InnovAiT

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: InnovAiT

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

Please read the guidelines below then visit the Journal’s submission site http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/innovait 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 InnovAiT will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal.

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.

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

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 Declaration of conflicting interests
   2.5 Research ethics and patient consent
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
4. Preparing your manuscript
   4.1 Journal Style
   4.2 Formatting
   4.3 Boxes, figures, tables and pictures
   4.4 Supplementary material
   4.5 Reference style
   4.6 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 Short summary
   6.2 Sage Production
   6.3 Online First publication
   6.4 Access to your published article
   6.5 Promoting your article
7. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

Before submitting your manuscript to InnovAiT, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.

InnovAiT welcomes contributions from health and social care professionals based on subjects that would be relevant to our readership of Associates in Training (AiTs) of the Royal College of General Practitioners and GPs. Developed to support AiTs from entry into specialist training to qualification, InnovAiT promotes excellence in primary care through quality education.

1.2 Article Types

1.2.1 Feature Articles

Feature articles are aimed at GPs in training. It is important that they are easy to read, give the AiTs a strategy for dealing with problems/situations that they might encounter during the course of their work in primary care, provide an accurate and full knowledge base on the topic, and are closely linked to the GP curriculum.

Feature Articles Format

Articles should be between 2,000 and 5,000 words in length (4-5 pages of A4 12 font) and use summary boxes, flow charts, tables and pictures to illustrate the text and highlight the most important points for the readers. We will reject articles over 5,000 words in length without sending them out for review. The word count should include the references, tables, boxes and figure legends.

Articles should be written with five main sections:

1. Introduction - a single paragraph summarising the topic and aims of the article (maximum 100 words). Please do not use a heading for this section. References in the introductory paragraph should be avoided.
2. Main section covering the topic material - please use headings and subheadings to break the text up. We have just two heading levels – we will reject your article without sending it out for review if you introduce any more.
3. Include at least one brief clinical case scenario that will resonate with cases encountered in general practice and hence the kind of scenarios that may be included within the CSA exam (see example below). The clinical case scenario can serve to illustrate how the article informs management of the case presented usually in line with knowledge and skills of the relevant RCGP curriculum topic guide. Further examples of clinical case scenarios can be found in the RCGP Curriculum Topic Guides. The intention is that these clinical case scenarios will prompt independent discussion and learning using the article to inform these activities. This intention is made clear on the contents page of the journal.
4. Key points - these should summarize the major learning points from the article in the form of 5-6 brief bullet points. We will reject your article without sending it out for review if there is no key points box or if your article has more than six key points. Key points should be single sentences.
5. References and further information - these should include all the key references for the topic and their sources, and additional sources of information that may be helpful to the reader

Clinical case scenario

Case study

James, a 14-year-old boy, attends your morning surgery with his parents. On reviewing his record, you discover that he has been diagnosed recently with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) affecting both his knees and hips.

His parents are seeking further information from you regarding the condition, management and prognosis, as the shock of the diagnosis during their initial hospital consultation meant that they could not take in much information at the time of diagnosis. James asks you if the illness will affect his ambition to become a professional footballer – before he became unwell, he had just been selected to play for the county junior team but is now struggling to walk because of his joint pain. James' parents tell you they have stopped him from playing any sport, fearful he will damage his health

 1.2.2 Case Studies

InnovAiT welcomes brief case studies. Please use the format outlined below and submit via Sage track (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/innovait). A separate title page should also be submitted which should contain the title, name and affiliation of each author. Corresponding authors should also include their email addresses.

This separate title page document should be given the file designation of ‘Title Page’ when you upload your manuscript.

To facilitate the journal's double-blinded peer review policy, the manuscript file should contain no identifying author information.

We are happy to accept both real and fictional case studies. If the study is fictional this must be stated in the article. If it is based upon a real patient the journal requires that permission is obtained from the patient or patient’s relatives for submission of the case study for potential publication. This must be obtained before submission of the manuscript and the authors must state this in their submission letter and provide a copy of the written permission statement. If photographs of the patient, in any form, are used a specific signed permission statement from the patient must be obtained and a copy of this submitted with the manuscript. Failure to comply with this will result in rejection of the manuscript

Case Studies Format

Title (maximum 5 words):

Case history (history, examination and investigations - maximum 350 words)

Discussion (maximum 400 words)

1.2.3 Short Articles

Short articles should be between 1000 and 2000 words in length. This format is intended to allow for publication of brief articles on a wide variety of topics without the need for headings, references or a set structure. Examples include reports (conferences, courses), patient experience, reflective pieces, training exchanges, career options and anything with relevance to training, career choices and learning opportunities.

