Author Guidelines

For Authors

Author Guidelines

 

Everything required to prepare and submit a manuscript to this journal.

Please read these guidelines in full before preparing your submission. Manuscripts that do not follow them are returned at the technical check without reaching peer review, which costs authors several weeks. Radiology Research Journal (RRJ) charges no submission or publication fee at any stage.

Before You Begin
STEP 1
Confirm your work falls within the journal's Aims & Scope. Out-of-scope submissions are the single most common desk rejection.
STEP 2
Download the correct template and the title page file from the Manuscript Templates page.
STEP 3
Identify the reporting guideline for your study design and complete its checklist as you write, not afterwards.
STEP 4
Ensure ethics approval and, where required, patient consent are already in hand. They cannot be obtained retrospectively.
Article Types and Limits
Article Type Main Text Abstract Figures + Tables References
Original Research [4,000] words Structured, [250] words [6] combined [50]
Systematic Review / Meta-Analysis [5,000] words Structured, [300] words [8] combined [80]
Scoping Review [5,000] words Structured, [300] words [8] combined [80]
Technical / Methodological Report [3,000] words Structured, [250] words [5] combined [40]
Case Report / Case Series [2,000] words Unstructured, [150] words [4] figures [25]
Educational Research [4,000] words Structured, [250] words [6] combined [50]

Word counts exclude the abstract, references, tables, figure legends, and declarations. Authors needing to exceed a limit should explain why in the cover letter; the editor may allow it where the study design genuinely requires the space.

Manuscript Structure
Title Page (separate file)
Full title, and a running title of up to [60] characters
All author names, affiliations, and ORCID identifiers
Corresponding author's full postal address, email, and telephone
Word count, number of figures and tables
Acknowledgements and all declarations
Abstract and Keywords
A structured abstract uses the headings Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion. It must contain no references, no undefined abbreviations, and no claim absent from the main text. Supply [3–6] keywords, preferring MeSH terms, since these drive how the article is found.
Introduction
State what is known, identify the specific gap, and end with a clear objective or hypothesis. Keep it to the literature that frames the question; a general review of the modality does not belong here.
Methods
Must allow replication. State study design, setting, dates, participant selection with inclusion and exclusion criteria, and sample size justification. For imaging studies also give the scanner manufacturer and model, field strength or tube parameters, sequence or protocol details, slice thickness, contrast agent and dose, and reconstruction settings. Describe who interpreted the images, their experience, whether they were blinded, and how disagreement was resolved. Name the software and version used for analysis, and state the ethics approval and its number.
Results
Report findings without interpretation. Give effect sizes with confidence intervals, not p-values alone. Do not repeat in the text what a table already shows. Report all pre-specified outcomes, including those that were not significant.
Discussion and Conclusion
Begin with the principal finding, compare it with existing literature, and state limitations honestly and specifically — "further research is needed" is not a limitation. The conclusion must follow from the data presented; claims of clinical readiness require evidence proportionate to that claim.
Required Declarations

Every manuscript must carry all eight declarations below. A missing declaration returns the submission at the technical check.

Ethics approval — committee name, approval number, and date, or the waiver reference.
Informed consent — obtained, waived, or not applicable, stated explicitly.
Competing interests — for every author, or a statement that none exist.
Funding — each funder, grant number, and the funder's role.
Author contributions — CRediT roles for each named author.
Data availability — where the data are, or why they cannot be shared.
Generative AI use — tool, version, and purpose, or a statement that none was used.
Acknowledgements — contributors below the authorship threshold, with their permission.
Reporting Guideline by Study Design
Study Design Required Checklist
Randomised controlled trial CONSORT
Observational study (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional) STROBE
Systematic review and meta-analysis PRISMA
Scoping review PRISMA-ScR
Diagnostic accuracy study STARD
Case report or case series CARE
Prediction model or AI in medical imaging TRIPOD+AI and CLAIM
Quality improvement study SQUIRE
Animal research ARRIVE 2.0
Survey or questionnaire study CHERRIES or SRQR
Formatting
File formatMicrosoft Word (.docx). PDF not accepted as the main file.
Font and spacing[Times New Roman 12 pt], double-spaced, single column.
Page setupA4, [2.5 cm] margins, continuous line numbers, numbered pages.
Reference style[Vancouver (ICMJE)], numbered by first appearance.
UnitsSI units throughout. Radiation dose in mGy or mSv, as appropriate.
AbbreviationsDefined at first use in the abstract and again in the main text.
TablesEditable text at the end of the manuscript, each with a title and footnotes.
FiguresSeparate files, one per figure, TIFF or PNG, minimum 300 dpi.
Reference Format

References follow the Vancouver style: numbered consecutively in order of first appearance, with superscript or bracketed numerals in the text. List all authors up to six; beyond six, list the first six followed by "et al." Include a DOI wherever one exists. Every reference must be verified against the original source before submission.

