Information For Authors

Please, note that any submissions that do not comply with the instructions below will be immediately returned back to the authors before assignment to an editor.

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1 # Manuscript Preparation and Submission

* Submission Link

Manuscripts must be entered directly by their author(s) on the electronic platform http://198.12.226.205/index.php/jgn/about/submissions following the instructions given by the "Open Journal System (OJS)".

* Article types

According to their methodology and content, the manuscripts must be organized according to the specific instructions of the types of articles:

  • Research Articles (case-control, cohorts, transversal, efficacy or effectiveness studies, cost-benefit or cost-effectiveness studies, non-randomized clinical studies, randomized clinical studies, or meta-analyses)
  • Review Articles (narrative, systematic, realistic synthesis)
  • Special Articles (required by the journal directly by invitation)
  • Articles of Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Brief Communications (advances of studies or research projects)
  • Articles of Cases and Series of Cases
  • Articles of Medical Education and/or Medical Ethics
  • Letters to the Editor

* Article format

Articles sent to the JGNS must comply with the recommendations described in the international guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: “ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals” (“ICMJE Recommendations”), established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

File type

It should be organized in a Word file in letter format

Font type

Arial font, 12 pt font size, single-spaced and justified, leaving a 2.5 cm margin on the 4 edges.

Page numbering

All pages should be numbered in the lower right corner, starting with the title page

Tables and Figures

They must be inserted in their respective positions within the text.

Language

Articles can only be submitted in English.

The abstract must be at the beginning in English (if feasible, the abstract might be translated into Spanish, French, and Portuguese). This should be adjusted to the number of words and the recommendations for the required sections according to the type of study.

Units of measurement

Units of measure should correspond to the metric system.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations or symbols must conform to international scientific nomenclature.

Once a manuscript is considered suitable for the nature of the JGNS, the authors will be notified and it will be sent to the peer-review process. Once accepted for publication, it will be sent to layout design for publication online. 

* Title Page of the Manuscript (for the Blinded Peer-review)

Because the JGNS applies a double-blinded peer-review process, the title page in the manuscript file should NOT include any author or affiliation information, but should include the following items ONLY:

  • Title
  • Article type
  • Word count
  • Figures count
  • Tables count

* Title Page File (for the Editors)

Another separate file named “title page” should be uploaded with the submission as “supplementary file”; this file should include the following:

  • The title of the manuscript, which should be concise, but informative about the central content of the publication, stimulating the interest of the reader. Do not use abbreviations in the title.
  • The author(s) must identify themselves with their paternal surname followed by their first name. The use of the maternal surname or initial is optional for each author. Authors are recommended to write their names in a constant format in all their publications in journals indexed in the Index Medicus (MEDLINE) and other international databases. At the end of each author's name, the name of the institution to which the author belongs (institutional affiliation), the departments or services where said author worked during the execution of the work, must be identified with Arabic numbers, in "superscript"; and its geographical location (city and country). After the name, their professional title (s) must be identified, such as MD (Medical), MS (Medical Student), MSc (Master), Doctor of Science (PhD), etc.
  • The list of institutional emails of the authors should be noted in a paragraph after the list of authors' name or names.
  • The source of financial support, if any, in the form of research subsidies (“grants”), from research centers or institutes or sponsoring industry, should be noted later. All financial aid received must be declared, specifying whether or not the organization that provided it had an influence on the design of the study; in the collection, analysis or interpretation of data; in the preparation, review or approval of the manuscript.

* Abstract Page

At the end of the abstract the authors must propose 3 to 5 key words (“Key words”) chosen from the list of “MeSH Headings” of the Index Medicus (“Medical Subjects Headings”), accessible in Google = MeSH Browser or at www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/. The abstract in English and the “Key words'' accepted by MeSH Browser are required by PUBMED for the indexing of the article. The abstracts in Spanish, French, and Portugeuse are required for the indexing process in their respective indexing sites.

* Manuscript Sections

The format for "Research Articles" and "Brief Communications" should include parts entitled:

- Introduction

- Materials and Methods

- Results

- Discussion and conclusions

All other types of articles can be accommodated in other non-specific formats, which may be modified during the review process according to suggestions from the editors. Please, refer to the standard reporting guidelines of the EQUATOR network for further instructions on manuscript reporting.

