Revised 29 July, 2024
The journal Radiation Environment and Medicine [REM] welcomes original papers, review articles, short communications, book reviews, and letters to the Editor, that advance the understanding of radiation environment and medicine, extending an invitation to submissions from all countries. To ensure clarity and effectiveness in communication, only manuscripts written in clear, concise English will undergo review. Authors who are not native English speakers should be aware that submissions must be checked and edited by a native English speaker with adequate scientific proficiency to be considered for review. REM publishes two peer-reviewed volumes per year on a biannual basis.
I. Aims and scope
Radiation Environment and Medicine of fers a comprehensive international platform for the dissemination of original research and review ar ticles covering various topics of radiation, including radioactivity occurrences in natural ecosystems, and medicine. Relevant subject areas include epidemiology, biological effects, dose assessment, radiochemical analysis, health physics,
radiation measurement, and clinical activities, the journal welcomes reports on radioactivity in diverse environments like oceans, sediments, terrestrial environments, and all biosphere divisions. However, submissions focusing solely on monitoring data are encouraged to demonstrate significant innovation. As a peer-reviewed publication, Radiation Environment and Medicine features high-quality scientific contributions including Reviews, Regular Ar ticles, Notes, and other formats like Short Commentaries, Opinions, Letters to Editors, and Project Reports. The journal ser ves as a platform for the impartial, transparent, and peer-reviewed dissemination and discussion of “controversial” topics within radiation sciences.
II. Ethical standards for Publication
Before you begin your submission, please fulling read our information on Ethics in Publishing.
Ensuring the integrity of our academic content and publishing process is of utmost importance in REM. To maintain rigorous standards in publishing ethics, REM adheres to the Cambridge University Press Publishing Ethics for Academic Research (https://www.cambridge.org/core/about/ethical-standards), complemented by guidelines established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org/).
All work presented in submitted manuscripts to REM must be free of duplicate publication and scientific misconduct. Authors submitting to REM are responsible for ensuring that their manuscript has not been previously published or presented elsewhere, either in part or in its entirety, and is not under consideration by another journal.
Authors must also ensure that their submitted manuscript does not contain any fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. The Editors-in-Chief retain the right to reject manuscripts and Authors must also ensure that their submitted manuscript does not contain any fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism. The Editors-in-Chief retain the right to reject manuscripts and withdraw publications that fail to meet the ethical standards for publication.
Declaration of Competing Interest/Conflict of Interest
Corresponding authors, representing all contributors to a submission, are required to disclose any financial or personal relationships with individuals or organizations that could potentially bias their work. These relationships may include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or funding received. All authors, regardless of any conflicts of interest, are expected to provide this information to the corresponding author, who may indicate if they have no conflicts to declare. The corresponding author should then use the provided tool to generate a shared statement, which must be submitted during the submission process.
Conflicts of interest are defined as those that, through their potential influence on behavior or content or from perception of such potential influences, could undermine the objectivity integrity or perceived value of a publication. They may include any of the following:
Funding: Research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies, reimbursement for attending symposia, and other expenses) by organizations that may gain or lose financially through publication of the paper.
Employment: Recent (that is, while engaged in the research project), present or anticipated employment by any organization that may gain or lose financially through publication of the paper.
Personal financial interests: Stocks or shares in companies that may gain or lose financially through publication; consultation fees or other forms of remuneration from organizations that may gain or lose financially; patents or patent applications whose value may be affected by publication.
We do not consider diversified mutual funds or investment trusts to constitute a competing financial interest. We will not require authors to state the monetary value of their financial interests.
Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
The following guidance pertains solely to the writing process and does not address the utilization of AI tools for data analysis and insights during the research phase.
When authors use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in writing, it should be for the purpose of enhancing readability and language. The application of such technology must involve human oversight and control. Authors should diligently review and edit the output, recognizing that AI-generated content can sometimes sound authoritative while being inaccurate, incomplete, or biased. AI and AI-assisted technologies should not be credited as authors or co-authors, nor should they be cited as such. Authorship entails responsibilities and tasks that are exclusive to humans, as outlined in Elsevier’s AI policy for authors.
Authors must disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process within their manuscript, adhering to the provided instructions. A statement regarding this usage will be included in the published work. It is important to emphasize that authors bear full responsibility and accountability for the content of their work.
