktop Published Products
File Submission
   Reports submitted as final camera-ready copy
   Reports submitted as a final manuscript or peer review copy
   Print-ready products submitted for offset printing
   DVD or CD products
Additional Information

Appendixes
Appendix 1-A Copyright and Permissions
Appendix 1-B Trademarks
Appendix 1-C AHRQ Grant Final Progress Reports

Introduction

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed publishing style specifications to provide you a format to follow for preparing reports and other products submitted to the Agency for publication (e.g., conference summaries, scientific and technical reports, flyers, booklets, and multimedia products and tools).

This section provides instructions for most reports and includes general, not exhaustive, specifications for other documents. Please contact your Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer (OCKT) managing editor for additional guidance pertaining to your program and products.

Clearances

  • All publications require a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) clearance at concept stage.
  • All products are assigned an OCKT managing editor who will work with you and your project staff to develop clearance paperwork.

Printing and Duplication

Contractors are not permitted to obtain printing services on behalf of the Federal Government. All printing for AHRQ products must be coordinated within OCKT by an OCKT managing editor.

With OCKT approval, contractors are allowed to make a limited number of copies of AHRQ documents. Quantities are not to exceed 25,000 impressions (total number of pages). For example: 5 copies of a 100-page document equals 500 impressions. An OCKT managing editor must review the document before it is copied and will assign a publication number for the document.

Coordination with AHRQ Web Site

All print products that AHRQ publishes are posted on the Agency's Web site and often include associated Web-based tools. It is critical that you review Section 2 of these guidelines to understand AHRQ's Web policies.

Copyrights

Do not use content, including tables or figures, in total from other publications unless you receive written permission from the originator to use them. A copy of the permission must accompany any document delivered to AHRQ.

Contractors may not copyright products they create on behalf of AHRQ because contract deliverables are the property of the Federal Government.

Contract project officers may, in certain situations, elect to allow contractors to share rights to the materials by negotiating a licensing agreement after AHRQ receives the deliverable. For further information, contact the OCKT managing editor assigned to the project.

A sample copyright notice follows.

"The (description of item), (title of product), is the intellectual property of (name of organization). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use and disseminate the work and to authorize others to use it in their delivery of health care or for quality improvement and educational purposes. The author/owner hereby assures health care professionals, physicians, nurses, and hospital systems that use of the (description of item), distributed by or through AHRQ, in their practices is permitted. Each user is granted a royalty-free, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the product in accordance with the guidance contained in the work.
The product may not be changed in any way by any user. The product and its contents may be used and incorporated into other (training/educational/specify) programs on the condition that no fee is charged by the reproducer of the product or its contents for its use. The product may not be sold for profit or incorporated in any profit-making venture without the expressed written permission of (name of author/owner organization/copyright holder)."

For more information about copyrights and to view a sample of a copyright permission form, refer to Appendix 1-A.

Licensing Agreements

Grantees may copyright their work, such as tools and products; however, the Federal Government has the right to use the work for its own purposes, as long as it does not distribute the products outside the Agency. In certain circumstances AHRQ may allow contractors to retain the copyright. In these situations, a licensing agreement is required for the Federal Government to disseminate products, and the Federal Government must indicate who holds the copyright for the tools and products. The licensing agreement can be in the form of a letter (go to the sample). When the Agency distributes the material, it will include a disclaimer and copyright notice in the packaging. For sample disclaimers, go to the Disclaimers section.

A sample licensing agreement follows.

(Name of organization/individual) holds copyright to the (name of item) and conveys a nonexclusive, irrevocable, (worldwide) royalty-free license to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to use and reproduce the material (specify form and quantities—print and/or electronic, number of copies or unlimited quantities).
AHRQ agrees to include a notice of copyright on all materials that it provides and distributes. AHRQ may post (name of the item) in its entirety or a summary on its Web site. [Add this sentence if necessary: AHRQ will provide users with information regarding (name of organization/individual) for potential purchase of print copies of (name of item).] (Name of organization/individual) allows AHRQ to distribute the material and to advertise/promote its availability as described in this agreement.
The copyright holder allows AHRQ to grant permission to outside organizations to use this material without a fee, under the condition that the outside organization does not change or sell the material.
[If a third party holds the copyright, the following sentence may be included: AHRQ acknowledges that all copyright terms are in accordance with the copyright agreement signed and dated ______________ between (name of the item) and (name of the third party).]
The use of (name of item) under license by AHRQ or its agents or representatives is acceptable to AHRQ and the (name of organization/individual).
Signatures:
AHRQ Representative ____________________________
Date _______________
Copyright Holder ____________________________
Date _______________

