EDITORIAL POLICY
Lupus is published twelve times a year. The Editor will consider for publication all suitable papers dealing directly or indirectly with lupus or related diseases. The journal includes both clinical and non-clinical research papers. In addition to peer-reviewed (two referees) original papers, the journal publishes editorials, reviews and letters.
Authors are asked to write their manuscripts in English.
Spelling and phraseology should conform either to standard
English or to standard American SAGE and should be consistent throughout the paper.
A manuscript will be considered for publication on the understanding that all named authors have agreed to its submission and that if accepted it will not be published later in the same or similar form in any language without the consent of the publishers.
PEER REVIEW POLICY
Lupus operates a conventional single-blind reviewing policy in which the reviewer's name is always concealed from the submitting author.
ONLINE SUBMISSION
Lupus has a fully web-based system for the submission and review of manuscripts. All submissions should be made online at the Lupus SAGETRACK website
All submissions should be made online at LUPUS SAGETRACK website http:/mc.manuscriptcentral.com/lupus
New User Account
Please log onto the website. If you are a new user, you will first need to create an account. Follow the instructions and please ensure to enter a current and correct email address. Creating your account is a three-step process that takes a matter of minutes to set up. When you have finished, your User ID and password is sent via email immediately. Please edit your user ID and password to something more memorable by selecting 'edit account' at the top of the screen. If you have already created an account but have forgotten your details type your email address in the 'Password Help' to receive an emailed reminder. Full instructions for uploading the manuscript are provided on the website.
New Submission
Submissions should be made by logging in and selecting the Author Center and the 'Click here to Submit a New Manuscript' option. Follow the instructions on each page, clicking the 'Next' button on each screen to save your work and advance to the next screen. If at any stage you have any questions or require the user guide, please use the 'Get Help Now' button at the top right of every screen. Further help is available through ScholarOne's® Manuscript CentralTM customer support at +1 434 817 2040 x 167.
To upload your files, click on the 'Browse' button and locate the file on your computer. Select the designation of each file (i.e. main document, submission form, figure) in the drop down next to the browse button. When you have selected all files you wish to upload, click the 'Upload Files' button
Review your submission (in both PDF and HTML formats) and then click the Submit button
You may suspend a submission at any point before clicking the Submit button and save it to submit later. After submission, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You can also log back into your author centre at any time to check the status of your manuscript.
Please ensure that you submit editable/source files only (Microsoft Word or RTF) and that your document does not include page numbers; the Lupus SAGETRACK system will generate them for you, and then automatically convert your manuscript to PDF for peer review. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revisions, will be by email.
If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, or seek advice on the submission process please contact Prof. GRV Hughes.
Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced with a wide margin.
The Title page, Authors and Affiliations, Corresponding Author, Summary and Keywords should be included within the main document.
The Summary should not exceed 200 words. It should be written in a style that conveys the essential message of the paper in abbreviated form.
The Introduction should assume that the reader is knowledgeable in the field and should therefore be as brief as possible.
In the Materials and methods section, methods that have been published in detail elsewhere should not be described in detail. SI units should be used throughout the text.
Submitting a Revised Submission
Authors submitting revised manuscripts should follow the instructions above to submit through the SAGETRACK system. To create a revision, go to the 'Manuscripts with Decisions' option in your Author Dashboard and select 'create a revision in the 'Action' column. Authors of all revised submissions should, when prompted, provide information explaining the changes in your manuscript as this will be provided to reviewers.
REFERENCES
It is important that references comply with the style of the journal. Exhaustive lists should be avoided. References should follow the Vancouver format, listed (double-spaced) in numerical order corresponding to the order of citation in the text.
All authors should be quoted for papers with up to six authors; for papers with more than six authors, the first three only should be quoted followed by et al.
No issue numbers should be quoted.
Abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals should conform to those used in the latest editions of Index Medicus and Current Contents. The first and last page numbers for each reference should be provided. Abstracts and letters must be identified as such.
Papers in press and papers already submitted for publication may be included in the list of references. No citation is required for work that is not yet submitted for publication.
Personal communications may be allocated a number and included in the list of references in the usual way or simply referred to in the text. Authors must obtain permission from the individual concerned to quote his or her unpublished work.
Examples of References
Journal article:
1 Derksen RHWM, Bouma BN, Kater L. The association between the lupus anticoagulant and cerebral infarction in systemic lupus erythematosus. Scand J Rheumatol 1986; 15: 179-184.
Journal article, in press:
2 Mendonca LLF, Khamashta MA, Nelson-Piercy A, Hunt BJ, Hughes GRV. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as a possible cause for reversible infertility. Rheumatology (in press).
Journal article submitted for publication:
3 Khamashta MA, Cervera R, Asherson RA. Association of antibodies against phospholipids with heart valve disease in systemic lupus erythematosus (submitted for publication).
Complete book:
4 Wallace DJ, Dubois EL. Dubois' Lupus Erythematosus. Lea & Febiger, 1987, p 51.
Chapter in book:
5 Christian CL. Etiologic hypotheses for systemic lupus erythematosus. In: Lahita RG (ed) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Wiley, 1987, 65-79.
