Endocrine Reviews Author Guidelines

• Review Articles
  • Review Article
• Opinion and Comment
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Perspective
  • Letter to the Editor
  • Letter to the Editor Response
• Endocrine Society Communications
  • Clinical Practice Guideline
  • Clinical Practice Guideline Meta-analyses
  • Clinical Practice Guideline Systematic Review
  • Clinical Practice Guideline Communication
  • Clinical Practice Guideline Update
  • Clinical Practice Guideline Alert
  • Expert Consensus Reports
  • Policy Perspectives
  • Position Statements
  • Research Guide
  • Scientific Statement

• Review Articles generally range from 6,000 to 25,000 words in length and typically cite from 50 to 400 references. They should not contain unpublished observations or refer to preprints. Articles must present a critical and inclusive review of previous findings, and provide an analytical interpretation of the significance of any newly published information described. The editors discourage the submission of papers that are simple compilations of published data and interpretations, or meta-analyses. Shorter reviews may reflect integration of the latest discoveries in basic research or of important clinical advances in any area of endocrinology. All submitted review articles must be preceded by the submission of an Article Plan.

• Editorials are opinion articles by the journal's Editor-in-Chief or an Associate Editor and will typically address a timely policy matter of very high importance to endocrinologists. Editorials carry no figures or tables and have no more than eight references.
• Commentaries are opinion articles invited by the Editor-in-Chief that will examine concepts and findings recently introduced into the scientific record that have exceptional interest. They are typically up to 1,000 words in length, should have no more than eight references, and have no figures or tables. Commentaries should not cite unpublished work or data.
• Perspectives present a new viewpoint on generally accepted principles and practices in endocrinology that warrant closer examination because of data published within the past year. They should cite relevant literature and are typically no longer than 2,400 words. They should have no more than forty references and no more than one art item (a figure or a table). Perspectives should not cite unpublished work or data.
• Letters to the Editor should discuss only articles published in final format in this journal, and be submitted within six months of the article’s final publication. (Concerns about Advance Articles should be brought to the attention of the Executive Editor.) Letters must be no more than 500 words in length, have no more than eight references, and must not cite unpublished work or data. Letters will be published at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and publisher. Authors of accepted letters see page proofs before publication. Only changes to correct inadvertent/introduced grammar and/or spelling inaccuracies are permitted. Publication charges apply – see the Publication Fees section. No figures or tables are allowed. The title format of Letters to the Editor depends on the number of authors of the letter. If the letter is by a single author, format the title as “Letter to the Editor from [author last name]: ‘[Title of Original Article being Discussed].’” If the letter is by two authors, format the title as “Letter to the Editor from [first author last name and second author last name]: ‘[Title of Original Article being Discussed].’” If the letter is by three or more authors, format the title as “Letter to the Editor from [first author last name et al.]: ‘[Title of Original Article being Discussed].’” Should the title not follow this format, it will be returned to the author for correction.  ​
• Letters to the Editor Responses reply to a Letter to the Editor at no greater length than the original letter. Authors whose work is discussed in a Letter to the Editor will typically be invited to provide a response. If accepted, authors will see page proofs before publication. Only changes to correct inadvertent/introduced grammar and/or spelling inaccuracies are permitted. No figures or tables are allowed. The title of the letter should follow the format of “Response to Letter to the Editor: [Title of Original Article being Discussed]”. Should your title not follow this format, it will be standardized by the publisher.

• Clinical Practice Guidelines are developed by an Endocrine Society appointed task force, are evidence based, and provide graded clinical practice recommendations. These are developed with input from Society committees and members.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Meta-analyses are commissioned by the Endocrine Society to provide statistical analyses to support its Clinical Practice Guidelines.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Systematic Reviews are commissioned by the Endocrine Society for its Clinical Practice Guidelines. These reviews address a defined clinical question by collecting and summarizing empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Communications are derivatives of the Endocrine Society's Clinical Practice Guidelines that supplement or comment on developments in the disease area since the time of publication of a Guideline.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Updates are developed to address interim changes in prevention, diagnosis, or management in an existing Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline since the time of publication of a Guideline.
• Clinical Practice Guideline Alerts are focused communications in response to new developments that significantly alter recommendations in an existing Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline (e.g., important new drug approval(s), important drug withdrawal(s), important new risks or harms). These address changes that impact the validity of a guideline and affect patient safety.
• Expert Consensus Reports are developed by the Endocrine Society to address topics for which clinical guidance is needed, but a formal Clinical Practice Guideline is not appropriate. Expert Consensus Reports cover topics where evidence is limited, yet there are still opportunities to reduce uncertainty and improve quality of care through expert consensus.
• Policy Perspectives are based on established Endocrine Society policy positions and developed by the Advocacy & Public Outreach Core Committee with input from the membership.
• Position Statements reflect the Endocrine Society’s position or response to an issue. They are developed by an expert writing group under the direction of a Society-appointed Chair with input from  Society committees and are approved by the Society’s Board of Directors.
• Research Guides are developed by an expert writing group under the direction of the Research Affairs Core Committee of the Endocrine Society.
• Scientific Statements are developed by an expert writing group under the direction of an Endocrine Society appointed Chair with input from the Scientific Statement Subcommittee, the Research Affairs Core Committee, and the membership.

