GENERAL INFORMATION | EDITORIAL POLICIES FOR AUTHORS | CONTENT TYPE | SUBMISSION GUIDELINES | REVIEW AND PUBLICATION PROCESS | MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST

Author Resources

AUTHORSHIP CHANGE FORM | COPYRIGHT TRANSFER AND AUTHORSHIP RESPONSIBILITY FORM | LICENSE TO PUBLISH FORM | OFFPRINT ORDER FORM

The Journal of Vascular Access accepts submission through an online submission system. To submit a manuscript go to www.editorialmanager.com/jva and register or log in as an author. If you cannot register or if you think you have registered before, please contact the  before you register again. If you are registered with ORCID and validated your account in Editorial Manager you may choose to log in with your personal ORCID.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Full name: The Journal of Vascular Access
Journal name abbreviation: J Vasc Access

ISSN 1129-7298
eISSN 1724-6032


Indexed in

INDEX MEDICUS/MEDLINE
Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch)
CURRENT CONTENTS/Science Edition
EMBASE/Excerpta Medica
Index Copernicus

Coordinating Editor

Maurizio Gallieni, MD
Nephrology and Dialysis Unit
Ospedale San Carlo Borromeo
Via Pio II, 3
20153 Milano - Italy

Fax: +39 02 4022 2222


The Journal of Vascular Access publishes only peer-reviewed original manuscripts dealing with clinical and laboratory investigations in the fast growing field of vascular access.


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EDITORIAL POLICIES FOR AUTHORS

Manuscripts submitted to The Journal of Vascular Access must be an original contribution not previously published in any language or country (except as an abstract or preliminary report) and must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere. Likewise, updates of previously published studies that add little data to an existing publication will not be considered.

The Coordinating Editor and the Editorial Board are primarily responsible for ensuring a fair review process. The final responsibility rests with the authors and the statements and opinions are solely those of the individual authors and contributors.


Authorship

Each person listed as an author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content and agree to be accountable for all aspects related to its accuracy or integrity. This participation must include conception and design of the manuscript, data acquisition or data analysis and interpretation, drafting of the manuscript and/or revising it for critically important intellectual content, revision and final approval of the manuscript and statistical analysis, obtaining funding, administrative, technical, or material support, or supervision. Authors who do not meet the above criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments Section.

Once a manuscript has been submitted, the order of authorship (including addition or removal of  authors) cannot be changed without a written request to the  by the Corresponding Author by means of the Author Change Form, signed by all authors. Should agreement between authors not be reached, the manuscript will be withdrawn.

Authorship changes cannot be submitted with proof changes. The publisher is not allowed to make such changes and it will delay the publication of your manuscript.

Corresponding author

The corresponding author is responsible for submission and all communication with the Journal regarding that submission. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that all authors meet the required authorship criteria indicated above. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that the Acknowledgments Section of the manuscript is complete and for ensuring that the conflict of interest disclosures included in the manuscript are accurate and up-to-date.

Copyright

All manuscripts submitted for publication must be accompanied by the Copyright Transfer and Authorship Responsibility Form. This form states that each author owns the copyright or has written permission to use all the material in the article. This form must be downloaded from the Journal’s website, completed in print, scanned, and uploaded with the manuscript upon submission. Additional forms can be used if necessary. Manuscripts will not be processed until the Copyright Transfer and Authorship Responsibility Form is received.

Disclosures of Conflict of interest

Authors are required to disclose any form of conflict of interest in the Acknowledgements Section manuscript.

Financial conflict of interest may exist if any financial gain is brought to the author or to his/her family, business partners, or employer by direct or indirect commission; stock ownership or options in manufacturing companies; involvement in any for-profit or not-for-profit corporation where the author or his/her family is a director or recipient of a grant, including consultant and travel costs reimbursement.

Non-financial competing interest may be political, personal, or intellectual.

Funding/Support

All financial and material support for the research and the work reported should be clearly identified in the Acknowledgments Section of the manuscript.

Plagiarism, duplicate submission

Research and publication misconduct is considered a serious breach of ethics. The Journal systematically employs iThenticate, a plagiarism detection and prevention software designed to ensure the originality of written work before publication. Manuscripts including plagiarized content will be rejected.

Image manipulation

Figure and illustrations submitted with an article must be original. Image manipulation that may affect data interpretation is a frequent cause of rejection or retraction. For full information, refer to Image integrity.

Use of copyrighted material

If the manuscript submitted includes parts (quotations, tables, or illustrations) to which the authors do not own copyright, then written permission from the copyright owner must be submitted before the peer reviewing process is completed, along with full details on the original source. Give yourself ample time to request and receive permission. Any permission fees required by the copyright owner are the responsibility of the authors.

