Journal of Adolescent Health

Supports open access

Guide for authors

Guide for authors

Submission Checklist
Types of Articles
Original Articles
Adolescent Health Briefs
Review Articles
Clinical Observations (Case Reports)
Letters to the Editor
Commentaries
Editorials
Intersections
Infographics
Acceptance for review
Peer review and decision
Appeal process
Acceptance for publication
Articles Online First
Fast-tracking for critical issues in adolescent and young ad
Release to media
Ethics in publishing
Protection of human research subjects and informed consent
Conflict of interest
Role of the funding source
Submission declaration
Use of inclusive language
Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses
Changes to authorship
Registration of clinical trials
Copyright
Preprints
 Open access
Language (usage and editing services)
Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Proprietary products
General Information
Suggested reviewers
Essential title page information
Abstract
Article Structure
Artwork
Color artwork
Figure captions
Tables
References
Reference style
Appendices and supplementary materials
Video data
Research Data
Online proof correction
Offprints

Guide for authors

Submission Checklist
The following list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to the Journal of
Adolescent Health for review. Please consult this Guide for Authors for further details of any item. Ensure
that the following items are present:

Cover letter

Disclosure of any prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information

A statement that the work is not posted under consideration elsewhere

Disclosure of any potential conflict of interest, real and perceived, for all named authors

Names and contact information for 5 potential reviewers

Statements of Authorship
 Please submit a separate statement for each named author

Title page

Article title

Full names, academic degrees (master's level and above), and affiliations of all authors

Name, address, e-mail address, telephone and fax number of the corresponding author

Sources of funding and acknowledgments of support and assistance

Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and perceived, for all named authors

Clinical trials registry site and number

List of abbreviations

Manuscript

Please double-space

Abstract in the appropriate format: Original Articles and Briefs require structured abstracts; Review
Articles and Clinical Observations require unstructured abstracts

List of keywords

Implications and Contributions statement

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Research Ethics Board (REB) statement in the Methods section- or
consent statement for Clinical Observations (Case reports)— in the Methods section

References should be formatted according to the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition; all references
mentioned in the Reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa

Figure titles should be on a separate page

Manuscript has been spell-checked and grammar-checked

Page numbering turned on

Tables

Each saved as a separate document, including title and footnotes

Figures

Each saved as a separate file, with captions/legends (without titles)

Figure titles should be on a separate page

Color figures are clearly marked as being intended for color reproduction on the Web (free of
charge) and in print (for a fee), or to be reproduced in color on the Web (free of charge) and in black-
and-white in print (free of charge); if only color on the Web is required, black-and-white versions of
the figures are also supplied for printing purposes

Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the
Web)

Copies of prior and/or in press publications related to the current submission can be uploaded as
separate files or e-mailed to the Managing Editor

Types of Articles
The Journal publishes the following types of articles. Word count limits apply only to the main body of
the manuscript and do not include the title, references, or figure and table captions.

Original Articles
Original Articles are full-length scientific reports on the results of original research. Text is limited to
3500 words with a 250-word structured abstract, 5 tables/figures, and 40 references. Studies on human
subjects require ethics committee approval and informed consent, which should be documented in the
paper. Original articles should include a 50-word Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Adolescent Health Briefs

Adolescent Health Briefs are brief scientific reports of original research that represent preliminary
findings, small samples, and newly described associations in unique populations. Briefs are limited to
1000 words, with a structured abstract of 150 words or less. A combined total of 2 figures and/or tables
and a maximum of 20 references will be accepted. Studies on human subjects require ethics committee
approval and informed consent, which should be documented in the paper. Briefs should include a 50-
word Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Review Articles
Review Articles provide a high-quality summary of the mature literature in a specific area. Systematic
reviews and meta-analyses are preferred, though strong, evidence-based integrative reviews will be
considered for publication. Book chapters and dissertations will not be considered. All review articles
are subject to a rigorous peer-review process. The format of the review article should include the
introduction, review of the relevant literature, discussion, summary and implications section. Each
review article must have a 200-word summary abstract. Review articles are limited to 4500 words, 5
tables/figures, and an unlimited number of references. Review articles should include a 50-word
Implications and Contribution summary statement.

Clinical Observations (Case Reports)

Clinical Observations represent rare and new observations in the clinical arena. Papers in this format
are limited to 1000 words and should include an introduction, concise discussion of the clinical
observation, and discussion. Clinical observations should include a 200-word summary abstract. A
combined total of 1 figure, table, or illustration and 10 references will be accepted. Studies on human
subjects require ethics committee approval and informed consent, which should be documented in the
paper.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor typically represent correspondence regarding articles published in the Journal
within the preceding 6 months. The author(s) of the article that is the subject of the correspondence will
be invited to respond. Letters to the Editor may also be utilized to notify the Journal audience about
reports, events, organizations, or other announcements that may be relevant to the international
adolescent and young adult health community. Letters should not exceed 400 words. If appropriate,
Letters can be accompanied with up to 5 references. Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and
perceived, for all named authors must be disclosed in the cover letter and at the bottom of the Letter to
the Editor. This correspondence is published at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and the Associate
Editors.

Commentaries
Commentaries serve as a forum for thoughtful discussions of critical issues in adolescent and young
adult health, placed within the context of the scientific literature. Topics may include changes in
relevant healthcare training and guidelines, governmental health policies and reports, international
health, medical/scientific ethics, and meeting reports. Commentaries should not exceed 1,000 words
and 10 references. Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and perceived, for all named authors must be
disclosed in the cover letter and at the bottom of the Commentary. Commentaries are published at the
discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and the Associate Editors.