Disclosure instructions
Authors are required to disclose the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process by including a statement at the end of their manuscript, prior to the References section, in a new section titled ‘Declaration of Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process’.
The statement should read as follows:
“During the preparation of this work, the author(s) utilized [NAME TOOL / SERVICE] to [REASON]. Following the use of this tool/service, the author(s) thoroughly reviewed and edited the content as necessary and assume(s) full responsibility for the publication’s content.”
It’s important to note that this declaration excludes the use of basic tools for grammar, spelling, and references. If there are no disclosures to be made, authors need not include a statement.
Submission declaration and verification
By submitting an article, authors attest that the work described has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture, or academic thesis), is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and has received approval for publication from all authors and the relevant authorities where the research was conducted. Authors also confirm that, if accepted, the ar ticle will not be published elsewhere in the same form, whether in English or any other language, including electronically, without written consent from the copyright-holder. To ensure adherence to these standards, submitted articles may undergo verification using Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical behaviour and is unacceptable.
Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language fosters respect, sensitivity, and equality by recognizing diversity. Content should refrain from assumptions about readers’ beliefs, and avoid implying superiority based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition. Authors should strive for biasfree writing, steering clear stereotypes, slang, and references to dominant culture or cultural assumptions. Gender neutrality can be achieved through the use of plural nouns (“clinicians, patients/clients”) and avoiding gender-specific pronouns (“he,” “she,” or “he/she”). Descriptors related to personal attributes should be used sparingly and only when relevant. When coding terminology is employed, of fensive or exclusionar y terms like “master,” “slave,” “blacklist,” and “whitelist” should be replaced with more appropriate alternatives such as “primary,” “secondary,” “blocklist,” and “allowlist.” These guidelines serve as a reference to promote inclusive language, though they are not exhaustive or definitive.
Author contributions
Author Contribution Statement must be provided at the end of the manuscript, enabling each co-author to receive proper recognition.
Please take note of the following:
To qualify as an author, individuals must meet the following criteria:
1. Make significant contributions to research concepts and design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation.
2. Participate in drafting the manuscript or revising it for intellectual content.
3. Provide final approval for the manuscript to be published. All authors must review and approve the work before submission, particularly as it pertains to their role in the project.
In the Author Contribution Statement, corresponding authors are required to specify co-author contributions to the manuscript using the CRediT roles, which includes 14 different categories delineating each contributor’s precise role in the scholarly output. These roles include Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, and Writing – review & editing. It’s important to note that not all roles may apply to every manuscript, and authors may have contributed through multiple roles.
The designated corresponding author’s name will remain the primary contact throughout the review process and should not be altered.
Information provided in the submission system will be utilized as the authoritative source of information upon publication of the paper.
Changes to authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the following from the corresponding author: (a) the reason for the change in author list and (b) written confirmation (e-mail, letter) from all authors that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement. In the case of addition or removal of authors, this includes confirmation from the author being added or removed.
Only in exceptional circumstances will the Editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted. While the Editor considers the request, publication of the manuscript will be suspended. If the manuscript has already been published in an online issue, any requests approved by the Editor will result in a corrigendum.
Role of the funding source
You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication. If the funding source(s) had no such involvement, it is recommended to state this.
Copyright
Material submitted for publication must be original, unpublished, and not currently under review elsewhere. If incorporating previously published figures, tables, or text excerpts, authors must obtain prior permission from the copyright-holder. Copyright for all articles published in the journal will be held by Hirosaki University, irrespective of publication format. Upon decision to publish, authors will be required to submit a Consent to Copyright Transfer form to Hirosaki University and the REM Editorial Board.
Accepted papers in REM will be published concurrently in both print and online formats. Online formats are available freely to everyone on the journal website. https://remcp.hirosaki-u.ac.jp/en/rem/
While access is provided to all viewers, viewers are permitted to reproduce tables of contents or compile lists of ar ticles with abstracts for internal circulation within their institutions. However, permission from the Publisher (Hirosaki Press) is necessar y for resale or distribution beyond the institution, as well as for any derivative works, such as compilations or translations. When incorporating excerpts from copyrighted materials, authors must obtain written consent from the copyright owners and acknowledge the sources in their article. Preprinted forms provided by Hirosaki Press are available for authors to use in such instances. Unauthorized copying, reproduction, or secondary use of these materials is prohibited by law.
