Journal of Clinical and Investigative Surgery

ISSN: 2559-5555

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Instructions for Authors

Contents

 

Editorial mission; who can submit

Journal of Clinical and Investigative Surgery takes into consideration a wider range of articles, such as: Editorials, Reviews, Original Research Articles, Case Presentations, Letters to the Editor. Reviews and specific articles are usually commissioned by the editorial office, but the journal conduct is to analyze any proposal from contributors, too. The editorial office will perform an initial evaluation of each submitted manuscript. After the preliminary evaluation, all articles (including invited papers) are reviewed by at least two reviewers. Articles that do not meet the required criteria and recommendations may ultimately not be accepted for publication. For more information about the journal mission, please see: About this Journal and Aims and Scope pages. Anyone may submit an original article to be considered for publication, with condition that he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works. In the non-academic world, there may be an exception if the authors have agreed to transfer (as a condition of employment) the copyright to their employer.

 

Ethical norms

We strongly recommend to all contributors to respect internationally accepted ethical standards related to publications. Contrary, the Editor(s) reserve the right to reject the concerned paper on ethical grounds. All submitted articles must comply with the Internationally Accepted Ethical Standards for Publication (COPE) and the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (ICMJE). For more details, see: Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). By submitting material to this journal, the author is stipulating that the material is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process. If you have concerns about the submission terms or procedure, please contact the editorial office.

 

Submission

Submit your contribution online through the Submit Online system, after reading the formatting requirements presented below. During submission process, authors will be asked to indicate the corresponding category of the article. Regardless of the article category, all submitted papers must include the following files: Cover letter, Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form (it is mandatory to suggest three potential reviewers), and the Manuscript. Authors who are unable to submit their manuscript due to technical problems should contact the Editorial Office.

We intend to give quick and reasoned answers to all submitted papers. All manuscripts will be reviewed by the Editor(s), by members of the Scientific Council and other external reviewers. The final decision will rests to one of the two editors, based on preliminary editorial evaluation (journal profile, compliance with the previous mentioned requirements), on peer-review recommendations, originality of the manuscript, the quality and clarity of the presentation, and editorial priorities (the priority depending on the topic, the category of the article, similar papers that have been previously published, or competing submissions that are already being considered at the time). Counterarguments to rejected manuscripts and resubmission of rejected manuscripts are generally omitted.

For accepted articles, PDF copy (Proof) of the article will be sent to the corresponding author for a final revision. Only minor corrections to the manuscript are acceptable at this stage, no significant changes being allowed. The Proof must be checked carefully and sent back (incorporating corrections, if the case) to the journal within three working days from reception. Order in which each accepted article is published in the journal depends by the category of article, date of acceptance, compliance with journal profile, peer-review recommendations and editorial priorities.

 

Required files

Submit your Manuscript as a single word document, including tables, figures, appendices, etc. Single space your text, using font Times New Roman 12 pt. or the closest comparable font available. In addition to the manuscript, any submission must include two separate files that are mandatory: Cover Letter and Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.

 

1. Cover letter (download Template)

The Cover letter must include the following statements:

  • The manuscript does not contain texts from previously published materials (is not the subject of plagiarism) and it is not offered simultaneously for consideration/ publication entirely or in part elsewhere, regardless language.
  • The manuscript is in accordance with Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (ICMJE), and the paper has been conducted according to Internationally Accepted Ethical Standards for Publication (COPE).
  • All authors understood that full responsibility for presented data in the article belongs to authors, who are responsible for any conflict of interest (related to subjects included in their study, financial, consulting, institutional and other legal aspects).
  • All authors have read and approved the final version of the paper.

The authors must provide in the Cover letter the names, institutions and e-mail addresses of the three potential reviewers; if applicable, the names of the undesired reviewers in the evaluation process. The decision regarding the selection process of the reviewers belongs to Editor(s). Our reviewers have the opportunity to be recognized for their evaluation, as the Journal of Clinical and Investigative Surgery is member of Publons (part of Clarivate Analytics).

