Guide for Authors

This guide provides essential information for authors preparing manuscripts for submission to the journal. Authors are encouraged to read this guide carefully before submission and to consult the journal's Aims and Scope, Article Types, Open Access and Fees, and Journal Policies pages where applicable.

The journal publishes scholarly work in gastroenterology, hepatology, gastrointestinal endoscopy, inflammatory bowel disease, functional gastrointestinal disorders, pancreatobiliary diseases, gastrointestinal oncology, digestive pharmacology, nutrition, microbiome research, translational digestive science and related clinical or preclinical research.

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's requirements may be returned for correction before editorial assessment or peer review. Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee external peer review or acceptance.

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the work is suitable for the journal and that all required materials are prepared.

Authors should:

•  read the journal's Aims and Scope to confirm that the manuscript fits the journal's academic focus and target readership;

•  select the appropriate article type and follow the relevant requirements for structure, word limits, references, tables, figures and supplementary materials;

•  ensure that the manuscript is original, has not been formally published previously and is not under consideration by another journal;

•  obtain approval from all authors for the submitted version;

•  ensure that authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been agreed by all authors before submission;

•  prepare all required statements, including ethics approval, informed consent, author contributions, competing interests, funding, data availability, clinical trial registration and AI-use statements where applicable;

•  clearly describe the clinical condition, procedure, endoscopic intervention, drug, biologic, device, nutritional intervention, microbiome-based intervention or translational model studied, where applicable;

•  report relevant safety information, including adverse events, procedure-related complications, drug-related events, infection risk, hospitalization, reintervention, surgery, mortality and discontinuations where applicable;

•  disclose sponsor, funder, pharmaceutical company, device company, diagnostic company, microbiome company, nutrition company, contract research organization or technology provider involvement in study design, intervention development, data access, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and publication decisions;

•  follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to the study design;

•  obtain permission for any third-party material, including figures, tables, images, endoscopic images, radiological images, histological images, videos, diagrams, questionnaires or substantial text reproduced or adapted from other sources;

•  review the journal's policies on peer review, publication ethics, authorship, research ethics, data availability, use of AI, copyright, licensing and post-publication updates.

Authors who are unsure whether their manuscript is suitable for the journal may contact the Editorial Office with a pre-submission inquiry. A pre-submission inquiry should include the manuscript title, author list, abstract and a brief explanation of the manuscript's relevance to the journal. A positive response to a pre-submission inquiry does not guarantee peer review or acceptance.

Preprints

The journal considers manuscripts that have been posted on recognized preprint servers, provided that the work has not been formally published and is not under consideration by another journal at the same time.

Authors must disclose any preprint at submission and provide the preprint server name, DOI or link where applicable. If the manuscript is accepted, authors are encouraged to update the preprint record with a citation and link to the final published article.

Online Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Authors should create a user account, log in and submit the manuscript following the instructions in the system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

The maximum file size for individual uploaded files is 50 MB, unless otherwise specified by the submission system.

The journal considers several types of manuscripts. Authors should select the article type that best matches the purpose, design and scope of their work.

Detailed requirements for each article type, including word limits, abstract format, reference limits, figure and table limits and required sections, are provided on the Article Types page.

Common article types may include:

Original Research Article

Reports original research findings based on clinical, translational, epidemiological, endoscopic, microbiome, omics, pharmacological, preclinical, methodological or other scholarly research. Original Research Articles should generally include Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion sections.

Clinical Trial / Interventional Study

Reports prospective or retrospective studies involving drugs, biologics, endoscopic procedures, devices, nutritional interventions, microbiome-based interventions, fecal microbiota transplantation, digital tools or other gastroenterology interventions. Authors should provide ethics approval, trial registration information, intervention details and safety reporting where applicable.

Endoscopy Study / Procedure-based Study

Reports studies involving diagnostic endoscopy, therapeutic endoscopy, interventional endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, ERCP, capsule endoscopy, colonoscopy, gastroscopy or related technologies. Authors should describe indication, preparation, procedure details, device or accessory used, operator expertise, quality indicators, success rates, complications and follow-up where applicable.

Gastrointestinal Oncology Study

Reports clinical, translational, diagnostic, therapeutic, biomarker, screening, surveillance or outcomes research related to gastrointestinal cancers. Authors should clearly describe tumor type, staging or classification system, treatment context, outcome definitions and follow-up.

