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Instructions for Authors
Instructions for Authors      Copyright Transfer Form      Author’s Signature Form
I. ABOUT THE JOURNAL
II. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
III. CATEGORIES OF PUBLICATIONSs
IV. PEER REVIEW PROCESS
V. PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
VI. ETHICS IN PUBLISHING
VII. AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST

Enacted: December 31, 1974
Revised: March 31, 2011

I. ABOUT THE JOURNAL
Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine (CERM) is an international peer-reviewed journal for the gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, urologists and basic scientists providing a recent advancement in our understanding of human and animal reproduction. CERM is an official journal of the Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine. Abbreviated title is Clin Exp Reprod Med.
The aims of CERM are to publish the high quality articles that facilitate the improvement of the current diagnosis and treatment in couples with reproductive abnormalities through human or relevant animal model research. Its scope is the infertility, reproductive endocrinology, urology, andrology, developmental biology of gametes and early embryos, basic reproductive science, reproductive physiology, reproductive immunology, genetics and biology of stem cell.


II. MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
Manuscripts for submission to CERM should be prepared according to the following instructions. CERM follows the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication if not otherwise described below. Any physicians or researchers throughout the world can submit a manuscript if the scope of the manuscript is appropriate. Manuscripts can be submitted either in English or Korean.
Only those manuscripts which are original, have not been published elsewhere, and are not currently being considered for inclusion in another publication will be considered for publication in CERM. All manuscripts should be submitted online via the journal’s website (http://www.eCERM.org) by the corresponding author. Submission instructions are available at the website. All articles submitted to the journal must comply with these instructions. Failure to do so will result in return of the manuscript and possible delay in publication. Send all correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts to:

Inn Soo Kang, M.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
Address: Cheil Medical Research Institute Bldg. 2F, Cheil General Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine,
1-19 Mukjeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-380, Korea
Tel: +82-2-2000-7549, Fax: +82-2-2267-0490
E-mail: ikang67@kwandong.ac.kr


III. CATEGORIES OF PUBLICATIONS
CERM publishes invited review articles, original articles, case reports, brief communications, and letter to editor.
  • Invited review articles provide a concise review of a subject of importance to researchers written by an invited expert in reproductive medical science.
  • Original articles are papers reporting the results of basic and clinical investigations that are sufficiently well documented to be acceptable to critical readers.
  • Case reports deal with clinical cases of medical interest or innovation.
  • Brief communications are short original research articles on issues important to medical and biological researchers.
  • Letter to editor includes a reader’s comment on an article published in CERM and a reply from the authors.


    • IV. PEER REVIEW PROCESS
    All manuscripts will be evaluated by two peer reviewers who are selected by the editors. The acceptance criteria for all papers are based on the quality and originality of the research and its clinical and scientific significance. An initial decision will normally be made within 4 weeks of receipt of a manuscript, and the reviewers’ comments are sent to the corresponding authors. Revised manuscripts must be submitted online by the corresponding author. The corresponding author must indicate the alterations that have been made in response to the referees’ comments item by item in response note. Failure to resubmit the revised manuscript within 8 weeks of the editorial decision is regarded as a withdrawal. Please notify the editorial office if additional time is needed or if you choose not to submit a revision.
    Authors can track the progress of a manuscript on the journal's website. Articles that are accepted for publication are listed in the "Articles in Press" section of the journal's website.
    The manuscript, when published, will become the property of the journal. All published papers become the permanent property of the KSRM, and must not be published elsewhere without written permission.
    There is no page charge except for color printing. For color printing, a fee of KRW 100,000 (US $100 approximately) will be charged per page. A minimum of 50 off-prints will be provided on request, at the author’s expense. An Off-print Order Form outlining the cost will be sent to the corresponding author with the page proofs.