 

2. Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form (download Template)

All authors are responsible for the content of the article submitted and other conflicts of interest related to study participants. Authors have also to specify any financial implications regarding the study and manuscript. This form is mandatory for publication; even if accepted for publication, the paper will not be published in the journal until the Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Form has been received.

 

3. Manuscript

During submission process, authors will be asked to indicate the corresponding category of the manuscript. Depending on the category, the manuscript must include the minimum required sections, as presented below.

Review: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Discussions, Conclusions, References.

Original Research Article: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussions, Conclusions, References.

Case Presentation: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Case Report, Discussions, Conclusions, References.

 

  • Title page

    Title page is the first page of the paper, and must include: a full title of the article (limited to a maximum 150 characters, including spaces), a short/ running title (limited to a maximum 50 characters, including spaces), the full names of the authors (first/given name, middle name, last/family name) in order that they appear on the article, academic degrees, affiliations (institution, department, city and country), and e-mail address. The corresponding author must be underlined, including in addition a complete postal address and zip code.

  • Abstract

    Abstract must be placed after the Title page, presenting a summary that should be limited to a maximum 1000 characters (including spaces). For Original Research Articles, the abstract should be structured on Objectives, Materials and Methods, Results and Conclusions. For the other articles (Review, Case Presentation, Letter to the Editor), the abstract should be written as a standard summary, in a single paragraph. Note that the abstract should not contain abbreviations or reference citations.

    Place the following data below the Abstract: up to six Keywords, 2-3 Highlights (which provide readers a general overview of the main findings/ perspectives of the article), the type of article (Original Research Article, Review, Case Presentation, Letter to the Editor), and the word count of the main text (excluding abstract and references).

  • Introduction

    The introduction should include a brief context related to the current state of knowledge, necessary to understand not only the purposes and reasons for conducting the study/ paper but also the results obtained.

  • Materials and Methods (for Original Research Articles)

    This section is specific for the Original Research Articles, containing essential data to facilitate understanding of methodology (the recruitment criteria of patients, administered treatment, the pursued clinical data, or describing information of the animal lot for experimental studies). The previously published procedures are only cited; essential changes to the previously published procedures are just briefly described, while the new procedure must be disclosed in detail. Statistic methods and laboratory measurements used must also be specified.

  • Results (for Original Research Articles)

    The Results section must be presented with clarity and precision, just describing for Original Research Articles the findings of the study. The results can be presented both in the form of text and in the form of tables and illustrated figures. Interpretation of the results will not be included in this section, as it must be placed in the Discussion section.

  • Case Report (for Case Presentation Articles)

    The Case Report section is specific for the Case Presentation Articles. It usually describes rare and unusual diseases and/or unexpected evolutions. Such articles are a valuable source of information, especially for physicians in comparable situations on how to treat a similar patient. In addition, a case report could contribute to scientific research and clinical development, by stimulating discussions about personalized treatment methods for certain patients.

  • Discussions

    It is a section that debates and interprets the results obtained and presented by Original Research Articles (considering the current literature data), continues the Introduction section for Review Articles (by expanding and/or focusing on specific aspects), or continues the Case Report section for Case Presentation Articles. New perspectives/ approaches should be highlighted, while unsubstantiated assertions must be restricted. The study limitations for Original Research Articles must also be presented. The Discussion section may be structured on subsections in order to facilitate understanding.

  • Conclusions

    It should usually present the meaning and possible implications of the data presented in the previous sections, being placed after the Discussions section with concluding remarks.

  • Acknowledgements

    If the case, this refers to those persons who contributed or assisted to the study or manuscript, but who do not met the authorship criteria.

