Go to journal home page - The Veterinary Journal

The Veterinary Journal

Introduction



The Veterinary Journal (established 1875) is an international veterinary journal that publishes original papers and reviews of excellent scientific and/or clinical importance and quality, relevant to domestic animal species. The Editors will be pleased to consider suggestions for Special Issues on subjects of topical importance. The journal also occasionally publishes Personal Views by arrangement with the Editor-in-Chief, but does not have a Letters section. Articles of purely regional significance and studies of non-domestic species are considered only if they clearly have broader scientific importance. Manuscripts that report novel studies with substantial importance to the profession are preferred, including analytical studies that are relevant to practising veterinarians.

Types of paper

Manuscripts may report original research in an Original Article or a Short Communication. Review articles should be based on peer-reviewed, published science; they should be authoritative and written in support of original investigations. Narrative reviews should take a critical approach, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the published literature and identifying relevant gaps. Meta-analyses and systematic reviews which answer a specific research question and use an evidence-grading approach are welcomed. These should be formatted as Original Articles, not Review Articles. For further information on meta-analyses and systematic reviews, please consult - https://guides.temple.edu/c.php?g=78618&p=4178713.

Case Reports are not published.

Model article examples

Model article formats (in WORD) are available (click to follow link below as appropriate):

Article word lengths

Original Articles should be no longer than 3,000 words in length, excluding the Title page, Abstract, Acknowledgements, Tables, Figures and References. Reviews should be about 4,000 words in length and Short Communications up to 1,000 words. Please contact the Editor in Chief to discuss alternative word lengths before submission.

Submission checklist

You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review. Please check the relevant section in this Guide for Authors for more details.

Ensure that the following items are present:

One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:
• E-mail address
• Full postal address

Please ensure that all necessary files have been uploaded:
1. MANUSCRIPT FILE - Please download the appropriate Model Article and follow formatting exactly. The manuscript should be submitted as a MS Word document, not a pdf or other file type.


    Cover page - Please use the appropriate Model Article as a guide and copy formatting exactly. i.e., Article type at the top of page in bold type; title in Sentence case; correct formatting of authors names; superscripted letters, not symbols or numbers, before address details; full postal addresses in italicised text, including country for each address; present addresses should be presented separately, below the E-mail address of the corresponding author, using superscripted numbers rather than letters; a contact phone number for the corresponding author should be provided.

    Abstract- Please format Abstract exactly as shown in the appropriate Model Article i.e., start by inserting a new page in MS Word; no headings within the Abstract. Abstract length should be approximately 250 words.
    oFor Original Articles, please format as two paragraphs, the first for background and methodology, and the second for results and conclusions. Specific numeric results should be included in the Abstract as appropriate; if associations or comparisons are reported, please include appropriate statistical results to support the data. If statistical verification is not available, please do not report comparisons/associations/trends.
    o For Review Articles and Short Communications, please format as a single paragraph.

    Keywords - Keywords (a single word) is written in non-bolded italics. Up to five Keywords should be provided after the Abstract, arranged in alphabetical order, each Keyword written in regular (not italicised) font, Sentence case and separated by semi-colons. Please see Model Original Article as a guide.

    Manuscript text - For Original Articles, the main text is divided into Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. Review Articles and Short Communications do not contain these headings.

    Conclusions-
    o For Original Articles, please insert a Conclusions section at the end of the Discussion. Conclusions should be a single paragraph; please do not commence the Conclusions with the redundant 'In conclusion'. Please see Model Original Article as a guide.
    o Review Articles and Short Communications do not contain a Conclusions section.

    Conflict of interest statement - Please insert the following statement after the Conclusions, as appropriate - 'None of the authors has any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence or bias the content of the paper.' Further specific information should be included, as needed. Please see Declaration of interest (below) for further details.


