Author Guidelines
About the Journal
Aims and Scope
Nephron comprises two sections, “Clinical Practice” and “Experimental Nephrology and Genetics”, which are each under the editorship of internationally recognized leaders and served by specialized and young associate editors. Apart from high-quality original research, Nephron publishes invited reviews/mini-reviews on up-to-date topics. The section “Clinical Practice” also includes second-opinion articles that provide a platform for international experts and opinion leaders to cast a critical eye over published papers dealing with hot topics in clinical and experimental nephrology. The section “Experimental Nephrology and Genetics” includes case studies of genetic interest articles that provide clinically relevant examples of the genetic heterogeneity of renal diseases. Finally, special articles cover a broad range of topics, offering a human-interest perspective on medical/scientific issues with a strong emotional and societal impact. They are published on an ad hoc basis upon invitation.
Journal Sections
Clinical Practice
Clinical Practice articles are Research Articles, Review Articles, Letters and Editorials.
Experimental Nephrology and Genetics
Possible articles are Research Articles, Review Articles, Letters and Editorials.
Clinical Trial Protocols
These Research Articles will only be considered if the trial has been fully registered (see A Uniform Clinical Trial Registration Policy for Journals of Kidney Diseases, Dialysis and Transplantation below).
Minireviews
Review Articles are to be submitted only by invitation, although prospective authors are welcome to contact the Managing Editor to discuss whether a topic might be suitable.
Second Opinion
Second Opinion articles are Commentaries that cast a critical eye over published papers dealing with hot topics in clinical and experimental nephrology.
The abstract should be divided into the following sections: Context (=short background information on the field), Subject of Review (=commented article and main findings), Second Opinion (=summary of the author's opinion on the published paper).
The maximum length of a Second Opinion article should be 2,500 words including abstract, integrated discussion, excluding references (40 references maximum).
Case Studies of Genetic Interest
The objective of such papers in the section Experimental Nephrology and Genetics is to provide clinically relevant examples of the genetic heterogeneity of renal diseases. Therefore, Case Reports with an unusual genotype/phenotype correlation, or clinical pictures that revealed an unexpected genetic basis are welcome. Also, functional studies of genetic forms of renal diseases shedding light on the disease mechanism are appropriate for submission in this section.
Outside this scope Nephron does not publish any case reports. The authors of case reports are invited to submit their manuscript to the Open Access journal Case Reports in Nephrology and Dialysis at www.karger.com/cnd.
Special Article
Special Articles cover a broad range of topics, offering a human-interest perspective on medical/scientific issues with a strong emotional and societal impact, and written in the format of an editorial. They are published on an ad hoc basis upon invitation. Articles submitted to this section should be "Commentaries".
Article Types
Research Article
Research Articles report on primary research. They must describe significant and original observations. Consideration for publication is based on the article’s originality, novelty, and scientific soundness, and the appropriateness of its analysis.
Research Articles are reports of original work. Authors are asked to follow the EQUATOR Network for Research Articles.
Prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or an Ethics Review Committee is required for all investigations involving human subjects.
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Research Article (DOCX, 28.97 KB)
Research articles should contain a 250-word structured abstract.
Review Article
Review Articles are considered reviews of research or summary articles. They are state-of-the-art papers covering a current topic by experts in the field. They should give evidence on and provide answers to a well-defined aspect or question in a particular area. Review Articles must include a critical discussion of the reported data and give a clear conclusion with potential impacts on the standard of care.
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Review Article (DOCX, 23.66 KB)
Review articles should contain a 250-word structured abstract, a 3'500-word body text, and 50 references. Mini reviews should contain 2'000 words and 25 references.
Case Report
Case Reports can present a case study, case report, or other description of a case. Case Reports present significant new insights or cases with an unusual and noteworthy course. Submissions can be based on a case or a number of similar cases. The most important aspect of the presentation is that it should provide a new perspective on a recognized clinical scenario or may represent an entirely new clinical condition. The novelty of the case(s) may lie in the phenotype, the presentation, the investigation, and/or the management. We strongly encourage authors to comply with the CARE guidelines.The manuscript must include a statement detailing that written informed consent for publication was obtained and from whom (e.g. “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images.”). If the patient has died, consent for publication must be obtained from their next of kin. If the patient described in the case report is a minor or vulnerable, then consent for publication must be obtained from the parent/legal guardian. The completed consent form must be made available to the Editor if requested, and will be treated confidentially.
