Instructions to Authors

                                                 

                                   

Journal of Internal Medicine

Information for Authors

Summary

  1. Scope and objectives
  2. Editorial Freedom
  3. Copyright and Authors' Rights
  4. Publication Costs
  5. ORCID
  6. Authorship Criteria
  7. Changes in Authorship
  8. Thanks
  9. Writing Support
  10. Corresponding Author
  11. Cover Letter
  12. Conflict of Interest and Funding Sources
  13. Privacy Policy
  14. Originality
  15. Patient Consent
  16. Results and Registration of Clinical Trials
  17. Data Sharing
  18. Preprints Policy
  19. Plagiarism Policy
  20. Fast-Track Publishing
  21. Peer Review Process
  22. How to respond to Peer Review?
  23. Typographic Proofs
  24. Errata
  25. Retractions
  26. Sponsorships
  27. Submission Guidelines
  28. Submission Checklist
  29. Information for Reviewers

 

  1. Objectives and Scope

The Journal of Internal Medicine (RPMI) is the official organ of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (SPMI).

 

The journal is dedicated to promoting the science and practice of Internal Medicine, covering all aspects of Internal Medicine. To this end, it publishes peer-reviewed works according to the following typology: Originals, Narrative Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Viewpoints, History of Medicine, Brief Communications, Letters to the Editor, Imaging Medicine, Clinical Cases, Case Series and Guidelines/Consensus).

 

The journal also publishes news and articles on activities and policies of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine.

 

  1. Editorial Freedom

The Journal of Internal Medicine adopts the ICMJE's definition of editorial freedom described by the World Association of Medical Editors, which states that the editor-in-chief assumes complete authority over the editorial content of the journal. The Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (SPMI), as the owner of the  journal Medicina Interna, does not interfere in the process of evaluation, selection, programming or editing of any manuscript, having full editorial independence.

 

  1. Copyright and Authors' Rights

All articles published in RPMI are open access and meet the requirements of funding agencies or academic institutions. Regarding use by third parties, RPMI is governed by the terms of the Creative Commons license 'Attribution –  No Commercial Reuse – CC BY-NC 4.0.

 

It is the responsibility of the author to obtain permission to reproduce figures, tables, etc. from other publications.

 

When submitting an article, authors must fill out the "Declaration of Authorial Responsibility and Publication Authorization" https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/41)  and "Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest" (https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/39). An e-mail will be sent  to the corresponding author, confirming receipt of the manuscript.

 

Authors are authorized to make their articles available in repositories of their home institutions, as long as they always mention where they were published and in accordance with the Creative Commons license.

 

  1. Publication Costs

There is no article processing fee (no submission or publication fees).

                       

  1. ORCID

 Internal Medicine  requires ORCID IDs for the corresponding author; it is also suggested that co-authors indicate their ORCID IDs. We strongly believe that the increased use and integration of ORCID IDs will be beneficial to the entire scientific community.

 

For more information and to register, please visit ORCID.org (https://orcid.org/content/collect-connect)

 

  1. Authorship Criteria and Authorship Form

 Internal Medicine follows the guidelines on authorship established by International

     Committee of Medical Journal Editors in the Statement on Authorship and Contribution.

    (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the- role-of-authors-and-contributors.html)

 

Declaration of individual contributions signed by each author (linkhttps://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/41)

All those designated as authors must meet the four criteria for authorship,

Nominees and all those who meet the four criteria must be

identified as authors.

 

Contributors who do not meet the four criteria for authorship, but who have contributed to the study or manuscript, should be recognized in the Acknowledgments section, specifying their contribution.

 

Acquisition of funding, data collection, or general oversight alone does not constitute

Authorship.

Each manuscript must have a "Corresponding Author". The corresponding author must obtain written permission from all those mentioned in the acknowledgments.

 

Authors are those who:

1) Have a substantial, direct intellectual contribution in the design and elaboration of the article, 

       2) participate in the analysis and interpretation of data;

3) Participate in the writing of the manuscript, revision of versions and critical revision of the content; approval of the final version;

4) Agree that they are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all work.

 

When a large multicenter group conducts the work, the group should identify individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals must fully meet the criteria for authorship. Obtaining funding, collecting data, or overseeing the overall working group alone does not justify authorship.

 

At the time of submission, authors must declare whether artificial intelligence tools or technologies were used (e.g. Large Language models, chatbots, etc). The way in which these tools and technologies were used should be described in the cover letter and in the body of the article.

 

Tools such as ChatGPT cannot be included cited as authors because they do not meet the authorship criteria (they cannot be responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the entire work).

