Information You May Be Asked to Provide

When you submit your manuscript, the journal may ask you to respond to some questions about journal policies, licensing, publication fees, or other matters.   These questions may vary among journals, but some common ones are described below.  In advance of submission, be sure to review the journal’s author instructions and collect the necessary information so that you will be able to answer the questions quickly and appropriately.

• Copyright and/or licensing agreements
  • Will you be required to transfer copyright of your work if your paper is accepted for publication?
  • If your paper is accepted for publication will you complete a licensing agreement for the journal to publish your work while you retain copyright?
• Submission or publication fees
  • Is there a charge to submit your manuscript for consideration?
  • If your paper is accepted for publication, will you be responsible for paying publication fees (color figure charges, page charges, Open Access fees, for example)?
• Names and contact information of suggested reviewers to include or exclude in the review of your submission
  • Some journals will allow or require you to suggest potential reviewers to review (or exclude from reviewing) your submission.  If making suggestions, be sure to collect the names and e-mail addresses before you submit.
  • If you are suggesting potential reviewers, keep the following in mind:
    • Diversity (gender, geographic, etc.)
    • Consider junior and mid-career reviewers, since senior, well-known researchers are often too busy to accept review assignments
    • Do not suggest close collaborators
• Reporting guidelines
  • Did your study involve human participants?
    • If so, do you have your IRB, informed consent, or clinical trial registration?
  • Did your study involve animal research?
    • If so, does your manuscript include a statement on the ethical treatment of the animals?
• Ethical policies and declarations
  • Have you reviewed the ethical policies stated in the journal’s instructions to ensure that your manuscript complies with the policies?
• Permissions
  • Generally speaking, a manuscript should include mostly new information. However, if you are including any information that has been previously published, be sure that you have secured written permission from the copyright holder to do so.