Submissions

This journal is not accepting submissions at this time.

Author Guidelines

Editorial policies

Dermatology Online Journal (DOJ) is a refereed journal published by Dermsquared.com. Original manuscripts will be considered for publication. Information that has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere will not be accepted. Manuscripts that appear to meet the goals of the Journal will be reviewed by two independent reviewers before a decision is made on publication (Case Presentations, Photo Vignettes, and Letters may sometimes be reviewed by one independent reviewer). Authors have the option of submitting their work for blind peer review when uploading their manuscript. This ensures that all identifying Author information is removed from the text before being sent to Reviewers. Otherwise, an open peer review process will be conducted. The Journal charges no fees for submission or reviewing, but a fee may be levied for correction of post-publication errors arising from author omissions during the proofing process. Authors who have a new concept for on-line presentation are invited to contact the Editors to initiate a dialog. Published articles are indexed in, and appear in PubMed, a month after publication.

Please refer to our Policies page for additional information.

Features of Dermatology Online Journal

  • Case Report: More detailed individual case reports of unusual interest.
  • Case Presentation: Patient presentations with interesting clinical course or findings.
  • Photo Vignette: Brief demonstrations of information with the use of images. Images are much better than words in the demonstration of subtle clinical findings.
  • Letter: Two types: A) Brief presentation of original research project. B) Brief letters to the Editor that comment on previous articles or that involve brief patient presentations. An abstract should NOT be included.
  • Review: In-depth up-to-date literature review and discussions on topics of interest to the teaching and practice of dermatology. They should be well illustrated.
  • Commentary: Discussions on topics of interest to the teaching and practice of dermatology.
  • Original Article: Original in-depth clinical and investigative laboratory research articles.

Pre-submission instructions

Before beginning, please download the appropriate Microsoft Word template consistent with your article category.

There are 3 Templates available. Please ensure you have downloaded the applicable Template from the links below. All sections within the Template are to be populated, including the complete contact information for Corresponding Author. Please choose a Corresponding Author with a permanent email address. Article publication can be greatly delayed if email addresses change or Corresponding Author changes institutions.

Template 1: For Case Reports, Case Presentations, Photo Vignettes

Template 2: For Reviews and Commentaries

Template 3: For Original Articles

Template 4: For Letters

All Case Reports, Presentations, and Photo Vignettes require both clinical and histology images. Please be sure that images are not blurry and are large enough to clearly see the condition. Submissions may be rejected without full review for poor quality images. Images should be in good focus and submitted in JPEG format of file size approximately 1MB.  Images may include a scale bar.

See discussion regarding patient consent below. Upload the completed Submission Checklist and check that it is the correct version.

Formatting your article

After downloading the applicable Template, populate your manuscript contents into the Template. Please do not reformat your manuscript draft to the Template style. Instead, we require that Authors enter the contents of their manuscript into the Template that has been downloaded. This will be the submission file.

Please ensure that Figures and Tables are submitted as separate files. Please upload these as supplementary files. Figure Legends, however, should be entered as directed by the Template format.

It is crucial to select the correct Microsoft Word Template to prepare your submission. Articles not submitted in the Template will be returned to the Author.

Transmitting your work to the Journal and copyright information

Once you have finished populating your manuscript contents into the Template, please follow the submission form at the Submit button above. You will receive an email confirmation once your submission has been successfully submitted.

To assist in preparation of your manuscript download, complete, and submit the correct version (currently: June 2025 version) of the Journal Submission Checklist.

By submitting your article for publication, you grant Dermsquared the right to publish it and associated images in electronic format (on the Internet or as a CD-ROM version of the Internet site) or in paper format of the digital version in the Dermatology Online Journal. Please refer to the Policies page for detailed copyright information.

Original articles may be submitted in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.

Patient Consent

A signed statement of informed consent must be obtained and kept in the possession of the author/institution to publish patient descriptions, photographs, video, medical information, and pedigrees from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified, even by the individual themselves. Note that blocking the eyes is not acceptable for masking identity.

Please only provide patient details that are essential for the understanding or interpretation of a report. Although the specificity of patient information depends on context, specific ages, race/ethnicity, and other sociodemographic details should rarely be presented. Please do not submit masked photographs of patients. Patients' initials or other personal identifiers must not appear in an image.

Patient consent, obtained on DOJ’s template, or an equivalent, must be held by author/institution. Our DOJ consent form or institutional consent forms that specify consent for publication of images and personal health information may be used. Possession of this consent form must be attested to in the Submission Checklist. The Submission Checklist must be uploaded onto our site as a supplemental file.

