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| Instructions for Authors | |||||||||
Contact: infoji{at}aai.org |
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| Prior Publication: Submission of a manuscript to The Journal of Immunology (The JI) implies that the content has not been published previously and will not be submitted for publication elsewhere while the manuscript is under review. The JI considers research results (excluding abstracts and student dissertations) to have already been published if they are publicly available with a fixed content, i.e., content is in an unalterable form, and are citable in any language. |
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| Previous publication of a particular figure may not prevent subsequent publication in The JI if that figure is essential to the submitted paper and does not constitute the major contribution. Previously published portions of a paper must be accompanied by a permission release from the copyright holder and must be cited. | |||||||||
| Preprints, whether paper copies or noncitable postings on a publicly accessible Website, are not considered publications, nor are poster presentations of work at a conference. | |||||||||
| An invited paper published in a non-peer-reviewed journal, however, would be considered a prior publication. Submissions of previously published research, as defined by the criteria, must contain a disclosure statement; it is at the Editor-in-Chief's discretion whether to allow peer review of the work in these instances. |
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| Copyright:
All manuscripts are considered to be the property of AAI from the time of submission. Should AAI not publish the paper, AAI releases its rights therein at the time the manuscript is returned to the corresponding author. Manuscripts published in The JI become the sole property of, with all rights in copyright reserved to, The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. (AAI). The corresponding author, on behalf of all authors, signs a copyright transfer form. Authors of articles written as part of their official duties as employees of the U.S. government are exempt from this requirement for transfer of copyright. |
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NIH Manuscript Submission Requirement: For more information, see the NIH Public Access Policy: Frequently Asked Questions. |
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As of April 7, 2008, the U. S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) requires that manuscripts accepted for publication and that describe research funded in whole or in part with NIH funds be deposited into the NIH PubMed Central repository. AAI views this policy as a costly, duplicative effort that diverts federal dollars from biomedical research. For more information about how publishing in The Journal of Immunology relates to the policy, please see the NIH Public Access Policy: Frequently Asked Questions. Despite AAI's serious concerns about this policy, AAI will grant a limited one-time waiver permitting authors to deposit an accepted manuscript into PubMed Central, provided that the corresponding author:
Authors funded by agencies that mandate submission to PubMed Central with public access within 6 months after publication must contact infoji{at}aai.org for the Submission Form. |
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| Duplicate Publication and Scientific Fraud: In case of possible scientific misconduct, i.e., suspected fabrication or falsification of data, double publication, or plagiarism, the Editor-in-Chief will attempt to clarify the matter with each of the authors. Should that fail to resolve the situation satisfactorily, the Editor-in-Chief will contact the institution of the corresponding author. The institution should then make an inquiry and report to the Editor-in-Chief. Until the matter is clarified, no papers by any authors on the disputed manuscript will be considered for publication. If scientific misconduct is confirmed by institutional review, the Editor-in-Chief will report it to the Publications Committee. The Publications Committee, in consultation with the Council of AAI, will decide appropriate action. | |||||||||
| Embargo Policy: For manuscripts considered to be in press or approved for publication, the public release of information should not precede the actual publication of the work. | |||||||||
| The publication date is defined as the date the first copy is mailed from the printer or the first day the issue is posted full-text online. Please note that the issue date and mail dates do not necessarily coincide. This embargo policy protects the peer-review process and the newsworthiness of the scientific content of published articles, and minimizes the chance for the appearance of misinformation in the lay press. The policy also ensures that scientists have access to all relevant information at the same time as the public. These restrictions do not apply to the presentation of the work at scientific conferences or symposia that precede the actual publication date. Although news reporters may be present at such meetings or symposia, information, tables, or illustrations that in any way duplicate the content of a manuscript submitted for publication or in press should not be provided to reporters by the authors. In particular, press conferences should not be held before the embargo date. The official release of videotape presentations and electronic prepublication of articles on the Internet should adhere to the embargo policy. Violations of these policies are legitimate grounds for withdrawal of the manuscript from publication or other measures that The JI may choose to take. | |||||||||
| Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Authors of submitted papers that contain information affecting actual or potential commercial products must declare any conflict of interest or financial interest in the product or in potentially competing products held by them, their spouses, or their minor children. Financial interests include consultancies, employment, service on Board of Directors, honoraria, royalties, research support, grants, or contracts, if any exceed $5,000 per year in any of the preceding five years. They also include expert testimony, or patents received or pending, stock, and equity interests (diversified mutual funds or investment trusts do not constitute competing financial interests). The conflict should be stated briefly on the online manuscript submission screen, e.g., "J. B. Doe has received royalty payments from PQR Incorporated." It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to review this policy with all authors and to list collectively the relevant relationships. All disclosures will remain confidential during the review process, but papers accepted for publication will acknowledge conflict of interest and financial interests in a published disclaimer describing the nature of the interests. If authors declare no conflict of interest or financial interests, this also will be noted in a published disclaimer. | |||||||||
| Web Links in Submitted Manuscripts: Links to Websites are permitted only if the information contained on the Website is not essential to the understanding and assessment of the manuscript or to the ability to repeat the experiments described in the paper. | |||||||||
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The Process: By submitting a manuscript to The JI, the authors agree to subject it to the confidential peer-review process. Editors and reviewers are informed that the manuscript must be considered confidential. After a manuscript is received, it is assigned by the Science Coordinator to a specific Deputy Editor and a Section Editor, whose expertise is considered to be appropriate. The Section Editor prepares a list of expert reviewers, which may include some suggested by the Science Coordinator. Authors can indicate specific individuals whom they would like to have excluded as reviewers as well as individuals thought to be particularly appropriate, although these suggestions may not always be accepted. Generally, requests to exclude certain potential reviewers will be honored except in fields with a limited number of experts. All potential reviewers are contacted individually to determine availability. Manuscript files are sent to at least two expert reviewers. Reviewers are asked to complete the review of the manuscript within two weeks and to return a short review form. Based on the reviewers' comments, the Section Editor recommends a course of action and communicates the reviews and recommendations to the Deputy Editor for a final decision. The Deputy Editor considers the comments made by the reviewers and the recommendation of the Section Editor, selects those comments to be shared with the authors, makes a final decision concerning the manuscript, and prepares the decision letter for signature by the Editor-in-Chief. If revisions of the manuscript are suggested, the Deputy Editor also recommends who should review the revised paper when resubmitted. Authors are informed of the decision by e-mail; appropriate comments from reviewers and editors are appended. |
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Decisions: There are four categories for initial decisions: accept, accept with minor revision, return for revision, and reject. Some manuscripts are accepted provisionally, pending relatively minor revisions. In this case, the Deputy Editor may conduct the rereview. For many manuscripts, authors are invited to resubmit if revision or additional experimentation can address major criticisms. Typically, one or more reviewers will then be asked to consider the adequacy of the revisions. Cutting Edge papers are allowed only minor revisions because of time constraints. All revised manuscripts are carefully reexamined, and ultimate acceptability is not guaranteed. The JI does not provide for an advance determination of the acceptability of a particular manuscript for publication, nor does it promise expedited review of selected manuscripts. |
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Communication with Authors: To minimize the possibility of misinterpretation or errors in verbal communication, the Editorial Office will provide information, in writing, only to the corresponding author and will not provide extensive details (e.g., exact status of a review or a predicted time to final decision). Deputy Editors do not take calls from authors concerning decisions or other related matters. All such inquiries should be addressed in writing to the Editor-in-Chief, who will discuss concerns with the Deputy Editor. This policy has been established to provide for uniformity and fairness in addressing concerns about the review process. |
