Cephalalgia Reports

Cephalalgia Reports is a medical-neurological journal in the field of headache research and is an official journal of the International Headache Society.

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/reports to upload your manuscript.

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of Cephalalgia Reports will be reviewed.

Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

The Journal requires that studies on headache and cervical pain adhere to the terminology, diagnostic disorders, and criteria within the ICHD (Cephalalgia. 2018 Jan;38(1):1-211) and studies on facial pain adhere to the terminology, diagnostic disorders, and criteria within ICOP (Cephalalgia. 2020 Feb;40(2):129-221).

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 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. Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that Cephalalgia Reports will consider submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the Journal. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the Journal's author archiving policy.

If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version of your paper.

If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journal Solutions Portal

Contact Cephalalgia Reports - email: editorial.cephalalgia@gmail.com

1. Open Access
2. Article processing charge (APC)
3. Article types
4. Editorial policies
   4.1 Peer review policy
   4.2 Authorship
   4.3 Acknowledgements
   4.4 Funding
   4.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
   4.6 Research ethics and patient consent
   4.7 Clinical trials
5. Publishing policies
   5.1 Publication ethics
   5.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
6. Preparing your manuscript
   6.1 Formatting
   6.2 Research manuscript preparation guidelines
   6.3 Methodological/ Statistical Guidelines
   6.4 Writing your paper
   6.5 Make your article Discoverable
   6.6 Clinical relevance bullet points
   6.7 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   6.8 Reference style
   6.9 English language editing services
7. Submitting your manuscript
   7.1 ORCID
   7.2 Information required for completing your submission
   7.3 Corresponding author contact details
   7.4 Permissions
8. On acceptance and publication
   8.1 Sage Production
   8.2 Online publication
   8.3 Promoting your article
9. Further information

1. Open Access

Cephalalgia Reports is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. Each article accepted by peer review is made freely available online immediately upon publication, is published under a Creative Commons license and will be hosted online in perpetuity. Publication costs of the journal are covered by the collection of article processing charges which are paid by the funder, institution, or author of each manuscript upon acceptance. There is no charge for submitting a paper to the journal.

For general information on open access at Sage please visit the Open Access page or view our Open Access FAQs.

Back to top

2. Article processing charge (APC)

If, after peer review, your manuscript is accepted for publication, a one-time article processing charge (APC) is payable. This APC covers the cost of publication and ensures that your article will be freely available online in perpetuity under a Creative Commons license.

The article processing charge (APC) is payable upon acceptance after peer review and is subject to value added tax (VAT) where applicable. If the paying author/institution is based in the European Union, to comply with European law, VAT must be added to the APC. Providing a VAT registration number will allow an institution to avoid paying this tax, except for UK institutions. Payments can be made in GBP or USD.

Back to top

3. Article Types

Please read the following carefully and ensure that your submission meets the requirements to avoid automatic return or delay in the consideration of your paper.

Cephalalgia Reports publishes original papers on all aspects of headache and actively encourages high quality papers in the following areas:

• Emerging observations with translational potential not yet realized
• Reports limited to regional relevance which may validate and add to existing studies
• RCTs with negative outcomes
• Case reports
• Technical reports
• Articles with a more clinical emphasis
• Pilot trials which may stimulate therapeutic innovation
• Scientifically rigorous pathophysiological and pharmacological studies

Article Types accepted for submission:

Letter to the Editor
Brief Communications
Review
Editorial
Original Articles
Historical Paper
Viewpoint/Perspective
Technical Report
Pilot Trial
Regional Study 
Emerging Observations
Registered Reports

Letters to the Editor

A Letter to the Editor should be an article that raises issues of general interest to the broad readership of Cephalalgia Reports. In case of re-analysis of a previously published article in Cephalalgia Reports or brief research findings, please use “Brief Communication” instead. Letters to the Editor may be edited for clarity or length and may be subject to peer review at the Editor's discretion. These papers should be up to 750 words in length, and no abstract is needed. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than 5 selected references.

Brief Communications

Brief communications are short articles that deals with: (i) re-analyze part of an article that has previously been published; (ii) present findings, or discuss issues of particular interest to the community, but are not suitable as a standard research article; (iii) case report or small case series. These articles should be in principle around up to 1,500 words in length (main text). A structured abstract up to 150 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than 12 selected references. Up to two figures and one table can be included. Based on the type of research, the pertinent checklist MUST be completed and uploaded following those mentioned in the “Original research papers”. Case reports should adhere to the tenets of the CARE statement, and the CARE checklist MUST be completed and uploaded following those mentioned for “Original Articles research papers”. 

