Sp

Spine

Spine is a peer-reviewed journal focused on spine research and clinical practice. It publishes 24 issues per year and is indexed with rankings in Orthopedics and Clinical Neurology. The journal lists an Impact Factor of 3.5 and provides online access to current issues, ahead-of-print content, supplements, and author resources.

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Subject Clinical Neurology, Orthopedics
Impact Factor 3.5
Quartile Q2
Open Access Type Closed
ISSN 0362-2436
eISSN 1528-1159
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Standard submission fee: $75.00 US for all submissions excluding revised manuscripts, commissioned articles, and Letters to the Editor. Hybrid open access is available with an APC charged on acceptance; eligible authors under participating read-and-publish agreements may receive a $0.00 APC.

Submission Instructions

Spine accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Original Articles

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Study Design, Objective, Summary of Background Data, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Original Articles should be no longer than 2700 words of text, excluding the abstract and references. Manuscript must include 3 to 5 key points and must disclose how any AI tool was used and which tool was used if AI was used in writing, image production, or data collection or analysis.
References Manuscript style must follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. References must be cited in the text in order of appearance, listed at the end of the manuscript, and if there are more than three authors only the first three should be named followed by et al.
Figures & Tables No more than eight figures and no more than five tables are acceptable. Tables must be supplied together in a separate file and figures must be submitted as separate files rather than embedded in the manuscript. Figure legends must be submitted on a separate page at the end of the manuscript text and be brief and specific, less than 150 characters or approximately 50 words.
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Basic Science

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Study Design, Objective, Summary of Background Data, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must include 3 to 5 key points and disclose any AI use and the specific tool used in the Materials and Methods section or a similar section.
References Manuscript style must follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. References must be cited in text in order of appearance, listed at the end of the manuscript, and list only the first three authors followed by et al when there are more than three authors.
Figures & Tables No more than eight figures and no more than five tables are acceptable. Figures must be uploaded as separate files and not embedded in the manuscript, and tables must be supplied together in a separate file and not embedded within the manuscript body. Figure legends must be submitted on a separate page at the end of the manuscript and be less than 150 characters or about 50 words.
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Biomechanics

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract A structured abstract is required. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Study Design, Objective, Summary of Background Data, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Manuscript must follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Manuscript must include 3 to 5 key points and disclose any AI tool use and the tool name in the Materials and Methods section or a similar section.
References References must follow American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. References must be listed at the end of the manuscript, cited in text in order of appearance, and list only the first three authors followed by et al. when there are more than three authors.
Figures & Tables No more than eight figures and no more than five tables are acceptable. Figures must be uploaded as separate files and not embedded in the manuscript, and tables must be supplied together in a separate file and not embedded within the manuscript. Figure legends must be submitted on a separate page at the end of the manuscript text, and tables must be created using the word processor's table feature rather than spreadsheet software.
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Case Reports

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract A structured abstract is required for Case Reports. Abstract must be 300 words. Abstract must be structured. Abstract must use the headings Study Design, Objective, Summary of Background Data, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Manuscript Case Reports should be no more than 750 words of text. Manuscript must follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. Manuscript must include 3 to 5 key points and must disclose any AI tool use and the tool used if applicable.
References References must follow American Medical Association style. References must be listed at the end of the manuscript and cited in the text in order of appearance, with only the first three authors named followed by et al. when there are more than three authors.
Figures & Tables No more than eight figures and no more than five tables are acceptable. Figures and tables must be submitted separately and must not be embedded within the manuscript. Figure legends must be submitted on a separate page at the end of the manuscript text and be less than 150 characters or approximately 50 words.
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Research Letters