Acknowledgements - Please consider whether Acknowledgements should be included after the Conflict of interest statement. Funding sources can be included in the Acknowledgements if desired. Prior presentation of results, in the form of abstracts, posters or oral presentations at conferences, must be mentioned clearly in the Acknowledgements, with wording along the lines of: "Preliminary results were presented as an Abstract at the 9th International Congress of Veterinary Virology, Madrid, 4-7 September 2012. " Please see Model Original Article for formatting guidance.
Supplementary data - Supplementary data should be uploaded as separate files rather than being incorporated in the manuscript file. Please refer to the Model Original Article for examples of how to refer to supplementary data in the manuscript text. If Supplementary data files are uploaded, the following statement should appear immediately before the References -
Supplementary material
Supplementary data associated with this article can be found, in the online version, at doi: ?
References - Please see information below for full details.
Tables -Please see Model Original Article for formatting guidance and follow exactly. Please include tables in the manuscript file rather than uploading tables as separate files. Insert a new page in Word for each table. Tables should be inserted in the Word document as tables in Word, not as picture files, so they can be edited. Bolded/italicised/underlined text and shaded cells are not allowed, and table lines should be standard (not heavy) and only above and below the top row, and at the bottom of the table. There should be an explanation of abbreviations used in each table separately. Only black Times New Roman font is allowed; font sizes 12pt may be used in the body of the table, but try not to go 10pt for readability. Abbreviations are explained below the table and are in the following format - RBC, Red blood cell; WBC, White blood cell; please use regular 12-point Times New Roman font for the table abbreviations. Abbreviations appear below each table, before Table notes. Table notes are referred to by superscripted lower-case letters with explanations below the table (not symbols or numbers); superscripts are not used to refer to abbreviations. Sentence case should be used for text in tables. You may use single, 1.5, or double spacing, but there should be 0pt space before and after each line in Word. Using 'Auto-fit Contents' on the Layout menu in Word is sometimes helpful. Table caption should be above table as shown in the Model Original Article and should not be part of the table. Tables can be on portrait or landscape orientation - please use the most suitable orientation to fit the table.
Figure legends - Please include Figure legends in the manuscript file and Please see Model Original Article as a guide. Please upload each figure as a separate file and do not include figure legend in the figure file. All abbreviations used in figures are explained in each figure legend separately. The word 'Figure' is written as 'Fig.' wherever it appears throughout the manuscript, except for the heading 'Figure legends' where it is written as 'Figure'. Abbreviations are explained in each figure legend separately and are in the following format - RBC, Red blood cell; WBC, White blood cell. The word Figure should be abbreviated to 'Fig.' (e.g., 'Fig. 1', or 'Figs. 1 and 2') throughout the manuscript, except for the Figure legends heading, which remains 'Figure legends'. Please leave a 1-line (0pt before and after) space after each figure legend.

Please ensure all figure and table citations in the manuscript text match the files provided.


2.HIGHLIGHTS FILE - Please use 'Highlights' in the file name, use Times New Roman 12pt font and include 3 to 5 bullet points (MAXIMUM 85 characters, INCLUDING SPACES, per bullet point). Abbreviations should be explained on first use in the Highlights and each Highlight that reports findings from your study should be written in the past tense. Please see Model Highlights document with the Model Articles.
3. FIGURE FILES - Each figure is uploaded as a separate file rather than being incorporated in the manuscript file; figure legends should not be included on the figure files. Indicate clearly if colour should be used for any figures in print.
4. SUPPLEMENTARY DATA FILES ('OPTIONAL E-ONLY SUPPLEMENTARY FILES') - Supplementary material such as applications, images and sound clips, can be published with your article to enhance it. Submitted supplementary items are published exactly as they are received (Excel or PowerPoint files will appear as such online). Please submit your material together with the article and supply a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file. If you wish to make changes to supplementary material during any stage of the process, please make sure to provide an updated file. Do not annotate any corrections on a previous version. Please switch off the 'Track Changes' option in Microsoft Office files as these will appear in the published version. Each supplementary file should be uploaded as a separate file rather than being incorporated in the manuscript file. Supplementary tables should be uploaded as a separate file and are named Supplementary Table S1, etc. Supplementary figures should be uploaded as a separate file and are named Supplementary Fig.S1, etc. Please see note above - 1. Manuscript file Supplementary data.
5. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT FILE - Although a graphical abstract is optional, its use is encouraged as it draws more attention to the online article. The graphical abstract should summarize the contents of the article in a concise, pictorial form designed to capture the attention of a wide readership. Graphical abstracts should be submitted as a separate file in the online submission system. Image size: Please provide an image with a minimum of 531 ? 1328 pixels (h ? w) or proportionally more. The image should be readable at a size of 5 ? 13 cm using a regular screen resolution of 96 dpi. Preferred file types: TIFF, EPS, PDF or MS Office files. You can view Example Graphical Abstracts on our information site. Authors can make use of Elsevier's Illustration Services to ensure the best presentation of their images and in accordance with all technical requirements.
6. COVER LETTER - This is optional.
Please also refer to General manuscript formatting requirements(below) before submission.

