Title page

Once the authors and title are decided, it is exciting to create a title page for your paper to give it a formal look. Most journals specify the requirements for the title page in their Instructions to Authors and these will vary according to journal requirements. The title page usually has the title at the top and the authors clearly listed below. All authors must be listed regardless of how many there are. Many journals limit the number of authors and request that if there are more than 12, other names must appear in a footnote. If more than 12 authors are listed for a multicentre trial or more than eight from a single institution, each author may be required to sign a statement attesting that they fulfil the authorship criteria of the ICMJE (www1). Authors should be listed with their full names, highest academic degree, title/s, position, and address. You should also include the name of the department and institution where the work was undertaken, the institutional affiliation and full contact details of yourself as the first author. Finally, add a direct telephone number and facsimile number with their international dialling codes and the email address from which reprints should be requested. You must also acknowledge any grant support either on the title page or in the acknowledgements section. 

The title page should also include a running title, which is the title abbreviated to the number of letter spaces requested by the journal, usually 30–40 including white spaces. This title will appear in the header or footer of the journal pages other than on the title page. Finally, select 3–10 key words or short phrases to add to the bottom of the title or abstract page. Standard terms should be selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), which can be found at the MEDLINE® website (www2 ) or in the printed Index Medicus held by medical libraries. This will help to ensure that your paper is indexed correctly in the electronic databases and can be found easily by other researchers. Journals may have slight variations in the information that they require on the title page, so always check in the Instructions to Authors.