The manuscript file for your submission should include the title page, abstract/summary, manuscript body (including callouts and citations), references, and legends.

Manuscript documents must be submitted in an editable file format such as Word, WordPerfect, or RTF.

Structured Abstract or Summary:

Original Articles and Experimental Articles must begin with a structured abstract. The abstract should include the headings: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. We encourage authors to look at recent issues of the Journal for examples of similar articles.

Special Topics, Ideas & Innovations, Follow-up Clinics, and Video Plus articles must begin with a brief summary. Summaries for these article types do not need to be structured or organized with headings.

The length for abstracts and summaries should be limited to 250 words.

Manuscript Text:

PRS aims for optimal readability. The body of the text must conform to acceptable English usage and syntax; the contents must be clear, accurate, coherent, and logical. Please avoid using abbreviations unless they are so common that they are never spelled out.

All copy must be double-spaced, including text, footnotes, references, figure legends, and tables.

Each manuscript page must be numbered clearly, with the numbering continuing throughout.

All references, figures, and tables, must be numbered and must be cited in numerical order in the text. Citations of figures and tables show the printer where to place them in the published text. If you choose to call out individual parts/pieces of a figure, ALL pieces of that figure must be cited in alpha-numerical order.

If a statistical analysis is conducted, explanation of the method used must be stated in the txt preceding the results. Unusual or complex methods of analysis should be referenced. Most papers that include statistical analyses are evaluated by a biostatistician during the review process.

In-text Callouts:

All figures, tables, videos, and supplemental digital content must be numbered and must be cited in the text. Citations of figures and tables show the printer where to place them within the published text. 

All in-text callouts must appear in numerical order. For example, a callout for Figure 2 may not appear before the callout for Figure 1, and a callout for Figure 1c should not appear before Figure 1a.

Callouts for supplemental digital content should also be labeled with the type of material submitted. Examples of callouts for Supplemental Digital Content include:

• Video, Supplemental Digital Content 1
• Table, Supplemental Digital Content 2
• Figure, Supplemental Digital Content 3
  

Legends:

A separate legend should be included for all figures, videos, and supplemental digital content. These legends should include a brief description of each piece of content. The editorial staff reserves the right to request revised/shortened versions of any type of legend entry (figure, video, table, or supplemental digital content).

Each legend should be numbered separately, and the numbering should correspond to the in-text callouts. An example of separate numbering can be found below:

• Figure Legend:
  Figure 1. A photo of _________.
  Figure 2. A graph that shows _______.
  
• SDC Legend:
  Figure, Supplementary Digital Content 1. A photo of _______.

  Table, Supplementary Digital Content 2. A table that shows _______.

All legends should be placed at the end of the manuscript document, following the reference list.

A credit statement for any reused or copyrighted material must be included in the corresponding legend entry.

References:

References should follow the citation style of the American Medical Association (AMA). Many resources exist in word processing programs and online to help format according to the AMA Manual of Style.

A few basic examples follow:

Journal Articles

1. Craft AB. Title with initial cap in Roman: Subtitle also with initial cap in Roman. Plast Reconstr Surg. 1997;100:111-115.

[List all authors to a maximum of six. If there are more than six, list three et al.]

Chapter in a Book
2. Reagan MF. Title with initial cap: Subtitle with initial cap. In: Smith SR, Jones HG, Green TM, eds. Cap and Lower Case Title in Italics. Vol. 5, 5th ed. New York: Bender & Sons; 1971:22-50.

Entire Book
3. Wayne JD, ed. Cap and Lower Case Title in Italics. Basel, Switzerland: Rodan-Smythe; 1971.

Proceedings
4. Ames G. Title with initial cap only in Roman. In Proceedings of the 5th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Chemists, Boston, Mass; June 4-9, 1996.

Presentation
5. Ames G. Title with initial cap only in Roman. Paper presented at: 2007 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons; October 30, 2007; Chicago, Ill.

Internet
6. American Society of Plastic Surgeons. 2005 liposuction statistics. Available at: http://asps.org/stats.htm. Accessed March 4, 2015.

Figures

All submissions should adhere to the figure limits posted for each article type. Please note that each individual image or panel of a multi-panel figure will count as one “figure piece." For example, a figure containing a pre-op and a post-op photo will count as two figure pieces.

