Information for Authors and Journal Policies

ARTICLE TYPES ...... 2 Prepublication Embargo ...... 11 Original Investigations ...... 2 Copyright...... 11 Case Series ...... 2 Article Access ...... 12 Clinical Trial ...... 2 Open Access User Licenses ...... 12 Decision Analysis or Cost-Effectiveness Open Access Publication Fee ...... 12 Analysis ...... 2 Compliance With NIH Public Access Policy . 12 Diagnostic Test Study...... 2 Article Preproofs ...... 12 Observational Study ...... 2 Article Proofs ...... 12 Quality Improvement Study ...... 3 Page Charges ...... 12 Systematic Review or Meta-analysis...... 3 Color Reproduction Charges ...... 12 Research Letters ...... 3 Share Link and Reprints ...... 13 Case Reports ...... 4 Retained Author Rights ...... 13 Features ...... 4 CrossMark and Digital Preservation ...... 13 Editorial ...... 4 OTHER EDITORIAL POLICIES ...... 13 In a Few Words ...... 4 Ethics in Publishing...... 13 Review ...... 4 Review Policy ...... 13 Perspective ...... 4 Quiz………………………………………………4 Author Appeal Policy ...... 13 Special Report ...... 5 Conflict of Interest Policy ...... 13 OTHER CONTENT ...... 5 Potential Author COIs ...... 13 Letters to the Editor ...... 5 Potential Reviewer COIs ...... 14 Custom Features ...... 5 Potential Editor COIs ...... 14 SUBMISSION POLICIES ...... 5 Correction Policy ...... 14 Originality ...... 5 Misconduct Handling Policy ...... 14 Related Submissions ...... 5 Complaint Policy ...... 14 Presubmission Dissemination ...... 5 Advertising Policy ...... 14 Reuse of Copyrighted Material ...... 6 Supplement Policy ...... 15 Authorship ...... 6 Potential Conflicts of Interest for Authors...... 6 EDITORIAL OFFICE CONTACT INFORMATION

Support ...... 6 Office E-mail: [email protected] Financial Disclosure ...... 7 Direct Line to Managing Editor Nijsje Dorman: Other Disclosures ...... 7 +1 215-746-4467 Patient/Participant Protections ...... 7 The AJKD Editorial Office is based at the Center for Clinical Trial Registration ...... 8 Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman Data Sharing ...... 8 School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Research and Publication Integrity ...... 8 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDANCE ..... 9 American Journal of Kidney Diseases Title Page ...... 9 Print ISSN: 0272-6386 Manuscript Body...... 9 Electronic ISSN: 1523-6838 Abstract ...... 9 Units of Measurement ...... 10 Key updates to this document in 2020: • Policy on prior dissemination updated (preprints Reporting P Values ...... 10 identified as an exception) Reference Style ...... 10 • Patient protection policies for Case Reports Tables and Figures...... 10 clarified • Document reorganized to better distinguish MANUSCRIPT CONSIDERATION PROCESS 10 mandatory policies from style preferences not Standard Consideration Process ...... 10 obligatory for initial submission AJKD Express (Expedited Consideration) ...... 11 • Information added about preproof publication AFTER ACCEPTANCE ...... 11

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

The American Journal of Kidney Diseases, requires that the study protocol (with any published monthly by Elsevier on behalf of the amendments identified with date) be included in the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), serves clinicians initial submission as part of the confidential review and scientists who treat and investigate kidney process (publication of the protocol as disease and associated conditions. AJKD is supplementary material or its availability for data dedicated to providing high-quality, clinically relevant sharing would be at the authors’ discretion). information in the form of original research articles, For randomized controlled trials, authors should case reports, and a rich variety of educational include a CONSORT flowchart and follow the CON- features. SORT guidelines matching the study design, eg: ARTICLE TYPES • Trial With Parallel Group Design (more info) Original Investigations • Cluster-Randomized Trial Original Investigations may evaluate pathogenesis, • Noninferiority and Equivalence Trial consequences, and treatment of kidney disease; • Pragmatic Trial kidney transplantation and dialysis therapies; and • Trial of Nonpharmacologic Treatment disorders of blood pressure and electrolyte and acid- • Trial With Patient-Reported Outcomes base balance. Manuscripts must focus on clinical • N-of-1 Trial (more info) research; laboratory studies are suitable only if they Authors should consider following the TIDieR are directly linked to measurements or outcomes in guidance to describe the intervention. If appropriate, humans. Criteria for review include validity, clinical authors should follow CONSORT’s recommendations importance, and interest. An expedited consideration for reporting of harms. pathway, AJKD Express, is available for select For nonrandomized trials evaluating behavioral manuscripts redirected from high-profile and public health interventions, authors should publications. follow the TREND guidelines. An Original Investigation includes a structured Because adopting a shared set of key trial abstract of up to 300 words and is limited to 3,500 outcomes can help prevent selective reporting and words (excluding abstract, references, the article facilitate comparisons and pooling of results across information section, tables, and figure legends); trials, AJKD recommends authors determine most Original Investigations have no more than 50 whether there is a core outcome set relevant to their references and 8 figures/tables/boxes in total. The trial; if so, AJKD encourages authors to include such body of the manuscript is organized into Introduction, outcomes in their trial or briefly mention the rationale Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. for not adopting them. The COMET Initiative maintains Further information on subtypes of Original a searchable database of core outcome sets. Investigation, organized alphabetically by study Decision Analysis or Cost-Effectiveness Analysis design, is provided in the remainder of this section. An analysis that weighs choices in clinical care by Authors should follow the listed reporting guidelines modeling the projected consequences of different or consult materials at the Equator Network for strategies to identify the optimal choice and/or to guidance. Also, if reporting company-sponsored inform clinical decision making or public policy. research, authors should consult the Good Authors should follow the recommendations of the Publication Practice recommendations (GPP3). For Second Panel on Cost Effectiveness in Health and studies using laboratory testing of biomarkers, AJKD Medicine (JAMA 2016) or the CHEERS guidelines to endorses following the recommendations of the report economic evaluations of health interventions. Consortium of Laboratory Medicine Journal Editors. Diagnostic Test Study Case Series A study that compares the performance of 2 or A description of the clinical course of 11 or more more diagnostic tests or strategies. Authors should actual individuals with a condition of interest. A case follow the STARD guidelines. series typically focuses on the description of Observational Study variations in clinical presentation and, unlike an Cohort, Case-Control, Cross-sectional, Case-Cohort, observational study, does not pursue evaluation of and Ecological Studies research hypotheses. These studies observe and describe individuals or Clinical Trial patients based on their exposure to a potential risk An experimental study that assesses the effect of factor or an intervention with the purpose of an intervention or compares the effects of 2 or more assessing the validity of research hypotheses. In interventions. AJKD requires clinical trials to be contrast to a trial, investigators do not deliver an registered (see clinical trial registration policy) and

