Journals

Menopause International
the integrated journal of postreproductive health.

Menopause International is an international scientific journal that makes a vital contribution to the study and treatment of the menopause and female postreproductive health. To ensure that you and your colleagues have access to this valuable content, please pass the recommendation form to your librarian. By doing this, you will help to ensure that your institution has access to the best possible information on the Menopause and the problems of female ageing.

Editorial Board
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Instructions to Authors

Scope

Menopause International features original research and review articles, clinical case histories as well as opinions and debates on topical issues. All articles need to have some relevance to the menopause and ageing.

Editorial policy
Original previously unpublished contributions will be considered for publication on the understanding that they are contributed solely to Menopause International. If any form of publication elsewhere (including electronic media) of any of the material in the manuscript submitted, other than an abstract of not more than 300 words, has occurred or is planned, the author must identify such in the cover letter and must include a copy of the other publication. The authors of all material accepted for publication will be required to assign copyright to British Menopause Society Publications Ltd, and a form for this purpose will accompany the proofs.

Submitted material will be considered in accordance with the Council of Science Editors (CSE)

If possible scientific misconduct or dishonesty is suspected in relation to any manuscript submitted, the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to forward the manuscript to an appropriate third party for investigation in accordance with Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

Peer review
Nearly all manuscripts are sent to referees, typically three. Referees are chosen for their knowledge of the topic. Authors may suggest the names of individuals who they think may not be able to be objective, but if this course is chosen, the reason or basis for the opinion should be stated. All such requests are regarded as confidential and will be considered when assigning referees. The aim is to respond within 4 weeks of submission of a manuscript. More time may be needed for additional expert evaluation. If a manuscript is considered not to be acceptable as submitted, but could be made acceptable with revision, it will be returned to the corresponding author with a detailed appraisal. This action should not be interpreted as any sort of commitment to accept the paper. Revisions must be received within 30 days. A letter replying to the referees' points, item by item, must be included, together with a copy of the revised manuscript highlighting the changes. The revised manuscript is evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief, and may be sent back to the referees. The paper may be accepted for publication if the revisions are considered to answer all concerns.

Submission
A manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter signed by all authors confirming (1) that they consent to publication, and (2) that the paper is not under consideration or accepted for publication elsewhere.

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.icmje.org) and the guidelines below, and must be written in English.

The manuscript (one copy and electronic version) should be submitted by email/post directly to the Editor-in-Chief:

Miss Margaret Rees
Level 4, Women's Centre
John Radcliffe Hospital
Oxford,
OX3 9DU
UK
Tel: 01865 220024/221626
Fax: 01865 769141
Email: margaret.rees@obs-gyn.ox.ac.uk

Preparation of manuscripts

Format

The manuscript should be  presented in 12-point type, double-spaced text with margins of at least one inch on top, bottom and each side. When referring to drugs generic names must be used. Each page should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page. The file should be sent as an attachment to the Editor-in-Chief. Authors are advised to keep a copy of the manuscript.

Title Page

1. The full title of the article. (no more than 100 characters)
2. Full names and affiliations of all authors.
3. The name and contact details of the corresponding author
   (full postal address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address).
4. A list of up to five keywords, for indexing purposes –
   terms from the medical subject heading (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used.
5. Details of ethical approval for studies on human subjects.
6. Sources of funding.
7. Competing interests. (see below)

Authors must identify sources of funding and potential competing interests. The standard form provided for this purpose should be completed and enclosed with the manuscript.

Categories of articles

Original articles: a full-length report of original basic or clinical investigation (2000-3000 words, up to 30 references). A structured abstract of no more than 250 words with the following sections (objective, study design, main outcome measures, results, conclusions) is required. The rest of the paper should be structured in conventional style: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References.

The Introduction should describe the question addressed by the report and must state the objective of the research. The literature review should be relevant but not detailed.

The Methods section should describe the research methodology in sufficient detail that others could reasonably be expected to be able to duplicate the work. However, if the methodology has been previously published, the appropriate reference should be cited, and a full description is not required. Methods of statistical analysis should be identified and, when appropriate, the basis for their selection stated. Statistical software programs used should be cited in the text. P values should be expressed to no more than three decimal places. Reports in which statistical difference is lacking must provide some indication of the study's power to detect such differences, and this information must be included in the abstract.