Page Charges

• No page charges

Color Charges

Color Charges will apply to all submitted color figures unless the initial Article Plan was invited and the Editor-in-Chief approves the use of color. Color figures cannot be replaced with grayscale versions after acceptance. Color figures must appear in color in both online and print versions of the accepted manuscript.

Up to five original figures (plus the Graphical Abstract) will be re-drawn by the journal's medical illustrators. Original figures must comply with the Figure Guidelines. Authors will be asked at submission to specify which five original figures should be re-drawn.

Letter to the Editor Charge

• Endocrine Society members: $99 per PDF page
• Non-members: $99 per PDF page

Optional Upgrade to Open Access

Endocrine Reviews offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution.

Should you wish to publish your article open access, you should select your choice of open access licence in our online system after your article has been accepted for publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence.

Details of the open access licences and open access charges.

OUP has a number of Read and Publish agreements with institutions and consortia that provide funding for Open Access publishing. This means authors from participating institutions can publish Open Access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution is participating.

• Articles funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wellcome Trust, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), and Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) will be submitted to PubMed Central after final issue publication and will be made freely available in 12 months.
• There are additional US Government Agencies and private funders that have partnerships with the National Library of Medicine to leverage the PubMed Central infrastructure. A list of these organizations can be found. For specific information on how to comply with the policies of these funders, please see their websites. Information on depositing a paper in PubMed Central in compliance with a public access policy.
• Please note that some funders (such as the Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK) may require publication under an Open Access license and subsequent payment of a fee. Open access costs and publication charges are authorized grant expenses for which authors can seek reimbursement from the Wellcome Trust, Research Councils UK, or funders operating under their policies. These articles will contain the following language: "This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY; Creative Commons Attribution License), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited."
• If your manuscript is accepted for publication, you will be asked at the proof stage to confirm the funding source of your paper and to agree to pay any applicable post-publication access fees.
• Reimbursement: The Endocrine Society will consider requests for reimbursement of APCs from funder and institutional customers in the event that we do not materially comply with their Open Access requirements. Contact publications@endocrine.org.

• A cover letter stating the authors’ wish that the manuscript be evaluated for publication in the journal. This letter must list the title and all authors of the paper. Elsewhere on the submission form authors can include up to five suggested reviewers and three reviewers to exclude. A valid reason for exclusion should be included.
• Essential points: These provide the main takeaway messages from the article. There should be between three and seven bulleted points. Each point should consist of a single sentence, although there is no character limit imposed on the sentence.

• Read the Editorial Policies.
• For initial submissions ONLY, authors may upload a single PDF of all submission files. However, if authors choose to upload a .doc version of their manuscript file, the system will be able to extract much of the metadata automatically, which may speed moving through the online submission form. Please note that regardless of which option authors choose, text, figures, and tables must be uploaded as separate files at revision.
• Submit paper in English through the Editorial Manager system.
• Inclusive and Person-First Language: Please use inclusive and person-first language in manuscripts by describing people as having a condition or disease rather than the condition or disease being their identity. For example, use “people with obesity” or “person with diabetes” rather than “obese people” or “diabetic.”  We also recommend consulting the AMA Manual of Style on Terms for Persons With Diseases, Disorders, or Disabilities.
• Use a double-spaced, single-column format with 1-inch margins.
• Use continuous line numbering throughout the manuscript. Manuscripts submitted without line numbers will be returned.
• Paginate the entire document.
• Place all tables and figures after the references and clearly label each.
• Gather needed information prior to starting the submission process in Editorial Manager:
  • Full names, institutions, and email addresses for each author.
  • Submitting authors are required to provide an ORCiD when uploading a manuscript.
  • Appropriate funding information for each author.
  • Disclosure information for each author.
  • Original manuscript number if manuscript being submitted was previously rejected by the journal to which it is being resubmitted.
  • Appropriate figure file specifications as detailed in the Figure Guidelines have been followed.

• At revision, two versions of your manuscript will be required: (1) A marked-up copy to be used for editor and reviewer purposes that indicates all changes made to the text, legends, and tables with either highlighting, colored text, or tracked changes and (2) A clean, un-marked copy that has all color and mark-up removed from text, legends, and tables that will be used by production, should your manuscript be accepted. Both versions of your manuscript should be prepared in and submitted as MS Word files.
• Please note that aside from one copy showing color or markup, the two copies of your manuscript should both include all revisions and be identical. The clean copy should contain all revisions reflected in the marked-up version, but have tracked changes accepted and highlighting/colored text reverted to black and white.
• Use continuous line numbering throughout both the marked manuscript and the clean manuscript document. Manuscripts submitted without line numbers will be returned.

Permission to Reproduce or Adapt Figures / Tables

Adapted and reproduced figures and tables are allowed only in review articles. Note that the permissions staff will assist the author with identifying the appropriate type of permission to obtain. When determining the status of a figure / table, please use these definitions:

ORIGINAL: If you created a figure or table specifically for the work being submitted, this is an original and no permissions are required.

REPRODUCED: If a figure or table appears in a new publication exactly as it appeared in the original publication, then it is reproduced. Permission must be given by the publisher and attribution to the original source must be provided.

ADAPTED: If a figure or table is adapted, it is modified from its original appearance but still closely resembles the original. Permission must be given by the publisher and attribution to the original source must be provided.

