Authors

Stroke and Vascular Neurology is an online-only, peer-reviewed, open access journal that aims to operate a fast submission and review process with continuous publication online, to ensure timely, up-to-date research is available worldwide. The Journal adheres to a rigorous and transparent peer-review process and all papers will be considered on the basis of ethical and methodological soundness rather than their novelty, significance, or relevance to any particular group.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology adheres to the highest standards concerning its editorial policies on publication ethics and scientific misconduct. The journal follows guidance produced by bodies that include the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the Council of Science Editors and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To view all BMJ Journal policies please refer to the BMJ Author Hub policies page, including information about our Editors’ roles and responsibilities. Authors are required to submit a statement that their study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why) and that participants gave informed consent. Our Editors will consider whether the work is morally acceptable as determined by the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki. In addition to this, in line with General Medical Council guidelines, an article that contains personal medical information about an identifiable living individual requires patients explicit consent (in the format of a signed BMJ patient consent form) before we will publish it. Please find further details on BMJ research ethics policies (human participants and animals) and consent for publication; including a link to the downloadable consent form.

To make the best decision on how to deal with a manuscript, Stroke and Vascular Neurology needs to know about any competing interests authors may have; this includes any commercial, financial or non financial associations that may be relevant to the submitted article. Authors must download and complete a copy of the ICMJE Conflict of Interest disclosure form. In addition to this Stroke and Vascular Neurology ensures that all advertising and sponsorship associated with the journal does not influence editorial decisions, is immediately distinguishable from editorial content and meets all other BMJ guidelines. Please find more information about competing interests and a link to the form. We take seriously all possible misconduct. If an Editor, author or reader has concerns that a submitted article describes something that might be considered to constitute misconduct in research, publication or professional behaviour they should forward their concerns to the journal. The publisher will deal with allegations appropriately following ICMJE and COPE guidelines. Corrections and retractions are considered where an article has already been published; corrections, expressions of concern or a retraction notices will be published as soon as possible in line with the BMJ correction and retraction policy.

As an open access journal, Stroke and Vascular Neurology adheres to the Budapest Open Access Initiative definition of open access. Articles are published under a Creative Commons licence to facilitate reuse of the content and authors retain copyright; please refer to the Stroke and Vascular Neurology Author Licence. More information on copyright and authors’ rights.

When publishing in Stroke and Vascular Neurology, authors choose between two licence types – CC-BY-NC and CC-BY (Creative Commons open access licences require payment of an article processing charge). As an author you may wish to post your article in an institutional or subject repository, or on a scientific social sharing network. You may also link your published article to your preprint (if applicable). What you can do with your article, without seeking permission, depends on the licence you have chosen and the version of your article. Please refer to the BMJ author self archiving and permissions policies page for more information.

Preprints foster openness, accessibility and collaboration by allowing authors to make their findings immediately available to the research community and receive feedback on an article before it is submitted to a journal for formal publication. BMJ fully supports and encourages the archiving of preprints in any recognised, not-for-profit server such as medRxiv. BMJ does not consider the posting of an article in a dedicated preprint repository to be prior publication.

Preprints are reports of work that have not been peer-reviewed; Preprints should therefore not be used to guide clinical practice, health-related behaviour or health policy. For more information, please refer to our Preprint policy page.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology submissions are predominantly unsolicited, all articles submitted are subject to peer review. The journal operates double anonymised peer review whereby the names of the authors and reviewers are hidden from each other; usually two external reviewer reports are obtained before an Original research or Review article is accepted for publication. Articles authored by a member of a journal’s editorial team are independently peer reviewed; an editor will have no input or influence on the peer review process or publication decision for their own article. For more information on what to expect during the peer review process please refer to BMJ Author Hub – your paper’s journey. BMJ is committed to transparency. Every article we publish includes a description of its provenance (commissioned or not commissioned) and whether it was internally or externally peer reviewed. BMJ requests that all reviewers adhere to a set of basic principles and standards during the peer review process; these are based on the COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers. Please refer to our peer review terms and conditions policy page.