The Results section should present the findings in appropriate detail. Tables and figures may be used, but duplication between text and tables or figures is to be avoided.
The Discussion section should be used to critically appraise the implications of the findings and to compare them with those of other studies. Repetition of the results section should be avoided.
Submission of  randomized controlled trials requires inclusion of  a checklist and flowchart in accordance with the CONSORT guidelines and the registration number of the trial and the name of the trial registry.

Short reports must not exceed 600 words with no more than one table or illustration and five references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 100 words is required. The text should be structured in four parts: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.

Review articles: a comprehensive review of prior publications relating to an important clinical subject (2000-3000 words and 30-50 references). An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words is required. The Introduction should indicate why the topic is important and should state the specific objective(s) of the review. The Conclusion should include the clinical implications and observations regarding the need for additional research. Systematic reviews should follow the QUOROM guidelines. Meta-analysis of observational studies should follow the MOOSE guidelines.

Research in progress: a description of the design of ongoing important clinical trials. Suggested length is no more than 3000 words and 30 references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 250 words is required.

Case reports: a brief description of up to three cases of a particular condition that is unusual and instructive. Suggested length is no more than 1000 words and 10 references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 100 words is required.

Clinical practice: a description of methods of diagnosis and treatment. Suggested length is 500-1000 words and 5-10 references. An unstructured abstract of no more than 100 words is required.

Practice observed: an article for light reading, usually a case report, pertinent to the discipline. Wit and satire may be appropriate for this section. Suggested length is 250 words.

News and Views: a short dissertation expressing opinions, experiences or a statement regarding a topic of current interest of no more than 500 words in length with no more than 5 references.

Letter to the Editor: a question or challenge to an article published recently in Menopause International. Letters must be received within 6 weeks of publication of the article to which they refer.

References

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. The 'Vancouver' style is used: references should be identified in the text by superscript Arabic numerals (after any punctuation), and numbered and listed at the end of the manuscript in the order in which they are first cited in the text. References appearing for the first time in a table or figure should be cited in the text where the table or figure is mentioned. References cited must have been published in peer-reviewed publications. All references should include the names and initials of the first four authors (unless there are more than four, in which case only the first three should be given, followed by et al.). Publications for which no author is apparent may be attributed to the organization from which they originate. Simply omit the name of the author for anonymous journal articles - avoid using 'Anonymous'.

Unpublished data, personal communications, statistical programs, papers presented at meetings and symposia, abstracts, letters, and manuscripts ‘submitted for publication’ cannot be listed in the bibliography. Information from such sources may be cited, if absolutely necessary, in the text with the sources given in parentheses. Papers accepted by peer-review publications but not yet published may be listed in the bibliography with the words ‘in press’ substituted for year, volume and pages. Journal names should be abbreviated according to the style of Index Medicus, National Library of Medicine.

Tables

Tables should not duplicate information given in the text. The tables feature of the word processor should be used to prepare them. They should be numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the text and appear on separate pages at the end of the typescript. A brief title should be placed above each table.

Figures

Illustrations (Figures) should be numbered in the order in which they are mentioned in the text. A list of legends (one for each figure) should appear on a separate page at the end of the typescript. Separate files must be provided for the figures and printouts of these appended to the typescripts.

Permissions

Direct quotations of more than 200 words, tables, or figures from previously published sources must be accompanied by the written permission of both the author and copyright holder. Copies of any such permission letters should be enclosed with the paper. Complete information on the source must be provided. Materials published in Menopause International may only be reproduced with written permission from the Editor-in-Chief.

Consent

Reports of research involving human subjects must address informed consent and ethical approval of the study. Manuscripts will not be considered for publication in the absence of ethical approval and/or informed patient consent. If this is not forthcoming Menopause International reserves the right to contact institutional review bodies.

Reports of experiments on or studies of animals should cite compliance with the NIH Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals or other appropriate guidelines.

If there is any chance that a patient may be identified from a case report, illustration, or paper written consent of the patient for publication needs to be obtained. Manuscripts will not be considered for publication in the absence of patient consent. A standard consent form for Menopause International and allied publications is available.

Patient consent form

Proofs and offprints

PDF proofs are sent by email to the corresponding author and corrections should be kept to a minimum. Twenty-five offprints of each published article will be supplied free of charge and additional offprints may be ordered from the publisher when the proofs are corrected. Late orders submitted after the journal is printed are subject to increased prices.

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Competing Interest Form:	(48K)	(5.6k)
Patient Consent Form:	(20.5K)	(5.0K)