International Journal of Stroke

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: International Journal of Stroke

About us:
Journal of the World Stroke Organization
Follow us on Twitter @IntJStroke
Like us on Facebook

Listen to our podcasts (https://ijspodcasts.podbean.com)  

You can also visit the World Stroke Organization website at https://www.world-stroke.org and visit the organization’s blog list at https://www.world-stroke.org/news-and-blog/blogs. IJS publishes blogs identifying important stroke content from around the world. 

THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE TEAM

Editor-in-Chief  

Hugh Markus, Cambridge, UK 

Associate Editors  

Craig Anderson: Sydney, Australia and Beijing, China 

Julie Bernhardt: Melbourne, Australia 

Frank-Erik de Leeuw: Nijmegen, Netherlands 

Thomas Leung, Hong Kong 

Ynte Ruigrok, Utrecht, Netherlands

Editorial Office

IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk

Publishing Editor

Emily Kent  

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. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

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 had an acceptance rate of 10% in 2020.

All papers are reviewed by the editorial team on submission and triaged. About 40% of papers are rejected without outside review. This allows authors with a paper unlikely to be published in IJS to submit their paper elsewhere without undue delay. This decision is made after an editorial ranking which is made on the basis on the basis of novelty, impact and quality of the paper, as well as whether we feel the article would be well suited to the IJS readership. 

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 Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) Express Publication
   6.3 Online First publication
   6.4 Access to your published article
   6.5 Promoting your article
7. Social Media Guidelines
8. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

International Journal of Stroke is the only truly international stroke journal. We focus on the clinical aspect of strokes, and also consider basic science contributions in areas of clinical interest. We consider a number of article types: Reviews, Leading Opinions, Research,  Clinical Trial Protocols and Guidelines. The International Journal of Stroke is fully peer-reviewed. Case reports and statistical analysis studies are not considered for publication in IJS.

1.2 Article Types

Review and Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses

The International Journal of Stroke rarely accepts reviews that have not been commissioned. Non-commissioned reviews should be submitted by the regular processes and if they pass triage will be subject to standard peer review processes.

In accordance with PRISMA, (1) reviews should be either definitive overviews of a major topic in stroke 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 and non-commissioned articles are not accepted.

Clinical Trial Protocol

We are keen to publish protocols for major clinical trials, or major observational /epidemiological studies. Trials should be phase III RCTs addressing important clinical questions and should have begun recruitment. We only very rarely accept protocols for Phase II RCTs. Manuscripts that incorporate clinical trial information, or subsequent reporting should be referenced against the CONSORT statement http://www.consort-statement.org/; please submit with your article.

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.

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.

In the covering letter please include the date recruitment opened, recruitment to date and the trial website.

Research Article

We consider research articles on all areas of stroke. We consider basic science articles where they have clear clinical relevance.

Please present your research paper as follows:

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

We do not accept case reports.

Please note appropriate reporting checklist should be included 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, 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. See 4.5 for more details. 

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. Articles must include a description of how the panel members were chosen.

Letters to the Editor

We accept few letters. Letters to the Editor are only published online. They must begin with the salutation, ‘Dear Editor.’ 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 300 words. Letters to the Editor are for commentary on papers published in IJS. We do not accept case studies as Letters to the Editor.

1.2.1 Guidelines for Blog Manuscripts

We are increasingly sharing global narratives about stroke management in countries from all the regions of the world on our International Journal of Stroke blog.

Blogs are published on the World Stroke Organisation blog section of the organizational website https://www.world-stroke.org/news-and-blog/blogs .

These should be a maximum of 1,000 words and can include one to two images. References are encouraged.

The purpose of this blogging opportunity is to:

• offer Stroke Support Organizationss a space to connect with stroke practitioners and facilitate an information pathway to appropriate parties,
• publish articles on aspects of stroke in countries around the globe; they may be particularly suitable for clinicians who want to advertise what they have done, but where the content may not be as suitable for a peer reviewed article in IJS.

See 7.1 for details on how to submit a blog.