 

  1. Changes in Authorship

It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that the list of authors is correct, both in the online submission form  and in the submitted text. Any change in the list of authors, including the removal or addition of any author, between initial submission and acceptance will require the written agreement of all authors if the manuscript is being evaluated for publication. New authors must also confirm that they fully comply with the journal's authorship criteria.

 

Changes in authorship (addition or removal) will not be allowed after acceptance of the manuscript for publication.

 

  1. Acknowledgments

All contributors who do not meet the authorship criteria should be listed in an Acknowledgments section. Examples of people who may be recognized include: someone who provided purely technical help or a department head who provided only general support.

 

  1. Writing Support

Individuals who have provided writing assistance, for example from a specialized communications company, do not qualify as authors and should therefore be included in the Acknowledgments section.

 

Authors must disclose any aid in writing—including the individual's name, company, and entry level—and identify the entity that funded that aid.

 

It is not necessary to disclose the use of language polishing services.

 

  1. Corresponding Author

The corresponding author will act on behalf of all co-authors as the preferred correspondent with the editorial team during the submission and review process. Any author can be the corresponding author, but only one author can be the corresponding author.

 

Role of the corresponding author:

 

  • Ensures compliance with submission requirements and submits the manuscript to the journal
  • Ensures that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript prior to submission
  • Ensures completion of authorship forms - this includes conflict of interest forms for all authors
  • Distributes decision letters, reviewer comments, and other RPMI messages, and distributes evidence among co-authors for review
  • Submits corrections and ensures that all authors approve each version of the article

 

  1. Cover Letter

 Write a letter explaining why the Editor would like to publish your manuscript. All cover letters should contain these sentences:

- We confirm that this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not being considered by another journal.

      - All authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to the RPMI.

         12. Conflit of Interest and Funding Sources

All participants in the peer review and publication process—not only authors, but also reviewers, editors, and members of the editorial board of RPMI—should consider their conflicts of interest when fulfilling their roles in the article review and publication process, and should disclose all relationships that could be seen as potential conflicts of interest.

 

The rigor and accuracy of the contents, as well as the opinions expressed, are the sole responsibility of the authors.

 

Authors are required to disclose all financial and personal relationships that may bias the work. To prevent ambiguity, authors have to explicitly mention whether or not there are conflicts of interest. All authors must complete and submit  the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest, (https://revista.spmi.pt/index.php/rpmi/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/41) Following ICMJE guidelines, the definitions and terms of such disclosures include:

 

Any potential conflicts of interest "involving the work under consideration for publication" (during the time involving the work, from initial conception and planning to submission),

 

Any "relevant financial activities outside of the submitted work" (during the 3 years prior to submission), and

 

Any "other relationships or activities that readers may perceive as having influenced, or that give the appearance of potentially influencing" what is written in the submitted work (based on all relationships that were present during the 3 years prior to submission).

 

This information will be kept confidential during the review of the manuscript by the reviewers and will not influence the editorial decision, but will be published if the article is accepted. If there are no conflicts, the authors should mention this fact.

Examples of statements:

- The authors declare no conflicts of interest

- XXX's work was funded by XXX. He received remuneration as a member of the scientific advisory board of XXX. He also consulted for XXX. YYY and YYYY declare no conflict of interest.

 

  1. Privacy Policy

Submitted manuscripts are considered Confidential and Embargoed from the moment of submission. In compliance with the Embargo Policy, no information other than that contained in the Abstract may be made public prior to the publication of the manuscript.

 

Manuscripts containing a substantial amount of overlapping information that has been previously published or made available to readers through other venues are not eligible, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis.

 

The Confidentiality and Embargo Policies require that, before the embargo is lifted, all authors of the investigation are not allowed to:

 

Publish the information or provide it to third parties who may publish or disclose it by other means.

 

  1. Originality

Manuscripts should contain original material that is not already available elsewhere. However, authors are allowed to submit and present abstracts (i.e., oral or poster presentations) at open scientific meetings.

 

The title page and cover letter should include a statement verifying the originality of the work and disclose any previous abstracts, presentations, reports, or publications that contain material that may appear to overlap with the current submission.

 

 RPMI will not accept for review any manuscript that is currently under review in another journal.

 

Authors may post their results in clinical trial registries or submit them to government regulatory agencies (e.g., FDA or EMA) without the manuscript being considered previously published or an overlapping publication.

 

 RPMI follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors' guidelines on duplication of publications - Overlapping Publications (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/publishing-and-editorial-issues/overlapping-publications.html)

 

On rare occasions, RPMI will consider co-publishing guidelines/consensus manuscripts with a limited number of other journals, assuming the following conditions are met:

 

The written request must be approved by the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission of the guidelines/consensus manuscript, justifying the need for co-publication, as well as indicating the specific journals being considered.

