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Instructions for Authors, page 2

The Journal of Nutrition does not currently have a word limit; however, all manuscripts are expected to be written as concisely as possible, consistent with their contents. As guidelines, the median length for a published research article is about 4800 words, varying from 2800 - 7800, but seldom longer. Because author page charges do not fully cover the actual costs of publication and The Journal is limited in the number of pages that can be published each year, article length is necessarily a consideration in the editorial process. All authors are therefore urged to be as concise as possible in preparing their manuscripts for submission.

Prepare your manuscript in Word 6.0 or later. Times, Times Roman, Courier, Helvetica and Arial are the recommended text fonts. Please see section on Figures for information on figure fonts. For best quality conversions of special characters and symbols, use the Symbol font.

Papers must be completely double-spaced with numbered pages and lines numbered consecutively from the first line, first manuscript page throught the last line, last manuscript page, including the Literature Cited section. Please check this in your manuscript file before submission. If you are uncertain about how to do this, please consult the "Help" feature in Word.

For resubmitted manuscripts, please use the highlighter tool in Word (yellow marker) to mark the words/sections where changes have been made during revision.

Authors should consult recent issues of The Journal of Nutrition for models of the type of manuscript/category, and the CBE style manual (1) for matters of scientific writing style. Please refer to Submission Procedures, Section 3, (File Upload and Metadata) for information on electronic file requirements.

Specific items to include in manuscripts are:

TITLE PAGE. The title page must include:

1. A title which is a declarative statement of key findings and which includes the species studied. The title should be factual, not evaluative, regarding the results presented in the manuscript.
2. The names of all authors (first name, middle initial, last name) including their departmental and institutional addresses. Indicate which authors are associated with which institutions by numbered footnotes. Identify a corresponding author and provide a complete mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and email address.
3. The word count for the entire manuscript (title through references); the number of figures and the number of tables.
4. Whether supplementary online material has been submitted
5. A running title of 48 characters or less.
6. Footnotes to the title disclosing: (a) all sources of financial support; (b) all potential conflicts of interest; (c) the existence of online supporting material, if appropriate (see section on Online Supporting Material); and (d) citations to previous publication of the data in abstract form (following the format for references, below). Do not list unpublished presentations.

ABSTRACT PAGE. The abstract must be a single paragraph of no more than 250 words summarizing the relevant problem addressed by the study and the theory or hypothesis that guided the research. The abstract should include the study design/methodology and clear statements of the results, conclusions and importance of the findings. Three to five key words for indexing purposes must be listed at the end of the abstract.

INTRODUCTION. Background to the research conducted and specific objectives should be clearly indicated. This should not be a comprehensive review of the literature, however.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. Documentation of methods and materials used should be sufficient to permit replication of the research. State the source of specialized materials, diets, chemicals, and instruments and other equipment, with model or catalog numbers, where appropriate. Specify kits, analyzers, and commercial laboratories used. Cite references for methods whenever possible and briefly explain any modifications made.

HUMAN AND ANIMAL RESEARCH. Reports of human studies must include a statement that the protocol was approved by the appropriate institutional committee or that it complied with the Helsinki Declaration as revised in 1983. When preparing reports of randomized, clinical trials, authors should refer to the checklist published in the CONSORT Statement and should include a trial profile summarizing participant flow (2). Research on animals should include a statement that the protocol was approved by the appropriate committee or complied with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (3). Describe how animals were killed. Describe control and experimental subjects giving age, weight, sex, race, and for animals, breed or strain. Include the supplier of experimental animals.

DIETS. Composition of control and experimental diets must be presented. When a diet composition is published for the first time in The Journal of Nutrition, utilize a table or a footnote to provide complete information on all components. If previously described in The Journal, a literature citation may be used. The proximate composition of closed formula diets should be given as amounts of protein, energy, fat, and fiber. Components should be expressed as g/kg diet. Vitamin and mineral mixture compositions should be included using Journal of Nutrition units and nomenclature. For a discussion of the formulation of purified animal diets, refer to Baker (4) and to a series of ASNS publications (5-8).

