Instructions to authors

Transcription

1 Instructions to authors The journal invites original articles, brief reports, how to do it, case reports/studies on Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pathology, Anesthesiology Perfusion, Radiology etc. Three copies of the manuscript with three sets of illustrations must be submitted along with a covering letter and copyright release statement. The Journal follows the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Bio- Medical journals (New England Journal Medicine 1997;336:309-15) which are international standards designed to provide authors with a single format that can be followed in preparing a manuscript. An original and two copies of all material, including illustrations, should be sent in an unfolded manner, preferably by registered post, to Prof. A. Sampath Kumar, Editor, IJTCVS, A-4 (Basement), Yojana Vihar, Delhi , India. Due care and precautions must be taken to ensure that photographs or illustrations are not damaged in transit. The manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter stating "The material is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by any other journal. If accepted for publication in the Indian Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, copyright for the paper will be transferred to this journal and that it will not be published elsewhere in whole or part without the Editor's written permission". The letter should be signed by all authors who have contributed to the study substantially. The Editor disclaims any responsibility or liability for statements made and opinions expressed by authors or claims made by the advertisers. The Editorial Board reserves the right to modify any manuscript for reasons of brevity and clarity or to ensure conformity to the style of the journal without prior reference to its authors. The journal views scientific misconduct with utmost seriousness and reserves the right to take appropriate action. Authors are advised to acquaint themselves with various forms of scientific misconduct. For further information visit

2 Preparation of manuscript Double-space all parts of manuscripts Begin each section or component on a new page and number of pages beginning with the abstract. Type first author s name followed by et al and a running title on upper right hand corner of each page. Review the sequence: title page, abstract and key words, text, acknowledgements, references, tables each on separate page and legends. Illustrations (unmounted prints) should be not larger than 203x254 mm (8x10 in). Include permission to reproduce previously published material or to use illustrations that may identify human subjects. Enclose transfer-of-copyright and other forms. Keep copies of everything submitted. Title page The title page should carry (a) the title of the article which should be concise but informative; (b) full name of each author with expansion of all initials, with his or her highest academic degree(s) and institutional affiliation; (c) the name of the department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed; (d) disclaimers, if any; (e) the name and address of the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript; (f) the name and address of the author to whom requests for reprints should be addressed or a statement that reprints will not be available from the authors, and (g) source(s) of support. Abstract All original articles must have a structured abstract with Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions, written on a separate page. Length should not exceed 250

3 words. The abstract is the second most important part of the paper which most subscribers read. Authors must take adequate care to summarise their article in the abstract. A short abstract (not exceeding 100 words) must accompany all Case Reports and how to articles. Key words: Include 4-6 keywords (MESH). Text Begin with a short and appropriate introduction. It should generally indicate the reasons for writing the paper/performing the study. Do not use abbreviations or acronyms, except for measurements. When using the abbreviation full expansion must be provided when it is used for the first time (Abbreviation within bracket) e.g. Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG). For the latter, follow the recommendations in "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical journals, published in New England Journal of Medicine 1997; 336: Mention every reference, figure (fig.) and table in the text and number them consecutively as they first appear. Methods. Must indicate clearly the steps taken to acquire the information. It should be detailed and may be separated into subsections. Repetition is best avoided. Statistical analysis must refer to the software used for the purpose, along with a description of the actual method. Informed consent and ethics committee approval. A paper describing experimental work in humans must (1) indicate that informed consent has been obtained from patients where appropriate, (2) include a statement that the responsible ethics committee (institutional review board) has given approval, and/or indicate that the reported investigations have been carried out in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki as revised in Do not use patients names, initials or hospital numbers,

4 especially in illustrative material. Uniform requirements should be followed for ethical standards [ Experimental animals. Age, sex, source and, where appropriate, the genetic background of the animals used should be given. The Editorial Board will pay particular attention to the ethical aspects of animal experimentation. Reports of animal experiments must state that the Principles of laboratory animal care (NIH publication no , revised 1985; were followed, as well as specific national laws where applicable. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The authors will be held responsible for false statements or for failure to fulfill the above-mentioned requirements. Animals should be described as being killed rather than sacrificed. Results. Organise your results in order. Familiarise yourself with appropriate terms (early, late mortality, etc) and the standard recommended methods of describing the results. Discussion. The discussion must be well thought out and properly phrased. It should discuss methods and results of the study and any variations from recommended norms. Reason for such deviations and its effects on the outcome of the study etc. The conclusions must be substantiated by the observation reported. Repetition of results in discussion must be avoided. Tables. Tables improve presentation. Use them to condense your data into an easily readable format. Do not repeat what is mentioned in the text in the table format. Acknowledgements and conflicts of Interest Statements Example of potential conflicts of interest may include but are not limited to academic, personal, or political relationships; employment; consultancies or honoraria; and financial connections such as stock ownership and funding. All authors must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.

