Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases

Authors of manuscripts submitted to SURGERY FOR OBESITY AND RELATED DISEASES (SOARD) will receive a timely review and will be notified within two months as to whether their work is accepted, rejected, or requires revision. Submit manuscripts to the SOARD Editorial Office via the Editorial Manager website for this journal; go to https://www.editorialmanager.com/soard and select "Submit Manuscript". All correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts will be handled via e-mail through Editorial Manager. Send all other correspondence to:

David Newcombe
Managing Editor
Phone 508-732-6767 x11
Fax 508-732-6766
Email: [email protected]

A COMPLETED CHECKLIST FORM MUST ACCOMPANY EACH MANUSCRIPT SUBMITTED TO SOARD. DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST HERE. CHECK ALL ITEMS APPLICABLE TO YOUR SUBMISSION. IT IS AN ETHICAL VIOLATION TO CHECK AN ITEM WITHOUT HAVING RESPONDED TO IT.

Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, available at: https://www.icmje.org/ . Studies in humans require approval from the local Institutional Review Board (IRB) and in animals from the Animal Care and Use Committee. All clinical trials must be registered in the National Institutes of Health web site, https://www.clinicaltrials.gov, or one of the equivalent web sites such as: https://www.anzctr.org.au; https://www.isrctn.com; or https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr. This information must be stated in both the Cover Letter and the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript.

Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission:
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium. Copies of possibly duplicative materials (ie, those containing substantially similar content or using the same or similar data) that have been previously published or are being considered elsewhere must be provided at the time of manuscript submission.

Previous Presentation or Release of Information:
A complete report following presentation at a meeting or publication of preliminary findings elsewhere (e.g. an abstract) can be considered. Media coverage of meeting presentations will not jeopardize consideration, but direct release of information through press releases or news media briefings may preclude consideration by SOARD.

Avoiding Pejorative Language
Importantly, authors should not use "obese" as an adjective or noun to describe an individual person or group of people, but instead use terms such as "people with obesity" and "populations with obesity."

Authorship:
In accordance with the ICJME statement on authorship, "An author just generally considered to be someone who has made substantive intellectual contributions to the published study". The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following four criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
• Final approval of the version to be published; AND
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

When the manuscript is submitted, the corresponding author will be asked to state that each has met these criteria.

Conflict of Interest:
All authors must disclose any conflict of interest they may have with an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. This would include funding for the research, membership in any speaker's bureau or corporate advisory committee, stockholder, or support for travel (click here to see entire list). Authors should also disclose conflict of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript. The Editor will discuss with the authors on an individual basis the method by which any conflicts of interest will be communicated to readers. Manuscripts without conflicts of interest disclosure from all authors will be returned. Download the conflict of interest form here.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process. Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed as an author or co-author, or be cited as an author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by humans, as outlined in Elseviers AI policy for authors.
Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by following the instructions below. A statement will appear in the published work. Please note that authors are ultimately responsible and accountable for the contents of the work.

Disclosure instructions
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by adding a statement at the end of their manuscript in the core manuscript file, before the References list. The statement should be placed in a new section entitled `Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process?.

Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the publication. This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.

Editing services:
SOARD publishes manuscripts only in American English. This includes using US spelling, punctuation, quotation marks, and decimal points. SOARD editors strongly encourage contributors whose English is not excellent to have their manuscripts edited by a professional translator or native English speaker before submission.

Elsevier offers authors two services to help prepare their manuscripts for submission to an English-language journal. The first service edits your manuscript already written in English to ensure it is in correct scientific English. This process does not change the content of your manuscript but improves understanding and readability for an English-speaking reader. This process takes less than six business days and the cost of an average manuscript is less than $400. Please visit Elsevier Language Editing services for more details and to upload your manuscript.

The second service translates your manuscript from your language (Chinese, Portuguese or Spanish) into either British or American English. This process is carried out by Language experts within your field, and takes less than 11 business days. The average cost is $1,000. Please visit Elsevier Language Editing services for more details and to upload your manuscript.

Open access:
The open access publication fee for this journal is USD 3400, excluding taxes. Authors now have the option to make their full-length articles available to all (including non-subscribers) via the ScienceDirect platform, for which a fee of USD 3400 applies (for further information on open access see http://www.elsevier.com/about/open-access/open-access-options). Please note that you can only make this choice after receiving notification that your article has been accepted for publication, to avoid any perception of conflict of interest. The fee excludes taxes and other potential costs such as color charges. Learn more about Elsevier's pricing policy: https://www.elsevier.com/openaccesspricing.