 

The Editor-in-Chief of RPMI is responsible for evaluating the guidelines/consensus manuscript and deciding its suitability for the journal.

 

Online co-publication of the guidelines/consensus manuscript should occur simultaneously in all journals involved. The corresponding author of the guidelines/consensus manuscript assumes responsibility for ensuring that this occurs.

 

  1. Publication Ethics and Patient Consent

A RPMI encoraja os autores a consultar o Committee on Publication Ethics International Standards for Authors (https://publicationethics.org/resources/resources-and-further-reading/international-standards-editors-and-authors).

 

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki updated in 2013.

 

Submitted manuscripts must comply with the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and  all articles reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the Methods section that the Ethics Committee has provided (or waived) approval. Be sure to provide the full name and institution of the ethics committee, as well as the approval number.

 

In line with ICMJE recommendations on the protection of research participants, authors should avoid providing identifying information unless strictly necessary for submission and identifiable attributes of participants should be anonymized in the manuscript. If identifying information is required, authors should confirm that the individual has provided written consent for the use of this information in the publication.

 

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the text of the manuscript. A declaration from the patient(s) or by a legally authorized representative is required for the patient information and images to be published.

 

Authors are responsible for obtaining informed consent for each individual present in photographs, videos, detailed descriptions, or on x-rays or ultrasounds, even after attempting to conceal their identity. Names, initials, or other forms of identification should be removed from photographs or other images. Personal data, such as profession or residence, should be omitted, except when they are epidemiologically relevant to the job. Authors must ensure that they do not present data that allow unambiguous identification or, if this is not possible, they must obtain the informed consent of the participants.

 

Blackout bars or similar devices do not anonymize patients in clinical images: appropriate consent is required.

 

All research involving animals submitted for publication must be approved by an ethics committee with supervision of the unit in which the studies were conducted. Experimental research conducted on animals must be in accordance with  the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Animal Laboratorys or equivalent. A statement that the research was conducted in accordance with the NIH Guidelines should be included in the Methods section.

 

  1. Results and Registration of Clinical Trials

RPMI supports initiatives that contribute to a better dissemination of clinical trial results.

 

The ICMJE adopts the World Health Organization's definition of a clinical trial, which is "any research study that prospectively assigns to human participants, individually or in a group, one or more health-related interventions, with the aim of evaluating their health-related outcomes." This definition includes phase I to IV trials. The ICMJE defines health-related interventions as "any intervention used to modify a biomedical or health-related outcome" and health-related outcomes as "any biomedical or health-related measure obtained in patients or participants."

 

Registration in a public database of clinical trials, approved by the World Health Organization, prior to the registration of the first patient, is a necessary condition for the publication of clinical trial data in the  RPMI, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, http://www.icmje.org). Trials should be registered before or at the beginning of the patient recruitment period. Purely observational studies (those in which the attribution of a medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator) do not require registration.

 

The clinical trial registration number (NRT) as well as the date of registration should be mentioned at the end of the article abstract.

 

  1. Data Sharing

RPMI suggests that the data generated by the research and supporting the article should be made available as soon as possible, whenever legally and ethically possible.

 

Authors are therefore suggested to ensure that their data are available in public repositories (where these are available and appropriate), that they are presented in the main manuscript or in additional files, whenever possible in a tractable format (e.g. in spreadsheet and not in pdf).

 

The RPMI requires a declaration of availability of the data, present at the end of each manuscript.

 

For drug or medical device trials, the statement shall state at least that the relevant data for each patient, duly anonymised, are available upon justified request to the authors.

 

Formulations for this declaration are suggested:

"Availability of data: individual patient data [and/or] the full dataset [and/or] the technical annex [and/or] the specifications of the statistical analysis, are available at [/doi] [with open access/with restrictions] [from the corresponding author at]. Participants gave their informed consent for the provision of data [or... No consent was obtained from the participants, but the data presented is anonymized and the risk of identification is reduced... or consent was not obtained from the participants, but the potential benefits of making these data available justify the potential harms, since...]"

 

If data is not available, the following shall be reported: "Data availability: no additional data are available."

 

This option does not apply to clinical trials of drugs or medical devices.

Authors may be asked to make available the raw data on which they based their article during the review process and up to 10 years after publication.

 

  1. Preprints Policy

 RPMI may consider the publication of manuscripts that contain information previously posted on preprint servers. Authors may not submit their articles to a preprint server after they have been submitted to RPMI.