Review

Review articles should be up to 4,000 words in length (main text). Longer articles may be acceptable in special cases but should be discussed with the Editor prior to submission. A structured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing about 100 selected references. Articles should be liberally illustrated with figures and diagrams (colour encouraged). There is no strict upper limit of figures and tables allowed. 

Editorial

These papers should be up to 750 words in length, and no abstract is needed. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than 5 selected references.

Original Articles research papers

These articles should be 3,000-3,500 words in length (main text). A structured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than about 35 selected references. Articles should be liberally illustrated with figures and diagrams (colour encouraged). There is no strict upper limit of figures and tables allowed. Usually, up to 6-8 individual figures and tables can be included.

Based on the type of original research, the pertinent checklist MUST be completed and uploaded into the manuscript files system: Reports of clinical trials should adhere to the tenets of the CONSORT statement. A flow chart MUST be provided describing the progress of patients through the trial. Reports of observational studies should adhere to the tenets of the STROBE statement. Reports of animal studies should adhere to the tenets of the ARRIVE statement. 

Historical Papers

This article type should be in principle around up to 1,500 words in length (main text). A structured abstract up to 150 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than 12 selected references.

Viewpoints/Perspectives

This type of articles are opinion pieces grounded in evidence. These articles should be 500 words in length (main text). An unstructured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than 3 selected references.  Up to 1 figure and 1 table can be included.

Technical Report

Authors are encouraged to present primary research data on a new technique or method for preclinical or clinical research in the headache field. These articles should be 3,000-3,500 words in length (main text). A structured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than about 35 selected references.           

Pilot Trials

Another area to publish author papers in Cephalalgia Reports are Pilot Trial research.  Publishing of pilot trials are encouraged for improving transparency in conduct and reporting trial data.  Authors are encouraged to consider Cephalalgia Reports to publish this data. These articles should be 3,000-3,500 words in length (main text). A structured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing no more than about 35 selected references.

Regional Study and Emerging Observations

These two categories are another consideration for authors to submit to Cephalalgia Reports. A structured abstract up to 200 words in length is required. The reference list should be selective, containing about 50 selected references. Articles should be liberally illustrated with figures and diagrams (colour encouraged). There is no strict upper limit of figures and tables allowed.

Registered Reports

Cephalalgia Reports is now inviting researchers to submit study protocols of planned studies including hypotheses, aims, methods, and expected outcomes of studies they are planning to conduct as a Registered Report. If accepted after peer review, the study protocol will be published without fee and we promise to publish the completed study (which must not start before the accepted protocol) in Cephalalgia regardless of the outcome, if the accepted study protocol has been followed. Please see suggested Registered Reports template protocol template.

** For reference style please see section 9.3

Back to top

4. Editorial policies

4.1 Peer review policy

Cephalalgia Reports operates a conventional single-anonymize reviewing policy in which the reviewer's name is always concealed from the submitting author.

Generally, each manuscript is reviewed by at least two referees. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, and an editorial decision is generally reached within 2-4 weeks of submission.

Please note that in any papers where an editor from the journal is an author the processing of the manuscript is handled by a different Associate Editor and the Editor is totally anonymized from the procedure, has no influence on the final decision, and will never have access to the peer reviewer details.

4.2 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:

• Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work, or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
•  Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
• Approved the version to be published,
• 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 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.

Author roles:

first authors:
 * These authors contributed equally to this work.  Role positions 1 and 2

last authors:
# These authors share last authorship. Role positions are the last two authors from different institutions.

There is 1 corresponding author, this is not a shared role.

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.

4.3 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.

Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable), any notes and your References.

4.3.1 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.

4.3.2 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.

4.3.3 Artificial Intelligence

Cephalalgia Reports acknowledges that open AI products can be used to polish and/or translate texts and can help make a manuscript clearer and more comprehensible. The use of AI is allowed but must be clearly stated. The authors would add a disclosure  in the acknowledge section including the AI name, source, and level of input. AI will not be considered as an author.

4.4 Funding

To comply with the guidance for Research Funders, Authors and Publishers issued by the Research Information Network (RIN), Cephalalgia Reports additionally requires all Authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading. All research articles should have a funding acknowledgement in the form of a sentence as follows, with the funding agency written out in full, followed by the grant number in square brackets:

This work was supported by the Medical Research Council [grant number xxx].

