Instructions to Authors

Table of Contents

• How We Publish
• Editorial Policies
• Publication and Research Ethics
• Submission
  • How to Submit
  • Article Types
    • Original Research
    • Review
    • Case Report
    • Brief Report
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Editorial
  • Preparing Your Manuscript
  • Manuscript Submission Checklist
  • Reporting Standards
• Publication Agreements and Charges

How We Publish

Sexual Medicine is a peer-reviewed fully open access journal that publishes 6 issues per year online. All papers published in the Journal are made freely available online under open access publishing agreements, with applicable charges. Please refer to the open access section below . After copyediting and review of the final proof, papers are published in the currently open issue.

Please read these instructions carefully and follow them closely. The Editors may return manuscripts that do not follow these instructions.

Scope of the Journal

An official publication of the International Society for Sexual Medicine, Sexual Medicine publishes multidisciplinary research to understand sexual health in diverse populations and a variety of contexts (e.g. intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal). Sexual Medicine will consider quality manuscripts on any topic in sexuality/sexual health. Specifically, we publish manuscripts on basic anatomy and physiology pertaining to human sexuality, pharmacology, clinical management of sexual dysfunction, epidemiological studies in sexuality, psychosexual and interpersonal dimensions of human sexuality, clinical trials, sexual health policy, sex and society, and the practice of promoting sexual health. Our scope is broad and our intended audience is any and all individuals and organizations interested in human sexuality and sexual health. Sexual Medicine has a particular interest in exploratory studies, research germane to groups and regions that have been historically under-represented in the sexual health literature, and research relying on mixed methods.

The open access format of Sexual Medicine ensures that accepted manuscripts will be rapidly published and fully accessible by interested healthcare professionals worldwide. The open-access format has particular value for science that is of immediate interest to lay communities and non-clinician professionals who are interested in sexual health (e.g. social workers, educators, policy makers).

Editorial Policies

Peer Review Process

The Journal operates with double-anonymized peer review, meaning that the identity of the authors is hidden from reviewers, and the reviewers’ identities are hidden from the authors. The editors know the identity of both the reviewers and the authors.

Manuscript Transfer

The Journal accepts original submissions as well as transfers from The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Transferred manuscripts may be sent out for additional peer review, and a decision will be made on the manuscript based on the feedback from all consenting reviewers and the judgment of the editorial team of Sexual Medicine.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision. To do so, please contact the editorial office, providing as much specific detail as possible about why the original decision should be reconsidered. Every appeal will receive a response within a reasonable timeframe. Please do not resubmit your manuscript in the interim.

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.

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. 

Availability of Data and Materials

Where ethically feasible, the Journal strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. 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. 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.

Publication and Research Ethics

Authorship

Authorship is confined to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. The Journal will contact all listed authors at the point of submission to confirm their role. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. 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.

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.

ORCID

Authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iDs (Open Researcher and Contributor 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. 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.

The submitting author is required to declare the contributions of each author to the article at the submission phase; this declaration should follow the CRediT taxonomy. This Statement of Authorship will be added to the manuscript.
 

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 and in the appropriate box of the ScholarOne submission system. This summary statement will be ultimately published if the article is accepted. 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 Sexual Medicine
• 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.

Authors’ Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

Should possible scientific misconduct or dishonesty in research submitted for review be suspected or alleged, Sexual Medicine reserves the right to forward any submitted manuscript to the sponsoring or funding institution or to other appropriate authorities for investigation. The journal also screens manuscripts for incidents of plagiarism (including self-plagiarism); please ensure that manuscripts present original data written in unique language.

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. Please be prepared to provide written consent forms signed by the participants or other appropriate documentation to the editorial office upon request.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Submission

We will consider your manuscript as long as

• it is your own original work and does not duplicate any previously published work, including your own;
• it is not under consideration, in peer review, or accepted for publication in any journal other than Sexual Medicine;
• it has not been published in any other journal in English or any other language; and
• it contains nothing abusive, defamatory, libelous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.

Authors should observe high ethical standards and obey publication best practices. The following are all unacceptable:

• data falsification or fabrication
• plagiarism, including duplicate publication of your own work without proper citation
• misappropriation of work

We treat any case of ethical or publication malpractice very seriously. We will address them in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines. Further information about OUP’s ethical policies is available.

