Author Instructions

Wounds: A Compendium of Clinical Research and Practice will consider for publication suitable articles on topics pertaining to the study, management, and treatment of wounds.

Submit to Wounds

• Submit in Editorial Manager
• No submission or publication fees
• Contact: woundseditor@hmpglobal.com

Choose your article type

Additional requirements by article type

Download the full article-type definitions PDF.

Prepare your manuscript

• Separate title page with author-identifying information
• Manuscript file in Microsoft Word
• Structured abstract, unless article type does not require one
• Key Takeaways section after the abstract
• References numbered in citation order
• Separate figure files and separate editable table files
• Figure legends with abbreviation definitions
• Blinded manuscript file with author-identifying information removed
• Use of AI disclosure, if applicable
• Ethics/IRB/consent statement, if applicable
• Permission documentation for previously published material, if applicable
• Supplementary materials, if applicable

Title page

A title page should be submitted that identifies:

• All authors, including relevant degrees and affiliations at the time the work was completed
• Corresponding author, including address, telephone number, and email address
• Author contribution statement
• Funding and conflict of interest disclosures
• Research ethics statement

Text

Manuscripts should be double-spaced and include references and figure legends. Citations should be numbered consecutively, using superscripted numerals without brackets, throughout the entire paper.

View article types for specific additional requirements. For guidance on what to include in each section, authors should consult the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

To support double-blind peer review, remove author-identifying information from the manuscript file, including author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, IRB identifiers, trial registration details, and self-identifying file names. Include identifying information in the title page or designated submission fields instead.

Abstract

Original Research, Brief Reports, Systematic Reviews, Literature Reviews, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Clinical Trial Protocols, Consensus Statements, Case Reports, Case Series, and Rapid Communications should include an abstract unless otherwise specified by the editors. Structured abstracts should include the headings appropriate to the article type. Letters to the Editor and Editorial Messages do not require abstracts.

Key Takeaways

Include a Key Takeaways section immediately after the abstract in the blinded manuscript. Provide 2 to 4 bullet points, each 10 to 25 words, written in plain language. Key Takeaways should not include citations, URLs, new data, brand names, or promotional claims. Avoid self-referential wording, such as “In our study.” Key Takeaways will be included in peer review and published with the article.

References

References should be listed at the end of the manuscript. Numbered references must be cited in the same order as found in the text. Please consult the latest edition of the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 11th edition, for further directions.

Figures and legends

Digital images should be a minimum of 300 dpi and uploaded with the manuscript as attachments. Additional guidelines include the following:

• A descriptive legend must accompany each figure or illustration.
• All abbreviations must be identified at the end of the figure legend.
• If the figure or graph has been published previously, permission to reprint the figure must be obtained in written format from the copyright owner. Author(s) are required to obtain the permissions and submit the documentation with the manuscript.

Tables

Tables should be provided as editable text in a separate editable Word file. Do not submit tables as images. Tables should be numbered in the order they are cited in the text and include a brief title. Define all abbreviations in table footnotes.

Supplementary material

Supplementary files should be submitted with the manuscript. Clearly label each supplementary file and cite it in the text where relevant.

Required statements and disclosures, when applicable

• Author contribution statement
• Conflicts of interest and disclosures
• Funding and sponsor role
• Research ethics
• Clinical trial registration
• Reporting guidelines
• Use of AI disclosure

Journal policies

Authorship criteria

Please make clear that the final manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors and that the authors accept full responsibility for the design and conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish. All listed authors must meet ICMJE authorship criteria. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

Conflicts of interest and disclosures

Each author must disclose all financial and nonfinancial relationships or activities that could be perceived to influence the work. Authors should include a conflict of interest statement in the title page and complete any disclosure forms required during submission.

Funding and sponsor role

Authors must identify all sources of funding and material support. For sponsored research, authors should state the sponsor’s role in study design; data collection, analysis, and interpretation; manuscript preparation; and the decision to submit for publication. If the sponsor had no role, authors should state this.

Research ethics

Authors must comply with Food and Drug Administration guidelines and animal welfare regulations of the author’s institution. Authors must obtain/note the consent of all human subjects who can be identified in photos or in text. Authors should note if and from where IRB approval was received for their work. If not, the circumstances under which the study was exempt from IRB approval should be noted.

Include IRB approval, institution name, trial registration, and other identifying ethics information in the title page. In the blinded manuscript, use neutral language such as “This study was approved by the authors’ institutional review board” if approval details would identify the authors or institution.

Clinical trial registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry before enrollment of the first participant. Include the registry name and registration number in the title page and, when applicable, at the end of the abstract.