Cover Letter Cover letter is required only to disclose preprint server use if applicable. Cover letter must disclose preprint server use if the paper was posted on a preprint server.
Abstract Abstract must not be included.
Manuscript Manuscript text must be 750 to 1,000 words. Manuscript must be organized under the headings Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Manuscript must not include key points and must disclose any AI tool used and its purpose in the Materials and Methods section or a similar section.
References References are limited to no more than five citations. Manuscript style must follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. References must be listed at the end of the manuscript, cited in the text in order of appearance, and list only the first three authors followed by et al. when there are more than three authors.
Figures & Tables No more than two exhibits in total, including tables and figures, are permitted. Tables must be supplied in a separate file and figures must be submitted as separate files rather than embedded in the manuscript. Tables and figures must follow the formatting requirements for original research articles.
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Letter To The Editor

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Letter to the Editor must be no longer than 200 words. Letter to the Editor should reference the title and authors of the article it addresses. Manuscript must include 3 to 5 key points and disclose any AI tool use and the tool used if AI assisted writing, image generation, or data collection or analysis.
References Letter to the Editor may include no more than 3 references. Manuscript style must follow the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. References must be cited in the text in order of appearance and listed at the end of the manuscript, using only the first three authors followed by et al. when there are more than three authors.
Figures & Tables No more than five tables and no more than eight figures are acceptable. Tables must be supplied together in a separate file and figures must be submitted as separate files rather than embedded in the manuscript.
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Recent Publications

Global Alignment Masks Residual Segmental Malalignment in Short-Segment Lumbar Fusions

Kenneth T. Nguyen, Aiyush Bansal, Kento Yamanouchi, Murad Alostaz, KiBeom Kwon, Philip K. Louie, Jean-Christophe Leveque, Venu M. Nemani

10.1097/brs.0000000000005824
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Impact of Preoperative Intramedullary T2 Signal Intensity Changes on Surgical Outcomes in Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy

Yosuke Horiuchi, Narihito Nagoshi, Junichi Yamane, Toshiki Okubo, Takeshi Ikegami, Kentaro Ago, Kentaro Fukuda, Takeshi Fujii, Yasuhiro Kamata, Norihiro Isogai, Satoshi Suzuki, Masahiro Ozaki, Morio Matsumoto, Masaya Nakamura, Kota Watanabe

10.1097/brs.0000000000005819
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Letter to the Editor Regarding “Bone Health Medication Following Low Energy Thoracic and Lumbar Fractures”

Aki Kondo, Rui Terada

10.1097/brs.0000000000005817
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Declining Reimbursement, Shifting Surgical Workforce, and Geographic Disparities in Lumbar Laminectomy

Arjun Dinesh, Ankit Hirpara, Christina W. Cheng, Christopher G. Furey, Prashant V. Rajan

10.1097/brs.0000000000005823
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Development and Initial Validation of Patient-reported Lumbar Surgery Quality of Life (LSQoL)

YuDong Zhao, Li Zhang, SiYu Zhou, ShengFeng Wang, JiaLiang Lin, Yu Jiang, YaNan Mei, ChunXia Zhao, HongBin He, HongLing Chu, WeiShi Li

10.1097/brs.0000000000005803
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Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Page proofs must be checked and corrections returned within 24 to 48 hours of receipt. Reprints are normally shipped 6 to 8 weeks after publication of the issue.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required when the manuscript has been posted on a preprint server, and the preprint must also be disclosed in a section labeled "Publication history".

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What are the publication costs?

Standard submission fee: $75.00 US for all submissions excluding revised manuscripts, commissioned articles, and Letters to the Editor. Open access publication is available through a hybrid model with an APC charged on acceptance; eligible authors under participating agreements may have a $0.00 APC.

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Research Topics

Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation Medical Imaging and Analysis Spinal Cord Injury Research Management of metastatic bone disease Spinal Hematomas and Complications Anesthesia and Pain Management Pelvic and Acetabular Injuries Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments Infectious Diseases and Tuberculosis Pain Mechanisms and Treatments Bone health and osteoporosis research Musculoskeletal Disorders and Rehabilitation Intraoperative Neuromonitoring and Anesthetic Effects Spinal Dysraphism and Malformations Clinical practice guidelines implementation Occupational Health and Performance Hip disorders and treatments Shoulder Injury and Treatment Bone Tumor Diagnosis and Treatments Orthopaedic implants and arthroplasty Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment

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