Instructions to Authors

On this page:

• Introduction
• Aims and Scope of the Journal
• Types of Manuscripts Considered
• Inclusion and Equity
• Formatting
• Components of the Manuscript
• Transparency and Openness Promotion
• Additional Policies and Considerations
• How to Submit Online Using ScholarOne
• Review Process
• Post-Acceptance Information
• Opportunities for New Reviewers/Mentors
• Editorial Correspondence

Introduction

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the publisher of Innovation in Aging®, was founded in 1945 to promote the scientific study of aging, to encourage exchanges among researchers and practitioners from the various disciplines related to gerontology, and to foster the use of gerontological research in forming public policy. The organization fosters collaboration among physicians, nurses, biologists, behavioral and social scientists, psychologists, social workers, economists, policy experts, those who study the humanities and arts, and many other scholars and researchers in aging. This stems from the belief that the intersection of research from diverse areas is the best way to achieve the greatest impact and promote healthy aging. Through networking and mentorship opportunities, GSA provides a professional “home” for 5,500 career gerontologists and students at all levels. More information about GSA.

Aims and Scope of the Journal

Innovation in Aging is an interdisciplinary Open Access journal of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Innovation in Aging publishes innovative, conceptually sound, methodologically rigorous research on aging and the life course that has high potential for translating scientific knowledge to improve older adults’ health, functioning, and well-being. Studies may present results from community, clinical, or laboratory settings and should focus on issues directly relevant to aging and the life course. Journal content reflects the wide-ranging research interests of GSA members. Types of studies may include: (a) validation of novel conceptual or theoretical models; (b) assessment of factors that influence older adults’ health, functioning, and well-being, (c) evaluation of interventions, approaches, or policies; (d) implementation of innovative research methods, including new techniques, devices, evaluation methods, or protocols; (e) interdisciplinary research that transfers concepts, methodologies, and interventions from other fields to studies of aging and the life course; and (f) modeling and simulations that explore factors and processes that affect outcomes during aging and the life course. Contributions are welcome from scholars from many fields, including technology, engineering, architecture, economics, business, law, political science and public policy, education, public health, social and psychological sciences, biomedical and health sciences, and the humanities and arts.

Innovation in Aging aspires to represent diversity in the aging experience in the scholarship we publish. We recognize that systems of inequity and bias have diminished the full portrayal of aging in this journal. We encourage cutting-edge, conceptual work that addresses health inequities, particularly the well-documented disparities arising from discrimination or oppression based on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, and their intersections. We further commit to building and maintaining a diverse author, reviewer, and editorial base that will nurture this scholarship in the years to come. These commitments are articulated in a recent joint editorial by all of GSA’s journal editors: Meeks, S., Albert, S. M., Anderson, R., Howe, J. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., Kaskie, B., Kelley, J. A., Le Couteur, D. G., & Lipsitz, L. A. (2021). GSA journal commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity: Editors announce new guidance. Innovation in Aging, 5(4), igab040. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igab040

Due to the high volume of submissions, we are unable to offer prescreening advice. Instead, please refer to the aims and scope above to determine if Innovation in Aging publishes is a suitable venue for your work.

Types of Manuscripts Considered

Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles present conceptually sound, methodologically rigorous, hypothesis-driven studies relevant to aging and the life course, including, but not limited to, novel evaluations of: (a) conceptual or theoretical models; (b) assessment of factors that influence older adults’ health, functioning, and well-being; (c) interventions, applications, or policies; (d) research methods including new techniques, devices, measurement methods, or protocols; (e) interdisciplinary research that transfers concepts, methodologies, and interventions from other fields to studies of aging and the life course; and (f) modeling and simulations that explore factors and processes that affect outcomes.

Original Reports

These are more narrowly focused than Original Research Articles and therefore of shorter length. Quality standards for Original Reports are equivalent to that of full-length research articles.

Research Letters

Research Letters describe a focused, original research paper, with a single observation, on a topic in biomedical gerontological research with results that would be of general interest to the broad readership in gerontology.

• An abstract is not required; a translational significance statement is required.
• A maximum number of five authors are allowed.
• Supplementary material is not permitted.