For further information, visit our Support Center.

Ethics in publishing

Please see our information on Ethics in publishing.

Animal welfare

Where animals have been used in a study, the institutional ethical or animal welfare Authority under which the work was conducted must be stated, along with the specific authorisation reference number and the date of approval. Such studies must meet Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines (View article).

Studies published in The Veterinary Journal must adhere to the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) humane endpoints in animal experimentation. Please see their website for further information: https://www.nc3rs.org.uk/humane-endpoints

For manuscripts reporting experimental models that induce disease, please provide full details of rescue protocols, welfare/pain/health monitoring protocols, and animal welfare end points set a priori for withdrawal from the study. Additionally, please provide evidence that these protocols were approved before the study commenced. Also, provide full details of the fate of each animal in the study, including those that were withdrawn because they reached animal welfare endpoints set a priori. If you are unable to provide this information, including all specific details, your manuscript will be rejected.

Declaration of interest

All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors must disclose any interests in two places: 1. A summary declaration of interest statement in the title page file (if double anonymized) or the manuscript file (if single anonymized). If there are no interests to declare then please state this: 'Declarations of interest: none'. 2. Detailed disclosures as part of a separate Declaration of Interest form, which forms part of the journal's official records. It is important for potential interests to be declared in both places and that the information matches. More information.

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 Elsevier’s 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.

Submission declaration and verification
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis, see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more information), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder. To verify compliance, your article may be checked by Crossref Similarity Check

If the work has been published previously (as a published lecture, academic thesis or electronic preprint), the authors must declare this information on initial submission.

Preprints
Please note that preprints can be shared anywhere at any time, in line with Elsevier's sharing policy. Sharing your preprints e.g. on a preprint server will not count as prior publication (see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more information).

Preprint posting on SSRN

In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service. Preprints provide early registration and dissemination of your research, which facilitates early citations and collaboration.

During submission to Editorial Manager, you can choose to release your manuscript publicly as a preprint on the preprint server SSRN once it enters peer-review with the journal. Your choice will have no effect on the editorial process or outcome with the journal. Please note that the corresponding author is expected to seek approval from all co-authors before agreeing to release the manuscript publicly on SSRN.

You will be notified via email when your preprint is posted online and a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is assigned. Your preprint will remain globally available free to read whether the journal accepts or rejects your manuscript.

For more information about posting to SSRN, please consult the SSRN Terms of Use and FAQs.

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise to seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he, she," or "he/she." We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition unless they are relevant and valid. When coding terminology is used, we recommend to avoid offensive or exclusionary terms such as "master", "slave", "blacklist" and "whitelist". We suggest using alternatives that are more appropriate and (self-) explanatory such as "primary", "secondary", "blocklist" and "allowlist". These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.

Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses

Reporting guidance
For research involving or pertaining to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells, investigators should integrate sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) into their research design according to funder/sponsor requirements and best practices within a field. Authors should address the sex and/or gender dimensions of their research in their article. In cases where they cannot, they should discuss this as a limitation to their research's generalizability. Importantly, authors should explicitly state what definitions of sex and/or gender they are applying to enhance the precision, rigor and reproducibility of their research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer (see Definitions section below). Authors can refer to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the SAGER guidelines checklist. These offer systematic approaches to the use and editorial review of sex and gender information in study design, data analysis, outcome reporting and research interpretation - however, please note there is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and gender.

