Instructions to Authors

About the Journal

The European Heart Journal – Imaging Methods and Practice (EHJ-IMP) is a new international, open access, peer-reviewed journal, with a specific focus on the application of imaging technologies in cardiovascular disease. It is an official Journal of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Our mission is to image an open world, where experts share their latest results, knowledge and experience to improve patient care.

The objectives of the Journal are:

• To facilitate the dissemination of novel research to a broad readership in cardiology through open access

• To be inclusive, promoting the dissemination of both technological advancements as well as clinical results directly impacting daily practice across communities

• To stimulate communication between cardiologists, imaging specialists, technologists and patients, through scientific updates, education and debates

EHJ-IMP advances clinical and technical excellence in imaging through the publication of high-quality original research papers, reviews, image articles and short reports related to cardiac imaging and imaging technology.

We are particularly interested in considering articles from developing countries and resource-limited environments. Finally, articles dealing with patients’ perspectives on imaging assessments will also be of interest, since they may directly impact clinical decisions.

All papers published in EHJ-IMP are made freely available online under an open access licence, with applicable charges. Please refer to the open access section below.

Once a paper is accepted, EHJ-IMP will publish a precopyedited, preproofed version of the paper online within 1 week. This is replaced by a copyedited, proofed version of the paper as soon as it is ready. The Journal publishes four issues online per year.

Please read these instructions carefully and follow them closely. The Editors may return manuscripts that do not follow these instructions.

Contents

Journal Policies

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Authorship
Artificial Intelligence
Authorship Changes
Contributors
Group Authorship
Conflict of Interest
Papers Submitted by Editors of EHJ-IMP
Informed Patient Consent
Ethics
Statistics
Plagiarism and Redundant Publication
Data Policy
Data Citation
Peer Review Policy
Appealing a Decision
Preprints and Self-Archiving

Submission

General Principles
How to Submit
Format Free Submissions
Co-authorship Verification

Article Types

Original Article—Maximum Word Count: 5000
Review—Maximum Word Count: 5000
Short Report—Maximum Word Count: 1500
Letter to the Editor—Maximum Word Count: 750
Image Focus—Maximum Word Count: 250
ESC Official Output

Preparing your Manuscript

Pre-submission Language Editing
Style
Abbreviations
General Formatting
Title Page
Lead Author Biography
Abstracts
Tables
Figures
Videos
Acknowledgements
Funding
References

Open Access

Production and Publication

Publication Embargoes
Press Releases
Proofs
Post-publication Corrections
Retractions

Contact Us

Journal Policies

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

EHJ-IMP follows the guidance provided in the Core Practices issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The Journal also subscribes to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals. It is expected that all parties involved in the publication of content in EHJ-IMP (the publisher, editors, authors, and reviewers) follow these guidelines on best practice and publication ethics. The Journal is committed to investigating cases of alleged editor, author, and reviewer misconduct arising from its activities, and will follow COPE Guidelines in all cases.

The Editors are further supported by the ESC Publication Ethics Committee.

Authorship 

All individuals listed as authors should qualify for authorship and should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. Each author included in the manuscript must meet ALL of the following conditions, as specified in the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME). To qualify as an author, the individual must have

1. made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

2. drafted the work or reviewed it critically for important intellectual content; AND

3. given final approval of the version to be published; AND

4. agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet the authorship criteria listed above should be listed as authors. Individuals who do not meet the above authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. The Journal considers all forms of ghost authorship, in which an individual contributes in the role of an author (according to the criteria above) but is not listed as an author on the manuscript, and all forms of guest or gift authorship, in which individuals are included though they do not meet the above criteria, as unethical and unacceptable.

For more information about authorship, see the ICJME guidelines.

Artificial Intelligence 

Natural language processing tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) do not qualify as authors, and the Journal will screen for them in author lists. The use of AI (for example, to help generate content or images, write code, process data, or for translation) should be disclosed in a cover letter at the point of submission and explained in full in a Methods or Acknowledgements section in the manuscript. Please see the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI for more details. 

Authorship Changes 

After manuscript submission, no authorship changes (including the authorship list, author order, and who is designated as the corresponding author) should be made unless there is a substantive reason to do so. The editor and all co-authors must agree on the change(s), and neither the Journal nor the publisher mediates authorship disputes. If individuals cannot agree on the authorship of a submitted manuscript, contact the editorial office at ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk. The dispute must be resolved among the individuals and their institution(s) before the manuscript can be accepted for publication. If an authorship dispute or change arises after a paper is accepted, contact OUP’s Author Support team. COPE provides guidance for authors on resolving authorship disputes. 

Contributors 

Any other individual contributor or group of contributors to the work who do not qualify for authorship but who meet some of the four ICMJE criteria listed above should be listed in the article in a section under the heading “Acknowledgements”. As per the ICJME guidelines, the contribution of each individual or group must be specified. For more information, refer to section 3 of the ICJME guidelines.