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies intervention or manipulate its use; ie, they do not Systematic Review or Meta-analysis assign patients to treatment or control groups. A systematic review follows an explicit protocol to Authors should follow the STROBE guidelines (more systematically identify, appraise, and synthesize the info), using the appropriate checklist for the design: findings of studies that address a similar question; a • Cohort Study meta-analysis (a quantitative synthesis of the results • Case-Control Study of the systematic review) is preferred whenever possible. • Cross-sectional Study For case-cohort studies, authors may wish to Authors should include a PRISMA flow diagram to review Sharp et al (PLOS One 2014) for reporting report study yield and selection (if relevant, the suggestions. format should be adapted according to the specific reporting guidelines being followed). For ecological studies, authors may wish to review Dufault and Klar (Am J Epidemiol 2011) for reporting In addition, authors should consult the PRISMA suggestions. guidelines (more info) and the MOOSE guidelines, along with relevant extensions (see below). For systematic Genetic Association Study reviews/meta-analyses of health care interventions, A study that investigates associations between authors should be sure to evaluate risk of bias in the genetic factors and clinical measurements or included studies (eg, using the tools at riskofbias.info). disease outcomes. Authors should follow the For meta-analyses of gene-disease association STREGA guidelines. studies, AJKD encourages authors to review the Prediction Study following resources: the Human Genome Epidemiology A study that describes the development or use of a Network Review Handbook, Evangelou & Ioannidis (Nat model designed to estimate risk of reaching a Rev Genet 2013), and Sagoo et al (PLOS Med 2009). specific clinical end point within a defined period of For systematic reviews of prediction model studies, time. Prediction models may also be referred to as authors should use the PROBAST tool (more info) to prognostic (or predictive) indices, rules, tools, or assess these studies’ risk of bias and applicability. instruments. Authors should follow the TRIPOD guidelines (more info); for risk prediction models For synthesis of primary qualitative studies involving genetic risk factors, authors should consult (including by thematic synthesis, meta-ethnography, the GRIPS guidelines (more info). and critical interpretive synthesis) authors should report the approach for conducting the literature Qualitative Study search and selection, appraisal, and synthesis of A study used to gain an understanding about findings in accordance with the ENTREQ framework. people’s behaviors, attitudes, and values. Qualitative approaches include focus groups, in-depth or semi- For systematic reviews and meta-analyses of structured interviews, observations, or document individual participant data, authors should follow the analysis. For qualitative research based on PRISMA-IPD guidelines. interviews and focus groups, authors should follow For network meta-analyses, authors should follow the COREQ guidelines. the PRISMA network meta-analysis extension. Registry or Health Care Database Study Authors of systematic reviews should prospectively A study using routinely collected health or health register study protocols at the PROSPERO care administrative data that seeks to draw international registry, reporting the registration number inferences about patterns of health care delivery, at the end of the abstract. Authors submitting clinical decision making, and their relationship to systematic reviews that were not prospectively health outcomes. Authors may wish to review the registered must explain why; the editors will take this RECORD guidelines for reporting suggestions. information into consideration when deciding whether to grant an exception to the registration Quality Improvement Study requirement. A description of an initiative conducted to improve quality of care. The purpose of quality improvement Research Letters studies is to modify human activities and not to Research Letters report findings relevant to clinical produce new, generalizable knowledge. practice or research in a concise format comprising Improvement interventions are often adjusted in up to 800 words of body text, 10 references, and a response to outcomes. These studies do not typically total of 2 figures or tables. Criteria for review include address the mechanisms through which validity, clinical importance, and interest. Research interventions work. Authors should follow the Letters include an introduction, brief methods, key SQUIRE guidelines (more info). results, and a discussion, but no subheadings are used. Authors should use online supplementary

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies material for detailed methods or supporting data. patient will need to sign the journal’s consent form Reports of cases are not suitable as Research prior to publication. For images selected for Letters. publication, the copyright will remain with the creator, Case Reports who will be asked to grant Elsevier a nonexclusive Case Reports present interesting, rare, and/or license to reproduce the work. novel situations that bring to the attention of the Review experienced practitioner and others newly described An authoritative exploration of a clinical, clinical presentations, diagnostic dilemmas, or translational, or basic science topic of interest to treatment responses that provide insights into practitioners. Clinically focused Reviews should mechanisms of disease. Criteria for review include describe the treatment, diagnosis, or pathogenesis clinical importance, originality, and the clarity of the of a disease process or its complications, case presentation. Limited to 1,500 words of body emphasizing recent advances in the field. Articles text and requiring an unstructured abstract (150-200 pertaining to basic science topics should give words), most Case Reports have no more than 20 particular attention to cellular and molecular references and 2 figures/tables/boxes in total. The mechanisms of disease and their relation to format comprises an Introduction, Case Report, and diagnostic approaches or therapeutic applications. Discussion. Criteria for review include clinical relevance, In preparing Case Reports, authors should consult comprehensiveness, and balance. These articles the CARE guidelines, with the understanding that are limited to 3,500 words of body text; an certain items may not apply to all reports of cases. unstructured abstract (150-200 words) is required, and most Reviews have no more than 80 references. Authors must ensure that Case Reports comply The editors encourage the use of figures, tables, and with AJKD’s policies regarding Patient/Participant boxes (up to 8 in total) to help convey the central Protections. concepts. Features Perspective AJKD features are designed to strengthen An in-depth discussion of an issue of significance knowledge in the field of nephrology and to provide to the nephrology community that may be based in physicians with information enhancing their ability to part on the author’s opinions or professional provide patients the highest standard of care. experiences. Rarely, a Perspective may present new Feature types for which ad hoc submissions are descriptive data used to support an opinion (data considered are described in this section. included to substantiate a conclusion related to a Editorial research hypothesis is not permitted). Criteria for A focused commentary and narrative analysis review include originality, rigor of argument, and concerning a current issue in nephrology. Editorials clinical relevance. Perspectives are limited to 3,000 are limited to 1,500 words of body text and 1 figure, words of body text and 4 figures/tables/boxes in total; table, or box; in most cases, editorials have no more an unstructured abstract (150-200 words) is than 20 references. required, and most Perspectives will have no more Authors of Editorials discussing issues of payment than 70 references. policy, social policy, demographics, politics, and Quiz ethics should select the “Policy Forum” An educational feature that allows readers to test Section/Category during manuscript submission. their knowledge of unusual but clinically important In a Few Words diagnostic or therapeutic problems. Cases may An evocative work that illuminates the personal focus on evaluation of clinical findings, interpretation experiences and stories that define kidney disease. of laboratory values, or assessment of pathologic Submissions may be in the form of a nonfiction material or radiologic images. The first section narrative essay (up to 1,000 words); poetry; or a includes a brief description of the case (200 words or striking image with explanatory caption (100-200 fewer), a maximum of 4 figures/tables, and 1-4 brief words; images may not include recognizable faces). questions that help elucidate the underlying problem. Select images may be published as a journal cover An answer to each question, further information rather than within the feature. regarding the clinical entity, and a brief statement of Submissions from physicians, allied health the final diagnosis are provided in the discussion professionals, patients, or family members are section, which may include an additional 2-4 figures, welcome. Details may be omitted to preserve patient tables, or boxes, and in most cases has no more confidentiality, but fictionalized depictions may not than 400 words and 5 references. be included. If a patient may be identifiable, the Authors must ensure that all Quizzes comply with