Research involving human subjects

If manuscripts report research performed on human subjects, human-derived materials, or human medical records, they must have obtained formal review and approval or waiver by an appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee and informed consent by all patients involved. This must be included in the Methods section. For investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed and stated in the Methods section of the manuscript.

• Clinical trial registration

 

• Patient confidentiality protection

Research involving animals

Experimental research performed on animals must comply with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals or equivalent. A statement that research has been performed according to the NIH Guidelines must be included in the Methods section.

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CONTENT TYPE

Original articles

Previously unpublished manuscripts, describing clinical investigations, clinical observations, relevant clinical laboratory investigations based on sound patient series, validated analytical methods, and appropriate statistical evaluation.

Original articles should be structured as follows: Introduction (clearly stating an objective or hypothesis), Methods (describing the study design and methods applied, including the study setting and dates, patients or participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, and/or participation or response rates, or data sources, and how these were selected for the study), Results (describing the results of the study in context with the published literature and addressing study limitations), and Discussion (addressing relevant implications for clinical practice or health policy). A structured abstract is required. All randomized controlled trials must be reported according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement.

Words: max 3000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 6
References: max 50
Complimentary pages: 6 (see Publication charges)

Clinical trial protocols

A clinical trial is defined as any research project that prospectively assigns human participants to intervention or comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between an intervention and a health outcome. Each manuscript should be divided as follows: Introduction (stating an objective or hypothesis of the protocols), Methods (describing the design and statistical methods applied, including the study setting and dates, patients or participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria), Results (including data on recruitment, etc.), and Discussion (placing the protocol in context with the published literature).  A structured abstract is required, and trial registration information (name, number, and URL) must be listed in the title page.

Words: max 3000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 6
References: max 50
Complimentary pages: 6 (see Publication charges)

Reviews

Reviews are solicited by the Coordinating Editor on topics that are deemed to be relevant for the audience of the Journal. Containing the current state of knowledge or practice, integrating recent advances with accepted principles and practice, or summarizing and analyzing consensus view of controversial issues in knowledge of practice.

Words: max 5000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 8
References: no limit
Complimentary pages: 8 (see Publication charges)

Editorials

The purpose of the editorials is to provide the reader with a balanced overview of relevant and up to date subjects concerning vascular access.

Words: max 4000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 1
References: no limit
Complimentary pages: 6 (see Publication charges)

Case reports

Case reports will be accepted if they describe a previously undescribed clinical case and are of very high importance for dissemination. Case reports must be structured as follows: Introduction (explaining the importance of the case), Case Presentation (providing all relevant information), and Discussion (describing the detailed outcome of the report). A structured abstract is required.

Words: max 2000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 3
References: max 10
Complimentary pages: 3 (see Publication charges)

Techniques in vascular access

This section hosts a series of articles on technical aspects in the creation and management of vascular access patients. The aim of this series is educational, that is information which can be applied in daily clinical practice. The format might be a step by step description of a technique or it can include a case report, which highlights real problems and stimulates the interest of the reader. In the latter case, authors can follow this outline:

• Present pertinent medical history of the problem(s) in the specific patient;
• Outline the treatment options;
• Describe what was done and why;
• Report the outcomes;
• Comment summarizing all issues related to the technique described in the case report.

Words: max 3000 (excluding figures and tables)
Figures/Tables: max 5
References: max 30
Complimentary pages: 8 (see Publication charges)

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor are intended to present opinions or comments on articles published in the Journal. Letters are subject to abridgement and editing for style and content. An abstract is not required.

Words: max 1000 (excluding figures/tables)
Figures/Tables: 2
References: max 5
Complimentary pages: 2 (see Publication charges)

Letters in reply

If you are the corresponding author of an article cited in a Letter to the Editor and receive an e-mail invitation to comment on it, you must log in to the system, accept the invitation immediately, and then upload and submit your reply to the Editorial Office. The response must cite the title of the letter, e.g., “Response to (Title of Letter).”

Words: max 500
Figures/Tables: none
References: max 5
Complimentary pages: 2 (see Publication charges)

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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Manuscripts must be submitted online at www.editorialmanager.com/jva. Refer to the Author Tutorial supplied online, which offers detailed instructions on initial and revised submission.

We recommend that each time authors log in to the system, they check the e-mail address registered for correspondence.

Within the system, you may have additional roles (author/reviewer): the username and password are the same for any role you have in the system. If you cannot retrieve it or if you think you have registered before, please contact the  before you register again.
 
