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Information for Authors

 

 

 

 

The American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) serves clinicians and scientists who treat and investigate kidney disease and associated conditions. AJKD is dedicated to providing high-quality, clinically relevant information in the form of original research articles, case reports, narrative reviews, editorials, and features.

 

CATEGORIES OF ARTICLES

AJKD welcomes manuscripts in the categories listed below. Authors should follow the general guidelines provided.

 

Original Investigations evaluate pathogenesis and treatment of kidney disease and hypertension, acid-base and electrolyte disorders, dialysis therapies, and kidney transplantation. AJKD only considers manuscripts that focus on clinical research. Studies that focus on laboratory measurements are acceptable only if they are directly linked to measurements or outcomes in humans. For clinical trials, AJKD requires registration in a public trials registry; more information about the clinical trial registration policy is provided in the Editorial Policies section of the AJKD website (www.ajkd.org).

 

An Original Investigation includes a structured abstract and is limited to 3,500 words (excluding abstract, references, acknowledgements, tables, and figure legends). Criteria for review will include validity, originality, and clinical importance. A list of study designs follows; where available, flowcharts and checklists are provided in the Appendix.

 

i. Clinical Trial: A clinical trial is an experimental study that assesses the effect of an intervention or compares the effects of 2 or more interventions. Reporting guidelines vary according to the design:

 

o    Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)

The CONSORT Flowchart should be consulted for reporting participant flow through enrollment, allocation, follow-up, and analysis. Other guidelines depend upon the trial’s design and are listed below.

- Parallel Group Design

The CONSORT Parallel Group Design Checklist should be used.

- Cluster-Randomized Trial

The CONSORT Cluster-Randomized Trial Checklist should be used.

- Noninferiority and Equivalence Randomized Trial

The CONSORT Noninferiority and Equivalence Randomized Trial Checklist should be used.

- Herbal Medicine Interventions

The CONSORT RCT of Herbal Medicine Interventions Checklist should be used.

Note: If appropriate, authors should also consult the CONSORT Checklist for Reporting of Harms in RCTs.

 

o    Nonrandomized Trial for Evaluation of Behavioral and Public Health Interventions

The TREND Checklist should be consulted.

 


ii. Observational Study: An observational study entails the observation and description of individuals or patients based on their exposure to an intervention or risk factor. In contrast to a trial, investigators do not deliver an intervention or manipulate its use; ie, they do not assign patients to treatment and control groups. Specific guidelines vary according to study design and are listed below. Although no dedicated guidelines are available for reports from registries, AJKD also considers observational studies of this form.

o    Cohort Study

The STROBE Checklist for Cohort Studies should be used.

o    Case-Control Study

The STROBE Checklist for Case-Control Studies should be used.

o    Cross-sectional Study

The STROBE Checklist for Cross-sectional Studies should be used.

o    Gene-Disease Association Study

This subtype of observational study can use several different designs; published recommendations (Little J, Bradley L, Bray MS, et al. Reporting, appraising, and integrating data on genotype prevalence and gene-disease associations. Am J Epidemiol. 2006;156(4):300-310) should be followed.

 

iii. Case Series: A case series is a retrospective description of the clinical course of several individuals or patients. Unlike an observational study, a case series may or may not have a predictor.

 

iv. Systematic Review or Meta-analysis: A systematic review follows an explicit protocol to systematically identify, appraise, and synthesize the findings of studies that address a similar question; a meta-analysis, which contains a quantitative synthesis of the results of the systematic review, is preferred, whenever possible. The QUOROM Flow Diagram should be consulted for reporting study yield and selection. Specific guidelines vary according to the studies analyzed, as listed below.

o    Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The QUOROM Meta-analysis of RCTs Checklist should be used.

o    Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

The MOOSE Meta-analysis of Observational Studies Checklist should be used.

o    Meta-analysis of Gene-Disease Association Studies

The HuGENet HuGE Review Handbook, version 1.0 (170 KB PDF available at www.genesens.net/_intranet/doc_nouvelles/HuGE%20Review%20Handbook%20v11.pdf) should be consulted.

