① Mandatory forms Please make sure to submit the Cover letter form as well as the Certification form and COI Disclosure form, the last of which is mandatory for all authors, not only corresponding author.

Reproductive Medicine and Biology COVER LETTER

A copy of this cover letter form must be submitted to the journal’s editorial office by uploading it as a PDF file via Editorial Manager, at the same time you submit your manuscript.

Also, for studies with human subjects or animal subjects, include the following statement in Disclosures section before the Reference:

Human rights statements and inf ormed consent: All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its later amendments. Informed consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

Animal studies: All institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.

For articles that do not contain studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors, while it is not absolutely necessary, we recommend to include the following sentence:

Human/Animal Rights: This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by the any of the authors.

Corresponding Author:

Title:

To the Editor-in-Chief of Reproductive Medicine and Biology: I herewith submit my manuscript to be reviewed for publication in Reproductive Medicine and Biology. As requested, I am submitting this cover letter and the certification form with my manuscript. I hereby certify that the following conditions apply to my manuscript: 1. The protocol for the research project has been approved by a suitably constituted ethics committee of the

institution, where the work was undertaken under the provisions of the Declaration of Helsinki available at http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html .

□ Yes □ Not Applicable

2. All investigations on human subjects must include a statement that the subject gave informed consent, and

patient anonymity should be preserved.

□ Yes □ Not Applicable

3. Any experiments involving animals are demonstrated to be ethically acceptable and to be fully complied with institutional guidelines for animal usage in this research.

□ Yes □ Not Applicable

Others:

Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely,

Signature:

Date:

http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html

(3) Authors’ names in full

(4) The affiliations, city, and country of the authors

1 2 3 4 5 Type of the article: Original Article 6 7 Title: A concise and informative title 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 Firstname M. Lastname1 15 Firstname M. Lastname2 16 Firstname M. Lastname1 17 18 19 20 1 Department of Reproductive Medicine, Example University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 21 Japan 22 23 2 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Example University Medical Hospital, Tokyo, 24 Japan 25 26 27 28 29 30 Corresponding author: Firstname M. Lastname 31 Mailing address: Department of Reproductive Medicine, Example University 32 School of Medicine, 8-1 Nishi-Kanda

Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0065, Japan 34 Phone: +81-1-2345-6789 35 Fax: +81-1-2345-6789 36 E-mail: firstname.lastname@springer.com

(6) Please insert line numbers in the margin. (Consult “Help” menu for “Insert Line Number” on word-processing programs.)

1

(1) Page numbers — on the top or the bottom of each page

②Title page

(5) Corresponding author’s contact information

(2) Only the initial word and any proper nouns in the title should be capitalized

Ex. Correct: A concise and informative title Incorrect: A Concise and Informative Title

mailto:firstname.lastname@springer.com

2

1 2 3

4 Abstract 5 6 Purpose: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicingelit,sedd, oeiusmo,dtempor 7 incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minimveniam., quis nostrud

8 exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duisau,teiruredolorin,

9 reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat null apariatur 10 Methods: Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt 11 mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod 12 tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enimadminimveniam, quisnostrud 13 nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor inreprehenderit in voluptate

14 velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. 15 Results: Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor 16 incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud 17 exercitation ullamco laboris consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate

18 velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

19 Conclusions: Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit essecillumdoloreeu 20 fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, suntinculpaquiofficia 21 deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. 23

24 Key words: Keyword 1, Keyword 2, Keyword 3, Keyword 4, Keyword 5

③Abstract page Please include the Abstract page with the abstract and keywords in the Manuscript Word document file.

(7) Original Articles should have a structured abstract (Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions), and be approximately 200 words in length. Case Reports, Research Notes, and Review articles should have a non-structured abstract in one paragraph (approx. 200 words).

(8) The manuscript must be typed double-spaced in ISO A4 size format.

(9) 5 Key words in alphabetical order: Choose from those recommended in the MeSH browser list at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.htmlhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html

3

1 2 Introduction

3 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut 4 labore et dolore magna aliqua [1]. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation

5 ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat [2,3]. Duis Aute Irure(DAI) dolor

6 in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint

7 occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit animideistlaborum.

④Text

(10) The citation in the text should be identified by numbers in square brackets.

(11) The abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter.

