Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Instructions to Authors

Scope

General Submission Information
Presubmission Language Editing, Graphical Abstracts, Video Abstracts

Ethical Considerations
Authorship, Plagiarism, Patient Consent, Human/Animal Studies, Clinical Trials Registration, Conflict of Interest

Guidelines by Article Type
Review Articles, Original Articles, Brief Reports, Case Reports, Letters to the Editor, Commentaries

Preparation of Manuscript
Title Page, Abstract and Keywords, Key Messages, Abbreviations, Style, References, Figures, Tables, Supplementary Data, Permissions, Availability of Data and Materials, Data Citation

Following Submission/Acceptance 
Revisions, Exclusive License, Page Proofs and Corrections, Funding Compliance, Using IBD Reviews

Open Access

Scope

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases® (IBD) supports the mission of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation by bringing the most impactful and cutting-edge clinical topics and research findings related to inflammatory bowel diseases to clinicians and researchers working in IBD and related fields. The Journal is committed to publishing on innovative topics that influence the future of clinical care, treatment, and research. The Journal publishes peer-reviewed manuscripts and review articles in basic, translational, and clinical sciences, updates on clinical trials, reviews of the current literature, editorials, and other features.

General Submission Information

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal's online submission system. For questions on preparing manuscripts for submission to IBD, please contact [email protected].

IBD complies with International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts. Authors should observe high standards with respect to publication ethics as set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

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

Enago is an independent service provider, who will handle all aspects of this service, including payment. As an author you are under no obligation to take up this offer. Language editing is optional and does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will still undergo peer review by the journal.

Graphical Abstracts

Authors are encouraged to submit a graphical (or visual) abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The graphical/video abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article, and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF. The graphical abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system.  The file should be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff. See additional guidance below on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics. Please ensure graphical abstracts are in landscape format.

Key information to include in graphical abstracts

Authors are encouraged to convey the Study Aim/Objective, Design, and Key Findings in their graphical abstract. Authors should highlight the primary outcome measure of the study in the graphical abstract, and avoid inclusion of speculative findings.

Examples of graphical abstracts

1. Ustekinumab Exposure in Pregnant Women From Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Trials: Pregnancy Outcomes Through Up To 5 Years in Crohn’s Disease and 2 Years in Ulcerative Colitis
2. Patients With Stricturing or Penetrating Crohn’s Disease Phenotypes Report High Disease Burden and Treatment Needs
3. Validating the Simplified Endoscopic Mucosal Assessment for Crohn’s Disease: A Novel Method for Assessing Disease Activity
4. Impact of Vedolizumab on Extraintestinal Manifestations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Results From a Descriptive, Retrospective, Real-world Study

Specific formatting requirements for graphical abstracts

Graphical abstracts should be generated using the downloadable journal template and saved in PDF, JPEG, or TIFF format. The journal recommends:

• using colors that complement the journal website and template
• Arial or Calibri font, size 18-24 points
• using graphics with minimal text to convey your message

The graphical abstract should be different to other figures used in your paper, but may include content from your key figures.

Video Abstracts

Authors are encouraged to submit a video abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The video abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF. The video abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g. video_abstract.mp4. Video abstracts must be provided in mp4 file format. See more resources for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for videos.

Ethical Considerations

A submitted manuscript must be an original contribution not previously published (except as an abstract or preliminary report), must not be under consideration for publication elsewhere, and, if accepted, must not be published elsewhere in similar form, in any language, without the consent of the publisher. Deposition of manuscripts prior to submission on community preprint servers or on conference presentations online will not be considered prior publication and will not compromise potential publication in IBD. In the Editorial Manager submission process, authors are asked to disclose that the manuscript has been posted to a preprint server along with a link to the paper. Although the editors and referees make every effort to ensure the validity of published manuscripts, the final responsibility rests with the authors, not with the Journal, its editors, or the publisher.

