Diabetes Care -- Diabetes Care Instructions for Authors

Diabetes Care Instructions for Authors
Last updated on December 16, 2011.

Please read the complete instructions for authors before submitting your manuscript to Diabetes Care via http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/diabetescare.

CONTENTS:
1. ABOUT THE JOURNAL
2. POLICIES
3. EDITORIAL OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION
4. FORMS AND REQUIREMENTS
5. MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
6. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT AND STYLE
7. SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT
8. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS
9. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

1. ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Diabetes Care is a journal for the health care practitioner that is intended to increase knowledge, stimulate research, and promote better management of people with diabetes. To achieve these goals, the journal publishes Original Articles on human studies in the following five categories:

1) Clinical Care/Education/Nutrition/Psychosocial Research
2) Epidemiology/Health Services
3) Pathophysiology/Complications
4) Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk

The journal also publishes clinically relevant Review Articles, Letters to the Editor, Brief Reports, and health/medical news or points of view. Topics covered are of interest to clinically oriented physicians, researchers, epidemiologists, psychologists, diabetes educators, and other health professionals. The journal does not publish descriptions of study designs without data, papers on in vitro studies, or studies involving animals.

The editor-in-chief of Diabetes Care, William Cefalu, MD, began his term with the January 2012 issue. Dr. Cefalu's editorial team began reviewing first submissions on July 1, 2011.

Editorial Note: Due to an increasing number of submissions and limited editorial space, manuscripts will initially be reviewed by an editorial committee and/or the editor. Manuscripts that exceed the word limit will be automatically declined, and only those that meet a priority score above the 50th percentile will be reviewed.

2. POLICIES

ADA's Publications Policy Committee follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for guidance on policies and procedures related to publication ethics. The policies for Diabetes Care have been adopted from those three advisory bodies and, where necessary, modified and tailored to meet the specific content, audiences, and aims of Diabetes Care. Comprehensive information related to the editorial and ethical policies of Diabetes Care can be found in Publication Policies and Procedures for Diabetes Care. The Association's Publications Policy Committee or Subcommittee on Ethical Scientific Publications will consider on a case-by-case basis policies that are not addressed in the policies document, which contains information related to the following topics:

Study Design

Originality and Prior Publication

Authorship and Contributions

Acknowledgments

Conflict of Interest

Data Access and Responsibility

Clinical Trials, Systematic Reviews, and Meta-Analyses

Plagiarism

Digital Image Manipulation

Responses to Possible Scientific Misconduct

Peer Review

Editorial Decisions

Prepublication of Accepted Articles

Reuse, Post-Prints, and Public Access

Errata

Media Embargos

Advertising

Supplements

Frequently referenced segments of the document appear below.

2.1. All human investigation must be conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki. All studies involving animals must state that guidelines for the use and care of laboratory animals of the authors' institution or the National Research Council or any national law were followed.

Diabetes Care publishes only material that has not been published previously (either in print or electronically) and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, with the exception of an abstract that is less than 400 words in length. Prior presentation of data (e.g., at a scientific meeting or via webcast) does not preclude publication in Diabetes Care, but should be disclosed in the Acknowledgments of the paper and in the author's comments to the editor upon manuscript submission. All submissions to the journal will be scanned for possible duplicate or prior publication using the CrossCheck/iThenticate plagiarism detection system (www.ithenticate.com/). Any article that eclipses a certain similarity threshold with another article will be closely reviewed by ADA. Authors who submit previously published work to the journal will be banned from submitting future manuscripts to the journal, and their funding body and/or institution will be notified.

All contributions, including solicited articles and symposia, are critically reviewed by the editors and/or invited referees. Reviewers' comments are usually provided to the authors. The decision of the editors is final.

2.2. Prepublication of accepted articles. To make new research readily available to subscribers, Diabetes Care publishes accepted articles online ahead of print weeks before the print/online issue becomes available. These articles have been copyedited, proofread, and typeset but not yet author-approved or finalized and will appear in a future issue of Diabetes Care in print and online.

