These Author Guidelines provide detailed instructions for the preparation and submission of manuscripts to the International Journal of Neurology. Authors are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines carefully prior to submission to ensure that manuscripts comply with the journal’s editorial, technical, and publication requirements.

The International Journal of Neurology publishes Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Invited Articles, and Editorials within the full scope of basic, clinical, translational, and applied neurology. Submissions must be clearly aligned with the aims and scope of the journal.

Manuscripts must be written in clear, precise, and professional English. Authors whose first language is not English are advised to ensure appropriate language editing before submission. Manuscripts that do not meet acceptable language standards may be returned to authors for revision prior to peer review.

All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s online submission and peer-review system. Authors are required to follow the submission workflow and to complete all mandatory fields, declarations, and statements during submission.

Detailed information regarding editorial policies, peer review, publication ethics, plagiarism screening, use of artificial intelligence tools, and related standards is available in the About section of the International Journal of Neurology website and must be followed by all authors.

Plagiarism and similarity checking

The International Journal of Neurology applies similarity checking as part of its editorial screening process. Submissions may be evaluated using plagiarism-detection software such as Turnitin and iThenticate.

As a general guideline, a similarity index of up to 15% is acceptable for Original Research Articles and up to 20% for Review Articles, excluding references and standard methodological descriptions. Manuscripts exceeding these thresholds or showing evidence of plagiarism or self-plagiarism may be rejected or returned for revision.

Use of artificial intelligence tools

Authors may use artificial intelligence tools for purposes such as language editing or research assistance. Any use of AI tools must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript. Authors remain fully responsible for the originality, accuracy, and integrity of the work. Artificial intelligence tools may not be listed as authors.

Example disclosure statement:
“The authors used an AI-based tool to improve language clarity. All scientific content and conclusions were reviewed and approved by the authors.”

Manuscript preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared using a standard word-processing format, preferably Microsoft Word. Pages should be numbered consecutively, and continuous line numbering is recommended to facilitate peer review.

Manuscripts should follow a logical scholarly structure appropriate to the article type. Authors should consult the relevant article category for specific structural requirements.

Manuscripts may include the following sections, where applicable:

Title
Abstract
Keywords
Main text
Acknowledgements (if applicable)
Declarations
References
Tables and figures

Clear headings and subheadings should be used to improve clarity and readability.

Abstract and keywords

All manuscripts, except Editorials, must include an abstract of between 250 and 300 words. The abstract should concisely summarise the purpose, methodology, main findings, and significance of the study, as appropriate to the article type.

Authors should provide 4 to 6 keywords to support indexing and discoverability.

Tables and figures

Tables and figures must be cited in numerical order in the text and placed close to their first mention. Each table and figure must include a clear and descriptive caption. Figures should be of sufficient resolution and quality for publication. Colour figures may be used where they enhance interpretation.

References and citations

The International Journal of Neurology uses the Vancouver reference style. References should be cited numerically in the text and listed in the order of citation at the end of the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to include DOIs where available and must ensure the accuracy and completeness of all references.

Content requirements by section

Introduction

The Introduction should establish the scientific and clinical context of the study. It should outline relevant background, identify gaps in current knowledge, define the research question or objective, and clearly state the novelty and significance of the work. Results or conclusions should not be included in this section.

Materials and methods

Applicable primarily to Original Research Articles, this section must provide sufficient detail to allow evaluation and reproducibility. It should describe study design, participants or materials, data sources, procedures, analytical methods, software, and statistical analyses. Previously published methods should be cited, and any modifications clearly explained.

Results

The Results section should present findings clearly and objectively, using tables and figures where appropriate. Data should not be duplicated across text and figures. Interpretation should be reserved for the Discussion section.

Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to study objectives and existing literature. Authors should highlight the significance of the results, discuss limitations, compare findings with previous studies, and suggest directions for future research.

Results and discussion combined

For Short Communications, Results and Discussion may be combined, provided that findings and interpretation are clearly distinguished.

Conclusions

The Conclusions section should briefly summarise the main outcomes and contributions of the study without repeating detailed results or introducing new data.

Acknowledgements

Individuals or institutions that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged, with their consent.

Declarations

All manuscripts must include a Declarations section, where applicable.

Conflict of interest statement

Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
Example:
“The authors declare no competing interests.”

Funding statement

All sources of funding must be disclosed. If no funding was received, this should be stated explicitly.

Ethics approval and consent

Studies involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must include confirmation of ethical approval and informed consent where required.

Author contributions

Authors are encouraged to provide an Author Contributions statement using the CRediT taxonomy.

Data availability

Authors are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement describing how supporting data may be accessed or explaining any restrictions.

Submission of a manuscript to the International Journal of Neurology implies that all authors have approved the manuscript and agree to comply with the journal’s editorial policies and ethical standards.

Article types

Original research articles

Original Research Articles present novel and unpublished findings that make a substantive contribution to neurological science or practice. Submissions must demonstrate methodological rigor, originality, and meaningful interpretation.

Typical length: 6,000–8,000 words, excluding references.

Review articles

Review Articles provide comprehensive and critical analyses of current knowledge in a defined area of neurology. Reviews should synthesise literature, identify gaps, and propose future directions.

Typical length: 7,000–9,000 words, excluding references.

Short communications

Short Communications report preliminary or focused findings of high relevance. These articles should be concise, clearly structured, and supported by adequate evidence.

Typical length: 2,500–3,500 words, excluding references.

Invited articles

Invited Articles are submitted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board and address topics of particular relevance or strategic importance. Invitation does not guarantee acceptance. All invited manuscripts are subject to editorial assessment and peer review.

Editorials

Editorials are typically written by editors or invited experts and address topical issues, policy matters, or perspectives relevant to the journal’s scope.

Copyright and licensing

All articles published in the International Journal of Neurology are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, adaptation, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Authors retain responsibility for ensuring that any third-party material included in their manuscript is used with appropriate permission and attribution.

Privacy statement

The International Journal of Neurology is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. Personal information is collected and used solely for legitimate journal operations and is not shared with third parties except where required by law or with explicit consent.

Reasonable technical and administrative measures are implemented to safeguard personal data. Individuals may request access to or correction of their personal information.

For privacy-related inquiries, please contact: editorial@ijneurology.org