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

AJKD’s policies regarding Patient/Participant subject to forfeiture of acceptance, if applicable, or Protections. editorial action including, but not limited to disclosure Special Report of violations to relevant entities (employers, funding An article summarizing a scientific workshop or the agencies, etc) and/or the wider public via publication conclusions of a working group. Criteria for of an erratum, editorial, editorial expression of consideration as a Special Report include the concern, or retraction. reputation and stature of the organizing entity; for Originality initiatives that are not yet well established, a Related Submissions Perspective may be a more suitable article type. When submitting a manuscript to AJKD, authors Criteria for review include the importance and must confirm that the manuscript is not under active clinical relevance of the issue addressed, timeliness, consideration elsewhere, and must provide the novelty and anticipated impact of the confidential copies of related manuscripts. conclusions, and the appropriateness of the authors’ Presubmission Dissemination expertise and backgrounds for the scope of the General Policies article. In general, manuscripts are not considered for If a report of a conference, the article should make publication if the article or its key features have clear the motivation, participants, sponsors, and already been disseminated in print or online. The scope of the meeting, and should specify if the exceptions to this policy comprise specific research conclusions are endorsed as an official position of uses: (1) printing or online posting of a dissertation the sponsor. For such submissions, the review or thesis; (2) abstracts published in connection with process will focus on making constructive scientific meetings; and (3) preprints. To avoid suggestions for placing the report in context, rather lessening priority for later publication, authors should than requesting changes to the not seek out press coverage of items 1-3, and if recommendations/outcomes of the conference. contacted by reporters, should not offer more detail Special Reports are limited to 4,000 words of body than already disseminated. Further requirements for text, and an unstructured abstract (150-200 words) item 3 are listed below. For other situations not is required; most reports have no more than 80 anticipated by items 1-3, authors should contact the references and 8 figures/tables/boxes in total. editorial office prior to submission to request a custom exception. OTHER CONTENT Preprint Policy Letters to the Editor Posting a manuscript as a preprint does not violate A Letter to the Editor responds to an article in AJKD AJKD’s originality policies provided the following and should not exceed 250 words of body text (up to conditions are met. The existence of the preprint, 5 references and 1 figure or table may also be including unique identifier or hyperlink, must be included) and 3 authors. Priority will be given to explicitly noted by authors when responding to the letters submitted within 4 weeks of the article’s date submission questions posed by the Editorial of online or print publication, whichever occurs first. Manager system; if the preprint is posted after the In exceptional circumstances where preliminary manuscript is submitted to AJKD, authors must notify observations may be of interest (eg, a health crisis the editorial office. The preprint may not be updated like the COVID-19 pandemic), Letters that are not based on the final AJKD publication or (assuming the AJKD linked to an article may be considered. manuscript is not rejected by AJKD) revised versions Custom Features of the AJKD manuscript. The preprint server must be Contributions to the Atlas of Renal Pathology, Core listed in the ASAPbio directory. The licensing terms Curriculum, In the Literature, and In Practice series applied to the preprint must be compatible with are typically by invitation only, but individuals who AJKD’s copyright (and, if relevant) open access wish to propose a topic may contact the editorial license agreements; if the terms require open access office. Other custom features, including clinical publishing, authors must be willing to pay the practice guidelines, guideline commentaries, and associated fee. If the manuscript posted as a preprint kidney disease surveillance reports, may is published by AJKD, the author must update the occasionally publish. preprint record to link to the final published article. SUBMISSION POLICIES The journal does not have a formal process to examine preprints and any associated comments as Submission of a manuscript is understood to signify that the authors have complied with all policies in this part of the peer-review and decision making document. Individuals who violate these policies are processes, but given that it is publicly accessible,

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies editors and reviewers may view this material during but also cover knowing which co-authors are manuscript evaluation. responsible for which other parts of the work, and Reuse of Copyrighted Material having confidence in the accuracy and integrity of Any text, figure, table, or data from other sources these co-authors. If questions arise about an aspect (including a thesis or dissertation) must be clearly of a study or article, the authors have a collective attributed. Except for articles solicited by the journal, responsibility to ensure the issue is resolved. for all borrowed material, authors are responsible for Any individual who does not qualify as an author applying for permission from the relevant but who contributed to the work described in the publisher(s) for both print and electronic rights and manuscript must be named in the Acknowledge- are responsible for paying any permissions fees. In ments. In particular, if medical writer(s)/editor(s) addition to providing proof of permission to the have been involved, their role must be explicitly editorial office, authors must include appropriate acknowledged, and their affiliation/source of funding wording in the figure legend or a table note to must be listed. Authors may also express thanks or indicate the source of the material. note assistance in the Acknowledgements. Authors Supplementary material is governed by the same are responsible for informing all those listed that they copyright transfer policies as the article; if are being mentioned in the manuscript and for supplementary material has been reproduced from obtaining their approval prior to publication. another source, the authors must provide For Original Investigations and Research Letters, a documentation granting permission for its reuse in brief description of the contribution of each individual AJKD. listed as an author must be provided, eg: To monitor compliance with the journal’s Authors’ Contributions: research idea and study requirements regarding attribution, accepted design: AB, CD, EFG; data acquisition: HIJ; data manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection analysis/interpretation: AB, EFG; statistical analysis: software. Consistent with the position of the US KL; supervision or mentorship: EFG, MN. Each author contributed important intellectual content during Office of Research Integrity, AJKD does not consider manuscript drafting or revision and agrees to be “limited use of identical or nearly-identical phrases personally accountable for the individual’s own which describe a commonly used methodology or contributions and to ensure that questions pertaining to previous research” to constitute plagiarism. the accuracy or integrity of any portion of the work, Authorship even one in which the author was not directly involved, The full name of each author and his/her affiliation are appropriately investigated and resolved, including with documentation in the literature if appropriate. must be listed on the title page of the manuscript. At their discretion, the editors may request this Each author must meet all 4 of the following information for other article types. conditions; moreover, each person fulfilling these conditions must be listed as an author. Potential Conflicts of Interest for Authors (1) the individual made a substantial contribution to AJKD’s conflict of interest (COI) policies generally conception and design of the work, to data follow those of the ICMJE Recommendations. Authors acquisition, to data analysis, or to data interpretation; must disclose all relationships that could be viewed and as a potential COI. Editors may use information in (2) the individual drafted the article and/or revised it for COI disclosures as the basis for editorial decisions. important intellectual content; and Support (3) the individual approved the submitted version of the Except for In a Few Words and Letters and their manuscript; and Replies, each article must report any support for the (4) the individual agrees to be personally accountable work described in the submission, whether directed for the individual’s own contributions and to ensure to an author or that individual’s institution. Types of that questions pertaining to the accuracy or integrity support include, but are not limited to: of any portion of the work, even one in which the author was not directly involved, are appropriately • grants, active or pending (including industry grants) investigated and resolved, including with • consulting fees or honoraria related to the study documentation in the literature if appropriate. • funding of travel related to the study If revision is requested, item 3 also applies to any • fees related to data monitoring boards, statistical revised submissions that contain substantive analysis, end point committees, etc changes relevant to the author’s contributions. Item • funds for writing or reviewing the manuscript 4 is intended to make clear that the responsibilities • nonmonetary support (eg, writing or administrative of authorship are not limited to direct accountability assistance), or provision of medicines or equipment for the parts of the work that the author performed, • employment