How to Submit

You must submit your paper via our web-based submission system ScholarOne, which may be found at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/sexmed. If you have not published with Sexual Medicine before, you 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 at smeditorialoffice@gmail.com.

Article Types

This journal publishes several different article types:

Original Research—Maximum Word Count: 4,000

Original research papers are scientific reports of original basic, clinical, and translational research in the field of sexual medicine. More extensive manuscripts will be considered and judged on merit; however, authors are urged to be as concise as possible. A testable hypothesis is the defining feature of scientific inquiry and should therefore be clearly stated as a refutable question in the introduction section. In the case of qualitative research, developed to generate hypotheses and not for testing hypotheses, a clear rationale for the need to develop the study using qualitative methodology is required.

All manuscripts must include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc. 
• Structured abstract—maximum word count: 400
• 4 to 10 keywords or short phrases for cross-indexing the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.
• Completed reporting guideline(s) to demonstrate the completeness of reporting in your manuscript.
  • Failure to adhere to reporting best practices will result in revisions being requested ahead of publication. For more information on relevant reporting guidelines, please see the section below entitled Reporting Standards: Completeness and the Use of Reporting Guidelines.
• References—maximum references: 50
  • References should be contemporary (from within the past 10 years) when possible and inclusive of studies from relevant populations around the world; more may be accepted if justified.
• Tables and figures—maximum of 7 total

It is essential that manuscripts of any type be well conceptualized reports on studies/ideas of interest to those concerned with sexual health. A strong theoretical framing is essential; this is made manifest in the following way:

• Introduction—a concise (i.e. 2-3 page), well organized introduction that makes clear the unmet need which the research/manuscript will attempt to address
• Methods—a detailed methods section that would allow for an interested reader to replicate the research should he/she/they so choose
• Results/Findings—a concise reporting of results/findings with appropriate use of easily interpretable tables and figures to illustrate key findings
• Discussion—discussion of the results, including relevant to existing studies, enumeration of limitations, and consideration of future directions
• Conclusion—not to exceed 3-4 sentences of text

To improve the quality of research reports in the journal, Sexual Medicine strongly urges authors to complete the reporting guideline checklist(s) that best suits their paper (see section below). Complete reporting is a critical element of good publishing. Taking the time to ensure your manuscript meets these basic reporting needs will greatly improve your manuscript and enhance its chances of publication.

Review—Maximum Word Count: No Limit

Sexual Medicine welcomes quality narrative and scoping reviews. Meta-analyses and systemic reviews are generally published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Invited reviews are generally published in Sexual Medicine Reviews. A testable hypothesis is the defining feature of scientific inquiry and should be clearly stated as a refutable question the authors set out to resolve via literature review. The methodology of the Review must be clearly articulated in a relevant methods section. There is no limit on article length or the number of figures or tables but authors are encouraged to be as concise as possible to improve readability. An abstract formatted to Sexual Medicine standard should be included.

Each piece should include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc. 
• Structured abstract—maximum word count: 400
• 4 to 10 keywords or short phrases for cross-indexing the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.
• Completed reporting guideline(s) to demonstrate the completeness of reporting in your manuscript.
  • Failure to adhere to reporting best practices will result in revisions being requested ahead of publication. For more information on relevant reporting guidelines, please see the section below entitled Reporting Standards: Completeness and the Use of Reporting Guidelines.
• References—no limit
• Tables and figures—no limit

Case Report—Maximum Word Count: 1,750

Case Reports are concise reports of cases, clinical experiences, novel adverse effects, or other short form narratives on topics germane to our journal.  It is appropriate in the context of a case report to briefly review salient literature and prior work on the topic of interest.

Each piece should include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc. 
• Structured abstract—maximum word count: 400
• 4 to 10 keywords or short phrases for cross-indexing the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.
• We strongly recommend the author comply with and supply a completed copy of the CARE reporting guideline for case reports as evidence that vital reporting elements are included in the paper.
• References—maximum references: 10
• Tables and figures—maximum of 2 total

Brief Report—Maximum Word Count: 1,750

Brief Reports are a short format manuscript appropriate for preliminary or pilot work, studies with a small sample size, novel methodologies, non-validated measurements, and/or exploratory studies with groundbreaking theoretical implications.

