jscr JSCR JSCR 2042-8812 JSCR Articles Uncategorized Terms and Conditions doctor 26 2 2010 2010 26 2 2010 Copyright © 2012, JSCR 2012, Terms and Conditions The editorial board of JSCR accepts no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any such inaccurate or misleading data, opinions or statements. The author(s) transfer(s) the copyright to their article to JSCR, effective if and when the article is accepted for publication. The copyright covers the exclusive and unlimited rights to reproduce and distribute the article in any form of reproduction. We will grant every author the right to re-publish all material that appears in JSCR under the provision that the reference of the JSCR article is mentioned.
  1. Important information for Authors
  2. Article types
  3. Submission guidelines
  4. Research ethics
  5. Publication ethics
  6. Manuscript submission
  7. Peer review and editing
  8. Patient confidentiality

  1. Important information for Authors

    An article is reviewed for publication on the assumption that its contents have not been submitted simultaneously to another journal, have not been accepted for publication elsewhere and have not already been published. Any attempt at dual publication will lead to automatic rejection, may prejudice acceptance of future submissions, and may be highlighted within the pages of the Journal. Articles and their illustrations become the property of the Journal unless rights are reserved before publication.

  2. Article types

    1. Leading articles

      The Editors commission leading case reports of 1000 words or less and a maximum of 10 references and 10 images.  A single author is preferred though author numbers are not restricted (ref. 2b).  Submissions may be subjected to peer review and the Editors retain the right to alter textual style.

    2. Correspondence

      Letters for publication in the journal must reach us within 3 weeks of publication of the original item and should be no longer than 250 words. Letters of general interest, unlinked to items published in the journal, can be up to 400 words long. There should be no more than five references and five authors. Submissions may be subjected to peer review and the Editors retain the right to alter textual style.

    3. Authorship

    Journal of Surgical Case Reports (JSCR) does not limit the number of authors ascribed to a single case report. We do not however advocate gratuitous authorship and advise the number of authors listed per article be kept to a minimum.  JSCR holds the view that in the context of publishing case reports in surgery, most articles are unlikely to involve significant contributions from more than six authors. The Authorship credit should be based on 1) substantial contributions to writing the final manuscript 2) significant contribution to collecting of information and literature review 3) final approval of the version to be published, which does not exclusively need to be the consultant who assumed responsibility for the care of the patient but JSCR highly recommends that this is the case.  Authors should meet conditions 1, 2 or 3. Contributors who do not qualify as Authors should not be listed. JSCR does not publish an Acknowledgments section for its articles unless there is an extenuating circumstance, which is expressed in writing to the Editorial Team.  On accepting of the article, the corresponding author will be asked to confirm how all individuals listed as Authors meet the appropriate authorship criteria, that no-one who qualifies for authorship has been omitted from the list, that contributors and all funding sources (for Authors and Contributors) have been properly acknowledged and that authors and contributors have approved the acknowledgment of their contribution. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have seen, approved and are fully conversant with the contents of the manuscript.  All authors are responsible for the accuracy of the manuscript, including all statistical calculations and drug doses.

  3. Submission guidelines

    1. Preferred file formats

      Preferred file formats for text and tables are .docx, .doc or .rtf.  Figures should be .jpg.  Please note: JSCR does not accept file extensions .shs, .zip, .exe, .com, .vbs and .pdf.

    2. Title page

      On the title page please state: (1) the title of the article; (2) the name and initials of each author; (3) the department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed; (4) the name, postal and e-mail addresses, telephone numbers of the author responsible for correspondence; (5) sources of funding for research and/or publication.

    3. Abstract

      This must contain fewer than 150 words in a structured format.

    4. Main text

      The main text of the paper may have separate Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, Figures with legends and References sections.  When quoting specific materials, equipment and proprietary drugs, the name and address of the manufacturer must be given in parentheses.  Generic names should normally be used. Any data mentioned in the abstract or discussion must be presented in the main text.

    5. Abbreviations

      Avoid using abbreviations.  Terms that are mentioned frequently may be abbreviated but only if this does not impair comprehension.  Abbreviations must be used consistently and must be defined on first use.

    6. Numbers and units

      Provide absolute numbers always; percentages may be given in addition but never on their own. Use the decimal point, not a comma; for example 5.7.  Use a space and not a comma after thousands and multiples thereof; for example 10 000.  Use SI units (International System of Units) except for the measurement of blood pressure (mmHg).

    7. References

      Use double spacing in the Vancouver style.  Reference to abstracts and personal communications is discouraged.  In the text, number references consecutively in brackets: e.g. (1) or (1-3).  References cited only in tables or figures should be numbered in sequence.

    8. Submissions of Surgical Technique and/or Innovation

      Author guidance for case reports describing surgical innovations and surgical techniques remains the same as all manuscript submissions to JSCR. However we require that particular attention is paid to describing the value of the technique described. This means that other than the merits of the technique/innovation we will need to know the indications, contraindications, recorded and possible complications and also the efficacy/results to date of what you are describing. Any innovation/technique submission not including the above information may be rejected before specialist peer review unless there are extenuating circumstances.

  4. Research ethics

    Written consent must be obtained from the patient (legal guardian or executor, if appropriate) for publication of any detail or photograph that might identify an individual.  Please refer to the Patient Confidentiality Agreement section of the terms and agreements. Editors reserve the right to reject papers if there is doubt whether appropriate procedures have been followed.

