Instruction to Authors

Instructions for Authors

1. Editorial Policy

The Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (Online) is the official online journal of The Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion (JSAM). The Editorial Committee of the Journal welcomes electronic submission of manuscripts describing primarily original work in a broad range of basic and clinical research related to acupuncture and moxibustion. The Journal publishes the following six types of contributed articles:

1) Original Research:

Peer-reviewed high quality basic and clinical research articles that represent original and significant contributions to the field concerned.

2) Research Reports:

Peer-reviewed high quality research articles that follow to Original research.

3) Clinical Report:

Peer-reviewed articles that represent rare and/or significant therapeutic cases treated at the authors’ clinic or institutions. A case report describing a single patient will be acceptable.

4) Short Communications:

Peer-reviewed short articles that are limited to basic research with high originality.

5) Letters to the Editor:

Presenting comments and opinion on the articles published in our Journal and other information of interest to the members of JSAM, including regional or international topics in the authors’ countries.

6) Review:

Review articles will be published only when the contribution is sought by the Society from authorities in the field.

2. Copyright

Authors submitting manuscripts should understand that if it is accepted for publication, copyright of the articles, including the right to reproduce it in all forms and media, will be assigned exclusively to JSAM. Any royalty from the copyright will also belong completely to JSAM.

3. Ethics Consideration

Manuscripts submitted for publication should contain a statement that all human studies were carried out according to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (http://www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm), that informed consent was obtained from each subject, and that appropriate ethics committees reviewed the studies. Manuscripts describing experiments on laboratory animals should contain a statement of consideration of animal welfare in accordance with institutional guidelines.

4. Preparation of Manuscripts

Contribution qualification

Contributing authors are restricted to the members of JSAM. Exceptionally, only one person who is not a member of JSAM and acts in a leadership capacity within the studies will be acceptable as a coauthor if he or she is so recognized by of the Executive Board.

Signed declaration of originality and written consent of transfer copyright.

Authors should submit a signed declaration of originality and a written consent indicating that the manuscript has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere, and that the copyright of the articles is completely transferred to JSAM. In the case of two or more authors, all coauthors should agree to express consent through the signature of the first author.

Authors should submit a signed declaration of originality and a written consent indicating that the manuscript has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere, and that the copyright of the articles is completely transferred to JSAM. In the case of two or more authors, all coauthors should agree to express consent through the signature of the first author.

Reviewing process

Manuscripts, except for Letters to the Editor, are reviewed by at least two experts in the field concerned. Then, the Editorial Committee will determine whether the reviewed manuscripts are accepted, returned to the author(s) for minor/major revisions with the reviewers’ comments, or rejected.

Cover letter

Manuscripts must be accompanied by a cover letter including briefly a summarized statement of the background and significance of the studies. Style of Manuscripts Manuscripts should be written in English. Authors less familiar with English usage are required to have the manuscript checked by English-speaking colleagues.

1) Original Research

Length of the manuscript would normally be less than 5000 words including up to 20 references, with 280 words in the abstract, up to 5 key words and up to 8 figures or tables.

2) Research Report

Length of the manuscript would normally be less than 4000 words including up to 20 references, with 280 words in the abstract, up to 5 key words and up to 6 figures or tables.

3) Clinical Report

Length of the manuscript would normally be less than 4000 words including up to 20 references, with 280 words in the abstract, up to 5 key words and up to 6 figures or tables.

4) Short Communication

Length of the manuscript would normally be less than 2000 words including up to 5 references, with 200 words in the abstract, up to 3 key words and up to 2 figures or tables.

5) Letters to the Editor

Length of the manuscript would normally be less than 1400 words including up to 5 references, with 3 key words. Abstract, figures and tables are not required.