Hepatology / Pancreatobiliary Study

Reports research on liver diseases, biliary diseases, pancreatic diseases, pancreatobiliary procedures, hepatobiliary imaging, liver biopsy, biomarkers, therapeutic interventions or related translational science. Authors should report diagnostic criteria, severity assessment, intervention details and safety outcomes where applicable.

Microbiome / Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Study

Reports research involving gut microbiota, metagenomics, metabolomics, microbial therapeutics, probiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, fecal microbiota transplantation or related interventions. Authors should describe specimen collection, donor or participant characteristics, sequencing or analytical methods, data processing, contamination control and safety monitoring where applicable.

Translational / Preclinical Study

Reports mechanistic, laboratory, organoid, animal, cellular, molecular, omics or other preclinical research relevant to digestive diseases. Sufficient methodological detail should be provided to support reproducibility and critical evaluation.

Registry / Real-world Evidence Study

Reports studies using disease registries, endoscopy databases, administrative data, electronic health records, claims data or other routinely collected data. Authors should describe data source, governance, coding definitions, linkage methods, missing data, validation procedures and limitations.

Review Article

Provides a comprehensive, balanced and critical overview of a defined topic. Review Articles should synthesize current evidence, identify knowledge gaps and discuss future directions.

Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Presents a systematic search, selection, appraisal and synthesis of existing evidence. Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines and provide protocol registration information where applicable.

Brief Report / Short Communication

Reports concise but significant findings that may not require a full-length article. These submissions should present clear methods, focused results and a well-supported conclusion.

Case Report / Case Series

Describes clinically or scientifically important cases involving diagnosis, treatment response, adverse events, endoscopic findings, complications, rare presentations or unexpected outcomes. Written informed consent for publication must be obtained when identifiable patient information, endoscopic images, radiological images, videos or case details are included.

Method / Technical Note

Describes a novel method, technical improvement, endoscopic technique, analytical approach, laboratory method, microbiome method, imaging method, device-related procedure or workflow relevant to gastroenterology.

Guideline / Consensus

Provides evidence-based or expert consensus recommendations on a specific topic. The methodology for evidence review, panel composition, conflict-of-interest management, consensus development and recommendation grading should be clearly described.

Editorial / Commentary / Perspective

Presents expert opinion, critical discussion or interpretation of current issues in gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy, digestive therapeutics, microbiome research or clinical translation. These article types are usually commissioned, but unsolicited submissions may be considered at the editors' discretion.

Letter to the Editor

Provides brief comments on articles published in the journal or concise observations of interest to readers.

Manuscripts should be prepared clearly, concisely and consistently. Authors should write for an international scholarly audience and avoid unnecessary jargon, unsupported claims or excessive technical detail that is not essential to understanding the work.

File Format

Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable format, such as Microsoft Word. LaTeX files may be accepted where appropriate. Figures, tables, endoscopic images, radiological images, videos and supplementary materials should be prepared according to the journal's file and formatting requirements.

Title Page

The title page should include:

•  manuscript title;

•  full names of all authors;

•  author affiliations;

•  corresponding author name, email address and full contact details;

•  ORCID iDs, where available;

•  equal contribution or co-corresponding author notes, where applicable;

•  short running title, if required;

•  word count, number of figures, number of tables and number of supplementary files, if requested.

Abstract and Keywords

The abstract should accurately summarize the purpose, methods, main findings and conclusions of the manuscript. Original Research Articles, clinical studies, endoscopy studies, registry studies and translational studies should generally use a structured abstract where required by the article type.

Authors should provide keywords that are specific, searchable and relevant to the manuscript. Standardized medical, endoscopic, anatomical, microbiological or digestive disease terms should be used where appropriate.

Main Text

Original Research Articles should generally include:

•  Introduction;

•  Methods;

•  Results;

•  Discussion;

•  Conclusions, where appropriate.

The Methods section should provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be evaluated and, where applicable, reproduced. Authors should describe study design, setting, participants or specimens, eligibility criteria, disease definitions, diagnostic criteria, interventions, procedures, devices, drugs, outcome measures, safety monitoring, statistical methods, software, sample size considerations and analysis plans where relevant.

The Results section should present findings in a logical order, supported by appropriate tables, figures and statistical information. The Discussion should interpret the findings in the context of existing evidence, acknowledge limitations and avoid overstating conclusions.

Disease Definitions, Clinical Context and Outcomes

Where applicable, authors should clearly describe diagnostic criteria, disease classification, disease activity measures, severity scores, staging systems, treatment history, prior procedures, comorbidities and clinically meaningful endpoints.