Green open access:
Authors can share their research in a variety of different ways and Elsevier has a number of green open access options available. We recommend authors see our green open access page for further information (http://elsevier.com/greenopenaccess). Authors can also self-archive their manuscripts immediately and enable public access from their institution's repository after an embargo period. This is the version that has been accepted for publication and which typically includes author-incorporated changes suggested during submission, peer review and in editor-author communications. Embargo period: For subscription articles, an appropriate amount of time is needed for journals to deliver value to subscribing customers before an article becomes freely available to the public. This is the embargo period and begins from the publication date of the issue your article appears in.

This journal has an embargo period of 12 months.

SOARD publishes the following types of articles in addition to standard research manuscripts:

1. IMAGES IN OBESITY SURGERY: Concise, one-page pictorial description of a unique case will be published as space permits.
2. SURGEON AT WORK: Short, concise articles plus photos and/or drawings on: "How I do it" techniques will be published as space permits.
3. REVIEW ARTICLES: This comprehensive review-type article covers timely bariatric surgery topics of clinical relevance and must be well-referenced. These articles should serve as a source on a clinically useful subject for the practicing bariatric surgeon, primary care physician, nutritionist, psychiatric specialist, obesity investigator and resident or fellow-in-training of current information.
4. UPDATES: This shorter review-type article covers current obesity topics of clinical relevance.
5. EDITORIALS/PAIRED EDITORIALS: These will be solicited by the Editor and should not be submitted without prior written approval.
6. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Short communications regarding recent articles or comments on timely topics in letter form that should be supported by relevant references. Authors of the cited article will have the opportunity to read and reply to the letter. ALL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR must be submitted within one month of the publishing date of the cited article. Letters if accepted will be published as space permits.
7. INTEGRATED HEALTH ARTICLES: A section for Integrated Health manuscripts will be published periodically during the year. These manuscripts should be related to nursing, nutritional, exercise and psychological issues relevant to bariatric surgery.

Editorial Process
PEER REVIEW: Manuscripts will be reviewed by internationally recognized experts on the subject. When relevant, a biostatistician, radiologist, psychological specialist, nutritionist, or pathologist consultant will also review the manuscript.

This journal operates a single blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final. More information on types of peer review.

The reviewers will be blinded to the names of the authors and the institution and country from which the manuscript has been sent. Reviewers will be asked to list all current Conflicts of Interest (click here to see entire list) and comment if any of these or other conflicts are associated with the manuscript you are being asked to review.

Submission Process
Manuscripts must be submitted via the Editorial Manager website for this journal; go to https://www.editorialmanager.com/SOARD/default.aspx and select "Submit Manuscript". You will be guided stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files and data. Once the uploading is done, the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts will be handled via e-mail through Editorial Manager. The article must be typed in 12-point type, double-spaced with one-inch margins (with all pages numbered consecutively) and line numbers inserted at every 5 lines. The file should follow the general instructions on style/arrangement, and, in particular, the reference style. The file should use the wrap-around end-of-line feature, i.e. returns at the end of the paragraph only. Place two returns after every element, such as title, headings, paragraph. Please do NOT use any automatically generated numbering or bulleting systems or hidden text (e.g. For references, footnotes, lists). Unless specifically indicated in the various categories listed, each manuscript must contain an Abstract and Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions and References sections, with the appropriate subheading preceding each section.

The title should be brief, informative, of 150 characters or less and should not make a statement or conclusion. The running title should consist of not more than 50 letters and spaces. It should be as brief as possible, convey the essential message of the paper and contain no abbreviations.

Visual Abstract
SOARD has a dedicated team of Editors who create Visual abstracts for select accepted papers to use for promotional purposes across our webpages and on social media. Authors are encouraged to provide a preliminary Visual abstract with their submission by selecting "Visual Abstract" when uploading files. If submitting a preliminary draft Visual abstract for the Editors' consideration, please use the abstract template provided here. Authors who upload Graphical abstracts in file types that cannot be edited may be asked by Editors to resubmit if their paper is selected. If authors submit a draft version, it is not a guarantee that it will result in a Visual Abstract.

Please note: SOARD will not publish graphical abstracts as part of the published paper. The Visual abstracts intent is to encourage browsing from external sites such as Twitter and other social media.