 

v. Decision Analysis or Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: A decision analysis weighs choices in a clinical scenario by modeling the projected consequences of different strategies in order to identify the optimal choice or to inform clinical decision-making or public policy. The following published recommendations for format should be followed.

1.       Siegel JE, Weinstein MC, Russell LB, Gold MR. Recommendations for reporting cost-effectiveness analyses. Panel on Cost-effectiveness in Health and Medicine. JAMA. 1996;276(16):1339-1341.

2.       Drummond MF, Jefferson TO. Guidelines for authors and peer reviewers of economic submissions to the BMJ. The BMJ Economic Evaluation Working Party. BMJ. 1996;313(7052):275-283.

 

vi. Quality Improvement Report: A quality improvement report describes an activity that was conducted as an initiative to improve quality of care and that does not follow the design of a prospective research study such as a clinical trial or an observational study. Published recommendations (Davidoff F, Batalden P. Toward stronger evidence on quality improvement. Draft publication guidelines: the beginning of a consensus project. Qual Saf Health Care. 2005;14(5): 319-325) for format should be followed; a summary of these is available as a checklist.

 

vii. Study of Diagnostic Accuracy: A study of diagnostic accuracy is a study comparing the performance of 2 or more diagnostic tests. The STARD Flowchart of Diagnostic Test Results should be followed for reporting participant flow through enrollment, testing, and results and the STARD Checklist should be consulted for format recommendations.


Case Reports should be succinct and original and should have a single, well-defined message. These articles are limited to 1,400 words and no more than 2 figures or tables; an abstract is required. Case Reports consist of an Introduction, Case Report, and Discussion. Criteria for review will include clinical plausibility and originality.

 

Narrative Reviews may cover any clinical, translational, or basic science topic of interest to practitioners. These articles are limited to 4,000 words and must include an abstract. Criteria for review will include originality, comprehensiveness, and balance of viewpoints.

 

Editorials provide focused commentary and analysis concerning a topic of interest to AJKD readers. These articles may be up to 1,400 words and may include 1 figure or table. Editorials are usually invited but may be submitted without invitation on articles published in AJKD or in other journals, or on a current issue in nephrology.

 

Letters to the Editor may be in response to an article in AJKD or may concern a topic of interest in current nephrology. For responses to AJKD articles, the letter must be received no more than 6 weeks after the article’s date of print publication. The body of the letter should be as concise as possible and in general should not exceed 250 words. A maximum of 3 authors may be listed on a letter, and up to 10 references and 1 figure or table may be included. There is no guarantee that letters will be published. Letters are subject to editing and abridgment without notice.

 

Special Articles encompass content that does not fit in the aforementioned categories and may cover any topic of interest to AJKD readers. These articles are limited to 4,000 words and must include an abstract.

 

AJKD also welcomes submissions for the following features:

 

Quiz Page: An image-based educational feature that recurs monthly; images from the page often appear on the cover of AJKD. The first section includes a concise clinical history (150 words or fewer), a maximum of 4 figures, and 1 to 4 brief questions pertaining to the case. An answer to each question, further information regarding the clinical entity, and a brief statement of the final diagnosis should be provided in a separate answer section, which may include an additional 2 to 4 figures and in most cases should be limited to 200 words. Quiz Pages from February 2007 onwards may be consulted as examples of the preferred organization; however, for initial submission, Quiz Pages should include a standard title page.

 

Kidney Biopsy Teaching Case: A case report to educate clinicians on pathologic correlates of clinical presentations, with key educational points well delineated in the discussion. These teaching cases are limited to 1,800 words and no more than 4 figures or tables, do not include abstracts, and are organized into the following sections: Introduction, Case Report (with the subsections Clinical History, Kidney Biopsy, Diagnosis, and Clinical Follow-up), and Discussion.

 

Acid-Base and Electrolyte Teaching Case: A case report to educate clinicians on acid-base and electrolyte pathophysiology and the interpretation of serum and urine chemistries in clinical practice. Key points should be clearly delineated in the discussion. These teaching cases are limited to 1,800 words and no more than 4 figures or tables, do not include abstracts, and are organized into the following sections: Introduction, Case Report (with the subsections Clinical History, Additional Investigations, Diagnosis, and Clinical Follow-up), and Discussion.

