Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal

Submission Guidelines

Instructions To Authors

The Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal (HKPJ) is the official peer-reviewed journal of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited that contributes to and documents the advancement of the principles and practice of physiotherapy. It is published twice a year, in June and December.

Authors are welcome to submit research reports, treatment reports, technical reports, literature reviews and letters to the Editor for consideration.

The Editorial Board requires authors to be in compliance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URMs), which are compiled by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE); current URMs are available at www.icmje.org.

These Instructions to Authors are revised periodically by the Editors as needed. Authors should consult a recent issue of the Journal for the latest version of these instructions. Any manuscript not prepared according to these instructions will be returned immediately to the author(s) without review.

1. Manuscript Submission

   1.1. Online Submission
   Manuscripts (meaning all submission items, including all text, tables, artwork, cover letter, conflicts of interest disclosures, and any other required documents/material) must be submitted online to the HKPJ through the online submission system at http://www.editorialmanager.com/hkpj/. If assistance is required, please refer to the tutorials for authors and/or customer support that are available on the submission website; you may also contact the Editorial Office. Please do not post, fax or e-mail your manuscripts to the Editorial Office.

   Editorial Office
   Professor Marco Pang

   Editor-in-Chief
   Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal
   Department of Rehabilitation Sciences
   The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
   Hunghom, Hong Kong SAR
   Tel: (+852) 2766-7156
   Fax: (+852) 2330-8656
   E-mail: [email protected]

   1.2. Important Information

   • Articles should be in Microsoft Word document format and prepared in the simplest form possible. We will add in the correct font, font size, margins and so on according to the Journal's style.
   • You may use automatic page numbering, but do NOT use other kinds of automatic formatting such as footnotes, headers and footers. References especially should NOT be formatted using the MS Word "endnotes" or "footnotes" function; instead, you may use the commercially available EndNote? or Reference Manager? software to manage your references.
   • Put text, references, table headings and tables, and figure legends in one file.
   • Figures must be submitted as separate picture files, at the correct resolution and named according to the figure number and format, e.g., "Fig1.tif", "Fig2.jpg". Please see section 9.8. for more information.

   1.3. Supporting Documents
   The following documents must be included in your submission (refer also to the Checklist that follows these author instructions). Items (1), (2) and (3) are mandatory. Items (4), (5), (6) and (7) are required only if they are applicable to your manuscript.

   1. Cover Letter. This must include the following information:
      • title of the manuscript
      • first author's details (name, e-mail, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)
      • corresponding author's details (name, e-mail, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)
      • a statement that the material contained in the manuscript has not been previously published and is not being concurrently submitted elsewhere
      • persons who do not fulfill the requirements to be listed as authors but who nevertheless contributed to the manuscript (such as those who provided writing assistance, for example) should be disclosed
      • list of manuscripts that have been published, submitted, or are in press that are similar to the submission to the HKPJ (and include in your submission copies of those similar manuscripts so that HKPJ Editors can be assured there is no overlap)
      • the signature of the corresponding author
      • Optional: if you have a list of reviewers who you wish to review or not to review your manuscript, you may include this list in the cover letter

   2. Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement. Each author's contribution to the manuscript should be listed. Any and all potential and actual conflicts of interest should also be listed (see Section 2 for more information). Please use the HKPJ Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement form that follows these author instructions. Your signature and those of ALL your coauthors must be included.

   3. Copyright Transfer Agreement. In the event that your manuscript is accepted for publication in the HKPJ, you are required to transfer all copyright ownership in and relating to the work to the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited. Please use the HKPJ Copyright Transfer Agreement form that follows these author instructions. Your signature and those of ALL your coauthors must be included. However, the Agreement will be null and void if your manuscript is not published in the HKPJ.

   4. Ethics Statement. Articles covering the use of human or animal samples in research, or human or animal experiments must be accompanied by a letter of approval from the relevant review committee or authorities. See Section 3 for more information.

   5. Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow chart for randomized controlled trials submitted for publication. See Section 4 for more information.

   6. Signed Statement of Informed Consent. Articles where human subjects can be identified in descriptions, photographs or pedigrees must be accompanied by a signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) the descriptions, photographs and pedigrees from each subject who can be identified. See Section 5 for more information.

   7. Copyright Permission. If you have reproduced or adapted material from other copyrighted sources, the letter(s) of permission from the copyright holder(s) to reproduce or adapt the copyrighted sources must be supplied. Otherwise, such material must be removed from your manuscript.

2. Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

   A conflict of interest occurs when an individual's objectivity is potentially compromised by a desire for financial gain, prominence, professional advancement or a successful outcome. HKPJ Editors strive to ensure that what is published in the Journal is as balanced, objective and evidence-based as possible. Since it can be difficult to distinguish between an actual conflict of interest and a perceived conflict of interest, the Journal requires authors to disclose all and any potential conflicts of interest.

   Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial. Financial conflicts include financial relationships such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers' bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements. Non-financial conflicts include personal or professional relationships, affiliations, academic competition, intellectual passion, knowledge or beliefs that might affect objectivity.

   Please ensure that the name of each author listed in your manuscript appears in either Section I or Section II on page 2 of the HKPJ Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement form (an author's name cannot appear in both Section I and Section II of the form).

3. Ethical Approval of Studies and Informed Consent

   For human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee approval is required, and such approval should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed (World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Available at: www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/17c.pdf).

   For investigation of human subjects, state explicitly in the methods section of the manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all participating adult subjects and from parents or legal guardians for minors or incapacitated adults, together with the manner in which informed consent was obtained (i.e., oral or written).

   For work involving animals, the guidelines for their care and use that were followed should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript. For those investigators who do not have formal institutional guidelines relating to animal experiments, the European Commission Directive 86/609/EEC for animal experiments (available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/lab_animals/legislation_en.htm) should be followed and the same should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript.

4. Reporting Clinical Trials

   All randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow chart (please go to www.consort-statement.org for more information). The HKPJ has adopted the ICMJE proposal that requires, as a condition of consideration for publication of clinical trials, registration in a public trials registry. Trials must register at or before the onset of patient enrollment. The clinical trial registration number should be included at the end of the abstract of the article.

   For this purpose, a clinical trial is defined as any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects of health outcomes. Health-related interventions include any intervention used to modify a biomedical or health-related outcome (for example drugs, surgical procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, dietary interventions, and process-of-care changes). Health outcomes include any biomedical or health-related measures obtained in patients or participants, including pharmacokinetic measures and adverse events.

   Purely observational studies (those in which the assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator) will not require registration. Further information can be found at www.icmje.org.

5. Identification of Patients in Descriptions, Photographs and Pedigrees

   A signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs and pedigrees should be obtained from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified (including by the patients themselves) in such written descriptions, photographs or pedigrees. Such persons should be shown the manuscript before its submission. Omitting data or making data less specific to de-identify patients is acceptable, but changing any such data is not acceptable. State explicitly in the methods section of the manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all participating adult subjects or from parents or legal guardians for minors or incapacitated adults, together with the manner in which informed consent was obtained (i.e., oral or written).

6. Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission

   Submitted manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format (except in abstract or poster form) and are not under consideration in totality or in part by another publication or electronic medium.

7. Basic Criteria

   Articles should be written in English, using British English spelling, and meet the following basic criteria: the material is original, the information is important, the writing is clear and concise, the study methods are appropriate, the data are valid, and the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data.

8. Article Categories

   The categories of articles that are published in the Journal are listed and described below. Please select the category that best describes your paper. If your paper does not fall into any of these categories, please contact the Editorial Office.

   8.1. Editorials
   These are usually written by the Editor-in-Chief, editorial board members or invited authors and are comments on recent news or articles published in the Journal.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 1000 words (excluding references)
   • References: 10 or less
   • Tables/Figures: none

   8.2. Literature Reviews
   These should be critical appraisals of the literature on a specific topic which may further the viewpoint or theoretical approach to that topic. They should cover aspects of the topic in which scientific consensus exists as well as aspects that remain controversial and are the subject of ongoing scientific research. All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes. All articles or data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion in the review and critically evaluated.

   These reviews are normally written by acknowledged experts and usually by invitation. Potential authors may nominate themselves through communication with the Editor-in-Chief. Invited reviews will also go through the usual peer review process.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 5000 words (excluding abstract and references)
   • References: 60 or less
   • Abstract: up to 500 words, unstructured (i.e., no subheadings)
   • Keywords: 3-6
   • Tables/Figures: no limit, but data in text should not be repeated extensively in tables or figures

   8.3. Research Reports
   These are reports of original research studies of any nature (clinical, scientific, professional or educational) that used an acceptable method or design to address a research question or test a hypothesis. Section headings should be: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conflicts of Interest Statement, Funding/Support Statement (if any), Author Contributions Statement, Acknowledgements (if any), and References.

