Submissions

Author Guidelines

01 / Article types

Choose the format for your study

The journal considers original research, narrative reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and case reports within its multidisciplinary health scope. Manuscripts may be written in English or Spanish. Spanish submissions must also include an English title, abstract and keywords. Portuguese is not part of the initial submission languages.

Limits for the main manuscript

• Original research. Main text: 5,000 words. Abstract: 300 words. References: 60. Tables + figures: 6 combined.
• Narrative review. Main text: 6,000 words. Abstract: 300 words. References: 80. Tables + figures: 6 combined.
• Systematic review or meta-analysis. Main text: 6,000 words. Abstract: 300 words. References: No fixed cap. Tables + figures: 8 combined.
• Case report. Main text: 2,500 words. Abstract: 250 words. References: 30. Tables + figures: 5 combined.

These are the journal’s editorial limits. Main-text counts run from Introduction through Conclusion and exclude abstracts, references, tables, figure legends, declarations and supplementary files. Abstract limits apply to each language version separately. Cite every study included in a systematic review. Explain any necessary exception in the cover letter; complete methodological reporting takes priority over cosmetic shortening. For case reports, a timeline presented as a table or figure counts toward the combined limit.

200 charactersFull title, including spaces

60 charactersShort title, including spaces

3–6 keywordsPrefer MeSH or DeCS terms

Identify the study design in the title when useful, especially for trials and reviews. Avoid unexplained abbreviations and promotional claims. There is no minimum word count. Authorship is determined by contribution and accountability, without a numerical author limit.

For a case report, include “case report” in the title and use 3–5 keywords, including “case report”. The same title and short-title character limits apply.

02 / Files and formatting

Prepare an editable and anonymous file

Use DOCX for the main manuscript and the separate title page. A PDF may accompany the submission but does not replace the editable manuscript. The submission template is a starting point; use the structure appropriate to your article type.

• For the main manuscript: A4 page size, margins of 2.5 cm, one column, Arial or Times New Roman at 12 pt, double line spacing and left-aligned text.
• Number pages and use continuous line numbers. Keep headings to three levels and define abbreviations at first use.
• Use SI units where appropriate; identify drugs by generic name and define nonstandard measures. Report denominators, effect sizes and uncertainty, not only p values.
• Use editable tables in DOCX or XLSX. Supply figures separately as TIFF, PNG or high-quality JPEG; vector charts may be supplied as PDF. Aim for 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line drawings at the intended display size.
• Provide supplementary methods, searches and checklists as DOCX or PDF; datasets as CSV or XLSX, with a data dictionary when relevant. Identify software and analysis-code versions and use a repository link where appropriate.

Files for the editorial team and for reviewers

Name the main file Manuscript_anonymous.docx and the separate author file Title_page.docx. Remove names, affiliations, acknowledgments, identifying filenames, tracked-change authors, comments and identifying document properties from reviewer-facing files. Cite your own work in the third person without deleting necessary references.

Keep study methods and the fact of ethics approval visible. Where an institution, committee identifier, registration link or repository reveals the authors, use [details withheld for double-anonymous review] in the blinded version and provide the complete information to the editor separately. Do not disguise dates, procedures or study design. Full details must be restored before publication.

03 / Manuscript structure

Show how the work was done

Begin the anonymous manuscript with the title, article type, abstract and keywords. Original research and reviews use a structured abstract with Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Case reports use Background, Case presentation and Conclusion, within 250 words. Include actual findings and relevant numerical results; do not cite references in the abstract. For a narrative review, Results should summarize the synthesis rather than imply a systematic search that was not performed.

Original research

1. Introduction: establish the problem, evidence gap and a specific objective or hypothesis.
2. Methods: report design, setting and study period; participants or materials; eligibility and recruitment; sample-size rationale; variables, interventions and outcomes; measurement methods; statistical analysis, missing data and software; and ethics and consent.
3. Results: report the participant flow, characteristics and prespecified outcomes, with denominators, effect estimates and confidence intervals where relevant. Distinguish planned from exploratory analyses and avoid repeating all table entries in prose.
4. Discussion: interpret findings against the literature, consider bias, limitations and generalizability, and explain clinical, public-health or methodological implications without overstating causality.
5. Conclusion: answer the objective within the evidence. Do not introduce new findings.

