BACCH News - author guidelines

Introduction

• The British Association for Community Child Health (BACCH) is the professional membership organisation for doctors and other professionals working in Paediatrics & Child Health in the community. 
• Most members are Community Paediatricians or CCH trainees based in the UK, but healthcare professionals from a range of backgrounds who have an interest in community child health are also welcome to join.
• BACCH News is the quarterly newsletter of the Association, published in March, June, September and December.
• BACCH members receive a paper copy of BACCH News via post, and a PDF copy is also made available as member-only content on the BACCH website.
• The printed newsletter is in A4 portrait format and usually 24 or 28 pages.

Interested in writing for BACCH News?

• If you are interested in writing an article for BACCH News, we would love to hear from you.
• We accept a range of article types including (but not limited to): short reports, original research, review articles, case studies (anonymised), opinion pieces, book reviews.
• We also welcome articles written by patients and families.
• If you have an idea for an article but would like to discuss this further, then do not hesitate to contact the BACCH office ([email protected]), or you can contact the Newsletter Editor Dr Deepak Parasuraman ([email protected]) directly.
• Linked at the bottom of this page is a PDF of a previous edition of the Newsletter, to give an idea of style and content.

Submission guidelines

We welcome articles up to 1,000 words in length. If you would like to submit a longer article, please contact the Editor to discuss this further. If there is a good reason, we may accept longer articles. 

Please can you:

• include the word count at the bottom of your articles
• submit articles as a Word document and send any/all tables and image files used therein separately (as well as embedded in Word doc, so we know where they are intended to be placed in your article)
• ensure any image files are as high resolution as possible (preferably at least 300 dpi)
• reference any images and check whether subject to copyright
• spell check your document before submission
• ensure the article has a clear title and subtitle
• ensure the name(s), job title(s), department(s), and institution(s) of all authors are included at the bottom of the article (before the references)
• indicate if you are happy for the corresponding author’s email address to be included. This will be visible to all BACCH members who subscribe to the newsletter
• use acronyms and abbreviations sparingly and fully explained when first used; abbreviations and symbols must be standard
• include any acknowledgements, competing interests or funding statements
• use the Vancouver reference style and ensure all references cited in the main text are in numerical order
• ensure referencing is consistent throughout your article and that all references are displayed using the same format

Articles should be submitted to the Editor Dr Deepak Parasuraman ([email protected]), cc the BACCH office ([email protected]). 

Articles are not formally peer reviewed by external reviewers but an internal peer review process does take place. If your article is deemed to require revisions, we will let you know and give you the opportunity to revise your article.

Deadlines for enquiries and article submissions

* The PDF version of BACCH News will usually be available for members on the BACCH website the week before the stated dates.

Thank you very much and we look forward to hearing from you!
The BACCH NEWS Team

Last updated June 2024