Any figures submitted that do not meet the standards detailed below will be returned to the authors with a request for new images. If higher-quality images are not supplied, figures may be removed from the manuscript or moved to Supplemental Digital Content. If you choose to replace figures that were part of the peer-reviewed manuscript with different images to address issues of figure quality at the clerical revision stage, the new images may require approval from the Editor-in-Chief and/or the review panel.

Figure File Formats:

Each figure should be uploaded individually to your submission as a separate file. Figures should not be embedded within the text of your manuscript document.

File formats acceptable for figures include:

• TIFF
• PNG
• JPEG
• EPS
• PDF

We do not accept figures that have been copied and pasted into a Word document.

The editorial staff may ask you to provide your original source files if the figures do not meet publication standards.

Figure Quality:

All figures are expected to be of the highest quality possible. Elements of figure quality include:

• Color images, wherever possible and appropriate
• Clear and correct focus
• Sufficient brightness and exposure for photographs
• Sufficient detail for close-up photographs
• Color-correct images
• Sufficient size
• Correct digital format
• Appropriate consistency for preoperative and postoperative comparisons

Additional Guidelines for Figures:

• Multi-piece figures (e.g., Fig. 1a, 1b, 1c) should NOT include letter labels super-imposed over the images. Instead, please save the file name for each image as “Figure 1a", “Figure 1b", etc. You may also indicate the labels for each image in the description field when uploading in Editorial Manager.
• The resolution for all figures must be a minimum of 300 dpi.
• The minimum width for each figure piece is 3.25 inches wide or 5 inches wide for figures that contain graphs or small text.
• Note: Our team can reduce the size of figures as necessary, but most figures cannot be enlarged without an unacceptable loss of quality. When in doubt, submit a figure that is too large rather than too small.
• The color mode for all images should be CMYK.
• Before-and-after photographs should be identical in terms of size, position, and lighting.

• We do not accept patient photos that are blurred or that utilize eye blocks to obscure the patient's identity. Consent must be obtained for all identifiable patient photos.

• No photographs, digital or otherwise, should be substantively modified other than light cropping to show the intended area.
• Illustrations should be labeled clearly and arranged symmetrically, in either portrait or landscape orientation.
• Bar graphs with various shades of black do not reproduce well. Please submit them in color.
• To indicate scale on a photomicrograph, it is much better to include a scale bar as part of the figure rather than state the original magnification in the legend.
• Graphs exported from an uncommon software should be exported as high-quality PDF files.
• All figures should be accompanied by a separate figure legend that appears at the end of the manuscript text. Legends or captions should NOT be included on the image itself.

Creating Digital Artwork:

Please follow these basic guidelines when submitting digital art to PRS. You can learn more about publication requirements for digital artwork here: http://links.lww.com/ES/A42.

• Artwork should be saved as a TIFF, PDF, JPG, EPS, or as the original file format from the program used to create it (PPT, DOC, XLS, etc.).
• Artwork should be created as the actual size (or slightly larger) than it will be printed in the journal.
• Crop out any white or black space surrounding the image. Extra space will not be counted in the figure size.
• Diagrams, drawings, graphs, and other line art must be a vector or saved at a resolution of at least 1200 dpi. If the art is created in a MS Office program, please convert it to a hi-resolution PDF. If you are unfamiliar with the PDF creation process, please submit the original MS Office file.
• Photographs, radiographs, and other halftone images must be saved at a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
• Photographs and radiographs with text must be saved as postscript or at a resolution of at least 600 dpi.

Tables

Tables must be saved in an editable file format. File formats acceptable for tables include Word, WordPerfect, or RTF.

Tables may not include photographs. Tables that do include photographs will be processed as figures. In some instances, tables may include small graphics such as shapes or simple line drawings. These are considered on a case-by-case basis.​

Special editorial action is authorized under standing order from the Editor-in-Chief to improve the readabliity of tables that would occupy more than 2 full PDF pages and/or need to be rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise to fit on the standard-sized journal page. The editorial staff and the publisher may convert such overly-long tables into Supplemental Digital Content on the authors' behalf.

Supplemental Digital Content

We highly encourage authors to submit supplemental digital content (SDC) that enhances their article's text. SDC will be included with the manuscript as online-only material and will appear as a link in the published text.

SDC may include a combination of the following material. The total number of SDC items should not exceed the posted limits for each article type.

