Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare
Instructions to Authors
Instructions to Authors updated 1 April 2024

AIMS & SCOPE
The Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare is an international, open access journal publishing highquality, original scientific research in health, sports, medicine and welfare. The journal publishes
articles spanning co-medical fields, social sciences, rehabilitation, nutrition, health promotion andpolicy that have been contributed by society members.
The journal is the official journal of the Niigata Society for Health and Welfare. It publishes Full
Articles, Brief Communications, Reviews and invited Opinions. Articles undergo rigorous and fair peer
review, and are published continuously online and collated into issues two or three times per year. The
journal aims to foster communication among researchers and allied health professionals including
health, welfare and sports sciences and policy makers. Furthermore, the journal aims to develop aninterdisciplinary science among co-medical fields, social science research, rehabilitation, nutrition,
health promotion, and policy, for human well-being. We welcome contributions from authors based
anywhere in the world.
Manuscript Types
The journal welcomes four manuscript types, all of which are subject to peer review.
Full Articles
Full Articles are comprehensive reports describing original research. They are presented in a standard
format: Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and References. The main
text (excluding references, tables, and figure legends) should not exceed 8000 words.
Brief Communications
Brief Communications are concise, topical reports describing original research that may not warrant
Full Articles but deserve publication as soon as possible. The main text should not exceed 2500 words
and should follow the format for Full Articles.

1Reviews
Reviews present novel or unique overviews of recent or important developments in the field. They must
be insightful and must address the question(s) of interest using appropriate and fully presented evidence;
exhaustive general summaries will not be considered. Reviews are generally 5000-6000 words and can
explore several aspects of importance in a broader subject area. Reviews are occasionally commissionedby the Editor-in-Chief, and the journal welcomes proposals from interested authors.
Opinions
Opinion articles are invited, fully peer-reviewed and evidence-based articles that offer authors theopportunity to present novel viewpoints or opinions, or raise important matters, for the attention of thejournal’s readership. Opinions do not usually include new data, but the journal will consider articles
that use novel information to support their case. Opinions can follow an essay style, or as otherwise
agreed with the Editor-in-Chief, and are generally 1000-2000 words in length.

JOURNAL & EDITORIAL POLICYThe originality of submitted manuscripts and the quality of the work are the prime considerations of
the Editors. Submitted manuscripts must be based on original research and not published or underconsideration for publication elsewhere, except in special circumstances agreed with the Editor-inChief. Any manuscripts not within the scope of the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare, that doreach an acceptable standard, or exceed the relevant word count may be returned to authors at the
Editors’ discretion without peer review.
Journal & Ethics Policies
The Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare strives to uphold the highest research and publishingstandards. This comprehensive suite of policies covers the main responsibilities of the journal’s
authors, reviewers, editors, and publisher. Before submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors mustensure that they have read and complied with the journal’s policies.
Author Responsibilities
Submission
The Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare welcomes manuscripts in English from authors based
anywhere in the world.

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Submission is subject to the condition that the first or the corresponding author is a member of the
Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare. Membership is open to researchers and workers in health,
medicine, welfare and sports science upon payment of a fee. Please contact the Editorial Office for more
information.
Submission of manuscript to the journal implies that all authors: have read and approved the it; haveagreed to its submission; have the right to publish it; and have read and complied with the journal’s
policies on publication ethics. Authors of submitted manuscripts acknowledge that the journal’s
editors reserve the right to reject or retract any manuscript they believe may breach any of thesepolicies.
Duplicate submission
Submission to the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare implies that the manuscript has not beenpreviously published (in part or in whole, in any language), is not in press, and is not underconsideration for publication elsewhere.

Authors must inform the editors if any related manuscripts are under consideration, in press or
published elsewhere. The posting of a manuscript to a publicly accessible preprint server does notconstitute prior publication (see ‘Preprints’), but it should be brought to the Editor’s attention upon
submission.
If authors choose to submit their manuscript elsewhere before a final decision has been made on its
suitability for publication in the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare, they should first withdraw itfrom the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare.
Originality
Submission to the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare implies that the manuscript is original work.
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been previously published (except in
the form of an abstract, a published lecture, or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for
publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the
responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be publishedelsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically, without thewritten consent of the copyright holder.