If a figure or table uses elements from another source, or multiple sources, authors are responsible for determining if the figure is “Adapted” or “Transformative”.

ADAPTED:

If you create a figure or table that (1) includes someone else’s previously published data or illustrative elements AND (2) their data/illustrative elements are incorporated into your work to illustrate similar facts or conclusions, then your reproduction of their data/illustrative elements is a derivative work (or “adaptation”). Permission must be obtained from the owner and a citation to the original work must be provided in your figure/table legend.

TRANSFORMATIVE:

If your use of someone else’s previously published data or illustrative elements in your own figure or table goes beyond simply adapting their work as described above, then your use may be “transformative.” If you believe the work is transformative, you may not need to obtain permission, but you do need to provide a citation.

To be transformative, your use should add something uniquely new to the underlying data/illustrative elements or serve a different function, purpose, or character than the original work.  One factor to consider is whether the new work will be competitive with or as supplanting the demand for the original. Transformative works are not usually competitive with the original work. If you believe your use is transformative, you need to seek guidance from your appropriate institutional officers to determine the legal status of the figures and tables you include with your submitted manuscript and provide the appropriate language in the figure/table legend.

If you determine your work is “transformative” and does not require permission from the owner, you must certify it as such and include the source in the figure/table legend. For example: From Brown J Widgets Today, 2018; 100(6). It is important that specific cases be clearly assessed by the authors and if needed, the institution(s) responsible for the work submitted by the authors. Authors should be prepared to provide the editorial office with documentation showing the original figure or table and describing the transformative nature of the new work.

• Use the international system of units (SI) where possible, or other metric units. If non-metric units are mentioned, please give their SI equivalent in parentheses.

• Temperature should be expressed in degrees Celsius (e.g., 28°C) and time of day using the 24-hour clock (e.g., 0800 h, 1500 h).

• Molecular weight should not have units (daltons).
• All nonstandard abbreviations in the text must be defined immediately after the first use of the abbreviation.
  • Download an MS Excel spreadsheet of standard abbreviations (XLSX, 15.6 KB).
  • Download the same document in MS Excel format prior to 2007 (XLS, 45 KB).

• The 3 major classes of mammalian sex steroids — androgens, estrogens, and progestins (or progestagens or gestagens) — correspond to the well-defined androgen, estrogen, and progesterone receptors. The principal bioactive sex steroid and natural ligand for each class is testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone, respectively. Estrogen(s) and progestin(s) are classes of steroids. Synthetic steroids or extracts can be considered as members of a generic steroid class, but are distinct from the natural cognate ligand. Therefore, the terms androgens, estrogens, and progestins (or progestagens or gestagens) should be used when referring to the class of hormones, whereas when a specific natural or synthetic steroid is being used or assayed the particular compound must be specified.
• Apart from accepted trivial names, steroids should be named according to the systematic nomenclature of the IUPAC convention on Nomenclature of Steroids (Moss et al Pure & Applied Chemistry 61:1783–1822, 1989) at first mention in a single footnote defining all letter abbreviations. Subsequently, generic or trivial names or letter abbreviations, but not trade-names, should be used.
• The accepted trivial names include cholesterol, estrone, (17)estradiol, estriol, aldosterone, androsterone, etiocholanolone, dehydroepiandrosterone, (5) dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, androstenedione, pregnenolone, progesterone, corticosterone, deoxycorticosterone, cortisone, cortisol. Trivial names may be modified by prefixes indicating substituents (as in 17-hydroxyprogesterone for 17-hydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione), double bonds (as in 7-dehydrocholesterol for 5,7-cholestadien-3-ol) and epimeric configurations of functional groups provided the locus of epimerization is indicated (as in 3-epiandrosterone for 3-hydroxy-5-androstan-17-one).
• Nomenclature of Vitamin D Metabolites: Analogous and Structurally Related Compounds
  • 3
  • 2
  • 33
  • 22
  • 32
  • 323
  • 333
  • 323
  • 323
  • 222
  • 32
  • 33
  • 22
  • 33
  • 22

___ The title must be 120 characters and spaces or fewer and provide a concise and informative statement of the article’s contents. Avoid titles presented as questions and wordplay or comical titles, as these will usually not be understood globally.

___ Authors’ full names and institutions.

___ No more than six keywords.

___ Corresponding author’s contact information.

___ Name and address of author to whom reprint requests should be addressed.

___ Any grants or fellowships supporting the writing of the paper.

___ Disclosure summary.

___ No longer than 250 words.

___ Does not refer directly to the text or references.

___ Describes in complete sentences the purpose, methods, results, and main conclusions.

___ Aimed to a general audience with specialized terminology kept to a minimum.

Graphical Abstract

Authors are required to submit a graphical abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The graphical abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article, and will be published as part of the article online and in PDF. The graphical abstract should be submitted for editorial review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The graphical abstract should be distinct from any of the submitted figures. The file should use simple labels and employ text sparingly. The file should be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff. See Specifications under Figure guidelines for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution. This article has a good example of a graphical abstract.  Please ensure graphical abstracts are in landscape format.

___ An introductory statement that places the work in historical perspective, explaining its intent and significance.

___ Include names of people who contributed to the study but did not meet the requirements for authorship.

___ Use the AMA (American Medical Association) Style Guide for allowable references. List all authors for the initial submission. See examples of correctly formatted references below.