Authorship

Each person listed as an author is expected to follow the authorship criteria put forth by the ICMJE. Deceased persons who meet the criteria for inclusion as coauthors should be so included, with an Author Information note indicating the date of death.

In submitting to IBD, authors are expected to honor all deadlines presented to them. Authors are expected to respond to all communication from the Editorial staff in a timely manner and should inform the Editorial staff promptly if they require an extension to complete their paper or if any unforeseen events prohibit them from writing their paper. The Journal reserves the right to not publish a paper if an author fails to meet their assigned deadlines or if the paper does not meet the Journal’s standards of quality.

Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author.

The Journal does not allow ghost authorship, where an unnamed author prepares the article with no credit, or guest/gift authorship, where an author who made little or no contribution is listed as an author. The Journal follows Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance on investigating and resolving these cases. For more information, please see the OUP Publication Ethics page.

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 both in cover letters to editors and in the Methods or Acknowledgements section of manuscripts. Please see the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI for more details.

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, please contact the editorial office. 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.

After submission, changing who is designated as the corresponding author will be permitted only where there is a substantive reason to do so. For the avoidance of doubt, changing the corresponding author in order to access Read and Publish funding is not permissible. For more information on Read and Publish funding, see the Open Access section.

Plagiarism

All papers must be free of plagiarism. Plagiarism includes the unreferenced use of the author’s own work or ideas or the work or ideas of others, either published or unpublished. It may occur at any stage of the development of a manuscript and it applies to print and electronic versions of the work. Authors should consult the Committee on Publication Ethics’ (COPE) Guidelines on Good Publication Practice if they have questions about reuse of others’ work.

The Editorial staff may subject submitted manuscripts to analysis using the iThenticate software program. If plagiarism is identified, the Editorial staff will request corrections or clarification from the author.

When a case of plagiarism is confirmed after publication, the Journal will publish a notice in a subsequent issue and possibly take further action according to Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines. Authors who have been found to be guilty of plagiarism after the appropriate institutional investigation will be banned from submitting to the Journal for a defined period of time.

Patient Anonymity and Informed Consent

It is the author's responsibility to ensure that a patient's anonymity be carefully protected and to verify that any experimental investigation with human subjects reported in the manuscript was performed with informed consent and following all the guidelines for experimental investigation with human subjects required by the institution(s) with which all the authors are affiliated. Patients’ identity must be removed in all figures (e.g., x-rays, MRIs, charts, photographs, etc.). Written informed consent is required from any potentially identifiable patient or legal representative, and should be presented in either the Methods section or the Acknowledgments. Please use the Patient Consent Form.

Human Studies

Human experimentation must conform to ethical standards, and be approved by the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB). A statement concerning IRB approval and consent procedures must appear at the beginning of the Methods section. Any systematic data gathering effort in patients or volunteers must be approved by an IRB or adhere to appropriate local/national regulations. The Editors of IBD take IRB review and informed consent very seriously. Authors may be questioned about the details of consent forms or the consent process. On occasion, the Editors may request a copy of the approved IRB application from the author. Lack of appropriate consent or documentation may be grounds for rejection. Local IRB approval does not guarantee acceptability; the final decision will be made by the Editors.

Manuscripts that reveal the identity of any patient through figures, video, or audio files must be accompanied by written permission statement/release form signed by the identified adult or minor, or legal representative. The author may download and utilize the Patient Consent Form using the links above.

Animal Studies

Experimental work on animals must conform to the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which is available from the National Academy of Science; a text-only version is available to download as a pdf. Adherence to all relevant regulations and/or approval of the appropriate institutional Animal Care Committee or governmental licensure of the investigator and/or laboratory must be obtained. A statement concerning such approval must be included at the beginning of the Methods section. The Editors of IBD are concerned about appropriate animal care. On occasion, the Editors may request a copy of the approved Animal Care Committee application from the author. Local committee approval does not guarantee acceptability; the final decision will be made by the Editors.