   The Introduction should provide a brief background to the subject of the paper, explain the importance of the study, and state a precise study question or purpose.

   The Methods section should describe the study design and methods (including the study setting and dates, patients/participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, patient samples or animal specimens used, the essential features of any interventions, the main outcome measures, the laboratory methods followed, or data sources and how these were selected for the study), and state the statistical procedures employed in the research.

   The Results section should comprise the study results presented in a logical sequence, supplemented by tables and/or figures. Take care that the text does not repeat data that are presented in tables and/or figures. Only emphasize and summarize the essential features of the main results.

   The Discussion section should be used to emphasize the new and important aspects of the study, placing the results in context with published literature, the implications of the findings, and the conclusions that follow from the study results.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 4000 words (excluding abstract and references)
   • References: 50 or less
   • Abstract: up to 350 words, unstructured (i.e., no subheadings)
   • Keywords: 3-6
   • Tables/Figures: up to 6 tables/figures (data in text should not be repeated extensively in tables or figures)

   8.4. Treatment Reports
   These report on the clinical management of a patient or a series of patients that provides new insights into the treatment or natural history of a clinical condition.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 2000 words (excluding abstract and references)
   • References: 20 or less
   • Abstract: up to 350 words, unstructured (i.e., no subheadings)
   • Keywords: 3-6
   • Tables/Figures: up to 2 tables/figures

   8.5. Technical Reports
   These are original reports that describe the specifications, mechanical or technological aspects and evaluation of device(s) used in assessment, treatment, management or education.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 2000 words (excluding abstract and references)
   • References: 20 or less
   • Abstract: up to 350 words, unstructured (i.e., no subheadings)
   • Keywords: 3-6
   • Tables/Figures: up to 2 tables/figures

   8.6. Letters to the Editor
   Letters are welcome in response to previously published HKPJ articles, and may also include other communications that will stimulate discussion of relevant subjects. Letters should have a title, no more than four authors, include appropriate references and the corresponding author's mailing and e-mail addresses. Letters are edited, sometimes extensively, to sharpen their focus. Decisions regarding publication of letters are made by the Editor-in-Chief.

   Format guide

   • Word limit: 500 words (excluding references)
   • References: 5 or less
   • Tables/Figures: 1 table and/or 1 figure
   • No subheadings

9. Manuscript Preparation

   Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word document format (*.doc or .docx). Text should be typed double-spaced on white A4 (297 210 mm) paper, with outer margins of 3 cm. Pages should be numbered consecutively on the lower right-hand corner, beginning with the title page. The manuscript should include a title page, abstract, keywords, main text, conflicts of interest statement, funding/support statement, author contributions statement, acknowledgements (if any), references, and figures and tables as appropriate.

   9.1. Title Page
   The title page should contain the following information (in order, from the top to bottom of the page):

   • article category
   • article title
   • names* (spelled out in full) of all the authors, with their highest academic qualification, and the institutions with which they are affiliated; indicate all affiliations with a superscripted lowercase letter after the author's name and in front of the matching affiliation (*the name of each author should be written with the family name last, e.g., Chung-Yan Cheung)
   • corresponding author details (name, a complete mailing address, e-mail, telephone and fax numbers)

   9.2. Abstract and Keywords
   A concise and factual abstract and 3-6 relevant keywords (in alphabetical order) are required for the following article categories: Literature Reviews, Research Reports, Treatment Reports, and Technical Reports.

   The abstract should be unstructured (i.e., in one single paragraph with no section headings) and state briefly the purpose of the research, the methods, 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). Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

   Keywords will be used for indexing purposes and should be taken from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus (www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html). Avoid general and plural terms and multiple concepts (avoid, for example, "and", "of"). Be sparing with abbreviations: only abbreviations firmly established in the field may be eligible.

   No abstract or keywords are required for Editorials and Letters to the Editor.

   9.3. Main Text
   The main text should be well organized and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. For research reports, please use the IMRAD format.

   9.3.1. Abbreviations
   Where a term/definition will be continually referred to, it must be written in full when it first appears in the text, followed by the subsequent abbreviation in parentheses (even if it was previously defined in the abstract). Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used. An abbreviation should not be first defined in any section heading; if an abbreviation has previously been defined in the text, then the abbreviation may be used in a subsequent section heading. Restrict the number of abbreviations to those that are absolutely necessary and ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article. Ensure that an abbreviation so defined does actually appear later in the text (excluding in figures/tables), otherwise, it should be deleted.