Group Authorship

The Journal will consider group author names providing the following conditions are met:

• The group author name should be the name of a legitimate group. It cannot be a generic name such as “Reviewers” or “Task force”.

• Individuals in the group must collectively meet the ICMJE requirements for authorship as specified above.

• Individuals in the group must each provide a Conflict of Interest form. Please see the Conflict of Interest section below.

When submitting a manuscript with a group author name: 

• The group author name should be given next to the authors, underneath the article title. For example:

                       Cardiology in Europe

                       Lucie Tomková, Nimaat Shahid, Christian Onslow, …, Cardiology Task Force 2021

• The group author name should not have a footnote or endnote, or any additional information in brackets after the name.

• Individuals in the group should be listed in a separate section at the end of manuscript called “Notes”, above the “References” section. If the manuscript already includes a “Notes” section containing other material, use an alternative heading for the group author names, such as “Author Information”.

• The group author name should be given exactly as it appears in the list of authors underneath the article title, followed by a colon and the list of names, each separated by a comma. For example:

                        Notes
                        Cardiology Task Force 2021: Avelaine Brousseau, Naomi Castiglione, …

• Affiliations or countries for the individuals in the group can be given in brackets, but superscript references must not be used. For example:

                         Cardiology Task Force 2021: Avelaine Brousseau (France), Naomi Castiglione (Italy), …

Conflict of Interest

All authors must declare any conflicts of interest. It is the responsibility of the submitting author to ascertain any conflicts of interest from co-authors and declare these at the point of submission. Any potential conflict of interest that might constitute an embarrassment to any of the authors if it were not to be declared and were to emerge after publication should be declared. 

For manuscripts submitted from 19 February 2024 onwards: Authors that hold a position on the Editorial Board of EHJ-IMP in any capacity are required to declare their role in their conflict of interest statement.

A detailed definition of conflicts of interests

Instructions for the corresponding author:

• Submit an International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (COI) form for each author by revision stage at the latest.

• When the form is uploaded to Editorial Manager, include the author’s last name in the document title of the form.

• A form must be submitted even if there are no conflicts of interest to declare, in which case the conflict of interest form should state “none declared”

• Submit a concise and accurate summary of any conflicts of interest declared in the ICMJE forms in a separate document under the “Disclosures” header. If there are no conflicts of interest, state “Conflict of interest: none declared”. The text under “Disclosures” will be included at the end of the article when published.

Papers Submitted by Editors of EHJ-IMP

To ensure that manuscripts receive unbiased evaluation, it is the Journal’s policy that papers where an Editor or Editorial Board Member at EHJ-IMP is an author or contributor will be assigned to another Editor at the Journal (who is not at the same institute). This Editor will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. This policy also applies to papers where an Editor has declared any other conflict of interest.

Any manuscript in which the Editor-in-Chief is an author or contributor will be assigned to an external Guest Editor. Papers that are handled by a Guest Editor will include a statement at the bottom of the article.

The corresponding author should indicate in the cover letter if an Editor or Editorial Board Member from EHJ-IMP is a co-author or contributor to the manuscript.

Individuals that have any conflicts of interest relating to the peer review and decision-making process are excluded from the process.

Informed Patient Consent

Authors should observe high standards with respect to publication ethics as set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for reporting about patients. Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without prior informed consent.

Identifying information should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) has given written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires the patient be shown the manuscript to be published.

Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential, but patient data should never be altered or falsified to attain anonymity. We understand that complete anonymity is difficult to achieve. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity.

The Journal requires at the point of submission that a consent form has been completed for any manuscripts in which an individual or a group of individuals can be identified. A statement addressing informed patient consent must be included as part of the manuscript under the heading “Consent”. If the patient or relatives of a deceased patient cannot be traced and consent cannot be obtained, the case or data can only be considered for publication if it is sufficiently de-identified.

Completed consent forms are not to be submitted to the Journal. Completed forms should be held by the treating institution according to locally approved procedures. The consent form should be made available to the Journal Editor if specifically requested.

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject papers for which the ethical aspects are, in the Board’s opinion, open to doubt. Please contact the Editorial Office if you have any queries regarding consent.

Ethics

In addition to the below, authors should refer to the EQUATOR Network for guidance on study ethics and reporting.

Statistics

The application of adequate statistical methods is required for publication in EHJ-IMP. The Journal advises authors to be as simple as possible, but as sophisticated as needed. For example, clinical trials with their formalized framework must meet more specific statistical standards than pathophysiological studies. Authors are advised to include absolute risk as well as relative risk where possible. For studies with a sophisticated design, the collaboration of a professional statistician is recommended.

Authors should refer to the following guidance before submitting:

• ‘Statistical Analysis’ in the European Heart Journal Quality Standards document 

• A detailed summary of relevant points regarding study design, analysis and reporting 

As part of the review process, the Journal may send the manuscript to a Statistical Reviewer for evaluation.

