Instructions to Authors

How We Publish

The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research is a peer-reviewed journal publishing 12 issues per year online. Once a paper is accepted and the publishing agreement is signed, the Journal will publish the Accepted Manuscript version of the paper (before copyediting and review of the final proof) within one week on the Advance Access page. This will be replaced in Advance Access with the Version of Record of the paper (after copyediting and proof review process) when it is available. The Version of Record will be removed from Advance Access when it is published into an issue. Substantial changes to the published Accepted Manuscript may require a correction notice. The Version of Record requires a correction notice for any changes after it is published, even if it is not yet placed in an issue. See the definitions of the Version of Record and other versions of the paper for more details.

Scope of the Journal

The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research (JBMR) is the flagship peer-reviewed publication of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR). The journal publishes highly impactful original manuscripts, reviews, and special articles on basic, translational and clinical investigations relevant to the musculoskeletal system and mineral metabolism. Specifically, the journal is interested in original research on the biology and physiology of skeletal tissues, interdisciplinary research spanning the musculoskeletal and other systems, including but not limited to immunology, hematology, energy metabolism, cancer biology, and neurology, and systems biology topics using large scale “-omics” approaches. The journal welcomes clinical research on the pathophysiology, treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and fractures, as well as sarcopenia, disorders of bone and mineral metabolism, and rare or genetically determined bone diseases.

Peer Review Process

The Journal operates single-anonymized peer review, meaning that the identity of the authors is known to the editors and to the reviewers, but that the reviewers’ identities are known only to the editors and are hidden from the authors.

Once a submitted manuscript passes initial assessment by the Journal’s Editor-in-Chief, it will then be passed to a handling editor to undergo peer review before recommending a final decision. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision on the submitted manuscript.

During the peer review phase, your manuscript is typically sent to 2 reviewers. You may suggest potential reviewers at submission. However, there is no guarantee the suggested reviewers will be selected by the Journal. Recommended reviewers should be experts in their field and able to provide an objective assessment of your manuscript without financial or interpersonal conflicts of interest with any authors. We encourage you to consider reviewers from a diverse range of backgrounds, including those from under-represented communities.

At the time of submission, you may request that specific individuals not be used as reviewers of your manuscript. Please do so in your cover letter, along with a brief explanation as to why you want them excluded. However, there is no guarantee these individuals will be excluded by the Journal.

Statistical methods should be rigorous, and reporting of statistical findings should be accurate and complete. Editors may request an expert statistical review of any submission containing statistical analysis.

If your manuscript is accepted for publication, the reviewer comments will be published alongside the paper, and reviewers may choose whether to have their identities included.

Authors may choose whether or not to publish the reviewer comments alongside the article and Reviewers may choose whether to include their identity or remain anonymous.

For full details about the peer review process, see Fair editing and peer review or OUP author FAQs.

Manuscript transfer

Sending transfers

In some cases, the editorial team of the Journal may offer you the option of transferring your manuscript to JBMR Plus. If you accept this offer, the manuscript files and any reviewer reports from consenting reviewers will be sent to JBMR Plus. The editorial team of JBMR Plus may choose to seek additional peer review. A decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all reviewers and the judgment of the JBMR Plus editorial team.

Screening for misconduct

Manuscripts will be screened using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication.

Identity/activity detection

The Journal uses ScholarOne’s Unusual Activity Detection tool to build confidence in the identity of authors and reviewers.

Reviewer recognition

To promote recognition of the essential work done by reviewers, the Journal offers reviewers the option to have their reviews verified and automatically listed on their Web of Science Researcher Profile and/or their ORCID profile.

Appeals and complaints

Manuscripts submitted to JBMR undergo a robust and thorough review for scientific merit and suitability for publication in the journal by at least three editors and two or more external experts (for those manuscripts that undergo full review). Therefore, a decision of accept or decline is to be considered final. Appeals based solely on divergent opinions of merit assessment, or disagreement with reviewers’ comments are discouraged, as they very rarely result in a reversal of a decision. Authors should consider that reviewers’ comments to the authors are one of many components of the peer review process; editorial decisions also hinge on the editors’ assessment of the potential impact of a manuscript on future research or clinical practice, on the quality and depth of the research presented, and on the contribution of a manuscript to the journal scope. Nonetheless, in cases of errors, mistakes, misunderstandings, or perceived or patent conflicts authors should contact the editorial office explaining the reasons why a decision should be reconsidered. The editors will make every effort to resolve these queries in a timely fashion.

To register a complaint regarding non-editorial decisions, the Journal’s policies and procedures, editors, or staff, please contact us. Complaints will be taken seriously and will be carried forward following COPE guidelines and processes and/or sanctions will be enacted if deemed appropriate.

Publication and Research Ethics

Authorship

Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. The Journal will contact all listed authors at the point of submission to confirm their role. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) definitions of authors and contributors.

The Journal does not allow ghost authorship, where an unnamed author prepares the article with no credit, or guest/gift authorship, where an author who made little or no contribution is listed as an author. The Journal follows Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance on investigating and resolving these cases. For more information, please see the OUP Publication Ethics page.

Natural language processing tools driven by artificial intelligence (AI) do not qualify as authors, and the Journal will screen for them in author lists. The use of AI (for example, to help generate content, write code, or process data) should be disclosed both in cover letters to editors and in the Methods or Acknowledgements section of manuscripts. Please see the COPE position statement on Authorship and AI for more details.

After manuscript submission, no authorship changes (including the authorship list, author order, and who is designated as the corresponding author) should be made without the approval of the editor. All co-authors must agree on the change(s), and neither the Journal nor the publisher mediates such disputes. If individuals cannot agree on the authorship of a submitted manuscript, contact the editorial office. The dispute must be resolved among the individuals and their institution(s) before the manuscript can be accepted for publication. If an authorship dispute or change arises after a paper is accepted, contact OUP’s Author Support team. COPE provides guidance for authors on resolving authorship disputes.

If you intend to use Read and Publish funding to publish your manuscript under an open access license, note that changing the corresponding author to access those funds is not permissible. For more information on Read and Publish funding, see the open access charges section.

ORCID

Submitting authors are required to provide an ORCID iD (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) at submission; other authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iDs at submission and take advantage of the benefits of participating in ORCID. If you do not already have an ORCID iD, you can register for free via the ORCID website.

As ORCID identifiers are collected, they are included in papers and displayed online, both in the HTML and PDF versions of the publication, in compliance with recommended practice issued by ORCID. ORCID functionality online allows users to link to the ORCID website to view an author’s profile and list of publications. ORCID iDs are displayed on web pages and are sent downstream to third parties in data feeds, where supported.

If you have registered with ORCID, you can associate your ORCID iD with your submission system account by going to your account details, entering your ORCID iD, and validating your details. Learn more about ORCID and how to link it to your account.

CRediT

The Journal uses the contributor roles taxonomy (CRediT), which allows authors to describe the contributor roles in a standardized, transparent, and accurate way. Authors should choose from the contributor roles outlined on the CRediT website and supply this information upon submission The corresponding author will be required to select the independent CRediT contributions of each author during online submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that contributions are agreed on by allL co-authors before manuscript submission.

You may choose multiple contributor roles per author. Any other individuals who do not meet authorship criteria and made less substantive contributions should be listed in your manuscript as non-author contributors with their contributions clearly described. Following manuscript submission, any changes to contributor roles require the approval of the editor.

Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest

Authors

The Journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. Conflicts of interest should be clearly labeled and included on the title page. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Journal.

A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial, could influence or be seen to influence the opinions or activities of the individual. For more information, refer to OUP’s definition of conflict of interest. The Journal follows the COPE guidance for any undisclosed conflict of interest that emerges during peer review, production, or after publication.

Peer reviewers

Individuals that have a conflict of interest relating to a submitted manuscript should recuse themselves and will not be assigned to oversee, handle, or peer review the manuscript.

