Author Guidelines

General Information

Manuscripts sent for publication must not have been published previously, accepted for publication, or be under consideration elsewhere. Abstracts presented in scientific meetings must be indicated. 

It is in the authors’ responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright owner in case the article contains a copyright material; and this must be indicated in the article. 

In this journal, original research articles are published. 'Letter to the Editor' is also welcome.

Any concept stated in a published paper belongs to and is in the responsibility of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editors and the Editorial Board. 

Ethical issues are addressed on the Ethical Principles page.

Review Process

In this journal, double-blind peer review system is adopted; the reviewer is unaware of the identity of the author, and the author is also unaware of the identity of the reviewer. For the details of the manuscript review process see the Publication Policy page.

Language

Submissions can be in either Turkish or English. For broader readership, submissions in English are encouraged.

For submissions in the English language, prior to the acceptance of the manuscript, our language editors will be consulted for the appropriateness of the language. If the language editors see it necessary, authors will need to get their manuscript checked by a professional language editing company for grammatical/linguistic errors, obtain a certificate for the work done, and present it to the editors. Authors may ask the editors about language editing company recommendations.

Manuscript Preparation

A useful guide regarding the general principles of 'manuscript preparation' can be found in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) link. Together with these principles, specific points on preparing for submission and sending the submission are given below.

The parts of a standard manuscript (original research article) include: title page, abstract page, introduction, materials and method, results, discussion, conclusion, acknowledgments, references, figure legends, tables, and figures 

Letter to the editor includes only a text body composed under an appropriate title and references. 

It is preferable that the presentation of original research articles is designed in accordance with trial reporting guidelines: CONSORT for randomized controlled clinical trials, STROBE for observational studies, and STARD for diagnostic studies. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/research_report_guide.html) 

The manuscript must be written according to the technical standards described below:

* Use Microsoft Word program and the font Times New Roman,12 pt.

* Use 1.5 line-spacing throughout the text.

* Use first-line indent for each paragraph.

* Number the pages consecutively at the mid-bottom of the page.

* Use italic characters when citing terms in Latin or species names (e.g. in vitro, Staphylococcus aureus).

* Report units and abbreviations according to The International System of Units, (SI; http://www.bipm.org/en/si/), where appropriate. Examples to abbreviations for commonly used units are: year-yr, week-wk, day-d, hour-h, minute-min, second-s, gram-g, liter-L, microliter-µL, meter-m, degrees Celsius-°C, etc. Turkish-writing authors should check the web site of Türk Dil Kurumu for an index of abbreviations (Kısaltmalar Dizini, TDK; http://www.tdk.gov.tr/).

* Use a period (.) as the decimal mark and leave a space between the digits and the unit (e.g. 12.3 mm, 4.5 kg/cm2, 37.2 °C). When writing percentage, do not put a space between the value and the percent sign (e.g. 0.2%).

* The spelled-out abbreviation followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis must be used on first mention unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement, and the same abbreviation must be used throughout the text.

* Specify the source of the material/equipment used in the study on first-mention (name, manufacturer, city, state -if applicable- and country, in parentheses). E.g. ‘Root canals were filled with X-Fill-Canal (X-Dental, Ankara, Turkey)’. No need to mention the source on subsequent references to the same product. When mentioning another product manufactured by the same company, it is sufficient to cite the company only. E.g. ‘The access cavity was then filled with X-Fill-Cavity (X-Dental)’. 

Title page

The title page should consist of the following:

1. The title of the article (in both English and Turkish for Turkish-speaking authors)

2. Full names of the authors including academic degrees. The institutional affiliation of the authors (including city and country) must be given just below the names row, relating to a superscript number indicated after the surname

3. ORCID identifiers of the authors (at least the submitting author). You can get one or check yours at https://orcid.org/

4. Contact information of the corresponding author (mailing address, office phone, and cell phone numbers and e-mail address)

5. A running title not exceeding 50 characters

6. Type of the article (original research article, review, case report, letter to the editor)

7. Number of words separately in the abstract and the main text (excluding figure legend, table heading, and references), and number of references, figures, and tables

8. Funding source (specify also the grant number, protocol number, etc.)

9. Conflict of interest statement. It may read: ‘No author of this article has a conflict of interest, including specific financial interests, relationships, and/or affiliations relevant to the subject matter or materials included in the manuscript’. If this is not the case, any conflict of interest must be specified; for example: ‘Author A owns stock in X company, Author B has received, within 2 years, consulting fees from Y company that manufactures a competing product to the one discussed in this article’, etc.

10. Acknowledgements (may include, for example, any previous presentation of the article in full reference, any non-author contributor of the article, etc.)