Further details for each section are as follows:

  • Introduction: Make explicit the objectives and the hypothesis whose validity you tried to analyze. The Introduction should end with a sentence that clearly summarizes the reason for the study and identifies its primary and secondary objectives. If you use abbreviations, make their meaning explicit the first time you mention them.
  • Materials and Methods: Describe the methods used for the selection of the studied subjects: patients or experimental animals, organs, tissues, cells, etc., and their respective controls. Identify the methods, instruments or apparatus and procedures used, with adequate precision to allow other observers to reproduce your results. If well-established and frequently used methods (including statistical methods) were used, just name them and cite the respective references. When the methods have been published but are not well known, please provide the references and add a brief description. If the methods are new or you applied modifications to established methods, describe them precisely, justify their use, and state their limitations. When studies were carried out on human beings, state whether the procedures respected ethical standards in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and whether they were reviewed and approved by an Ethics Committee for Research in Human Beings and this must be identified with the name of the institution to which it belongs. When requested by the editors, the authors must submit “scanned” copies of the approval document by the Ethics Committee and the informed consent. Studies in experimental animals must be accompanied by approval by the corresponding Ethics Committee. Identify the drugs and chemical compounds used, with their generic name, their doses and routes of administration. Always indicate the number of patients or observations, the statistical methods used and the level of significance previously chosen to judge the results.
  • Results: Present your results following a logical and concordant sequence, in the text, Tables and / or Figures. Data can be displayed in Tables or Figures, but not simultaneously in both. In the text, highlight the important observations, without repeating all the data presented in the Tables or Figures. Don't mix the presentation of the results with your discussion.
  • Discussion: This is a discussion of the results obtained in this work and not a review of the topic. Highlight the new and important aspects that your work brings and the conclusions that you propose from them. Do not repeat in detail the data you showed in "Results". Clearly refer to the fulfillment of the primary and secondary objectives (“outcome”) that you specified in the “Introduction” of your manuscript. Make explicit the concordances or disagreements of your findings and their limitations, comparing them with other relevant studies, identified through the respective bibliographic references. Connect your conclusions to the purpose (s) of the study, which you outlined in the “Introduction”. Avoid formulating conclusions that are not supported by your results, as well as relying on other work not yet completed. Come up with new hypotheses when appropriate, but clearly rate them as such. When appropriate, make your recommendations.
  • Conclusion: The conclusion must respond exactly to the objective set out in the introduction, being as brief and concrete as possible. Avoid generalizing the results to contexts other than those included in the hypothesis in the introduction.
  • Acknowledgments: Express your appreciation only to individuals and institutions that made substantive contributions to this work. The authors are responsible for the mention of people or institutions to which readers could attribute support for the results of the work and its conclusions. 

* Tables and Figures Policies

Tables

For the presentation of the tables, you must locate the table within the manuscript. The title of the table must go at the top in Arial font size 10. It must number the tables in order of appearance in the manuscript. Use single spacing. Use headings in each column. These titles should be bold. Clarifying notes should go at the bottom of the table and should be marked if necessary with a numbered superscript.

Figures

Name “Figure” any illustration that is not a Table (Eg: graphs, X-rays, electrocardiograms, ultrasounds, algorithms, flow charts, etc.). Figures that show images (radiographs, histology, etc.) must meet the following requirements according to their origin: Digital camera: Images obtained with digital cameras are acceptable, because although they do not usually exceed 96 dpi, they are large (over 800 x 800 pixels on average) and the resolution can be concentrated by software. For this reason, images obtained by means of radiological equipment and related technologies are also acceptable. Scanner: Figures obtained with scanners adjusted to make high resolution copies are acceptable. That is, 150 dpi for multitone images and over 800 dpi for linear arts or images with a single color tone. Figures obtained from the internet or scanned with a quick reader setting are not acceptable. Their titles and legends should be inserted in the Figure. The symbols, arrows or letters used in the photographs of microscopic preparations must be of sufficient size and contrast to distinguish them from their environment. Cite each Figure in the text, in consecutive order. If a Figure reproduces material already published, indicate its source of origin and obtain written permission from the original author and publisher to reproduce it in your work (if you do not have this printed permission from mail or letter file, the figure will not be published and it will be withdrawn from the manuscript at the time of editing). Photographs of patients should cover the face to protect their anonymity: covering only the eyes is insufficient. Authors must have a written authorization from the patient, or their legal representative, to publish a text, photographs or other documents that can identify them, clearly indicating the scientific purpose of the publication and the journal to which it will be sent (informed consent required by the Journal particularly for the publication of clinical cases); This precaution is necessary because the Journal has free access to the Internet (if you do not have this printed permission for mail or letter file, the manuscript will be returned until this requirement is met).

* Manuscript Word and Figure Limits

For each section there is a length limit referred to the number of words, in a count that begins in the introduction and extends until the end of the discussion with conclusions (the title page, the abstract, the acknowledgments are excluded for the count, references, tables, and figures).