If during peer review an editor, reviewer, or author becomes aware of a conflict of interest that was not previously known or disclosed they must inform the Editor-in-Chief immediately.

Editors and Editorial Board members

At initial submission, the corresponding author must declare if the Editor-in-Chief, an Editor, or an Editorial Board Member of the Journal is an author of or contributor to the manuscript. Another Editor without a conflict of interest will oversee the peer review and decision-making process. If accepted, a statement will be published in the paper describing how the manuscript was handled.

Previously published material

You should only submit your manuscript(s) to the Journal if:

It is original work by you and your co-author(s).
It is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any other publication.
It has not been published in any other publication.
It contains nothing abusive, defamatory, derogatory, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.

The submitting author must disclose in their cover letter and provide copies of all related or similar preprints, dissertations, manuscripts, published papers, and reports by the same authors (i.e., those containing substantially similar content or using the same, similar, or a subset of data) that have been previously published or posted electronically or are under consideration elsewhere at the time of manuscript submission. You must also provide a concise explanation of how the submitted manuscript differs from these related manuscripts and papers. All related previously published papers should be cited as references and described in the submitted manuscript.

For previously published materials including tables and figures, please see the Reusing copyrighted materials section.

Preprints

As an author, you retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the Journal. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding your published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating your preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy.

Reusing copyrighted material

As an author, you must obtain permission for any material used within your manuscript for which you are not the rightsholder, including quotations, tables, figures, or images. In seeking permissions for published materials, first contact the publisher rather than the author. For unpublished materials, start by contacting the creator. Copies of each grant of permission should be provided to the editorial office of the Journal. The permissions agreement must include the following:

Nonexclusive rights to reproduce the material in your paper in The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
Rights for use in print and electronic format at a minimum, and preferably for use in any form or medium
Lifetime rights to use the material
Worldwide English-language rights

If you have chosen to publish under an open access license but have not obtained open access re-use permissions for third-party material contained within the manuscript, this must be stated clearly by supplying a credit line alongside the material with the following information:

Title of content
Author, Original publication, year of original publication, by permission of [rightsholder]
This image/content is not covered by the terms of the Creative Commons license of this publication. For permission to reuse, please contact the rights holder.

Our publisher, Oxford University Press, provides detailed Copyright and Permissions Guidelines, and a summary of the fundamental information.

Misconduct

Authors should observe high standards with respect to research integrity and publication ethics as set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Falsification or fabrication of data including inappropriate image manipulation, plagiarism, including duplicate publication of the author's own work without proper citation, and misappropriation of work are all unacceptable practices. Allegations of ethical misconduct, both directly and through social media, are treated seriously and will be investigated in accordance with the relevant COPE guidance.

If misconduct has been established beyond reasonable doubt, this may result in one or more of the following outcomes, among others:

If a submitted manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
If a paper has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction, either a correction notice will be published and linked to the paper, or retraction of the paper will occur, following the COPE Retraction Guidelines.
The relevant party’s institution(s) and/or other journals may be informed.

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal may be screened with plagiarism-detection software. Any manuscript may be screened, especially if there is reason to suppose that part or all the of the manuscript has been previously published.

COPE defines plagiarism as “when somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were their own and without proper acknowledgment.”

COPE defines redundant/overlapping publication as “when a published work (or substantial sections from a published work) is/are published more than once (in the same or another language) without adequate acknowledgment of the source/cross-referencing/justification, or when the same (or substantially overlapping) data is presented in more than one publication without adequate cross-referencing/justification, particularly when this is done in such a way that reviewers/readers are unlikely to realise that most or all the findings have been published before.”

COPE defines citation manipulation as “behaviours intended to inflate citation counts for personal gain, such as: excessive self-citation of an authors’ own work, excessive citation to the journal publishing the citing article, and excessive citation between journals in a coordinated manner.”

Data fabrication is defined as intentionally creating fake data or misrepresenting research results. An example includes making up data sets.

Data falsification is defined as manipulating research data with the purpose of intentionally giving a false representation. This can apply to images, research materials, equipment, or processes.

Examples include cropping of gels/images to change context and omission of selected data.

If notified of a potential breach of research misconduct or publication ethics, the Journal editor and editorial office staff may inform OUP and/or the author’s institutional affiliation(s).

Ethical research

The Journal follows Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines on ethical oversight. We take research integrity seriously, and all research published in the Journal must have been conducted in a fair and ethical manner. Wherever appropriate, the Journal requires that all research be done according to international and local guidelines.

Human subjects

When reporting on human subjects, you should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration (1964, amended most recently in 2013), which were developed by the World Medical Association. For non-interventional studies, where ethical approval is not required or where a study has been granted an exemption by an ethics committee, this should be stated within the manuscript with a full explanation. Otherwise, manuscripts must include a statement in the Methods section that the research was performed after approval by a local ethics committee, institutional review board and/or local licensing committee, or that such approval was not required. The name of the authorizing body and any reference/permit numbers (where available) should also be stated there. Please be prepared to provide further information to the editorial office upon request.

Human subjects must give written informed consent, or if they are minors or incapacitated, such consent must be obtained from their parents or guardians. Consent forms should cover not only study participation but also the publication of the data collected. Also, any patient or provider information should be anonymized to the extent possible; names and ID numbers should not be used in the text and must be removed from any images (X-rays, photographs, etc.). Please note blanking out an individual’s eyes in a photograph is not an effective way to conceal their identity. In studies where verbal, rather than written, informed consent was obtained, this must be explained and stated within the manuscript. If informed consent is not required or where a study has been granted an exemption, this must be included in the Methods section along with the name of the authorizing body. The Journal does not routinely collect consent forms, but authors should be prepared to provide written consent forms signed by the participants or other appropriate documentation to the editorial office upon request. For further guidance and examples, please refer to COPE’s guidance on consent.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials should be registered before enrollment of the first subject in accordance with the criteria outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). When reporting primary or secondary analyses from a clinical trial, follow these criteria:

Provide the trial registration number at the end of the Abstract.
When the trial acronym is first used in the manuscript, provide the registration number and a link to the trial registration, which should be cited as a reference.
If your data have been deposited in a public repository and/or are being used in a secondary analysis, please state at the end of the Abstract the unique, persistent data set identifier, and repository name and number.
When submitting the manuscript, you must disclose any protocol alterations and all posting of results of the submitted work or closely related work in registries.
In reporting randomized clinical trials, you must comply with published CONSORT guidelines.
- Complete the recommended checklist and be prepared to provide it to the editorial office upon request.
Present the recommended trial flow diagram as a figure in the manuscript or as supplementary material.
If your manuscript reports on a randomized Phase II/III trial, you must provide a brief description of the statistical plan of the original study that includes the primary and secondary endpoints, power calculation, and sample size.

Where available, registration numbers should be provided not only for the trial you are reporting but also for any other trial mentioned in the manuscript. When the trial acronym is first used in the manuscript, provide the registration number and a link to the trial registration, which should be cited as a reference.

Animal subjects

Studies involving animals require approval from the relevant institutional ethics committee or institutional animal use and care committee, and the research must be conducted in accordance with applicable national and international guidelines. All such manuscripts must include a statement in the Methods section providing details of the name of the committee(s) that approved the study, as well as the permit or animal license numbers where available. Where a study has been granted an exemption, this must be stated in the Methods section along with the name of the authorizing body. Please be prepared to provide further information to the editorial office upon request.

ARRIVE guidelines

You are encouraged to consult the ARRIVE guidelines recommended by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3R).

Euthanasia or anesthesia methods

Where applicable, any euthanasia or anesthesia methods must be carried out in accordance with applicable veterinary guidelines. These methods must be described in detail in the manuscript.

