JRSBRT Home · Issue Contents · Editorial Board Subscription Info · Contributor Notes · Online Submissions · Call for Papers · Recommend Advertise in JRSBRT · Sample Issue
In order to ensure timely handling of manuscripts, contributors are encouraged to read these instructions carefully before preparing a manuscript for submission and to check the manuscript for compliance with these notes before submitting it for publication.
Last updated August 16, 2020
Submission of Manuscripts
Please submit an electronic copy of your manuscript via email.Please submit an electronic copy of your manuscript via email to: Martin O’Neill, Managing Editor, Journal of Radiosurgery and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (JRSBRT) email: jrsbrt@oldcitypublishing.com
Please include complete postal addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers for all authors of the article.
The preferred order of presentation is Title, Authors, Affiliations (indicated by superscript Arabic numerals if more than one), Corresponding author details, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments (including Potential Conflict of Interest and Author Contribution information), References, Appendices (if used), tables, figures and figure legends.
Submission of a paper to the Journal of Radiosurgery and SBRT implies that it has not been published or submitted elsewhere. It will also be assumed all authors have obtained all necessary permissions for the paper to include items such as quotations, figures, tables, results of government-sponsored research, and that authors follow strict ethical rules, as defined in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)1 publication, Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing and publication of scholarly work in medical journals (ICMJE Recommendations).2
Guidelines for the Submission of Text
All submissions should be made as Microsoft Word documents. Text in the main body of the manuscript and references should be double spaced, presented in an easily readable, standard font and size (such as 10 or 12 pt. Times New Roman or Arial). All pages should be numbered. All manuscripts must be submitted in English; within each paper, either American or British spelling should be consistently used. The manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter, containing the e-mail address and phone number of the corresponding author.
Length of manuscript:
Full paper articles: 5000 words, abstract: 250 words maximum, total 6 combination of figures and tables, 30 references.
Short communication: 2500 words, total 3 combination of figures and tables, 15 references.
Letters (Case reports): 1000 words, 1 combination of tables or figures, 10 references. No abstract needed.
Title: The title of the paper should clearly indicate the scope and findings of the paper and should provide an accurate indication of the contents when searched by computerized methods. A running title of a maximum of 35 characters should also be provided.
Authors: The names of authors should be given in full along with their academic credentials (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name, academic credentials; example—John P. Smith, PhD, MD). Departments, institutions and addresses including postal code and country for each author should be given on separate lines after the list of authors and referenced by Arabic numerals as superscripts.
Corresponding author: Contacts for the corresponding author should be listed separately. Please include, e-mail contact and complete mailing address.
Abstract: Manuscripts should include an abstract of 100-150 words summarizing the significant findings.
Keywords: Three to six keywords or phrases should be supplied to aid in indexing the article.
Text headings: Headings should be set flush left and the text should begin on the next line. For example:
first-level HEADING (bold, all caps.)
second-level Heading (bold, initial uppercase only)
third level Heading: (italics, initial uppercase only)
Acknowledgments: In addition to any relevant information considered necessary by authors (e.g. institutional grant listings, professional advice freely given), please include the following information in this section under second-level headings.
Authors’ disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: All authors are required to complete a Conflict of Interest (COI) form [cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/. On the basis of the completed COI forms, please formulate a COI statement, e.g.:
Example 1
“Authors’ disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
The authors have nothing to disclose.”
Example 2
“Authors’ disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
Dr [A] reports … . Dr [B] reports … Other authors have nothing to disclose.”
Please attach copies of all completed COI forms for JRSBRT reference.
Author contributions Please complete this list and include it under an “Author contributions” heading. If a section in this list is not relevant to your submission, omit it.
Conception and design: [insert authors’ full names here]
Data collection: [insert authors’ full names here]
Data analysis and interpretation: [insert authors’ full names here]
Manuscript writing: [insert authors’ full names here]
Final approval of manuscript: [insert authors’ full names here]
Nomenclature: A nomenclature section defining all symbols used should be included at the end of the paper. Please indicate S.I. units.