 

Imaging Teaching Case: A case report to educate clinicians on interpretation and applications of imaging in clinical nephrology. Key educational points should be clearly delineated in the discussion. These teaching cases are limited to 1,800 words and no more than 4 figures or tables, do not include abstracts, and are organized into the following sections: Introduction, Case Report (with the subsections Clinical History, Additional Investigations, Diagnosis, and Clinical Follow-up), and Discussion.

 

In Translation: An authoritative, cutting-edge analysis of developments in basic science with diagnostic or therapeutic implications in the clinical practice of nephrology. This feature includes a clinical vignette and describes the pathogenesis of a disease process or its complications as well as recent advances in the field, giving particular attention to cellular and molecular mechanisms of disease and their relation to diagnostic approaches or therapeutic applications. These articles may have up to 4,000 words and 6 figures or tables; an abstract is required. In Translation is organized into the following sections: Background (250 words), Case Vignette (300 words), Pathogenesis, Recent Advances, and Summary.

 

World Kidney Forum: A narrative review that explores the socioeconomic, geopolitical, ethical, and historical issues related to kidney disease and the wider world of nephrology. The Forum will recur quarterly; submissions should be 4,000 words or fewer, and an abstract is required.

 

Two editors will review all manuscripts submitted to AJKD, generally within 1 week. If the editors deem that the manuscript is unlikely to be published in AJKD, it may be rejected at this stage. With the exception of letters, Quiz Pages, and invited editorials, manuscripts will then undergo external review. Further details on the review process are available in the Editorial Policies section of the AJKD website.

 

INFORMED CONSENT, QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACTIVITIES, AND PRIVACY

Regardless of country of origin, all studies in humans must include a description of appropriate safeguards (eg, local Institutional Review Board, Ministry of Health approval) in the Methods section.

 

When submitting a quality improvement report, authors should indicate whether the plan for the quality improvement activity has been approved by the clinical leadership of the organization whose experience is reported.

 

Whenever possible, any information identifying individual study participants should be avoided. If identifying information is necessary, the patient must be shown the manuscript and provide written informed consent before publication.

 

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

AJKD policies and procedures generally follow those of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, as published in the "Uniform Requirement for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" (updated October 2007; www.icmje.org).

 

A conflict of interest exists when an author, reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships with other persons or organizations that may inappropriately influence or bias his or her actions. There is a potential for a conflict of interest whether or not an individual believes that a relationship affects his or her scientific judgment. Conflicts can occur as the result of employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony or opinions, personal and family relationships, or academic competitive pressures. All participants in the peer review and publication process must disclose all relationships that could be viewed as a potential conflict of interest.

 

Potential Author Conflicts

Authors should disclose at the time of manuscript submission all financial and interpersonal relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest. These include, but are not limited to, any financial relationship that involves conditions or tests or treatments discussed in the manuscript or alternatives to tests or treatments. Authors should disclose information even when there is a question as to whether a relationship constitutes a conflict. Potential conflicts should be listed for each author on the page following the title page; a summary of relevant information will be published with the manuscript.

 

Authorship of editorials and reviews requires interpretation of the literature and therefore is inherently subject to bias, thus AJKD requests that authors of such manuscripts not have a significant financial interest in the subject matter of the manuscript.

 

Potential Reviewer Conflicts

Individuals who have potential conflicts of interest should not serve as peer reviewers. This includes individuals who closely collaborate either in clinical care or research with authors as well as individuals who may have a financial interest in the subject matter of the manuscript being reviewed. Authors may provide editors with the names of persons they feel should not review their manuscript because of a potential conflict. However, when possible, authors should explain the reason(s) for their concerns. Editors will try to avoid selecting reviewers who have potential conflicts of interest. Individuals who have been invited to review a manuscript must disclose any conflicts that could bias their opinions, and they should disqualify themselves from reviewing when appropriate.

 

Potential Editor Conflicts

AJKD follows comprehensive policies dictating the treatment of submissions that are associated with the editors. Detailed information is available in the Editorial Policies section of the AJKD website.

