MolMed Journal

Following is an outline describing the instructions for submission to Bioelectronic Medicine. Submission types include: Research Article, Brief Communication, Review Article, Commentary, Response to Commentary, Clinical Trials, and Letter to the Editor. Submitted manuscripts should conform to the requirements set forth in the Instructions for Authors here. Incomplete or non-conforming work will be sent back to the author to be corrected and may cause delays in the review process.

Criteria

Pre-submission Enquiry

Submission Types

Cover Letter

Style Manual

File Types

Non-Native English Authors

Format: Research Article

Format: Brief Communication

Format: Other Submission Types

Submission

Scientific Misconduct

Fees

Author Acknowledgement and Disclosure

Contact Information

 

Criteria
Bioelectronic medicine combines molecular medicine, bioengineering, and neuroscience to discover and develop nerve stimulating and sensing technologies to regulate biological processes and treat disease. Work submitted to the journal will cover topics in these disciplines but may also expand to topics in the fields of disease biology, bioinformatics, bioengineering, materials science, nanotechnology, neurosurgery, and device development. Ethical, legal and financial issues related to bioelectronic medicine and device development are welcomed. Significant negative results will be considered.

Pre-submission Enquiry
If authors are unsure as to whether or not their manuscript comes within the scope of Bioelectronic Medicine, they may request advice prior to full submission. An abstract or a summary highlighting the originality and significance of the study should be submitted to the Editorial Office via the online submission system: mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bioelecmed. When asked for “Manuscript type,” be sure to select “Pre-submission Enquiry.” Pre-submission inquiries sent by email will not be considered. The pre-submission enquiry service is a courtesy and is not required prior to full submission. Pre-submission enquiries can be difficult to assess reliably and Bioelectronic Medicine Editors cannot make an absolute commitment to have a contribution refereed before seeing the entire paper. Entire papers should not be sent as pre-submission enquiries.

Submission Types
Bioelectronic Medicine accepts contributions in the following formats: Research Article, Brief Communication, Review Article, Commentary, and Letter to the Editor. Manuscripts should be submitted to Bioelectronic Medicine via our online submission system: mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bioelecmed.

Research Article – Reports comprehensive data from original experimental research. This type of paper demonstrates original concepts related to understanding of disease pathogenesis of neural circuits at the anatomical, functional, or molecular signaling levels of human disease. Because critical evaluation and replication of findings are essential to the scientific process, these types of articles include detailed descriptions of all processes and experimental techniques utilized in the study. In some cases, the Editors may commission Research Articles. Word count is approximately 7000 (including abstract [250 words], figures [count as 250 words each, 5-6 figures are typical], and references). The specific format includes the following sections in this order: Title, Running Head, Author Names, Keywords, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Disclosure, Footnotes, References, Tables, Figure Legends, Figures, and Supplementary Data (if applicable).

Brief Communication – Reports comprehensive data from original experimental research. This type of paper demonstrates original concepts relating to understanding of disease pathogenesis of neural circuits at the anatomical, functional, or molecular signaling levels of human disease. Because critical evaluation and replication of findings are essential to the scientific process, these types of articles include detailed descriptions of all processes and experimental techniques utilized in the study. In some cases, the Editors may commission Brief Communications. Word count is approximately 1500-3000 (including abstract [250 words], figures [count as 250 words each, 1-3 figures are typical], and references). The specific format includes the following sections in this order: Title, Running Head, Author Names, Keywords, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Disclosure, Footnotes, References, Tables, Figure Legends, Figures, and Supplementary Data (if applicable).

Review Article – Brings together and analyzes available information in a specific field. These submissions include a summary of the topic/field, a description of gaps in knowledge of the topic/field, and synthesis of information to form a testable hypothesis. Reviews discuss recent developments in the topic/field and make projections about the future direction of a particular field. In some cases, the Editors may commission Review Articles. Word count is approximately 7000 (including abstract [250 words], figures [250 words each], and references).

Commentary – Commissioned by the Editors. However, in some cases the Editors may consider unsolicited works. Commentaries are professional opinion pieces covering cutting-edge research topics related to the understanding of disease pathogenesis of neural circuits at the anatomical, functional, or molecular signaling levels of human disease and the future of medicine. These may also address an issue of concern regarding work published outside of Bioelectronic Medicine. In this case the commentary may be sent to the original authors for a response. While this submission type does not require data, figures, or original research, they may be included to aid in the education of the interdisciplinary audience. Word count is approximately 1500-3000 (including abstract [250 words], figures [250 words each], and references).

