Instructions for Authors & Manuscript Submissions 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

  1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE
  2. TYPES OF MANUSCRIPT ACCEPTED
  3. QUALIFICATION FOR AUTHORSHIP
  4. SUBMISSION PROCESS OVERVIEW
  5. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
  6. MANUSCRIPT AND SUBMISSION PREPARATION - IN GENERAL
  7. MANUSCRIPT AND SUBMISSION PREPARATION - SPECIFIC MANUSCRIPT TYPE

 

PURPOSE AND SCOPE 

IMPAQTSM is an independent, peer-reviewed, digital journal created by, and distributed through the Michigan Association for Healthcare Quality (MAHQ). IMPAQTSM publishes original research and study articles, review articles, case studies, commentaries, editorials, and letters to the editor in the interdisciplinary areas focused on healthcare quality. The aim of  IMPAQTSM is to publish original research, practice advances, and information relevant to clinical and healthcare decision leaders and policy makers as they work to promote the advancement and transformation of patient care to improve healthcare outcomes. 

 

IMPAQTSM seeks articles that assist healthcare quality professionals in improving their performance through the application of content in their respective work settings. The content published in IMPAQTSM focuses on, but is not limited to, topics associated with: 
  • Leadership and Management 
  • Performance Measurement and Improvement 
  • Patient Safety 
  • Risk Management 
  • Care Delivery Innovations and Improvement 
  • Policy, Program, Protocol, and Documentation Development and Improvement 
  • Interdisciplinary Quality Management and Performance Improvement 
  • Area or Discipline-Specific Quality Improvement Initiatives 
  • Healthcare Research  
  • Information Management/Informatics 
  • Data Analytics 
  • Population Health 
  • Public Policy and Government Affairs 
  • Accreditation Readiness 
  • Compliance as it Contributes to Quality Improvement 
  • Other Quality-Related Topics Will Be Considered 

     

    TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS ACCEPTED 

    IMPAQTSM publishes a variety of manuscripts and will accept both quantitative and qualitative studies among other methodological formats.  Acceptable manuscript types include: 
    • Original Research Manuscripts should identify a clear research question and include an appropriate research design to report the clinical, economic, or other outcomes of a specific intervention or regulation. Full experimental details must be provided so that the study or results are capable of reproduction. IMPAQTSM requires that authors publish all experimental controls and make full datasets available where possible.  The manuscript should be less than 3000 words, not including supplementary information such as the abstract, references, figures, and tables.  
    • Review or Meta-Analysis Manuscripts should present a thorough synthesis of the literature and offer new insights and/or recommendations on improvements.  The same length restrictions, format, and submission requirements for research manuscripts apply to review manuscripts. 
    • Practice Forum Manuscripts address quality practices and related applications of performance improvement science and methods. Items should be less than 2500 words and include an introduction, overview, discussion, conclusion, references, and an abstract.  
    • Commentaries are brief opinion pieces usually solicited from recognized thought leaders that discuss pertinent and sometimes disputable or debatable issues in healthcare. Manuscripts should be less than 1000 words and contain no figures or tables. 
    • Editorials are used to accompany key manuscripts and either extend or offer opposing perspectives on a specific subject. The editors will consider editorials that comment on manuscripts published in IMPAQTSM within the previous six (6) months.  Manuscripts should be less than 1000 words and contain no figures or tables.  
    • Letters to the Editor are published as space allows and should be no more than 500 words and contain no figures or tables.  

    QUALIFICATION FOR AUTHORSHIP 

    IMPAQTSM follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines which state that to qualify for authorship of a manuscript, sufficient evidence of the following criteria should be capable of production upon request: 
    • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND 
    • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND 
    • Final approval of the version to be published; AND 
    • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. 
    Group authorship may be used where specified authors (not more than 10) assume responsibility for the entire group (e.g., Paula T. Einhorn, Barry R. Davis, Barry M. Massie for the ALLHAT Collaborative Research Group). In this case, only the specified authors must meet the criteria for authorship outlined above, and all members of the group may be listed in a footnote but are not acknowledged as authors.  
    The Submitting Author must ensure that all authors have approved the content of the submitted manuscript, are included in the author section of the separate Title page, and that the order of author names and all spellings and credentials of authors are correct. 
    Any change to the author list should be approved by all authors, including any who have been removed from the list. At least one named author (e.g., the principal investigator) who is independent of any commercial funder or sponsor must be designated as the Submitting Author, and will serve as the agreed upon "guarantor" of the study (i.e., he or she had full access to all the data in the study, and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis). The Submitting Author will act as a point of contact with the IMPAQTSM editorial staff, and should communicate with the other authors, keep them informed, and ensure their involvement in major decisions about the publication. IMPAQTSM reserves the right to request confirmation that all authors meet the authorship conditions. 

