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Guide for authors

Guide for Authors

The Journal of Clinical Densitometry: Assessment and Management of Musculo-Skeletal Health is the official journal of the International Society for Clinical Densitometry. The Journal does not have page charges.

Manuscripts
Unless by prior agreement with the Editor in Chief, original and review manuscripts should not exceed 4,000 words, excluding title page, abstract, figures and tables but including references and acknowledgements. Editorials should not exceed 1200 words. Case reports should not exceed 1000 words. Letters to the editor should not exceed 500 words.
Manuscripts should be submitted through the JCD website at https://www.editorialmanager.com/jclindensitom/default.aspx
All human and animal experiments must be approved by an institutional review committee at the institution from which the study is submitted.

Format:
Manuscripts should be in English, typed font 12, Calibri or arial, double-spaced, with a 1-inch all around margin and page numbering function switched on, Poorly written manuscripts cannot be accepted.
All abbreviations, even well-known ones, should be defined when first used in the text (NOT abstract) and then referred to by the abbreviation.

Submission process:
Text files should be submitted as Word files in the following order: Cover letter, Title page, Revisions to paper (re-submissions only), Manuscript, Tables, and Figures. Figures must be submitted in separate files, not embedded in the manuscript. Authors should ensure numbers quoted in figures or tables correspond to the numbers quoted in the text.

Cover letter:
*A statement that the manuscript is not being simultaneously submitted to any other medical journal and that submission to other journal(s) will not be made until a decision is reached by JCD, unless the manuscript is formally withdrawn.
*A statement that the manuscript is original and does not duplicate similar manuscripts published or being considered for publication by other scientific journal(s).If in doubt, the editorial office should be consulted.
*A brief mention of the significance of the manuscript.
*A statement to the effect that all listed authors played a role in the conception, development, planning, execution, analysis or interpretation of the research and/or writing of the manuscript and that they all agree and accept responsibility for the contents of the manuscript submitted to JCD.
*If the manuscript is based on a research project, a statement that the study had been approved by the relevant Institutional Review Body/Research and Development Committee or Ethics Committee.
*Source of funding, if applicable.
*Disclosures/Conflict of interest: All authors should list any potential conflict of interest.
*To expedite the review process, authors are encouraged to recommend 3 to 4 reviewers (names, e-mail address, academic affiliations and area of expertise). Recommended reviewers will be used at the discretion of the Editor.
*Authors may request a particular reviewer be excluded from the review process, but need to justify their request. This can be done confidentially by a separate communication to the Editor-in-Chief, but needs to be mentioned in the cover letter.