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The journal uses iThenticate or other plagiarism detection software to screen manuscripts for unoriginal
material. By submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors agree to this screening. The editors reserve
the right to reject or retract the manuscript if there is evidence that the manuscript contains an
unacceptable level of unoriginal material.
Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Authors should only use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in thewriting process to enhance readability and language, rather than for any other purpose.
Preprints
To support the wide dissemination of research, the journal encourages authors to post their researchmanuscripts on community-recognized preprint servers either before or alongside submission to thejournal. This policy applies only to the original version of a manuscript that describes primary research.
Any version of a manuscript that has been revised in response to reviewers’ comments, accepted for
publication or published in the journal should not be posted on a preprint server. Instead, forward links
to the published manuscript may be posted on the preprint server.
Scooping
When assessing the novelty of a manuscript submitted to the journal, the editors will not be influenced
by other manuscripts that are posted on community-recognized preprint servers after the date ofsubmission to the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare (or after the date of posting on a preprint
server, if the manuscript is submitted to the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare within 4 months).
Authorship
Submission to the journal implies that all authors have seen and approved the author list. Changes tothe author list after manuscript submission – such as adding or removing author names, or rearranging
author order – must be approved by all authors and the editor. Authors are expected to carefully consider
the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors
at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in theauthorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by
the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from thecorresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in the author list and (b) written confirmation (email, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal, or rearrangement. In the caseof addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.

4Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion, or rearrangement ofauthors after the manuscript has been accepted.
Authors are encouraged to consider the Council of Science Editors (CSE) principles governing
authorship (see www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-roleof-authors-and-contributors.html). According to the CSE guidelines, authors have made substantial
contributions to the work; have agreed to be held accountable for their own contributions to the work;
can identify which co-authors are responsible for other parts of the work; have confidence in the
integrity of the work; and have reviewed and approved the final manuscript. Authors should also ensure
they have obtained permission from those they have named within the Acknowledgements section.
Image integrity
Authors may digitally manipulate or process images, but only if the adjustments are kept to a minimum,
are applied to the entire image, meet community standards, and are clearly described in the manuscript.
All images in a manuscript must accurately reflect the original data on which they are based. Authors
must not move, remove, add or enhance individual parts of an image. The editors reserve the right torequest original, unprocessed images from the authors. Failure to provide requested images may resultin a manuscript being rejected or retracted.
Reproducing copyrighted material
If a manuscript includes material that is not under the authors’ own copyright, the authors must obtain
permission from the copyright holder(s) to reproduce it.
If a manuscript includes previously published material, the authors must obtain permission from the
copyright owners and the publisher of the original work to reproduce it. The authors must cite theoriginal work in their manuscript.
Copies of all reproduction permissions must be included with the manuscript when it is first submitted.
Availability of data and materials
Authors must disclose the source of publicly available data and materials, such as public repositories orcommercial manufacturers, by including accession numbers or company details in their manuscript, as
appropriate.