Multiple grant numbers should be separated by comma and space. Where the research was supported by more than one agency, the different agencies should be separated by semi-colon, with “and” before the final funder. Thus:

This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the Natural Environment Research Council [grant number zzzz]; and the Economic and Social Research Council [grant number aaaa].

In some cases, research is not funded by a specific project grant, but rather from the block grant and other resources available to a university, college or other research institution. Where no specific funding has been provided for the research, we ask that corresponding authors use the following sentence:

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

IMPORTANT: If you have any concerns that the provision of this information may compromise your anonymity dependent on the peer review policy of this journal outlined above, you can withhold this information until final accepted manuscript.

More information on the guidance for Research Funders, Authors and Publishers.

4.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of Cephalalgia Reports 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.

4.6 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 that whether participants provided informed consent. It needs to be stated 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.

4.7 Clinical trials

Cephalalgia Reports 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.

Back to top

5. Publishing Policies

5.1 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.

5.1.1 Plagiarism

Cephalalgia Reports 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 and an AI detector. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarized 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.

5.1.2 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.

5.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Cephalalgia Reports publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard license for the journal is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC), which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly referenced, and the use is non-commercial. For more information, you are advised to visit Sage's OA licenses page.

Alternative license arrangements are available, for example, to meet particular funder mandates, made at the author’s request.

Back to top

6. Preparing your manuscript

6.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word.  Word templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

The text should be double-spaced throughout and with a minimum of 3cm for left- and right-hand margins and 5cm at head and foot. Text should be standard 10 or 12 point. SI units should be used throughout the text.

Only electronic files conforming to the journal's guidelines will be accepted. Preferred formats for the text and tables of your manuscript are as noted above. It is important that all figures/images and tables are uploaded as separate files and are not embedded into the main text file. Please note that Cephalalgia Reports does not have a file category called "box". The file categories are main body, tables, figures, supporting documents. Please also refer to additional guidelines on submitting artwork and supporting files below.

Any Original Research Papers submitted without a structured abstract will be returned to the author immediately without peer review, thus delaying the evaluation process of the manuscript.

6.2 Research manuscript preparation guidelines

General aspects

The first page(s) of your manuscript no matter the submission category all manuscripts are required to include a title page with the following information:

1. Title,
2. All author names and affiliations,
3. Corresponding author contact details,
4. Structured abstract (if applicable to manuscript type),
5. Trial Registration (if applicable to manuscript type),
6. Key words.

Title: Use titles that describe the main aspect of your study, stimulate interest, are easy to read and concise, and state the design of the study (i.e., randomized controlled trial, case-control study, cohort study etc.). Main findings or interpretation of the study should not be included in the title.

Given that Cephalalgia Reports is a journal devoted to headache and facial pain, readers are familiar with these diseases. The journal author guidelines require a structured abstract using 3 or 4 paragraphs without cite of references or abbreviations. Common headings of each paragraph include: Background/Hypothesis, Methods, Results, Conclusion/Interpretation. Word count is based on the types of articles and the information can be found in 3. Article Types. Any papers received without a structured abstract will be returned to the corresponding author.                     

Cephalalgia Reports publishes original papers on all aspects of headache and facial pain. For original research papers, in the manuscript, you are required to include two to five bullet points with a word limit of 60 in total clearly summarizing the highlights of your research. These bullet points will appear at the end of your manuscript following the conclusion and prior to the reference list. 

Abbreviations: Do not use abbreviations unless absolutely necessary. Often abbreviations make it difficult for readers to follow a paper, particularly if they are not experts in your field; consider abbreviating long names of chemical substances, genetic polymorphisms and terms for therapeutic combinations. It is appropriate to use abbreviations that are largely known, such as DNA. If abbreviations are used in tables or figures to save space, please explain all abbreviations in the legend.

Introduction: Briefly introduce the background and significance to concisely set up the context of the specific research question for readers. Remember that your audience and the readership are generally knowledgeable about the issues related to common headache disorders and these aspects do not need to be repeated. Please abstain from using platitudes such as "Migraine affects 14% of the population" and "migraine is a disabling disease and/or affects a high percentage of people" in the structured abstract and throughout the manuscript. Economy of words is important, and comments should be essential and specific to the subject matter of the manuscript and need for the study. End the introduction with a clear statement of the study’s objectives or hypotheses.