  • References

    It is the author’s obligation to provide at the end of the paper complete information related to citations used in the text. Within the text, all citations must be numbered consecutively in order they appear, and indicated through Arabic numerals inside of square brackets, e.g. [1,2]. Each source cited in the text must be found in the Reference list, and vice versa. Reference list must be placed at the end of the paper, after Acknowledgements. Please insert a line break—not a page break—and begin your Reference list on the same page, if possible. References should have margins that are both left and right- justified. You may choose not to right-justify the margin of one or more references if the spacing looks too awkward. In the Reference list, the citations must be presented as below:


    1. Articles in traditional journals:
      Required: Author’s (authors’) name(s), title of article, name of journal (in italics, and abbreviated according to international style- Index Medicus), year of publication, volume number, issue number, page numbers, DOI or a hyperlink to the article.
      Example: John LS, Antony AH, Burden D. Current medical procedures in digestive surgery. J Clin Invest Surg. 2017;34(2):45-51. DOI: 10.25083/2559.5555/26.21

    2. Books:
      Required: Author’s (authors’) name(s), title of book, publisher, publisher’s address, edition/ year of publication. For forthcoming (in press) books, put expected year of publication and add “forthcoming.”

    3. Chapters in collections or anthologies:
      Required: Name(s) of author(s) of chapter, name(s) of editor(s) of book, title of chapter, title of book, publisher, publisher’s address, and edition/ year of publication. For forthcoming (in press) books, put expected year of publication and add “forthcoming.”

    4. Working papers:
      Required: Author’s (authors’) name(s), title of working paper, year, location (e.g., Carol Davila University, Department of Internal Medicine and/or the Author’s web site: https://www.org/author). If the working paper is part of series, then the series name and the number of the working paper within the series must also be given.

    5. Other works:
      Required: Author’s (authors’) name(s), title of work, year, and information about how the reader could obtain a copy.

 

Additional Recommendations

 

Tables and Figures

To the extent possible, Tables and Figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text, being described by legends. Large Tables or Figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of overly small type in Tables. Tables and Figures can be placed and uploaded into distinct word documents, but they must also be included in the manuscript along with the corresponding legends. All Tables and Figures must fit within 1 inch (2.5 cm) margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) in both portrait and landscape view.


Text Formatting Requirements

Please see below details on typesetting and layout requirements regarding the final submission of the manuscript to the journal.

  • Write your article in English.
  • Page size should be 8.3 x 11.7 inches. All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1 inch (2.5 cm), including your Tables and Figures.
  • Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified.
  • Font: Main Body—12 pt. Times New Roman or the closest comparable font available. Footnotes—10 pt. Times New Roman or the closest comparable font available.
  • If figures are included, use high-resolution figures, preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).
  • Copyedit your manuscript.
  • When possible, there should be no pages where more than a quarter of the page is empty space.


Acronyms and abbreviations

When used in the Main text, they should be limited as much as possible and explained/ expanded after Conclusions. Measurement units should be in accordance with International System of Units (SI).


Indenting, Line Spacing, and Justification

Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading. An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces. Do not insert extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below. Don’t “widow” or “orphan” text (i.e., ending a page with the first line of a paragraph or beginning a page with the last line of a paragraph). All text should be with left and right margins justified (i.e., flush with the left and right margins—except where indented). Where necessary, it should also be left-justified (i.e., flush with the left margin). “Where possible” refers to the quality of the justification. For example, LaTeX and TeX do an excellent job of justifying text. Word does a reasonable job. But some word processors do a lousy job (e.g., they achieve right justification by inserting too much white space within and between words). We prefer flush left and right margins. However, it is better to have jagged right margins than to have flush right margins with awkward intra- and inter-word spacing. Make your decision on whichever looks best.


Language & Grammar

All submissions must be in English. Except for common foreign words and phrases, the use of foreign words and phrases should be avoided. Authors should use proper, standard English grammar. The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White (now in its fourth edition) is the “standard” guide, but other excellent guides (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style, University of Chicago Press) exist as well.


Article Length

Because this journal publishes electronically, page limits are not as relevant as they are in the world of print publications. We are happy, therefore, to let authors take advantage of this greater “bandwidth” to include material that they might otherwise have to cut to get into a print journal. This said, authors should exercise some discretion with respect to length.


Colored text

Set the font color to black for the majority of the text. We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc., however, you need to appreciate that this will cause some of your readers problems when they print the document on a black & white printer. For this reason, you are advised to avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible. Please ensure that there are no colored mark-ups or comments in the final version, unless they are meant to be part of the final text. (You may need to “accept all changes” in track changes or set your document to “normal” in final markup.)


