Prepare your work with care and use the journal’s current instructions to guide your submission.
Check the journal first
Read the aims and scope, accepted article types, manuscript requirements, and relevant publication policies. Confirm any charges or licence conditions before submitting. Direct questions about these arrangements to the journal.
Prepare a complete manuscript
Use a clear title and an accurate abstract. Explain the research question, methods, evidence, and conclusions in enough detail for readers to assess the work. Provide legible figures, complete captions, numbered tables, and references that can be located and verified.
Prepare the declarations
Include authorship and contribution information, funding, competing interests, data availability, and any relevant ethics approval or participant consent statements. Describe the actual arrangements for your study; do not insert approvals or declarations that do not apply.
Check authorship and permissions
Obtain the approval of all listed authors. Identify one corresponding author and ensure that affiliations and contact details are correct. Secure permission for third-party material where required and acknowledge earlier work accurately.
Submit through the journal
Use the journal’s stated submission route. Keep copies of the submitted files and the confirmation. Respond to editorial queries with clear explanations and identify changes when a revision is requested.
Ask a submission question