Online Ahead of Print articles are citable by unique DOI (digital object identifier). DOIs for Diabetes Care articles begin with 10.2337, followed by the article number assigned when the manuscript was submitted online via the manuscript submission system. (e.g., 10.2337/dc11-1234)

Example: Kohler C, Norton H, Farber K, Briggs E: How to cite a prepublished article in ADA journals. Diabetes Care 10.2337/dc11-1234

2.3. Embargo dates. If you are interested in reporting on a Diabetes Care online-ahead-of-print article, please visit http://care.diabetesjournals.org/misc/embargoinfo.pdf for specific instructions and conditions. Articles that were not prepublished are embargoed until they appear in an issue of Diabetes Care Online.

2.4. NIH’s PubMed Central. Beginning with the July 2008 issue, the American Diabetes Association will deposit all final print articles accepted for publication in Diabetes Care in PubMed Central, a repository of peer-reviewed research maintained by the National Institutes of Health. ADA provides this service at no cost to authors. Articles are accessible on PubMed Central 12 months after the date of final publication in Diabetes Care. Authors may submit the accepted version of their manuscript to their funding body’s repository immediately upon acceptance.

2.5 Clinical Trials. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) defines a clinical trial as “any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.” All clinical trials submitted to Diabetes Care must be registered with an approved ICMJE clinical trial registry (ClinicalTrials.gov, www.ISRCTN.org, www.actr.org.au, www.umin.ac.jp, and www.trialregister.nl), Diabetes Care accepts registration of clinical trials in any of the primary registers that participate in the WHO International Clinical Trial Registry Platform. Posting clinical trial results exceeding more than 500 words in the clinical trials registry is considered prior publication. Posting results in the form of a structured abstract (less than 500 words) or table is not considered prior publication. For definitions and further information, please see ICMJE’s clinical trials registration policy found in ICMJE's Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Please be sure to include the unique trial number and the name of the registry (e.g., NCTXXXXXXXX, ClinicalTrials.gov; or ISRCTNXXXXXXXX, www.ISRCTN.org) on the manuscript's title page.

3. EDITORIAL OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION

Diabetes Care Editorial Office
5110 Commerce Square Dr., Suite G
Indianapolis, IN 46237

phone: (317) 354-1508, ext 1782 fax: (317) 859-3592
e-mail: diabetescare{at}diabetes.org

Lyn Reynolds, Director, Editorial Office
Shannon Potts and Jane Lucas, Peer Review Managers
Rita Summers, Editorial Assistant
Joan Garrett, Editorial Secretary

4. FORMS AND REQUIREMENTS

4.1. Each author, including authors of letters, must read all three sections, check the appropriate boxes, sign, and print their names on the Manuscript Submission Form and denote individual author contributions below each signature (attach additional pages if necessary). The manuscript submission form addresses ADA’s policies on 1) originality and authorship, 2) copyright assignment, and 3) potential conflict of interest and addresses permission policies related to reuse and post prints. ADA will accept ICMJE's Uniform Disclosure Form for Potential Conflicts of Interest.

It is recommended that manuscript submission forms be scanned and uploaded with the article files. If this is not possible, the corresponding author may fax (317-859-3592) or email the completed form for all authors to the Editorial Office immediately after submission. Submissions will not be considered complete until the form has been received.

The corresponding author designated on the title page will be the only person notified when proofs become available. (For further information, see Submitting a ManuscriptSection 7.1.1)

4.2. Statement of Originality and Authorship. Diabetes Care subscribes to the requirements stated in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals that authorship implies substantial contributions to conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data and drafting of the article or critical revision for important intellectual content. The editor reserves the right to query authorship contribution.

Writing groups: All collaborators should be listed at the end of the paper in the Acknowledgments (if no more than two or three short paragraphs) or in a separate supplemental online-only file.

Author contribution paragraph: As of March 1, 2010, authors are required to include a paragraph in the Acknowledgments section listing each author’s contribution.
Example: “C.K. researched data. L.R. wrote the manuscript and researched data. H.N. reviewed/edited the manuscript. V.S. contributed to the discussion and reviewed/edited the manuscript. N.B. researched data and contributed to discussion. V.G. wrote the manuscript.”