For studies involving inflammatory bowel disease, liver disease, pancreatobiliary disease, functional gastrointestinal disorders, gastrointestinal bleeding, gastrointestinal infection or gastrointestinal oncology, authors should define disease status, outcome measures and follow-up duration clearly.

Endoscopy, Imaging and Procedural Details

For studies involving endoscopy, interventional endoscopy, imaging or procedure-based care, authors should describe the procedure, preparation, sedation or anesthesia where relevant, device or accessory used, operator experience, quality indicators, technical success, clinical success, adverse events and follow-up.

Endoscopic images, radiological images, histological images and videos should be anonymized and should not include identifying patient information unless essential and properly consented.

Therapeutics, Biologics, Nutrition and Microbiome Interventions

For pharmacological, biologic, nutritional or microbiome-based interventions, authors should report the drug, biologic, formulation, dose, route, frequency, duration, comparator, concomitant treatment, adherence, safety monitoring and relevant adverse events.

For fecal microbiota transplantation or microbiome-based interventions, authors should describe donor screening, preparation method, administration route, dose, frequency, storage, safety monitoring and regulatory or institutional oversight where applicable.

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the text. Each table and figure should have a clear title and legend.

Figures should be of sufficient resolution for peer review and publication. Authors should avoid image manipulation that could misrepresent the data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast or color balance must not obscure, eliminate or misrepresent information.

Where figures or tables are reproduced or adapted from another source, authors must obtain appropriate permission and provide proper attribution.

Clinical Images, Endoscopic Images and Videos

Clinical photographs, endoscopic images, colonoscopy images, gastroscopy images, capsule endoscopy images, radiological images, histological images, surgical or endoscopic videos and other visual materials should be anonymized before submission where applicable.

Written consent for publication is required when any patient, case detail, image, video, rare condition, genetic finding or identifiable clinical information may allow direct or indirect identification.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials should be directly relevant to the manuscript and should support, but not replace, the main text. Supplementary files may include extended methods, additional tables, figures, datasets, checklists, protocols, statistical analysis plans, search strategies, endoscopy videos, sequencing pipelines, analytical code or other supporting information.

References

References should be accurate, complete and relevant. Authors are responsible for checking all references before submission. References should be formatted in accordance with the journal’s reference style. Please click here to download the journal’s EndNote output style.

Authors should avoid inappropriate citation practices, including excessive self-citation, citation manipulation or citation of unreliable sources.

Language and Style

Manuscripts should be written in clear English. Authors should use precise, professional and non-promotional language. Claims regarding diagnostic performance, therapeutic efficacy, safety, superiority, clinical utility or mechanism should be supported by appropriate evidence.

Authors who are not fluent in English may consider professional language editing before submission. Language editing does not guarantee editorial review or acceptance.

Authors should follow appropriate reporting guidelines according to study design and should submit completed checklists where required.

Relevant guidelines may include:

•  CONSORT for randomized trials;

•  CONSORT extensions where applicable;

•  SPIRIT for clinical trial protocols;

•  PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;

•  STROBE for observational studies;

•  RECORD for routinely collected health data;

•  STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;

•  TRIPOD or TRIPOD+AI for prediction model studies;

•  CARE for case reports;

•  ARRIVE for animal studies;

•  TIDieR for intervention description;

•  SQUIRE for quality improvement studies;

•  CONSORT-AI or SPIRIT-AI for clinical studies involving AI components, where applicable.

Authors should consult the EQUATOR Network to identify the most appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.

Gastroenterology Clinical Studies

For gastroenterology clinical studies, authors should describe the clinical condition, patient population, diagnostic criteria, intervention, comparator and outcomes in sufficient detail.

Where applicable, authors should report:

•  disease definition, classification or staging system;

•  inclusion and exclusion criteria;

•  baseline disease severity and relevant comorbidities;

•  intervention details, including drugs, biologics, procedures, devices, nutritional therapy or microbiome intervention;

•  comparator, usual care, placebo, sham procedure or active control;

•  outcome definitions and assessment timing;

•  adverse events, complications, discontinuations and withdrawals;

•  follow-up duration and missing data.

Endoscopy and Interventional Procedures

For endoscopy and procedure-based studies, authors should report:

•  indication and procedure type;

•  bowel or procedural preparation where relevant;

•  sedation or anesthesia approach where relevant;

•  device, accessory or system used;

•  operator experience or center volume where relevant;

•  quality indicators and procedural endpoints;

•  technical success and clinical success;

•  adverse events and procedure-related complications;

•  follow-up schedule and outcome assessment.