Editorials
Editorials are invited by the Editor-in-Chief and are linked to an original research article published in the
same issue of the Journal. Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and perceived, for all authors must be
disclosed to the Editor-in-Chief at the time of invitation. Editorials aim to highlight important research
findings and to place findings within a broader context for a wide audience. Editorials should not
exceed 1,000 words and 20 references. Disclosure of potential conflicts, real and perceived, for all
named authors must be disclosed at the bottom of the Editorial. Editorials are published at the
discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and the Associate Editors.

Intersections
Intersections is a platform for sharing creative and artistic work by young people, family and
community members, and health professionals. Intersections intends to deepen our insights into the
health and well-being of adolescents and young adults that can augment scientific peer-reviewed
research. Intersections amplifies the intersection of childhood with adulthood, and art with science.
Submitted work may take the form of written word (e.g., poetry, personal narratives), or images (e.g.,
photographs or two-dimensional artwork). Authors must be 18 years of age or older. If the submission
involves a true patient/person story or image, the patient/person must be adequately de-identified and
the author/artist must obtain the patient/person's written permission for publication.

Items accepted for publication in Intersections may also be used by the Society for Adolescent Health
and Medicine for professional educational and awareness purposes, and the person who submitted the
work will always be acknowledged. Submissions are reviewed and selected by the Intersections Section
Committee and published at the discretion of the Intersections Section Editor(s), Editor-in-Chief, and
Associate Editors.

Infographics
Infographics are graphical representations of data that make a clear and concise point about a specific
topic. The Infographic should be based upon publicly available data. The image should measure 6 ?
inches by 4 inches at 300dpi (1,950 x 1,200 pixels). Please include a title and 3-5 bullet points, which will
run beneath the image. Infographics are published in full color in the digital edition of the Journal but
should be designed to be comprehensible when converted to grayscale for publication in hard copy.
Infographics are reviewed internally by the Editors.

The Journal publishes externally funded supplements containing peer-reviewed articles. Initial inquiries
and proposals for supplements should be directed to the Managing Editor and the Editor-in-Chief.
Proposals approved by the Managing Editor and the Editor-in-Chief will be referred to the Elsevier
Supplement Leadership Team.

Acceptance for review

Manuscripts submitted to the Journal are reviewed internally for interest and relevance. Approximately
two thirds of all submitted manuscripts are returned to the authors following this internal review by the
Editors; the remaining one-third are subjected to full peer-review. This decision is made quickly, within
10 business days of submission.
Initial review of submitted manuscripts involves collaboration among the Editor-in-Chief, Associate
Editors, and the Editorial Board. We have developed the following four specific criteria to guide
decisions about whether a submission is referred for full peer review versus "desk rejected" without full
peer review:

Topic/Content. Is the content new, innovative, and/or important to the field of adolescent and young
adult health?

Science. Is the scientific design and execution strong, and are the conclusions likely to be valid?

Presentation. Is the study (rationale, methods, results, and discussion) presented in an organized
and easily understandable manner? Given the Journal's limited capacity to assist authors in editing
their manuscripts, submissions must be written in clear scientific English. Collaboration with an
English-speaking colleague is recommended. Elsevier provides language services for a fee.

Alignment with the Journal's Aims and Scope. Does the study align well with the aims and scope of
the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine's (SAHM) professional journal? The Journal
prioritizes publication of information that will be of interest to people working on adolescent and
young adult health in multiple geographical areas. For example, for the Journal to publish an
article, its results should be of interest to those working in the field of adolescent and young adult
health in more than one state in the United States, or more than one other country.

Peer review and decision

Manuscripts accepted for peer review are sent to three external reviewers. Reviewers are anonymous;
authors' names are unmasked. The Journal's goal is to complete peer review and reach a decision within
ten weeks of submission.

Manuscripts will either be declined based on reviewer comments or referred back to the authors for
revision.

Revisions requested

A Revise and Resubmit decision is an invitation to present a carefully revised draft for further peer
review; it is not an acceptance.

Authors are asked to complete revisions within 30 days. If the authors do not respond within 30 days,
the editors may decline to consider the revision. Revised submissions are often sent to the original
reviewers. The editors aim to provide a timely final decision upon receipt of the revision.

Revised manuscripts must include a revision letter that describes how the authors have specifically
responded to each of the reviewer critiques. Requirements include:
 1. A detailed description of all responses to reviewer critiques, organized item by item, as a bulleted
item list or in a table format.

2. A version of the revised manuscript in which all changes are clearly visible. Our preferred option is
the "Track changes" feature available in most word-processing software.

3. A clean version of the revised manuscript.

Appeal process
Authors may appeal rejections. Appeals will be reviewed by an Editor who was not involved in the
original decision. This appeal must: (1) be submitted by the primary author in writing, (2) rebut the
negative decision, and (3) be submitted within 30 days after the decision is rendered. Consideration of
the appeal will be based on the appeal letter, the version of the manuscript that was peer reviewed, and
the reviews. The decision of an appeal is final.

Acceptance for publication

All manuscripts accepted for publication will require a written Journal Publishing Agreement to
appropriately assign copyright. Authors will receive their publishing agreement within two to three days
of acceptance. Several options are available, including Creative Commons licenses.

