Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: 

Please read the guidelines below and then visit the Journal’s submission site https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfms to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned. 

Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery will be reviewed.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

1. Article types
2. Editorial policies
   2.1 Peer review policy
   2.2 Authorship
   2.3 Acknowledgments
   2.4 Declaration of conflicting interests
   2.5 Funding
   2.6 Clinical and research ethics, and informed consent
   2.7 Reporting guidelines 
   2.8 Data
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
   3.3 Open Access and
   3.4 Author archiving
   3.5 Permissions
4. Preparing your manuscript for submission 
   4.1 Formatting
   4.2 Artwork, figures, other graphics and tables 
   4.3 Style guide
   4.4 Abbreviations, symbols, and drug names
   4.5 Supplementary material
   4.6 Reference style
   4.7 Reference interval guidelines
   4.8 English language editing services
   4.9 Disclaimer
5. Submitting your manuscript
   5.1 ORCID
   5.2 Information required for completing your submission
6. On acceptance and publication
   6.1 Sage production
   6.2 Access to your published article
   6.3 OnlineFirst publication
7. Further information

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics
This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

JFMS is now a Gold Open Access journal and an article processing charge (APC) is now in place. See sections 1 and 2 for more details. 

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1. Open Access

JFMS is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. Each article accepted by peer review is made freely available online immediately upon publication, is published under a Creative Commons licence and will be hosted online in perpetuity. Publication costs of the journal are covered by the collection of an Article Processing Charge, which is paid by the funder, institution or author of each manuscript upon acceptance. There is no charge for submitting a paper to the journal.

For more information relating to JFMS becoming open access, visit the FAQs page. For general information on open access at Sage please visit the Open Access page or view our Open Access FAQs.

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2. Article Processing Charge (APC)

If, after peer review, your manuscript is accepted for publication, a one-time article processing charge (APC) is payable. This APC covers the cost of publication and ensures that your article will be freely available online in perpetuity under a Creative Commons license.

The full APC is $1800 USD*.
A 22% discount is in place for authors who are a member of ISFM or AAFP.
A 33% discount is in place for authors who are an Editorial Board member.
A 20% discount is in place for authors who have reviewed for JFMS in the 6 months prior to submission

The APC is payable when a manuscript is accepted after peer review, before it is published. *The APC is subject to taxes where applicable. Tax-exempt status can be indicated by providing appropriate registration numbers when payment is requested. Please see further details here.

3. Article types

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) considers manuscripts submitted in the following formats.

Original Articles 
Papers should be as concise as possible, and generally not exceed 3,000 words (excluding references). Each paper should have a self-contained Abstract (up to 300 words, structured with subheadings as detailed in Preparing your manuscript), followed by Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval and Informed Consent statements, and References. Note that Original Articles on well-recognised diseases that report valuable national or regional data on disease prevalence, or other relevant data, should be submitted to the sister journal, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports (jfmsopenreports.com) as a Short Communication. The manuscript submission guidelines for JFMS Open Reports can be found here.

Review Articles
Offers of reviews and topics for consideration should be directed to the Editors, via the editorial office (jfms@icatcare.org), for initial editorial approval. Reviews should provide an update on recent advances in a particular field and the length should not generally exceed 4,000 words. They should include an abstract (up to 300 words), followed by subheadings directed by the content, as well as Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval and Informed Consent statements, and References.

Short Communications
Short communications reporting relevant research or sufficiently substantial pilot studies are considered for JFMS. They should generally not exceed 1,500 words. They should include a self-contained Abstract (up to 300 words, structured with subheadings as detailed in Preparing your manuscript), followed by Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval and Informed Consent statements, and References.

Short Communications of national or regional significance (eg, reporting regional data relating to well-recognised diseases) should be submitted to the sister journal, the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports (jfmsopenreports.com) – the manuscript submission guidelines for which can be found here.

Case Series
Large (minimum of four cases) prospective and retrospective case series are considered for JFMS. Depending on the information contained, a Case Series may be up to 2,500 words in length. It should include a brief Abstract (up to 300 words structured with subheadings detailed in Preparing your manuscript) followed by Introduction (optional), Case series description, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval and Informed Consent statements, and References. Small case series (up to three cases) and individual case reports that provide novel information should be submitted to the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports – the manuscript submission guidelines for which can be found here.

Letters to the Editor

Letters commenting on papers recently published in JFMS will be considered for publication in the journal. Letters should not exceed 1,000 words (including references and one table or figure). The Editors may send the letter to the authors of the original paper for comment so that both letter and reply may be published together.

Manuscripts should be clearly labelled ‘Original Article’, ‘Review Article’, ‘Short Communication’, ‘Case Series’ or ‘Letter to the Editor’.