    SUBMISSION PROCESS OVERVIEW

    Initial Submission
    Manuscripts for IMPAQTSM should be submitted through the IMPAQTSM  online link. There is no fee to submit a manuscript. Submission of a manuscript does in no way guarantee publication and does not create any rights to publication on the part of the author(s).
    Each manuscript must be submitted via an introductory email from the Submitting Author. The introductory email must be concise and explain why the content of the manuscript is significant, describe the relevance of the work, explain why it fits within the scope of IMPAQTSM, and affirmatively declare and confirm that neither the manuscript nor any portions of its content are currently under consideration, being, or have been published in another journal, book, or publication of any kind, in digital, audio, or video recorded form, online, or in print. All required information, supplementary materials and data, files, declarations, certifications and other required matter and forms must be submitted with the manuscript as part of the introductory email.
    The Submitting Author is solely responsible for all communications with the IMPAQTSM editorial staff during the submission and peer-review process, although a back-up author may be named in case of emergency.
    Acknowledgment of Receipt
    When a manuscript is submitted via email through the IMPAQTSM  online link, the Submission Editor will acknowledge receipt via email and assign a unique, confidential manuscript number. Only the manuscript number will be used throughout the editorial process to maintain the anonymity of all authors. The editorial office will not release any information about the status of a manuscript, even to the Submitting Author or designated back-up author, without the manuscript number.
    Initial Compliance and Conformity Review
    Manuscripts will then be checked by the Submissions Editor to determine whether they are properly prepared, whether they comply with the submission requirements, purpose,
    scope, and ethical requirements of the journal, including those for human subject experimentation and research. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements and standards will be rejected.
    After these checks, the Submissions Editor will refer de-identified manuscripts to the journal’s Editor-in-Chief to confirm that the manuscript fits the purpose and scope of the journal, review whether research studies, reviews, and practice forum submissions submitted are scientifically sound, and are in compliance and conformity with ethical, applicable, and appropriate requirements for the type of healthcare research study submitted (if any), as set forth at EQUATOR Network. No judgment on the major content or potential impact of the work will be made at this stage. Only manuscripts that are not properly prepared but still meet the purposes, scope, and ethical requirements of the journal will be returned to the authors for revision and resubmission. Rejection decisions at this stage will be verified by the Editor-in-Chief.
    Peer-Review
    Once a manuscript passes the initial checks, it will be assigned to at least two (2) independent subject matter experts for peer-review. The Submissions Editor will retain control of the manuscript through the peer-review process. IMPAQTSM uses a double-blind review process, which means that both the reviewer(s) and author name(s) are not revealed to one another for a manuscript under review. The identities of the authors are concealed from the peer-reviewers and vice-versa throughout the review process. Peer-review comments are confidential and will only be disclosed with the express agreement of the reviewer.
    The editors of IMPAQTSM enforce a rigorous peer-review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high-quality conceptual, scientific, and practical application works to the field of scholarly publication. Unfortunately, cases of plagiarism, data falsification, image manipulation, inappropriate authorship credit, and the like, do arise. The editors of IMPAQTSM take such publishing ethics issues very seriously and will proceed in such cases with a zero-tolerance policy. IMPAQTSM follows the Core Practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal also adheres fully to its Best Practice & Guidance recommendations. IMPAQTSM uses the EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines for health research as applicable to the type of study submitted.
    Post Peer-Review Editorial Decision and Possible Revision
    All manuscripts published in IMPAQTSM go through the peer-review process and receive at least two (2) peer-reviews. The Editor-in-Chief will communicate the decision of the peer-reviewers, which will be one of the following:
    • Accept After Minor Revisions: The manuscript is, in principle, accepted after minor revision based on the reviewer’s comments. The authors will be given ten (10) days to resubmit with compliant minor revisions, and correct manuscript formatting according to IMPAQTSM guidelines, if necessary.
    • Reconsider After Major Revisions: The acceptance of the manuscript would depend on the revisions. The authors need to provide a point-by-point response or provide a rebuttal if some of the reviewer’s comments cannot be addressed or revisions cannot be made. Usually, only one round of major revisions is undertaken. The authors will be asked to resubmit the revised manuscript within a suitable time frame (including any formatting revisions required to bring the manuscript into compliance with IMPAQTSM guidelines), and the revised version will be returned to the reviewer(s) for further comments.
    • Reject and Encourage Resubmission: If additional experiments, review, analysis, or other work are needed to support the conclusions, the manuscript will be rejected and the authors will be encouraged to re-submit the manuscript once further experiments, review, analysis, or other work has been conducted and properly laid out in written form.
    • Reject: The manuscript has serious flaws, and/or makes no original, significant contribution. No offer of resubmission to the journal is provided.
    Where the authors disagree with a reviewer or otherwise choose to make a response, they must provide a clear, rational, and point-by-point response, maintaining author anonymity.
    Attributions and Permissions
    The last step before formal acceptance for publication is the verification of sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, and other attributions by the Attributions and Permissions Editor. If copyright permissions are necessary and have not already been submitted by the Submitting Author, the Submitting Author will be notified by the Attributions and Permissions Editor to obtain the necessary permissions for use of sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, and other attributions. Manuscripts will not be published without proper and correct sources, references, concepts, paraphrasing, quotations, data, figures, other attributions, and permissions.
    Production and Publication
    Once accepted, the manuscript will undergo professional content and copy-editing (English language usage, syntax, punctuation, paragraphing, cohesion, format, spell-checking), citation format checking and correction, and final proofreading. The proposed final version will be sent to the Submitting Author to be proofread by all authors. All authors must submit written approval of the final version, or final version with required edits or corrections to the Submitting Author. The Submitting Author will return either a written approval of the final version on behalf of all authors, or will submit a final version with required edits or corrections. Any final edits or corrections will be made to the manuscript and the final version will be sent to the Layout and Format Editor for final format corrections, pagination, journal design layout, and then published on the miMAHQ.org website in the edition of IMPAQTSM for which it was scheduled.

    MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS  

    Introductory Email 

    Each manuscript must be submitted via an introductory email from the Submitting Author only. The introductory email must be concise and explain why the content of the manuscript is significant, describe the relevance of the work, explain why it fits within the scope of  IMPAQTSM, and affirmatively declare and confirm that neither the manuscript nor any portions of its content are currently under consideration for, being, or have been published in another journal, book, or publication of any kind, digitally, in audio or video recorded form, online, or in print.  Any prior submissions of the manuscript to  IMPAQTSM must be acknowledged in the email. 

    Manuscript Requirements 

    All required information, supplementary materials and data, files, statements, documentation, and forms must be submitted with the manuscript as part of the introductory email.  These include, but are not limited to: 
    • Title Page with Required Author and Affiliation Details 
    • Commercial Interest, Conflict of Interest, and Financial Disclosure form(s) – one electronic file for all authors’ forms 
    • Authorship Certification form(s) – certifying compliance with Qualification for Authorship, ownership of the copyright, and certifying that the submission and underlying research was not done for an employer or contracted party thereby rendering it work for hire and the copyright ownership belonging to the principal employer or contractor – one electronic file for all authors’ forms 
    • Copyright Use Permissions – one electronic file for all forms 
    • Copyright Use Compliance Attestation form(s) – stating that each author has not knowingly violated any copyright or other intellectual property standards – one electronic file for all authors’ forms 
    • Abstract (where required) 
    • Blind (Author De-identified) Manuscript and Supporting Materials (all references to authors of any kind removed) 
    • Patent Application or Grant of Letters Patent (if applicable) – one electronic file for all  
    • Supplementary Material (if applicable) – tables, graphs, schemes, figures, equations, spreadsheets, graphics, and photographs in required formats – one electronic zip file for all 
    • Supporting Data or Location, and Access to Supporting Data (if applicable) – one electronic file for all 
    • Statement of Restrictions on Data Availability and Explanation (if applicable) 
    Where noted above, all the authors’ or other forms/documents should be included together into one electronic file and properly named using the name of the form. 
    Further details for all submission requirements are provided below. 

