The journal conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first participant enrollment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

Accepted file types

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. You do not need to follow a template, but please ensure your heading levels are clear, and the sections clearly defined.

Manuscripts should be double-spaced throughout (including references, footnotes, tables, and figure legends).

Citations and Reference formatting:

The journal follows the AMA Manual of Style. View the AMA Manual of Style to ensure your manuscript conforms.

Every in-text citation must have a corresponding citation in the reference list and vice versa. Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year. Authors should update any references to preprints when a peer reviewed version is made available, to cite the published research. Citations to preprints are otherwise discouraged.

Footnotes should be used sparingly, indicated by Arabic numerals superscripted to the authors, text, or titles. Footnotes should be typed sequentially on a separate page and can include disclaimers, the source of grant support, and address for offprint requests.

A Cover letter saved in Microsoft Word format (.doc) or rich text format (.rtf) may be uploaded to the Sage Journals Submission site.

Your article title, keywords, and abstract all contribute to its position in search engine results, directly affecting the number of people who see your work. For details of what you can do to influence this, visit How to help readers find your article online.

Title

Your manuscript’s title should be concise, descriptive, unambiguous, accurate, and reflect the precise contents of the manuscript. A descriptive title that includes the topic of the manuscript makes an article more findable in the major indexing services.

Abstract

The Abstract should be one paragraph consisting of a 150-to-200-word concise description of the objectives, methods, findings, and significance of the research. Brief Communication and Mini-Review abstracts are limited to 150 words.

If your research includes clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will not be considered. For clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

This journal accepts graphical abstracts.

Keywords

The Keywords Page facilitates indexing and retrieval services. The system will require you to enter a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 7 keywords.

Introduction

The Introduction should contain brief background information and a clear statement of purpose and significance of the research being reported. 

Materials and Methods

The Materials and Methods should provide a brief description of the experimental design and detailed methods for experiments conducted. Please utilize Arrive Guidelines when building your methods section. Methods and techniques that are well established should be referenced only. The description of the methods should allow reproducibility by other investigators. In reports covering in vivo experimentation, a description of the anesthesia or other procedures to avoid unnecessary pain or suffering should be included. Authors must state their compliance regarding rights of subjects in human experimentation or humane treatment and care of animals in research. This means that a statement specifically stating that the study was approved by an Institutional Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethical review committee. 

Results

The Results section should concisely present findings from experiments described in Material and Methods section. Tables and figures should illustrate important points.

Discussion

Discussion should concentrate on the discussion of the findings presented and, in context with other relevant published work, include the major points that add to the significance of the work. Extensive literature reviews or highly speculative discussion are discouraged.

Additional information on submission of Brief Communications (Including Case Series/Case Reports)

These succinct manuscripts should have the same structure as full-length Original Research Articles but in much shorter form. Such brief reports will be prepared using the same formatting instructions as Original Research Articles, except that section headings will be used only for the Abstract, Acknowledgements, and References. 

Brief Communications generally do not exceed three printed pages (usually six manuscript pages), including illustrations, tables, and references. Abstracts for Brief Communications should not exceed 150 words and the number of citations should be limited to 15. 

Additional information on submissions of Mini Reviews

These succinct manuscripts should have the same structure as full-length Original Research Articles but in much shorter form. Mini reviews should be prepared using the same formatting instructions as Original Research Articles, except that section headings will be used only for the Abstract, Acknowledgements, and References. 

Mini Reviews generally do not exceed seven double-spaced, typed pages. In addition to the text, there may be 1-2 figures and 1-2 tables. Abstracts should not exceed 150 words and the number of citations should be limited to 15.

Figure Legends

Figure legends may be uploaded to the Sage Journals Submission site when the figures are uploaded, but they should always be included at the end of the manuscript. Figure legends should be complete and allow the reader to understand the figure without reading the text. Stains used or special techniques should be indicated. Scale bars and magnifications are not required and not preferred due to common inaccuracies.

Artwork, figures, and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures, and graphs in electronic format, please read Sage’s artwork guidelines.

Please do not submit figures in PowerPoint, PDF or Word format.  Each figure must be submitted as a separate file in the appropriate format specified below.