 

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

All manuscripts are submitted and processed electronically using Editorial Manager, which is available at www.editorialmanager.com/ajkd. Assistance with Editorial Manager is available from the editorial office at +1 617-636-0599 or AJKD@tuftsmedicalcenter.org.

 

Authors should follow the recommended formats for reporting original research and the style guidelines listed in this document, even if this makes the manuscript exceed the listed length limitations. If revision is requested, the editors will provide guidance on appropriate reductions or the use of supplementary online materials.

 

Manuscripts must be double-spaced using 12-point type (preferably Times New Roman) and unjustified margins. Pages must be numbered starting with the title page.

 

Title Page

The title page should include the following: (1) title (concise and descriptive); (2) authors’ first and last names and highest degree; (3) institution of each author; (4) corresponding author’s name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address; (5) word counts for the abstract and the body of the manuscript; and (6) a short title (45 characters or fewer, including spaces) to be used as a running head.

 

Note: All authors must have a significant role in the manuscript. This includes (1) conceiving of the study design or interpreting study results; (2) writing and/or revising the manuscript; and (3) approving the final version of the manuscript. All individuals who contributed to the writing of the manuscript must be identified either as an author or in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript. The author who is named as the corresponding author on the manuscript’s title page must be the same individual to whom all Editorial Manager–related correspondence is directed.

 

Support and Financial Disclosure Declaration

The second page of each manuscript should acknowledge research support (from funding agencies or industry) and disclose any potential financial conflicts of interest (relevant consulting fees, stock options, employment, etc) for each author. If no financial conflict of interest is identified, ‘none’ should be written next to the author name.

Note: If the manuscript is accepted for publication, a summary of the relevant information will be transferred to the “Support” and “Financial Disclosure” sections of the Acknowledgements.

 

Abstract

Original Investigations must include a brief (300 words or fewer) structured abstract followed by a short list of index words. Formats for abstracts differ according to type of study and should follow the guidelines listed in the following table. Abstracts for Case Reports, Narrative Reviews, Special Articles, and features may be unstructured and are limited to 200 words.

 

Clinical Trial

Background

Study Design

Setting & Participants

Intervention

Outcomes

Measurements

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Observational Study

Background

Study Design

Setting & Participants

Predictor or Factor

Outcomes

Measurements

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Diagnostic Test Study

Background

Study Design

Setting & Participants

Index Test

Reference Test or Outcome

Other Measurements (if applicable)

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Quality Improvement Report

Background

Study Design

Setting & Participants

Quality Improvement Plan

Outcomes

Measurements

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Case Series

Background

Study Design

Setting & Participants

Predictor or Factor (if applicable)

Outcomes

Measurements

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Systematic Review or Meta-Analysis

Background

Study Design

Setting & Population

Selection Criteria for Studies

Intervention, Predictor or Factor, or Index Tests (select 1)

Outcomes or Reference Tests (select 1)

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

Decision Analysis/Cost-

Effectiveness Analysis

Background

Study Design

Setting & Population

Model, Perspective, & Timeframe

Intervention

Outcomes

Results

Limitations

Conclusions

 

Although the abstract headings listed above are not identical to CONSORT recommendations, authors interested in further guidance on abstract preparation are referred to the following article: Hopewell S, Clarke M, Moher D, et al. CONSORT for reporting randomized controlled trials in journal and conference abstracts: explanation and elaboration. PLoS Med. 2008;5(1):e20.

 

Manuscript Body

Original Investigations should be structured into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The Introduction and Discussion sections should not include any subheadings. Each section must conform to the recommended formats for reporting as described in this document.

 

Information on the organization of other article types is available in the individual article descriptions in “Categories of Articles” section.

 

Acknowledgements

If authors wish to express thanks or acknowledge assistance, an acknowledgements section should be inserted after the manuscript text and before the reference list. Additionally, all individuals who contributed to the writing of the manuscript but who do not qualify as authors must be cited in this section. Authors are responsible for informing all named individuals/parties that they are being mentioned in their submitted manuscript and obtaining their approval prior to publication.

