Instructions for Authors
The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (JVMS)
Revised on June 1, 2024
1. General information
The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science (JVMS) is an open access, peer-reviewed journal thatcovers fields in basic, applied and clinical research in veterinary science.
JVMS is the official journal of the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science and releases 12 issues per
year. The journal publishes work on the following fields: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry,
Pharmacology, Ethology, Wildlife Science, Pathology, Toxicology, Laboratory Animal Science,
Parasitology, Bacteriology, Virology, Public Health, Immunology, Epidemiology, Avian Pathology,
Internal Medicine, Clinical Pathology, Surgery, and Theriogenology.
2. Types of papers
Full papers, Notes, and Review articles that are principally related to veterinary science and areunpublished and not under consideration for publication elsewhere will be accepted for publication.
The length of papers, including Tables, Figures, and any other appendices, should not exceed 8 PDF
pages for a Full paper or Review article, and 5 for a Note. (One PDF page corresponds to about 850
words, excluding the title, figures, and tables.)All submitted manuscripts are examined by editors and multiple reviewers, and the Editor-in-Chief
or Vice Editor-in-Chief determines their acceptance/rejection.
3. Compliance with ethical standards
Before submitting manuscripts, authors should carefully read the following ethical standards toensure compliance with the same. Manuscripts judged by the editors and Editorial Office as notcompliant with these standards may be rejected without review. Similarly, such manuscripts may
be retracted even after being accepted or published.
3-1. Duplicate submission
Manuscripts submitted to JVMS should not have been previously published, are not currently inpress, or under consideration for publication in other journals (even in part/any language).
However, research reports and dissertations registered in institutional repositories are exemptedfrom this rule.
If any related manuscripts are under consideration for submission to other journals, currently inpress, or were previously published, authors should inform the Editor-in-Chief at the time of1submission. However, manuscripts that are deposited to publicly accessible preprint servers are
not deemed to have previously been published (see [3-3. Preprints]).
If authors choose to submit their manuscripts to other journals prior to JVMS’s final decision toaccept/reject these manuscripts, they should retract the submission to JVMS first.
3-2. Originality
Submitting a manuscript to JVMS assures that the manuscript is original. JVMS screens forunoriginal content included in manuscripts using software. Authors submitting manuscripts to
JVMS are considered to consent to this screening. Manuscripts lacking originality to an
unacceptable level are rejected based on the editors’ judgment.
3-3. Preprints
To widely disseminate research, JVMS permits authors to register their manuscripts on preprint
servers officially approved by relevant research communities before or at the time of submittingthese manuscripts to JVMS. This applies only to original-version manuscripts describing primarystudies. Manuscripts revised based on reviewers’ comments, accepted for publication, or alreadypublished in JVMS cannot be registered on preprint servers. However, there is no restriction on
the registration of links to published papers on preprint servers.
3-4. Authorship
Submitting a manuscript to JVMS signifies that all co-authors have confirmed and approved theauthor list and final version of the manuscript. Any alteration to the author list after submission,
such as adding or deleting author names, or changing the order of authors, is basicallyunacceptable.
3-5. Identity of images
When authors digitally manipulate or process images, revisions should be minimized andprocessing should be applied to entire image within the standard ranges specified by relevant
research communities. Furthermore, when major revisions have been implemented, authors
should clearly explain such revisions in their manuscripts. All images in each manuscript should
accurately reflect original data. Authors should neither move, delete, add, nor emphasize
individual parts of images. Editors have the right to request authors to submit original,
unprocessed images. If authors have difficulty in submitting requested images, their manuscripts
may be rejected.
3-6. Reprinting of copyrighted materials