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Disclaimers and Disclosure Statements

A disclaimer is used for reports developed under a contract or grant. Disclaimers may be adapted to suit the needs of the individual project. The disclaimer appears on the inside front cover of reports. An example of a disclaimer for a report produced under contract for AHRQ is shown below and in the section below.

"The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s), who are responsible for its content, and do not necessarily represent the views of AHRQ. No statement in this report should be construed as an official position of AHRQ or of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

The following are sample disclaimers for multimedia products (e.g., DVDs and CDs) developed under contracts or grants and disseminated by AHRQ.

Sample disclaimer for materials developed solely by contractors or grantees:

"The (name of organization) has developed this product using professional and scientific methods, sources, and up-to-date clinical standards at the time of publication to confirm that the information contained in it is both reliable and valid. However, the (name of organization) and AHRQ caution that the product is to be utilized using the professional judgment of authorized physicians or nurses and staff directed and supervised by them. Each health care professional who decides to use this product or its content should understand that such use would be on the basis of that provider's professional judgment with respect to the needs and characteristics of the particular patients they are caring for. The (name of owner/organization/author) and AHRQ disclaim any and all liability for adverse consequences or for damages that may arise out of or be related to the professional use or application by practitioners of the product or its content, including but not limited to, indirect, special, incidental, exemplary, or consequential damages. Furthermore, practitioners should be cautioned that professional and scientific methods and standards evolve over time. Therefore, attention should be given to possible progress in medical standards, techniques, and technology occurring after the production of this material."

Sample disclaimer for materials developed jointly by AHRQ and partners:

"The (name of organization) and AHRQ have made a good faith effort to take all reasonable measures to ensure that this product is accurate, up to date, and free of error in accord with clinical standards accepted at the time of publication. Any practice described in this product must be applied by health care practitioners in accordance with professional judgment and standards of care in regard to the unique circumstances that may apply in each situation they encounter. The (name of organization) and AHRQ are not responsible for any adverse consequences arising from independent application by individual professionals of the content of this product to particular patient circumstances encountered in their practices."

Disclosure statements appear in reports developed under a contract or grant and appear on the back of the title page. An example of a disclosure statement for a report produced under contract for AHRQ is shown below.

"None of the investigators has any affiliations or financial involvement the conflicts with the material presented in this report."

Use of Branding Design/Logos

AHRQ branding design elements must be included on all AHRQ products and communication materials produced in-house or by a contractor for AHRQ publication. An OCKT managing editor can answer any questions on use of the AHRQ logo and branding design.

  • AHRQ design elements/logos are provided in Section 6 of these guidelines.
  • Grantees may not include HHS or AHRQ logos on their products.
  • Products prepared under contract to AHRQ must include the HHS/AHRQ logos and may not contain contractor logos.
  • The HHS logo is only to be used on official, AHRQ-sponsored products.

Trademarks and Trade Names

  • Registered trademarks must be reflected in print or Web copy by using the ™ or ® symbols. Use the symbols on first mention in each chapter and in major headings.
  • Trade or brand names of drugs or products must be avoided. For a trademarked or a brand name of a drug, use the generic name whenever possible. Use the Physicians' Desk Reference® to determine the drug's generic name.
  • Any constraints on using the materials must be specified.
  • For information about trademarks, go to Appendix 1-B.