Authors will receive typeset galley proofs via e-mail from the Journal Manager at Elsevier. Proofs should
arrive approximately four to six weeks following acceptance. It is the corresponding author's
responsibility to carefully review typeset galley proofs for accuracy.

Articles Online First

The Journal publishes articles online ahead of print publication in the Articles Online First section of our
web site. Articles are published online approximately three to four weeks following submission of the
author-approved galley proofs. The online article is identical to the version subsequently published in
the print journal and is citable by the digital object identifier (DOI) assigned at the time of online
publication.

Fast-tracking for critical issues in adolescent and young ad

Manuscripts accepted for a fast-track review will receive an expedited review. If the review is favorable,
fast-track authors will be asked to complete any necessary revisions within two weeks.

Upon acceptance, fast-track manuscripts are prioritized for publication and should appear in print
within two months.

Fast tracking is a rare event intended for high-priority findings and should not be viewed simply as a
mechanism for an expedited review. The article should be prepared in the same manner as an Original
Article.

Release to media
Until the time of publication on the Journal's website, it is a violation of the copyright agreement to
disclose the findings of an accepted manuscript to the media or the public. If you require an embargo
date for your article, please contact the editorial office.

Ethics in publishing
Please see our information on Ethics in publishing.

Protection of human research subjects and informed consent

Studies of human subjects must document that approval was received from the appropriate
institutional review board (IRB)/research ethics board (REB). When reporting experiments utilizing
human subjects, it must be stated in writing, in the Methods section, that the Institution's Committee
on Human Subjects or its equivalent has approved the protocol. Secondary data analyses, even those of
publicly available datasets, require formal exemption by your IRB or its equivalent. The protocol for
obtaining informed consent should be briefly stated in the manuscript. The Editor-in-Chief may require
additional information to clarify the safeguards about the procedures used to obtain informed consent.
Within the United States, for protocols that use protected health information (PHI), the authors should
verify compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) prior to
submission. When reporting experiments on animal subjects, it must be stated that the institution's
animal care and use committee has approved the protocol.

Authors must immediately disclose to the Journal in writing the existence of any investigation or claim
related to the manuscript with respect to the use of human or animal subjects that may be initiated by
an institutional, regulatory, or official body at any time, including investigations or claims arising
subsequent to manuscript submission, approval, or publication.

If a manuscript or creative work includes case details or other personal information or images of
persons, patients, or any other individuals, written informed consent must be obtained and documented
in the paper. If the patient/person is a minor, authors and artists must also obtain informed written
consent from a parent or legal guardian. Real names of real people will not be published, and authors
and artists must remove any information that could identify real people (and/or, where applicable, the
next of kin) in any part of the article and in any supplementary materials (including all illustrations and
videos) before submission.

This document must be retained by the author/artist, but copies should not be provided to the Journal.
Key components of this written consent must explain:
 Although the patient/person's name will not be published and the author/artist will attempt to
remove any information that could identify the patient, it is not possible to ensure complete
anonymity, and someone may nevertheless be able to recognize the patient/person.

Material published may be redistributed freely and used for any legal purpose, including translation
into other languages and commercial uses.

The text of the article may be edited for style, grammar, consistency, and length in the course of the
review process.

The patient/person will not receive payment or royalties and does not have a claim on any possible
future commercial uses of this content.

Signing the consent form does not remove rights to privacy. Consent can be revoked at any time
before publication, but once the information has been committed to publication ("gone to press"),
revocation of the consent is no longer possible.

If other family members are referenced (e.g., in a family history) the person with legal authority to
sign the consent form has confirmed they have also obtained family member consent to
publication.

All questions have been answered.

Do not submit the completed form nor any other patient-identifying information to the Journal. It is the
author's responsibility to retain the record of written consent.

Only if specifically requested by the Journal in exceptional circumstances (for example if a legal issue
arises) must the author/artist provide copies of the consents or evidence that such consents have been
obtained.

For more information, please read Elsevier's Authors Update on patient consent.

Conflict of interest
According to the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME):

"...a conflict of interest (competing interest) is some fact known to a participant in the publication process
that if revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived (or an author, reviewer, or
editor feel defensive). Conflicts of interest may influence the judgment of authors, reviewers, and editors;
these conflicts often are not immediately apparent to others. They may be personal, commercial, political,
academic, or financial. Financial interests may include employment, research funding (received or pending),
stock or share ownership, patents, payment for lectures or travel, consultancies, nonfinancial support, or
any fiduciary interest in the company. The perception of a conflict of interest is nearly as important as an
actual conflict, since both erode trust."

Authors are required to disclose on the title page of the initial manuscript any potential, perceived, or
real conflict of interest. All accepted manuscripts, editorials, commentaries, and letters to the editor will
be published with a conflict-of-interest statement as a footnote on the first page of the article. If no
conflict is reported, the footnote will state that no conflict has been reported. Authors must describe the
role of the study sponsor(s), if any, in (1) study design; (2) the collection, analysis, and interpretation of
data; (3) the writing of the report; and (4) the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Authors
should include statements even when the sponsor was not involved in the above matters. Authors
should also state who wrote the first draft of the manuscript and whether an honorarium, grant, or
other form of payment was given to anyone to produce the manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted
for publication, the disclosure statements may be published. See also
https://www.elsevier.com/conflictsofinterest. Further information and an example of a Conflict of
Interest form can be found at:
https://service.elsevier.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/286/supporthub/publishing.