    Submitting Author 

    A single Submitting Author is solely responsible for all communications with the IMPAQTSM editorial staff during the submission and peer-review process, although a back-up author may be named in case of an emergency. The Submitting Author will serve as the agreed upon "guarantor" of the study (i.e., he or she had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis). 
    The Submitting Author must ensure that all co-authors are eligible and have been included in the author list (read Qualification for Authorship above) and that they have all read and approved the submitted version of the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the Submitting Author will also be responsible for ensuring that all co-authors have participated in and signed-off on the final proofreading of the proposed final version (galley) of the manuscript, and reviewed, approved, and signed-off on all final edits or corrections before publication. 
    The Submitting Author must indicate what material is intended as appendices and include the appropriate reference in the text to these elements for them to be converted as links if the manuscript is accepted for publication.  
    Manuscripts submitted for publication in IMPAQTSM must not have been published previously (either in whole or in part), nor currently being submitted elsewhere in either identical or similar form. Material posted on the Internet or disseminated in any other digital or electronic form constitutes prior publication and result in the manuscript not being considered for publication by IMPAQTSM. Previous publication of a small fraction of the content of a manuscript does not necessarily preclude it being published in IMPAQTSM, but the editors will require information about previous publication when deciding how to use space in the Journal efficiently. These restrictions on prior publication, however, do not apply to abstracts or poster presentations published in connection with scientific or professional association meetings, or to working papers that have been posted on the web to facilitate peer feedback. 

    MANUSCRIPT AND SUBMISSION PREPARATION – IN GENERAL 

    Basic Document Format 

    • Citation and other document formatting not stated below is to follow the latest version of the American Psychological Association (APA) citation format guidelines for submission of professional papers for publication, including the running head.  An APA Sample Professional Paper can be found here. 
    • The IMPAQTSM Microsoft Word template must be used and includes all the basic document format requirements.  Do not edit the template settings. 

