Instructions for review series authors

A successful Review series article provides a freestanding, topical, and balanced overview of the scientific topic, as well as an appreciation of its context. A Review is also an appropriate place to speculate or comment (positively or negatively) on related trends, but should not include unpublished data. Articles must be accessible and of interest to specialists and nonspecialists. Authors can expect significant editing to ensure that the article will appeal to the JCI’s broad readership. All manuscripts undergo peer review prior to acceptance for publication. The accepted Review will appear as part of a series on a single topic published on the JCI website (view Review series).

Contact the reviews editor at reviews@the-jci.org.

Review series information
  • Deadline: Generally, a Review is due 4–6 months before the scheduled publication date.  A specific deadline will be given at the time the Review is agreed upon.
  • Submission: Authors should submit 2 electronic files — MS Word and PDF — of the text and any figures and tables directly to the Editors at reviews@the-jci.org.
  • Publication: Along with the proof of the article, authors are given a tentative publication date. Note: Authors may not submit the manuscript to a preprint repository (e.g., bioRxiv, medRxiv) prior to publication by the Journal. The content is under embargo until the publication date.
  • Download a PDF of the Submission checklist.

Manuscript preparation

  • Length. Maximum: 5,000 words, excluding the Abstract, References, and Figure legends.
  • Organization. Present the manuscript in the following consecutive sections: Title page, Abstract, Main text, Acknowledgments, References, Figure legends, Tables.
  • Style. In general, authors should follow the AMA Manual of Style (AMA) for scientific/medical usage, as well as Stedman’s Medical Dictionary and the Chicago Manual of Style.
    • Demographic terminology. Adhere to NIH guidelines or other applicable authoritative standards on reporting race and ethnicity; and use clear, unbiased, and up-to-date descriptors for any demographic identities.
    • Gene terminology. Style gene names and symbols according to official NCBI Gene nomenclature and present the terms according to JCI Gene nomenclature and style.
    • Abbreviations. JCI Standard abbreviations may be used without definition. Nonstandard abbreviations should be spelled out at first use, with the abbreviated form following in parentheses. Thereafter, they may be used without definition. Abbreviations used only in figures should be defined in the accompanying legend.
  • Authors/affiliations. On the title page, provide complete names of all authors in the appropriate order. In the author list, use consecutive, superscripted numerals to assign authors to their affiliations. Affiliations should include complete location: city, state/province (if applicable), and country.
  • Conflicts of interest. Include a statement detailing any financial arrangements that could present a conflict of interest (view Journal policy). If no conflict exists, state “The authors have [or The author has] declared that no conflict of interest exists.”
  • Abstract. (Maximum: 200 words) Articles should include a short Abstract without references.
  • Subheadings. (Maximum: 8 words) Subheadings may be used throughout the main text.
  • Acknowledgments. Authors may include appropriate acknowledgments to others for help and advice, as well as of funding sources.
  • References and reference citations. (Maximum: 200) References are cited in the text by sequential numerals in parentheses (do not use superscript). The Reference list should include references in the order in which they are first cited in the text, with individual references presented in AMA format (use of EndNote in Microsoft Word is encouraged). However, for references with 3 or more authors, cite only the first author followed by “et al.” Abbreviate journal names according to the US National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog; spell out full names of unlisted journals. Examples follow; see How to prepare references for additional details.
    • Journal articles
      Han CY, et al. NADPH oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species increases expression of monocyte chemotactic factor genes in cultured adipocytes. J Biol Chem. 2012;287(13):10379–10393.
    • Articles in press
      Gardner W, Schultz HD. Prostaglandins regulate the synthesis and secretion of the atrial natriuretic peptide. J Clin Invest. In press.
    • Complete books
      Ellis RW, Brodeur BR, eds. Bacterial Vaccines. Landes Bioscience; 2003.
    • Articles in books
      Jacobsen D. Practical chemistry of homocysteine and other thiols. In: Carmel R, Jacobsen D, eds. Homocysteine in Health and Disease. Cambridge University Press; 2001:9–20.
    • Websites
      National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Asthma Risk Factors and Prevention Research.  http://stemcells.nih.gov/policy/2009guidelines. Updated April 5, 2018. Accessed August 5, 2021.
  • Ongoing clinical trials may be cited in the text, with the trial registration number appearing in parentheses.
  • Figures. (Maximum: 4) Inclusion of original artwork is highly encouraged, particularly figures that illustrate specific points or provide a clear graphic overview of a difficult concept. Reproduction of previously published primary data is discouraged, and unpublished primary data and novel meta-analyses may not be included. At the time of submission, figures should be satisfactorily clear for peer review. Ensure that each figure fits on a single page, and use consecutive capital letters to indicate figure parts (A, B, C, etc.). Upon acceptance of the manuscript, editors work with the authors to develop final figures, and a Journal illustrator redraws all figures prior to publication.
  • Figure callouts and legends. (Legend maximum: 300 words) Figures must be cited sequentially in the text using Arabic numerals (e.g., “Figure 3”). Each legend should begin with a brief, stand-alone title. Provide sufficient detail in the legend to make the figure intelligible without reference to the main text; define any symbols.
  • Tables. (Maximum: 5) Tables should be self-contained and self-explanatory, without subsections or subparts. Each must have a brief title and fit on a single page; text should be in 8 point font and presented in Microsoft Word format. Assign footnotes by use of superscripted capital letters starting with A and continuing in alphabetical order by row, then column. Tables must be called out sequentially in the text using Arabic numerals (e.g., “Table 3”).
Advertisement