5Authors may make their own data and materials available by including relevant identification numbers
and links from their manuscript to relevant community-recognized public databases or digital
repositories. All data sets must be made available in full to the Associate Editor and reviewers during
the peer review process when requested and must be made publicly available by the date of publication.
Authors commit to preserving their data sets for at least 3 years from the date of publication in thejournal.
The journal encourages authors to grant reasonable requests from colleagues to share any data, materials
and experimental protocols described in their manuscript.
Animal/human experimentation
Authors of manuscripts describing experiments involving humans or materials derived from humans
must demonstrate that the work was carried out in accordance with the principles embodied in the
Declaration of Helsinki, its revisions, and any guidelines approved by the authors’ institutions. Where
relevant, the authors must include a statement in their manuscript that describes the procedures for
obtaining informed consent from participants regarding participation in the research and publication of
the research.
To preserve the anonymity of patients and subjects, all potentially identifying information (including
patient likenesses, identification numbers, names, and initials) must be removed from images, chartsand graphs, tables, and the text before the materials are submitted to the Editorial Office. A signed letterof consent must be included with the manuscript for any individual who might be identified as a resultof written descriptions, photographs (masking the eyes in photographs is not sufficient protection ofanonymity), or other means. Such consent, which requires that the individual be shown the manuscript,
should also be affirmed in the text or figure caption as appropriate.
Authors of manuscripts describing experiments involving animals or materials derived from animals
must demonstrate that the work was carried out in accordance with the guidelines approved by theauthors’ institution(s). The above-mentioned processes should be approved by the ethics committee inadvance of the research.
Conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest exists when there are actual, perceived or potential circumstances that could
influence an author’s ability to conduct or report research impartially. Potential conflicts include (but6are not limited to) competing commercial or financial interests, commercial affiliations, consulting roles,
or ownership of stock or equity. In the interests of transparency, the journal requires all authors to
declare any conflicts of interest (or lack thereof) in the ‘Compliance with Ethical Standards’ section of
the manuscript.
Authors should list all funding sources for their work in the Acknowledgements section of theirmanuscript.
Confidentiality
The journal maintains the confidentiality of all unpublished manuscripts. By submitting theirmanuscript to the journal, the authors warrant that they will keep all correspondence about theirmanuscript (from the Editorial Office, editors and reviewers) strictly confidential.
Editor / Publisher Responsibilities
Editorial and peer review process
The journal uses double-blind peer review. When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, it is assigned
to the Editor-in-Chief, who performs initial screening. Manuscripts that do not fit the journal’s scopeor are not deemed suitable for publication are rejected without review. The remaining manuscripts are
assigned by a Field Editor to an Associate Editor who then assigns two reviewers to assess eachmanuscript. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise, reputation and previous experience as peer
reviewers. Where no Associate Editors are available, the Field Editor takes the role of the Associate
Editor.
In principle, reviewers are asked to return their review within 2 weeks. However, this can be extendedby 1-2 weeks at the Associate Editor’s discretion, depending on the type and content of the manuscript.
Upon receipt of the two reviewers’ reports, the Associate Editor makes the first decision on the
manuscript. If the decision is to request revision of the manuscript, the Associate Editor grants theauthors a specified time period within which to resubmit the revised version. Revised manuscripts
submitted after this deadline may be treated as new submissions. The Associate Editor may send revisedmanuscripts to peer reviewers for their feedback or may use his or her own judgement to assess how
closely the authors have followed the Associate Editor’s and the reviewers’ comments on the original
manuscript.

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The Associate Editor then makes a recommendation to the Field Editor on the manuscript’s suitability
for publication. The Filed Editor passes the recommendation to the Editor-in-Chief, who is responsible
for making the final decision on each manuscript.
The members of the Editorial Board act in advisory roles, providing feedback as reviewers and making
suggestions to improve the journal. In cases where the Editor-in-Chief or the Field Editor is an author
on a manuscript submitted to the journal, a member of the Editorial Board is responsible for making thefinal decision on the manuscript’s suitability for publication in the journal.
Reviewer suggestions
When submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors may suggest reviewers that they would likeincluded in or excluded from the peer review process. The Associate Editor may consider thesesuggestions but is under no obligation to follow them. The selection, invitation and assignment of peer
reviewers is at the Associate Editor’s sole discretion.
Avoid suggesting reviewers who are colleagues or who have collaborated with you within the past three
years. Editors refrain from inviting reviewers who may have potential competing interests with theauthors. Additionally, to ensure a comprehensive and unbiased evaluation of the work while upholding
scientific integrity, please propose diverse candidate reviewers from various countries/regions distinct
from the author group. Consider other diversity aspects such as gender, race, ethnicity, career stage, etc.
Lastly, refrain from recommending current members of the journal's editorial team, as the journal isalready familiar with them.
Note: the editor decides whether or not to invite your suggested reviewers.
Reviewer reports
It is the journal’s policy to transmit reviewers’ comments to the authors in their original form. However,
the journal reserves the right to edit reviewers’ comments, without consulting the reviewers, if they
contain offensive language, confidential information, or recommendations for publication.
Acceptance criteria and editorial decisions
If a manuscript satisfies the journal’s requirements and represents a valuable contribution to the
published literature, the Associate Editor may recommend acceptance for publication in the journal.
In brief, the criteria for acceptance are that a manuscript is:8•within the subject area as outlined in the Aims and Scope