    Accepted File Formats 

    MANUSCRIPTS: Must use Word format.  
    • The IMPAQTSM  Microsoft Word template must be used. 
    • DO NOT submit the manuscript file as a PDF. Manuscript files submitted in PDF or any other format other than Word will be returned.  For any questions, please contact the Editorial Office a the IMPAQTSM  online link. 
    • Multi-part manuscripts prepared in Microsoft Word must be converted into a single file before submission.  
    • Please insert notations in the main text after the paragraph of its first citation where graphics (graphs, tables, figures, etc.) are to be placed. 
    • Note: Usage of the Microsoft Word template provided by MAHQ and IMPAQTSM is exclusively intended for manuscript submission to the IMPAQTSM journal and is strictly limited to this purpose. 
    SUPPLEMENTARY FILES: Files for figures, schemes (workflow and process charts and graphics), tables, graphs, equations, spreadsheets, graphics, photographs, and illustrations must be provided during submission in a single zip folder and at a sufficiently high resolution (minimum 1000 pixels width/height, or a resolution of 300 dpi or higher). Common non-proprietary formats are accepted, however, DOC, DOCX, PPT, XLS, TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, and PDF are preferred.
    IMPORTANT NOTE: Supplementary files must be made available to readers when the manuscript is published. Manuscript acceptance for publication in IMPAQTSM is conclusive evidence that all authors agree to make all associated materials, data, and protocols available, and that they have the legal right and authority to do so.
    Authors must disclose at the submission stage any restrictions on the availability of any associated materials or information.
    ● Tables: For initial submission and review, acceptable table file formats include Word and Excel. All table columns should have an explanatory heading. To facilitate the copy-editing of larger tables, smaller fonts may be used, but no less than 8 pt. in size. Use of the Table function in Microsoft Word to create tables is preferred. Tables are only accepted in Word (DOC, DOCX) and Excel (XLS) formats.
    • If using Excel to create a table, do not place tables on individual spreadsheets within the same file because only the top sheet will be converted.
    • Figures, Schemes, Graphs, Spreadsheets, Graphics, Photographs, Illustrations (Collectively: graphics): For initial submission and review, acceptable figure file formats are AI, BMP, DOC, EMF, EPS, JPG, PDF, PPT, PSD, TIFF, WMF, and XLS.
    • For multi-part graphics, create one (1) file for each graphic, with all parts included in the same zip folder file. Label each file clearly as to graphic and number in series.
    • All graphics must be numbered following their number of appearances, and the numbering should accompany the notations in the main text after the paragraph of its first citation where the graphics are to be placed (Figure 1, Scheme I, Figure 2, Scheme II, Table 1, etc.).
    • All graphics should have a short explanatory title and caption that should accompany the notations in the main text after the paragraph of its first citation where the graphics are to be placed.
    • Authors are encouraged to prepare graphics in color (RGB at 8-bit per channel). There is no cost for publishing full-color graphics.
    • IMPAQTSM may be able to publish multimedia files in manuscripts or as supplementary materials. Please contact the editorial office through the IMPAQTSM at publishing@mimahq.org for further information.
    • Equations: In Word, please use either the Microsoft Equation Editor or the Math Type add-on. Equations should be able to be formatted by the IMPAQTSM editors and not appear in a picture format.
    • Supplementary Materials, Data Deposit, and Software Source Code: Additional data and files can be uploaded as "Supplementary Files" during the manuscript submission process. The supplementary files will also be available to the reviewers as part of the peer-review process. Any file format is acceptable, however, IMPAQTSM recommends that common, non-proprietary formats are used where possible.
    • Links to Supplemental Data in Text: If included links to appendices that include supplementary data, extra tables, or figures will be made accessible at the time of digital publication, authors must indicate what material is intended as appendices and include the appropriate reference in the text to these elements so they can be converted to links.
    Other Standard Formats
    • Abbreviations: Should be defined in parentheses after the completely spelled-out term is used for the first time in the abstract, main text, and in figure or table captions, and used consistently thereafter.
    • SI Units: (International System of Units), or metric units should be used when describing measurements. Imperial, US customary, and other units should be converted to SI units whenever possible.
    Front Matter
    These segments must accompany all manuscript submissions as individual files separate from the blind (author de-identified) manuscript:
    • Title Page: The title of the manuscript should be focused and succinct. It should not contain abbreviations or words that serve no purpose. It should identify whether the study reports trial or experiment data, or is a systematic review, meta-analysis, replication study, case study, practice forum submission, commentary, editorial, or other form of manuscript. This page should include the authors' names and affiliations (see below). If there is more than one author, one author should be designated as the Submitting Author, and his or her complete address, telephone number, and e-mail address should be included at the end of the Authors and Affiliations section of the Title Page.
    • Commercial Interests, Conflicts of Interest, and Financial Disclosures: According to The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, “Authors should avoid entering into agreements with study sponsors, both for-profit and non-profit, that interfere with authors’ access to all of the study’s data or that interfere with their ability to analyze and interpret the data and to prepare and publish manuscripts independently when and where they choose.”
      Declarations regarding commercial interests, conflicts of interest, and financial disclosures and funding sources will be reported on the Commercial Interest, Conflict of Interest, and Financial Disclosure form. Each author must review, sign, and submit the form with the initial manuscript submission.
      All authors must disclose all relationships or interests that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include but are not limited to financial interests (such as membership, employment, consultancies, stocks/shares ownership, honoraria, grants or other funding, paid expert testimonies, and patent-licensing arrangements) and non-financial interests (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, personal beliefs).
      Authors encountering a conflict of interest after submission may submit an updated Author Commercial Interest, Conflict, and Financial Disclosure form at any time prior to publication, using the manuscript identification number with the submission.
      All authors must identify any conflicts of interest. Any personal circumstances or interest that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of reported research results must be disclosed. See here for examples of conflicts that must be disclosed.
    • CONFLICT OF INTEREST EXAMPLES:
      • Author A has received research grants from Company A.
      • Author B has received a speaker honorarium from Company X and owns stocks in Company Y.
      • Author C has been involved as a consultant and expert witness in Company Z.
      • Author D is the inventor of patent X.
    • Authorship Certification: Each author is required to read and sign the IMPAQTSM Authorship Certification form affirming that they have met the Qualification for Authorship criteria, ownership of the copyright, and certifying that the submission and underlying research was not done for an employer or contracted party thereby rendering it work for hire and the copyright ownership thus belonging to the principal employer or contractor.
    • Copyright Use Permissions: Concepts, quotations, paraphrasing, data and/or figures reproduced from another published source must be properly cited and acknowledged.
      • Copies of copyright use permissions must be submitted with the initial manuscript submission.
      • Each author is required to review, sign, and submit with the manuscript a Copyright Use Compliance Attestation form that they have not knowingly violated any copyright or other intellectual property rights or standards.
    • Abstract: Should be a total of about 200 words maximum (except for Commentaries and Editorials which must contain a Summary Abstract of 50 to 75 words). The format should be a single paragraph and include the following information without headings:
    1. Background - should describe the question or issue addressed in a broad context and highlight the purpose of the study or manuscript.
    2. Methods - must briefly describe the main methods or treatments applied. Include any relevant preregistration numbers, and details associated with any test subjects used.
    3. Results - should summarize the manuscript’s main findings.
    4. Conclusion - must indicate the main conclusions or interpretations of the work of the study.
    • The abstract should be an objective representation of the manuscript and not contain results that are not presented and substantiated in the main text.
    • The abstract must not exaggerate the main conclusions.
     