   9.3.2. Numbers
   Numbers that begin a sentence or those that are less than 10 should be spelled out using letters. Centuries and decades should be spelled out, e.g., the Eighties or nineteenth century. Laboratory parameters, time, temperature, length, area, mass, and volume should be expressed using digits.

   9.3.3. Units
   Système International (SI) units must be used, with the exception of blood pressure values which are to be reported in mmHg. Use the metric system for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. Temperatures are to be given in degrees Celsius.

   9.3.4. Names of drugs, devices and other products
   Use the Recommended International Non-proprietary Name (rINN) for medicinal substances, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion. Generic drug names should appear in lowercase letters in the text. If a specific proprietary drug needs to be identified, the brand name may appear only once in the manuscript in parentheses following the generic name the first time the drug is mentioned in the text.

   For devices and other products, the specific brand or trade name, the manufacturer and their location (city, state, country) should be provided the first time the device or product is mentioned in the text, for example, "…IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 was used (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA)". Thereafter, the generic term (if appropriate) should be used.

   9.3.5. Gene nomenclature
   Current standard international nomenclature for genes should be adhered to. For human genes, use genetic notation and symbols approved by the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (www.genenames.org). You may also refer to the resources available on PubMed at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/guide/genes-expression. The Human Genome Variation Society has a useful site that provides guidance in naming mutations at www.hgvs.org/mutnomen/index.html. In your manuscript, genes should be typed in italic font and include the accession number.

   9.3.6. Statistical requirements
   Statistical analysis is essential for all research papers. Use correct nomenclature for statistical methods (e.g., two sample t test, not unpaired t test). Descriptive statistics should follow the scales used in data description. Inferential statistics are important for interpreting results and should be described in detail.

   All p values should be presented to the third decimal place for accuracy. The smallest p value that should be expressed is p < 0.001 since additional zeros do not convey useful information; the largest p value that should be expressed is p > 0.99.

   9.3.7. Personal communications and unpublished data
   These sources cannot be included in the references list but may be described in the text. The author(s) must give the full name and highest academic degree of the person, the date of the communication, and indicate whether it was in oral or written (letter, fax, e-mail) form. A signed statement of permission should be included from each person identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data.

   9.4. Conflicts of Interest Statement and Funding/Support Statement
   Since it is difficult to distinguish between an actual conflict of interest and a perceived conflict of interest, the HKPJ requires authors to disclose all and any potential conflicts of interest and let readers judge for themselves. Therefore, please ensure that you provide information about any potential financial and non-financial conflicts of interest (see Section 2 for more information) in a concise paragraph after the main text. If none, then state, "The author(s) have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article."

   All financial and material support for the research, work, writing and editorial assistance from internal or external agencies, including commercial companies, should be clearly and completely identified in a Funding/Support Statement.

   9.5. Acknowledgements
   General acknowledgments for consultations and statistical analyses should be listed concisely, including the names of the individuals who were directly involved. Consent should be obtained from those individuals before their names are listed in this section. Those acknowledged should not include secretarial, clerical or technical staff whose participation was limited to the performance of their normal duties.

   9.6. References
   Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct in-text citation.

   9.6.1. In the main text, tables and figure legends

   • References should be indicated by numbers in square brackets in line with the text, numbered consecutively in order of appearance, and placed before punctuation. [The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given.]
   • References cited in tables or figure legends should be included in sequence at the point where the table or figure is first mentioned in the main text.
   • Do not cite abstracts unless they are the only available reference to an important concept.
   • Do not cite uncompleted work or work that has not yet been accepted for publication (i.e., "unpublished observation", "personal communication") as references. Also see Section 9.3.7.

   9.6.2. In the references list

   • References should be compiled at the end of the manuscript according to the order of citation in the text.
   • References should be limited to those cited in the text only.
   • Journal references should include, in order, authors' surnames and initials, article title, abbreviated journal name, year, volume and inclusive page numbers.
   • The surnames and initials of all the authors up to 6 should be included, but when authors number 7 or more, list the first 6 authors only followed by "et al".
   • Abbreviations for journal names should conform to those used in MEDLINE.
   • If citing a website, provide the author information, article title, website address and the date you accessed the information.
   • Reference to an article that is in press must state the journal name and, if possible, the year and volume.

   Examples of the most common reference types are provided below. (Please pay particular attention to the formatting, word capitalization, spacing and style.)

