If you have not submitted to this journal before, please see the Journal scope for information on the type of articles accepted and for length limits of contributions.
A submission to Journal of Radiological Protection
All persons listed as authors should have made a substantial contribution to the manuscript. Other contributors should be listed, with their permission, in the Acknowledgments section.
A letter signed by all the authors should accompany each submitted manuscript. This letter should give the category of the manuscript (Paper, Note etc) and the electronic format in which it is, or will be, available (see below). It should also state that the manuscript (or a similar version) has not been published and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. If the article has been published previously, for example in another language, then full details must be given and a copy of the original article and appropriate permissions (including that of the copyright holder) enclosed with the manuscript. Copyright permission for the use of previously published material (e.g. figures) in a manuscript should accompany the submission and the source of reproduced material must be acknowledged in the manuscript. Any conflict of interest should be declared in the covering letter, as should any other special circumstances relating to the manuscript. By submitting a manuscript to Journal of Radiological Protection authors are acknowledging that they are meeting their obligations as set out in these instructions. Full contact details including telephone and fax numbers and e-mail addresses should be given for the corresponding author.
Please note - all news and information items including meeting reports and book reviews should be sent to the Deputy Editor at the address given on the title page of the journal. Items should not normally be in excess of 1000 words.
Submitting articles electronically If you submit your manuscript electronically you do not need to send hardcopies. For comprehensive information on how to prepare your files for electronic submission, please consult our general Guidelines for authors.
Web Use the online submissions form at IOP Journals Author services to upload your article's single compressed archive file, or enter your arXiv.org e-print number.
E-mail Send a single compressed file, as an attachment, to jrp@iop.org stating electronic submission in the subject line.
On acceptance authors should also e-mail to the Journal Production Editor a one paragraph (100 words or fewer) general description of their article (unless it is a Letter to the Editor) containing its essence for the non-specialist reader. This will appear in the front of the journal in the section Summaries of articles in this issue.
FTP Send your article's single compressed file by anonymous FTP to ftp.iop.org.
Hard copy submissions For Papers, Reviews, Notes and Practical Matter and Opinion articles, three copies of the typescript, at least one of which must be single-sided and contain original tables and figures, should be submitted. Contributions should be typed on A4 (210mm x 297mm) or similar paper with double-spacing and with margins of at least 25mm in width on all sides. Pages should be numbered consecutively.
Each copy of the typescript should include:
Mathematical equations should be written on a separate line and numbered serially within the article (1), (2), etc, or within each section, e.g. (1.1), (1.2), etc on the right-hand side of the page, where reference is made to them in the text.
Footnotes should be avoided whenever possible. If required, they should be used only for brief notes that do not fit conveniently into the text.
Any acknowledgments should appear in an unnumbered Acknowledgments section immediately following the last numbered section of the article. Persons acknowledged must have given permission for their name to appear. Sources of funding and any conflict of interest should be declared in the Acknowledgments section.
Abbreviations should be defined in full where first used.
Appendices should be avoided whenever possible. If required, e.g. to describe an unusual methodology which has not been defined elsewhere, numbered appendices should be included on separate sheets.
Copyright Upon acceptance, authors will be asked to complete a form assigning the copyright in their articles to IOP Publishing Ltd.
References and figures Please see our Guidelines for authors.
Tables Tables should be typed on separate sheets and numbered with Arabic numerals. Authors should ensure that data are arranged clearly in tables. Vertical rules should be avoided. Each table should have an explanatory caption appearing above it which should be as concise as possible. Explanatory footnotes (if any) should be placed immediately beneath the table.
Units The International System of Units (SI) should be used. If it is necessary to refer to quantities in other units then the SI equivalent should also be given.
Radionuclides Radionuclides should be written as, e.g., 129I, 99mTc, 239Pu etc except at the beginning of a sentence when the mass number should follow the element, e.g. 'Strontium-90 concentrations were measured ...'.
Special requirements Journal of Radiological Protection subscribes to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authors should consult the latest version of the Uniform Requirements that may be found at www.icmje.org.
Authors of all articles are required upon submission to disclose any potential conflict of interest with regard to the work reported (e.g. through employment, consultancies, industrial research contracts, stock ownership, equity interests, patent-licensing arrangements, honoraria, expert testimony etc) in their covering letter. This information may be made available, in confidence, to the referees during the peer review process. Further details on conflict of interest can be found at the ICMJE website. Authors should include all relevant information on conflict of interest in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
Manuscripts reporting studies of humans or animals should pay due attention to the ethical aspects of the study. Such studies must conform with local statutory requirements. Journal of Radiological Protection endorses fully the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, the latest version of which may be found at www.wma.net/e/policy/b3.htm. Where appropriate a statement should be made that the study has been carried out with ethical committee approval. Studies involving experimental animals must attend to the welfare of the animals; the guidelines of the United Kingdom Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research (UKCCCR) provide a basis for welfare considerations. Authors should also be aware of Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, which may be found at www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/labrats. Please state if the work has been subject to animal ethics committee approval.
Once an article has been submitted it should not be discussed publicly, particularly with the media, until published. This is to ensure that any article that attracts publicity is fully available to those wanting further information. Pre-publication discussion at scientific meetings not open to the public and circulation of preprints to professional colleagues is permissible, provided the status of the article is made clear. Pre-publication presentation of results to interested parties, such as the subjects of an epidemiological study, is acceptable, but the confidential nature of the results prior to publication should be emphasised. Articles should not be discussed with journalists before publication unless this has been agreed by the Editor. All material relating to articles to be published is embargoed until the day of publication. Further details can be found at www.icmje.org.