Author Guidelines

Journal of Orthopedic and Spine Trauma (JOST)

The Journal of Orthopedic and Spine Trauma (JOST) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality scientific, clinical, translational, educational, and methodological research in orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, trauma, and related musculoskeletal fields.

Authors are strongly advised to read these guidelines carefully before submitting a manuscript. Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal’s requirements may be returned to the authors before peer review.

1. General Information

JOST welcomes manuscripts from orthopedic surgeons, spine surgeons, trauma surgeons, sports medicine specialists, rehabilitation specialists, musculoskeletal researchers, radiologists, physiotherapists, residents, fellows, and multidisciplinary research teams.

The journal considers manuscripts in the fields of orthopedic trauma, spine trauma, spine surgery, arthroplasty, sports medicine, arthroscopy, pediatric orthopedics, hand and upper extremity surgery, foot and ankle surgery, hip and knee surgery, shoulder and elbow surgery, musculoskeletal oncology, osteoporosis, fracture healing, nonunion, infection, rehabilitation, biomechanics, musculoskeletal imaging, surgical education, research methodology, artificial intelligence, and digital health in orthopedic and spine research.

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.

2. Article Types and Manuscript Requirements

Authors should select the most appropriate article type at the time of submission. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reclassify the manuscript type during editorial assessment.

Article Type	Abstract	Word Limit	Reference Limit	Figure/Table Limit	Reporting Checklist
Original Article	Structured: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion	3,500–4,000	50–60	Up to 6	STROBE for observational studies; CONSORT for randomized clinical trials
Brief Report / Short Communication	Structured	1,500–2,000	20–25	Up to 3	STROBE for observational studies; CONSORT for randomized clinical trials
Review Article / Narrative Review	Structured, semi-structured, or unstructured	4,000–5,000	80–100	Up to 6	Not routinely required
Systematic Review / Meta-analysis	Structured + PRISMA flow diagram	4,000–5,000	100–120	6–8	PRISMA
Case Report	Semi-structured: Background, Case Presentation, Conclusion	1,500–2,000	15–20	Up to 4	CARE
Case Series	Structured: Background, Methods/Cases, Results, Conclusion	2,000–3,000	20–30	Up to 5	PROCESS for surgical case series; CARE when applicable
Technical Note / Surgical Technique	Unstructured or semi-structured	1,500–2,500	10–15	Up to 4	PROCESS and/or TIDieR when applicable
Case-Based Expert Review	Structured or narrative	2,500–3,500	25–40	Up to 5	Not routinely required
Educational Corner	Structured or narrative	2,000–3,000	15–30	3–4	Not routinely required
Letter to the Editor	No abstract or short optional abstract	500–800	5–10	Up to 1	Not applicable
Editorial / Commentary	No abstract or short optional abstract	800–1,500	5–15	Up to 1	Not applicable

*Word limits refer to the main text and generally exclude abstract, references, tables, and figure legends unless otherwise specified.

3. Manuscript Preparation

3.1 Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise, and grammatically correct English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly encouraged to have the manuscript reviewed by a professional English editor or fluent scientific English speaker before submission.

Authors should avoid unnecessary jargon, excessive abbreviations, unsupported claims, and promotional language.

3.2 General Formatting

Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word or a compatible word-processing format.

The main manuscript should be formatted as follows:

12-point font
Double-spaced text
Continuous line numbering
Page numbers on all pages
Standard margins
Left-aligned text
Tables and figures cited in numerical order
Abbreviations defined at first use
SI units used where applicable

To support double-anonymous peer review, authors must submit both a Title Page and a Blinded Main Manuscript.

4. Required Submission Files

Authors should upload the following files when applicable:

Cover Letter
Title Page
Blinded Main Manuscript
Tables
Figures
Figure Legends
Supplementary Files
Reporting Guideline Checklist
Flow Diagram, when applicable
Ethics Approval Document, if requested
Patient Consent Form, if requested
Conflict of Interest Form, if required by the journal

5. Title Page

The title page should be uploaded as a separate file and should include:

Full manuscript title
Short running title
Article type
Full names of all authors
Institutional affiliations of all authors
ORCID iD of authors, when available
Name, affiliation, postal address, email address, and phone number of the corresponding author
Word count of the main text
Abstract word count
Number of tables
Number of figures
Number of supplementary files
Number of references
Funding statement
Conflict of interest statement
Authors’ contributions
Acknowledgments, if applicable
AI use statement, if applicable
Trial registration, if applicable

The title should be concise, informative, and specific. Titles should avoid unnecessary abbreviations and should not overstate the findings.

