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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-02
Check readiness freePrepare this manuscript

Article types

Review
Clinical Trial
Editorial
Original Article
Scientific Letter
Case Report
Review Article
Research Article
Systematic Review
Lectio

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 250 words.
  • Research Article: Use a structured abstract.
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  • Research Article: Research articles should have a structured abstract not exceeding 250 words (50 for short reports) comprising: Objectives, Design, Setting, Subjects, Outcome measures, Results and Conclusions.
  • Trial registration numbers should be included in the abstract, with full details in the methods section.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in Vancouver style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • References should preferably be limited to no more than 25.
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  • Book references should be set out as follows: 1.
  • Journal references should appear thus: 1.
  • Work that is based on or contains reference to ethnic classification must indicate the rationale for this.
  • References should be inserted in the text as superior numbers and should be listed at the end of the article in numerical and not in alphabetical order.
  • References should be set out in the Vancouver style and approved abbreviations of journal titles used; consult the List of Journals in Index Medicus for these details.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript.
  • Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
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  • Original Article: Original articles of 6 000 words or less, with up to 6 tables or illustrations, should normally report observations or research of relevance to the field of nutrition.
  • Letters should be no longer than 400 words with only one illustration or table.
  • Tables and legends for illustrations should appear on separate sheets or at the end of the article and should be clearly identified.
  • Explanations should be included in the legend and not on the figure itself.
  • Figure numbers should be clearly marked on the back of prints and the top of illustrations should be indicated.
  • If any tables or illustrations submitted have been published elsewhere, written consent to republication should be obtained by the author from the copyright holder and the author(s).
  • Figures consist of all material that cannot be set in type, such as photographs and line drawings.

Funding statement

  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

Competing interests

  • Add or confirm the author-written Conflict of interest statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Authors must declare all sources of support for the research and any association with the product or subject that may constitute conflict of interest.
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  • Please include a disclosure of interest statement, using the subheading "Disclosure of interest." If you have no interests to declare, please state this (suggested wording: The authors report no conflicts of interest).

Ethics statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Authors who do not have formal ethics review committees should include a statement that their study follows the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
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  • All authors are required to follow the ICMJE requirements on privacy and informed consent from patients and study participants.
  • Authors may use this Patient Consent Form, which should be completed, saved, and sent to the journal if requested.
  • Clinical Trial: In order to be published in a Taylor & Francis journal, all clinical trials must have been registered in a public repository at the beginning of the research process (prior to patient enrolment).
  • Identifying information should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives informed written consent for publication.
  • Informed consent for this purpose requires that the patient be shown the manuscript to be published. ( www.icmje.org ).
  • Clinical Trial: Please confirm that any patient, service user, or participant (or that person’s parent or legal guardian) in any research, experiment, or clinical trial described in your paper has given written consent to the inclusion of material pertaining to themselves, that they acknowledge that they cannot be identified via the paper; and that you have fully anonymized them.

Cover letter

  • Include or confirm the cover letter required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Article structure and word limits

  • Manuscripts should not exceed 6 000 words in total all contents inclusive.
  • Review / Review Article: Review articles should not exceed 10 000 words in total all contents inclusive.
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  • Obituaries should not exceed 400 words and may be accompanied by a photograph.
  • Note that reduction to 80 mm for a single column or 170 mm for double columns should not render lettering illegible.
  • Revised manuscript should be resubmitted electronically within 3 weeks of receipt thereof.
  • Editorials, Opinions, Issues in the field of nutrition should be 1 500 or less words and are welcome, but unless invited, will be subjected to the SAJCN peer review process.
  • These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • The registry should be publicly accessible (at no charge), open to all prospective registrants, and managed by a not-for-profit organization.
  • Please include all relevant safety precautions; and cite any accepted standard or code of practice.
  • All named authors must give consent to publication.
  • All three of these conditions must be met (Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals; www.icmje.org/index.html ).
  • Scientific measurements should be expressed in SI units except: blood pressure should be given in mmHg and haemoglobin values in g/dl.
  • Line drawings should be arranged to conserve vertical space.
  • For all NIH/Wellcome-funded papers, the grant number(s) must be included in the disclosure of interest statement.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Please submit your manuscript electronically at https://www.editorialmanager.com/sajcn.
  • In the event of a manuscript needing revision following the peer review process, all revision changes to the original manuscript should be made using the "track changes" function in Microsoft Word, or in any other such similar format so as to facilitate the speedy completion of the review process.
  • Revised manuscripts which do not conform to this revision format will be returned to the authors for editing.
  • Please confirm that all mandatory laboratory health and safety procedures have been complied with in the course of conducting any experimental work reported in your paper.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Scientific Letter: Short reports or scientific letters, which include case reports, side effects of nutrient supplements/drugs and brief or negative research findings should be 1 000 words or less, with 1 table or illustration and no more than 6 references.
  • Case Report: Short reports or scientific letters, which include case reports, side effects of nutrient supplements/drugs and brief or negative research findings should be 1 000 words or less, with 1 table or illustration and no more than 6 references.

Manuscript structure

  • Clinical Trial: All papers which report in vivo experiments or clinical trials on humans or animals must include a written statement in the Methods section.
  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.

Study reporting guidelines

  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).
  • Clinical Trial: This should explain that all work was conducted with the formal approval of the local human subject or animal care committees (institutional and national), and that clinical trials have been registered as legislation requires.

Authorship and originality

  • Authorship should be based only on substantial contribution to: (i) conception, design, analysis and interpretation of data; (ii) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; (iii) final approval of the version to be published.
  • All authors submitting to the South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition (SAJCN) should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
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  • Names and initials of all authors should be given unless there are more than six, in which case the first three names should be given followed by et al. First and last page numbers should be given.

Language and text style

  • Abbreviations should be spelt out when first used in the text and thereafter used consistently.
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What your package checks

Abstract: 250 words
Paper: 6,000 words
References: Vancouver
Declarations: Conflict of interest, Ethics, Artificial intelligence

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source