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Online Submission Instructions for Authors
(Last Modified December 4, 2007)
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science (IOVS), published monthly in print and online, is an official journal of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), an international organization whose purposes are to encourage and assist research, training, publication, and dissemination of knowledge in vision and ophthalmology. Included are original contributions that emphasize clinical and laboratory hypothesis-based research with statistically good results that clearly advance the fields of ophthalmic and vision research. IOVS de-emphasizes purely descriptive research.
Contact Information for IOVS Editorial Office
| Address: | 12300 Twinbrook Parkway |
| Suite 250 | |
| Rockville, MD 20852-1606 | |
| Phone: | 240-221-2920 |
| Fax: | 240-221-0355 |
| Email: | iovs{at}arvo.org |
Beginning August 20, 2007, submit your NEW manuscripts using the most recent version of Manuscript Central at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/iovs. All log in information will be imported from the old system, so you will be able to use your existing user ID and password for both versions of Manuscript Central. Please continue to use the old system, at http://iovs.manuscriptcentral.com, to revise or submit final files for previously submitted manuscripts.
Manuscript Central Support
Tutorials for the new version of Manuscript Central are available at http://mcv3help.manuscriptcentral.com/tutorials/index.htm.
If at any time during the online submission process you have a question or need help, click on "Get Help Now" link in the upper right hand corner of each page.
Contents
ARVO Animal Statement | Commercial Relationships Policy | Clinical Trials | Copyright
Declaration of Helsinki | Manuscript Preparation | Manuscript Review | Manuscript Revisions
Manuscript Types | Publication Costs | Volunteer Editor Program | Accepted Manuscripts
ARVO/IOVS TERMS AND POLICIES
Articles present new data in one or more areas of vision research and are written concisely for a broad rather than a highly specialized audience. To be considered for publication, papers that are merely descriptions of new methods must be exceptional contributions, with implications extending beyond the particular applied area. Summaries of meetings/symposia, case reports, obituaries, and general review articles are not considered.
Lectures are written versions of ARVO awardees' presentations given at each Annual Meeting.
Letters to the Editor will be considered for publication whether their relevance is to material published in IOVS or to issues of general interest to vision scientists. Letters about material published in IOVS may correct errors; provide support or agreement; and offer different points of view, clarification, or additional information. Letters will be reviewed and the author(s) whose article is discussed in a Letter will be given an opportunity to reply. Letters are published online and referenced in the printed journal.
New Developments in Vision Research are solicited short reviews of new research findings or new general methodologies that are of broad interest to the ophthalmic and vision research community.
SCIENTIFIC SECTIONS
ARVO is organized into 13 Scientific Sections. IOVS authors are asked to select and indicate the section code that best suits their research area.
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR RESPONSIBILITIES
IOVS will not consider any paper or component of a paper that has been published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. The only exception is when a manuscript submitted to IOVS will also be part of an American Ophthalmological Society thesis. See the IOVS Statement on "Double Publication." Do not submit a new manuscript more than once; this constitutes a double submission and is a violation of the IOVS copyright statement. Distribution on the Internet may be considered previously published material and may compromise the originality of the paper as a submission to IOVS.
All authors must sign the Copyright Transfer Form. The form(s) may be uploaded to Manuscript Central or emailed, faxed, or mailed to the Editorial Office.
If you plan to include figures, photographs, or tables from other publications, obtain written permission from the copyright holder to reprint such items in IOVS, and submit this permission to the Editorial Office.
If you would like to use any part of an IOVS article in another publication, please use the Copyright Clearance Center website at http://www.copyright.com to obtain permission.
For research involving human subjects, IOVS requires that authors state in the Methods section of their manuscript that their research adhered to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.
If experimental animals were used in the research, IOVS requires that authors confirm adherence to the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research in the Methods section of their manuscript.
The ARVO Commercial Relationships Policy ("Policy") for authors, revised as of June 22, 2006, is intended to clarify and simplify the reporting procedures with respect to financial interests in order to promote a better understanding of, and enhanced compliance with, the Policy.
Beginning July 1, 2006, IOVS will no longer consider articles dealing with clinical trials that were not registered before the first subject was enrolled. Trials that began before this date and were not registered must be registered by July 1, 2006. Please include the following information in a cover letter: (1) beginning date of the trial, (2) date of registration, (3) trial registration number, and (4) registration site.