Plagiarism and Redundant Publication

COPE defines plagiarism as ‘when somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were his/her own and without proper acknowledgement’.

COPE defines redundant publication as ‘when a published work (or substantial sections from a published work) is/are published more than once (in the same or another language) without adequate acknowledgment of the source/cross-referencing/justification or when the same (or substantially overlapping) data is presented in more than one publication without adequate cross-referencing/justification, particularly when this is done in such a way that reviewers/readers are unlikely to realise that most or all the findings have been published before”.

Manuscripts submitted to EHJ-IMP may be screened with iThenticate anti-plagiarism software to detect and prevent plagiarism and redundant publication. Any manuscript may be screened, especially if there is reason to suppose that part or all the of the manuscript has been previously published. Prior to final acceptance any manuscript that has not already been screened may be screened with iThenticate. More information about iThenticate.

Data Policy

Where ethically feasible, the EHJ-IMP strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers.

We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. Information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by subject area, is available on the Research Data Policy page.

In support of our policy, authors of original articles, reviews, and short reports are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their paper, even if no data are presented or discussed. Data Availability Statements provide a standardised format for readers to understand the availability of data underlying the research results described in the article. The statement may refer to original data generated in the course of the study or to third-party data analysed in the article. The statement should describe and provide means of access, where possible, by linking to the data or providing the required unique identifier.  If no data is presented or discussed in your paper, you should indicate this as follows (or similar): “No new data were generated or analysed in support of this research”.

More information and example statements

Authors may be asked to make available the underlying deidentified data on which their research relies to the Journal for inspection and verification during the peer review process.

Data Citation 

The Journal supports the Force 11 Data Citation Principles and requires that all publicly available datasets be fully referenced in the reference list with an accession number or unique identifier such as a digital object identifier (DOI). Data citations should include the minimum information recommended by DataCite:

               [dataset] Authors, Year, Title, Publisher (repository or archive name), Identifier

Authors should include the dataset tag – [dataset] – at the beginning of the citation. This helps the Publisher correctly identify and tag the citation. The tag will be removed from the citation published in the reference list.

Peer Review Policy

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal are initially reviewed by the Editors and their associates. At this stage manuscripts may be returned to the authors without peer review if it is felt that they do not meet submission requirements, are not of high enough priority, or not relevant to the Journal. This fast rejection process means that authors are given a quick decision and do not need to wait for the review process.

Manuscripts that pass initial assessment will undergo appropriate single-anonymised peer review by at least two reviewers. Single-anonymised peer review means that the identities of the authors are known to the reviewers, but the identities of the reviewers are not known to the authors.

All peer review reports are confidential.

Manuscripts transferred to EHJ-IMP from another ESC journal will contain the reviewer reports from the initial submission. The transferred manuscripts are initially reviewed by the Editors and their associates after which either a final decision is made or further reviewers are invited.

The Journal is committed to delivering high quality peer-review and has partnered with Web of Science researcher profile. Web of Science researcher profile is a third-party service that seeks to track, verify, and give credit for peer review activity. Reviewers for the Journal can register with Web of Science researcher profile to claim and verify their reviews and add them to their reviewer profile. Reviewers claiming credit for their review will be associated with the Journal on Web of Science researcher profile, but the article name, reviewer’s decision, and the content of their review is not made available. For more information visit the Web of Science researcher profile website.

Appealing a Decision

If the authors have reason to believe that the review process or final decision has not been fair or well-informed, the authors may submit an appeal to the Journal. Appeals can be submitted within one month of the final decision on the manuscript. Appeals received after this date will not be considered. Only one appeal per manuscript will be considered. The appeal will be considered carefully by the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.

The authors should send their appeal to ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk. Authors should include the manuscript title and/or the manuscript ID from Editorial Manager with their appeal.

Preprints and Self-Archiving

Preprints

Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the Journal. At initial submission, authors should indicate if any preprint is available in a server or repository. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding the published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating your preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy.

Version of Record

Authors of papers published open access are entitled to make their published article (the “Version of Record”) publicly available according to the terms of the licence they select.

• CC BY-NC: Authors who have published under a CC BY-NC licence may share and distribute their article on non-commercial websites and repositories immediately upon publication. More information about the CC BY-NC licence
• CC BY: In addition to the reuses included with CC BY-NC, authors who have published their article under a CC BY licence may also share and distribute their article anywhere including commercial platforms immediately on publication. More information about the CC BY licence

More information about this policy

 

Submission

General Principles

The Journal will consider submissions within its scope providing

• it is the original work of the authors does not duplicate any previously published work, including the work of the authors;

• it is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any journal other than EHJ-IMP;

• it has not been published in any other journal; and

• it contains nothing abusive, defamatory, libellous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.

