The International Journal of Radiation Medicine and Nuclear Medicine is a national professional academic journal administered by the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and sponsored by the Chinese Medical Association and the Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. The journal takes the scientific research, clinical, teaching, and related workers of radiation medicine and nuclear medicine as the main readers and reports the new achievements, recent progress, and up-to-date technologies in this field, including review articles, clinical experiences, standards, and regulations. The journal aims to implement the health work guidelines and policies of the party and country; to implement the policy of combining theory and practice, popularization, improvement; to reflect the latest progress in radiation medicine and nuclear medicine research at home and abroad; and to promote academic exchanges in this field. The International Journal of Radiation Medicine and Nuclear Medicine is the key magazine of China technology (the core journal of statistical source of Chinese scientific and technological papers), which is included in the Chinese Medical Journal Full-text Database, Wanfang Database, CNKI, Chinese Journal Full-text Database, and Chinese Science and Technology Periodical Database.

1. Scope and Type of Contributions

The journal welcomes manuscripts such as research papers, reviews, short articles, case reports, norms, and consensus, analysis of difficult cases, technical exchanges, special studies, minutes of international conferences (forums), and commentaries. Commentaries and special research manuscripts are primarily invited.

2. Submission Method and Requirements

(1) The International Journal of Radiation Medicine and Nuclear Medicine does not accept paper manuscripts. Please submit your manuscripts through the official website of the journal (http://www.ijrmnm.com). The journal does not charge manuscript processing fees. After the online submission, please mail the following materials: (a) Letter of introduction and authorization. Download and fill in the “Letter of Introduction for Papers of Chinese Medical Association Series Journals” and “Authorization for Papers of Chinese Medical Association Series Journals” on the website of the journal, which must be reviewed and stamped by the competent academic institution of author’s unit. (b) If the research is a funded project, then a copy of the approval document of the funded project should be attached. If confidentiality issues are involved, then a certificate of approval by the relevant department to be published shall be attached.

(2) The manuscript should be innovative, scientific, oriented, and practical. Contributions should be authentic, accurate, clear in arguments, rigorous in structure, concise in writing, and highlighted in key points. Statistical analysis should be conducted if necessary. In general, research papers do not exceed 6,000 words (including abstracts, figures, tables, and references); the word count for lectures, reviews, meeting minutes, and clinical case (pathology) discussion manuscripts may vary as appropriate.

(3) Medical ethics issues and informed consent: The basic principles of medical ethics must be followed. When the main body of the paper takes human bodies as research objects, the authors should state whether the procedures they follow conform to the ethical standards established by the ethics review committee (unit, regional, or national) and should provide committee’s approval documents (the approval number is described in the paper) and the informed consent of the subjects or their relatives. When the main body of the paper takes animals as research objects, whether the regulations of the institution and country on the management and use of experimental animals are followed must be explained. If it is approved by the review, then the approval document and approval number of the experimental animal ethics review committee should be submitted.

(4) Conflict of interest: When submitting a manuscript, authors must submit a public statement of conflict of interest, specifying various financial and non-financial interests. The authors are responsible for the veracity of the conflict-of-interest public statement provided, and the corresponding author is responsible for signing the conflict-of-interest public statement form. If all authors believe that there is no actual or potential conflict of interest, then they should state “All authors declare no conflict of interest” at the end of the text.

(5) Author’s Contribution Statement: Original works must provide an Author’s Contribution Statement, which states what specific work each author has done to plan, conduct, and report on the research, such as direct participation (developing and designing experiments, conducting research, collecting data, analyzing/interpreting data), article writing (drafting the article, critically reviewing the article for intellectual content), and work support (statistical analysis, obtaining research funding, administrative, technical or material support, guidance, supporting contributions).