Plagiarism is the appropriation of the language, ideas or thoughts of another without crediting their true source and representation of them as one’s own original work. BMJ is a member of CrossCheck by CrossRef and iThenticate. iThenticate is a plagiarism screening service that verifies the originality of content submitted before publication. BMJ runs manuscripts through iThenticate during the peer review process. Authors, researchers and freelancers can also use iThenticate to screen their work before submission by visiting www.ithenticate.com. Reader responses, questions and comments to published content are welcomed by Stroke and Vascular Neurology; these should be submitted electronically via the journals website. Please find further details on how to publish a response and the terms and requirements.

BMJ is committed to ensuring that all good quality research is published. Our article transfer service helps authors find the best journal for their research while providing an easy and smooth publication process. If authors agree to transfer their manuscript, all versions, supplementary files and peer reviewer comments are automatically transferred; there is no need to resubmit or reformat.

Authors who submit to Stroke and Vascular Neurology and are rejected will be offered the option of transferring to another BMJ Journal, such as BMJ Open. Please note that the article transfer service does not guarantee acceptance but you should receive a quicker initial decision on your manuscript. Contact the Transfer Editor at transfers@bmj.com

Stroke and Vascular Neurology is an open access journal and levies an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 2,163 GBP (exclusive of VAT for UK and EU authors). The APC for a Protocol is 1,622 GBP. There are no submission, colour or page charges. As one of the founding members of the HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme, we provide free access to all of our journals, and journals archive to local, not-for-profit institutions in low income countries. In addition, we appreciate that some authors do not have access to funding to cover publication costs and we offer waivers through our Open Access Waiver Fund. We will accept part payment where only limited funds are available, and we offer waivers to authors in exceptional circumstances, on request.

If authors choose to publish their article open access, an APC waiver may be available. Before applying for an APC waiver please consider: (1) Does your institution have an open access agreement with BMJ? If it does, then this may cover all or part of the APC for your article. Check BMJ’s open access agreements page to find out whether your institution is a member and what discounts you may be entitled to. (2) Have you received funding from a funder with an open access mandate or policy that covers paying APCs? If so, BMJ expects that the APC will be paid in full. If neither (1) nor (2) above apply then consider (3) Are all the authors of your article based in low-income countries*? If so, you are eligible to apply for a full or partial waiver from BMJ. Visit our author hub to learn more about our waivers policy and how to request one. Please note that regardless of the funding situation, authors can still choose to publish with us at no cost, and articles will be made available to our subscribers. *This list is reviewed annually and is based upon HINARI Core Offer Groups A and B, and the World Bank Country and Lending Groups.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology mandates ORCID iDs for the submitting author at the time of article submission; co-authors and reviewers are strongly encouraged to also connect their ScholarOne accounts to ORCID. We strongly believe that the increased use and integration of ORCID iDs will be beneficial for the whole research community. Please find more information about ORCID and BMJ’s policy on our Author Hub.

Stroke and Vascular Neurology adheres to BMJ’s Tier 3 data policy. We strongly encourage that data generated by your research that supports your article be made available as soon as possible, wherever legally and ethically possible. All research articles must contain a Data Availability Statement. For more information and FAQs, please see BMJ’s full Data Sharing Policy page.

A rapid response is a moderated but not peer reviewed online response to a published article in Stroke and Vascular Neurology; it will not receive a DOI and will not be indexed. Find out more about responses and how to submit a response.

Using the terms sex and gender in your manuscript The term sex should be used when reporting biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women and gender should be used when reporting socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.