Role of the funding source

You are required to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or
preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the
collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit
the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement, it is recommended to state
this.

Submission declaration
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in
the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis; poster and platform
presentations and abstracts are not considered duplicate publications but should be noted in the
manuscript's cover letter and Acknowledgments section of the manuscript); that it is not under
consideration for publication elsewhere; that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or
explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out; and that, if accepted, it will not
be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language,
without the written consent of the copyright-holder.

If the submitted manuscript contains data that have been previously published in print or online, is in
press, or is currently under review by another publication in any format, the authors are required to
submit a reprint of the published article or a copy of the other manuscript to the Editor-in-Chief with a
clarification of the overlap and a justification for consideration of the current submitted manuscript.
The editors encourage authors to report fully the complete findings of their studies. The editors
recognize that large and longitudinal datasets often result in multiple publications both on different
topics and on the same topics across the span of development. Therefore, it is the authors' strict
responsibility both to notify the editors of the existence of multiple manuscripts arising from the same
study and to cross-reference all those that are relevant.

Manuscripts accepted for peer review may be submitted to the iThenticate plagiarism checker.
iThenticate compares a given manuscript to a broad range of published and in-press materials,
returning a similarity report, which the editors will then examine for potential instances of plagiarism
and self-plagiarism.

Failure to disclose multiple or duplicate manuscripts may result in censure by the relevant journals and
written notification of the appropriate officials at the authors' academic institutions.

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and
promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments
of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the basis
of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition; and use
inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang,
reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise authors to seek gender neutrality
by using plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he,
she," or "he/she." Authors are encouraged to refer to the following references for further information and
guidance.

American Medical Association - Advancing Health Equity: Guide on Language, Narrative and
Concepts

American Psychological Association - Inclusive language guidelines.

Reporting sex- and gender-based analyses

For research involving or pertaining to humans, animals or eukaryotic cells, investigators should
integrate sex and gender-based analyses (SGBA) into their research design according to funder/sponsor
requirements and best practices within a field. Authors should address the sex and/or gender
dimensions of their research in their article. In cases where they cannot, they should discuss this as a
limitation to their research's generalizability. Importantly, authors should explicitly state what
definitions of sex and/or gender they are applying to enhance the precision, rigor, and reproducibility of
their research and to avoid ambiguity or conflation of terms and the constructs to which they refer.
Authors can refer to the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) guidelines and the SAGER guidelines
checklist. These offer systematic approaches to the use and editorial review of sex and gender
information in study design, data analysis, outcome reporting, and research interpretation. However,
please note that there is no single, universally agreed-upon set of guidelines for defining sex and
gender. The resources on this page offer further insight around sex and gender in research studies.

Changes to authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their
manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any
addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before
the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change,
the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in
author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the
addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes
confirmation from the author being added or removed.

Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of
authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of
the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any
requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.

Registration of clinical trials

Clinical trials are studies that prospectively assign human subjects to an intervention or comparison
group to test cause-and-effect relationships. Assignments are generally, but not necessarily,
randomized. Interventions include behavioral treatments, process-of-care changes, nutritional
programs, surgical procedures, drug regimens, medical and other devices, and the like.

Authors reporting results of a clinical trial must affirm that the study has been registered at
www.clinicaltrials.gov or another WHO-approved national or international registry prior to the
enrollment of the first subject. A list of registries can be found at https://www.icmje.org/about-
icmje/faqs/clinical-trials-registration/. The trial registration number must be listed on the title page of
the manuscript submission packet.

Authors should include the CONSORT Flow Chart Diagram and a CONSORT Checklist (MSWord
document) with their manuscript submission.

Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see
more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the
manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this
agreement.
As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More
information is available here.

Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal
circulation within their institutions. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution
outside the institution and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If
excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from
the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article. Elsevier has preprinted forms for use by
authors in these cases.

Preprints
A preprint is an author’s own write-up of research results and analysis that has not yet been peer
reviewed by JAH. If you have already published your research as a preprint, you must notify us in your
Cover Letter.

If your manuscript is accepted for publication, you should provide a link from the preprint to the final
published manuscript at JAH via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Preprints cannot be added to nor
enhanced to appear more like, or to substitute for, the final accepted manuscript. At no time should the
Journal of Adolescent Health be presented as responsible for the content of a preprint.

Open access
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.

Language (usage and editing services)

Please write your text in good English (American or British usage is accepted, but not a mixture of
these). Authors who feel their English language manuscript may require editing to eliminate possible
grammatical or spelling errors and to conform to correct scientific English may wish to use the English
Language Editing service available from Elsevier's Author Services.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyze and
draw insights from data as part of the research process.

Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing
process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the
technology should be done with human oversight and control, and authors should carefully review and
edit the result, as AI can generate authoritative-sounding output that can be incorrect, incomplete, or
biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be listed as an author or co-author or be cited as an
author. Authorship implies responsibilities and tasks that can only be attributed to and performed by
humans, as outlined in Elsevier's AI policy for authors.
Authors must disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by
adding a statement at the end of their manuscript before the References list. The statement should be
placed in a new section entitled 'Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the
writing process'.

Statement: During the preparation of this work the author(s) used [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] in order to
[REASON]. After using this tool/service, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s)
full responsibility for the content of the publication.

This declaration does not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references, etc.
If there is nothing to disclose, there is no need to add a statement.

