Writer's Guidelines for the RBMA Bulletin
RBMA Bulletin
The RBMA Bulletin is published six times annually. The publication is approximately 32 to 40 pages in length, and includes articles with topics including practice economics, competition, general business, coding, and legislative and regulatory updates, as well as the overall impact of the health care environment's challenges. We welcome article ideas and from both members and non-members.
Editorial Assistance
RBMA will provide editorial assistance — from refining an idea to grammar-checking the final result. If you have a great idea but are wary about writing about it, please share your idea with us anyway. We may be able to match one of our contributing authors with your idea, and you'll be helping to further RBMA's motto, Progress Through Sharing.
Reprints
If you see an article in another professional publication and think RBMA members would benefit from the information, let us know. Please include the name of the publication, the volume, and issue in which the article appeared, and the article's title and author. Other publications will often grant reprint permission, or we can invite the author to submit an article for the RBMA Bulletin.
Article Consideration
Because the RBMA Bulletin planning and production takes place in months in advance of the mailing date of the publication, it is advisable to contact at editor@rbma.org to discuss your topic and for which issue it is appropriate, prior to writing your article. We welcome all submissions, but because we want to ensure that your time and effort is well spent, it is best if we coordinate potential submissions, to ensure proper placement of your article if, for example, a similar article is already planned for an upcoming issue.
Format
Articles must be typed and sent via e-mail (preferred) or on disk. (Microsoft Word is preferred.) Manuscripts cannot be returned; please retain a copy for your records. If the article contains significant portions of copyrighted materials (this does not include citations or references), please inform us. Significant portions of copyrighted materials cannot be published in the Bulletin without a written permission to reprint.
Submit tables and other illustrations in a separate file; please do not embed them in your article. Charts must have legends/captions to ensure they are self-explanatory.
Include your name, company name, address, phone number, fax number, e-mail address, a brief biography (2-3 sentences) and photograph for the Contributors section of the Bulletin. The photograph may be professional or casual, and sent via mail or electronically (JPG, EPS or TIF file). Please indicate if you would like the photograph returned to you.
Submissions
Please e-mail your submissions to editor@rbma.org.
Selection and Criteria
The RBMA Bulletin reserves the right to edit submissions to conform to our editorial standards and style and to refuse publication of any materials. Articles published in the Bulletin contain the expressed opinions of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the RBMA. All articles/materials to be considered for publication in the Bulletin or any other RBMA publication must adhere to the RBMA Code of Ethics.
Content
Articles with relevant subject matter and professional standards will be considered. Implied or direct advertising for any specific product, service, or company is not permitted.
Please use the following guidelines:
- Introductory paragraph should include a thesis statement.
- In the body of the article, develop the thesis statement. If possible, support the main idea/theme with examples or hands-on, step-by-step instructions.
- In the closing paragraph, summarize your key points and thesis.
- The use of footnotes and/or a bibliography helps to establish credibility.
- Cite references to all copyrighted material.
- Define all abbreviations and acronyms on first reference.
Deadlines
The due date for all materials is two months prior to the publication month (i.e., March 1 for the May/June issue). Articles not received by the due date may not be eligible for that issue, but may be considered for future issues. For more information about production deadlines, see the RBMA Bulletin Editorial Calendar.