• TIF for photomicrographs, and TIF or EPS for graphs and line drawings.
• Photomicrographs must be submitted at resolution of 300 dpi.
• Graphs and line drawings must be submitted at a resolution of 800 dpi.
• All images must be unflattened:
• Explanations for how to “layer” and “flatten” will vary depending on which image graphics program you are using (e.g., Photoshop).
• Layers are created each time you add text, annotations, etc. to an image within an imaging graphics program such as Photoshop.
• The image by itself should be on one layer.  Any text, arrows, special characters and figure identifiers should be on separate layers from the image. 
• To be sure your figure/s meet the requirement when annotations and/or text is added, click on the “eye” beside the layer and if your image and text disappears all at once, then you have everything on one layer.  Text and annotations must be on a separate layer before submitting figures.
• Flattening an image within a graphics program is when you permanently condense all the image layers into a single layer image so that no additional edits can be made.
• When saving a file, the program will most likely ask you whether or not you want to flatten/retain the layers your image.  Do not choose to flatten your image. Do choose to retain the layers of your image.
• Figures must be either 3.5 or 7.125 inches wide.
• Figures must be between 2.0 and 8.125 inches high.
• Numbers and labeling must be in Arial or Helvetica font.
• Figures must be border free.
• Figures must be submitted in RGB format (do not convert figures to CMYK).
• Each figure must be uploaded as a separate file.
• Composite Figures:
• Do not submit your figures in composite format.  Submit each figure as a separate file. 
• The Illustrations Editor will prepare the final composite figure including adding the symbols (arrows, asterisks, etc.), numbers and letters for you once your manuscript has been accepted for publication.
• For figures that you would like to be arranged in composites (2, 3, 4 or 6 figures) please label as figures 1a, 1b, 1c, etc. For figures that you would like to present individually, label as figure 1, figure 2, etc. without the letter designation.  Figures should be labeled with the authors name and the figure number.  For example, “author name fig 1”, “author name fig 6a”, etc.)
• The maximum number of images that can be included in one composite figure is 6. 
• Please note that the individual files you submit must be prepared in accordance with the Instructions for Figures and be accepted by the Illustrations Editor in order for the Editor to create your composite figure.  This means your images must be submitted at the correct size, resolution and be unflatten in order for the Illustrations Editor to work with them.

Specific directions for photomicrographs, scans, or gray-scale images:

• Images are required in TIF file format.
• Figure resolution must be 300 dpi and should not be submitted as composites.

Specific directions for line art, illustrations or graphs:

• Images are required in either TIF or EPS file format. 
• Figure resolution should be 800 dpi and should not be submitted as composites.
• Arial or Helvetica font must be used.
• Some graphic programs allow saving a file as a TIF or EPS file at appropriate resolution.  For Excel and other programs without this capability, create a blank page in Photoshop at 800 dpi and 3.5 inches wide.  Copy the Excel graph and paste into the Photoshop image and save as a TIF file.

Specific directions for scanned images:

• Avoid extreme rectangular images and images of various sizes for publication. It’s best to capture images at a consistent size for composites.
• Various image sizes will make composite uneven, with extra white space between some images. This creates an irregular look to the layout.
• How to take a screenshot of a digital (scanned) image:
• https://www.take-a-screenshot.org
• To assure high resolution, capture the image on a large screen monitor, as large as the screen will allow.  Do not use laptops for capturing your images as they will not result in a 300dpi resolution when sized at 3.5 inches.
• How to size screenshot images so they will be a consistent size for publication:
• The capture point can be the same from image to image using capture placement points on your screen, resulting in same size images; or,
• Open the screenshot in imaging software (examples are Photoshop, GIMP, PicMonkey, etc.).
• Crop images so they are all the same dimensions.
• The images need to be no less than 3.5 inches at the resolution of 300 dpi.

Figure File Limits

No more than 20 individual figure files may be uploaded into the Sage Journals Submission site (this includes supplemental figure files).  If you have more than 20 individual figure files, please contact the Editorial Office at TPX@toxpath.org to receive instructions on how to submit your figures for review. 

Figure Legends

Figure legends may be uploaded to the Sage Journals Submission site when the figures are uploaded, but they should always be included at the end of the manuscript. Figure legends should be complete and allow the reader to understand the figure without reading the text. Stains used or special techniques should be indicated. Scale bars and magnifications are not required and not preferred due to common inaccuracies.

