SPX e-press
Identify potential editors
See the list of Editorial Board members to identify those who might be a good match for your research. You will enter this information in the submission form.
Read journal policies
Review the editorial and publishing policies to understand the requirements that apply to your submission.
Prepare funding and competing statements
Read our policies on disclosure of funding sources and competing interests.
Prepare your data
Remember to deposit your data in an appropriate data repository, or format and submit it as Supporting Information. Be ready to provide a Data Availability Statement. Read our policy on data availability.
Confirm the author list
Do you have the following information for all authors listed on the manuscript?
Full names, including initials if used
Affiliations
Email address
Any potential competing interests
Funding information
Author contributions
Order of authors
Make sure the corresponding author has an ORCID iD and all authors are aware of the submission. Read more about preparing the author list.
SPX applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to works we publish. Under this license, authors agree to make articles legally available for reuse, without permission or fees, for virtually any purpose. Anyone may copy, distribute, or reuse these articles, as long as the author and original source are properly cited.
You must be prepared to sign the license agreement on behalf of all the authors. Read our licenses and copyright policy.
Prepare funding and competing statements
Read our policies on disclosure of funding sources and competing interests.
Access the submission system
Submit new manuscripts in the online submission system.
If you are a new user, click Register Now to create an account. If you are having trouble accessing an existing account, click Login Help or email the journal.
Style and Format
File format- Manuscript files can be in the following formats: DOC, DOCX, or RTF. Microsoft Word documents should not be locked or protected.
Length Manuscripts can be any length. There are no restrictions on word count, number of figures, or amount of supporting information.
We encourage you to present and discuss your findings concisely.
Font - Use a standard font size and any standard font, except for the font named “Symbol”. To add symbols to the manuscript, use the Insert → Symbol function in your word processor or paste in the appropriate Unicode character.
Headings - Limit manuscript sections and sub-sections to 3 heading levels. Make sure heading levels are clearly indicated in the manuscript text.
Layout and spacing- Manuscript text should be double-spaced.
Do not format text in multiple columns.
Page and line numbers- Include page numbers and line numbers in the manuscript file. Use continuous line numbers (do not restart the numbering on each page).
Footnotes- Footnotes are not permitted. If your manuscript contains footnotes, move the information into the main text or the reference list, depending on the content.
Language- Manuscripts must be submitted in English.
You may submit translations of the manuscript or abstract as supporting information. Read the supporting information guidelines.
Abbreviations- Define abbreviations upon first appearance in the text.
Do not use non-standard abbreviations unless they appear at least three times in the text.
Keep abbreviations to a minimum.
Reference style- SPX uses “Vancouver” style, as outlined in the ICMJE sample references.
See reference formatting examples and additional instructions below.
Equations- We recommend using MathType for display and inline equations, as it will provide the most reliable outcome. If this is not possible, Equation Editor or Microsoft's Insert→Equation function is acceptable.
Avoid using MathType, Equation Editor, or the Insert→Equation function to insert single variables (e.g., “a² + b² = c²”), Greek or other symbols (e.g., β, Δ, or ′ [prime]), or mathematical operators (e.g., x, ≥, or ±) in running text. Wherever possible, insert single symbols as normal text with the correct Unicode (hex) values.
Do not use MathType, Equation Editor, or the Insert→Equation function for only a portion of an equation. Rather, ensure that the entire equation is included. Equations should not contain a mix of different equation tools. Avoid “hybrid” inline or display equations, in which part is text and part is MathType, or part is MathType and part is Equation Editor.
Nomenclature - Use correct and established nomenclature wherever possible.
Units of measurement - Use SI units. If you do not use these exclusively, provide the SI value in parentheses after each value. Read more about SI units.
Drugs- Provide the Recommended International Non-Proprietary Name (rINN).
Species names- Write in italics (e.g., Homo sapiens). Write out in full the genus and species, both in the title of the manuscript and at the first mention of an organism in a paper. After first mention, the first letter of the genus name followed by the full species name may be used (e.g., H. sapiens).