(6) Fund programs: If the project involved in the paper is funded or a key research project at the national, ministerial, or provincial level or above, then it should be indicated. Fund programs are annotated in Chinese and English below the Chinese and English key words. The annotation format is as follows:

Fund programs: National Natural Science Foundation of China (81701125); Shandong Key R&D Program (2017GSF18129)

(7) All manuscripts involving maps shall be implemented in accordance with Chinese “Map Management Regulations.” China implements a map review system. Maps disclosed to the public shall be submitted to the competent administrative department of surveying, mapping, and geographic information for examination and approval. However, maps with simple contents such as scenic spot maps, block maps, and subway line maps are excluded.

3. Basic Requirements for Manuscript Writing

(1) Title: The title should be concise and eye-catching, reflecting the theme of the article. In general, Chinese titles are within 25 Chinese characters, preferably without subtitles, punctuation, and abbreviations. Chinese and English titles should have the same meaning.

(2) Author’s signature: Authors’ names are arranged in order under the title. The order should be discussed and determined by all authors before submission. No changes should be made after submission. If changes should be made, then the proof of the unit and a written proof of no objection signed by all authors must be presented. The names of authors’ institutions (specific to the department) and postal code are listed below authors’ names, and the email address of the corresponding author is indicated. In addition, authors should meet the following four conditions: (a) Participate in topic selection and design or in data analysis and interpretation; (b) write the paper or make key revisions to important aspects of the academic content; (c) conduct a comprehensive review and gatekeeper of the final version of the paper to be published; (d) agree to be responsible for all aspects of the paper, ensuring that issues involving the accuracy and scientific integrity of any part of the research work are properly investigated and timely resolved. Those who are only involved in obtaining funds or collecting data cannot be listed as authors, nor should they only be general managers of scientific research groups. In principle, one author can only mark one unit (the administrative organization to which the author belongs, if the administrative organization to which the author belongs is inconsistent with the organization that completes the topic selection, research plan design, and research work and provides research conditions, or if the author belongs to a different institution, then the institution providing research conditions and completing research work is the author’s unit). If multiple units should be marked, then the official seals of all bibliographic units must be stamped on the submission letter (all official seals are stamped on the same sheet of paper), and the first author unit must be the source of the data.

(3) Abstract: Abstracts in Chinese and English should be attached. The content of the abstract should include the research purpose, methods, main findings (including key or main data), and main conclusions, which should be written as “Objective,” “Methods,” “Results,” and “Conclusions” subheadings. Write in the third person without figures, tables, citations, comments, and explanations. Chinese and English abstracts should be about 400 words, and the content should correspond. English abstracts can be slightly detailed.

(4) Key words: In general, each article is marked with 3 to 8 key words. Please try to select from the MeSH database of the US National Library of Medicine, and the Chinese translation name can refer to the “Medical Subject Headings Annotation Sequence Table” compiled by the Institute of Information of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. New professional terms (free words) that are not included in the glossary can be used directly as key words, and these terms must be ranked at the end. The key words of traditional Chinese medicine should be selected from the “Traditional Chinese Medicine Subject Headings” compiled by the Institute of Information of Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Articles with English abstracts should be marked with English key words corresponding to Chinese. The abbreviations in the key words should be restored to their full names in accordance with the “Medical Subject Headings Annotation Sequence Table.” The first letter of the first word of each English key word is capitalized, and the words are separated by “;”.

(5) Medical terms: The terms announced by the National Committee for the Approval of Scientific and Technological Terms should be used. For subject terms that have not yet passed the examination and approval, the subject headings in the latest edition of “Medical Subject Headings (MeSH),” “Medical Subject Headings Annotation Sequence Table,” and “Traditional Chinese Medicine Subject Headings” can be used. For nouns and terms that do not have a common translation, the original words should be indicated when they appear for the first time in the text. The names of Chinese and Western medicines are subject to the latest version of “Pharmacopoeia of the People’s Republic of China” and “Generic Names of Chinese Medicines” (both prepared by the Chinese Pharmacopoeia Commission). If a trade name should be used, then its generic name should be indicated first. Traditional Chinese medicine should be named correctly, and those not included in the Pharmacopoeia should be annotated with Latin names.