Each piece should include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc. 
• Structured abstract—maximum word count: 400
• 4 to 10 keywords or short phrases for cross-indexing the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.
• We strongly recommend the author comply with and supply a completed copy of the CARE reporting guideline for case reports as evidence that vital reporting elements are included in the paper.
• References—maximum references: 10
• Tables and figures—maximum of 2 total

Letter to the Editor—Maximum Word Count: 500

Letters, subject to editing, are considered for publication provided they do not contain material submitted or published elsewhere. Letters referring to a published article must be received within four months of the article's publication.

Each piece should include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc. 
• References—maximum of 5
• Tables and figures—maximum of 1 total

Editorial—Maximum Word Count: 1,000

Commentary and analysis of an article in a particular issue of Sexual Medicine are always solicited. Authors of the original paper will be given opportunity to respond to the Editorial in the same issue.

Each piece should include:

• A separate Title Page including corresponding author details and all author names, affiliations, and highest degrees; acknowledgments, funding disclosures, other statements, author contributions, etc.
•  References—maximum of 7

Third-Party Permissions

If you wish to reproduce any material for which you do not own the copyright—including quotations, tables, or images—you must obtain permission from the copyright holder. The permissions agreement must include the following documents:

• nonexclusive rights to reproduce the material in your article in Sexual Medicine
• both print and electronic rights, preferably for use in any form or medium
• lifetime rights to use the material
• worldwide English-language rights

Further information on obtaining permissions is available.

Preparing Your Manuscript

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

Manuscript Submission Checklist

Please use the Manuscript Submission Checklist below to ensure that the manuscript has all the information necessary for successful publication.

1. Upload a Title Page for your manuscript that is separate from the rest of the main document (uploaded as a Title Page submission item), including:
   1. Full author names and the highest qualifications (PhD, MD, etc.) for all authors
   2. Institution, city and country details for each author
   3. Address of corresponding author (especially email address for the person to whom the proof notification is to be sent).
   4. Disclosures, including details of funding bodies with grant numbers
   5. Acknowledgements
   6. Author contributions
   7. Other statements/disclosures
2. Please upload the main manuscript with no identifying author information, including:
   1. A Title page WITHOUT authors’ names or authors’ affiliations
   2. Abstract and 4–10 keywords
   3. Text (introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion)
   4. References (see below for tips on references)
   5. Tables (preferably uploaded as a separate file)
   6. Figure legends (upload each figure separately under the Figure submission item)
3. Abstracts must be structured depending on the type of paper being submitted. Please see the Abstracts section for details.
4. Make sure tables are black and white, and are submitted in an editable format.
5. Please pay attention to the quality of all figures and artwork supplied (see below for requirements):
   1. Should your figures originate in a PowerPoint presentation, please remove: any previous presentation effects, such as line-art color that is not of didactic value; background color or shading effects and 3-dimensional views where 2-d can convey results with equal effectiveness.
   2. All text included in figure labels must be of a sufficient size to be legible should the figure be resized during typesetting.
   3. Do not include the figure title or figure identification number within the figure itself. This does not reproduce effectively and typically does not fit journal style.
   4. Please save your figure files at the highest resolution possible. Please also supply figure art in original file formats whenever possible. Images imbedded in a MS Word document typically do not possess a resolution as high as the original file.
6. Have all scientific symbols used in your manuscript transferred successfully to the PDF proof? Please correct this problem before submission.
7. All references must be displayed sequentially based upon order of citation. References ordered alphabetically are not acceptable. Failure to comply with, or perform, these important tasks may delay both peer-review of your manuscript and its eventual publication.

Note: If your submission is a transfer from the Journal of Sexual Medicine, follow the instructions in the letter that you received for additional submission elements that may be required for your manuscript.

Reporting Standards: Completeness and the Use of Reporting Guidelines

In an attempt to improve the quality of research reports in the journal, Sexual Medicine now recommends a completed reporting guideline checklist is included with an article submission. The purpose of various reporting guidelines is to provide a guide—in the form of a checklist—to authors and editors alike on essential elements that should be included in a paper to ensure all stakeholders can properly validate results and replicate studies. We expect authors to not only use the reporting guidelines to improve the quality of reporting in their submission, but also use the associated guideline checklist to demonstrate the paper does include essential reporting criteria. Ultimately, this task is about improving a manuscript, not filling out a checklist for administrative purposes.