___ List references in consecutive numerical order (in parentheses) in the text, figures, and tables and list in the same numerical order at the end of the manuscript. References in tables and figures should be cited in sequence with those in the text. The numbering should shift to the table or figure after the table or figure is first mentioned in the text. All references in the table or figure should be cited in sequence. The numbering of citations should then return to the text and continue for subsequent citations. NOTE: Provided sequence is preserved, it is acceptable for a reference to appear only in a figure or table. EXAMPLE: If Table 1 contains five references and the first citation of the table occurs immediately after Ref. 10 in the text, then the references numbered within the Table 1 must be Refs. 11-15. Within the text, after the first citation for Table 1, reference sequencing resumes with Ref. 16, and so on.

___ Supplemental data must be submitted to a repository and cited in the manuscript bibliography. For more information see Extended Data Sets and Supplemental Materials.

___ Do not cite the following in the reference list:

___ Provide all legends separately after the references.

___ Clearly and completely describe the content of the figure or table so it can be understood without reference to the text.

___ Explain any symbols or the significance of any color that is important for understanding the content.

___ Use color descriptors as necessary.

___ Figures and tables must be numbered to appear sequentially. Figure 1 must be followed by Figure 2 and any subsequent figures in numerical order, and Table 1 must be followed by Table 2 and any subsequent tables in numerical order.

___ Construct tables simply and design them to be clear without reference to the text.

___ Provide a concise heading and footnotes if needed.

___ Generally, submitted tables should not consist of more than four or eight manuscript pages (for portrait or landscape presentation, respectively). This is so that the composed, typeset tables are limited to two journal pages (if in standard, portrait orientation) or four journal pages (if in landscape orientation) with normal font size. If, when composed, tables exceed the specified limits, production and ultimate publication will be delayed until the requirements are met.

___Tables should be created using the Insert Table feature in Microsoft Word and uploaded as separate files in .doc or .docx format or placed at the end of the manuscript document. 

___ Tables cannot include color or graphics. 

___ The Endocrine Society uses an image forensic screening process to determine if manipulation has occurred.

___ No specific feature within an image may be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced.

___ Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only if they are applied to the whole image and do not obscure, eliminate, or misrepresent any information present in the original.

___ The grouping of images from different parts of the same gel, field or exposure, or from different sources, must be made explicit by the arrangement of the figure (e.g., dividing lines) and in the text of the figure legend.

___ The author agrees to provide the editorial office with the original data used to produce the figure if requested.

___ Titles should be clear and informative. Use minimal wording on figures and confine explanation of figures to their legends.

___ Legends should clearly and completely describe the appropriate content.

___ The use of original figures is strongly encouraged. See Use of Previously Published Figures and Tables in Reviews for more information.

___ Figures must be numbered to appear sequentially. Figure 1 must be followed by Figure 2 and any subsequent figures in numerical order.

___ Figure Preparation:

Detailed information on preparing your artwork is available.

___ Graphs:

• Graphs with axis measures containing very large or small numbers should convert to easily readable notations. Example: For an ordinate range of “counts per minute” values from 1,000 to 20,000, the true value may be multiplied by 10-3 (scale would read from 1 to 20) and the ordinate axis display “cpm (×10-3).” Similarly, for a Scatchard plot with values ranging from 0.1 to 2 femtomolar (10–15 M), the scale may run from 0.1 to 2 with the abscissa labeled “M(×1015).

___ Supplemental data are no longer allowed as uploads submitted with a manuscript. Supplemental data must instead be submitted to a repository and the accession number provided in the Reference section and cited in the manuscript. For more information see Extended Data Sets and Supplemental Materials.

• Authors must affirm that the Work submitted for publication is original and has not been published other than as an abstract or preprint in any language or format and has not been submitted elsewhere for print or electronic publication consideration. Authors must also affirm that each person listed as authors participated in the Work in a substantive manner, in accordance with ICMJE authorship guidelines, regardless of any use of AI or machine-learning tools in its preparation, and is prepared to take public responsibility for it. All authors consent to the investigation of any improprieties that may be alleged regarding the Work. Each author further releases and holds harmless the Endocrine Society from any claim or liability that may arise therefrom.
• Persons who contributed to the study (e.g., provision of materials or reviewing the manuscript) but do not meet the requirements for authorship, or who die before otherwise meeting the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for full authorship, may be listed in the Acknowledgments. The corresponding author is responsible for informing each person listed in the acknowledgment section that they have been included and providing them with a description of their contribution so they know the activity for which they are considered responsible. Each person listed in the acknowledgments must give permission for the use of his or her name. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to collect and maintain this information.
• Medical writers should be listed in the Acknowledgments section and not included in the authorship line.
• During the peer-review process, the author designated to upload the manuscript to Editorial Manager responds for all authors when completing the online submission form. At the time of submission, all co-authors will receive authorship verification emails to which they must respond. This confirmation must be received before the decision on a first revision can be sent. It is imperative that all co-authors are listed on the submission form and that the email address of each is correct.
• Submitting Author, First Author, and Corresponding Author.
  • The Submitting Author is the single member of the authorship group who uploads the manuscript files to Editorial Manager and is the main recipient of communication during peer review and production. Submitting authors are required to use an ORCiD when uploading a manuscript. Go to orcid.org to register for an ORCiD identifier.
  • The First Author is the first named author in the authorship list. Only one additional co-first author is allowed. The names should be indicated with an asterisk (*) on the title page of the manuscript text. A footnote should be included indicating that this is a shared role.
  • The Corresponding Author should be designated on the title page of the manuscript text and in a footnote. A maximum of three co-corresponding authors is allowed.​