  5. Publication ethics

    1. Originality

      On submission of the manuscript the corresponding author must warrant that the article is an original work, has not been published before, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in its final form, in either printed or electronic media. Publication of abstracts and presentations at scientific meetings will not jeopardise full publication.  Authors should declare that any republication of the data (e.g.  in secondary analysis or translation) will not constitute redundant publication, will not breach copyright, and will reference the original publication.

    2. Redundant (multiple) publication

      JSCR does not consider the following to be prior publication:  abstracts and posters at conferences and cases presented at meetings. Manuscripts that have been published previously in another language should state this on the title page of the submission with reference to the original publishing journal (ref. 5.0).  Manuscripts that have been previously published in English that are submitted with the aim of serving different audiences are not accepted by JSCR. Editors may request copies of related publications if they are concerned about overlap and possible redundancy.

    3. Conflict of interest statements

      All authors must provide details of financial interests (including employment, significant share ownership, patent rights, consultancy, research funding, speaker’s fees) in a company or institution that might benefit from the publication of the submitted article.  In addition, authors must provide details of any other potential competing interests that readers or editors might consider relevant to their publication (for example, political, intellectual, or religious interests).

  6. Manuscript submission

    JSCR now operates an online submission and peer review system that enables authors to submit articles online. All submissions should be checked thoroughly to ensure that they meet the scope of our Journal and meet our Terms and Conditions before they are submitted via the website. Any queries regarding manuscript submission should be directed to the Submissions Team (submissions@jscr.co.uk) Authors whose first language is not English may wish to consult a specialist English Language editing/proofing service before submission.

  7. Peer review and editing

    On submission of a manuscript for publication, the submission is checked for compliance with these author instructions.  A small percentage of manuscripts are rejected without peer review at this stage; for example if the article type is inappropriate, or if the scientific and/or surgical merit of the paper is flawed (for example, if it is not ethical). If the submission is complete the manuscript is allocated to a specialist for double-blind peer-review (the authors do not know the identity of the referees and vice versa). This ‘triage’ system of rejecting a small percentage of manuscripts without peer review serves two purposes.  Firstly, quick decisions on papers unsuitable for JSCR facilitate submission to another Journal in a timely fashion and, secondly, the Journal’s most valuable asset – the reviewers – are not overloaded with manuscripts that will not be accepted for publication. Depending on the reviewers decision the Editor may choose to seek the opinion of a second or rarely even a third reviewer.  When the opinions of the reviewers differ significantly, the manuscript is discussed at our monthly Editors meeting with the Editor-in-Chief.  When a decision has been reached this is communicated to the Author. The Editors’ decision is final unless there is a proven to be an error in the process of manuscript evaluation or peer review.  If you believe that there has been an error of process in the handling of your manuscript, please address your concerns to the Editorial Team who will in turn seek the advice of the Editor-in-Chief.  The Editorial Team can be contacted at editorialteam@jscr.co.uk

  8. Patient confidentiality

    Our policy is based on the UK’s Data Protection Act, the English common law of confidentiality, and the traditions of medical ethics.
    1. Any article that contains personal medical information about an identifiable living individual requires the patient’s explicit consent before we can publish it.Though we do not require physical evidence of consent by submitting your manuscript you are agreeing to our terms and conditions, which stipulate that all liability regarding patient confidentiality and anonymity will remain with the authors of the manuscript.
    2. JSCR does not accept any responsibility for patient confidentiality in the manuscripts it publishes and any legal claims that arise after publication of a manuscript will be referred to and be the responsibility of the original authors.
    3. If consent cannot be obtained because the patient cannot be traced then publication will be possible only if the information can be sufficiently anonymised.  Anonymisation means that neither the patient nor anyone else could identify the patient with certainty.A consequence of any anonymisation is likely to be the loss of information/evidence.If this happens we will include the following note at the end of the paper:Detail has been removed from this case description/these case descriptions to ensure anonymity. The editors and reviewers have seen the detailed information available and are satisfied that the information backs up the case the authors are making.
    4. If the patient is dead the Data Protection Act does not apply, but the authors should seek permission from a relative (as a matter of courtesy and medical ethics)If the relatives are not contactable we will balance the worthwhileness of the case, the likelihood of identification, and the likelihood of offence if identified in making a decision on whether we should publish without  a relative's consent.
    5. Case reports carry the highest likelihood of patient identifiably and hence we urge all authors to maintain a high level of probity and confidentiality prior to submitting a case.
    6. Our policy on obtaining consent for publication of pictures of patients is a subset of our general policy on patient confidentiality. If there is any chance that a patient may be identified from a photograph or other image or from its legend or accompanying text consent must be obtained from the patient.
    7. Images – such as x rays, laparoscopic images, ultrasound images, pathology slides, or images of indistinctive parts of the body – may be used without consent so long as they are anonymised by the removal of any identifying marks and are not accompanied by text that could reveal the patient’s identity through clinical or personal detail.
    8. An exception to this policy of needing consent for recognizable photographs of individuals is when we use photographs from picture agencies to illustrate news stories and other articles. We state where these photographs have come from and we rely on the fact that the agencies and their photographers have obtained the relevant permissions from the people shown in the photographs.
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