6. Blinded Main Manuscript

The blinded manuscript should not contain information that directly identifies the authors or their institutions.

Authors should remove:

Author names
Author affiliations
Identifying acknowledgments
Identifying funding information
Self-identifying statements
Institutional names when not essential
File metadata that may identify the authors

When the removal of institutional information is not possible because it is essential to the study's interpretation, authors should minimize identifiable details. The Editorial Office will determine whether the manuscript can proceed under double-anonymous peer review.

7. Manuscript Structure

For Original Articles, the manuscript should generally be arranged as follows:

Title
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Declarations
References
Tables
Figure Legends
Figures, if embedded for review
Supplementary Material, if applicable

Other article types should follow the structure described in the Article Types section.

8. Abstract and Keywords

8.1 Abstract

Original Articles, Brief Reports, Systematic Reviews, Meta-analyses, Case Series, and most observational studies should include a structured abstract.

For Original Articles, the abstract should include:

Background: Clinical or scientific context and study objective.
Methods: Study design, setting, participants, interventions or exposures, outcome measures, and statistical approach.
Results: Main findings with relevant numerical results, confidence intervals, and P values where appropriate.
Conclusion: Main interpretation and clinical or scientific implication.

For Case Reports, a semi-structured abstract may include:

Background, Case Presentation, Conclusion

For Narrative Reviews, Commentaries, Editorials, and Educational Corner articles, an unstructured or semi-structured abstract may be acceptable.

Abstracts should be concise and should not include references, undefined abbreviations, or claims not supported by the manuscript.

8.2 Keywords

Authors should provide 3 to 6 keywords. Keywords should preferably be selected from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), when applicable.

Keywords should be specific and relevant to the manuscript. General terms such as “orthopedics,” “surgery,” or “trauma” should be avoided unless they are central to the manuscript.

9. Main Text Sections

9.1 Introduction

The Introduction should provide the clinical or scientific background, identify the knowledge gap, and state the study objective or hypothesis.

The Introduction should be concise and should not include an extensive review of the literature.

9.2 Methods

The Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow assessment and replication of the study.

Depending on study design, the Methods section should include:

Study design
Study setting
Study period
Participant eligibility criteria
Recruitment or sampling method
Intervention, exposure, or surgical technique
Outcome measures
Imaging or laboratory methods, when applicable
Follow-up schedule
Sample size calculation or rationale, when applicable
Statistical analysis
Ethics approval
Informed consent
Trial registration, when applicable
Reporting guideline used

For surgical studies, authors should clearly describe the surgical indication, approach, technique, implant or device, perioperative care, rehabilitation protocol, complications, and follow-up duration.

For imaging-based studies, authors should specify imaging modality, acquisition protocol when relevant, reader expertise, measurement methods, reliability assessment, and diagnostic thresholds when applicable.

9.3 Results

The Results section should present findings clearly and objectively without interpretation.

Authors should report:

Participant flow and exclusions
Baseline characteristics
Main outcome results
Secondary outcome results
Complications and adverse events
Missing data
Follow-up duration
Effect estimates with confidence intervals when appropriate
Exact P values when applicable

Results should be consistent with the Methods section and should not introduce analyses that were not described in the Methods.

9.4 Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings in relation to the study objective and existing literature.

The Discussion should generally include:

Summary of main findings
Comparison with previous studies
Possible explanations and mechanisms
Clinical or scientific implications
Strengths and limitations
Suggestions for future research

Authors should avoid unsupported conclusions, exaggerated clinical claims, or statements implying causality when the study design does not support causal inference.

9.5 Conclusion

The Conclusion should be brief and directly supported by the study findings. It should not repeat the abstract or overstate the importance of the results.

10. Reporting Guidelines and Required Checklists

JOST requires authors to follow internationally accepted reporting guidelines according to the design and methodology of their study.

Completed checklists should be uploaded as supplementary files during submission. Each checklist must include manuscript page numbers showing where each required item is addressed.

