Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology

Guide for Authors

Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology is a bilingual, peer-reviewed (double-blinded) journal targeted to biomedical scholars, clinical researchers, physicians, toxicologists, molecular biologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists. Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology is an open access, quarterly, and internationally disseminated regional platform that gathers global-trend research and topics. Our Editorial Board has decided to follow the Council of Science Editors recommendations in the following topics:

• Editor Roles and Responsibilities
• Authorship and Author Responsibilities
• Reviewer Roles and Responsibilities
• Sponsor Roles and Responsibilities
• Relations between Editors and Publishers, Sponsoring Societies, or Journal Owners
• Responsibilities to the Media
• Description of Research Misconduct
• International Models for Responding to Research Misconduct
• Reporting Suspect Manuscripts
• Correcting the Literature
• Examples of Errata, Partial Retractions, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern
• References
• Handling Third-Party Inquiries About Scientific Misconduct
• CSE Editorial Policy Committee
• Acknowledgments

Types of Manuscript

Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology publishes the following types of manuscript:

1. Original Article. It is the written report of a clinical trial the researchers performed. It must include a structured abstract (introduction, material and methods, results, and discussion). The introduction includes the rationale of the study, the hypothesis of the topic, the research question, as well as the trial background, objective(s). The results must be presented in a logical way and include relevant tables or figures. The discussion or potential implications of such results must summarize the main findings and their possible explanations. (5 000 words, without references or tables).
2. Cases Report. Real, unpublished cases, with unique characteristics of the disease, or the patient’s reaction that significantly contribute to the medical knowledge. The case reports must be related to non-registered or unusual adverse events, to unreported drug interactions, or to variations in the natural history of disease with rare manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment for new or emerging diseases, an unexpected association between diseases, and symptoms; or findings providing a new feature in the pathogenesis. Likewise, case reports may explain the potential risk factors, speculate about new hypothesis and theories that may develop new therapies, procedures or diagnostic theories, among others. (López Hernández D, Torres Fonseca A, 2014, http://nietoeditores.com.mx/nieto/EMQ/2014/abr-jun/inv.edu.med_recomendaciones.pdf) All the relevant data must be presented, including interesting demographic information (not revealing the patient’s identity), complete clinical record, laboratory and imaging tests, treatments or interventions and their results (4 000 words, without references or tables).
3. Review Article. Clinical analysis of a current topic identifying controversial issues and offering solutions to them. Include a structured abstract (introduction, material and methods, results, discussion). The introduction must include the rationale of the development of the trial, and the objective(s) of the article. In the methods section, state the bibliographic search and the consulted sources. In the results present the number and kind of consulted sources, as well as a summary of the published evidence. In the discussion, summarize the main findings and comment about their importance; include observations about the existing data implications and about future investigations (3 000 to 3 500 words, without references or tables).
4. Letter to Editor. Brief description of a proposal or question for Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology. The letter must be addressed to the editor, not to the author of an article (400 words).
5. Editorial. In this type of paper, an expert will give an opinion on topics of current interest. (800 words)
6. Special Article. Annual reports, summaries of consensus meetings, comprehensive academic reports, clinical practice guidelines, experts’ recommendations, etc. Send the manuscript only upon invitation by the Editorial Board. It must include abstract, key words, introduction, development or the topic, and conclusions.
7. Perspective. These type of manuscripts cover remarkable topics about healthcare. They provide data to make a professional and more detailed analysis of the topic. They present a general overview of the subject matter, from an expert viewpoint. It must include abstract, key words, introduction, development or the topic, and conclusions (up to 800 words).
8. Residents. Section aimed to encourage the publication of brief comments, case reports and comments to bibliography among post-graduate students. It must include abstract, key words, introduction, development or the topic, and conclusions (800 to 1 500 words, without references).

Preparation of the Paper

All manuscripts must be submitted on-line through the website https://academicmm.anltyk.com. First time users will have to register at the site http://lajclinsci.com. Registration is free.

Registered authors can keep track of their articles after logging into the site using their user name and password. If you cannot log in, please contact the Editorial Office by e-mail at contacto@lajclinsci.com

The manuscript should be written in .docx files (MS Word), double spacing using Times New Roman font, size 12 (except symbols in other language when needed). It should contain a title page, abstract, key words, main text, acknowledgements, conflict of interests, explanatory messages, and references. The pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the first page. Send the article file without “Track Changes”.

