International Journal of Stroke

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: International Journal of Stroke

About us:
Journal of the World Stroke Organization
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THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE TEAM
Editor-in-Chief
Geoffrey A. Donnan

Associate Editors
Dr Julie Bernhardt
Dr Michael Hill
Dr Jong Kim
Dr Patrick Lyden
Dr Ayrton Massaro
Dr Thorsten Steiner

Managing Editor
Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins

Production Editor
Sarah Larkin

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijs to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of International Journal of Stroke will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

The journal to which you are submitting your manuscript employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to this journal you accept that your manuscript may be screened for plagiarism against previously published works.

Acceptance rate
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE has an acceptance rate of 18%.

1. What do we publish?
   1.1 Aims & Scope
   1.2 Article types
   1.3 Writing your paper
2. Editorial policies
   2.1 Peer review policy
   2.2 Authorship
   2.3 Acknowledgements
   2.4 Funding
   2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
   2.6 Research ethics and patient consent
   2.7 Clinical trials
   2.8 Reporting guidelines
   2.9 Data
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
   3.3 Open access and author archiving
4. Preparing your manuscript
   4.1 Formatting
   4.2 Cover Letter
   4.3 Title Page
   4.4 Abstract
   4.5 Presentation of article types
   4.6 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   4.7 Supplementary material
   4.8 Drug names
   4.9 Acronyms and abbreviations
   4.10 Journal layout
   4.11 Reference style
   4.12 Editing
   4.13 Expedited publication
5. Submitting your manuscript
   5.1 ORCID
   5.2 Information required for completing your submission
   5.3 Permissions
6. On acceptance and publication
   6.1 SAGE Production
   6.2 Online First publication
   6.3 Access to your published article
   6.4 Promoting your article
7. Social Media Guidelines
8. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to International Journal of Stroke, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.  

1.2 Article Types

Review and Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses 
International Journal of Stroke does not accept reviews that have not been commissioned, but welcomes enquiries directly to the editorial team.

In accordance with PRISMA, Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, The PRISMA Group (2009). Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. PLoS Med 6(6): e1000097. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed1000097, reviews should be either definitive overviews of a major topic in neurology or an update of knowledge in a narrower field of current interest.

Complete transparency about the choice of material included is important; therefore, all reviews must include a brief section entitled “Search strategy and selection criteria” stating the sources (including databases such as PubMed, MeSH Searching Medicine etc. and free text search terms and filters, and reference lists from journals or books) of the material covered, and the criteria used to include or exclude studies. As these papers should be comprehensive, we encourage citation of publications from non-English language sources.

Leading Opinion 
The aim of the Leading Opinion article is to produce rapid and fairly concise responses by world opinion leaders to recent developments in stroke in various parts of the world. Leading opinion articles are commissioned by the International Journal of Stroke Editors. These articles are not subject to the peer review process.

Panorama 
The objective of a Panorama article is to inform our international readership as to the different stroke activities in different countries and to introduce our readership to interesting and unique concepts of stroke. A Panorama article is rarely a single centre report, but more of an epidemiological study reporting regional, state/province or national incidence.

Clinical Trial Protocol 
Manuscripts that incorporate clinical trial information, or subsequent reporting should be referenced against the CONSORT statement http://www.consort-statement.org/.

Please present your protocol as follows:
Abstract • Introduction and rationale • Methods • Design • Patient population - inclusion and exclusion criteria • Randomization • Treatment or intervention • Primary outcomes • Secondary outcomes • Data Monitoring Body • Sample size estimates • Statistical analyses • Study organization and funding •Discussion: This section is to contain the thoughts and rationale behind important points of study set-up • Summary and conclusions.

Research 
Please present your research paper as follows:
Abstract • Introduction • Aims and/or hypothesis • Methods • Results • Discussion • References.

Guidelines/Consensus 
Guidelines are usually a condensed interpretation of a larger paper that undergoes an extensive process, via a committee, and other interested parties. Please condense your manuscript to comply with our word limit but feel free to present the article in the committee/interested parties’ style. All manuscripts must provide a ‘Statement of endorsement’ from a reputable society/societies and include an abstract.

Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor are published online only. They must begin with the salutation, ‘Dear Editor.’ Letters are often inadvertently reviewed, as they are mostly papers that didn’t quite make it to full publication, but are important to the stroke community. If a Letter is sent directly to the Editor relating to a paper, we will give the author of the mentioned paper right of reply of 250 words.  
We do not accept case studies as Letters to the Editor.

1.2.1 Guidelines for SSO Blog Manuscripts

These should be 500 to 1,000 words and can include one to two images. References are allowed.

The purpose of this blogging opportunity is to offer SSOs a space to connect with stroke practitioners and facilitate an information pathway to appropriate parties.

We request that SSOs address the following formatting requirements on presentation of their contribution to the International Journal of Stroke blog. The manuscript should be submitted as a simple text file with no formatting and should be accompanied by a title page which includes the following information:

Title • Author name(s) All names spelled out initials only for middle names • Affiliation(s) • Address of all authors • Name, address and email of corresponding author to be clear • Provide approximately seven key words for use as indexing terms • Please provide word count • Please note any conflicts of interest; if there are none, please note this as ‘none declared’.

Authors and Author contacts – for publication as stipulated by authors.

Please provide links to Twitter and Facebook details, websites, YouTube/Vimeo channels etc.

1.2.2 Co-Publication

International Journal of Stroke does engage in co-publication of some seminal works in the field, such as important guidelines etc. This must be negotiated with the Editor-in-Chief.

1.2.3 Word Limits

The word count of your manuscript should be specified on the title page. The word count should include all sections of the manuscript (i.e. title page, abstract, main body of text, acknowledgements, sources of funding, disclosures, references, figure legends, tables and appendices intended for print publication). Please refer to Table 1 (below) for full details of word limits for specific article types.

Table 1: Overview of requirements for manuscript submission

Manuscript type	Word limit	Abstract word limit	Figures and tables	References
Research Article	4,000	250 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Review Article	5,000	250 included in main word limit	Included	Included
Systematic Review	5,000	250 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Panorama	1,000	250 included in main word limit	Included	Included
Guidelines	2,000	250 included in main word limit	Included	Included
Protocol	2,000	250 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Letters	300	No Abstract	Included	10 included
Leading Opinion	1,000	250 included in main word limit	Included	10 included
Short Report	2,000	250 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	20 included
SSO Blog Articles	1,000	No Abstract	Included	Included
Blog Articles	800	No Abstract	Included	Included

 

1.3 Writing your paper

The SAGE Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources.

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.

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2. Editorial policies

2.1 Peer review policy

International Journal of Stroke adheres to the COPE: CODE OF CONDUCT AND BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR JOURNAL EDITORS.

We do not review Leading opinions; Guidelines, unless otherwise advised or submitted without a statement of endorsement from a reputable society; Consensus unless otherwise advised or submitted without a statement of endorsement from a reputable society; and Panorama articles that are about the experience of the author, unless the experience cannot be validated. Letters to the Editor are often articles that are of some interest to our readership and were found to be interesting, however did not meet all of the rigorous expectations of the reviewers the authors of these papers are often invited to publish as Letters to the Editor.

Manuscripts, other than Letters to the Editor and Leading opinion articles are reviewed by at least two referees.

Our Guidelines Committee led by Dr Patrice Lindsay reviews guidelines articles, the Committee will assess the following:

• • The overall objective(s) of the guideline is (are) specifically described.
  • The clinical question(s) covered by the guideline is (are) specifically described.
  • The patients to whom the guideline is meant to apply are specifically described.
  • The guideline development group includes individuals from all the relevant professional groups.
  • The target users of the guideline are clearly defined. 
  • Systematic methods were used to search for evidence. 
  • The guideline has been externally reviewed by experts prior to its publication
  • The guideline is editorially independent from writing group members and funding body. 
  • Conflicts of interest of guideline development members have been recorded.