Authors should report safety outcomes such as bleeding, perforation, pancreatitis, infection, sedation-related events, post-procedure complications, hospitalization, reintervention, surgery and mortality where relevant.

Pharmacological, Biologic, Nutritional and Microbiome-based Interventions

For therapeutic studies, authors should clearly describe the intervention, dose, route, duration, frequency, comparator, concomitant treatment, rescue therapy, adherence, safety monitoring and discontinuation criteria.

For biologics, immunosuppressive therapies, small molecules or other targeted therapies, authors should report relevant safety outcomes, including infection, immunosuppression-related events, hepatotoxicity, malignancy signals, infusion reactions and laboratory abnormalities where applicable.

For nutritional and microbiome-based interventions, authors should describe composition, preparation, dose, route, frequency, duration, donor or product characteristics, quality control and safety monitoring where applicable.

Microbiome, Omics and Biospecimen Studies

For microbiome, omics, biospecimen or translational studies, authors should report:

•  specimen type, anatomical site and collection method;

•  timing of sample collection relative to disease activity, treatment or procedure;

•  storage, transport, processing and quality control;

•  donor or participant characteristics relevant to interpretation;

•  sequencing, omics platform or analytical method;

•  bioinformatic pipeline, reference database, normalization method and contamination control;

•  batch effect assessment and validation procedure where applicable;

•  limitations related to sample size, confounding and generalizability.

Clinical Trial Registration and Data Sharing

Clinical trials and interventional studies involving drugs, biologics, endoscopic procedures, devices, nutritional interventions, microbiome-based therapies, fecal microbiota transplantation, digital tools or other gastroenterology interventions should be registered in a publicly accessible registry before participant recruitment begins, where applicable. The registry name and registration number should be provided in the manuscript.

Manuscripts reporting clinical trials should include a data sharing statement where required by applicable standards or journal policy. The statement should indicate whether de-identified individual participant data will be shared, what data will be shared, whether related documents such as the study protocol or statistical analysis plan will be available, when and for how long data will be available, and the conditions for access.

Registry and Real-world Data Studies

For registry-based or real-world data studies, authors should describe the registry source, data governance, inclusion criteria, coding definitions, linkage methods, missing data, data validation, follow-up completeness, outcome definitions and limitations.

Authors should avoid unsupported causal claims when using observational or routinely collected data.

Animal, Organoid, Cell and Preclinical Studies

For animal, organoid, cellular, in vitro or other preclinical studies, authors should provide sufficient methodological detail to support reproducibility and critical evaluation.

Where applicable, authors should report model type, source, authentication, passage number, randomization, blinding, sample size rationale, experimental conditions, endpoints, analytical methods and limitations of the model.

For animal studies, authors should follow appropriate animal research reporting standards and describe measures taken to minimize pain, distress and unnecessary animal use.

Authors must include all statements required by the journal and applicable policies. These statements should usually appear in the manuscript file, title page, acknowledgements section or submission system, according to the journal's instructions.

Required statements may include:

Ethics Approval

Studies involving human participants, human data, human tissue, gastrointestinal specimens, liver tissue, pancreatic tissue, bile, stool samples, microbiome data, imaging data, registry data, animals or identifiable clinical information must include the name of the ethics committee, institutional review board or relevant authority, approval number or reference, and any relevant exemption information.

Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants, authors should state whether informed consent was obtained. For identifiable patient information, case details, endoscopic images, radiological images, histological images linked to identifiable cases, clinical photographs, videos or any other identifiable material, written consent for publication must be obtained.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials and interventional studies should provide the registry name and registration number where applicable. Registration should occur before participant recruitment begins.

Author Contributions

Authors should describe each author's contribution to the work. The journal encourages use of the CRediT taxonomy where appropriate.

Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial competing interests. For gastroenterology research, relevant disclosures may include employment, consultancy, advisory roles, honoraria, speaker fees, stock ownership, patents, patent applications, royalties, licensing agreements, sponsored research, drug supply, biologic or device donation, endoscopy equipment loan, technical support, statistical support, writing assistance, registry access, data access arrangements or relationships with pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, endoscopy device companies, diagnostic companies, microbiome companies, nutrition companies, contract research organizations or sponsors.