Archiving
Our journal ensures electronic backup and preser vation of access to all published content. In the event of the journal ceasing publication, all articles will remain accessible upon request to the handling editor. All published manuscripts will continue to be available online.
Publication fee and article processing charges
Publication fee is free of charge for all APC. There is no fee for submitting and publishing a manuscript with REM.
Revenue sources
REM is supported by governmental sponsorship, institutional backing from Hirosaki University, and organizational support from the Radiation Emergency Medicine Cooperation Promotion. We do not charge any article processing fees or author fees.
Advertising and director marketing
Our journal adheres to a clear advertising policy. We specify the types of advertisements considered, the decision-making process for accepting adverts, and whether they are linked to content or reader behavior (online only) or displayed randomly. It’s impor tant to note that adver tisements are completely separate from editorial decision-making and are kept distinct from published content.
Our journal conducts direct marketing activities with the utmost appropriateness, targeting relevance, and unobtrusiveness. Information disseminated about the publisher or journal is expected to be accurate, truthful, and devoid of misleading content for both readers and authors.
Ethical standards for experiments with human beings and animals
Authors are responsible for clearly identifying any chemicals, procedures, or equipment with inherent hazards in their manuscripts. When involving animal or human subjects, authors must ensure compliance with relevant laws and institutional guidelines, including obtaining approval from appropriate institutional committees. Authors shall include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.
The Editors-in-Chief reser ve the right to reject manuscripts that fail to meet ethical standards regarding experiments involving humans and animals. Human experiments should adhere to The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki), while animal experiments should comply with ARRIVE guidelines and relevant legislation such as the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 or EU Directive 2010/63/EU. Written consent must be obtained for including case details or personal information in Hirosaki Press publications, and evidence of consent must be provided upon request.
Identification of and dealing with allegations of research misconduct
Our journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity in research publication. We take proactive measures to identify and prevent the publication of papers involving research misconduct, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. At no point will our journal or its editors condone or knowingly permit such misconduct.
In the event that allegations of research misconduct are brought to our attention regarding a published article, we adhere to the guidelines outlined by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) or equivalent authoritative bodies. Our approach to addressing such allegations is transparent, fair, and in accordance with established ethical standards in scholarly publishing.
III. Manuscript Submission
Please send the manuscript to the following address in mail attachment.
E-mail: rem [at] hirosaki-u.ac.jp (replace [at] with @)
In addition, download a submission form, fill it out and send it to us with your manuscript. Please be sure your manuscript includes all of the following Ethical statements as outlined above in II. Ethical standards for Publications.
IV. Types of Manuscript
As mentioned, the Journal publishes Original Research articles, Reviews, Notes, and Others.
- Original Research Papers: The manuscript being submitted must consist of original research performed by the authors and the research must include new information that is of significance.
- Reviews: Describing the research results of the author. Review papers must present novel interpretation of previously published literature.
- Notes: Papers containing new facts and important data derived from incomplete or partial studies may be suitable as a Note including case reports. In general, a Note should not exceed 2,000 words (approximately 4 printed pages).
- Others
V. Manuscript Preparation
1. Manuscript
The text, figures, and tables should be submitted as three separate files. Please type manuscripts double-space with 12-point size for Word files. Please type the page number on every page. All files should have a page setup for 210 mm × 279 mm sized paper when printed. Tables can be displayed horizontally if necessary.
(1) Title Page (Page 1) State categories of articles and fields (choose from epidemiology, biological effect, dose assessment, education, radiochemical analysis, radiation nursing, health physics, radiation measurement, or clinical activities). State the title of the article, name of author (full name), affiliated organization, and address (postal code). Place an asterisk (*) on the right shoulder of the name of the corresponding author. State the name of the corresponding, affiliated organization and address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address at the lower left.
(2) Abstract, Keywords, and Highlight (Page 2) Provide an abstract (within 200 words) and key words (3~6 words)), and highlight (a single sentence). A graphical abstract representing the work can be also submitted. It shall meet the requirements for figures (see 3. Figures below).
(3) Main Text (Page 3) Write in the order of text, acknowledgements, and references. Enter the serial numbers for any structural formulae, figures, and tables. Print double space with a 25mm margin in all directions on A4 size paper (generally 23 lines/page), with page numbers entered in the middle of the bottom of the page and serial line numbers on the left side of the page.