 

If a report was published on a preprint server prior to the submission of the manuscript, this should be acknowledged during the submission process. In addition, a link to this document should be provided so that reviewers and editors can evaluate the information in the preprint and compare it with the submitted manuscript. If the manuscript is accepted, RPMI will include this link with your published manuscript. Failure to acknowledge prior disclosure of research posted on a preprint server or similar databases will impair the status of the submission. When the manuscript is submitted to RPMI, no revisions should be sent to the preprint server during the manuscript peer review process. If the manuscript is eventually accepted for publication, no revisions should be posted on the preprint server until the final manuscript is published online by RPMI. Finally, when the manuscript is published in RPMI, any future changes, such as errata, for example, must first be submitted, approved and published by RPMI, before making any changes to the preprint document. Violation of this preprint policy will be considered grounds for removal of the article.

 

  1. Plagiarism Policy

Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is a serious violation. We define plagiarism as the reproduction of another work with at least 25% similarity and no citation. If evidence of plagiarism is found before/after acceptance or after publication of the article, the author will be given an opportunity to refute. If the arguments are not considered satisfactory, the manuscript will be retracted, and the author sanctioned for the publication of papers for a period to be determined by the Editor.

    20. Fast-Track Publishing

A fast-track system is available for urgent and important manuscripts that meet RPMI requirements for rapid review and publication.

 

Authors may request expedited publication through the manuscript submission process, clearly stating why their manuscript should be considered for expedited review and publication. The Editorial Board will decide whether the manuscript is suitable for expedited publication and will communicate its decision within 48 hours. If the Editor-in-Chief finds the manuscript unsuitable for expedited publication, the manuscript may be proposed for the normal review process, or the authors may withdraw their submission. The editorial decision on manuscripts accepted for expedited review will be made within five business days.

 

If the manuscript is accepted for publication, RPMI will aim to publish it ahead of print within 16 days.

  1. Peer Review Process

All research articles, and most other types of articles, published in RPMI go through the peer review process. Reviewers are required to respect the confidentiality of the peer review process and not reveal details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer review process. If reviewers wish to involve a colleague in the review process, they must first obtain permission from the Editor.

 

Manuscripts should be written in a clear, concise, direct style. The manuscript must not have been published, in whole or in part, or submitted for publication elsewhere.

 

All submitted manuscripts are initially evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and may be rejected at this stage, without being sent to reviewers. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to refuse any material for publication.

 

 RPMI follows a rigorous, double-blind peer review. RPMI will send manuscripts to external reviewers selected from a pre-existing database or invite new reviewers to do so.

Final acceptance is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief.

 

Letters to the Editor or Editorials will be evaluated by the Editorial Board, but external revisions may also be requested.

In the evaluation, manuscripts can be:

  1. A) Accepted without modification
  2. B) Accepted, but depending on minor revisions
  3. C) Re-evaluate after major changes
  4. D) Rejected


Upon receipt of the manuscript, if it agrees with the instructions to the authors and complies with the editorial policy, the Editor-in-Chief sends the manuscript to at least two reviewers.

 

Within 20 days, the reviewer must respond to the Editor-in-Chief indicating his/her comments on the manuscript subject to review and suggestions for acceptance, revision or rejection of the paper. Within 10 days, the Editorial Board will make a decision that may be: to accept the manuscript without modifications; Send the reviewers' comments to the authors in accordance with the established rules; rejection.

 

When changes are proposed, authors have 15 days (a period that may be extended at the request of the authors) to submit a new revised version of the manuscript, incorporating the comments of the reviewers and the editorial board. They have to answer all the questions and also send a revised version of the manuscript, with the inserted amendments highlighted in a different color.

 

The Editor-in-Chief has 10 days to make a decision on the new version: reject or accept the new version, or forward it for further consideration by one or more reviewers.

In case of acceptance, in any of the previous phases, it will be communicated to the Corresponding Author.

 

The final decision of the editor for acceptance-rejection of a submitted work is based on the following factors:

 

  1. Originality: original subject and/or method, with valuable information and presentation of new results or confirmation of previously verified results.
  2. Current and/or novelty – topic that is on the agenda of scientific meetings or communications or is new.
  • Relevance – applicability of the results for the resolution of concrete problems in orthopedic practice.
  1. Innovation and significance – advancement of scientific, technical and/or clinical practice.
  2. Reliability and scientific validity – good methodological quality evidenced.
  3. Presentation – good writing and organization of the text (good logical coherence and presentation of the material).


Although the editors and reviewers make efforts to ensure the technical and scientific quality of the manuscripts, the final responsibility for the content (namely the accuracy and precision of the observations, as well as the opinions expressed) is the sole responsibility of the authors.

