International Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases - Instructions For Authors
Comprehensive guidelines ensuring successful STI research manuscript preparation and submission to IJSTD.
Manuscript Types and Length Requirements
IJSTD accepts several manuscript formats designed to accommodate diverse research contributions to the sexually transmitted infections field. Select the type most appropriate for your submission and adhere to the corresponding length guidelines. Word counts exclude abstract, references, tables, and figure legends unless otherwise specified. Authors uncertain about appropriate manuscript type should contact the editorial office for guidance before submission.
Original Research Articles
Four thousand to eight thousand words presenting novel findings from experimental, clinical, or epidemiological studies investigating STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or transmission dynamics. Include structured abstract of two hundred fifty words maximum, comprehensive methodology enabling study replication, appropriate statistical analyses with effect sizes and confidence intervals, and balanced discussion of findings within the broader sexual health literature.
Review Articles
Six thousand to ten thousand words providing comprehensive topic syntheses advancing understanding of STI-related subjects. Systematic reviews must follow PRISMA guidelines with registered protocols when applicable. Narrative reviews should clearly describe literature search strategy, database sources, date ranges, and inclusion rationale. All reviews should identify knowledge gaps and suggest future research directions for the field.
Case Reports and Case Series
Fifteen hundred to three thousand words describing unusual clinical presentations, rare sexually transmitted infections, unexpected treatment responses, diagnostic challenges, or novel therapeutic approaches with significant learning value. Include documented patient consent, detailed clinical timeline, relevant diagnostic workup, treatment course, outcomes, and educational take-home messages for clinicians managing similar cases.
Brief Communications and Technical Notes
One thousand to two thousand words for preliminary findings requiring rapid dissemination, focused methodological innovations, laboratory techniques, or surveillance observations with immediate public health relevance. Include unstructured abstract of one hundred fifty words maximum. Brief communications undergo expedited review when warranted by time-sensitive content.
Manuscript Structure and Organization
Original research manuscripts submitted to IJSTD should follow the conventional IMRAD structure ensuring logical organization and reader accessibility. All sections should be clearly delineated with appropriate headings and subheadings facilitating efficient peer review and reader navigation. Maintaining consistent formatting throughout your manuscript demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail expected in scientific publishing.
Title Page: Include a concise descriptive title not exceeding one hundred fifty characters accurately reflecting study content without abbreviations except universally recognized ones. Provide complete author names with highest academic degrees, institutional affiliations with full addresses, corresponding author contact information including email address and ORCID identifier, running head of fifty characters maximum, word count, number of tables and figures, and comprehensive conflict of interest declarations for all authors.
Abstract: Structured abstracts for original research should include Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions sections within two hundred fifty words total. Clearly state the research question or hypothesis, summarize study design and key methodological elements, present primary numerical findings with confidence intervals where applicable, and provide evidence-based conclusions supported by the data presented. Avoid citing references, using abbreviations without definition, or including information not present in the main manuscript body.
Keywords: Provide five to eight keywords facilitating article discoverability in search engines and biomedical databases. Use established Medical Subject Headings terminology where applicable for consistency with PubMed and other major medical literature indexing systems. Keywords should encompass the infection studied, methodology employed, population investigated, and key outcomes or interventions evaluated.
Introduction: Establish research context by summarizing relevant prior knowledge, identifying specific gaps in current understanding that your study addresses, and clearly stating research objectives or hypotheses being tested. The introduction should provide sufficient background for readers unfamiliar with the specific topic while avoiding extensive literature review more appropriate for review articles. Conclude with a clear statement of study aims.
Methods: Describe study design, clinical or laboratory setting, participant recruitment and eligibility criteria, interventions or exposures examined, outcome measures and their definitions, sample size justification, and statistical analyses with sufficient detail enabling methodological evaluation and study replication by qualified investigators. Specify software packages and versions used for analyses. Include subsections for study design, participants, procedures, laboratory methods, and statistical analysis as appropriate.
Results: Present findings objectively and systematically using text, tables, and figures as appropriate for the data type. Report primary outcomes first followed by secondary endpoints. Include effect sizes with ninety-five percent confidence intervals and exact p-values rather than threshold statements where applicable. Avoid redundancy between text and tables or figures. Present participant flow, baseline characteristics, and primary and secondary outcomes in logical sequence.
Discussion: Interpret findings within the context of existing STI knowledge, compare results with prior studies addressing similar questions, acknowledge study limitations and their potential impact on conclusions, discuss clinical and public health implications of your findings, and suggest specific future research directions. Avoid repeating results presented earlier or introducing new data not included in the Results section. The discussion should demonstrate how your work advances the field of sexually transmitted infection research.
