Instructions to Authors

Anatomy, an international journal of experimental and clinical anatomy, is the official publication of the Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, TSACA. It is a peer-reviewed e-journal that publishes scientific articles in English. For a manuscript to be published in the journal, it should not be published previously in another journal or as full text in congress books and should be found relevant by the editorial board. Also, manuscripts submitted to Anatomy must not be under consideration by any other journal. Relevant manuscripts undergo conventional peer review procedure (at least three reviewers). For the publication of accepted manuscripts, author(s) should reveal to the Editor-in-Chief any conflict of interest and transfer the copyright to the Turkish Society of Anatomy and Clinical Anatomy, TSACA.
In the Materials and Methods section of the manuscripts where experimental studies on humans are presented, a statement that informed consent was obtained from each volunteer or patient after explanation of the procedures should be included. This section also should contain a statement that the investigation conforms with the principles outlined in the appropriate version of 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. For studies involving animals, all work must have been conducted according to applicable national and international guidelines. Prior approval must have been obtained for all protocols from the relevant author’s institutional or other appropriate ethics committee, and the institution name and permit numbers must be provided at submission.
Anatomical terms used should comply with Terminologia Anatomica by FCAT (1998).
No publication cost is charged for the manuscripts but reprints and color printings are at authors’ cost.

Categories of Articles
- Original Articles describe substantial original research that falls within the scope of the Journal.
- Teaching Anatomy section contains regular or all formats of papers which are relevant to comparing teaching models or to introducing novel techniques, including especially the own experiences of the authors.
- Reviews section highlights current development in relevant areas of anatomy. The reviews are generally invited; other prospective authors should consult with the Editor-in-Chief.
- Case Reports include new, noteworthy or unusual cases which could be of help for basic notions and clinical practice.
- Technical Note articles cover technical innovations and developments with a specific technique or procedure or a modification of an existing technique. They should be sectioned like an original research article but not exceed 2000 words.
- Viewpoint articles give opinions on controversial topics or future projections, some of these are invited.
- Historical View category presents overview articles about historical sections from all areas of anatomy.
- Terminology Zone category is a platform for the articles which discuss some terminological controversies or opinions.
The categories above are peer-reviewed. They should include abstract and keywords. There are also categories including Letters to the Editor, Book Reviews, Abstracts, Obituary, News and Announcements which do not require a peer review process.

Preparation of manuscripts
During the preparation of the manuscripts, uniform requirements of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, a part of which is stated below, are valid (see ICMJE. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. Updated content is available at www.icmje.org). The manuscript should be typed double-spaced on one side of a 21x29.7 cm (A4) blank sheet of paper. At the top, bottom and right and left sides of the pages a space of 2.5 cm should be left and all the pages should be numbered except for the title page. Manuscripts should not exceed 15 pages (except for the title page). They must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by corresponding author and the Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Statement and Copyright Transfer Form signed by all authors.

The contents of the manuscript (original articles and articles for Teaching Anatomy category) should include: 1- Title Page, 2- Abstract and Keywords, 3- Introduction, 4- Materials and Methods, 5- Results, 6- Discussion (Conclusion and/or Acknowledgement if necessary), 7- References