Proprietary products
Authors should use nonproprietary names of drugs or devices unless mention of a manufacturer is
pertinent to the discussion. If a proprietary product is cited, the name and location of the manufacturer
must also be included.

General Information
Submission to the Journal proceeds totally online, and you will be guided stepwise through the creation
and uploading of your files. The system automatically converts source files to a single PDF file of the
article, which is used in the peer-review process. Please note that even though manuscript source files
are converted to PDF files at submission for the review process, these source files are needed for further
processing after acceptance. Please do not submit PDF documents as source files. All correspondence,
including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, takes place by e-mail, removing
the need for a paper trail.

Manuscript documents must comply with layout and length requirements outlined below. All accepted
manuscripts may be subject to editing and revision by the editors and their agents. Authors should take
care to avoid redundancy within the text and between the tables, figures, and text. Due to page
limitations, the editors may decide that figures, appendices, tables, acknowledgments, and other
materials be published online only and referenced in the print edition of theJournal.

Online submission

Manuscripts must be submitted online via Editorial Manager (EM). To access EM, go to
https://www.editorialmanager.com/jah/default.aspx and register as a new user. You will be guided
stepwise through the creation and uploading of the various files and data. Once the uploading is done,
the system automatically generates an electronic (PDF) proof, which is then used for reviewing. All
correspondence regarding submitted manuscripts will be handled via e-mail through EM.
For the purposes of EM, a manuscript submission consists of a minimum of four distinct files: a Cover
Letter, Title Page (with any Acknowledgments), Manuscript, and at least one Author Statement. EM
accepts files from a broad range of word processing applications. Please do not submit PDF documents
as source files. Files should be set in 12-point double-spaced type. The manuscript file should follow the
general instructions on style/arrangement, and, in particular, the reference style. Pages in the
manuscript file must be numbered consecutively.

In addition, Tables and Figures should be included as separate and individual files.

Authors may check the progress of their submissions by logging on to Editorial Manager as an author. If
electronic submission is not possible, please contact Tor Berg, the Managing Editor, at [email protected],
or by phone at (267) 426-3938 or by mail at: Editorial Office,Journal of Adolescent Health, Children's
Hospital of Philadelphia, Division of Adolescent Medicine, 3501 Civic Center Boulevard, HUB 14th floor,
room 14590, Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399.

Cover Letter

A Cover Letter must accompany all submissions. The Cover Letter should describe the manuscript's
unique contribution and provide the following information:

Disclosure of any prior publications or submissions with any overlapping information, including
Methods, or a statement that there are no prior publications or submissions with any overlapping
information;

A statement that the work is not and will not be submitted to any other journal while under
consideration by the Journal of Adolescent Health;

A statement of any potential conflict of interest, real or perceived, the role of the study sponsor, and
additional disclosures, if any; potential conflicts must also appear on the Title Page

Suggested reviewers
To assist with a prompt, fair review process, authors are asked to provide the names, institutional
affiliations, and e-mail addresses of 5 potential reviewers who have the appropriate expertise to
evaluate the manuscript. Failure to provide at least 3 potential reviewers may result in delays in the
processing of your manuscript. Do not refer potential reviewers with whom you have a current or past
personal or professional relationship. Do not recommend members of the Journal's editorial board.
Ultimately, the editors reserve the right to choose reviewers.

Essential title page information

• Title. Concise and informative (titles are limited to 140 characters). Titles are often used in
information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.

• Author names and affiliations. Where the family name may be ambiguous (e.g., a double name), please
indicate this clearly. Include the full names of all authors, as well as the highest academic degrees
(excluding bachelor-level degrees) and the departmental and institutional affiliation of each. Please
note that the Journal does not list fellowships of professional or certifying organizations as credentials.
Relevant sources of financial support and potential conflicts of interest should be reported for all
authors. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names.
Indicate all affiliations with a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in
front of the appropriate address. Provide the full postal address of each affiliation, including the
country name and, if available, the e-mail address of each author.

• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and
publication, also post-publication. Ensure that phone and fax numbers (with country and area code) are
provided in addition to the e-mail address and the complete postal address. Contact details must be
kept up-to-date by the corresponding author.

• Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done,
or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote
to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the
main, affiliation address. Superscript Arabic numerals are used for such footnotes.

• Acknowledgments. The title page should also include an Acknowledgments section, listing any sources
of support such as grants, equipment, or drugs; and any acknowledgments of persons who have made
a substantive contribution to the study. Authors should obtain written permission from anyone that they
wish to list in the Acknowledgments section. The corresponding author must also affirm that they have
listed everyone who contributed significantly to the work in the Acknowledgments. Previous oral or
poster presentations at local, regional, national or international meetings should be reported here.

Authorship Criteria

As a condition of authorship, all named authors must have seen the final draft of the manuscript,
approve of its submission to the Journal, and be willing to take responsibility for it in its entirety.

All named authors must complete a signed Statement of Authorship. The Journal's Statement can be
downloaded in PDF format at https://legacyfileshare.elsevier.com/promis_misc/jah_soa.pdf. We prefer
an electronic copy of the statement: please electronically sign the PDF using Acrobat or print the PDF,
sign it by hand, and scan it. Completed forms should be uploaded with your manuscript submission. We
can also receive statements by email at [email protected] or by fax at at (215) 590-
4708, though it may delay processing of your manuscript.