Symbols and abbreviations: SI unit symbols3, Gy, mg, m2, etc., and chemical element symbols4, Ar, Y, Nb, etc., can be used without further explanation, as can well-known abbreviations, like “e.g.” and “etc.”, as well as cooperative group clinical trial numbers. Any other abbreviations should be defined on first use of the full term and then employed consistently throughout the rest of the text. If tables or figures are likely to be photocopied separately, the full term can exceptionally remain in these elements.
Tables: Tables should be numbered consecutively and include a clear descriptive caption at the top. Format tables in Arial 9 point (main body) and 8 point (footnotes). Avoid the use of structural formulas in the body of tables. Table footnotes should be given a footnote symbol as explained in the Footnotes section, proceeding by row rather than by column order
References: References should be indicated in the text by consecutive Arabic numbers in brackets. The full list should be collected at the end of the paper in numerical order. Word “Endnotes” may not be used for references, as a requirement to reformat can create extra work. All references in the list should be cited within the text, and vice versa. References should be numbered by the order in which they appear in the text. Listed references should be complete in all details, including article titles in journals. All authors on each paper should be cited; “et al.” is not sufficient.
Journal title abbreviations should comply with PubMed Central guidelines [Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=journalspmc.
Reference formatting should comply with NLM guidelines [Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html.
Omit bold and italic formatting in reference entries and quote DOIs where available.
Examples:
Journal article:
[1] Elibe E, Boyce-Fappiano D, Ryu S, Siddiqui MS, Lee I, Rock J, Siddiqui F. Stereotactic radiosurgery for primary tumors of the spine and spinal cord. J Radiosurg SBRT. 2018;5:107–113.
Book:
[2] Germano IM, editor. Neurosurgical treatment of movement disorders. Park Ridge, IL: American Association of Neurological Surgeons, 1998.
Stand-alone Web document:
[3] ISRS. Clinical practice guidelines. Marseille: International Stereotactic Radiosurgery Society [cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: https://www.isrsy.org/en/
Please see the NLM guidelines site for reference types not in this list.
Appendices: Appendices should be indicated in the text by consecutive Arabic numbers, “Appendix 1: …”, “Appendix 2: …“, etc., followed by a title. Label a single appendix “Appendix 1: …”.
Mention of figures and tables within text: When referring to figures, tables and other elements within the text, always call the element by its full name (e.g., “See Table 1”, “Figure 1 illustrates…”, “Refer to Scheme 1”). Do not use ambiguous phraseologies (for example: “1 illustrates…”) that do not clearly denote the element referenced.
Footnotes: Authors are encouraged to minimize the use of footnotes. A footnote may include current address information for an author (if different from that shown in the affiliation) or meeting details for contributions previously presented at conferences (with reference to the abstract listed in the references, if previously published). Information concerning grant support of research or of the assistance of colleagues or similar notes of appreciation belongs in an Acknowledgments section.
Footnotes should be indicated in the text by the following symbols: † (dagger), ‡ (double dagger), ¶ (paragraph mark), § (section mark), || (parallels), # (number sign). Reserve the use of single*, double** or triple*** asterisks to indicate levels of statistical significance: p ≤ 0.05; p ≤ 0.01; and p ≤ 0.001, respectively. Do not use numerals for footnote call-outs, as they may be mistaken for bibliographical reference call-outs or exponents. Type each footnote at the bottom of the typescript page on which its text call-out appears. Footnotes within a table should be indicated by the same symbols listed above. Reinitialize the symbol sequence for each individual table. Type footnotes to a table directly beneath the table.
Mathematical Equations: Wherever possible, mathematical equations should be entered in the Microsoft Word document, using the inbuilt equation editor. Alternatively, equations may be typewritten on a separate page, with their designated positions specified in the text. Specify any unusual or ambiguous symbols, if the latter option is chosen.