• Authors must present a clear, accurate, and complete account of the research performed.
• Each manuscript should describe a complete study or a completed phase of an extended study.
• When some of the results are to appear in another journal, in publications of congresses, symposia, workshops, etc., details plus a copy of the other paper(s) should be supplied to the editor.
• Any preliminary accounts or abstracts of the work that are already published must be referenced in the complete report.
• The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools must be disclosed during the submission process and also described in the Acknowledgments section of the text.

• Describe the work in sufficient detail to allow others to repeat the work
• Adhere to the journals’ policy regarding preparation of digital images
• Include all relevant data, including those which may not support the hypothesis being tested
• Cite those publications which have a direct bearing on the novelty and interpretation of the results, including original findings and seminal works
• Establish the integrity of third party resources, such as data repositories located on external websites and servers, used and cited in the work
• Submit sequence data, and other data whenever possible, to publicly accessible databanks
• Make unique resources (including but not limited to cell lines, software programs, organisms, antibodies, etc.) available to other investigators for academic research purposes
• If there are restrictions to the availability of such resources, authors must disclose this to the editors at the time of submission, and include a comment on the restrictions in the Materials and Methods section. The Editors may deny further publication rights in the journal to authors unwilling to abide by these principles.
• Provide antibody RRIDs (Research Resource Identifiers) for antibodies and ELISAs, including commercial ELISA kits, used in the research. Provision of RRIDs for other unique research resources is recommended.
• Ensure that for those article types allowing the inclusion of figures and tables that are reproduced or adapted from previously published sources, the Endocrine Society receives written consent from a duly-authorized party/representative of the copyright holder as proof of permission to re-use the material.
• Ensure no substitution, addition, or deletion of data or text during the proof correction process (after acceptance). Answers to author queries and changes to typographical or printer’s errors may be made to proofs. Any other changes will require that the proofs be returned to the editorial office for re-review of the manuscript.
• If there are any additions to or deletions of the names that appear in the authorship line of the originally submitted manuscript, the corresponding author must send to the Editorial Office a brief letter, signed by all authors, stating that they agree to change. The manuscript will be held from that point until a decision is made by the Executive Editor whether to allow the change.
• If the originally submitted authorship line is changed after submission by changing the order, it is the obligation of the corresponding author to notify all co-authors of the change.
• For industry-sponsored studies, the author affirms that all co-authors have had full access to primary study data and the ability to perform all relevant analyses.

• Reviewers are required to provide a confidential, expert, critical, and constructive scientific appraisal of research reports in their fields of knowledge and experience in a fair and unbiased manner.
• Reviewers should complete their assignments within the editor’s deadline. Should a delay occur, the reviewer has the obligation to notify the editor immediately.
• Reviewers should not review a manuscript if:
  • they do not think that they are competent to assess the research described,
  • they believe there is a conflict of interest or personal or professional relationship with the author(s) that might bias their assessment of the manuscript, or
  • there is any other situation that could bias their review.
• Employment at the same institution as one of the authors does not automatically represent a conflict. Having previously reviewed the article for another journal does not disqualify a reviewer, although the editor should be informed so the reviewer’s perspective can be considered.
• Reviewers who need to recuse themselves should notify the editor promptly, preferably with an explanation. If reviewers are uncertain whether they should recuse themselves, they should consult with the editor.
• The reviewer should strive to provide accurate and detailed criticisms, and the review should be supported by appropriate references, especially if unfavorable. The reviewer should also note whether the work of others is properly cited. If the reviewer notes any substantial resemblance of the manuscript being reviewed to a published paper or to a manuscript submitted at the same time to another journal, they should promptly report this to the editor.
• The reviewer should aim to help the author improve future work. For example, if the author uses outdated or inexact terminology, provide guidance on best practices.
• No part of the manuscript under review should be revealed to another individual without the permission of the editor. If a reviewer consults a colleague on a particular point, the name of the collaborator or consultant should be reported to the editor. A reviewer must obtain through the editor written permission from the authors to use or disclose any of the unpublished content of a manuscript under review.
• Reviewers must not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools when evaluating a manuscript due to the loss of confidentiality that occurs when sharing information about the content of the manuscript with Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI tools. These tools compromise the confidential nature of peer-review and they cannot provide a substitute for the expert opinion and judgement that we seek from reviewers.

• All work must be free of falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism, as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Research Integrity. See this page.
• Manuscripts submitted to this Endocrine Society journal are screened for plagiarized content against the iThenticate database.
• The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts describing research that does not meet acceptable standards of research behavior as determined by the Belmont Report, the Geneva Convention, the Declaration of Helsinki, and the Endocrine Society Code of Ethics.
• Scientific misconduct and unethical acts include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, redundant or duplicate publication, violation of federal, state or institutional rules, and honorary authorship. The Endocrine Society’s journals follow the guidelines promulgated by the Committee on Publication Ethics for ensuring the integrity of published articles.
• In the event that an Endocrine Society journal receives allegations of misconduct relating to an article that was published or is being considered for publication, the Editor-in-Chief will follow procedures recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

An Associate Editor will determine if a submitted manuscript should be Rejected Without Review or if it should be sent for single-anonymized peer review.