Latest Discoveries

Latest Discovery articles report novel, provocative findings from pilot studies. Sample sizes may be small but should have sufficient statistical power to test the main hypotheses of the study. The originality of the hypotheses and the conceptual and methodological methods must be of the same high quality expected for Original Research Articles.

Scholarly Reviews

Scholarly Review articles present novel analyses of existing data or published findings that provide new insight into the state of the literature on a topic relevant to aging and the life course. These articles are not editorial or position pieces. Instead, these articles provide a systematic, unbiased review and appraisal of interdisciplinary literature relevant to the topic. Systematic reviews of biomedical and related health outcomes should follow PRISMA guidelines. These articles conclude with directions for development of future research, policies, interventions, technology, etc.

Invited Articles

Invited Articles describe the state of current science on a topic on aging and the life course and envision directions for future discovery. The organization of these articles typically includes a description of the topic, its significance to aging and the life course, the state of science on that topic, gaps in our understanding of the topic, and proposed directions for future discovery.

• Invited Articles are solicited from notable scholars by the Editors-in-Chief.
• Invited authors are expected to take a lead role on the manuscript and be listed as the senior author.

Reporting Guidelines

• Authors are encouraged to use the appropriate and applicable guidelines for their manuscript type. Guidelines for a wide variety of study types may be found on the EQUATOR Network website. For example:
  • CONSORT guidelines for randomized trials
  • STROBE guidelines for observational studies
  • PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • SRQR guidelines for qualitative research
  • STARD guidelines for diagnostic or prognostic studies
• Manuscripts reporting results from clinical trials should consider the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ recommendations for registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry prior to the enrollment of patients. Clinical trials are defined as those involving prospective assignment of persons to a health-related intervention intended to affect biomedical or other health-related outcomes. See recommendations at: ICMJE - Clinical Trial Registration. Newly funded NIH funded clinical trials should consider guidelines provided on this page.

Limits to Word, Reference, and Element Counts

Please be sure that your manuscript adheres to the limits for word, reference, and element (i.e., table and figure) counts set for each manuscript type as listed in the table below. In order to keep the manuscripts within these limits, authors are encouraged to submit additional tables, figures, and/or details about the methodology as Supplementary Material.

Inclusion and Equity

To promote scholarship that addresses inequities in aging, Innovation in Aging aims to create a platform that is inclusive and respectful to all stakeholders. We offer the following guidance for authors to consider in submitting manuscripts:

Commitment to equity and inclusion is expressed in inclusive, specific, and people-first language used to describe samples, participants, populations, prior research, and other researchers. Innovation in Aging follows the style guidelines of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Medical Association (AMA), which include specific guidance with respect to describing age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, and socioeconomic status. Please review these before submitting your article. Note that GSA guidance from the Reframing Aging initiative supersedes other guidance related to age; links to additional guidance are provided below.

• In accord with the guidelines for bias-free language in the Publication Manual of the APA (7th ed.) and inclusive language in the AMA Manual of Style (11th ed.), the journal requests that authors use the term “older adult” when describing individuals aged 65 years and older. Authors also are asked to provide a specific age range (e.g., “older adults aged 75 to 85 years”) when describing their research or making recommendations about patient care or the health of the population. Terms such as “(the) aged,” “elder(s),” “(the) elderly,” and “seniors” should not be used because they promote discriminatory and negative stereotypes that may undercut research-based recommendations for better serving the needs of individuals and populations. More details are provided in the Reframing Aging Journal Manuscript Guidelines.
• Authors may further want to consult guidelines on race and ethnicity published by the American Medical Association: Flanagin, A., Frey, T., Christiansen, S.L., & Bauchner, H. (2021). The reporting of race and ethnicity in medical and science journals: Comments invited. JAMA, 325(11), 1049-1052. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.2104.
• See also: https://nces.ed.gov/FCSM/SOGI.asp, https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/data_documentation/pdf/BRFSS-SOGI-Stat-Brief-508.pdf, and https://nces.ed.gov/FCSM/SOGI.asp for guidance on measuring and/or analyzing sexuality and gender identity variables
• See https://adata.org/factsheet/ADANN-writing for guidance on writing about ability/disability.
• See https://www.dementia.org.au/sites/default/files/resources/dementia-language-guidelines.pdf for guidance on writing about people living with dementia.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria are important design considerations for any empirical study, and these include demographic and identity characteristics. Authors of empirical manuscript submissions should explicitly note and discuss the purpose, contributions, and limitations of their sampling. Authors should be mindful of what demographic groups are, and are not, included in their samples, including final analytic samples, and how sampling choices affect the relevance and generalizability of their data.

