Diseases of the Esophagus prefers to receive all manuscript submissions electronically. To submit a manuscript, please follow the instructions below.
Getting Started
1. Launch your web browser (Internet Explorer 5 or higher or Netscape 7 or higher) and go to the Diseases of the Esophagus Manuscript Central homepage (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/des).
2. Log-in or click the "Create Account" option if you are a first-time user of Manuscript Central.
3. If you are creating a new account.
• After clicking on "Create Account", enter your name and e-mail information and click "Next". Your e-mail information is very important.
• Enter your institution and address information as appropriate, and then click "Next."
• Enter a user ID and password of your choice (we recommend using your e-mail address as your user ID), and then select your area of expertise. Click "Finish".
4. Log-in and select "Author Center."
Submitting Your Manuscript
5. After you have logged in, click the "Submit a Manuscript" link in the menu bar.
6. Enter data and answer questions as appropriate.
7. Click the "Next" button on each screen to save your work and advance to the next screen.
8. You are required to upload your files.
• Click on the "Browse" button and locate the file on your computer.
• Select the designation of each file in the drop down next to the Browse button.
• When you have selected all files you wish to upload , click the "Upload Files" button.
9. Review your submission (in both PDF and HTML formats) before sending to the Journal. Click the "Submit" button when you are finished reviewing.
You may suspend a submission at any phase before clicking the "Submit" button and save it to submit later. After submission, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You can also access Manuscript Central any time to check the status of your manuscript. The Journal will inform you by e-mail once a decision has been made.
Conditions of Publication
All articles submitted to the Journal must comply with the following instructions. Failure to do so will result in return of the manuscript and possible delay in publication.
Manuscripts should be written so that they are intelligible to the professional reader who is not a specialist in the particular field. Where contributions are judged as acceptable for publication on the basis of scientific content, the Editor or the Publisher reserves the right to modify typescripts to eliminate ambiguity and repetition and improve communication between author and reader. If extensive alterations are required, the manuscript will be returned to the author for revision.
Manuscript Preparation
Submissions should be doubled-spaced in Microsoft Word using US letter (8.5 by 11 inch) sizing. The top, bottom and side margins should be 30 mm . All pages should be numbered consecutively in the top right-hand corner, beginning with the title page. Indent new paragraphs. Turn the hyphenation option off, including only those hyphens that are essential to the meaning. The font should be 12 point.
Style
Manuscripts should follow the style of the Vancouver agreement detailed in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors revised 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication', as presented at http://www.ICMJE.org/.
The Journal uses US spelling and authors should therefore follow the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary.
All measurements must be given in SI units as outlined in the latest edition of Units, Symbols and Abbreviations: A Guide for Medical and Scientific Editors and Authors (Royal Society of Medicine Press, London).
Abbreviations should be used sparingly and only where they ease the reader's task by reducing repetition of long, technical terms. Initially use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation. At the first mention of a chemical substance, give the generic name only. Trade names should not be used. Drugs should be referred to by their generic names, rather than brand names.
Parts of the manuscript
Manuscripts should be presented in the following order: (i) title page, (ii) abstract and key words, (iii) text, (iv) acknowledgments, (v) references, (vi) figure legends, (vii) tables (each table complete with title and footnotes) and (viii) figures. Footnotes to the text are not allowed and any such material should be incorporated into the text as parenthetical matter.
Title page
The title page should contain (i) the title of the paper, (ii) the full names of the authors and (iii) the addresses of the institutions at which the work was carried out together with (iv) the full postal and email address, plus facsimile and telephone numbers, of the author to whom correspondence about the manuscript, proofs and requests for offprints should be sent.
In keeping with the latest guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, each author's contribution to the paper is to be quantified.
The title should be short, informative and contain the major key words. A short running title (fewer than 40 characters, including spaces) should also be provided.
Abstract and key words
Articles must have an abstract that states in 500 words or fewer the purpose, basic procedures, main findings and principal conclusions of the study. The abstract should not contain abbreviations or references. Up to five key words should be supplied below the abstract and should be taken from those recommended by the Index Medicus Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) browser list (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html).
Text
Authors should use subheadings to divide the sections of their manuscript: Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References.
Acknowledgments
The source of financial grants and other funding should be acknowledged, including a frank declaration of the authors' industrial links and affiliations. The contribution of colleagues or institutions should also be acknowledged. Thanks to anonymous reviewers are not appropriate.
References
The Vancouver system of referencing should be used. In the text, references should be cited using superscript Arabic numerals in the order in which they appear. If cited only in tables or figure legends, number them according to the first identification of the table or figure in the text.
In the reference list, the references should be numbered and listed in order of appearance in the text. Cite the names of all authors when there are six or fewer; when seven or more list the first three followed by et al. Names of journals should be abbreviated in the style used in Index Medicus. Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should appear in the text only.
References should be listed in the following form:
Journal article
1 Soter NA, Wasserman SI, Austen KF. Cold urticaria: release into the circulation of histamine and eosinophil chemotactic factor of anaphylaxis during cold challenge. N Engl J Med 1976; 294: 687-90.
Book
2 Kaufmann HE, Baron BA, McDonald MB, Waltman SR (eds). The Cornea. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1988.
Chapter in a Book
3 McEwen WK, Goodner IK. Secretion of tears and blinking. In: Davson H (ed.) The Eye, Vol. 3, 2nd edn. New York: Academic Press, 1969; 34-78.
Tables
Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text. Tables should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Each table should be presented on a separate sheet of A4 paper with a comprehensive but concise legend above the table. Tables should be double-spaced and vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for P-values. The table and its legend/footnotes should be understandable without reference to the text.
