Author Guidelines
Instructions for Authors
1. Scope & Publishing Model
• Publisher: The Aegean Journal of Medical Sciences is the official, peer-reviewed, scholarly journal of the Uşak Surgical Association.
• Access: Open access. All articles from Issue 2018/2 onward are published under the CC BY-NC 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International) license.
• Frequency: Triannual (April, August, December).
• Languages: Turkish & English.
2. Ethics, Reporting, and Responsibility
• Reporting Standards: All submissions must adhere to the ICMJE Recommendations and relevant reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, CARE for case reports).
• Plagiarism Screening: All submissions are screened by iThenticate. The similarity index (excluding references and quotes) must be ≤ 20%.
• Editorial Process: The Editor/Editorial Board reserves the right to reject or request revisions for manuscripts not meeting ethical, scientific, or formatting standards. Revisions are due within 30 days (otherwise, the submission will be treated as new).
• Double-Blind Review: The journal employs a double-blind peer-review process. Author names, affiliations, ethics committee details, or acknowledgments must appear only on the Title Page and must not be included in the Main Document.
• Responsibility: Authors bear full responsibility for the ethical, scientific, and legal content of their published work.
3. Originality and Prior Submissions
• Originality: Submissions must be original and not have been published elsewhere or be under simultaneous review by another journal.
• Prior Presentations: Manuscripts previously presented as abstracts (oral/poster) at scientific meetings are acceptable. This must be disclosed in the cover letter, including the meeting name, venue, date, and abstract book details (if any).
• Thesis-Derived Papers: If the manuscript is derived from a thesis, this must be stated in the cover letter, citing the thesis date and national registry number (if applicable).
4. Submission Files and Layout
Submissions must be in Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) format.
1. Title Page (Separate File):
o Full article title (EN/TR).
o Running (short) title (EN/TR, max 50 characters).
o Full names of all authors (Do not use academic titles).
o Affiliations for all authors (Department, Faculty, University, City, Country).
o ORCID iDs for all authors (Mandatory).
o Corresponding author’s e-mail and contact details.
o (If applicable) Acknowledgments, Funding Information, and Conflict of Interest Declarations (These must not appear in the main text).
2. Main Document (Anonymized File):
o Must not contain any author/affiliation information.
o Order: Title (EN/TR), Abstract (EN/TR), Keywords (EN/TR), Main Text, References, Tables, and Figure Legends.
o Format: A4, Double-spaced (2.0), 12-point font (Times New Roman or Arial recommended), 2.5 cm (1 inch) margins on all sides.
3. Figures (Separate Files):
o Each figure (graph, photo, illustration) must be uploaded as a separate file.
o Format: TIFF PNG or JPEG.
o Resolution: Minimum 300 dpi.
4. Copyright Form:
o Must be signed (wet-ink or verifiable digital signature) by all authors and uploaded at submission.
5. Article Types, Structure, and Limits
A) Original Research
• Abstract: Structured (EN/TR, ≤ 250 words).
o TR: Amaç, Gereç ve Yöntem, Bulgular, Sonuç
o EN: Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusion
• Keywords: 3-5 terms; EN via MeSH, TR via TBT terms.
• Main Text: Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; References.
• Word Limit: ≤ 3000 (excluding abstract, tables, figures, references).
• Max References: 30.
• Tables/Figures: Max 8 (total).
B) Case Report
• Abstract: Unstructured (EN/TR, ≤ 250 words).
• Keywords: 3-5 terms (MeSH/TBT compliant).
• Main Text: Introduction; Case Presentation; Discussion; References.
• Word Limit: ≤ 1000 (excluding abstract, tables, figures, references).
• Max References: 15.
• Tables/Figures: Max 4 (total).
C) Letter to the Editor
• Abstract: Not required.
• Purpose: To comment on a previously published article in the journal or to present brief scientific observations.
• Word Limit: ≤ 500 (excluding references).
• Max References: 10.
• Tables/Figures: Max 1.
D) Invited Review
• Submitted only upon invitation by the Editorial Board. Unsolicited reviews will not be processed.
• Peer Review: All reviews are subject to double-blind peer review to maintain A-class standards.
• Abstract: Unstructured (EN/TR, ≤ 250 words).
• Max References: 100.
• Structure: As specified in the invitation letter.
6. Tables and Figures
• Numbered sequentially as they appear in the text (Table 1, Figure 1…).
• Table titles are placed above the table; figure legends are placed below the figure.
• Figure Legends: Must be provided as a list at the end of the main document (after references and tables). Explain all symbols/arrows/letters used.
• Permissions: Written permission must be obtained from the original publisher for any previously published figures, and this permission must be cited in the legend.
• Microscopy: For microscopic images, state the magnification and staining technique used.
7. Measurements and Abbreviations
• Units: Use SI units (International System of Units) throughout (mg/kg, µg/kg, mL, L/min, mmHg, etc.).
• Numbers: Use numerals for all quantitative values in the text (unless beginning a sentence).
• Abbreviations: Define each abbreviation at its first mention: Full Term (Abbreviation). Use abbreviations consistently thereafter. Do not use abbreviations in the title.
8. Editorial Policies (Summary)
• The journal follows ICMJE, WAME, and COPE standards (See Publishing Principles for details).
• Authorship: Requires meeting all three ICMJE criteria (design/analysis; drafting/revision; final approval). Non-author contributions are listed in “Acknowledgments” (on the Title Page).
• Ethical Approval: Mandatory for human and animal studies (adhering to the Declaration of Helsinki, ARRIVE guidelines, etc.). Approval details (Board name, date, number) must be stated in the Materials and Methods section.
• Conflicts of Interest: All authors must disclose potential financial/personal relationships on the Title Page.
• AI Use: AI tools cannot be authors. Any use of AI must be transparently disclosed in the Materials and Methods section. Undisclosed or inappropriate use may lead to rejection or retraction.
9. References; Vancouver (NLM) Style
• Journal Titles: Abbreviate according to Index Medicus/NLM. If not indexed, write the full title.
• Author Count: ≤ 6 authors: list all; ≥ 7 authors: list the first 6, followed by “et al.”
• Volume/Issue: Include volume and issue numbers.
• In-text Citation: Use parenthetical numbers before the period (1). Separate multiple citations with commas (5,7,9); use a hyphen for consecutive sequences (12-15).
• Reference List: Numbered consecutively according to the order of appearance in the text. Must be double-spaced (2.0).
Examples:
• Journal Article:
Kim CH, Cheon JS, Choi WY, Son KM, Jung YS, Lee HM. The efficacy of mobile application use on recall of surgical risks in nasal bone fracture reduction surgery. Arch Craniofac Surg. 2018;19(1):41-47.
• E-pub (Ahead of Print):
Kurita GP, Højsted J, Sjøgren P. Tapering off long-term opioid therapy in chronic non-cancer pain patients: a randomized clinical trial. Eur J Pain. 2018 May 13. doi:10.1002/ejp.1241.
• Book:
Bilgehan H. Klinik Mikrobiyoloji. 2nd ed. İzmir: Bilgehan Basımevi; 1986:137-40.
• Book Chapter:
McEwen WK, Goodner IK. Secretion of tears and blinking. In: Davson H, ed. The Eye. Vol 3. 2nd ed. New York: Academic Press; 1969:34-78.
• Website / Internet Resource:
Cancer-pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources; 2002 [updated 16 May 2002; cited 9 Jul 2002]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/
The articles published in this journal are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).