If there are concerns about how all persons listed as authors meet the criteria for authorship according
to the Recommendations available at https://www.icmje.org, we will request further information from
the corresponding author and, if necessary, request written documentation of each person's work on
the report.

The Journal does not list corporate authors, such as research networks, professional societies, or think
tanks. Only individuals meet the Journal's criteria for authorship.

The names, along with any conflicts of interest, funding sources, and industry-relation, of persons who
have contributed substantially to a study but who do not fulfill the criteria for authorship are to be
listed in the Acknowledgments section. This section should include individuals who provided any
writing, editorial, statistical assistance, etc.

Abstract
A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of the research,
the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article,
so it must be able to stand alone. For this reason, references should be avoided, but if essential, then
cite the author(s) and year(s).

The abstract should be provided in a structured table format with the following bolded headings:
Purpose, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Emphasis should be placed on new and important aspects
of the study or observations. Only common and approved abbreviations are acceptable, and they must
be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself. Three to 10 key words or short phrases should be
identified and placed below the abstract. These key words will be used to assist indexers in cross-
indexing the article and will be published with the abstract. For this, terms from the Medical Subject
Headings list in the Index Medicus should be used whenever possible.

Article Structure
Divide your article into clearly defined sections. Each subsection is given a brief heading. Each heading
should appear on its own separate line. Subsections should be used as much as possible when cross-
referencing text: refer to the subsection by heading as opposed to simply 'the text.'

The text of Original Articles and Briefs should usually, but not necessarily, be divided into the following
sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. Additionally, the Journal requests an
Implications and Contribution summary statement.
Implications and Contribution: In addition to the abstract, please include a summary statement at the
beginning of your manuscript. This summary should be no more than 50 words in length and should
describe the significance of your study's findings and its contribution to the literature in plain language.
Please avoid using personal pronouns. These summaries appear on the published articles and in various
digests and newsletters.

Introduction: The introduction should clearly state the purpose(s) of the article and summarize the
rationale for the study of observation. Please do not include an “Introduction” heading, just text. Only
pertinent references should be used.

Methods: The selection of observational or experimental subjects (patients or experimental animals,

including controls) should be clearly described in the Methods section. The methods, apparatus, and
procedures used should be described in enough detail to allow other researchers to reproduce the
results. References should be provided for established methods, including statistical methods. Methods
that are not well known should be concisely described with appropriate references. Any new or
substantially modified method(s) should be carefully described, reasons given for its use, and an
evaluation made of its known or potential limitations. All drugs and chemicals used should be identified
by generic name(s), dosage(s), and route(s) of administration. The numbers of observations and the
statistical significance of findings should be included when appropriate. Patients' names, initials, or
hospital numbers should not be used.

*Note that when reporting experiments utilizing human subjects, approval of the protocol by the
sponsoring Institution's Committee on Human Subjects or its equivalent must be stated explicitly within
the Methods section of the manuscript. In addition, the protocol for obtaining informed consent should
be briefly described. Secondary data analyses require formal exemption from review by a Committee on
Human Subjects or its equivalent.

Results: Results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, table(s), and illustration(s). Only
critical data from the table(s) and/or illustration(s) should be repeated in the text.

Discussion: Emphasis in the Discussion section should be placed on the new and important aspects of
the study and the conclusions that can be drawn. Detailed data from the results section should not be
repeated in the discussion. The discussion should include the implications and limitations of the
findings and should relate the observations to other relevant studies. The link between the conclusion(s)
and the goal(s) of the study should be carefully stated, avoiding unqualified statements and conclusions
not completely supported by the data. The author(s) should avoid claiming priority and alluding to work
that has not yet been completed. New hypotheses, when stated, should be clearly identified as such.
Recommendations, when appropriate, may be included.

Grammar, punctuation, and scientific writing style should follow the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition.
Artwork
• Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork.

• Embed the used fonts if the application provides that option.

• Aim to use the following fonts in your illustrations: Arial, Courier, Times New Roman, Symbol, or use
fonts that look similar.

• Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.

• Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files.

• Provide captions to illustrations separately.

• Size the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the printed version.

• Submit each illustration as a separate file.

Elsevier offers a detailed guide on electronic artwork. You are urged to visit this site; some excerpts from
the detailed information are given here.

Formats

If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then
please supply 'as is' in the native document format.

Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is
finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution
requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):

EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts.

TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi.

TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black & white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi.

TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of 500
dpi.

Please do not:
• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (e.g., GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); these typically have a low
number of pixels and limited set of colors;

• Supply files that are too low in resolution;

• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

In figure text:

Letters and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size that when figures are
reduced for publication (to approximately 3 inches wide), each item will still be legible. When symbols,
arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each should be identified and
clearly explained in the legend.

Photographs:

If photographs of persons are used, the subjects must not be identifiable.

Reuse of an illustration: If an illustration has been previously published, the original source must be
acknowledged and accompanied by written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the
material. Permission is required regardless of authorship or publisher except for documents in the
public domain.

Color artwork
Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF), or MS
Office files) and with the correct resolution. If, together with your accepted article, you submit usable
color figures then Elsevier will ensure, at no additional charge, that these figures will appear in color
online (e.g., ScienceDirect and other sites) regardless of whether or not these illustrations are
reproduced in color in the printed version. For color reproduction in print, you will receive information
regarding the costs from Elsevier after receipt of your accepted article. Please indicate your preference
for color: in print or online only.