Table 1. Overview of the requirements for manuscript submission to JFMS

*Excludes abstract, references, tables and legends
**Includes references, tables and legends

Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Resident Best Paper Award

The award recognises quality and excellence for early career authors who publish in JFMS. Authors who are in a recognised veterinary residency programme (eg, ABVS, EBVS and ANZCVS residency) at the time of submission of their paper will automatically be eligible for consideration for the award, subject to its acceptance for publication. Accepted papers will be considered for the award in the year in which they are published. Details about this award for interested residents and resident supervisors can be found here.

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4. Editorial policies 

4.1 Peer review policy

JFMS operates a single-blinded peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author. The reviewer may at their own discretion opt to reveal their name to the author in their review but our standard policy is for the reviewer’s identity to remain concealed. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two referees. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, and an editorial decision is generally reached within 6–8 weeks of submission. Generally, JFMS does not accept more than two revisions to a paper. 

4.2 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Corresponding authors should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:

1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data,
2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
3. Approved the version to be published.
4. Have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. 

Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.
When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgements section (see 2.3 below). Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.

4.3 Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help (see also section 2.2).

4.3.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

• Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
• Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
• Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

4.3.2 Writing assistance 

Individuals who provided writing assistance (eg, from a specialist communications company) do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose the use of language polishing services.

Any acknowledgements should appear first at the end of your article prior to your Conflict of Interest statement.

4.3.2 Prior presentation at conferences

Details of any prior presentation of study findings/results at conferences or meetings should be included in an 'Author note' section after the 'Acknowledgements' and before the 'Conflict of Interest' statement.

4.4 Declaration of conflicting interests 

It is the policy of JFMS to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.
Please ensure that a ‘Conflict of Interest’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and before the 'Funding' statement. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article’.

For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

4.5 Funding

JFMS requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate ‘Funding’ heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: ‘The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.’ 

4.6 Clinical and Research Ethics, and Informed Consent

Prior to undertaking studies and prior to submitting a manuscript to JFMS, authors should read these guidelines to ensure requirements have been adequately met. 

Circumstances relating to the use of animals in clinical and experimental studies must meet international standards as set out in:

• The International Guiding Principles for Biomedical Research Involving Animals (1985) from the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences, available at https://cioms.ch/shop/product/international-guiding-principles-for-biomedical-research-involving-animals-2/ (or from the Executive Secretary CIOMS, ℅ WHO, Via Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland)
• The ARRIVE Guidelines, available at https://arriveguidelines.org/ 

In addition to the above, for manuscripts submitted to JFMS, the Editors would not normally support publication of:

• Any experimental studies directly resulting in euthanasia of the cats.
• Studies using non-experimental (eg, client-owned) cats that may cause the cat a level of pain, suffering, distress or harm higher than that induced by inserting a hypodermic needle, and/or where the procedure is not part of ‘Recognised Veterinary Practice’. Recognised Veterinary Practice would include investigations, procedures and therapies that are part of normal clinical practice and that would be of direct benefit for the individual cat (or potentially to the group to which it immediately belongs). Where investigations, procedures or therapies are unproven, or where there is deliberate exposure of cats to procedures or interventions that might be deleterious to their health without direct clinical benefit to them, it is highly likely that experimental cats should be used with appropriate attention to their health and welfare, with the requisite ethical approval (see below). If authors are in any doubt, they are encouraged to contact the Editors prior to manuscript submission.

The Editors would also expect that for all manuscripts submitted:

• Where appropriate, analgesia, sedation and/or anaesthesia must have been used and the authors should have adequately discussed the use of analgesia for the welfare of the cats involved. 
• Any drugs or therapeutic agents used must have been obtained legally and ethically, following all relevant locally applicable regulations.
• Research involving experimental animals must always have received prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee with oversight of the facility in which the studies were conducted, and this may also apply to some studies involving client-owned animals (see 2.6.1 Ethical approval).

The Editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts on ethical or welfare grounds when, in their opinion, studies involve unnecessary pain, distress, suffering, harm, or potential harm to animals; and where the above guidelines have not been followed. 

4.6.1 Ethical Approval

All material published in JFMS must adhere to high ethical standards concerning animal welfare and meet with the above guidelines. Irrespective of the nature of the work (eg, prospective, retrospective or experimental studies, case series or review), JFMS requires all authors to make one of the following four ethical approval declarations (using the exact wording) in an ‘Ethical approval’ section at the end of their manuscript, stating:

a)    The work described in this manuscript involved the use of non-experimental (owned or unowned) animals. Established internationally recognised high standards (‘best practice’) of veterinary clinical care for the individual patient were always followed and/or this work involved the use of cadavers. Ethical approval from a committee was therefore not specifically required for publication in JFMS. Although not required, where ethical approval was still obtained, it is stated in the manuscript

b)    The work described in this manuscript involved the use of non-experimental (owned or unowned) animals and procedures that differed from established internationally recognised high standards (‘best practice’) of veterinary clinical care for the individual patient. The study therefore had prior ethical approval from an established (or ad hoc) committee as stated in the manuscript. 