Format patterns
Journal article
Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of the article in sentence case. Abbrev Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):first–last page. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Book
Author AA. Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.
Book chapter
Author AA. Title of the chapter. In: Editor BB, editor. Title of the Book. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year. p. first–last.
Online document
Organisation Name. Title of the document [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Mon DD]. Available from: URL
Dataset
Author AA. Title of the dataset [Dataset]. Repository Name; Year. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Preprint
Author AA, Author BB. Title of the preprint. Preprint Server [Preprint]. Year [cited Year Mon DD]. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx
Verify Every Citation
Reference lists assembled with the help of a generative AI tool frequently contain citations that do not exist, or that attach real authors to papers they never wrote. A fabricated reference found in a submission is treated as a serious integrity failure, not a formatting slip. Open every source and confirm it says what you claim it says.
Figures and Imaging Data
Preparation
TIFF or PNG, minimum 300 dpi (600 dpi for line art).
Export from the workstation at diagnostic window; never photograph a monitor.
Mark findings with arrows or arrowheads, explained in the legend.
Legends must state modality, plane, sequence or phase, and what the reader should see.
De-identification Is Mandatory
Strip all DICOM metadata, including private tags.
Remove burned-in names, record numbers, and dates from the pixel data.
Deface three-dimensional head reconstructions.
Flatten the image; a black box over an identifier in a layered file is recoverable.

Brightness, contrast, and window adjustments must be applied uniformly to the whole image. Selective enhancement, cloning, splicing, or the use of a generative model to alter a clinical image is prohibited. Retain the unprocessed source files for at least five years; the editorial office may request them. Reproducing a figure from another publication requires written permission from the copyright holder, cited in the legend.

How to Submit
STEP 1
Register or log in on the journal website. The submitting author must hold an ORCID identifier.
STEP 2
Start a new submission, choose the article type, and confirm the submission checklist.
STEP 3
Upload the anonymised manuscript, the title page, each figure, and the completed reporting checklist as separate files.
STEP 4
Enter metadata for every author — name, affiliation, email, ORCID — not the submitting author alone.
STEP 5
Paste the abstract and keywords into the metadata fields; these feed the indexing services.
STEP 6
Add the cover letter and finalise. An acknowledgement email arrives within 7 days.
The cover letter should state why the work suits this journal, that it is original and not under consideration elsewhere, any preprint DOI, and any reviewer you wish to suggest or oppose, with reasons. Suggested reviewers must be independent of all authors and identified by institutional email.
What Happens Next
7 days
Technical check and acknowledgement
2–3 weeks
Desk decision or dispatch to reviewers
6–8 weeks
First decision
4–6 months
Submission to publication

Revisions must be returned within the stated period with changes marked and a point-by-point response to every comment, including those you decline to act on, with your reasoning. Proofs are sent before publication for the correction of errors only; substantive rewriting at proof stage is not possible. Decisions may be appealed under the Manuscript Appeal Policy.

Most Common Reasons for Return or Desk Rejection
The topic falls outside the journal's scope.
No ethics approval number, or approval obtained after the research began.
Author names or affiliations left in the anonymised file, or in its document properties.
Patient identifiers visible in an image, or DICOM metadata left intact.
Similarity index above the journal's threshold.
Imaging protocol described too vaguely to be replicated.
Declarations left as unedited template text.
Conclusions unsupported by the data presented.
Reference list containing citations that cannot be located.
Help With Your Submission

Authors writing in English as an additional language are warmly encouraged to submit. Language alone is never a reason for rejection at this journal; where the science is sound and the writing needs work, the editors will say so and give you the chance to improve it. If anything in these guidelines is unclear, write to adminradres@gmail.com before you submit rather than after.

Radiology Research Journal (RRJ) · Author Guidelines · Version 1.0, [MONTH YEAR] · No submission or publication fees