•

novel

•

scientifically, ethically, and otherwise rigorous•of interest to the journal’s broad audience, even if focused at a local or regional scale•

well-constructed and written in clear English.

If a manuscript does not meet the journal’s requirements for acceptance, but it has a high probability ofacceptance after minor or major revision, the Associate Editor may ask the authors to revise it
accordingly. Revised manuscripts must be submitted within a period specified by the Editor, otherwise
they will be treated as new submissions.
If a manuscript does not meet the journal’s requirements for acceptance or revision, the Associate Editor
will recommend rejection.
Editorial independence
The Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare is closely associated with Niigata University of Health andWelfare. However, both entities are independent organizations. Therefore, the review process for any
paper submitted to Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare is conducted from a standpoint independentof Niigata University of Health and Welfare.
Niigata Society of Health and Welfare has granted the journal’s Editorial Board complete and sole
responsibility for all editorial decisions. Niigata Society of Health and Welfare will not become
involved in editorial decisions, except in cases of a fundamental breakdown of process.
Editorial decisions are based only on a manuscript’s scientific merit and are kept completely separate
from the journal’s other interests.
Appeals
Authors who believe that an editorial decision has been made in error may lodge an appeal with the
Editorial Office. Appeals are only considered if the authors provide detailed evidence of amisunderstanding or mistake by a reviewer or editor. Appeals are considered carefully by the Editorin-Chief, whose decision is final.

9Confidentiality
The journal maintains the confidentiality of all unpublished manuscripts. Editors will not:•disclose a reviewer’s identity unless the reviewer makes a request for such disclosure•

discuss the manuscript or its contents with anyone not directly involved with the manuscript or its
peer review•

use any data or information from the manuscript in their own work or publications•

use information obtained from the peer review process to provide an advantage to themselves oranyone else, or to disadvantage any individual or organization.

Conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest exists when there are actual, perceived or potential circumstances that could
influence an editor’s ability to act impartially when assessing a manuscript. Such circumstances might
include having a personal or professional relationship with an author, working on the same topic or in
direct competition with an author, or having a financial stake in the work or its publication.
Members of the journal’s Editorial Board undertake to declare any conflicts of interest when handlingmanuscripts. A Field Editor or an Associate Editor who declares a conflict of interest is replaced by a
new Field Editor or an Associate Editor.
Errata and retractions
The journal recognizes the importance of maintaining the integrity of published literature.
A published article that contains an error may be corrected through the publication of an Erratum. Errata
describe errors that significantly affect the scientific integrity of a publication, the reputation of theauthors, or the journal itself. Authors who wish to correct a published article should contact the Editorial
Office with full details of the error(s) and their requested changes. In cases where co-authors disagree
over a correction, the Editor-in-Chief may consult the Editorial Board or external peer reviewers foradvice. If an Erratum is published, any dissenting authors will be noted in the text.
A published article that contains invalid or unreliable results or conclusions, has been publishedelsewhere, or has infringed codes of conduct (covering research or publication ethics) may be retracted.
Individuals who believe that a published article should be retracted are encouraged to contact the
Editorial Office with full details of their concerns. The Editor-in-Chief will investigate further and