Qualitative and mixed-methods research may adapt headings to the design while reporting sampling, researcher reflexivity, data collection and analysis transparently.

Narrative reviews

Use Introduction, Review methods, thematic synthesis or Results, Discussion and Conclusion. Explain the review question, databases or other sources consulted, search terms, search period and last search month/year, selection rationale and approach to synthesis. State methodological limitations. A narrative review must critically connect the evidence and identify disagreements or gaps; it should not be a sequence of disconnected article summaries. Do not describe the review as systematic unless its methods support that description.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Use Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion. Provide protocol and registration status; eligibility criteria; all information sources and exact last search dates; reproducible search strategies; deduplication, screening and data-extraction procedures; risk-of-bias assessment; and synthesis methods. Identify how many people performed each stage and how disagreements were resolved.

Report selection in a PRISMA flow diagram, characteristics of included studies and the appraisal findings. If pooling is appropriate, explain effect measures, models, heterogeneity, sensitivity or subgroup analyses and assessment of reporting bias and certainty, where applicable. Give reasons when meta-analysis is inappropriate. Supply the full search strategies and completed PRISMA checklist as supplementary files. Registration is encouraged before the review begins; report the actual registration date or explain why it was not registered. Do not present a retrospective registration as prospective.

Case reports

We welcome well-documented clinical cases with a clear educational contribution, such as a diagnostic challenge, an unexpected adverse event or an informative course of treatment. Explain what the case adds; rarity alone is insufficient. Follow the CARE checklist and upload the completed checklist with manuscript page references.

Abstract: up to 250 words, structured as Background, Case presentation and Conclusion. Summarize the learning point without references. Spanish submissions also require the abstract in English.

1. Introduction: state the clinical problem and why the case merits reporting.
2. Case presentation: describe relevant history, examination, diagnostic evidence and alternatives considered. Include a timeline and the treatment details needed to understand the course.
3. Follow-up and outcomes: state duration, response, tolerability, adverse events and any limits to follow-up.
4. Discussion: compare the case with relevant evidence and explain uncertainties. A single case cannot establish treatment effectiveness or generalizable risk.
5. Patient perspective: include it when feasible and authorized; explain its absence without inventing the patient’s account.
6. Conclusion: give the clinical learning points supported by this case.

Finish with the required declarations and Vancouver references. See consent and ethics requirements for case reports.

04 / Research ethics

Approval, consent and participant protection

Include an ethics statement in every manuscript. Research involving people, identifiable records, human biological material or identifiable data must follow applicable national and institutional requirements and the relevant ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Obtain approval from the competent research ethics committee before starting activities that require approval. Editorial review does not replace ethics review.

What to report

• The committee’s full name and institution, approval or exemption reference, and date of the decision. For Brazilian research, identify the Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa (CEP) and the parecer number and CAAE when applicable.
• How consent to participate was obtained. If consent was waived, identify the committee or competent authority that granted the waiver and its basis.
• Any important protocol amendments and the corresponding approvals. Explain discrepancies between the approved protocol and the work reported.

Provide complete, unblinded details in the editorial-only title page or supporting ethics document. The journal may request the approval or waiver document confidentially. Do not upload signed participant consent forms or identifiable health records as public supplementary material.

Retrospective studies, public data and reviews

Retrospective design or anonymization alone does not establish exemption. If review or consent was not required, explain the applicable basis and the institution or authority’s determination where required. For research using a public dataset, name the source, access conditions, data-identifiability status and the ethics basis for the analysis. Reviews using only published literature should state why approval and participant consent do not apply. Do not invent approval numbers or obtain a document merely to conceal research performed without required prior approval.