4

1 Materials and Methods

2 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut

3 labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco

4 laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in

5 voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat

6 nonproident, suntincupaquiofficia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

8 Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea

9 commodo consequat (Fig. 1). Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse

10 cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in

11 culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum (Figure 2). Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,

12 consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna

13 aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex

14 ea commodo consequat.

15

16 Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla

17 pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident (Table 1), sunt in culpa qui officia

18 deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit,

19 sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,

20 quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat (Table 2).

21 Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla

22 pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt

23 mollit anim id est laborum.

(12) The figures should be cited in the text in consecutive numerical order.

(13) The tables should be cited in the text in consecutive numerical order.

5

1 Results 2 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut

3 labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco

4 laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in

5 voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat

6 non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

6

1 Discussion

2 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut

3 labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco

4 laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in

5 voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat

6 non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Lorem ipsum

7 dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et

8 dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi

9 ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit 10 esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident,

11 sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

12

13 Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea 14 commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum

15 dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa

16 qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

7

1 Acknowledgments 2 This work was supported by the Example University Research Fund [Grant Number 3 XXXXXXXX]. 4 5 Disclosures

6

7 Conflict of interest: John Smith declares that he has no conflict of interest. Paula Taylor has

8 received research grants from Drug Company A. Mike Schultz has received a speaker

9 honorarium from Drug Company B and owns stock in Drug Company C.

10 Human rights statements and informed consent: All procedures followed were in accordance

11 with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional

12 and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and its later amendments. Informed

13 consent was obtained from all patients for being included in the study.

14 Animal Rights: This article does not contain any studies with animal subjects performed by the

15 any of the authors.

(14) Please mention grants support if there is any. Also mention non-financial support in Acknowledgements.

(15) The COI statements should list each author separately by name. If multiple authors declare no conflict, this can be done in one sentence: Conflict of interest: John Smith, Paula Taylor, and Mike Schultz declare that they have no conflict of interest. Please refer to sample sentences for Disclosures at http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/Sample+Sentences+for+Disclosures.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1491478-p173819311

http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/Sample+Sentences+for+Disclosures.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1491478-p173819311http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/Sample+Sentences+for+Disclosures.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-1491478-p173819311

8

Book

Article by DOI

Online document

1 References

Journal Article

2 1. Bavister B, Yanagimachi R. The effect of sperm extract and energy sources on the motility

3 and acrosome reaction of hamster spermatozoa in vitro. Biol Reprod.1982; 16: 228-31.

4 2. O'Mahony S, Rose SL, Chilvers AJ, Ballinger JR, Solanki CK, Barber RW, et al. Finding

5 an optimal method for imaging lymphatic vessels of the upper limb. Eur J Nucl Med Mol

6 Imaging. 2004; 31: 555–63.

7 3. Lombardi J. Comparative vertebrate reproduction. Heidelberg: Springer; 1999.

8 4. Brinster RL. Mammalian embryo metabolism. In: Blandau RJ, editor. The biology of the

9 blastocyst. Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1971. p. 303-18. 10 5. Slifka MK, Whitton JL. Clinical implications of dysregulated cytokine production. J Mol

11 Med 2000. doi: 10.1007/s001090000086.

12 6. American Urological Association [Internet]. Male Infertility Best Policy Committee.

13 Report on varicocele and infertility. Linthicum, MD: American Urological Association;

14 2008 [cited 2008 Jun 5]. Available from: http://auanet.org.

(16) JOURNALS: Name(s) and initial(s) of author(s), title of article, journal name, date, volume number, and inclusive pages (list all authors when six or fewer; when seven and more, list six and add “et al”.).

BOOKS: Name(s) and initial(s) of author(s), chapter title, name(s) and initial(s) of editor(s), book title, edition, city, publisher, date, and pages

Always use the standard abbreviation of a journal's name according to the ISSN List of Title Word Abbreviations, see http://www.issn.org/services/online-services/access-to-the-ltwa/

Book chapter

http://www.issn.org/services/online-services/access-to-the-ltwa/http://www.issn.org/services/online-services/access-to-the-ltwa/

Figure legends

Figure Legends

Figure 1 Put the description of Figure 1 here

Figure 2a Put the description of Figure 2a here

2b Put the description of Figure 2b here

⑤Figure legends

(17) Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters.

Ex. Correct: 2a, 2b… Incorrect: 2A, 2B...