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When manuscripts contain materials to which authors themselves do not hold the copyrights,
authors must obtain the relevant permission(s) from copyright holders to reprint these materials.
When manuscripts contain materials that were previously published as papers, authors mustobtain permission(s) from copyright holders and publishers of original articles to reprint thesematerials. Additionally, authors should refer to the original articles in their manuscripts.
A copy of the permission(s) for reprinting should be attached when authors submit theirmanuscripts for the first time.
3-7. Data and materials availability
When necessary, authors should describe acceptance numbers and detailed corporate informationin their manuscript to specify sources of publicly available data and materials, such as open
repositories and private manufacturers.
Authors may disclose their own data and materials in supplements or display links to access open
databases and digital repositories officially approved by relevant research communities from theirmanuscripts. These data should be available to editors and reviewers during the review process.
3-8. Animal experiments/experiments involving human biospecimens
Authors who intend to submit manuscripts describing experiments involving animals or animal
biospecimens should specify that the study was conducted after approval of animal experimentcommittees organized within their institutions and furthermore, conformed to the guidelines
established by these institutions. As the Editorial Board may inquire about the course of events, it
is preferable for the authors to provide approval numbers in the manuscripts. Manuscripts judged
as being ethically compromised due to animal handling or experimental methods by the Editorial
Board may be rejected.
Authors who intend to submit manuscripts describing experiments involving humans or humanbiospecimens (including questionnaire surveys) should specify that the study processes were
performed conforming to the fundamental rules listed in the Helsinki Declaration, its revised
versions, or the guidelines established by authors’ institutions. When necessary, authors should
also explain (in their manuscripts) the method to obtain informed consent for participation in the
study and the publication of its findings. Manuscripts judged as non-compliant in this respect by
the Editorial Board may be rejected.
3-9. Experiments using genetically modified organisms
Authors who intend to submit manuscripts describing experiments using genetically modified
organisms should specify that the study was conducted conforming to the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the guidelines established byauthors’ institutions. As the Editorial Board may inquire about the course of events, it is3

preferable for the authors to provide approval numbers in the manuscripts. However, manuscripts
in countries not ratifying the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety may be excluded from this rule.
3-10. Statistical analysis
Authors who intend to submit manuscripts describing experiments requiring statistical analysis
should adopt appropriate statistical techniques and specify these methods. Manuscripts judged as
errant with statistical techniques by the editors may be rejected.
3-11. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
To ensure transparency, all submitted manuscripts require conflict-of-interest disclosure at thetime of submission. Conflicts of interest are deemed to be present when there are situations thatmay prevent authors from impartially conducting and reporting studies, or such situations are
suspected or possible. Potential conflicts of interest include (and are not limited to) commercial or
financial conflicts of interest, partnerships for commercial purposes, playing the role of aconsultant, and share and capital ownerships. If any undeclared conflicts of interest are suspected
in relation to submitted manuscripts, those manuscripts may be rejected based on the editors’
judgment. All manuscripts should contain a conflict-of-interest disclosure statement, even if only
to specify that there are none present.
Additionally, funding for the study should be explained in the ACKNOWLEDGMENTS sectionof each manuscript.
4. Open access
JVMS is an open access, online-only journal published in full color from Vol. 79. No. 1. (January,2017). Articles are registered on J-STAGE, an electronic journal platform of Japan Science andTechnology Agency and PubMed Central (PMC).
5. Article Publication Charge (from January 1, 2021)
JVMS charges an Article Publication Charge (APC) once an article is accepted for publication. The
APC covers the costs of article edition and online hosting management, as well as indexing
services. If the corresponding author is a member of the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science atthe time of submission, the APC is JPY 16,000 for a Full paper or Review article and JPY 12,000
for a Note. If not, an APC of JPY 32,000 will be charged for any types of manuscript. Authors arealso asked to pay the following optional APCs:(1) Cost of English proofreading when deemed necessary by the Editorial Board(2) Charge for extra pages (JPY 15,000 per extra page)(3) Additional fee for graphical abstract (JPY 2,000)