• This statement might, for example, apply to randomised and/or controlled trials (including where established interventions are being compared with each other), as well as studies where novel medications, techniques, devices or interventions established as safe but not currently part of ‘Recognised Veterinary Practice’ (see 4.6 Clinical and research ethics, and informed consent) are used. 
• Authors must state in the Materials and methods the nature of the institutional, national or international ethical review body used, and, if available, the ethical approval number. 
• If an existing ethical review body was not available, authors should state why in the Materials and methods, and should describe the nature of an ad hoc committee that was used (which must have included at least some individuals independent of the institute[s]/clinic[s] involved in the work).

c)  The work described in this manuscript involved the use of experimental animals and the study therefore had prior ethical approval from an established (or ad hoc) committee as stated in the manuscript. 

•   Authors must state in the Materials and methods the nature of the institutional, national or international ethical review body used, and, if available, the ethical approval number. 
• If an existing ethical review body was not available, authors should state why in the Materials and methods, and should describe the nature of an ad hoc committee that was used (which must have included at least some individuals independent of the institute[s]/clinic[s] involved in the work).

d)  This work did not involve the use of animals and therefore ethical approval was not specifically required for publication in JFMS. 

• Authors may select this option if, for example, the manuscript is solely a Clinical Spotlight review or clinical guidelines using previously published data, or reports on questionnaire or in vitro findings. This statement is not suitable for manuscripts containing novel animal-specific data (including retrospective studies).

For any queries regarding the best-fit statement, please contact jfms@icatcare.org.

4.6.2 Informed consent and informed consent for publication

JFMS requires all authors to make one of the following two informed consent declarations (using the exact wording below) in an ‘Informed consent’ section at the end of their manuscript, stating:

    a)    Informed consent (verbal or written) was obtained from the owner or legal custodian of all animal(s) described in this work (experimental or non-experimental animals, including cadavers) for all procedure(s) undertaken (prospective or retrospective studies).

    b)    This work did not involve the use of animals (including cadavers) and therefore informed consent was not required. 

•  Authors may select this option if, for example, the manuscript is solely a clinical review or clinical guidelines using previously published data, or reports on questionnaire or in vitro findings, and does not involve the publication of any novel animal-specific data.

In addition to informed consent for use of animals within a study, informed consent for publication is required where any animal or person may be identifiable as a result of the publication (eg, a recognisable photograph, description or unique identifiable features, etc). Authors are therefore required to also state within the ‘Informed consent’ section either:

    a)   For any animals or people individually identifiable within this publication, informed consent (verbal or written) for their use in the publication was obtained from the people involved.

    b)   No animals or people are identifiable within this publication, and therefore additional informed consent for publication was not required.

4.7 Reporting guidelines

Authors and researchers are encouraged to consult the relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines for different studies, including, for example, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) for randomized controlled trials. Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives

4.8 Data

JFMS requests that any primary data used by authors in their research article is published as Supplementary material, or that detailed information is provided in the article on how the data can be obtained. This information should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Data available only on an author-maintained website will need to be loaded onto either the journal’s platform or a third-party platform to ensure continuing accessibility. Examples of data types include (but are not limited to) statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research. The Editors may consider limited embargoes on proprietary data. The Editors can also grant exceptions for data that cannot legally or ethically be released. All data submitted should comply with Institutional or Ethical Review Board requirements and applicable government regulations. For further information, please contact Sophie Donnelly (sophie.donnelly@sagepub.co.uk), Publishing Editor at Sage Publications.

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5. Publishing policies

5.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.  

5.1.1 Plagiarism

JFMS and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

5.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. JFMS publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard JFMS license is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC 3.0), which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly referenced and the use is non-commercial. For more information, you are advised to visit Sage's OA licenses page.

Alternative license arrangements are available, for example, to meet particular funder mandates, made at the author’s request.

5.3 Author archiving

For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

5.4 Permissions

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.

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6. Preparing your manuscript for submission

This section explains how to format, style and reference your paper for JFMS. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article online through online search engines such as Google. Please refer to the information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your Abstract and select your keywords by visiting the Sage Journal Author Gateway for guidelines on How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.

6.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. Word and LaTeX templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

The text should be double-spaced throughout and with a minimum of 3 cm for left and right hand margins and 5 cm at head and foot. Text should be standard 10 or 12 point. All lines should be numbered on manuscripts using continuous line numbering. Figures, tables and Supplementary material should all be cited in the text in numerical order.