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Case Report (DOCX, 27.01 KB)
Commentary
Commentaries draw attention to a jointly published article, discussing the context or implications of the article and highlighting points of wider relevance to the field. Commentaries are presented from the author’s perspective and do not include original data. Commentaries are invited by the Editors and relate to an article in the same issue.
Commentaries should not exceed 1'000 words plus up to 5 references.
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Commentaries (DOCX, 25.46 KB)
Commentaries submitted to the Second Opinion section should contain a 2'500-word body text and 40 references.
Editorial
Editorials provide a viewpoint on specific articles or on general subjects directly relevant to the journal. Editorials are written by an editor or other member of the journal.
Editorials should not exceed 500 words
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Editorial (DOCX, 23.64 KB)
Editorials should contain a 250-word structured abstract, 1'500-word body text, and 25 references.
Letter
Letters may explore subjects related to matters discussed in the journal, providing the author’s perspective on a subject. Letters may discuss a recently published article and may lend support or constructively critique the article in line with the author’s experience. The editors reserve the right to share such letters to the authors of the article concerned prior to publication in order to permit response, ideally in the same issue of the journal. Letters should not include original data.
Letters should not exceed 2000 words and have a maximum 15 references & 1 figure/table
A downloadable template is available below.
Documents
Letter (DOCX, 24.24 KB)
Letters should contain no abstract, 400-word body text, 5 references, and 1 figure and/or table.
Contact Information
Should you have any problems with your submission, please contact the editorial office:
Manuela Passera, Managing Editor
Tel. +39 035 4213405
Fax +39 035 319331
nef@karger.com
Editorial and Journal Policies
General Conditions
Only papers written in English are considered. The articles should be comprehensible to a reader who is fluent in English and should be edited prior to submission to ensure that standard English grammar and usage are observed. Use of a professional language editing service prior to submission can help avoid delays with the review process.
All manuscripts are subject to editorial review.
The presentation of manuscripts should follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Karger journals aim to adhere to the COPE Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines.
By submitting an article for publication, the authors agree to the transfer of the copyright to the publisher upon acceptance. Accepted papers become the permanent property of the Journal and may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the written consent of the publisher.
The Submission Statement with original (hand-written) signatures is to be provided upon submitting the paper. If it is not possible to collect all signatures on a single document, individual copies should be provided for each author.
Karger recommends the use of original images and materials whenever possible. If a submitted manuscript contains third-party copyright material(s), it is the authors’ sole responsibility to obtain permission from the relevant copyright holder for reusing the material(s), including any associated licensing fee. The copyright and usage information needs to be checked carefully to avoid copyright infringement.
Most publishers offer a quick and easy way to clear permissions for their content via the built-in website application RightsLink or via https://www.copyright.com/get-permissions/. Another widely used licensing tool is PLSClear. Please check the publishers’ websites for the available options and user instructions.
Statements
All submitted manuscripts must contain a Statement of Ethics, a Conflict of Interest Statement, an Author Contributions Statement and a Data Availability Statement after the main body of the text, but before the reference list.
Statement of Ethics
Published research must comply with internationally-accepted standards for research practice and reporting. Manuscripts may be rejected if the editors believe that the research has not been carried out within an appropriate ethical framework, and concerns raised after publication may lead to a correction, retraction, or expression of concern in line with COPE guidelines.
Studies involving human subjects (including research on identifiable human material and data) must have been performed with the approval of an appropriate ethics committee and with appropriate participants’ informed consent in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration.
In the manuscript, authors should specify the name of the ethics committee or other relevant authority who approved the study protocol and provide the reference number where appropriate. If ethics approval was not required, or if the study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript (including the name of the ethics committee who made that decision).
For all research involving human subjects, written informed consent to participate in the study should be obtained from participants (or their parent/legal guardian where appropriate ) and a statement detailing this should appear in the manuscript. For studies involving vulnerable participants or participants at risk of potential coercion, detailed information regarding the steps taken to ensure informed consent must be provided. If consent was not obtained, please specify why and whether this was approved by the ethics committee.
In line with the ICMJE recommendations on the protection of research participants, authors must avoid providing identifying information unless strictly necessary for the submission and participants’ identifiable attributes must be anonymized in the manuscript and its supplementary files, if any. If identifying information is necessary, authors must confirm that the individual has provided written consent for the use of that information in a publication.