Abstract:
6 Valesini G, Luan FL, Falco M. Clonal analysis of affinity purified anticardiolipin antibodies. Clin Exp Rheumatol 1988; 6: 214 (abstract 102).
Letter to the Editor:
7 Sills EM. Systemic lupus erythematosus in a patient diagnosed as having Shulman disease. Arthritis Rheum 1988; 31: 694 (letter).
TABLES
Each table should be numbered consecutively with an Arabic numeral. Each should have a separate caption or title. Methods not described in the text and abbreviations should be explained at the foot of the table. Footnotes should be designated by superior lower case letters (a, b, c etc). Vertical lines should not be inserted in the table.
Tables must be referred to specifically in the text of the paper.
FIGURES
Artwork should be supplied as EPS files or .tif files, at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi for superior reproduction.
Lettering should be planned for 50% reduction; text should be readable after reduction.
Figures should be referred to as Figure 1, Figure 2 etc.
Figures can be reproduced in colour if necessary but the authors will be expected to contribute towards the cost of publication.
Figures must be referred to specifically in the text of the paper.
Colour photographs and Figures - Important information:
Colour photographs and Figures, when accepted, will be published online. In the printed version, they will be in black and white (unless colour prints are paid for). Authors who submit in colour must ensure that their figures are of the highest definition for the black and white version otherwise these may not be accepted. In particular immuno-fluorescent and histological figures, as well as skin rashes, must be paid for in colour or omitted from the manuscript and replaced in a descriptive format
EDITORIALS
Editorials are solicited by the Editor but suggestions for such material will be very welcome.
GRAND ROUNDS CASES
The purpose of a grand rounds submission is to educate the reader about one or more facets related to the disease lupus or of an autoimmune disease which is related to lupus. A clinicopathological conference can be submitted but this must have postmortem data and is usually a death conference or mortality conference.
Avoid extraneous material which has little bearing on the case at hand. The readers wish to learn about every facet of the case presented and not about other unrelated material.
The submitted case should contain:
Introduction
This should be no more than one or two short paragraphs and summarise what is about to be presented and the reasons why the case was chosen.
Case Presentation
This part contains a succinct narrative of the case itself. Figures, photographs and tables with data are welcome. Also encouraged are data on biopsies with illustrative materials if possible.
Discussion
The discussion should be a focused presentation of theory and/or pathogenetic data regarding the case.
Final Diagnosis
This should be only one sentence which gives the final diagnosis.
CONCISE REPORTS
These should be short investigative papers and reports organised in the same way as full-length manuscripts but which contain 2000 words or less, with no more than 3 figures or tables and up to 15 references.
CASE REPORTS
The Editor will consider for publication case reports that illustrate points not previously reported in the literature. They should not exceed two printed pages in length. The number of references should not exceed ten.
The number of case reports published will be strictly limited.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor are encouraged. They may deal with material in published papers or they may raise new issues. Short clinical or laboratory observations may also be presented as Letters.
Letters must contain no more than 500 words, 10 references, 1 table and/or 1 illustration. An abstract is not required and letters should not be divided into sections. Instructions for references, tables and figures are the same as for full length articles.
SUPPLEMENTS
The journal welcomes the opportunity of publishing supplements to regular issues of significant symposia providing the material represents original work not previously published.
Sponsored symposia should be fully discussed with the Editor prior to agreement to publish.
Faculty, subject matter and editorial content are all subject to the approval of the editorial office and the journal's integrity and reputation should in no way be compromised.
Editorial Office
If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, please contact the Editor.
Prof. GRV Hughes
Lupus Research Unit
The Rayne Institute
St Thomas' Hospital
London SE1 7EH, UK
Tel: _44 20 7620 2567
Fax: _44 20 7620 2658
editorial@lupusjournal.co.uk
Managing Editor: Dr Maria Laura Bertolaccini
Editorial Assistant: Mrs Denzil Fletcher
Proofs
Proofs will be sent to the principal author who should read them carefully for errors. Major alterations to the text cannot be accepted at this stage. The principal author must complete and return to the publisher the copyright assignment form enclosed with the proofs.
Copyright and Permissions
SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement for all articles we publish. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is a licence agreement under which the author retains copyright in the work but grants SAGE the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright.
E-Prints
Access to 25 free e-prints will be provided; the corresponding author will receive a maximum of five complimentary copies of the journal.
Electronic Graphic Files
For information on creating electronic versions of your figures please click here.
SAGE Open
If you wish your article to be freely available online immediately upon publication (as some funding bodies now require), you can opt for it to be included in SAGE Open upon payment of a publication fee. Manuscript submission and refereeing procedure is unchanged, but on acceptance of your article you will be asked to let SAGE know directly if you are choosing SAGE Open. For further information please visit http:/www.sagepub.co.uk/sageopen.sp
If funding has been provided for your research, convention dictates that you acknowledge the source and grant information in the Acknowledgements section of your article. Please note that in some cases, grant funders require authors to attribute the funding source, describe the role of the study funding body and include the relevant grant reference numbers.
English Language Editing Services: Please click here for information on professional English language editing services recommended by SAGE.