Definitions
Sex generally refers to a set of biological attributes that are associated with physical and physiological features (e.g., chromosomal genotype, hormonal levels, internal and external anatomy). A binary sex categorization (male/female) is usually designated at birth (""sex assigned at birth""), most often based solely on the visible external anatomy of a newborn. Gender generally refers to socially constructed roles, behaviors, and identities of women, men and gender-diverse people that occur in a historical and cultural context and may vary across societies and over time. Gender influences how people view themselves and each other, how they behave and interact and how power is distributed in society. Sex and gender are often incorrectly portrayed as binary (female/male or woman/man) and unchanging whereas these constructs actually exist along a spectrum and include additional sex categorizations and gender identities such as people who are intersex/have differences of sex development (DSD) or identify as non-binary. Moreover, the terms ""sex"" and ""gender"" can be ambiguous—thus it is important for authors to define the manner in which they are used. In addition to this definition guidance and the SAGER guidelines, the resources on this page offer further insight around sex and gender in research studies.

Author contributions

For transparency, we require corresponding authors to provide co-author contributions to the manuscript using the relevant CRediT roles. The CRediT taxonomy includes 14 different roles describing each contributor’s specific contribution to the scholarly output. The roles are: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Software; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Roles/Writing - original draft; and Writing - review & editing. Note that not all roles may apply to every manuscript, and authors may have contributed through multiple roles. More details and an example.

Changes to authorship

Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.
Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.

Article transfer service
This journal uses the Elsevier Article Transfer Service to find the best home for your manuscript. This means that if an editor feels your manuscript is more suitable for an alternative journal, you might be asked to consider transferring the manuscript to such a journal. The recommendation might be provided by a Journal Editor, a dedicated Scientific Managing Editor, a tool assisted recommendation, or a combination. If you agree, your manuscript will be transferred, though you will have the opportunity to make changes to the manuscript before the submission is complete. Please note that your manuscript will be independently reviewed by the new journal. More information.

Copyright

Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by authors in these cases.

For gold open access articles: Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'License Agreement' (more information). Permitted third party reuse of gold open access articles is determined by the author's choice of user license.

Author rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More information.

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

Open access

The Veterinary Journal is a Transformative Journal. For authors funded by those funders implementing Plan S principles from 2021, this means that you can publish open access in this journal, receive funding for your Article Publishing Charges, and meet Plan S requirements.

Please visit our Open Access page for more information.

Submit your article
Please submit your article via https://https://www.editorialmanager.com/ytvjl/default.aspx.

During the submission process, authors should recommend 3-5 potential reviewers (although there is no guarantee they will be used for peer review). You will also have the opportunity to name reviewers who should not be invited to assess your work.

Preparation

Queries

For questions about the editorial process (including the status of manuscripts under review) or for technical support on submissions, please visit our Support Center.

Peer review

This journal operates a single anonymized review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically 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. Editors are not involved in decisions about papers which they have written themselves or have been written by family members or colleagues or which relate to products or services in which the editor has an interest. Any such submission is subject to all of the journal's usual procedures, with peer review handled independently of the relevant editor and their research groups. More information on types of peer review.

Authors should be aware that there can be delays in the review process caused by difficulties in obtaining accepted review invitations from suitably qualified experts, or receipt of suitably robust scientific reviews on the initial round of peer review. Because of these unforeseen difficulties, it is possible that manuscript status statements such as 'Required reviews received' could be inaccurate. If a reviewer who provided an opinion on the first round of review is subsequently unavailable, an alternative expert reviewer could be invited to assess the authors' responses to the comments made by the previous reviewer. These delays are actively managed and minimised by your Handling Editor wherever possible.

General formatting requirements

Abbreviations. All abbreviations/acronyms are explained on first use separately in the Abstract, the body of the manuscript, each individual table, each individual figure legend, each individual supplementary figure legend and the Highlights. Please see Model Original Article as a guide.