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contact the authors of the published article for their response. In cases where co-authors disagree overa retraction, the Editor-in-Chief may consult the Editorial Board or external peer reviewers for advice.
If a Retraction is published, any dissenting authors will be noted in the text.
The decision to publish Errata or Retractions is made at the sole discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
Editors’ own publications in the journal
Any member of the journal’s Editorial Board who is an author on a submitted manuscript is
automatically excluded from the peer review process. They are able to see their manuscript as an author
but not as an editor, thereby maintaining the confidentiality of peer review.
A manuscript authored by an editor of the journal will be subjected to the same high standards of peer
review and editorial decision making as any manuscript submitted to the journal.
Responding to potential ethical breaches
The journal will respond to allegations of ethical breaches by following its own policies and, where
possible, the guidelines formulated by the Committee on Publication Ethics.
Long-term digital archiving
J-STAGE

preserves

its

full

digitallibrary

withPortico

in

a

dark

archive(see

www.portico.org/publishers/jstage/). In the event that the journal becomes unavailable at J-STAGE, it
will be released and made available by Portico.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Confidentiality
As part of their responsibilities, reviewers agree to maintain the confidentiality of unpublishedmanuscripts at all times. By accepting an invitation to review a manuscript, reviewers agree not to:•disclose their role in reviewing the manuscript•

reveal their identity to any of the authors of the manuscript•

discuss the manuscript or its contents with anyone not directly involved in the review process•

involve anyone else in the review (for example, a post-doc or PhD student) without first
requesting permission from the Editor•

use any data or information from the manuscript in their own work or publications11

•

use information obtained from the peer review process to provide an advantage to themselves oranyone else, or to disadvantage any individual or organization.

Reviewer conflicts of interest
A conflict of interest exists when there are actual, perceived or potential circumstances that could
influence a reviewer’s ability to assess a manuscript impartially. Such circumstances might include
having a personal or professional relationship with an author, working on the same topic or in directcompetition with an author, having a financial stake in the work or its publication, or having seen
previous versions of the manuscript.
Editors try to avoid conflicts of interest when inviting reviewers, but it is not always possible to identify
potential bias. Reviewers are asked to declare any conflicts of interest to the Associate Editor, who will
determine the best course of action.

OPEN ACCESS & COPYRIGHTThe Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare is fully Open Access and uses Creative Commons (CC)licenses to allow users to use, reuse and build upon the material published in the journal withoutcharge or the need to ask prior permission from the publisher or author. More details on the CC
licenses used by the journal, and their conditions, are provided below.
Copyright and Licensing
Authors are required to assign all copyrights in the work to the Niigata Society of Health and Welfare,which will then publish the work under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-ncnd/4.0/). The CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license lets others distribute an author’s work with appropriate
credit in non-commercial circumstances, but prohibits them from distributing remixes, translations, orversions that build upon the original. Authors are requested to contact the Editorial Office if they areaware of a case where someone wishes to use articles published in the Niigata Journal of Health andWelfare in ways not covered by the CC license.
Self-archiving (Green Open Access) Policy
Self-archiving, also known as Green Open Access, enables authors to deposit a copy of theirmanuscript in an online repository. The Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare encourages authors of

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all types of articles to upload their manuscript to an institutional or public repository immediately
after publication in the journal. Such a manuscript should carry a link to the formal publication via its
DOI, and bear a CC BY-NC-ND license and copyright designation thus:© <year>. This manuscript version is made available under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license(creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
Since June 1st, 2022, the Journal has started accepting submissions via Editorial Manager. The
information on submitted papers can be available on the system at any time. The author signs in to the
Editorial Manager, and click Submit New Manuscript

Submission Steps
Article Type Selection
Follow the on-screen instructions to select the appropriate article type as follows: Full Article, Brief
Communications, Reviews and Opinions (invited only).

Attach Files
Upload the following submission files individually:-

Title page-

Abstract-

Manuscript (in DOC, DOCX, RTF)-

Figures-

TablesSupplemental files (including supporting documentation for specific study types)
For each file uploaded, choose the matching Item Type from the dropdown menu. Enter or edit the
autofill description for each file in the Description field.
-

FiguresUpload figures in TIFF or EPS format, at a 300-600 ppi resolution, and not exceeding 10MB in size.
Supporting information files are acceptable in any format.

General Information
Category and Fields

13Select one of the categories provided that most closely matches the research area discussed in the
manuscript.
Keywords
Add keywords to help expedite processing of your manuscript (optional). You will not have an
opportunity to make changes, so make sure to add concise, accurate keywords now.