Research involving human embryonic stem cells, embryonic germ cells or induced pluripotent stem cells should comply with the ISSCR 'Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research' or an equivalent set of guidelines or applicable regulations.
Case Reports: Manuscripts reporting a case report must include a statement detailing that written informed consent for publication was obtained and from whom (e.g. “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images.”). If the patient has died, consent for publication must be obtained from their next of kin. If the patient described in the case report is a minor or vulnerable, then consent for publication must be obtained from the parent/legal guardian. The completed consent form must be made available to the Editor if requested, and will be treated confidentially.
Clinical Trials: In accordance with the ICMJE recommendations, all clinical trials should be registered in a publicly available registry approved by the WHO or ICMJE (see the list here) and the clinical trial number must be clearly stated in the manuscript. Manuscripts reporting clinical trials must adhere to the relevant reporting guidelines for their study design, such as CONSORT for randomized controlled trials, TREND for non-randomized trials, or other relevant reporting guidelines as detailed on the Equator network website.
Karger follows the WHO definition of clinical trials "A clinical trial is any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes [...] Interventions include but are not restricted to drugs, cells and other biological products, surgical procedures, radiologic procedures, devices, behavioural treatments, process-of-care changes, preventive care, etc. This definition includes Phase I to Phase IV trials.”
Studies involving animals: Experimental research on vertebrates or any regulated invertebrates must have been approved by the authors' Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics committee and must follow internationally recognized guidelines such as the ARRIVE guidelines. In the manuscript, authors should specify the name of the ethics committee or other relevant authority who approved the study protocol and provide the reference number where appropriate.
If ethics approval was not required, or if the study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript (including the name of the ethics committee who made that decision). Additional information is expected for studies reporting death of a regulated animal as a likely outcome or planned endpoint. Other types of studies including field studies and non-experimental research on animals must comply with local or international guidelines, and where appropriate must have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee.
Conflict of Interest Statement
Karger endorses the ICMJE recommendations on the ‘Disclosure of Financial and Non-Financial Relationships and Activities, and Conflicts of Interest’. Authors are required to disclose any relationship that could reasonably be perceived by a reader as a potential conflict of interest at the time of submission. All forms of support and financial involvement (e.g. employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership and options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, royalties) which took place in the previous three years should be listed, regardless of their potential relevance to the paper. Also the nonfinancial relationships (personal, political, or professional) that may potentially influence the writing of the manuscript should be declared. The role of the funder in study design; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; any restrictions regarding the submission of the report for publication should be declared. If the funder had no role in any of the above, this should be clearly stated in the manuscript’s funding section.
Author Contributions Statement
In the Author Contributions section, a short statement detailing the contributions of each person named as an author should be included. Contributors to the paper who do not fulfill the ICMJE Criteria for Authorship should be credited in the Acknowledgement section. If an author is removed from or added to the listed authors after submission, an explanation and a signed statement of agreement confirming the requested change are required from all the initially listed authors and from the author to be removed or added.
Data Availability Statement
The journal’s data sharing policy strongly encourages authors to make all datasets on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to editors, reviewers and readers without unnecessary restriction wherever possible. Authors are required to provide a Data Availability Statement in their article that details whether data are available and where they can be found. In cases where research data are not publicly available on legal or ethical grounds, this should be clearly stated in the Data Availability Statement along with any conditions for accessing the data. The decision to publish will not be affected by whether or not authors share their research data.
Examples of Data Availability statements:
•The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository name e.g “figshare”] at http://doi.org/[doi], reference number [reference number]
•Publicly available datasets were used in this study. These can be found in [repository name e.g “figshare”] at http://doi.org/[doi], reference number [reference number]
•All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this article [and/or] its supplementary material files. Further enquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.
•The data that support the findings of this study are not publicly available due to [REASON WHY DATA ARE NOT PUBLIC e.g. their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants] but are available from [e.g. the corresponding author [author initials] OR Data sharing committee [PROVIDE CONTACT DETAILS including email address] upon reasonable request]
•The data in this study was obtained from [third party source] where [RESTRICTIONS/LICENCE] may apply. Such dataset may be requested from [source contact information].
Please note if authors are submitting to a journal with a double blind peer review policy, the data availability statement should be anonymized where appropriate.
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更多详情：
https://www.karger.com/Journal/Guidelines/223854