Methods: For studies involving humans, describe how participants were selected and enrolled, and the sites or setting from which they were recruited. Describe study procedures including any details of interventions (if applicable), measurement and classification of main exposure (if applicable) and outcomes, and other data collection techniques. Consider the use of a figure to show study processes. Report how many individuals were eligible, how many declined to participate and how many were lost to follow-up. For studies that have numerical data and use statistical inference, include a section that describe all details of the statistical analyses (how groups were compared, model building strategies, specific software(s) used, etc.). See also specific statistical reporting guidelines below.

Results: Fully describe the sample and setting of the study (if applicable) and provide characteristics of your study population. Present the finding of the primary outcome first followed by the result of secondary outcomes, exploratory outcomes, and subgroup analyses. Consider presenting main results in tables or figures and avoid repeating the same numbers in text, tables, and figures.

Discussion: We encourage authors to structure the discussion and cover the following aspects: Summary of the main findings (primary outcomes first followed by secondary outcomes), discussion on how the findings compare with previously published studies, a brief description on potential biological mechanisms (if applicable), clinical, scientific and/or public health implications, strengths and limitations, unanswered questions and suggestions for further targeted research (if applicable).

Funding: For all studies, include a statement describing all and any funding sources and the role of each funding source for the study. If the study had no external funding source or if the funding source had no role in the study, state so explicitly.

Ethics or Institutional Review Board Approval: Please clearly indicate that the study obtained appropriate approval (or a statement and explanation of why it was not required), including the name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), the number/ID of the approval(s). For human studies, please also add a statement that participants gave informed consent before taking part.

Study Protocol: If your study protocol is registered (ClinicalTrial.gov, etc.), please provide the registration number (required for intervention studies). The trail registration number should appear in the manuscript following the abstract. We encourage the registration of observational study protocols.

Specific reporting aspects:

CONSORT
Reports of clinical trials should adhere to the tenets of the CONSORT statement (JAMA 2001; 285: 1987-1991). A flow chart MUST be provided describing the progress of patients through the trial.

A checklist of CONSORT requirements MUST be completed and uploaded into the manuscript files system. Alternatively, the forms may be sent to the Editorial Office by post, fax or scanned copies of the hand-signed forms can be e-mailed.

PRISMA
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should adhere to the principles of the PRISMA statement (BMJ 2009; 339:b2535). The PRISMA flow diagram MUST be provided, and the checklist MUST also be completed. Both forms MUST be completed and uploaded into the manuscript files system. Alternatively, the forms may be sent to the Editorial Office by post or scanned copies of the hand-signed forms can be e-mailed.

SQUIRE
These SQUIRE guidelines provide a framework for reporting formal, planned studies designed to assess the nature and effectiveness of interventions to improve the quality and safety of care. The checklists and guidelines are available here. Please include a completed SQUIRE checklist at manuscript submission.

STROBE
The STROBE Statement is referred to in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The STOBE checklist MUST be completed and uploaded into the manuscript files system. Alternatively, the forms may be sent to the Editorial Office by post or scanned copies of the hand-signed forms can be e-mailed.

Reporting checklists: Completed applicable checklists and appropriate documentation (flow diagram etc.) should be uploaded with your submission.

ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments)

CARE (for preparing reporting case reports that to provide more complete and transparent reporting for brief reports manuscripts. Consider the CARE manuscript template available on their site)

CONSORT Statement (for reporting of randomized controlled trials: please use the appropriate extension to the CONSORT statement, including the extension for writing abstracts)

MOOSE (for reporting of meta-analyses of observational studies). Cephalalgia Reports requires a copy of this completed checklist for meta-analyses of observational studies. Upload the document along with your manuscript submission. Download the MOOSE checklist

PRISMA (for reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials).

SQUIRE (for reporting improvements in quality and safety of care)

STARD (for reporting of diagnostic accuracy studies)

STREGA (for reporting of gene-disease association studies) STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association studies – an extension of the STROBE statement

STROBE (for reporting of observational studies in epidemiology) Checklist for cohort case-control, and cross-sectional studies

6.3 Methodological/ Statistical Guidelines

Percentages: Report percentages to maximal of one decimal place (i.e., XX.X%). In studies with <300 participants it is recommended to show full numbers (i.e., XX%).