Laboratory animals

Manuscripts describing research involving laboratory-based animals must include details on housing, husbandry, and steps taken to reduce suffering. In studies where experimental animals were euthanized, details must be provided on humane endpoints. Details on the planned behavioral observations or physiological measurements used to determine the humane endpoint must be described. You are advised to consult the NC3Rs guide on Humane Endpoints and the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Humane Slaughter of Animals.

C4DISC partnership

The Journal and OUP aim to create a community that fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion. As part of our commitment to these principles, OUP is a proud partner of the Coalition for Diversity & Inclusion in Scholarly Communications (C4DISC). C4DISC works with organizations and individuals within the scholarly communications landscape to foster equity, inclusion, diversity, and accessibility across the publishing industry and its published outputs.

The Journal is proud to adopt the Joint Statement of Principles of C4DISC.

Inclusive language

As defined by the Linguistic Society of America, “Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities”. We encourage you to consider using inclusive language and images when preparing your manuscript. For guidelines, please see the C4DISC Guidelines on inclusive language and images.

Accessibility

Written, visual, and audio content in your submission should be accessible to all. Please see the C4DISC guidelines for making text, images, charts, tables, and audio and video accessible.

Availability of data and materials

The Journal requires all authors, where ethically possible, to publicly release all data and software code underlying any published paper as a condition of publication. Authors are required to include a data availability statement in their paper. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list. For details of the minimum information to be included in data and software citations see the OUP guidance on citing research data and software.

Whenever possible, data should be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files or deposited in a public repository. Visit OUP’s Research data page for information on general repositories for all data types, and resources for selecting repositories by subject area.

Authors may request an exception to the policy due to legal, privacy, ethical, or other limitations or restrictions. Exceptions will be made at the discretion of the Journal. Please notify the editorial office when submitting your manuscript if you wish to request an exception. If an exception is granted, a data availability statement must still be included in your paper specifying what cannot be shared and explaining why.

Data availability statement

The inclusion of a data availability statement is a requirement for papers published in the Journal. Data availability statements provide a standardized format for readers to understand the availability of original and third-party data underlying the research results described in the paper. The statement should describe and provide means of access, where possible, by linking to the data or providing the required unique identifier. More information and example data availability statements.

Digital preservation

Content published in the Journal will automatically be deposited into digital preservation services, including CLOCKSS, the Global LOCKSS Network, and Portico. This ensures the long-term preservation of your work. Through LOCKSS, participating institutions can sustain access to content if the Journal were to otherwise be unavailable, even for a short period of time. Should the Journal ever cease to publish, or content would otherwise become permanently unavailable, long-term access to the archives of CLOCKSS and Portico would be triggered. Until such a trigger event were to occur, this content is not available to the public through CLOCKSS and Portico.

Self-archiving policy

Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of your work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, you may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the Journal's policy, and to learn which version(s) of your paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-archiving policy.

Publishing Agreements and Charges

Authors, please read each section on the publishing agreement (also called a license) and charges carefully.

Publishing agreements

After your manuscript is accepted, you will be asked to sign a license to publish through the Journals Licensing and Online Payments portal. The Journal offers the option of publishing under either a non-open access (standard) license or an open access (Creative Commons) license. There is a charge to publish under an open access license, which allows your paper to be freely accessible to all readers immediately upon online publication. Editorial decisions occur prior to this step and are not influenced by payment or ability to pay. The standard license makes your paper available only to Journal subscribers and there is no license charge. This license grants OUP an exclusive license to publish and distribute the content. There is no transfer of ownership of the copyright. You, the author, retain copyright for the content.

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 check with your funder or institution before selecting your license.

Papers can be published under the following license types:

Standard license to publish (Oxford University Press (OUP) Journals, Standard Publication Model)
Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY)
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license (CC BY-NC)
United States Government License
Crown Copyright License

Please see the OUP guidance on Licenses, copyright, and re-use rights for more information regarding these publishing agreement options.

Open Government License

The Open Government License is an open licensing model for content produced by employees of UK Crown bodies allowing users to copy, publish, distribute adapt and transmit the Information for commercial and non-commercial purposes. For additional information see here.

Complying with funder mandates

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 before selecting your license. Further information on funder mandates and direct links to a range of funder policies.

Charges

Open access charges

Please see the details of open access licenses and charges. If you select an open access license, you must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through the Journals Licensing and Online Payments portal.

Read and Publish

OUP has a growing number of open access agreements with institutions and consortia, which provide funding for open access publishing (also known as Read and Publish agreements). This means corresponding authors from participating institutions can publish open access, and the institution may pay the charge. Find out if your institution has an open access agreement.

To be eligible for one of OUP’s Read and Publish agreements, the corresponding author must provide their qualifying institution as their primary affiliation when they submit their manuscript. After submission, changing the corresponding author in order to access Read and Publish funding is not permissible.

Color charges

The Journal does not charge for color.

Page charges

The Journal does not have page charges.

Member discounts

Corresponding authors who are members of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research may be eligible for a discount on publication charges. Please provide your member identifier when prompted as you submit your manuscript.

Open access charge discount: Please see the open access charge list.

After Publication

Changes to published papers

The Journal will only make changes to published papers if the publication record is seriously affected by the academic accuracy of the published information. Changes to a published paper will be accompanied by a formal correction notice linking to and from the original paper. As needed, we follow the COPE guidelines on retractions.

For more information and details of how to request changes, including for authors who wish to update their name and/or pronouns, please see OUP’s policy on changes to published papers.

Promoting your work

As the author, you are the best advocate for your work, and we encourage you to be involved in promoting your publication. Sharing your ideas and news about your publication with your colleagues and friends could take as little as 15 minutes and will make a real difference in raising the profile of your research.

You can promote your work by:

Sharing your paper with colleagues and friends. If your paper is published open access, it will always be freely available to all readers, and you can share it without any limitations. Otherwise, use the toll-free link that is emailed to you after publication. It provides permanent, free access to your paper, even if your paper is updated.
Signing up for an ORCID iD author identifier to distinguish yourself from any other researchers with the same name, create an online profile showcasing all your publications, and increase the visibility of your work.
Using social media to promote your work. To learn more about self-promotion on social media, see our social media guide for authors.

Find out how Oxford University Press promotes your content.

Manuscript Submission

How to submit

Authors must submit their papers via our web-based submission system, ScholarOne. If authors have not published with the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research before, they will need to create an account. More information is available on the ScholarOne Manuscripts FAQ and help page. Questions about submitting can be sent to the editorial office.

Article types

Manuscripts should be formatted as single-column double-spaced pages with 12-point Times Roman text.

This journal publishes the following article types:

Research Article—maximum word count: 6,000

Research Articles represents the main type of articles published by JBMR and report results of original research studies that fall within the scope of the journal. Experimental work reported in these manuscripts should be of sufficient novelty and represent a tangible advance in the field to have an impact on future research or clinical practice. In general, confirmatory or purely descriptive studies, including case or case-series reports, are declined, even though they may be well conducted and written. Manuscripts that offer incremental advances to current knowledge are given lesser priority, though in some cases and depending on the degree of advancement, the results may be judged of sufficient merit to warrant publication. Manuscripts reporting results of human observational case-control, cohort, or cross-sectional studies fall into this category, as do studies reporting results of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Each piece should include:

Unstructured Abstract—maximum word count: 300
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200
Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 50 and minimum of 10
May include maximum of 8 display items (i.e. tables and figures)

Each submission should contain the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion (maximum 6,000 words). If applicable, authors should also include a Study Design Checklist, an Image Data section, a Data Presentation section, and a Statistical Analysis section. More details on each of these sections is available in the Manuscript Sections and Structure description.

Clinical Trial—maximum word count: 6,000

Manuscripts reporting on clinical trials describe results of interventional controlled studies on human subjects. Clinical trials should be registered in ClinicalTrials.gov or (outside the United States) in any one of the primary registries in the WHO Registry Network, or an International Committee of Medical Journal Editors–approved registry.