(6) Word usage: Strictly implement the “Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Common Language and Writing (2000-10-31)” and the “Notice on Further Regulating the Use of Scripts in Publications” issued by the State Press and Publication Administration (formerly the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television) on December 23, 2010; the “Regulations on the Administration of the Use of Chinese Characters in Publications” issued by the State Press and Publication Administration (formerly the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television); and the State Language Work Committee in 1992, subject to the “General Standardized Chinese Character List” issued by the State Language Work Committee in June 2013.

(7) Clinical trial registration number: The clinical trial registration number should be a globally unique registration number obtained from a WHO-accredited primary clinical trial registry. The clinical trial registration number is printed below the fund programs. Use “Trial registration” as the title (the font and size are the same as other subtitles of the abstract), and write the name of the registration institution and the number.

(8) Statistical methods: (a) Statistical symbols: Statistical symbols shall be printed in italics based on the relevant provisions of GB/T 3358.1-2009 “Statistical Vocabulary and Symbols.” (b) Expression and description of data: Use ¯x±s to express quantitative data that approximate a normal distribution, and M (Q₁, Q₃) or M (IQR) to express quantitative data with skewed distribution. When using statistical tables, the vertical and horizontal headings should be arranged reasonably, and the meaning of the data should be clearly expressed; when using statistical charts, the types of statistical charts used should match the nature of the data, and the scale values on the number axis should be marked in accordance with mathematical principles; when using relative numbers, the denominator should not be less than 20, and percentages must be distinguished from percentum. (c) Selection of statistical analysis methods: For quantitative data, appropriate statistical analysis methods should be selected in accordance with the type of design used, the conditions of the data, and the purpose of analysis. For qualitative data, appropriate statistical analysis methods should be selected in accordance with the type of design used, the nature of qualitative variables, the conditions of the frequency, and purpose of analysis. For regression analysis, the appropriate regression type should be selected in combination with professional knowledge and scatter plots; for repeated experimental data to test regression analysis, the processing should not be simplified; for multi-factor and multi-index data, multivariate statistical analysis methods must be used on the basis of univariate analysis to make a comprehensive and reasonable explanation and evaluation of the interaction between factors and the internal relationship among multiple indicators. (d) Interpretation and expression of statistical results: When P<0.05 (or P<0.01), it should be described as the difference between the comparison groups has a statistically significance, not as a significant (or very significant) difference between the comparison groups; the specific name of the statistical analysis method used, the statistical quantity, and the specific value of P (eg: t=3.45, χ2=4.68, F=6.79, etc.) should be written. When the P value is 0.000, it should be written as P<0.001, not P=0.000. With regard to population parameter estimates (such as population mean, population rate, RR value, OR value, and HR value), a 95% confidence interval and the significance test results (statistics, P values) should be given.

(9) Figures: Figures and tables in the original manuscript are attached to the text, and they are coded consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Each chart should be titled with a figure (table) title in Chinese and English. Descriptive text should be placed in the notes below the figures (tables), and all non-public abbreviations used in the charts should be indicated in the notes. A table with three horizontal lines (top line, header line, bottom line) should be used. If there is a total and statistical processing content (such as t value, P value, etc.), then add a horizontal dividing line above this line. The data in the table must be consistent with the effective digits of the index, and the effective digits are generally determined by 1/3 of the standard deviation. Photographs should have good clarity and contrast; if a portrait is published, then the written consent of the person should be obtained, or the part of the person that can be identified should be covered. General specimen photos should be marked with scale in the figure. Histological (pathological) photographs require staining and magnification. If the figures are quoted from other publications, then the source should be indicated.

(10) Unit of measurement: Implement the relevant provisions of GB 3100/3101/3102-1993 “International System of Units and Its Application/General Principles of Relevant Quantities, Units and Symbols/(All Parts) Quantities and Units,” and the specific implementation can refer to the third edition of “Application of Legal Measurement Units in Medicine” compiled by the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association (published by the People’s Military Doctor Press in 2001).