Alignment. Use left alignment throughout manuscript. Indent first line of each paragraph and leave a 1-line space (0 pt. before and after the line) after each paragraph; there is no 1-line space after headings. Please see Model Original Article for guidance.

Anatomical terminology. Terminology should comply with the World Association of Veterinary Anatomists Nomina Anatomica Veterinaria current guidelines - http://www.wava-amav.org/wava-documents.html. Terms should be written in English where possible.

Breed names. Breed names should be written in Sentence case e.g., Golden retriever, Cairn terrier, Poodle, Border collie, French bulldog, Pit bull terrier, except for proper names within the breed name e.g., Cavalier King Charles spaniel, West Highland white terrier.

Citations. Citations are in the style (Smith, 2011), or (Smith and Jones, 2011), or (Smith et al., 2011), or (Smith et al., 2011; Jones et al., 2019). Multiple citations should appear in chronological order, from oldest to most recent, rather than in alphabetical order. Review articles should be cited only to support generally acknowledged principles, and at the discretion of the Handling Editor. Conference proceedings and textbook references are only acceptable where other peer-reviewed sources do not exist, and only at the Handling Editor's discretion. Statements citing such sources should make it clear that the citation has not been peer-reviewed.

Currencies. A footnote should be inserted the first time a currency is given in the text and conversion rates should be provided using the following three currencies: UK£, US$ and Euros. The footnote should contain information from the relevant conversion rates, for example: '£1 = Approximately US$1.21, €1.13 at 11 January 2023.' Rates can be updated by the Author at proof stage if necessary. An easy to use currency converter is available here: https://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/.

Font. Please use black Times New Roman 12-point font throughout the manuscript, as per Model Original Article. Smaller font sizes can be used in the tables, as necessary - please see Manuscript file - Tables (above) for further details.

Headings. Primary headings are in bold regular font; secondary headings are in italics, non-bolded; tertiary headings are in regular font, not bolded or italicised. Please see Model Original Article for guidance. Each heading should appear on a line by itself; there is no 1-line space after headings.

Line spacing. Cover page and references are single spaced, no extra space within each line; references have a 1-line space after each reference; manuscript text and figure legends are double spaced, no (0 point) extra space between lines; leave a 1-line (0pt before and after) space after each paragraph. Please see Model Original Article for guidance.


Manufacturer/supplier details. Manufacturers and suppliers should be indicated in the Materials and methods, after the name of the product. For example: 'diazepam (Valium, Roche)' or 'using an infusion pump (Medfusion 2010, Medex)'. Trade names are provided once only in the manuscript file, in the Materials and methods; elsewhere they are referred to either by their generic name or as Product/Drug/Vaccine A, Product/Drug/Vaccine B etc., as appropriate. Manufacturer/supplier location and URLs should not be included. Symbols such as ?, ?, and ? are not allowed. Note: proprietary names must not appear in the title, Abstract, or Highlights. Please see Model Original Article for guidance.

Margins. Please use 'Normal' margins i.e., 2.54cm/1 inch top, bottom, left and right. Please see Model Original Article for guidance.