  1. How to Respond to Peer Review?

All reviewers should be answered point by point. Authors must copy the reviewers' comments into a Word document and respond to each comment. List each comment in full, followed by the replies We suggest the format:

Reviewer 1

Comment 1:

Answer:

 

Authors must also submit 2 copies of the manuscript:

  1. With changes made flagged (track changes)
  2. Clean, with all revisions included

 

  1. Typographic Proofs

The typographic proofs will be sent to the authors, containing an indication of the revision deadline according to the publication needs of the RPMI. The review must be approved by the corresponding author. The Authors have 48 hours to revise the text and report any typographical errors. At this stage, the Authors may not make any substantive modifications to the article, other than the correction of typographical and/or spelling errors of minor errors.

 

Failure to comply with the proposed deadline exempts RPMI from accepting the review by the authors, and the review may be carried out exclusively by RPMI's services.

 

  1. Errata

RPMI publishes changes, amendments or retractions to a previously published article if, after publication, errors or omissions are identified that influence the interpretation of data or information. Changes subsequent to publication will take the form of an erratum.

 

  1. Retractions

Reviewers and Editors assume that authors report work based on honest observations. However, if there are substantial doubts about the honesty or integrity of the work, submitted or published, the editor will inform the authors of their concern, seek clarification from the author's sponsoring institution and/or employing institution. Consequently, if they consider the published article to be fraudulent, RPMI will proceed with the retraction. If, this method of investigation does not reach a satisfactory conclusion, the editor may choose to conduct his or her own research and may choose to publish a note of concern about the conduct or integrity of the work. The Editor-in-Chief may decide to report the situation to the authors' institution, in accordance with the procedures recommended by COPE - Committee on Publication Ethics (https://publicationethics.org/).

 

  1. Sponsorships

RPMI sponsors are companies in the pharmaceutical or other industries that generate revenue through advertising. Advertising may not jeopardize the scientific independence of the journal or influence editorial decisions and must be in accordance with general and specific legislation in the area of health and medicines. Other expenses are borne by the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine.

 

  1. Submission Guidelines

Tongue

The title, abstract and keywords must be presented in English and Portuguese.

Manuscripts submitted to RPMI must be clearly written in Portuguese (from Portugal) and/or English of a reasonable level.

 

Submission of Papers

The submission of a manuscript implies that the described work has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or an academic thesis), and that it is not being considered for publication in another journal, that the manuscript has been approved by all authors, and that it has tacitly or explicitly  by the competent authorities where the work was carried out and which, if accepted for publication, will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or any other language, including electronically.

 

All manuscripts must be accompanied by a cover letter. Assurance should be given in the cover letter that the manuscript is not under concurrent consideration by any other journal. In the cover letter, authors should state their potential conflicts of interest and provide a statement about authorship.

 

To check originality, the article can be checked by the originality detection service.

 

Submissions that do not comply with these instructions may be returned for reformulation and resubmission.

 

Manuscripts are submitted through the RPMI website at: https://revista.spmi.pt/

 

Contact

If you have any questions during submission, please contact us! (ana.silva@spmi.pt) 

 

Use of word processing program
The text must be in single-column format.

To avoid unnecessary errors, we advise you to use the "spell check" and "grammar check" functions of your word processor.

 

Manuscripts must be submitted in text files in Word format (.DOC or .DOCX), with text followed and always in the same font. The texts must be formatted in "Arial" font, size 11 with a spacing of 1.5 lines. Headings and subheadings should be marked in bold and size 12.

 

General Guidelines for Presentation of Studies

Os textos devem ser preparados de acordo com as orientações do International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE Recommendations) disponíveis em http://www.icmje.org.

 

RPMI recommends that the EQUATOR network (http://www.equator-network.org) publication guidelines should be followed, depending on the type of study:

  • Randomized controlled trials (CONSORT)
  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses* (PRISMA) and protocols (PRISMA-P)
  • Observational studies (STROBE)
  • Case reports (CARE)
  • Qualitative research (COREQ)
  • Diagnostic/prognostic studies (STARD )
  • Economic evaluations (CHEERS)
  • Pre-clinical animal studies (ARRIVE)

 

* Authors of systematic reviews should also provide a link to an additional file from the 'Methods' section, which reproduces all the details of the research strategy.

Except where otherwise noted, manuscripts are submitted to double-blind peer review by at least two anonymous reviewers. Final acceptance or rejection rests with the Editor-in-Chief, who reserves the right to refuse any material for publication.

 

Manuscripts should be written in a clear, concise, direct style so that they are intelligible to the reader. When contributions are deemed suitable for publication on the basis of scientific content, the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to modify the texts to eliminate ambiguity and repetition, and to improve communication between author and reader. If extensive changes are required, the manuscript will be returned to the author for review.

 

Manuscripts that do not comply with the instructions for authors may be returned for modification before being reviewed.