Clinical Trials – Reports comprehensive data from clinical trials. This type of paper may demonstrate clinical trial design, conduct, analysis, systhesis, history, ethics, regulation, clinical impact, policy impact in clincial trials related to the disciplines covered in the field of bioelectronic medicine. Word count is approximately 5000-7000 (including abstract [250 words], figures [count as 250 words each, 5-6 figures are typical], and references). Funding, Conflicts of Interest, Research Ethics and Patient Consent must be included. Please see below the section Clinical Studies. Clinical trials must follow pertient reporting guidelines (EQUATOR, CONSORT) and be registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry. The trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. 

Letter to the Editor – Addresses an issue of concern regarding work published by Bioelectronic Medicine and may include data that enhances the dialogue surrounding the work. This may be viewed as an open post-publication review of a manuscript. Once received, comments will be reviewed by the Editors and may be sent to the original authors for a response. In some cases an independent reviewer may be asked to assess the comments. Word count is approximately 800 with up to 15 references and 2 figures.

Cover Letter
A cover letter should accompany each submission. The cover letter should:

  • Include a brief description of the scientific advance and its importance;
  • Identify the person (with address and telephone/fax number/email) responsible for administrative and scientific issues concerning the manuscript;
  • Make it clear that the submitted manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors (as defined by ICMJE Authorship Criteria) and that no deserving authors have been omitted;
  • Make it clear that the work is not under consideration elsewhere;
  • Include a statement that all human and/or animal studies were approved by the appropriate institutional committee;
  • Include the names and email addresses of three independent potential reviewers;
  • Note a pre-submission identification number (if applicable);
  • State if any figures or images have been adapted or reproduced from prior published work.

To view a cover letter template, please see the freely available article: L Chipperfield, L Citrome, J Clark, et al. (2010) Authors' Submission Toolkit: A practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research & Opinion. 26:8 p1968-1982. www.cmrojournal.com.

Style Manual
The entire manuscript should be double-spaced and written in English with the format following the Council of Science Editors reference manual: Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, Eighth Edition. Abbreviations may be used for specialized names if spelled out in entirety at the first use. Gene names must be italicized throughout the text.

 

File Types
The following file types are NOT supported during submission: shs; exe; com; vbs and zip. The maximum total size of files (in K) an author can submit is 60000. Five files may be uploaded at once. If you have difficulty submitting your file due to size restrictions please contact [email protected] for assistance with an ftp site.

Non-Native English Authors
The European Association of Science Editors (EASE) has published multilingual guidelines for non-native English authors and translators. These guidelines are aimed at making scientific communication more efficient worldwide and preventing scientific misconduct. To view the multilingual guidelines please see this website: https://www.ease.org.uk/guidelines/index.shtml.

Format: Research Article
This specific format includes the following sections in this order: Title, Running Head, Author Names, Keywords, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Disclosure, Footnotes, References, Tables, Figure Legends, Figures, and Supplementary Data (if applicable).

Title – A title page must appear as the first page of the manuscript. The title page should include a title, running head, author list, keywords, and contact author information. The title of the paper should be 20 words or less. The title should not include acronyms or abbreviations.

Running Head – This short version of the title should include a maximum of 45 letter spaces.

Author Names – The author(s) list must include: the first name(s); the last/family name(s); the name of the department(s) and institution(s) in which the work was done; the institutional affiliation of each author; and the name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address of the author responsible for correspondence. Any change in author list (additions/deletions) after paper acceptance must be justified in writing to the Editors. During online submission the full names and email addresses of all the authors are required. Authors are encouraged to include their ORCID iD or create one during the submission process. If the work is accepted, all authors are required to sign the Open Access Authorization and Acknowledgement of Authorship form. Bioelectronic Medicine follows the authorship criteria put forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which can be found here: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html#two. 

Keywords – Five MeSH-Medline keywords not included in the title must be included. For assistance visit: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/.

Abstract – (250 words) Should include the rationale, objectives, results, and conclusions of the study. The Abstract should read as a single, continuous piece and not be written as a structured abstract (broken into separate sections).

Introduction – Should discuss appropriate, relevant sources that provide context for the study and help explain how the idea for the study came to be and why it is important. The objective and hypothesis of the study at hand should be explicitly stated in this section. 

Materials and Methods – This section should include sufficient detail to allow another researcher to repeat the experiment. Descriptions may be 'in brief', followed by reference to a previous report using the same procedure, or by detailed description. One sentence referring a reader to a prior publication is insufficient.

General studies should include unambiguous identification of nonbiological materials used (chemicals) including the source of such materials, the types of apparatus used, including model number and manufacturer for specialized equipment, the experimental procedure, including potential hazards, if applicable; and the types of test performed, including statistical tests.