Article Outline

• Title page includes:
  • Title
  • Running title (40 characters or fewer, including spaces)
  • Type of manuscript (original article, review article, etc.)
  • Authors names and affiliations
  • Corresponding author data (name, mailing address, e-mail, and telephone number). The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the other authors about revisions and final approval of the proofs.
• Abstract (not more than 250 words)
• Key words. They must be MeSH terms and noteworthy descriptors of the topic.
• Background. Clearly state the background and purpose of the study. A detailed review of literature is not required in this section. The specific objectives must be identified with rationale for the specific experiments and other work performed. It may include in-text citations and a few references pertinent to the background and justification for the study. In clinical cases, case reports (ten or less), or case series (more than ten), this section must be named “Introduction”.
• Material and methods. Materials and/or subjects included to carry out the study and the procedures undertaken to complete the work. Describe the methods in sufficient detail. Equipment, drugs, etc. must be given between parentheses. The statistical tool and methods used to analyze the data should be mentioned. All procedures involving experimental animals or human subjects must be accompanied by a statement on ethical approval from appropriate ethics committee. This section is not required for clinical cases, case reports or case series.
• Results. This section should contain the purpose of the study. If tables are used, the text should not repeat the contents, but describe the relevant contributions and issues. When the manuscript is a clinical case, cases report or case series, this section will be named “Case(s) Presentation”.
• Discussion. In this section, deal with the subjects pertinent to the purpose or the hypothesis of the study and with any new or important observations. Compare your results to other authors’ study results, argue and describe the rationale and accuracy of the results. Summarize the results and the implications to the purpose of the study.
• Conflicts of interest statement. All authors must report potential conflicts of interest that could inappropriately influence the author’s manuscript; that is to say, financial or other relationships with commercial entities whose products or services are related to the subject matter in the manuscript, or sociopolitical issues that can cause conflict. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.
• References. The references cited in the text should follow the Vancouver referencing style (http://guides.lib.monash.edu/citing-referencing/vancouver) and be identified with an Arabic number in superscript. If there are 6 or fewer authors, all of them should be included and if there are 7 or more authors, ‘‘et al.’’ should be attached after the sixth author. The abbreviation the journal should follow the Index Medics:
  • Article
    • Bellini C, Cabano R, De Angelis LC, Bellini T, Calevo MG, Gandullia P, et al. Octreotide for congenital and acquired chylothorax in newborns: A systematic review. J Paediatr Child Health. 2018; 54(8):840-7.
    • Pérez-Bru S, Nofuentes-Riera C, García-Marín A, Luri-Prieto P, Morales-Calderón M, García-García S. Pylephlebitis: a rare but possible complication of intra-abdominal infections. Cirugía y Cir. 2015; 83(6):501-5.
  • Book
    • Tosti A, Hexsel D (editors). Update in Cosmetic Dermatology. Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer, 2013.
  • Chapter of a book
    • Hexsel D, Soirefmann M. “Cellulite: Definition and Evaluation”. In: Humbert Philippe et al (editors), Agache´s Measuring the Skin. Switzerland, Springer International Publishing, 2017: 695-702.
  • Conference
    • 39th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Local Therapies/Surgery. San Antonio: American Cancer Society; 2016.
  • Conference abstract
    • Shackelton M, Vaillant F, Simpson KJ. A single mammary stem cell can reconstitute a functional mammary gland. 28th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. 2005; 94. Abstract #201.
  • Webpage
    • Goisis M, Treatment F. Injections in Aesthetic Medicine [Internet]. 2014. Available from: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/978-88-470-5361-8
  Textual quotation must be clearly identified between quotation marks (and its origin between parentheses) in order to avoid plagiarism.
• Art work (tables, graphics, and photographs). Tables should be submitted separately using .docx files (MS Words). Submit good quality color images (up to 300 dpi or 5-6 inches [12 cm)]. Images can be submitted as JPG or TIF files. Figures/images captions should be included at the end of the article file. If the authors need to include texts, images, tables or graphics from other published sources, they must obtain the copyright and include evidence that such permission has been granted when submitting their papers.
• Acknowledgements. Acknowledge explicitly anyone who contributed to the study. All sources of funding applicable to the study should be stated here.

Supplementary Material

• Video
• Audioslides

Permission has to be obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet).

Cover letter

The cover letter must state the manuscript has not been published in another journal and that all authors have reviewed the text and agreed with the content.

