The DJO is an exceptional medium in which to publish. Digital technology offers many advantages over standard printed journals including:

• Reproduction of high-quality color photos and short video clips
• Rapid publication turnover after appropriate review process

The DJO will consider both clinical and basic science manuscripts, and each submission for publication should be formatted in one of the following categories: Original Articles, Grand Rounds, and Case Reports. Manuscripts will be reviewed by at least 2 experts in the field. Content must be wholly original, have not been published elsewhere, and not currently under review for publication elsewhere. Papers are accepted, rejected, or conditionally accepted pending revision. All submissions must conform to the rules of standard, written United States English in order to be considered for review. Manuscripts that contain improper grammar will be returned to the author without formal review. The author line of each manuscript must contain the degree and institutional affiliation of each author. Completion of the Transfer of Copyright Agreement is required with the initial submission. After completing the form, please create an electronic version of the completed form and e-mail it to djo@harvard.edu.

If English is not your native language, please consider having your text reviewed by a professional medical editor. Well-edited prose is much more likely to be favorably received by editors and accurately reviewed by your peers. Note that the DJO has a very strict policy regarding plagiarism: misappropriation of published scholarship results in immediate rejection and prohibition of all authors connected with a submission from resubmitting future work to the journal. If you are unclear as to what constitutes plagiarism, please consult a professional writing service prior to submitting your work.

How to submit a manuscript

Please register with the DJO in order to submit your manuscript as we only accept submissions via our online website. We recommend reviewing the instructions for authors prior to submitting as manuscripts not adhering to the guidelines will be returned to the author without review.

Conflict of Interest

The Digital Journal of Ophthalmology requires a statement in the acknowledgement section of all manuscripts delineating any conflict of interest that each author has. This includes current or previous financial involvement with a company that manufactures a product mentioned in the manuscript or a company that manufactures a product in competition with a product mentioned in the manuscript. Any employment, consulting or advising positions with related companies must also be disclosed including speaker bureaus, grant support or lecture fees.

Human/Animal Rights and Informed Consent

The Digital Journal of Ophthalmology requires that all manuscripts utilizing human subjects for investigation report that all subjects signed a statement of informed consent. Studies conducted in the United States of America must be compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee approval must be obtained if the study utilizes human subjects or reviews medical records. If there is no IRB or Ethics committee, the authors should state whether their study adhered to the tenets of the of the Declaration of Helsinki. Clinical trials must be registered with one of the public information sites for clinical research. Finally, use of animals must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. The Digital Journal of Ophthalmology will not publish any manuscript that has not clearly demonstrated respect for Human and Animal rights. This should be delineated in the Acknowledgements section.

Original Articles

The Original Articles section serves as a resource for ophthalmologists and vision scientists. Manuscripts undergo peer-review by members of the editorial board or our review panel in a manner similar to that of other ophthalmic journals. Content must be wholly original, have not been published elsewhere, in whole or in part, and not currently under review for publication elsewhere. Papers are accepted, rejected, or conditionally accepted pending revision.

Format for DJO Original Articles:

1. Abstract: Summarize the salient points of the article in 300 words or less using the following headings: Purpose, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.
2. Body
   • Introduction: describe the purpose of the study, the research rationale, and the hypothesis tested
   • Materials and Methods: Describe in sufficient detail to allow reproduction of the experiment by other readers
   • Results: Describe outcomes. Do not repeat information already displayed in tables. Tables and figures should be cited in numeric order.
   • Discussion: Describe the outcome of your study and its significance to current knowledge. Address the limitations or qualifications of the outcome.
3. Acknowledgements: acknowledge assistance (provided by someone other than an author). Include the name, degree, and affiliation of the individual. (i.e. The author wishes to thank)
4. References: See Reference Example. Should begin on a separate page. Double-spaced, numbered in consecutive order of appearance in the text.
5. Figure Legends: Each figure should be numbered consecutively in the text and have a legend that describes what is shown. The figure legend should contain a figure title, a phrase that describes the figure, and a caption that explains what is illustrated. Abbreviations should be defined in the legend.
6. Tables: Tables should be numbered in consecutively in Arabic numerals by order of citation in the text. Each table should have a brief title that is fully understandable without reference to the text. The table number and table title should be on the same line.
7. Figures: Figures should be high-quality TIFF or JPEG files.

The format is flexible for review articles and original case reports.

Case Reports

The Case Reports section is for clinical cases that present findings or associations not previously reported in the literature. The peer review process is similar to that for Original Articles.

Format for Case Reports:

1. Unstructured abstract, without references.
2. Case report, presented in the following sequence: patient age; where presented; principal complaint and history of present illness; pertinent medical history, review of systems, and family history; examination, including laboratory, imaging and special studies, and clinical course.
3. Discussion.
4. Literature search: for reports claiming a "first," specifying all databases searched, languages and dates of coverage, and additional means used to verify the novelty of the case.
5. References: See the Reference Example.
6. Figures: high-quality TIFF or JPEG files may be added within the body of the individual sections if appropriate. Please note that in many instances, clinical images are the "data" of the case report, and therefore must be of sufficiently high quality to be considered for publication.

Grand Rounds

The Grand Rounds section is meant to provide a forum to present interesting cases. Only clinical submissions are considered for inclusion. The peer review process is similar to that for Original Articles.

Format for DJO Grand Rounds:

1. History
2. Examination
3. Ancillary Testing (e.g. Radiologic Studies, Pathology, etc.)
4. Treatment
5. Differential Diagnosis
6. Diagnosis and discussion
7. References: See the Reference Example.
8. Figure Legends: Each figure should be numbered consecutively in the text, have a figure title, and have a legend that describes what is shown.
9. Tables: Tables should be numbered in consecutively in Arabic numerals by order of citation in the text. Each table should have a brief title that is fully understandable without reference to the text. The table number and table title should be on the same line.
10. Figures: Figures should be high-quality TIFF or JPEG files. Figures may be added within the body of the individual sections if appropriate.

Academic institutions submitting cases for Grand Rounds may submit institutional logos for inclusion on the first page of each section.

Images

The images section features interesting clinical photos, imaging studies and videos. Submissions should contain one or more high resolution images or videos. This should be accompanied by a descriptive caption of up to 250 words with no references. Images and videos must be of sufficiently high quality to be considered for publication. This would typically not include cellphone photographs, screen captures, and images of images. Lighting should appropriately expose the finding of interest.