The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements and contributions and the references.

Also see detailed instructions for online submission and formatting your manuscript.

Articles reporting research work may be full length or brief reports. Papers should generally be a maximum of 3500 words in length, excluding references, abstract and "what this paper adds". Exceptions can be made to this, particularly in the case of review articles, qualitative research and tobacco industry document research where the inclusion of important quotations can expand length. The editors will consider the merits of the case for longer papers on a case-by-case basis. In the case of very long papers (more than 5000 words), the editors at their discretion may offer authors the option of page charges for excessive material judged necessary to the integrity of the paper.

Word count: generally up to 3500 words
Tables/Illustrations:
References:

Special communications are papers that do not report original research data but which provide a discussion, analysis, or review of a particular subject.

Review articles provide a review of the literature, usually concerning a particular subject, country, or geographical region. Review manuscripts, including meta-analyses, should include an abstract with the following headings: objective, data sources, study selection, data extraction, data synthesis, and conclusions Authors submitting review manuscripts and reports of the results of meta-analyses should prepare an abstract of no more than 250 words under the following headings:

1. Objective - The abstract should begin with a precise statement of the primary objective of the review. The focus of this statement should be guided by whether the review emphasises factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. It should include information about the specific population, intervention, exposure, and test or outcome that is being reviewed.
2. Data sources - A succinct summary of data sources should be given, including any time restrictions. Potential sources include experts or research institutions active in the field, computerised databases and published indexes, registries, abstract booklets, conference proceedings, references identified from bibliographies of pertinent articles and books, and companies or manufacturers of tests or agents being reviewed. If a bibliographic database is used, the exact indexing terms used for article retrieval should be stated, including any constraints (for example, English language or human subjects).
3. Study selection - The abstract should describe the criteria used to select studies for detailed review from among studies identified as relevant to the topic. Details of selection should include particular populations, interventions, outcomes, or methodological designs. The method used to apply these criteria should be specified - for example, blind review, consensus, multiple reviewers. The proportion of initially identified studies that met selection criteria should be stated.
4. Data extraction - Guidelines used for abstracting data and assessing data quality and validity (such as criteria for causal inference) should be described. The method by which the guidelines were applied should be stated: for example, independent extraction by multiple observers.
5. Data synthesis - The main results of the review, whether qualitative or quantitative, should be stated. Methods used to obtain these results should be outlined. Meta-analyses should state the major outcomes that were pooled and include odds ratios or effect sizes and if possible, sensitivity analyses. Numerical results should be accompanied by confidence intervals, if applicable, and exact levels of statistical significance. Evaluations of screening and diagnostic tests should address issues of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, receiver operating characteristic curves, and predictive values. Assessments of prognosis should include summarisations of survival characteristics and related variables. Major identified sources of variation between studies should be stated, including differences in treatment protocols, co-interventions, confounders, outcome measures, follow up, and dropout rates.
6. Conclusions - The conclusions and their applications should be clearly stated, limiting generalisation to the domain of the review. The need for new studies may be suggested.

Commentaries are opinion pieces, which are generally one to two journal pages (1000 to 1500 words) in length.

News articles should be sent by email to d.simpson{at}iath.org at the International Agency on Tobacco Health. Submissions from, or concerning, developing countries are particularly welcome. We encourage the inclusion of appropriate, high-quality illustrations to accompany news articles.

NB. If you don't own the copyright to the illustrations(s), please provide full details of their origination. Original illustrations will generally not be returned.

Ad Watch is a section of the journal where tobacco advertising and promotional techniques, campaigns, and strategies are profiled and analysed. The text of these articles may be brief (letting the pictures "speak for themselves") or may be more in-depth.

Word count: typically less than 500 words.

Articles appearing in this section review, analyse, and comment on tobacco industry activities and strategies.

Word count: usually less than 500 words.

The objective of the section, which will be limited to one article per issue is to encourage people working in tobacco control advocacy to write up accounts of advocacy episodes in which they have been engaged in such a way that readers would gain insights into strategic thinking about advocacy planning, what was done and achieved by a course of action or campaign, and what was learnt from it. All articles should address the following questions:

1. What did you set out to do?
2. Why is this important to tobacco control?
3. What are the actions and reactions (What you did and how the other side reacted)?
4. What did you achieve (or fail to achieve)?
5. Are there any lessons for advocates?

Features two divergent views on a controversy in tobacco control. Please e-mail Stan Shatinstein the Editor of the For Debate section with suggestions.

Ideas and contributions for covers of Tobacco Control should be sent to the Editor. As with previous covers, we would like future covers to be colourful and creative - with a tobacco control theme. Original artwork, anti-tobacco posters, photographs, and cartoons may all be considered. Material with an international flavour is particularly desirable. Original material or high-quality, camera-ready photographs should be sent to the Editor, and will generally not be returned.

NB. If you don't own the copyright to the illustrations(s), please provide full details of their origination.

Brief reports are shorter versions of original articles, should not exceed 1500 words, and may include one table or figure.

The Lighter Side reproduces anti-tobacco cartoons. Ideas and submissions should be sent to the editor at the address above. Written permission to reproduce the cartoon should be obtained from the artist, publication, or company holding the copyright, and should be submitted with the cartoon. Parodies, satires, and other humorous material may also be submitted for this section and should be emailed to shatensteins{at}sympatico.ca, the editor of The Lighter Side. View an example article from The lighter side (PDF) [Subscription required].

Letters intended for publication should be a maximum of 500 words, 10 references, and one table or figure. [Those responding to articles or correspondence published in the journal should be received within six weeks of publication - see Correspondence for more details.]

1. Should not duplicate information given in the text of the article.
2. Should have a title.
3. hould whenever possible and relevant.

Comments arising from recent articles published in Tobacco Control are welcome and should be submitted electronically via the website. Contributors should go to the abstract or full text of the article in question. At the top right corner of each article is a "contents box". Click on the "eLetters: Submit a response to this article" link. Some letters in response to an article may be published in the print version of the journal.

Word count: up to 400 words.

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:

1. The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
2. The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Again, sponsorship may be sought.
3. The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
4. A sponsoring organisation, often a pharmaceutical company or a charitable foundation, that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.

For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines (PDF).