For Reviews and Original Research articles, authors are required to complete one of the reporting checklists listed below. This ensures a higher standard of reporting and will enhance the prospects of a manuscript being accepted for publication. Authors should upload a completed copy of the reporting checklist(s) with their submission.

 

Sexual Medicine expects that all prospective, randomized, controlled trials with patient enrollment be registered in a public database that meets the requirements of the World Health Organization. Currently, such registries include the following: http://www.actr.org.au, http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, http://www.ISRCTN.org, http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index/htm, and http://www.trialregister.nl.

For more information, please refer to the guidelines at http://www.icmje.org/#clin_trials. Upon submission, please provide the registration identification number and the URL for the trial’s registry in your cover letter.

Presubmission 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.

Title Page

The title of the submission should be concise, informative, and should avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

Because the Journal operates with double-anonymized peer review, the Title page should be the only submission file where authors should list the author details and contact information. The title page should be uploaded as a “Title Page” within the submission system.

Please include the following:

• The title of your paper–concise and informative, avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible
• Full names and the highest qualifications (PhD, MD, etc.) for all authors
• Institution, city and country details for each author
• Mailing address and email address of one corresponding author, this responsibility includes answering any future queries about Methodology and Materials
• Disclosures, including details of funding bodies with grant numbers
• Acknowledgments
• Author contributions
• Other statements/disclosures

Article Structure

Divide your article into clearly defined sections. Each subsection is given a brief heading. Each heading should appear on its own separate line. Subsections should be used as much as possible when cross-referencing text: refer to the subsection by heading as opposed to simply 'the text'.

Please use the info below to ensure that the manuscript has all the information necessary for successful publication.

Title

Abstract
Sexual Medicine uses structured abstracts to ensure that all essential information is presented. See below for details.

Introduction
We request that authors demonstrate a strong conceptual frame for their studies. However, there is no need to present an exhaustive literature survey. A demonstration of a solid comprehension of the field is sufficient. For quantitative research a testable hypothesis is typically appropriate. For qualitative or hypothesis-generating work this is not essential but a clear statement of the anticipated outcome and/or the intent of the research is necessary in all manuscripts. The Introduction section should ideally be two to three double-spaced pages.

Material and methods
Provide enough details to so that the work could be reproduced by an independent researcher. Methods that are already published should be summarized and indicated by a reference. If quoting directly from a previously published method, use quotation marks and also cite the source. Any modifications to existing methods should also be described.

Results
Results should be clear and concise. Use of tables and figures is encouraged where feasible with text reserved for elaboration on key findings. The Results section should be focused on objective outcome data. Elements of methodology (including statistical analysis) should be reserved for the Methods section. Similarly, supposition or extrapolation of the meaning of objective findings is not appropriate for the Results section but may be appropriate for the Discussion section.

Discussion
This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.

Conclusions
The main conclusions of the study may be presented in a short Conclusions section, which may stand alone or form a subsection of a Discussion or Results and Discussion section.

Appendices
If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. Formulae and equations in appendices should be given separate numbering: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.; in a subsequent appendix, Eq. (B.1) and so on. Similarly for tables and figures: Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.

Abstracts

Sexual Medicine uses structured abstracts to ensure that all essential information is presented. The Journal has changed the format of its abstract in an effort to permit the reader to glean a greater degree of understanding of the research by simply reading the abstract without reading the full manuscript. This will also bring the journal into alignment with abstract structure for The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The aim is to expand the Methods and Results sections to facilitate a more meaningful interpretation of the research. Abstracts have a maximum length of 400 words and must not contain reference citations or abbreviations.

Clinical papers will have the following headers (with suggested lengths):

• Background (one sentence)
• Aim (one sentence)
• Methods
• Outcomes (one sentence)
• Results
• Clinical Implications (one sentence)
• Strengths and Limitations
• Conclusion (one sentence)

Basic science papers will have the following headers (with suggested lengths):

• Background (one sentence)
• Aim (one sentence)
• Methods
• Outcomes (one sentence)
• Results
• Clinical Translation (one sentence)
• Strengths and Limitations
• Conclusion (one sentence)

Abstracts for Case/Brief Reports should be structured as follows:

• Introduction
• Aims
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

Acknowledgments and Funding

Acknowledgments should be clearly labeled in a separate clearly labeled section on the title page. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance, or proofreading the article, etc.).