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Rebuttals: If the authors believe that a serious scientific error occurred during the review, a letter of rebuttal may be sent to the Editor-in-Chief, explaining the reasons why the decision should be reconsidered. When appropriate, the matter will be taken up with the initial Deputy Editor, Section Editor, or additional reviewers. Rebuttals that challenge rejections that were based on priority alone are rarely successful, since the assignment of priority is necessarily a matter of opinion. If the authors of a rejected manuscript are able to make new advances that go far beyond the original submission, they will often expedite consideration of their paper through the submission of a completely new manuscript. |
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Selection: Selection of reviewers is the responsibility of the Section Editor, although the Science Coordinator makes recommendations to the Section Editor from a list of individuals who have reviewed manuscripts previously. This database includes self-identified areas of expertise as well as information about the perceived usefulness and timeliness of past reviews. Individuals who consistently have provided tardy or unhelpful reviews are removed from the database. Every effort is made to avoid both real and apparent conflicts of interest with respect to research activities or collaborative or personal interactions. Reviewers are asked to withdraw from considering any manuscript in which they identify a conflict that has escaped the attention of the Section Editor. Scientific Integrity: Information contained in manuscripts is considered confidential and should not be shared or distributed. If necessary, a reviewer can consult with others for an adequate evaluation of the research findings if all individuals involved maintain confidentiality, objectivity, and avoid conflict of interest. AAI is not responsible for acts and conduct by reviewers that are not in accordance with accepted professional standards. Reviewers are asked to be objective in their evaluations and to judge primarily the novelty and soundness of the information presented. Anonymity: Although reviews are anonymous, all comments should be capable of withstanding public scrutiny. Except in very unusual circumstances, the identity of the reviewers and Section and Deputy Editors involved in the review of any given manuscript is kept confidential. |
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The JI Editorial Board: The AAI Council, upon recommendation of the Publications Committee, appoints the Editor-in-Chief for a term of five years. Deputy Editors, Section Editors, and Associate Editors are nominated by the Editor-in-Chief and appointed by the Publications Committee. Deputy Editors are appointed for variable terms. Section Editors and Associate Editors are appointed for one renewable term of two years in most circumstances. The Editor-in-Chief, the Deputy Editors, and the Section Editors constitute the Editorial Board and as such are required to be members of AAI. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the specific editorial conduct of The JI. The AAI Publications Committee is responsible for the management and evaluation of The JI and any other official publications of AAI, subject to the general supervision of the AAI Council. |
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Manuscripts Submitted from the Institution of an Editor: Manuscripts submitted from the institution of any Section or Deputy Editor or the Editor-in-Chief are reviewed by other editors from outside that institution. The Editorial Office ensures confidentiality and equity in reviewing all manuscripts. |
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ONLINE SUBMISSION |
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Submit online at ji.msubmit.net
Individual manuscript, figure, and table files must be uploaded to the system. The system then creates a single
PDF for review purposes. Authors should save copies for themselves of all the files in their original formats.
See Author Instructions for online submission requirements.
See the Figures section for help with preparing digital art. The JI's online submission
system requires browsers where cookies and Javascript are enabled.
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PUBLICATION FEES | ||||||||
All publication fees are payable in U.S. dollars. Accepted manuscripts are published only upon commitment by the author(s) or institutional financial officer to pay these charges. Submission Fee: If the corresponding author is not an AAI* member, a fee of $50 per manuscript must be paid by credit card (American Express, MasterCard, or Visa) during the submission process. If payment by credit card is impossible, please contact infoji{at}aai.org to arrange payment by check (drawn on a U.S. bank). We do not accept cash or purchase orders. *There is no processing fee for regular, emeritus or honorary AAI members in good standing. |
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Page Charges:
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Color Charges: Color figures may include multiple color panels. Authors will be notified of the cost of color reproduction on the Reprint Form received with their electronic page proofs and must confirm acceptance of the charges in writing. Authors should expect that color figures in the accepted paper will be reproduced in color and will incur color charges. Note that AAI members receive a significant discount on color charges.