STATISTICAL METHODS. Describe all statistical tests utilized and indicate the probability level (P) at which differences were considered significant. If data are presented in the text, state what they represent (e.g. means ± SEM). Indicate whether data were transformed before analysis. Specify any statistical computer programs used.

Present the results of the statistical analysis of data in the body of each and on figures per se. Use letters or symbols to indicate significant differences; define these in a table footnote or the figure legend. Provide the appropriate statistics of variability. An estimate of the error variance (SD or SEM) of group means should be displayed in figures. Standard ANOVA methodology assumes a homogeneous variance. If error variance is tested and found to be heterogeneous, data should be transformed before ANOVA, or nonparametric tests should be used. For a discussion of variability calculations and curve-fitting procedures, see Baker (4) .

UNITS OF MEASURE. Most measurements must conform to le Systeme Internationale d'Unites (SI) (9). The metric system and the Celsius scale (º C) must be used. Concentrations should be expressed on a molar basis. Except for diet composition, convert to substance concentration, e.g., mol/L. The denominator should be L. Do not use M, mM, N, etc. Use one of three acceptable options to express measurements. (a) Use SI units exclusively. (b) Use SI units and, if appropriate, provide conventional units parenthetically in the text and give conversion factors in table footnotes and figure legends. (c) Use conventional units, if appropriate, and provide SI units parenthetically in the text and give conversion factors in table footnotes and figure legends. Units should not be pluralized.

Useful websites are:

SI conversion website: http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/dictunit/dictunit.htm

Clinical SI conversions: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/scales/clinical_data.html

Clinical SI conversions: http://dwjay.tripod.com/conversion.html

Background on SI conversions: http://www.fhs.mcmaster.ca/hrlmp/service/siunits.htm

NOMENCLATURE. Chemical and biochemical terms and abbreviations and identification of enzymes must conform to the recommended usage of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (10). Names for vitamins, related compounds, and abbreviations for amino acids should follow the ASNS nomenclature policy (11,12).

ABBREVIATIONS. Use only standard abbreviations. Table 2 is an abridged list of abbreviations that may be used without definition in Journal of Nutrition articles. Other standard abbreviations are listed in Scientific Style and Format (1).

If there are three or more abbreviations defined in the text, define each the first time it is used in the text and prepare an abbreviation footnote. The footnote should be associated with the first abbreviated term in the text and should be an alphabetized listing of all author-defined abbreviations and their definitions. Use the standard abbreviations for SI prefixes found in Young (9) and in Table 3 and those for units of measure in Table 4. Abbreviations and unit symbols should not be followed by a period. Abbreviations in the footnote should be singular (e.g. AA, amino acid); add an "s" (e.g., AAs) for plural form unless the abbreviation itself is plural (e.g., NIH). Units and statistical terms are never pluralized. or pluralized.

Abbreviations used only in tables and figures must be separately defined in the footnotes or legend for each table or figure.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. Technical assistance and advice may be acknowledged in a section at the end of the text.

LITERATURE CITED Note: Effective June 1, 2005, The Journal of Nutrition reference format will be modified to be consistent with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommended format for bibliographic citations with the following exception: references should include the names of all authors, unless there are more than ten, in which case list the first nine plus "et al." For manuscripts submitted after June 1, 2005, please format references according to this modified ICMJE format.

There is no limit on the number of citations allowed; recent literature should be comprehensively cited. The list of references must begin on a new page and should include the heading "Literature Cited." Abbreviate journal names according to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) journal abbreviations list . References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References should be formatted according to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommended format for bibliographic citations with the following exception: references should include the names of all authors, unless there are more than ten, in which case list the first nine plus "et al."

References cited for the first time in tables or figure legends should be numbered in order, based on the placement of the table or figure in text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends for illustrations by arabic numbers in parentheses. See current print issues of The Journal of Nutrition for style. Personal communications, submitted manuscripts and unpublished data cannot be included in the Literature Cited section but should appear parenthetically in the text. Personal communications must be written and the affiliation of the person providing the communication indicated in the text. Articles accepted for publication but not published when final revisions are completed on the current article may be cited as "in press."