Study Type	Required Guideline	Required File at Submission
Randomized clinical trial	CONSORT	Completed CONSORT checklist + flow diagram https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/consort/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Clinical trial protocol	SPIRIT	Completed SPIRIT checklist
Observational study: cohort, case-control, cross-sectional	STROBE	Completed STROBE checklist
Systematic review/meta-analysis	PRISMA	Completed PRISMA checklist + flow diagram
Scoping review	PRISMA-ScR	Completed PRISMA-ScR checklist
Diagnostic accuracy study	STARD	Completed STARD checklist
Case report	CARE	Completed CARE checklist
Surgical case report	SCARE	Completed SCARE checklist
Surgical case series	PROCESS	Completed PROCESS checklist
Prediction model/machine learning / artificial intelligence	TRIPOD+AI	Completed TRIPOD+AI checklist
Animal / in vivo experimental study	ARRIVE 2.0	Completed ARRIVE checklist
Surgical, rehabilitation, device, implant, injection, or therapeutic intervention	TIDieR, in addition to the main study-design guideline	Completed TIDieR checklist when applicable
Quality improvement study	SQUIRE	Completed SQUIRE checklist when applicable

Manuscripts submitted without the required checklist may be returned to the authors before peer review.

11. Ethics Approval and Consent

11.1 Ethics Approval

All studies involving human participants, human tissue, human data, medical records, clinical images, radiographs, CT, MRI, surgical photographs, or other patient-related material must have been reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board.

The manuscript must include a clear ethics statement in the Methods section and in the Declarations section. The statement should include the name of the approving ethics committee, approval code or reference number, and date of approval when available.

Example:

Ethics Approval:
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of [Institution Name] under approval number [Approval Code]. The study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant institutional guidelines.

If ethics approval was waived or deemed unnecessary, authors must state the name of the committee or authority that granted the waiver and provide the reason.

11.2 Consent to Participate

For prospective studies involving human participants, authors must obtain informed consent unless the requirement has been formally waived by an appropriate ethics committee.

Example:

Consent to Participate:
Written informed consent was obtained from all participants before enrollment.

For retrospective studies, authors should state whether informed consent was obtained or waived by the relevant ethics committee.

11.3 Consent for Publication

Written consent for publication is required when a manuscript includes potentially identifiable patient information, clinical photographs, intraoperative images, radiographs, imaging studies, pedigrees, or case details that may allow identification of the patient.

Example:

Consent for Publication:
Written informed consent for publication of clinical details and images was obtained from the patient.

If the patient is deceased, a minor, or unable to provide consent, consent must be obtained from the legal guardian or next of kin, according to applicable regulations.

12. Clinical Trial Registration

JOST requires prospective registration of clinical trials in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry before enrollment of the first participant.

A clinical trial is defined as any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of participants to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. This includes, but is not limited to, surgical procedures, implants, devices, rehabilitation protocols, injections, medications, behavioral interventions, educational interventions, and process-of-care changes.

The trial registration number and registry name must be included in the abstract and Methods section.

Example:

Trial Registration:
This clinical trial was registered at [Registry Name] under registration number [Registration Number] before enrollment of the first participant.

Retrospective registration is generally not acceptable. In exceptional circumstances, the authors must explain why prospective registration was not performed. The Editorial Board will determine whether the manuscript can proceed to peer review.

13. Declarations

All manuscripts should include a Declarations section before the References.

The following items should be included:

Ethics Approval
Consent to Participate
Consent for Publication
Data Availability
Conflict of Interest
Funding
Authors’ Contributions
Acknowledgments
AI Use Statement, when applicable
Trial Registration, when applicable

If an item is not applicable, authors should state “Not applicable.”

14. Data Availability

All manuscripts reporting original research must include a Data Availability Statement.

Examples:

Data Availability:
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Data Availability:
The data are not publicly available due to patient privacy and ethical restrictions but may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and with appropriate institutional approval.

Data Availability:
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary files.

For clinical trials, authors should include a data sharing statement when applicable.

15. Authorship and Author Contributions

Authorship should be based on substantial intellectual contribution, responsibility, and accountability.

All authors must meet all of the following criteria:

Substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data
Drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content
Final approval of the version to be published
Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet all authorship criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors.

All manuscripts must include an Author Contributions statement. JOST encourages use of the CRediT taxonomy when applicable.

Example:

Author Contributions:
Conceptualization: AA, BB. Methodology: AA, CC. Data collection: DD, EE. Formal analysis: CC. Writing—original draft: AA. Writing—review and editing: BB, CC, DD. Supervision: BB. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Any change in authorship after submission requires a written explanation and signed approval from all authors, including any author being added or removed.

16. Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships, activities, or interests that could influence or be perceived to influence the submitted work.

Potential conflicts include:

Employment
Consultancy
Advisory roles
Honoraria
Speaker fees
Travel support
Stock ownership
Patents
Royalties
Research funding
Implant, device, or product support
Personal or academic conflicts
Institutional interests

If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should state:

Conflict of Interest:
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

17. Funding

All sources of financial and material support must be disclosed, including grants, institutional funding, industry support, equipment, implants, devices, drugs, writing assistance, or statistical support.

Authors must also describe the role of the funder or sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and the decision to submit for publication.

Example:

Funding:
This study received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Example:

Funding:
This study was supported by [Funder Name] under grant number [Grant Number]. The funder had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript writing, or the decision to submit the article for publication.

18. Artificial Intelligence Policy

Authors must disclose whether artificial intelligence-assisted tools were used in the preparation of the manuscript, including tools used for writing, language editing, data analysis, image generation, figure preparation, coding, reference handling, or statistical support.

AI tools, chatbots, large language models, and image generators cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, originality, and accountability required for authorship.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content generated or assisted by AI tools, including accuracy, originality, plagiarism, fabricated references, biased statements, data integrity, and image integrity.

Example:

AI Use Statement:
The authors used [Name of AI Tool] for language editing and grammar improvement. The authors reviewed and edited the output and take full responsibility for the content of the manuscript.

If no AI was used:

AI Use Statement:
No AI-assisted tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript.

The use of AI to fabricate data, generate fake images, manipulate images without disclosure, create false references, or misrepresent scientific findings is strictly prohibited.

19. Tables

Tables should be prepared in an editable format, preferably using the table function in Microsoft Word. Tables should not be submitted as images.

Each table should include:

Table number
Concise title
Clear column and row headings
Explanation of abbreviations in footnotes
Statistical notes when applicable
Units of measurement where appropriate

Tables should be numbered consecutively according to their first citation in the manuscript.

Statistical data should be reported clearly and consistently. Authors should report mean and standard deviation for normally distributed continuous variables, median and interquartile range for non-normally distributed variables, and number and percentage for categorical variables.

20. Figures, Clinical Images, and Radiographs

Figures should be numbered consecutively according to their first citation in the manuscript.

Each figure should have a complete legend explaining all relevant findings, symbols, arrows, abbreviations, and panels.

Acceptable figure formats include TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, or PDF.

Recommended minimum resolution:

300 dpi for clinical photographs, radiographs, CT, MRI, and continuous-tone images
600 dpi for graphs and mixed line art
1200 dpi for fine line drawings when applicable

Clinical photographs, intraoperative images, radiographs, CT, MRI, ultrasound images, and other patient-related visual materials must be anonymized before submission.

Authors must remove:

Patient names
Initials
Hospital numbers
Accession numbers
Dates of birth
Exact dates when not necessary
Barcodes
QR codes
Facial identifiers unless essential and consented
Institutional identifiers when not required

If a patient can be identified from an image or clinical detail, written consent for publication must be obtained.

Authors must not alter images in a way that changes scientific meaning. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color are acceptable only when applied to the entire image and when they do not obscure or misrepresent findings.

21. Supplementary Material

Supplementary material may include additional information that supports the manuscript but is not essential to include in the main text.

Examples include:

Additional tables
Additional figures
Search strategies
Study protocols
Questionnaires
Data collection forms
Statistical code
Additional imaging examples
Reporting checklists
Videos
De-identified datasets when appropriate

Supplementary material should be cited in the main manuscript and clearly labeled.

Examples:

Supplementary Table 1
Supplementary Figure 1
Supplementary Video 1
Supplementary File 1

22. Videos

JOST may consider video files as supplementary material for manuscripts involving surgical techniques, rehabilitation protocols, gait analysis, procedural demonstrations, imaging interpretation, or educational content.

Videos should be anonymized and should not include identifiable patient information unless written consent for publication has been obtained.

Videos should be concise and should directly support the manuscript.

23. References

JOST uses the Vancouver reference style.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first cited in the manuscript. Each reference should be assigned one number only. If the same source is cited again later, the original reference number should be used.

References should appear in the reference list in numerical order.