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

For research articles, authors should specify quality improvement activities) must comply with all whether or not the funders or their institution had any applicable research ethics requirements. In general, role in study design; collection, analysis, and the manuscript must include a statement that the interpretation of data; writing the report; and the research was approved by the appropriate research decision to submit the report for publication. Authors ethics committee (eg, an institutional review board must inform the editors if the sponsor imposed any [IRB]), quoting the approval number. However, if the limits on authors’ access to all of the study’s data; relevant ethics committee exempted the study from upon request, authors must confidentially share with the need for approval, the name of the committee the journal any such agreements. and its rationale for the exemption must be provided; For other article types, authors should specify in cases where authors cannot provide this whether or not the funders or their institution had a information, a detailed explanation must be supplied role in defining the content of the manuscript. for the editors’ consideration. In all cases, the Financial Disclosure research must have been conducted according to Each article except for In a Few Words must list principles having their origin in the Declaration of financial relationships between each author (or the Helsinki. Studies related to transplantation must author’s institution) and entities that did not support comply with the Declaration of Istanbul. Declarations the study, but that might reasonably be considered of research ethics compliance appear in the Methods to be relevant stakeholders. For manuscripts that section of Original Investigations, and in the body, discuss tests or treatments, relationships with supplementary material, or Article Information of entities offering alternatives to those tests or other article types. treatments are considered pertinent. The types of Authors of Case Reports should follow their relationships include, but are not limited to: institution’s policies about whether research ethics • patents (planned, pending, or issued) or royalties review is required. If such review is obligatory, the • employment or consultancy manuscript must include a statement about ethics • board membership review/approval. • payment or reimbursement of travel/accommodation Manuscripts reporting research studies (including expenses for expert testimony or lectures (including quality improvement activities) must either state that service on speakers’ bureaus) written, informed consent was obtained from all • stock/stock options participants or explain why individual-level informed • a first-degree relative with any such relationship consent was not obtained (eg, due to an IRB waiver). The disclosure must cover the 36 months prior to If investigators have potential COIs, these must be manuscript submission, unless there are prior disclosed to study participants, and a statement relationships that could reasonably represent or should be included in the manuscript to indicate that create the perception of a COI, such as long-term such disclosure was made. financial relationships that have now ended. If no Whenever possible, and regardless of the article financial COI is identified, a statement such as “Drs type, authors should avoid including any information X, Y, and Z declare that they have no relevant identifying individual patients or participants. If financial interests” must be included. In general, identifying information is necessary, the patient or however, authors should disclose information even participant (or legal representative) must be shown when there is a question as to whether a relationship the manuscript and sign a written publication consent constitutes a COI. form before publication. Authors may use the AJKD Other Disclosures form (Patient Consent for Publication of Identifying If there are relevant nonfinancial associations Material in AJKD), or may use another form that (personal, professional, political, institutional, contains equivalent elements. To preserve patient religious, or other) that may reasonably represent or confidentiality, these forms should be held by the create the perception of a COI related to the treating institution and must not be provided to submitted work, authors should include this AJKD. However, prior to acceptance, authors will be information in the “Enter Comments” text box required to attest that a signed form has been provided during the submission process. When obtained, and to provide a blank copy of the form if authors are uncertain about the need to disclose, the AJKD version was not used. they should err on the side of so doing. Since they typically include detailed case descriptions, Case Reports are generally considered Patient/Participant Protections to contain identifying information and therefore Authors of manuscripts reporting research studies publication consent must be obtained (see previous involving human participants or data (including paragraph). If it is the authors’ contention that formal

