Submissions

SUBMISSIONS

The editorial team of the Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery invites authors from any country to submit articles for publication on any aspect of plastic surgery. All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened by the editors-in-chief. Manuscripts are immediately rejected if they do not follow the AJOPS author guidelines, are not in line with the aims of the journal, or are well short of the standard required for publication. 

In assessing a manuscript for publication reviewers consider the originality, educational value and validity of the submission. Recommendations regarding revisions or corrections may be offered to help authors re-write their submission. If revisions are required, authors are given four weeks to re-submit their work. Depending on the reviewers’ recommendation, revised submissions may be accepted for publication or undergo a further round of review.

Please note, a publication fee applies to accepted submissions where none of the authors are members of ASPS or NZAPS. The fee of AU$500 is charged after the peer review process is complete and prior to publication. If at least one of the authors is an ASPS or NZAPS member, there is no fee. Likewise, there is no fee for international authors of papers invited by the editors-in-chief.

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check the compliance of their submission with all of the items listed on this page. Please note:

• Manuscripts sent by post will not be accepted.
• Authors who plagiarise will be banned from the journal and reported to their host institution. 

 

REQUIREMENTS

The Australasian Journal of Plastic Surgery complies with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' (ICMJE) uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, found here. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their work, including all statistical calculations and drug doses.

 

MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

Original articles

Full-length reports of current research in either basic or clinical science. Original articles undergo a double-blind peer review process prior to acceptance.

Word count	Maximum 4000 words including abstract, main text, figures/tables
Abstract	Maximum 250 words; include subheadings (Background or Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion and Conclusion), and 5 keywords
Figures/tables	Maximum 8; each counts as 250 words
References	No limit

 

Review articles

Systematic reviews

A systematic review article offers a comprehensive analysis of a specific topic with reference to all the available literature. Systematic reviews are evidence-based, have a clearly described methodology, include meta-analysis where appropriate and provide a quantitative summary. Review articles are usually submitted upon invitation by the editors. Both solicited and unsolicited articles undergo a double-blind peer review process prior to acceptance.

Word count	Maximum 4800 words including abstract, main text, figures/tables
Abstract	Maximum 250 words; include subheadings (Background or Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion and Conclusion) and 5 keywords
Figures/tables	Maximum 8; each counts as 250 words
References	No limit

Narrative reviews

Narrative reviews describe and discuss broad scientific topics with reference to selected literature. They can be evidence-based but generally provide a qualitative summary of the topic. They are usually submitted upon invitation by the editors. Both solicited and unsolicited narrative articles undergo a double-blind peer review process prior to acceptance.

Word count	Maximum 4800 words including abstract, main text, figures/tables
Abstract	Maximum 250 words; subheadings not required; include 5 keywords
Figures/tables	Maximum 8; each counts as 250 words
References	No limit

 

Case reports

Case reports describe interesting or unusual cases and provide clinical insight into patient care. The generally accepted format for a case report includes a title, introduction/background, case, discussion, conclusion and references. Case reports undergo a double-blind peer review process prior to acceptance.

Word count	Maximum 1000 words; include subheadings (Background or Introduction, Case, Discussion and Conclusion)
Abstract	Not required; include 3–5 keywords.
Figures/tables	Maximum 3; these do not contribute to the word count
References	Maximum 10

 

Case series

Case series describe interesting or unusual cases involving one to five patients in similar situations and provide clinical insight into patient care, such as strategies for treatment and management where applicable. The generally accepted format for a case series includes a title, introduction/background, case, discussion, conclusions and references. Case series undergo a double-blind peer review process prior to acceptance.

Word count	Maximum 1500 words; include subheadings (Background or Introduction, Case, Discussion and Conclusion)
Abstract	Maximum 100 words, unstructured; include 3–5 keywords
Figures/tables	Maximum 5; these do not contribute to the word count
References	Maximum 15

 

Editorials

Editorials present views and perspectives related to published articles, current issues or journal policy. They are concise, scholarly, insightful and thought-provoking. Editorials are commissioned by the editors-in-chief from members of the editorial board or by invitation.