Authors should ensure that:

Every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list
Every reference in the reference list is cited in the text
References are accurate and complete
Journal titles are abbreviated according to the NLM/PubMed journal abbreviation style when available
DOI is included when available
References support the statements for which they are cited
Predatory, unreliable, or unsupported sources are avoided

23.1 In-Text Citation Format

References should be cited in the text using Arabic numerals in parentheses.

Example:

Femoral neck fractures in elderly patients are associated with high morbidity and mortality (1).

When citing more than one reference, separate numbers with commas.

Example:

Several studies have evaluated surgical outcomes after lumbar decompression (2,3,5).

For a range of consecutive references, use a hyphen.

Example:

Different fixation methods have been described for calcaneal fractures (4-7).

23.2 Journal Article Format

Author(s). Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year; Volume (Issue): Page range. doi: DOI.

Example:

Smith AB, Jones CD, Brown EF. Clinical outcomes after operative treatment of distal radius fractures. J Orthop Trauma. 2022;36(4):210-216. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx

For references with more than six authors, list the first six authors followed by “et al.”

24. Cover Letter

A cover letter should be submitted with the manuscript.

The cover letter should include:

Manuscript title
Article type
Brief explanation of the importance and relevance of the work to JOST
Confirmation that the manuscript is original
Confirmation that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere
Confirmation that all authors approved the submission
Disclosure of conflicts of interest
Funding information
Trial registration number, when applicable
Statement of AI use, when applicable
Suggested reviewers, if desired
Opposed reviewers, if any, with reasons

25. Revised Manuscripts

When submitting a revised manuscript, authors should upload:

Clean revised manuscript
Marked-up manuscript showing changes
Point-by-point response to reviewers and editors

The response letter should address each comment individually. Authors should indicate where changes were made in the manuscript.

If authors disagree with a comment, they should provide a polite and evidence-based explanation.

26. Peer Review Process

JOST uses a double-anonymous peer review process. The identities of authors are concealed from reviewers, and the identities of reviewers are concealed from authors.

All submitted manuscripts undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts may be rejected without external peer review if they are outside the scope of the journal, scientifically or methodologically unsuitable, ethically problematic, incomplete, duplicative, lacking sufficient novelty or relevance, or not prepared according to the journal’s requirements.

Manuscripts that pass initial editorial screening are sent to at least two independent expert reviewers. Additional statistical, methodological, or subspecialty reviewers may be invited when required.

Final editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, methodological rigor, ethical integrity, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, peer reviewer comments, and editorial judgment.

Possible editorial decisions include:

Accept
Minor revision
Major revision
Reject with invitation to resubmit
Reject

27. Publication Ethics

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration elsewhere.

Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, salami publication, fabricated data, falsified data, image manipulation, undisclosed conflicts of interest, fake peer review, and inappropriate authorship practices are not acceptable.

JOST may use plagiarism detection software and may investigate suspected misconduct before or after publication.

When concerns arise, the Editorial Board may request explanations, raw data, ethics documents, patient consent documentation, image files, or institutional investigation.

Possible editorial actions include rejection, correction, expression of concern, retraction, notification of authors’ institutions, or other appropriate actions.

28. Open Access and Publication Fees

JOST is an open-access journal. All articles published in the journal are made freely available online immediately upon publication.

JOST does not charge authors any article processing charge. There are no submission fees, editorial processing fees, article processing charges, publication fees, page charges, color figure charges, or online publication charges.

The absence of publication fees does not influence editorial decisions. Manuscripts are evaluated based on scientific quality, originality, methodological soundness, ethical integrity, relevance to the journal’s aims and scope, and peer review.

29. Pre-Submission Quality Check

Before submission, authors should ensure that:

The manuscript fits the scope of JOST
The correct article type has been selected
The manuscript is written in clear English
The title page is complete
The main manuscript is blinded
Abstract and keywords are included
Ethics and consent statements are included
Reporting checklist is uploaded when required
Trial registration is included when required
Declarations section is complete
Tables and figures are cited in order
Patient-identifying information has been removed
References are complete and accurate
All authors have approved the manuscript

30. Editorial Office

For questions about manuscript suitability, article type, submission requirements, technical problems, or publication ethics, authors may contact the JOST Editorial Office.

Authors should use the online submission system for submitting manuscripts, revised manuscripts, response letters, supplementary files, and required forms.

All communication during peer review should take place through the journal’s official editorial system or official Editorial Office email.