Each piece should include:

Unstructured Abstract—maximum word count: 300
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200
Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 50 and minimum of 10
May include maximum of 8 display items (i.e. tables and figures)

Review—maximum word count: 6,000

Review Articles summarize the current status of an area of investigation, or critically discuss the evidence on a controversial topic, providing some interpretative models that may be useful to inform future research. To minimize personal biases and improve balance, Review Articles are commissioned to two (or more) co-authors from different institutions. Please, note that the Journal does not accept unsolicited review or perspective manuscripts. Nonetheless, authors and readers are welcome to submit ideas on topics for review to the editorial office.

Each piece should include:

Unstructured Abstract—maximum word count: 300
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200
Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 150 and minimum of 50
May include maximum of 8 display items (i.e. tables and figures)

Each submission (6,000 words maximum excluding title page, abstract and lay summary) should contain the following sections: Introduction, Conclusions and Future Directions. If applicable, authors should also include a Study Design Checklist, an Image Data section, a Data Presentation section, and a Statistical Analysis section. More details on each of these sections is available in the Manuscript Sections and Structure description.

Perspective—maximum word count: 3,000

Perspectives look at the future and contextualize a particular topic, or a controversial or challenging issue, providing ideas or possible new directions. To minimize personal biases and improve balance, Perspectives are commissioned to two (or more) co-authors from different institutions. Please, note that the Journal does not accept unsolicited review or perspective manuscripts. Nonetheless, authors and readers are welcome to submit ideas on topics for review to the editorial office.

Each piece should include:

Unstructured Abstract—maximum word count: 300
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200
Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 75 and minimum of 30
May include maximum of 3 display items (i.e. tables and figures)

Each submission should contain the following sections: Introduction, Conclusions and Future Directions. If applicable, authors should also include a Study Design Checklist, an Image Data section, a Data Presentation section, and a Statistical Analysis section. More details on each of these sections is available in the Manuscript Sections and Structure description.

Complex Clinical Challenges—maximum word count: 3,000

The goal of this series is to give to our readers a rational approach to difficult clinical conditions. Please note that the Journal does not accept unsolicited complex clinical challenge manuscripts. Nonetheless, authors and readers are welcome to submit ideas on topics for review to the editorial office.

The article should be educational and describe important and interesting developments in Clinical Practice/Decisions with an emphasis on being centred on a patient. Thus, the article must include a case history followed by an in-depth review/discussion of the diagnosis, pathology, treatments, and areas for future research. The case report can be centred both on a diagnostic as well as on a therapeutic aspect, and it should stimulate scientific reasoning. To achieve these aims and readability of the article we consider it important to have a standard format for each article, which should be organised with the following descriptions and headings:

Title
Vignette of 150-200 words
Case Description
Clinical Problem
Differential Diagnosis and Investigations
Diagnosis
Treatment and Progression
Discussion
Unanswered questions (i.e. for future research)
Conclusions and Future Directions
Key Points (a box summarising not more than five key points)
References (maximum of 10)
Illustrations (usually 2, i.e. 1 table and 1 figure, but can exceptionally be maximum of 3)
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200

The total length of the manuscript should not exceed 4 printed pages, so should aim to be ~3000 words, plus two display items (figures/tables) and maximum of 10 references. At the end, authors should include a box summarising not more than five key points.

Task Force—maximum word count: 6,000

Reports from the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research that summarize the findings and recommendations of Task Forces appointed by ASBMR leadership.

Each piece should include:

Unstructured Abstract—maximum word count: 300
Lay summary—maximum word count: 200
Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 100 and minimum of 30
May include maximum of 8 display items (i.e. tables and figures)

Each submission should contain the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. If applicable, authors should also include a Study Design Checklist, an Image Data section, a Data Presentation section, and a Statistical Analysis section. More details on each of these sections is available in the Manuscript Sections and Structure description.

Editorial—maximum word count: 1,000

Editorials can be short articles written by the editors to provide information about the journal and its policies, and for other communications of relevance to the readership. The Editorial format is also used to highlight an article judged of particular impact and relevance published in the same issue of the journal. Editorials are invited by the editors and unsolicited Editorials are rarely published. Authors should not submit Editorials without first contacting the editorial office.

Each piece should include:

Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
May include tables and figures in special circumstances; please contact the editorial office

Letter to the Editor—maximum word count: 1,000

The Journal welcomes Letters to the Editor that contribute constructively and substantively to scientific dialogue. Letters should address timely and important issues raised in previously published articles from JBMR.

Each piece should include:

Key words—maximum of 10 and minimum of 5
References— maximum of 5
May include tables and figures in special circumstances; please contact the editorial office

Manuscript preparation instructions

General guidelines on preparing your manuscript for publication can be found on OUP’s Preparing and submitting your manuscript page. Specific instructions for JBMR can be found below.

Pre-submission language editing

You may wish to use a language-editing service before submitting to ensure that editors and reviewers understand your manuscript. Our publisher, Oxford University Press, partners with Enago, a leading provider of author services. Prospective authors are entitled to a discount of 30% for editing services at Enago, through the OUP-Enago partner page.

Enago is an independent service provider, who will handle all aspects of this service, including payment. As an author you are under no obligation to take up this offer. Language editing is optional and does not guarantee that your manuscript will be accepted. Edited manuscripts will undergo the regular review process of the Journal.

Cover letter

The cover letter, submitted by the corresponding author, should briefly outline the major findings of the study and their potential significance and impact for future research or clinical practice. The letter should also explicitly state that the manuscript — including all data, figures, tables, and supplementary materials — has not been previously reported or published, and that it has not been, and will not be submitted to another journal while under review by the JBMR. The letter should also disclose whether data from studies that have been the subject of previous publications are used in the submitted manuscript and provide information on all relevant publications. To facilitate the review process, the authors are asked to indicate potential reviewers in their letter, along with any reviewers to whom they might be opposed.

Title page

Please include the following:

The title of the paper
- The title must be concise (aim for no more than 15 words) and should accurately reflect the findings, including the species investigated. Editors reserve the right to edit titles that are not clear and succinct.
- Please include word count, reference count, table/figure count, and Abstract word count to the title page
- In order to create a search engine friendly title, we suggest you follow these guidelines:
  - State the essence of the findings, not just the topic of investigation
  - Include 1-2 keywords related to your topic
  - Place your keywords within the first 65 characters of your title
  - Keep your title short, as a newspaper headline
  - Consider moving a phrase from your title to the first or second sentence of your abstract
  - Mention species in which study is conducted
  - For clinical studies, include the study design
All author names, major degrees, and affiliations (in order)
Mailing address and email address of one corresponding author
Statements relating to our ethics and integrity policies, which may include any of the following:
- Data availability statement
- Funding statement
- Conflict of interest disclosure
- Ethics approval statement
- Patient consent statement
- Permission to reproduce material from other sources
- Clinical trial registration

JBMR asks authors to classify their manuscript at the time of submission as Basic, Clinical, or Translational:

Basic: a study limited to in vitro studies of cell biology, molecular biology, etc.
Clinical: a study with the major component of the work involving human subjects
Translational: any study involving predominantly animal models or where the laboratory and clinical aspects of a human study are of approximately equal weight.

Abstracts

Text abstracts must be written in English and should briefly summarize the major findings of the study. Abstracts should be unstructured, self-explanatory, have a maximum length of 300 words, and must not contain reference citations or abbreviations.

Foreign language abstracts

For work from other non-English speaking countries, a foreign-language abstract is encouraged and welcome. It is considered academic content and is presented as part of the article in the HTML and PDF, in addition to the traditional English language abstract. The translated abstract should be compiled by the author and placed after the English abstract in the initial submission; it will be published as part of the article both online and within the PDF. Please note that authors are solely responsible for assuring the accuracy of the translated text.