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Online Posting Fee: $150 per published article. Reprints: Reprints must be ordered in advance of publication. A Reprint Form showing the cost of reprints, together with an order slip, is sent with the electronic page proofs. The invoice for reprints will also include page charges and color figure charges. Reprint orders from noncontributors must be directed to the Editorial Office. |
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General Guidelines: A 12-point serif font, preferably Times New Roman, is required. Do not use compressed type format. Double-space entire manuscript. The average length of full-length articles is eight printed pages. Instructions for estimating the printed length of a manuscript are included below. Each of the following components should begin on a separate page:
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Format for references: Periodicals: Wells, A. D., M. C. Walsh, D. Sankaran, and L. A. Turka. 2000. T cell effector function and anergy avoidance are quantitatively linked to cell division. J. Immunol. 165: 2432–2443. Books: McIntyre, T. M., and W. Strober. 1999. Gut-associated lymphoid tissue: regulation of IgA B-cell development. In Mucosal Immunology, 2nd ed. P. L. Ogra, J. Mestecky, E. Lamm, W. Strober, J. Bienenstock, and J. R. McGhee, eds. Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 319–356.
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Submit online at ji.msubmit.net.
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Submit the revised manuscript online at ji.msubmit.net
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Supplemental Data: The print version of the paper must stand on its own without the Supplemental Data. All supplemental material accompanying an article must be submitted with the original paper for peer review. Upload the file as "Supplemental Data" during the online submission. Supplemental material is primarily intended for short videos (must be no longer than 30 seconds and under 10 MB, with no sound or voice-over) or large tables, large sequence alignments, or large data sets such as those obtained with microarray hybridization experiments. Additional supplemental data necessary for the interpretation and conclusions drawn in the manuscript may, however, also be submitted for review with the manuscript. Videos must be 320 x 480 pixels or smaller for best viewing within a browser. Submit videos in MPG or QuickTime format. Change QuickTime file extensions to ".mov" so that Web browsers will recognize the file type and play the movie. Compress videos as much as possible to help control file size. Name videos by order of citation appearance (e.g., video1.mov). Authors will be notified if problems exist with videos as submitted and will be asked to take responsibility for modifications. No editing will be done to videos at the Editorial Office. Legends or short explanations of the material must accompany all supplemental material. Links to the material will appear in two places in the online journal: in the Table of Contents and in the information box associated with the first page of the full-text article. There will not be any links in the body of the article. In the printed paper, supplemental material will be footnoted the first time mentioned: "The online version of this article contains supplemental material." Extended Methods: An Extended Methods supplement may accompany the submission of a manuscript. Extended Methods should reflect a "detailed laboratory method" used in the accompanied work that will allow others to recapitulate the experimental design. Extended Methods are not to replace standard methods provided in the Materials and Methods sections. The supplement may not be previously published or a repeat of what is already in the manuscript. Extended Methods should be submitted as a PDF and will be reviewed with the manuscript. Upload the file as "Supplemental Data" during the online submission. Links to the Extended Method will appear in two places in the online journal: in the Table of Contents and in the information box associated with the first page of the full-text article. There will not be any links in the body of the article. In the printed paper, Extended Methods will be footnoted the first time mentioned: "The online version of this article contains Extended Methods." |
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Distribution and Depositing of Materials: |
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Unique materials: It is required that unique materials described in manuscripts published in The JI will be made available, within reason, to qualified investigators for their own noncommercial use. A reasonable amount may be charged by authors to cover preparation and shipping of the requested material. An agreement to this effect is included in the Manuscript Submission Form. |
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| High-resolution structural data: Any paper submitted to The JI that contains new high-resolution structural data requires an accession number from the Protein Data Bank and assurance that unrestricted release will occur at or before the time of publication. The accession number should be accompanied by the Website address of the databank. | |||||||||
