HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

Diabetes Instructions for Authors
Last updated on 1 July 2008.

About the Journal
Editorial Office Contact Info
Forms and Requirements
Manuscript Format
Manuscript Style
Manuscript Submission Tips
Accepted Manuscripts
Financial Obligations

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

Diabetes publishes original research about the physiology and pathophysiology of diabetes. Submitted manuscripts can report any aspect of laboratory, animal, or human research. Emphasis is on investigative reports focusing on areas such as the pathogenesis of diabetes and its complications, normal and pathological pancreatic islet function and intermediary metabolism, pharmacological mechanisms of drug and hormone action, and biochemical and molecular aspects of normal and abnormal biological processes. Studies in the areas of diabetes education or the application of accepted therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to patients with diabetes are not published.

Only material that has not been published previously (either in print or electronically) and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, with the exception of an abstract that is less than 400 words in length, will be considered for publication. Prior presentation of data (e.g., at a scientific meeting or via webcast) does not preclude publication in Diabetes, but should be disclosed in the Acknowledgments of the paper and in the author's comments to the editor upon manuscript submission.

All contributions, including solicited articles and symposia, are critically reviewed by the editors and invited referees. Reviewers' comments are provided to authors. The decision of the editors is final. Authors are welcome to suggest the names of individuals they consider qualified to serve as reviewers.

All human investigation must be conducted according to the principles expressed in the Declaration of Helsinki. All studies involving animals must state that guidelines for the use and care of laboratory animals of the authors' institution or the National Research Council or any national law were followed.

Each Original Article and Brief Report will be assigned to a category in the table of contents. The category assignment is made by the editors, but authors are required to suggest a category when submitting their manuscript.

Diabetes takes only online manuscript submissions. The submission site can be found at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/diabetes. Please read all instructions carefully. Failure to follow the submission instructions may delay the review process.

Beginning January 2007, peer-accepted Original Articles and Brief Reports are published ahead of print on the Diabetes Web site, within two weeks after acceptance, in unedited form, with only basic formatting applied. Before submitting an Original Article or Brief Report, please carefully review the entire manuscript. In particular, make sure to list full and correct names of all authors, include correct institutional affiliations for each author, and include all figures, legends, and tables within the final uploaded document. Figures should appear at the end of the manuscript. A prepublished article subsequently goes through the normal production process, which includes copyediting, composition, and proofreading, and will be published in its final form in the first available print and online issue of Diabetes.

Beginning with the July 2008 issue, the American Diabetes Association will deposit all articles accepted for publication in Diabetes in PubMed Central, a repository of peer-reviewed research maintained by the National Institutes of Health. ADA is providing this service at no cost to authors. Articles will be accessible on PubMed Central 12 months after the date of final print/online publication in Diabetes. TOP

EDITORIAL OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION

Diabetes Journal Editorial Office
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
1033 Gayley St., Ste. 216
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 794-6216
Fax: (310) 794-3982
E-mail: diabetes@mednet.ucla.edu

Peter Butler, Editor in Chief

Sally Baker, Editorial Office Manager
Amanda Mountain, Graphics Specialist
Nurzai Ghe, Editorial Assistant

FORMS AND REQUIREMENTS

Manuscript Submission Form

All authors must sign the manuscript submission form. The form addresses ADA's policies on 1) originality and authorship, 2) copyright assignment, and 3) potential conflict of interest. Each author must read the three sections, check the appropriate boxes, and sign the document where indicated (all authors must sign and print their names; attach additional pages if necessary).

The corresponding author should scan and upload manuscript submission forms signed by all authors during the article submission process. Alternatively, authors may fax or scan and e-mail the completed forms to the Editorial Office (contact information above) when the manuscript is submitted. Submissions will not be considered complete until signed forms have been received for all authors. Please be sure to write your manuscript number, which is assigned once you have finished the online submission process, on the manuscript submission form in the indicated space. If your manuscript contains color figures, see the information below on submitting the color approval form.

Statement of Originality and Authorship

Diabetes subscribes to the requirements stated in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals that authorship implies substantial contributions to conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data and drafting of the article or critical revision for important intellectual content. The editor reserves the right to query authorship contribution. Diabetes limits the number of authors to 8 from the same institution and 12 from multiple institutions.

Copyright Assignment

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) holds the copyright on all material appearing in Diabetes. All authors must check the appropriate boxes and sign the manuscript submission form, which transfers copyright to the ADA in accordance with the Copyright Revision Act of 1976.