• PowerPoint presentation
• Figures
• Tables
• Word Document
• Appendices
• Video

All SDC will be subject to peer review along with the rest of the submission and published at the Editor-in-Chief's discretion. Please note that SDC is not meant to be a repository for unfiltered, unrefined data. SDC is an extension of your manuscript and should therefore be as polished and edited as your manuscript itself.

All SDC should be submitted exactly as it is intended to be displayed. No SDC text will be edited by PRS's staff. PowerPoint and PDF files submitted as SDC will not be edited by staff. No errata will be issued for SDC after final publication.

SDC File Formats:

Supplemental digital content files should be no larger than 10 MB each (excluding videos). Acceptable file extensions for SDC include:

• Documents and tables: .doc, .ppt, .xls, .pdf
• Figures, graphs, and illustrations: .tif, .eps, .ppt, .jpg, .pdf, .gif
• Audio files: .mp3, .wma (no longer than 10 minutes)
• Video files: .mp4 (each clip must be under 100 MB and no longer than 5 minutes)

For more information, please review our publisher's requirements for submitting supplementary materials: http://edmgr.ovid.com/lww-final/accounts/SuppMaterialRequirements.doc.

Video:

PRS encourages original, high-quality video content that will enhance readers' experience of a manuscript. Videos may demonstrate techniques, technologies, or otherwise highlight a pivotal part of the manuscript such as preoperative markings, intra-operative demonstrations, post-operative results, etc. Video content deemed exemplary by the Editor-in-Chief or the editorial staff may be selected for inclusion in our PRS video gallery.

Video content should be presented in clips that are no longer than 5 minutes each. Total, comprehensive length of all video clips in a submission should adhere to the posted limits for each article type.

English-language narration or subtitles must be included in any video that is 30 seconds or longer.

A permissions letter will be required for any music included in submitted video content. Videos that contain ambient audio or music will not be allowed (e.g., a song playing on the radio in the operating room); native audio must be muted and overlaid with narration or music for which permissions have been obtained.

Additional Limitations:

PRS has adopted the following limitations for SDC. These limitations are not meant to limit your articles impact, but to challenge you to be judicious and self-editing in choosing which materials to place online.

• PowerPoint presentations: The author may submit no more than 20 slides as SDC to their article.
• Figures: Authors may submit additional figures as SDC for their article. All figures must be fully assembled by the authors, meaning all parts (a, b, c, etc.) must be assembled together in one file. Each assembled figure should be uploaded as a separate piece of SDC.
• Tables: Authors may submit additional tables as SDC. Each table should be uploaded as a separate piece of SDC.
• Word Document: Authors may submit one Word document of no more than 500 words of supplementary text. Supplemental text should contain auxiliary information only. It should not include information that is essential to your manuscripts. Paragraphs pertaining to materials/methods, results, etc. should be included in the main body of your manuscript and not submitted as SDC.
• Appendices: Authors may submit no more than 5 double-spaced pages total of appendices as SDC. This should be ancillary content only (copies of questionnaires, forms, etc.) and should not include written content that should be included in the main body of the manuscript.
• SDC LIMITS for LETTERS, REPLIES, and VIEWPOINTS:
• SDC (without video):
• No more than 4 SDC files total (can include a figure, PDF, PPT, etc.)
• Video Only (no additional SDC)
• Up to 9 minutes of video; no more than 3 clips
• Video + additional SDC
• Up to 6 minutes of video; no more than 2 clips
  AND
• No more than TWO additional SDC files total (can include a figure, PDF, PPT, etc.)

Permissions

A letter of permissions is required for any and all material that has been published previously or for which the authors do not own the copyright. It is the responsibility of the authors to request permission from the publisher or owner of the copyrighted item for any material that is being reproduced. This requirement applies to text, illustrations, photos, and tables. These permissions must be supplied to the Journal upon submission of the article, along with ample acknowledgement of the original source of the materials in the legend and/or text.

To reiterate, any previously published material (including material published in foreign-language, open access, or e-journals) that is included in a submission to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery needs to:

1. a) Clearly reference the original publication of the previously published material.
2. b) Be accompanied by a letter of permission from the copyright holder of the material. Any fee associated with permission to reuse previously published material is the responsibility of the author of the manuscript.