Review Preferences
Provide the names of any Editors or reviewers who should not assess the submission, and give thereason for opposition. Make sure to clearly indicate if the individual is an Editor in the explanation.

Additional Information
Check the boxes to indicate that you have read and agree with the 14 required statements regarding
Editorial and Publishing Policies.

Comments
Enter any comments that you would like to send to the journal office. These comments will not be
visible to Editors or reviewers or appear in the published article if accepted.
If this manuscript has been returned to you with a request for corrections or clarifying information(e.g. about images under copyright, competing interests), provide a response here as directed in theemail you received from the journal.

Manuscript Data
Editorial Manager will extract details from the manuscript to gather the following information. Verify
that they’re correct, and fill in any missing details:
-

Title

-

Running title-

Abstract-

Keywords-

Author list-

Funding information

Send to the Journal

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When you supply all requested information, click Build PDF for Approval on the final screen. The
system will merge the submission files into a PDF for your review. Click Approve to send it to thejournal.
Submission tasks were finished. Author will receive a confirmation message with a manuscript
number to track the submission’s progress.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
Manuscript Organization
Manuscripts should be written individually as follows.
The following elements are required, in order:-

Title page: List title, running title, authors, and affiliations-

Abstract-

Manuscript (Main text)-

Figures (if needed)-

Tables (if needed)

Style
The manuscript must be written in English in MS Word, using double line spacing on a standard A4
page size, 11-point type in Times New Roman font, and margins of at least 3 cm. Each page and line
should be numbered in order throughout the manuscript.
English Standard
Please ensure that your text is written in proper English. Authors who suspect that their Englishlanguage manuscript may contain grammatical or spelling errors, or may not adhere to the standardsof scientific English, are encouraged to consider utilizing the Language Editing service.
Authors whose native language is not English must have their submissions certified as having beenedited by a professional English editorial service. Documentation or certification of such editing must
be uploaded as a separate file when submitting the manuscript.
Manuscripts should be written in clear, grammatically correct English. Authors who are not fluent inEnglish are strongly encouraged to have their manuscript checked by a fluent English speaker or by15

an editing service prior to submission. If a manuscript is not clear due to poor English, the authors
may be requested to revise it before undergoing peer review process.
FormatFull Articles should comprise the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results,
Discussion/Conclusion, Acknowledgements, Compliance with Ethics Standards, References. In otherarticle types, sections may be omitted or combined as appropriate.
The maximum length of the text is 8000 words including all pages in the manuscript.
The title page should contain: Title, running title, Authors’ full names, Affiliations, Keywords, and thename and full address (including postal address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address)of the corresponding author.
Title
The title should describe the content of the article briefly but clearly and is important for search
purposes by third-party services. Do not use the same main title with numbered minor titles, even for
a series of papers by the same authors. Do not use abbreviations in the title, except those usedgenerally in related fields.
The title of the manuscript must not exceed 30 words. The title should be informative and contain the
major key words. Avoid unnecessary words like “Studies in”.
Authors
Provide the full names of the author(s).
Example: George Dexter Smith, Taro Ishida
The name of one corresponding author should be clearly indicated with his/her postal address,
telephone number, fax number, e-mail address.
Affiliations
Provide full names and addresses of institutions (including laboratory, department, institute and/or
university, city, state and country). When authors belong to different institutions, their respective
addresses should be indicated by superscript numbers. When authors have new addresses, they should
be given in a footnote and indicated by superscript symbols (such as * and **).

