Journal of Infection Prevention

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Journal of Infection Prevention

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.

This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jips to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Journal of Infection Prevention will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. What do we publish?
   1.1 Aims & Scope
   1.2 Article types
   1.3 Writing your paper
2. Editorial policies
   2.1 Peer review policy
   2.2 Authorship
   2.3 Acknowledgements
   2.4 Funding
   2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
   2.6 Research ethics and patient consent
   2.7 Clinical trials
   2.8 Reporting guidelines
   2.9 Data
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
   3.3 Open access and author archiving
4. Preparing your manuscript
   4.1 Formatting
   4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   4.3 Supplementary material
   4.4 Reference style
   4.5 English language editing services
5. Submitting your manuscript
   5.1 ORCID
   5.2 Information required for completing your submission
   5.3 Permissions
6. On acceptance and publication
   6.1 Sage Production
   6.2 Online First publication
   6.3 Access to your published article
   6.4 Promoting your article
7. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jips, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

1.2 Article Types

The Journal welcomes original manuscripts of the following types:

Full-length, original research articles 
These should contain a maximum of 4,000 words, including the structured abstract of up to 250 words, text, acknowledgements, declarations and references.  Each table or figure counts as 200 words. Additional materials or large tables/figures can be included as online supplementary material and should be marked as such at point of submission.  

Reviews 
No longer than 5,000 words preferably with a structured abstract of 250 words (excluding references). A review should provide a detailed overview and analysis of research evidence on an aspect of infection prevention and control and authors should follow the PRISMA guidelines. Reviews will also be submitted to a peer review process.  Authors are advised to discuss the proposed review with the editor prior to submission. Additional materials or large tables/figures can be included as online supplementary material and should be marked as such at point of submission.  

Letters 
Letters referring to topics raised by papers already published in the Journal of Infection Prevention or elsewhere, or novel findings meriting rapid dissemination.  They should not contain a summary  and should be a maximum of 1,000 words with no more than 5 references.  Letters will not normally be peer-reviewed, but may be shown to the authors of the article being commented on, who will be invited to respond, should they wish to do so.

Short reports 
These should contain up to 1,500 words, including no more than 2 figures or tables, and up to 10 references. Unstructured abstract of 200 words is acceptable. The format should be the same as a full length article, i.e introduction or background/methods/results/discussion and conclusion. Short reports will be subject to the same peer review process as full-length articles.

Research-based commentaries
These should contain up to 3,000 words, including abstract, figures, tables and references. Each table or figure counts as 200 words. The commentaries should provide a succinct and balanced summary of existing research on a relevant, current topic of interest. Authors are advised to discuss the proposed commentary with the editor prior to submission.  Research-based commentaries will be subject to the same peer-review process as full-length articles.

A summary of the paper types published in the Journal of Infection Prevention:

Paper Type	Maximum Word length	Abstract length	References
Full-length, original research	4,000 words	250 words, structured	No more than 30
Reviews	5,000 words	250 words, structured	No more than 50
Letters	1,000 words	No abstract	No more than 5
Short Reports	1,500 words	200 words, not structured	No more than 10
Research-based commentaries	3,000 words	250 words, not structured	No more than 30

 

1.3 Writing your paper

It is the authors' responsibility to ensure the manuscript is in the required format before submission. Papers that are submitted with references or other features that do not comply with these instructions will be returned to their authors and will not be considered for publication until they have been resubmitted. If you would like to discuss your paper prior to submission, please contact the Editor at: jipeditors@sagepub.com.

Title Page: This should show the title, names of all authors (but not their degrees) and the institution or department where they work.  It should also include the name, address, telephone and email address of the corresponding author to whom the proofs and correspondence should be sent. This page needs to be uploaded separately at submission.

Front page of main document: In addition to the title of the article, the front page should include the following information:

• • Word count
  • Approval obtained for reproduction or modification of material published elsewhere (if applicable)
  • Sources of funding (if applicable)
  • Commercial affiliations (if applicable)

Abstract: See above table for word count, the abstract should briefly explain the study and for structured abstract use the following headings:-

• • Background
  • Aim/ Objective
  • Methods
  • Findings/results
  • Discussion

Note: For some types of study e.g. outbreak or quality improvement report this structure may be varied as appropriate. Authors are also advised to consult the relevant reporting guideline (see 2.8).

Since this will be the first, and perhaps the only, part of the paper that is read it is essential that it conveys the key elements of the work.

Keywords: Authors should provide keywords from their summary. These should be chosen carefully to ensure that those indexing and searching for papers in the field are able to locate your work.

Main text of article: Headings and subheadings may be used in the article with the following structure recommended (see note above on variation to structure):

Background:  A brief statement outlining the purpose and context of the paper and aim of the study.

Methods: A description of the approach taken to the study, setting, design and methods used, and where relevant or appropriate, the process used to obtain ethical approval and patient/participant consent. Please see section 2.8 for guidance on consulting relevant reporting guidelines for different types of study.

Results: Description of study results with no discussion of their significance or relationship to other work in the field. Information may be conveyed in text, or in figures or tables, but should not be repeated in more than one format.