At some times of the year International Journal of Stroke processes can be mildly delayed due to travel absences of the Editor-in-Chief or Managing Editor. Please indicate your need for immediate processing so we can be as transparent, but proactive as possible.

International Journal of Stroke is committed to delivering high quality, fast peer-review for your paper, and as such has partnered with Publons. Publons is a third party service that seeks to track, verify and give credit for peer review. Reviewers for International Journal of Stroke can opt in to Publons in order to claim their reviews or have them automatically verified and added to their reviewer profile. Reviewers claiming credit for their review will be associated with the relevant journal, but the article name, reviewer’s decision and the content of their review is not published on the site. For more information visit the Publons website.

2.2 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.

The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:

1. 1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
   2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
   3. Approved the version to be published,
   4. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.

2.3 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support. Whilst we do not expect a signed letter for acknowledgements, we do expect authors to utilise appropriate discretion and professionalism.

Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.

2.3.1 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

2.4 Funding

International Journal of Stroke requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the SAGE Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of International Journal of Stroke to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

2.6 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.

All research involving animals submitted for publication must be approved by an ethics committee with oversight of the facility in which the studies were conducted. The journal has adopted the Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for Veterinary Journals published by the International Association of Veterinary Editors.

2.7 Clinical trials

International Journal of Stroke conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

2.8 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

2.9 Data

SAGE acknowledges the importance of research data availability as an integral part of the research and verification process for academic journal articles.

International Journal of Stroke requests all authors submitting any primary data used in their research articles if the articles are accepted to be published in the online version of the journal, or provide detailed information in their articles on how the data can be obtained. This information should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Data available only on an author-maintained website will need to be loaded onto either the journal’s platform or a third-party platform to ensure continuing accessibility. Examples of data types include but are not limited to statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research. The Editor-in-Chief can also grant exceptions for data that cannot legally or ethically be released. All data submitted should comply with Institutional or Ethical Review Board requirements and applicable government regulations. For further information, please contact the editorial office at carmenl@unimelb.edu.au

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3. Publishing Policies

3.1 Publication ethics

SAGE is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the SAGE Author Gateway.

3.1.1 Plagiarism

International Journal of Stroke and SAGE take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles will be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

3.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a SAGE journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the SAGE Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, SAGE requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. SAGE’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that 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. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than SAGE. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the SAGE Author Gateway.

3.3 Open access and author archiving

International Journal of Stroke offers optional open access publishing via the SAGE Choice programme. For more information please visit the SAGE Choice website. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit SAGE Publishing Policies on our Journal Author Gateway.

3.4 Co-publication

International Journal of Stroke does engage in co-publication of some seminal works in the field, such as important guidelines etc. This must be negotiated with the Editor-in-Chief.

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4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

4.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

4.2 Cover Letter

The cover letter should be used to explain why your paper should be published in International Journal of Stroke.

4.3 Title Page

• • Title
  • Author name(s)Affiliation(s)
  • Address of all authors
  • Three-seven key words 
  • Word count 
  • Itemized list of tables and figures.

4.4 Abstract

The abstract of your paper is the first point of contact between you and your readership. Your abstract must be excellent. We recommend you include in your abstract the number of centers and patients involved in your study.  Please minimize the use of acronyms and abbreviations and make sure they are defined. Do not cite references in the abstract.
The abstract should be concise (250 words maximum).

4.4.1 Structured Abstract

The article types listed below require a structured abstract.

Systematic review
A Systematic review’s abstract should have the following headings:

• • Background (description of reason for study)
  • Aims
  • Summary of review
  • Conclusions (succinct statement of data interpretation)

Research paper and Short report

• • Background (description of reason for study)
  • Aims
  • Methods (brief description of methods)
  • Results (presentation of significant results)
  • Conclusions (succinct statement of data interpretation)

Protocols

• • Rationale
  • Aim and/or hypothesis
  • Sample size estimates
  • Methods and design
  • Study outcome(s)
  • Discussion

4.5 Presentation of Article Types

International Journal of Stroke subscribes to the EQUATOR network guidelines for all articles, therefore we ask you to supply the appropriate checklist with your submission.