If an author submits an article to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery that contains material to which he or she holds the copyright (figures, material from articles published on open-access or e-journals, and so on), he or she needs to clearly indicate that he or she holds the copyright and provide Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with written permission to use the previously copyrighted material.

All permission statements allowing Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery to publish previously published material must extend to all print and digital media (so that material can be both printed and placed on the Journal's website) and must not include any time limitations.

A credit line for each copyrighted item must be included in the corresponding legend.

Patient Photo/Video Consents

Authors are required to obtain written releases from any person whose photographs are submitted to the Journal for publication if the person can be identified. Patient consent and authorization is needed to reproduce any photograph of a patient's face, identifiable body part, or visible tattoo.

Please use this standardized patient authorization form for the release of patient photographs.

Authors may submit their own institution's version of patient authorization/consent, but the form must include permission to use identifiable patients' likeness in print and all derivative media including but not limited to electronic, internet/social media, and/or broadcast media. All forms will be reviewed by the editorial staff; if the form does not meet our publisher's requirements, your patients will need to complete the PRS consent form.

Please note that all consent forms must be in English.

Details in submission materials (within text, figures, videos, etc.) that might identify patients should be avoided unless essential for scientific purposes. If identification of patients is unavoidable, informed consents should be obtained.

Patient photographs with bars or blocks placed over the eyes are not acceptable. If “de-identification" of a patient is not possible by cropping a photo, authorization and consent must be obtained from the patient. If a patient cannot be located or refuses to provide consent and authorization, their photograph will not be published.

In the event that a patient cannot provide consent due to death or legal incompetency (this includes photographs of corpses), permission from the power of attorney is needed as well as proof of power of attorney.

Please note that PRS does not accept typed signatures. We require physical signatures or a verified e-signature stamp (e.g., Adobe).

Accepted Manuscripts

Once authors receive notice of acceptance, their manuscript is placed into our queue of accepted manuscripts to be scheduled for publication in its corresponding section. The Editor-in-Chief will then select the manuscript for an upcoming issue based on a number of factors including but not limited to acceptance date, topical section, and time sensitivity.

Once selected for an issue, the article will be prepared for publication by the editorial staff and transferred to the publisher. Authors will be notified of the expected publication date via email. Prompt response to any requests for additional information, publication materials, or improved figures is necessary to ensure timely publication. Delays in providing necessary additional information may result in publication delays.

The publisher and editorial office may move articles to another issue or encounter delays in publication if determined necessary. To the degree possible, corresponding authors will be contacted regarding any unforeseen delay in publication.

Levels of Evidence

All manuscripts amenable to Level of Evidence grading will be assessed and have a clinical question and LOE grade assigned by a special, independent panel contracted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. We no longer request that you provide an initial indication of clinical question or level of evidence. The final Level of Evidence grade for accepted papers will be determined and assigned by the independent panel of Level of Evidence experts.

The following types of articles are not gradable for level of evidence:

• Animal studies
• Economic Studies
• Basic science studies
• Review articles
• Instructional course lectures
• CME courses
• Editorials
• Correspondence

As far as what is or is not ratable, the standard is to exclude basic science, bench work, and animal studies because the information gained from these studies is not something that can be applied directly to patient treatment decisions. See the article "The Level of Evidence Pyramid: Indicating Levels of Evidence in PRS Articles" in the July 2011 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for more information.

The clinical question will be one of three categories: Diagnostic, Therapeutic, or Risk.

American Society of Plastic Surgeons Rating Levels of Evidence and Grading Recommendations
Evidence Rating Scale for Therapeutic Studies

Level of Evidence	Qualifying Studies
I	High-quality, multicenter or single-center randomized controlled trial with adequate power; or systematic review of these studies
II	Lesser-quality randomized controlled trial; prospective cohort study; or systematic review of randomized controlled trials
III	Retrospective cohort or comparative study; or case-control study
IV	Case series with pre/post test or only post test
V	Expert opinion developed via consensus process; case report or clinical example; or evidence based on physiology, bench research, or “first principles"

Evidence Rating Scale for Diagnostic Studies

Level of Evidence	Qualifying Studies
I	High-quality, multicenter or single-center cohort study validating a diagnostic test (with “gold" standard as reference) in a series of consecutive patients
II	Exploratory cohort study developing diagnostic criteria (with “gold" standard as reference) in a series of consecutive patients
III	Diagnostic study in nonconsecutive patients (without consistently applied “gold" standard as reference)
IV	Case-control study; or any of the above diagnostic studies in the absence of a universally accepted “gold" standard
V	Expert opinion developed via consensus process; case report or clinical example; or evidence based on physiology, bench research, or “first principles"