   Standard journal article
   Wong TPS, Leung EYW, Poon CYC, Leung CYF, Lau BPH. Balance performance in children with unilateral and bilateral severe-to-profound-grade hearing impairment. Hong Kong J Physiol 2013;31:81-7.

   Journal supplement
   Kaplan NM. The endothelium as prognostic factor and therapeutic target: What criteria should we apply? J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 1998;32(Suppl 3):S78-80.

   Journal article not in English but with English abstract
   Kawai H, Ishikawa T, Moroi J, Hanyu N, Sawada M, Kobayashi N, et al. Elderly patient with cerebellar malignant astrocytoma. No Shinkei Geka 2008;36:799-805. [In Japanese, English abstract]

   Book with edition
   Bradley EL. Medical and surgical management. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1982.

   Book with editors
   Letheridge S, Cannon CR, editors. Bilingual education: Teaching English as a second language. New York: Praeger; 1980.

   Book chapter in book with editor and edition
   Greaves M, Culligan DJ. Blood and bone marrow. In: Underwood JCE, editor. General and systematic pathology. 4th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2004, p. 615-72.

   Book series with editors
   Wilson JG, Fraser FC, editors. Handbook of teratology, vols. 1-4. New York: Plenum Press; 1977-1978.

   Bulletin
   World Health Organization. World health report 2002: Reducing risk, promoting healthy life. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002.

   Electronic publications
   Duchin JS. Can preparedness for biological terrorism save us from pertussis? Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2004;158(2). Available at http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/158/2/106. Accessed June 12, 2004.

   Smeeth L, Iliffe S. Community screening for visual impairment in the elderly. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2002(2):CD001054. Doi:10.1002/14651858.CD1001054.

   Thesis
   Ayers AJ. Retention of resin restorations by means of enamel etching and by pins. MSD thesis, Indiana University, Indianapolis, 1971.

   Website
   American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Wisdom teeth. Rosemont, IL: AAOMS, 2008. Available at http://www.aaoms.org/wisdom_teeth.php. Accessed November 15, 2008.

   Company/manufacturer publication/pamphlet
   Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Organic Chemicals. Catalog no. 49. Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak; 1977, p. 2-3.

   9.7. Tables
   Tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text. They should have a concise table heading, be self-explanatory, and numbered consecutively in the order of their citation in the text. Items requiring explanatory footnotes should be denoted using superscripted lowercase letters (a, b, c, etc.), with the footnotes arranged under the table in alphabetical order. Asterisks (*, **) are used only to indicate the probability level of tests of significance. Abbreviations used in the table must be defined and placed after the footnotes in alphabetical order. If you include a block of data or table from another source, whether published or unpublished, you must acknowledge the original source.

   9.8. Figures
   9.8.1. General guidelines
   The number of figures should be restricted to the minimum necessary to support the textual material. Figures should have an informative figure legend and be numbered in the order of their citation in the text. All symbols and abbreviations should be defined in the figure legend in alphabetical order. Items requiring explanatory footnotes should follow the same style as that for tables as described in Section 9.7.

   Unless you have written permission from the patient (or, where applicable, the next of kin), the personal details (such as their name and date of birth) of the patient must be removed. If their face is shown, use a black bar to cover their eyes so that they cannot be identified.

   All lettering should be done professionally and should be in proportion to the drawing, graph or photograph. Photomicrographs must include an internal scale marker, and the legend should state the type of specimen, original magnification and stain.

   Figures must be submitted as separate picture files, at the correct resolution (see Section 9.8.2.) and named according to the figure number and format, e.g., "Fig1.tif", "Fig2.jpg".

   9.8.2. Formats
   Regardless of the application used, 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: vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
   • TIFF: colour or greyscale photographs (halftones)-use a minimum of 300 dpi.
   • TIFF: bitmapped line drawings-use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
   • TIFF: combination of bitmapped line/halftone (colour or greyscale)-use a minimum of 600 dpi.
   • DOC, XLS or PPT: if your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications, please supply "as is".

   Please do not:

   • Supply files that do not meet the resolution requirements detailed above;
   • Supply files that are optimized for screen use (such as GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG) as the resolution is too low;
   • Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

10. The Editorial and Peer Review Process

    As a general rule, the receipt of a manuscript will be acknowledged within 2 weeks of submission, and authors will be provided with a manuscript reference number for future correspondence. If such an acknowledgment is not received in a reasonable period of time, the author should contact the Editorial Office.