4After the online release, an APC invoice will be sent to the corresponding author by the JapaneseSociety of Veterinary Science. Payment should be made to the following account (Japan Post Bank
Code and Numbers: 00110-0-256160; Account Name: Japanese Society of Veterinary Science). An
APC will not be charged for review articles invited by the Editorial Board.
6. Publication license
The copyrights for all papers published in JVMS belong to the Japanese Society of Veterinary
Science. Authors are required to sign a license form to grant permission for publishing their works
in the Journal to the Japanese Society of Veterinary Science conforming to the Creative Commons
Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License.
7. Manuscript Preparation
7-1. Text formatting
In the top margin of the first page of the manuscript, one of the following categories should be
noted as the field of the research: Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Ethology,
Wildlife Science, Pathology, Toxicology, Laboratory Animal Science, Parasitology, Bacteriology,
Virology, Public Health, Immunology, Epidemiology, Avian Pathology, Internal Medicine,
Clinical Pathology, Surgery, and Theriogenology. The first page should also include details of thetype of paper: Full paper, Review article, or Note. In addition, it should include the title, authors’names, affiliations, and the full address (including city, country, postal code) of the institution(s)where the work was done, as well as the corresponding author’s name and e-mail address. A
running head in capital letters not exceeding 40 letters must be provided.
The second page should contain the abstract (240 words or less for a Full paper or Review article
and 120 words or less for a Note) and up to five key words (in alphabetical order).
For a Full paper or Review article, the text should be divided into the following sections:
INTRODUCTION, MATERIALS AND METHODS, RESULTS, DISCUSSION, CONFLICTOF INTEREST, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES, and FIGURE LEGENDS. For a
Note, such headings are not required except for CONFLICT OF INTEREST,ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, REFERENCES, and FIGURE LEGENDS.
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The manuscript should be double-spaced (24–26 lines per page and approx. 70 letters perline) on A4 size with suitable margins (2.5 cm at the top, bottom, left, and right sides of thepage).

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In the main text, consecutive page numbers on the footer and consecutive line numbers
through all pages on the left margin of the page should be provided.

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Only the first letter of proper nouns should be capitalized. Scientific names for animals,
plants, and microorganisms must be italicized.

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Avoid using abbreviations in the title of the paper. All abbreviations should be written inparentheses after spelling out or expanding the term in full at the first appearance in the
abstract and main text.
Arabic numerals should be used for quantities. Units and abbreviations should conform to
the following examples:

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M, mM, μM, %, m, cm, mm, μm, nm, pm, cm2, L, mL, μL, kg, g, mg, μg, ng, pg, hr,min, sec, msec, rpm, Hz, Bq, mBq, μBq, kBq, cpm, dpm, ppm, °C, J, KJ, lux.
Regarding suppliers, the following information should be provided when their names
initially appear in manuscripts: description (product name; corporate name, and the cityand country that the company is located in). For companies in the United States, anabbreviation of the state should follow the city.
References should be arranged in alphabetical order by first author’s surname andcoauthors’ surname, and numbered consecutively. For articles written by the same firstauthor, they should be listed in the following order: (1) article by only the first author, (2)that by the first author + one coauthor, and (3) that by the first author + more than one
coauthors. In the text, they should be cited by numbers in square brackets, e.g., [1], [3-5,7]. The abbreviations of titles of periodicals should conform to ISO 4-1972 (E):Documentation International Code for the Abbreviation of Titles of Periodicals and ISO
833-1974 (E): Documentation International List of Periodical Title Word Abbreviation.

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The following are examples:・ Beiser JA, Gustin KM, Pearce MB, Maines TR, Zeng H, Pappas C, Sun XS, Camey PJ,
Villanueva JM, Stevens J, Katz JM, Tumpey TM. 2013. Pathogenesis and transmission ofavian influenza A (H7N9) virus in ferrets and mice. Nature 501: 556–559.
・ Hori M, Yazama F, Matsuura Y, Yoshimoto R, Kaneda T, Yasumoto T, Ozaki H, Karaki H.
2018. Inhibition of actin polymerization by marine toxin pectenotoxin-2. J Vet Med Sci 80:
225–234.
・ Sasaki H, Sasaki N, Nishino T, Nagasaki K, Kitamura H, Torigoe D, Agui T. 2014.
Quantitative trait loci for resistance to the congenital nephropathy in tensin 2-deficient mice.
PLoS One 9: e99602.
・ Hamm LL, Alpern RJ, Preisig PA. 2013. Cellular mechanisms of renal tubular acidification.
pp. 1917–1978. In: Seidin and Giebisch’s The Kidney, 5th ed. (Alperm RJ, Caplan MJ, Moe
OW eds.), Elsevier, Amsterdam.
・ Wild DG. 2013. The Immunoassay Handbook, 4th ed., Elsevier Science & Technology,
Oxford.
・ Japan Pet Food Association (JPFA). 2013. Research for the number of household dog and cats6

in Japan. http://www.petfood.or.jp/data/chart2013/index.html [accessed on May 31, 2019].

