ITALIAN JOURNAL OF MAXILLOFACIAL SURGERY

Official Journal of the Italian Society of Maxillofacial Surgery

3 issues

pISSN 1120-7558

eISSN 1827-1901

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

The Italian Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery publishes scientific papers on maxillo-facial surgery. Manuscripts may be submitted in the form of editorials, original articles, review articles, case reports, therapeutical notes, special articles and letters to the Editor.
Manuscripts are expected to comply with the instructions to authors which conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Editors by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org).
Articles not conforming to international standards will not be considered for acceptance.
Submission of manuscripts
Papers should be submitted directly to the online Editorial Office at the Edizioni Minerva Medica website: http://www.minervamedicaonlinesubmission.it
Authors are requested to choose a corresponding author delegated to communicate with the journal during the manuscript submission, peer review and publication process. Although for technical and organizational reasons the corresponding author has primary responsibility for correspondence with the journal, copies of the most significant correspondence will be sent to all listed authors.
Duplicate or multiple publication
Submission of the manuscript means that the paper is original and has not yet been totally or partially published, is not currently under evaluation elsewhere, and, if accepted, will not be published elsewhere either wholly or in part.
Splitting the data concerning one study in more than one publication could be acceptable if authors justify the choice with good reasons both in the cover letter and in the manuscript. Authors should state what new scientific contribution is contained in their manuscript compared to any previously published article derived from the same study. Relevant previously published articles should be included in the cover letter of the currently submitted article.
Permissions to reproduce previously published material
Material (such as illustrations) taken from other publications must be accompanied by the publisher’s permission.
Copyright
The Authors agree to transfer the ownership of copyright to Italian Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery in the event the manuscript is published.
Ethics committee approval
All articles dealing with original human or animal data must include a statement on ethics approval at the beginning of the methods section, clearly indicating that the study has been approved by the ethics committee. This paragraph must contain the following information: the identification details of the ethics committee; the name of the chairperson of the ethics committee; the protocol number that was attributed by the ethics committee and the date of approval by the ethics committee.
The journal adheres to the principles set forth in the Helsinki Declaration (http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html) and states that all reported research concerning human beings should be conducted in accordance with such principles. The journal also adheres to the International Association of Veterinary Editors’ Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare (http://www.veteditors.org/consensus-author-guidelines-on-animal-ethics-and-welfare-for-editors) and requires that all research on animals be conducted in accordance with these principles.
Patient consent
Authors should include at the beginning of the methods section of their manuscript a statement clearly indicating that patients have given their informed consent for participation in the research study.
Every precaution must be taken to protect the privacy of patients. Authors should obtain permission from the patients for the publication of photographs or other material that might identify them. If necessary a copy of such permission may be requested.
Conflicts of interest
Authors must disclose possible conflicts of interest including financial agreements or consultant relationships with organizations involved in the research. All conflicts of interest must be declared both in the authors’ statement form and in the manuscript file. If there is no conflict of interest, this should also be explicitly stated as none declared. All sources of funding should be acknowledged in the manuscript.
Authorship
All persons and organizations that have participated to the study must be listed among the Authors or in the acknowledgements. The manuscript should be approved by all co-authors, if any, as well as, tacitly or explicitly, by the responsible authorities of the institution where the work was carried out. Authors must meet the criteria for authorship established by the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Editors by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org).
Authors’ statement
Papers must be accompanied by the authors’ statement (https://www.minervamedica.it/authors_statement/chirurgia-maxillo-facciale/authors_statement.doc) relative to copyright, originality, authorship, ethics and conflicts of interest, signed by all authors.
Disclaimer
The Publisher, Editors, and Editorial Board cannot be held responsible for the opinions and contents of publications contained in this journal.
The authors implicitly agree to their paper being peer-reviewed. All manuscripts will be reviewed by Editorial Board members who reserve the right to reject the manuscript without entering the review process in the case that the topic, the format or ethical aspects are inappropriate. Once accepted, all manuscripts are subjected to copy editing. If modifications to the manuscript are requested, the corresponding author should send to the online Editorial Office the revised manuscript under two separate files, one file containing the revised clean version and another containing both a letter with point-by-point responses to the reviewers’ comments and the revised version with corrections highlighted.