1.2.4 Book Reviews

The Editors of InnovAiT are pleased to receive book reviews. Please use the template which is available below and submit via Sage track (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/innovait). A separate title page should also be submitted which should include your title, name and affiliation. This separate title page document should be given the file designation of ‘Title Page’ when you upload your manuscript.

To facilitate the journal's double-blinded peer review policy, the manuscript file should contain no identifying author information.

INO Book Review Template

1.2.5 Audit Reports

Title:

Background:

Explanation of why you chose this subject, including clinical need, relevant evidence-based guidance. Describe the context of the audit, e.g. the demographics of your practice population.

Standard:

Set out the standards against which you compared care within your clinical environment. Standards may arise through national or local guidelines, or simply have been agreed within the practice – if it is not immediately obvious, explain why the standard was chosen.

Design:

Describe how you collected the data.

Audit results:

Set out your results, using appropriate tables or graphs.

Intervention:

Describe what you are going to do, in light of the results, to make a change.  Explain the reasons for choosing this method.

Re-audit results:

Completion of the audit cycle should ideally involve re-audit, to try to demonstrate an effective change.  In this section the re-audit process should be briefly described and, most importantly, it should be shown whether your intervention has made a difference.

Discussion:

In this section, reflect on the entirety of the audit, including its success (or otherwise) in terms of the process or outcomes.  Points to be considered include: Were there any barriers and how did you overcome these?  How did you feel about the process?  How did the findings relate to your pre-identified clinical need and what is their clinical relevance?  What are the implications for clinical practice?

References:

Please supply a maximum of 10 key references, in particular any references from which your audit standards have been derived.

WORD COUNT: Maximum of 2000 words.

1.3 Writing your paper

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

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

InnovAiT operates a strictly anonymous (double-blinded) peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author and, the author’s name from the reviewer. The reviewer may at their own discretion opt to reveal their name to the author in their review but our standard policy practice is for both identities to remain concealed. 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 4-6 weeks of submission.

When submitting your article in Sage track, you will be given the opportunity to select the main topic of your manuscript. It is important that you choose a category from the drop-down menu. This will ensure that your article is sent to the correct reviewer.

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. 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.

2.3 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.

[FOR SINGLE BLIND JOURNALS: 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.]

[FOR DOUBLE BLIND JOURNALS: Please supply any personal acknowledgements separately to the main text to facilitate anonymous peer review.]

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.

2.4 Declaration of conflicting interests

InnovAiT encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.

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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

InnovAiT 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.

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4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

4.1 Journal Style

Please see section 1.2 (Article Types) for specific instructions regarding the style of individual article types.

Title page
A separate title page should contain the title, name and affiliation of each author. Corresponding authors should also include their email addresses.
This separate title page document should be given the file designation of ‘Title Page’ when you upload your manuscript. 

Text
To facilitate the journal's double-blinded peer review policy, the manuscript file should contain no identifying author information.
Articles must not be written in note format and will not be accepted until they are in prose form. It is acceptable to use bullet points in the main text to make specific points clearer, but we cannot accept whole sections consisting simply of bullet points. Single sentence paragraphs must not be included.

Numbers under 10 should be spelt out, except for measurements with a unit (8 mmol/l) or age (7 weeks old)

Define all abbreviations used within the text.

Use words rather than mathematical symbols i.e. less than 12cm (not <12 cm).

We have a ‘reference-light’ policy and will not accept articles with every statement referenced. However, the source of statistics, guidelines, and any contentious statements should be referenced in text.
If you refer to a specific reference in the text, references with one or two authors should be cited within the article thus (Smith and Brown, 2011). When a work has three or more authors, use et al. 

Please do not use footnotes within the text.

NOTE: Cutting and pasting from other sources is illegal and a breach of copyright. We cannot publish any articles containing information copied directly from other sources, with the exception of limited quotes which should be referenced in-text and at the end of the article appropriately.

4.2 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.

4.3 Boxes, figures and tables

Except for the curriculum box and key points box, boxes, figures and tables must be referred to within the text. We will not accept stand-alone boxes, figures and tables. Any boxes, figures or tables that you wish to be included should be included at the end of the text with the preferred location indicated by a textual note (i.e. Insert Box 1 here). Number all boxes, figures and tables consecutively, as they should appear in the text.

All figures should be of the highest quality possible as reproduction reduces the quality.

Most figure file formats are acceptable, although TIFF is preferable.

Up to a total of six tables, figures or pictures are permitted for feature articles.