Affiliations of those mentioned in the Acknowledgements section must also be noted.
When citing “editorial assistance” or help provided by a colleague, authors are required to list the employer/institution with which that colleague is affiliated. Example: “The authors acknowledge the editorial assistance of Mark Smith, Global Informatics, Inc.”; “The authors thank Mark Smith, Global Informatics, Inc,. for help with preparing the manuscript.”

4.3. Copyright Assignment. The American Diabetes Association holds the copyright on all material appearing in Diabetes Care, unless the content is produced by an employee of the U.S. government as part of the authors’ official duties. All authors must check the appropriate boxes and sign the Manuscript Submission Form, which transfers copyright to the ADA in accordance with the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. Please see the revised policy below for the statement of provenance and other conditions.

4.3.1. Reuse. Authors are permitted to reuse portions of their ADA-copyrighted work in their own work, including tables and figures, and to reuse portions or all of their ADA-copyrighted work for lecture or classroom purposes, provided that the proper citation and copyright information is given.

4.3.2. Post-prints. Authors are permitted to submit the accepted version of their manuscript to their funding body or institution for inclusion in that funding body or institution’s database, archive, or repository, or to post the accepted version on their personal Web site. These manuscripts may be made freely accessible to the public upon acceptance, provided that the following two conditions are observed:

First, post-prints must include the following statement of provenance and, once the final version has been published in the journal, a link to the final published version of the paper on the journal's Web site:

This is an author-created, uncopyedited electronic version of an article accepted for publication in Diabetes Care. The American Diabetes Association (ADA), publisher of Diabetes Care, is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it by third parties. The definitive publisher-authenticated version will be available in a future issue of Diabetes Care in print and online at http://care.diabetesjournals.org.

Second, the version of the manuscript deposited or posted must be identical to the final accepted version, with the exception of the addition of the above statement and any changes necessary to correct errors. Authors may make changes to the posted version to correct mistakes or may issue an erratum at any time. However, the final published version of the manuscript may not be deposited, posted, or later substituted for the post-print.

4.4. Conflict of Interest statement. All authors must read the ADA Policy Statement on Duality of Interest and check the appropriate box on the Manuscript Submission Form.

In addition to completing the Manuscript Submission Form, all submitted papers must include a conflict-of-interest statement for all authors in the Acknowledgments section. If authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose, this should be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

Relevant conflict of interest (or lack thereof) should also be disclosed in the authors' comments to the editor during the submission process.

4.5. Color Figure Approval. For a manuscript that contains color figures and is accepted for publication, the corresponding author must complete a color printing approval form. Forms are available online through the manuscript submission process. The cost of printing in color, to be borne by the author, is $490 U.S. per color figure. Color fees are based on individual figures as a whole, not by the part, i.e., A, B, C, etc. Authors will receive an invoice for publication fees when page proofs become available.

5. MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

See Section 6, Manuscript Format and Style, for detailed instructions on formatting documents.)

5.1. Original Articles. Original Articles should be arranged in the following order: title page, structured abstract, introduction (no heading), “Research Design and Methods,” “Results,” “Conclusions,” “Acknowledgments,” “References,” tables, and figure legends.

A structured abstract is required for all Original Articles and Brief Reports.

An abstract for an Original Article should not exceed 250 words. (This is not to be confused with abstracts submitted to the Annual Scientific Meeting, for which the word limit is higher.) The abstract must be self-contained and clear without reference to the text and should be written for a general journal readership. The abstract format should include four sections: “Objective” (the purpose or hypothesis of study), “Research Design and Methods” (the basic design, setting, number of participants and selection criteria, treatment or intervention, and methods of assessment), “Results” (significant data found), and “Conclusions” (the validity, limitations, and clinical applicability of the study and its results).

