Instructions to authors

The journal Cirugía y Cirujanos is the Official organ of the Mexican Academy of Surgery. Its spaces are open to scholars, as well as all members of the medical community expressing interest in using this forum to publish their work, in compliance with the editorial policies mentioned below.

Cirugía y Cirujanos is published six times a year and receives original manuscripts which, upon being accepted by the Editorial Committee, cannot be published partially or in full elsewhere without the consent of journal Cirugía y Cirujanos. All works submitted must adhere to the format described below and will be subject to review by experts and the Editorial Committee to determine their acceptance.

The main purpose of journal Cirugía y Cirujanos is to publish original works from the broad field of medicine, as well as provide up-to-date and relevant information to the national health area.

To this end, Cirugía y Cirujanos will consider contributions in the following sections:

• Editorial (only by invitation)
• Original article
• Review article
• Clinical case
• Letter to the editor

Manuscripts must be uploaded in electronic form through the new editorial system at http://publisher.cirugiaycirujanos.permanyer.com, where the author for correspondence should register as the author of the article. Once this author has obtained an username and password, the documents should be uploaded following the instructions.

**To avoid duplications in the system, please refrain from creating a new request when resubmitting your modified files. You should continue using the same reference until your manuscript completes the editorial process.

The submitted papers must be accompanied by a letter signed by all the authors of the paper, stating that it has not been published previously, nor has it been simultaneously submitted to another journal, that there is no conflict of interests, and that the copyright will be transferred to the Cirugía y Cirujanos in case of acceptance for publication.

All articles must include, without exception, title, name and surname(s) of each author (without titles or positions), affiliation, name and address of the correspondence author, the complete manuscript text, tables and figures. Texts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format. All manuscripts must be correctly written in English or Spanish. The text must be typed, double spaced in Times New Roman 12 font and with each section starting on a new page: front page, English and Spanish summaries with their key words, main text body, references, tables and figures footnotes. Beginning with the front page, the pages will be numbered consecutively, and the number will be placed on the top of every page.

Original articles, review articles, report cases and articles regarding methods and techniques in Radiology should include a first page with all personal data, a full manuscript file completely anonymous and the declarations of conflict of interest, funding and ethical responsibilities that the author can fill in electronically when submitting the article.
The front page must show the title of the work in Spanish and English and a short title with less than 40 characters (counting letters and spaces); the authors' names (without titles or academic degrees); their institution of registration (affiliations); email address and full name of the corresponding author; acknowledgments and the funding if exists.
The full manuscript file should be completely anonymous and include the summary in Spanish and in English, the full text of the manuscript, references, tables and figures footnotes.

For more information about manuscript preparation, we suggest consulting the website of Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.icmje.org). For further details: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html).

Summary in Spanish
This summary will be presented in a maximum of 200 words, indicating the purpose of the research; basic procedures (sample selection, observational and analytical methods); main findings (specific data and, if possible, their statistical significance); as well as relevant conclusions and originality of the research. At the end, 3 to 6 keywords will be entered to facilitate inclusion in international indexes. We recommend using the terms from the Medical Subject Headings of the most recent Index Medicus.

Summary in English
This summary will be presented in a maximum of 200 words, using the same characteristics of the Spanish summary. It will begin with an English language version of the title. It will also contain 3 to 6 keywords. To ensure quality, we suggest having this paragraph reviewed by an experienced translator.

Introduction
It must include background information, approach to the problem and purpose of the study, all clearly worded and well supported by the bibliography reviewed.

Material and methods
The characteristics of the sample and the methods used, with relevant references, will be clearly marked so that reading of this chapter allows similar studies to be conducted by other researchers. The statistical methods used must be clearly marked with their corresponding reference. The authors must detail in this section the ethical procedures followed; necessary for experiments with animals, patients, confidential data management, informed consent, etc. And that they have obtained the corresponding authorization by the ethics committee of their institution.

Results
The main findings of the study must be included and may be compared only with figures or graphics which are strictly necessary and are intended to extend the information contained in the text.