 

Typology of Articles

 

RPMI accepts articles of the following typologies:

  1. Original Articles reporting clinical or basic research (clinical trials, cohort studies, case-control studies, other observational studies);
  2. Review Articles;
  3. Systematic Reviews with or without Meta-Analysis;
  4. Protocols
  5. Clinical Cases and Case Series
  6. Imaging Medicine
  7. Editorial;
  8. Letters to the Editor;
  9. Guidelines and Consensus;
  10. Education Articles
  11. Articles from Viewpoints / History of Medicine
  12. Interviews

 

Authors should indicate in the cover letter the type of manuscript being submitted for publication.

 

  1. Organization of the Article

 

On the first page/title page (separate page):

  1. Title

Title in Portuguese and English, concise, specific and informative, without abbreviations and not exceeding 120 characters. The title can include a title add-on with a maximum of 40 characters (including spaces).

 

  1. Authors and affiliations

In the authorship line, list the Name of all Authors (first and last name) and their affiliations (service, institution, city, country) and highest academic degree.

Authors' names must be accompanied by their ORCID registration numbers.

 

III. Corresponding Author

Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Indicate the postal address and e-mail address of the Author responsible for the correspondence related to the manuscript.

 

  1. Funding

All sources of funding, in the public or private domain, including grants, that contributed to the completion of the work.

 

Indicate whether or not there are conflicts of interest (namely commercial in the product, equipment or process).

 

The authors will also include on this title page, under the heading "Ethical considerations", the statement of "Protection of people and animals", Confidentiality of data and informed consent and Conflicts of interest.

 

  1. Awards and Prior Presentations

The awards and presentations of the study, prior to the submission of the manuscript, should be mentioned.

 

Prior presentation at a scientific meeting and/or publication of the abstract together with the meeting do not preclude the publication of the article; however, this information must be disclosed in the cover letter at the time of submission.

 

  1. Summons and Keywords

A concise and factual abstract is required, capable of representing the content of the article, written in Portuguese and English. No information that is not included in the manuscript may be mentioned in the abstract. The abstract may not refer to the text, and may not contain citations or references to figures.

 

At the end of the abstract, a maximum of 5 keywords  in English should be included using the terminology in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/search

 

Please note that the original items must contain the following components. Please see below for more details.

 Cover letter

 Graphical Summary

 Title page (excluding acknowledgments)

 Resumo/Abstract

 Introduction

 Methods

 Results

 Discussion and Conclusion

 References

 Acknowledgments

 Declaration of Contribution of Authors ( RPMI subscribes to the taxonomy CRediT - taxonomy of contributor roles https://credit.niso.org/

 Conflict of Interest

 Funding Statement

 Figures/Tables Legends

 Tables

 Figures

 

Text

  1. Original Articles

Previously unpublished manuscripts describing clinical, preclinical, epidemiological investigations, clinical trials, clinical observations, and other relevant research that are based on solid patient series, validated analytical methods, and appropriate statistical evaluation.

 

Original articles should follow the following structure: Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion, Acknowledgments (if applicable), References, Tables and Figures. A structured abstract is required.

Words: maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: structured and with a maximum of 350 words

Figures/Tables: maximum 6

References: maximum 40

 

  1. Narrative Review Articles

Articles that provide a concise and exhaustive review of the current literature on a specific topic.

An unstructured abstract (maximum 300 words) is required

Words: maximum 4000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 300 words

Figures/Tables: maximum 6

References: maximum 100

 

  1. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Systematic reviews may or may not use statistical methods (meta-analyses) to analyse and summarise the results of included studies.

 

Systematic Reviews can be presented in the format Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. The subject should be clearly defined. The goal of a systematic review should be to produce an evidence-based conclusion. The Methods should provide a clear indication of the strategy for literature search, data extraction, classification of evidence, and analysis. The PRISMA regulation (http://www.prisma-statement.org/) must be followed and the protocol must be registered with PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero).

A structured abstract is required.

Words: maximum 4000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 350 words

Figures/Tables: maximum 6

References: maximum 100

 

  1. Study Protocols

A study protocol ("methodology manuscript") describes in detail the plan for conducting a specific clinical study and explains the purpose and function of the study, as well as how to conduct it.  Study protocols will be published without peer review if the study receives ethical approval and a grant from a major funding body. Any protocols that do not meet these two criteria will be sent for external peer review.

 

Protocol manuscripts should report planned or ongoing research studies. If data collection is complete, the manuscript will not be considered. We encourage the submission of protocol manuscripts at an early stage of the study.

Study protocols must meet the following criteria to be considered for publication:

- Articles should refer to proposed or ongoing research and dates should be included in the manuscript. Articles that report work that has already been completed will not be considered.