We do not accept pilot protocols, case studies, or letters to the editor.

Presentation of a review and Systematic Review Article
International Journal of Stroke no longer accepts reviews that have not been commissioned; however, please feel free to send a ‘pitch’ letter outlining a potential review to the Editor-in-Chief, Geoffrey Donnan for consideration: geoffrey.donnan@florey.edu.au.

In accordance with PRISMA Reviews should be either definitive overviews of a major topic in neurology or an update of knowledge in a narrower field of current interest.

All manuscripts that are submitted in this category must have a PRISMA checklist attached as proof of adherence to the PRISMA guidelines. http://prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist.aspx

Complete transparency about the choice of material included is important; therefore, all reviews need to include a brief section entitled “Search strategy and selection criteria” stating the sources (including databases like PubMed, MeSH Searching Medicine etc. and free text search terms and filters, and reference lists from journals or books) of the material covered, and the criteria used to include or exclude studies. As these papers should be comprehensive, we encourage citation of publications in non-English languages.

Presentation of a Leading Opinion Article 
This article type is reviewed internally within our editorial team, these articles are however, reviewed externally when appropriate.

The aim of the Leading Opinion article is to produce rapid and concise responses by world opinion leaders to recent developments in stroke in various parts of the world. Leading opinion articles are commissioned by International Journal of Stroke Editors.

Presentation of a Panorama Article 
Panorama articles are a look at the world of stroke primarily from a epidemiologically. Please refer to the EQUATOR Network for the most appropriate guidelines, for observational epidemiological studies, we endorse the STROBE guideline. http://strobe-statement.org/fileadmin/Strobe/uploads/checklists/STROBE_checklist_v4_cohort.pdf

The objective of a Panorama article is to inform our international readership as to the varying stroke activities in different countries and to introduce our readership to interesting and unique concepts of stroke. A Panorama article is not a single centre report, but more of an epidemiological study reporting, regional, state/province or national incidence.

Presentation of a Clinical Trial Protocol Article
Manuscripts that incorporate clinical trial information, or subsequent reporting should be referenced against the CONSORT statement http://www.consort-statement.org/.
Please present your protocol as follows:

• • Abstract
  • Introduction and rationale
  • Methods
  • Design
  • Patient population - inclusion and exclusion criteria
  • Randomization
  • Treatment or intervention
  • Primary outcomes
  • Secondary outcomes
  • Data Monitoring Body
  • Sample size estimates
  • Statistical analyses
  • Study organization and funding
  • Discussion: This section is to contain the thoughts and rationale behind important points of study set-up
  • Summary and conclusions

Presentation of a Research Article 
A short report is a research article that has been considerably condensed. 
All original articles incorporating clinical trial information and subsequent reporting, should be referenced against the CONSORT statement http://www.consort-statement.org/. It is our expectation that the RIGOR guidelines be used when reporting effective translational research https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644408/

Author RIGOR Criteria Adherence:
Randomized 
Blinded 
Power Analysis 
Statistical Analysis 
Justification of Model 
All data are being reported 
Conflict of Interest Statement

Please present your research paper as follows:

• • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Aims and/or hypothesis
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • References.

Guidelines for experimental studies, developed by International Journal of Stroke editors.

Recent surveys and editorials have suggested that as much as 85% of published experimental work either cannot be replicated or contains serious methodological issues. As experimentalists ourselves, the International Journal of Stroke editors are not sure the problem is quite that large, but we are committed to bringing the most rigorous review standards to all submissions to the journal. To that end, we present the following suggestions to authors intending to submit an experimental work to the International Journal of Stroke.

