Instructions for authors
Preparing a manuscript for this journal
What the Journal of Respiratory Diseases asks of a submission, in the order you will need it.
01
Before you submit
Fit
Check the scope
A manuscript is in scope when its research question, analytical focus, interpretation or principal contribution materially advances understanding of respiratory disease or health, including the physiology of breathing where it informs that subject. The aims and scope sets out the territories the journal covers and where the boundary falls.
Type
Choose the article type
The journal considers original research, reviews including systematic reviews, methods and protocols, short communications, and case reports. Say which type you are submitting; if your work does not fit one of them, ask the editorial office before you prepare it.
Terms
Know the publishing terms
An article processing charge is payable after acceptance, never before, and is set out by article type on the charges page. Accepted articles are published open access under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors retain copyright.
02
Preparing the manuscript
Files
What to send
Submit the manuscript as an editable text file rather than a scan or a flattened image, with tables in the text file and figures supplied as separate image files at a resolution that stays legible in print.
Send a separate title page carrying the title, every author's name and affiliation, the corresponding author's contact details, and the declarations below.
Order
How to structure it
Research manuscripts follow the conventional order: title, abstract, keywords, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions, declarations, references, then tables and figure legends. Reviews and other types follow the structure their content requires.
Anon.
If you want double-blind review
For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Refs
References
Cite every source you rely on, list references in the order the text calls them, and give each one enough detail for a reader to find it: authors, title, journal or publisher, year, volume, pages, and the DOI where one exists. The journal's house style lists the first three authors and then et al.
03
Declarations every submission carries
Ethics
Approvals and consent
Name the research ethics committee or institutional review board that approved the study, and confirm that participants gave informed consent. Where an individual could be identified from the text, an image or a case description, confirm that consent for publication was obtained. Animal research names the equivalent institutional approval.
Trials
Trial registration
Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
Data
Data availability
Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement saying where the supporting data can be found and on what terms, or giving the reason access is restricted.
Interests
Funding and competing interests
Name your funding sources and the part the funder played in the work, or state that it received no specific funding. Declare financial and non-financial interests a reader could reasonably consider relevant.
AI
Use of AI tools
Disclose any use of generative AI in preparing the manuscript, name the tool, and say what it was used for and how its output was checked. AI tools are not authors; the named authors remain accountable for the whole manuscript.
04
Reporting standards
Report your study against the guideline that fits its design, and say in the methods which one you followed. The journal names these two explicitly:
- PRISMASystematic reviews and meta-analyses.
- ARRIVEResearch involving animals.
Where a different design is used, follow the recognized guideline for that design and name it in the methods. The editorial office will confirm which applies if you are unsure.
05
What happens after you submit
Review
Screening and review
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Revise
Responding to reviewers
Return a revised manuscript with a point-by-point response to each reviewer comment, and mark the changes so an editor can see what moved. Where you disagree with a comment, say so and give your reason.
Decide
The decision
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. They are independent of fees, services, membership, and editorial or reviewer roles.
06
Submitting your manuscript
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript.
- Primary route: ManuscriptZoneoap.manuscriptzone.net
- Alternative route: Simple manuscript submission formopenaccesspub.org/manuscript-submission-form
- Assisted route: Editorial email[email protected]