Observational Studies

The STROBE statement must be used when reporting observational research.

Registration of Clinical Trials

All clinical trials that involve investigational drugs supported by a pharmaceutical firm or investigational devices supported by a device manufacturer must be registered at the time that a manuscript is submitted to IBD for publication. The registry and registration number must be stated in the first paragraph of the Methods section of the manuscript.

Policies on Conflicts of Interest

IBD is committed to making transparent the Journal’s policies on Conflict of Interest as they relate to authors, reviewers, and editors. Authors should familiarize themselves with the below points as well as COPE’s Guidelines on Good Publication Practice before committing to working with the Journal.

Conflicts in regard to publication can occur when a competing interest may influence or be perceived to influence the judgment of author, reviewers, and editors. Conflicts of interest are considered relationships within three years prior to the authoring, reviewing, or editing of the given manuscript. Specifically, these relationships may include:

• Employment (including employment by the same institution)
• Mentoring
• Collaborating
• Research funding
• Consultancies
• Honoraria
• Stock or share ownership
• Grants received and pending
• Royalties
• Company support for staff
• Commercial interests
• Political or religious views
• Any other close personal relationship

Author Conflict of Interest

As part of the Editorial Manager submission process, authors are required to declare all potential conflicting interests — financial, personal, or otherwise — that might be perceived as influencing the information presented in their manuscript. All sources of funding should be acknowledged in the manuscript. All relevant conflicts of interest and sources of funding should be disclosed during the submission process in Editorial Manager and should be listed on the title page as well.

When in doubt, authors should seek advice from the Editors if they are unsure whether something constitutes a relevant conflict of interest. If there is no conflict of interest, this should also be explicitly stated as none declared.

In the event that a potential conflict of interest is apparent or suspected, the Journal Editorial staff will request clarification from the author. In the event that a conflict was not disclosed, the Journal may publish a notice in a subsequent issue and possibly take further action according to COPE guidelines.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

All clinical practice guidelines submitted for publication in IBD must adhere to the recommendations set forth by the National Academy of Medicine. Their recommendations include appointing committee chairs with no financial conflicts of interest and limiting guideline authors with financial conflicts of interest to less than 50% of the panel. Further detail on the recommendations can be found on the NCBI website.

Guidelines by Article Type

Basic, translational, and clinical articles submitted to IBD should be submitted as one of the following article types using the parameters below.

Review Articles

Review Articles should be classified as Basic Science, Translational, or Clinical and should present recent advances in a relatively narrow topic that have been made in cutting-edge research. Translational articles are those that bring science directly into clinical practice. They describe novel data at the intersection of basic science and clinical research/clinical care. Review articles should present a complete summary of important research areas that are now improving our understanding of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. All Review Articles will be peer-reviewed. Pre-submission inquiries to the Editors in Chief on the suitability of topics for Review Articles are highly suggested. Inquiries should be submitted to [email protected].

Parameters

• Manuscript body: 7,000 words (not including references, figures, and tables). Authors must request permission from the Editors to increase the length.
• Tables and figures: No more than six (combined)
• References: No more than 100
• Supplemental data: Allowed, including tables and figures
• Abstract required

Original Articles

Original Articles should be classified as Basic Science, Translational, or Clinical, should add to the body of knowledge of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and should be in alignment with the scope of IBD. Translational articles are those that bring science directly into clinical practice. They describe novel data at the intersection of basic science and clinical research/clinical care Please review IBD's mission statement for more information.

Parameters

• Manuscript body: 7,000 words (not including references, figures, and tables). Authors must request permission from the Editors to increase the length.
• Tables and figures: No more than seven (combined)
• References: No more than 40
• Supplemental data: Allowed, including tables and figures
• Abstract required

Brief Reports

Brief Reports should be classified as either Basic Science, Translational, or Clinical and should be concise communications of original research. Translational articles are those that bring science directly into clinical practice. They describe novel data at the intersection of basic science and clinical research/clinical care. Brief Reports should add to the body of knowledge of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis as well as be in alignment with the scope of IBD. Please review IBD's mission statement for more information.