Proprietary Software

Files should not be prepared in a manner that requires users to purchase a specific software program to access the information.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments should describe briefly the specific substantive contribution an individual or organization made. Avoid acknowledgments that suggest individuals are being thanked for performing their paid duties. The acknowledgments may recognize contractor affiliation, but no outside logo may be used. For example:

"We thank Jonathan M. Links, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Trish M. Perl, M.D., M.Sc., Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, for their valuable advice on this document."

Funding

For grantee articles, final reports, and contract deliverables that AHRQ publishes, a funding statement must appear on the title page. For other materials developed under an AHRQ contract that may or may not be published and for grantee journal articles, the following statement is required:

"This project was funded under contract/grant number XXXX from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not reflect the official position of AHRQ or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."

Public Domain Notices

AHRQ publications carry a notice on the back of the title page that tells the reader whether the material is copyrighted or in the public domain. A sample notice is shown in this section. When a publication is entirely in the public domain, use the following notice:

"This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission. Citation of the source is appreciated."

When the entire publication is in the public domain, except for short copyrighted quoted passages that do not require permission to reproduce, use the following notice and place it on the back of the title page:

"This document is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without permission except those copyrighted materials that are clearly noted in the document. Further reproduction of those copyrighted materials is prohibited without the specific permission of copyright holders."

Use a simpler public domain statement on flyers or pamphlets. For example:

"This material may be reprinted without further permission."

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Quick Reference Guide to Editorial Style

Style

The material below provides some general guidance on style. The overriding principle for editorial style is internal consistency. AHRQ follows the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual, available electronically at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/browse.html. You may also refer to the American Medical Association Manual of Style for general style guidance and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as a social science reference.

The following tips highlight GPO and AHRQ style requirements:

  • Use the serial comma before the conjunctions "and," "or," and "nor" (example: dog, cat, and bird).
  • Avoid using "the" before the acronym AHRQ.
  • Spell out "percent" in text, but use % in tables, figures, charts, and graphs.
  • The following appear as one word:
    decisionmakers
    decisionmaking
    policymakers
    policymaking
    database
    online
    followup (except in the case of "the doctor will follow up with you in a few days")
    words beginning with "anti," "non," or "co."
  • Use "health care" as two words, except in the Agency's name or if it is used as one word in official titles.
  • Use numerals for time and measurement and numbers 10 and over. Write out everything else (7 years old, 3 weeks, 1 hour, 10 cm, but six cats, nine oranges, 10 patients).
  • Define all abbreviations and acronyms in the text at first mention in each chapter and in tables. Exception: do not define HIV/AIDS.
  • Capitalize the words Federal, State, Nation, and Federal Government. Do not capitalize nationwide, statewide, local, or federally.
  • Capitalize prepositions that have four or more letters in a title (With, From, Between).
  • Capitalize Web site and Web conference and make them two words. However, Webcast, Weblog, and Webinar appear as one word.
  • Use "available at" when introducing a Web site address.
  • Avoid long strings of capitalization, bold, and italics in text.
  • In headings, capitalize each word in a hyphenated term with initial caps (Off-Label Use of Drugs).
  • Use "as likely" instead of "more likely" or "less likely." (Joe is more than three times as likely to be elected president as Jim.)
  • Always use a plural verb with the word "data." "Datum" is the singular form of data.
  • Use "sex" when referring to male or female. Use "gender" when referring to masculine or feminine.
  • Use "people"—not persons—as the plural of "person." One exception: do not correct this in article or book titles in reference lists.

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References

  • Provide a source or attribution for all statements of fact either with footnotes or endnotes or in-text references. For example, "Only two studies1,2 showed a positive outcome for this treatment approach." or "Only two studies (Brown, Davis, and Green, 1990; Smith, 1987) showed a positive outcome for this treatment approach."
  • Alphabetize works of multiple references by first author when listed in parentheses. For example, "Only two studies (Brown, Davis, and Green, 1990; Smith, 1987) showed a positive outcome for this treatment approach."
  • Cite in the text every reference used in the reference list, and list them in the bibliography, if a bibliography is required.

Copyright Permission

AHRQ requires authors to provide a copy of the written permission they received to use copyrighted material. Provide credit to the copyrighted source in a footnote. Example: "Source: World Health Organization, 1990. Used with permission."