5 At the end of the text please add (a) contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, such as general support by a Departmental Chair (b) acknowledgements of technical help, and (c) acknowledgements of financial and material support, which should specify the nature of the support and relationships that may pose a conflict of interest. References Must be listed in the order of appearance in the text and conform to the Vancouver style. Standard journal article Vega KJ, Pina I, Kreysk B. Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. An Intern Med 1996; 1 (6): More than six authors list the first six authors followed by et al Parkin DM, Clayton D, Black RJ, Masuver E, Friedl HP, Ivanov E, et al. Childhood leukaemia in Europe after Chernobyl: 5 year follow up. Br. J Cancer 1996; 73: From text book Phillips SI, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In : Laragh H, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension : Pathophysiology, diagnosis and management. 2 nd ed. New York: Raven Press, p Webpage Citation Hudson P. PM, Costello liars: former bank chief. In: The Age. 16 September (16 Sept. 1988). Illustrations Three sets of unmounted glossy black and white prints at least 15 cm 10cm in size, should accompany the manuscripts. They should be marked lightly on the back with the figure number, the first three words from the title and an arrow to indicate the top edge. Author(s)' name(s) should not be written. All line diagrams or graphs must be done professionally and should be of adequate size to retain clarity after reduction. Illustrations will ordinarily be reproduced in a single column-width of 8.2cm. This should govern the size of lettering used in figures to ensure legibility in print. Coloured illustrations can be considered for publication, (limit to three), provided both 35mm transparencies and coloured prints are submitted. No paper clip should come in contact

6 with the illustrations. Authors lacking facilities for good reproduction may send their original drawings, x-ray plates, negative etc., for processing at the editorial office subject to acceptance of the manuscript for publications. Incomplete or improperly prepared manuscripts will be returned to the author(s) without editorial review. All communication and enquiries regarding manuscripts should be addressed to the Editor. Key words: Please refer to the key words list at the end of this instructions. Please choose at least three key words appropriate for your manuscript from this list. Electronic Manuscript. May be submitted on MS Word. Ensure diskette is carefully and properly packed in bubble wrap to avoid damage in transit. The diskette must accompany 3 sets of printed copies along with 3 sets of black and white illustrations. Accepted manuscript may be submitted on 3.5 inch diskettes which must be Ms-Dos format. Diskette should be labeled with authors name, short title, operating system, format, software used and version. The diskette should not contain any other files except the submitted manuscript. The journal is now online with the manuscript processing system. The address is With this virtual office of the journal, manuscripts can be received and processed any time and from anywhere and editors and reviewers can work from any computer. The system eliminates use of post or courier for sending manuscripts and comments The net result of this is decreased time in peer review and processing of submitted manuscripts. Authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts online and follow the instructions on the website. It is necessary to register as a new author with a name and password of your choice. You will then be able to submit manuscripts and follow up the manuscript to its logical conclusion. The copyright release form to be signed by all authors can be downloaded from the website. This should be sent separately by mail. The website has a standard pattern for manuscript submission which may be followed for electronic manuscript submission.

7 Authors who have no access to computers or those who are unable to submit manuscript through the web are requested to submit a diskette containing the electronic files of the cover letter, text, tables, and figures, together with one copy of all elements. Provide the images separately as JPEG and DO NOT incorporate the images in the word file. The Editorial Office will enter the manuscript files into the electronic system on the authors behalf. Proofs If the article is accepted for publication proof of the manuscript will be uploaded on the website. Authors will be informed by and must correct and return the proof by E- mail/fax within 48 hrs. Facilities for authors The system provides facility to submit articles along with images. Once submitted articles can be tracked for their progress during the review process till publication. Comments of the editorial board can be checked from the site and revised articles can be submitted by a single click. Proofs are also managed through this system. Authors can manage multiple submissions from a single user interface. Facilities for reviewers The site provides anywhere access to manuscripts. Reviewers have access to pre-formatted MEDLINE results. Can review comments of other reviewers and get feedback on the editorial decision on manuscript. Can mark oneself non-available for a particular period.

8 If you are a reviewer of the journal and have not received your username and password, please contact us. Requirements for using the site Web browser with javascript and cookies enabled. CHECKLIST Authors are requested to enclose a copy of the following checklist along with their manuscripts to avoid inadvertent omissions. Covering letter including declaration by the principal author Original and two copies of all material typed double-spaced Title page (title, authors, place of work, address for correspondence) Abstract (No. of words) Text (with appropriate subheadings) References (including last page numbers) actually consulted Tables (with titles) Legends for illustrations (separate sheet) Illustrations (in triplicate) Diskette (labeled) Copy of this checklist

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