    Submissions are reviewed by the Editorial Office to ensure that it contains all parts. Submissions will be rejected if the author has not supplied all the material and documents as outlined in these author instructions.

    Manuscripts are then forwarded to the Editor-in-Chief, who makes an initial assessment of it. If the manuscript does not appear to be of sufficient merit or is not appropriate for the Journal, then the manuscript will be rejected without review.

    Manuscripts that appear meritorious and appropriate for the Journal are reviewed by at least two Editorial Board members or expert consultants assigned by the Editor-in-Chief. The HKPJ follows a double-blind peer review process. Authors may submit a list in their cover letter of reviewers who they wish to review or not to review their manuscript. However, the actual peer reviewers invited will remain anonymous and may or may not be the reviewers suggested by the authors as the selection of reviewers is at the sole discretion of HKPJ Editors. The editors and reviewers will not disclose any information about a manuscript or its review to anyone except the manuscript's corresponding author. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to make the final decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of manuscripts.

    The corresponding author will usually be notified within 6 weeks of whether the submitted article is accepted for publication, rejected, or subject to revision before acceptance (however, do note that delays are sometimes unavoidable). If revisions are required, authors are asked to return a revised manuscript to the Editorial Office via the online submission system within 30-60 days, depending on the extent of the revisions required. Please notify the Editorial Office in advance if additional time is needed or if you choose not to submit a revised manuscript.

11. Preparation for Publication

    Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, authors should submit the final version of their manuscript in MS Word format, with all tables/figures as applicable, via the online submission system.

    Accepted manuscripts are then copyedited according to the Journal's style and the galley proofs in the form of a PDF file are sent by the Publisher to the corresponding author for final approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor.

    Proofreading is solely the authors' responsibility. Note that the Editorial Board reserves the right to make revisions to the manuscript and the Publisher may proceed with the publication of your article if no response from the author(s) is received.

    11.1. Changes to Authorship
    This policy concerns the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of author names in the authorship of accepted manuscripts. Before the accepted manuscript is published online, requests to add or remove an author, or to rearrange the author names, must be sent to the Journal Manager from the corresponding author of the accepted manuscript and must include: (i) the reason the name should be added or removed, or the author names rearranged; and (ii) an updated Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement with signatures from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of author names, this must include confirmation from the author(s) being added or removed. Requests that are not sent by the corresponding author will be forwarded by the Journal Manager to the corresponding author, who must follow the procedures as described above.

    Note that: (1) Journal Managers will inform the Journal Editors of any such requests and (2) online publication of the accepted manuscript is suspended until authorship has been agreed.

    After the accepted manuscript is published online, any requests to add, remove, or rearrange author names in an article will follow the same policies as detailed above and result in a corrigendum.

12. Publication Fee

    An article-processing charge is required for articles accepted for publication. For submissions from April 1, 2024 onward, the publication fee will be increased to USD 400. The corresponding author will receive an email notice of payment once the article is accepted. The article will not be published until all payment is settled.

    Payment Method:

    For LOCAL Applicants in Hong Kong:

    • Publication fee: HKD 3200
    • Cheque should be payable to Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited with your name and contact telephone number on the back of the cheque (Never staple the cheque).
    • Send the cheque to Room 901, 9/F Rightful Centre, 12 Tak Hing Street, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong (Re: Journal Publication Fee)?

    For NON-LOCAL Applicants (Including Macau and Mainland China):

    • The fee should be paid via telegraphic transfer.
    • Publication fee: USD 400
      • Beneficiary Bank: Hang Seng Bank Limited
      • Beneficiary Bank Address: 83 Des Voeux Road Central, Hong Kong
      • SWIFT Code: HASEHKHH
      • CHIPS No. 010522
      • Beneficiary Name: Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited
      • Beneficiary Account Number: 278-294822-001

13. Copyright

    The HKPJ is the official peer-reviewed publication of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited. Manuscripts published in the HKPJ become the permanent property of the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited. All articles published in the Journal are protected by copyright, which covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, as well as translation rights. No HKPJ article, in part or whole, may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Association Limited.

    The HKPJ is published by World Scientific Publishing from year 2018. This is an open access journal and articles are published under the CC BY-NC-ND license.

    • Author Guidelines
    • Author Checklist
    • Authorship and Conflicts of Interest Form
    • Copyright Transfer Form

WORLD SCIENTIFIC'S POSITION STATEMENT ON AUTHORSHIP AND AI TOOLS