(11) Number usage: Implement GB/T 15835-2011 “Number usage in publications.”

(12) Reference record format: Implement GB/T 7714-2015 “Information and Literature Reference Record Rules,” and use sequential coding to record. Document type and electronic document carrier identification code should be referred to GB/T 7714-2015 Appendix B “Document Type and Document Carrier Identification Code.” Chinese journals use full names; foreign journals use abbreviations, which are based on the format in the Index Medicus edited and published by the US National Library of Medicine. For those not included in Index Medicus, the abbreviation of the journal title and the full name of the journal are selected in turn. Articles with DOI codes must be listed in the DOI at the end of the article. When references are in Chinese, they must be written in Chinese and English.

Examples of journal reference record format:

[1] Aller SG, Yu J, Ward A, et al. Structure of P-glycoprotein reveals a molecular basis for poly-specific drug binding[J]. Science, 2009, 323(5922): 1718–1722. DOI: 10.1126/science.1168750.

[2] Maier FC, Kneilling M, Reischl G, et al. Significant impact of different oxygen breathing conditions on noninvasive in vivo tumor-hypoxia imaging using [¹⁸F]-fluoro-azomycinarabino-furanoside ([¹⁸F]FAZA) [J/OL]. Radiat Oncol, 2011, 6: 165

[2015-09-09]. http://www.ro-journal.com/content/6/1/165. DOI: 10.1186/1748-717X-6-165.

Example of book record format:

[1] He J, Chen WQ. 2012 Annual report of China cancer registry[M]. Beijing: Press of Military Medical Sciences, 2012: 28.

4. Writing Requirements for Different Types of Articles

(1) Commentary: It is a highly oriented article in the professional field, and is generally written by well-known experts in the field invited by the editorial department. The research status and future development direction of a certain field should be summarized and evaluated, and its views should reflect the mainstream trends in academia. When writing a commentary, the author can focus on a specific issue in a certain field, combine the existing research results, introduce author’s experience, express author’s point of view, and provide corresponding evidence to support it.

(2) Guidelines and Expert Consensus: They are essential tools for evidence-based decision-making and practice. The development should be based on evidence from systematic reviews or meta-analyses and graded for quality of evidence and strength of recommendation. Prospective registration (International Practice Guidelines Registration Platform http://www.guidelines-registry.org) should be carried out before formulation and written and reported in a standardized format (RIGHT checklist) after formulation. In addition, the development of the entire process should include detailed declaration and management of participants’ conflicts of interest.

(3) Original work: It can be written in accordance with the structure of four parts: preface, data (object) and methods, results, and discussion. The preface should briefly explain the background of the research design, the research methods used, and the intended purpose, preferably 200–300 words. References to the literature are required. The research type should be clearly stated in the research methods, and the key information of the research type should also be reflected in the abstract or title. Specific contents include (a) clinical or experimental studies; (b) prospective or retrospective studies; and (c) case series studies, case–control studies, cohort studies, non-randomized controlled studies, or randomized controlled studies. The results must correspond to the methods one by one and avoid commentary sentences. Results arising from the discussion must be stated in the results section. Prospective clinical trial studies can be written with reference to CONSORT reporting standards.

(4) Review, meta-analysis, and systematic review: (a) A review is the research status of a certain issue in a certain field, which can be objectively summarized and stated in combination with author’s research results and viewpoints. Topics with rapid research progress should be selected, and topics with slow development should not be selected. Literatures published within 5 years should be selected for review. The text is written in the third person, and it should avoid directly stating author’s point of view. (b) Meta-analysis must strictly select literatures (clinical randomized controlled studies) that meet the requirements for analysis, with strict selection and exclusion criteria, appropriate subject selection, and scientific and rigorous methods. The search database should be comprehensive and representative, and the source journals should also be properly selected. (c) The systematic review is a synthetic study that aimed at specific problems in a certain field (using the international general PICO format method to clarify the research problems, that is, the patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome), and it comprehensively retrieves the best research evidence currently available and evaluates the quality of the included studies (the data can be combined by meta-analysis, or just described, depending on the situation). It can be written with reference to the PRISMA reporting specification.