Biological studies should include unambiguous identification of genus, species, and strain; the source of any organisms (cell line, animal stock); and age, sex, weight, and condition of organisms as appropriate.

Protein molecular weights of DNA marker sizes should be indicated on figure panels showing gel electrophoresis. The quality of RNA should be proofed according to MIQE guidelines published in 2009 by S.A. Bustin et al. in Clinical Chemistry. Nucleic acid and protein sequences should be deposited in appropriate databanks in time for the accession numbers to be included in the paper. Please see the NCBI databases Web site for more information.

Microscopy should include the make and model of the microscope. Type, magnification, numerical aperture of the objective lenses and acquisition software are also needed. All micrographs must include an unlabelled scale bar in the image with a description included in the figure legend.

Research on animals should include a statement that the protocol was approved by the appropriate institutional committee and complied with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Descriptions should include information regarding:

The animal: n, age, sex, weight, and life stage, source (supplier), genetic nomenclature, microbial/pathogen status, and information related to preparation and assignment to treatment groups (including control groups); 

The environment: Micro and macroenvironments, diet, water, housing; 

The method: Include aspects of animal care that can affect research outcomes, experimental effects, administration of substances, use of infectious agents, sample acquisition, and euthanasia.

Additional Resources:

International regulations on animal welfare are available at: 
 

Clinical studies should include pertinent details about human subjects, including methods of recruitment and relevant physical characteristics. Reports of human studies must include a statement that the protocol was approved by the appropriate institutional committee or that it complied with the Helsinki Declaration as revised in 2013 - https://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html. Informed consent should be obtained for all subjects. When preparing reports of randomized clinical trials, authors should refer to the checklist published in the CONSORT Statement and should include a trial profile summarizing participant flow. As recommended by ICMJE, all clincial trials should be registered in a public trials registry. If the work is a clinical trial, the trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. For additional information, please see the NIH resource: Responsible Conduct of Research - https://bioethics.od.nih.gov/.

Mathematics – papers with mathematics should follow the guidelines suggested in the resources below:
International Organization for Standardization: Quantities and Units - Part 2: Mathematical Signs and Symbols to be used in the Natural Sciences and Technology
American Mathematical Society: A Manual for Authors of Mathematical Papers

Statistics – Papers with statistical testing should state the hypothesis being tested/comparisons of interest, the name of the test, the n for each analysis, a justification for the use of that test, the alpha level for all tests, whether the tests were one- or two-tailed, and the actual P value for each test. Confidence intervals should be computed to complement the results of hypothesis tests. Discrepancies in any sample sizes due to exclusions, dropouts or missing data should be noted and explained. Data sets should be summarized with descriptive statistics, which should include the n for each data set, a clearly labeled measure of location (such as the mean or the median), and a clearly labeled measure of variability (such as the standard deviation, range, or interquartile range). Graphs should include clearly labeled error bars. Authors must state whether a number that follows the ± sign is a standard error of the mean (s.e.m.) or a standard deviation (s.d.).
How to Report Statistics in Medicine: Annotated Guidelines for Authors, Editors and Reviewers

Results – Original results should be presented clearly with appropriate subheadings. This section should not discuss implications or applications of the results.

Discussion – Should be an analytical examination of the study and results rather than a repetition of the information in the results section. It is relevant to compare the results of the study to the findings of similar studies related to understanding of disease pathogenesis of neural circuits at the anatomical, functional, or molecular signaling levels of human disease. The Editors also encourage authors to discuss the potential application of their results in the development of tools for disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The main findings should be placed in context to highlight the advance and describe how it moves the field forward.

Conclusion – Condenses work presented in the discussion and states the significance of the findings. Includes a statement of how the work may move the field forward.

Acknowledgments – Sources of financial support should be included along with any acknowledgements relevant to scientific advice or assistance. Those contributors not meeting the ICMJE standards for authorship may be acknowledged here.

Disclosure – Authors should include any necessary conflicts of interest. Please see the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest for definitions and examples. If none exist, the following text should be included: "The authors declare they have no competing interests as defined by Bioelectronic Medicine, or other interests that might be perceived to influence the results and discussion reported in this paper."

Footnotes – Should be restricted to the title page (affiliations, corresponding author) and within tables. Footnotes on the title page are assigned consecutive superscript numbers (i.e., 1, 2, 3, etc.). Footnotes in tables are assigned consecutive, superscript capital letters (i.e., A, B, C, etc.).