Data-sharing statement for clinical trials

Manuscripts reporting clinical trial results must include a data-sharing statement describing whether deidentified participant data will be shared, what data will be shared, what related documents will be available, when and for how long data will be available, and the access criteria.

Reporting guideline checklists

Authors should follow the reporting guideline appropriate to the study design and upload the completed checklist when applicable, such as CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, CARE for case reports, SPIRIT for protocols, AGREE/RIGHT for guidelines, and SAGER for sex and gender reporting.

Use of AI in manuscripts

• AI tools cannot be listed as authors of manuscripts. They do not meet the ICMJE requirements for authorship.
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the content and data within their manuscript, including any sections/references generated by AI tools.
• Authors may use tools such as grammar and spell check that are built into word processing programs and do not need to declare the use of such tools.
• All other uses of other types of AI tools must be declared in the manuscript:
  • Use of AI tools to help with writing of the manuscript must be mentioned in the Acknowledgments, detailing the specific tools used, including version if applicable, and in which sections of the manuscript these tools were used.
  • Use of AI tools to help with data analysis or other fundamental aspects of the research in the manuscript must be described in detail in the Materials and Methods, Methods, or other applicable section of the manuscript. This includes a comprehensive description of what tool, including version if applicable, how it was utilized, and how the information was verified by the authors.
• The journal does not permit the use of AI-generated clinical images or videos in submitted manuscripts, including but not limited to radiological images, histological slides, and visual abstracts. This policy is intended to uphold the integrity, reproducibility, and accuracy of the visual content presented in scientific work.
  • An exception may be made when the manuscript's primary focus is on artificial intelligence itself, and the AI-generated visual content is directly relevant to the subject matter under discussion. In such cases, the images or videos will be subject to editorial review and evaluated on a case-by-case basis to ensure appropriateness, transparency, and scientific rigor.
  • Authors must clearly disclose when any visual content has been generated or modified using AI tools and provide details regarding the method, model, and data used to produce the content.

Editorial independence and prior publication

Opinions expressed by authors are their own and not necessarily those of HMP Communications, the editorial staff, or any member of the Editorial Advisory Board. The publishers of Wounds accept no responsibility for statements made by contributors or claims made by advertisers, nor does the publication of advertisements constitute or imply endorsement. Manuscripts are accepted for publication in Wounds with the understanding that their content, all or in part, has not been published elsewhere and will not be published elsewhere, except in abstract form or by the express consent of the Managing Editor.

Plagiarism screening

Plagiarism is defined as the misappropriation of language, ideas, or thoughts of another without attributing proper credit, or obtaining permission, to use the published or unpublished source material and representing the work as one's own.^1,2 Wounds uses iThenticate to verify the originality of manuscripts submitted for consideration.

See the editorial message published in Wounds, Plagiarism in Scholarly Writing: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and How to Avoid It.

By submitting your manuscript to Wounds, you agree to a plagiarism screening via iThenticate. All submissions will be screened for plagiarism before being reviewed by a peer-review panel.

1. World Association of Medical Editors. Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals. Accessed April 10, 2022.
2. Committee on Publication Ethics. Accessed April 10, 2022.

Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions

Wounds follows COPE and ICMJE recommendations for correcting and maintaining the scholarly record. When errors, ethical concerns, or questions about the integrity of a published article are identified, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, or retraction, as appropriate. Post-publication notices are linked to the published article and indexed when applicable.

Copyright and author rights

For manuscripts accepted for publication in Wounds, copyright is assigned to HMP Global, which manages publication, distribution, and reuse permissions for the published article. Full copyright terms are provided in Editorial Manager during the submission process.

Review process

All articles are peer reviewed by at least 2 referees who are experts in the field of wound care and related specialties. The peer-review process is double-blind, and acceptance is based upon significance and originality. The corresponding author will be notified of the journal's decision through Editorial Manager. Editorial revisions will be made to articles accepted for publication as an aid to clarity.

To avoid significant delays in the peer review or editorial processing of your manuscript, please adhere to the submission guidelines. For more information regarding the estimated review time, please contact the Wounds Editor at woundseditor@hmpglobal.com.

To apply to be a peer reviewer for Wounds, fill out the peer reviewer application form.

Indexing

Wounds is indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed; CINAHL; EMBASE; Scopus; Current Contents under Clinical Medicine; Science Citation Index Expanded, included in the Web of Science; ISI Alerting Services; and Custom Information Services. Wounds is also a member of the Publishers' Circle with Medscape. Full articles can also be viewed on www.woundsresearch.com, which is fully searchable and is registered with all major Internet search engines.