TABLES AND FIGURES. See current print issues or online pdf pages of The Journal for style. Additional information on how to prepare electronic files for figures is provided in the section on (Manuscript Digital Files ).

Tables or figures adapted or reproduced from another source must acknowledge that source in a footnote and be accompanied by written proof that the copyright bearer has granted permission for use of the table.

Figures: All figures will be reproduced at one-column width (9 cm) unless the complexity of the figure demands a two-column width (18.5 cm). Include figure titles in the legend and not on the figure itself. Figure titles and legends should be compiled on one or more pages in the manuscript text file. Each legend should contain enough detail, including statistics, to ensure that the figure is interpretable without reference to the text. Separate panels of a figure should be labeled A,B,C, etc. Lettering on figures should be large enough to be legible after reduction to single-column width of 21 picas (about 3 1/2 inches or 9 cm). Letter type sizes after reduction should be 6-8 points.

Color reproduction costs will be charged to the author. During the online submission process, on the "Manuscript Metadata" screen, authors must indicate: (1) whether color figues are included in the manuscript, (2) which figure(s) should be printed in color, and (3) their agreement to pay color reproduction costs in the amount of $400 per figure.

ONLINE SUPPORTING MATERIAL. Unusually lengthy descriptions of experimental procedures, extensive data, extra figures, etc. may be published as online-only attachments to published articles. Online supporting material should be integral to the manuscript but impractical to include in the published journal. References to the availability of supplemental data on author websites will not be included in published articles.

Material to be published as online supporting material should be included with the original manuscript submission. If you wish to include online-only supplemental data with your manuscript submission, please follow these instructions:

1. The cover letter should note that an online data supplement is included with the submission.
2. The manuscript title should include a footnote that gives information on the availability of online supporting material with the online posting of the published article at pubs.nutrition.org. This material should then be referred to where appropriate in the text. Examples of possible formats for the footnote follow:

   ¹ A full list of subregions and included countries, as well as detailed cost figures, are available as Online Supporting Material with the online posting of this paper at pubs.nutrition.org.

   ¹ Supplemental Tables 1-10 are available as Online Supporting Material with the online posting of this paper at pubs.nutrition.org

3. For new manuscript submissions, a clearly-labeled copy of the online supporting material (OSM) should be included at the end of the manuscript pdf file, after the references, tables and figures. OSM pages must be marked with an "Online Supporting Material" header on each page. Online-only figures and tables should be labeled "Supplemental Figure 1", "Supplemental Table 1", etc.
4. For revised manuscript submissions, include the OSM at the end of the Word file, after references, tables and figure legends. Figures which are part of the regular manuscript submission and not part of OSM must be loaded as separate files. OSM pages must be marked with an "Online Supporing Material" header on each page. Online-only figures and tables should be labeled "Supplemental Figure 1", "Supplemental Table 1", etc. In addition to including online supporting material at the end of the manuscript file as indicated above, upload the OSM in pdf format as supplemental file(s) in the file upload area. OSM files will not be edited so please be sure that The Journal of Nutrition format is used and that the pdf files are accurate.

CHARGES TO AUTHORS

Authors will be billed for the following items:

1. Manuscript submission fee: starting June 1, 2005, there will be a one-time submission fee of $75.00 for manuscripts submitted to The Journal of Nutrition. Authors will be able to pay the submission fee online using a credit card during the submission process. Payments can also be made by check or by institutional purchase order (see instructions below). The submission fee will be waived for invited authors, and The Journal will consider requests to waive the fee for cases of financial hardship (see instructions below). All waiver requests will be processed promptly.
2. Color reproduction costs: Authors are encouraged to use color figures when they will enhance the presentation of the data. Authors will be charged the subsidized rate of $400 per figure. During the manuscript submission process, authors must indicate that color figures are included, and that they agree to pay the color reproduction fee of $400 per figure.
3. Reprint orders: A reprint order form with rate schedule is sent with author proofs. If authors order at least 100 reprints and their supply subsequently becomes exhausted, they may request permission to reproduce a specific limited number of additional reprints.
4. Page charges: authors will be billed $70 per page for the first six published pages and $120 per page for each additional page. Page charges may be waived by the Society for acceptable reasons such as the lack of funding from grant or institutional sources as verified by an institutional official. Requests for waivers will not affect review of manuscript or delay publication