Include the complete citation for the source of the copyrighted material in the reference list. If a table or figure is compiled from data from a number of sources, list each of the sources in a footnote and provide the complete citation in the reference list. Indicate whether you have adapted a table or figure.

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Reference Lists

Citation Style

AHRQ uses Modified Vancouver Style®.

For in-text citations, references may be cited using either a superscript number (preferred) or author, date style. Example: "Only two studies1,2 showed a positive outcome for this treatment approach." or "Only two studies (Brown, Davis, and Green, 1990; Smith, 1987) showed a positive outcome for this treatment approach."

Journals

  • Author name(s) followed by initials (no periods). List up to three authors and then add "et al."
  • Full title of article.
  • Title of journal, abbreviated in Index Medicus style. Use List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus, 1998 (or most recent issue). Available from the National Library of Medicine. NIH Publication Number 98-267.
  • Year (month optional).
  • Volume, issue (optional, in parentheses), and page numbers.

Example: Standard journal citation

Kleinman JC, Kopstein AN. Who is being screened for cervical cancer? Am J Public Health 1981 Nov 7;71(24):73-6.

Alberts ME. Immunization [editorial]. Iowa Med 1989 Oct;79(10):489-93.

Example: Translation

Massone L, Borghi S, Pestarinno A. Localizations paimaires purpuriques de las dermatite herpetiforme [Purpuric paimar sites of dermatitis hepetiformis]. Ann Dermatol Venerol 1987;114(12):1545-7. (Fre).

Books

  • Author name(s) followed by initials (no periods). After three authors, use "et al."
  • Title.
  • City of publication, publisher, and date. For the State, (used only when location of city is not clear), use the two-letter U.S. Postal Service abbreviation.

Example: Book with individual or institutional authors

Perrin PG, Smith GH. The Perrin-Smith handbook of current English. Chicago: Scott, Foresman; 1962.

Beth Israel Hospital. Obstetrical decision making. Philadelphia: B.C. Decker; 1987.

Example: Part of book

Cassidy JT, Pefty RE. Textbook of pediatric rheumatology. 2nd ed. New York: Churchill-Livingston; 1990 Chapter 3, Basic concepts of drug therapy.

Rombeau JL, Caldwell MD, eds. Parenteral nutrition. Vol. 2, Clinical nutrition. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1986.

Merrift CRB. Breast imaging techniques. In: Putnam CE and Ravin CE, eds. Textbook of diagnostic imaging. Vol. 3. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1988. p. 2118-20.

Scientific and Technical Reports from Government Agency

  • Author name(s). Use "et al." after three authors.
  • Title of the article and/or individual publication within the series.
  • City of publication.
  • Agency or organization responsible for the series.
  • Date of publication.
  • Name of the series.
  • Publication or acquisition number.

Examples: Reports with individual or institutional authors

Cohen S. Sample design of the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Household Component. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2000. MEPS Methodology Report No. 11. AHRQ Publication No. 01-0001.

National High Blood Pressure Education Program Working Group. Working group report on high blood pressure in pregnancy. Washington, DC: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2000. NHBPEP Publication No. 00-3029.

Grant or Contract Reports

  • Author name(s).
  • Full title of the report.
  • Status of the report, if given (final, draft, preliminary).
  • Grantee or contractor.
  • Grant or contract number.
  • City of publication.
  • Agency for which the report was prepared.
  • Date (year with the entire name of the month).
  • Publication or acquisition number.

Example: Grant or contract report

Schachter H, Resiman J, Tran K, et al. Health Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Asthma, Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 91 (Prepared by University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-01-0021). Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, July 2004. AHRQ Publication No. 04-E013-2.

Dissertations and Theses

  • Author name.
  • Full title of the report.
  • Publication type.
  • Location and name of institution.
  • Date of publication.

Example: Dissertation

Youssef NM. School adjustment of children with congenital heart disease [dissertation]. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh; 1988.

Example: Thesis

Devins GM. Helplessness, depression, and mood in end-stage renal disease [master's thesis]. Montreal, Quebec: McGill University; 1981.