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies consent is not required because the manuscript text inspection, as detailed in the Research and Publication cannot identify the individual(s) concerned and any Integrity section); the requirement is simply that images are entirely anonymized (eg, pathology authors be transparent about their data sharing slides), then the authors must attest that this intentions. Data sharing statements should specify conclusion was verified by an appropriate authority the type of data that will be shared (eg, deidentified, at the authors’ institution and must specify the individual participant data underlying the results identity of this authority. Possible types of verification presented in the manuscript); whether other may be the ruling of a Privacy Officer that the documents will be available (eg, study protocol, magnitude of the risk of identifying the individual is statistical analysis plan, analytic code); if data will be negligible, or a waiver of the requirement for available, the start and end dates of this availability; authorization of disclosure of protected health with whom data will be shared (eg, anyone, information from a Privacy Board or an IRB. researchers with a methodologically sound Clinical Trial Registration proposal); the types of analyses to be allowed (eg, To help limit publication bias and to aid in the any, meta-analysis); and the procedure for identification of clinical trials for meta-analyses, requesting access. Authors are encouraged to AJKD requires authors of manuscripts pertaining to review the table in the ICMJE's publication regarding clinical trials to prospectively register their study in a data sharing for further detail on the type of public trials registry. AJKD defines a clinical trial as information to be included in data sharing statements any research project that prospectively assigns and possible wording of such statements. participants to an intervention (with or without a Clinical trials that began enrolling participants on or comparison group) to study the cause-and-effect after January 1, 2019, should include a data sharing relationship between a health-related intervention plan when registering the trial (see Clinical Trial and a health-related outcome. Interventions include Registration section), and should update the registry but are not restricted to drugs or devices, surgical record if the plan is subsequently modified. procedures, behavioral treatments, quality Research and Publication Integrity improvement interventions, educational initiatives, AJKD endorses the Singapore Statement on Research process-of-care changes, and preventive care. This Integrity, which lists the responsibilities of definition includes phase 1 to 4 studies of drugs or researchers in upholding research integrity. AJKD other treatments. considers irresponsible and unethical research For trials that were completed before 2006, authors practices to include fabrication (invention of data), may instead cite a published peer-reviewed article falsification (tampering with data, including images), describing the study. misrepresentation (plagiarism, duplicate publication, A list of acceptable registries is maintained on the misattribution), intentional failure to disclose COIs, or WHO Primary Registries page. Authors must include any other behavior that lessens the reliability or the minimum required information at the time of integrity of the research record. AJKD takes registration, and are encouraged to update the seriously its responsibility to respond to suspicions record with the full journal citation when the results or allegations of misconduct according to its are published. Investigators studying devices must misconduct handling policy. make their registry posting public prior to device For all Original Investigations and Research approval. Letters, authors have a responsibility to report If authors have failed to prospectively register their methodology accurately, clearly, and with sufficient trial, the manuscript should explain when registration detail such that the findings can be independently was completed and the reason for the delay; the confirmed, and to retain the underlying data for at editors will take this information into consideration least 3 years after study completion, unless when deciding whether to grant an exception to the questions have been raised regarding the conduct of prospective registration requirement. the research, in which case all relevant data must be Data Sharing retained until all such matters are resolved. Collectively, the authors are responsible for ensuring In recognition of the increased attention given to that the article is an honest, accurate, and reproducibility of research findings, and to enhance transparent account of the study being reported; that opportunities for research collaboration, each no important aspects of the study have been omitted; manuscript reporting a clinical trial must include a and that any discrepancies from the study as data sharing statement. AJKD does not currently planned (and, if relevant, registered) have been have a particular data sharing expectation (beyond explained. the stipulation that data be available for editors’

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

When important supporting information for an or fewer, structured, and followed by a list of index article is too extensive for print publication (eg, a words. The structured headings vary by study lengthy study questionnaire), it should be submitted design, as shown below (these headings may differ as online-only supplementary material. from reporting guidelines). Supplementary material should also be provided in Case Series lieu of stating “data not shown.” • Rationale & Objective AJKD’s expectations for image processing are that • Study Design (1) adjusting contrast/levels or rescaling is • Setting & Participants acceptable if performed across the entire image; and • Findings or • Observations • Limitations (2) if certain parts of an image have been altered • Conclusions (other than obscuring confidential patient information), the authors must explain what has been Clinical Trial done in a text box provided during the submission • Rationale & Objective process. The editors may at their discretion request • Study Design to inspect raw data or unprocessed images. • Setting & Participants • Intervention(s) MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION GUIDANCE • Outcomes Provided the manuscript complies with AJKD’s • Results Submission Policies, is clear and complete, and is • Limitations double spaced with numbered pages, initial • Conclusions submissions do not need to have specific formatting • Funding (ie, editors will not penalize submissions that do not • Trial Registration follow journal style). For completeness, information Decision Analysis/ Cost-Effectiveness Analysis on AJKD style is provided in this section, but in • Rationale & Objective general format/style changes will not be required • Study Design unless revision is requested. • Setting & Population Title Page • Intervention(s) Aside from the full name and affiliation of each • Outcomes • Model, Perspective, & Timeframe author, in AJKD style the title page lists terminal • Results academic degree(s) of each author, the • Limitations corresponding author’s contact information, and • Conclusions word counts for the abstract (if present) and the body of the manuscript. Diagnostic Test Study In AJKD style, titles should be concise and • Rationale & Objective descriptive. Reports of studies should not summarize • Study Design the results in the title. For Original Investigations, a • Setting & Participants • Tests Compared subtitle stating the study design is recommended. • Outcome(s) Manuscript Body • Results Use of 12-point Times New Roman and an • Limitations unjustified right-hand margin is preferred. Line • Conclusions numbers should be avoided. Observational Study Word limits are provided in the Article Types section • Rationale & Objective of this document. For initial submission, authors may • Study Design exceed these limits if they are concerned about • Setting & Participants omission of key information; if revision is requested, • Exposure(s) or • Predictor(s)* the editors will provide guidance on appropriate • Outcome(s)** reductions or the use of supplementary online • Analytical Approach material. • Results • Limitations Abstract • Conclusions In AJKD style, abstracts for Case Reports and *Omit for qualitative studies. If a prediction study, Features are unstructured, should be 150-200 replace with “New Predictors & Established words, and should be followed by a list of index (key) Predictors”. words. **Omit for qualitative studies. Abstracts for Original Investigations are 300 words

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

Quality Improvement Study documentation that the individual cited was shown • Rationale & Objective the proposed personal communication wording and • Study Design gave permission to be named in the article as the • Setting & Participants source of this information. • Quality Improvement Activities • Outcome(s) Tables and Figures • Analytical Approach Tables should be numbered and have titles. • Results Ideally, each table will be on a separate page of the • Limitations manuscript file, ordered immediately after the • Conclusions references. Additional information may be included in notes below the table. Systematic Review or Meta-analysis • Rationale & Objective Each figure should have a legend (figure title and • Study Design other explanatory text), ideally placed at the end of • Setting & Study Populations the manuscript file, after the references or tables (if • Selection Criteria for Studies*** present), rather than in the figure file itself. • Data Extraction Ideally, figures are uploaded in the Editorial • Analytical Approach Manager system as separate files, not embedded • Results within the manuscript file. For initial evaluation, • Limitations • Conclusions figures must be of sufficient quality to be • Registration interpretable. If revision is requested, production- ***Use the heading “Search Strategy & Sources” if a quality figures will be required, for which advice will systematic review of qualitative studies. be given. In general, authors should minimize conversions between file types. Resolution should Units of Measurement not be reduced except when file size would In AJKD style, values are expressed in US otherwise be impractically large; in most cases, conventional units; international equivalents or pixel-based images should have a resolution of at conversions are not necessary in running text. least 1,200 dpi for graphs and line art or 500 dpi for However, conversion factors are provided in figure micrographs and other images. Color figures should legends and table notes, as appropriate, eg, use CMYK color mode. “Conversion factors for units: serum creatinine in mg/dL to μmol/L, ×88.4; urea nitrogen in mg/dL to For photographs of identifiable persons, the mmol/L, ×0.357.” authors must obtain a signed release consenting to publication. A list of conversion factors is available for download. Reporting P Values MANUSCRIPT CONSIDERATION PROCESS In AJKD style, numerical values are always be All manuscripts are submitted and processed using reported for P, even if they are nonsignificant. If the the online manuscript handling system Editorial P value is greater than or equal to 0.9, it should be Manager (www.editorialmanager.com/ajkd). reported as 0.9, eg, 0.97 become 0.9. P values from Standard Consideration Process 0.001 through 0.9 (inclusive) are rounded to one Manuscripts that are out of scope or clearly nonzero digit, eg, 0.0105 rounds to 0.01 and 0.0452 inappropriate may be rejected after consideration by rounds to 0.05. Except for genetic association 1 editor. Two editors will review all other submissions studies, P values less than 0.001 are reported as and will issue a rejection only if both deem that the <0.001, eg, 0.0009 and 1.92 x 10-6 become <0.001. manuscript is unlikely to be published in AJKD. In Reference Style general, manuscripts advancing through this In AJKD style, references are compiled at the end screening process then undergo external peer of the manuscript according to the order of citation in review. Except for In a Few Words, a Peer Review the text. AJKD uses AMA reference stye (the same statement is included in published articles to format as JAMA). While there are no strict describe the consideration process. requirements on reference formatting at submission, Authors may provide editors with the names of a document containing examples of common persons they feel should not review their manuscript reference types is available for download for interested because of a potential COI. However, when possible, authors. authors should explain the reason(s) for their Information attributed to a “personal concerns. Editors will try to avoid inviting individuals communication” should be cited in-text. Prior to to review who have potential COIs, and will ask those publication, the author must supply written who are invited to review to declare any relevant

