Instructions for Author

The Medical Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Guatemala is the official scientific journal of the College. The journal publishes original and unpublished research papers on topics of medical interest. All articles must contribute new knowledge to the medical literature. By complying with the instructions for authors, the manuscripts will be submitted to review by invited experts (peer review). The digital manuscripts must be sent through the Open Journal System of this medical journal, where the authors can follow the evolution of your manuscript. The instructions for authors are listed below. It is recommended to read them and check each of them after completing it, before sending the manuscript.

1. General features

1.1		The manuscript must be included in a Word file with letter format and available for editing.
1.2		Text in Arial 12pt font, 1.15 line spacing, left justified.
1.3		Leave a margin of at least 2.5 cm on all 4 edges.
1.4		The number of pages is limited as follows depending on the type of manuscript: ―  Original Articles - up to 6 pages. ―  Reports from 1 to 4 cases - up to 2 pages. ―  Reports of more than 4 cases - up to 4 pages.
1.5		Do not use letterhead pages or watermarks.
1.6		The tables and graphs must be editable to adjust them to the format of the journal.
1.7		The "Cases" report should consist of an unstructured abstract, keywords, introduction, presentation of the case(s) and discussion.
1.8		Original Articles must consist of Summary and Structured Abstract: ―  Introduction ―  Material and methods ―  Results ―  Discussion ―  References
1.9		All articles must contribute new knowledge to the medical literature. Opinion articles, review articles, meta-analyses and medical guidelines will be obtained by invitation from the editorial board only.
1.10		In the publication of case/cases, obtain and safeguard informed consent or assent from the patient(s) object of publication. Affirm that said requirement has been met, on the Additional Information page and in the Methods section of the manuscript.
1.11		In publications on human studies, obtain and safeguard the approval of the institutional ethics committee. Affirm that said requirement has been met, on the Additional Information page and in the Methods section of the manuscript.
1.12		Maintain rigorous anonymity and confidentiality of the patients being published.

 

2. Review and meta-analysis articles

2.1

The main author must show expertise in the reviewed topic, either having published at least 6 articles on the topic or having an H-Index of 3 on the reviewed topic. That is, at least 3 of their published articles on the subject have been cited a minimum of 3 times each. In the case of meta-analysis, the statistic must also appear as a co-author. These articles should be structured in the same way as the original articles. Manuscripts undergo the same acceptance process as other manuscripts.

 

3. Title in Spanish and English

3.1		It should be concise and informative, containing no more than 15 words.
3.2		Arial font 16pt Bold.
3.3		Sentence type, centered.
3.4		Title in English, after the title in Spanish.
3.5		Leave a space line before listing the authors.

 

4. Author(s)

4.1		For «Case report» a maximum of 4 authors is allowed and for «Case series with more than 4 cases» a maximum of 7 authors.
4.2		OJS gives you the opportunity to create your own ORCID, to standardize your name however you want, or use your first and last name.
4.3		After the name of each author, identify it with Arabic numerals, in "superscript" and in parentheses, without leaving a space. Separate authors by commas and place a period after the last author.
4.4		Do not include titles, academic degrees or positions of the authors.
4.5		Example: María Pérez(1), José Rodríguez(2)

 

5. Membership

5.1		Leave a line of space before writing the name of the institution to which said author belonged during the execution of the work, geographical department or state, and then, the name of the country.
5.2		The use of the service, area or department of the institution is recommended, before the name of the parent institution. Do not use 3rd subdivision of the parent institution.
5.3		Academic degree, name and email of the author with whom to establish correspondence.
5.4		Example:
		1. Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Roosevelt, Guatemala, Guatemala. Autor corresponsal: Dra. María Pérez, maria.perez@micorreo.com

 

6. Abstract in Spanish and English

6.1		Write summaries in Spanish and English with Arial font 12pt Italics.
6.2		Do not use more than 250 words for Original Articles and 125 for case presentations.
6.3		Structure it with Objective, Introduction, Material and methods, Results and Discussion for Original Articles. For the presentation of cases, it does not need to be structured. Remember that it is not a summary of the entity, but of the case presented. Do not describe procedures described in the literature, just quote them.

 

7. Keywords and Keywords

7.1		On the next line after the summary and the abstract.
7.2		After a colon, use 3-5 words or short phrases, separated by commas.
7.3		The words must be contained and defined in DeCS or MeSH descriptors.
7.4		Use italics for the text in this section.

 

8. Introduction for Original Articles

8.1		Background that gives relevance to your study (it is not a review of the topic).
8.2		Do not present your results or your conclusions.
8.3		If you use a non-standard abbreviation more than once, explain it the first time you mention it.
8.4		Do not use more than 250 words.

 

9. Material and methods

9.1		Material, methods, instruments and procedures used.
9.2		If statistical methods, laboratory methods, diagnostic or surgical procedures, well established and described in the literature, were used, simply name them and cite the corresponding reference.
9.3		In human studies, report whether the procedures followed ethical standards consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki (updated 2008).
9.4		In studies in humans or experimental animals, submit approval by the corresponding Ethics Committee and obtain informed consent.

 

10. Results

10.1		Present them in a logical sequence, ordered and consistent with the text, tables and figures.
10.2		Highlight the important observations, without repeating all the data presented in the tables or figures.
10.3		Do not present tables with results that can be written briefly and easily in the text.
10.4		Do not present graphs of data that can be written in less than 3 lines.
10.5		If you submit photos, they must be original, identified, contributing, non-repetitive, have good resolution and focus, and have a brief description at the bottom. In a case report, only two photos or a collage of up to 6 photos, duly identified, are accepted.
10.6		The figures (Tables, photos, diagrams, etc.) must be in the place where the author wants them to appear in the article, they must have been cited in the text, and at the bottom they must contain an order number, name and precise description.

 

11. Discussion

11.1		Discuss the results obtained in your work, do not review the topic.
11.2		Highlight the new and important aspects that your work brings.
11.3		Compare and contrast your results with those of the literature, using the corresponding citations.
11.4		In this same section, you can propose conclusions or recommendations, only when the evidence is strong.

 

12. Bibliographic references

12.1		The number of references is limited as follows depending on the type of manuscript: ―  Research articles - up to 15 relevant references. ―  Reports from 1 to 3 cases - up to 4 relevant references. ―  Reports of more than 3 cases (case series) - up to 10 relevant references.
12.2		All references must be cited in the text, in an orderly manner. The first citation corresponds to the first reference.
12.3		Enclose the citation number in square brackets, preferably after a punctuation mark. Do not cite articles that you have not read, sometimes the references in other texts are wrong.
12.4		Use the original reference or the most pertinent ones.
12.5		Use the Vancouver Referral system.
12.6		Do not cite Internet addresses or textbooks, unless that knowledge is not written in academic journal articles.
12.7		Remember that this section is the easiest to recognize when you've just done copying and pasting.

 

13. Additional Information Page:

13.1		Cover letter with name, email and signature of all authors, in which they declare that the work is original and has not been published or is being evaluated by another printed or online journal or thesis. Today the theses are indexed and published online by the institutions, therefore they are not unpublished. Research components not published in the thesis can be written as manuscripts for the journal.
13.2		Authorship Responsibility Statement, providing identification and signatures of all authors.
13.3		Express your gratitude only to people and institutions that made significant and voluntary contributions, that is to say that your contribution is not part of your attributions and that you have not received any compensation for it.
13.4		Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest. All authors of the submitted manuscript or document must confirm the absence of conflicts of interest.
13.5		Specify sources of financial support, if any.