    • Keywords: Keywords specific to the manuscript should be added after the abstract.
      • Choose three (3) to ten (10) pertinent keywords that are specific to the manuscript topic but are relatively common within the subject matter. Click here to read in details
    Blind (Author De-identified) Manuscript Preparation
    Authors must ensure that their manuscript is prepared in a way that does not reveal their identities. To help with this preparation please ensure the following when submitting manuscripts:
    • Author names and affiliations do not appear in the main text of the manuscript, and
      • Do not appear in endnotes
      • Do not appear in tables, graphs, figures, graphics, or photographs
      • Do not appear in Patent information
      • Do not appear in supporting or supplementary data or other materials, except where required for the purpose of granting permissions
    Original Research Manuscript and Review or Meta-Analysis Required Manuscript Sections:
    • The Introduction: Should briefly place the study in a broad context and describe its importance. This section should define the purpose of the work and its significance, including specific hypotheses being tested. The current state of the research field should be reviewed carefully, and key publications cited. Any controversial and diverging hypotheses must be highlighted when necessary. In the conclusion, highlight the main aim and conclusions of the work.
    • Materials and Methods: Should be described with sufficient detail for others to replicate and build on results in their particular setting. New methods and protocols should be described in detail while well-established methods can be briefly described and appropriately cited. If any type of computer software is used, please provide the name and version, including any computer code.
    • Results: Must include a detailed and concise description of the experimental findings, interpretations, and the experimental conclusions that can be drawn from the results.
    • The Discussion and Conclusions: Should examine the results and how they can be interpreted in relation to any previous studies and the working hypotheses. This section should also discuss the findings and implications in a broad context and include any limitations related to the work and any potential future research identified. It should also include a section on limitations and other constraints on, or as a result of the research design, methodology, sampling, access, bias, and researcher(s).
    • Practical Implications and Applications: Should detail how the research could be put into quality improvement practice and the short-term and long-term results it might produce.
    • Patents/Patents Pending: If there are Patents or Patents Pending that are necessary to disclose in the manuscript as a result of the work, they must be noted in this optional section.
    • Supplementary Materials: Should include any additional material such as figures, tables, spreadsheets, graphics and the like that need to be published with the manuscript. Please follow the current edition of the APA guidelines when formatting this section.
    • Funding and Material Support Acknowledgments: Should include all funding and material support sources, including grants purposely provided for the research project.
    Other Manuscript Preparation Information
    • Unpublished Data: Restrictions on data availability should be noted during submission and in the manuscript. "Data not shown" should be avoided: authors are strongly encouraged to publish all observations related to the submitted manuscript as Supplementary Material. "Unpublished data" intended for publication in a manuscript that is either planned, "in preparation" or "submitted" but not yet accepted, should be cited in the text and a reference should be added in the References section. "Personal Communication" should also be cited in the text and reference added in the References section.
    • References in Supplementary Files: Citations and References in Supplementary files are permitted provided that they also appear in the reference list of the main text.
    • Pre-registration Studies or Analysis Plans: Links to the pre-registration must be provided in the manuscript.
    Back Matter
    These segments must accompany all manuscript submissions as individual files separate from the blind (author de-identified) manuscript:
    • Author Contributions and Acknowledgments Statement: This document is separate and distinct from the authorship information included in the title page. This information will be included at the end of the manuscript prior to the Conflicts of Interest Section and The References endnotes if the manuscript is published. Each author listed in the section is expected to have made a significant contribution to the idea or design of the study, obtaining and analyzing data, development of software that was used in the study, have written the manuscript, or revised a significant portion of the work. Each author must approve the submitted version, and any version significantly edited by IMPAQTSM staff, that involves the author’s contribution to the study. Each author agrees to be personally accountable for their own contributions and for ensuring any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work, even ones in which the author was not personally involved, are appropriately investigated, resolved, and documented in the literature.
    • Conflicts of Interest Summary Statement: In addition to the completed Commercial Interest, Conflict of Interest, and Financial Disclosure forms for each author, the Submitting Author must submit a Conflicts of Interest Summary Statement (as a separate document) that will be later included in the manuscript in a separate section entitled “Conflicts of Interest,” and will be placed just before the Reference endnotes. The statement should reflect all the information contained on the collected potential conflict of interest disclosures on the completed Commercial Interest, Conflict of Interest, and Financial Disclosure forms for each author.
    • References: Are to be formatted as ENDNOTES only. They must follow the latest edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) citation format guidelines. It is essential to include author(s) name(s), journal or book title, manuscript, or chapter title (where required), year of publication, volume, and issue (where appropriate) and pagination. DOI numbers (Digital Object Identifier) are not mandatory but highly encouraged. Hyperlinks to the references are also highly encouraged.