Correction of proofs should be limited to typographical errors. Substantial changes in content (changes of title and authorship, new results and corrected values, changes in figures and tables) are subject to editorial review. Changes that do not conform to the journal’s style are not accepted. Corrected proofs must be sent back within 3 working days to the online Editorial Office of the Italian Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery. In case of delay, the editorial staff of the journal may correct the proofs on the basis of the original manuscript.
Publication of manuscripts is free of charge if all authors are members of the Italian Society of Maxillofacial Surgery. For non-member authors, printed pages will be charged to the authors at Euro 40.00 per page. In either case, colour figures, linguistic revision, and excessive alterations to proofs will be charged to the authors. Authors will receive instructions on how to order reprints and a copy of the manuscript in PDF.
For further information about publication terms please contact the Editorial Office of the Italian Journal of Maxillofacial Surgery, Edizioni Minerva Medica, Corso Bramante 83-85, 10126 Torino, Italy - Phone +39-011-678282 - Fax +39-011-674502
E-mail: journals2.dept@minervamedica.it.
ARTICLE TYPES
Instructions for the most frequent types of articles submitted to the journal.
Editorials. Commissioned by the Editor in Chief or the Managing Editor, editorials deal with a subject of topical interest about which the author expresses his/her personal opinion. No more than 1000 words (3 typed, double-spaced pages) and up to 15 references will be accepted.
Original articles. These should be original contributions to the subject. The text should be 3000-5500 words (8 to 16 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 50 references will be accepted. The article must be subdivided into the following sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions. In the introduction the aim of the study should be clearly summed up. The materials and methods section should describe in a logical sequence how the study was designed and carried out, how the data were analyzed (what hypothesis was tested, what type of study was carried out, how randomization was done, how the subjects were recruited and chosen, provide accurate details of the main features of treatment, of the materials used, of drug dosages, of unusual equipments, of the statistical method ...). In the results section the answers to the questions posed in the introduction should be given. The results should be reported fully, clearly and concisely supported, if necessary, by figures, graphs and tables. The discussion section should sum up the main results, critically analyze the methods used, compare the results obtained with other published data and discuss the implications of the results. The conclusions should briefly sum up the significance of the study and its future implications. For randomised controlled trials it is suggested to the authors to follow the guidelines reported by the CONSORT statement (http://www.consort-statement.org).
Review articles. These articles are commissioned by the Editor in Chief or the Managing Editor. They should discuss a topic of current interest, outline current knowledge of the subject, analyze different opinions regarding the problem discussed, be up-to-date on the latest data in the literature. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must be subdivided into the following sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses it is suggested to the authors to follow the guidelines reported by the PRISMA statement (http://www.prisma-statement.org). The text should be 6000-12000 words (17 to 34 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 100 references will be accepted.
Case reports. These give a description of particularly interesting cases. The text should be 2000-3000 words (6 to 8 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 30 references will be accepted. The article must be subdivided into the following sections: introduction, case report or clinical series, discussion, conclusions. It is suggested to the authors to follow the guidelines reported by the CARE statement (http://www.care-statement.org).
Therapeutical notes. These are intended for the presentation and assessment of new medical and surgical treatments. The text should be 3000-5500 words (8 to 16 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 30 references will be accepted. The article must be subdivided into the following sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusions.
Special articles. These are articles on the history of medicine, health care delivery, ethics, economic policy and law concerning maxillo-facial surgery. The text should be 3000-7000 words (8 to 20 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 50 references will be accepted.
Letters to the Editor. These may refer to articles already published in the journal or to a subject of topical interest that the authors wish to present to readers in a concise form. The text should be 500-1000 words (1 to 3 typed, double-spaced pages) not including references, tables, figures. No more than 5 references will be accepted.
Guidelines. These are documents drawn up by special committees or authoritative sources.
The number of figures and tables should be appropriate for the type and length of the paper.
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Text file
Manuscripts must be drafted according to the template for each type of paper (editorial, original article, review, case report, therapeutical note, special article, letter to the Editor).
The formats accepted are Word and RTF. The text file must contain title, authors’ details, notes, abstract, key words, text, references and titles of tables and figures. Tables and figures should be submitted as separate files.
Title and authors’ details
• Short title, with no abbreviations (in English for papers submitted in English, in English and Italian for papers submitted in Italian).
• First name and surname of the authors.
• Affiliation (section, department and institution) of each author.
Notes
• Dates of any congress where the paper has already been presented.
