1.　Submission requirements

　The corresponding author must be a member of the Japanese Society of Nephrology and Pharmacotherapy (JSNP). However, this membership requirement is waived for submissions solicited by the JSNP.

2.　Manuscript content

The article must pertain to nephrology and pharmacotherapy, must contain legitimate and scientific research, and must not have been presented elsewhere or be scheduled for publication in another journal.

II. Authors may submit a review article, original article, brief report, or case report. A definition of each article type is provided below.

a) Review articles: Summarize and analyze previous articles on single or multiple topics.
b) Original articles: Report new findings based on original research.
c) Brief reports: Describe new findings and warrant expedited reporting due to their potential social implications, despite often being based on fragmented research.
d) Case reports: Describe the authors' own experiences and can make a significant contribution to clinical research in nephrology and pharmacotherapy.

3.　Ethics

I. Human research shall be conducted according to the principles of the Helsinki Declaration1) ¹⁾ and shall adhere to the "Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects"²⁾ issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) of Japan.

II. Research relating to genetic diseases and human genome/gene analysis shall adhere to the "Ethical Guidelines for Human Genome/Gene Analysis Research"²⁾ issued by the MHLW.

III. Animal research shall adhere to the "Fundamental Guidelines for Proper Conduct of Animal Experiments and Related Activities in Academic Research Institutions"³⁾ issued by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan.

IV. All research should be based on the latest version of each guideline, and the article should clearly state the ethics guidelines followed.

V. Where approval has been granted by an ethics review board, provide the approval number.

1 Helsinki Declaration (Japanese translation of the World Medical Association document prepared by the Japan Medical Association)
http://www.med.or.jp/wma/helsinki.html

2 MHLW web page on research guidelines:
http://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/hokabunya/kenkyujigyou/i-kenkyu/

3 MEXT web page on animal & other research guidelines:
http://www.lifescience.mext.go.jp/policies/dobutsu.html

4.　Manuscript format

I. The manuscript must be written in either Japanese or English.

II. The manuscript must adhere to the attached "JJNP Style Guide".

III. The manuscript must contain a title, the name(s) and affiliation(s) of the author(s), abstract, keywords, and body.

IV. Manuscripts submitted in Japanese must be accompanied by an English translation of the title, author name(s) and affiliation(s), keywords, and abstract. Manuscripts submitted in English must be accompanied by a Japanese translation of the abstract and key words.

V. Manuscripts submitted in English must have been proofread by a native English speaker, and the name and affiliation of the proofreader must be provided. A certificate issued by the proofreading organization/company must also be provided. Any revisions to the English manuscript must undergo further proofreading, and the signature or certificate of the proofreader must be submitted in PDF format via post to the JSNP Administrative Office. Authors may be charged for the cost of any corrections to the English manuscript deemed necessary by the Editorial Board.

VI. Authors must include a conflict of interest (COI) statement at the end of the manuscript.

VII. Submit the manuscript together with the submission application (provided on the JSNP website) after filling out all required information and after going through the provided Guidelines for Authors checklist.

5. Publication charges, manuscript fees, and offprint charges

I. Authors will not be charged for publication.

II. Manuscript fees (approximately 5,000 yen per one printed page) will be paid for author in accordance with the editorial board rules when JSNP requested for a contribution to JJNP.

III. The electronic reprint of the published article will be provided free of charge. Hard-copy reprints can be ordered in packs of 10 by sending a reprint order form with galley proofs. Authors will be charged 3,000 yen for up to 50 reprints, and 2,000 yen for each additional 50 reprints (prices do not include consumption tax).

6. Acceptance and proofreading

I. Manuscripts are generally reviewed by two or more peer reviewers under a "multiple peer review system." The Editorial Board makes the final decision on publication based on the Reviewers' opinions.

II. When revisions are requested, revised manuscripts should be submitted within 60 days unless otherwise specified, otherwise they will be treated as new submissions.