Reuse and Post-Prints

ADA's manuscript submission form addresses permission policies related to reuse and post-prints. Please see below for the statement of provenance and other conditions:

Reuse. Authors are permitted to reuse portions of their ADA-copyrighted work, including tables and figures, in their own work, and to reuse portions or all of their ADA-copyrighted work for educational purposes, without submitting a request to ADA, provided that the proper citation and copyright information is given.

Post-prints. Authors are permitted to submit the final, accepted version of their manuscript to their funding body or institution for inclusion in their funding body or institution's database, archive, or repository, or to post the final, accepted version on their personal Web site. These manuscripts may be made freely accessible to the public upon acceptance, provided that the following two conditions are observed:

First, post-prints must include the following statement of provenance and, once the final version has been published in the journal, a link to the final published version of the paper on the journal's Web site:

This is an author-created, uncopyedited electronic version of an article accepted for publication in Diabetes. The American Diabetes Association (ADA), publisher of Diabetes, is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it by third parties. The definitive publisher-authenticated version will be available in a future issue of Diabetes in print and online at http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org.

Second, the version of the manuscript deposited or posted must be identical to the final accepted version, with the exception of the addition of the above statement and any changes necessary to correct errors. Authors may make changes to the posted version to correct mistakes or may issue an erratum at any time. However, the final published version of the manuscript may not be deposited, posted, or later substituted for the post-print.

Duality of Interest

All authors must read the ADA Policy Statement on Duality of Interest and check the appropriate box on the manuscript submission form, which can also be found in every issue of Diabetes. Any author who has duality of interest to disclose must attach an additional statement that explains the nature of the duality or conflict of interest. Relevant duality or conflict of interest (or lack thereof) should also be disclosed in the authors' comments to the editor during the submission process.

Color Figure Approval

If your manuscript is accepted for publication and contains color figures, the corresponding author must sign and return a color approval form. Forms will be faxed or e-mailed from the Editorial Office upon receipt of color figures. The cost of printing in color, to be borne by the author, is $570 U.S. per color figure. Color fees are based on individual figures as a whole, not by the part, i.e., A, B, C, etc. After submission of the form, authors will receive a pro forma invoice for publication fees when page proofs become available.

Clinical Trials

As of 1 January 2006, all clinical trials submitted to Diabetes for consideration of publication must be registered. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) defines a clinical trial as “any research project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome. Studies designed for other purposes, such as to study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity (e.g., phase 1 trials), are exempt."

For definitions and further information, please see the section titled Obligation to Register Clinical Trials found in ICMJE's Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Please note, however, that unlike ICMJE, ADA does not require trials to be registered before enrollment begins, although Diabetes does encourage this practice. When submitting your manuscript, please include the unique trial number and the name of the registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov or ISRCTN) at the end of the abstract and in your cover letter.

Registries must be approved by ICJME. Approved registries include ClinicalTrials.gov, www.ISRCTN.org, www.actr.org.au, www.umin.ac.jp, and www.trialregister.nl

TOP

MANUSCRIPT FORMAT

Every manuscript must have an accompanying title page. In addition to the full title, the title page should include a short running title (less than 47 characters and spaces); the first name, middle initial, and last name of each author; the affiliation (in English) of each author during the study being reported; the name, current address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author; and the word count and number of tables and figures. The text on the title page should be center aligned.

The main text and tables must be saved in Microsoft Word document format, with 12 pt Times New Roman font, and the main text should double spaced with justified margins.

Please do not use headers, footers, or endnotes in your paper.

Original Articles

Original Articles are expected to present a significant advance in diabetes research and should be arranged in the following order: title page, structured abstract (see below), introduction (no heading necessary), "Research Design and Methods," Results," "Discussion," "Acknowledgments," "References," tables (each including a title and legend), figure legends, and figures.

• A structured abstract is required for all Original Articles. The abstract for an Original Article should not exceed 250 words. (This is not to be confused with abstracts submitted to the Annual Scientific Sessions, for which the word limit is higher.) The abstract must be self-contained and clear without reference to the text and should be written for a general journal readership. The abstract format should include four sections: "Objective," the purpose or hypothesis of study; "Research Design and Methods," the basic design, setting, number of participants and selection criteria, treatment or intervention, and methods of assessment; "Results," significant data found; and "Conclusions," validity and relevance. Each heading must be included and should be italicized.
• The word limit for the main text of Original Articles is 4,000 words. (The total word count excludes the title page, abstract, acknowledgments, references, tables and figures, and table/figure legends.) The main text should be double spaced with justified margins.
• The article should contain no more than 50 references and the reference section should be single spaced with justified margins.
• The article should contain no more than a combination of eight tables and/or figures.
• Supplemental data can be uploaded for online publication in the form of an online-only appendix and will be made available on the journal's Web site. (When uploading, be sure each file is clearly labeled "online appendix.")
• Supporting documents/data can be uploaded for review purposes and will not be published. (When uploading, be sure each file is clearly labeled "supporting document/data.")