Graphical abstracts

Authors of all article types are encouraged 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 the PDF. These are often the concluding figure from the article or a figure that is specially designed to give readers a preliminary understanding of the manuscript while browsing. The graphical abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g. graphical_abstract.tiff. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics.

Video abstracts

Authors of all article types are encouraged to submit a video abstract as part of the article, in addition to the text abstract. The video abstract should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article and will be published as part of the article online. The video abstract should be submitted for peer review as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g. video_abstract.mp4. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for videos.

Manuscript sections and structure

Introduction:

This section should concisely review the rationale for the study, identify gaps in knowledge and issues to be addressed. Background information directly pertaining to and necessary for the understanding of the study should also be included, as well as limitations in rigor of existing literature. The introduction should clearly place the article in the context of the area being studied and should not describe the outcome of the study in any detail.

Materials and Methods:

This section should provide sufficient methodological details to make clear how the work was performed and to allow replication of the experiments. Although there are no page limits for this important section, authors are encouraged to be thorough but succinct. Methods and procedures that have been previously published can be referred to with a citation, although a brief overview of such methods should be included. Authors should be aware that verbatim copy of a previously published method is not acceptable and could be construed as plagiarism.

Statistical Analysis: A separate paragraph describing statistical approaches and analysis used and their rationale should be included at the end of the Material and Methods section. The name of statistical software used in these analyses should be provided. While the length of this section will vary depending upon the complexity of the analysis performed, the narrative should be succinct but sufficiently clear as to facilitate proper interpretation of the results. Studies with multiple datasets and experimental design may require that additional details on statistical analysis be included in the figure legends.

Study Design:

Clarity and rigor in the experimental approach represent key factors in acceptance decisions of a manuscript, aside its intrinsic scientific merit. In addition to completing the appropriate checklist (see below), in this section of the manuscript authors must include a detailed description of the study design, sample size estimation and assumptions underlying the calculation (e.g., primary outcome, hypothesized effect size, type I and type II error). Such key information helps reviewers and readers evaluate the strength of the results.

Type of Study:

If your study design aligns with the criteria listed below, you are required to complete and upload a specific checklist to ensure that the study complies with standards of transparency and rigor. These checklists are self-explanatory and must be uploaded at submission. If you are unsure about which checklist to use you can watch the webinar “On the Path to Published… Learn how to navigate the checklists.” You can jump ahead to ARRIVE at 4:00, to CONSORT at 6:14, to STROBE at 9:31, and PRISMA at 11:18. FAQ included at the end of the video. Non-compliant manuscripts will not advance to peer-review and will be returned to the authors for remediation.

For human observational, case-control, cohort, or cross-sectional studies please complete and upload the STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology) checklist at submission.
For human observational studies using Mendelian Randomization please complete and upload the STROBE-MR (STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology - Mendelian Randomization) checklist at submission. Please note that this form is different from the STROBE checklist
For clinical trials please complete and upload the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) checklist at submission. Authors of clinical trials should also carefully read the AAMC Principles to ensure that their manuscripts are in full compliance with standards of transparency and rigor (see also [Integrity of Published Research])
For systematic reviews and meta-analyses please complete and upload the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) checklist at submission.
For animal studies please complete and upload an adapted ARRIVE (Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) checklist at submission.
For studies investigating the relation of variants in parts or all of the genome in relation to phenotypes (-omics studies) related to musculoskeletal tissues and mineral metabolism please follow the additional guidelines for reporting Genetic and Functional -Omics Studies in Cells, Animals, and Humans Biological Models and Reagents. Manuscripts reporting in vitro and animal studies should provide sufficient details to identify specific biological materials and animal models used in the studies.

Results:

This section should succinctly describe the results without lengthy discussion or interpretation of individual data. Graphical format is often preferable to tabular presentation of data. Authors will determine the most appropriate graphical format for their data. Nonetheless, the following guidelines should be adhered to.

Discussion:

The Discussion provides the readers with the authors’ interpretation of the results. It can also be used to propose new ideas and biological models. The Discussion should not repeat the results in detail, although key data can be summarized to provide context for logical explanations and extrapolations or hypotheses drawn from them. The Discussion should conclude by re-stating the major findings of the study in relation to the rationale and aims of the study as outlined in the introduction. A concluding remark regarding wider implications of study findings is expected. Authors should ensure that their conclusions are supported by the data presented. Claims that over-extend the conclusions beyond what the results can support is one of the most frequent reasons for declining a manuscript. It is very important to keep in mind that the conclusion of biological or clinical significance of an effect must be based on multiple lines of evidence and thoughtful assessment of the data as a whole, not on a single variable meeting an arbitrary probability threshold.

Other possibly applicable sections for your manuscript:

Image Data:

When presenting microscopic imaging data, methods of image acquisition should be provided, including type and model of microscope, camera make and model, acquisition software, and any software used for image processing after data acquisition. Please include details and types of operations involved, including all steps taken for performing quantifications.

Data Presentation:

For descriptive data, provide histogram or scatterplots with full dataset. The y-axis of graphs should originate at 0 or should show a clear scale break in cases where this would be difficult. Data derived from different experimental conditions or groups must be presented as boxplots (see inset) or violin plots (useful for large datasets) with median and interquartile range (IQR; 25th to 75th percentile) and should include all data points. Whiskers in boxplots can be used to indicate maximum and minimum values, or upper or lower extremes (conventionally set at 1.5*IQR above the upper quartile or below the lower quartile, respectively) for outlier identification. When n>20, data points can be omitted, except outliers should be shown. Please note that “dynamite plots” (i.e., error bar plots) are no longer acceptable to JBMR, as they can disguise outliers or trends and conceal data distribution. Boxplots or violin plots can be used to represent arithmetic mean and standard deviation, but only when the data set has passed a normalcy test, whose results should be reported. Also note that the standard error of the mean cannot be used as a measure of variability within single groups.

For relationships, utilize scatterplots showing individual data points, in addition to trend lines, and include confidence intervals.
For survival (Kaplan-Mayer) plots, give number of individuals at risk at each time point. Please, note that this applies to both human and animal studies.
When describing data in text or tables, show sample size (n), median and range (or interquartile range); or mean and standard deviation (NOT standard error of the mean) when appropriate, as noted above.
When describing risk, rate, or ratio, show absolute difference, number needed to treat (NNT), risk ratio, confidence interval (CI), and p-value.
When describing results of statistical tests, show the exact p-value (when p<0.10 or p>0.001); do not use shortcuts like “NS” for non-significant, or “P<0.05”, or asterisks, unless their meaning is explicitly stated in the figure legend or table (see more details below).

Statistical Analysis:

Considering the broad spectrum of research published by the JBMR, it is not possible to provide generalized rules for statistical analyses; authors are encouraged to work with statisticians for guidance for application of the appropriate statistical analysis to their data. In general, the following guidelines should be adhered to and are applicable to both clinical and pre-clinical studies.

Descriptive data analyses: when justifying sample size (i.e., power analyses), state all assumptions and effect sizes used in the calculation, and state the minimum difference considered biologically or clinically relevant. Identify analysis variables and their characteristics. Clearly state methods for randomization of samples and/or subjects. Clearly state methods for data transformation (when used). Identify methods for the treatment of missing values and outliers. Identify the number of technical and biological replicates for each analysis.
Between-group comparison: First, authors must carefully assess the distribution of their data. The use of non-parametric tests is required when assumptions of normality, linearity and constancy of variance do not hold, a scenario occurring frequently with small sample size datasets. If data are normally distributed and equal variance is established, t-test is acceptable (two-sided t-test, if the direction of change/difference cannot be predicted), although one-way analysis of variance is preferred.
Multiple group comparisons and repeated measures analysis: General linear models (e.g., analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, or analogous non-parametric tests) should be applied, and if a significant effect of a variable is demonstrated, post hoc multiple t-tests can be used, where the threshold for significance is adjusted for multiple comparisons. For two-way analysis of variance, interaction between independent variables should be indicated, when significant. For repeated measures designs, linear mixed-effects models are preferable over repeated measures analysis of variance, although the latter is acceptable.
Predictive modeling analyses: State the question being addressed. Identify the statistical model(s) used and state assumptions of the modeling. Avoid stepwise identification of variables and beware of over-fitting. Provide metrics of goodness of fit.
Association analyses: State the hypothesis tested or association of interest. State whether subgroup analysis is pre-planned or post-hoc.
For categorical data with limited sample size, exact method is highly recommended. Identify outcome variables exposure, and any confounders. Indicate methods of analysis. Describe any adjustments for multiple tests of hypothesis. Bayesian analysis must have prior data and prior distribution.