Paragraphs. Indent first line of each paragraph and leave a 1-line space (0 pt. before and after the line) after each paragraph. Please see Model Original Article for guidance.References. Please check each reference individually, so that each one is formatted correctly in TVJ style, using the Model Original Article and Author Information Pack as a guide. Please use single spacing for References (0 pt. within each line), leave a 1-line space between references (0 pt. before and after the line), align left and use a hanging indent. Article titles should be in Sentence case; journal titles should be unabbreviated and in Title Case; doi numbers and issue numbers should not be included; up to 10 authors are listed - for articles with more than 10 authors, the tenth name is followed by 'et. al.,'. Volume numbers and full-page numbers should be provided, but issue numbers should be omitted. Where a Supplement is cited, give the Supplement number e.g., 'Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement 37' or 'Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 54 (Suppl. 1), 115-126'. Where selected pages only have been consulted, such as in a book, this is given by 'pp. 237-240' or 'p. 456'. Species names should be italicised.
Example references.
Journal reference -
Yang, Y., Dahly-Vernon, A.J., Blomme, E.A.G., Lai-Zhang, J., Kempf, D.J., Marsh, K.C., Harrington, Y.A., Nye, S.H., Evans, D.L., Roman, R.J. et al., 2010. Liver transcriptomic changes associated with ritonavir-induced hyperlipidemia in sensitive and resistant strains of rats. The Veterinary Journal 185, 75-82.
Book reference -
Cunningham, J.C., Klein, B.G., 2007. Endocrinology. In: Textbook of Veterinary Physiology, Fourth Edn. Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, MO, USA, pp. 439-448.
Proceedings reference -
Elbers, A.R., Mintiens, K., Staubach, C., Gerbier, G., Meiswinkel, R., Hendrinckx, G., Backx, A., Conraths, F.J., Meroc, E., Ducheyne, E., et al., 2007. Bluetongue virus serotype 8 epidemic in North-western Europe in 2006: Preliminary findings. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Society for Veterinary Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Dipoli, Finland, pp. 231-245.
Thesis reference -
Duz, M. 2009. Assessment of a methodology for determination of H2O2 concentration and pH in exhaled breath condensate in horses with and without lower airway inflammation. Thesis, Master of Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, UK.
Web reference -
FAOSTAT, 2022. Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. FAOSTAT. Food and agricultural data. http://faostat.fao.org (Accessed 1 May, 2022).
Please check the URL and update the accession date immediately before submission. Please use the following format for accession date - 1 May, 2022; this avoids dd/mm/yyyy vs. mm/dd/yyyy confusion.


Reference management software. If a software package is used to format citations and references, manual corrections must be made to the output, because currently available programs contain some persistent errors in the style they use for TVJ formatting. NB. Because the software simply imports information from your library, if the information is incorrectly formatted or incomplete in the library, the resulting References in your manuscript are likely to be incorrectly formatted. You can either create a new TVJ style in the reference management program, or edit each citation and reference manually, but citations and references must be formatted correctly in TVJ style. Common errors to be corrected before submission include -
Citations - Multiple citations should appear in chronological order, from oldest to most recent, rather than in alphabetical order.
References - Article titles should be in Sentence case; journal titles should be unabbreviated and in Title Case. Up to 10 authors are listed for each reference, as necessary; for articles with more than 10 authors, the tenth name is followed by 'et. al.,'.

Statistical operators. Statistical operators such as n and r (lower case) and P (upper case) should be in italics. Please see Model Original Article.

Units of measurement. Metric units must be used. If other units need to be given, they must be placed in brackets after the Metric equivalent. Units, symbols and abbreviations of units should conform to the International System of Units as defined in -https://physics.nist.gov/cuu/pdf/sp811.pdf.

Units of time. These are abbreviated as follows in TVJ: seconds - s; minutes - min; hour - h. No explanation of these abbreviations is provided on first use. Please do not use abbreviations if units of time are being used in a sentence rather than with a number e.g., 'a few hours', not 'a few h', or at the beginning of a sentence e.g., Five minutes later, specific observations were made.

Use of numbers. Numbers are used with units (e.g., 5 mg/kg). Numbers are always used with units of time (e.g., 4 s, 5 min, 6 h, 7 days, 8 weeks, 9 months, 2 years), or with n e.g., n=6 dogs. Units are reported as SI units. If there are no units/n=, numbers one to nine are written as words (e.g., five cats); numbers 10 and over are written as numbers (e.g., 10 dogs), except if the number commences a sentence. Please do not commence a sentence with a number e.g., if the sentence was to commence '8 mL ?', it should be written 'Eight millilitres ?', or '18 cats ?' should be written as 'Eighteen cats ?'. Please see Model Original Article as a guide.