Emphasized text

Whenever possible use italics to indicate text you wish to emphasize rather than underlining it. The use of color to emphasize text is discouraged.


Font faces

Except, possibly, where special symbols are needed, use Times New Roman or the closest comparable font available. If you desire a second font, for instance for headings, use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Computer Modern Sans Serif).


Font size

The main body of text should be set in 12pt. Avoid the use of fonts smaller than 6pt.


Foreign terms

Whenever possible, foreign terms should be set in italics rather than underlined.


Headings

Headings (e.g., start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their fonts or by using small caps. Use the same font face for all headings and indicate the hierarchy by reducing the font size. There should be space above and below headings.


Main text

The font for the main body of text must be black and, if at all possible, in Times New Roman or closest comparable font available.


Titles

Whenever possible, titles of books, movies, etc., should be set in italics rather than underlined.


Footnotes

Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced rather than at the end of the paper. Footnotes should be in 10 pt. Times New Roman or closest comparable font available, they should be single spaced, and there should be a footnote separator rule (line). Footnote numbers or symbols in the text must follow, rather than precede, punctuation. Excessively long footnotes are probably better handled in an appendix. All footnotes should be left and right-justified (i.e., flush with the right margin), unless this creates awkward spacing.


Mathematics

Roman letters used in mathematical expressions as variables should be italicized. Roman letters used as part of multi-letter function names should not be italicized. Whenever possible, subscripts and superscripts should be a smaller font size than the main text. Short mathematical expressions should be typed inline. Longer expressions should appear as display math. Also expressions using many different levels (e.g., such as the fractions) should be set as display math. Important definitions or concepts can also be set off as display math. Equations should be numbered sequentially. Whether equation numbers are on the right or left is the choice of the author(s). However, you are expected to be consistent in this. Symbols and notation in unusual fonts should be avoided. This will not only enhance the clarity of the manuscript, but it will also help insure that it displays correctly on the reader’s screen and prints correctly on her printer. When proofing your document under PDF pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notation drawn from other than standard fonts.

 

Peer-review process

Journal of Clinical and Investigative Surgery evaluates the quality of submitted papers using the peer review process, an integral part of scientific publishing. Each final decision is supervised at least by one of the two editors, based on preliminary editorial evaluation and the reviewers’ comments.

All papers submitted are subject to preliminary editorial evaluation that verifies the minimal requirements. In this stage articles can be rejected due to poor grammar or English language, lack of proper structure (do not provide enough details/ materials and methods to allow other scientists to repeat the study, lack of up-to-date references, etc.), are outside the aims and scope of the journal or having no new science (does not clearly explain which parts of the findings are new science, versus what was already known). To avoid any delay or rejection due to such reasons, please read the Final Manuscript Preparation Guidelines before submission. Authors of manuscripts rejected at this stage will usually be informed within two weeks of receipt.

Articles that meet the minimum criteria are passed on to at least two expert referees (selected according to their expertise) for reviewing. The referees remain anonymous to the authors, and the identity of the authors is unknown to the reviewers. Referees are asked to evaluate whether the manuscript is original and methodologically adequate (materials and methods, statistical data), has results which are clearly presented and support the conclusions, presents correct and current references (related to previous relevant work), that contributes to the knowledge and development of the field respecting appropriate ethical guidelines (especially, but not necessarily limited to plagiarism).

Referees advise the assigned Editor, who is responsible for the final decision to accept or reject the article. If decision implies a revision, this must be made by authors according to reviewers’ comments. Address all the points raised by reviewers and the editor, highlighting the changes and additions in the text (with a different color text, or with Microsoft Word’s Track Changes feature). Contrary, provide a scientific rebuttal to points or comments you disagree, describing all these revisions in a response letter. Your revision must be returned within the time allowed by the editor.

 

General terms and conditions of use

Users of the website and/or software agree not to misuse the service or software in any way. The failure of to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the Policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.

Although can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce an electronic version of the article as a high-quality Word or RTF file that can be converted to a PDF file. It is understood that the current state of technology of Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF) is such that there are no, and can be no, guarantees that documents in PDF will work perfectly with all possible hardware and software configurations that readers may have.