Funding

Authors should disclose all funding sources and grant numbers. The role of funders, sponsors, manufacturers or technology providers in study design, intervention development, participant recruitment, data collection, data access, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit should be stated. If the work received no specific funding, this should also be declared.

Data Availability

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement describing where the data supporting the findings can be accessed or explaining why data cannot be shared.

For clinical studies, authors should ensure that shared data are appropriately de-identified and consistent with ethics approval, informed consent and applicable data protection requirements. Restrictions due to privacy, ethics, legal, commercial, intellectual property, registry governance, institutional confidentiality or patient re-identification risks should be clearly explained.

Use of AI and AI-assisted Technologies

AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality and integrity of all submitted content.

Use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies beyond basic language editing should be disclosed according to the journal's AI policy. Authors should identify the tool used, describe how it was used and verify all AI-assisted content, including references, factual claims and generated text.

Acknowledgements

Individuals or organizations that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged with their permission.

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that the following items are complete:

•  the manuscript fits the journal's Aims and Scope;

•  the correct article type has been selected;

•  the manuscript follows the relevant structure and formatting requirements;

•  the title page includes complete author, affiliation and corresponding author information;

•  all authors have approved the submitted version;

•  authorship, author order and corresponding author details have been confirmed;

•  the abstract and keywords are included;

•  all tables, figures, images and videos are cited in the text and uploaded in the required format;

•  figure legends and table titles are complete;

•  supplementary materials are cited and uploaded where applicable;

•  references are accurate and complete;

•  endoscopic, therapeutic, microbiome, imaging or preclinical methods are reported in sufficient detail where applicable;

•  adverse events, complications, discontinuations and safety outcomes are reported where applicable;

•  ethics approval, informed consent and trial registration information are provided where applicable;

•  author contributions, competing interests, funding and data availability statements are included;

•  sponsor, funder, manufacturer or technology provider involvement is disclosed where applicable;

•  AI-use disclosure is included where applicable;

•  reporting checklists and flow diagrams are uploaded for relevant study types;

•  permission has been obtained for third-party material;

•  the cover letter has been prepared;

•  all required files have been uploaded to the submission system.

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's online submission system. Submissions sent by email are generally not considered unless specifically requested by the Editorial Office.

During submission, authors may be asked to provide:

•  manuscript title and abstract;

•  author names, affiliations and email addresses;

•  corresponding author details;

•  article type;

•  keywords;

•  cover letter;

•  manuscript file;

•  figures, tables and supplementary files;

•  required statements and declarations;

•  reporting checklists;

•  suggested or opposed reviewers, where permitted;

•  funding and competing interest information.

The cover letter should briefly explain the importance of the work, its relevance to the journal and why it may be of interest to the journal's readership. Authors should also disclose any related manuscripts, previous submissions, preprints, trial registry records, registry reports, guideline documents, regulatory documents or overlapping work.

Authors may suggest potential reviewers where permitted by the submission system. Reviewer selection remains at the editors' discretion. Suggested reviewers must be independent and free from conflicts of interest.

After submission, the corresponding author will receive confirmation from the submission system. The Editorial Office may contact the corresponding author if required information is missing or if files need correction before editorial assessment.

If revision is invited, authors should submit the revised manuscript within the deadline stated in the decision letter. Extensions may be requested from the Editorial Office where necessary.

A revised submission should usually include:

•  a clean version of the revised manuscript;

•  a marked-up or tracked-changes version showing revisions;

•  a detailed point-by-point response to all editor and reviewer comments;

•  revised figures, tables, images, videos or supplementary materials, where applicable;

•  updated declarations or statements, if any changes have been made.

Authors should respond to each comment respectfully and clearly. Where authors disagree with a reviewer or editor comment, they should provide a reasoned explanation supported by evidence where appropriate.

Submission of a revised manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. Revised manuscripts may be returned to reviewers, assessed by the editors or declined if concerns have not been adequately addressed.

After acceptance, authors may be required to complete a publishing agreement, confirm copyright and licensing arrangements, select open access options where applicable and pay any applicable publication charges.

The corresponding author will receive proofs for review before publication. Proof corrections should be limited to typographical errors, formatting issues and factual corrections. Substantial changes to the content, authorship, data, analysis or conclusions after acceptance may require editorial approval.

Accepted articles may be published online before assignment to an issue, where applicable. The final published article will be assigned a DOI.

After publication, authors may share their article according to the journal's article sharing and self-archiving policies. Requests for corrections, retractions, expressions of concern or other post-publication updates will be handled according to the journal's relevant policies.