Title page
In all manuscripts the title of the manuscript should be written at the top and the full names and surnames and titles of the authors beneath. These should be followed with the affiliation of the author. Manuscripts with long titles are better accompanied underneath by a short version (maximum 80 characters) to be published as running head. In the title page the correspondence address and telephone, fax and e-mail should be written. At the bottom of this page, if present, funding sources supporting the work should be written with full names of all funding organizations and grant numbers. It should also be indicated in a separate line if the study has already been presented in a congress or likewise scientific meeting. Other information such as name and affiliation are not to be indicated in pages other than the title page.
Abstract
Abstract should be written after the title in 100–250 words. In original articles and articles prepared in IMRAD format for Teaching Anatomy category the abstract should be structured under sections Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Following the abstract at least 3 keywords should be added in alphabetical order separated by semicolumns.
References
Authors should provide direct references to original research sources. References should be numbered consecutively in square brackets, according to the order in which they are first mentioned in the manuscript. They should follow the standards detailed in the NLM’s Citing Medicine, 2nd edition (Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd edition. Updated content is available at www.ncbi.nlm .nih.gov/books/NBK7256). The names of all contributing authors should be listed, and should be in the order they appear in the original reference. The author is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of references. When necessary, a copy of a referred article can be requested from the author. Journal names should be abbreviated as in Index Medicus. Examples of main reference types are shown below:
• Journal articles: Author’s name(s), article title, journal title (abbreviated), year of publication, volume number, inclusive pages
– Standard journal article: Sargon MF, Celik HH, Aksit MD, Karaagaoglu E. Quantitative analysis of myelinated axons of corpus callosum in the human brain. Int J Neurosci 2007;117:749–55.
– Journal article with indication article published electronically before print: Sengul G, Fu Y, Yu Y, Paxinos G. Spinal cord projections to the cerebellum in the mouse. Brain Struct Funct Epub 2014 Jul 10. DOI 10.1007/s00429-014-0840-7.
• Books: Author’s name(s), book title, place of publication, publisher, year of publication, total pages (entire book) or inclusive pages (contribution to a book or chapter in a book)
– Entire book:
- Standard entire book: Sengul G, Watson C, Tanaka I, Paxinos G. Atlas of the spinal cord of the rat, mouse, marmoset, rhesus and human. San Diego (CA): Academic Press Elsevier; 2013. 360 p.
- Book with organization as author: Federative Committee of Anatomical Terminology (FCAT). Terminologia anatomica. Stuttgart: Thieme; 1998. 292 p.
- Citation to a book on the Internet: Bergman RA, Afifi AK, Miyauchi R. Illustrated encyclopedia of human anatomic variation. Opus I: muscular system [Internet]. [Revised on March 24, 2015] Available from: http://www. anatomyatlases.org/AnatomicVariants/AnatomyHP.shtml
– Contribution to a book:
- Standard reference to a contributed chapter: Potten CS, Wilson JW. Development of epithelial stem cell concepts. In: Lanza R, Gearhart J, Blau H, Melton D, Moore M, Pedersen R, Thomson J, West M, editors. Handbook of stem cell. Vol. 2, Adult and fetal. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 2004. p. 1–11.
- Contributed section with editors: Johnson D, Ellis H, Collins P, editors. Pectoral girdle and upper limb. In: Standring S, editor. Gray’s anatomy: the anatomical basis of clinical practice. 29th ed. Edinburgh (Scotland): Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005. p. 799–942.
– Chapter in a book:
- Standard chapter in a book: Doyle JR, Botte MJ. Surgical anatomy of the hand and upper extremity. Philadelphia (PA): Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2003. Chapter 10, Hand, Part 1, Palmar hand; p. 532–641.
Illustrations and tables
Illustrations and tables should be numbered in different categories in the manuscript and Roman numbers should not to be used in numbering. Legends of the illustrations and tables should be added to the end of the manuscript as a separate page. Attention should be paid to the dimensions of the photographs to be proportional with 10x15 cm. Some abbreviations out of standards can be used in related illustrations and tables. In this case, abbreviation used should be explained in the legend. Figures and tables published previously can only be used when necessary for a comparison and only by giving reference after obtaining permission from the author(s) or the publisher (copyright holder).
Author Contribution
Each manuscript should contain a statement about the authors’ contribution to the Manuscript. Please note that authorship changes are no longer possible after the final acceptance of an article.
List each author by the initials of names and surnames and describe each of their contributions to the manuscript using the following terms:
• Protocol/project development
• Data collection or management
• Data analysis
• Manuscript writing/editing
• Other (please specify briefly using 1 to 5 words)
For example: NBA: Project development, data collection; AS: Data collection, manuscript writing; STR: Manuscript writing
Funding: information that explains whether and by whom the research was supported.
Conflicts of interest/Competing interests: include appropriate disclosures.
Ethics approval: include appropriate approvals or waivers. Submitting the official ethics approval by whom the research was approved, including the approval date, number or code is necessary.
If the submission uses cadaveric tissue, please acknowledge the donors in an acknowledgement at the end of the paper.

Control list
• Length of the manuscript (max. 15 pages)
• Manuscript format (double space; one space before punctuation marks except for apostrophes)
• Title page (author names and affiliations; running head; correspondence)
• Abstract (100–250 words)
• Keywords (at least three)
• References (relevant to Index Medicus)
• Illustrations and tables (numbering; legends)
• Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Statement and Copyright Transfer Form
• Cover letter
All manuscripts must contain the following declaration sections. These should be placed before the reference list at the end of the manuscript.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
Anatomy is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and observes the following principles of Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement which is based on the recommendations and guidelines for journal editors developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Council of Science Editors (CSE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
All submissions must be original, unpublished (including as full text in conference proceedings), and not under the review of any other publication synchronously. Each manuscript is reviewed by one of the editors and at least two reviewers under double-blind peer review process. We reserve the right to use plagiarism detecting software to screen submitted papers at all times. We check for plagiary and fraudulent data, falsification (fabrication or manipulation of research data, tables, or images) and improper use of humans or animals in research. All manuscripts not in accordance with these standards will be removed from the publication. This also contains any possible malpractice discovered after the publication. In accordance with the code of conduct, we will report any cases of suspected plagiarism or duplicate publishing.
We follow the COPE Ethics Flowcharts for dealing with cases of possible scientific misconduct and breach of publication ethics. For more details please visit the link http://publicationethics.org/ resources/flowcharts

Ethical Policy
Anatomy publishes articles that comply with ethical and scientific standards. The ethical, scientific, and legal responsibility for the content of the published manuscripts belongs to the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the editorial board.
Ethics committee approval is not required for every submission; however, it is mandatory for all manuscripts—whether based in Türkiye or abroad—that involve studies requiring such approval.
Research requiring ethics committee approval includes:
• All qualitative or quantitative studies involving data collection from participants through surveys, interviews, focus group studies, observations, experiments, or similar methods.
• Research involving the use of humans or animals (including materials and data) for experimental or scientific purposes.
• Clinical trials conducted on humans.
• Animal research.
• Retrospective studies conducted in accordance with personal data protection regulations.