Registration must be done on a publicly available database. ICMJE-recognized registries as of January 2006 are:
http://www.actr.org.au (Australia)
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov (US)
http://isrctn.org (UK)
http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index/htm (Japan)
http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp (Netherlands)
For the purposes of this policy, a "clinical trial" consists of any study involving a new therapy of any kind, whether medical, surgical, psychological or sociological, in which subjects are concurrently divided into one or more treatment or control groups. Several treatments may be compared simultaneously, or one or more treatment groups may be compared to a simultaneous, untreated control group. Although the division into such groups in most such trials is presently by random assignment, randomization is not a part of the requirement for registration but only the evaluation, in the trial, of concurrent control groups. The size of a clinical trial is not a relevant consideration as to whether it must be registered. This policy applies not only to large, multi-institutional clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies or other organizations, but also to individual investigators at a single institution who are conducting their own trials. The only consideration is whether the trial is comparing an experimental therapy, or therapies with a simultaneous control group, or groups.
Accepted manuscripts are subject to a $60 per page charge for the first eight (8) pages and $150 per page thereafter (ARVO Board of Trustees, May 4, 2000). The following guidelines may be used to estimate the length of your manuscript in journal pages:
3 double-spaced manuscript text pages/12 point type size=1 typeset journal page
45 references=1 typeset page
Each figure or table=1/4 to 1/2 typeset page
Title, authors' names, and abstract=1/2 typeset page
The cost for color illustrations, currently $500 per page, is borne entirely by the authors. It is recommended that authors submit images in color only if they are prepared to pay the color charge. Authors of accepted manuscripts will be asked to mail or fax a signed Color Charge Approval Statement to the Editorial Office. Please note: if more than one color figure is submitted, it may be necessary to print them on separate pages.
a. Title Page
b. Structured Abstract: 250-word limit
c. Text embedded with figure legends, tables and figures
d. Acknowledgments
e. References
f. Figure legends, tables, and figures, if not embedded in text
Pages should be numbered.
The title page, which must be part of the main manuscript file, should include the title, authors' names and institutions, and other manuscript information such as word count and grant information. The title must contain no more than 150 characters, including punctuation and spaces.
A structured abstract of less than 250 words is required for articles and should be arranged under the following headings: Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Define abbreviations at first mention, and do not include references. The abstract must be included as part of the main manuscript file.
IOVS recommends a 3,500 or less word count, excluding title page, legends, and references. The text should be double-spaced.
In a brief Introduction (don't use any subheadings), provide the research rationale and objectives without extensively reviewing the literature.
In the Methods section, describe the experimental design, subjects used, and procedures followed. Previously published procedures should be identified by reference only. Provide sufficient detail to enable others to duplicate the research. Use standard chemical or nonproprietary pharmaceutical nomenclature. In parentheses, identify specific sources by brand name, company, city, and state or country.
If human subjects were involved in the investigation, the Methods section must confirm that: (1) the research followed the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki; (2) informed consent was obtained from the subjects after explanation of the nature and possible consequences of the study; and (3) where applicable, the research was approved by the institutional human experimentation committee or institutional review board (IRB).
If experimental animals were used in the investigation, the Methods section must confirm adherence to the ARVO Statement for the Use of Animals in Ophthalmic and Vision Research and, where applicable, approval by the appropriate IRB.
Present the Results with a minimum of discussion. Cite all tables and figures in numerical order.
Limit the Discussion to statistically significant data and their limitations. Do not reiterate results.
Please review your manuscript carefully prior to submission. Authors needing or seeking assistance with English grammar and usage may utilize the IOVS Volunteer Editor Program (see http://www.iovs.org/misc/voleds.shtml).
Acknowledgments should be written in the third person and be limited to colleagues and research assistants. Acknowledgments are not meant to recognize appreciation for personal or manuscript production support. Including dedications to individuals or groups is not permitted by IOVS journal policy.
List references numerically by order of citation in the text, not alphabetically. All references must be cited in the text or tables, shown as superscript numbers. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references.
Examples:
Journals
Choudhury A, Palkanis VA, Bowers WE. Characterisation and functional activity of dendritic cells from rat choroid. Exp Eye Res. 1994;59(3):297-304.
Books
Stryer L. Biochemistry. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: WH Freeman; 1981:559-596.
