Preparing your manuscript
Video abstracts guidelines
Author guidelines for creating and publishing video abstracts
- A video abstract is a short video embedded within your article that highlights its key findings.
- It’s a very effective means of making your article stand out, encouraging readership of your research.
- Videos make for a great promotional tool that can be shared on a variety of social media channels by you and Sage.
- Animations and narrated slide decks can visually explain your research, adding clarity and impact to your findings.
- Video abstracts will be peer-reviewed, so make sure that all material in your video directly supports the conclusions of your article, and stays within the scope of your research.
- Animations – view example
- Narrated slide deck – view example
- ‘Talking heads’– view example
- In order for a video abstract to be published as part of your article, we require either the final video or the written audio transcript to be submitted along with your revised manuscript, prior to article acceptance so it can be peer reviewed.
- If you think that you would like to prepare a video abstract to accompany your paper, please let the editorial office know as soon as possible, in advance of article acceptance.
- We understand that you may not wish to invest time preparing a video abstract until you have confirmation that your paper will be accepted for publication, so an ideal time to let the editorial office know that you wish to create a video is upon receipt of your initial decision letter. You may then submit a written audio transcript for the video along with your revised submission so that it can be peer-reviewed with your revised manuscript.
- Providing the editorial office has been made aware that you plan to prepare a video abstract, they can hold off from accepting your paper and exporting it to the production team until the video is received. The editorial office will hold your paper by making a final ‘Minor revisions’ decision in order to allow you to submit the finished video file.
- If the final video file is ready at the time of revised manuscript submission, please provide a highlighted link to the video at the start of your revised manuscript file so that the video can be easily accessed and reviewed by peer reviewers.
- Your video abstract will be embedded into the HTML full text-version of your paper immediately underneath the text abstract – view example
- It will also be hosted as supplementary material, which you should cite in the main text, to enable easy access and shareability – view example
- The video will also be playable from the PDF as a pop-out video file – view example
Creating the video abstract
- The file format for videos should be MP3, M4a, MP4, or M4v.
- We expect videos to be able to play on Windows, Linux and Mac, so proprietary formats such as FLV are discouraged.
- At least 640 by 480 resolution and at least 20 fps is recommended.
- Videos should be below the 10MB mark and less than three minutes in length; exceptions may be made at the discretion of the editors.
- Video compression should be of high quality.
- Your video abstract should be produced in the English language.
- Closed captioning is automatically added to all video abstracts upon publication, so you do not need to add your own subtitles.
- Use a slideshow presentation software such as PowerPoint.
- Limit the amount of text on each slide and use large font for mobile and tablet accessibility.
- Do not copy and paste sections of text (e.g., the Abstract, Results, or Conclusion) onto a slide.
- Consider narrating over one or more of your article’s figures – you might even add transitions and simple animations to bring these to life.
- Prioritize a steady visual and clear audio - use a tripod, microphone, and HD camera if possible.
- Consider your background, lighting and shot set-up – the main light source should come from behind the camera rather than from behind the subject.
- Ensure your background is neutral so that you are the focus. Please ensure that personal items are not in view as you may not want to share these publicly.
- If talking directly to the camera, maintain eye contact with the lens throughout.
- Alternatively, you can produce the video as if you were being interviewed and direct your gaze 45 degrees off-camera – if you opt for this style of video, try to avoid glancing at the camera lens.
- Bear in mind that the video abstract may reach a wider, more diverse audience (social media, news outlets etc), so consider using a more informal, conversational style than your written abstract – write it as you would say it.
- Rehearse your script in advance to help it sound natural, and make sure to speak in a clear and audible voice.
- Consider using video editing software, particularly if you transition between multiple shots and/or include animations or slides within the video.
- Write a script of approximately 250 words for a final video that will be under three minutes long.
- Keep the script short and relatable to the target audience.
- Give a structure to the script.
- Build context and set the scene before getting into specifics.
- Introduce the topic by focusing on the problem – what was the study about? Why was it conducted?
- Talk about researchers’ backgrounds (e.g., a group of researchers from the University of Rutgers…, or Dr. Smith and co-workers…)
- Explain the methodology very briefly.
- Focus on the primary findings and outcomes. How was the problem solved?
- What’s the take-home message? Viewers need to know how this study is relevant to their lives, and what’s in store in the future.
- Use conversational language; focus on telling a “story”. The goal is to make the content engaging for the audience.
- Avoid jargon by using plain language— e.g., “embryos did not survive” instead of “resulted in embryonic lethality”.
- Avoid using too many acronyms. Define the abbreviated form at first use.
- For field-specific terms and acronyms used in the script, provide audio references for the narrator (e.g., preferably share references to an audio dictionary such as Merriam-Webster, or to YouTube pronunciation guides after validating that the pronunciation matches that of a native English speaker, or provide phonetic instructions).
Video title: Effective, Noninvasive Method to Reduce Neuronal Loss after Traumatic Brain Injury
Manuscript Title: Proneurotrophins Induce Apoptotic Neuronal Death After Controlled Cortical Impact Injury in Adult Mice
Traumatic brain injury (or TBI), caused by a violent impact to the head, can have severe, detrimental effects on a patient’s cognitive abilities. This cognitive decline is due to the progressive neuronal loss that occurs secondary to the initial trauma. Studies have shown that the induction of growth factors, such as proneurotrophin ligands and/or the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), can promote neuronal death after brain injuries. Thus, preventing neuronal loss via blocking this ligand/receptor axis can offer an effective therapeutic strategy for mitigating the devastating consequences of TBI.
In this study, scientists used a noninvasive method to examine the therapeutic efficacy of acutely blocking the proneurotrophin-p75NTR signaling cascade. To begin with, they induced cortical trauma in mice that elicited p75NTR expression in apoptotic neurons and led to cognitive deficits. Then, they used a noninvasive intranasal strategy using two approaches: preventing the induction of p75NTR using siRNA s against it, or blocking the ligand function using antibodies.
Histopathological analysis of the brain as well as sensorimotor tests showed that both these approaches effectively reduced the extent of neuronal damage following TBI.
Thus, the findings show that this intranasal infusion approach of blocking p75NTR or proneurotrophin ligands is an effective noninvasive way to ensure that these reagents gain access to the brain and can reduce secondary neuronal loss and improve behavioral deficits following TBI.