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies competing interests. Further information is available EXPRESS” as the article type in Editorial Manager. in the Potential Reviewer Conflicts and Review Policy Authors must upload the decision letter from the sections. previous journal, attest that it is complete and Original Investigations, Research Letters, and unmodified, confirm that providing it does not violate selected other content is discussed at weekly the policies of the previous journal, and that the editorial meetings attended by a team generally manuscript version being submitted matches the including the Editor-in-Chief (EIC), Deputy Editors, decision letter provided. Of note, authors should not Associate Editors, and International Editors. revise or reformat the manuscript for submission to Essentially all research articles will undergo AJKD Express. statistics/methods review before being invited for As editorial office staff are unable to gauge revision; in addition, manuscripts with pathology or eligibility on the basis of informal enquiries, authors radiology content will generally undergo additional are strongly encouraged to submit the manuscript screening by an individual with appropriate through Editorial Manager for assessment of expertise. suitability for AJKD Express. For AJKD Express The Potential Editor Conflicts section describes submissions, authors are advised to consider workflows for managing manuscripts that may pose whether the stature of the previous journal fulfills COIs for editors. criterion 2 earlier in this section, and whether the AJKD Express (Expedited Consideration) concerns raised by the previous journal’s reviewers are comprehensive (ie, further review is not clearly Recognizing the efficiency losses to authors and needed) and are directed more toward reviewers when manuscripts turned down by a appropriateness for the previous journal, rather than journal with a top-class review process are submitted revealing unaddressable flaws affecting validity. to a new journal, AJKD offers AJKD Express, an Authors should be aware that while editors approve expedited consideration path for manuscripts that manuscripts for AJKD Express with the view that the meet the following 3 criteria: work will be deemed publishable, AJKD Express 1) the manuscript reports original research within the manuscripts are not guaranteed acceptance if scope of AJKD and could be revised to adhere to the serious flaws come to light during the consideration format of an AJKD Original Investigation; and process, or if revisions are insufficient. 2) the authors are able to supply a complete, unmodified decision letter with reviewer comments AFTER ACCEPTANCE that (a) corresponds to the version of the manuscript Prepublication Embargo to be submitted, and (b) was sent within the past 30 days by a prominent journal with a reputation for Aside from the exceptions listed in the performing a rigorous, highly selective review Presubmission Dissemination section, if the process and for publishing influential articles; and confidentiality of an AJKD article or its key elements 3) the author list does not contain the AJKD EIC or is not maintained up to the point it is published by Engagement Editor, or any AJKD Deputy Editor, AJKD, the article’s acceptance for publication may Associate Editor, or International Editor. be forfeited. Manuscripts submitted for expedited consideration If an author’s institution is interested in preparing a will typically receive a communication from AJKD press release for an upcoming AJKD article, the within 2 business days indicating whether or not the editorial office will be happy to coordinate a suitable manuscript has been deemed eligible for AJKD embargo date. Authors should not violate any Express. publication embargo. If the manuscript is eligible, the authors will receive Copyright a decision letter within an additional 5-14 calendar AJKD offers authors the choice of subscription or days. In the case of a revision letter, the requests will open access publication. For subscription articles, most often be based on comments from the AJKD Elsevier will contact the corresponding author by editors (including a Statistics/Methods Editor) and email to request completion of a “Journal Publishing reviews from the previous journal; in some cases, Agreement,” and the copyright will be assigned requests from peer review(s) obtained by AJKD will exclusively to the National Kidney Foundation, Inc., also be included. including the right to reproduce the article in all forms Manuscripts published via AJKD Express will and media. Authors of open access articles retain specify in the Peer Review statement that the copyright, and Elsevier will contact the manuscript was submitted via this accelerated track. corresponding author to request completion of an Authors desiring this expedited consideration path “Exclusive License Agreement.” for their work must select “Original Investigation–