2. Tables
Tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. The proportions of the printed page should be considered in designing the table. Footnotes to tables should be identified with superscript lowercase italic letters, a,b, etc., and placed at the bottom of the page containing the table.
3. Figures
Figures may be submitted in the following formats: Adobe Illustrator, PDF, Microsoft PowerPoint, TIFF, and JPEG sized less than 10 megabytes. Most graphics programs have the option to save figures in one or more of these formats. Please note that pasting figures created in another format into any of these programs will result in poor quality figures that will not be acceptable. We may ask for higher resolution photographs and/or figures for printing.
With the exception of some chemical structures, all illustrations are to be considered as figures, and each graph, drawing or photograph should be numbered in sequence with Arabic numerals. Figures should be designed to fit the proportions of the printed page within single column (85 mm) or double columns (175 mm) width.
If a figure contains more than one panel, each panel (A, B, etc.) should be labeled within the panel, and the same letters should be used in the text and legends. A double-spaced listing of the figure legends should be provided in the text file.
(1) Graphs and other line drawings must be of a sufficient quality for reproduction. High- resolution (at least 600 dpi for line art) digital files should be submitted. All lines, including those used for curve fitting, should be at least 1 point in weight. The drawings should be sharp and should show a high contrast. Symbols used to identify points within a graph should be large enough that they will be easily distinguishable when the figure is reduced.
(2) Halftone and color photographs should be of sufficient quality to permit accurate reproduction. High-resolution (at least 400 dpi for halftones or color images) digital files should be submitted. The best results will be obtained if authors match the contrast and density of all figures appearing on a single plate. Magnification scales on photographs should be indicated by means of bars (–). The printed and electronic versions of the journal will contain the same versions of the figures (i.e. either black and white or color in both places).
4. Abbreviated words
Abbreviations should be spelled out the first time they are used and the abbreviated form inserted in brackets immediately afterwards, and then the abbreviations used thereafter. Abbreviations that can be used without definition include the following:
ATP (adenosine 5’-triphosphate), cAMP (adenosine 3’, 5’-cyclic monophosphate), CD (cluster of differentiation), cDNA (complementary DNA), DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), ED50 (50% effective dose), HPLC (high-pressure liquid chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography),IC50 (inhibitory concentration, 50%), LD50 (50% lethal dose), mRNA (messenger RNA), MS (mass spectrum), RNA (ribonucleic acid), rRNA (ribosomal RNA), tRNA (transfer RNA), UV (ultraviolet), AED (Aerodynamic Equivalent Diameter), AM (Arithmetic Mean), AMAD (Activity Median Aerodynamic Diameter), AMD (Activity Median Diameter), AMTD (Activity Median Thermodynamic Diameter), ATD (Alpha Track Detector), Bq (Becquerel), BEIR (Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation), BSS (Basic Safety Standard), Ci (Curie), CI (ConfidenceInterval), CMD (Count Median Diameter), DCF (Dose Conversion Factor), EEC (Equilibrium-Equivalent Concentration (Bq/m3)), EERC (Equilibrium-Equivalent Radon Concentration (Bq/m3), EETC (Equilibrium-Equivalent Thoron Concentration (Bq/m3)), EPA (The United States Environmental Protection Agency), Gy (Gray), GM (Geometric Mean), HRT (Human Respiratory Tract), IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), ICRP (International Commission on Radiological Protection), ICRU (International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements), IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission), ISO (International Organization for Standardization), LET (Linear Energy Transfer), LLD (Low Limit of Detection), LSC (Liquid Scintillation Counters), LUDEP (Lung Dose Evaluation Program), MCA (Multi Channel Analyzer), MDA (Minimal Detectable Activity), MMD (Mass Median Diameter), OR (Odds Ratio), PADC (Poly Allyl Diglycol Carbonate), PAEC (Potential Alpha Energy Concentration (J/ m3)), RDPs (Radon Decay Products), REL (Restricted Energy Loss), Sv (Sievert), SD (Standard Deviation), SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter), SSNTDS (Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors), UNSCEAR (Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors), WHO (World Health Organization), WL (Working Level), WLM (Working Level Month), ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), WL (Working Level), WLM (Working Level Month), ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable), ALI (Annual Limit on Intake), ATM (Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated), CT (Computed Tomography), CBRT (Convergent Beam Radiotherapy), Dq (Quasi-threshold Dose), DSB (Double-strand Breaks), EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), FISH (Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization), FSD (Focus Surface Distance), GVHD (Graft Versus Host Diseas), HVL (Half-Value Layer), IRMA (immunoradiometric assay), LD (Lethal Dose), LNT (Linear Non-Threshold), LQ (Linear-Quadratic), MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), NHEJ (Nonhomologous End Joining), NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance), OER (Oxygen Enhancement Ratio), PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction),PET (Positron Emission [computed] Tomography), QOL (Quality Of Life), RIA (Radioimmunoassay), ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), SLD (Sub-Lethal Damage), SLDR (Sub-Lethal Damage Repair), SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography), SSB (Single Strand Break), TBI (Total Body Irradiation), TDF (Time, Dose and FRactionation), TER (Thermal Enhancement Ratio), TGF (Transforming Growth Factor), TLD (Thermoluminescent Dosimeter), VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor)
5. Units
The following units should be used: Length (m, cm, mm, μm, nm, A), mass (kg, g, mg, μg, ng, pg, mol, mmol), mass (kg, g, mg, g, ng, pg, mol, mmol), volume (l, ml, μl), time (s, min, h, d), temperature (℃, K), radiation (Bq, cpm, Gy, Sv), concentration (M, mM, mol/l, mmol/l, mg/ml, μg/ml, %, % (v/v), % (w/v), ppm, ppb)
6. Naming convention
The naming convention with compounds should follow rules established by IUPAC. However, naming conventions of indexes of Chemical Abstracts and Ring Index can also be used.
7. Data statement
To foster transparency, we require you to state the availability of your data in your submission if your data is unavailable to access or unsuitable to post. This may also be a requirement of your funding body or institution. The statement will appear with your published article.
8. References
This journal uses “Vancouver” style, as outlined in the ICMJE sample references. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/ uniform_requirements.html
References should be serially numbered in order of appearance (one number assigned to each quoted reference) and indicated in superscript Arabic numerals with right parentheses at the right
shoulder of the text. They should be arranged in order of the number and the list provided at the end of the article as References.
Typical reference styles:
- Mameli A, Greco F, Fidanzio A, Fusco V, Cilla S, D’Onofrio G, et al. CR-39-detector-based thermal neutron flux measurements in the photo neutron project. Nucl Instrum Methods. 2008 Aug;266:16:3656–60.
- Chen CY, Yang KC, Pan LK. Bubble technique for evaluating effective dose of diagnostic x-rays: a feasibility study. J Radiat Res. 2009;50(5):449–56.
- Furusawa Y. Advantages for the use of heavy ion irradiation on cancer cells at radiotherapy. In: Tsujii H, Ban S, editors. Toward the Tailor-made Radiotherapy., Tokyo: Jitsugyou- Kouhou-Sha; 2003. p. 85–90.
- Horsman MR and Overgaard J. The oxygen effects and tumor microenvironment. In: Steel GG editor. Basic Clinical Radiobiology. 3rd ed. London: Hodder; 2002. p. 158–68.
- IAEA. Biological weighting of absorbed dose: The specific issue of RBE in ion beam therapy. In: Relative Biological Effectiveness in Ion Beam Therapy. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency; 2008. TRS 461:p. 8–25.
- ICRP. 1990 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection, ICRP Publication 60. Ann ICRP 21. Oxford: Pergamon Press; 1991.
- Cancer-Pain.org [Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.
VI. Nucleic-Acid Base Sequences
New nucleic-acid base sequences should be registered with the databanks of DDBJ, GenBank, or EMBL. If your article is to be posted ensure the accession number is provided to the REM Editorial Board. Sequence information must be disclosed when an article is published. The accession number needs to be described in a footnote of the article.
VII. Additional Manuscript Submission Information Queries
For questions about the editorial process (including the status of manuscripts under review) or for technical support on submissions, please email our handling editor E-mail: rem [at] hirosaki-u.ac.jp (replace [at] with @)
Peer review
All submitted manuscripts undergo initial screening by our assigned Associate Editors to determine suitability for publication in REM. Manuscripts deemed appropriate are forwarded to expert reviewers for evaluation. Reviews, Regular Articles, and Notes are assigned two reviewers for the first review, while other submissions are assigned one reviewer. Additional reviews are limited to exceptional circumstances to avoid unnecessary delays in the publication process.