Figure captions
Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Supply captions separately, not attached to the figure. A
caption should comprise a brief title (not on the figure itself) and a description of the illustration. Keep
text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum but explain all symbols and abbreviations used.

Tables
Tables should be submitted as separate and individual files. Number tables consecutively in accordance
with their appearance in the text. Each table should be given a brief title; explanatory matter should be
placed in a table footnote. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with
superscript lowercase letters. Any nonstandard abbreviation should be explained in a table footnote.
Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not
duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. Statistical measures should be identified as
measures of variation such as SD or SEM. If data from another published or unpublished source are
used, permission must be obtained and the source fully acknowledged. EM will accept files from a wide
variety of table-creation software.

References
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. References should be numbered consecutively in
the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References cited only in tables or figure captions
should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text of
the particular table or figure. Identify references in text, tables, and captions by Arabic numerals in
brackets. Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list (and vice
versa). Any references cited in the abstract must be given in full. An effort should be made to avoid using
abstracts as references. Unpublished observations and personal communications are not acceptable as
references, although references to written, not verbal, communications may be inserted into the text in
parentheses. Citation of a reference as 'in press' implies that the item has been accepted for publication.
References to manuscripts accepted but not yet published should designate the journal followed by (in
press) or use the digital object identifier (DOI) if assigned. All references must be verified by the authors
against the original documents.

Increased discoverability of research and high -quality peer review are ensured by online links to the
sources cited. In order to allow us to create links to abstracting and indexing services, such as Scopus,
Crossref and PubMed, please ensure that data provided in the references are correct. Please note that
incorrect surnames, journal/book titles, publication year and pagination may prevent link creation.
When copying references, please be careful as they may already contain errors. Use of the DOI is highly
encouraged.

A DOI is guaranteed never to change, so you can use it as a permanent link to any electronic article. An
example of a citation using DOI for an article not yet in an issue is:Dahlstrand J, Fridolfsson J, Arvidsson
D, et al. Move for Your Heart, Break a Sweat for Your Mind: Providing Precision in Adolescent Health and
Physical Activity Behaviour Pattern. J Adolesc Health 2023. ePub ahead of print. DOI:
10.1016/j.jadohealth.2023.03.006

Data references:

The Journal encourages you to cite underlying or relevant datasets in your manuscript by citing them in
your text and including a data reference in your Reference List. Data references should include the
following elements: author name(s), dataset title, data repository, version (where available), year, and
global persistent identifier. Add [dataset] immediately before the reference so we can properly identify it
as a data reference. The [dataset] identifier will not appear in your published article.

Preprint references:

We do not accept references to preprints. Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a
peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference.

Reference management software: Please use the American Medical Association reference template
available most popular reference management software products. This includes all products that
support Citation Style Language styles, such as Mendeley. Using citation plug-ins from these products,
authors only need to select the appropriate journal template when preparing their article, after which
citations and bibliographies will be automatically formatted in the Journal's style. If you use reference
management software, please ensure that you remove all field codes before submitting the electronic
manuscript. More information on how to remove field codes from different reference management
software.

Reference style
Text: Indicate references by number(s) in square brackets in line with the text. The actual authors can be
referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given.

List: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear in
the text.

The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed for
MEDLINE, posted by the NLM on the Library's web site,
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20130415/tsd/serials/lji.html.

For 4 or more authors, the first 3 should be listed followed by 'et al.'

Reference style should follow that of the AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition (see also Samples of
Formatted References):

Appendices and supplementary materials

Appendices are published online only, and are not copyedited nor typeset. The original, author-supplied
appendix files are simply made available for download alongside the article. If there is more than one
appendix, they should be identified as Appendix A, Appendix B, etc. Tables and figures in appendices
should be given separate numbering: Table A1, Fig. A1, etc.

Use of word processing software

It is important that the file be saved in the native format of the word processor used. The text should be
in single-column format. Keep the layout of the text as simple as possible. Most formatting codes will be
removed and replaced on processing the article. In particular, do not use the word processor's options
to justify text or to hyphenate words. However, do use bold face, italics, subscripts, superscripts etc. Turn
on page numbering in your manuscript file. When preparing tables, if you are using a table grid, use
only one grid for each individual table and not a grid for each row. If no grid is used, use tabs, not
spaces, to align columns. The electronic text should be prepared in a way very similar to that of
conventional manuscripts (see also the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE)
Recommendations). Note that source files of figures, tables and text graphics will be required whether
or not you embed your figures in the text. Please do not submit PDF documents as source files. See also
the section on Electronic artwork. To avoid unnecessary errors, you are strongly advised to use the
'spell-check' and 'grammar-check' functions of your word processor.

Abbreviations

Authors should provide a list of abbreviations on the title page. All acronyms in the text should be
expanded at first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. The acronym may appear in the
text thereafter. Do not use abbreviations in the title. Acronyms may be used in the abstract if they occur
3 or more times therein. Generally, abbreviations should be limited to those defined in the AMA Manual
of Style, 11th edition.

Formatting of funding sources

List funding sources in this standard way to facilitate compliance to funder's requirements:

Funding: This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health [grant numbers xxxx, yyyy]; the
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle, WA [grant number zzzz]; and the United States Institutes of
Peace [grant number aaaa].

It is not necessary to include detailed descriptions on the program or type of grants and awards. When
funding is from a block grant or other resources available to a university, college, or other research
institution, submit the name of the institute or organization that provided the funding.