Discussion: Description of the significance of the findings including their relationship with other research in the field and where appropriate their application in practice. It should include any weaknesses or limitations of the study. New results should not be introduced in the discussion.

Acknowledgments: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an `Acknowledgements’ 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. Authors should disclose whether they had any writing assistance and identify the entity that paid for this assistance. Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of the article prior to the References.

Declarations: Should include conflicting interests, funding, Ethical approval and patient consent statements. Consent must be from the patient(s) or their guardian(s)/legally authorized representative(s) if applicable. 

References: All work referred to in the manuscript must be fully cited using the Harvard system of referencing (see section 6.3).

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources.

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online

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2. Editorial policies

2.1 Peer review policy

The journal's policy is to obtain at least two independent reviews of each article. It operates a double-anonymize reviewing policy in which the author and reviewer’s names are mutually concealed – as such; submitted manuscripts should contain no identifying information.

Referees will be encouraged to provide substantive, constructive reviews that provide suggestions for improving the work and distinguish between mandatory and non-mandatory recommendations.

The editor welcomes papers that contribute toward the development and understanding of infection prevention and control theory and practice. All manuscripts accepted for publication are subject to editing for presentation, style and grammar. Any major redrafting is agreed with the author but the editor's decision on the text is final.

2.2 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.

The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:

1. 1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
   2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
   3. Approved the version to be published,
   4. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship, although all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section. Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

2.2.1 Contributorship

For multi-authored papers this statement should outline what each party contributed to the authorship of the paper. Authors should be identified by their initials. An example is shown below.

BF and NP researched literature and conceived the study. MS was involved in protocol development, gaining ethical approval, patient recruitment and data analysis. BF wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.

2.3 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.

2.3.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

2.3.2 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.

2.4 Funding

Journal of Infection Prevention requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. 

2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of Journal of Infection Prevention to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

2.6 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.

2.7 Clinical trials

Journal of Infection Prevention conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

2.8 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, for reports of outbreaks or interventions to prevent infection authors should refer to the ORION Checklist, for systematic reviews of evidence refer to PRISMA and for epidemiological studies to the STROBE guidelines. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

2.9 Data

Sage acknowledges the importance of research data availability as an integral part of the research and verification process for academic journal articles.

Journal of Infection Prevention requests all authors submitting any primary data used in their research articles “alongside their article submissions” to be published in the online version of the journal, or provide detailed information in their articles on how the data can be obtained. This information should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Data available only on an author-maintained website will need to be loaded onto either the journal’s platform or a third-party platform to ensure continuing accessibility. Examples of data types include but are not limited to statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research. The editor may consider limited embargoes on proprietary data. The editorcan also grant exceptions for data that cannot legally or ethically be released. All data submitted should comply with Institutional or Ethical Review Board requirements and applicable government regulations. For further information, please contact the editorial office at jipeditors@sagepub.com.

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3. Publishing Policies

3.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway

3.1.1 Plagiarism

Journal of Infection Prevention and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

3.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. Please refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway

3.3 Open access and author archiving

Journal of Infection Prevention offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

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4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

4.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines  

All figures/charts and tables should be submitted separately. Please ensure table and figures are signposted in the manuscript (i.e.[Figure 1.]")

Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online and in the print issue. There is no charge for reproducing figures in colour in the printed version.

4.3 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files.

Please note that authors may be asked to submit information as supplementary material if the editorial team consider the table/figure to be too large. 

4.4 Reference style

Journal of Infection Prevention adheres to the Sage Harvard reference style. View the Sage Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Harvard EndNote output file.

All references in the text must be cited from primary sources and should include the authors' names and date of publication in date order, e.g. (Skelton, 1997; Edwards, 1998; Whitehead, 2000). Where there are three or more authors, the first author's name followed by 'et al' is acceptable in text, e.g. (Troillet et al, 1999), but all authors must be cited in the reference list. Page numbers should be included in the text for all quotations, e.g. (Harthog, 2000: 136).

Reference to a journal article should include the author's surname and initials, date of publication, title of the paper, name of the journal, volume and issue number and its first and last page numbers, e.g. Ayliffe G. (2000) Evidence Based Practices in Infection Control. Journal of Infection Control 1(4): 5-9.

Reference to a book should include the author, date of publication, title, publisher and town of publication, e.g. Kirkwood E and Lewis C. (1989) Understanding Medical Immunology Second Edition: John Wiley and Sons: Chichester.

Chapters in edited books should include the additional detail of chapter title and page numbers e.g. Stevens R and Jones R. (1993) Functional Bowel Disorders. In: Gastrointestinal Problems in General Practice (Jones R. ed). Oxford University Press: Oxford: 126-35.

4.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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5. Submitting your manuscript

Journal of Infection Prevention is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jips to login and submit your article online.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created.  For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

5.1 ORCID

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

5.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

5.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

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6. On acceptance and publication

6.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.  Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. 

6.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

6.3 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. 

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7. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Journal of Infection Prevention editorial office as follows: jipeditors@sagepub.com