Authors should observe high ethical standards and obey publication best practices. The following are all unacceptable:

• data falsification or fabrication

• plagiarism, including duplicate publication of your own work without proper citation

• redundant publication

• misappropriation of work

The Journal expects all authors to have read and understood the Editorial Policies of the Journal prior to submission.

How to Submit

Authors should submit their manuscript though Editorial Manager. If the corresponding author has not previously submitted to the Journal, they will need to register for an account. More information about how to register for an account.

Questions about the submission process can be sent to the Editorial Office at ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk.

Format Free Submissions

At initial submission, authors may submit their manuscript without journal-specific formatting. However, authors are still required to:

• Answer all questions in the online submission form

• Include the trial registration number, if relevant

• State all conflicts of interest (if there are no conflicts to declare, the authors should state “Conflict of Interest: none declared”)

• Include a statement addressing informed patient consent as part of the manuscript under the heading “Consent”.

• Include page numbers in the manuscript file

• Upload supplementary files separately in the submission system

If requested to submit a revised version of the manuscript, authors should refer to Manuscript Preparation.

Co-authorship Verification 

The corresponding author is responsible for providing the full list of co-authors on the manuscript. The co-authors will receive an email asking them to verify their contribution to the manuscript. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that this step is completed.

Article Types

The article types accepted by the Journal are listed below. References are included in the maximum word count for each article type, but the abstract, title page, and any text in figures are not.

Original Article—Maximum Word Count: 5000

Clinical trials, observational studies, advanced technical studies, translational studies, and meta-analyses in all modalities of cardiovascular imaging. Studies should be based on a main objective and description of clinical implementation/or use of the results obtained. The Journal is particularly interested in considering original articles from developing countries and resource-limited environments.

• text abstract—required, maximum of 250 words

• graphical abstract—required

• video abstract—optional

• audio abstract—optional

• lay summary—optional, highly recommended

• keywords—maximum of 6

• references—maximum of 50 (note that references are included in the word count)

• tables and figures—maximum of 6 figures and 6 tables

• supplementary data/material—permitted

• lead author biography—required

Review—Maximum Word Count: 5000

Scholarly reviews that summarize and critically evaluate research in the field and identify future implications. Debate articles may also be submitted in this category. The Journal is particularly interested in considering reviews from developing countries and resource-limited environments.

• text abstract—required, maximum of 250 words

• graphical abstract—required

• video abstract—optional

• audio abstract—optional

• lay summary—optional, highly recommended

• keywords—maximum of 6

• references—maximum of 50 (note that references are included in the word count)

• tables and figures—maximum of 6 figures and 6 tables

• supplementary data/material—permitted

• lead author biography—required

The Journal recommends that authors use the following sections in the following order: introduction, discussion, learning points. A debate article should include the following sections in the following order: introduction, point of view of author(s) A, point of view of author(s) B, discussion, learning points.

Short Report—Maximum Word Count: 1500

Short Reports have the same scope as Original Articles, but they are more focused. Reports involving or describing patient perspectives on treatment in the field are also welcome in this category.

• text abstract—required, maximum of 250 words

• graphical abstract—optional, highly recommended

• video abstract—optional

• audio abstract—optional

• lay summary—optional, highly recommended

• keywords—maximum of 6

• references—maximum of 10 (note that references are included in the word count)

• tables and figures—maximum of 3 items, which may include tables or figures

• supplementary data/material—not permitted

• lead author biography—required

Letter to the Editor—Maximum Word Count: 750

We encourage letters discussing papers recently published in EHJ-IMP or in another journal from the ESC Journals family. Debates and points of view can be submitted as correspondence if they meet the word count. Research letters containing original results addressing a focused area may be considered if deemed to be of sufficient importance and novelty.

The following format applies to submissions in all categories of correspondence:

• no abstracts or lay summaries

• keywords—maximum of 6

• references—maximum of 5 (note that references are included in the word count)

• tables and figures—maximum of 1 figure or 1 table

• supplementary data/material—not permitted

• lead author biography—required

Image Focus—Maximum Word Count: 250

This category is intended for striking, illustrative, or rare clinical images such as echocardiograms, MRI, CT and scintigraphic scans. X-rays, pathology specimens, electrocardiograms and other relevant pictorial information may be included. Images should be submitted as one figure, with separate lettered panels if required.

The clinical message contained in the picture should be amplified in a 250 word description (no abstract or references) which will be included with the image. We encourage the submission of cineloops that can be viewed with the electronic version of the article.

• abstracts— not permitted

• keywords—maximum of 6

• references—not permitted

• figures—one figure or video only (no legend)

Information about figures and video formatting for submission

ESC Official Output

The Journal publishes official output from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), its Associations, Working Groups and Councils. Authors of ESC official output are required to follow the ESC Scientific Documents Group process.

Preparing your Manuscript

Pre-submission Language Editing 

If you are not confident in the quality of your English, you may wish to use a language-editing service to ensure that editors and reviewers understand your paper. Language editing is optional and does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will still undergo peer review by the journal. 

