As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
All manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened by the editorial team. Manuscripts are immediately rejected if they do not follow the author guidelines, are not in line with the aims of the journal, or are well short of the standard required for publication.
Human studies - ethics approval
Clinical trials - registration and reporting
Randomised control trial - reporting
Patient consent
A statement confirming that patient consent has been obtained for the publication of related images and data must be included at the end of the text and before the references. For privacy reasons patient consent forms should be held by the treating institution. Use the statement:
Patients/guardians have given informed consent to the publication of images and/or data.
Conflict of interest
Authors must declare any conflicts of interest. This statement should follow the patient consent statement. Use the statement:
The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Funding declaration
Authors must include a statement as to whether or not they have received funding for the research, authorship and/or publication of the paper. This statement should follow the statement on conflict of interest. Use the statement:
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Title page
Authors are asked to submit a separate title page with the following information included:
A concise, relevant and accurate title of no more than 80 characters, including spaces
Authors' names,* qualifications, affiliations and ORCID id:
Contact details for the corresponding author:
Patient/consent for the publication of any images and/or data relating to the patient
Conflicts of interest relating to the authors
Financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of the manuscript.
Clinical trial registration:
Ethics approval:
Acknowledgements:
Word count:
Keywords:
Figures
All figures (illustrations and photographs) should:
In the main body of the text, figures should be cited in consecutive order using Arabic numerals and contained in parentheses (Figure 1)
At the end of the manuscript, after the references, include a list of the figures with:
Tables
Tables should be:
Use the following symbols, in sequence: : †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, ††, ‡‡ (*, **, *** should be reserved for P values)
References
The journal uses the Vancouver referencing style where references are:
For in-text citations, use:
Submissions must adhere to the following format:
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Full-length reports of current research in either basic or clinical science.
Word count |
Maximum 3000 words including abstract, main text, figures/tables |
Abstract |
Maximum 250 words; structured (include subheadings Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion) and 5 keywords based on MESH terms |
Main text |
Structured (include subheadings Introduction, Methods, Analysis, Discussion and Conclusion) |
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.
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.
Word count |
Maximum 4800 words including abstract, main text, figures/tables |
Abstract |
Maximum 250 words. For systematic reviews, include subheadings (Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion) and five keywords based on MESH terms; Narrative reviews may have an unstructured summary and five keywords based on MESH terms. Systematic and narrative review articles should include information about the databases used for literature searches, the time period and how the information was extracted. |
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 based on MESH terms. |
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 150 words, unstructured; include 3-5 keywords based on MESH terms |
Figures/tables |
Maximum 5; these do not contribute to the word count |
References |
Maximum 15 |
OTHER MANUSCRIPT TYPES
EDITORIALS
Editorials are invited by the editors-in-chief or from members of the editorial board. They present views and perspectives related to published articles, current issues or journal policy. They are concise, scholarly, insightful and thought-provoking.
Word count: Maximum 1000 words
Figures/tables: Maximum 1; this does not contribute to the word count
References: No limit
FEATURES
Features are commissioned by the editors-in-chief. They can be on any topic that is of interest to readers that is related to current issues or journal policy. Features are typically articles but other submission types may be commissioned at the discretion of the editors-in-chief.
Word count: Depending on the type of submission
Abstract: Depending on the type of submission
Figures/tables: Depending on the type of submission
References: No limit
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 be subject to peer review.
Word count: 1000-1500 words
Abstract: Not required
Figures/tables: Maximum 3; these do not contribute to the word count.
References: Maximum 10
'HOW TO DO IT' GUIDES
'How to do it' guides are focused descriptions of key aspects of operative technique. The title should start with 'How to do a...' followed by the technique (eg 'How to Rhinoplasty'). Articles may be accompanied by supplementary material. 'How to do it' guides are evaluated by the editors-in-chief and may be subject to peer review.
Word count: 600 words
Abstract: Not required
Figures/tables: 1; this does not contribute to the word count.
References: Maximum 10
LETTERS
Letters are brief communications, 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: 300 words
Figures/tables: 1; this does not contribute to the word count.
References: Maximum 5
Resources:
Updated 20 April 2022
This is an open access journal: all articles will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read and download. Authors will retain copyright of their article and have a choice of publishing under the following Creative Commons Licence terms:
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)
Lets others distribute and copy the article, create extracts, abstracts, and other revised versions, adaptations or derivative works of or from an article (such as a translation), include in a collective work (such as an anthology), text or data mine the article, even for commercial purposes, as long as they credit the author(s), do not represent the author as endorsing their adaptation of the article, and do not modify the article in such a way as to damage the author's honour or reputation.
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.