Figures
All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be cited in consecutive order in the text. Each figure should be labeled on the back in very soft marker or chinagraph pencil, indicating name of author(s), figure number and orientation. (Do not use an adhesive label.) Figures should be sized to fit within the column (80 mm), intermediate (115 mm) or the full text width (165 mm).
Line figures should be supplied as sharp, black and white graphs or diagrams, drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package; lettering should be included.
Photographs should be supplied as sharp, glossy, black and white photographic prints and must be unmounted. Individual photographs forming a composite figure should be of equal contrast, to facilitate printing, and should be accurately squared. Photographs need to be cropped sufficiently to prevent the subject being recognized, or an eye bar used; otherwise, written permission to publish must be obtained. Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration. If supplied electronically, graphics should be supplied as high-resolution (at least 300 d.p.i.) files, saved as .eps or .tif format. A high-resolution print-out must also be provided. Digital images supplied only as low-resolution print-outs cannot be used.
Colour photographs should be submitted as good quality, glossy colour prints.
Figure legends
Legends should be self-explanatory and typed on a separate sheet. The legend should incorporate definitions of any symbols used and all abbreviations and units of measurement should be explained so that the figure and its legend are understandable without reference to the text. (Provide a letter stating copyright authorization if figures have been reproduced from another source.)
Online Guidelines
If possible, authors should visit the Blackwell Publishing websites for authors at http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor/journal.asp and http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/authors/digill.asp which detail further information on the preparation and submission of articles and figures.
Artwork
Note: Image files submitted during the peer review process must be in digital format, not a format for publication. If your manuscript is accepted, you may be requested to submit higher quality images in CYMK to the journal. For the peer review to be completed, we ask that files be submitted in RGB format.
Rapid Review
Diseases of the Esophagus now offers a rapid review of manuscripts previously submitted to another journal.
As stated in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" ( http://www.icmje.org ; Updated February 2006): " If the manuscript has been submitted previously to another journal, it is helpful to include the previous editor's and reviewers' comments with the submitted manuscript, along with the authors' responses to those comments. Editors encourage authors to submit these previous communications and doing so may expedite the review process."
For manuscripts previously submitted to other journals with impact factor more than 5 , if authors upload previous editor's and reviewers' comments along with their responses to their electronic submission, Diseases of the Esophagus will guarantee a rapid (within 2 business days) in-house assessment once the manuscript has been processed (after the completion of the submission checklist), with three possible outcomes:
a) Acceptance or acceptance with minor changes (no additional external reviews needed);
b) Rejection;
c) Additional external review needed; in this case the authors will have the possibility of accepting the additional external review or withdrawing the manuscript.
If you can comply with the above requirements, check the box that states, "I have previously submitted this paper to another journal with Impact Factor of 5 or higher, and I would like it to be considered under the Rapid Review policy." This checkbox is located in Step 5 of the submission process.
Acceptance Criteria
Diseases of the Esophagus is the Official Journal of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE) and publishes original research articles dealing with all aspects of the esophagus - etiology, investigation and diagnosis, and both medical and surgical treatment.
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are peer reviewed by anonymous reviewer(s), the Associate Editor, and the Editor. The Editorial Board reserves the right to refuse any material for publication and advises that authors should retain copies of submitted manuscripts and correspondence as material cannot be returned. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editorial Board.
Cover letter
Papers are accepted for publication in the Journal on the understanding that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. This must be stated in the covering letter. Authors must also state that the protocol for the research project has been approved by a suitably constituted Ethics Committee of the institution within which the work was undertaken and that it conforms to the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki in 1995 (as revised in Edinburgh 2000). All investigations on human subjects must include a statement that the subject gave informed consent and patient anonymity should be preserved. Authors should declare any financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest.
Author material archive policy
Authors who require the return of any submitted material that is accepted for publication should inform the Editorial Office after acceptance. If no indication is given that author material should be returned, Blackwell Publishing will dispose of all hardcopy and electronic material two months after publication.
Proofs
Proofs will be sent via email as an Acrobat PDF (Portable Document Format) file and should be returned within 3 days of receipt. Alterations to the text and figures (other than the essential correction of errors) are unacceptable at proof stage and authors may be charged for excessive alterations. Acrobat Reader will be required in order to read the PDF. This software can be downloaded (free of charge) from the following: www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.
This will enable the file to be opened, read on screen, and printed out in order for any corrections to be added. Further instructions will be sent with the proof.
Authors should therefore supply an email address to which proofs can be emailed. Proofs will be sent by courier if no email address is available. If absent, authors should arrange for a colleague to access their email, retrieve the PDF proof and check and return it to the Publisher on their behalf.
Copyright
Papers accepted for publication become copyright of the International Society for Diseases of the Esophagus (ISDE) and authors will be asked to sign a transfer of copyright form. In signing the transfer of copyright it is assumed that authors have obtained permission to use any copyrighted or previously published material. All authors must read and agree to the conditions outlined in the Copyright Assignment Form, and must sign the Form or agree that the corresponding author can sign on their behalf. Articles cannot be published until a signed Copyright Assignment Form has been received.
Ordering Reprints
A minimum of 50 offprints will be provided upon request, at the author's expense. An Offprint Order Form outlining the cost of offprints will be sent to the corresponding author with the page proofs. Offprints will be provided only if a completed Offprint Order Form is returned to the Publisher by the specified date.
Journal Contact Information
Karen Horan - karen.horan.chum@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Pursuant to NIH mandate, Wiley-Blackwell will post the accepted version of contributions authored by NIH grant-holders to PubMed Central upon acceptance. This accepted version will be made publicly available 12 months after publication. For further information, see www.wiley.com/go/nihmandate.