• Articles should report comprehensive demographic information on all samples. The variables collected should be listed in the Methods, and characteristics reported in Results. Demographic characteristics of the sample should be briefly summarized in the Abstract. When demographic data are collected but not reported, or groups are excluded, authors should state why.
• Authors should specify how information on race/ethnicity, sex, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation are assessed or used in analyses (e.g., what categories, sources for the classification, and who made the designations). The reasons for collecting the data should be clear in the Methods section.

For further guidance, please see the FAQs.

Formatting

Manuscripts are to be submitted in Microsoft Word or a Word-compatible program at ScholarOne. Manuscripts submitted in other formats will be unsubmitted and returned to the corresponding author for correction prior to editor review. Please DO NOT submit PDF versions of your manuscript submission materials. A peer review title page will be created by the system and will be combined with the main document file into a single PDF document. This document will be used for the peer review process.

Manuscript File Preparation

Innovation in Aging has a double-blind review policy. Therefore, we require authors to submit TWO versions of the manuscript, anonymous and non-anonymous, that include all components of a manuscript (see Components of the Manuscript).

Non-Anonymous Version

Upload a complete version of the manuscript that includes all required components. This version will be reviewed by the handling editor.

Anonymous Version

• The title should page include the title of manuscript only (i.e., no author or acknowledgment details).
• Anonymize the text by replacing any references that would reveal the identity of the author(s) with “Anonymized for Review”. These may include self-references to your name and university/institute, and the study/program/intervention name.
  • Avoid including the study/program/intervention name in the title of the manuscript.
  • Do not anonymize citations unless they are preceded by the pronouns "we" or "our" referring to the authors’ own previously published work.
  • Citations to one's own work should be limited to only those that are needed to support the motivation and methods for the study.
  • If sent out for review, the anonymous version of the manuscript will be seen by reviewers.

Style

Manuscripts should be prepared carefully according to the either APA (American Psychological Association) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed. (2020) or AMA (American Medical Association) Manual of Style, 11th ed. (2020).

General guidelines follow; for more detailed information, consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and the AMA Manual of Style (11th ed.). Please see section Types of Manuscripts Considered by Innovation in Aging above for additional information about the types of submissions and word counts.

In accord with the AMA Manual of Style (11th edition) and the Publication Manual of the APA (7th edition), the journal requests that authors use the term “older adult” when describing individuals aged 65 years and older. Authors also are asked to provide a specific age range (e.g., “older adults aged 75 to 85 years”) when describing their research or making recommendations about patient care or the health of the population. Terms such as “(the) aged,” “elder(s),” “(the) elderly,” and “seniors” should not be used because such denominations connote discriminatory and negative stereotypes that may undercut research-based recommendations for better serving the needs of individuals and populations. More details are provided in the Reframing Aging Journal Manuscript Guidelines.

In-Text Reference Citations. Refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) and the AMA Manual of Style (11th ed.) for style guidelines.

• For APA style: Reference citations in the text are shown by citing in parentheses the author's surname and the year of publication, for example, ". . . a recent study (Jones, 1987) has shown. . . ." If a reference has two authors, the citation includes the surnames of both authors each time the citation appears in the text. When a reference has more than two authors and fewer than six authors, include the name of only the first author plus “et al.” in each citation, including the first citation, unless doing so would create ambiguity. Multiple references cited at the same point in the text are in alphabetical by author's surname.
• For AMA style: References should be cited numerically in the order in which they are first cited in the text; numbers are placed online in parentheses with no space between them [e.g., (1,2)].

Abbreviations

Frequent use of abbreviations can diminish readability. Minimize the use of abbreviation, especially for common terms such as "persons with dementia" that refer to people. Ensure that the use of abbreviations is clear and that each one is defined in the text at its first mention only.

