TOPICS:

• Article topics should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief by email at OTREditors@gmail.com in outline form or via consultation. This submission will be reviewed for appropriate content. (Topics should first be searched at ontherisk.com for a history of articles on the topic.)

• Content must be relevant to morbidity and mortality underwriting.

OTR reserves the right to reject any outline, topic or finished article deemed unsuitable for publication for any reason.

• No article that intentionally or unintentionally promotes a proprietary product or service will be accepted for publication on any basis.

LENGTH:

OTR welcomes narrowly focused articles of 1,000 words or less, and articles with a broader focus of up to 2,500 words.

ARTICLE REQUIREMENTS:

There are six key requirements for articles. Delays in receiving these will delay approval and publication of the article.

1. Use of headings and sub-headings are needed for ease of navigation. Use of bullets is also encouraged.

2. An executive summary up to 150 words should contain a brief synopsis of the article and the conclusion.

3. A bibliography listing all references used in researching and writing the article is required. References may be randomly checked when the article is reviewed for content.

4. A short author biography of up to 150 words is needed as well as the author’s e-mail address and town/state of residence.

5. A digital color author photo (for first-time authors) should be submitted.

FORMAT and  GRAPHICS:

• The article must be submitted in MS WORD.

Highlighting and special formatting of text (bold, italics, graphics captions, etc.) will be reproduced in accordance with OTR’s publication style. Bold print within text paragraphs will be published as italics.

Images should be submitted in high resolution (300 dpi) formats: TIF, WMF or JPG.

Graphics and charts created in MS Excel or PowerPoint or other MS programs can also be submitted. Other formats may require a high resolution copy of the graph or chart.

OTR is not responsible for the quality of color graphics that must be converted by OTR prior to publication.

Images and graphics must be copyright-free. Otherwise, the author must provide a copy of a copyright release from the publisher to OTR. OTR will not pay for reprint permissions.

REVIEW:

• Content editing suggestions will be provided to authors, who will then be given time to review the recommended edits and incorporate them into the article.

OTR reserves the right to minimally edit the author’s final text for space, layout, spelling, grammar and punctuation.

OTR’s Medical Consultant will review medical articles written by non-MDs as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. If an author has had their article reviewed by their own medical director, OTR reserves the right to refer the article to its Medical Consultant.

OTR’s Actuarial Consultant will review actuarial articles for technical accuracy.

TIMING of PUBLICATION:

Once an article has been accepted for publication, it will definitely be printed. However, OTR is unable to guarantee the date of publication of any author’s work, although timeliness of an article’s subject matter and timing of approval is taken into consideration.

COPYRIGHT WAIVER:

OTR will consider waiving copyright under limited circumstances, i.e., when the article is being published in a periodical or in media which would not normally be read by most OTR readers (defined as members of AHOU or CIU).

VENDORS AND REINSURERS:

• OTR will own the exclusive copyright to its articles and will not generally publish articles being submitted elsewhere, including in its own vendor publications or at its vendor website.

• All graphics must be free of logo and company reference.

If such articles discuss a proprietary product, service or method, promotional language in the text will be edited out. Testimonial content from customers will be construed as promotional and edited accordingly.

Statistical experience by users of the product, service or method may be reported in a fact-based context, absent testimonial opinion. Statistical experience from only one user is usually less reliable than experience from multiple users. Independent review and analysis of such statistical experience prior to submission to OTR is preferred.

Authors should take editorial review time into account if planning a submission. OTR is published quarterly and cannot guarantee publication in any specific issue.