Consent to publish and sensitive images

Consent to participate and consent to publish identifiable information are separate. Obtain specific publication consent when a person could be recognized from an image, case description or combination of details, including the appropriate representative’s consent where applicable. Remove unnecessary identifiers. Covering the eyes in a photograph is not reliable anonymization.

Trials and animal research

Prospectively register interventional clinical trials in an ICMJE-acceptable public registry before the first participant is enrolled; include the registry, identifier and registration date in the manuscript. Explain delayed registration to the editor; it does not automatically meet this policy. For animal research, report approval by the relevant committee (CEUA in Brazil, when applicable), welfare measures and the appropriate ARRIVE reporting checklist.

Follow current rules in the jurisdiction where the study was conducted. For Brazilian procedures, consult the Ministry of Health’s research-ethics guidance.

Case reports: consent to publish and ethics review

The journal requires written informed consent for publication of every case report, including anonymized reports and any clinical images. Obtain it from the patient or the legally authorized representative, with assent where applicable, before journal submission. Consent to treatment is a separate matter. State who provided consent and its scope without naming the patient; retain the document securely and provide it confidentially if requested. Reports without valid publication consent cannot be accepted.

Remove names, initials, record numbers, image identifiers and unnecessary dates or details. Prefer a relative timeline when exact dates are not clinically necessary. Anonymization does not replace publication consent.

Follow the ethics-review requirements of the institution and jurisdiction. A case report is not automatically exempt from committee assessment. Report the approval or documented determination when required; for Brazilian cases, consult the responsible CEP about the applicable submission procedure. Clinical care may have occurred before preparation of the report: describe the actual chronology without inventing prior approval.

05 / Reporting standards

Use the checklist that matches the design

Consult the current guideline and any relevant extension in the EQUATOR Network. Upload a completed checklist with manuscript page references when a guideline applies. A checklist supports transparent reporting; it is not evidence that a study was well conducted.

Common reporting guidelines

• Randomized trials. Guideline: CONSORT and relevant extensions.
• Observational studies. Guideline: STROBE; RECORD for routinely collected health data where appropriate.
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Guideline: PRISMA and relevant extensions.
• Diagnostic accuracy / prediction models. Guideline: STARD / TRIPOD and relevant extensions.
• Qualitative research. Guideline: SRQR; COREQ for interviews and focus groups.
• Animal studies / economic evaluations. Guideline: ARRIVE / CHEERS.
• Case reports. Guideline: CARE and relevant specialty extensions.

06 / References and illustrations

Make the evidence traceable

Use Vancouver references with numbered citations in square brackets, in order of first appearance: [1], [2,3] and [4–6]. Reuse the same number for repeat citations. Include citations in tables and legends in the manuscript’s citation sequence. Check every reference against the original source; provide DOI or a stable URL when available.

Journal articles should identify the authors, title, journal abbreviation, year, volume, issue where available, pages or article number, and DOI. List the first six authors followed by et al. when there are more than six. For online material, include the responsible organization or author, title, year or update date if known, access date and URL. Label preprints as preprints. Do not cite AI output as evidence or fill the reference list with unrelated citations.

Number tables and figures separately in citation order. Give tables a title above and explanatory notes below; identify units, denominators and abbreviations. Provide figure legends in the manuscript and use filenames such as Figure_1.tif. Present editable data tables, not screenshots. Explain any image processing and retain original files. Obtain permission for reused material when required and credit its source.

Supplementary files need a descriptive title and an in-text callout. Keep essential methods and results in the article; use supplements for supporting detail, complete searches and reproducible materials.