As of July 1, 2011 the journal will follow new formatting guidelines for new submissions: The word count limit for Original Articles is a maximum of 4,000 words. In addition, an original article is limited to a total combination of 4 tables and figures. Do not count words in tables, table legends, figure legends, title page, acknowledgments or references. References are limited to 40 citations. Exception to the word/table/figure/reference limit is rare.

A conflict-of-interest statement for all authors must be included in the main document, following the text, in the Acknowledgments section. If authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose, it should be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

In the case of multicenter studies, authors should provide a list of participating investigators as an appendix to the paper. Papers will not be reviewed if this information is not included.

Where appropriate, clinical and epidemiological studies should be analyzed to see if there is an effect of sex or ethnicity. If there is no effect, it should be stated as such in the “Results” section.

Randomized Clinical Trial reporting: Authors of reports on randomized controlled trials are required to use the instructions and checklist in the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement. The instructions and checklist are designed to ensure that information pertinent to the trial is included in the study report. CONSORT information may be included in a supplemental online-only file so that it does not affect word count limitations.

All clinical trials submitted to Diabetes Care for consideration of publication must be registered with a clinical trial registry approved by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Please see Section 2.5 for more information.

5.2. Brief Reports. A Brief Report can be formatted in one of two ways:

As a clinical observation/research report consisting of a structured abstract stating the study's objectives, followed by a short introduction (2–3 sentences) and four concise sections: "Research Design and Methods," "Results," "Conclusions," and "References."

As a case report/case study consisting of a structured abstract, followed by a short introduction (2-3 sentences) and four sections: "History and Examination" describes the patient and provides a brief history; "Investigation" discusses the treatment findings and results; "Conclusions" summarizes the importance of the findings/results in one or two paragraphs; and "References."

Neither format should exceed the allowed word count limit. (See Section 6, “Manuscript Format and Style,” for further information.)

Brief Reports must include a structured abstract and may contain either one table or one figure, but not both.

The format of title page, margins, text, table, figure, and font size for a Brief Report is the same as for an Original Article. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, written in Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, and saved as a .doc, .txt, or .rtf file. The figure or table must follow guidelines provided in Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of “Manuscript Format and Style.”

Brief Reports should include no more than 15 references.

A structured abstract for a Brief Report should not exceed 150 words. The word limit for the main text is 1,000 words. Do not count words in the tables, figures, legends, the title page, acknowledgments, or references.

The abstract must be self-contained and clear without reference to the text and should be written for a general journal readership. The abstract format should include four sections that reflect the section headings in the main text.

A conflict-of-interest statement for all authors must be included in the main document, following the text, in the Acknowledgments section. If authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose, it should be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

5.3. Letters to the Editor. All Letters to the Editor are published only in the online version of Diabetes Care. Online-only letters are still listed in the table of contents of the print version and will be assigned an "E" page number, but they should be cited by use of their DOI (digital object identifier) rather than a page number (e.g., 10.2337/dc07-XXXX).

Letters do not have abstracts, should not exceed 500 words (excluding a maximum of 5 references), and do not have tables or figures. As with all submissions, letters should be double-spaced and include a title page.

A Comment Letter is a letter that comments on a recently published article and should include the cited paper as reference 1 in the reference list. It should be submitted within 3 months of the article’s printed publication.

A Response Letter is an invited letter from the cited author that replies to the comment letter and must include the comment letter as reference 1 in the reference list.

All letters require a signed Manuscript Submission Form from the authors. This must be faxed at time of submission, without exception. A conflict-of-interest statement for all authors must be included in the main document, following the text, in the Acknowledgments section. If authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose, it should be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

5.4. Commentaries.Diabetes Care publishes Commentaries by invitation only. Commentaries normally accompany an original article or brief report and are invited by the editors. They should include a title page as with any submission, use 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font, and be double-spaced. A commentary is limited to 1200 words and 25 references. It does not have an abstract. As with all submission, it should a formatted title page. Signed Manuscript Submission Forms are required, including a conflict-of-interest statement for all authors in the main document. This should be placed at the end of the text, in the Acknowledgments section. If the authors have no relevant conflict of interest to declare, it should be indicated in the Acknowledgments section.