Evidence Rating Scale for Prognostic/Risk Studies

Level of Evidence	Qualifying Studies
I	High-quality, multicenter or single-center prospective cohort or comparative study with adequate power
II	Lesser-quality prospective cohort or comparative study; retrospective cohort or comparative study; or untreated controls from a randomized controlled trial
III	Case-control study
IV	Case series with pre/post test or only post test
V	Expert opinion developed via consensus process; case report or clinical example; or evidence based on physiology, bench research, or “first principles"

Electronic Page Proofs and Corrections

The proof/correction process is completed electronically. Corresponding authors will receive electronic page proofs to check the copyedited and typeset article before publication. Portable document format (PDF) files of the typeset pages and supporting documents (e.g., reprint order form) will be sent to the corresponding author via email. Complete instructions for downloading and marking the electronic page proofs will be provided in the email.

It is the author's responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proofs. Authors who are not native English speakers are strongly encouraged to have their manuscript carefully edited by a native English-speaking colleague. Changes that have been made to conform to journal style will stand if they do not alter the authors' meaning. Only the most critical changes to the accuracy of the content will be made. Changes that are stylistic or are a reworking of previously accepted material will not be allowed. The publisher reserves the right to deny any changes that do not affect the accuracy of the content. Authors may be charged for alterations to the proofs beyond those required to correct errors or to answer queries.

Electronic proofs must be checked carefully and corrections returned within 48 hours of receipt, as requested in the cover letter accompanying the page proofs.

Publication Ahead of Print

All accepted manuscripts* will be published significantly ahead of print/final publication on our "PRS Online First​" server. The version to be published in advance will be the accepted version of the manuscript, in "PDF" format only. Authors will not have the opportunity to proof this version before it goes live online. Authors will be notified by our publishing team when their manuscript is published ahead of print, at which point it is fully citable. The final published version—which will be copyedited, proofed by the authors, etc.—​will replace the "Online First" file; the unique DOI number will remain.

*The following article types will not be published ahead of print: Discussion, CME, Editorial/Editor's Perspectives, Evidence-Based Guidelines and Measures and Supplement articles.

Reprints

Authors will receive an email notification with a link to the reprint order form soon after their article publishes in the Journal. Additional information regarding reprints can be found on the publisher's website: https://shop.lww.com/author-reprint.

Reprints are normally shipped 6 to 8 weeks after publication of the issue in which the manuscript appears. Please direct any questions to our publisher's reprint department: [email protected] or 1-866-903-6951.

Embargo Policy

Any content submitted to the Journal must not be discussed with the media until the paper has published (online or in print, whichever occurs first). The Journal reserves the right to halt the consideration or publication of a paper if this policy is broken. If your paper is newsworthy, you may recommend a press release to the Editor or Editorial Office. You or your institution may also arrange for your own publicity; however you must strictly adhere to the Journal's embargo policy and are advised to notify the Editorial Office if you or your institution chooses to conduct a press release.

How to Share Your Study

Overview: Sharing the Published Article and Its Elements:

The best way to share your final published article to maximize readership and potential views of your manuscript is to link directly to the article as hosted on PRSJournal.com

We strongly encourage you to share the link to your article on PRSJournal.com

Posting of PRS articles to commercial/social media websites (including by not limited to ProQuest, YouTube, ResearchGate, Facebook, LinkedIn) is not permitted.

Do not email the PDF of your article to colleagues. Instead, share the link to the article on PRSJournal.com.

What can I share? For a streamlined guide from our publisher on Author Permissions Guidelines, click here.

If you have further questions on how and where you can ethically, legally, and seamlessly share your publication, we recommend that you explore www.HowCanIShareIt.com.

Optimizing your Title for SEO (Search Engine Optimization):

It's not secret: if your content shows up as the number-one search result in Google or Yahoo, it is more likely to be clicked and read than if it's a result buried on page 3.