Parameters

• Manuscript body: 1,500 words (not including references, figures, and tables). Authors must include Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
• Tables and figures: No more than two (combined)
• References: No more than 10
• Supplemental data: Not allowed, including tables and figures
• Abstract: An abstract should not be included

Case Reports

Case Reports should illustrate a novel clinical finding or pathogenetic mechanisms. Novel case series should be submitted as a case report.

Parameters

• Manuscript body: No more than 400 words
• Tables and figures: No more than one table or one figure
• References: No more than 10
• Supplemental data: Not allowed, including tables and figures
• Abstract: An abstract should not be included

Letters to the Editor

Letters in response to articles published in the Journal are welcome. All Letters should start with the phrase "To the Editors," and be written as a letter. Letters must be submitted the end of the following calendar month (e.g. by the end of July, for letters referring to articles in the June issue). All Letters to the Editor will be published online and the Journal only allows for one exchange between the initial letter writer and the responding author. Case reports or case series should NOT be submitted as a Letter to the Editor.

Parameters

• Manuscript body: No more than 400 words
• Tables and figures: No more than one table or one figure
• References: No more than 10
• Supplemental data: Not allowed, including tables and figures

Commentaries

Commentaries focus on timely topics related to improving the career of the IBD physician including basic research, translational and clinical research, education, and career advice. Unsolicited commentaries with no more than three authors will be considered. Editors’ Commentaries may be co-authored by one of IBD's Associate Editors. Invited Commentaries are invited by the Editors and must have no more than three authors.

Parameters

• Manuscript body: No more than 1,500 words
• Tables and figures: No more than 10(combined)
• References: No more than 25
• Supplemental data: Not allowed, including tables and figures
• Abstract: An abstract should not be included
   

Preparation of Manuscript

Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review.

Title Page

Include on the title page (a) complete manuscript title; (b) authors' full names, highest academic degrees, and affiliations; (c) name and address for correspondence, telephone number, and email address; and (d) sources of support that require acknowledgment.  For both affiliations and postal addresses, please include the country.

The title page must also include disclosure of funding received for this work from any of the following organizations: National Institutes of Health (NIH); Wellcome Trust; Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); and others.

Authors’ financial disclosures and conflicts of interest should be included on the title page. If there are no financial disclosures or conflicts of interest, this should be specifically noted as well.

A brief, 40-word summary of the article's main point is also required. This is separate from the article’s abstract. Summaries are not needed for Letters to the Editor.

Abstract and Key Words

The abstract must be factual and comprehensive and should not exceed 250 words. Do not cite references in the abstract. Limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms, and avoid general statements (e.g., "the significance of the results is discussed"). It should be sectioned into Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Three to five key words should also be provided. Review articles, editorials, and editors’ commentaries do not require structured abstracts.

Key Messages

Please include the key messages of your article after your abstract using the following bullet points. This section should be distinct from the abstract and should be specific and accurate. There should be no more than one sentence per point. (Max 100 words)

• What is already known?
• What is new here?
• How can this study help patient care?

Text

For full-length research articles, please organize the manuscript in the following sequence:

• Abstract and Key Words
• Key Messages
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• Ethical Considerations
• References
• Tables
• Figure Legends

Abbreviations

Non-standard abbreviations should be kept to a minimum. They should be defined at the first occurrence and introduced only where multiple use is made.

Style

Follow American Medical Association Manual of Style (11th edition). Stedman's Medical Dictionary (27th edition) and Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (10th edition) should be used as standard references. Refer to drugs and therapeutic agents by their accepted generic or chemical names, and do not abbreviate them. Use code numbers only when a generic name is not yet available. In that case, supply the chemical name and a figure giving the chemical structure of the drug. Capitalize the trade names of drugs and place them in parentheses after the generic names. To comply with trademark law, include the name and location (city and state in USA; city and country outside USA) of the manufacturer of any drugs, supplies, or equipment mentioned in the manuscript. Use the metric system to express units of measure and degrees Celsius to express temperatures, and use SI units rather than conventional units.