Word count	Maximum 900 words
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	Maximum 1; this does not contribute to the word count
References	No limit

 

Letters to the editors

A letter to the editor is a brief communication, concisely written, about content published in the journal. Letters offer a perspective or provide information pertinent to a particular topic. For letters responding to another letter, use the title format ‘Response to [title of letter]’ to ensure that readers can track the discussion.

Word count	Maximum 300 words
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	Maximum 1; this does not contribute to the word count
References	Maximum 5

 

Media reviews

Reviews of any media in print or digital format (such as books, apps, podcasts, films) that are of interest to surgeons may be submitted to the editors-in-chief. Media reviews should offer an appraisal as well as telling readers something new or interesting. Material should be relevant to medicine/public health. Book reviews are usually commissioned by the editors.

Word count	Maximum 600 words
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	Maximum 3; these do not contribute to the word count
References	Maximum 10

 

Perspectives

Perspectives are welcome on any topic within the field of medicine/public health. These can be overview statements, personal views or studies based on surveys. Perspectives should contain a tight linear argument and be more than just a mini-review. Perspectives are evaluated by the editors-in-chief and may not be subject to peer review.

Word count	Maximum 1000 words including figures/tables
Abstract	Not required
Figures/Tables	Maximum 3; these do not contribute to the word count.
References	Maximum 10

 

How to do it'papers

How to do it articles are focused descriptions of key aspects of operative technique. The title should start with ‘How to do…’ followed by the technique (eg ‘How to Rhinoplasty’). Articles may be accompanied by supplementary material.

Word count	Maximum 600 words
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	1 illustration; this does not contribute to the word count
References	Maximum 10

 

Images for surgeons

Readers are invited to submit images to the journal that highlight an original concept, capture a unique case or provide a learning opportunity for surgeons. Images should be accompanied by a brief description and clear statement about why the image is pertinent. Images for surgeons are evaluated by the editors-in-chief and may not be subject to peer review.

Word count	Maximum 300 words
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	1 image; up to 10Mb in .tiff or .jpeg format
References	10 maximum

 

Practical non-clinical skills for surgeons

Articles on non-clinical, professional skills for surgeons may include topics relating to academic research (such as funding, conferences, reports and presentations, research groups) or practice management (business skills). These articles will be evaluated by the editors-in-chief and may not be subject to peer review.

Word count	Maximum 4000 words including figures/tables
Abstract	Not required
Figures/tables	Maximum 1–2; these do not contribute to the word count
References	No limit

 

MANUSCRIPT PARTS

Title page

Title pages should be uploaded separate to the main text file to ensure anonymity during the peer review process. Manuscript titles should be concise, relevant and accurate. Avoid the use of abbreviations. For greater search engine optimisation, place keywords toward the beginning of the title.

The title page should include the following:

Title

• full title—no more than 80 characters, including spaces
• short title—no more than 40 characters, including spaces
• to optimise search engine results, place keywords toward the beginning of title

Authors’ names, qualifications and affiliations

• maximum of three qualifications eg MBBS PhD FRACS
• institutional affiliations for each author

Contact details

• corresponding author’s full name, postal addresses, email, telephone number

Disclosures

• whether the paper is based on a previous communication to a society or meeting
• whether the corresponding author is a recipient of a research scholarship
• whether the authors have financial or commercial conflicts of interest to disclose

Word count

• Total word count for main text document
• Total word count for abstract (limited to 250 words for articles and 100 words for cases)
• Number of figures and tables included (equivalent to 250 words each for all articles)
• Number of references (not included in word count)

Keywords

AJOPS has adopted the use of medical subject headings or MESH terms. MESH terms are the US National Library of Medicine's (NLM) controlled vocabulary of biomedical terms that are used to describe the subject of each journal article indexed in MEDLINE. MeSH terms are arranged hierarchically by subject categories with more specific terms arranged beneath broader terms. MeSH terms in PubMed automatically include the more specific MeSH terms in a search. For more information, please visit this PubMed help webpage. If you have any questions about the use of MESH terms versus keywords, please contact the journal office. 

• Include 5 MESH terms for articles and 3 for cases.

Copyright license information.

Authors are encourage to use the journal’s pro-forma title page that is available for download here.