Abstracts
1977-2001: (Otaishat NM, et al. IOVS 1997;38:ARVO Abstract 1417)
2002- : (Roska BM, et al. IOVS 2002;43:ARVO E-Abstract 1415)
If you would like to submit separate figure files for the reviewers' reference in addition to those embedded in the manuscript file, please format them as GIF, JPEG, EPS or TIFF.
In the event that your manuscript is accepted, the Editorial Office will require you to upload your figures as TIFF or EPS files for the printer. Therefore, while any type of file may be embedded within the manuscript file, it is recommended that graphics be prepared using a program which can save files in a format that can ultimately be saved and submitted as EPS or TIFF. In order to achieve the best quality graphic in the printed version of IOVS, graphics should be saved in CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) rather than RGB (Red, Green, Blue). The resolution specification for TIFF and EPS files is 1200 dpi for monochrome, such as lineshots that are black and white only; 300 dpi for gray/CMYK, such as black and white or color photographs; and 600 dpi for combinations, such as photographs labeled with letters or other markings containing thin lines. For more detail regarding digital graphics, see http://cpc.cadmus.com/da/guidelines.asp. Authors of accepted manuscripts can see http://www.iovs.org/misc/accepted.shtml for further details regarding figure requirements for publication.
Manuscript files will be converted into an unalterable PDF format that will be sent to the reviewers. The main manuscript document (including title page, text, references, tables, figures) must be submitted in one of the following formats:
Do not use other word processing systems as they are not supported by Manuscript Central, nor are they all readily available to those involved in the review process.
Follow guidelines of style, terminology, measurement, and quantitation as set forth in the American Medical Association Manual of Style (9th ed., Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins; 1998).
By submitting online, authors will not only speed the review process, save on mailing and image duplication costs, but will also be able to monitor their manuscript's progress through the peer review and decision making process. Manuscripts should be submitted online to IOVS through Manuscript Central at http://iovs.manuscriptcentral.com. Do not submit a manuscript more than once; this constitutes a double submission and is a violation of the IOVS copyright statement. Follow the directions for each screen.
MANUSCRIPT REVIEW AND PUBLICATION
MANUSCRIPT REVIEW
After an initial review of the paper, the Editor-in-Chief selects an Editorial Board Member (EBM) who is an expert in the field and who will be responsible for guiding the paper through the review process. The EBM selects several outside reviewers to ensure that two reviewers can be obtained. Once the completed reviews arrive, the EBM critiques them, synthesizing them in a coherent manner for transmission to the corresponding author. At the same time, the EBM recommends a decision to the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief reviews all material and makes the publication decision, which is then emailed to the author. Submissions by nonmembers of ARVO will be given equal consideration. All manuscripts, including invited "New Developments" reviews, ARVO award lectures, and Letters to the Editor, are peer-reviewed.
If it is determined through the review process that your manuscript requires revision, the next version of your manuscript must be submitted within four months of the date of the decision letter. Revisions not received within the allotted time will be considered withdrawn. Any revised manuscript received after that time will be treated as a new submission, assigned a new manuscript number, and subjected to an entirely new review.
To submit your revision, log in to Manuscript Central at http://iovs.manuscriptcentral.com, enter your Author Center, and click on "Revised Manuscripts." Click on the underlined manuscript title in the "Manuscripts to be Revised" section to upload the revised manuscript files, i.e., the manuscript file and the point-by-point response. The manuscript file must include all figures, even if no changes to them were required. When the files have been uploaded, click on the "save and continue" button at the far right of the screen to continue the submission process.
If your manuscript has been accepted, please see the IOVS website at http://www.iovs.org/misc/accepted.shtml for instructions on how to prepare the final files for publication.
COVER SUBMISSIONS
If you wish to submit an image to be considered for an IOVS cover, please upload a high-resolution image (either EPS or TIFF). Cover submissions may accompany manuscripts or be submitted individually. The submission can be related to a particular manuscript or it can be of a more general scientific nature relevant to IOVS. If the particular image has been published elsewhere or originated as someone else's work, a copyright release or permission must be included. When selecting a picture, please keep in mind the size and shape of the journal cover and remember that the IOVS logo will block part of the image at the top. Remember that enlargement will emphasize any imperfection, so please send the clearest, sharpest image possible.
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