Submissions

Author Guidelines

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GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION OF SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES

Types of Articles and Sections

The following types of articles are accepted and included in our issues: Results of original research; Review articles; Clinical case presentations; Clinical Trials; Editorials; Letter to the Editor.

These articles will be placed in the different sections of the journal, corresponding to the typology of the articles.

General aspects before submitting the article for evaluation

Presentation format

Articles should be presented in Spanish in A4 format in an editable or compatible Microsoft Word document. Margins should be 2.5 cm on each side, font type Times New Roman, 12 points, justified text, and 1.5 line spacing.

The use of abbreviations and acronyms should not be excessive (acronyms, abbreviations, and symbols should be accompanied by the full name the first time they are cited) and should not hinder the smooth reading or understanding of the work. Clarity and coherence in writing, syntax, and spelling are required.

Bibliographic citations must be marked with a superscript number in parentheses. According to the Vancouver Guidelines, they must appear in the text following a consecutive order corresponding to the number in the References section. Authors cited in the text must appear in the bibliographic record in question and not refer to authors assumed to be mentioned within each record.

Tables and Charts must be presented in an editable format with adequate illustrative and content quality. All must be accompanied by a separate title and referred to in the text of the article. If necessary, the source must be declared.

Images and/or figures must be inserted in .png or .jpg format and should not exceed 500 kb each. They must appear in the body of the text (not in Annexes). They should be necessary, relevant, and clear for evaluation. All figures must be accompanied by a title outside the image in a separate text and must be referred to in the text. Presented images must protect patient identity and comply with bioethical principles, with informed consent from patients and declaration of the source.

Annexes are not accepted, except in very necessary and essential cases with proper justification.

Documents must have page numbering in the footer, and length will depend on the type of article.

Requirements and regulations for studies involving human subjects

In scientific research involving human participation, authors must comply with the provisions of the Comisión Nacional de Bioética en Salud (CNBS), in particular the clinical trial regulations, informed consent regulations, regulations on the use of genetic material, and international regulations: the Declaration of Helsinki, the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines, the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights, etc.

In the case of publication proposals derived from studies involving human subjects, authors must submit:

• Certification from a duly authorized Comité de Ética de la Investigación en Seres Humanos (CEISH): only for Observational/Original Studies (Cohort, Case-Control, Cross-Sectional, Ecological, Case Series, Case Reports, and Multicentric), Experimental Studies (Clinical Trials).
• Approval letter from the Agencia Nacional de Regulación, Control y Vigilancia Sanitaria (ARCSA): only for clinical trials.
• Informed consent: only for case reports.

Acceptance of manuscripts for the editorial review process

Unpublished manuscripts are accepted.

Works previously presented at a scientific conference are also accepted, provided they have not been fully published or are being considered for publication in conference proceedings or similar formats. In this case, authors must declare in an attached letter the details of such presentation.

Articles previously deposited in recognized preprint servers in Health Sciences (SciELO Preprints; PMC; Plos; MedRxiv, etc.) or others that clearly identify the preprint as a non-peer-reviewed work and include authorship data are accepted. In this case, authors must declare in an attached letter that the article was previously deposited in a preprint server and provide direct access to it. Authors must ensure that they submit the most updated version to the journal for review.

Duplicate publications, translations of previously published articles, partial research results, or independent abstracts are not accepted for evaluation.

As part of the initial evaluation and selection process for manuscripts to continue the review process, the Editorial Committee evaluates the scope, novelty, relevance, and impact of the research, as well as the quality of the article presentation. In any case, the Editorial Committee will decide whether the manuscript will proceed with the editorial process or not, and this will be notified within no more than 15 days.

Authorship

This section includes those who meet the 4 criteria recommended by the ICMJE (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html).

The order of authors is decided by the authorship team; however, a corresponding author must be identified, who will be responsible for communication with the Editorial Committee of the journal and must be available throughout the editorial process.

Full names and surnames of all authors must be listed (avoid initials). Professional title, scientific degrees, academic degrees, teaching and/or research categories, as applicable, must be declared. The full name of each author’s institutional affiliation(s) must be declared. The ORCID of each author must also be declared as a mandatory requirement.