Oxford University Press partners with Enago, a leading provider of author services. Prospective authors of EHJ-IMP are entitled to a discount of 30% for editing services at Enago, via the Specialist English Editing Services for Oxford University Press Authors page. 

Style

Oxford English spelling should be used throughout, except in quotations and in references.

Abbreviations 

SI units of measurements should be used. Authors should define nonstandard abbreviations when they first appear in the manuscript.

General Formatting 

Authors should follow the general guidance below:

• Prepare the manuscript using a Word processing package (save in .doc format)

• Use double-spaced throughout the manuscript

• Number each page consecutively

• Include line numbers on all pages. Line numbers should restart on each page.

• Avoid using footnotes; use parentheses within brackets

• Type references in the correct order and style of the Journal (see References below)

• Type unjustified

• Do not use hyphenation except for compound words or terms

• Use the TAB key once to indent paragraphs

• Clearly identify uncommon symbols and any Greek letters.

• Use formatting in Word to indicate bold, italic, Greek, mathematics, superscript, and subscript characters

• Indicate the approximate position of each figure and table

• Write out numbers one to ten in full (e.g., ‘one’ not ‘1’) unless they are used as a unit of measurement or describe a figure, table, or video (e.g., Figure 1)

Title Page

The title page should include:

• the title of your paper

• all author names and affiliations

• the institution where the work was performed

• the mailing address and email address of one corresponding author

• the wordcount of the manuscript excluding the title page, abstract(s), and references

An effective title describes the content and main messages of the manuscript clearly and succinctly. In general, article titles should:

1. be as short as possible

2. include the most important keywords at the beginning

3. avoid abbreviations or acronyms, unless the title will be very long without them

Lead Author Biography

The Journal asks the lead author of each paper to provide a photograph and a short biography, which will be included at the end of the published paper. The photograph should meet the following requirements:

• Portrait

• 5 x 6 ratio

• Jpeg format only

• 72 dpi

The biography should be no longer than 100 words and should be uploaded at the point of submission in Editorial Manager. The biography is not counted as part of the total word count of the manuscript.

Abstracts

Authors are required to provide a text abstract for most article types. Some article types also require a graphical abstract. The Article Types section states which type of abstract should be provided.

Text abstract:

Required for: Original Article, Review, Short Report

Text abstracts should not exceed 250 words and should not contain references or abbreviations. They should be submitted as a separate file in Editorial Manager at initial submission.

Authors are required to include trial registration number at the end of the text abstract. For example, “Trial registration number: ISRCTN00000000”.

The Journal recommends that text abstracts for Original Articles are structured using the following headings: Aims, Methods and Results, Conclusion.

Graphical abstract:

Required for: Original Article, Review

Recommended for: Short Report

The graphical abstract should provide a visual summary of the main messages (take-home messages) of the paper. It should contain three parts, with as few words as possible:

1. Aims and study design / methods
2. Results – a schematic presentation of the results, rather than a figure reproduced from the manuscripts, is preferred
3. Conclusion and take-home messages

The graphical abstract should meet the following requirements:

• Size: 11.0 cm x 18.0 cm (height x width)
• Minimum resolution: 300 dpi (the dpi of an image can usually be found by right-clicking on an image file and selecting ‘Properties’)
• Font: use a sans serif font. Gill Sans is preferred but Myriad Pro, Arial, or Helvetica are acceptable.
• Font size: text should be 10-12 points, but no smaller than 8 points
• If the quality is not sufficient the Editorial Office may contact the authors to provide a replacement graphic

Authors must obtain permission for any material being reproduced – including quotations, images, tables, or videos – for which they are not the copyright holder. Permissions should be sought from and granted by the original copyright holder.

If accepted for publication, the graphical abstract may be selected to be redrawn by professional illustrators.

For examples of previously published Graphical Abstracts see:

• Kaihara T, Intan-Goey V, Scherrenberg M, Falter M, Frederix I, Akashi Y, et al. Impact of gamification on glycaemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur Heart J Open, 2021;1(3). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oeab030
• Funamoto M, Sunagawa Y, Katanasaka Y, Kato T, Funada J, Ajiro Y, et al. Effects of High-Absorption Curcumin for the Prevention of Hypertensive Heart Disease: A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomised Clinical Study, Eur Heart J Open, 2022. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oeac057
• Bäck M, Xhaard C, Rouget R, Thuillier Q, Plunde O, Larsson SC, et al. Fatty acid desaturase genetic variations and dietary omega-3 fatty acid intake associate with arterial stiffness, Eur Heart J Open, 2022;2(2). Doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjopen/oeac016

Further guidance on how to create an effective graphical abstract.

Video abstract:

Recommended for: Original Article, Review, Short Report

The video abstract should be a short presentation or visual summarizing the main messages (take-home messages) of the paper.