If diagrams, figures, tables, assessment tools or pictures are not original, the source of those items must be stated so that the editorial office may seek permission for their use. Please ensure as much information as possible about the source of the material is included.

Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article. 

4.4 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.

4.5 Reference style

The journal uses the Sage Harvard reference style. 

1. Initials should be used without spaces or full points.

2. Up to three authors may be listed. If more are provided, then list the first three authors and represent the rest by et al.

Please refer to the website below for further information: 
https://studysites.uk.sagepub.com/repository/binaries/pdf/Sage_Harvard_reference_style.pdf

The number of references should be limited to 30.

If no DOI is assigned to the content and you retrieved it online, include the URL for the journal. Use this format: Retrieved from www:xxxxxxxx 
Free DOI lookup 
The CrossRef website provides a number of ways for you to locate a DOI.

Website references: 

National Center for Professional Certification (2002) Factors affecting organizational climate and retention. Available at: www.cwla.org./programmes/triechmann/2002fbwfiles (accessed 10 July 2010).

4.6 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

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

Please Note: InnovAiT conducts blinded peer-review. When uploading your manuscript you will need to upload a manuscript file with no identifying author information (designate as Main Document) and a separate title page (designate as Title Page) with author details. The title page should include the title, name and affiliation of each author. The corresponding author should also include their email address.

Upload as many files as needed for your manuscript in groups of three or fewer. These files will be combined into a single PDF document for the peer review process (your Title Page will not be included in the PDF file). In addition to the title page and main document you will also have the opportunity to upload colour figures, black and white figures, supplementary material and tables separately.

Authors submitting revised manuscripts should follow the instructions above to 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. Revised text should be highlighted in the text, and authors of all revised submissions should, when prompted, provide information explaining the changes in your manuscript as this will be provided to reviewers.

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).

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.

InnovAiT has its own Twitter account @RCGP_InnovAiT.

As a way of encouraging ongoing discussion within the field, InnovAiT authors are offered the option of providing their Twitter handle to be published alongside their name and email address within their article. These way InnovAiT readers who have questions or thoughts regarding your paper can tweet you directly. Providing a Twitter handle for publication is entirely optional, if you are not comfortable with InnovAiT promoting your article along with your personal Twitter handle then please do not supply it.

By providing your personal twitter handle you agree to let InnovAiT and Sage Publications use it in any posts related to your journal article. You may also be contacted by other Twitter users. InnovAiT and Sage Publications will have no control over you or your tweets at any time. If you would like guidance on how to promote your article yourself on Twitter or other Social Media channels please visit the promote your article page on the author gateway. The RCGP Social Media Highway Code which can be found here http://www.rcgp.org.uk/social-media.

To include your Twitter handle within your article please provide this within the Sage Track Submission form when prompted and on the separate title page in the format outlined below (please refrain from adding this to the manuscript itself to facilitate anonymous peer review).

Dr Joe Bloggs
GPST2 Trainee, Narnia GP Training Scheme
Email: JoeBloggs@email.com
Twitter: @drjoebloggs via @RCGP_InnovAiT

5.3 Permissions

If diagrams, figures, tables, assessment tools or pictures are not original, the source of those items must be stated so that the editorial office may seek permission for their use. Non-original figures without this information cannot be printed. Please ensure as much information as possible about the source of the material is included.

If the material you would like to reproduce is from a book please supply the following information:

Publisher
Book title
Authors' names
Volume number, issue date, page numbers (provide all that apply)
Specific figure numbers or portion of text
Non-original figures without this information cannot be printed.

Use of copyright-protected material

Please only include material from national guidelines, academic journals, books and reputable websites.

Due to strict copyright restrictions (or cost) we are unable to reproduce material from the following websites:

• American Academy of Family Physicians
• Continuing Medical Education
• DermNet NZ
• Endocrine Society
• Medscape  
• Netter images
• NICE
• Patient UK
• Personal blogs
• Radiopaedia.org
• The American Academy of Opthalmology
• WebMD

Apart from in exceptional circumstances agreed with the InnovAiT Editorial Office, please limit the number of copyright-protected material used per article to three items. For example, three figures or three tables.

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 Short summary

InnovAiT includes a short summary of all its feature articles on the InnovAiT blog page when the print-issue of the journal that the article will appear in is published. Summaries should be under 200 words in length and designed to provide an overview of the content of the article. Authors of successful submissions to InnovAiT will be asked to produce a summary on acceptance of their article.

6.2 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. 

6.3 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.

6.4 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.5 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 InnovAiT editorial office as follows:

Margaret Searle
Editorial Manager, InnovAiT
Email: editorialoffice@innovaitjournal.co.uk