The Editor -in-Chief makes decisions based on the recommendation provided by the Associate Editor and review reports, considering criteria such as originality, technical quality, scientific importance, suitability for REM, and clarity of presentation in concise English. Authors have two months to resubmit revised manuscripts along with a point-by-point response to review comments. Failure to resubmit within this timeframe will result in the manuscript being treated as a new submission.
The journal follows a double anonymized review process, where contributions are initially assessed by the editor for suitability. Accepted manuscripts are then sent to independent expert reviewers for scientific evaluation. The Editor holds responsibility for the final decision on article acceptance or rejection, ensuring impartiality. Editors abstain from decisions regarding papers they authored, those written by family members or colleagues, or submissions related to their interests. Such submissions follow the journal’s standard procedures, with peer review conducted independently.
All reviewers will follow the Radiation Environment and Medicine Peer-review Policy, Process and Guidelines as outlined below.
After acceptance
Please send us your proof corrections within two days to expedite the publication process. Corresponding authors will receive an email with the proof. Authors can choose to annotate and upload edits on the PDF version. All proofing instructions will be provided in the email. We strive to publish your article quickly and accurately. Use the proof for checking typesetting, editing, and completeness. Significant changes require Editor permission. Please ensure all corrections are sent together, as subsequent additions may not be guaranteed. Proofreading is your responsibility.
For Reviewers
VIII. Peer-review Policy, Process and Guidelines
Principle of reviewer(s)
The appointed reviewer(s) shall evaluate the paper and make a decision on acceptance or rejection based on the criteria specified in these rules, by taking the following points into consideration.
Review process
1) Preliminary review of the submitted manuscript by the associate member (hereafter referred to as the handling editor) assigned by the editorial board
・ Check the manuscript for format, quantity, and appropriateness of the classification of the submitted manuscript.
2) Selecting peer-reviewer(s)
・ The handling editor will select an appropriate person(s) who specializes in the field of the paper.
3) Number of reviewer(s)
All submissions will undergo review by a minimum of two reviewers, except for those categorized as “Others,” which will be reviewed by one reviewer. Note: Reviewer will remain anonymous outside the editorial board to ensure fairness and objectivity.
Referee content
• Originality and novelty: Evaluation of whether or not the research is original and includes new research methods and findings that
have not been used in previous research.
• Consistency and logic：Evaluate the consistency of logic from hypothesis to verification to conclusion.
• Usefulness: Evaluation of the extent to which the report contributes to the development and application of the relevant academic
field.
• Evaluation of accuracy.
■ Criteria
– Originality of the Topic
– Technical Quality
– Importance in Its Field
– Style & Overall Representation
– Extends the Previous Study
– Readily Understandable
– Suitability for Journal
– Interesting for a Non-Expert
– Adequate Illustrations or Drawings
– English language is good enough
– Appropriate Statistical Processing
Reviewer’s report and notification
Report
Reviewer chooses one of the following options and writes specific comments in the prescribed review form.
□ Accept as it stands, apart from editorial changes
□ Accept subject to minor revision, not requiring reconsideration by reviewers
□ Possibly acceptable after moderate revision, possibly requiring reconsideration by reviewers
□ Not accepted, major revision required, possibly with the opportunity of resubmission
□ Not acceptable for publication in Radiation Environment and Medicine
The reviewer is required to submit a review report to the Editorial Board within two weeks after accepting the review request.
If the report is not submitted within the period above, or if the reviewer does not respond to the request from the Editorial Board, the review request will be cancelled, and a new reviewer will be selected.
The reviewer’s decision of manuscript and notification
The Editor-in-Chief will notify the author of any of the following:
– (Requires) Major revision
– (Requires) Minor revision
– Reject
If there are instructions for revision by the reviewer, the author should submit a revised manuscript and a response letter to the reviewer within the period below.
（Deadline: Original article – 8 weeks / Note, Review and Others – 4 weeks）
Author’s rebuttal
If the reviewer and the author disagree on revisions, the author may file an objection. In that case, the editor-in-chief sets up a review committee and makes a decision on whether the objection is justified or not. The results and reasons for the decision shall be reported to the committee and notified to the author.
Confidentiality
Reviewers shall not disclose or divulge the contents of the paper before publication.
- Editorial Office
- Radiation Environment and Medicine
- 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564, Japan
E-mail: rem [at] hirosaki-u.ac.jp