• Format: mp4, landscape
• Resolution: highest possible
• Duration: 5 minutes maximum
• Include a still image of the video to appear in the PDF version of the paper
• Ensure that that recording is of sufficient quality and that any audio/sound is clear before submission.
• If the quality is not sufficient the Editorial Office may contact the authors to provide a replacement video abstract. The Editors reserve the right to reject the video abstract for publication.

Audio abstract:

Optional for: Original Article, Review, Short Report

The audio abstract should provide a short verbal summary of the main messages (take-home messages) of the paper.

• Format: mp3, audio bitrate at least 160kbps
• Duration: 5 minutes maximum
• Ensure that that recording is of sufficient quality and that any audio/sound is clear before submission.
• If the quality is not sufficient the Editorial Office may contact the authors to provide a replacement audio abstract. The Editors reserve the right to reject the audio abstract for publication.

Lay summary:

Highly recommended for: Original Article, Review, Short Report

One of the aims of EHJ-IMP is to create a strong link with patients, and the Journal partners with them across its content. Lay summaries connect patients and the public to research and researchers.

A lay summary should explain the main messages of the paper, stating the problem and potential impact of the research for patients and the public. It can also be used to show the motivation of the study. An effective lay summary will use uncomplicated language without the use of abbreviations or medical terms.

Lay summaries should not exceed 250 words. Reference citations are not permitted.

Tables

You must number all tables (e.g., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3) and reference them in the text. You must place all tables at the end of the main text. Tables should be in an editable format, and not embedded as an image file.

Formatting guidelines:

• It is preferable to provide tables in portrait layout with no more than 9 columns
• Centre each column around its header
• Avoid using colour and shading, as these are not used when published
• All tables should be numbered (e.g., Table 1) and referenced in the text
• Tables should have a description, title, or legend
• Tables should not be split into parts (e.g., Table 1a, 1b etc.)

Submission guidelines:

• Tables and their legends should be included in the manuscript file at the end of the document
• Tables should be in an editable format and should not embedded as an image file.
• Legends for tables should define all symbols and abbreviations used in the table. Common abbreviations and other in the preceding text should be not redefined in the legend.

Figures

Figures should be limited to the number necessary for clarity and must not duplicate data from the tables or the text.

General guidance for all figure types:

• Each figure should be uploaded to Editorial Manager as a separate image file.
• Each figure should be numbered consecutively (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2) and referenced in the text.
• Text in figures should use a sans serif font. Gill Sans is preferred but Myriad Pro, Arial, or Helvetica are acceptable.
• Note that the use of red and green in figures may cause difficulty for individuals with colour-blindness.
• Legends for figures should be included in a separate section of the manuscript grouped under the heading ‘Legends’ at the end of the manuscript. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. Common abbreviations and other in the preceding text should be not redefined in the legend.
• Figures should not be submitted if the copyright of the figure is unclear (e.g., images downloaded from the internet). Permission must be sought and granted for all figures being reproduced in the Journal, and correct attribution must be given in accordance with the licence of the original work.
• EHJ-IMP does not charge for colour figures of any type.
• Guidance on file type, resolution, and quality for each type of figure is given below.

Photographs and Images:

Photographs and images should be provided as raster images. Common examples of raster images are .tif/.tiff or .raw file types. The resolution of raster files is measured by the number of dots or pixels in a given area, referred to as “dpi” or “ppi”. This information is given in the image properties, which can usually be found by right-clicking on an image file and selecting ‘Properties’. Dpi and pixel width are included in the ‘Details’ tab.

• Minimum resolution: 350 dpi
• Recommended resolution: 600 dpi
• It is not possible to improve the quality of an image during the production process. Before submitting a photograph or image check that details are clear, that contrast is good, and that there is low noise.

Line art:

Line art images should be provided as raster images. Common examples of raster images are .tif/.tiff or .raw file types. The resolution of raster files is measured by the number of dots or pixels in a given area, referred to as “dpi” or “ppi”. This information is given in the image properties, which can usually be found by right-clicking on an image file and selecting ‘Properties’. Dpi and pixel width are included in the ‘Details’ tab.

• Minimum resolution: 600 dpi
• Recommended resolution: 1200 dpi
• Colour: use CMYK or RGB format.
• Font: use a sans serif font. Gill Sans is preferred but Myriad Pro, Arial, or Helvetica are acceptable.
• Font size: no smaller than 2mm in height.
• If stippling is used, use clear black dots with visible white space between them. Faint and grey stippling could be lost during production and must be avoided.
• Ensure that it is easy to differentiate between different levels or types of shading.

Charts, graphs, and diagrams:

Charts, graphs, and diagrams are best rendered digitally as geometric forms called vector graphics. Common file types are .eps, .svg, .ai, and .pdf. Vector images use mathematical relationships between points and the lines connecting them to describe an image. These file types do not use pixels, which means that resolution does not apply to vector images.