Please see the corresponding sections below for information on acknowledgments, references, tables, and figures.

Brief Reports

The Brief Report category can be used for any original research pertinent to the journal. The purpose of the category is to permit publication of very important, high-quality mechanistic studies that can be concisely presented. Brief Reports should be formatted in the following manner:

• Commentaries should be limited to 1,000 words, no more one than table and/or figure, and no more than 20 references. For further information regarding Commentaries, please read Commentaries in Diabetes, instructions for authors.

Manuscript Submission Tip: To bypass the "Abstract" field when submitting a Commentary, type "None" in the "Abstract" field. For more tips on uploading your manuscript, see the Manuscript Submission Tips section.

Online Letters to the Editor

Online Letters to the Editor are intended to provide an opportunity to comment on articles published within the previous three months in Diabetes. Online Letters to the Editor are not intended as a platform for presenting unpublished data, research, or observations.

While Online Letters are only published online, they are listed in the table of contents of the print version, and will be assigned an "E" page number. Citations for Online Letters should include the letter's unique DOI (digital object identifier) number, which is available in the footnote section of each letter (e.g., 10.2337/db08-XXXX).

• Letters do not have abstracts and should not exceed 500 words, including the references. The inclusion of tables or figures in letters is discouraged. As with all submissions, letters should be double-spaced with 12 pt. Times New Roman font and justified margins.
• Letters must include a title page with the authors' full names and affiliations and the corresponding author's contact information.
• For comments on or responses to another article or letter, the article or letter on which the letter comments or responds to should be included as reference 1 in the reference list. The editor reserves the right to ask authors of the cited article to respond.

Manuscript Submission Tip: To bypass the "Abstract" field when submitting a Letter to the Editor, type "None" in the "Abstract" field. For more tips on uploading your manuscript, see the Manuscript Submission Tips section.

Perspectives in Diabetes

Perspectives in Diabetes are invited by the Editorial Board or submitted independently. Perspectives may highlight recent exciting research, not primarily that of the author(s), and may provide context for the findings within a field or explain potential interdisciplinary significance. Perspectives commenting on papers in Diabetes should add a dimension to the research and not merely be a summary of the experiments presented in the paper.

The formatting requirements for Perspectives in Diabetes are similar to those for Original Articles.

• Perspectives must include an introductory paragraph rather than a structured abstract.
• The word limit for the main text is 4,000 words. (The total word count excludes the title page, acknowledgments, references, tables and figures, and table/figure legends.) The main text should be double spaced with justified margins.
• Perspectives may include a combination of no more than eight tables and/or figures.

Please see the corresponding sections below for information on acknowledgments, references, tables, and figures.

Manuscript Submission Tip: When submitting a Perspectives article online, enter the short introductory paragraph in the "Abstract" field. This will allow you to continue through the submission process. For more tips on uploading your manuscript, see the Manuscript Submission Tips section .

Acknowledgments

The acknowledgments should go after the main text and before the reference list. Acknowledgments should contain brief statements of assistance, financial support, and prior publication of the study in abstract form, where applicable.

References

The reference list should go at the end of the document, after the main text and acknowledgments (if applicable) and before the tables. References should be numbered in the order that they are cited in the text.

Reference numbers in the text should be in normal type and in parentheses [e.g., "In the study by Norton et al. (23)..."]. Please do not use the footnote/endnote functions found in some word processing programs. Reference software is permissible (e.g., EndNotes). Reference lists should be single spaced (no space between citations), and the margins should be justified.

For examples of how to style various citations in the reference list, see "References" in the Manuscript Style section.

Tables

Tables should be double-spaced on separate pages and included at the end of the text document, with the table number and title indicated. Tables should be created using Word and the "Insert Table" command; please do not use tabs and/or spaces to create tables, columns, or rows. Tables with internal divisions (Tables 1A and B) should be submitted as individual tables, i.e., Tables 1 and 2. Symbols for units should be confined to column headings. Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum and defined in the table legend. For footnotes, use the following symbols consecutively, left to right, top to bottom of table: *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, #, **, ††, etc.