References – Should be numbered consecutively as they are cited in the text and listed in parentheses. Please properly site the use of any guides in the references and number the references accordingly (Animal care and use guides). References first cited in tables or figure legends must be numbered so that they will be in sequence with references in the text. References should include full titles of the papers with inclusive page numbers. All authors should be listed when there are five or fewer; when there are six or more, the first author should be listed followed by "et al.'' Abbreviate the names of journals according to PubMed. Spell out names of unlisted journals. If essential, 'personal communication' may be incorporated in the appropriate place in the text. References to personal communications must be accompanied by a permission letter from the communicator authorizing publication of the comment. References to unpublished data or personal observation will not be accepted. To use Endnote, select the "Molecular Medicine" style format from the drop down menu. Examples of reference styles can be found below.

Journal articles
1. Gallowitsch-Puerta M, Tracey KJ. (2005) Immunologic role of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory
pathway and the nicotinic acetylcholine alpha 7 receptor. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1062:209-19. 

Complete books
2. Tracey, KJ. (2005) Fatal Sequence: The Killer Within. New York: Dana Press. 184 pp.

Articles in books
3. Forstner JF, Forstner GG. (1994) Gastrointestinal Mucus. In: Physiology of Gastrointestinal Tract.
Johnson LR (ed.) Raven Press, New York, pp. 1255-1283.

Homepages
4. Bioelectronic Medicine online [Internet]. c2014. Manhasset (NY): The Feinstein Institute for
Medical Research; [cited 11 Apr 2014]. Available from https://www.bioelecmed.org.

Tables – Should be included in the manuscript. Tables should be double-spaced each on its own page, portrait orientation, upright, with brief titles. Superscript capital letters should be used in consecutive order as footnotes as described above.

Figures: Instructions for Figures
Following is an outline describing the instructions for submission of figures to Bioelectronic Medicine.

Acceptable File Types include EPS, JPEG, TIFF PNG, BMP, CDS, TGF. Microsoft Word and PowerPoint may be used for diagrams and images, figures must be a singe page. Required resolution is 300-600 dpi. Required color mode is cyan, magenta, yellow, black (CMYK).

Font – Should be a non-serif type, such as Arial (if you cannot use Arial, use Helvetica). Serif fonts are not acceptable. Font should be consistent within and across figures. Font size may vary, the minimum required font size is 6 points maximum font size is 12 points, the only exception being panel labels which may be 18 point, bold, all capitals. All fonts must be legible at actual print size (see column measurements below under Sizing). Line weights (.75pt – 1.00 pt [2.00 pt for lines within flowcharts]; consistent within document. Symbol font may be used for special characters and Courier may be used for sequence alignments.

Capitalization – Use sentence-style capitalization within figures. Capitalize the first word of each figure axis figure key label, figure title, etc.; subsequent words should be lowercase.

Graph Style – Graphs should not include hatches or other patterns. Choose colors or shades of gray with enough contrast to stand out and make clear the meaning of the graph. Graph bars should be delineated with grays that differ by at least 20% in value. All controls (e.g. sham, untreated, vehicle) should be represented with white/open bars. Outline white, grey or colored bars with black. Graph lines should be .75-1.0 line weight. 

Axis Labels – Figures should be cited sequentially in the text using Arabic numerals. Figures should not contain more than one panel unless logically connected. Larger X and Y axis labels should be bold Arial. Axis number should be slightly smaller, using regular Arial. Use only X and Y axis lines, when appropriate. Avoid the use of complete boxes to enclose graphs. Use tick marks for only the major axis labels; smaller tick marks should be left off. Tick marks on graphs face outward and are used only for labeled quantities. Panel labels may be 18 point, bold, all capitals. Labels along the X-axis should be horizontal (if too long should be rotated 45° counter clockwise). Labels along the Y-axis should be rotated 90° counter clockwise. Labels along the Y-axis when on the right side (when there are two y-axes) should be rotated 90° clockwise. Numbers on axes are not bold. Initial symbols on axis labels should be spelled out, for example: Percent (%).

Figure Legends and Figure Keys – Figure legends should include a short title and a brief explanation with sufficient detail to interpret the data presented. Do not exceed 350 words for each legend. Abbreviations should be defined at the end of the legend. Figure legends should be saved as part of the main text, not within the figures. Symbols should be in symbol font. Scale bars should be placed on images and defined in the legend. Text should not be placed over textured or shaded areas (light colored lettering on a dark background). Figure keys must be included within the legend and not in the figure itself.

Figure Layout – Avoid unnecessary spacing within your figure layout. Avoid using unnecessary boxes to enclose graphs or images.