• It is preferable to use colour in charts, graphs, and diagrams rather than black and white or grayscale. Avoid pale colours and colour combinations that may be difficult for colour-blind readers.
• Ensure that it is easy to differentiate between different levels or types of shading.
• Colour should be submitted in CMYK or RGB format.
• Ensure that the axes are easy to read (i.e., clear tick marks and axes labels).
• Elements within diagrams should be clearly labelled and formatted consistently.

Multipanel figures:

Submit all panels of a multipanel figure as a single file in Editorial Manager.

Preparation guidance:

• Each panel should be labelled with a letter (e.g., A, B, C) in the upper-left corner. It is recommended that a multipanel figure does not contain more than six panels.
• Each panel of the multipanel figure should follow the guidance relevant to the figure type, given above. For example, a graph should refer to the guidance above for charts, graphs and diagrams.
• Dedicated software should be used to combine the panels into a single figure, such as Photoshop, GIMP, Illustrator, or InkScape. We do not recommend using PowerPoint.

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work.  

Alt text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, and photographs. 

Alt text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article. 

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text. 

Videos

Formatting guidelines:

• Format: .mp4 or .avi format only
• Videos should be numbered consecutively (e.g., Video 1, Video 2) and referenced in the text.
• Authors should provide a still image for each video, which will be used in the PDF version of the article.  The video still should be provided in .eps, .svg, .ai, or .pdf format. Each video still should be clearly numbered (e.g., Video 1 still image, Video 2 still image).
• Please note that the Journal cannot use videos hosted on third-party sites such as YouTube, as the link may expire.

Submission guidelines:

• Upload each video and video still image as a separate file under the header “Video” in Editorial Manager.
• Legends for videos should be included in a separate section under the heading ‘Legends’, after the ‘References’ section of the manuscript. Define all symbols and abbreviation used in the video. Common abbreviations and other in the preceding text should be not redefined in the legend.
• Videos should not be submitted if the copyright of the video is unclear (e.g., a video downloaded from the internet). Permission must be sought and granted for all videos being reproduced in the Journal, and correct attribution must be given in accordance with the licence of the original work.
• Additional videos may be submitted as supplementary online-only material if permitted for the article type.

Acknowledgements 

Substantive contributions of individuals should be noted in an “Acknowledgements” section, above the “Conflict of Interest” section. This section can include individuals who do not meet the ICMJE criteria for authorship, but nevertheless were contributors to the paper. See the Authorship and Contributors sections above.

Funding

Details of all funding sources for the work should be given in a separate section entitled “Funding”. This should appear before the “Acknowledgements” section in the manuscript.

The following rules should be followed:

• Funding agency names should be given in full without abbreviations: e.g., National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health
• Grant numbers should be complete and accurate and provided in brackets: e.g., (grant number ABX CDXXXXXX)
• Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma: e.g. (grant numbers ABX CDXXXXXX, EFXXXXXX)
• Agencies should be separated by a semi-colon (plus ‘and’ before the last funding agency)
• Where individuals must be specified for certain sources of funding, the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number 'to [author initials]'.

Funding statement examples:

• Wellcome Trust (grant numbers AA-10101, BB949/2-3) to M.H. and P.P.F. Funding for open access charge: Wellcome Trust (grant number CB5453961-7).
• National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health (grant number L-130-A); National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (grant number A-158912/1); and National Institute of Nursing Research at the National Institutes of Health (grant numbers W-1120, G-819-1).

NIH-funded articles:
OUP will deposit all NIH-funded articles in PubMed Central. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as NIH-funded using the guidelines above.

Crossref Funding Data Registry:
To meet funding requirements, authors are required to name their funding sources, or state if there are none, during the submission process. For further information on this process or to find out more about CHORUS, visit the CHORUS initiative.

References

References should be identified in the text by Arabic numerals and numbered in the order cited. All references should be compiled at the end of the article in the Vancouver style (i.e. author-number system). Complete information should be given for each reference, including the title of the article, abbreviated journal title, and page numbers. If there are more than six authors, the first six authors should be listed followed by ‘et al.’.

Personal communications, manuscripts in preparation, and other unpublished data should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in parentheses in the text. Authors should obtain permission from the source to cite unpublished data. Titles of journals should be abbreviated in accordance with Medline. If a journal is not listed in Medline, its name should be written out in full.

Article citation examples:

• Peters S, Reinders B. Cardiovascular Diseases. Journal Abbrev 2022;1:100–116. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/journal/abc123
• Barbosa SA, Kulikova B, Lund R, Kowalska G, Burtole J, Ivanković SL, et al. J Abbrev 2022;10:15–20. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/journal/def456

Book citation example:

• Nicholaus S, Ralla DE Jr. Cardiovascular Diseases. 4th ed. London: Publisher; 2021. p120-206.

Chapter citation example:

• Ryan D, Witteland AWR. Heart Failure. In: Nicholas S, Raffa DE. Cardiovascular Diseases. 4th ed. London: Publisher; 2021. p157–158.

