The Charcot Journal 

             ISSN 3103-6090

Interdisciplinary Studies in the History of Neurology

Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

1. Aims and Scope

The Charcot Journal – Interdisciplinary Studies in the History of Neurology is a peer-reviewed, open-access (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), online-only, and fee-free international journal published semiannually.

The journal is dedicated to exploring the history of neurology in its broadest interdisciplinary context. Named after Jean-Martin Charcot (1825–1893), widely regarded as the father of modern neurology, its scope encompasses a wide range of topics and figures relevant to the development of neurological thought and practice. We welcome original research articles, historical essays, philosophical reflections, literary analyses, and cultural studies that contribute to the advancement of knowledge in this field.

For details on accepted submission types, see the section Article Types.

2. Manuscript Submission

  • Submission Email: Send all manuscripts to submission[at]charcotjournal.org
  • Template: Authors are kindly requested to use the official manuscript template available here.
  • Email Subject Line: Include the article type (e.g., Historical Note, Book Review).
  • Originality: Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere.
  • Languages: Manuscripts may be submitted in English, French, Italian, German, or Spanish.
    • All accepted articles will be published in English. During the journal’s initial launch phase, we offer free translation for accepted manuscripts submitted in French, Italian, German, or Spanish.
    • Translations made by the journal must be reviewed and approved by the authors before publication.
  • Writing Style: Use clear, formal academic prose. Footnotes are permitted for discursive commentary or archival notes.

3. Manuscript Structure

Manuscript Template

Authors are kindly requested to use the official manuscript template available here.

Formatting Requirements

Submit manuscripts as Word documents (.docx) using:

  • Line spacing: 1
  • Times New Roman, 12 pt font
  • Standard margins (2.5 cm / 1 inch)

Title Page

Include the following:

  • Full title of the manuscript
  • Full names and institutional affiliations of all authors
  • Contact information for the corresponding author (email and institutional address)
  • ORCID iDs (optional)

Abstract (if applicable)

  • Maximum 250 words
  • Unstructured format

Keywords (if applicable)

  • 3 to 6 keywords that accurately reflect the article’s content

Main Text

Organize according to article type. See Article Types for recommended structures.

References

Use the author–date citation style.

In-Text Citations
  • Cite sources in the text using the author’s last name and the year of publication, e.g.,
    • (Smith 2020) or (Smith and Jones 2020)
    • For direct quotes, include the page number: (Smith 2020, 45).
  • For multiple works by the same author in the same year, use lowercase letters: (Smith 2020a, 2020b).
  • For three or more authors, use et al.: (Smith et al. 2020).
  • When citing multiple different sources within the same parentheses, separate them with a semicolon: (Smith 2020; Brown 2019; Clark et al. 2021).
  • Citations should be placed in parentheses/round brackets, not square brackets.
Reference List
  • Include a full list of references at the end of the manuscript.
  • List entries alphabetically by author’s last name.
  • Ensure all in-text citations have a corresponding entry in the reference list.
  • Format examples:
    • Journal Article: Walusinski O. Jean-Martin Charcot, member of thesis juries at the Paris Medical School (1862-1893). J Hist Neurosci. 2025;34(2):185-205. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2024.2344418
    • Book: Goetz CG, Bonduelle M, Gelfand T. Charcot: Constructing Neurology. Oxford University Press; 1995.
    • Book Chapter: Pérez-Rincón H. Pierre Janet, Sigmund Freud and Charcot’s Psychological and Psychiatric Legacy. In: Bogousslavsky J, ed. Following Charcot: A Forgotten History of Neurology and Psychiatry. Vol 26. Karger; 2010:115–124. doi:10.1159/000321781
    • Website or Online Document: Sorbonne Université. Fonds Charcot. Published 2023. Accessed July 17, 2025. https://patrimoine.sorbonne-universite.fr/en/collection/Fonds-Charcot
General Notes
  • Ensure all in-text citations have a corresponding entry in the reference list.
  • Use consistent punctuation and formatting throughout.
  • Prefer DOIs or stable URLs for online sources.
  • Avoid citing unpublished or inaccessible sources unless necessary.
  • Ideally, the names of all authors should be provided, but the usage of “et al.” in long author lists is also accepted.

Specific Statements (when applicable)

Include the following after the reference list, at the end of the manuscript:

  • Permissions: For use of third-party materials
  • Patient Consent: For use of patient data, testimonies, or images
  • Funding: Disclosure of all funding sources
  • Conflicts of Interest: Declaration of any potential conflicts
  • Translations: Translations made by the journal must be reviewed and approved by the authors before publication.

Figures

  • Must be high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi).
  • Colour figures are permitted.
  • Must be embedded in the manuscript at their intended locations together with their legends.
  • Must also be submitted as separate files.
  • Authors are responsible for ensuring that all figures, photographs, illustrations, and other graphic materials are either copyright-free or reproduced with the appropriate permission for publication. The publisher and the Editor-in-Chief assume no responsibility for copyright violations; responsibility for obtaining the necessary permissions rests entirely with the authors.

Tables

  • Must be embedded in the manuscript at their intended locations.
  • Provide titles and legends within the main text.

Supplementary Material(s)

Supplementary material may be submitted along with the manuscript. Please include a brief description of each supplementary item at the end of the manuscript, following the references.