    V. PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
    A. General guideline
  • The main document with manuscript text and tables should be prepared with an MS-word or HWP. The manuscript should be written in 11-point font with double-line spacing on A4 (21.0×29.7 cm) or letter (8.5×11.0 in) sized paper with 2.5 cm (1.0 in) margins.
  • All manuscript pages are to be numbered at the upper right corner consecutively, beginning with the title page as page 1.
  • Submission items include a manuscript, table(s), and figure(s). Send also Author’s Signature Form and Copyright Transfer Form (These files can be found at the journal’s website). Revised manuscripts should also be accompanied by a response note.
  • Submit each figure as individual files separate from the manuscript. Do not insert figures into the text document. Figures should be in tiff, tif, jpg, jpeg files. Do not submit your manuscript or figures as pdf files. Submit Author’s Signature Form and Copyright Transfer Form as jpg or pdf files.
  • IRB/IACUC Approval. A written statement must be described in the original articles indicating whether or not Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained or equivalent guidelines followed in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 on human experimentation; if not, an explanation must be provided. In addition, a statement of IRB status (approved, waived, or other) must be included in the Materials and Methods section of your manuscript. Similarly, a written statement confirming approval by appropriate the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) must be included for research involving animals. Any manuscript submitted without appropriate IRB or IACUC approval will not be reviewed and will be returned to the authors.
  • Registration of clinical trial research
    Any research that deals with a clinical trial is recommended to be registered with a primary national clinical trial registration site such as     http://ncrc.cdc.go.kr/cris, or other sites accredited by WHO or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
  • For the specific study design, such as randomized control studies, studies of diagnostic accuracy, meta-analyses, observational studies and non-randomized studies, it is recommended that the authors follow the reporting guidelines listed in the following table.

    Initiative Type of study Source
    CONSORT Randomized controlled trials http://www.consort-statement.org
    STARD Studies of diagnostic accuracy http://www.stard-statement.org
    PRISMA Preferred reporting items of systematic reviews and meta-analyses http://www.prisma-statement.org
    STROBE Observational studies in epidemiology http://www.strobe-statement.org
    MOOSE Meta-analyses of observational studies in epidemiology http://www.consortstatement.org/resources/downloads/other-instruments/moose-statement-2000pdf
  • Drug and chemical names should be stated in standard chemical or generic nomenclature.
  • Description of genes or related structures in a manuscript should include the names and official symbols provided by the US National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) or the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee.
  • Standard metric units are used for describing length, height, weight, and volume. The unit of temperature is given in degree Celsius (℃). Specifically, use ‘sec’, ‘min’, ‘hr’, ‘day’, ‘wk’, ‘mo’, and ‘yr’ for time units. All others units of measure should be presented according to the International System (SI) of Units. All units must be preceded by one space except percentage (%) and temperature (℃).
  • Use only standard abbreviations. Define all abbreviations on first usage, however, the following abbreviations may be used without definition:

    ACTH adrenocorticotropic hormone BBT basal body temperature DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone
    DHEAS dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate DNA deoxyribonucleic acid ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
    E2 estradiol FISH fluorescent in situ hybridization FSH follicle-stimulating hormone
    GnRH gonadotropin-releasing hormone GIFT gamete intrafallopian transfer GH growth hormone
    H&E hematoxylin-eosin hCG human chorionic gonadotropin HLA human leukocyte antigen
    hMG human menopausal gonadotropin ICSI intracytoplasmic sperm injection IM intramuscular
    IUI intrauterine insemination IV intravenous IVF in vitro fertilization
    IVF-ET in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer IVM in vitro maturation LH luteinizing hormone
    mRNA messenger ribonucleic acid P progesterone PRL prolactin
    RIA radioimmunoassay RNA ribonucleic acid SC subcutaneous
    SD standard deviation SE standard error T testosterone
    TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone T4 thyroxine    
  • Permissions. Materials taken from other sources must be accompanied by a written statement from the copyright holder giving permission to CERM for reproduction.

    • B. Original articles
    Manuscripts will not be acceptable for publication unless they meet the following editorial requirements. Manuscripts include 1) Title page, 2) Structured abstract and Keywords, 3) Introduction, 4) Materials and Methods, 5) Results, 6) Discussion, 7) Acknowledgements, 8) References, 9) Tables, and 10) Figure legends. Each component should begin on a new page in the following sequence. Manuscripts should be no longer than 5,000 words and the combined numbers of tables and figures should be no more than 10 items.

    1) Title page
  • Provide running title (a maximum of 40 spaces and letters), manuscript title, author’s full name and institution. For different institution, use the sequential Arabic number (1, 2, 3…) in superscript ahead of institution.
  • All persons designated as authors should be qualified for authorship (See the part of ETHICS IN PUBLISHING). Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content.
  • Indicate a ‘corresponding author’ for reprints, and give full contact information (including address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail).
  • Include any financial support (grant number, institution and location) or presentation history at a meeting.