(1) Page Charges Waivers: submit your request when you receive your acceptance letter or when you receive your author proof. Requests for waivers must be submitted by the corresponding author and cosigned by an appropriate institutional official to verify that no institutional or grant funds are available for the payment of page charges. Waiver requests should be sent to: Director of Communications, American Society for Nutritional Sciences, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-530-7050; Fax: 301-634-7892. Please include your manuscript number. When you receive your page proofs, please be certain to check the follow item on the reprint order/page charge billing form: [ ]A request for waiver of page charges has been submitted.

(2) Manuscript Submission Fee Waivers: authors who lack funding for payment can request a waiver of the submission fee. Requests for waivers must be submitted by the corresponding author and cosigned by an appropriate institutional official to verify that no institutional or grant funds are available for the payment of the fee. Waiver requests should be sent to: Director of Communications, American Society for Nutritional Sciences, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-634-7053; Fax: 301-634-7892. Please include the manuscript title and the manuscript ID number with your request. Waiver requests will receive immediate attention to avoid delays in manuscript processing. It is expected that waiver requests will be processed and authors will be notified within one business day.

Payment of Manuscript Submission Fee by Check or Institutional Purchase Order: submit a check or purchase order to the following address: Manuscripts Submission Editor, American Society for Nutritional Sciences, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814. Please include the title of the manuscript and the manuscript ID number with your check or purchase order, and use an expedited and traceable method of delivery.

1. Huth, E. J., ed. (1994) Scientific Style and Format, The CBE Style Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th ed. Council of Biology Editors, Chicago, IL.

2. Begg, C., Cho, M., Eastwood, S., Horton, R., Moher, D., Olkin, I., Pitkin, R., Rennie, D., Schutz, K. F., Simel, D. & Stroup, D.F. (1996) Improving the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trails. The CONSORT Statement. J. Am. Med. Assoc. 276: 637-639.

3. National Research Council (1985) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Publication no. 85-23 (rev.). National Institutes of Health, Washington, DC.

4. Baker, D. H. (1986) Problems and pitfalls in animal experiments designed to establish dietary requirements for essential nutrients. J. Nutr. 116: 2339-2349.

5. American Institute of Nutrition (1977) Report of the American Institute of Nutrition ad hoc committee on standards for nutritional studies. J. Nutr. 107: 1340-1348.

6. American Institute of Nutrition (1980) Second report of the ad hoc committee on standards for nutritional studies. J. Nutr. 110: 1726.

7. American Institute of Nutrition (1987) Guidelines for describing diets for experimental animals. J. Nutr. 117: 16-17.

8. American Institute of Nutrition (1993) AIN-93 purified diets for laboratory rodents: final report of the American Institute of Nutrition ad hoc writing committee on the reformulation of the AIN-76A rodent diet. J. Nutr. 123: 1939-1951.

9. Young, D. S. (1987)Implementation of SI units for clinical laboratory data, style specifications and conversion tables. Ann. Intern. Med. 106: 114-129. Reprinted, J. Nutr. 1990, 120: 20-35.

10. International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1992) Enzyme Nomenclature, Recommendations 1992. Academic Press, Orlando, FL.

11. American Institute of Nutrition (1987) Nomenclature policy: abbreviated designations of amino acids. J. Nutr. 117: 15.

12. American Institute of Nutrition (1990) Nomenclature policy: generic descriptions and trivial names for vitamins and related compounds. J. Nutr. 120: 12-19.

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JOURNAL OF NUTRITION

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The Journal of Nutrition
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Editorial office:
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Business office and ASNS headquarters:
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