Discussion
The results must be contrasted with the information reported in the literature, and with the objectives and hypotheses expressed in the work. Original articles must not include a Conclusion section.

Conclusions
In this section, authors must summarize the main conclusions of their study and the future recommended studies in case conclusions are preliminary. Conclusions should be in agreement with the objectives of the study and they should be directly originated from the reported results.

Acknowledgments
This section will contain acknowledgments to individuals and institutions, as well as financing sources. This section belongs to the first front page in order for the main text file to remain anonymous.

References
These will be presented in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Biomedical Journal Editors). References will be marked with consecutive Arabic numerals, sorted in the order in which they first appear in the text. They will be referred to in the text, tables, and figure footnotes with the corresponding numbers. In quotations with multiple authors (more than six authors), only the first 6 authors of the work must be included, followed by et al., after the abbreviation of the name/s of the 6th author. In case of 6 or fewer authors, all 6 must be included in the quotation (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html).

• Articles published in periodic journals must appear in the following format: Welt CK, Chan JL, Bullen J, Murphy R, Smith P, DePaoli AM, et al. Recombinant human leptin in hypothalamic Women with amenorrhea. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(10):987-97.

• References to books must include the name of the publisher, as well as the city and country of publication, and the year of publication, in accordance with the following model: Aréchiga H, Somolinos J. Contribuciones mexicanas a la medicina moderna. México, D.F.: Fondo de Cultura Económica; 1994.

• References to chapters in books must appear as follows: Pasternak RC, Braunwald E. Acute myocardial infarction; or: Isselbacher KJ, Braunwald E, Wilson JD, Martin JB, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 12.a ed. Nueva York: mcgraw-Hill Inc.; 1994., pp. 1066-77.

Tables
They must be double spaced and consecutively numbered in Arabic characters, in the order quoted in the text, with the titles in the top and the meaning of abbreviations as well as explanatory notes in the footer. They must be included at the end of the manuscript, after the references section.

Figures or graphs
Figure footnotes must be written double spaced. The footer must contain the information needed to correctly interpret the figure without resorting to the text. The text must reference them in order. Qualities: The graphics, layouts and drawings must be generated in high resolution graphics programs (JPG, TIFF, EPS, PowerPoint and Illustrator). All iconography must be original. Where this is not the case, the source reference must be quoted, and the author must obtain prior permission of the relevant publisher. In the figures, data already written in the text will not be repeated. Photographs of objects must include a rule to calibrate the reference measurements. In microphotographs, the microscopic magnification or reference micron bar must appear. The patient's name, face, data or any other recognizable feature will not be shown in the figures. We suggest that authors add color illustrations which adequately enrich the text. 

Ethical responsibilities
With regard to potential conflicts of interest, individual right to privacy and data confidentiality, as well and human and animal rights, the journal adheres to the latest version of the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (formerly the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts) published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, found at http://www.icmje.org. Copies will be required of informed consent forms in the case of studies in patients and clinical cases, and of the letter from the Independent Ethics Committee of the corresponding institution in the case of clinical and experimental studies.

Funding
The authors must mention all organizations that funded their research in the Funding section of your submission, including grant numbers where appropriate.

Conflict of interests
Authors must describe any financial or personal relationship with any other person or organization which can cause a conflict of interest regarding this article.

To promote the transparency and quality of the research, the authors will be asked as an essential requirement to self-assess adherence to the relevant international guidelines according to the type of study:

– Clinical trials: CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org/). In addition, all trials must be registered in one of the international databases, and the corresponding registration number must always be indicated.

– Observational studies: STROBE (www.strobe-statement.org).

– Diagnostic tests: STARD (www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/).

– For other types of studies, consult the guidelines on the EQUATOR initiative (http://www.equator-network.org/).
 