Genes, mutations, genotypes, and alleles- Write in italics. Use the recommended name by consulting the appropriate genetic nomenclature database (e.g., HGNC for human genes; we strongly recommend using this tool to check against previously approved names). It is sometimes advisable to indicate the synonyms for the gene the first time it appears in the text. Gene prefixes such as those used for oncogenes or cellular localization should be shown in roman typeface (e.g., v-fes, c-MYC).
Allergens- The systematic allergen nomenclature of the World Health Organization/International Union of Immunological Societies (WHO/IUIS) Allergen Nomenclature Sub-committee should be used for manuscripts that include the description or use of allergenic proteins. For manuscripts describing new allergens, the systematic name of the allergen should be approved by the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature Sub-Committee prior to manuscript publication. Examples of the systematic allergen nomenclature can be found at the WHO/IUIS Allergen Nomenclature site.
Refer to our downloadable sample files to ensure that your submission meets our formatting requirements:
• Download sample title, author list, and affiliations page (PDF)
• Download sample manuscript body (PDF)
Author contributions
Provide at minimum one contribution for each author in the submission system. Use the CRediT taxonomy to describe each contribution. Read the policy and the full list of roles.
Contributions will be published with the final article, and they should accurately reflect contributions to the work. The submitting author is responsible for completing this information at submission, and we expect that all authors will have reviewed, discussed, and agreed to their individual contributions ahead of this time.
Journal will contact all authors by email at submission to ensure that they are aware of the submission.
Cover letter
Upload a cover letter as a separate file in the online system. The length limit is 1 page.
The cover letter should include the following information:
• Summarize the study’s contribution to the scientific literature
• Relate the study to previously published work
• Specify the type of article (for example, research article, systematic review, meta-analysis, clinical trial)
• Describe any prior interactions with Spx regarding the submitted manuscript
• Suggest appropriate Academic Editors to handle your manuscript (see the full list of Academic Editors)
• List any opposed reviewers
Acknowledgments
Those who contributed to the work but do not meet our authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments with a description of the contribution.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that anyone named in the Acknowledgments agrees to be named.
References
Any and all available works can be cited in the reference list. Acceptable sources include:
• Published or accepted manuscripts
• Manuscripts on preprint servers, providing the manuscript has a citable DOI or arXiv URL.
Do not cite the following sources in the reference list:
• Unavailable and unpublished work, including manuscripts that have been submitted but not yet accepted (e.g., “unpublished work,” “data not shown”). Instead, include those data as supplementary material or deposit the data in a publicly available database.
• Personal communications (these should be supported by a letter from the relevant authors but not included in the reference list)
• Submitted research should not rely upon retracted research. You should avoid citing retracted articles unless you need to discuss retracted work to provide historical context for your submitted research. If it is necessary to discuss retracted work, state the article’s retracted status in your article’s text and reference list.
Ensure that your reference list includes full and current bibliography details for every cited work at the time of your article’s submission (and publication, if accepted). If cited work is corrected, retracted, or marked with an expression of concern before your article is published, and if you feel it is appropriate to cite the work even in light of the post-publication notice, include in your manuscript citations and full references for both the affected article and the post-publication notice. Email the journal office if you have questions.
References are listed at the end of the manuscript and numbered in the order that they appear in the text. In the text, cite the reference number in square brackets (e.g., “We used the techniques developed by our colleagues [19] to analyze the data”). SPX uses the numbered citation (citation-sequence) method and first six authors, et al.
Do not include citations in abstracts.
Make sure the parts of the manuscript are in the correct order before ordering the citations
Supporting information
Authors can submit essential supporting files and multimedia files along with their manuscripts. All supporting information will be subject to peer review. All file types can be submitted, but files must be smaller than 20 MB in size.