Units: Please use S.I. (metric) units. Where useful, inch/pound equivalents may be included in parentheses.
Specifications for the Submission of Figures and Artwork
Graphics are reproduced in single or double column widths of 78 mm and 160 mm, respectively. Please ensure labeling in graphics is clearly legible, e.g. by using a sans serif face like Arial or Helvetica at a minimum size of 9 points. Graphics may be reduced in size if they do not fit the width specifications. Point size should take account of any reduction. Label parts of figures, a), b), c), etc. Do not include captions in graphics. Include keys within the graph area to save space, when possible. Figures must be provided as separate electronic files (PDF, EPS, TIFF or BMP files. JPEG format should not be used for line drawings). Photographic images is resolution of 300 dpi minimum. Line art resolution between 600 and 1200 dpi. Full captions and photo credits or permissions (if necessary) should be provided for each photo and figure. All image filenames should contain the figure number. Figure captions and figures should be displayed on separate pages, at the end of the manuscript.
EXAMPLE: Figure 1. Figure caption.
Each figure will be inserted after its first reference in the text by the typesetter.
For artwork originally published elsewhere, it is the author’s responsibility to obtain written permission to reprint.
Proofs
The corresponding author will receive proofs of the typeset article via e-mail as a PDF file. Please ensure that an e-mail address at which PDF attachment files may be received is provided.
Offprints (“reprints”)
The corresponding author will receive a PDF file of the finalized article for free use. Additional offprints may be ordered by completing the appropriate form supplied with the proofs.
Page Charges
There are no page charges to individuals or institutions for contributions to the JRSBRT. Optional immediate full-text open access is subject to charge.
Ethical conduct of research
Where articles include publication of original data relating to human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board approval is required and should be described within the article. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed. For investigations involving human subjects, authors should explain how informed consent was obtained from the participants involved.
Patients’ rights to privacy
Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information should not be included unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or legal guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that the patient be shown the manuscript to be published. When informed consent has been obtained it should be indicated in the manuscript.
In attempting to maintain patient anonymity, identifying details should be omitted where they are not essential. However, patient data should never be amended or falsified. Informed consent should be obtained whenever there is any doubt that anonymity can be assured.
Peer review policy
The Editor-in-Chief inspects manuscripts and invites reviewers depending on the subject matter. When the subject is a highly specialized topic, the Editor-in-Chief requests associate editors to review or to propose reviewers. Two reviewers are chosen.
Initially, abstracts are sent blind to potential reviewers. If invitees agree to review, full papers are supplied. If there is any conflict of interest, the invitee is encouraged not to review.
Candidate reviewers fall into the following categories:
for clinical investigations: a surgeon (neurosurgeon) and a radiation oncologist;
for physics investigations: either two physicists expert in the technology of radiosurgery used or a physicist and either a radiation oncologist or a surgeon if the contribution concerns more clinical issues;
for case reports: the Editor-in-Chief and a reviewer selected on a case by case basis;
for letters to the editor: the Editor-in-Chief and an associate editor when specialist consideration is required.
Reviewers recommend: 1) “accept without change”; 2) “minor revision”; 3) “major revision”; or 4) “reject”. Reviewers’ comments are sent to the authors anonymously, even when the manuscript is rejected. If contributions need revision, the authors are encouraged to resubmit the revised manuscripts with a point-by-point response. Revision requests can include requirements to align the text with the Contributor Notes, published on the JRSBRT website. For resubmitted manuscripts, the Editor-in-Chief decides whether papers can be accepted on the basis of how closely the revision follows the reviewers’ recommendations for minor revisions. The Editor-in-Chief may put the contribution with major revision to further review by an associate editor or the original reviewers, before making a final decision.
_______________________________________________
1[Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: http://www.icmje.org/
2[Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: http://www.icmje.org/urm_main.html
3 [Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure
4[Cited 2022 Aug 06]. Available from: https://iupac.org/what-we-do/periodic-table-of-elements/