If tables are taken from other sources, it should be noted in the legend, and the author must be able to provide written permission for reproduction obtained from the original publisher and author.

Figures

Diabetes uses digital publishing methods throughout the journal production process. If your article is accepted, it will be published both in the printed journal and online. The following sections provide information on how to format your figures to ensure the best possible reproduction of your images.

Size. Figures should be produced at the size they are to appear in the printed journal. Please make sure your figures will fit in one or two columns in width. Multi-paneled figures should be assembled in a layout that leaves the least amount of blank space.

1 column = 21 picas wide, 3.5 in, 8.9 cm
2 columns = 43 picas wide, 7.1 in, 18 cm

Font. At 100% size, fonts should be 8-10 points and used consistently throughout all figures.

Text. Information on the axes should be succinct, using abbreviations where possible, and the label on the y-axis should read vertically, not horizontally. Key information should be placed in any available white space within the figure; if space is not available, the information should be placed in the legend. In general, figures with multiple parts should be marked A, B, C, etc., with a description of each panel included in the legend rather than on the figure.

Line and bar graphs. Lines in graphs should be bold enough to be easily read after reduction, as should all symbols used in the figure. Data points are best marked with the following symbols, again assuring that they will be readily distinguishable after reduction: . In the figure legend, please use words rather than the symbols; e.g., "black circles = group 1; white squares = group 2; black bars = blood glucose; white bars = C-peptide." Bars should be black or white only, unless more than two datasets are being presented; additional bars should be drawn with clear bold hatch marks or stripes, not shades of gray.

Line or bar graphs or flow charts with text should be created in black and white, not shades of gray, which are difficult to reproduce in even tones.

Color figures. Color figures incur an additional charge of $570 per color figure. (Note: Charges apply to each figure as a whole, not by the part, i.e., A, B, C, etc.). Color figures should not be submitted for reproduction in black and white. If you submit figures in color but request to have them reproduced in black and white or submit charts or graphs with gray backgrounds or bars, you will be asked to send new figures and the publication of your paper may be delayed. If you choose not to submit new figures, the publisher cannot be held responsible for the print quality of the images.

Reproductions. If materials (e.g., figures and/or tables) are taken from other sources, it should be noted in the legend, and the author must be able to provide written permission for reproduction obtained from the original publisher and author.

Figure legends. Figure legends should be clearly numbered and included at the very end of your document and should not be included on the separate figure/image files. Please use words to describe symbols used in the figure; e.g., "black circles = group 1; white squares = group 2; black bars = blood glucose; white bars = C-peptide."

Formatting digital files for print reproduction. The Diabetes Editorial Office will properly convert digital figure files as a courtesy for authors. To facilitate this process, please indicate the type of software application(s) used to generate the figure in the form of an e-mail to the Editorial Office (address below) and make sure original source files (the initial images created by the original software application) are either uploaded to the submission site or e-mailed to the Editorial Office (diabetesucla@gmail.com or diabetes@mednet.ucla.edu). If figure files are too large to upload or e-mail, please mail or overnight a CD containing the original source files to the Editorial Office at:

Diabetes Editorial Office
1033 Gayley St., Ste. 216
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Digital specifications for authors that are able and prefer to convert digital figures themselves: Please use applications capable of creating high-resolution TIFF or EPS files. Color or grayscale images with no text or arrows (halftone images) should be at least 300 dpi. Color or grayscale images with any text or arrows (combination halftone images) should be at least 600 dpi. Black and white images with no shades of gray (line drawings) should be at least 1000 dpi. Color images should be created as RGB.

It is strongly recommended that authors converting their own digital files also send the original source files to the Diabetes Editorial Office in the event that the converted files are not acceptable for publication for any reason. Unacceptable files include those of poor quality due to improper conversion and/or incorrect resolution (dpi) and/or the use of too many software applications in the creation of the file.

Digital image manipulation. No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced. The grouping of images from different parts of the same gel, or from different gels, fields, or exposures must be made explicit by the arrangement of the figure (i.e., using dividing lines) and in the text of the figure legend. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable if they are applied to the whole image and as long as they do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent any information present in the original, including backgrounds. Without any background information, it is not possible to see exactly how much of the original gel is actually shown. Non-linear adjustments (e.g., changes to gamma settings) must be disclosed in the figure legend.

All digital images in manuscripts accepted for publication will be scrutinized by our production department for any indication of improper manipulation. Questions raised by the production department will be referred to the Editors, who will request the original data from the authors for comparison to the prepared figures. If the original data cannot be produced, the acceptance of the manuscript may be revoked. Cases of deliberate misrepresentation of data will result in revocation of acceptance, and will be reported to the corresponding author's home institution or funding agency.