In order to make your article more discoverable on Search Engines, please consider the following tips:

• Keep your title short: Studies show that titles of 12 words or under are more likely to be read and computed by readers and search engines
  
• Use your keywords strategically:
• Make sure your top 2 – 3 keywords appear in the title
• Make sure your top 6 – 8 keywords appear in the first 100 words of the abstract

If you wish to adjust your article title, please do so during the proof stage.

PRS Author Graphics:

Feel free to download and share the following graphics to add a visual component to your social media postings, website content, email, video, or email signature AFTER your article is PUBLISHED.

​

“Customizable Published in PRS Social Media Graphic"

Download this Customizable PowerPoint file; Fill in the Customizable Fields; Save as a JPG or PNG; and POST to your preferred Social Media site:
http://links.lww.com/PRS/F80​

 

“Printed in PRS"
Download this graphic (high-res):
http://links.lww.com/PRS/B41

 

“Published in PRS"

Download this graphic (high-res):
http://links.lww.com/PRS/B42

Social Media:

Ahead of publication, let your networks on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Youtube (see “video" below) know that your article will be published soon.

After publication, share the Link to the article and the good news about the publication via the same channels.

Tips:

• Facebook:
• “Link" to our journals' page (and increase the viewership of your post) by typing “@Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery"
• Twitter:
• “Link" to our journals' page (and increase the viewership of your post) by typing “@PRSJournal"
• Connect with other people discussing Plastic Surgery by including the following text: #plasticsurgery, #PRSJournal, #OnlyinPRS
• Instagram:
• “Link" to our journals' page (and increase the viewership of your post) by typing “@PRSJournal"
• Once your article is published, add a link on your Instagram site to your article by hitting “edit profile" and changing the URL under “website“ to the direct link to your article on PRSJournal.com
• LinkedIn:
• Post a link to your study and offer the salient highlights to your peers
• Tag the ASPS by typing “@ASPS"
• Answer questions from readers about your content

What can my social media post include?

• Your post MUST include a link to your article on PRSJournal.com
• Your post SHOULD include the title or subject matter of your article and the #plasticsurgery hashtag, as well as any other salient hashtags (eg #BreastReconstuctionAwareness, #CleftLipAndPalate, #ILookLikeASurgeon, etc)
• Your post CAN include:
• Your text message including…
• The title of the article
• Your co-authors
• The purpose of your study
• A short video of yourself discussing your article
1. Note: videos perform well on social media!
• Up to TWO of the following pieces from your article (eg: post can include 1 Figure and 1 table; 2 Figures; or 1 short video clip and 1 figure):
• A screen grab of the title page
• Figures or Illustrations
• Be aware of social media's aversion to nipples, genitals, gore
• Be mindful of patient's photos, even though you have secured broad patient consents in order to publish the image in PRS.
• Table
• Short Video Clip from your article (<30 seconds)
  
   
• Your post CANNOT include:
• The entire article
• Whole sections of the article
• Static screenshots of the entire article or whole sections of the article
  
   

Easy way to share to social media from the website:

• Navigate to your article on PRSJournal.com
• On the left-hand side toolbar, click “share"
• Options for email, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn will appear (YouTube and Instagram are not currently supported)

Email:

After publication of your manuscript, email your colleagues, residents, fellows and all interested parties with the news, abstract, and a hyperlink to the article.

A sample letter, which you can feel free to use, is included below. Simply copy, customize and deploy.

“I'm excited to let all of you know that my most recent addition to the literature has been published in the medical journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. I think you'll find my article, INSERT TITLE HERE, quite interesting. I've included the abstract below to give you a good idea of the topic:

INSERT ABSTRACT

The article can be read online at PRSJournal.com at the following hyperlink: copy and paste hyperlink to your article.

Thank you!

Your name"

Note: DO NOT email the PDF of your article to peers. Not only does this break copyright policies, but it deprives your article of recorded views, downloads, and potential listing as “most popular," etc. It is always best to direct peers to the full-text view URL on the website.