    2) Structured abstract and Keywords : The abstract should present the Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. The abstract should also emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observation and tract may not exceed 250 words. Below the abstract, provide up to 10 keywords that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article. For selecting key words, refer to the Index Medicus Medical Subject Headings.

    3) Introduction : Briefly describe the purpose of the investigation, including relevant background information.

    4) Methods : Describe the research plan, the materials (or subjects), and the methods used, in that order. Explain in detail how the disease was confirmed and how subjectivity in observations was controlled. When experimental methodology is the main issue of the paper, describe the process in detail so as to recreate the experiment as closely as possible. The sources of the apparatus or reagents used should be given along with the source location (name of company, city, and country). If needed, include information on the IRB/IACUC approval and informed consent. Methods of statistical analysis and criteria for statistical significance should be described.

    5) Results : The results should be presented in logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. Do not repeat in the text all data in the tables or figures, but describe important points and trends.

    6) Discussion : Observations pertaining to the results of research and other related materials should be interpreted for your readers. Emphasize new and important observations; do not merely repeat the contents in the Introduction or Results. Explain the meaning of the observed opinion along with its limits, and within the limits of the research results connect the conclusion to the purpose of the research.

    7) Acknowledgments : Persons who have contributed intellectually to the paper but whose contributions do not justify authorship may be named and their function or contribution described, e.g., "scientific adviser," "data collections," or "participation in clinical trial." Such persons must have given their permission to be named. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from the persons acknowledged by name, because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions.

    8) References : Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References are identified by Arabic numerals in square bracket [ ]. Unpublished observations, and personal communications should not be used as references, although references to written, not oral communications may be inserted (in parentheses) in the text. Abstracts published in a citable journal may be cited. To cite a paper accepted but not yet published, state the paper's DOI number. References must be verified by the author(s) against the original documents. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus (United States National Library of Medicine). List all authors in an article, but if the number exceeds six, give six followed by et al. Other types of references not described below should follow Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.
    Examples of References
    (1) Journal Article
    Jang EG, Jee BC. The efficacy of letrozole in women with a poor endometrial response to clomiphene citrate. Korean J Reprod Med 2010;37:73-81.

    (2) Website
    American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Headlines in reproductive medicine [Internet]. Birmingham: American Society for Reproductive Medicine; 2010 [cited 2011 Jan 10]. Available from: http://www.asrm.org/headlines/. (3) Books
    Suikkari AM. Use of in vitro maturation in a clinical setting. In: Gardner DK, Weissmaan A, Howles CM, Shoham Z, editors. Textbook of assisted reproductive technologies. 3rd ed. London: Informa Healthcare; 2009. p. 155-62.

    (4) In Press
    Kim YJ, Ku SY, Jee BC, Suh CS, Kim SH, Choi YM, et al. Dynamics of early estradiol production may be associated with outcomes of in vitro fertilization. Fertil Steril 2010 Jul 30 [Epub]. DOI:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2010.06.070.


    9) Tables
    Should be typed double-spaced on separate pages within manuscript, and they should be titled and numbered in Arabic numerals (not Roman numerals) in the order of their first citation in the text. Give each column a short heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. For footnotes use the following symbols, in this sequence: a, b, c, d, e, f in superscript. Do not use internal vertical lines.

    10) Figures
    Each figure should be submitted in a separate file, at a resolution of 600 dpi for photos and 1,200 dpi for line art. Lettering and identifying marks should be clear, and type size should be consistent on each figure. Capital letters should be used for specific areas of identification in a figure. Symbols, lettering, and numbering should be distinctly recognizable so that when the figure is reduced for publication each item will still be legible. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the figure legends, not on the illustrations themselves. Do not include figure legends in the same file as the figure, but place them instead on a page at the end of your manuscript.

    • C. Case report
    Case reports should be succinct, informative, and limited to 2,000 words of text (including Title page, 150-word Case report summary, Introduction, Case, Discussion, References, Table, and Figure legend).

    D. Review paper
    Review paper will be requested by the editors. Review articles are generally prepared in the same format as original articles, but the details of manuscript format may be flexible according to the contents. The manuscripts are limited to 5,000 words of text and includes 250-word summary in the place of unstructured abstract.