References

The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. Key the references (double-spaced) at the end of the manuscript. Cite the references in text in the order of appearance, including those references cited in tables and figure legends at the chronological citation of the tables and figures in text. Cite unpublished data, such as papers submitted but not yet accepted for publication, personal communications, in parentheses in the text. If there are more than three authors, only name the first three authors and then use et al. For abbreviations of journal names, you can access the National Library of Medicine catalog. 

Sample references are given below:

Journal Article

1. Lutgens MW, van Oijen MG, van der Heijden GJ, et al. Declining risk of colorectal cancer in inflammatory bowel disease: an updated meta-analysis of population-based cohort studies. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2013;19:789–99.

Book Chapter

2. Lee AM, Chan CLW, Ho AHY, et al. Improving the Quality of Life and Psychological Well-being of Patients with Colorectal Cancer. In: Lee MY, Ng S, Leung PPY, et al. Integrated Body-Mind-Spirit Social Work. 1st ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2009: 236-244.

Entire Book

3. Fogen BS, Greenberg DB. Psychiatric Care of the Medical Patient. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2016.

Software

4. Epi Info [computer program]. Version 3.2. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2004.

Online

5. Gore D, Haji SA, Balashanmugam A, et al. Light and electron microscopy of macular corneal dystrophy: a case study. Digit J Ophthalmol. 2004;10. http://www.djo.harvard.edu/site.php?url=/physicians/oa/671. Accessed December 6, 2005.

Database

6. PDQ: NCI’s Comprehensive Cancer Database. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 1996. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/pdq. Updated December 18, 2001. Accessed April 29, 2004.

World Wide Web

7. International Society for Infectious Diseases. ProMED-mail website. http://www.promedmail.org. Accessed April 29, 2004.

Figures

Figures should be submitted as high resolution TIFF files. Please submit figures as separate files and do not embed them within the main text. If fonts are used in the artwork, they must be in editable format with no outlines. We prefer the following fonts: Helvetica, Baskerville MT, STD, Sabon LT Std. Color images must be created, saved and submitted as CMYK files. Please note that artwork generated from office suite programs such as Corel Draw and artwork downloaded from the Internet (JPEG or GIF files) cannot be used. Cite figures consecutively in the manuscript, and number them in the order in which they are discussed.

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. 

Resolution

Images should be saved at a resolution of at least 300 dpi and line art should be saved at a resolution of at least 1200 dpi.

Figure Legends

Legends must be submitted for all figures. They should be brief and specific, and they should appear after the tables. Use scale markers in the image for electron micrographs, and indicate the type of stain used.

Digital Artwork Guideline Checklist

Before submitting your digital art to IBD, please ensure that it complies with the following list.

• Artwork is created and submitted as the actual size (or slightly larger) it will appear in the Journal. 
• Crop out any white or black space surrounding the image.
• Check that text and fonts in any figure are one of the acceptable fonts: Helvetica, Baskerville MT, STD, Sabon LT Std.
• Images are created and saved as CMYK only. Do not submit any figures in RGB mode.
• Line art saved at a resolution of at least 1200 dpi.
• Images saved at a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
• Each figure is saved as a separate file and saved separately from the accompanying text file.
• Multi-panel or composite figures should be sent as one file
• Ensure that no artwork generated from office suite programs such as CorelDRAW, MS Word, Excel, or artwork downloaded from the Internet (JPEG or GIF files) is used.
• Cite figures consecutively in your manuscript.
• Number figures in the figure legend in the order in which they are discussed.
• Upload figures consecutively to the Journal's online submission system and number figures consecutively in the box during upload.