Components of the Manuscript

Please carefully review the STYLE section as you prepare the manuscript. Note that there are some journal-specific requirements below that are optional in the APA style (7th ed.) the AMA style (11th ed.).

Cover Letter (optional)

A cover letter, if provided, should not exceed 300 words and should address why the study is innovative, how it informs current understanding of aging or the life course or both, and the translational significance of the findings (see below for a definition of translational significance). Note: The cover letter for manuscripts will NOT be shared with reviewers.

Title Page

A title page should include the following:

1. Title of the manuscript;
2. All authors' full names, highest academic degrees, affiliations (max two), and e-mail addresses;
3. Clear designation of the corresponding author with e-mail address;
4. Funding, Conflict of Interest, Data Availability (see details below); and
5. Acknowledgments, if applicable.

Funding

Details of all funding sources for the work in question should be given in a separate section titled "Funding." This information should be provided in the manuscript on a separate page immediately following the Title Page and adhere to the following rules:

• The sentence should begin: “This work was supported by …”
• The full official funding agency name should be given, that is, “National Institutes of Health,” not “NIH” (full RIN-approved list of UK funding agencies).
• Grant numbers should be given in brackets as follows: [grant number xxxx]. Multiple grant numbers should be separated by a comma as follows: [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy].
• Agencies should be separated by a semicolon (plus “and” before the last funding agency).
• When individuals need to be specified for certain sources of funding, the following text should be added after the relevant agency or grant number “to [author initials].”

An example is given here: “This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [AA123456 to C.S., BB765432 to M.H.]; and the Alcohol & Education Research Council [hfygr667789].”

Oxford Journals will deposit all NIH-funded articles in PubMed Central. See OUP's Complying with funder policies page for details. Authors must ensure that manuscripts are clearly indicated as NIH-funded using the guidelines above.

If there is no funding source to declare, please state "None reported."

The funding section should be removed from the anonymous version of the manuscript.

CrossRef Funding Data Registry. To meet their 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.

Conflict of Interest

At the point of submission, each author should reveal any financial interests or connections, direct or indirect, or other situations that might raise the question of bias in the work reported or the conclusions, implications, or opinions stated including pertinent commercial or other sources of funding for the individual or all author(s) or for the associated department(s) or organization(s), personal relationships, or direct academic competition.

As part of the online submission process, the corresponding author is required to confirm whether they or any co-authors have any conflicts of interest to declare and to provide details of these conflicts. This information should be provided in the manuscript immediately following the Funding section. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that all authors adhere to this policy. If there is no conflict of interest, please state “None reported.”

The self-identifying conflict of interest should be removed from the anonymous version of the manuscript.

Data Availability

In this section, state (1) whether your data, analytic methods or materials are available to other researchers for replication purposes, (2) if data are available, where they can be accessed, and (3) whether the studies reported in the manuscript were preregistered

See Transparency and Openness Promotion for details. The Data Availability section should be removed from the anonymous version of the manuscript.

Acknowledgments (optional)

If the authors choose to include acknowledgments recognizing individuals, the acknowledgments should be placed on a separate page immediately following the title page.

The Acknowledgments section should be removed from the anonymous version of the manuscript.

Abstract

On a separate page, include an abstract, if required.

• Structured abstracts must include the following headings: Background and Objectives, Research Design and Methods, Results, and Discussion and Implications.

Keywords

Below the abstract, provide three to five keywords that are NOT in the title of the manuscript.

• These keywords should represent the content of your manuscript.
• These keywords in the manuscript do not need to match those entered below.
• Do not include terms that appear in the title; do not include terms such as “older adults” or “aging” as they apply to all articles published in the journal.

Note: keywords from the list of available keywords in the online submission site must be entered to move forward in the online submission process.

Graphical Abstract (optional)

Authors may submit a graphical abstract as part of the article, in addition to the required text abstract. The graphical abstract should:

• Clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF.
• Be submitted for editorial review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system.
• Be distinct from any of the submitted figures.

Graphical abstract file requirements:

• Use simple labels and employ text sparingly.
• Be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff.
• Be in landscape format.
• Minimum font size of 8 pt and all text be legible at 100% zoom when the figure is sized according to the journal's dimensions.
• A high-resolution figure file (300 DPI).
• Maximum width of 170mm or 6.5 inches. The journal reserves the right to reduce the size if necessary.