11. Provide the ethical review board information (full name, approval date, and number) here and in the text. Upload the digital copy of the approval document to the system during submission.

12. Clinical trial registration information including registration site (e.g. clinicaltrials.gov), registration number, date of registration and internet link (recommended)

Abstract and keywords

The abstract must accurately reflect what is included in the article and must not include information that does not appear in the body of the paper. Concisely state the aim of the study, basic procedures, main findings, and principal conclusions drawn from the study. The abstract must be structured using the headings: Objective, Materials and Method, Results and Conclusion for research articles, and Introduction, Case Report and Conclusion for case reports.

Abstract and keywords must be provided in both English and Turkish (for Turkish-speaking authors). Keywords should be selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MESH; www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html) and Türkiye Bilim Terimleri (TBT; http://www.bilimterimleri.com), the corresponding MeSH index in Turkish, and should be listed in alphabetical order, and separated with a semicolon (;). Keywords should not be chosen from the title and the abstract, since those are automatically indexed; instead, should be chosen from the text. 

1-Research article

Research articles consist of abstract page, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion, conclusion, acknowledgement, references, figure/figure captions, tables and figures/figures.
In the writing of research articles, it is preferred to be based on the following writing guidelines; CONSORT for randomised controlled clinical trials, STROBE for observational studies, and STARD for diagnostic studies (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/research_report_guide.html)

Abstract
Abstract text should include the titles of Objective, Materials and Method, Results, Conclusion in research articles. The aim of the study, basic applications, main findings and the conclusion drawn from this should be briefly stated. Please see Table 1 for limitations on article categories.

Introduction

Explain the nature of the problem and its significance. Provide only directly pertinent references, and do not include data or conclusions from the work being reported. Do not discuss the findings of related studies, unless they are not contributing to construct the hypothesis. Clearly state the aim of the study in the last paragraph of the section, and give the research hypothesis, where applicable. 

Materials and method

Describe materials, subjects, and procedures in sufficient detail so that others can reproduce the results. Identify the source of the material or equipment used (name, product number, and batch, manufacturer, city, and country, in parentheses). Give references to established methods or describe new or modified methods. 

Describe the inclusion and exclusion criteria for the selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including controls), also describe the source population.

Ethical issues should be mentioned in this section (full name of the Ethics Committee from which the approval was obtained, approval date, and approval number should be written). If applicable, indicate that informed consent has been obtained.

In the last paragraph of the materials and method section, describe in sufficient detail the statistical analysis, if applicable.

Statistical power analysis: results for determining the sample size for prospective studies (software used, type I error value, power value, effect size, how the effect size is determined, which statistical test is taken into account), and the actual power value for retrospective studies should be given.

Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and symbols. Specify the computer software used. It is recommended that the authors consult a statistician for the analysis of their data.

Results

Present the results of the study in this section. For convenience, the results section may have subheadings. Tables, graphs, or illustrations may be used when necessary; but avoid repeats. Present only the direct findings; do not include subjective comments or references to previous literature. 

Discussion

Discuss the findings of the study here. This is the only proper section to include subjective comments. Avoid repetition of the information given in the Introduction and Results sections. It is a good start to briefly summarize the most important findings of the study in the first paragraph. Indicate the strengths and weaknesses/limitations of the study, compare the results of the present study with previous ones, indicate similarities and discrepancies, and explore possible mechanisms and explanations. Emphasize the place and importance of the study in the context of the current state of science, discuss the generalizability of results to other clinical settings or populations, and discuss the implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice. 

Conclusion

Briefly state the basic message of the study. The conclusion should be consistent with the aim and practically should include the answer to what has been sought in the study. Do not include statistical details of the study. Include only the direct conclusions drawn from the study. 

3- Case Report

Cases that are rare in the field of dentistry, whose diagnosis and treatment protocols differ, and whose treatment process and clinical follow-up are completed are evaluated. Case presentations should consist of abstract, main text and references. The main text should include introduction, case presentation and discussion sections. Please see Table 1 for limitations regarding article categories.

4-Letter to the editor

A letter to the editor consists of text and references written under an appropriate title. This category includes letters reflecting the different opinions and questions of the readers regarding the articles published in the journal in the last 6 months. A maximum of three authors can take part in the letter to the editor category. The letters considered for publication will be sent to the authors of the relevant article, so that they will have the opportunity to respond to the parts of the letter. Please see Table 1 for limitations on article categories.

References

Labeling citations in AOT is according to the Vancouver system; references are numbered consecutively in the order of appearance in the text and identified by Arabic numerals in superscript. 