Note: Until a manuscript is accepted for publication, support and financial disclosure information should remain on the page following the title page.

 

References

References should be compiled at the end of the manuscript according to the order of citation in the text and should follow the style and format recommended by the American Medical Association. A summary of the most common reference types is provided below. Authors using reference handling software (eg, EndNote, Reference Manager) should use the American Medical Association output style (equivalent to the JAMA style). Further information may also be found in the AMA Manual of Style.

Examples

Journal article (6 or fewer authors):

MacKinnon M, Shurraw S, Akbari A, Knoll GA, Jaffey J, Clark HD. Combination therapy with an angiotensin receptor blocker and an ACE inhibitor in proteinuric renal disease: A systematic review of the efficacy and safety data. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006;48(1):8-20.

Journal article (more than 6 authors):

Ponticelli C, Passerini P, Salvadori M, et al. A randomized pilot trial comparing methylprednisolone plus a cytotoxic agent versus synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone in idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006;47(2):233-240.

Journal article which has been published online but is not yet available in print:

St. Peter WL, Liu J, Weinhandl E, Fan Q. A comparison of sevelamer and calcium-based phosphate binders on mortality, hospitalization, and morbidity in hemodialysis: A secondary analysis of the dialysis clinical outcomes revisited (DCOR) randomized trial using claims data. Am J Kidney Dis. 2008. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2007.12.002.

Supplement:

National Kidney Foundation. KDOQI Clinical Practice Guidelines and Clinical Practice Recommendations for Anemia in Chronic Kidney Disease. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006;47(5)(suppl 3):S1-S145.

Item presented at a meeting but not yet published:

Richardson MM, Saris-Baglama, RN, Anatchkova MD, et al. Patient experience of chronic kidney disease (CKD): Results of a focus group study. Poster presented at: National Kidney Foundation 2007 Spring Clinical Meeting; April 10-14, 2007; Orlando, FL.

Published meeting abstract:

Pudur S, Savin VJ, McCarthy ET, Sharma M. Albumin permeability (Palb) in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is associated with rapid progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) [NKF abstract 127]. Am J Kidney Dis. 2006;47(4):B50.

Website:

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). National Kidney Foundation. http://www.kidney.org/kidneyDisease/ckd/index.cfm. Accessed January 4, 2008.

Complete book:

Ahmad S. Manual of Clinical Dialysis. London, England: Science Press Ltd; 1999.

Book chapter:

Batlle D. Metabolic acidosis. In: Greenberg A, ed. Primer on Kidney Diseases. 2nd ed. San Diego, CA: Academic Press; 1998:71-79.

Government or agency bulletin:

US Renal Data System. USRDS 2007 Annual Data Report: Atlas of Chronic Kidney Disease and End-Stage Renal Disease in the United States. Bethesda, MA: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2007.

 

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be cited in numerical order in the text using Arabic numbering.


Each table should be on a separate page of the manuscript file, and should appear immediately after the references. The table number and title should be included above the table on the same page. Any additional information, including Système International (SI) conversion factors, should be included in notes below each table.

 

Figure legends (figure title and other explanatory text) should be grouped on a separate page at the end of the manuscript file (immediately following the references and tables, if present). Each figure should have a legend. Titles and legends should not appear in the figure files themselves.

 

Figures should not be embedded within the manuscript file; instead they should be uploaded in the Editorial Manager system as separate files. For the purposes of initial evaluation, figures must be of sufficient quality to be legible and interpretable. If revision is requested, production-quality figures will be required, for which advice will be given. In general, authors should minimize conversions between file types. Resolution should not be reduced except in cases where file size would otherwise be impractically large; in most cases, pixel-based images should have a resolution of at least 1,200 dpi for line art (eg, graphs, flow charts) or 500 dpi for photographs, micrographs, computed tomography scans, and related images. Color images should use CMYK color mode. In rare cases, the journal may request hard copies of figures; however, no materials, including photomicrographs, can be returned.