Submitting Revisions

If revisions are requested, please submit a "marked" copy of the manuscript with the changes highlighted. In addition, you should submit a detailed point-by-point response describing how you have addressed each of the comments of the reviewers and editors, including your reasons for not taking their guidance in cases where you disagree. This can take the form of a cover letter that is part of your main file and lists out all editorial comments/questions, with your response and changes listed underneath each.

When you are ready, please upload a single new file with the following order: Cover letter that lists and addresses each editor's questions or concerns, main manuscript with all changes highlighted in a new color, references, figures, figure Legends, tables. Please note that if revisions are requested for tables or figures, make sure to replace the old figures/tables with the new ones in your main text file. Do not keep both versions in the same file.

Accepted Articles

Upon acceptance of your work, all final figures, tables, and/or media with corresponding legends should be compiled into a final word document to be submitted to the DOJ website. This document must contain the final versions of all materials (including supplementary figures) that will be used in the publication of your manuscript.

Style

Manuscripts should conform to acceptable language usage. The Authors may offer a parallel translation to another language, but the editorial review will be done on the primary language of the manuscript, English, Spanish, or Portuguese. Abbreviations must be used minimally and be limited primarily to those in general usage. Generic drug names must be used. If a trade name is included, it should follow the generic name in parentheses the first time mentioned. Thereafter, only generic names should be used. Weights and measurements should be expressed in metric units and temperatures in degrees centigrade. Patient descriptions, as in case reports, should not contain identifying information.

We discourage sentences that begin with most abbreviations, initializations, and numbers/symbols. For example, following the first time Lichen planus is used in an article, it can be placed in parentheses (LP) so that LP is used in the remainder of the article. However, when there is a sentence that begins with the phrase it should be written out as Lichen planus and not LP.

The Editors encourage the use of more than one pathway of presentation of the material which might allow the reader greater flexibility in viewing. Items may link back to the primary manuscript path or link to additional supplemental content.

If a manuscript is in Spanish or Portuguese, please include English translations of the Abstract and all figure and table legends.

Images and tables

Images/Figures and Tables must be submitted separately from the manuscript and submitted as individual files. Please label files appropriately (i.e. Figure 1, Table 1). Figures and/or Tables must be referenced within the main text, and must be accompanied by figure legends or table titles.

The use of images is required for some Article Categories (please see above in Pre-Submission Instructions). Manuscripts must include in-text references to Figures and Tables; Authors may indicate the appropriate location of the figures within the text. Clinical photographs should be saved in JPEG compression format. The minimal accepted size for images is 1024*768 pixels, and image files should be about 1 MB in size. Larger files are difficult to handle for Reviewers, particularly when several images are present, and will delay review and processing. The journal edits the images to arrange them in-line with text; accordingly, do not include text labeling of subpanels (e.g., 'A,' 'B,' etc) in a figure montage.

Possession of signed consent of subjects must be attested to in the Submission Checklist. Identifying personal features, such as jewelry or tattoos, must be cropped or obscured from photographs. No photographs with identifiable features will be published unless there is a specific need, AND permission has been granted in writing for this use and may be requested by journal editors.

Tables should be submitted separately as a Word text document in Table format and not as an image.

Human and animal rights

Any work involving the use of human subjects or animals requires formal review by a institutional review board or ethics committee. This should be detailed in the Methods section.

Conflicts of interest

All Authors must disclose any financial or personal affiliations or relationships with individuals or organizations that could potentially influence (bias) the Authors' work/manuscript. Examples include employment, consultant positions, stock ownership, honoraria, expert testimony, patents, grants or other funding sources. Please include this statement in the Title Page.

References

Please refer to our specifications below for formatting of references. Although we had offered a plugin in the past for one reference manager we are unable to endorse any specific utility program. It is the responsibility of authors to format their reference lists appropriately because manuscripts with inappropriate reference formatting will not be processed for publication.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of citations. Reference citations within the article should be in numerical order and noted with superscripts after punctuation. 3,4,6 or 1-3 If necessary one may also place a citation in the middle of a sentence (The sentence may need to pinpoint the citation to a specific comment 5 and not link it to the subsequent remarks). The same format should be applied to Tables and Figure/Table legends.

