Writers' Guidelines

Today's Dietitian welcomes lively, timely, and engaging articles on all subjects of interest to the nutrition profession. We encourage the submission of letters to the editor, queries for profiles of exceptional dietitians, features, and the following departments:

  • Bookshelf: Reviews of books by, for, about, and of interest to dietitians
  • Community Matters: Stories on dietitians using their skills to benefit the community
  • Food for Thought: Essays on any issues pertinent to the profession
  • Growing Your Business: Practical strategies to help entrepreneurial dietitians start and develop their businesses
  • Practice Matters: Stories on any aspect of professional practice
  • Research Brief: Summaries of new research on any aspect of medicine

Queries, Abstracts, and Outlines

A one-page query, abstract, or outline of your story idea is preferred. Please e-mail your proposal to the editor at TDeditor@gvpub.com. A submitted query, abstract, or outline will be read only if the e-mail includes the author's full name, credentials, academic degree, title, and affiliation (if any), postal address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address. (Information is for verification, not for publication.)

Query and Manuscript Submission

Queries should be sent via e-mail as Microsoft Word attachments or within the e-mail itself. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be accepted. Queries will be considered only if a detailed synopsis (1 to 2 paragraphs) of the article idea is provided along with the author’s full name, affiliations, highest academic degree, complete address, daytime phone number, fax number, and e-mail address. (Information is for verification, not for publication.) If there is more than one author, provide information for each contributor and designate one author to handle correspondence.

When submitting queries, include a signed statement that the article idea is original, has not been submitted elsewhere, and is not under consideration by any other publication or electronic medium. Also include a brief author biography. 

Length

As a general guideline, feature stories typically run 2,100 to 2,500 words and departments run 800 to 1,400 words. Authors are encouraged to submit sidebars once the editor assigns the article.

References

Information from other published works should be completely and accurately referenced in the order in which it is cited in the text. List references in numerical order according to the American Medical Association Manual of Style. Please do not submit more than 10 references for features and 5 references for departments. Do not list references that are not cited in the text. Provide a list of any individuals interviewed for the article and include the interviewee's full name, title, affiliation, address, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.

When submitting an article for publication, send all background material used to write the article. This can include a list of links to articles and research studies on the Internet, and PDFs of articles and research studies.

Artwork

Submission of photographs, charts, tables, and other graphics is encouraged. Please submit any artwork or graphics along with a statement of originality. If the artwork has been previously published or is based on previously published material, written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce or adapt that artwork must be submitted. Consent forms must be provided by any individuals identifiable in photographs. Photographs should be submitted electronically as JPEG, TIFF, PDF, or EPS files. Images must have at least 300 dpi resolution and be a minimum of 4 inches by 6 inches. All photos, tables, and other graphics should be clearly labeled and captioned. Tables should be numbered in order of their citation in the article.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are solely responsible for the content of submitted articles. The magazine accepts no responsibility for inaccuracies in manuscripts or references. It is the author's responsibility to notify the magazine of any potential conflict of interest with respect to submitted articles and to acknowledge affiliation with any organization or entity mentioned in the text and/or financial interest in any subject matter, organization, or product discussed.

Editing

While the editors will attempt to preserve the author's voice whenever possible, all accepted manuscripts or letters to the editor will be edited for space and clarity according to the magazine's style and format.