    E. Brief communications
    Brief communications submissions should be limited to 2,000 words of text and a maximum of one figure or one table. Include a 2-sentence narrative abstract in place of a structured abstract and do not include section headings.

    F. Letters to the editor
    This section of the journal is set aside for critical comments directed to a specific article that has recently been published in the journal. Letters should be brief (500 words), double-spaced, and limited to a maximum of 5 citations. The letters and replies should be prepared according to journal format. These will only be published in the on-line (blog) version of the journal for 6 months and then stored in the archives which are accessible to readers on-line. Illustrative material is accepted only with permission of the Editor. Please include your complete mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address with your correspondence.
    The Editor reserves the right to shorten letters, delete objectionable comments, and make other changes to comply with the style of the journal.


    VI. ETHICS IN PUBLISHING
    For the policies on research and publication ethics that are not stated in these instructions, the Good Publication Practice Guidelines for Medical Journals, available at: http://kamje.or.kr /publishing_ethics.html, the Guidelines on Good Publication, available at: http://www.publicationethics.org.uk/guidelines, can be applied.
    A. Conditions of authorship
    The CERM follows the recommendations for authorship by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, 2010, http://www.icmje.org). Authors should have made significant conceptual, intellectual, experimental, and analytical contributions to the research, as well as having participated in writing and revising the manuscript. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for its content. The Uniform Requirements by the ICMJE recommends authorship as follows.
    Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Authors should meet these 3 conditions.

    B. Scientific misconduct
    The CERM considers plagiarism, fabrication, and falsification to constitute scientific misconduct.

    1) Falsification: Changing research materials, equipment or processes; omission of data or results. As a consequence, the research is not accurately represented in the research records.
    2) Fabrication: Data, results or recording or reporting information that does not exist.
    3) Plagiarism: Using another person's words, ideas, results, and processes without giving credit to them constitutes plagiarism. Self-plagiarism can include multiple publications of essentially the same manuscript or data in different journals, books, or other publications. Plagiarism includes the theft of intellectual property, ideas or methods such as the use of information gained by personal communication or during a grant or manuscript review. Plagiarism also includes the direct textual copying of your own or another person's work. Direct copying of 250 words or more constitutes plagiarism. Differences of opinion or honest errors do not constitute misconduct.
    4) Duplicate publication: All papers that are submitted must report unpublished work and cannot be under consideration for publication elsewhere. If a manuscript contains more than 200 words of previously published text or if previously published figures or tables are submitted, written permission must be obtained from the holder of the copyright. Copies of permission letters must be submitted with the original manuscript. Material that is published without permission from the copyright holder will be considered duplicate publication, which is a serious offense. Previously published material can be cited in a manuscript, but it must be indicated by quotation marks. If more than 200 words from a previously published manuscript appear in a manuscript that is submitted as an original work and if this material is not indicated with quotation marks, the material will be considered to be plagiarized.
    5) Salami publications: Dividing data, analysis, and presentation into "minimally publishable units" is a slippery slope, and can be used to extend one data set over several manuscripts. While this may be acceptable for clarity of presentation and focus on specific outcomes in different manuscripts, a motivation may also be to increase the publication list in an author's CV. The latter is unethical and unacceptable.


    VII. AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPT CHECKLIST
    1. Double-spaced typing with 11-point font using MS-Word or RTF format.
    2. Sequence of Title page, Structured abstract and keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Figure legends. All pages should be numbered consecutively starting from the title page.
    3. Title page with running title, manuscript title, author’s full name, and institution, address for correspondence.
    4. Abstract in format within 250 words, and keywords as in MeSH.
    5. References listed in proper format. Check that all references listed in the references section are cited in the text and vice versa.
    6. Send also Author’s Signature Form and Copyright Transfer Form as jpg or pdf files.
    Copyrightⓒ Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine (KSRM). All right reserved.
    Cheil Medical Research Institute Bldg. 2F, Cheil General Hospital, Kwandong University College of Medicine
    1-19 Mukjeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-380, Korea
    Tel: +82-2-2000-7549   Fax: +82-2-2267-0490    E-mail : cerm_manuscript@eCERM.org      Powered by M2community