Please review the below article type specifications including the required article lengths, illustrations, table limits and reference counts. The word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references. Manuscripts should be as succinct as possible. For further support when making your submission please refer to the resources available on the BMJ Author Hub. Here you will find information on writing and formatting your research through to the peer review process. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of cited references and these should be checked before the manuscript is submitted. Citing in the text References must be numbered sequentially as they appear in the text. References cited in figures or tables (or in their legends and footnotes) should appear at the end of the reference list to avoid re-numbering if tables and figures are moved around at peer review/proof stage. Reference numbers in the text should be inserted immediately after punctuation (with no word spacing)—for example, [6] not [6]. Where more than one reference is cited, these should be separated by a comma, for example,[1, 4, 39]. For sequences of consecutive numbers, give the first and last number of the sequence separated by a hyphen, for example,[22-25]. References provided in this format are translated during the production process to superscript type, and act as hyperlinks from the text to the quoted references in electronic forms of the article. Please note that if references are not cited in order the manuscript may be returned for amendment before it is passed on to the Editor for review. Stroke and Vascular Neurology operates double-anonymised peer review which requires authors to submit an anonymous version of their manuscript file (to be uploaded as the Manuscript File including abstract). Double-anonymised peer reviews means that reviewer and author names are anonymous from each other. You will need to ensure that ‘tracked changes’ are switched off when you submit your manuscript.

This file should be anonymous and should NOT include:

• Any author names (including file path in document footer)
• Author institution details
• Author contact details
• Acknowledgements
• Competing interests (if declared)

Please note that the anonymous ethics approval statements should be included in the Main Manuscript file. We encourage authors to ensure that research articles are written in accordance with the relevant research reporting guideline. You may also wish to use the language editing and translation services provided by BMJ Author Services.

• Editorial
• Short report
• Epidemiological study/ Big data analysis/ Statistical report
• Guidelines
• Original research
• Systematic review
• Perspective
• Pictures of stroke and cerebral vasculature
• Protocol
• Case report
• Review
• Correspondence/Letter
• Supplements

Stroke and Vascular Neurology welcomes editorials. The purpose of an editorial is to provide a novel perspective on a clinically-relevant issue. We welcome suggestions for possible topics and authors.

Word count: 1500 words Tables/Illustrations: 1 table or figure References: should not normally exceed 25

Topics suitable for presentation for short reports include single case reports which illustrate important new phenomena, or reports of short, original research studies.

Word count: no more than 1500 words Abstract: structured, 200 words Tables/Illustrations: up to one of each References: should not normally exceed 15

Epidemiological study or report based on big data analysis or statistical report is a special report on a topic based on contemporary data and literature. It is mainly presented in the form of statistical tables, lists, and figures, while interpretation and discussion will follow.

Word count: unlimited; determined by editor Abstract: 500-800 words Tables/Illustrations: unlimited; determined by editor References: unlimited; determined by editor

Manuscript of guidelines provides current or evolving clinical practice updates, consensus statements and guidance to improve clinical decision making process pertaining to the discipline of stroke or vascular neurology.

Word count: unlimited; will be determined by the editor Abstract: 250-350 words Tables/Illustrations: unlimited; will be determined by the editor References: unlimited; will be determined by the editor

Original research papers should follow the basic structure of abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references, and tables and figures as appropriate. Research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc) should be submitted as Systematic reviews. Supplementary and raw data can be placed online separately from the text, and we may request that you separate out some material into supplementary data files to make the main manuscript clearer for readers.

Word count: up to 3500 words Abstract: up to 300 words Tables/Illustrations: maximum 8 tables and/or figures References: up to 40 Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following headings. This section should be no more than 3-5 sentences and should be distinct from the abstract; be succinct, specific and accurate.

• What is already known on this topic – summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
• What this study adds – summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
• How this study might affect research, practice or policy – summarise the implications of this study

This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article.

This article type includes all research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc). Please include the research type in your title to make the nature of your study clear.

Please see Original research for more guidance on article requirements.

Perspectives are opinion-based pieces which encourage discussion on controversial topics relating to health and medicine.