Style

The journal follows AMA style. Please refer to these requirements when preparing your manuscript. More information on the style guide is available. US spelling should be used throughout, except in quotations and in references.

Acknowledgments

Authors must acknowledge all support for the work, including funding, materials, equipment, drugs, technical assistance, etc. Acknowledgments should be clearly labeled and included under a separate subheading at the end of the manuscript.

Study funding

You must fully declare all funding information relevant to the study, including specific grant numbers, under a separate on the title page. If the funder is listed in the Crossref funder registry, the funder name should appear exactly as it appears in that database. Where grants were received by specific members of the author group, they should be identified by initial.

Native language author names

If your paper is published, your name will be displayed online in Latin-alphabet characters as provided to us on your manuscript. If you wish for an alternative name also to be displayed (for instance, the non-Anglicized Chinese-character version of your name, or an alternate name by which you are commonly known) please include that name in parentheses, immediately after your Latin-character name in the manuscript. Note that alternatives names will be presented as supplied on our website and in the article PDF but may not be presented in other locations where your published article appears, such as Pubmed.

Lay summaries

Authors of Research Articles, Reviews, Complex Clinical Challenges, Clinical Trials, Perspectives, and Task Force articles are required to submit a lay summary as part of the article, in addition to the main text abstract. The lay summary should clearly summarize the focus and findings of the article for non-expert readers and will be published as part of the article online and in the PDF. The lay summary should be submitted for peer review as part of the main manuscript file, under the heading ‘Lay summary’, before the article’s main text. The lay summary should be no longer than 200 words. As with a main abstract, avoid citations and define any abbreviations.

Teaser text

Authors of all article types are encouraged to submit teaser text as part of the article, in addition to the main text abstract. The teaser text should be a brief promotional text intended to entice the reader to click through to the article and will be published as part of the article online. The teaser text should be submitted for peer review as part of the main manuscript file, under the heading ‘Teaser text’, before the article’s main text. The teaser text should be no longer than 200 words. As with a main abstract, avoid citations and define any abbreviations.

Featured images

Authors of all article types are encouraged to submit a featured image, also known as a teaser image or TOC image, as part of the article. The featured image may be a figure selected from the article or an image not included in the article itself. It is presented under the article title in the online Table of Contents (or Advance Access listing) to entice the reader to click through to the article. The featured image can be submitted as a separate file, selecting the appropriate file-type designation in the journal’s online submission system. The file should be clearly named, e.g. featured_image.tiff. See this page for guidance on appropriate file format and resolution for graphics. The author should indicate in the submission system which image (if any) should be presented as the featured image for their article.

Abbreviations

Please define nonstandard abbreviations at the first occurrence. Abbreviations and nomenclature must follow the recommendations of the International Union of Biochemistry. Use of the International System of Units (SI units) is preferred but not required; include appropriate conversion factors to aid the reader where appropriate. Drug names should always be generic. Standard JBMR abbreviations do not need to be defined.

Tables

Tables should complement the text without reiterating it. Tables should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they are cited in text (e.g., table 1, table 2, table 3). Tables should be supplied in an editable format (such as Microsoft Word), and not embedded as an image file; authors must place all tables at the end of the main text. Avoid excessive formatting such as the use of color and shading (which are not replicated in the published web version) and the use of tabbed spacing to indicate alignment. Ensure that any formatting or superscript symbols such as asterisks are explained in the table footnote. Provide units in column or row headers, rather than in the table body.

Figures

Figures should be submitted in one of the following file formats: .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tiff, .svg, .pdf, or .eps. Images prepared as .bmp, .gif, or .doc/.docx files will not be accepted. Authors must include figure titles, legends, and captions within the manuscript file; they should not be included in the image files.

Figure files should be named simply to match their citation (e.g., fig1.tiff, fig2.eps). Authors must submit each figure as a single individual image file. Submit all panels of a multi-panel figure as one single figure file. Each panel should be labelled with a single capital letter (e.g., A, B, C, D – no brackets or periods) in the upper-left corner of each panel. Please also ensure that authors have permission to re-use or adapt any third-party image materials.

Images of maps, charts, graphs, shapes, and diagrams are best rendered digitally as geometric forms called vector graphics. Vector images use mathematical relationships between points and the lines connecting them to describe an image. Because these file types do not use pixels, resolution does not apply to vector images. Save vector images as .eps, .pdf, or .svg files and embed the fonts.

Images of photographs, paintings, or scans can be provided as raster images. Raster images should be saved as uncompressed .tiff files to avoid quality loss; .jpg/.png file formats are acceptable for raster images but may result in a lower resolution. The resolution of raster files is measured by the number of dots or pixels in a given area, referred to as “dpi” or “ppi.”

Minimum resolution required for color half-tones: 300dpi
Minimum resolution for grayscale half-tones: 600dpi
Minimum resolution for combination half-tones and line art: 600-900dpi
Minimum resolution for monochrome line art (complex or finely drawn): 1200dpi

Please also consider accessibility when designing your figure, so that your images can be easily understood by color-blind and visually-impaired readers. Guidelines for preparing different image-types, including recommendations for color palettes, color contrast, image layout, and text accessibility.

Figure accessibility and alt text

Incorporating alt text (alternative text) when submitting your paper helps to foster inclusivity and accessibility. Good alt text ensures that individuals with visual impairments or those using screen readers can comprehend the content and context of your figures. The aim of alt text is to provide concise and informative descriptions of your figure so that all readers have access to the same level of information and understanding, and that all can engage with and benefit from the visual elements integral to scholarly content. Including alt text demonstrates a commitment to accessibility and enhances the overall impact and reach of your work. 

Alt-text is applicable to all images, figures, illustrations, photographs, and it isn’t required for tables and large datasets (unless the tables are provided as figures).

Alt-text is only accessible via e-reader and so it won’t appear as part of the typeset article.

Detailed guidance on how to draft and submit alt text.

LaTeX

Information on LaTeX files and formatting is available. For authors preparing their manuscripts using LaTeX, Overleaf RASTI LaTeX class files are available; these simulate the appearance of the journal page. Authors are encouraged to use these, although papers prepared using other class files can also be accepted.

References

Authors may format references in any readable style at submission. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of reference information. Style files for reference managers are available here.

Supplementary material

You must submit supplementary data or supplementary material at the same time as the main manuscript. Supplementary material should enhance the written article without being necessary to understand it and must be cited in the text of the main manuscript.

Supplementary material will be available online only and will not be copyedited or typeset.
Style and formatting of supplementary material should be consistent with that of the manuscript.
Supplementary material should be formatted to function on any internet browser.
Supplementary items should be submitted as clearly-labeled files that are separate from the main article file(s).
- Documentation and online appendices should be submitted in PDF file format.
- Data files should be submitted in a .zip file format.
Supplementary material may be hosted on OUP’s website or at one of our preferred partner sites, such as Dryad. Material hosted elsewhere (e.g. the author’s personal or institutional website, Google Docs, YouTube) is not allowed as links may expire.