Title page

The first page of the manuscript should list the title (which should be concise [20 words maximum] and contain no abbreviations), the authors’ institutional addresses, the corresponding author’s email address and postnominals, and the article’s keywords (a minimum of four, not including ‘cat’ or ‘feline’).

Abstract

The second page of the manuscript must contain the abstract, which should be of no more than 300 words and must be clearly written and comprehensible to readers before they come to read the paper.

For Original Articles and Short Communications, the Abstract should be structured with the following four subheadings: ‘Objectives’, ‘Methods’, ‘Results’, and ‘Conclusions and relevance’. For Case Series, the abstract should be structured with the following two subheadings: ‘Case series summary’, and ‘Relevance and novel information’. For Reviews, the abstract can either have no subheadings or subheadings of the author’s choice.

Reference citations are not permitted.

Any manuscripts submitted without a structured abstract will be returned to the author prior to peer review, thus delaying the evaluation process of the manuscript. 

6.2 Artwork, figures, other graphics and tables

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage's Manuscript Submission Guidelines. Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online and in print.Tables should be provided in an editable format (eg, drawn in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel). The minimum image quality required is 300dpi at 1000 x 1000 pixels.

6.3 Style Guide

JFMS has its own style guide: JFMS Style Guide 2023

6.4 Abbreviations, symbols and drug names

Each scientific abbreviation must be explained at its first occurrence in the paper; for example:
• complement fixation test (CFT). 

Do not use propriety symbols (eg, ® or ™) or ltd, etc, in medications or company names.

Medications should be referred to by their recommended International Nonproprietary Name (rINN). A list of these generic names is coordinated by the World Health Organization at http://www.who.int/medicines/services/inn. Where appropriate, the proprietary name and the manufacturer should be given in parentheses when first mentioned; for example:
• carprofen (Rimadyl; Zoetis).

6.5 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (eg, datasets, podcasts, videos, images, etc) alongside the full-text of the article. These will still be subjected to peer review. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files.

6.6 Reference style

JFMS adheres to the Sage Vancouver reference style. View the Sage Vancouver guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Vancouver EndNote output file.

In general only primary sources of information should be cited – citing reviews or book chapters where primary sources are referred to is generally not acceptable. Where relevant, authors should make note of [Abstract] and [Letter] in their references.

6.7 Reference interval guidelines

Guidelines for papers determining reference intervals in veterinary species can be found at: https://www.asvcp.org/page/QALS_Guidelines.

6.8 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications may consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services for further information.

6.9 Disclaimer

The Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS) is published for veterinary and allied professionals and is not intended for use by cat owners or carers as a substitute for professional veterinary care. The journal’s content represents views and opinions of the authors (and advertisers), and not necessarily the views or opinions of the editors, societies, or publisher, who make no representation or give any warranty as to the accuracy, applicability, fitness or completeness of the content. 

Ultimate responsibility for the interpretation of published materials lies with the veterinary practitioner. Authors (and advertisers) may describe the use of products, formulations, methods, or techniques that are not necessarily available or licensed for use in cats in a reader’s own country. Publication of this content does not amount to an endorsement of efficacy, value or quality, or the claims made by authors or advertisers, and the reader is responsible for ensuring they comply with the legal and ethical treatment of animals. The authors, editors, societies, and publisher accept no responsibility for any loss or damage arising from actions or decisions based on information contained in this journal

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7. Submitting your manuscript

JFMS is hosted on Sage Track, a web-based online submission and peer review system powered by ScholarOne™ Manuscripts. Visit https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfms to login and submit your article online.

IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in the system before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal since 2011 it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

7.1 ORCID

ORCID applies only to papers published in the Classic editions of JFMS, due to the required verification expected by ORCID. 

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognised.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID iD to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication's metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

Please note that only ORCID iDs validated prior to article acceptance will be authorised for publication, and we are unable to add or amend ORCID iDs at later stages (eg, at proof stage).

Once an ORCID account is set up you are able to add papers manually to your account to ensure all your work is accounted for. We would recommend this for all papers published in the Clinical Practice editions of JFMS.

7.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. Please note that a user account, containing name, email address and institution, will be created for all authors listed on a paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant). Manuscripts must be submitted with declaration statements in the following order: Acknowledgements (where relevant), Conflict of Interest, Funding, Ethical Approval and Informed Consent.

7.2.1 Social Media - Twitter @CatVets and @ISFMCats

JFMS uses Twitter (through both the ISFM channel @ISFMCats and the AAFP channel @CatVets) to engage with debate on Social Media. Authors and readers are encouraged to join the ongoing discussion around the twitter account on issues related to the Journal.

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8. On acceptance and publication

8.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly.

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9. Further Information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the JFMS editorial office: jfms@icatcare.org

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