07 / Title page and declarations

Provide complete information to the editor

The separate title page must contain the full and short titles, article type, manuscript and abstract word counts, author names in the agreed order, affiliations with city and country, and the corresponding author’s email. ORCID is optional. Include the following declarations, using “Not applicable” only with a valid explanation:

• Authorship and contributions: describe each person’s actual contribution, preferably using CRediT roles, and confirm final approval and accountability. All authors must satisfy the four ICMJE authorship criteria; supervision, funding or language assistance alone is insufficient.
• Ethics and consent: give the full approval or exemption details, participation-consent statement, publication-consent statement and trial or review registration details where relevant.
• Funding: identify the funding source, award number and funder’s role, or state truthfully that no specific funding was received.
• Competing interests: disclose relevant financial and nonfinancial relationships for all authors, or state that none exist.
• Data and code availability: identify the repository and access conditions, or explain ethical, legal or practical restrictions and any process for requesting access. Do not promise access that cannot be provided.
• Acknowledgments and permissions: identify contributors who do not qualify as authors and obtain permission to name them; report permissions for third-party material.
• Use of AI: disclose generative AI used in preparing text, images, analysis or other substantive work, naming the tool/version where known, its purpose and the human verification performed. Describe AI used as a research method in Methods. Routine spelling and reference-formatting tools need no declaration unless they generated substantive content. Authors remain responsible for the work; AI cannot be an author.

Include non-identifying versions of relevant statements in the anonymous manuscript. Full author contributions and acknowledgments stay in the editorial-only file during review. Remove identifiers from any data links supplied to reviewers or explain their effect on anonymity to the editor.

08 / Editorial workflow

From submission to a final decision

1. Submit the files. Once the OJS portal opens, select the article type, enter matching author and article metadata, and upload the anonymous manuscript, title page, figures and applicable supporting documents. Add a short cover letter explaining the contribution, journal fit and any overlap with previous work.
2. Editorial screening. The team checks scope, completeness, ethics and basic scientific adequacy. Incomplete files may be returned for correction, and unsuitable work may be declined before external review. A written first editorial report is issued within five working days of a complete submission; see what the report covers and how the deadline is counted.
3. Peer review. Eligible work follows the journal’s double-anonymous review policy, normally with two independent reviewers and a third when needed. The editor makes the decision; see the review policy.
4. Revision. Upload a point-by-point response, a clean revised manuscript and a version showing changes. Keep reviewer-facing files anonymous. Explain respectfully when a requested change cannot be made, and submit by the date in the decision letter or request an extension.
5. Acceptance and production. Restore the author and ethics details, confirm metadata, approve the final proofs and complete the publication agreement. Publication and the certificate follow within two calendar days of final acceptance once production and payment or waiver requirements are complete. Read the publication conditions. External review and revisions have no fixed acceptance deadline.

Do not submit the same work to another journal while it is under consideration here. Disclose preprints, theses, conference abstracts and related manuscripts in the cover letter; they are not automatically disqualifying but require an explanation of overlap. Authors must approve the submission and any change to authorship.

Submission, evaluation, peer review and reports are free. After final acceptance, the publication charge per article is R$ 249,90 for Brazilian authors or US$ 49.90 for authors of other nationalities, with DOI registration included in both rates. The first ten articles have the editorial charge waived, with only the actual DOI cost passed on. Read fees and waivers. Scientific decisions are independent of payment.

The journal plans continuous publication in issues covering two months. Articles are published as they become ready, without waiting for the issue to close.

09 / Before you submit

Check the complete submission

1. The article fits the scope and selected type, with the correct length, abstract and English metadata.
2. The editable manuscript and all reviewer-facing files are anonymous; the title page is separate.
3. Methods are reproducible and the appropriate reporting checklist and searches are included.
4. Ethics approval, exemption, consent and registration are documented where applicable. For a case report, written publication consent and the completed CARE checklist are included in the required process.
5. Authorship, funding, interests, data availability, permissions and AI statements are complete and accurate.
6. References, table and figure numbering, image quality and supplementary-file links have been checked.
7. All authors approve the submission, and related or previously disseminated material is disclosed.

Templates and editorial resources

Anonymous manuscript template DOCX ↓ Separate title page and declarations DOCX ↓ Manuscript template preview PDF ↓ Title page template preview PDF ↓ Publication layout reference PDF ↓

For additional guidance, consult ICMJE, the EQUATOR reporting library, the Declaration of Helsinki and NLM Citing Medicine. The limits and submission arrangements on this page are specific to this journal.

Guidelines updated 29 September 2026.