Submission Guidelines

---

Our Goals and Our Readers

Articles feature ample evidence-based information while focusing on practical recommendations and tips that can be applied to general practitioners. Our articles focus on new, high-level, and cutting-edge information on cats, and our readers should gain new insight and ideas on how to better recognize and manage clinical problems under discussion.

Our readers include over 4,300 veterinary professionals, technicians, and support staff. Our members work in a variety of practice types (15-20% feline-only) and include all levels of experience.

---

Article Length

The Feline Practitioner consists of several unique commissioned article types, each with individual lengths and goals. Below are the target text and illustration goals for each article type:

RACE CE Article

• 3000-3500 words / 20 references, maximum / 7-8 Illustrations, tables and/or boxes

Feature Article

• 1200-2200 words / 10 references, maximum / 2-4 illustrations, tables and/or boxes

Technician Article

• 600-800 words / 5 references, maximum / 2-3 illustrations, tables and/or boxes

Case Study

• 700-1200 words / 5 references, maximum / 2-3 illustrations, tables and/or boxes

Vignette/Opinion/Interview

• 400-700 words / 5 references, maximum / 1-2 illustrations, tables and/or boxes

---

Preparing Your Article

Article submissions consist of four key items:

Title Page

• Please include a full title for your article. You are encouraged to create an engaging and creative title, but the title should be relevant to your article topic.
• Please include your full name, credentials, and full contact information. Your name and title should appear exactly as you would like them to appear in the article.
• All Acknowledgments, Conflicts of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval, and Informed Consent should be stated explicitly if necessary.
• Please provide a short bio (50 words maximum).

Main Text

• Please maintain the requested article length when writing your article, as this helps to determine the final publication length. Please refer to the “Article Length” overview for a list of the targeted word count and figure/table limit. Our medical editor(s) reserves the right to edit commissioned articles to maintain length, but please do not hesitate to contact your associate editor if you are considering a longer article.
• Headings and subheadings may be used to organize content. Please use a consistent style when creating headings.
• Figures, tables, and boxes that enhance your article content are encouraged! Please provide a full in-text callout for each item in order of appearance and separated by type (e.g., “…please see Figure 1 and Box 2 to learn more.” or [Figure 3]). In addition, please provide a full caption for each item. Please see “Figure Guidelines” for additional information on submitting visual aids.
• Figures/Tables/Boxes may be provided in-text to guide our production staff on placement, but please provide all visual aids as separate items.
• All drugs should be provided as their listed generic name. If a trade name is necessary, please include the manufacturer’s name in parentheses.

References

• The Feline Practitioner follows the Vancouver style for all reference use. All references should be cited in-text and in order of appearance. You will find a quick reference guide and citation examples here.
• An Endnote Vancouver Style download can be found here. 
• All references should be provided on a new page following the main text. References should be listed by order of appearance in-text and follow Vancouver style. 

Tables/Boxes/Figures Legends

• Please include a caption for each figure/table/box after a reference list and in order of appearance in-text.

---

Figure Guidelines

Illustrations

• All photographs/drawings/line art should be provided in JPG, TIFF, or PNG format.
• Illustrations should be labeled by their in-text callout (e.g., Figure 1.jpg).
• Illustration parts should be noted in the filename (e.g., Figure 2a.tiff).
• Do not embed illustration parts, titles, or captions in your illustrations.
• Illustrations should be high-quality and reproduce clearly at a minimum of 300 dpi. Please contact the Associate Editor if you are uncertain about an image.
• All reproduced images must include a full reference to the original publication. Please Refer to “Permissions” for the criteria for requesting permission.

Tables/Boxes

• Please label Tables/Boxes in the order they appear.
• Please keep Tables/Boxes short, with essential data for maximum impact.
• All reproduced Tables/Boxes must include a full reference to the original publication. Please Refer to “Permissions” for the criteria on requesting permission.

---

Permissions

What Requires Permissions?

• Any material, including illustrations, tables, boxes, and text excerpts previously published in print or online, in whole or in part, will require expressed permission from the copyright holder.
• Material written and published previously by the contributor may still require permission from the originating publisher. Please consult your original publishing agreement. 
• Any image(s) containing an identifiable person and/or cat other than yours will require written consent to publish. You may provide evidence of their approval along with your article.
• You may use your own image(s) as a “Courtesy of…” but please make sure to obtain consent to publish images containing cats and/or clients.

Do I Obtain Permission?

• Yes. All permissions must be obtained by the author and provided with their article submission. Many publishers have an established permission solicitation process in place to easily solicit and obtain permissions electronically.
• The AAFP cannot solicit permission on behalf of an author. Your Associate Editor will be happy to review an image source and advise on the best path to obtain permission. Reproduced content submitted without permission may need to be deleted from the article. 

Questions? Please write to the AAFP Team and let us know! Our editorial staff is available to answer any questions you may have while preparing your article.