The titles of journals must be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE, posted by the U.S. National Library of Medicine on the Library's web site. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals)

References to (personal communication) and (unpublished observation) are permitted in the text, but not in the reference list. In these cases, written permission and confirmation of accuracy from the source person is required; and must be included on submission. 

References to papers accepted but not yet published must be designated as (forthcoming) and written permission and confirmation of accuracy as well as verification of the acceptance for publication is again required and must be included on submission. 

Examples of citing in the text:

...was found in a previous study.¹

…was found in previous studies.^2,4-6,8

In a recent study by Akal,⁹ it was found that…

In a recent study by Akal & Bala,¹⁰ it was found that…

In a recent study by Akal et al.,¹¹ it was found that… 

For the reference list, follow the style set out in the examples below. For those not found in this list, see the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ sample references list. (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html) 

Standard journal article

1. Darendeliler N, Dinçer M, Soylu R. The biomechanical relationship between incisor and condylar guidances in deep bite and normal cases. J Oral Rehabil 2004;31:430-7. 

Standard journal article with more than six authors

2. Tüter G, Kurtiş B, Serdar M, Aykan T, Okyay K, Yücel A, et al. Effects of scaling and root planing and sub-antimicrobial dose doxycycline on oral and systemic biomarkers of disease in patients with both chronic periodontitis and coronary artery disease. J Clin Periodontol 2007;34:673-81. 

Organization as author

3. European Society of Endodontology. Quality guidelines for endodontic treatment: consensus report of the European Society of Endodontology. Int Endod J 2006;39:921-30.

Dissertation, thesis

4. Kayaoğlu G. Investigation of infection and survival mechanisms held by Enterococcus faecalis (strain A197A): with respect to endodontic disease [thesis]. Ankara: Gazi University; 2007. 

Books and other monographs

Personal author(s)

5. van Noort R. Introduction to dental materials. 2nd ed. London: Mosby Elsevier; 2002. 

Chapter in a book

6. Metzger Z, Basrani B, Goodis HE. Instruments, materials and devices. In: Hargreaves KM, Cohen S, editors. Cohen's pathways of the pulp. 10th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2011. p. 223-82.

ISO standards

7. International Standards Organization. Dentistry: root canal sealing materials. ISO6876. International Standards Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; 2001.

Similarity report: Articles prepared in accordance with the author guidelines are subjected to plagiarism check before being sent to the referees. Plagiarism check in the journal is based on the originality report uploaded by the author. For this reason, the author must also upload the similarity report of the article to the system. The similarity report must be uploaded to the system as a full report and in pdf format. The maximum similarity rate in the journal is accepted as 25%.

Figures and tables

All figures (photographs, graphs, drawings, etc) and tables must be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals according to the order they appear in the text.

Figures must be in JPG, PNG, PDF, or TIFF formats, and must be of good quality. All figures must be submitted both in the manuscript (submission file) and as separate files (supplementary files). In the manuscript, the figures must be given at the end of the text, after the References section (together with their legends).

In case the manuscript contains images of persons, written permission for their use must be obtained and submitted with the manuscript. 

Tables should be prepared by using the table facility of most word processors. When preparing a new table, the table format in previously published articles in AOT may be taken as example. A table heading must be added on top of the table and uploaded together. Explanatory material including abbreviations, statistical information (statistical analysis method, p values, etc) must be given in footnotes placed under the table, not in the table heading. An asterisk or superscript letter may be used where appropriate. Tables, like Figures, must be placed in the text, after the References section.

Limits for articles

Word count limits and allowed number of references for each article type has been overviewed in the table given below:

Manuscript Submission

The procedure will be carried out simply by following the steps on the Online Submissions page. 

Submission file: must include abstract, main text, references, figures/figure legends, tables/table headings all in one Word file. For a double-blind review, the Submission file must not reveal the identities of the authors.

The cover letter, title page, original figure files, and other possible documents must be uploaded separately in the next step.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The manuscript has been prepared according to the structural and bibliographic standards specified in the Author Guidelines.

2. In the cover letter, the originality of the article and ethical considerations have been mentioned and a conflict of interest disclosure has been made. It has been signed by one author on behalf of all authors.

3. The submission file is a single Word file including the title, abstract, text body, references, figures/figure legends, tables/table headings.

4. Supplementary files: cover letter, title page, original figure files, and any possible document

5. The authors' identities have not been revealed in the Submission file.

6. For submissions in English language, on acceptance of the manuscript (or at a review stage marked by the editors) the manuscript must be submitted to a professional language editing company for grammatical/linguistic check and a certificate for the work done must be presented to the editors.

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

·         Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

·         Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.

·         Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

Privacy Statement

The names and e-mail addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.