First-time users: Please click the Register button from the menu and enter the requested information. On successful registration, you will be sent an e-mail indicating your username and password. Keep a copy of this information for future reference. If you wish to change any of the data in your profile, log in with your current username and password and update your profile. You only need to register once and should always use the same e-mail address.

Submit your manuscript according to the Instructions to Authors. Once you have initiated a submission, you can leave it and continue later, as the system will save your information. The corresponding author will be able to track the progress of the submission through the system. Should you have any difficulties, please contact the .

You must submit separate files for the following:

• Manuscript file
• Figures
• Supplementary online-only materials, if included in your manuscript
• Copyright Transfer and Authorship Responsibility Form

Manuscript preparation

Submissions need to be of sufficient editing quality in order that they are easily interpreted by the readership of the Journal. If submitted work does not meet this standard, it will be returned to the authors. The Journal follows the AMA Manual of Style for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals.
 
Set your document as A4(The International Standard ISO 216) paper, use double line spacing, Arial font size 12, number all pages, do not justify the right margin, and do not use line numbers. Save your manuscript as a Word document (.doc, .docx, or previous). Use only standard abbreviations: the full term for which an abbreviation stands for should precede its first use in the text. Begin each of the following sections on separate pages: Title page, Abstract and key words, Text, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figure legends. If you are submitting a manuscript that has been rejected previously, please inform the Journal of the previous review comments, and subsequent revision of the manuscript.

Title page

The first page (title page) of your manuscript file must include the following information:

• Full title (max 135 characters including letters and spaces), which must be concise and informative.
• Short title (max 75 characters, including letters and spaces).
• All authors listed as first name, initials, and last name (i.e., Paul M. Smith) with highest academic or medical degree first.
• Institutional affiliation for each author, using superscripts and not symbols (e.g., Paul M. Smith¹).
• Corresponding author’s information (full mailing address, phone and fax numbers, e-mail address); this is usually the submitting author.
• Online-only supplementary material, which should be listed if included.

Abstract and key words

The abstract must not exceed 250 words and must be structured and divided in the sections: Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

Below the abstract, identify 3 to 6 key words in alphabetical order under which you believe the article should be indexed. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings list from lndex Medicus whenever possible. A library of terms is available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html.

Manuscript text

Divide the text into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Number all figures (graphs, charts, photographs, and illustrations) in the order of their citation in the text. Figures must be submitted as separate files and not embedded in the Word document.

Units of Measure

Laboratory values are expressed using conventional units of measure, with relevant Système International (SI) conversion factors expressed secondarily (in parentheses) only at first mention. Articles that contain numerous conversion factors may list them together in a paragraph at the end of the Methods section. In tables and figures, a conversion factor to SI units should be provided in a footnote or legend. The metric system is preferred for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. For more details, see the Units of Measure conversion table on the Web site of the AMA Manual of Style.

Names of drugs, devices, and other products

Use nonproprietary names of drugs, devices, and other products, unless the specific trade name of a drug is essential to the discussion.

Abbreviations

Do not use abbreviations in the title. All abbreviations must be spelled out when they are used for the first time in the abstract and again when they are used for the first time in the text. Abbreviations should appear first in parentheses immediately after the term or phrase to which it refers. Every abbreviation used in any table or figure should be defined in each corresponding legend. Please refer to the AMA Manual of Style for a listing of acceptable abbreviations and acronyms.

Acknowledgements

List in this section:

• Any substantial contribution when provided by a person different from the author and list all other persons who do not fulfill authorship criteria
• The assistance of medical writing expertise (ghost authors)
• All participating group authors who do not meet the full authorship criteria
• All sources of funding for the manuscript and the financial disclosures for all authors

Written permission must be obtained to include the names of all individuals included in the Acknowledgments section.

If the manuscript has been has been presented at a meeting, please indicate in this section its name, location, and date.

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation. Personal communications, unpublished data, abstracts, and oral or poster presentations should be limited and incorporated in parentheses within the text without a reference number. A signed permission should be included from each individual identified in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data, as well as the date of communication.

• References should follow the text and begin on a separate page.
• References must be double line spaced and numbered consecutively in order of appearance within the text, using the automated numbering tool of Word.
• Identify references in text, tables, and legends in Arabic numerals in parentheses, i.e., (7).
• List all authors when six or fewer; when seven or more, list only the first three and add et al.
• References used within tables or figure legends should be included in the reference list and numbered in consecutive order according to the table/figure citation in the text.
• Journals’ names should be abbreviated according to Index Medicus/Medline. If there is any doubt about abbreviation of a journal name, it should be spelled out completely.
• Any references to studies (including books or articles) that have been accepted for publication, but not yet published, should indicate where they will be published and have the term “in press” in the reference in place of volume and page numbers. These must be updated prior to publication, if possible.
• Do not add a discussion or comment to a reference.
• Suffixes such as Jr, Sr, and III follow author’s initials.