Ethical Requirements and Compliance
All research involving human subjects published in IJSTD must comply with Helsinki Declaration principles and receive appropriate institutional ethics committee or institutional review board approval prior to study initiation. Provide ethics approval reference numbers and approving institution names in the Methods section. Patient consent requirements apply to all clinical research and case reports regardless of de-identification efforts. Authors must confirm ethical compliance during the submission process.
Human Subjects Research
Document institutional review board or ethics committee approval including protocol reference numbers, informed consent procedures employed, and specific participant protection measures implemented. Clinical trials require prospective registration in recognized registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, or WHO-approved national registries before enrollment of the first participant. Report registration numbers in the manuscript.
Patient Privacy and Confidentiality
Ensure appropriate de-identification of all patient information following HIPAA guidelines or equivalent national requirements. Obtain documented written consent for case reports including explicit authorization for publication of clinical details and any images. Remove all potentially identifying details unless clinically essential and explicitly covered by patient consent documentation.
Animal Studies
Report institutional animal care and use committee approval and full compliance with established guidelines including ARRIVE recommendations for reporting animal research. Describe species, strain, housing conditions, environmental enrichment, anesthesia and analgesia protocols, and humane endpoints clearly. Justify animal use and sample sizes based on power calculations where applicable.
Research Integrity Standards
Authors must confirm research integrity including proper data management and security, honest and accurate reporting of all findings, appropriate authorship reflecting actual contributions, and complete absence of data fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism throughout the research and manuscript preparation process. All authors must approve the final submitted manuscript version.
Formatting and Technical Requirements
Submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word documents using standard fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri at twelve-point size with double-spacing throughout all sections including references, tables, and figure legends. Number all pages consecutively starting from the title page. Use continuous line numbering to facilitate specific reviewer comments during the peer review process. Maintain consistent formatting of headings, subheadings, and paragraph styles throughout the document.
Tables: Create tables using the Word table function and include each table on a separate page following the reference list. Number tables consecutively using Arabic numerals and provide descriptive titles that allow table interpretation without reference to the main text. Include comprehensive table legends explaining all abbreviations, statistical measures, and symbols used. Avoid excessive tables that fragment data presentation unnecessarily.
Figures: Submit high-resolution images with minimum three hundred dots per inch as separate files in TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or EPS format. Provide descriptive figure legends enabling complete figure interpretation without reference to main text including explanation of panels, symbols, and statistical information displayed. Obtain and document appropriate permissions for any previously published figures or images not created by the study authors.
References: Use Vancouver numeric citation style with references numbered consecutively in order of first appearance in the text. Include Digital Object Identifier links for all references with available DOIs. Format journal citations as follows: Authors (list first six, then et al for additional). Title. Journal Abbreviation Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. DOI. Verify all reference details for accuracy before submission as reference errors delay production processing.
Supplementary Materials: Additional data tables, extended methodology descriptions, supporting analyses, video content, or large datasets may be submitted for online-only publication as supplementary materials. Reference supplementary items in the main text at appropriate locations and submit as separate clearly labeled files with descriptive titles. Supplementary materials undergo peer review alongside the main manuscript and should meet the same quality standards.
Language Requirements: Manuscripts must be written in clear, grammatically correct English following American or British conventions consistently throughout. Authors whose native language is not English should strongly consider engaging professional language editing services before submission to ensure clarity, proper grammar, and appropriate scientific terminology. Poorly written manuscripts may be returned without review.
Plagiarism Screening: All submitted manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity levels will be rejected or require revision before peer review can proceed. Properly quoted and cited material is acceptable; however, extensive quotation should be avoided in favor of paraphrasing with appropriate attribution.
Submission Process and Requirements
Submit manuscripts through our online submission system ensuring all required components are included for complete submission. Required materials include a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief explaining manuscript significance and confirming this is an exclusive submission not under consideration elsewhere, complete manuscript file with tables embedded at the end following references, separate high-resolution figure files, any supplementary materials, and completed author agreement form confirming authorship contributions, conflict disclosures, and copyright transfer or Creative Commons license selection.
Upon submission, corresponding authors receive an acknowledgment with manuscript tracking number that should be referenced in all communications regarding the submission. Editorial decisions typically require six to eight weeks following initial submission depending on reviewer availability and revision requirements. Authors can track submission status through the online system at any time during the review process.
Submit Your STI Research Manuscript
Ready to share your sexually transmitted infection research with the global scientific community through IJSTD?