This section should also include any relevant details of funding bodies (including grant numbers).You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

List funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements: Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of Peace [grant number aaaa].

It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. When funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.

If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence: This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Keywords

Below the abstract authors should provide, and identify as such, 4 to 10 key words or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article and may be published with the abstract. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used; if suitable MeSH terms are not yet available for recently introduced terms, present terms may be used. Try to avoid repeating terms in the Title.

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.

Abbreviations

Please define nonstandard abbreviations at the first occurrence. A list of acceptable abbreviations is published in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals (also known as the Declaration of Vancouver). For more information, refer to: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journal (Ann Intern Med 1997;126:36-47). You may contact the Editor or publisher directly with questions.

Units

Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI.

Math Formulae

Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in line with normal text where possible and use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms, e.g., X/Y. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Powers of e are often more conveniently denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separately from the text (if referred to explicitly in the text).

Footnotes

Aside from notes on the Author list, Footnotes should not be used in Sexual Medicine articles. Number them consecutively throughout the article. Many word processors can build footnotes into the text, and this feature may be used. Otherwise, please indicate the position of footnotes in the text and list the footnotes themselves separately at the end of the article. Do not include footnotes in the Reference list.

Use of Inclusive Language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, gender identity, sex, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, disability or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, and reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise to seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns (e.g. "clinicians/patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he, she.” We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, sexual orientation, disability or health condition unless they are relevant and valid. These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.

Tables

Authors must number all tables (e.g., table 1, table 2, table 3) and reference them in the text. Upload each table as a separate file under the "Table" submission item type. Tables should be in an editable format, and not embedded as an image file.

Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in them do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Consider that very large tables containing numerous columns are oftentimes more confusing than illuminating; try to restrict tables to data that is truly essential to the average reader and consider including more esoteric data in appendices. Please avoid using vertical rules and shading in table cells.

Figures

Figures should be submitted in one of the following file formats: .jpeg, .jpg, .tiff or .eps. Images prepared as .bmp, .gif, .doc/.docx or .pdf files will not be accepted. You 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, eg. fig1.tiff, fig2.eps. You 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 labeled with a letter (A, B, C, D, etc.) in the upper-left corner of each panel. Please also ensure you 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. These file types do not use pixels; therefore resolution does not apply to vector images. Save vector images as .eps 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 image 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. 

References

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

Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. Unpublished results and personal communications are not recommended in the reference list, but may be mentioned in the text. If these references are included in the reference list they should follow the standard reference style of the journal and should include a substitution of the publication date with either 'Unpublished results' or 'Personal communication'. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.

References are to be cited consecutively in the text typed after the final punctuation. References at the end of each manuscript should be listed in the order in which they are first cited in the text, typed double-spaced. The references should conform to the Index Medicus style, omitting number and day of month of issue. Punctuation is shown in the examples below. References to articles in press must state name of journal and if possible, volume and year.

Supplementary Material

Submit supplementary data or supplementary material at the same time as the main manuscript.

• Supplementary material 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.
  • Documentation and online appendices should be submitted in PDF file format.
  • Data files should be submitted in a .zip file format.

Supplementary material such as applications, images and sound clips, can be published with your article to enhance it. Submitted supplementary items are published exactly as they are received (Excel or PowerPoint files will appear as such online). Please submit your material together with the article and supply a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file. If you wish to make changes to supplementary material during any stage of the process, please make sure to provide an updated file. Do not annotate any corrections on a previous version. Please switch off the "Track Changes" option in Microsoft Office files as these will appear in the published version.

Cuepoint 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 at intended publication size, 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, complete the form available here, generate a file using the button on the form, and upload this file as a ‘Cuepoint file’ when submitting your manuscript to the journal. 

Statistical Guidelines

All submitted manuscripts containing data analyses will be evaluated for the integrity of the statistical methods as well as a sufficient description of the methodological approach. This will entail evaluation of the study design, statistical analysis and presentation and interpretation of study results. As a general guideline, readers of the manuscript should be able to replicate the analysis with the same data based on the description given in the Methods section. Authors are encouraged to carefully select language in the Discussion that is appropriate given the study design and refrain from causal inferences from observational (nonrandomized) studies.