Although the Journal does not set strict limits on the amount of supplemental material, authors should make efforts to keep the amount of such material to a reasonable level and submit only what is necessary to improve the communication of the paper’s key scientific points.

Author videos

Authors are encouraged to provide informative and educational digital videos that supplement the article submitted. Background music in videos will not be accepted and will be returned to the authors for removal. All videos should be pertinent to the article and complement the submission. All video submissions must adhere to the Journal’s peer review policy. Furthermore, video submissions should satisfy the following criteria.

For ease of download, the upper size limit of a single MMC file is 100 MB; 10 MB is recommended. The video must be formatted with a screen size no smaller than 320 X 240 pixels. Resolution of 1920 x 1080 is recommended. Acceptable file extensions are: .wmv, .mp4, .avi, .mov, and .mpg. Signed photo consent forms must be included for any patients featured in the video[s].

Video File Preparation:

All videos must include either clear English-language narration (preferred) or subtitles (in English) as a guide to the viewer. Please avoid mentioning author names, affiliations, or other potentially identifying information that could compromise the double blinded peer review process.
Videos should not reveal author names, affiliations, logos, or any other identifying information.
Video segments should be no longer than 3 minutes in duration, if possible.
The combined duration of all submitted video content should not exceed 15 minutes.
Recommended frame rate: 24 fps (or 23.976 fps), 25 fps, and 30 fps (or 29.97 fps)
Desired aspect ratio: 4:3 (standard) or 16:9 (widescreen)
If compression is required to reduce file size for uploading, please use a minimum bit rate of 10,000 kbit/s – 20,000 kbit/s.
Background music should not be included in the video.

For Optimal Video Quality:

Film in landscape orientation with reproducible lens type, diffused light, and white-balanced conditions.
Correct orientation should be provided in some form.
Avoid excess zoom but apply when indicated.
Coordination of optimal vantage point must be obtained to avoid typical obstructions of the camera’s main view.
Audio can be included as part of the video but should be focused and informative.

Cue point videos

Videos can be published in the online article, with a still image representing the video appearing in the PDF version. Submit videos in .mp4 format if possible. All videos should have an accompanying legend. The still image should be provided in the format and resolution described for figures. Short titles can be added to different sections of your video, enabling the reader to ‘jump’ from section to section by clicking on titles. If you would like to add this feature, upload this file as a ‘Cuepoint file’ when submitting your manuscript to the journal.

Open Science Badges

JBMR supports Open Science Badges to acknowledge open science practices. These badges are offered as incentives to share data and materials and preregister research, and signal to the reader that the content has been made available in a persistent location. These badges will feature in the published article. When submitting a manuscript, authors should indicate the desired badge, and include a completed Open Science Badge application form and eligibility will be confirmed upon acceptance.

The four badges are as follows:

Open Materials Badge: This will be granted to authors who deposit research materials needed to reproduce the reported procedure and analysis in an Open Access repository; for example, the Open Science Framework (for other repositories please consult the Registry of Research Data Repositories). Open materials criteria can be found here, and a link should be given in the submitted paper with a link to the deposited materials.
Open Data Badge: This will be awarded to authors who deposit their data in an Open Access repository (either an entire dataset or part of it, or a transformed dataset, as long as an independent researcher can reproduce the reported results). Criteria for Open Data Badges can be found here, and a link to the deposited data should be included in the paper.
Preregistered Badge: This is awarded for having a preregistered design. A preregistered design includes: (1) Description of the research design and study materials including planned sample size, (2) Description of motivating research question or hypothesis, (3) Description of the outcome variable(s), and (4) Description of the predictor variables including controls, covariates, independent variables (conditions). When possible, the study materials themselves are included in the preregistration. More information on Preregistered Badges can be found here.
Preregistered Plus Analysis Plan Badge: This is awarded for having a preregistered research design (described above) and an analysis plan for the research and reporting results according to that plan. An analysis plan includes specification of the variables and the analyses that will be conducted. More information on Preregistered Plus Analysis Plan Badges can be found here.

Please note that for all four badges, manuscripts should contain a link to data, materials, or preregistered research in the Open Science Framework or other recognized repository.

Genetic and functional -omics studies in cells, animals, and humans

These guidelines are provided for studies investigating the relation of variants in parts or all of the genome in relation to phenotypes related to musculoskeletal tissues and mineral metabolism.

Methodological Approaches:

Statement of Hypothesis: Studies should clearly state whether they followed a hypothesis-driven or a hypothesis- free approach. Hypothesis-driven studies mostly include (but are not limited to) candidate gene association studies, replication studies of established associations, and evaluation of discoveries using experimental procedures in cells and/or other organisms. Hypothesis-free approaches do not rely on existing knowledge and are carried out without pre-specification of the variants to be tested. These include genome- wide association, epigenome-wide, whole-exome, and whole-genome sequencing approaches. Additional designs like gene x environment and gene x gene interaction studies should also specify the type of approach pursued.
Replication Studies: The journal highly encourages submission of population-based studies with evidence of “replication,” defined as observing consistency of the reported finding in at least one or more additional independent studies. Single studies drawn in one human population where highly relevant functional data with strong biological evidence is presented and/or for extremely rare conditions where no other samples can be collected, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Stratification Bias: Studies should describe methods and approaches used to control for population stratification bias in concordance with the level of admixture in their populations, for example outlier exclusion, genomic control, principal component analysis, or others. Similarly, approaches to control other sources of potential bias (e.g., genotyping artefacts, sample selection, selective reporting, or cryptic relatedness) should be presented.
Family-based and genealogy studies should apply appropriate methodology that considers familial relations. Pedigree-based studies (usually of rare diseases) and studies of rare variants supported by association, segregation, and similar analyses, should refer to Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) for potential posting

Sample Size, Power Considerations, and Statistical Analysis:

Power calculations should be performed in the design phase to justify that the sample sizes used in the study are sufficient to achieve the statistical power needed to detect an effect. Power calculations for a given genetic effect are particularly important for studies reporting negative findings to ensure that such negative findings are robust for the effect size that the study design (power) is able to detect. These types of studies will be considered particularly relevant when refuting findings from prior published association studies or when the genetic determinants in question are of established significance to disease pathogenesis.

The study should clearly state the threshold that was used to declare statistical significance of the findings, which should be consistent with the study design, and consider aspects of multiple hypothesis testing (e.g., multiple variants, subgroup analyses, genetic models, and phenotypes tested). These thresholds are specific to the design used and thus, must be consistently reported and justified.

Functional Validation:

Functional data strengthening the genetic findings in humans that are relevant to the reported phenotypes are highly encouraged, although not compulsory. Beyond the statistical evidence, these data serve to support the biological and clinical significance of the reported findings. Specifically, detail regarding the source, authentication, derivation, and contamination status for the cell lines (such as mycoplasma and/or other cell lines) are required.

Animal Genetics and -Omics Studies:

Independently of the experimental design (F2 intercrosses, panels of recombinant inbred strains, panels of inbred strains, or genome-wide association in outbred populations), the Journals require all the applicable considerations human genetic studies, specifically, clear description of the approach, replication, controlling for population stratification, and sample size and power considerations be adhered to for rodent genetic mapping studies. Additional details must be reported, including the generation at which the animals were genotyped and phenotyped, the source (i.e., vendor) and exact strains names for all animals used; and for transgenic animals (e.g., zebrafish or mouse), the genetic background of the transgenes.

Standardized variables and transparent data presentation

These guidelines were developed to support our commitment for increasing transparency in research and to help to standardize the presentation of data for articles appearing in the Journal.

Biological models and reagents

Authors should provide sufficient details to identify specific biological materials used in the studies. Research Resource Identifiers (RRIDs), unique searchable identifiers, should be used when available to report reagents. Additional details related to production, usage, authentication, or culture should be described in the Methods. When listing more than one biological reagent per category, this information should be submitted to the journal as a supplemental table as demonstrated below. If only one item is used in a category, it will be sufficient to include all of the required information in the Methods in paragraph format.