| Nucleotide sequences: Sequences of nucleotides or amino acids longer than 50 bases/residues should not be presented in the text or in table form, but rather should be submitted as a publication-quality figure. Original nucleotide sequences, and determined nucleotide sequences encoding reported amino acid sequences, described in the manuscript must be submitted to GenBank or EMBL DataLibrary at the time of manuscript submission. An accession number and sequence availability are required at the time of publication. The accession number should be accompanied by the Website address of the databank. Instructions on submission of data may be obtained directly from GenBank (Mail Stop K710, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM 87545) or from the European Molecular Biology Library, Nucleotide Sequence Library (Postfach 10.2209, Meyerhofstrasse 1, 6900 Heidelberg, Germany) or see NCBI's GenBank. | |||||||||
| Microarray data: The JI will not publish descriptive manuscripts that report microarray data, unless such information can be considered of unusual immunological significance and/or include functional experiments that provide novel insight into mechanism. As with other scientific approaches, current experimental, quantitation, verification, and statistical analyses are expected. Microarray experiments should be Minimum Information About a Microarray Experiment compliant (MIAME). Whereas limited online space may be available for supplemental tables associated with the manuscript, complete microarray data must be deposited in the appropriate public database (e.g., GEO, ArrayExpress, or CIBEX), and must be accessible without restriction from the date of publication. An entry name or accession number must be included in the paper before publication. The accession number should be accompanied by the Website address of the databank. | |||||||||
General style conventions: In general, The JI follows Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, seventh edition, published by the Council of Science Editors, Inc., in instances where style issues are not directly addressed. |
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Abbreviations for references: BIOSIS is the primary source for journal name abbreviations; Index Medicus is the secondary source. |
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Nomenclature: Allergen nomenclature: Nomenclature for allergens should be assigned in cooperation with the IUIS Allergen Sub-Committee. Authors of accepted manuscripts that describe novel allergens will be requested to complete a brief standard form available at IUIS Allergen Nomenclature. CD nomenclature: For the purpose of consistency, The JI will follow CD nomenclature. For murine molecules, The JI will follow the nomenclature previously published (J. Immunol. 160: 3861-3868, 1998). For human molecules, standard CD nomenclature will be followed as updated (J. Immunol. 168: 2083-2086, 2002). Chemical names: The JI uses The Merck Index and the IUPAC-IUB Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature-Chemical Abstracts as the primary references for proper spelling and style of chemical names. Chemokine/chemokine receptor nomenclature: The systematic name for chemokines and chemokine receptors should be used. The original name may be given in parenthesis if desired. See Cytokine 21:48-9, 2003. Enzyme Nomenclature is The JI source for style and spelling of enzyme names. Gene nomenclature: The HUGO guidelines for gene nomenclature may be used for naming human genes. Mouse Genome Informatics is a reference source for naming mouse genes. Genetic nomenclature for mice: The JI uses the revisions for standardized genetic nomenclature for mice published periodically in Mouse Genome. A current listing of inbred strains of mice and rats is available at Mouse Genome Informatics. Authors are encouraged to deposit their mapping data with the Mouse Genome Database (MGD) before publication and to include the assigned MGD accession numbers in their manuscripts. Data may be submitted electronically by e-mail. Information about electronic submission of datasets can be obtained at the Data and Nomenclature Submissions page. Gene symbols should be reserved with MGD in advance of publication. An electronic nomenclature submission form is available from the MGD Website. HLA nomenclature: HLA nomenclature is updated periodically by the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System. A recent reference is Hum. Immunol. 64: 919-20, 2003. Annual comprehensive revisions are published in Human Immunology, usually in the spring. |
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The abbreviations listed here are used without definition in articles published in The JI. The form may be used for both singular and plural, or made plural with "s" at the author's option. The list of standard abbreviations is published in the first issue of each volume. |
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The Journal of Immunology |
9650 Rockville Pike
Bethesda MD 20814-3998 |
Phone: 301-634-7197 |
Fax: 301-634-7829 |
Email: infoji@aai.org |
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All Contents Copyright © 2008 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc. All rights reserved. |
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