    Research and Publication Ethics
              Institutional Review Board Approval
    • If research was conducted involving human subjects, a statement must be submitted with the introductory email indicating that the research was an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved study, including IRB number, and copy of the IRB application and approval or waiver. If IRB approval was not required, an explanation must be provided as to why (e.g., did not fit IRB requirements, not an institutional affiliated study or review/meta-analysis, etc.). Additionally, if research conducted included Medicare or Medicaid patients the Submitting Author must submit the Research, Privacy, Medicare/Medicaid, and Informed Consent Compliance and Conformity Attestation form on behalf of all authors verifying Medicare/Medicaid patient data regulation compliance.
              Informed Consent for Study Participation
    • For studies that included human participants, the Submitting Author must submit with the introductory email the Research, Privacy, Medicare/Medicaid, and Informed Consent Compliance and Conformity Attestation form on behalf of all authors verifying the informed consent information was properly provided, and informed consent was fully and completely obtained from each participant. Only one form signed by the Submitting Author on behalf of all authors is required. A blank version of the form used to obtain informed consent for study participation (without the patient names or signature) must be uploaded with the submission. To respect patients’ and any other study-involved individuals’ privacy, please do not send signed forms. IMPAQTSM reserves the right to ask authors to provide signed forms if necessary.
              Informed Consent for Publication
    • A signed Informed Consent for Publication and Distribution by Identified Individual in Manuscript form must be obtained for each patient or other individual identified or referenced in the manuscript, including individuals named as contributors (but not authors), and for any patients who can be possibly identified (including by the patients themselves). All such forms are to be compiled into a single electronic file for submission with the introductory email.
    • A signed Informed Consent for Use of Photograph or Likeness in Healthcare Publication and Distribution form, must be obtained for each patient or other individual for whom an image or likeness of the patient or individual is meant to be seen and identified by the patients themselves or by readers as included in the manuscript or the supplementary materials. All such forms are to be compiled into a single electronic file for submission with the introductory email. Patients’ initials or other personal identifiers must not appear in any images or likenesses, and patient image or likeness details must be anonymized as far as possible, (e.g., do not mention specific age, ethnicity, or occupation where they are not relevant to the conclusions), unless the patient has signed the Informed Consent for Use of Photograph or Likeness in Healthcare Publication and Distribution form.
              Patient/Participant Data and Informa
              Ethics and Scientific Integrity
              Originality, Plagiarism, and Data/Material Manipulation
    • All manuscripts submitted are to be the original work of the authors, and the manuscript nor any portions of its content are currently under consideration, being, or have been published in another journal, book, or publication of any kind, in digital, audio, or video recorded form, online, or in print.
    • Authors wishing to publish their manuscripts in IMPAQTSM must understand and abide by the precept that plagiarism is not acceptable in scientific, medical, healthcare, academic, and professional journal submissions.
    • Plagiarism includes copying text, ideas, images, or data from another source, even from your own publications, paraphrasing another’s work without giving any credit to the original source, as well as citing to sources that cannot be independently accessed or verified.
    • Reuse of text that is copied from another source must be between quotes or set off in a block format as required by the latest version of APA, and the original source must be cited. If a study's design or the manuscript's structure or language has been inspired by previous works, these works must be explicitly cited.
    • If plagiarism is detected during the peer-review process, the manuscript may be rejected. If plagiarism is detected after publication, IMPAQTSM may publish a correction or retract the manuscript.
    • Image files must not be manipulated or adjusted in any way that could lead to misinterpretation of the information provided by the original image.
    • Irregular manipulation includes: 1) introduction, enhancement, moving, or removing features from the original image; 2) grouping of images that should obviously be presented separately (e.g., from different parts of the same gel, or from different gels); or 3) modifying the contrast, brightness or color balance to obscure, eliminate or enhance some information.
    • Each author will sign and submit with the introductory email an Originality, No Plagiarism, and No Improper Manipulation of Data or Supporting/ Supplemental Material Attestation form, affirming that this manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported, and that no important aspects of the study have been omitted.
    • If irregular image manipulation is identified and confirmed during the peer-review process, IMPAQTSM may reject the manuscript. If irregular image manipulation is identified and confirmed after publication, IMPAQTSM may correct or retract the manuscript.
    • IMPAQTSM editors will investigate any allegations of publication misconduct and may contact the authors' institutions or funders if necessary. If evidence of misconduct is found, appropriate action will be taken to correct or retract the publication. Authors are expected to comply with best ethical publication practices when publishing with IMPAQTSM
              Publication Permissions
              Editors and Journal Staff as Authors
    Editorial staff or editors will not be involved in the processing of their own manuscripts submitted for publication consideration. Submissions authored by editorial staff/editors will be anonymized and assigned to at least two (2) independent, outside peer-reviewers. Decisions will be made by other editorial board members who do not have conflicts of interest with the author(s).