Examples of reference style

1. Standard journal article

You CH, Lee KY, Chey WY, Menguy R. Electrogastrographic study of patients with unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gastroenterology. 1980;79:311-314.

2. Book

Wilmore DW, Carpentier YA eds. Metabolic support of the critically ill patient. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag 1993

3. Chapter in book

Knochel JP, Jacobson HR. Renal handling of phosphorus clinical hypophosphatemia and phosphorus deficiency. In: Brenner BM, Rector FC, eds. The Kidney. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 1985; 619-62.

4. Online-only reference

Hussain N, Clive J, Bhandari V. Current incidence of retinopathy of prematurity, 1989–1997. Pediatrics 1999; 104: e26 [Accessed July 21, 2014.] Available at http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/104/3/e26.abstract.

Tables

Submit tables in your manuscript file after references. Do not submit them as separate files. As a general rule, tables should not unnecessarily offer duplicate information given within the text. Starting on a new page, type each table on a separate sheet, using double line spacing. Tables should be created in a Word document using the table tool. Do not format tables as columns or tabs and do not submit tables as figures. Tables should be numbered consecutively in Roman numerals by order of citation in the text. Each table must include title, appropriate column headings, and explanatory legends, including definitions of any abbreviations used. References used within tables should be included in the reference list and numbered in consecutive order according to the table citation in the text. Identify statistical measures of variations such as SD and SEM. Follow the guidelines for creating tables.

Figure legends

At the end of the manuscript, include a short title and a legend for each figure. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the figures, identify and explain each one clearly in the legend.

For photomicrographs, include the type of specimen, original magnification or a scale bar, and stain in the legend. For gross pathology specimens, label any rulers with unit of measure. Digitally enhanced images (CT/MRI, blots, photographs, photomicrographs, ultrasound images, x-ray films, etc.) must be clearly identified in the figure legends as digitally processed images. References used within figure legends should be included in the reference list and numbered in consecutive order according to the figure citation in the text.

Any figure that has been published elsewhere should have an acknowledgment to the original source; a copy of the permission to publish the figure, signed by the copyright holder, must accompany the submission.

Figures and illustrations

Number all figures (graphs, charts, photographs, and illustrations) in the order of their citation in the text. Include a title for each figure (a brief phrase, preferably no longer than 10-15 words). Do not embed figures in the Word document. Figures must be submitted as individual files and have a high enough resolution for publishing.

Clinical photographs that permit identification of an individual must be accompanied by a signed statement by the patient or legal guardian granting permission for publication of the pictures for educational purposes or must be masked to prevent identification of the patient.

Please refer to the Artwork Guidelines for more details.

Color figures

Authors may use color figures. If a manuscript has been submitted, reviewed, and accepted with color figures, then it MUST be published with color figures. See Color figure charge.

Image integrity

Preparation of scientific images (clinical images, radiographic images, micrographs, gels, etc.) for publication must preserve the integrity of the image data. Digital adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color applied uniformly to an entire image are permissible as long as these adjustments do not selectively highlight, misrepresent, obscure, or eliminate specific elements in the original figure, including the background.

Online-only supplementary material

Authors may submit supplementary material to accompany their article for online-only publication.

This material should be important to the understanding and interpretation of the report and should not repeat material within the print article. The amount of supplementary material should be limited and justified. Supplementary material should be original and not previously published and will undergo editorial and peer review with the main manuscript. Supplementary material must be listed on the title page of your submission and should be cited in the manuscript text in parentheses, in a similar way as when citing a figure or a table. Provide a legend for each supplementary material submitted.

If the manuscript is accepted for publication and if the supplementary material is deemed appropriate for publication by the editors, it will be posted online. This material will not be edited or formatted; thus, the authors are responsible for the accuracy and presentation of all such material.

Appropriate content:

Online-only tables

Expanded datasets and spreadsheets, should be supplied in their original format or as PDF.

Type text using Arial font size 10, and single line spaced. The table title should be set in Arial font size 12, and bold. Headings within tables should be set in Arial font size 10, and bold. Table footnotes should be set in Arial font size 8, and single line spaced. See also instructions for Tables. If a table runs on to subsequent pages, repeat the column headings at the top of each page. Wide tables may be presented using a landscape orientation.

Online-only figures

Additional digitized figures and illustration, supplied according to the technical specifications for figures.