Image Magnifications

In the figure legend, there is no requirement to indicate image size. But if an image size is used, only state "original objective 2X", "original objective 4X", "original objective 10X", etc. There should be no calculations for camera adapter lens, camera eyepiece lens, alteration of a photomicrograph with computer software, etc. If cell or object size needs to be accurate, then a black bar may be used in the lower right-hand corner with an indication of micron size in the legend. If scanned images are used, please use “original scan 2X”, etc. 

Supplemental Figures and Tables

Supplemental figures and tables can be included in the online version of published manuscripts.  Please choose the file type “Supplementary Material for Review and Publication” when uploading your figure and table files.

Preparing Supplemental Figures

• TIF for photomicrographs, and TIF or EPS for graphs and line drawings.
• You may submit composite figures for supplemental figures only, however, they should contain no more than 6 images.  Each image with in the composite should be sized at 3.5 x 2.0 with .125 inches in between. The composite figure cannot exceed 7.125 x 8.125.  A composite consisting of 6 images should therefore be sized at 7.125 x 8.125. 
• Figures must be either 3.5 or 7.125 inches wide.
• Figures must be between 2.0 and 8.125 inches high.
• Figures should be submitted at a resolution of no less than 150 dpi.

Please note that supplemental files, including figures will not be reviewed or edited by the illustrations editor or the copyeditor.  Authors are responsible for ensuring all information submitted is accurate and correct and are responsible for any errors or formatting problems.  These files will also not be professionally typeset so it is important that you submit them in the final format as they will be published online exactly how they are submitted. 

Tables may be submitted in Word or Excel (for large data tables) file format. 

Legends for supplemental figures and tables should be uploaded as a separate Word document and marked as “supplemental” file.  Do not include the legends for supplemental tables and figures in the main text of your manuscript. 

Figure Policy

Manuscript figures that are not submitted in accordance with the journal’s Instructions for Figures will be returned to the author.  Manuscripts will not be sent out for peer review until the figures are prepared correctly. The journal does not offer figure preparation services for authors.  Authors may contact the Editorial Office with questions or requests for additional information on how to prepare their figures, however, authors should not contact the journal with requests to prepare their figures for them before submission.  It is up to the author to prepare their own figures for submission.  There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Once a manuscript has been accepted to the journal and the figures have been approved by the Illustrations Editor, the final figures will then be prepared for publication purposes.  This may include minor adjustments to the images such as white balancing, formatting of labeling and special characters, and creating the composite figures from the individual (approved) files provided by the author.  

For questions or additional information on figure preparation, please contact: Beth Mahler, Illustrations Editor, Experimental Pathology Laboratories (mahler1@nih.gov). 

Figures Reproduced or Adapted from Other Sources

It is preferable to use original figures rather than those already published. When use of a previously published illustration, photograph, or other figure is determined necessary, written permission to reproduce it must be obtained from the copyright holder (usually the publisher). The original source should be acknowledged in the legend. If the original source in which the illustration has been published is included in the reference list, the reference may be cited in the legend, with the citation number for the reference corresponding to its first appearance in the text, tables, or figures.

Example: Reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Pediatrics.5

Figures supplied in color will appear in color online and in the print issue. There is no charge for reproducing figures in color in the printed version.

Please ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures, or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.

Acknowledgments

If you are including an Acknowledgements section, this will be published at the end of your article. The Acknowledgments section should include all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship. Per ICMJE recommendations, it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your manuscript.

Writing assistance and third party submissions: if you have received any writing or editing assistance from a third-party, for example a specialist communications company, this must be clearly stated in the Acknowledgements section and in the covering letter. Please see the Sage Author Gateway for what information to include in your Acknowledgements section. If your submission is being made on your behalf by someone who is not listed as an author, for example the third-party who provided writing/editing assistance, you must state this in the Acknowledgements and also in your covering letter. Please note that the journal editor reserves the right to not consider submissions made by a third party rather than by the author/s themselves.

Author contributions

You will be asked to list the contribution of each author as part of the submission process. Please include the Author Contributions heading within your submission after the Acknowledgements section. The information you give on submission will then show under the Author Contributions heading later at the proofing stage.

Statements and declarations

Please include a section with the heading ‘Statements and Declarations’ at the end of your submitted article, after the Acknowledgements section [and Author Contributions section if applicable] including each of the sub-headings listed below. If a declaration is not applicable to your submission, you must still include the heading and state ‘Not applicable’ underneath. Please note that you may be asked to justify why a declaration was not applicable to your submission by the Editorial Office.