• Mention of any funding or research contracts or conflict of interest.
• Acknowledgements.
• Name, address, e-mail of the corresponding author.
Abstract and key words
Articles should include an abstract (in English for papers submitted in English, in English and Italian for papers submitted in Italian) of between 200 and 250 words. For original articles and therapeutical notes, the abstract should be structured as follows: aim (aim of the study), methods (experimental design, patients and interventions), results (what was found), conclusion (meaning of the study). Key words (only in English) should refer to the terms from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) of MEDLINE/PubMed. No abstracts are required for editorials or letters to the Editor.
Text
Identify methodologies, equipment (give name and address of manufacturer in brackets) and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to reproduce results. Specify well-known methods including statistical procedures; mention and provide a brief description of published methods which are not yet well known; describe new or modified methods at length; justify their use and evaluate their limits. For each drug generic name, dosage and administration routes should be given. Brand names for drugs should be given in brackets. Units of measurement, symbols and abbreviations must conform to international standards. Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be given in metric units (meter, kilogram, liter) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures must be expressed in degrees Celsius. Blood pressure must be expressed in millimeters of mercury. All clinical chemistry measurements should be expressed in metric units using the International System of Units (SI). The use of unusual symbols or abbreviations is strongly discouraged. The first time an abbreviation appears in the text, it should be preceded by the words for which it stands.
References
It is expected that all cited references will have been read by the authors. The references must contain only the authors cited in the text, be numbered in Arabic numerals and consecutively as they are cited. Bibliographical entries in the text should be quoted using superscripted Arabic numerals. References must be set out in the standard format approved by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org).
Journals
Each entry must specify the author’s surname and initials (list all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list only the first six and then “et al.”), the article’s original title, the name of the Journal (according to the abbreviations used by MEDLINE/PubMed), the year of publication, the volume number and the number of the first and last pages. When citing references, please follow the rules for international standard punctuation carefully.
Examples:
- Standard article.
Sutherland DE, Simmons RL, Howard RJ. Intracapsular technique of transplant nephrectomy. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1978;146:951-2.
- Organization as author
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Ann Int Med 1988;108:258-65.
- Issue with supplement
Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996;23(1 Suppl 2):89-97.
Books and monographs
For occasional publications, the names of authors, title, edition, place, publisher and year of publication must be given.
Examples:
- Books by one or more authors
Rossi G. Manual of Otorhinolaryngology. Turin: Edizioni Minerva Medica; 1987.
- Chapter from book
De Meester TR. Gastroesophageal reflux disease. In: Moody FG, Carey LC, Scott Jones R, Ketly KA, Nahrwold DL, Skinner DB, editors. Surgical treatment of digestive diseases. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers; 1986. p. 132-58.
- Congress proceedings
Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.
Electronic material
- Standard journal article on the Internet
Kaul S, Diamond GA. Good enough: a primer on the analysis and interpretation of noninferiority trials. Ann Intern Med [Internet]. 2006 Jul 4 [cited 2007 Jan 4];145(1):62-9. Available from:
http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/145/1/62.pdf
- Standard citation to a book on CD-ROM or DVD
Kacmarek RM. Advanced respiratory care [CD-ROM]. Version 3.0. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; ©2000. 1 CD-ROM: sound, color, 4 3/4 in.
- Standard citation to a homepage
AMA: helping doctors help patients [Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; ©1995-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/.
Footnotes and endnotes of Word must not be used in the preparation of references.
References first cited in a table or figure legend should be numbered so that they will be in sequence with references cited in the text taking into consideration the point where the table or figure is first mentioned. Therefore, those references should not be listed at the end of the reference section but consecutively as they are cited.
Titles of tables and figures
Titles of tables and figures should be included both in the text file and in the file of tables and figures.
File of tables
Each table should be submitted as a separate file. Formats accepted are Word and RTF. Each table must be typed correctly and prepared graphically in keeping with the page layout of the journal, numbered in Roman numerals and accompanied by the relevant title. Notes should be inserted at the foot of the table and not in the title. Tables should be referenced in the text sequentially.
File of figures
Each figure should be submitted as a separate file. Formats accepted: JPEG set at 300 dpi resolution preferred; other formats accepted are TIFF and PDF (high quality). Figures should be numbered in Arabic numerals and accompanied by the relevant title. Figures should be referenced in the text sequentially.
Reproductions should be limited to the part that is essential to the paper.
Histological photographs should always be accompanied by the magnification ratio and the staining method.
If figures are in color, it should always be specified whether color or black and white reproduction is required.