7-2. Cover letterA cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board members should be prepared separatelyfrom the main text of the manuscript. It is preferred that the cover letter briefly describe the main
findings presented in the paper, their novelty and scientific importance, and how they will be ofinterest to the readers of JVMS. If the authors have registered the paper on a preprint server, thecover letter should also include a link to the preprint server.
7-3. Quality of English
It is essential to use American English. It is recommended that authors whose mother language is
not English have their manuscripts proofread by native English speakers or proofreading service
providers prior to submission. Such proofreading should be repeated after major revisions are
made in the review process.
8. Manuscript submission
Manuscripts are submitted and processed using the ScholarOne Manuscripts platform (SlM):
https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jvms.
Each manuscript should be uploaded and divided into the files specified below such that S1M
automatically creates a single PDF file from the uploaded files. As this PDF file is used in thereviewing process, the author should confirm the absence of text garbling and sharpness of images
prior to its submission.
The following files should be prepared when submitting a manuscript:○ Text: The text file should include a title page and a list of References: Microsoft word files are
preferred; Use a regular plain 11-point font (e.g., Times New Roman, Century) (Avoid Helvetica,
Arial, and Symbol).
○ Figures: Color figures are recommended, however, please be considerate of the accessibility toreaders with color-blindness.
Original files should be submitted in the following formats; PowerPoint, Word, Excel,
Photoshop (PSD, JPEG, TIFF), (Avoid SHS, EXE, COM, VBS, ZIP).
Required resolutions: monochrome: 1,200 dpi; grayscale and color: 600 dpi; and photographs(not containing text): 300 dpi.
Please see the PMC Guidelines and the articles:- Image Quality Specifications
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/pub/filespec-images/- Wendover, K. 2019. The arts: creating scientific figures with color in mind. The NICHD
Connection 10: 1–4.

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https://science.nichd.nih.gov/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=147424999- Swan, N. 2019. How to make scientific figures colorblind accessible. The NICHD Connection
10: 5–7.
https://science.nichd.nih.gov/confluence/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=147425018○ Tables: No vertical lines should be used. All phrases should begin with a capital letter, inprinciple. It is recommended that Excel is used to create tables. PowerPoint files areunacceptable. Each table should have a title that outlines the content.
○ To make figures and tables comprehensible by themselves, all abbreviations must be definedwhen corresponding terms initially appear in each manuscript.
○ Supplementary Tables, Figures, and Movies may be published as digital appendices.
○ As PDF files automatically created with SIM are used in the reviewing process, the resolutionsof figures should be adjusted to keep the file sizes at 5MB or smaller. High-resolution files
should be separately submitted after acceptance.
○ Files should be named as follows; figure and table numbers should be inserted into these names:
Text: AuthorName.doc(x)Figure: AuthorName_Fig1.tif (extension depends on the file)
Table: AuthorName_Table1.xls(x)Supplemental materials: AuthorName_suppl1.xls (the extension depends on the file)
Cover letter: AuthorName_cov.doc(x)○ Authors can suggest Preferred reviewers and Non-preferred reviewers at the time of submission.
However, this does not necessarily mean that the authors' preferences will be met.
9. After acceptanceAccepted manuscripts are published after editing and typesetting by the Editorial Office. All contact
related to each accepted manuscript is made with the corresponding author. Publication is usually inthe order of acceptance.
10. Graphical abstract
Accepted manuscripts may, at the author's request, be published with a graphical abstract at thetime of online publication. The graphical abstract is a brief, visual summary of the main results ofthe manuscript. The graphical abstract may be a figure that represents the main finding of thepaper, or it may be a specially designed figure that allows readers to understand the paper at a
glance.
The graphical abstract should be prepared in PowerPoint, JPEG, TIFF, or EPS file format.
11. Inquiries
JVMS Editorial Office: jvms@ipec-pub.co.jp

812. Notice about photocopying
To photocopy any work from JVMS, you or your organization must obtain permission from eitherof the following organizations that have been delegated for copyright clearance by the copyrightowner of this publication:[Except in the USA]
Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance. (JAACC)
6–41 Akasaka 9-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan
Phone: 81-3-3475-5618 FAX: 81-3-3475-5619
E-mail: info@jaacc.jp[In the USA]
Copyright Clearance Center
222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA
Phone: 1-978-750-8400 Fax: 1-978-646-8600

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