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

Article Access Article Preproofs In the subscription publishing option, articles are In many cases, an article can publish as a “pre- made available to subscribers as well as developing proof” soon after transmittal to Elsevier. A preproof is countries and patient groups through Elsevier’s an accepted article that has not yet been copyedited, access programs. typeset, or proofread; the PDF version contains a In the open access publishing option, articles are disclaimer conveying this explanation. Prepoofs are freely available to both subscribers and the wider indexed and each is fully citable by its DOI (digital public, and may be reused according to the terms of object identifier). When available, the corrected proof the license; an open access publication fee is will replace the preproof online. payable by authors or their funders. Article Proofs Open Access User Licenses Corresponding authors are provided with proofs via All articles published open access will be email to check for technical editing, copyediting, immediately and permanently free for everyone to and/or typesetting errors. Important corrections to read and download. Permitted reuse is defined by data presentation are allowed, but authors will be the corresponding author’s choice of Creative charged for excessive alterations to proofs. Commons user license. Corrections should be returned within 48 hours. The default license is the Creative Commons Page Charges Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (CC BY-NC- For articles in excess of 2 journal pages, authors ND) License, which, for noncommercial purposes, are responsible for paying a fee per page or partial lets the article be distributed, copied, and included in page. If the first and last authors are both NKF collective works, as long as it is not altered and the members, the per-page charge is $50; otherwise, the authors are credited. per-page charge is $75. One journal page is In accordance with Elsevier’s agreements with approximately equivalent to 3.5 double-spaced funding bodies, corresponding authors may apply for manuscript pages, 40 references, or 2 tables/figures. the CC BY license if it is necessary to comply with The editorial office will email the corresponding their funding body’s policy; further information will be author with an estimate of the page charges before available from Elsevier once the open access typesetting; the invoice itself will be sent by the NKF publishing option has been selected. after the article publishes in print. If no response to Open Access Publication Fee the invoice or subsequent reminders is received, the For each article published open access in AJKD, editorial office will place a publication hold on all the authors or their research funders will be charged further papers from the corresponding author and all a publication fee. The fee is in addition to other co-authors until the outstanding invoice is paid in full. potential author fees such as color and page Page charges and color reproduction costs are billed charges. Information on Elsevier’s agreements with separately. funding bodies specifies the funding bodies that will Page charges are waived when the corresponding prepay or reimburse publication fees. The standard author for the manuscript is based in a Research4Life publication fee (excluding taxes) is $3,200; however, Group A country; a 50% discount is available when the if at least one of the article’s authors is an NKF corresponding author is based in a Research4Life member, a preferred pretax rate of $2,560 applies. Group B country. In recognition that under very An author’s publication choice will have no effect unusual circumstances page charges may present a on the peer-review process or acceptance of genuine hardship for corresponding authors not from submitted manuscripts. Group A or B countries, a corresponding author may Compliance With NIH Public Access Policy contact the editorial office to request a custom If the corresponding author reports receipt of NIH waiver. Such requests will only be considered if funding when completing Elsevier’s Journal made prior to manuscript submission and if none of Publishing Agreement, Elsevier will send PubMed the authors is situated in the United States. Central (PMC) the accepted peer-reviewed Color Reproduction Charges manuscript and will authorize that the article be With the exception of authors of Quizzes, authors posted for public access 12 months after print desiring to have any or all figures printed in color are publication; authors will receive further responsible for a $600 per-article color charge. After communications from the NIH regarding the receiving a paper with at least 1 color figure, Elsevier manuscript. In accordance with AJKD’s author will contact the corresponding author to ask if color agreement, authors should not post manuscripts will be purchased. Provided that interpretability is not directly to PMC. affected, the corresponding author may opt to have

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies the figure(s) appear in color online and in black and As a COPE member, AJKD endorses the COPE white in the print version of AJKD. Authors who guidelines for ethical peer review. The manuscript must choose color printing will be billed by Elsevier. Color be kept confidential and reviewers must request reproduction costs and page charges are billed permission from AJKD beforehand if a colleague is separately. to be consulted. Reviewers must not appropriate any Share Link and Reprints information contained in the manuscript for their own For articles not published open access, the work, nor should they contact the authors directly. corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a Share Reviewers should keep their reviews confidential, Link providing 50 days’ free access to the final even if the manuscript is later published. Comments published article on ScienceDirect. This link can be should be constructive and professional, and used for sharing the article via email and social reviewers should not state in the comments to the media. author whether the manuscript should be published. If a review does not meet these objectives, the editor For an extra charge, the corresponding author may may edit the reviewer's comments or may in extreme order paper offprints via an order form sent by cases omit the comments from the decision letter. Elsevier. In addition, any author may order offprints at any time via Elsevier's WebShop. Authors should not publicize reviews received from AJKD; however, if the manuscript is rejected by Retained Author Rights AJKD, authors may include the reviews in Authors (or their employers or institutions) retain submissions to other journals. certain rights. For subscription articles, authors may use their published article for a wide range of Author Appeal Policy scholarly, noncommercial purposes, provided there It is very rare that editorial decisions are is no systematic or organized distribution. Permitted overturned. However, authors who believe that their reuse of open access articles is determined by the manuscript was rejected due to a misunderstanding author's choice of user license. or mistake may email the editorial office to explain why they believe the decision to be in error. Appeals must CrossMark and Digital Preservation include substantive new information with direct Each article published in AJKD has a CrossMark bearing on the decision (eg, a well-reasoned logo. By clicking on the logo, readers can verify argument providing compelling evidence that a key whether they are viewing the most current version of critique raised in the rejection letter relied on the article or see any associated errata. incorrect or outdated information). A difference of As described in its digital archive policy, Elsevier opinion as to the interest, novelty, or suitability of the ensures permanent availability and preservation of manuscript for the journal is not sufficient reason for AJKD content. an appeal. OTHER EDITORIAL POLICIES The appeal will be considered by the EIC and other Ethics in Publishing relevant editors. The journal’s response to the appeal will be final. Even if the journal agrees to AJKD policies generally follow those provided in reconsider the manuscript, acceptance is not the ICMJE Recommendations and the Core Practices of guaranteed, and the reconsideration process may the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Further involve previous or new reviewers or editors and information on applicable principles is provided by substantive revision. Elsevier on the Ethics in Publishing and Ethical Guidelines for Journal Publication pages. Conflict of Interest Policy Review Policy AJKD’s COI policy is generally based on the ICMJE Recommendations. A COI may exist when financial or AJKD conducts single-blind review: authors’ personal relationships with other persons or identities are not masked to the reviewers, but organizations may inappropriately influence or bias reviewers’ identities are masked to the authors. With actions. There is a potential for a COI whether or not the exception of In a Few Words, each published an individual believes that a relationship affects his article will contain a statement summarizing the or her scientific judgment. COIs can occur as the review process. result of financial relationships, personal and family If a manuscript is rejected, a copy is retained in relationships, or academic competitive pressures. AJKD’s manuscript handling system for internal Potential Author COIs recordkeeping; the confidentiality of the files and The Financial Disclosure section explains how associated records will be maintained unless authors must disclose potential COIs. requested otherwise by the authors or in exceptional circumstances involving suspected misconduct.