Hard-copy figures. Electronic submission of illustrations is strongly encouraged; however, if you are unable to provide files that meet the specifications, you will be asked to provide two hard copies of each figure printed on high-quality glossy laser printer paper. The back of each hard copy figure should have the following: figure number, first author's last name, and an indication of the top of the figure.

Manuscript Submission Tip: Figures are to be uploaded individually as separate files and should be included at the end of the main text document. For more tips, please see the Manuscript Submission Tips section.

MANUSCRIPT STYLE

Terminology and Style

Articles should be written in clear, concise English following the recommendations for scientific writing found in Scientific Style and Format, the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style manual (7th ed., 2006, Reston, VA, Council of Science Editors). All accepted manuscripts will be edited according to the CSE style manual and The Chicago Manual of Style (15th ed., 2003, Chicago, IL, The University of Chicago Press) by ADA professional publications staff. The authors are responsible for all statements made in their articles or editorials, including any editing changes made by staff.

The designations type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes should be used when referring to the two major forms of diabetes. Abbreviations for diabetes, such as T2D for type 2 diabetes, should not be used. The term diabetic should not be used as a noun.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be used only when necessary, e.g., for long chemical names (HEPES), procedures (ELISA), or terms used throughout the article. See the list of abbreviations that need not be defined; all others must be defined at first use. Abbreviate units of measure only when used with numbers. Abbreviations may be used in tables and figures. The CSE style manual contains lists of standard scientific abbreviations.

Units

Clinical laboratory values should be in Système International (SI) form. Kilocalories should be used rather than kilojoules. Glycated hemoglobin should be expressed as a percentage of total and as standard deviation from mean control levels.

Materials

Authors should provide the name and location (city and state/country) of the source for specified chemicals and other materials only if alternate sources are considered unsatisfactory.

References

References should be listed according to the following examples and should be numbered in the order that they are cited in the text. All authors must be listed and inclusive page numbers provided. Journal titles should be abbreviated as in the National Library of Medicine's List of Journals Indexed for Medline; for unlisted journals, complete journal titles should be provided. Material that is in press may be cited, but copies of such material may be requested. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references.

When citing the prepublished version of a Diabetes article, please use the DOI (digital object identifier) in place of volume, page range, and year (see below for an example). The DOI of a Diabetes article will begin with 10.2337, followed by an article number (assigned at submission via the online manuscript submission system) (e.g., 10.2337/db08-XXXX).

Example: Kohler C, Norton N, Farber K, Briggs E: How to cite a prepublished article in ADA journals. Diabetes 10.2337/db08-9999

Scientific Sessions abstracts from 2003 to present can be found using the link provided at the bottom of the Diabetes archive page (http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/contents-by-date.0.shtml). TOP

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION TIPS

• Your manuscript should be submitted under the name of the designated corresponding author's user account (the contact person listed on the title page of the manuscript); the corresponding author is the only author who will receive notification of proof availability. (The system automatically recognizes the user account as the corresponding author, even if another name is designated.)
• Be sure to review the proofs of your submitted files after uploading them.
• To bypass the "Abstract" field when submitting a Letter to the Editor or a Commentary, type “None” in the “Abstract" field, and when submitting a Perspectives, paste the introduction into the "Abstract" field.
• Use simple file names when saving your documents, and do not use special characters such as [brackets], (parentheses), punctuation marks (?, !, .), or symbols (@, #, &, etc.). In addition, avoid spaces in files names, e.g., use "Figure1.tif" rather than "Figure 1.tiff."
• If you upload a supplemental data file(s) intended for publishing in an online-only appendix or intended for review purposes only, be sure to label the file as "online appendix" or "supporting document."
• Do not upload .pdf files, Excel files, or zipped files (unless you are uploading original source files of figures). You may, however, upload .pdf copies of the signed manuscript submission form, which can be found in the Forms and Requirements section and must be provided for all manuscript submissions.
• The text of your manuscript should be prepared using a word processing program and saved as a .doc, .txt, or a .rtf file.
• When uploading each file, you will be asked to choose a designation from a pull-down menu that describes the content of the file (e.g., "Main Document," "Figure," "Table," etc.). In addition to this designation, please ensure that the name of each file clearly describes the content of the file (e.g., "figure1.tiff," "table2.doc," "coverletter.rtf," etc.).

Revisions