If the manuscript is Rejected Without Review, the author is notified immediately.

If the manuscript is sent for peer review, the Associate Editor will select two reviewers who are asked to disclose any potential conflicts of interest.

The Associate Editor makes a decision on the disposition of the manuscript. Decisions can be Accept, Accept with Optional Revision, Minor Revision, Reconsider after Major Revision, or Reject.

If the author decides to resubmit a rejected manuscript within one year of the initial rejection, the Editor-in-Chief must give permission. After one year, it can be resubmitted as a new manuscript, although the author should reference the original manuscript at resubmission.

If the manuscript is sent back to the author for revision, the author will have two months to prepare a revision. Extension requests must be directed to the Editor-in-Chief and sent to publications@endocrine.org.

The manuscript will be sent to production following completion of any artwork assigned to the medical illustrators and the authors’ provision of any necessary permissions to the journal. Within seven working days of the article’s being submitted to production, an Advance Article version (non-copyedited) will be posted on the journal site for citation and listing by PubMed. No changes can be made to the Advance Article version.

A copyedited proof will be sent to the author, typically within three weeks of the posting of the Advance Article. Authors should review the proof and return requested corrections within 24 hours. The final version of the article cannot be published until authors return the proofs. The publisher will formally withdraw the article if the authors have not responded with final approval within three months after the article acceptance date.

Once corrections are returned and queries are addressed and resolved, the final version of the article will be posted on the journal site and will replace the Advance Article listing in PubMed. If the article is eligible for PubMed Central inclusion, it will be deposited at this time.

Tips for promoting accepted and published articles are detailed in the Author Resource Center.

• Non-clinical studies (in vitro or animal experiments): Where experiments include a contemporaneous randomly assigned, matching control group, assay measurements must be sufficiently accurate to justify valid comparison between groups within that experimental setting. For commercial sex steroid assays typically validated for human serum in multiplex platform or kit formats used in non-clinical studies, any change in species and/or matrix must be validated by the assay laboratory to verify acceptable quantitative accuracy, precision and specificity for each analyte.
• Clinical studies: Because data from clinical research are likely to be extrapolated quantitatively to populations beyond those in the study, sufficiently stringent assay validation is required to ensure reliable comparison of measurements between different populations and laboratories. Quantitative assay results must be verifiably traceable to a common reference standard (certified reference materials) where available. Information about available reference standards can be obtained from CDC’s Clinical Standardization Programs (standardization@cdc.gov, https://www.cdc.gov/labstandards/hs.html).
• Examples of issues with assays that could preclude valid results include:
  • Some human sex steroid assays have proven technological limitations and display unacceptable bias in general or in specific circumstances.
  • Vitamin D immunoassays detect exogenous vitamin D isoforms to different extents, which may impair the accuracy of total vitamin D values.

• Calibration for clinical studies:
  • Reference standard used and the rationale for its use
  • Method for extrapolating measurements from the calibration dose-response data: linear or non-linear statistical/curved fitting methods should be described
  • Definition of the assay quantitation range, where accuracy is within 15% and precision <15% (except for lower limit of quantitation, see below)
•  Accuracy for all studies:
  • Accuracy, defined as percent recovery of known amounts of analyte added to specimens
  • Linearity of response from serially diluted specimens
  • Bias with respect to a reference method or reference material. In the absence of reference methods or materials, comparison to an established method
•  Sensitivity for all studies:
  • Lower limit of detection: lowest concentration generating a signal distinguishable from that generated by the zero calibrator or blank matrix [signal-to-noise ratio ≥ 5]
  • Lower limit of quantitation (accuracy within 20% and precision <20%) in blank matrix
• Precision for all studies:
  • Assays coefficient of variation should be defined on data available over the time when the study was conducted
• Stability and pre-analytical processing effects on measurement for all studies:
  • Stability of quality controls and specimens used to determine imprecision
  • A description of specimen handling (e.g., blood tube type) and storage procedures (e.g., freeze-thaw-cycles, duration and manner of sample storage)
• Specificity for all studies:
  • Testing for matrix effects and information on the procedures undertaken to detect interference by potentially cross-reacting substances

1.  Clinical Chemistry
2.  FDA
3.  EMEA

• when a cell line is received from an outside source (repository, other investigator)
• for new established cultures
• if many different cell lines are employed within a given laboratory

• We recommend use of the Clinical Trials website. For additional information please refer to the statement by the ICMJE on this page.
• All trials beginning after January 1, 2007, must have been prospectively registered before enrollment of the first subject. All trials begun before that date must be retroactively registered before submission. Please note that the Clinical Trial Registration number should be provided clearly on the title page of the manuscript.

Where applicable, materials and methods should be described and referenced in sufficient detail for other investigators to repeat the work. Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs) label key biological resources including antibodies, cell lines, organisms, and also software tools and databases. Provision of an RRID at the first mention of a unique resource (typically in the Materials and Methods section of a research article) is encouraged because community repositories such as Cellosaurus, antibodyregistry, and the model organism stock centers stand behind these identifiers and keep track of publications using these resources. In the case of antibodies and commercial ELISAs, provision of RRIDs is a requirement.