Please also see Figures for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution. This article has a good example of a graphical abstract. Please ensure graphical abstracts are in landscape format.

Translational Significance

The translational significance of the article should be included just below the abstract. All submissions must include a translational significance statement of no more than 100 words covering the following: Problem or Challenge addressed, Main outcome, and Implications for translation. Implications for translation should address how the research will improve individual, organizational, societal, or environmental conditions associated with aging and the life course. Note that the headings are provided to guide the authors in formatting the statement and should not be included.

Text

The text of the anonymous version of the manuscript file should include the following sections: Background and Objectives, Research Design and Methods, Results, and Discussion and Implications, References, and Tables and/or Figures, if applicable. Manuscripts may need subheadings within some sections to clarify their content. The Discussion and Implications should not merely restate the results but should interpret the results and describe the translational implications of the findings.

1. The word counts for the different manuscript types considered by the Journal are presented above and include the text only.
2. If manuscripts exceed those word count limits, the manuscript will be returned for correction BEFORE the peer review process can begin. If you would like to appeal the word count limit for the text of the manuscript, permission must be granted by the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission. When submitting, please indicate in your cover letter that permission has been granted.

Reference List

Innovation in Aging uses APA and AMA styles. The References section should be placed on a separate page immediately following the text.

For APA style: Arrange references alphabetically by author’s sur-name; do not number. The reference list includes only references cited in the text. Do not include references to private communications or submitted work. Consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.) for correct format.

Examples:

• Journals: Sands, L. P., Albert, S. M., & Suitor, J. J. (2020). Understanding and addressing older adults’ needs during COVID-19. Innovation in Aging, 4(2), igaa019 https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa019
• Books: Quadagno, J. S. (1982). Aging in early industrial societies. Academic Press.
• Part of a book: Saraceno, C. (2007). Patterns of family living in Europe. In J. Alber, T. Fahey, & C. Saraceno (Eds.), Handbook of quality of life in the enlarged European Union (pp. 47–72). Routledge.

For AMA style: References should be listed numerically in the order in which they were first cited in the text. The reference style should conform to that given in the AMA Manual of Style (11th ed.). For periodicals, use the title observation as given in Index Medicus and list all authors when six or fewer; when seven or more, list only the first three and add et al.

Examples:

• Journals: Sands LP, Albert SM, Suitor JJ. Understanding and addressing older adults’ needs during COVID-19. Innov Aging. 2020;4(2):igaa019. doi:10.1093/geroni/igaa019
• Books and other monographs: Stryer L. Biochemistry. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: WH Freeman Co; 1981;559–596.
• Part of a book: Kavet J. Trends in the utilization of influenza vaccine: an examination of the implementation of public policy in the United States. In: Selby P, ed. Influenza: Virus, Vaccines, and Strategy. Orlando, FL: Academic Press, 1976:297-308.

Notations of "unpublished work" or "personal communications" will not be accepted without documentation.

Tables

For APA style: Number tables consecutively with Arabic numerals and provide a brief title for each. Place general table notes that refer to the entire table immediately below the table preceded by the italicized word "Note" followed by a period. Footnotes that refer to individual entries in the tables should be placed immediately below the general note using superscript letters (a, b, c) as reference marks. Asterisks are used only for probability levels (p values) of tests of significance (*p < .05); p values are placed on the next line following the lettered footnotes. Tables should be placed at the end of the main document following the references in the anonymous and non-anonymous files.

For AMA style: Notes and footnotes for the table should be typed immediately below the table. General notes are first and include abbreviations; these notes are preceded by the word "Note" and a period. Footnotes follow general notes and use superscript letters (a, b, c, d) as reference marks. The p-values appear last, beneath the footnotes, and use asterisks (*p<.05).

Figures/Illustrations

Please include your figures at the end of the main document in the anonymous and non-anonymous word processing file following the tables. The journal reserves the right to reduce the size of illustrative material. Each figure should be at sufficient resolution (i.e., 300 dpi at 5 in.) and should be clear, sharp images. Figures must be professionally lettered in a 12-pt sans-serif type (e.g., Arial or Helvetica). All labels used in figures should be in upper case in both the figure and the caption. Photomicrographs must be submitted as Supplementary Material that will be linked to the published article; explain the internal scale and identify the staining method.

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, photographs, and it isn’t required for tables and large datasets (unless the tables are provided as figures).

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.

Supplementary Material

Supplementary material may be submitted by the authors and linked to the published article. This material includes supporting material that is not essential for inclusion in the full text to understand the conclusions of the paper, but contains information that provides complementary and directly relevant data such as details about the study methods and results. Such information might include greater description of the research methods, including procedures for collecting and analyzing data, extended data, simulations, or additional graphical, tabular, or visual materials.

It is standard practice across the GSA journals for appendices to be made available as supplementary material. All text and figures must be provided in suitable electronic formats. All material to be considered as supplementary material must be submitted for peer review at the same time as the manuscript and included in the anonymous and non-anonymous versions of the manuscript and labeled clearly as supplementary material. Also ensure that the supplementary material is cited in the main manuscript where necessary, for example, “(see Supplementary Material)” or “(see Supplementary Figure 1).” The material cannot be altered or replaced after the paper has been accepted for publication, and it will not be edited.

Transparency and Openness Promotion

Innovation in Aging’s editorial policy is to promote transparency and openness in scholarship by encouraging authors to provide details about their data sources and materials, research design, and analyses. The journal adheres to Level 1 of the Transparency and Openness Promotion (TOP) Guidelines. The purpose of these guidelines is to increase reproducibility of research. Please read the following sections carefully to ensure your submitted manuscript conforms to the requirements. Authors are required to include a statement in a section titled “Data Availability” stating (1) whether your data, analytic methods or materials are available to other researchers for replication purposes, (2) if data are available, where they can be accessed, and (3) whether the studies reported in the manuscript were preregistered (see Preregistration).

Preregistration

In the Data Availability section, authors must indicate whether the conducted research was preregistered with an analysis plan in an independent, institutional registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials, Social Science Registry, OSF, EGAP, RIDIE, PROSPERO). Preregistration involves registering the study design, hypotheses, variables, and/or treatment conditions. Registering an analysis plan involves specifying a sequence of analyses (for quantitative or qualitative work) or the statistical model that will be reported.

Data Citation Standards

The journal supports the Force 11 Data Citation Principles. Existing data sets, program codes, or other methodologies should be recognized as original intellectual contributions through appropriate citation. Citations should include persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI) that can ensure future access. For example, if you use a publicly available dataset, you must cite it appropriately in the reference section.

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.

Example: Campbell, A., & Kahn, R.L. (1999). American National Election Study, 1948. ICPSR07218-v3. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1999. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07218.v3

Data, Materials, and Analytical Code Transparency

Innovation in Aging encourages, but does not require, authors to share data, analytic code, data coding schemes, measurement instruments, and other study materials, where feasible. During the submission process, authors must indicate whether they will make their data, analytic code, or study materials available to other researchers for replication purposes. If they are unable or choose not to make the material available, they must specify the reason. Reasons for not sharing might include that the researcher has not completed planned or expected analyses for future publications. There might be copyright restrictions on instruments, in which case appropriate citations to the legal source are expected. Qualitative researchers may be unable to share their raw data due to IRB or ethical restrictions. Authors should provide their decision and reasoning in the Data Availability section. If an author agrees to make materials available, the author must specify how that material can be accessed. 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.

Design and Analysis Transparency

Authors should follow standards for disclosing key aspects of the research design and data analysis. Authors are encouraged to review the standards available for many research applications from EQUATOR and use those that are relevant for the reported research applications.

Additional Policies and Considerations

Permissions for Illustrations and Figures

Permission to reproduce copyright material online publication in perpetuity must be cleared and if necessary paid for by the author; this includes applications and payments to DACS, ARS, and similar licensing agencies where appropriate. Evidence in writing that such permissions have been secured from the rights-holder must be made available to the editors; submit this evidence by uploading the letter as a “Permission for Previously Published Material” file in the File Upload section of the journal submission site. It is also the author's responsibility to include acknowledgments as stipulated by the particular institutions. Please note that obtaining copyright permission could take some time. Oxford Journals can offer information and documentation to assist authors in securing online permissions: please see Sections 2.3 and 2.6 when you click on Guidelines for Author Permissions in “Rights and Permissions Guidelines for Authors”. Information on permissions contacts for a number of main galleries and museums can also be provided. If you require copies of the Permissions Guidelines for Authors, please contact the editorial office of the journal in question or the Oxford Journals Rights department (e-mail: [email protected]).

Ethics

Innovation in Aging expects that authors will observe high standards with respect to publication ethics. For example, the following practices are unacceptable: (1) falsification or fabrication of data; (2) plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the authors' own work, in whole or in part without proper citation and formatting; or (3) misappropriation of the work of others such as omission of qualified authors or of information regarding financial support. Allegations of unethical conduct will be discussed initially with the corresponding author. In the event of continued dispute, the matter will be referred to the author's institution and funding agencies for investigation and adjudication.

Oxford Journals, publisher of Innovation in Aging, is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the journal strives to adhere to the COPE code of conduct and guidelines. For further information, see Publication Ethics.

Authorship

All authors should follow the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines. The ICMJE recommendations define the role of authors and coauthors and address: (1) Why Authorship Matters; (2) Who Is an Author; and (3) Non-Author Contributors.

In case of any authorship changes during the review process, the corresponding author is required to complete the Change of Authorship Form and submit it to the editorial office for review and approval. This may include adding new authors, removing existing authors, or reordering existing authors.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-Assisted Technology

Oxford Journals, publisher of Innovation in Aging, is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and the journal strives to adhere to the COPE code of conduct and guidelines. For further information, see Authorship and AI tools. Following COPE and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Technology, the following should be observed.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. As non-legal entities, they cannot assert the presence or absence of conflicts of interest nor manage copyright and license agreements. Authors who use AI tools in the writing of a manuscript, production of images or graphical elements of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data, must be transparent in disclosing in the Materials and Methods (or similar section) of the paper how the AI tool was used and which tool was used. Authors are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript, even those parts produced by an AI tool, and are thus liable for any breach of publication ethics.

All authors should follow COPE and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Assisted Technology. Thereby, authors are required to disclose whether they used artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) in the production of submitted work in the Methods (or similar section) of the paper, which AI tool was used, and how the AI tool was used. Authors should not list AI and AI-assisted technologies as an author or co-author, nor cite AI as an author. Authors should be able to assert that there is no plagiarism in their paper, including in text and images produced by the AI. Humans must ensure there is appropriate attribution of all quoted material, including full citations.

Institutional Review Board Approval

Any study using human subjects or materials must state the Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and number, and any study using animals must state the Institutional Animal Care approval and number. Any other required ethics approvals should also be listed.

Statement of Informed Consent

Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information, including patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, 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) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should identify individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for this assistance. Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note. Authors should avoid, when possible, categories of 10 or fewer persons to reduce potential identification of study participants.

Conditions for Submission

Submission of a manuscript to Innovation in Aging implies that it has not been published or is not under consideration elsewhere. If accepted for this journal, the manuscript is not to be published elsewhere without permission. As a further condition of publication, the corresponding author will be responsible, when appropriate, for certifying that permission has been received to use copyrighted instruments or software employed in the research and that approval for human or animal subjects has been obtained.

In the case of coauthored manuscripts, the corresponding author will also be responsible for signing a License to Publish form on behalf of his or her coauthors indicating that the manuscript is original work, has not been previously published, will not be submitted for publication to any other journal following acceptance in Innovation in Aging, and all necessary permissions have been received.

Changes to published papers

The Journal will only make changes to published papers if the publication record is seriously affected by the academic accuracy of the published information. Changes to a published paper will be accompanied by a formal correction notice linking to and from the original paper.

Authors' corrections to Supplementary Data are made only in exceptional circumstances (for example, major errors that compromise the conclusion of the study). Because the Supplementary Data is part of the original paper and therefore the published record, the information cannot be updated if new data have become available or interpretations have changed.

As needed, we follow the COPE guidelines on retractions.

For more information and details of how to request changes, including for authors who wish to update their name and/or pronouns, please see OUP’s policy on changes to published papers.

Preprint policy

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. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s digital object identifier (DOI), as described on our Author Self-Archiving policy page.

How to Submit Online Using ScholarOne

Manuscripts must be submitted online via Innovation in Aging’s ScholarOne submission site. Submission instructions on submitting your manuscript are available on the website.

Review Process

All papers published in Innovation in Aging are subject to peer review. Papers that are outside the scope of the journal, that do not comply with the guidelines below, or are otherwise judged to be unsuitable by the Editor-in-Chief will be rejected without peer review. Innovation in Aging has a double-blind review policy.

Peer-reviewed manuscripts are sent to at least two independent referees for evaluation. Authors are encouraged to suggest reviewers of international standing. Reviewers advise on the originality, novelty, scientific merit, and translational significance of the paper; the editors make all final decisions on publication.

Revised submissions must be received within three months of the decision date of the original submissions, or they will be treated as new submissions.

The corresponding author will be notified via e-mail with a decision and revision requirements, if applicable. Please ensure that e-mail addresses are current for notification purposes.

Appeals and complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision. To do so, please contact the editorial office at [email protected] providing as much specific detail as possible about why the original decision should be reconsidered. Every appeal will receive a response within a reasonable timeframe. Please do not resubmit your manuscript in the interim.

To register a complaint regarding non-editorial decisions, the Journal’s policies and procedures, editors, or staff, please contact [email protected]. Complaints will be taken seriously and will be carried forward following COPE guidelines and processes and/or sanctions will be enacted if deemed appropriate.

Post-Acceptance Information

Open Access

Innovation in Aging is a fully open access journal, and all articles are published in the journal under an open access license immediately upon publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access license.

• CC BY and CC BY-NC ND license - $3,977 (Original Research Articles, Original Reports, Latest Discoveries, Scholarly Reviews)
• CC BY and CC BY-NC ND license - $1989 (Research Letters)
• CC BY and CC BY-NC ND license member rate discount 20%*

Details of the open access licenses and open access charges.

Corresponding authors based in countries and regions, that are part of the developing countries initiative are eligible for a full waiver of publishing fees in our fully open access journals. For further details, please see our APC Waiver Policy.

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 GSA members are entitled to a 20% discount on open access charges. If you would like to receive the GSA member discount, please provide your GSA member number at the time of article submission.

Information on GSA Membership.

Already a GSA Member? Locate your GSA member number:

1. Click the LOGIN button on the top right of the page. Enter your member information or click Forgot Password to have it sent to you.
2. Once logged in, click MY ACCOUNT then Print Membership Card.

Questions about GSA membership? Contact [email protected] or 202-842-1275.

Requesting a Fee Waiver

Waivers should be requested when the acceptance letter is received or when author proofs are returned. Requests for waivers must be submitted by the corresponding author on institutional letterhead and cosigned by an appropriate institutional official to verify that no institutional or grant funds are available for the payment of page charges. Authors and their institutions shall determine who is best-suited to provide this verification. Please include the journal name, manuscript title, and the manuscript ID number with your request. Waiver requests should be sent to [email protected].

Advance Access

Advance access to the journal articles on Advance Articles allows for papers to be published online soon after they have been accepted for publication, reducing the time between submission and publication. Articles posted on Advance Articles have not been copyedited and typeset. Appearance in Advance Articles constitutes an official publication, with full-text functionality, and the Advance Access version can be cited by a unique DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

The final manuscript is then assigned into an issue, at which point it is removed from the Advance Articles page.

Opportunities for New Reviewers/Mentors

For emerging scholars interested in participating in the review process for Innovation in Aging, we provide an opportunity for novice reviewers. Novice reviewers are added as a third reviewer to manuscripts that we send out for peer review. These reviews are given full consideration in the editorial decision. This process gives new professionals an opportunity not only to review a manuscript, but also to experience the review process, editorial decisions, and manuscript revision process. This also helps the novice reviewer learn how to publish in Innovation in Aging. After individuals successfully complete two or more reviews, novice reviewers will become regular reviewers. All reviewers are asked to return their reviews within 2 weeks.

We also encourage individuals to serve as a mentor to new professionals who are interested in the review process for Innovation in Aging. The current review form allows for this designation so that all invited reviews can be completed with a reviewer-in-training, if interested.

Editorial Correspondence

Questions? Contact the Editorial Office at [email protected].