INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS SUBMITTING MANUSCRIPTS FOR PUBLICATION IN SCRIPTA MEDICA
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GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
SCRIPTA MEDICA is a scientific journal published in the English language by the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno; 4 issues are published annually.
Full-length papers not exceeding 25 manuscript pages including figures, tables and plates, containing the results of original research in all areas of contemporary biomedicine can be accepted. This includes any topics in the sphere of experimental biology and medicine, clinical studies, and basic studies with clinical and public health implications. Short communications (not exceeding 10 pages of manuscript), case reports, personal columns, and complete panels of abstracts from selected important scientific conferences may also be included. With the approval of the editorial board, review articles, historical overviews, and papers longer than 25 manuscript pages may exceptionally be accepted. The aim and significance of each paper should be made clear to readers who are not expert in the subject of the study.
Each manuscript should be accompanied by a statement that the manuscript has not been and will not be published in any other scientific journal.
Papers which report studies supported by grants must provide relevant reference to the respective grant or other financial support.
The procedures employed in all experiments or trials, concerned with either human or animal subjects, have been performed with the approval of an appropriate ethics committee or government body regulating animal or human research. A statement to this effect must be included in the Methods section of the manuscript.
The text should be written in good English (British or American usage is accepted, but not a mixture). Original papers, short communications, and case reports may also include the title and abstract provided in the Czech language.
Authors are encouraged to submit, in a covering letter, the names and addresses of three potential referees.
THE MANUSCRIPT SHOULD INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS:
- Title of the paper, which should be concise and informative and should be limited to 15 words.
- Name(s) of the author(s). Surname followed by the initial letter of first name(s) without title; if the authors are from more than one institution, this should be identified by an upper case index number after the name; if the author for correspondence is not the first name then his/her name should be identified by an upper case asterisk (*).
- Institutional affiliation. Full institutional name with town of location and country; if the authors are from different institutions, all locations should be listed in numerical order of the upper case index numbers. Provide an e-mail address of the corresponding author.
- Abstract should not exceed 300 words, non-structural (not divided into methods, results, etc.).
- Key words (up to 5) in the following format: Normothermia, Extracorporeal circulation, Multiorgan system failure. Avoid "and", "of", general and plural terms, multiple concepts.
- Abbreviations used. Define abbreviations that are not standard at their first occurrence. If there are very many unfamiliar abbreviations the author should consider listing them, together with the expressions that they represent in the following way: CHAT, circadian hyperamplitude tension of blood pressure; MESOR, midline - estimating statistic of rhythm; BRS, baroreflex sensitivity. Ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article.
- Introduction. State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of results.
- Materials and Methods. Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced.
- Results should be clear and concise.
- Discussion should explore the significance of the results, not repeat them. In a Short communication a combined Results and Discussion section is appropriate.
- Conclusions should only be used if special emphasis is justified.
- Acknowledgements, including reference to the respective grant or any financial assistance.
- References.
Quotation of references in the text
All publications from which the authors have drawn relevant information should be cited in the text. When secondary information is reported it is necessary to cite the original source. Citations such as "personal communication" or "unpublished data" should not be used. References should be numbered consecutively in the order as they appear in the text and identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited only in tables or legends to the figures should be numbered according to the location where they should first appear in the text.
Reference list
A consecutively numbered list of references should include only publications referred to in the paper. For each reference, give names of all authors unless there are more than five, in which case give names of the first three followed by et al. References are provided in the original language of the paper. In the case of a reference in local language, translation into English should be added in angular brackets. The author is responsible for the accuracy of the references. Each reference should begin on a new line and should follow the examples listed below:
Citations from journals:
Standard articles: Where there are five or less authors, all are cited; if their number is higher, only the first three names are given followed by "et al." You Ch, Lee KY, Chey RY, Menguy R. Electrogastrographic study of patients with unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gastroenterology 1980; 79: 311-14.
Journal supplement: Frumin AM, Nussbaum J, Esposito M. Functional asplenia: demonstration of splenic activity by bone marrow scan (Abstract). Blood 1979; 54 (Suppl 1): 26a.
Citations from books:
Person as author(s): Eisen HN. Immunology: an introduction to molecular and cellular principles of the immune response. 5th ed. New York: Harper and Row, 1974: 406 pp.