In the Reference section, list the references in the order of citation appearing within the text and by a simple number at the start of a line followed by a period and tab mark. Citations with more than 5 Authors/Editors should list the first 3 followed by 'et al.' Use the citation format of PubMed, including the PMID number, DOI number but no issue numbers in parentheses:

Example References:

Five Authors, or less:
1. Lacouture ME, Patel AB, Rosenberg JE, O’Donnell PH. Management of dermatologic events
associated with the nectin-4-directed antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin. Oncologist.
2022;27:e223-32. doi:10.1093/oncolo/oyac001. PMID:35274723
More than five Authors:
5. Challita-Eid PM, Satpayev D, Yang P, et al. Enfortumab vedotin antibody-drug conjugate targeting nectin-4 is a highly potent therapeutic agent in multiple preclinical cancer models. Cancer Res. 2016;76:3003-3013. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-1313. PMID:27013195

Book:
4. Lee C, Koo J. Psychocutaneous Diseases. In: Dermatology. Bolognia J, Jorizzo J, Schaffer J, editors. 3rd ed. Elsevier Limited; 2012. p. 127-34.

Web link:

5. Howlader N, Noone AM, Krapcho M, et al. (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2009 (Vintage 2009 Populations). 2012. http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2009_pops09/. Accessed on April 1, 2001.

Errata and corrigenda

Contact the Editors early for corrections to submitted manuscripts. The Corresponding Author(s) accepts responsibility for accuracy of all content in submitted articles. Any changes post publication may be made to manuscripts at the Editor's discretion. Corrections in names, affiliations, contact information, or article contents after publication may incur processing charges.

Image Requests

  1. For any requests to re-use images from DOJ, fill out the image request form found here.
  2. Once the request form is filled out, please email the completed request form and relevant images to the Journal email (info@dermsquared.com).
  3. Please attach your requested images along with the form.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Cover letter

  • Title of manuscript, brief description, and importance to dermatologic literature
  • Clarify any conflicts of interest

Manuscript/Submission file

  • Submission must be written in proper United States English
  • The manuscript or case must be unpublished, and not under consideration at another journal (or an explanation must be provided in ‘Comments to the Editor’ section)
  • Select appropriate article type and download correct template from the Dermatology Online Journal website
  • Populate manuscript into appropriate template; all sections must be completed
  • Authors list should include degrees and affiliations. Example: Jane Doe1 MD,… 1Department of Dermatology, University of California, Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA
  • Provide full contact information for Corresponding Author(s); this author should provide a long-term contact email
  • Include Figure and Table legends after References in the manuscript/submission file
  • All tables and figures must be referenced in the paper. Example: This was consistent with the diagnosis (Figure 1C)
  • Generic drug names must be used, not trade names
  • Use appropriate units: weight measurements in metric units and temperature in centigrade. Include normal ranges
  • Minimize abbreviations and do not begin a sentence with an abbreviation or a numeral. Spell out abbreviations when first used. 
  • Patient descriptions must not contain identifying information
  • Complete the online Submission Form
  • Upload submission file in Microsoft Word (‘.docx’) format

References

  • Referenced citations within the article should appear in numerical order and be noted with superscripts after punctuation. Example: 2,3,6 or 1-3 
  • In the Reference section, list references by a simple number at the start of a line, followed by a tab mark. Carefully observe examples on the DOJ submission site. Please list references in order of in-text citations

Tables

  • Include tables in a separate Word document, and label file with table name. e.g., Table 1
  • Tables should be no larger than 150KB and limited to no more than 2 (two) pages

Figures

  • Include Figures as separate JPG or TIFF files (about 1MB) and label file with image name. e.g., Figure 1A
  • Attached image files in sequential order as cited in manuscript. Composite photos should be uploaded as separate image files without A,B,C on the image.
  • Case Reports, Case Presentations, and Photo Vignettes require both clinical and histologic images
  • Photographs and histologic images should be of high quality. Suggested resolution is 150 dpi, a minimum of 1024*768 pixels, and size about 1MB. Larger image files may not be processed
  • Do NOT add any superimposed labels (e.g., A, B, C,…) on image montages; these will be inserted at publication
  • Reuse of published figures and tables must be accompanied by written permission from the publisher

Supporting information

  • All listed authors must have read, and approved submission of the manuscript
  • Signed patient consent for publication of images and patient medical information must be possessed by author and attested to by submission. 
  • Statement of approval from Institutional Review Board, if appropriate
  • All changes post acceptance must be performed during the final author acknowledgement of the manuscript and accompanying information.  Corrections post-publication are at the Editor’s discretion; a fee may be charged

Original Article

Original in-depth clinical and investigative laboratory research articles.

Commentary

Discussions on topics of interest to the teaching and practice of dermatology.

Review

In-depth up-to-date literature review and discussions on topics of interest to the teaching and practice of dermatology.