 

Authors are responsible for applying for permission from the relevant publisher(s) for both print and electronic rights to all borrowed material and are responsible for paying any fees related to applying for these permissions. In addition to providing proof of permission to the AJKD editorial office, authors should include appropriate wording in the figure legend or table note to indicate the source of the material. Photographs of identifiable persons must be accompanied by a signed release that indicates informed consent.

 

Supplementary Materials for Online Publication

In cases where essential information associated with an article is too extensive for print publication (eg, a lengthy study questionnaire), this content can be included as online-only information. Supplementary materials file(s) should be provided at the time of manuscript submission, and should be called out in the text: Table S2, Fig S1, Item S4, etc. Titles and/or legends for each supplementary figure or item should be included as the final page of the manuscript document. Unless otherwise requested, supplementary materials will generally be corrected for style, grammar, or format. Information on copyright assignment for supplementary materials can be found in the Editorial Policies section of the AJKD website.

 

Abbreviations
To improve readability, only standard abbreviations should be used and all abbreviations should be expanded at first mention. Abbreviations in titles, abstracts, and running heads should be avoided. Expansions of all abbreviations used in tables and figures should be provided.

 

Generic Names

Generic names for drugs should be used throughout; if necessary, a proprietary name and the name and location of the drug manufacturer may be included in parentheses at first mention.

 

Units of Measurement

Throughout the text, most units of measurement should be expressed in conventional units. At first mention, the conversion factor for the SI unit should be given in parentheses; thereafter, only conventional units should be used. In abstracts, only conventional units should be used; no conversion factors are required. In figures and tables, conventional units should be used, with conversion factors given in legends or table notes. Manuscripts containing only conventional or SI units will not be returned, but correction will be requested if a revision is invited. For a complete list of values requiring SI units, as well as the conversion factors, authors may consult the SI Converter available at the AJKD website.

 

Examples

In text:

Serum creatinine at 3 months was 9.62 mg/dL (serum creatinine in mg/dL may be converted to µmol/L by multiplying by 88.4).

In figure legends:

Urea nitrogen in mg/dL may be converted to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.357. Potassium levels in mEq/L and mmol/L are equivalent.

In tables:

Serum Component

Patient 1

Patient 2

Creatinine

0.6 mg/dL

1.2 mg/dL

Urea nitrogen

8 mg/dL

18 mg/dL

 

Note: Serum creatinine in mg/dL may be converted to μmol/L by multiplying by 88.4; urea nitrogen in mg/dL to mmol/L by multiplying by 0.357.

 

Reporting P Values

Numerical values should always be reported for P, even if they are nonsignificant. If the P value is greater than or equal to 0.9, it should be reported as 0.9, eg, 0.91 and 0.97 become 0.9. P values from 0.001 through 0.9 (inclusive) should be rounded to one nonzero digit, eg, 0.0105 rounds to 0.01 and 0.0452 rounds to 0.05. P values less than 0.001 should be reported as <0.001, eg, 0.0009 and 1.92 x 10-6 become <0.001.

 

CONDITIONS OF SUBMISSION

Manuscripts are considered for publication if and only if the article and its key features (1) are not under consideration elsewhere, (2) have not been published, and (3) will not appear in print or online prior to appearing in AJKD. This restriction does not apply to abstracts or press reports published in connection with scientific meetings.

 

Submission of a manuscript is understood to indicate that the authors have complied with all policies as delineated in this document and the online Editorial Policies. Individuals who violate these policies are subject to editorial action including but not limited to (1) disclosure of violations to employers, funding agencies, or other journal offices and/or (2) publication of a retraction, correction, or editorial.

 

PUBLICATION ON AJKD ELECTRONIC PAGES

Because AJKD receives many more meritorious papers than can be published in the print edition, some Case Reports may be accepted for publication solely on the AJKD website. The initial decision letter sent to the authors will indicate if the manuscript is being considered as an online Case Report. Articles that are published exclusively online will be listed in the printed table of contents and indexed in MEDLINE. Online Case Reports will incur no page charges or charges for color figures, but will be subject to the same copyright laws as the printed edition.