Editors as authors: Dausset J, Colabani J, eds. Histocompatibility testing 1972. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1973: 128 pp.
Chapter in book: Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathogenic properties of invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, eds. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia: EB Saunders, 1974: 145-72.
Paper published in proceedings: DuPont B. Bone marrow transplantation in severe combined immunodeficiency with an unrelated MLC compatible donor. In: White HJ, Smith AR, eds. Proceedings of the Third Annual Meeting of the International Society for Experimental Hematology, Houston: International Society for Experimental Hematology, 1974: 44-6. The Scripta Medica editorial board has based its format of the reference list on the appropriate section of the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" (updated October 2004), which is published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The official version of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals is located at www.ICMJE.org." Journal abbreviations should be used in accordance with the list of journal titles published each year in the January issue of "Index Medicus".
- Tables and figures figures (illustrations, graphs, diagrams, drawings, photographs, etc.).
Each table with clearly marked boxes should be presented on a separate sheet of A4 format together with clear descriptions, i.e., numbering, titles and legends. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article. All figures should be cited consecutively by Arabic numerals in the text with the figure legend typed on a separate sheet. Diagrams, drawings and graphs should be camera-ready, but with descriptions on a separate sheet. Photographs must be originals and not Xerox or scanner copies and they must also be accompanied by descriptions on separate sheets. Black and white glossy prints are preferred, only occasionally can colour photographs be accepted. Microphotographs must show the scale. Photographs should be submitted in such a format as would fit the frame of a 125 x 180 mm page. Two copies of all these materials are required. Convert electronic illustrations to TIFF format, always use a minimum of 300 dpi, and submit as a separate file(s). Do not use graphics and tables embedded in your word processor document. Provide all illustrations as separate files and as hardcopy printouts on separate sheets. Ensure that each illustration has a caption. Each table or illustration must be referred to in the text using italics, e.g. (Table 1), (Fig. 1), (Figs. 1-3), and the recommended position should be indicated in pencil on the manuscript hard copy.
- Legends to figures should be on a separate sheet/s.
- In Case reports, the sections (8) and (9) may be joined in one section, "A case".
TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS
The manuscript should be prepared in the word processor file formats Microsoft Word (DOC) or Rich Text Format (RTF), in good-quality print on A4 format sheets; submit two complete hard copies and an electronic version on floppy disc, CD, or as an e-mail attachment to mkorcova@med.muni.cz. The electronic version must match the hard copy exactly.
The manuscript should only use Times New Roman 12 dpi font consistently throughout the article in a standardised format (spaces introduced only after commas, full stops and other characters, etc.). The text should be divided into appropriate sections, titles, subtitles and paragraphs with no other print features such as italics, underlining, bold type, changed letter size, etc. (required print features may be indicated on the hard copy with a highlighter pen). All paragraphs should be indented. Lines within a paragraph must not end with a hard space. All special symbols (°C, mathematical symbols, upper and lower case indices, Greek letters, etc.) should be highlighted in colour on the hard copy. The maximum specified number of pages (25) must be achieved using 1.5 spacing (34 lines per page), A4 format, and 2.5 cm margins. Each page should be printed on a separate sheet and numbered, beginning with the title page.
Refer to current issues of Scripta Medica available online at http://www.med.muni.cz/biomedjournal/ for acceptable formats of text parts, figures, tables, etc.
EDITORIAL PROCEDURE
Each manuscript is evaluated by the editorial board and by two referees. After the assessment, the author will be informed about the result. In case the referee requires major amendments to the manuscript, this will be sent back to the author for changes. All corrections must be made on both the hard copy and the floppy disc. If the manuscript is not accepted, it will be returned to the author. The first author will receive 40 free reprints free of charge without having to submit an order.
PROOFS
Proofs are sent to the address of the first author, who is obliged to return them to the editor no later than 7 days from receipt. All necessary amendments must be properly marked using standard proof symbols; attention should be paid to the occurrence of printing errors. Substantial changes and additions are not permitted. Corrected proofs which are not returned to the editorial office within the stated period will appear in one of the subsequent issues of the journal.
EDITORIAL OFFICE ADDRESS:
SCRIPTA MEDICA
Faculty of Medicine
Masaryk University
Kamenice 5
CZ-625 00 Brno
Czech Republic
E-mail: mkorcova@med.muni.cz, scriptme@med.muni.cz