Highlights
Highlights are a short collection of bullet points that convey the core findings of the article. This list of points will be displayed online with the Summary of the article but will not appear in print. Specifications: up to four bullet points can be included; the length of an individual bullet point should not exceed 85 characters (including spaces); only the core results of the paper should be covered. Highlights are required for all research papers and will be displayed online with the article.

Structured Abstracts should be 250 words or less and divided into five sections with the subheadings: (1) Background (2) Objectives, (3) Setting (i.e. University Hospital, United States; Private Practice), (4) Methods, (5) Results, and (6) Conclusions.

Using lower-case superscript letters, link each author with the appropriate affiliation. Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be reported in metric units. Weight loss should be reported in kg lost, BMI reduction, percent weight lost and percent excess weight lost with excess weight defined as that above the median weight for height in the Metropolitan Life Insurance tables. Laboratory data should be reported in both the local and International System of Units (SI). Manuscripts must be accompanied by a cover letter, which should include a statement about submissions that might be regarded as redundant publication, a statement about financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest, a statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all authors, and contact information for the corresponding author. Include the full names, degrees and affiliations of all authors on the title page and upload separately from the manuscript. Do not include any author contact information within the manuscript. Please also include key words with your submission. Manuscripts with incorrect format or that are over maximum length will be returned unreviewed for modifications (see table for correct format/length).

Weight loss must be expressed as change in BMI, AS WELL AS % Excess Weight Loss (%EWL), with the calculation of ideal body weight as that equivalent to a BMI of 25 kg/m2 and/or % Excess BMI Lost (%EBMIL) with excess BMI > 25 kg/m2 AS WELL AS % total body weight loss. Data extending beyond 30 days MUST INCLUDE lost to follow-up information in the Abstract and Results section, including all tables and figures, with the denominator provided as to how many patients were available at EACH TIME POINT and the number of patients actually seen.

TABLES: Tables should supplement, not duplicate the text/figures. The tables must be numbered and cited in order as they first appear in the text, and each must have a precise heading the understanding of which does not require reference to the text. Do not imbed tables with the text.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Each figure should be counted as 250 words toward the final word count. Color figures are welcomed, and will appear in color on the web at no extra charge; however, there is a charge, paid in advance, for the reproduction of color illustrations in print ($650 for the first color figure and $100 for each additional color figure) unless waved by the Editor and Publisher. Alternatively, the illustrations can be reproduced in print in black and white at no extra charge. All illustrations must supplement, not duplicate the tables/text. Figures must clearly convey their message and be of high quality and of sufficient size and clarity (especially lettering, arrows, and data points) to be interpretable when reduced for publication. Shading does not always reproduce well. Consider using widely spaced cross-hatching patterns, for example, that will remain distinct on reduction. Use black and white arrows, depending on the background color. All illustrations must be numbered and cited in order as they first appear in the text. Concise legends (typed on a separate page) must accompany each illustration and adequately describe the figure without the need to reference to the text. Do not embed artwork with text; illustrations should be supplied as separate files. Guidelines for submitting your illustrations in an electronic format can be found at https://www.elsevier.com/artwork

VIDEO/COMPUTER GRAPHICS: An original, edited file in IBM compatible PC format will be the standard format for submission of videos and computer graphics (i.e., slide presentations with or without animation). SOARD will not edit any video or computer graphics, but reviewers, following the usual policy with illustrations, may suggest changes in the video or computer graphic. A sound track is highly recommended. Maximum cumulative length of videos or computer graphics is 8 minutes, and may be divided into several smaller clips not to exceed 8 minutes in total. If the video or animation is divided into several clips, each clip should be identified at the beginning of the section: e.g., Video Clip 1 or Graphic 1. The maximum file size is 700 MB. Concise legends (typed on a separate page) must accompany each video clip or computer graphic presentation. The following formats for video will be accepted: MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 (.mpg), Quicktime (.mov), Audio/Video Interface (.avi) or Compuserve GIF (.gif). Please contact the publisher about the use of other formats. A graphic will be used to indicate the location of a video clip or computer graphic. Videos/computer graphics for accepted manuscripts will not be returned. Videos and computer graphics will not be accepted separately from a manuscript that has been rejected. If the article is accepted for publication, the video will be digitized and permanently archived on the SOARD website (https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/surgery-for-obesity-and-related-diseases). The location of the video will be linked with the online version of the article.