Ethical considerations

Please include your ethics approval statements under this heading, even if you have already included ethics approval information in your methods section. If ethical approval was not required, you need to explicitly state this. You can find information on what to say in your ethical statements as well as example statements on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.

All papers reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved the study, or waived the requirement for approval, providing the full name and institution of the review committee in addition to the approval number. If applicable, please also include this information in the Methods section of your manuscript.

Consent to participate

Please include any participant consent information under this heading and state whether informed consent to participate was written or verbal. If the requirement for informed consent to participate has been waived by the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (i.e. where it has been deemed that consent would be impossible or impracticable to obtain), please state this. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. More information and example statements can be found on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.

Consent for publication

Submissions containing any data from an individual person (including individual details, images or videos) must include a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative. Non-essential identifying details should be omitted. Please do not submit the participant’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent to publish but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file in addition to the statement confirming that consent to publish was obtained within the manuscript text. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section.

Declaration of conflicting interest

The journal requires a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors so that a statement can be included in your article. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, see our policy on conflicting interest declarations and the ICMJE recommendations.

If no conflict exists, your statement should read: ‘The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article’.

Funding statement

All articles need to include a funding statement, under a separate heading, even if you did not receive funding. You’ll find guidance and examples on our Funding page.

Reference style and citations

The journal follows the AMA Manual of Style. View the AMA Manual of Style to ensure your manuscript conforms.

Every in-text citation must have a corresponding citation in the reference list and vice versa. Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year.

Authors should update any references to preprints when a peer reviewed version is made available, to cite the published research. Citations to preprints are otherwise discouraged.

EndNote

IMPORTANT NOTE: If using Endnote, EndNote provides a number of terms list to make sure that the journal names in your bibliography abbreviated (our journal does not use full names). More information on how to make sure your Endnote software will generated abbreviated journal titles can be found at the following link: https://support.clarivate.com/Endnote/s/article/EndNote-Generate-full-or-abbreviated-journal-names?language=en_US

Cited works are alphabetized in the reference list and will appear in order of initial appearance in the text. 

• Alphabetize and number the reference list. In-text citations reflect the alphabetized reference number. For an example, see Biocompatible Solutions: Evaluating the Safety of Repeated Intra-Articular Injections of pMPCylated Liposomes for Knee Osteoarthritis Therapy in Rat Models - Yuval Ramot, Noam Kronfeld, Michal Steiner, Eric D. Lee, Ronit Goldberg, Sabrina Jahn, Abraham Nyska, 2024
• Use arabic superscript numerals outside periods and commas, and inside colons and semicolons. 
• Authors’ names are inverted, and use only initials for first and middle names. No periods between initials.
• In article titles only the first word and proper nouns and abbreviations that are ordinarily capitalized are capitalized. 
• Use accepted Index Medicus abbreviations of journal names (see the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus).
• For journals use issue numbers in parentheses after the volume number. If there is no issue number specify month before the year.
• Do not use the publisher’s location in references
• In reference lists, the URL will be the last item, following dates posted/updated/accessed. No period follows it.
• When a DOI is included for journal references, no period follows
• When citing data, the data package or data set should be cited in the original publication to link the publication and the data.
• When citing data from a repository associated with research published in a journal article, cite the data used in addition to the original publication.

Supplemental material

This Journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.

English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Author Services. Visit Sage Author Services for further information.

The journal will consider submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers.

Please enter the preprint DOI in the designated field when submitting your manuscript. We advise that you inform the Journal Editorial office about your posted preprint at submission.

Note that you should not post an updated version of your manuscript on a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed.

Learn more about our preprint policy.

• We encourage all authors and co-authors ensure their ORCID IDs are linked to their accounts in the submission system prior to article acceptance, as this is the only way to have their ORCID ID present on the published article. ORCID IDs cannot be added to manuscripts after acceptance/publication.
  • Please note that each co-author must log in to the journal submission system to add their own ORCID ID to their account. To add an ORCID ID, edit your account, click the link when prompted, and sign into your ORCID account to validate your ID. You will then be redirected back to the submission system and your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata.
  • Please create an ORCID ID if you do not already have one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.