Tables

Create tables using the table creating and editing feature of your word processing software (e.g., Word). You can also use Microsoft Excel. Do not submit tables as image files or images placed in Word documents. Tables must be provided as editable text (Word files are preferred). Cite tables consecutively in the text, and number them in that order. Key each on a separate sheet, and include the table title, appropriate column heads, and explanatory legends (including definitions of any abbreviations used). Do not embed tables within the body of the manuscript. They should be self-explanatory and should supplement, rather than duplicate, the material in the text.

Supplementary Data

Authors may submit Supplementary Data via the Journal's online submission system that enhance their article's text to be considered for online posting. Supplementary Data may include standard media such as text documents, graphs, audio, video, etc. On the Attach Files page of the submission process, please select Supplemental Audio, Video, or Data for your uploaded file as the Submission Item. If an article with Supplementary Data is accepted, our production staff will create a URL with the Supplementary Data file. The URL will be placed in the call-out within the article. Please note that Supplementary Data files are not copyedited and they will be presented digitally as submitted. Please supply the files as you would like them to appear in final publication (include legends in the same file as the images; make text double spaced or single spaced per your preference).

Supplementary Data Call-outs

Supplementary Data must be cited consecutively in the text of the submitted manuscript. Citations should include the type of material submitted (Audio, Figure, Table, etc.), be clearly labeled as "Supplementary Data Content," include the sequential list number, and provide a description of the supplemental content. All descriptive text should be included in the call-out as it will not appear elsewhere in the article.

For Example: We performed many tests on the degrees of flexibility in the elbow (see Video, Supplementary Data Content 1, which demonstrates elbow flexibility) and found our results inconclusive.

Permissions

Authors must submit written permission from the copyright owner (usually the publisher) to use tables or illustrations that have appeared in copyrighted form elsewhere, along with complete details about the source. Any permissions fees that might be required by the copyright owner are the responsibility of the authors requesting use of the borrowed material, and not the responsibility of the publisher. For permission and/or rights to use content for which the copyright holder is Oxford University Press or the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation, please go to the Journal's website and after clicking on the relevant article, click on the "Permissions" link that appears above the abstract. Alternatively, send an email to [email protected].

Availability of Data and Materials

Where ethically feasible, IBD 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. For information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositories by subject area, please see Choosing where to archive your data.

Data Citation

IBD 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

*The inclusion of the [dataset] tag at the beginning of the citation helps us to correctly identify and tag the citation. This tag will be removed from the citation published in the reference list.

ORCID

IBD requires submitting authors to provide an ORCID iD at submission to the journal. More information on ORCID and the benefits of using an ORCID iD is available. If you do not already have an ORCID iD, you can register for free via the ORCID website.

Following Submission/Acceptance

Peer Review

The Editors read all manuscript submissions. All manuscripts that meet the quality standards, are felt to advance the field, and adhere to the scope of the Journal are assigned to an Associate Editor and sent to outside experts for peer review using a single-anonymized system,  meaning that authors’ identities are known to the Editor and to the reviewers, but that the reviewers’ identities are known only to the Editor and are hidden from the authors.  The Associate Editor, aided by the reviewers' comments, makes a recommendation to the Editors regarding the merits of the manuscript. The Editors make a final decision to accept, reject, or request revision of the manuscript. A request for revision does not guarantee ultimate acceptance of the revised manuscript.

For full details about the peer review process, see Fair editing and peer review.

OUP author FAQs.