Types of manuscripts:
*Original research manuscripts:
*Title page:
Full title of manuscript. This title should capture the essence of the manuscript. Running title of not more than 40 characters.
List of authors and affiliations.
*Abstract:
Abstracts should not exceed 300 words.
Abbreviations and references should be avoided.
Abstracts should be structured: introduction/background, methodology, results and conclusions, but NO discussion.
*Key words/Index Entries: 3 to 6.
*Introduction: Background and reason(s) for research.
*Materials and Methods: Inclusion/exclusion criteria, detailed methodology and statistical analysis. When reporting changes in BMD, authors are encouraged to include the precision and the Least Significant Change of the Center where the study is conducted. Name and model of equipment and of manufacturer should be listed. Reporting on T-scores is described in Appendix 1. Any medication used should be identified by its generic and proprietary names at least once when first used.
*Results: Results of the research and statistical analysis. No discussion should be included in this section. Tables, diagrams figures are recommended when appropriate but should be included at the end of the manuscript after the references and not within the results section. Authors however should make a note within the text of where the various tables, figures and diagrams should appear when the manuscript is published.
*Discussion:
The meaning/significance of these results.
How do these results compare with already published material.
What are the implications for the future.
*Conclusions:
One or two sentences summarizing the salient results.
What is the next step.
Where do we go from here.
*Acknowledgments:
Grant support/source of funding and a list of person(s) who contributed to the final manuscripts but were not actively involved in the planning or execution of the research. If individuals are acknowledged, their written permission should be obtained by the authors prior to submitting the manuscript. Acknowledgements can be added after the manuscript has been accepted.
*References: References should be cited numerically in the text as a superscript. See appendix below.
*Data References: This journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.
*Figures and Tables with legends: See comments on results section. If any illustration has been previously published, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission to reproduce the illustration prior to submitting the manuscript to JCD.
*Review manuscripts:
*Title page: Same as for original research manuscripts listed above.
*Abstract: Abstracts need not be structured and should not exceed 300 words. No abbreviations should be used and no references should be cited.
*Key words/Index Entries: 3 to 6
*Introduction: Background and reason(s) for review manuscript.
*Body of the manuscript:
*Conclusions:
One or two sentences summarizing the salient results.
What is the next step.
Where do we go from here.
*Acknowledgments: See above
*References: See appendix
*Figures and Tables with legends: If any illustration has been previously published, it is the responsibility of the author(s) to obtain permission from the copyright owner(s) to reproduce the illustration prior to submitting the manuscript to JCD.
*Editorials:
Although editorials are usually by invitation, potential editorialists are welcome to submit their manuscripts. Unless by prior agreement with the Editor-in-Chief, manuscripts should not exceed 1200 words, excluding title page, but including references which should be limited to less than 7, Potential editorialists are encouraged to contact the Editor-in-Chief prior to writing the editorial.
*Case reports/studies:
Case reports/studies are occasionally published in JCD. Given the limited number of case reports that can be accepted, potential authors are advised to send an e-mail to the Editor-in-Chief briefly describing the case, what is so unique about that particular patient and the potential impact this case report may have on potential readers before writing/submitting the manuscript. This will not guarantee acceptance for publication, but will help clear the first hurdle of the review process: the decision to send the manuscript for a full review.
*Letter to the Editor:
Letters to the Editor expressing a personal (or group) opinion are welcome, especially if in reference to an article published in JCD. Letters pertaining to an article published in another medical journal are rarely accepted.
Letters to the Editor also could report some important preliminary finding(s) pending the publication of the full work. Letters to the Editor, however, should not replace original research manuscripts.

Review process:
All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous review process before being accepted for publication.
JCD is a double-blind peer review journal. Reviewers are blinded to the identity of the author(s) and authors are blinded to the identity of the reviewers.
Authors should ensure that material submitted for review does not contain any personal information or acknowledgments to other individuals or institutions that could be used to identify the author(s) of the manuscript.
All received manuscripts are reviewed first by an editor who decides whether the manuscript should be sent for full review by at least 2 independent reviewers selected from a group of well-established researchers in the field addressed by the manuscript. Given the blind-review process of JCD, authors are encouraged to send 2 versions of each manuscript: One anonymized to be sent to reviewers and the other containing all relevant details.
Reviewers' comments are kept confidential and are not published.

Review time:
We do our utmost to ensure a speedy and fair review.

Revised manuscripts:
Unless by prior agreement with the Editor in Chief, revised manuscripts must be submitted within 8 weeks of the authors being notified otherwise the manuscript will be considered withdrawn.
All revised manuscripts must include, in detail, answers to each and every suggestion/recommendation from all reviewers. The format must include first: typing the reviewers' comments; second: answering each comment, and third explaining where the revision can be found in the body of the paper. This list should be placed before the revised manuscript. The revised paper must have the revisions highlighted in the body of the paper. Changes to tables and figures must also be highlighted. Unless this is done, the manuscript will be considered as a new submission. Often revised manuscripts may be sent to the reviewers who reviewed the original manuscript to ensure all their comments/criticisms have been adequately addressed.
Authors who do not agree with the reviewers' comments need to explain their reasons in detail. The authors' comments may then be passed to the reviewers.

Time Line:
Time from final acceptance to posting submitted, unedited original version on JCD/ISCD website: approximately 2 weeks.
Time from acceptance to posting final manuscript on JCD/ISCD website: approximately 6 weeks.

Copyright:
All authors submitting manuscripts to the JCD will be required to sign a copyright transfer agreement upon acceptance for publication.

Open Access:
CC BY-NC-ND: For non-commercial purposes, lets others distribute and copy the article, and to include in a collective work (such as an anthology), as long as they credit the author(s) and provided they do not alter or modify the article.

Elsevier supports responsible sharing Find out how you can share your research published in Elsevier journals.

