Information about online submission
General Information | How should manuscripts be submitted? | Preparation of manuscripts for submission | General figure-submission information | Check Manuscript Status | Getting help |Top of page
General Information
Nature Clinical Practice Urology reviews developments in urology and keeps practicing physicians up to date with recent research and opinion. By synthesizing the wealth of information available and providing it in an accessible format, the time needed to stay informed decreases - a benefit to both physician and patient. Content is generally invited, but proposals for articles can be suggested through the journal's online submission system http://mts-ncpu.nature.com.
This document is intended to give you detailed information on how to submit your manuscript and associated files, after they have been correctly formatted. Please read Publishing and editorial policies for general information, and Manuscript preparation for information on how to format your manuscript and associated files.
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How should manuscripts be submitted?
Nature Clinical Practice Urology uses a fully web-based submission system for all types of article. Manuscripts should be submitted online only; please do not make a postal contribution or send email files unless requested to do so by journal staff.
If you do not already have an account in http://mts-ncpu.nature.com, please create a new one before you start submission. All authors are asked to provide names and correspondence details; corresponding authors must submit their details only in the corresponding author fields - DO NOT re-enter the same details in the contributing author fields. The manuscript title, summary, other associated manuscript information and types/number of files to be submitted are also entered on the details screen.
On the file-upload screen, you can browse for the relevant files on your computer and upload them to our server. Figure files should be uploaded separately; they should not be embedded within the text file. File sizes should be as small as possible. At this point, manuscripts will be given a specific manuscript number. Files will appear in a table, and will need to be numbered according to the order they should appear in the final manuscript. Please allow time for the uploading process to finish: in the case of large text files, or complex graphic files, this may take some time. If you wish, you can leave the site and come back to it later to approve (see below). Please note that our system cannot convert encrypted files.
Once the files have finished uploading, you will be asked to verify that the text files have been converted correctly to PDF. You will also find a merged PDF incorporating all text and figure files. Please check that text, tables and figures have been placed in the correct order within the merged file. You will need to approve the merged PDF file, as well as any PDFs or other files not included in the merge, to submit your manuscript. The submission process is not complete and your manuscript will not be received by Nature Clinical Practice Urology journal staff until you have approved the converted files. All article files, both those submitted and those merged, are available to the journal staff and peer-reviewers.
Authors are required to complete a statement of authorship, declare competing interests and assign copyright to Nature Publishing Group a license to publish. More information on these and other policies (such as consent and permissions requirements) is available in the Publishing and editorial policies document.
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Preparation of manuscripts for submission
Please ensure that you have read the information on Manuscript preparation before submitting your manuscript online.
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General figure-submission information
Black and white artwork
All black and white (grayscale) figures should be submitted as production-quality files (see below) at the initial submission stage using http://mts-ncpu.nature.com (for submission of color files, see section on Color artwork).
Each figure should be in a separate, clearly labeled file and presented as close to print size as possible, although Nature Clinical Practice will re-size electronic figures when necessary.
Production quality means a minimum of 300 dpi at the size the image is to appear on the page. We prefer 400 dpi if the figure contains text and 600 dpi if it contains small text (7 point) or other fine detail. More information on preparation of figure files can be found in Manuscript preparation.
Top of pageColor artwork
Color files have inherently larger file sizes than black and white files. At the initial submission stage, therefore, color artwork should be submitted as JPEG/PDF files, which have a smaller file size and can pass through the reviewing system without difficulty. Nature Clinical Practice journals are printed in black and white and, as a result, the use of color must be limited to cases in which it is considered essential by the editorial staff. Decisions on whether color is essential will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis.
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Check Manuscript Status
After submission you will receive an acknowledgment email that contains a web link relating to your manuscript. Please keep this acknowledgment email. You can check the status of your manuscript at any time in the review process by:
- Accessing the system with your password or the link sent to you in the acknowledgment email.
- Clicking your manuscript tracking number and abbreviated title when within the system.
- Clicking on the Check Status link at the bottom of the displayed page when within the system.
Detailed information about the manuscript's review history and current status will be displayed.
Press HOME to continue.
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Getting help
You can return to these instructions at any time via the author instructions button on the toolbar. A pop-up help box with relevant information provides further assistance. For additional help, please click on the help signs that appear throughout the system. A help dialogue box will pop up with context-sensitive help. You can also contact the editorial office ncpuro@nature.com.
Related Links:
Instructions for authors
Editorial Process
Manuscript preparation