    MANUSCRIPT AND SUBMISSION PREPARATION – SPECIFIC MANUSCRIPT TYPE

    • Original Research Manuscripts should identify a clear research question and include an appropriate research design to report the clinical, economic, or other outcomes of a specific intervention or regulation. Full experimental details must be provided so that the study or results are capable of reproduction. IMPAQTSM requires that authors publish all experimental controls and make full data sets available where possible.
    • Review or Meta-Analysis Manuscripts should present a thorough synthesis of the literature and offer new insights and/or recommendations on improvements.
      • The same length restrictions, format, and submission requirements for original research manuscripts apply to review and meta-analysis manuscripts (see above).
      • Review manuscripts must include a Literature Review section. 
      • A maximum of fifty (50) references formatted as endnotes only.
      • Ensure conformity with appropriate health research reporting methods (from EQUATOR Network).
      • Quality and impact of the study will be considered during peer-review.
    • Practice Forum Manuscripts address quality practices and related applications of performance improvement science and methods.
      • The manuscript should be less than 2500 words.
      • A maximum of fifty (50) references formatted as endnotes only.
      • Ensure conformity with appropriate health research reporting methods (from EQUATOR Network).
      • Quality and impact of the study will be considered during peer-review.
      • See Original Research Manuscripts for further information. 
    • Commentaries are brief opinion pieces usually solicited from recognized thought leaders that discuss pertinent and sometimes disputable or debatable issues in healthcare.
      • Manuscripts should be less than 1000 words.
      • Contain no figures or tables.
      • A maximum of ten (10) references formatted as endnotes only.
      • Quality and impact of the study will be considered during peer-review.
      • See Original Research Manuscripts for further information.
    • Editorials are used to accompany key publications and either extend or offer opposing perspectives on a specific subject. The editors will consider editorials that comment on manuscripts published in IMPAQTSM within the previous six (6) months.
      • Manuscripts are less than 1000 words.
      • Contain no abstracts, figures, tables, equations, graphs, graphics, or photographs. 
      • A maximum of five (5) references formatted as endnotes only.
      • Quality and impact of the study will be considered during peer-review.
      • See Original Research Manuscripts for further information.
    • Letters to the Editor are published as space allows.
      • Should be no more than 500 words.
      • See Editorials & Original Research Manuscripts for further information.

    Any questions should be directed to the editorial staff through the IMPAQTSM at publishing@mimahq.com. Click here to access or download the Manuscript Instructions.