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

Potential Reviewer COIs approve the wording of the erratum. Page charges Individuals should not serve as peer reviewers if are never levied for errata. they work in the same institution as any of the Misconduct Handling Policy authors (or will be joining that institution or are The AJKD editors recognize their role in making all applying for a job there); are or have been within the reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity of the past 2 years mentors, mentees, close collaborators scholarly record, and will generally follow COPE (in clinical care or research), or joint grant holders; recommendations when they suspect or receive and/or have a close personal relationship with any of credible allegations of a breach of journal policies. the authors. However, if the manuscript pertains to a Any reports of potential misconduct submitted to the large consortium to which a potential reviewer has journal should include as much detailed information contributed data but has not otherwise been as possible to assist the editors in their investigation. involved, AJKD does not consider this to be a Because of the time and resources required to disqualifying condition. In addition, prior review of the thoroughly investigate allegations, AJKD must manuscript for another journal does not necessarily prioritize investigations on the basis of the most disqualify an individual, provided that the reviewer compelling evidence. considers the submission in its current form and In exceptional circumstances, the EIC may reach according to AJKD’s criteria. the conclusion that, in order to investigate possible Editors will try to avoid inviting individuals to review misconduct, manuscript or review records must be who have a COI as described in the preceding shared confidentially with, for example, another paragraph. Editors will also attempt to honor authors’ journal office or with an author’s institution. In requests to exclude potential reviewers, provided general, however, AJKD will first contact the that the reason for exclusion is a true COI and that author(s) to request an explanation concerning an rigorous and comprehensive review is possible if allegation or suspicion of misconduct. these individuals are excluded. When authors are unable to provide an explanation At the time they are invited to review, individuals that the journal deems satisfactory, they are subject must disclose any COIs that could bias their to editorial action including but not limited to contact opinions, and they must disqualify themselves from with relevant institutions and/or regulatory bodies to reviewing when appropriate. If a COI becomes disclose violations and/or request an investigation apparent during the review process, the reviewer and/or publication of an editorial, editorial expression must contact the editorial office and, when of concern, and/or retraction. appropriate, ask to be recused. Regardless of the editors’ efforts to prevent, detect, Potential Editor COIs and respond to misconduct, authors remain Editors and editorial office staff must not use ultimately responsible for the validity of their work information gained in the course of their duties for and publications. private gain. Records pertaining to potential editor COIs will be kept on file in the editorial office. Authors Complaint Policy and reviewers who require this information should As a member of COPE, AJKD seeks to follow the contact editorial office staff. COPE Core Practices. Authors, readers, reviewers, or members of the public who have a well-founded AJKD’s procedures for managing editors’ potential concern that the journal’s conduct deviates from the COIs are intended to balance the benefit of having a Core Practices should email the EIC via the editorial consistent group of knowledgeable editors evaluate office. Complainants who believe that the matter has manuscripts against the risk of making biased not been satisfactorily resolved may contact COPE decisions. In crafting the journal’s policies, the by the process laid out by COPE’s Facilitation and editors have taken into account the nature of the Integrity Subcommittee. potential COI, the responsibilities of each editor role, and the article type. A summary of editor COI Advertising Policy handling procedures is available; in addition, except Editorial independence is crucial to scholarly for In a Few Words, a summary of the manuscript publishing, and the editorial team has full authority to consideration process will appear in the Article decide on the content of the journal. The criteria for Information section of each published article. editorial decision making regarding journal content Correction Policy do not include any perceived effect on advertising revenue. The editors have the right to review all new AJKD will publish errata to correct important errors advertising proposed for the journal and may reject in published articles. The corresponding author of any advertising deemed not in keeping with the the article being corrected will be asked to verify and journal’s mission.

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Information for Authors and Journal Policies

Supplement Policy based on a conference or symposium should be AJKD will consider publication of sponsored planned so that authors provide the manuscripts to supplements that are of interest to its readers and the Guest Editor or Coordinator at the time of the demonstrate scientific validity. The content must be meeting. of sufficient informational value and quality to The manuscripts must be prepared and submitted warrant a separate journal issue and must have a according to standards governing regular journal unifying theme. Submission of a supplement from a content. Manuscripts that do not follow journal format symposium or conference must occur in a timely will be returned for editing before review; fashion; in general, supplements will not be furthermore, the editorial office will not begin the published if the publication date is more than 12 consideration process until all of the manuscripts for months after the event. No more than 2 supplements the supplement are received. per month will be published. Publication costs must All supplements will undergo appropriate review of be borne entirely by the sponsor(s). Further their contents. The review process depends on the information on sponsorship opportunities may be number and length of the manuscripts and the nature obtained from Elsevier. of their content. Manuscripts will almost invariably re- Following initial contact with Elsevier, a written quire revision; in addition, the EIC reserves the right proposal for the supplement must be submitted to to reject portions of the supplement, or the entire the editorial office for the EIC’s consideration. The supplement. The editorial office will contact the proposal must contain: Guest Editor or Coordinator regarding the decision • The Guest Editor's or Coordinator's name, affiliation, to accept, reject, or require additional revisions. and contact information; Once a supplement has been accepted it is formally • Topic(s) to be covered by the supplement, with a scheduled for publication; changes to the publication preliminary table of contents; date at this stage cannot be accommodated. • If the supplement is to be based on a conference or The supplement must contain a statement symposium, information on dates, venue, and indicating the source(s) of funding. It is the financial supporter(s); responsibility of the Guest Editor or Coordinator to • An estimate of the total number of double-spaced disclose to the editorial office at the time of manuscript pages; and submission any restrictions or expectations • Sponsor(s) of the supplement. communicated to the Guest Editor or Coordinator by A Guest Editor is a subject expert who is the sponsor(s) regarding the contents of the responsible for the content of the supplement, supplement. Furthermore, the Guest Editor or ensuring the quality of each component manuscript Coordinator must state what, if any, financial and its contribution to a cohesive, coherent whole. relationship they may have with the sponsor of the The Guest Editor is responsible for ensuring that all supplement. Likewise, all authors should disclose manuscripts are in final form before submitting. The what, if any, financial relationship they have with the Guest Editor may elect to write an introductory piece, sponsor of the supplement, or the manufacturer of but each article must be able to stand on its own. In any products (or competing products) that are the absence of a Guest Editor, the authors are fully discussed in their manuscripts. Each manuscript responsible for ensuring that the articles are must list any support received. If medical consistent with one another and that their writer(s)/editor(s) have been involved, their role must manuscripts are in final form before submitting. In be explicitly acknowledged, and their such cases, a Coordinator is responsible for handling affiliation/source of funding must be listed. all submissions and facilitating communications Additionally, if the sponsor has a financial interest in between the authors and the editorial office. a product either directly or indirectly discussed in the AJKD can provide information on the journal’s manuscript, this relationship should be identified, production schedule and can recommend deadlines along with the name of the product. Information for receipt of materials that are intended to allow about sponsorship and related products will be enough time for review, revision, and published with each article in the supplement. reconsideration of the supplement manuscripts. Publication of a supplement does not constitute However, any estimated publication date is simply a product or sponsor endorsement by the NKF or projection based on the information available at the AJKD. outset; whether it can be met will depend on Articles published in an AJKD supplement are submission of the completed manuscripts in a timely subject to the same copyright restrictions that apply fashion, the nature of the review required, and the to articles published in regular journal issues. extent of mandatory revisions. Ideally, a supplement

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