Authors may use almost any description as the item name for a supporting information file as long as it contains an “S” and number. For example, “S1 Appendix” and “S2 Appendix,” “S1 Table” and “S2 Table,” and so forth.
Supporting information files are published exactly as provided, and are not copyedited.
Supporting information captions
List supporting information captions at the end of the manuscript file. Do not submit captions in a separate file.
The file number and name are required in a caption, and we highly recommend including a one-line title as well. You may also include a legend in your caption, but it is not required.
Example caption
S1 Text. Title is strongly recommended. Legend is optional.
In-text citations
We recommend that you cite supporting information in the manuscript text, but this is not a requirement. If you cite supporting information in the text, citations do not need to be in numerical order.
Read the supporting information guidelines for more details about submitting supporting information and multimedia files.
Understanding Manuscript Statuses
Manuscript submitted The journal has received the submission and is conducting an initial editorial assessment and screening for technical requirements.
Editor invited The journal office is identifying potential editors to handle the submission.
With editor The manuscript has been placed with a member of the editorial board for handling.
Under review The handling editor has invited peer reviewers to evaluate the submission.
Required reviews complete Some or all assigned reviewers have submitted comments.
Decision in process The handling editor has drafted a decision, but it has not yet been finalized or sent to the authors.
Editorial decisions
The handling Academic Editor or staff editor makes the final decision on each manuscript. The time to render a first decision averages about 43 days, but times vary depending on how long it takes for the editor to receive and assess reviews.
The editor considers reviewer feedback and their own evaluation of the manuscript in order to reach a decision. The following decision types are available:
• Reject
• Major revision
• Minor revision
• Accept
Decisions are communicated to the corresponding author in a formal letter, along with reviewer feedback and any other requirements from the journal office.
Appeal
Authors may submit a formal appeal for rejected submissions. Appeal requests must be made in writing to email with the word “appeal” in the subject line. Authors must provide detailed reasons for the appeal and point-by-point responses to the reviewers' and/or Academic Editor's comments.
Decisions on appeals are final without exception. Priority is given to new submissions, so the appeal process may take longer than the original submission process.
Revising Your Manuscript
Submission Instructions
If you are submitting a revised manuscript, upload your revised submission to the submission system and include the following items:
• Response to reviewers: Address the specific points made by each reviewer. Include your responses to all the reviewers’ and editors’ comments and list the changes you have made to the manuscript. Remember, if you choose to publish the peer review history of your manuscript, your response to reviewers will appear online alongside the final article. Upload this document as a “Response to reviewers” file.
• Revised manuscript (marked-up copy): Include a marked-up copy of your manuscript file showing the changes you have made since the original submission. The best way to show these changes is the “Track Changes” option in Microsoft Word. Upload this as a "Revised Article with Changes Highlighted” file.
• Revised manuscript (clean copy): Upload a clean copy of your revised manuscript that does not show your changes. Upload this as your “Manuscript” file.
Figures and supporting information files from your original submission will automatically transfer to your revised submission unless you choose to update and replace them.
Request an Extension
Need more time to prepare your revision? Email
Additional Information Requested at Submission
Financial Disclosure Statement
This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work. It is important to gather these details prior to submission because your financial disclosure statement cannot be changed after initial submission without journal approval. If your manuscript is published, your statement will appear in the Funding section of the article.
Enter this statement in the Financial Disclosure section of the submission form. Do not include it in your manuscript file.
The statement should include:
• Specific grant numbers
• Initials of authors who received each award
• Full names of commercial companies that funded the study or authors
• Initials of authors who received salary or other funding from commercial companies
• URLs to sponsors’ websites
Also state whether any sponsors or funders (other than the named authors) played any role in:
• Study design
• Data collection and analysis
• Decision to publish
• Preparation of the manuscript
If they had no role in the research, include this sentence: “The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.”
If the study was unfunded, include this sentence as the Financial Disclosure statement: “The author(s) received no specific funding for this work."