Negative publication bias influences decision making both by authors and by reviewers, and the editors view it as a serious issue. First and foremost, there is a real need to publish breakthrough research that advances a field; authors face the need to get cited, promoted, and recognized. Thus, there is little reward in replicating another previously published work. Worse, a negative study is very unlikely to be cited, and could be perceived as a “failure”. We disagree. Far from a failure, a well-designed rigorous test of a well-considered hypothesis—with appropriate safeguards against a Type II error—represents a significant contribution to the field, in many ways equivalent to a positive result. The literature contains many examples of “negative” results that contradicted accepted dogma that later was debunked; had those “negative” results been taken seriously sooner, erroneous but accepted dogma could have been abandoned sooner.

Critical to our review of “negative” trials, we must have assurance that the authors planned the trial appropriately. For the most part, this means a pre-specified power analysis and estimation of a needed sample size. The critical element in planning any experiment is the variation (experimental error) associated with the primary outcome measure. In our experience, laboratory investigators either do not understand this concept, or frequently choose to ignore it. Several groups have proposed rigorous standards that require pre-specification of the experimental error and the treatment effect size needed for an experiment to have sufficient power to reject the null.
The editors wish to state unequivocally our commitment to publish results that fail to reject the null assuming that rigorous standards have been followed, and sufficient detail is provided in the methods to allow the reader to evaluate the likelihood of a Type II error. We would especially like to see papers that address controversial or rapidly developing topics in which a ‘rush to publish’ may have led to an erroneous conclusion previously.
Key to changing the nature of scientific publishing is the need for fairness and transparency. All authors must trust that the review process will be identical regardless of the identity of the originating laboratory. We continue to evaluate the effectiveness of anonymous reviews, a controversial process that has limited data to support it. Regardless of the rank, country, or reputation of the submitting author, we commit to a fair and rigorous process that will assure each submission equal scrutiny.
Several groups have published suggested standards or guidelines for laboratory rigor, and we do not intend to endorse or impose any single guideline {ref STAIR, RIGOR, CAMARDES). Rather, we suggest that each laboratory carefully review the available guidelines, and seek to adopt as all the practices the find most relevant to their particular area of research. We do find several features we consider to be minimally required; far more rigor would be welcome, but papers that do not follow at least these minimum requirements will not be reviewed. Manuscripts of greater rigor will naturally be awarded higher priority for publication.
First in priority we consider sample size estimation to be paramount. Especially in stroke, too few laboratories take the time to assess and understand the variance associated with their methods. At a first approximation, investigators must keep in mind that that larger variance necessitates larger sample sizes.

We recommend that every lab take the time to quantify the variation in their outcome measures in their own hands; referring to a standard error or variance published by another lab is less rigorous. For example, lesion volume measured by TTC exclusion, while popular and technically simple may show a coefficient of variation as high as 100% in typical laboratories. At this level of variance, to find a treatment effect of 50% would require over 100 animals per group! Scrupulous technique and control of anesthetic technique can often reduce this variance, but without a laboratory specific measurement, how does the reader know? Other techniques will have other variation, but the important principle is to measure and disclose the laboratory-specific variance, preferably as a coefficient of variation to allow easy comparison across laboratories. 
Second, we wish to emphasize the need for blinding, at every stage of the work. Animals should be randomized to treatment a priori, not after the surgeon has begun the stroke model. The surgeon must be unaware of the treatment or other group assignment, as must the behavioral rater. Even during sacrifice and perfusion, knowledge of the treatment assignment could influence technique. All histology, imaging, image analysis, and statistics must be done on masked data, and only at the end should the grouping identity be unmasked.

Third, we consider it essential that the typical experimental result contain more than one outcome measure. Drug studies should include—at least—both histological and behavioral measurements. Preferably, behavior would include some form of global assessment (Bederson https://etsmjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2040-7378-2-13) as well as a context-appropriate measure such as motor (rotorrod), sensory [adhesive dot), or memory related task (Barnes maze). We will not consider studies that lack either evidence of a dose-response or a time-course effect. In other words, evidence that a new putative treatment benefits outcome at low but not higher doses strengthens the conclusion. Benefit of early but not later treatment also provides strength. We strongly recommend that investigators demonstrate value of their treatment when the treatment is delayed to a clinically meaningful interval after reperfusion (time window). We also strongly recommend the compound be tested in both permanent and reperfusion models and the results be presented in one manuscript. 
Fourth, mechanistic studies must contain multiple demonstrations of the asserted pathway. Investigators must demonstrate a putative pathway, molecule, or mechanism using multiple methods that independently arrive at the same conclusion. A single experiment that illuminates a new or novel mechanism will not be considered without adequate replication in complimentary models or systems.