Each article must be accompanied by a signed letter stating the authorship contribution of each author, which must comply with the CRedit contributor role taxonomy.

Acknowledgment

This section should include those who do not meet the authorship criteria recommended by the ICMJE but who played an important role in the research. The corresponding author must declare that each of the persons mentioned has authorized being named.

Conflicts of interest

Authors must declare, as mandatory, the presence or absence of conflicts of interest related to the research presented. Those with employment relationships or who receive funding from pharmaceutical companies or other commercial entities must state so explicitly in this section.

Funding sources

Authors must declare, as mandatory, whether they had any external funding source.

Common aspects for all types of articles

Title (Spanish)

(no more than 18 words – no abbreviations – do not use words such as “a study” or “a research” – preferably do not include city or institution names, focus on the study’s objective)

Title (English)

Author1¹, Author2²*, AuthorNⁿ (Full name and surname of each author)

¹ Affiliation of each author (Institution Name, Faculty – optional, Department – optional, City, Country, postal code)

Official email, ORCID of each author in the order listed above (one line per author)

*Correspondence: Corresponding author’s email.

Type of contribution: Research Article / Review Article.

Abstract: The Abstract will be structured into sections (depending on the type of article), highlighting the most important aspects of the research in each section. Figures, tables, or references should not be cited; equations should be avoided. It should not exceed 250 words, and authors are encouraged to make full use of the allowed word count.

Keywords: Write 5 keywords or key phrases, separated by commas and listed alphabetically. Some of them should appear in the title and be health sciences descriptors. The use of MeSH or DeCS is recommended.

Introduction

Present brief, clear, and concise background with bibliographic support according to the Vancouver Style. It must be an important and relevant topic.

Justify the research problem, scope, and rationale; i.e., the problem situation that originated the study.

Clearly state the research objective(s).

Conclusions

They must be a logical outcome of your research. Results should not be repeated, and an appropriate degree of generalization should be expressed.

They must respond to the study objectives and correspond with the results and discussion.

Recommendations

These are suggestions derived from the research results.

Many studies include this section to suggest the introduction and generalization of the results in a real context or to open future lines of research.

Specific aspects for each type of article

Editorial

Express positions and/or criteria directly related to a topic addressed by the journal or a situational scientific issue. They will be by invitation of the editorial committee to specific experts.

Its length should not exceed 1,000 words. May include references.

Original Research Article

Scientific research that seeks to solve a knowledge gap or deficit; the formulation of this is what constitutes the scientific problem, and to solve it, the scientific method is followed with a quantitative, qualitative, or mixed approach.

Due to its novelty, this type of research has the highest priority in the journal’s editorial process.

Its length should not exceed 4,500 words, including references.

There is no limit on the number of authors, but the number must be justified based on the scope of the research and the real participation in the text.

Title in Spanish and English

Abstract with keywords in Spanish and English

The Abstract is structured by sections and should follow the order: Introduction, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions.

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Define the type of research or study, period, and location. Studies completed more than five (5) years prior must be well justified for approval.

Define Universe or Population (with inclusion/exclusion/exit criteria), and Sample (if applicable).

If a Sample is selected:

Declare type (probabilistic or non-probabilistic).

Describe the sampling strategy: Corresponds to the type of sampling carried out (probabilistic: simple random, stratified proportional random, systematic, and cluster sampling. Non-probabilistic: snowball, volunteers, typology, etc.).

In both cases (Universe and Sample), define the quantities.

Clearly state the data collection, processing, and analysis methods used. Authors must upload to the journal platform, as an attachment, the primary records used. Authors are encouraged to make their research data publicly available in repositories and cite them.

Variables or categories of analysis must be clearly defined, with evaluation criteria stated. A variable operationalization table is not required.

The data analysis method must be the most appropriate for the research design.

Declare the specific ethical aspects for the study. Priority will be given to studies with institutional scientific committee approval or those from institutional research projects.

For clinical trials, the corresponding registration number obtained in a Clinical Trials Registry must be provided. This number must be verifiable, so the Source will be cited. In addition, they must comply with the evaluation parameters stated in the CONSORT international guideline.

This section must be written to meet the principle of REPRODUCIBILITY.

Results

Presented according to the study objectives. Appropriate use of statistics (when required). Figures and tables should highlight the most relevant results without repeating information. A maximum of 5 tables and 3 statistical images or graphs is allowed.

Discussion

Critical review of the study’s results compared with works published by the authors or other researchers at the national and international level. Describe possible applicability and generalization of the results. Explain the scope and limitations of the results.

In qualitative studies, the Results and Discussion section may be combined, in which case it will be titled Results and Discussion.

Conclusions

References

Must include 50% of works published in the last 5 years. Relevant national and international literature on the subject must be represented. A maximum of 40 references will be accepted.

Review Article

An update of the knowledge available on a current but problematic topic, for which there is abundant but scattered information; it is controversial and not adequately organized or classified, making it difficult to form criteria and establish a starting point for new work. To be scientific, it must have a critical approach and be more than a mere report of existing literature.

Proficiency in using bibliographic indexes and databases is required; it must demonstrate an exhaustive literature search starting with the most current. The information must be organized meaningfully, describing, critiquing, and relating each source to the topic. The work must be well-structured, and all sources must be correctly cited.

Its length should not exceed 5,000 words, excluding references, with a maximum of three (3) authors.

Title in Spanish and English

Abstract with keywords in Spanish and English

The Abstract is structured into sections and should follow the order: Introduction, Objective, Materials and Methods, Development, Conclusions.

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Declare the type of study. Define the information sources consulted (databases, full-text resources, documentary repositories, etc.). Declare keywords or descriptors used, as well as the search strategy in each source. Indicate the number of bibliographic references consulted and how many were selected for the study. Justify the selection criteria. Specify the time frame required for the review.

Development

Presented according to the study objectives. Figures and tables should highlight relevant aspects without repeating information. Interpretation of results from the literature consulted. Identify and compare the differences and similarities among the analyzed studies. Critique results from studies published by the authors themselves or others. Describe possible applicability and generalization of the results. Include new aspects if necessary. Indicate the limitations or contributions of the review.

Conclusions

References

Must contain 70% of works published in the last 5 years, as the results are based on the literature reviewed. A maximum of 50 references will be accepted. Relevant national and international literature on the subject must be represented.

Priority will be given to Systematic Review Articles, which must follow the PRISMA 2020 Statement as a guide for their preparation.

Case Presentation

Articles presenting a case that reflects a clinical problem, whose solution has theoretical value and practical application for medical practice.

Its length should not exceed 3,000 words, including references, with a maximum of three (3) authors.

Title in Spanish and English

Abstract with keywords in Spanish and English

The Abstract is structured into sections and should follow this order: Introduction, Objective, Case Presentation, Conclusions.

Introduction

Case Presentation

Properly describe background (family, personal, pathological, non-pathological, surgical, gyneco-obstetric, etc.) related to the case. Indicate onset, progression, and current status of the condition. Summarize main clinical findings and diagnostic, laboratory, imaging, and cabinet investigations; highlight those that make the case peculiar. Indicate the treatment used.

Indicate case evolution. A maximum of three (3) figures or images is allowed.

Discussion

Analyze and compare main findings with those of other reported cases. Indicate pathology/pathophysiology and its significance. Describe the difficulty in establishing the diagnosis and/or treatment. Discuss differential diagnoses and/or treatments if necessary. Analyze theories or hypotheses about the implications of the findings.

Conclusions

Must be clear and justify the case presentation from its theoretical-practical contribution.

References

Must include 40% of works published in the last 5 years. Relevant national and international literature on the subject must be represented. A maximum of 30 references will be accepted.

Letter to the Editor

Reflects opinions of authors or readers about other articles previously published in the journal. Authors may express opinions in favor, against, or expanding on those already stated in the published article, always adhering to ethics and best practices in scientific communication.

May contain up to 2,000 words, written by one or two authors, and supported by references. The Editorial Committee reserves the right, if deemed appropriate, to publish or not the Letter to the Editor.