PERMISSION: Authors must submit written permission upon manuscript submission from both the author and publisher of the original source when material is reproduced from other sources. This permission must include reproduction in both print and electronic formats for worldwide distribution.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Acknowledgement(s) require written permission of the person being acknowledged.

REFERENCES: References must be limited to those cited in the text, be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned, with their positions indicated in the text by a superscript Arabic number. Any authors beyond six will be replaced by et al. References to articles in press must state journal name and year. Personal Communications will not be included in the reference list and should be accompanied with written verification and be noted within the text. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

For journal articles: Surname and initials of author(s). If there are 6 or fewer authors, all authors need to be listed. If there are more than 6 (7+), then only list the first 3 followed by "et al." Title of article. Abbreviated name of Journal, year; volume(number): first and last pages. For example:
1. Fetner R, McGinty J, Russell C, Pi-Sunyer FX, Laferrere B. Incretins, diabetes, and bariatric surgery: a review. Surg Obes Rel Dis 2005;1(6):589-99.
2. Nguyen NT, Goldman C, Rosenquist CJ, et al. Laparoscopic versus open gastric bypass: a randomized study of outcomes, quality of life, and costs. Ann Surg 2001;234(3):279-89

For Books: Surname and initials of author(s), title and subtitle, edition (other than first). City, publishing house, year, and pages as specific reference, as follows:
1. Mason EE. Surgical Treatment of Obesity. Philadelphia, London, Toronto, W.B. Saunders Company, 1981 pp 1-493.

For articles or chapters in books: Surname and initials of author(s), title of article/chapter, surname and initials of editor, title of book. City, publishing house, year, and pages, as follows:
1. Brolin RE, Metabolic postoperative complications after bariatric surgery. In Martin LF (ed), Obesity Surgery, New York, McGraw-Hill, 2004, pp 275-300.

RESEARCH DATA

This journal encourages and enables you to share data that supports your research publication where appropriate, and enables you to interlink the data with your published articles. Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings. To facilitate reproducibility and data reuse, this journal also encourages you to share your software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.

Below are a number of ways in which you can associate data with your article or make a statement about the availability of your data when submitting your manuscript. If you are sharing data in one of these ways, you are encouraged to cite the data in your manuscript and reference list. Please refer to the "References" section for more information about data citation. For more information on depositing, sharing and using research data and other relevant research materials, visit the research data page.

Data linking

If you have made your research data available in a data repository, you can link your article directly to the dataset. Elsevier collaborates with a number of repositories to link articles on ScienceDirect with relevant repositories, giving readers access to underlying data that gives them a better understanding of the research described. There are different ways to link your datasets to your article.

When available, you can directly link your dataset to your article by providing the relevant information in the submission system. For more information, visit the database linking page .

For supported data repositories a repository banner will automatically appear next to your published article on ScienceDirect.

In addition, you can link to relevant data or entities through identifiers within the text of your manuscript, using the following format: Database: xxxx (e.g., TAIR: AT1G01020; CCDC: 734053; PDB: 1XFN).

Mendeley Data

This journal supports Mendeley Data, enabling you to deposit any research data (including raw and processed data, video, code, software, algorithms, protocols, and methods) associated with your manuscript in a free-to-use, open access repository. Before submitting your article, you can deposit the relevant datasets to Mendeley Data. Please include the DOI of the deposited dataset(s) in your main manuscript file. The datasets will be listed and directly accessible to readers next to your published article online.

For more information, visit the Mendeley Data for journals page.

Data statement

To foster transparency, we encourage you to state the availability of your data in your submission. This may be a requirement of your funding body or institution.

If your data is unavailable to access or unsuitable to post, you will have the opportunity to indicate why during the submission process, for example by stating that the research data is confidential. The statement will appear with your published article on ScienceDirect. For more information, visit the Data statement page.

PROOFS: To avoid publication delay, authors must return proofs in 48 hours.

RESPONSIBILITY: Manuscripts are subject to editorial modification to bring them into conformity with the style of the journal. Statements in articles or opinions expressed by any contributor in any article, including changes made by the copy editor and approved by the corresponding author, are not the responsibility of the editors or the publishers.

*Number of figures/tables are up to authors' discretion; however, each figure/table (or composite figures/tables) should be counted as 250 words toward the final word count.

Updated August 2014

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