In addition:
• Case reports must include a statement confirming that an “Informed Consent Form” was obtained. Please fill out the Patient Consent Form when necessary and upload it to the system during your submission.

• Permission must be obtained and clearly stated for the use of scales, questionnaires, photographs, or any other materials owned by third parties.

• Compliance with copyright regulations must be explicitly indicated for any intellectual or artistic content used in the manuscript.

For clarification on whether a study requires ethical approval, please refer to the ethical approval decision flowchart available at: EtikKurulOnayBelgesiSeması.pdf
For all prospective studies, including those involving experimental animals, and for retrospective studies where applicable, ethics committee approval must be obtained. Manuscript repoting the results of experimental investigations on human subjects must include a statement in the Patients and Methods section that the institutional review board has approved the study and the informed consent were obtained from patient or parentsThe authour(s) should state the accordance to the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/). Also, the experimental studies must be approved by the ethics commitee for animal use and proper ethics.
In studies where patient confidentiality is essential, identifying details and photographs must not be published without the written informed consent of the patient (or their legal guardian). A statement such as “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient (or legal guardian) for the publication of their medical data” must be included under the “Ethics Approval” section. 
For animal studies, ethics approval must be obtained from the appropriate institutional animal ethics committee in accordance with international standards. Additionally, any measures taken to minimize pain, suffering, and distress in animals must be explicitly described in the manuscript (for guidance, see: www.nap.edu/catalog/5140.html).
Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not have been previously published or submitted for publication elsewhere. If the manuscript is based on a study previously presented at a conference, this must be clearly stated in the cover letter to the Editor. If the manuscript shares content with the author(s)’ previous publications, this should also be disclosed in the cover letter, and a copy of the earlier work should be uploaded alongside the current submission.

The approval number and the date of approval (day-month-year) should be clearly indicated in a separate section titled “Ethics Approval”, placed after the “Conclusion” section of the manuscript.
Individuals, institutions, or organizations contributing to the study but not meeting authorship criteria may be acknowledged in the “Acknowledgments” section.
No changes (additions, deletions, or reordering) to the author list will be permitted after final acceptance of the manuscript.


Author Responsibilities
Authors should ensure that submitted work is original. They must certify that the manuscript has not previously been published elsewhere or is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere, in any language. Applicable copyright laws and conventions should be followed. Copyright material (e.g., tables, figures or extensive quotations) should be reproduced only with appropriate permission and acknowledgement. Any work or words of other authors, contributors, or sources should be appropriately credited and referenced.
The author(s) of the original research articles (including short communications) must declare that they were involved in at least 3 of the 5 stages of the study as "designing the study", "collecting the data", "analyzing the data", "writing the manuscript" and "confirming the accuracy of the data and the analyses". All authors should disclose all issues concerning financial relationship, conflict of interest, and competing interest that may potentially influence the results of the research or scientific judgment. All financial contributions, supports or sponsorship of projects should be clearly explained.

When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own published paper, it is the author's obligation to promptly cooperate with the Editor-in-Chief to provide retractions or corrections of mistakes.
For more detailed information about Authorship and Author Responsibilities by ICMJE, please visit the link http://www.icmje. org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities

Responsibility for the Reviewers
Reviewers evaluate manuscripts based on content without regard to ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, religious belief or political philosophy of the authors. They should have no conflict of interest with respect to the research, the authors and/or the research funders. Their judgments should be objective. The average time during which the reviews of manuscripts are conducted should not be more than 60 days. The average time in which the article is published aimed to be 90 days.
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. They must ensure that all the information related to submitted manuscripts is kept as confidential and must report to the Editor-in-Chief if they are aware of copyright infringement and plagiarism on the author's side.
A reviewer who feels unqualified to review the topic of a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the Editor-in-Chief and excuse himself from the review process.
To read the PDF document of COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers that can be found at http://publicationethics.org/files/ Peer review guidelines.pdf

Editorial Responsibilities
Editors evaluate manuscripts for their scientific content without regard to ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, religious belief or political philosophy of the authors. They provide a fair double-blind peer review of the submitted articles for publication, and ensure that all the information related to submitted manuscripts is kept as confidential before publishing.
Editors are responsible for the contents and overall quality of the publication. They should publish errata pages or make corrections when needed.
Editor-in-Chief does not allow any conflicts of interest between the authors, editors and reviewers. Only she/he has the full authority to assign a reviewer and is responsible for final decision for publication of the manuscripts in Anatomy.
To read the PDF document of COPE General Duties and Responsibilities of Editors that can be found at http://publicationethics.org/files/u2/New_Code.pdf