Panel Label – Each panel of a multi-part figure must be labeled with a bold, capital, 18-point letter (A, B, C). Punctuation should not be included in the figure label. Labels should be placed in the upper left corner of each element and be no more than 12 mm away from the rest of the figure when viewed at 100%. Whenever possible, do not place this letter over other text or images.

Column Sizes – Figures are resized during the production process. Our journal column formats are as follows: 1-column figure (2.3 inches/5.8 centimeters/166 points); 2-column figure (4.8 inches/12.3 centimeters/349 points); 3-column figure (7.3 inches/18.7 centimeters/532 points). Your figures should print at one of these sizes and still be readable and high quality.

Supplementary Data – To submit supplementary data, authors should upload it to the submission site with the rest of their files. On the dropdown list of file types, the author should choose "Supplementary." This supplementary data will be published online at bioelecmed.org along with the manuscript.

Format: Brief Communication
This specific format includes the following sections in this order: Title, Running Head, Author Names, Keywords, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, Disclosure, Footnotes, References, Tables, Figure Legends, Figures, and Supplementary Data (if applicable). Brief Communications are approximately 1500-3000 words. Formatting should follow the style of a Research Article.

 

Format: Other Submission Types
While there are no strict headings for Review Articles, Commentaries, or Letters to the Editor, authors may familiarize themselves with examples of these content types by reading our sister journal, Molecular Medicine, online at: www.molmed.org. Word limits for these submission types have been described above. Abstract, Acknowledgements, Disclosure, Footnotes, References, Tables, Figure Legends, and Figures should adhere to the style and requirements described under Research Article.

Submission
Manuscripts should be submitted to Bioelectronic Medicine via our online submission system: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bioelecmed. If you do not already have an account, you will need to create one. Click on 'create account' in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Once you have completed the profile information, click the Main Menu and icon for "Corresponding Author Center." Begin a manuscript submission, fill in the required fields and upload any necessary files. While online submission can accommodate a variety of file types, authors are urged to provide their manuscripts as original Microsoft Word documents and figures as original files (figures may also be submitted as Microsoft Powerpoint slides). Click here for assistance with submission. Confirm your work has been successfully converted to both a PDF and an HTML file. Please confirm your images are readable in the PDF and HTML files. Unreadable figures may delay the review process. Click 'submit' to send your manuscript to the Editorial Office. Should you have difficulty with this process, please contact the Editorial Office at: [email protected].

The status of your manuscript can be viewed by logging back in to this submission system. A description of status updates are below.

Awaiting Admin Processing – The manuscript is being considered for the peer-review process.
Under Consideration – The manuscript has been sent for peer-review.
Awaiting AE Preliminary Decision – Peer-review reports have been received.
Awaiting EDB Decision Approval – The manuscript is in the queue for Editorial Board Review and decision.

For additional tips on manuscript preparation and submission, authors are encouraged to read the following free paper:
L Chipperfield, L Citrome, J Clark, et al. (2010) Authors' Submission Toolkit: A practical guide to getting your research published. Current Medical Research & Opinion. 26:8 p1968-1982. www.cmrojournal.com.

Scientific Misconduct
The Feinstein Institute Press recognizes the importance of ethical standards in the research community and is committed to promoting ethical practices in our publication. Authors are expected to be familiar with standards and codes of conduct.  The publisher is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and generally follows the Code of Conduct of Journal Editors. Bioelectronic Medicine is an International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) member journal. Members of Bioelectronic Medicine staff belong to the International Society of Managing and Technial Editors (ISMTE) and the Council of Science Editors (CSE). See the White Paper by the Council: CSE's White Paper on Promoting Integrity in Scientific Publications, 2009 Update. Bioelectronic Medicine is a member of CrossCheck by iThenticate. iThenticate is a text duplication screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. The iThenticate software checks submissions against millions of published research papers, documents on the web, and other relevant sources. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use the iThenticate system to screen their work before submission by visiting research.ithenticate.com. All incoming manuscripts are subject to screening prior to entering the peer-review process.

Fees
At this time, authors will not be charged to submit a manuscript. If the work is accepted, there will be no charges for color pages, excess pages or word count.

Author Acknowledgement and Disclosure
Upon acceptance, all authors are required to complete an Open Access Authorization form as well as a Conflict of Interest - Disclosure form. These must be submitted electronically. All forms from all authors must be completed and submitted prior to the release of a final typeset-author approved galley. 

Contact Information
The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research
Editorial Offices of Bioelectronic Medicine
350 Community Drive
Manhasset, NY 11030 USA
Telephone: (516) 562-2114
Fax: (516) 562-1022
Email

Updated 2.December.2015

ISSN: 2332-8886 (online)