 

AFTER ACCEPTANCE

Copyright Transfer

The copyright will be assigned exclusively to the National Kidney Foundation, including the right to reproduce the article in all forms and media. Permission requests are handled by the publisher, Elsevier; information on how to request permission is available in the Contact Information section of the AJKD website. Elsevier will not refuse any reasonable request by the author for permission to reproduce any of his or her contributions following publication in AJKD. Further information on copyright policies can be found in the Editorial Policies section of the AJKD website.

 

Page Charges

AJKD holds all authors responsible for payment of excess page charges for published manuscripts. Authors may publish up to 4 printed pages without any page charges; for each page in excess of the 4 free pages, authors are responsible for paying $75.00 per page or partial page. One printed text page is approximately equivalent to 2.5 double-spaced manuscript pages, 35 references, or 2 tables/figures. The letter of acceptance e-mailed to the author will provide an estimate of the page charges. The actual invoice for page charges will be sent to the corresponding author after the manuscript is published. If no response to the invoice or subsequent reminders is received within 3 months, the editorial office will place a publication hold on all further papers from all listed co-authors until the outstanding invoice is paid in full. Page charges and color reproduction costs are billed separately.

 

Color Reproduction Charges

Authors must bear all costs connected with printed color illustrations, with the exception of those appearing in Quiz Pages. The first color figure will cost $650 and each additional figure will cost $100; multipart figures generally will be considered as 1 figure. After a manuscript with color illustrations is accepted, the issue manager at Elsevier will contact the corresponding author, provide a cost estimate, and give a choice of publication in color or black and white. In some cases, authors may be able to have their color figure(s) produced in black and white for the print version of AJKD, but the figure(s) will appear in color for the online version. The issue manager will contact the author if there is a problem reproducing a figure. If the author chooses color reproduction, Elsevier (not the editorial office) will send the bill to the author. Color reproduction costs and page charges are billed separately.

 

Proofreading
Corresponding authors are provided with proofs via e-mail and are asked to proofread them for typesetting and/or copyediting errors. Important changes in data are allowed, but authors will be charged for excessive alterations to proofs. Corrections must be returned to Elsevier within 48 hours.

 

Reprints
Reprints of articles can be ordered before or after publication. Individuals wishing to obtain reprints of an article that appears in AJKD may do so by contacting the author at the address given in the article.

 


EDITORIAL OFFICE

Andrew S. Levey, MD, Editor-in-Chief

Daniel E. Weiner, MD, MS, Deputy Editor

Nijsje Dorman, PhD, Managing Editor

Elizabeth Frank, Associate Managing Editor

David Boffa, Editorial Assistant

 

US Postal Mail Address

AJKD Editorial Office

Division of Nephrology

Tufts Medical Center, Box 391

750 Washington St

Boston, MA 02111, USA

Express Mail Address

AJKD Editorial Office

Tufts Medical Center

35 Kneeland St, 1st Floor

Boston, MA 02111, USA

 

 

Phone: +1 617-636-0599

Fax: +1 617-636-0598

E-mail: AJKD@tuftsmedicalcenter.org

 

 

 

 

 


APPENDIX: RECOMMENDED FORMATS FOR REPORTING BY STUDY DESIGN

 

The CONSORT Participant Flowchart O

 

Reference: Egger M, et al, for the CONSORT Group: Value of flow diagrams in reports of randomized controlled trials. JAMA 285:1996-1999, 2001 (freely available at jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/285/15/1996)

 



Recommended Format for Reporting of Randomized Controlled Trials With Parallel Group Design According to the CONSORT Group O

 

Reference: Moher D, et al, for the CONSORT Group: The CONSORT Statement: Revised Recommendations for Improving the Quality of Reports of Parallel-Group Randomized Trials. Ann Intern Med 134: 657-662, 2001 (freely available at www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/134/8/657.pdf)

 

Paper Section and Topic

Item #

Descriptor

Title & Abstract

1

How participants were allocated to interventions (eg, random allocation, randomized, or randomly assigned).

Introduction

Background

2

Scientific background and explanation of rationale.

Methods

Participants

3

Eligibility criteria for participants and the settings and location where the data were collected.

Interventions

4

Precise details of the intervention intended for each group and how and when they were actually administered.

Objectives