Word count: 1000-1500 words Abstract: up to 100 words/not required Tables/Illustrations: 1 table and/or figure References: 10-15

Images in Neurology: This feature is intended to provide a visual image of an interesting and unique neurological observation. Images of patients along with photomicrographs of tissues, MRIs, CTs, PET scans, SPECT scans, angiograms, and other diagnostic visual procedures are appropriate. Neuroimages from Ultra-high field MRI: Demonstrate the characteristics of neurological diseases in ultra-high field MRI in order to provide clues for the clinical application of ultra-high field magnetic resonance in neurological diseases in the future. Cases require a clear diagnosis, especially genetic and pathological diagnosis. Please ensure that any specific patient/hospital details are removed or blacked out (e.g. X-rays, MRI scans, etc). Figures that use a black bar to obscure a patient’s identity are not accepted.

Word count: 150 words References: Up to 5 Images: Up to 2 images; Images should be submitted in separate TIFF, EPS or JPEG files with minimum resolution of 600 dpi Authors : No more than 5

Protocol manuscript is a report on planned or ongoing studies. If data collection is complete, we will not consider the manuscript. Stroke and Vascular Neurology will consider for publication of protocols for any study design, including observational studies and any phase of clinical trials. If data collection is already complete, the article should instead be submitted to the Journal as an Original Research. More information on protocols can be found on BMJ Author Hub

Word count: 2500-3500 words Abstract: 200-300 words Tables/Illustrations: 3-6 tables and/or figures References: 25-30 Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following headings. This section should be no more than 3-5 sentences and should be distinct from the abstract; be succinct, specific and accurate.

• What is already known on this topic – summarise the state of scientific knowledge on this subject before you did your study and why this study needed to be done
• What this study adds – summarise what we now know as a result of this study that we did not know before
• How this study might affect research, practice or policy – summarise the implications of this study

This will be published as a summary box after the abstract in the final published article.

Case reports need to show either an unusual clinical development, and/or a new insight into a well recognised clinical problem. A case report needs to have an educational message and must provide evidence of how the case contributes to our understanding of the condition/treatment. All SVN case reports must be submitted on this Word template.

Summary: up to 150 words Word count: up to 1000 words References: up to 10 Images and multimedia files are encouraged

Reviews will be solicited by the Editor and are subjected to a review process. Research reviews that systematically synthesise evidence (e.g. Systematic reviews, Meta-analysis, Scoping reviews, Mixed methods reviews, etc) are classified by the journal as systematic reviews and must be submitted as such. Authors wishing to submit a review should seek the advice of the Editor in advance. The inclusion of additional material, e.g. video clips and sound files, and links to useful websites is strongly encouraged.

Word count: 5000 words maximum – bullet points encouraged Tables/Illustrations: should not normally exceed 5 References: should not normally exceed 40

Correspondences in response to articles published in Stroke and Vascular Neurology are welcome and should be submitted via ScholarOne. Correspondences should be submitted within 8 weeks of the article’s publication online and may be published in the print version of the journal in exceptional circumstances. Letters containing original research should also be submitted via ScholarOne. Letters may be published in a shortened form at the discretion of the editor. All papers require ethical approval.

Word count: 1000 words maximum Tables/Illustrations: 1 table or figure References: 5 maximum

The BMJ Publishing Group journals are willing to consider publishing supplements to regular issues. Supplement proposals may be made at the request of:

• The journal editor, an editorial board member or a learned society may wish to organise a meeting, sponsorship may be sought and the proceedings published as a supplement.
• The journal editor, editorial board member or learned society may wish to commission a supplement on a particular theme or topic. Again, sponsorship may be sought.
• The BMJPG itself may have proposals for supplements where sponsorship may be necessary.
• A sponsoring organisation, often a pharmaceutical company or a charitable foundation, that wishes to arrange a meeting, the proceedings of which will be published as a supplement.

In all cases, it is vital that the journal’s integrity, independence and academic reputation is not compromised in any way.

For further information on criteria that must be fulfilled, download the supplements guidelines. When contacting us regarding a potential supplement, please include as much of the information below as possible.

• Journal in which you would like the supplement published
• Title of supplement and/or meeting on which it is based
• Date of meeting on which it is based
• Proposed table of contents with provisional article titles and proposed authors
• An indication of whether authors have agreed to participate
• Sponsor information including any relevant deadlines
• An indication of the expected length of each paper
• Guest Editor proposals if appropriate