P values: In the Methods section, please indicate whether you have calculated two- or one-tailed P values and which cut-off you have set for statistical significance. Please report all P values. Showing “n.s.” for not significant is not acceptable. For P values between 0.001 and 0.10, please report the value with three decimal places. For P values greater than 0.10, please report P values with two decimal places. For P values less than 0.001, report as “P<0.001.” Exceptions are genome-wide association studies. Do not only show P values for group differences but show the appropriate effect measure (i.e., relative risk, absolute risk, difference of means etc.).

Relative risk estimates: Show all relative risk estimates with appropriate (i.e., 95%) confidence intervals. Do not show more than two decimal places. In smaller studies, there is often only power to show one decimal place.

The term relative risk is often used as a generic term for odds ratios, hazard ratios, or rate ratios. We encourage using the precise term depending on the model used to calculate the relative risk measure (i.e., odds ratio for logistic regression models, hazard ratio for Cox proportional hazard models). If you use the term “relative risk” as a generic term, please indicate in the Methods section what relative risk stands for (i.e., we used a logistic regression model to calculate odds ratios as a measure of the relative risk).

Absolute event rate: Please indicate in the Table(s) or text how many people had the outcome event(s) of interest according to the exposure or intervention status. In other words, do not show just the relative risk estimate or proportions without showing how many people went into the calculation.

Absolute risks: Please consider showing absolute risk (i.e., risk difference, attributable risk, etc.) in addition to showing relative risk estimates. Often relative risk are large when there is only a small absolute effect (i.e., in setting were either the exposure or the outcome are rare), which can lead to over interpretation of findings. On the other hand, please keep in mind that absolute effects assume causality in a specific setting when interpreting absolute effect estimates. So, caution should be used before making strong inference, in particular from observational research (i.e., XX% of the outcome events are explained by the exposure or XX% of the outcome can be avoided when the exposure is eliminated).

Trend: use the word trend only when you have tested a trend across a specific variable (i.e., dose response) and report an appropriate P value for trend.

Model building: We discourage the use of “stepwise” or automated selection procedure methods (i.e., such as forward or backward selection procedures) to build multivariable models. Exceptions are studies aiming to build prediction or prognostic models or studies that are set up to generate hypotheses for subsequent research (i.e., hypothesis generating studies, data mining, etc.). Regardless of the approach, the authors should clearly state in the Methods section how a multivariable model was built.

Subgroup analyses: It is encouraged to limit the number of subgroup (or stratified) analyses. Subgroup analyses should be pre-specified and based on biological or clinical plausibility. P values of appropriate test for interaction should be provided. The inclusion of any not pre-specified subgroup or stratified analyses must be accompanied by a correction for multiple comparisons (e.g., Bonferroni).

Missing data: Please report the amount of missing data and how you dealt with this.

6.4 Writing your paper

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

6.5 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.

Title page
The title should be concise with no abbreviations. Please provide the surname, initials, department, institution, city and country of each author, and the name, email address, full mailing address, telephone number and fax number of the corresponding author. List six to eight keywords.

Abstract
The second page of the manuscript must contain only the abstract or summary. Given that Cephalalgia Reports is a journal devoted to headache and facial pain, readers are familiar with these diseases. Generally, please avoid platitudes such as "migraine is a disabling disease and/or affects a high percentage of people" in the abstract and throughout the manuscript. The journal author guidelines require a structured abstract using 3 or 4 paragraphs without cite of references or abbreviations. Word count is not more than 250 words.

Any papers received without a structured abstract will be returned to the corresponding author.

6.6 Clinical relevance bullet points

In order to ensure that your research is of interest to as wide an audience as possible it is important that you provide two to five bullet points summarizing your manuscript. Bullet points are fragment sentences and not paragraphs.

If your article is clinically based use bullet points with either one of these headings: Clinical Implications or Public Health Relevance. The bullet point box is created by the publisher once the manuscript is accepted and sent to Production. Use bullet points with headings such as Article Highlights or Key Findings for research that is basic science based.

Please include the manuscript bullet points in the main body of the manuscript after the conclusion and prior to the reference list. The authors are required to provide the same bullet points during Step 5 of the manuscript submission process.

6.7 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.

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.

6.8 Reference style

Cephalalgia Reports operates a Sage Vancouver reference style. Click here to review the guidelines on Sage Vancouver to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you should download the Sage Vancouver EndNote output file.