Video clips

Accepted file formats: .mov, .mpg, .mpeg, .mp4, .wmv, or .avi
Maximum size: 10 Mb
Maximum length: 5 minutes

Verify that the videos are viewable in QuickTime or Windows Media Player.

For each video, provide a citation in the appropriate place in the manuscript text where a legend should also be included. If multiple video files are submitted, number them in the order in which they should be viewed.

Patients should not be identifiable, or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the video. It is the author's responsibility to supply video files in the correct format. The Journal will not consider video material not submitted according to specifications.

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REVIEW AND PUBLICATION PROCESS

Manuscripts submitted online at http://www.editorialmanager.com/jva are assigned a unique number upon submission and all correspondence and enquiries regarding the manuscript must include this ID number.

Manuscripts that do not adhere to the guidelines for submission will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing the peer review process. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication will be rejected promptly.

All correspondence related to the submission, including editorial decisions, will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author. In case of revision, detailed revision instructions will be sent and a point-by-point response will be required. The Journal does not reveal the identity of its reviewers.

During the review process, authors can check the status of their submitted manuscript via the Editorial Manager.

Editing and page proofs

Accepted manuscripts will be edited by a professional style editor. The corresponding author will receive proofs, which will include all changes made by the style editor, and must be reviewed within 48 hours. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proofs.

Authorship changes including adding or removing authors cannot be submitted at proof stage. The publisher is not authorized to make such changes and it will delay the publication of your manuscript (see Authorship criteria).


Publication charges

Publication in The Journal of Vascular Access is free of charge. However, the Journal offers complimentary publication ONLY as indicated for each article type and for figures in black and white.

If extra page or color charges apply the author will receive an Author Charge Form to return completed with the proofs. Unless all charges are paid, the article will not be published or deposited to databases.

Extra page charge:

Additional pages are subject to charge. Responsibility for arranging the payment is with the corresponding author. Please note that additional pages are calculated on the actual final typeset article: its length depends largely not only on the specifications supplied for each article type but also on the physical size of tables and figures included. Manuscript length cannot be amended after acceptance and typesetting. Pages exceeding the complimentary limit set by the Journal will be charged €130 each directly by the publisher.


Color figure charge

If a manuscript has been submitted, reviewed and accepted with color figures, then it MUST be published with color figures, the color figure charge is €600. The publisher charges authors directly for color figures included in their manuscript.

The corresponding author will receive an Author Charge Form to be completed and returned. Unless all charges are paid, the article will not be published or deposited to databases.

Open Access

In case of acceptance after peer review has been completed, you may choose to publish your article under Open Access terms. Open Access means that everyone around the world can read and download your article for free.

The article processing fee is €1.800 and will be payable to the publisher before the article is finalized and published online. This service is a permissible cost in NIH grant allocation. For articles supported by some funders, such as Wellcome Trust, Open Access is mandatory and will be reimbursed by the funding body.

Open Access publishing is under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. Wichtig Publishing acts as a central point for commercial requests in order to help protect your work from misuse.

For research funded by the Wellcome Trust, RCUK, and other organizations with the same requirements, Open Access papers are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License.

For additional information, you may contact Wichtig Publishing at .

Offprints

Authors will receive an offprint order form with the page proofs. Offprints are normally shipped 2 to 4 weeks after publication of the issue in which the article appears.

Errata, corrections, and retractions

In case an article has been published with major errors, it is often necessary to publish an erratum in the Journal. Requests to publish corrections should be sent to the

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MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST

 

• Review Instructions to Authors and submission tutorial.
• Designate a corresponding author and supply full contact information.
• List all coauthors as first name, initial, and last name (Paul R. Smith) and supply their e-mail address.
• On the title page, include the word count (excluding figures and tables).
• Provide the abstract and key words.
• Double line space the manuscript and leave right margins unjustified.
• Check all references and double-check that each reference is listed in the manuscript in sequence.
• Include a title and a legend for each table.
• Include a title and a legend for each figure.
• Include a legend for each online-only supplementary material. Make sure each supplementary material is listed on the title page and cited appropriately in the manuscript text.
• Include all authors’ potential conflicts of interest, including relevant financial interests, activities, relationships, and affiliations, in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
• Include all sources of financial support in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
• Include the names, academic degrees, affiliations, and specific contributions of all persons who do not meet authorship criteria in the Acknowledgments section.
• Include a copy of written permission from each individual identified as a source of personal communication or unpublished data.
• If appropriate, include information on IRB/ethics committee approval or waiver and informed consent.
• Include patient permission forms for identifiable patient descriptions, photographs, video, and pedigrees.
• Include written permission from the copyright owner to reproduce or adapt previously published illustrations, tables, or videos.