- Study protocols must have ethical approval (if applicable)

- Todas as considerações devem respeitar as seguintes directrizes EQUATOR: PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta- Analysis Protocols); SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items for Randomized Trials)

- Registration is mandatory for any clinical trial, as well as for any systematic review and meta-analysis.

 

Registrations approved for clinical trials must comply with all ICMJE clinical trial registration guidelines. The registration numbers of the trial will need to be included in the abstract.

A structured abstract is required.

Words: maximum 2500 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 300 words

Figures/Tables: maximum 3

References: maximum 30

 

  1. Clinical Cases and Case Series

Clinical reports describing unusual or rare findings in up to three patients.

 

The report of Clinical Cases should include the following sections: Introduction, Case Description, and Discussion.

 

The CARE (http:// www.care-statement.org/) standard must be followed.

 

Given their nature, clinical case reports should have a parsimonious number of authors - exceptionally more than 5. In the case of more than 5 co-authors, the submission letter must clearly and in detail indicate the role of each one in the manuscript, in order to justify their inclusion in the line of authorship in light of the ICMJE criteria (http://www.icmje.org/). The permission of the patient (next of kin, legal guardian) may be required.

 

They should include a statement detailing that written informed consent for publication was obtained and from whom (e.g., "Written informed consent has been obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images."). If the patient has died, consent for publication must be obtained from his or her next of kin. If the patient described in the case report is a minor or vulnerable, consent for publication must be obtained from the parent/legal guardian. The completed consent form must be made available to the Publisher if requested and will be treated confidentially.

 

Making it more difficult to identify the patient by omitting scientifically irrelevant data is acceptable, but altering those data is not.

Words: maximum 2000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 150 words, unstructured

Figures/Tables: maximum 4

References: maximum 20

Authors: maximum 5

 

  1. Imaging Medicine

New, clinically relevant images of unusual or striking examples of clinical entities, laboratory/radiological studies, or surgical and therapeutic procedures with brief explanatory text.

Words: maximum 200 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Summary: None

Figures: maximum 2

References: maximum 6

Authors: maximum 4

 

  1. Editorial

Editorials are the responsibility of the editorial group, requested by invitation of the Editor-in-Chief, and will constitute comments on current topics or articles published in the journal

Words: maximum 1200 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Summary: they don't have

Figures/Tables: maximum 1

References: maximum 10

 

  1. Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor consist of critical comments on an article published in the journal or a short note on a particular topic or clinical case.

Words: maximum 600 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Summary: they don't have

Figures/Tables: maximum 2

References: maximum 10

Authors: maximum 7

 

  1. Guidelines and Consensuses

Recommendations for clinical practice. This type of article can be submitted by working groups organized within the scope of scientific meetings or associations, or groups of authors with specialized work carried out on the topic in question.

Manuscripts should be well organized, with a rigorous and clear expression.

Words: maximum 4000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 350 words

Figures/Tables: maximum 6

References: maximum 100

 

  1. Education Articles

The Education section is intended for the introduction of classical, basic and detailed knowledge of orthopaedic techniques, providing excellent resources for continuing medical education. Articles on surgical techniques should contain good images.

Words: maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 250 words (unstructured)

Figures/Tables: maximum 8

References: maximum 80


  1. Articles from Viewpoints / History of Medicine

Perspective articles provide a forum for opinionated discussions on a domain or topic, as well as describe historical foundations and influences, emerging research trends and techniques, and ethical, legal, and social issues.

Words: maximum 3000 words (excluding abstract, figures and tables)

Abstract: maximum 250 words (unstructured)

Figures/Tables: maximum 4

References: maximum 60

 

  1. Interview

Interview articles should focus on relevant personalities in the different areas of health, medicine and clinical research. Interviewees must be inspiring or extraordinary individuals in their area of expertise. The author should check whether the journal of Internal Medicine has previously published a similar interview with the same individual, and check with the editor-in-chief if there are any particular questions that should be asked. Pieces should be written in the style of "question"/"answer". The questions should be short and simple, and the author/interviewer will be responsible for sending a photograph of the interviewee to the Journal of Internal Medicine in jpeg format via e-mail, along with the text. Authors should include a short biography of the interviewed personality (maximum of 50 words). Interview articles should not exceed 2000 words.

 

Special Number and Special Section

Special issues and special sections on topics of interest may be published.

 

Manuscript Preparation

 

References

  1. In-text citation

Make sure that all references cited in the text are also present in the reference list (and vice versa). References should be listed using Arabic numerals in the order in which they are cited in the text.