4. Submission Checklist

Before submitting your manuscript, ensure that it:

✅ Is original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere
✅ Uses the official manuscript template (available here)
✅ Includes title, author names, affiliations, and corresponding author’s contact details
✅ Contains an abstract and keywords (if required)
✅ Follows the author–date citation style
✅ Has a complete and correctly formatted reference list
✅ Embeds all figures and tables appropriately
✅ Includes all required disclosures (permissions, funding, conflicts of interest)
✅ Is written in clear academic English or translated accordingly

5. Authorship and Contributions

All listed authors must meet the authorship criteria outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authors are encouraged to provide their ORCID iD to ensure accurate attribution, improve visibility, and support research discoverability.

6. Ethical Considerations

The Charcot Journal adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices and is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity in scholarly publishing. Authors, reviewers, and editors are expected to uphold ethical conduct throughout the entire publication process.

Authors are responsible for ensuring the originality, accuracy, and ethical integrity of their work. The journal and its editorial team do not assume legal responsibility for ethical violations; accountability lies solely with the authors.

Specific ethical policies include:

  • Use of Patient Data: Any use of patient data, testimonies, or images must comply with established ethical standards and must be supported by documented informed consent, where applicable. Identifying information must be removed unless essential and explicitly consented to.
  • Funding Disclosure: All sources of financial support must be clearly declared in the manuscript.
  • Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation.
  • Use of AI Tools: Artificial intelligence (AI) may be used only for language editing, stylistic refinement, and reference formatting. AI must not be used to generate content, analyze data, or interpret results. Any use of AI must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript.
  • Plagiarism and Research Misconduct: All submissions are screened for plagiarism. Detected plagiarism results in immediate rejection. The journal also prohibits data fabrication or falsification, image manipulation, duplicate or redundant publication, inappropriate authorship practices. Cases of suspected misconduct will be handled in accordance with COPE guidelines.

7. Peer Review Process

  • All major article types undergo double-blind peer review.
  • Editorials and letters are subject to internal editorial review.
  • Upon submission, the Editor‑in‑Chief conducts an initial assessment for relevance, quality, and policy compliance.
  • Manuscripts that pass this stage are anonymized to remove author identifiers before being sent to reviewers.
  • The standard peer review timeline is expected to be 2–4 weeks.
  • Authors receive reviewer feedback, including revision requests (if applicable), via the journal’s submission email.
  • The average time from article acceptance to online publication is 1–2 weeks.

All evaluations are handled in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices to ensure fairness, confidentiality, and ethical oversight.

8. Open Access and Indexing

The Charcot Journal is a platinum open‑access journal committed to the principles of transparency, accessibility, and ethical publishing as outlined in the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Core Practices. All content is freely accessible online immediately upon publication, with no embargo and no fees for authors or readers.

Open Access Statement

The Charcot Journal provides immediate, unrestricted, and permanent open access to all published material.

  • No article processing charges (APCs)
  • No submission fees
  • No paywalls or registration requirements

This policy ensures that research is disseminated widely and equitably, in accordance with international open‑access standards.

Copyright and Licensing

  • Authors retain full copyright over their work.
  • All articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
  • Users may share the work with proper attribution, but may not modify it or use it for commercial purposes.
  • Authors may reuse their work in any form, including for teaching, presentations, and future publications, provided the original article is properly cited.

This licensing framework supports ethical reuse and aligns with COPE’s expectations for transparency in intellectual property management. For full details, see the Publishing Agreement (available here).

Identifiers and Indexing

Each article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) to ensure persistent and reliable citation.

The journal holds an ISSN, beginning with Volume 1.

Metadata is structured to support indexing, archiving, and citation tracking.

The Charcot Journal is actively pursuing indexing in major academic databases, including:

  • Google Scholar
  • DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)
  • Scopus
  • PubMed/MEDLINE (subject to eligibility)

These efforts reflect the journal’s commitment to maintaining a transparent, accessible, and ethically managed scholarly platform.

9. Post-Publication Policies

The Charcot Journal adheres to the best practices set out by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for post-publication updates:

  • Corrections, retractions, and expressions of concern will be issued as needed and documented transparently.
  • Authors are encouraged to promote their published work through academic networks, social media platforms, and institutional channels. Authors are permitted to deposit the published version of their articles in institutional repositories, personal archives, or disciplinary repositories, provided that proper citation to the original publication is maintained.

9. Archiving & Preservation Policy

The Charcot Journal ensures the long‑term preservation and accessibility of all published content. Each article is assigned a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), providing a permanent and reliable link to the published version. All content is stored on secure servers with regular backups, ensuring continued access even in the event of technical failures or platform changes. The Charcot Journal ensures long‑term preservation of its published content through the Internet Archive, which regularly crawls and stores the journal’s website, issues, articles, and PDF files. All published materials are permanently archived and remain accessible even in the event of website failure.

Authors may deposit the published version of their articles in institutional repositories, personal archives, or disciplinary repositories, provided proper citation is maintained. Authors are encouraged to use an ORCID iD to ensure accurate attribution and improve the visibility of their scholarly record.

The journal will adopt additional long‑term preservation services as they become available to further strengthen redundancy and permanent access.

11. Contact

For inquiries or technical assistance, please contact the editorial office:

✉️ Email: info[at]charcotjournal.org
🌐 Website: https://charcotjournal.org/