Conference proceedings example:

• Brooks AD. Cardiology. In: Abstracts of the Annual Conference, Paris, France, 2022. Abstract A-2239, p671. International Society, Paris, France.

Webpage citation example:

• Cardiology Society. Cardiovascular Diseases: Summary. Available from: http://www.website.org (accessed 1 Jan 2022).

Preprint article citation example:

• Olsen T, Hughes C, Holmberg LB. Cardiovascular Diseases. Biorxiv [Preprint] 2022. Available from doi.org/10.0000/123456.

Supplementary Material

Some article types accept supplementary data or supplementary material. Authors must submit all supplementary material at the same time as the manuscript to be peer reviewed. The following guidance should be followed:

• All supplementary material must be clearly labelled (e.g., Supplementary Figure 1, Supplementary Video 1 etc)
• Supplementary material must be cited in the text of the main manuscript
• Style and formatting of supplementary material should be consistent with that of the manuscript. Supplementary material will be not copyedited or typeset
• Supplementary material should be formatted to function on any internet browser
• It is not necessary to include the study protocol if it is available online and can be referenced to in the text

Third Party Permissions 

Authors must obtain permission for any material being reproduced – including quotations, images, tables, or videos – for which they are not the copyright holder. Permissions should be sought from the original copyright holder.

If the manuscript contains material for which the authors do not have open access re-use permissions, the following credit line should be included with the material:

• Title of content
• Author, Original publication, year of original publication, by permission of [rights holder]
• This image/content is not covered by the terms of the Creative Commons licence of this publication. For permission to reuse, please contact the rights holder.

Further information on obtaining permissions 

All permissions letters should be included with the original submission via Editorial Manager.

If the manuscript does not contain any reproduced material, authors should upload a word document under the head ‘Permissions’ in Editorial Manager, with the following statement: “The authors do hereby declare that all illustrations and figures in the manuscript are original and not require reprint permission”.

Open Access

EHJ-IMP is a fully open access journal. All papers published in the Journal are published under an open access licence, for which there is an open access charge.

CC BY or CC BY-NC licence
 

Original article, Review – €3000

Short report – €1500

Image focus – €850

Letter to the Editor – no charge

More information and details of the open access licences and charges

If the corresponding author is based in one of the countries included in our Developing Countries Initiative, your article will be eligible for a full waiver of the open access charge.

OUP has a growing number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia which provide funding for open access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Authors can find out if their institution is participating by visiting this page. Find out if your institution is participating.

To be eligible for one of OUP’s Read and Publish agreements, the corresponding author must provide their qualifying institution as their primary affiliation when they submit their manuscript. After submission, changing the corresponding author in order to access Read and Publish funding is not permissible.

Please note that you may be eligible for a discount on the open access charge based on society membership. Authors may be asked to prove eligibility for the member discount.

Production and Publication

Publication Embargoes 

The Journal will coordinate embargoes if this is required by the authors. Authors should email the Editorial Office (ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk) as soon as possible if an embargo is required, stating the exact date and time that the paper can be published. Authors should also include a note to production when returning proofs.

Press Releases 

If a press release will be prepared and issued by the institution or funder of one or more of the authors, the authors should reach out to the EHJ-IMP Editorial Office (ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk) as soon as possible and before the final decision is made on the article. The Journal publishes the accepted manuscript version of the paper shortly after acceptance, and this process cannot be interrupted. No version of a paper may be temporarily withdrawn once published. 

If the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) or OUP on behalf of the Journal opt to take forward a press release, the authors will be contacted by press@escardio.org.

Proofs 

Page proofs will be submitted to the corresponding author electronically. These should be checked thoroughly for any changes or typographic errors.

It is the Publisher’s intent to review and correct the proofs and publish the accepted work as soon as possible. To achieve this, all corrections must be returned to the Publisher within 3 days.

Post-publication Corrections 

The Publisher will only make changes to published papers if the publication record is seriously affected by the academic accuracy of the published information.

Changes to published papers are accompanied by a formal correction notice. This applies to papers on Advance Access and those published within an issue. This means that any change carried out to a paper already published online will have a corresponding correction published with its own DOI. The notice will be published online at the earliest opportunity (on the Journal’s Advance Articles page, if possible, otherwise in the earliest available issue), and will link to the paper being corrected. A link will also appear on the paper being corrected, notifying readers that a correction has been published.

Changes cannot be made to papers that have been published online for more than 12 months. In such instances a correction will be published explaining the error, but the paper will not be updated. The correction will be published online with links to the original paper as described above.

To submit a correction the corresponding author should email journals.corrections@oup.com.

OUP’s full corrections policy is available

Retractions 

The Journal subscribes to the COPE Retraction Guidelines, which outlines appropriate use cases for retractions. The Journal also has the option of consulting the ESC Publications Ethics Committee.

Contact Us 

For any questions or feedback please contact ehj-imp.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk.