JNMT Information for Authors

This information for authors presents editorial standards that pertain to Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology (JNMT). To submit an article to JNMT, please go to: https://submit-jnm.snmjournals.org.

Editorial Policy

Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology (JNMT) publishes material of interest to practitioners and scientists in the fields of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Proffered articles describing original laboratory or clinical investigations, brief communications, and letters to the editor will be considered for publication. Occasionally, invited articles, editorials, and invited perspectives of selected topics will be published. Manuscripts, including figures and tables, must be original and not under consideration by another publication.

In preparing manuscripts, authors should follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/) of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and the specific instructions detailed below. Also, helpful guidance in conforming to the Recommendations may be found in Medical Style & Format: An International Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1989) and in the AMA Manual of Style (available by subscription at http://www.amamanualofstyle.com/oso/public/index.html).

According to the Recommendations, allegation of scientific misconduct or fraud arises if there is substantial doubt about the honesty or integrity of the work, either submitted or published. In the event of allegations of scientific misconduct or fraud, JNMT follows the Recommendations. When appropriate, JNMT reserves the right to present the allegations to the author’s institution or the agency funding the research.

Manuscript Submission

New manuscripts should be submitted online at the JNMT Manuscript Processing site (https://submit-jnm.snmjournals.org).

For instructions, visit the help page (https://submit-jnm.snmjournals.org/submission/submissionhelp).

For inquiries and correspondence regarding submissions, status, and general manuscript questions, visit our Editorial Contact page (https://tech.snmjournals.org/content/editorial-contact).

Cover Letter

All manuscripts should be accompanied by a cover letter from the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript. The cover letter should contain a statement that the manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors. If there are more than 10 authors, the specific contribution of each author must be substantiated in the cover letter. The cover letter should inform the editor of potential overlap with other materials already published or submitted for publication and should provide a reference to or a copy of this material. The cover letter should also disclose any conflict of interest—financial or otherwise—that may directly or indirectly influence the content of the manuscript submitted. Finally, the cover letter should provide any additional information that may be helpful to the editor.

Authorship and Permissions

Each author must have contributed significantly to the submitted work. As recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, all authors must have made substantial contributions in all 3 of the following categories:

  1. Contributing to conception and design, or acquiring data, or analyzing and interpreting data;
  2. Drafting the manuscript, or critically contributing to or revising the manuscript, or enhancing its intellectual content; and
  3. Approving the final content of the manuscript.

Simple participation or collection of data alone does not justify authorship but should be mentioned in the acknowledgment section. Changes in authorship after the first review require a written request by the corresponding author and a written authorization from the authors who are to be added or deleted.

If any figures or tables in the manuscript were previously published, this should be acknowledged and written permission from the publisher should be included.

Ethical Responsibilities

For human studies, approval must be obtained from the institutional review board or equivalent ethics committee and written informed consent must be obtained from research subjects, unless this requirement is waived by the institutional review board or equivalent. For studies in the United States, compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is also required. Authors must also comply with the clinical trial registration statement from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and the clinical trial registration number must be provided.

For any first-in-human study of a new radiopharmaceutical, the following language should be included in the article to facilitate allowing others to study the drug under the Radioactive Drug Research Committee regulations, rather than having to file additional applications for an investigational new drug or an exploratory investigational new drug: “The mean and standard deviation of the administered mass of [drug] was XX ± YY μg (range, AA–ZZ μg). The mean administered activity was XX ± YY MBq (range, AA–ZZ MBq). There were no adverse or clinically detectable pharmacologic effects in any of the [##] subjects. No significant changes in vital signs or the results of laboratory studies or electrocardiograms were observed [if true].”

For animal studies, approval must be obtained from the appropriate institutional animal care and use committee for compliance with the National Institutes of Health for use of laboratory animals or equivalent.

Assignment of Copyright

All manuscripts submitted to Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology should be accompanied by a copyright disclosure statement in compliance with the Copyright Revision Act of 1976, effective January 1, 1978. The Assignment of Copyright agreement must be included as a supplemental file in your submission or sent by email to the JNMT office (jnmt@snmmi.org). For the JNMT Assignment of Copyright form, click here.

Manuscripts presenting research that was funded in whole or part by US/UK/EU government organizations, such as NIH (US) and Wellcome Trust (UK), are welcomed by JNMT. Upon final publication, these manuscripts will be deposited to PubMed Central with an embargo period of 6 months. If Immediate Open Access (IOA) is selected, the embargo is waived. Refer to section below for details on IOA. 

Manuscript Review, Revision, and Resubmission

Submitted manuscripts are reviewed for originality, significance, adequacy of documentation, composition, and adherence to these guidelines. However, editorial decisions are based not only on the technical merits of the work but also on factors such as priority for publication and relevance to the general readership of JNMT. All manuscripts are judged in relation to other submissions currently under consideration.

Two helpful publications to read before writing a manuscript are “The Efficacy of Diagnostic Imaging” by Fryback and Thornbury (Med Decis Making. 1991;11:88–94) and “Bias in Research Studies” by Sica (Radiology. 2006;238:780–789).

At the discretion of the Editors, the manuscript may be returned rapidly—without external peer review—if deemed not competitive or outside the scope of JNMT. Rebuttals to rejected manuscripts are strongly discouraged, and requests for resubmission of rejected manuscripts are generally not granted without significant demonstration of errors in the review or decision process. Most articles are rejected on grounds of insufficient priority or lack of relevance to JNMT, not data quality or technical issues.

Manuscripts must be written in English. When necessary, authors should seek the assistance of experienced, English-speaking medical editors before submission. A medical editor should review the final draft of the original and any revisions of the manuscript. Authors will be required to provide revisions of articles written in substandard English before peer review.

Manuscripts considered suitable for review are evaluated by two reviewers. The Editors select the reviewers and make the final decision on the manuscript. Authors may suggest reviewers for their manuscripts. Referees who review a manuscript remain unknown to the authors.

It is unusual for a manuscript to be accepted for publication without first undergoing a process of revision. Revised manuscripts are judged on the adequacy of responses to suggestions and criticisms made during the initial review. Revision of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance.

A revision should be accompanied by a point-by-point reply to the reviewers’ and editors’ critiques in which any changes are briefly described. The authors also should provide justification for not altering the manuscript in response to any reviewer comments believed to be inappropriate. The response will be supplied in a plain-text online field in the submission system. If special characters, complex equations, and/or images are required, a supplement to the response can be uploaded as a supplemental file. This file should be labeled as "Response to reviewers" and cited in the text response, e.g., "see supplemental file for equation/image."

In the revised manuscript, red text should be used to indicate all changed text within the manuscript itself. Significant deletions should be noted in the point-by-point reply only. A clean version of the manuscript should also be provided. Markup from the tracked changes feature in Microsoft Word are not supported by submission system and will not appear on the review PDF. The revised manuscript can be supplied as a PDF as long as its original file is supplied in Microsoft Word format as a supplemental file.

The revised manuscript, accompanying reply, and all files to be published must be submitted to JNMT via the online submission system (https://submit-jnm.snmjournals.org) within 30 days of the date of the editorial decision. If circumstances prevent completing the revisions by the deadline, please contact Susan Alexander at 703-326-1185 or at salexand@snmmi.org. If the revisions are not received within 3 months after being requested, the manuscript may be started on a new review cycle and given a new manuscript number.

All accepted manuscripts are subject to editing for accuracy, clarity, and style.

Submission of Preprints

Authors who submit manuscripts that have been posted on a preprint server must agree and adhere to the following conditions to be considered in any SNMMI journal:

  1. During submission, authors must acknowledge preprint server deposition including DOI and licensing terms in the cover letter. If preprint server deposition occurs after submission and prior to acceptance, authors must immediately notify JNMT staff. Preprint server deposition after acceptance is not allowed.
  2. Versions of a manuscript that have been altered as a result of SNMMI journal’s peer review process may not be deposited.
  3. If accepted, authors are required to select the Immediate Open Access option to publish under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).
  4. Upon publication, authors are responsible for updating the archived preprint with a DOI and a URL link to the published version of the article on the journal website.
  5. The journal follows an embargo policy for submitted and accepted manuscripts that restricts media coverage until publication. Authors are advised to avoid promoting preprints of their submitted manuscripts in traditional media and in social media until they are published by the journal or released from the review process.

Consideration for publication of manuscripts deposited to a preprint server will involve determining if publication of the submitted manuscript will add meaningful new information to the medical literature. Final determinations are at the discretion of the journal Editor.

Publication Charges

There are no fees for having articles reviewed or published in JNMT unless Immediate Open Access (IOA) is selected.

Immediate Open Access

Manuscripts published in JNMT are exclusive to JNMT subscribers for 6 months following final publication. Immediate Open Access (IOA) is available for a charge of $3,500. IOA manuscripts are open to all readers starting from Ahead of Print publication, deposited to PubMed Central upon final publication with no embargo period, and carry a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) allowing sharing and adaptation with attribution. It is the author’s responsibility to determine if this option is required by the author's funding source.

Article Types

     

Maximum no. of …

Category

Article type

Topic

Total words*

Words in abstract

References

Figures

Tables

Unsolicited

Original research

Clinical or basic science

6,000

350

40

7

7
 

Brief communications

Novel data of broad Import

2,500

150

20

4

2
 

Quality case studies

Quality improvement

3,000

 150 20 4 2
 

Teaching case studies

Educational cases

1,000

150

10

 5 0
  Letters to the editor

JNMT articles or general

800

 None 10 None None

Solicited

Invited Perspectives

JNMT articles

1,600

None

10

None

None
 

Editorials

Variable

1,600

None

10

None

None
 

Continuing education

Educational reviews

6,000

350

80

7

7
 

Special contributions

Variable

Variable

Variable

Variable

Variable

Variable

*Includes all data: title page, abstract, text, disclosure, acknowledgments, references, tables, and figure legends.

Tables must fit on 1 page.

Figures cannot have more than 14 parts combined; no more than 4 parts per figure is preferred.

Additional online data supplements are permitted for all types of articles.

Unsolicited article types

Original scientific and methodology articles should contain no more than 6,000 words. This word limit includes all data: title page, abstract, text, disclosure, acknowledgments, key points, references, figure legends, and tables. The goal is to limit original articles to 8 printed pages. A maximum of 7 figures (maximum of 14 parts in total with no more than 4 parts per figure preferred), 7 tables, and 40 references is allowed. Abstracts should be structured and should contain a maximum of 350 words.

Brief Communications should present novel and broadly important data, syntheses, or concepts. They should contain no more than 2,500 words; this word limit includes all data: title page, abstract, text, disclosure, acknowledgments, key points, references, tables, and figure legends. The goal is to limit brief communications to 5 printed pages in the journal. A maximum of 4 figures, 2 tables, and 20 references is allowed. Abstracts should be structured and should contain a maximum of 150 words.

Quality case studies should contain no more than 3,000 words. This word limit includes all data: title page, abstract, text, disclosure, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables. A maximum of 4 figures, 2 tables and 20 references is allowed, and the maximum number of authors is three. The objective of a quality case study is to present a specific event that required an in-depth analysis resulting in an operational assessment, resolution, corrective action, and verification of effectiveness using standard quality assessment tools (e.g., a root cause analysis using Lean or Six Sigma methodology). The quality case study should contain a brief, unstructured abstract followed by 4 sections: an introduction (a description of the event, answering the questions what, how, when, where, and who), a “Quality Analysis” section (repeatedly asking the question why until a solution to the error is found), a “Corrective Action” section, and a “Verification of Effectiveness” section.

Teaching case studies should contain no more than 1,000 words. This word limit includes all data: title page, abstract, text, disclosure, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, and tables. A maximum of 5 figures and 10 references is allowed, and the maximum number of authors is three. The objective of teaching case studies is to present images that demonstrate key facts or concepts in clinical nuclear medicine and molecular imaging. Emphasis is placed on studies in which imaging has been useful in helping with the diagnosis. Teaching case studies will be accepted for publication in JNMT at the discretion of the Editor and may also be posted on the SNMMI website. Submissions not accepted for publication in JNMT may be accepted for posting on the SNMMI website only. Teaching case studies should include a brief, unstructured abstract followed by 4 sections: an “Introduction” section briefly describing the point that the article is teaching, explaining the significance of the article, and summarizing its educational value; a “Case Report” section describing relevant medical history, laboratory findings, clinical course, procedures performed, and condition at last follow-up; a “Discussion” section describing any findings, differential diagnosis, and final diagnosis; and a “Conclusion” section summarizing the take-home teaching points.

Letters to the Editor should concern previously published material or matters of general interest and should be brief and to the point. Letters should be objective, provide constructive comments, and avoid unprofessional bias and tone. Letters should be given a title and should also be accompanied by a copyright transfer agreement as specified above in Manuscript Submission. All material is subject to editing. Letters commenting on previously published articles should be received within 1 year of the date of the referenced article’s publication. Letters should contain no more than 800 words; this word limit includes all data: title page, authors and affiliations, the letter itself, disclosure, and any references. Letters should contain no figures or tables and no more than 10 references.

Format Requirements

General Requirements

Use a type size of at least 10 points, double spacing every line. Use the following order for the sections of the manuscript: title page; abstract; text; financial disclosure; disclaimer, if any; acknowledgments, if any; references; figures with legends; and tables. Number all pages consecutively. Do not use automated word-processing features or embedding for numbering, footnotes, or endnotes.

Title Page

The title page of the manuscript should include the following:

  1. Concise and informative title (fewer than 200 characters)
  2. Short running title of no more than 40 characters (letters and spaces) placed at the bottom of the title page and identified
  3. Complete byline, with first name, middle initial, and last name of each author (a limit of 10 authors is recommended; if there are more than 10 authors, the specific contribution of each author must be substantiated in the cover letter)
  4. Complete affiliation for each author, with the name of department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed
  5. Disclaimer, if any
  6. Name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of one author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript and to whom reprint requests should be directed, or statement that reprints are not available
  7. Name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the first author, specifying whether this person is currently in training (e.g., fellow, resident, or student)
  8. The word count of the manuscript
  9. Financial support for the work should be noted in a statement on this page as well as in the disclosure (see below).

Abstract

A structured abstract must be included with each original scientific manuscript, including brief communications. The abstract should contain a maximum of 350 words for original scientific and methodology articles or 150 words for brief communications and include 4 clearly identifiable elements of content: rationale (goals of the investigation), methods (description of study subjects, experiments, and observational and analytic techniques), results (major findings), and principal conclusions. Except for the rationale, these sections should be preceded by headings (i.e., Methods, Results, and Conclusion). Three to 5 key words should also be submitted with the abstract.

Graphical Abstract

A graphical abstract must be included with each original scientific manuscript, including brief communications. The graphical abstract, a visual aid to understanding your key findings, is intended to attract the attention of readers and help them find articles that interest them. It should be clear, concise, eye-catching, and easily understood by a typical JNMT reader. It will be displayed in the online article and online table of contents and might also be used in promotional media, in the JNMT carousel, or on the JNMT cover if your article is selected to be featured in that issue. It must comprise a single, simple, original graphic that is not densely packed with information, has no legend, and is not a figure from your article. It cannot be a table, be reprinted from another source, or include any trade names, logos, or images of trademarked items. Text can be used sparingly but must be in Arial or Roboto font large enough to be legible. For ease of comprehension, it should have a clear start and end, with the information preferably running from top to bottom or left to right. Use just enough arrows and simple labels so that the information is easy to follow, keep it free of clutter, and do not use schema. Build the graphical abstract using the PowerPoint template supplied at http://tech.snmjournals.org/authors, and upload it as a single, high-quality, full-color .jpg or .png image file, as well as placing it (labeled as “Graphical Abstract”) at the end of the manuscript file.

Text

Describe procedures in sufficient detail to allow other investigators to reproduce the results. Do not use hyperbolic terms or phrases in the title, abstract, or body of the text. Qualitative claims as to the superiority (superior, best) or primacy (first, novel, unique) of an idea or instrument are not acceptable. Do not use numbered or bulleted lists. Any brand-name or trademarked instrument, pharmaceutical, or other product mentioned must be followed by the name of the manufacturer, in parentheses. The use of generic names is preferred to the use of brand names or trademarked names. Original scientific and methodology articles are divided into the following sections:

Introduction

This section should be brief and focused. The final paragraph should state the hypothesis investigated.

Materials and Methods

Authors have the option of presenting the full version of the Materials and Methods section in the Supplemental Data and a condensed version in the manuscript itself.

This section should include statements about Institutional Review Board approval, written informed consent, compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and animal care committee approval, as appropriate. The standard statement for institutional board approval and consent is the following: “The study has been approved by the institutional review board [or equivalent], and all subjects signed an informed consent form [or the need for written informed consent was waived].” The clinical trial registration number should also be included when appropriate (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/). For any first-in-human study of a new radiopharmaceutical, the mean, standard deviation, and range of the administered mass of drug and mean administered activity need to be provided, as well as clinically detectable pharmacologic effects. The checklist and flow diagram from one of the following evidence-based statements should be followed as appropriate and submitted as supplemental material: STARD (http://www.stard-statement.org); CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org); PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org/statement.htm); REMARK (http://www.nature.com/nrclinonc/journal/v2/n8/full/ncponc0252.html). The number and selection of subjects must be clearly described, as well as the prospective or retrospective nature of the study. Procedures must be described in enough detail to allow reproducibility by others. The last paragraph should describe the statistical methods.

For preclinical articles, the Materials and Methods section should provide the information recommended in “Guidance for Methods Descriptions Used in Preclinical Imaging Papers” (Stout D, Berr SS, LeBlanc A, et al. Mol Imaging. 2013;12[7]:1–15).

Results

The text of this section should not repeat information presented in the tables and figures. When percentages are given, the ratio of numerator to denominator should be in parentheses.

Discussion

This section should summarize any advances in knowledge provided by the results and then discuss their implications in relation to other studies. Limitations and biases of the study must be addressed. The direction of future research may be mentioned.

Conclusion

This section should be brief, should summarize the key points of the paper, and should not introduce new material or references. For articles reporting the development or evaluation of an artificial intelligence algorithm, the authors are invited to conclude with a precise claim, as described in “Nuclear Medicine and Artificial Intelligence: Best Practices for Evaluation (the RELAINCE Guidelines)” (https://doi.org/10.2967/jnumed.121.263239).

References

References (not to exceed 60 in an original scientific or methodology article, 30 in a brief communication, or 10 in a letter) should be cited in consecutive numeric order at first mention in the text and designated by reference number italicized, in red font, and in parentheses. References appearing only in a table or figure should be placed at the end of the reference list.

If an item of supplemental data has references, they must also be cited in the manuscript (at the location where the manuscript first mentions the supplemental item).

When listing references, follow the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors (available by subscription at http://www.amamanualofstyle.com/oso/public/index.html).

Abbreviate journal names according to the journals database available at PubMed.gov. For journal articles, include the year and volume number in the citation but not the month or issue number. “Unpublished observations” and “personal communications” should not be used as references, although written or oral personal communications may be noted as such in the text. References cited as “in press” must have been accepted for publication and not merely be in preparation or submitted. The author is responsible for the accuracy of all references and must verify them.

List all authors when 6 or fewer; for 7 or more, list the first 3 followed by “et al.”

Examples of journal articles:

  • Alawneh JA, Moustafa RR, Marrapu ST, et al. Diffusion and perfusion correlates of the 18F-MISO PET lesion in acute stroke: pilot study. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2014;41:736–744.
  • Fotos JS, Tulchinsky M. Standing prone positioning in establishing causality between matched ventilation-perfusion defects and pleural effusion. Clin Nucl Med. September 22, 2014 [Epub ahead of print].
  • Huang S, Doke A, Zhang Y, Wang X, DeFilippo F, Heston W. A novel [F-18] aluminum-fluoride labeled PSMA tracer with minimal background uptake [abstract]. J Nucl Med. 2014;55(suppl 1):499.

Example of a book and book chapter:

  • Prakash D. Nuclear Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Patients. Springer; 2014:118, 147.
  • Heiss W-D, Drzezga A. PET/MR in brain imaging. In: Carrio I, Ros P, eds. PET/MRI: Methodology and Clinical Applications. Springer; 2014:109–126.

Example of an Internet reference:

  • Orange book: approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence evaluations. U.S. Food and Drug Administration website. http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/default.cfm. Updated May 17, 2013. Accessed May 8, 2014.

Example of a package insert:

  • Cialis [package insert]. Eli Lilly & Co; 2003.

Authors are encouraged to generate their references using EndNote (Thomson Scientific). The JNMT Output Style for EndNote is available at http://endnote.com/downloads/styles.

Units of Measurement

All measurements should be listed in Système Internationale (SI) units. Non-SI units may be used after the SI units but should be placed in parentheses. Use becquerels, not curies, as the unit of activity (1 mCi = 37 MBq).

Abbreviations and Symbols

With the exception of units of measurement, JNMT strongly discourages the use of abbreviations. Whenever possible, terms should be spelled out in full rather than being abbreviated. Every abbreviation, even those that are well known and in common use, must be defined the first time it is mentioned in the manuscript; spell out the full term and place the abbreviation, in parentheses, after the full term.

Nomenclature

JNMT endorses the application of the International Consensus Radiochemistry Nomenclature Guidelines for contributions to the journal. We strongly recommend all manuscripts meet these submission guidelines, and all reviewers check that the guidelines are followed.

The full article with the recommendations is published in “Consensus nomenclature rules for radiopharmaceutical chemistry — setting the record straight”, Coenen and Gee et al., Nuclear Medicine and Biology.

Tables

Place tables at the end of the manuscript file; do not submit them as separate files. Do not submit tables as images. Tabbed or space-separated table text is not allowed; tables should be created in Microsoft Word table format or a similar format. The number of tables is limited to 7, except in the case of dosimetry articles, which may exceed that number in lieu of figures. The final typeset table must fit on a single page.

Tables should be self-explanatory and should supplement, not duplicate, the text. Each table must be cited in consecutive numeric order in the text. Number the tables consecutively with an Arabic numeral after the word “TABLE.” Titles should be descriptive and brief. Horizontal rules should be placed below the title and column headings and at the end of the table. Do not use vertical rules. Give each column a brief heading.

Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the title. Use the following symbols in this sequence: *, †, ‡, §, ǁ, ¶, #, **. In a footnote, define all abbreviations in the order in which they appear in the table and identify statistical measures of variations, such as standard deviation and standard error of the mean. If data from another published source are used, obtain written permission from the publisher, cite the original source in the references, and include the following credit line in a footnote: “Reprinted with permission of Ref X.” If data from an unpublished source are used, obtain permission from the principal investigator and acknowledge fully.

Figures

Figures should clarify and augment the text and should be embedded (with their legends) within the text as well as uploaded as separate files. Because imaging is a major aspect of nuclear medicine, the selection of sharp, high-quality figures is of paramount importance. The author will be required to correct or replace figures of inferior quality. Each submitted figure should clearly identify areas of interest with only enough surrounding area for orientation.

Production requirements

The number of figures submitted should not be excessive for the length of the manuscript and in no case should exceed 7. These 7 figures may consist of up to 14 separate parts. No more than 4 parts per figure is preferred. Each figure must be numbered and cited in consecutive numeric order in the text.

If possible, the figures submitted should be the size in which they will appear when published so that no reduction is necessary. Figures should be either single-column format (published width, 8.5 cm; maximum submitted width, 11 cm), mid-size format (published width, 11.4 cm; maximum submitted width, 14 cm), or double-column format (published width, 17.4 cm; maximum submitted width, 22 cm). Acceptable resolution is 300 dpi. Acceptable fonts and sizes are Arial (7–12 pt) and Roboto (6–11 pt).

Composite figures should be preassembled with each figure part (e.g., A, B, C) lettered in 12-point Helvetica type in the upper left corner. Letter labels should clarify each part and should not be used when parts are already clearly labeled.

Example of single column figure:

Example of mid-size 1.5 column figure:

Example of double column figure:

Internet graphics are not acceptable under most circumstances because resolution of online images is much lower than satisfactory print requirement. The file format must be .png, .tiff, .eps, .jpg, .pptx, or .pdf. Each figure, including those in .pptx and .pdf formats, must be submitted as a separate file. Each figure must also be included in the manuscript file before its respective legend. Crop and size digital figures to match figure specifications and to minimize total file size. For .jpg files, image quality should be set to high (at least 9 or 90%). For .tif and .png files, images should be flattened to white backgrounds with LZW lossless compression applied; no transparency.

Videos cannot be submitted as figures but can be published as supplemental data online. Refer to Supplemental Data for details.

Figure Legends

Legends for figures should be concise and should not repeat the text. Number the legends with an Arabic numeral after the word “FIGURE.” If a figure has more than one part, describe each part clearly. Any letter designations or arrows appearing on the figures should be identified and described fully. Abbreviations used in each figure should be defined in the legend in alphabetical order.

In addition to being submitted as a separate file, each figure should be inserted before its respective legend in the figure legends section of the manuscript file.

Original (not previously published) figures are preferred for publication in JNMT; however, if figures have been published previously in non-SNMMI publications, authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from the publisher to reprint. The source of the original material must be cited in the references and the following credit line in parentheses included in the legend: “Reprinted with permission of Ref. X.” All permission letters should be submitted online at the time of manuscript submission.

AQARA Requirements for Radionuclide-Based Images

To best convey the quantitative information in nuclear images and to standardize their display, all PET, SPECT and planar nuclear images submitted for publication must provide “as much quantitative information as reasonably achievable” (AQARA) as described in the summary table below. A full description of the requirements is available here: AQARA Requirements

Feature

Specific requirement*

Intensity-scale bar

Show for each figure
 

Indicate unit and upper and lower window settings
 

Prefer absolute units:
 

 Use biologic parameters if available (e.g., rate constants, metabolic rates, binding potential)
 

 If not, use activity concentration (e.g., SUV, Bq/mL, %IA/cm3)
 

Minimally, include relative units (e.g., percentage of maximum)

Background subtraction

Avoid
 

If unavoidable, clearly indicate in scale bar:
 

 Keep bottom of scale bar at “0”
 

 Set subtracted fraction of scale bar to background color

Image display

Use same window settings for all figures
 

Accompany fusion images (SPECT/CT, PET/CT, PET/MR) by corresponding stand-alone SPECT or PET images
 

Limit cropping
 

If cropping is applied, show corresponding uncropped, full-field-of-view image

*AQARA requirements do not apply to review articles.
%IA/cm3 = percentage of injected activity per cubic centimeter of tissue.

Disclosure

A statement of disclosure is required for all submissions. Include in the disclosure any potential conflicts of interest as reported in the disclosure form of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. For the work under consideration for publication, these include any payments received from a third party, such as grants, consulting fees, travel fees, or honoraria. Also disclose any relevant financial activities outside the submitted work, such as employment, royalties, stock options, or patents. For industry-sponsored or industry-supported research, authors who are not employees of or consultants to the industrial entity must be specified as having control of any data that might present a conflict of interest for employees or consultants. If no conflicts exist, this should be specified in the statement.

Acknowledgments

Individuals whom the authors wish to thank may be listed in the acknowledgments. In addition, persons who have contributed intellectually to the work but do not fulfill conditions 1–3 of the copyright transfer agreement in section II may be listed.

Key Points

Original submissions, including brief communications, must include one set of 3 key points just before the reference list:

KEY POINTS

QUESTION: A one-sentence focused question based on the study hypothesis or goal.

PERTINENT FINDINGS: One or two sentences on the design (e.g., clinical trial, cohort study, case-control study, meta-analysis), the primary outcome, and the findings (only basic numbers and whether they are statistically significant, but not the results of statistical tests or measures of variance).

IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: One sentence on how the findings might affect patient outcomes or, for basic science, what the translational implications might be.

[EXAMPLE]

KEY POINTS:

QUESTION: Is the risk of breast cancer associated with atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) diagnosed on needle biopsy lower than the reported risks based on historical cohorts?

PERTINENT FINDINGS: In a cohort study comparing the risk of invasive breast cancer in 331 women undergoing mammography with and without a diagnosis of ADH, 10-year cumulative risk was lower in women with ADH diagnosed with a needle biopsy compared with excisional biopsy. Both risks were lower than those reported from cohorts evaluated in earlier studies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT CARE: Meaning Current 10-year risks of invasive breast cancer after a diagnosis of ADH may be lower than those previously reported.

Supplemental Data

All data that are needed to support the central conclusions of the article must be presented in the manuscript itself. Other data that are integral to the manuscript can be submitted for online-only publication as supplemental data. The data may include images with legends, large-scale tabulations, videos, appendices, and glossaries. Authors have the option of presenting the full version of the Materials and Methods section in the supplemental data and a condensed version in the manuscript itself. However, supplemental Results and Discussion are not permitted. Each item of supplemental data should be given a brief descriptive title and should be directly referred to in the manuscript (e.g., Supplemental Table 1). If a supplemental item has references, they must also be cited in the manuscript (at the location where the manuscript first mentions the supplemental item). Because supplemental data files are placed online unedited, as submitted by the author, the uploaded files need to be final and ready for publication. Any type of article may have supplemental data, but any supplemental data that extend beyond the conceptual scope of the article may be removed at the Editor’s discretion. Provide original files rather than .pdfs. Do not include a title page.

Standards of Reporting

Clinical Trials Registration

To ensure the integrity of the reporting of patient-centered trials, authors must register prospective clinical trials (phase II to IV trials) in suitable publicly available repositories. For example www.clinicaltrials.gov or any of the primary registries that participate in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

The trial registration number (TRN) and date of registration should be included as the last line of the manuscript abstract.

For clinical trials that have not been registered prospectively, authors are encouraged to register retrospectively to ensure the complete publication of all results. The trial registration number (TRN), date of registration and the words 'retrospectively registered’ should be included as the last line of the manuscript abstract.

Checklists and reporting guidelines

JNMT advocates transparent reporting of biomedical and biological research and research with biological applications. Authors should adhere to the minimum reporting guidelines hosted by the EQUATOR Network when preparing their manuscript.

Checklists are available for a number of study designs, please follow the guidelines or flow diagram from one of the following evidence-based statements, and submit the checklist as supplemental material:

  • Randomised trials: CONSORT and study protocols (SPIRIT)
  • Systemic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA
  • Reporting recommendations for tumor marker prognostic studies: REMARK
  • Diagnostic/prognostic studies: STARD
  • Reporting of monte carlo Radiation transport Studies: RECORDS
  • Animal pre-clinical studies: ARRIVE
  • Have you provided a claim resulting from the evaluation of the artificial intelligence algorithm, as described in “Nuclear Medicine and Artificial Intelligence: Best Practices for Evaluation (the RELAINCE Guidelines)”? If so, please provide the page number where the claim has been provided.
  • Provide either the sequence or a reference to the sequence, or the source of the peptide or antibody if it is commercially available, for any antibody and polypeptide amino acid sequences in your study.
  • Consensus nomenclature rules for radiopharmaceuticals