Appeals

Authors may appeal a reject decision if they think it is unwarranted. Please note that while appeals will be considered, it is only in rare circumstances that the Editors will change their decision. Appeals must be submitted by email to the editorial office and must provide as much detail as possible about why the manuscript should be reconsidered, including a detailed response to any peer reviews of the submitted paper and/or any procedural concerns raised during the submission/review process. Appeals that do not provide this information will not be considered. The Editors’ top priority is the review and processing of newly submitted manuscripts; appeals may therefore take a minimum of 3 to 6 weeks to receive a response from the Editors. If the appeal is successful and the authors are permitted to resubmit the manuscript it must be submitted as a NEW manuscript and will be subject to the usual review process for all manuscripts. Manuscripts that are rejected prior to external review or manuscripts that have previously been resubmitted are not eligible for appeal except in unusual circumstances involving actual error or misconduct.

Revisions

When submitting a revision, please submit both a clean copy and marked copy of the manuscript. The marked copy should highlight all of the changes made by the authors after the original review. Authors also should submit all tables and figures in separate files for production purposes. In addition to the clean and marked copies, a point-by-point response to the reviewers’ comments is also required.

Exclusive License

It is a condition of publication in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases that authors grant an exclusive license to the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. As part of the license agreement, authors may use their own material in other publications provided that Inflammatory Bowel Diseases is acknowledged as the original place of publication and Oxford University Press as the Publisher. 

Upon receipt of accepted papers at Oxford Journals, authors will be required to complete an exclusive License to Publish form. This form will be sent to the corresponding author via email. In the case of coauthored manuscripts, the corresponding author will be responsible for signing a License to Publish form on behalf of all coauthors.

Please note that by submitting a manuscript for consideration for publication, you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that Oxford University Press may retain your email address for the purpose of communicating with you about the submission. You agree to notify OUP immediately if your details change. If your article is accepted for publication OUP will contact you using the email address you designated in the submission process. Please note that OUP does not retain copies of rejected articles.

Page Proofs and Corrections

Corresponding authors will receive an email containing a link to the electronic page proofs to check the copyedited and typeset article before publication. The pages proofs are provided as portable document format (PDF) files which require Adobe Reader to be viewed and edited. Complete instructions will be provided with the email for downloading the files and for returning the corrected pages electronically to the publisher. It is the author's responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proofs. Changes that have been made to conform to Journal style should be allowed to stand if they do not alter the authors' meaning. Proofs must be checked carefully and corrections returned within 48 hours of receipt, as requested in the communication accompanying the page proofs.

Funding Compliance

A number of research funding agencies now require or request authors to submit the post-print (the article after peer review and acceptance, but not the final published article) to a repository that is accessible online by all without charge. As a service to our authors, Oxford University Press will identify to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) articles that require deposit and transmit the post-print of any article based on research funded in whole or in part by the National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, or other foundations(s) requiring open access to PubMed Central. See the Author Resources webpage for further details. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as receiving funds from the above bodies using the guidelines linked in above. Additionally, all authors who choose the Open Access option (described below) will have their final published article deposited into PubMed Central.

Using IBD Reviews when Submitting to Another Journal

IBD is committed to improving the overall efficiency of the publishing process. As such, we are willing to share reviewer reports with another journal of the corresponding author’s choice without including the reviewer names. If your paper is rejected from IBD and you would like to submit your manuscript and reviews to another journal, we ask that you disclose in your cover letter to the journal that your work was previously reviewed by IBD. You should also note that the receiving journal editor can, at their discretion, contact IBD to verify the authenticity of the confidential reviewer reports. We do suggest that if you have made revisions based on the reviewers' comments, you should upload a response to the previous reviews alongside your manuscript.

Open Access Publication Fee Information

IBD offers the option of publishing under either a standard license or an Open Access license. Please note that some funders require Open Access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish Open Access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution.

Should you wish to publish your article Open Access, you should select your choice of Open Access license in our online system after your article has been accepted for publication. You will need to pay an Open Access charge to publish under an Open Access license. Note that there is no charge for non-Open Access licenses.

Details of the Open Access licenses and Open Access charges. 

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. Find out if your institution is participating.

Please note that you may be eligible for a discount to the Open Access charge if you have a current Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation professional membership. Authors may be asked to prove eligibility for the member discount.