5.5. Review Articles. Review Articles are by invitation or pre-approved submission. If you would like to submit an uninvited review, you must first submit a proposal to the editors.

The proposal should include: 1) a detailed outline of the content of the proposed review; 2) a general idea of the amount of original literature to be summarized; and 3) the background of the author(s) and a description of expertise in the area to be discussed in the review (or commentary). It is anticipated that the author(s) will have worked and published in the area covered by the review. The author should also state why he/she feels this particular review is suited for Diabetes Care and why the review would appeal to the readership.

Lastly, the authors must disclose whether they propose to write the entire article themselves, whether they received any form of sponsorship or honorarium for the material, and whether a pharmaceutical company, or its representative, was involved in the funding or authorship. In addition, the authors must point out any potential conflict of interest with a company whose products will be discussed in the review.

All proposals should be submitted by e-mail (as Word document attachments) to Lyn Reynolds in the Editorial Office (lreynolds{at}diabetes.org). Proposals must be received by the first Wednesday of the month in order for it to be scheduled for discussion at the next editorial meeting (second Monday of each month) by the Editor and Associate Editors. Review Articles submitted without prior approval or invitation will be returned. All Review Articles (whether invited or by query) are subject to peer review.

Once approved, Review Articles are limited to 5000 words and 40-60 references. Review Articles do not have abstracts.

5.6 Editorials. Editorials are solicited by the Editorial Committee. As with all submissions, an editorial must include a title page and authors must provide a signed Manuscript Submission Form. The word limit for an Editorial is 1,500 words, not including references. Editorials normally do not contain figures or tables. A conflict-of-interest statement for all authors should be included at the end of the text or the Acknowledgments section, if one is included. Please label this section “Disclosure.” If the authors have no relevant conflict of interest to disclose, please indicate so in this section.

5.7. Supplements. Supplements must be approved prior to submission. A proposal for a supplement should first be submitted to the Publications Department of the ADA (ckohler{at}diabetes.org) and must specify the following:

The name of the organization(s) sponsoring and funding the supplement (not merely the name of the public relations agency handling its publication).

If the supplement is based on a symposium, where and when the symposium was held and how the speakers and papers were selected.

Whether authors will be paid and, if so, how much.

If the proposal is approved, it will be forwarded to the Editor of Diabetes Care. Initial approval by the ADA does not commit the Editor to accept a proposal in whole or part. All manuscripts are subject to the same peer review as other manuscripts in the journal.

For complete instructions on submitting a supplement, please contact the diabetescare{at}diabetes.org.

6. MANUSCRIPT FORMAT AND STYLE: Articles must be in clear and understandable English. Non-native English authors are encouraged to seek the assistance of an English-proficient colleague, or a communications agency such as “American Journal Experts”, to help improve the clarity and readability of a paper before it is submitted to the journal.

6.1. The Main Document includes the title page, abstract, main text, acknowledgements, disclosure, figure legends, references, and tables. Please do not use headers, footers, or endnotes in your paper.

6.1.1 Text Composition. Articles should be written in clear, concise English following the recommendations for scientific writing found in Scientific Style and Format, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style manual (7th ed., 2006, Reston, VA, Council of Science Editors). All accepted manuscripts will be edited according to the CSE style manual and The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed., 2003, Chicago, IL, The University of Chicago Press) by ADA professional publications staff. The authors are responsible for all statements made in their articles or editorials, including any editing changes made by staff. Proof pages should be read carefully.

The designations type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes should be used when referring to the two major forms of diabetes. Abbreviations for diabetes, such as T2D for type 2 diabetes, should not be used. The term diabetic should not be used as a noun.

All manuscripts should be double-spaced, in Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, and saved as a .doc, .txt, or .rtf file. In addition, please do not "lock" or "page protect" your document, and avoid using footnote and endnote functions.