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Keywords
A maximum of five keywords should be provided.
Running Title
The running title should not exceed 50 characters, including spaces.
Abbreviations
Abbreviations should be defined at first mention in the text and in each table and figure. For a list of
standard abbreviations, the authors can consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Guide (available
from the Council of Science Editors, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20814) or other relevant
outlets. Write out the full term for each abbreviation at its first use unless it is a standard unit ofmeasure. Overuse of abbreviations in the text is discouraged. No abbreviations should be used in thetitle or the abstract, except those generally used in related fields.
Footnotes
Footnotes, if any, should be typed in a separate sheet (the second page of the manuscript).
Abbreviations should also be listed on this page.
Units and Abbreviations
Physical measurements and laboratory values should be given according to the International System
of Units (SI). Each abbreviation should be defined in parentheses together with its non-abbreviatedterm when it first appears in the text and in each table and figure (except in the Title and Abstract).
Abstract
The Abstract should clearly express the basic content of the paper in a single paragraph and should
include the purpose of study, materials and methods, main results and findings, and conclusions.
Abstracts must not exceed 300 words for all article types. Avoid using specific abbreviations. If it isessential to refer to a previous publication, omit the article title (e.g. Maekawa S, Endo S, and Sakai
H. Sci. Journal. 2015; 14: 10–15).
Introduction
The Introduction should provide sufficient background information to allow the reader to understandthe purpose of the investigation and its relationship with other research in related fields. It should notinclude an extensive review of the literature.

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Materials and Methods
The description of the methods should be brief, but it must include sufficient details to allow the
research and the statistical analyses to be reproduced by others. The sources of unusual chemicals,
animals, microbial strains or equipment should be described, and the location (city, country) of the
manufacturer or supplier should be provided in parentheses. If hazardous materials or dangerous
procedures are used in the experiments and the precautions related to their handling are not widely
recognized, it is recommended that the authors provide the necessary details.
Results
The Results should present the research data with a particular statistical significance. Tables andfigures, including photographs, can be used to describe the research results (see below). Excessive
explanations of the data presented in tables and figures should be avoided.
Conclusion / Discussion
The Conclusion or Discussion should be concise and should deal with the interpretation of the results.
They should focus on the interpretation and significance of the findings, comparing them topreviously published knowledge. Novel models or hypotheses may be proposed in this section only ifthey are suggested by the results obtained in the research. Do not repeat the description of the research
results in this section.
Acknowledgements
List all funding sources supporting the work as well as those individuals the authors wish to name for
their significant contribution to the study.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
Any conflicts of interest, ethical approval, and informed consent should be stated in this section, alongwith the approval letter number issued by the institutional review board or the ethics committee.
References
Number references consecutively in the order that they are first cited in the text. Identify references inthe text by Arabic numerals in square brackets. No more than 50 references are allowed. Works should
only be cited when the authors have read them; this avoids flawed descriptions and the promulgationof errors.

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In the reference list, references should appear in numerical order. For references with three or fewer
authors, list the surnames and initials of all authors. For references with four or more authors, list thesurnames and initials of the first three authors followed by “et al.” The titles of journals should be
abbreviated according to the style used for MEDLINE (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals).
The list of references should only include works that are cited in the text and that have been publishedor accepted for publication. Papers accepted but not yet published should be identified as “in press”
with the name of the journal or book publisher. Avoid citing “personal communications”. Also avoid
citing statements or non-persistent internet sources for databases or datasets. Authors are responsible
for verifying that none of the references cite retracted articles except in the context of referring to theretraction.
Except for the number of authors, references should follow the standards summarized in theInternational Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct,
Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals issued by the National
Library of Medicine (NLM), United States of America: Sample References(www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html) webpage and detailed in the NLM’s Citing
Medicine, 2nd edition (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/). In cases where there is no journal
abbreviation provided in NLM catalogue, use the full title.
References in languages other than English should be cited with the authors’ names, the title and thesource of the work in the original language as well as a English translation of the title in a bracket
after the title and before the period, using the style shown in the Publication Manual of the American
Psychological Association, Seventh Edition. For sources written in a different alphabet than the
Roman alphabet, transliterate the original alphabet into the Roman alphabet. For Chinese, Japaneseand Korean languages, please follow the examples at the Yale University Library webpage: ‘Quick
Guide on Citation Style for Chinese, Japanese and Korean Sources: APA Examples’(guides.library.yale.edu/c.php?g=296262&p=1974231). The year of publication, volume, issue, andpage numbers should be formatted as described in the NLM’s ICMJE recommendations.
Example references:
1. Gotoh Y, Kurokami H, Ikuta T. Measurement of critical viewing skills in web browsing using