If no funding has been provided for the research, it is recommended to include the following sentence:

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-
for-profit sectors.

Units
Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other
units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI.

Math formulae

Please submit math equations as editable text and not as images. Present simple formulae in line with
normal text where possible and use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms,
e.g., X/Y. In principle, variables are to be presented in italics. Powers of e are often more conveniently
denoted by exp. Number consecutively any equations that have to be displayed separately from the text
(if referred to explicitly in the text).

Video data
The Journal considers video material and animation sequences to support and enhance your scientific
research. Authors who have video or animation files that they wish to submit with their article are
strongly encouraged to include links to these within the body of the article. This can be done in the
same way as a figure or table by referring to the video or animation content and noting in the body text
where it should be placed. All submitted files should be properly labeled so that they directly relate to
the video file's content. In order to ensure that your video or animation material is directly usable,
please provide the files in one of our recommended file formats with a preferred maximum size of 50
MB. Video and animation files supplied will be published online in the electronic version of your article
on JAHOnline.org and Elsevier's ScienceDirect: https://www.sciencedirect.com. Please supply 'stills' with
your files: you can choose any frame from the video or animation or make a separate image. These will
be used instead of standard icons and will personalize the link to your video data. For more detailed
instructions please visit Elsevier's video instruction pages at
https://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. Note: Because video and animation cannot be
embedded in the print version of the Journal, please provide text for both the electronic and the print
version for the portions of the article that refer to this content.

Research Data
The Journal encourages and enables you to share data that supports your research publication where
appropriate and enables you to interlink the data with your published articles. Research data refers to
the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings. To facilitate
reproducibility and data reuse, the Journal also encourages you to share your software, code, models,
algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.

Below are a number of ways in which you can associate data with your article or make a statement
about the availability of your data when submitting your manuscript. If you are sharing data in one of
these ways, you are encouraged to cite the data in your manuscript and reference list. Please refer to
the "Data references" section for more information about data citation. For more information on
depositing, sharing, and using research data and other relevant research materials, visit Elsevier's
research data page.

Data linking:

If you have made your research data available in a data repository, you can link your article directly to
the dataset. The Journal's publisher, Elsevier, collaborates with a number of repositories to link articles
on ScienceDirect with relevant repositories, giving readers access to underlying data that gives them a
better understanding of the research described.

There are different ways to link your datasets to your article. When available, you can directly link your
dataset to your article by providing the relevant information in the submission system. For more
information, visit Elsevier's database linking page.

For supported data repositories a repository banner will automatically appear next to your published
article on ScienceDirect.

In addition, you can link to relevant data or entities through identifiers within the text of your
manuscript, using the following format: Database: xxxx (e.g., TAIR: AT1G01020; CCDC: 734053; PDB:
1XFN).

Data statement:

To foster transparency, we encourage you to state the availability of your data in your submission. This
may be a requirement of your funding body or institution. If your data are unavailable to access or
unsuitable to post, you will have the opportunity to indicate why during the submission process, for
example by stating that the research data are confidential. The statement will appear with your
published article on ScienceDirect. For more information, visit Elsevier's Data Statement page.

Online proof correction

To ensure a fast publication process of the article, we kindly ask authors to provide us with their proof
corrections within two days. Corresponding authors will receive an e-mail with a link to Elsevier's online
proofing system, allowing annotation and correction of proofs online. The environment is similar to MS
Word: in addition to editing text, you can also comment on figures/tables and answer questions from
the Copy Editor. Web-based proofing provides a faster and less error-prone process by allowing you to
directly type your corrections, eliminating the potential introduction of errors.

If preferred, you can still choose to annotate and upload your edits on the PDF version. All instructions
for proofing will be given in the e-mail we send to authors, including alternative methods to the online
version and PDF.
We will do everything possible to get your article published quickly and accurately. Please use this proof
only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the text, tables and figures.
Significant changes to the article as accepted for publication will only be considered at this stage with
permission from the Editor. It is important to ensure that all corrections are sent back to us in one
communication. Please check carefully before replying, as inclusion of any subsequent corrections
cannot be guaranteed. Proofreading is solely your responsibility.

Offprints
The corresponding author will, at no cost, receive a customized Share Link providing 50 days free access
to the final published version of the article on ScienceDirect. The Share Link can be used for sharing the
article via any communication channel, including email and social media. For an extra charge, paper
offprints can be ordered via the offprint order form which is sent once the article is accepted for
publication. Corresponding authors who have published their article gold open access do not receive a
Share Link as their final published version of the article is available open access on ScienceDirect and
can be shared through the article DOI link.

For inquiries relating to the submission of articles (including electronic submission) please send an
email to [email protected]. For detailed instructions on the preparation of
electronic artwork, please visit https://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions. You can track accepted
articles at https://www.elsevier.com/trackarticle. Elsevier's Author FAQ at
https://www.elsevier.com/authorFAQ and Customer Support is at https://service.elsevier.com.

Editorial Office

Carol A. Ford, M.D., Editor-in-Chief

Tor D. Berg, Managing Editor

Phone:(267) 426-3938

E-mail: [email protected]

Editorial Office, Journal of Adolescent Health

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Division of Adolescent Medicine

3501 Civic Center Boulevard

HUB 14th floor, room 14590

 Philadelphia, PA 19104-4399

Publisher Ash Allan, Publisher

Phone: +44 1865 843745

E-mail: [email protected]

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