III. Authors are responsible for the first proofreading of the approved manuscript, and the Editorial Board will proofread subsequent drafts. Only typographical errors should be corrected in the galley proofs.

7. Copyright and responsibility of authors

I. Authors are responsible for the content of their manuscripts.

II. For collaborative studies, co-authors should appoint one author (denoted with a superscript asterisk: ^*) to represent their moral rights in accordance with Article 64-3 of Japan's Copyright Act. The Editorial Board will regard this author as the person responsible for the content of the manuscript, and for other substantive responsibilities related to publication.

III. Copyright will be transferred to JSNP if the manuscript is accepted.

8. Conflict of interest

I. Authors must disclose any relationships (financial or otherwise) with corporate or commercial entities that pose a conflict of interest (COI) in terms of the content of the manuscript.

II. Refer to the attached "JSNP Guidelines for Conflict of Interest" for specific details on the types of COI that must be disclosed in the manuscript. If authors have no conflict of interest to declare, the statement "Conflict of interest declaration: None." must be included.

9. Penalties for duplicate submission, plagiarism, falsification, and fabrication

I. Manuscripts may be refused or withdrawn from publication in the event of duplicate submission, plagiarism, falsification, or fabrication.

II. Authors (including co-authors) who submit a manuscript that falls under the provisions of the previous item will be prohibited from submitting a new manuscript to JJNP for a period of five years.

III. JSNP reserves the right to provide details of the above-mentioned transgressions to the authors' employers and/or affiliated organizations, and to request an investigation.

10. Print submissions

Manuscripts should be sent to the following address as an email attachment together with the checklist and other required forms.
Administrative Office, Japanese Society of Nephrology and Pharmacotherapy
Email: maf-jsnp@mynavi.jp
Mainichi Academic Forum, 9F Palaceside Bldg.,
1-1-1, Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0003
Tel: 03-6267-4550: Fax: 03-6267-4555.

11. Revisions to the Guidelines for Authors

Any revisions to the Guidelines for Authors must first be discussed by the JSNP Board of Directors.

Additional Regulations

1. The Guidelines for Authors came into effect on December 1, 2011.
2. Revised: February 1, 2012
3. Revised: March 23, 2012
4. Revised: April 4, 2012
5. Revised: May 11, 2012
6. Revised: May 15, 2012
7. Revised: June 5, 2012
8. Revised: October 12, 2013
9. Revised: October 25, 2013
10. Revised: June 13, 2014
11. Revised: May 1, 2016
12. Revised: July 1, 2016
13. Revised: July 1, 2017
14. Revised: February 28, 2020
15. Revised: February 28, 2020
16. Revised: May 1, 2020
17. Revised: September 15, 2020

Attachments
JJNP Guidelines for Conflict of Interest

JJNP requires all authors to disclose all relevant conflicts of interest (see below) for the past one year from the first submission date. COIs should be stated at the end of the main text.

Conflicts of interest to be declared

a. Payment for lectures: Total annual payment of 500,000 yen or more received from a single company or organization
b. Payment for articles: Total annual payment of 500,000 yen or more received from a single company or organization
c. Remuneration: Total annual payment of 1 million yen or more received from a single company or organization
d. Return on equity/stock: Total annual returns of 1 million yen or more received from a single company, or a 5% or greater stock holding in said company.
e. Patent royalties: Total annual royalties of 1 million yen per patent
f. Research funding/subsidies: Total annual funding/subsidies of 2 million yen provided by a single company or organization to the research institute, center, or laboratory with which the author is affiliated.
g. Scholarships and other donations: Total annual scholarships/donations of 2 million yen provided by a single company or organization to the research institute, center, or laboratory with which the author is affiliated.
h. Corporate and other sponsorship: Authors must declare a COI if they belong to a research institute that receives sponsorship from a corporation or other entity.
i. Others: Total annual payment of 50,000 yen or more received from a single company or organization for travel expenses and gifts that are not directly related to the author's research.