Antibodies: Report source and catalog number for purchased antibodies; include applications, antigen retrieval, blocking, dilutions, incubation conditions, and validation criteria as applicable. Secondary antibody details should also be provided as applicable. Details on novel antibodies should include information on generation, preparation, and purification of both epitope/antigen and antibodies.
Antibodies Supplemental Table (Example)

Epitope/Anitgen or Product name	Source and Catalog # or RRID	Host species	Application (WB, IP, F, IHC, ICC, CHIP, N)	Dilution	Application specific details (e.g. antigen retrieval, blocking, incubation)
Mouse Alkaline Phosphatase/ALPL	R&D Systems, AF2910	Goat	WB	1ug/mL	5% BSA, overnight, 4oC
Mouse Alkaline Phosphatase/ALPL	R&D Systems, AF2910	Goat	IHC	10ug/mL	Blocked in 5% Donkey serum, 2hr, RT
Anti-goat IgG, Alexa Fluor 488	Invitrogen, A-11055	Donkey	IHC	1:500	5% BSA in PBS-Tween, 1hr RT

Biological modulators: Report the source and catalog numbers for purchased biological modulators (proteins, inhibitors, activators). Include the vehicle reagent used for elution or dilution, and any specific reagents utilized for delivery in vitro or in vivo. Proteins or small molecules produced non-commercially should have methods for production/synthesis and purification, as well as validation of the identity/activity. Concentrations and vehicle reagents used in vitro and/or in vivo should be clearly specified.
Biological Modulators Supplemental Table (Example)

Modulator (protein, small molecule)	Source Catalog # or RRID	Solvent/Vehicle	Concentration(s)
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) Solution (500X)	eBioscience, 00-4976-93	Media	2uL/mL
IWP-2	Santa Cruz Biotechnology, sc-252928	DMSO	20uM

Cell lines: Report the source (reference original generation and note the providing laboratory, if relevant), species, and derivation. Authentication methods and methods used for determining contamination (e.g. mycoplasma) should be reported in the Methods.
Cell lines Supplemental Table (Example)

Cell line	Source and Catalog # or RRID	Providing Laboratory (if different than source)	Species, cell type
MC3T3-E1 Subclone 4	ATCC, CRL-2593	NA	Mouse calvaria osteoblasts
RAW 264.7	ATCC, TIB-71	NA	Mouse macrophage

Animals: Specify the animal source and identifying information. Animal species, strain, sex, age, and relevant details of husbandry should be provided in the Methods as specified in the ARRIVE guidelines for mouse work (JBMR ARRIVE form). For transgenic and knockout animals, specify the genetic background, original generation methods (reference if this model has been previously published), as well as contributing lab, if relevant. Genotyping methods should be included in Methods, as well as validation of specific promoter-Cre mouse models.
Animals Supplemental Table (Example)

Mouse model	Source and Catalog #	Strain	Providing Laboratory
Osx1-GFP Cre	Jackson Labs, 006361	C57BL/6J	NA
Wild typr mice, breeding colony	Jackson Labs, 000664	C57BL/6J	NA

Bone histomorphometry

Histomorphometric data should be presented using nomenclature and units defined in Dempster et al. The anatomical site, sectioning orientation, and region of measurement must be described in the Methods section.

Example for mouse studies: “In sagittal sections of the proximal tibiae, trabecular bone was measured in the secondary spongiosa commencing 400 μm below the growth plate and extending distally for 1110 μm”; or “periosteal surfaces were measured on transverse sections of the tibial midshaft”

Example for human studies: “Trabecular bone was measured in horizontal transiliac crest biopsies of 7-8mm diameter”

The region of interest should be illustrated in a figure, either in the Methods or in the Results section. In studies of osteopenic models, the lower limit of bone surface measured should be reported (e.g., 2 mm across multiple samples), since measuring very small bone surfaces can produce data that is not meaningful. Time points of fluorochrome injections must be described. Authors are encouraged to show representative images of the regions measured.

Radiologic imaging

For studies in humans, report manufacturer and model of equipment used to acquire data. For dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measurement of bone density or body composition analysis, provide site-specific reproducibility measures, e.g. coefficient of variation (CV) and least significant change (LSC) for each densitometer used. The root-mean square method is recommended for reproducibility studies. Information on how the equipment used was calibrated should be included.

Similar principles for reproducibility assessment, including CV and LSC, should be reported for high resolution, peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HRpQCT). For nomenclature and units of bone micro-structure, authors should conform to the guidelines in Whittier et al, which was endorsed by ASBMR.

For studies in animals, ensure reproducible positioning of animals or excised anatomical samples before scanning. Ensure that location and size of data-producing regions of interest are proportionally scaled when comparing tissue sites in subjects of different sizes. Information on how the equipment used was calibrated should be included.

For DXA-based analyses of bone, report all variables (i.e., BMD, BMC, and area) to avoid obscuring any trends in datasets. For micro-computed tomography (µCT) analyses of bone, utilize nomenclature as recommended in Bouxsein et al. A description of the essential variables that must be reported for cortical and trabecular bone locations, and a list of relevant scan settings (e.g., energy, threshold, etc.) that must be reported, are described in the same publication.

Mechanical testing

Report manufacturer and model of equipment used. For standard / well-established mechanical testing approaches, a description of sample geometry and testing fixtures in the text is sufficient. For example, provide span length(s) and contact point geometry (rounded, knife edge, etc.) for 3- and 4-point bending, describe geometry and configuration for parallel plate flow chambers in fluid flow studies, provide gage lengths and specimen geometry for tensile testing.

For custom or novel testing methods, a diagram demonstrating testing setup with a sample visible in situ is recommended. For all testing conditions, describe sample state (submerged, wet, dry, frozen, etc.), rate(s) of loading, and definition of test endpoints (e.g., testing until material failure, until a pre-determined maximum displacement was reached, or for a pre-determined length of time).

Gene expression analysis and genetic manipulations

Primer sequences used for RT-qPCR based gene expression analysis should be clearly defined and submitted to the journal in a Supplementary Table. Authors should use best practices to confirm that each primer pair used gives specific amplification of a single product (e.g., melting curve analysis, Sanger sequencing) although is not required to show these best practices.

Methods should be defined for quantification of RT-qPCR data, ideally following the 2(-delta delta C(t)) method (Livak and Schmittgen, Methods, 2001; PMID: 11846609). For all genes to be analyzed, transcript abundance relative to a housekeeping gene should be presented in addition to “relative abundance” across experimental manipulations. Complementary methods (immunoblotting, functional studies) should be used to confirm that changes in gene expression reported have important biologic consequences. It is vital to confirm that housekeeping gene transcript levels are not affected by experimental manipulations.

For RNA interference (RNAi) experiments, authors must acknowledge that “off target” effects may contribute to biologic changes that are observed. For this reason, it is key to include at least two different siRNAs for each target gene to be studied. The authors must confirm significant depletion of each target gene using immunoblotting (optimally) or RT-qPCR. We strongly recommend that “rescue” experiments be performed in which a siRNA-resistant cDNA is introduced in order to reverse the cellular phenotype caused by that specific siRNA.

For CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, similar controls should be employed as those described above for siRNA. Specifically, we advise using at least two independent sgRNA sequences per target gene (for “knockout” studies) to reduce the probability that phenotypes observed are due to off target effects. We strongly suggest that Sanger sequencing be performed on each allele to confirm intended editing. Negative controls for CRISPR/Cas9-mediated “knockout” studies should include either empty sgRNA-expressing vector or ”nontargeting” sgRNA sequences. We recommend that target protein deletion be confirmed by immunoblotting. Authors must disclose if cells studied are polyclonal (mixed) populations or single cell clones. Ideally, multiple single cell clones will be studied for each sgRNA to be tested.

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