Blogs are reviewed internally by the editorial team and are not sent out for peer review.

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	5,000	500 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Review Article	6,000	500 included in main word limit	Included	Included
Systematic Review	6,000	500 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Guidelines	6,000	500 included in main word limit	Included	Included
Protocol	3,000	500 included in main word limit STRUCTURED	Included	Included
Letters	300	No Abstract	Included	10 included
Blog Articles	1000	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 (search engine optimisation)

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. The editorial team may suggest changes to titles and keywords of accepted papers to increase impact and discoverability.

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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.

Manuscripts, other than Letters to the Editor and Leading opinion articles are reviewed by at least two referees. All papers are reviewed by the editorial team on submission and triaged. About 40% of papers are rejected without review. This allows authors to submit papers which are unlikely to be published elsewhere without undue delay. This decision is made on the basis of novelty, impact and quality of the paper, as well as whether we feel the article would be well suited to the IJS readership. 

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. 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.  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. Here is a summary below:

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

We cannot accept changes to authorship once a paper has been accepted.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

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 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

2.3.2 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 ARRIVE guidelines.

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.

All research articles should include a data availability statement at the end of the paper before the references; this should state if the original data are available and how it can be accessed. International Journal of Stroke strongly encourages authors to make available any primary data used in their research articles. This can be made available as the supplementary material, or via a link to a third-party data repository,  and include detailed contact information for third-party data sources. 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. 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 IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk

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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 Editorial Office at IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk

We accept articles which have been uploaded to a pre-publication, non-peer reviewed server such as medRxiv; however, this should be mentioned in the cover letter and the reference given.

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 and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

The Sage Choice program offers authors the option to make their articles freely available upon publication in IJS. It also enables authors to comply with funding body requirements, where publishing research papers open access is a stipulation of funding, while still publishing their article in our journal. The standard article processing charge (APC) for Sage Choice is 3,000 USD. The fee excludes any other potential author fees levied as well as taxes where applicable.

When you institution is involved with the open access publishing Sage will post to PubMed Central (PMC) or its international equivalents, such as Europe PMC or PMCI, on behalf of authors where their funder requires it. Sage Choice is only available to authors after their manuscripts have been accepted for publication. This is in order to prevent any potential conflicts of interest, and to ensure that authors' choice and/or funder requirements have no influence on the editorial peer review and decision-making process

Sage Gold open access policies for sharing and posting to an Institutional Repository

Creative Commons-licensed journal articles deposited in institutional repositories

Authors of articles published with a Creative Commons license may arrange for the articles to be posted on the author's institutional repository immediately upon its acceptance to a Sage journal.

For information about specific funding agency Open Access policies and ensuring compliance of agency-funded articles, please see our Funding bodies, policies and compliance webpage.

Users who access an article in a repository may use the article in any manner consistent with the terms of the Creative Commons license attached to the article. For more information on the terms of use and summary of the Creative Commons licenses, please see our Reusing Open Access and Sage Choice Content webpage.

Sage Green open access policies for sharing

You may share the Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript (version updated to include the author’s revisions after peer review, prior to any typesetting for the journal.  This is often the version accepted by the editor) at any time and in any format via Green open access. Your sharing of the Original Submission or Accepted Manuscript may include posting a downloadable copy on any website (like a project website), saving a copy in any repository or network, sharing (with your organization) a copy through any social media channel (Facebook or LinkedIn), and distributing print or electronic copies. 

Funding bodies, policies and compliance

A number of funders require research articles which have resulted from their funding to be made open access. Sage helps authors comply with these mandates either via the gold open access publication route or green open access archiving.

Funder Agencies' Open Access Mandates

Please check with your funder if there is a mandate to publish your research open access and the criteria for compliance. There are other resources which may also be helpful:

• Sherpa/Juliet aims to give accurate funding compliance information and licence section information where applicable
• Registry of Open Access Repositories Mandatory Archiving Policies (ROARMAP) is a resource which aims to collate information about open access mandates by university, research institution and research funder
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) website provides public access compliance information for research it funds

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.