Use of specific terms
  • 'Patient' - 'Patient' can only be used for humans, as it implies self-reporting; if it is to be used for animals, it must be accompanied by an adjective e.g., 'veterinary patient' or 'feline patient'. Please check each use of the word 'patient' throughout the manuscript and correct as appropriate. Simple, clear language, such as 'cat' or 'dog' is appreciated.
  • 'Gender', 'Symptom' - These terms can only be used for humans. Please replace as necessary throughout the manuscript with 'sex' and 'clinical sign', respectively, as appropriate.
  • 'Significant' - Please preserve the word 'significant' for reporting statistical results. Please replace as appropriate throughout the manuscript with alternative terms such as 'important' or 'substantial'.
  • 'Gold standard' - Please replace 'gold standard' throughout the manuscript with the currently used term 'reference standard'.
  • 'Random' - If referring to a selection process, please provide full details of the randomisation scheme used e.g., random sequences generated by randomisation software. If a web-based program was used, please give full details.

Veterinary Ethical Review Committee/Animal Care and Use Committee/Institutional Review Board approval number and date. The Materials and methods should include specific information on the Veterinary Ethical Review Committee/Animal Care and Use Committee/Institutional Review Board that approved the study, including approval number and approval date. Please use the following format e.g., 1 January 2022; this avoids dd/mm/yyyy vs. mm/dd/yyyy confusion. If approval was not obtained, please explain why in a covering letter. Please see Animal Welfare (above) for further details.

Artwork

Figures. The quality of all Figures submitted must be high. The Editors will reject Figures of an unacceptable standard or ask the Authors to replace them. Figures should be referred to sequentially in the text as Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Figs. 3a,b and 4, etc. A Legend must be provided for each Figure and placed after any Tables in the main manuscript file. Do not write legends on the figures themselves. Scale bars must be provided on all photomicrographs and electron micrographs.

In preparing figures, Authors should note the following:

  • Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
  • Save text in figures as ''graphics'' or enclose the font.
  • Only use the following fonts in your figures: Times New Roman, Arial, Courier, Helvetica, Symbol.
  • Number the figures according to their sequence in the text.
  • Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
  • Provide all figures as separate files.
  • Produce images near to the desired size of the printed version.
  • Ensure that all units and wording in the figures conform to TVJ style (see Units above).

Please note that each figure must be uploaded to the journal website separately and not included in the main manuscript.

Electronic artwork
General points
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.
• Embed the used fonts if the application provides that option.
• Aim to use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or use fonts that look similar.
• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.
• Provide captions to illustrations separately.
• Size the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the published version.
• Submit each illustration as a separate file.
• Ensure that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available.
You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from the detailed information are given here.
Formats
If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then please supply 'as is' in the native document format.
Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):
EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts.
TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black & white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi.
TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of 500 dpi.
Please do not:
• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (e.g., GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); these typically have a low number of pixels and limited set of colors;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

Color artwork
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF), or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color online (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference for color: in print or online only. Further information on the preparation of electronic artwork.

After acceptance

Online proof correction

To ensure a fast publication process of the article, we kindly ask authors to provide us with their proof corrections within two days. Corresponding authors will receive an e-mail with a link to our online proofing system, allowing annotation and correction of proofs online. The environment is similar to MS Word: in addition to editing text, you can also comment on figures/tables and answer questions from the Copy Editor. Web-based proofing provides a faster and less error-prone process by allowing you to directly type your corrections, eliminating the potential introduction of errors.
If preferred, you can still choose to annotate and upload your edits on the PDF version. All instructions for proofing will be given in the e-mail we send to authors, including alternative methods to the online version and PDF.
We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures. Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with permission from the Editor. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one communication. Please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

Offprints

The corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a customized Share Link providing 50 days free access to the final published version of the article on ScienceDirect. The Share Link can be used for sharing the article via any communication channel, including email and social media. For an extra charge, paper offprints can be ordered via the offprint order form which is sent once the article is accepted for publication. Corresponding authors who have published their article gold open access do not receive a Share Link as their final published version of the article is available open access on ScienceDirect and can be shared through the article DOI link.

Author inquiries



Visit the Elsevier Support Center to find the answers you need. Here you will find everything from Frequently Asked Questions to ways to get in touch.
You can also check the status of your submitted article or find out when your accepted article will be published.