Email Signature:

Upon publication of your manuscript, you can update your email signature with a custom message. At the bottom of all emails you send out, you can direct your peers to your article. Several sample email signatures are included below:

• Read my new article in PRS on INSERT TOPIC {make underlined text a hyperlink direct to your article} today at PRSJournal.com
• Read my latest work {make underlined text a hyperlink direct to your article}in PRS!
• Published author in PRS. Read my newest article. {make underlined text a hyperlink direct to your article}
• Author of “INSERT TITLE" {make underlined text a hyperlink direct to your article}

Your Website:

Link to your Published Paper

Feel free to update your website with news of your publication. You will not be breaking any copyright issues if you share the following information on your website:

• Title
• Short Running Head
• Author List
• A brief summary of the article (note: this should be different than the abstract)
• Any images to which you have retained the copyright
• The URL to the manuscript on PRSJournal.com

Posting the “Final Peer-Reviewed Manuscript"

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons will permit the author(s) to deposit for display a "final peer-reviewed manuscript" (the final manuscript after peer-review and acceptance for publication but prior to the publisher's copyediting, design, formatting, and other services) 12 months after publication of the final article on his/her personal website, university's institutional repository or employer's intranet, subject to the following:

• You may only deposit the final peer-reviewed manuscript.
• You may not update the final peer-reviewed manuscript text or replace it with a proof or with the final published version.
• You may not include the final peer-reviewed manuscript or any other version of the article in any commercial site or in any repository owned or operated by any third party. For authors of articles based on research funded by NIH, Welcome Trust, HHMI, or other funding agency, see below for the services that The American Society of Plastic Surgeon will provide on your behalf to comply with "Public Access Policy" guidelines.
• You may not display the final peer-reviewed manuscript until twelve months after publication of the final article.
• You must attach the following notice to the final peer-reviewed manuscript:
  
  "This is a non-final version of an article published in final form in (provide

complete journal citation)."

• You must provide a link in the posting of the final peer-reviewed manuscript to the final article on PRSJournal.com.

Note: To maximize readership and potential views of your manuscript, link directly to the article as hosted on PRSJournal.com.

​​​Make Your Own Infographic:

​

There are many low-cost services available for authors to make their own Infographics/Visual Abstracts to promote their articles. Although you are free to choose any such vendor, Wolters Kluwer has a working relationship with a company called "Mind The Graph" which enables authors to make infographics for their PRS articles from a selection of pre-approved art and templates. PRS and the ASPS do not receive any proceeds from "Mind the Graph." Click the following link to get started: bit.ly/t-graphical-abstract-prs​.

Video:

Use your phone or a camera to film a short video of you discussing your article. Post it on your website, any social media platform (being mindful of their respective time limits on video) or YouTube and include a hyperlink to your article on PRSJournal.com in the description.

Tips:

• Make your video- and the article you are discussing- as discoverable as possible by including general-interest, public-facing keywords.
• “Plastic Surgery" is an important keyword to include
• Instead of “septoplasty" say “deviated septum," “nose," “surgery"
• Do not use any unauthorized graphics – including the PRS logo, PRS cover, images from your article, images of patients – without permission
• Feel free to use the “accepted article graphics" (above) in the video
• Feel free to speak in any language of your choosing
• Tag PRS on @PRSJournal on whatever platform you share your video

Press Release:

PRS and the ASPS issue approximately two press releases per issue. As such, many great articles will not have releases issued to the public press. Your university, institution, or clinic may be very interested in promoting your article- as it will reflect well upon them as well.

If your article is only recently accepted, it's not too early to start drafting a press release.

• Contact the press office or media relations contact of your institution today to see if they are interested in issuing a press release on your article.

• NO wide press release can be issued ahead of the embargo date (date of the article's publication).
• We do allow institutions to do limited “pre-pitching" 7 calendar days in advance to 2-3 trusted journalists ahead of the embargo date with the understanding that any news coverage cannot break that embargo date. This pre-pitching gives journalists ample time to write their story on your article.

If your institution will be issuing a press release on your article, please do the following:

• Contact Aaron Weinstein at [email protected] as soon as possible to notify us and to find out the embargo date.

Include the following boilerplate text in your press release:

• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery® is the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, part of Wolters Kluwer Health.
• The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world. Founded in 1931, the Society represents 93% of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the U.S., and more than eight thousand plastic surgeons worldwide, making ASPS a global institution and leading authority on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. Visit https://www.plasticsurgery.org/ for more information.
• Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across healthcare. We support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health and follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Images from your article: Unless you have retained copyright to your images, please do not distribute images from your article for press releases. In order to utilize figures from PRS article, media outlets should go through the permissions process on our website or contact the PRS Editorial office at [email protected]

Local Media:

Make yourself available to local media for interviews—in print, on television, online—in regards to your article. If you are a board-certified ASPS surgeon, be sure to mention that. Mention the study name and web address: PRSJournal.com.