  • “Research Articles", "Medical Education", "Medical Ethics" and "Basic Science Articles or Surgical Anatomy Studies" should not exceed 3500 words and can have up to 5 tables and 5 figures.
  • "Review articles", “Clinical Practice Guidelines Articles” and “Special Articles” can be up to 4000 words long, and have up to 7 tables and 7 figures.
  • "Case Reports" and "Series of Cases" should not exceed 1500 words, and up to two tables and 2 figures and no more than twenty references can be added.
  • “Brief Communications” should not exceed 1200 words, up to two tables and two figures; and twenty references.
  • "Letters to the Editor" should not exceed 1000 words, being able to add up to six references and a table or a figure, whose size should not exceed half a page space.

* References

Ideally, limit the references (bibliographic citations) to 50 if there is no pre-established limitation for the type of article. Prefer those that correspond to original works published in journals included in the Index Medicus, National Library of Medicine, (USA). The journal will only accept the use of the Vancouver style of citation as set by the ICMJE, for which more information can be found here: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/.

* Supporting Documents

Document 1 – Title Page: You should submit a title page file that includes all authors and affiliations information as explained before in “** Title Page File (for the Editors)”

Document 2 - Cover Letter: This should be signed by the corresponding author, explaining that it is an unpublished manuscript, which will not be sent to another journal before knowing the decision of the editors of the JGNS.

Document 3 - Author Agreement Form: Prior to fully submitting a manuscript for consideration, the corresponding author must complete the Author Agreement Form. The corresponding author completes this form on behalf of all listed co-authors. Once a manuscript is submitted, all listed co-authors will receive an authorship confirmation email. This email will give the co-authors the opportunity to (1) confirm authorship and (2) give the corresponding author consent to act on their behalf. All co-authors will need to respond to this email before an accepted manuscript can be published.

Document 4 - Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest Form: All authors of manuscripts submitted to the Neurociencias Journal must fill out the “ICMJE Uniform Disclosure Form for Potential Conflicts of Interest” available on the website http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/. The form must be transferred to the personal computer of each author (for which a recent version of the Adobe Reader program is required, freely available from Google). Once the data required is completed the form must be uploaded to the platform as a complementary file and in PDF format. All authors are expected to disclose the following: Disclosures, including all personal conflict(s) of interest such as industry affiliations, grants, and/or funding; and Funding, including all sources of financial support and industry affiliations for the study itself. Conflict(s) of interest are those that might bias or be seen to bias the work at the time of the planning, implementation, writing, peer review, editing, and publication of scientific work. Examples include personal or institutional financial interest in drugs, materials, or devices described in the submission. For more information, please read the ICMJE’s position on the reporting of conflicts of interest. If no conflict(s) exists, it must be stated so explicitly. The editors will decide whether to make these Declarations known to external reviewers and will include in the text of the publication those they deem pertinent, depending on the nature of the manuscript. Every manuscript published in JGNS will have the Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest of each one of the authors available for readers who request them from the journal.

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2## AUTHORSHIP

** Authorship Requirements

JGNS adheres to the authorship requirements defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:

  • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  • Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Each listed author should have made a major contribution to the conception or completion of the manuscript. Additionally, each author should be willing to share responsibility for the content of the submission. Please note:

  • Honorary or guest authorship is not acceptable.
  • Acquisition of funding and provision of technical services, patients, or materials, while they may be essential to the work, are not in themselves sufficient contributions to justify authorship.
  • For Case Reports, written authorship justification should be included in the cover letter if the number of authors exceeds four.

For more information, please visit the ICMJE’s position on the role of authors and contributors.

Changes to Authorship that occur between revisions or prior to publication must be accompanied by an updated signed copy of the journal’s Author Agreement Form. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to inform the Journal of a change in authorship at any stage during the submission process. 

** Author Order and Roles

JGNS will give publication preference to articles with LMIC authors in first and/or last author positions. Authorship roles should be clearly stated following the Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT, http://credit.niso.org/). In addition, to recognize the mentorship roles of authors we also recognize a fifteenth role, in addition to the CRediT roles, of “Mentorship”, defined as an individual who guides others in the improvement of their research and writing capacity but is not necessarily the senior author.

** Role of the Corresponding Author

A single corresponding author will serve on behalf of all co-authors as the primary correspondent with the editorial office during the submission, review, and proofing processes. This author will submit the article and be the primary contact for any required next steps or queries. This corresponding author will be wholly responsible for the article’s content and for responding to requests from reviewers as well as staff from the editorial office. These responsibilities include but are not limited to ensuring that the Author Agreement Form (see Author Agreement Form section) is completed accurately, that all other authors meet authorship criteria, that disclosures and funding for all authors are complete and correct, that all acknowledgments are present prior to peer review of the article, and that the Assignment of Copyright form (see Manuscript Ownership section) is completed in a timely fashion if the manuscript is ultimately accepted. Any substantive changes to this content after initial submission require approval of the corresponding author.