• The RRID should be provided in parentheses after the first mention of the unique resource in the article, usually in the Materials and Methods section. The RRID should be hyperlinked to its Uniform Resource Locator as provided by the resolver at SciCrunch.org. For example, a manuscript might include:
  
  “Cyt C release was determined using Cyt C ELISA kit (Catalog # PA5-79119, RRID: AB 2746235).” Note that “RRID: AB 2746235” is hyperlinked to https://scicrunch.org/resolver/RRID:%20AB_2746235
  
  The following are examples of the correct format for provision of RRIDs:
  
  Antibody: RRID:AB_2629219.
  Cell Line: RRID:CVCL_1H60.
  Organism: RRID:MMRRC_048263-UCD.
  Plasmid: RRID:ADDGENE_104005.
  Tool: RRID: SCR_007358.
   
• If no RRID already exists for the resource, authors are asked to provide all needed details and register their resource at https://scicrunch.org/create/resourcesuggestion to obtain an RRID and include it in their manuscript.
• The source of hormones, unusual chemicals and reagents, and special pieces of apparatus should be stated. For modified methods, only the modifications need be described.
• Authors are encouraged to make material used in research leading to a published study widely accessible, for example via a suitable repository.
• Data generated during a study, along with associated metadata, should be provided in the article or, for large datasets, in a public, community-endorsed database. Exceptions are allowed only if the need for patient confidentiality prevents this or the data were used under license. The accession number or other unique identifier should be provided in the References section of the manuscript and cited in the text.
• Deposition of 'omics data is mandated by National Institutes of Health (NIH) Genomic Data Sharing Policy, which includes a list of NIH-recommended data repositories for such data. Similar requirements for other funding agencies should be followed as required. Examples of data repositories are provided under Extended Data Sets and Supplemental Materials, below.

• Authors using antibodies for immunohistochemistry, immunocytochemistry, western blots, immunoblots, immunoneutralization, or related methodology, including commercial ELISA kits, are required to ascertain whether each antibody or kit they use has a Research Resource Identifier (RRID) by consulting the Antibody Registry via the Resource Identification Portal. Search for your antibody or kit by catalog number in the search box and include the RRID information in parentheses where the resource is first described. Please hyperlink the RRID to the SciCrunch resolver, e.g. “Cyt C release was determined using Cyt C ELISA kit (Catalog # PA5-79119, RRID: AB_2746235).”
• If there is no existing RRID for your antibody or kit, authors are required to register with the Antibody Registry and obtain an RRID no later than the revision stage of submission. In the revision, the RRID should be added in parentheses where the resource is first described.
• For more information, see the Resource Identification Portal.

• Manuscripts reporting amino acid or nucleotide sequences of proteins with sequences already known from other tissues or species will be considered only if they provide new biological insight. When a manuscript is accepted that contains novel sequences, such sequences must be deposited in the appropriate database (such as GenBank), and an accession number obtained. This should be provided in the References section of the manuscript and cited in the text.
• Manuscripts describing experiments with new compounds must, if they are not registered as RRIDs, provide their chemical structures. For known compounds, the source and/or literature reference to the chemical structure and characterization must be provided.

• Authors of manuscripts based in whole or in part upon previously unpublished genome-wide RNA expression and genome-wide location analysis datasets (including but not limited to microarray, ChIP-Chip, ChIP-seq, RNA-seq, and future variants on Next Generation Sequencing technology) are required to submit the complete dataset to the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), the public gene expression archive of the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI); OR to ArrayExpress, the corresponding database of the European Bioinformatics Institute (EBI). Proteomic papers that report molecular structures, whether based on x-ray crystallography, NMR, or computational modeling, can be accepted only after the structural coordinates have been deposited in the Worldwide Protein Data Bank. Accession numbers should be provided in the Reference Section of the manuscript. Other examples of repositories are given below under Extended Data Sets and Supplemental Materials.

• In recognition of the growth in public data repositories for datasets and supplemental materials to allow for discoverability, access, and citation, Endocrine Society journals, effective June 1, 2018, do not provide for supplemental files to be submitted with manuscripts.
• When uploading files to Editorial Manager, do not upload supplemental materials as regular figure / table files.
• Authors are instead to deposit any datasets and supplemental materials with a community-recognized data repository where available, or to a generalist repository if no community resource is available. Authors should provide the accession number in the References section of their manuscript and cite it within the text. The following reference format should be used: Brown C, Jones M, Cohen M. Data from: Medical device-regulation process: review of safety notices and alerts. Dryad Digital Repository 2017. Deposited 2 January 2018. http://doi.org/10.9561/dryad.585t4
• If, during the review process, an editor or reviewer asks to see a dataset or supplemental material referenced in the manuscript and it is not yet available in a public repository, staff will request that the author provide it so the peer review process can be completed. Until the requested data set is received by the editorial staff or submitted to a publicly available repository, the peer review process will be put on hold.