Change takes time; we recognize that data accumulates slowly, and even if every laboratory adopted rigorous standards today, manuscripts might not reflect that change for a year. We wish the readership to understand where we are headed, and to expect gradual escalation of the standards we apply to every paper submitted to the International Journal of Stroke. We find it unacceptable that the public assumes up to 85% of the data we publish to be wrong; we hope our efforts contribute to improving that reputation.

Presentation of a Guidelines/Consensus Manuscript
Guidelines are usually a condensed interpretation of a larger paper that goes through an extensive process, via a committee, and other interested parties. Please condense your manuscript to comply with our word limit but feel free to present the article in the committee/interested parties’ style. However, all manuscripts must provide a Statement of endorsement from a reputable society/societies.
Please also provide an abstract.

The International Journal of Stroke Guideline Committee will assess the following:

• The overall objective(s) of the guideline is (are) specifically described.
• The clinical question(s) covered by the guideline is (are) specifically described.
• The patients to whom the guideline is meant to apply are specifically described.
• The guideline development group includes individuals from all the relevant professional groups.
• The target users of the guideline are clearly defined.
• Systematic methods were used to search for evidence.
• The guideline has been externally reviewed by experts prior to its publication
• The guideline is editorially independent from writing group members and funding body.
• Conflicts of interest of guideline development members have been recorded.

4.6 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit SAGE’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.  

Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from SAGE after receipt of your accepted article.

All digital photography files must be at least 300dpi.

4.7 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. These will be subjected to peer-review alongside the article.  For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files.

4.8 Drug names

Drugs must be referred to generically; trade names may be included in parentheses.

4.9 Acronyms and abbreviations

The use of acronyms or abbreviations should be minimised. If acronyms or abbreviations are used please ensure they are defined.

4.10 Journal Layout

International Journal of Stroke conforms to the SAGE house style.  View the SAGE UK House Style guidelines.

4.11 Reference style

International Journal of Stroke adheres to the SAGE Vancouver reference style. View the SAGE Vancouver guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the SAGE Vancouver EndNote output file.

4.12 Editing

All manuscripts are subject to editing for length, clarity and conformity with International Journal of Stroke style. All content must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief prior to being sent to production; any major content changes or cuts must be approved by the author.

4.12.1 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using SAGE Language Services. Visit SAGE Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

4.13 Expedited publication

The editors invite submission of manuscripts that have major importance to the scientific community. To be considered for expedited publication, an article must be unique and contain information that could make a significant difference in medical practice or constitute an important advance in basic knowledge. The authors must clearly state reasons for the request in the cover letter. If the editors agree that an article should be an expedited publication, they will arrange an accelerated review and, if accepted, accelerated publication.

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5. Submitting your manuscript

International Journal of Stroke is hosted on SAGE Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ijs to login and submit your article online.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

5.1 ORCID

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process SAGE has become a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID.

ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognized

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one.

5.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

5.2.1 Publication of Twitter handles

International Journal of Stroke has its own Twitter account: @intjstroke

As a way of encouraging ongoing discussion within the field, International Journal of Stroke authors are offered the option of providing their Twitter handle to be published alongside their name and email address within their article. This way, International Journal of Stroke readers who have questions or thoughts regarding your paper can tweet you directly. Providing a Twitter handle for publication is entirely optional, if you are not comfortable with International Journal of Stroke promoting your article along with your personal Twitter handle then please do not supply it. By providing your personal Twitter handle you agree to let International Journal of Stroke and SAGE Publishing use it in any posts related to your journal article. You may also be contacted by other Twitter users. International Journal of Stroke and SAGE Publishing will have no control over you or your tweets at any time. If you would like guidance on how to promote your article yourself on Twitter please view the SAGE Guidelines for Tweeting.