6.1.2. Abbreviations and Units. Abbreviations should be used only when necessary, e.g., for long chemical names (HEPES), procedures (ELISA), or terms used throughout the article. See the list of abbreviations that need not be defined; all others must be defined at first use. Abbreviate units of measure only when used with numbers. Abbreviations may be used in tables and figures. The CSE style manual contains lists of standard scientific abbreviations.

Clinical laboratory values and units should be in Système International (SI) form. Kilocalories should be used rather than kilojoules. Glycated hemoglobin should be expressed as percentage of total and as standard deviation from mean control levels.

6.1.3. Materials. Authors should provide the name and location (city and state/country) of the source for specified chemicals and other materials only if alternate sources are considered unsatisfactory.

6.1.4. Title Page. Every manuscript, including Letters and Brief Reports, must have an accompanying title page. The title page should include the title; a short running title (less than 47 characters and spaces combined); the first name, middle initial, last name, and highest academic degree of each author; affiliation (in English) of each author during the study being reported; name, current address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author; and the word count and number of tables and figures.

The Main Document should be in Word document format (not as a PDF). This will allow our Editorial Office to verify the word count and our production staff to turn your paper (if accepted) into an article.

6.1.5. Font. Text, including title and author names, should be in 12-point Arial or Times New Roman. Please avoid using boldface font. Text in tables should be no smaller than 10-point font.

6.1.6. Margins. Margins should be 1" at the top and bottom and 1" on the left and right sides.

6.1.7. Section Headers. Except for the Abstract, new sections should not begin on new pages. Each new section should immediately follow the end of the previous section. See Manuscript Categories for the proper headings.

6.1.8. Abstract. Please see Section 5.1.1 of Manuscript Categories.

6.1.9. Word Count Limit. Please see instructions for the individual type of article being submitted under section 5.1.2 of Manuscript Categories.

6.1.10. Acknowledgments. The acknowledgments are located after the main text and before the reference list. Acknowledgments should contain the author contributions paragraph, brief statements of assistance, the guarantor's name (person(s) taking responsibility for the contents of the article), funding/financial support, and reference to prior publication of the study in abstract form, where applicable.

6.1.11. References. The reference list should go at the end of the document, after the main text and acknowledgments (if applicable) and before the tables. Original Articles are limited to 40 references. Brief Reports are allowed 15 references. Letters are allowed 5 references. Review Articles are allowed 40-60 references and a Meta-analysis should have no more than 40 references.

Reference numbers in the text should appear in chronological order in normal type and in parentheses [e.g., “In the study by Norton et al. (23)...”]. Please do not use the footnote or endnote function to cite studies or create a reference list. A reference manager must have the ability to customize the display of references. For example, the reference application should have the option to list the references at the end of the paper, as opposed to listing the references as endnotes or footnotes at the bottom of each page, and should not embed the list in the text as a series of endnotes/footnotes. When using a reference manager (e.g., Thomson's EndNote Reference Program), don't forget to generate the list as a bibliography in a style suitable to Diabetes Care, and then save and submit as the final step to creating the references. Otherwise, references should be manually inserted.

All authors must be listed by first initials and last name in each reference, and please provide inclusive page numbers. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine’s List of Journals Indexed for Medline; for unlisted journals, please provide complete journal titles. Material in press may be cited, but copies of such material may be requested. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. Click here for examples of how references should be formatted.

6.1.12. Supplemental Data.(Original Articles only) Original Articles may contain online supplemental files if necessary. All supplementary data to appear online-only file should be combined in one document file (whenever possible) and uploaded separately during the submission process. It must be clearly labeled as “Online-Only Supplemental Material.”

All online-only files are subject to review. Content of files submitted for online use only will not be copyedited. As such, please review the information carefully before submitting. In addition, supplemental Online-only materail must be referenced in the text at least once (e.g., “Supplemental Table S1”)

Lists that include names of principal investigators or writing groups may be included in print as an Acknowledgement if no more than 150 words and should not be counted in the word count.

Note: Please include a comment to the editor justifying the necessity of online supplemental materials for your Original Article. Allowance of online supplemental materials is at the discretion of the Editorial Committee.

Do not put online supplemental material in the main document. Instead, it should be uploaded as a separate document.