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correspondence analysis. Niigata j. Health welf. 2009;9:2-17.
2. Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acidconcentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res. 2002;935(1-2):40-6.
3. Langhorne P, Coupar F, Pollock A. Motor recovery after stroke: a systematic review. Lancet
Neurol. 2009;8:741-754.
4. Spector R, Snodgrass RS, Johanson CE. A balanced view of the cerebrospinal fluid composition
and functions: focus on adult humans. Exp Neurol. 2015;273:57-68.
doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.07.027
5. Kondō S. Yēru Daigaku Shozō Harima no Kuni Ōbe no Shō Kankei Monjo ni Tsuite [On Harimano Kuni Ōbe no Shō Kankei Monjo at Yale University Collection]. Tōkyō: Tokyō Daigaku Shiryō
Hensanjo Kenkyū Kiyō. 2013;23:1-22. (in Japanese)
6. Van Roosmalen L, Ohnabe H. Universal design. In: Cooper AR, Ohnabe H, Douglas DA, editors.
An introduction to rehabilitation engineering. 1st ed. London: Taylor & Francis; 2007. p. 47-65.
7. American Occupational Therapy Association, Ad Hoc Committee on Occupational Therapy
Manpower. Occupational therapy manpower: a plan for progress. Rockville (MD): The Association;
1985 Apr. 84 p.
8. Yamamoto M. Future development of Niigata University of Health and Welfare (2021-2030):
considering internal troubles and external pressures. Niigata j. health welf. (in press)
9. Jablonski S. Online Multiple Congenital Anomaly/Mental Retardation (MCA/MR) Syndromes[Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); c1999 [updated 2001 Nov 20; cited
2002 Aug 12]. Available from: //www.nlm.nih.gov/archive//20061212/mesh/jablonski/syndrome_
title.html
TablesAll tables should be numbered in the order in which they first appear in the text and should be given a
suitable title. Each table must be placed on a separate page and be prepared as near to the finished size
as possible. Explanatory material and footnotes should be typed below the table and should bedesignated with superscript letters, such as a) or b). Units of measurement should be included withnumerical values at the top of columns. Avoid detailed explanations of the experimental conditions
used to obtain the data shown in tables (which should be included in the Materials and Methods
section).
FiguresFigures include line drawings and photographs. Single-column figures must not exceed 84 mm x 220

20mm. Double-column figures must not exceed 173 mm x 220 mm. Magnifications of photographs
should be indicated in the legends and/or by scales included in the photographs. Illustrations must be
self-explanatory. All figures should be numbered in the order in which they are first mentioned in the
text (i.e., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.). Each figure must be placed on a separate page. Authors should submit
figures in color only if they intend the figures to be published in color. In this case, authors will becharged additional costs for reprints as the Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare is an online-onlyjournal. Each figure should have a short title. Figure legends should be self-explanatory and typed
together on a separate sheet(s). Figure legends should include sufficient experimental details to makethe figures intelligible; however, duplicating the descriptions provided in the Materials and Methods
should be avoided. Legends should incorporate definitions of any symbols used, and all abbreviations
and units of measurement should be explained. The anonymity of patients and subjects must bepreserved.

ACCEPTED MANUSCRIPTS
Manuscripts that are accepted for publication are copyedited and typeset by the journal’s production
team before publication. All communication regarding accepted manuscripts is with the corresponding
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ProofsPage proofs are sent to the corresponding author, who should check and return them by the due date.
Only essential corrections to typesetting errors or omissions are accepted; excessive changes are notpermitted at the proofing stage.
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described above.
Contact
Editorial Office: Office of Niigata Journal of Health and Welfare, Niigata Society of Health and21

Welfare, 1398 Shimami-cho, Kita-ku, Niigata City, Niigata 950-3198, JAPAN.
E-mail: gakkai@nuhw.ac.jp
Fax number: 025-257-4456 (from inside Japan) or + 81-25-257-4456 (from outside Japan).

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