Conference Proceedings

  • Editor names(s).
  • Title of publication.
  • Title of conference.
  • Dates and place of conference.
  • City of publication, publisher, and date of publication.

Example: Conference proceedings

Vivian VL, editor. Child abuse and neglect: a medical community response. First AMA National Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect; 1984 Mar 30-31; Chicago. Chicago: American Medical Association; 1985.

In addition, papers presented at meetings should begin with:

  • Author name(s).
  • Full title of paper.

Example: Conference paper

Harley NH. Comparing radon daughter dosimetric and risk models. In: Gammage RB, Kaye SV, editors. Indoor air and human health. Proceedings of the 7th Life Sciences Symposium; 1984 Oct 29-31; Knoxville, TN. Chelsea (MN): Lewis Publishers; 1985. p. 69-78.

Example: Conference abstract

Lunin LF. Organizing for information interaction in a radiology department [abstract]. In: Petrarca AE, editor. Information interaction. Proceedings of the 45th ASIS Annual Meeting; 1982 Oct 17-21; Columbus, OH. White Plains (NY): Knowledge Industry Publications, Inc.; 1982. p. 179-80.

Nonprint Data

When nonprint data are used, give the following information as applicable and available:

  • Author name(s).
  • Title.
  • Type of medium.
  • Source of data.
  • Availability information (for example, Web URL).
  • Date accessed, if Web product.

Example: Part of database

Sestini P, Renzoni E, Robinson S, et al. Short-acting beta 2 agonists for stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2002(4):CD001495.

Example: Web site

Available at: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Consumers and Patients. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/. Accessed January 16, 2009.

No Author Listed

When no author is listed for a reference, list the reference alphabetically by title (excluding "A," "An," or "The" if it is the first word). For government documents, the publishing agency often will be listed as the report author.

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Type Specifications for Camera-Ready or Web Manuscripts

Periodically contractors are asked to submit material to AHRQ for publication as a final camera-ready manuscript or for publication on the Web. Type specifications provided here are for word-processed documents only. Web documents are HTML coded to the level of their headings. More information on this topic is available in Section 2 of these guidelines. Please follow this document's guidelines for how manuscript submissions should be formatted. In addition to the examples provided, AHRQ can provide sample publications for contractors or grantees to use as references.

Front Matter

Preface heading is 16 point Helvetica or Arial.

Structured abstract heading is 16 point Helvetica or Arial, initial caps.

Run-ins are 12 point, bold, Times Roman, initial caps.

Contents heading is 16 point Helvetica or Arial. Use dot leaders before page numbers.

Table of contents lists chapter titles plus two levels of headings. Include a list of all figures, tables, and appendixes in the table of contents.

Report Body

Text is 12 point Times Roman, with a .25 paragraph indent.

Footnotes are 9 point Times Roman, flush left. Use superscript numerals (1,2) or lower-case letters (a,b) for ordered references.

Headings

Chapter headings are 18 point Helvetica or Arial, bold, flush left, initial caps. All chapters begin on a right (odd) page.

Level 1 headings are 16 point Helvetica or Arial, bold, centered, initial caps.

Level 2 headings are 14 point Helvetica or Arial, bold, flush left, initial caps.

Level 3 headings are 12 point Times Roman, bold, run-in with a period, paragraph indent of .25, first word capitalized.

Level 4 headings are 12 point Times Roman, italic, run-in with a period, paragraph indent of .25, first word capitalized.

Tables and Figures

Headings for tables and figures are 10 point Helvetica or Arial, bold, flush left, first word capitalized. They are numbered sequentially throughout the document with a period after the number.

Continued headings use the word "continued" in parentheses (continued) at the end of the heading.

Text for tables and figures is 10 point Helvetica or Arial.

Table footnotes are 9 point Times Roman, flush left. Use superscript symbols (*,#) or superscript lower-case alpha (a,b) for ordered references.

Back Matter

References and bibliography headings are 18 point Helvetica or Arial, bold, flush left, initial caps.

References and bibliography text are 9 point Times Roman, flush left, 2 columns.

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