(5) Descriptive article (case report, etc.): Case report should select cases that have special features in the diagnosis and treatment process, which can provide inspiration for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of similar cases; avoid simple accumulation of rare cases. Case data should be detailed, including main complaint, history of present illness, past history, physical examinations, laboratory examinations, imaging examinations, diagnosis, treatment methods, pathological examinations, and prognosis. In particular, the examination results that have important reference significance for diagnosis and treatment must be described. Innovative treatments should also be described in detail. The discussion part should briefly comment on the characteristics of diagnosis and treatment of the cases and avoid literature review.

(6) Meeting minutes and news article: Meeting minutes and news articles should be written in accordance with the requirements of the press release and must have six elements, namely, time, place, person, cause, process, and result of the event.

5. Manuscript Processing

(1) Review system: The Chinese Medical Association series journals implement a three-review system based on peer review (first review by editors, external review by experts, and final review by the editorial board). The privacy of authors’ manuscripts is protected during the review process. Manuscripts that are not intended for publication will be notified of rejection comments. In the case of different opinions on the handling of the manuscript, the author has the right to apply for reconsideration and submit a written description of the appeal.

(2) Manuscript processing time limit: According to the “Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China” and in light of the actual situation of the journal, for those who have not received the notice of manuscript processing within 3 months after receiving the receipt of the journal, the manuscript remains under review. If the author wants to submit to other journals, then contact the editorial department in advance, otherwise, it will be regarded as one manuscript and two submissions, which will be rejected, and the author will be included in the academic misconduct management list. Manuscripts that have been published in non-public journals, have been communicated at academic conferences, or have been published in other languages (need to obtain the consent of the journal for the first publication) do not belong to one manuscript and two submissions, but the author must indicate when submitting the manuscript.

(3) The author is responsible for the authenticity and scientificity of the manuscript. In accordance with the relevant provisions of the “Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China,” the journal may revise and abridge the text of the manuscript. Any revisions that involve the original intention are brought to author’s consideration. If the revised manuscript is not returned within 2 months of the due date, then it will be regarded as automatically withdrawn.

(4) Withdrawal: For manuscripts with the following problems, the editorial department reserves the right to withdraw the manuscript after publication. (a) It has been confirmed that the paper has serious unreliability, academic misconduct (including fabricated data and falsified data), or non-subjective errors; thus, the findings and results reported in the paper are not credible. (b) The paper has plagiarism problems. (c) The research reported in the paper violates medical ethics. (d) Duplicate publication. (e) Serious flaws are found during manuscript publication. Once verified, the editorial department will address the problem in accordance with the requirements of the “Recommendation Specifications for Retraction of Papers after Publication of Chinese Medical Association Series Journals.”

6. Authorization and Related Fees

Once the manuscript is accepted for publication, all authors will sign the “Authorization for Papers of Chinese Medical Association Series Journals,” and the exclusive right to use the paper will belong to the Chinese Medical Association. The Chinese Medical Association has the right to publish the paper in electronic journals, CD-ROM version, APP terminal, WeChat, and other methods. In the absence of the consent of the Chinese Medical Association, any part of the paper may not be reproduced elsewhere.

After confirming the publication of the manuscript, the relevant publication fee shall be paid on the basis of the notified amount. Those who request to print color pictures must pay the cost separately. After the manuscript is published, author’s remuneration (including other forms of publication remuneration) will be paid, and one copy of the current journal will be given as a gift.

7. Contact

The editorial Department of International Journal of Radiation Medicine and Nuclear Medicine. Address: 238 Baidi Road, Nankai District, Tianjin, 300192, China. Tel: 0086-022-58089989, 85682389, Email: gjfh2006@irm-cams.ac.cn.