Case Report

More detailed individual case reports of unusual interest.

Case Presentation

Patient presentations with interesting clinical course or findings.

Photo Vignette

Brief demonstrations of information with the use of images. Images are much better than words in the demonstration of subtle clinical findings.

Letter

Brief letters to the Editor that comment on previous articles or that involve brief patient presentations. An abstract should NOT be included.

Copyright Notice

Publication Agreement
The Dermatology Online Journal

The Foundation for Research and Education in Dermatology DBA Dermsquared (“Publisher”), publishes The Dermatology Online Journal (“Journal”).  By submitting your work for possible publication, you (“Author/Artist”) agree to this legally binding contract.

  1. GRANT OF RIGHTS.
    1. Author/Artist grants to Publisher transferable, exclusive first rights to publish Submission in any medium.
    2. Author/Artist grants to Publisher transferable, nonexclusive second rights to publish Submission in any medium now known or developed in the future, including digital and electronic.
    3. Author/Artist retains all rights not otherwise transferred in this Agreement, including copyright ownership; however, Author/Artist shall not permit commercial use of Submission without Publisher’s permission.
    4. If Publisher does not publish the Submission within one year of complete submission from all authors and/or artists, this Agreement shall terminate automatically and all rights revert to authors and artists.
  2. AUTHOR/ARTIST’S WARRANTY.
    1. Author/Artist warrants that either s/he is the sole author as defined by US copyright law and that it is entirely his/her original work, except parts taken from the “public domain” or parts used in accordance with “Fair Use” as defined by US copyright law, or that Author/Artist is not the sole author but has obtained written permission (a license) to use anyone else’s copyright-protected material in the Submission. Author/Artist is responsible for paying all fees.  Author/Artist will provide those licenses to Publisher upon request.
      Note:  Each author or artist must complete this form before Submission will be considered for publication.
    2. Author/Artist warrants that s/he has not sold, assigned, leased, licensed or in any manner disposed of or encumbered the rights granted to Publisher, and that s/he has the right to enter into this Agreement.
    3. Author/Artist warrants that the Submission does not infringe any copyrights or trademarks, nor violate any proprietary rights, nor contain any libelous matter, nor invade the privacy of any person or third party.
    4. The Author/Artist agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Publisher, its affiliates, their agents or employees for any losses, claims, damages, awards, penalties, or injuries incurred, including any reasonable attorney's fees that arise from any breach of warranty or for any claim by any third party of an alleged infringement of copyright or any other intellectual property rights arising from the Author/Artist’s submission of materials to the Publisher, or of the use by the Publisher or Publisher’s affiliate or other users of such materials.
  3. MISCELLANEOUS
    1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Publisher shall credit Author/Artist on any publication of Submission.  In any subsequent license granted by Author/Artist, s/he shall require a statement indicating the Submission was originally published by Publisher, with appropriate citation. For example:
      © [Author name] [Year of publication] Dermsquared®. Originally published in Dermatology Online Journal, Dermsquared, Vail. All Rights Reserved. Used with permission.
      Author/Artist shall notify Publisher of any subsequent publication and provide a copy or URL.
    2. TERM. The term of this agreement shall be from the date of submission for the life of the copyright in Submission.
    3. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE. Time is of the essence for delivery of the final Submission.  Should Author/Artist fail to deliver the completed Submission to Publisher’s sole satisfaction (including acceptable images where applicable) within six months of acceptance of Submission for publication, Publisher may, at its sole discretion, terminate this Agreement without any liability or obligation to Author/Artist, provided that Author/Artist may not publish the Submission elsewhere within one year of termination without first reoffering it to Publisher on the terms of that current agreement.
    4. NOTICE ADDRESS. All notices under this Agreement shall be effective on the date entered above between the Publisher (Dermsquared, Re Dermatology Online Journal, 2121 North Frontage Road West #253, Vail, CO 81657) and the Author/Artist at address provided during the registration process. Notice may also be sent electronically to Adam Rigel at arigel@hcesquared.com.
    5. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware without regard to conflict of laws.
    6. CONTINUATION OF OBLIGATIONS. This Agreement shall bind and shall inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of either party.
    7. WAIVER OF RIGHTS. No delay or failure of either party in exercising any right, and no partial or single exercise of any right, shall be deemed to constitute a waiver of that right or any other right.
    8. Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains all of the understandings between the parties and may not be amended, altered or changed, except by an amendment in writing executed by both parties.

I understand these terms and conditions, and wish for Publisher to consider publication of my Submission in the Journal.

(Rev. May 2025)

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