EDITORIAL

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Editors evaluate letters for content, relevance, format,

the

editor are accepted for publication. There are various

reasons for rejection, including length of time since the

original article was published, content is redundant,

relevance to the journ al, an d so on. 5 Conside r using a set

article for reply. If the author chooses to reply, the samejournal requires. Timely publication is important because guidelines are followed for the response letter. Some authors

choose not to reply. For example, the author may feel that

there is no counterpoint to be made. With or without a0161-4754/$32.00GENERAL PROCESS

Submission ProcessOne should submit a letter in accordance with the journals

instructions for authors. Traditionally, letters respond to

previous publications from the same journal. However,

depending on the journal, they may also include short reports,

clinical observations, abbreviated cases, and the like. Read

of recommendations when writing or evaluating a letter to

the editor, such as found in Fig 1.

Once Accepted for PublicationIf the editor or editorial team decides to accept the letter,

it will be sent by the editor to the author of the originalsee a c learer pic

through the postpuCopyright D 20doi:10.1016/j.jmthe original article, which allows readers to

t ure of the original article. 1 Thu s, it is timeliness, and supporting evidence. Not all letters toence contained within the journal. At the heart of

nd evidence-based practice is critical appraisal of

re. Through the process of critical review, letters

itor may be generated, submitted, and then

to add clarity to the literature, thus, helping to

the eviden ce base. 1-6

ed, each letter is included in the indexed record

shortly after the original article is published, prefer

within 4weeks. Articles should be sent to the journal, nev

the author directly, so that an impartial handling

refereeing of the letter may be implemented.

Evaluation of the LetterUltimately, all readers and users of a journals

contents (researchers, policy makers, practitioners,

etc) are responsible for the continued evaluation

of the evid

other studies may be built upon the original work. Clarifica-

tion and correction should be done as soon as possible to help

correct the record. Therefore, letters should be submitted

ablyHELPFUL HINTS: WRITING ETO THE EDITOR

Claire Johnson, MSEd, DC, EditorBart Green, MSEd, DC, Associate Editor

ABSTRACT

Letters to the editor serve an important role in postpu

act of critical appraisal of the literature, an important ste

Letters may serve to (1) identify errors or deficiencies a

theories or additional information not contained in the o

that of the original article, and/or (4) hold authors and j

readership helps to strengthen the evidence base. Recom

included in this editorial. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther06 by National University of Health Sciences.pt.2006.06.016ginal article, (3) offer new, additional, or counterevidence to

rnals accountable for their publications. Through letters, the

endations for writing and assessing a letter to the editor are

006;29:415-416)lication review by maintaining the integrity of evidence. The

of evidence-based practice, may generate letters to the editor.FECTIVE LETTERSreply from the author, an accepted letter to the editor will

be published.

415

scientific record. On behalf of the JMPT, we invite you to

participate in this important process.

416 Journal of Manipulative and Physiological TherapeuticsJohnson and GreenJuly/August 2006Helpful HintsOnce the author of the original article has responded to

the editor, the letters are typically scheduled for print in the

next available issue. The letter is published in the same

journal as the original article. In many indexing systems, the

original article is linked to the letter, so that current and

future readers of the article may be aware of the contents of

the letter. Accepted letters and responses may be edited for

grammar, style, and length before publication.Fig 1. Recommendations for writingSubmission to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological TherapeuticsFor the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological

Therapeutics (JMPT), authors should submit letters through

the manuscript submission process on the journal Web site

(www.mosby.com/jmpt) and not by e-mailing the editor

directly. According to the JMPT policy, letters are limited to

a maximum of 500 words and 8 references.7 Letters should

be submitted with a cover letter and a signed copyright

form, and should be submitted within 4 months of pub-

lication of the original article.REFERENCESWriting effective letters to the editor is our readers

responsibility and an important part of maintaining the

and assessing a letter to the editor.1. Mayberry JF. I read with interest. . . . Postgrad Med J 2004;80:559.

2. Horton R. Postpublication criticism and the shaping of clinicalknowledge. JAMA 2002;287:2843-7.

3. Goodman NW. How to write a critical letter and respond to one.Hosp Med 2001;62:426-7.

4. Winker MA, Fontanarosa PB. Letters: a forum for scientificdiscourse. JAMA 1999;281:1543.

5. Brown CJ. Unvarnished viewpoints and scientific scrutiny.CMAJ 1997;157:792-4.

6. Bhopal RS, Tonks A. The role of letters in reviewing research.BMJ 1994;308:1582-3.

7. Lawrence D. Letters to the editor, tables, figures, and abstractsrevisited. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2004;27:285-6.

Helpful Hints: Writing Effective Letters to the EditorGeneral ProcessSubmission ProcessEvaluation of the LetterOnce Accepted for PublicationSubmission to the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics

References