Altmetrics:

PRS has partnered with Altmetrics to measure online conversations around research, measure digital impact and reach, quantify online attention by looking at non-traditional channels.

Each article is given a score based on its digital impact and is updated in real time.

Visit your article on PRSJournal.com today to find your Altmetrics score.

 

Click on the 'donut' to drill-down into more details of your score. You can discover who has been discussing your article and where, sign up to receive alerts about new mentions, and leverage that knowledge into more publicity, exposure, and engagement for your article. Some examples include replying to Tweets, commenting on Facebook Posts, and reaching out to Journalists who have covered your article in the News.

Note: if an Altmetric score/donut does not appear next to your article, it has not generated enough of the charted types of traffic to measure a score yet. But, do not despair. Following any of the steps or instructions above can help spread the word about your article.

PRS Supplements

The full PRS supplement policy can be found on PRSJournal.com.  

1. All proposals for a supplement to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery must be submitted to the Editorial Office. The Editorial Office will forward the proposals to the Supplements Editor, designated by the Editor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
2. The Supplements Editor, in consultation with the Editors, will decide upon the suitability of the submitted proposal. The initial decision to publish a supplement is based on the significance and timeliness of the proposed topic and the qualifications of the Guest Editor. Final acceptance is based on review of the submitted manuscripts to ensure a balanced presentation.
3. Each supplement must have a Guest Editor who is an expert in the designated topic. The Guest Editor is responsible for: a) idea generation; b) creation of Tables of Contents; c) suggesting and inviting authors to write manuscripts for the supplement; d) compiling articles for inclusion in the supplement; and e) assisting with the editing of the publication if necessary. 
   
   
4. The Supplements Editor and the Editors of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery retain the right to determine whether any individual article in a supplement submitted for publication requires additional peer review. For disputed manuscripts the Editors retain authority to determine whether the final manuscript will be published. Individual authors are responsible for the content of their own contributions and for editing those contributions. The Guest Editor of the supplement accepts responsibility for the overall quality and integrity of the supplement. 
   
   
5. Supplement topics must be of importance to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery subscribers and related to the academic and educational mission of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Priority will be given to supplements that do not focus on a single product but rather on a field of inquiry. 
   
   
6. Supplements will be published only if there is scientific or educational logic for combining papers in one publication rather than publishing them separately. The number and quality of the articles in the supplement must be sufficient to constitute a body of important information that is current and of interest to the clinical and scientific community. 
   
   
7. A supplement based on a conference or symposium should be planned well in advance of the meeting so that manuscripts will be available either at the time of the meeting or shortly thereafter. Timely publication of such symposia is essential so that the supplement is not out of date by the time of publication. To ensure timeliness, supplements may not be published if the date of publication will be more than 9 months after the symposium or conference.
8. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery will only consider publishing proceedings from symposia that are organized by an independent body of professionals in which the funding organization does not have a controlling voice. It is preferable that the Guest Editor and a majority of the members of the independent body be members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. All supplements must have a statement indicating the source of funding, together with any restrictions. Furthermore, the Guest Editor and all contributors must clearly indicate whether there is any conflict of interest and, if so, the extent and nature of the potential conflict.
9. At submission, the supplement manuscript will be peer reviewed to assure that the content is not biased in the interest of any sponsor. All reviewers will be assigned by the Editor in Chief. Please note that acceptance of supplement submissions are not guaranteed. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery will not permit presentations within the scientific and educational portion of the supplement that extol a commercial product. Publication of supplements does not constitute product or sponsor endorsement by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the following (or similar) Disclaimer will be printed at the beginning of each supplement:

   “The contents of this issue represent a supplement to Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, prepared and paid for by the sponsoring organization. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery endeavors to assure that the material presented is not biased in the interest of the sponsoring organization. To this end, it should be understood by the reader that the articles included have been subjected to peer review by the Editorial Board of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Publication of this supplement does not constitute product or sponsor endorsement by Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery."

10. Articles published in a supplement are subject to the same copyright regulations that apply to articles published in regular issues of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
11. Instructions regarding manuscript submission can be found in the printed Journal, at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Web site at www.PRSJournal.com, or at PRS' Editorial Manager at: http://www.editorialmanager.com/prs/.