Table

Tables

Table 1 Supply a table title here

AAAAAa A B C D

Bcdefghb 100 200 300 400 Cdefgh 10 20 30 40

Defghi 111 222 333 444 a Provide a footnote if necessary b Provide a footnote if necessary

Table 2 Supply a table title here

Cdefg Hijklmn Opq

AA 10 20 30 B 1 2 3

⑥Tables

AA Abbreviation should be spelled out, BB Bca Bca

(18) Use the table functions of your word-processing program to make tables. Please do not insert tables in the format of spreadsheets or as objects (as these formats do not allow style modifications at the time of production).

Figure

Figure 1

⑦Figures

(19) Figures can be uploaded in GIF, JPEG, EPS, or TIFF format. For details, please refer to the Artwork instructions at (http://www.springer.com/12522)

http://www.springer.com/12522

Figure

Figure 2

a b

(20) Figure parts should be denoted by lowercase letters. Ex. Correct: a, b… Incorrect: A, B…

Reproductive Medicine and Biology CERTIFICATION FORM

Corresponding Author: Title: I/We (all coauthors) hereby certify to the editor of Reproductive Medicine and Biology that my/our manuscript meets all the following conditions: 1. None of the material in this manuscript has been submitted, nor will a similar paper be

submitted, for publication elsewhere in any language. (Please check the appropriate box.) □ This manuscript has not been submitted for publication elsewhere. □ This manuscript has been submitted for publication elsewhere. If the manuscript has been submitted elsewhere, please give the name(s) of the journal(s) and the date(s) of submission. ( ) Submissions to RMB are now being checked for plagiarism via CrossCheck.

2. All authors have contributed significantly to, and are in agreement with, the content of this manuscript.

Name(s) of author(s) Signature(s): Date:

(block letters)

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――――――――――――― ―――――――――――――― ―――――――――

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―――――――――――――― ―――――――――――――― ―――――――――

Reproductive Medicine and Biology (RMB)

Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Form Manuscript Title:

Each author is required to complete and return this form to the corresponding author. Each author must complete and submit this COI disclosure form when submitting a manuscript. Authors must indicate whether or not they have a financial relationship with an organization that sponsored their research. In the manuscript, all disclosures should be inserted under “Conflict of Interest” before the reference list, as follows.

Conflict of Interest: A (author name) serves as a consultant to Z (entity name); B’s spouse is the chairman of Y; C received a research grant from X; D received lecture fees from V; E holds a patent on U; F has been reimbursed by T for attending several conferences; G received honoraria for writing promotional material for S; H has no conflict of interest.

If no conflict exists for any author, the following statement should appear:

Conflict of Interest: A (author name), B and C declare that they have no conflict of interest.

If you, your spouse, a relative in the first degree, or any other person who shares income or assets, has any of the listed relationships with a commercial entity that has an interest in the subject matter in your manuscript, please circle “yes” and provide details. If the listed relationship does not apply to you or your family member, circle “No”.

Category Applicability If yes, record the following details for each company or organization. 1. Position as an officer or advisor of a company or for-profit organization and remuneration amount (1,000,000 yen or more)*

Yes/No Company or organization name: Position:

2. Stock ownership and profit resulting from the stock (1,000,000 yen or

more/ ownership of 5% or more of total shares)

Yes/No Company or organization name:

3. Remuneration paid as patent royalties or licensing fees from companies or for-profit organizations (1,000,000 yen or more)

Yes/No Company or organization name: Patent name:

4. Honoraria (such as lecture fees) paid by a company or for-profit organization as compensation (500,000 yen or more)

Yes/No Company or organization name:

5. Manuscript fees paid from companies or for-profit organizations (500,000 yen or more) Yes/No

Company or organization name:

6. Research funding from companies or for-profit organizations (2,000,000 yen or more) Yes/No

Company or organization name: Name of clinical research:

7. Other remuneration (travel, gifts, or in-kind payments not directly related to research) (50,000 yen or more) Yes/No

Company or organization name:

*Amount of all items: per a year Print name: Signature: Date (YY/MM/DD): All of the forms from each author need to be uploaded online and submitted with the manuscript at the time of submission by the corresponding author.

14 Firstname M. Lastname14 Abstract2 Introduction1 Materials and Methods1 Results1 Discussion1 Acknowledgments47 Conflict of interest: John Smith declares that he has no conflict of interest. Paula Taylor has8 received research grants from Drug Company A. Mike Schultz has received a speaker9 honorarium from Drug Company B and owns stock in Drug Company C.1 ReferencesFigure LegendsTablesTable 2 Supply a table title hereFigure 1