TYPES OF ARTICLES

Editorial
This section will be devoted to the analysis and consideration of the population's health problems, the different preventive and therapeutic approaches, and the advances achieved in the field of biomedical research. Editorials will only be accepted by invitation from the Editor. Maximum length for Editorials will be 5 pages and 5 references.

Original Article
Original articles present results from clinical or basic original research. The full manuscript text should be structured in: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion. Maximum length for Original Articles will be 20 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables and 50 references. 

Review Article
They will treat a current topic wich is medically relevant. Review articles will only be accepted by invitation from the Editor.  The main autor or the relevant individual must be an authority in the reviewed area or subject, and that person must attach a bibliography of his/her contributions supporting his/her experience in the subject. Maximum lenght will be 15 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables, and 45 references.

Clinical Case
Clinical cases present details of real patient cases from medical or clinical practice. They must be comprised of free-form summaries in Spanish and in English (100 words maximum), introduction, case presentation, discussion, illustrations and bibliography. Maximum length 10 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables and 30 references. Most accepted clinical cases will be published in a journal's supplement instead of in a regular issue.

Letter to the editor
These are an open forum for personal opinions related to medical topics or to previous published articles in our journal. They will have a maximum length of one page, 1 figure, 1 table and 5 bibliographical references.

COPYRIGHT

All works must be submitted together with a letter signed by every author stating that those works have not been published previously nor have they been sent simultaneously to another journal; that there is no conflict of interest; and that, in case of acceptance, copyright will be transferred to the Cirugía y Cirujanos. 

The views expressed in the article are those of the authors.

No articles will be accepted for review if they are not prepared in accordance with the Instructions to Authors. 

EDITORIAL PROCESS

The editorial process consists of 6 stages:

1. Reception of the manuscript (indeterminate, depending on whether the author meets the requirements): its objective is to verify that the manuscript complies with the specifications of these instructions for authors and that the submitted documentation is complete.

2. Initial editorial review (maximum 5 business days): its objective is to corroborate the relevance, timeliness, originality, and scientific contribution of the manuscript, as well as the methodological and statistical soundness of the study. At this time, it will be submitted to an electronic plagiarism detection system. Derived from this, a rejected opinion may be obtained, or it will be sent for review by peer researchers.

3. Review by peer researchers (maximum 30 business days): the opinion of at least two experts in the area in question will be obtained, who will evaluate the technical and methodological aspects of the investigation.

4. Editorial review (maximum 7 business days): its objective is to make a decision based on the opinion of peer reviewers. The opinion can be rejected, major changes, minor changes or accepted. In the case of major or minor changes, it will be submitted again for evaluation by the initial peer reviewers.

5. Final edition (6 weeks): its objective is the technical and linguistic edition (and translation), layout of galleys, DOI assignment, and correction by the author.

6. Advanced publication: All manuscripts will be published ahead of print on the journal's website as soon as they complete the editing process, until they are incorporated into a final issue of the journal.

PRINT PROOFS (PDF) OF ACCEPTED ARTICLES 

The corresponding author will receive proofs of the article for revision and correction of terminology errors, or any other updates related to facts/figures. As the article will already have been edited according to the journal’s internal editorial guidelines, style corrections will not be accepted. The corresponding author will receive an email with the article in PDF format, on which they can leave their comments. Authors will need to have Adobe Reader (version 9, or a later version), downloadable for free). For other system requirements, please visit the Adobe website.

Alternatively, authors may list their corrections and submit them via email. Any major changes at this stage will be subject to the approval of the Editor. Authors should make sure to include all changes in a single email, as we cannot guarantee the inclusion of subsequent corrections.

The proof review is the responsibility of the author.

Relevant links

Committee on Publication Ethics. Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Responsibilities in the Submission and Peer-Review Process
 

Works must be uploaded in electronic form at the following URL: 

http://publisher.cirugiaycirujanos.permanyer.com

No articles will be accepted for review if they are not prepared in accordance with the Instructions to Authors.

An electronic return receipt will be issued to the author, and the opinion of the Editor shall be communicated in a timely manner.