6.2. Tables. Each table should be inserted on a separate page at the end of the document with the table number, title, and legend indicated. Table legends should be inserted below the table and not be included inside the table. Tables should be created using Word and the "Insert Table" command. Please use Arial or Times New Roman font, no smaller than 10-point. Tables with internal divisions are not allowed (Tables 1A and B) and should be submitted as individual tables (Tables 1 and 2).

6.3. Figures. Diabetes Care uses digital publishing methods throughout the journal production process. If your article is accepted, it will be published both in the printed journal and online. The following sections provide information on how to format your figures to ensure the best possible reproduction of your images.

Size. Figures should be produced at the size they are to appear in the printed journal. Please make sure your figures will fit in one, two, or three columns in width. Multi-paneled figures should be assembled in a layout that leaves the least amount of blank space.

1 column = 13 picas wide, 2.2 in, 5.6 cm
2 columns = 28 picas wide, 4.6 in, 11.7 cm
3 columns = 41 picas, 6.8 in, 17.3 cm

Font. At 100% size, fonts should be 8-10 points and used consistently throughout all figures.

Text. Information on the axes should be succinct, using abbreviations where possible, and the label on the y-axis should read vertically, not horizontally. Key information should be placed in any available white space within the figure; if space is not available, the information should be placed in the legend. In general, figures with multiple parts should be marked A, B, C, etc., with a description of each panel included in the legend rather than on the figure.

Line and bar graphs. Lines in graphs should be bold enough to be easily read after reduction, as should all symbols used in the figure. Data points are best marked with the following symbols, again assuring that they will be readily distinguishable after reduction: . In the figure legend, please use words rather than the symbols; e.g., "black circles = group 1; white squares = group 2; black bars = blood glucose; white bars = C-peptide." Bars should be black or white only, unless more than two datasets are being presented; additional bars should be drawn with clear bold hatch marks or stripes, not shades of gray.

Line or bar graphs or flow charts with text should be created in black and white, not shades of gray, which are difficult to reproduce in even tones.

Formatting digital figures files for print and online reproduction. To meet ADA’s quality standards for publication, it is important to submit digital art that conforms to the appropriate resolution, size, color mode, and file format. Doing so will help to avoid delays in publication and maximize the quality of images, both online and in print. Please refer to ADA's Digital Art Guidelines when preparing your files. If you are unable to provide files that meet the specifications outlined in the Guidelines, you may submit your origial source files (files from the program in which they were originally created).

Reproductions. If materials (e.g., figures and/or tables) are taken from other sources, the author must provide written permission for reproduction from the original publisher and author at the time of submission. In addition, the source should be cited at the end of the figure legend.

Digital image manipulation. The American Diabetes Association has adopted the statement developed by the Journal of Cell Biology as its policy on the manipulation of digital images:

“No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced. The grouping of images from different parts of the same gel, or from different gels, fields, or exposures must be made explicit by the arrangement of the figure (i.e., using dividing lines) and in the text of the figure legend. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable if they are applied to the whole image and as long as they do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent any information present in the original, including backgrounds. Without any background information, it is not possible to see exactly how much of the original gel is actually shown. Non-linear adjustments (e.g., changes to gamma settings) must be disclosed in the figure legend.”

All digital images in manuscripts accepted for publication will be scanned using image forensics software for any indication of improper manipulation. Cases of questionable or inappropriate image alterations will be referred to the Association’s Subcommittee on Ethical Scientific Publications (ESP). The ESP may request the original data from the authors for comparison to the prepared figures. If the authors fail to provide the original data, the acceptance of the manuscript will be revoked. Cases of deliberate misrepresentation of data will result in revocation of acceptance, and will be reported to the corresponding author's home institution and/or funding agency as appropriate.

For examples of what constitutes improper digital manipulation (as well as other forms of scientific misconduct), ADA encourages authors to refer to the 2006 editorial by the Journal of Clinical Investigation titled “Stop Misbehaving!” In addition, authors are encouraged to refer to Adobe’s white paper on using Photoshop CS3 Extended in biomedical imaging. The paper provides useful information on maintaining image integrity, editing nondestructively, and the medical and scientific image workflow.

7. SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT

Please read the complete instructions for authors before submitting your manuscript to Diabetes Care via http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/diabetescare.

Your manuscript should be submitted under the user account of the designated corresponding author (the contact person listed on the title page of the manuscript). If the corresponding author does not have a user account, please follow the instructions on the submission site. Please allow 24-48 hours for a user account to be created.

Useful Tips:

In the File Upload Center, you will be able to browse your computer for the files associated with your manuscript. When you upload each file, be sure to choose a designation from a pull-down menu that describes the file content (e.g., “Main Document,” “Figure,” “Table,” etc.). In addition, please make sure each file name clearly describes its content (e.g., “figure1.jpg,” “table2.doc,” “coverletter.doc,” etc.).

The system automatically converts files to PDF files. Please do not upload PDF files except for signed Manuscript Submission Forms. Also, please do not upload zip files, docx or pptx files.

A Instructions for submitting revised manuscript are included in the initial decision letter; revisions must meet all formatting requirements and word limits; no exceptions will be made. In addition, all signed manuscript forms must be faxed to the Editorial Office by the time the revision is submitted. If complete forms have not been received, it is likely that the revision will be unsubmitted. Receipt of forms may be verified by contacting Joan Garrett (jgarrett{at}diabetes.org).

Revisions should be created by selecting “manuscripts with decisions” from the Author Center menu. Find the manuscript to be revised in the manuscript list. Click “create a revision” in the right column and a revision file will be created automatically. Revisions submitted under a new manuscript number will be returned to the author for proper submission.

When revising your manuscript, please show corrections by track changes or a colored font to show additions and strikeout to show deleted text. Be sure to respond to all reviewer comments on the original submission.

If you are submitting a revision, please include only the latest set of files. If you have updated a file, upload only the revised file. Do not include originally submitted files. Figures and tables must be uploaded with each version. Important: If it is a second or third revision, please indicate that the previously converted figures from the first revision are acceptable and may be used for print production if accepted.

Once your text and image files are uploaded, please view these files to ensure they appear legibly and that all special characters have translated properly. Do not click "Submit Manuscript" until you are satisfied with the quality of the proofs. If you are having trouble uploading files, please click on the “Help” button in the top right corner of the manuscript submission screen or contact the editorialoffice{at}diabetes.org for guidance.

8. ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS

8.1. Prepublication. For detailed information on publish-ahead-of-print articles, see Section 2.2 of Policies.

8.2. Accepted manuscripts will be scheduled for publication as soon as possible.

The designated corresponding author will receive notification of availability of page proofs by e-mail. Corrections should be returned to the Editorial Manager (see contact info below) by fax or e-mail within 24 hours of receipt of the proof. Failure to do so may delay the publication of the article.

Correspondence concerning the copyediting and proofreading of accepted manuscripts should be addressed to Valentina Such, Editorial Manager, Diabetes Care, American Diabetes Association, 1701 North Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311; tel: 703-299-2083; fax: 703-253-4870; e-mail: vsuch{at}diabetes.org.

Correspondence concerning the production of accepted articles and availability of page proofs should be addressed to Amy Gavin, Production Editor, American Diabetes Association, 1701 North Beauregard St., Alexandria, VA 22311; tel: 703-299-2033; fax 703-253-4870; e-mail: agavin{at}diabetes.org.

9. FINANCIAL OBLIGATIONS

Page charges are assessed for Original Articles and Brief Reports to help defray costs of publication. The charge is $90 per page. As noted under Color Figure Approval (Section 4.5.), each color figure printed will incur a charge of $490. The corresponding author will receive via e-mail a pro forma invoice, as well as a reprint order form, when page proofs become available. Unless otherwise indicated, ADA will assume that the corresponding author is taking responsibility for payment.

Updated June 1, 2011

Current Issue

February 2012, 35 (2)

Diabetes Care

Current Issue

From the Cover