To include your Twitter handle within your article please provide this within the SAGE Track submission form when prompted and with the author contact details on the manuscript itself.

Joe Bloggs, Department of Stroke, Stroke University Hospital, Town, ST1 345, UK

Email: JoeBloggs@email.com

Twitter: @drjoebloggs

5.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the SAGE Author Gateway.

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6. On acceptance and publication

6.1 SAGE Production

Your SAGE Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. Please note that if there are any changes to the author list at this stage all authors will be required to complete and sign a form authorising the change.

6.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the SAGE Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

6.3 Access to your published article

SAGE provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The SAGE Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. In addition, SAGE is partnered with Kudos, a free service that allows authors to explain, enrich, share, and measure the impact of their article. Find out how to maximise your article’s impact with Kudos. 

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7. Social Media Guidelines

International Journal of Stroke facilitates marketing of your article via a few different social media channels.

7.1 Blog Submissions

500 to 1,000 words, one to two images, references allowed.

The purpose of this blogging opportunity is to offer SSOs a space to connect with stroke practitioners and facilitate an information pathway to appropriate parties.

We request that SSOs in particular address the following formatting requirements on presentation of their contribution to the International Journal of Stroke blog.
A simple text file with no formatting.
A title page with the following information:

• Title
• Author name(s) - all names spelled out initials only for middle names
• Affiliation(s)
• Address of all authors
• Name, address and email of corresponding author to be clear
• Provide approximately seven key words for use as indexing terms
• Please provide word count

Please note any conflicts of interest; if there are none, please note this as ‘none declared’.

Authors and Author contacts – for publication as stipulated by authors.
Please provide links to Tweet and Facebook details, websites, YouTube/Vimeo channels etc.

7.2 Podcasts

International Journal of Stroke hosts podcasts on Podbean http://International Journal of Strokepodcasts.podbean.com.

We are happy to record podcasts with all authors of accepted articles.

7. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the International Journal of Stroke editorial office as follows:

Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins
Managing Editor
Carmenl@unimelb.edu.au

Process of appeal
Please contact the Managing Editor directly if you feel that your decision is unfair. We will either make an immediate decision upholding our original decision or appoint an arbitrator outside of the original reviewers to make comment and influence our final decision. Once an appeal has been resolved it cannot be entered into again.

Contact us:

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE TEAM

Contact us
Editor-in-Chief – Geoffrey Donnan - gdonnan@unimelb.edu.au
Assoc. Editor – Julie Bernhardt - j.bernhardt@unimelb.edu.au
Assoc. Editor – Patrick D Lyden - Lydenp@cshs.org
Assoc. Editor – Michael Hill - hillmd@ucalgary.ca
Assoc. Editor – Jong S Kim - jongskim@amc.seoul.kr Senior 
Assoc. Editor – Aryton Massaro - ayrton.massaro@gmail.com
Assoc. Editor – Thorsten Steiner - thorsten.steiner@med.uni-heidelberg.de
Managing Ed – Carmen Lahiff-Jenkins – carmenl@unimelb.edu.au
Production Editor – Sarah Larkin - Sarah.Larkin@sagepub.co.uk

Writing tips for authors

These golden rules may assist you with your manuscript:

• Write and edit to express yourself clearly.
• Avoid verbose language.
• Always write and edit your text so that everything can be understood and nothing misunderstood.
• Say what you mean to say, clearly and simply.
• Use short sentences.
• Avoid unnecessary acronyms and abbreviations.
• Use short paragraphs.
• Use the shortest, simplest words possible.
• Write in the active voice.
• Avoid unnecessary words.
• Use verbs for action.
• Avoid clichés and jargon.
• If in doubt, leave it out.