6) Review

Length of the manuscripts would normally be less than 10000 words including up to 50 references, with 280 words in the abstract, up to 8 key words and 8 figures or tables. Manuscript Format and Arrangement Documents, containing cover letter, should be prepared as a Microsoft Word [.doc] file. If authors use other word processor software, the documents should be saved in Rich Text Format [.rtf]. Macintosh users need to manually type in the extension ([.doc], [.rtf]) at the end of the file name. Use a standard font such as Times, Times New Roman, or Symbol. Avoid using Asian fonts. The first page of manuscripts should include the title of the paper, the full names of authors, the name of institutions, laboratories, or clinics. Authors should arrange manuscripts in the following sections:

1. Abstract, followed by a list of key words, should be provided in a structured abstract format without any references or abbreviations. In a primary study, the structured abstract should include information under the following 8 headings; aim, design, setting, patients, intervention, main outcome measure, results, conclusions, and in review article 6 headings; aim, data sources, study selection, data extraction, main results, conclusions, should be included.
2. Introduction should contain the pertinent background of study and the question that the study seeks to resolve.
3. Materials and methods should include statements of ethical consideration (see above). In a clinical trial report, especially the report of randomized controlled trials, being based on a CONSORT statement (http://www.consort-statement.org) is desirable.
4. Results should present the findings of the study without discussion.
5. Discussion should enrich but not simply repeat the new findings described in Results.
6. Conclusion should summarize the point(s) of the study.
7. References (see below).

Notation of Acupuncture points and Size of Acupuncture Needles

In the first appearance of an acupoint in the text, its name should be described by both the alphanumeric code and Pinyin name, but for the second appearance and thereafter, only description of alphanumeric code is required. Nomenclature of acupuncture points should refer to “Standard Acupuncture Nomenclature, Second Edition (WHO, 1993)”. Size of acupuncture needles (diameter and length) should be described in Materials and Methods, using International System of Units. Refer to the following example:

Pre-sterilized disposable acupuncture needle (0.3-mm diameter, 60-mm length) was inserted into the acupoint BL23 (Shenshu).

References

All references in the text must be indicated with serial numbers, and in the section of references, they should be listed sequentially in the order in which they appear in the text. “Personal communication”, “unpublished work” should not be included in the reference list, but may be referred to in the text. Format of references should follow the style outlined in “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journal (Vancouver style, http://www.icmje.org)”. Name of journal should be abbreviated according to List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov). Refer to the following examples:

Journal

Langevin HM, Churchill DL, Wu J, Badger GJ, Yandow JA, Fox JR, et al. Evidence of connective tissue involvement in acupuncture. FASEB J 2002; 16: 872-4.

Book

Mann F. Acupuncture. The ancient Chinese art of healing. 3rd ed. London: William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd; 1978.

Chapter in a book

Pomeranz B. Scientific basis of acupuncture. In: Stux G, Pomeranz B, editors. Acupuncture. Textbook and atlas. Berlin: Springer-Verlag; 1987. p. 1-34.

Article not in English

Zhang D, Wang SY, Fu WX. [A preliminary study on effect of electro-acupuncture by the cortical infrared thermography] Zhongguo Zhongxiyi Jiehe Zazhi (Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine) 1997; 17(4): 224-6. Chinese.

Figures

Authors should save the figures, including micrographs and graphs, in TIFF [.tif] or JPEG [.jpg] formats numbering consecutively in order of their appearance in the text. Other image formats such as BMP, PICT, EPS, and Power Point files [.ppt], are not acceptable. Before submitting, please make sure that special characters such as Greek letters and mathematical symbols are indicated correctly. Each figure requires a separate legend, which should be presented in a separate section after the references.

Tables

Tables should be prepared by word processor software (Microsoft Word), and be placed at the end of document in manuscript file. Tables should be numbered consecutively in order of their appearance in the text. Each table needs an accompanying title describing the content and purpose of the table.

5. Submission of Manuscripts

Electronic files of the cover letter and manuscripts with figures and tables should be transmitted as an e-mail attachment to henshu@jsam.jp. Postal address, phone and fax numbers of the JSAM Editorial Office are shown below: The Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Editorial Office 1-55-10, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0053, Japan tel:+81-3-6276-6751, fax:+81-3-6276-6752