 

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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 LaTeX templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway. If you send a PDF as the final document it will be sent back and word or LaTex requested. We cannot copyedit PDFs.

4.2 Cover Letter

The cover letter should be kept brief. It should explain why your paper should be published in International Journal of Stroke. If you have specific communications for the Editor-in-Chief please email hmarkus@world-stroke.org directly.

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 centres 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 (500 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)
• Data access statementt

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 (https://www.equator-network.org/) for all articles, therefore we ask you to supply the appropriate checklist with your submission.  Recommended guidelines for different types of articles are listed below but more details can be found on the equator website.

Randomised trials	CONSORT
Observational studies	STROBE
Systematic reviews	PRISMA
Study protocols	SPIRIT
Diagnostic/prognostic studies	STARD
Animal pre-clinical studies	RIGOR

 

Presentation of a review and Systematic Review Article

The International Journal of Stroke mainly accepts reviews that have been commissioned; all other reviews submitted will be considered through our normal processes.

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. https://www.prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist

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.

Presentation of a Leading Opinion Article 

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 Clinical Trial Protocol Article

We only accept Protocols for Phase 3 Clinical Trials that have already begun recruitment. Reporting should be referenced against the SPIRIT criteria https://www.spirit-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 

The appropriate check list should be used for original research articles. Eg. 

For clinical trials, CONSORT: http://www.consort-statement.org/.

For diagnostic accuracy studies,  STARD: https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/

For epidemiological studies, STROBE:   https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/strobe/

For animal stroke studies,  RIGOR guidelines should be used : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3644408/

STAIR: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19246690/

It is our expectation that the be used when reporting effective translational research (also refer STAIR and CAMRADES) (2,3,4)

Please present your research paper as follows:

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

All original research articles should include a data availability section. See section 2.9.

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 editors 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.
• The guidelines submission includes a statement of endorsement from connected NGOs, stakeholders and institutions.

• Please specify in the paper the process by which the guideline committee members were chosen.

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. It’s always a good idea to have a look at previous articles published in the journal.

4.11 Reference style

International Journal of Stroke adheres to the Sage Vancouver reference style. You can use https://www.citethisforme.com/vancouver to help with writing correct citations. The updated PubMed has easy citation options direct.

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.

4:14 Tips for a better manuscript

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.

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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 is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, 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. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

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.

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.

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. 

6.2 Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) Express Publication

This journal publishes Author Accepted Manuscripts. An Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) is the final accepted version of a manuscript before it goes through the production steps (copyediting, typesetting and proofing). Author Accepted Manuscripts are posted online in PDF format and identified as unedited manuscripts. Authors can correct minor errors within their article when reviewing proofs during the copy-editing process but no changes can be made to the AAM PDF. AAMs can be cited with their assigned Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Once the manuscript has gone through copy-editing, typesetting, and proof review, the AAM is replaced by the Online First version of the paper with the same DOI.

6.3 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.

6.4 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.5 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.

Social Media Guidelines

International Journal of Stroke facilitates marketing of your article via a few different social media channels. We offer podcasts, blog interviews and twitter.

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7. Social Media Guidelines

7.1 Blog Submissions

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

The purpose of this blogging opportunity is to:

• offer Stroke Support Organisations a space to connect with stroke practitioners and facilitate an information pathway to appropriate parties.
• publish articles on aspects of stroke in countries around the globe. They may be particularly suitable for clinicians who want to advertise what they have done, but where the content may not be as suitable for a peer reviewed article in IJS.

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.

Blogs are reviewed internally by the editorial team and are not sent out for peer review.

Blogs should be submitted direct to the editorial office by email: IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk   They should not been submitted by the manuscript processing system.

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:

Editorial Office at IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk

Process of appeal
Please contact the Editorial Office at IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk 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:

Editor-in-Chief – Hugh Markus - hmarkus@world-stroke.org
Editorial Office - IJS@editorialoffice.co.uk
Production Contact – wso_sagepub@candmdigitals.com