Please include only one reference list. The source for any table and/or figures should be included in the main reference list and not as separate references. 

All tables and figures should be numbered consecutively and cited in the text as Table 1, Table 2 etc. or Figure 1, Figure 2 etc. (Table and Figure should be spelled out in full, not abbreviated).

Examples: figures/tables should be referenced in the text as follows:
Figure 1, or Figures 1 and 2, or Figures 2 to 4, or Figure 1(a) and (b), or Figure 2(a) to (c).
Table 1, or Table 2 and 2, or Table 2 t o4, or Table 1(a) and (b), or Table 2(a) to(c).
Where the figure citation is not part of the sentence it should be placed in parentheses.

6.9 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.

Back to top

7. Submitting your manuscript

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you carefully read and adhere to all the guidelines and instructions to authors provided below. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned to your Author Center.

Specifically, please upload the elements of the manuscripts as single file(s) and in the correct format using the file extension guide herein below:

Document Files: .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .rtf.  

Image Files:  .PDF, .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .tiff.           

Follow these recommendations to ensure that your files will properly convert to HTML and PDF:

Videos: .mp4, .mov

Follow these recommendations to ensure that your files will properly convert to HTML and PDF:

Files

• File names do not include special characters, i.e., no ASCII;
• File names are less than 20 characters long;
• File names follow a simple format, i.e., "mymanuscript.doc".

Documents

• Do not embed fonts;
• Remove macros;
• Remove hyperlinks from the main body;
• Remove Field Codes (placeholders in Microsoft Word for data that might change in a document);
• Verify your spreadsheet files only have single tab;
• Reminder, use short file names without symbols.

Images

• Remove thumbnails from image files;
• Verify your images are in single, flattened layer (e.g., no multi-pages TIFs);
• Images must arrive as 300 dpi.

Videos

.mp4, .mov

Cephalalgia Reports is hosted on Sage Track, a web based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/reports 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.

Submitting a new manuscript through the online system:

When making a submission, the following separate, unpaginated documents should be uploaded. The lines should not be numbered as this occurs within the online pdf. Please do not submit one combined document. The separate files will be combined into a pdf in the online system.

1. Title page (title, names of authors, affiliations, keywords, corresponding author)
2. Main document (includes structured abstract, main text, acknowledgements, references)
3. Tables (each as a separate Word document)
4. Figure legends follow the reference list
5. Figures (as separate tiff, jpg or eps files)
6. Any supplementary files

Submitting a Revision:
Authors submitting revised manuscripts should follow the submission instructions available in the Author Centre and submit through the Sage track system. To create a revision, go to the ‘Manuscripts with Decisions’ option in your Author Dashboard and select ‘create a revision in the ‘Action’ column. The main body of the revised manuscript should arrive in tracked changes. Enter the Response to Reviewers in the database. The authors should upload a separate file that is labeled Response to Reviewers as a supporting document. It is recommended the authors upload a clean version with all tracked changes accepted as a supporting document file. Should the revised manuscript include a change in authorship please include an Author change form to ensure that all authors are in agreement for the change in authorship.

7.1 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 persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher 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 recognised.

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.

Find the ORCID IDs of the Editorial Board here.

7.2 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). The authors are requested to include a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief of Cephalalgia Reports.

7.3 Corresponding author contact details

Provide full contact details for the corresponding author including email, mailing address and telephone numbers. Academic affiliations are required for all co-authors. These details should be presented separately to the main text of the article to facilitate anonymous peer review.

7.4 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

Back to top

8. On acceptance and publication

If your paper is accepted for publication after peer review, you will first be asked to complete the contributor’s publishing agreement. Once your manuscript files have been checked for Sage Production, the corresponding author will be asked to pay the article processing charge (APC) via a payment link. Once the APC has been processed, your article will be prepared for publication and can appear online within an average of approximately 30 days. Please note that no production work will occur on your paper until the APC has been received.

8.1 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. 

8.2 Online publication

One of the many benefits of publishing your research in an open access journal is the speed to publication. With no page count constraints, your article will be published online in a fully citable form with a DOI number as soon as it has completed the production process. At this time, it will be completely free to view and download for all.

8.3 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.

Back to top

9. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Cephalalgia Reports editorial office as follows:

Wendy Krank
Managing Editor
Cephalalgia Reports Editorial Office
Email: editorial.cephalalgia@gmail.com

Back to top