** Group Authorship

The journal allows groups to be listed as authors, but authors may indicate that the work was completed "on behalf of" a group. An example author list would be: "Susan Smith, MD, Ph.D., John Jones, MD, on behalf of the UGU Research Group." This is how the author list would appear in the PDF and Print publication. However, due to PubMed style restrictions, the words "on behalf of" will not appear in the HTML version of the article or the PubMed record, which would show as "Smith S, Jones J, UGU Research Group." If the members of the group should be PubMed indexed as collaborators, they should be listed in the acknowledgments and a note should be made in the manuscript submission details asking that the acknowledged group members be PubMed indexed as collaborators.

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3### Standard Reporting Guidelines

JGNS endorses several reporting guidelines and requires authors to submit their research articles in accordance with the appropriate statement(s) and checklist(s). Completed applicable checklists and flow diagrams must be included with submissions (the item ‘Reporting Guideline Checklist’ is available for submission). A few of the most commonly applicable reporting guidelines are outlined below. However, authors should consult the EQUATOR Network website, which maintains a useful, up-to-date list of guidelines as they are published, with links to articles and checklists. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that their paper adheres to the appropriate reporting guideline and is properly formatted as such. Authors should include in the Methods section a phrase indicating which reporting guideline has been implemented in their manuscript. The corresponding checklist must be attached with the submission as a supplementary file.

*** CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials)

Reports of randomized trials must conform to the revised CONSORT guidelines and should be submitted with their protocols and a completed CONSORT checklist. All reports of clinical trials must include a summary of previous research findings and explain how this trial affects this summary. Cluster randomized trials should be reported according to extended CONSORT guidelines. Randomized trials reporting harms must be described according to extended CONSORT guidelines. All reports of randomized trials should include a section entitled “Randomization and masking” within the methods section. Information regarding CONSORT guidelines.

*** PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must be reported according to PRISMA guidelines, an evidence based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The aim of the PRISMA Statement is to help authors improve the reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The PRISMA Statement consists of a 27-item checklist and a four-phase flow diagram. Information regarding PRISMA guidelines.

*** MOOSE (Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology)

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies should be reported according to MOOSE guidelines. The MOOSE guidelines.

*** STARD (Standards for the Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies)

Investigators reporting studies of diagnostic accuracy should adhere to the STARD statement. The objective of the STARD initiative is to improve the accuracy and completeness of reporting of studies of diagnostic accuracy, to allow readers to assess the potential for bias in the study (internal validity) and to evaluate its generalizability (external validity). The STARD statement consists of a 25-item checklist and recommends the use of a flow diagram to describe the design of the study and the flow of patients. Information regarding STARD guidelines.

*** STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology)

Observational research comprises several study designs and many topic areas. The STROBE statement should be used when reporting such research. The STROBE recommendations apply to the three main analytical designs that are used in observational research: cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. The STROBE statement consists of a 22-item checklist. Information regarding STROBE guidelines.

*** CARE (Consensus-based Clinical Case Reporting Guideline Development)

The CARE guidelines are intended to ensure “completeness, transparency and data analysis in case reports and data from the point of care.” Though these guidelines will not apply to each and every case report submitted to the Journal they should be consulted by the authors for relevancy prior to submission.  More information regarding the CARE guidelines along with the 14-item checklist can be located by visiting this page.

*** Survey Research

Authors including survey research in their work should consult the following article and are asked to use the 7-part checklist provided therein: Kelley K, Clark B, Brown V, Sitzia J.  Good practice in the conduct and reporting of survey research. Int J Qual Health Care. 2003 Jun;15(3):261-6. The article can be accessed on this page.

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4 #### Accepted Manuscripts

**** Page Proofs

Authors are sent page proofs by email. These should be checked immediately and corrections, as well as answers to any queries, returned to the publishers as an annotated PDF within 2 working days (further details are supplied with the proof). It is the author's responsibility to check proofs thoroughly.

**** Reviewer Comments

When appropriate, reviewer comments will be printed at the end of a published paper. To be considered, reviewer comments should be 250 words or fewer and add substantively to the scholarly dialogue. If a paper is rejected, reviewer comments (if applicable) will be returned to the author electronically.

**** Publicity and Promotion

JGNS supports your work through a robust promotional strategy utilizing traditional media. Our online journal platform allows users to find and cite your work with ease, as well as providing links to supplemental digital content.

Disclaimer

The statements and opinions expressed in JGNS are those of the individual contributors, editors, or advertisers, as indicated, and do not necessarily represent the views of the other editors, the publisher, or the journal. Unless otherwise specified, the authors and publisher disclaim any responsibility or liability for such material.