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: T scores:
Authors should state how T scores were derived and are encouraged to use ISCD guidelines to calculate T scores, as published in the Journal of Clinical Densitometry1 and Osteoporosis International 2
*Caucasian (non-race adjusted) female normative database for women of all ethnic groups.*
*Caucasian (non-race adjusted) female normative database for men of all ethnic groups *
*Manufacturers should continue to use NHANES III data as the reference standard for femoral neck and total hip T scores.
*Manufacturers should continue to use their own databases for the lumbar spine as the reference standard for T scores
*If local reference data are available they should be used to calculate only Z scores but not T scores.
*Note: Application of recommendation may vary according to local requirements.

1. Schousboe JT, Shepherd JA, Bilezikian JP, Baim S. Executive Summary of the 2013 ISCD Position Development Conference on Bone Densitometry. Journal of Clinical Densitometry 2013;16(4)455-466
2. Kanis JA, , Adachi JD, Cooper C, Clark P, Cummings SR, Diaz-Curiel M, Harvey N, Hiligsmann M, Papaioannou A, D Pierroz D, Silverman SL, Szulc P, and the Epidemiology and Quality of Life Working Group of IOF (2013). Standardising the descriptive epidemiology of osteoporosis: recommendations from the Epidemiology and Quality of Life Working Group of IOF. Osteoporos Int. doi: 10.1007/s00198-013-2413-7

Appendix 2: Tables, figures and artwork:

Tables, figures and artwork should be uploaded in a separate file.
Artwork
Number figures consecutively with Arabic numerals. All figures must be cited in text; figures will be placed as close as possible to the first text callout.

Include figure captions on a separate, numbered manuscript page. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. All illustrations, including chemical structures, must be provided in professional quality, finished form; ready for direct reproduction without revision by the editorial office or Publisher.

Color artwork will be published in color in the online version of the Journal at no charge; authors are responsible for the costs of color reproduction in print if desired.

Acceptable file formats for artwork are EPS and TIFF. Line art should be no less than 1200 dpi; halftone scans should be at least 300 dpi.

Tables
Type tables on separate pages. Table should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in order of mention in the text. Titles should be provided for all tables. Footnotes to tables indicated by lower case letters are acceptable, but they should not include extensive experimental detail. Tables should complement, not repeat, information in the text.

Appendix 3: References:

References should be limited to key recent references and unless by prior agreement with the Editor-in-Chief should not exceed 35 references.

References should be cited in the text by italic Arabic numerals in parentheses, set on the text line and listed at the end of the paper in consecutive order.

Unless by prior agreement with the Editor-in-Chief, references should not be made to manuscripts in preparation or submitted, but not yet formally accepted for publication. All authors should be listed when there are six or fewer. When there are seven or more authors, only the first three should be listed, followed by "et al."

References should follow the style indicated below:

Journal articles and abstracts:
1. Binoux M, Hossenlopp P. 1986 Insulinlike growth factor (IGF) and IGF-binding proteins: comparison of human serum and lymph. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 67:509?514.

2. MacLaughlin DT, Cigarros F, Donahoe PK. 1988 Mechanisms of action of Mullerian inhibiting substance. Proc 70th Meeting of the Endocrine Society, New Orleans, LA, 1988, p19.

Chapter in book:
3. Rosen CJ. 1996 Biochemical Markers of Bone Turnover. In: Osteoporosis Diagnostic and Therapeutic Principles. Rosen CJ, ed. Humana Press, New Jersey, 129?141.

Books:
4. Rosen CJ, ed. 1996 Osteoporosis: diagnostic and therapeutic principles. Humana Press, New Jersey.

Web site:
5. ISCD. Osteoporosis management monographs. Available at: http://www.iscd.org/visitors/publications/bonemonographs.cfm?fromresources=7. Accessed October 30, 2006.

Guide for Reviewers:
Papers must be reviewed and sent back to the editorial office no later than 3 weeks from the date of accepting the review. The online editorial managing system automatically reminds reviewers of late reviews and deletes a reviewer from the process if the review is not finished in a timely manner. A detailed description of requests of revisions for the author must be included.


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 give 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. During the submission process, after uploading your manuscript, you will have the opportunity to upload your relevant datasets directly to Mendeley Data. 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.