Cover Letter (Template)

The undersigned, hereby attach the manuscript “---------“to be evaluated in Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology. We all have read and approved the content of the manuscript and declare it has not been published elsewhere and it is not being assessed to be published in another journal.

Peer Review

Once Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology received the manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief will send it to two peer reviewers. Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology has a double-blinded review basis (nor the reviewers or the authors know each other identity). The assigned reviewers can accept or reject the review request. Once the reviewers accept it, they should submit their decision and comments on the manuscript within three weeks (15 working days). If the experts’ opinion differs, the Editor will send the manuscript to a third expert (express revision) whose decision will be definitive. The decision will be delivered on the journal website (User Account) as Accepted, Accepted with minor revisions, Conditioned to major revisions or Rejected. On the basis of the comments of the reviewers, the Editor-in-Chief will determine whether the article is acceptable or not.

Copyright

All copies rights of the published papers become permanent property of Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology.

Upon acceptance of the manuscript, the authors will be asked to sign a “Copyright Transfer Form” (template provided below) confirming that the manuscript contains no material the publication of which violates any copyright. This form will be submitted online along with the manuscript; it must include the signatures of all the contributors. This will ensure the widest possible protection and dissemination of information, under copyright laws.

Copyright Transfer (Template)

I/we certify that I/we have participated in the intellectual content, concept, and design of this manuscript, or the analysis and interpretation of the data (when applicable), as well as in writing it. Thus I/we, take public responsibility for it and have agreed to have my/our name listed as a contributor.

Neither this manuscript nor one similar content under my/our authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere. If requested by the editors, I/we will provide the data/information or will cooperate fully in obtaining and providing the data/information on which the manuscript is based, for examination by the editors.

Therefore, I/We hereby transfer(s), assign(s), or otherwise convey(s) all copyright ownership, including any and all rights incidental thereto, exclusively to Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology, in the event that such work is published by Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology. Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology will own the work, including copyright; the right to grant permission to republish the article in whole or in part, with or without fees; the right to produce preprints or reprints, and to translate in languages other than English/Spanish for sale or free distribution; and the right to republish the work in a collection of articles in any other mechanical or electronic format.

We give the rights to the corresponding author to make necessary changes as per the request of the journal, do the rest of the correspondence on our behalf and he/she will act as the guarantor for the manuscript on our behalf.

Ethics for Publishing

• Plagiarism. Authors must conduct the research with high ethical norms all the time (see the International Committee of Scientific Publications recommendations https://cseditors.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/InstructionstoAuthorsChecklist.pdf). The Editorial Board will determine if manuscripts represent plagiarism by means of tools like iThenticate (http://www.ithenticate.com/) or similar, which define the degree of acceptable or not acceptable similarity of the topic of the paper. If the paper was published and a third complainant shows the copyright was violated by means of a legal judgment or previous publication of the data, figures, diagrams, or others in another journal without permission, the corresponding author will receive a complaint and he/she must answer it within 10 working days to clarify the situation. If the corresponding author does not answer or present documentary evidence, the publication will be removed immediately, and an explanatory note will be published.
• Investigations in humans. Authors must follow the Helsinki Declaration for human investigations. Patients’ anonymity must be preserved (confidential information will not be published). If identifying information is essential, authors must provide a signed informed consent from the patient granting approval for the publication of identifying material, including photographs.
• Investigation in animals. Authors must state that the use of animals has complied with the principles of animal use, or the relevant institutional policies.
• Clinical studies. Papers reporting clinical studies must contain a statement with the approval of an appropriate ethical committee, which must be identified. The paper must state that informed consent was obtained from patients, where this is appropriate.

Revised Manuscripts

Revised manuscripts must be downloaded in your User Account (field “corrected manuscript”) along with a cover letter including responses to peer reviewers’ comments. Authors must give feedbacks to each comment separately.

Submission and Publication

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, the corresponding author will receive an acceptance letter by e-mail as well as the galleys to make corrections or to approve them before publishing the final version of the manuscript. Any errors discovered after publication should be notified to the Editorial Office and be inserted in an Erratum.

Subscription Fare and Publication Charges

Digital copies of the Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology are distributed free of charge to universities and selected institutions. Any other institutions or person interested in getting a hard copy may request it to the Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology (contacto@lajclinsci.com).

Latin-American Journal of Clinical Sciences and Medical Technology also offers subscriptions allowing access to other services and products that are not published on line; visit our subscription options.