If you have questions about which repository is best for your work, please contact your funding agency or institutional librarian. Examples of repositories can be found here:

• Re3data
• NIH Data Repositories and Trusted Partners
• NIH Data Sharing Repositories
• Dryad Digital Repository
• Figshare

Author Services and Information

Language-Editing, Original Figure Preparation, and Related Services

The Endocrine Society and Oxford University Press have partnered with select providers of language editing and other support services to authors for manuscript preparation. Please note that use of these services is optional, is fee-based, and does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. As an author you are under no obligation to take up this offer. Edited manuscripts will still undergo peer review by the journal.

The Endocrine Society has partnered with American Journal Experts (AJE) to help authors communicate their research. AJE is an independent vendor and handles all aspects of this service, including author payment. To access AJE’s services, please go to:

Embargo Policy

Operations Policies

Editorial Office Archiving Procedures

The editorial office will retain all manuscripts and related documentation (correspondence, reviews, etc.) for 12 months following the date of publication or rejection.

Affirmation of Originality and Authorship  

Authors must affirm that the Work submitted for publication is original and has not been published other than as an abstract or preprint in any language or format and has not been submitted elsewhere for print or electronic publication consideration.

Authors must also affirm that each person listed as authors participated in the Work in a substantive manner, in accordance with ICMJE authorship guidelines, and is prepared to take public responsibility for it. All authors consent to the investigation of any improprieties that may be alleged regarding the Work. Each author further releases and holds harmless the Endocrine Society from any claim or liability that may arise therefrom.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors must provide disclosure information when submitting their manuscript. The intent of this disclosure is to identify any relationships current or during the past 2 years with companies that make or supply products or services related to the subject matter of the paper and other financial and non-financial interests. With full disclosure, the editors and readers can make informed decisions about submitted and printed papers in the journals.

Nothing in the disclosure statement shall be regarded as creating a presumption of impropriety in the existence of financial interests or other relationships. The purpose is to inform reviewers and readers of the existence of financial relationships pertinent to the article in the interest of the full transparency of the peer review and publication processes. 

If the paper is accepted for publication, all disclosures will be included with the published Work.

Read the full Endocrine Society Disclosure policy.

Relevant interests to be reported include the following, if they occurred within the last 2 years and if they are relevant to the topic of the Work: employment; consultancy within the past two years; ownership interests — including stock options — in a start-up company, the stock of which is not publicly traded; ownership interest (including stock options but excluding indirect investments through mutual funds and the like) in a publicly traded company; research funding; honoraria directly received from an entity; paid expert testimony within the past two years; any other financial relationship (e.g., receiving royalties); membership on another entity’s Board of Directors or its advisory committees (whether for profit or not for profit); service as a paid spokesperson or on a speaker’s bureau for any entity involved with this research.

Please note:

The corresponding author must ensure that all authors respond to the author verification email that is sent to all co-authors upon submission. Although an incomplete response will not delay processing of the initial submission, decisions on revisions and final acceptance will not be made until all authors have confirmed.The corresponding author must summarize any author disclosures in a paragraph that will appear in the published article, indicating if there are any disclosures. Please include this Disclosure Summary on the title page of the submitted manuscript.

Briefly collate all information regarding conflicts directly related to the material being published from the individual author summaries.

Use the format: Author’s initials, then category, then company name.

Relevant categories include “has nothing to declare,” “is employed by,” “was previously employed by,” “consults for,” “has previously consulted for,” “has served as an expert witness for,” “received lecture fees from,” “has equity interests in,” “received grant support (dates) from,” “is an inventor on (country)(patent number),” “receives royalties from.” Authors may also add other pertinent categories.

 Examples:

• Disclosure Statement: AZ, BY, and CX have nothing to declare. DW was previously employed by Hormone Pharma and has equity interests in Secretory Devices, Inc.. EV is a consultant for Endo Experts, LLC. FW received lecture fees from Gland Enterprises. GT is an inventor on U.S. Patent 000-111-2222.
• Disclosure Statement: The authors have nothing to disclose.

Editors and Associate Editors

At initial submission, the corresponding author must declare if an Editor (Editor-in-Chief, Deputy Editor, or Associate Editor) of the Journal is an author of or contributor to the manuscript, and an Editor without a conflict of interest will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. Please see our About page for more details about Editor obligations. 

Exclusive License to Publish

After a manuscript is accepted and sent to production, authors will be required to grant an exclusive license to the Endocrine Society to publish their Work. This license allows the Endocrine Society and its agent, Oxford University Press, to:

• Publish the Work in the Journal, and to distribute it and/or to communicate it to the public, in whole or in part, either within the Journal, on its own, or with other related material throughout the world, in printed, electronic or any other format or medium whether now known or hereafter devised
• Make translations and abstracts of the Work and to distribute them to the public
• Authorize or grant licences to third parties to do any of the above
• Deposit copies of the Work in online archives and indexing services

(The agreement allows for exceptions for authors who, as employees of government institutions, are not in a position to grant an exclusive license.)

The exclusive license also allows the Endocrine Society and Oxford University Press to act on authors’ behalf to defend the copyright in the Work if anyone should infringe upon it, and to register the copyright of the Work in the US and other countries, as necessary.

In the case of a multi-authored article, the corresponding author will be required to confirm that they are authorized by their co-authors to enter the agreement on their behalf.

Details of the publication rights policies can be found on the Charges, licences, and self-archiving page. Additional details about authors’ retained rights may be found on the Rights and permissions for authors page.​