Authors should also be explicit about the limitations of the study. Failure to disclose important limitations upon submission will be viewed with greater scrutiny than those clearly discussed. Key elements which should be consistent for all submitted manuscripts include the following:

• Report the sample size n for each study and each analysis
• Describe the power analysis to justify the sample size if appropriate
• Identify all statistical methods and verify the assumptions for all statistical tests
• Provide alpha (the probability of a Type I error) for all statistical tests
• Specify whether tests are one- or two-sided
• Report the descriptive statistics (n, mean, median, and standard deviation) for all continuous variables
• Report n and the sample proportion for binary variables
• Adequately explain complex statistical procedures such a multivariate logistic regression and the Cox proportional hazards regression model and verify the assumptions of each such procedure
• Report the actual P-values and explain what is meant by statistical significance
• Discuss and describe adjustments for multiple testing
• State the name, version, manufacturer, and manufacturer location for all statistical or other data management software used as part of the research project

Reports of Diagnostic Tests

Authors of reports of diagnostic tests are encouraged to submit the STARD flow diagram and checklist (Bossuyt PM, Reitsma JB, Bruns DF, et al. for the STARD Group. Towards complete and accurate reporting of studies of diagnostic accuracy: the STARD initiative. Clin Chem. 2003;49:1-18).

Cell Line Authentication

To ensure the highest standards of quality and accuracy, Sexual Medicine strongly encourages the authentication of cell lines used in the research submitted. Manuscripts based on research using cell lines must include a statement addressing the following points in the Methods section of the manuscript:

1. Where the cells were obtained from
2. Whether the cell lines have been tested and authenticated
3. The method by which the cells were tested

If cells were obtained directly from a cell bank that performs cell line characterizations and passaged in the user’s laboratory for fewer than 6 months after receipt or resuscitation, re-authorization is not required. In these cases, please include the method of characterization used by the cell bank. If the cell lines were obtained from an alternate source, authors must provide authentication of the origin and identity of the cells. This is best achieved by DNA (STR) profiling. The DNA profile should be cross-checked with the DNA profile of the donor tissue (in case of a new cell line) or with the DNA profile of other continuous cell lines.

Gene Names and Genetic Profiling Data

Please mark all gene names in italics. However, only the gene names should be written in italics, to distinguish them from gene products, gene segments, clusters, families, complexes, or groups. Authors should only use the official gene name as assigned by the respective gene nomenclature committee. Regarding comprehensive data sets of genetic profiling (microarray) studies, raw data must be in a publicly available database that requires MIAME format (for example, “GEO” or “Array Express”) upon submission of a paper. Nucleotide sequence data can be submitted in electronic form to any of the three major collaborative databases: DDBJ, EMBL or GenBank. It is only necessary to submit to one database as data are exchanged between DDBJ, EMBL and GenBank on a daily basis. The suggested wording for referring to accession-number information is: ‘"These sequence data have been submitted to the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession number U12345."’

Indexing

Sexual Medicine is indexed by Academic Search (EBSCO), CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS), Current Contents: Clinical Medicine (Clarivate Analytics), EMBASE (Elsevier), IBIDS: International Bibliographic Information on Dietary Supplements, Journal Citation Reports/Science Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics), Index Medicus/MEDLINE/PubMed (NLM), PsycINFO, Science Citation Index Expanded (also known as SciSearch), and Scopus (Elsevier).

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.

Publishing Agreements and Charges

Authors, please read each section on the publishing agreements (also called licenses) and charges carefully.

Licenses

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 is fully open access, meaning all papers in the Journal are published under an open access license. The corresponding author will need to arrange payment of an open access charge to publish in the Journal. This charge allows all published papers to be immediately and freely available to all readers immediately upon online publication. Editorial decisions occur prior to this step and are not influenced by payment or ability to pay.

Papers can be published under the following:

• Creative Commons Attribution license (CC BY)
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license (CC BY-NC)
• Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license (CC BY-NC-ND)

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

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.

Current charges are as follows:
Non-member CC BY, CC BY-NC, and CC BY-NC-ND licenses: $2,625 
ISSM member CC BY, CC BY-NC, and CC BY-NC-ND licenses: $1,300 

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.

Waiver Policy

Corresponding authors based in countries and regions that are part of the developing countries initiative receive a full waiver of their open access charge. For further details, please see our open access waiver policy.

Member Discounts

Authors who are members of the International Society for Sexual Medicine may be eligible for discounts 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.