Equal authorship

Equal authorship is indicated by a ‘*’ placed after the name of relevant authors and is followed by the statement: ‘* authors contributed equally to this paper’.

Abstract and keywords

Abstracts are limited to 250 words with the exception of a case series where the word count is limited to 100 words. To index the content of articles, five keywords must be selected from the US National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) browser list.

Statistics

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their work, including all statistical calculations and drug doses. For more information, refer to the ICMJE’s uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals, found here.

Authors are advised to:

• Describe statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results.
• When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals).
• Avoid relying solely on statistical hypothesis testing, such as P values, which fail to convey important information about effect size.
• References for the design of the study and statistical methods should be to standard works when possible (with pages stated).
• Define statistical terms, abbreviations and symbols.
• Specify the computer software used.
• Give numeric results as derivatives (eg, percentages) and as absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated and specify the statistical methods used to analyse them.
• Avoid nontechnical uses of technical terms in statistics such as ‘random’ (which implies a randomising device), ‘normal’, ‘significant;, ‘’correlations’ and ‘sample’).
• Where scientifically appropriate, include analyses of the data by such variables as age and sex.

Figures

All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Each figure should:

• be supplied as a separate file, not embedded in the text
• incorporate the figure number in the file name
• be accompanied by permission from the copyright holder
• be cited in consecutive order in the text using Arabic numerals
• be colour, where possible (illustrations and photographs)
• be high-resolution (at least 300 dpi) and saved as a .eps, .tiff or .jpg file and
• be complete with legends included at the end of the text.

Figure legends should be:

• self-explanatory
• incorporate definitions of symbols and
• identify statistical measures of variation, such as standard deviation and error of the mean.

Tables

Each table should:

• be numbered using Arabic numerals
• be cited consecutively throughout the text
• be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text
• be presented on a separate page at the end of the main document
• be double-spaced, with no outlines, and limited to one data point to each cell
• have column brief headings with units of measurement in parentheses and
• have a comprehensive but concise legend below the table.

Table legends should:

• include abbreviations used in the table
• use the following symbols, in sequence: †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, ††, ‡‡ (*, **, *** should be reserved
  for P values) and
• identify statistical measures of variation, such as standard deviation and error of the mean.

References

The journal uses the Vancouver referencing style, that is, references are:

• numbered sequentially as they occur in the text
• ordered numerically in the reference list at the end of the text
• all information is cited, including all author names (‘et al’ is no longer used).

For in-text citations, use:

• Arabic numerals set in superscript
• no surrounding brackets and
• place reference marker after punctuation.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. For the purpose of double-blind peer review, avoid citing personal communications and abstracts. See Appendix A for details on how to cite references.

Supplementary material

Supplementary material, such as computer code and datasets, may be submitted with manuscripts for the purpose of reproducing results. In such cases, authors should indicate which results in the manuscript can be reproduced using the submitted materials. Material should be unedited, with limited document formatting.

Supplementary material will be critically reviewed by the editorial team and will only be accepted if deemed essential. Material will be placed in an appendix and made accessible within the website via a hyperlink from the final published article (PDF and HTML version).

Supplementary text

Up to 3000 words, maximum 6 figures/tables and 30 references.

Supplementary video

Up to 10Mb in either QuickTime, MPEG or AVI format. Video files should be uploaded to the author’s Google Drive or Dropbox and a link sent to the Managing Editor at journal@plasticsurgery.org.au 

 

REVIEW PROCESS

The journal reviews all manuscripts submitted. Manuscripts are reviewed for publication on the basis that the contents have not been submitted simultaneously to another journal, have not been accepted for publication elsewhere, and have not already been published.

For original articles, review articles and case reports, the journal uses double-blind peer review process. In this process, all identifying information is removed from the submission so that authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other.

Editorials, letters to the editor, media reviews, perspectives, how to guides, practical non-clinical skills for surgeons, video content and features written by the journal’s own editorial staff do not undergo external peer review. Articles reporting original research conducted by journal editors are independently peer reviewed.

As reviewers assist in their own time, without remuneration, authors can greatly assist the process by submitting correctly formatted contributions in accordance with the following guidelines.

For more information, please read the AJOPS guidelines for reviewers here.