 

References to personal communications and unpublished data should be made directly in the text and should not be numbered. Personal communications must be duly authorized by the sender of the communications, and the authors assume responsibility for the authorization. Citation of a reference as "in press" implies that the item has been accepted for publication. Journal names should be abbreviated according to Medline's style.

References to articles published in journals should include the name of the first author followed by the names of the other authors (a maximum of 6, from then on it should be used et al.), the title of the article, the name of the journal and the year of publication, volume and pages, and DOI.

Make sure that the data provided in the references is correct. When copying references, be careful because they may already contain errors. The list of references should be added as part of the text, never as a footnote. Codes specific to the reference management program are not allowed.

 

  1. Format

A detailed description of the formats of different types of references can be found in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html). List all authors if there are six or fewer.  Et al should be added if there are more than six authors. Title of the article, name of the journal, year, volume and pages.

 

  • Text Reference Style
    : Indicate references in text by exponent number(s). Authors may be mentioned, but the reference number should always be given.
    List: Sort the references in the list in the order in which they appear in the text

Examples
: Article reference:

  1. With less than 6 authors

Vermette D, Hanson C, Pennarola A, Windish DM. Flourishing Among Internal Medicine Residents: A Cross-Sectional, Multi-institutional Study. Ann Intern Med. 2024;177:106-1. doi: 10.7326/M23-2233.

 

  1. With more than 6 authors

Decoster L, Van Puyvelde K, Mohile S, Wedding U, Basso U, Colloca G, et al. Screening tools for multidimensional health problems warranting a geriatric assessment in older cancer patients: an update on SIOG recommendations. Ann Oncol. 2015;26:288-300. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdu210.

 

  1. In press

Meyer A, Riese J, Streichert T. Comparison of the Performance of GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 With That of Medical Students on the Written German Medical Licensing Examination: Observational Study. JMIR Med Educ. 2024 (in press) doi: 10.2196/50965.

 

  1. Referência de livro:
    Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MY. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

 

  1. Book Chapter Reference:

Meltzer P, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p.93-113.

 

  1. Web References:

At a minimum, the full URL must be given and the date the document was consulted. Any other information, if known (author names, dates, reference to a source publication, etc.), should also be given.      

 

Livro Eletrónico

Van Belle G, Fisher LD, Heagerty PJ, Lumley TS. Biostatistics: a methodology for the health sciences [e-book]. 2nd ed. Somerset: Wiley InterScience; 2003 [consultado 2020 Jun 30]. Disponível em: http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/product

Homepage/Website

Cancer-Pain.org [homepage na Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources; 2002 [consultado 9 Jul 2022]. Disponível em: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

 

Preprint

Uchino S, Taguri M. Epidemiology of cruciate ligament surgery in Japan: A retrospective cohort study from 2014 to 2019. Preprint at: medRxiv 2023.07.06.23292305; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.07.06.23292305

 

Footnotes

Footnotes should be avoided. When essential, they should be numbered consecutively and appear on the appropriate page.

 

Acknowledgments (optional)

They should come after the text, and before the references, with the aim of thanking all those who contributed to the study, but who do not have authorship weight. In this section it is possible to thank all sources of support, whether financial, technological or consultancy, as well as individual contributions.

 

Abbreviations

Do not use abbreviations or acronyms in the title and abstract, and limit their use in the text. Unconsecrated abbreviations should be defined in full on first use, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Unless the acronym is a standard unit of measurement. If a term is used 1-4 times in the text, it should be defined in full throughout the text and not abbreviated.

 

Units of Measurement

The International System of Units units should be used. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be expressed in units of the metric system (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius (ºC) and blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and hemoglobin in g/dL. All haematological or biochemical measurements will be reported in the metric system according to the International System of Units (SI).

 

Drug and Medical Device Names

Accurately identify all drugs and products by international non-proprietary name (INN). It is not recommended to use drug trade names (registered trademark), but when the use is imperative, the product name should come after the INN name, in parentheses, in lowercase, followed by the symbol that characterizes the registered trademark, in superscript (®). The same principle applies to medical devices.

 

Gene Names, Symbols, and Access Numbers

Use standard gene and protein nomenclature - for example, human genes (uppercase and italic), human proteins (uppercase). Refer to the appropriate naming databases for standard gene names and symbols. Useful features are https://www.genenames.org/, https://www.ensembl.org/, and http://www.uniprot.org/.

 

Tables and Figures

Tables/Figures should be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text and marked in Arabic numerals and with identification.

 

Each Figure and Table included in the study must be mentioned in the text: "An abnormal immune response may be at the origin of the symptoms of the disease (Fig. 2)"; "This is associated with two other lesions (Table 1)."

 

Figure: When referred to in the text, it is abbreviated to Fig., while Table is not abbreviated. In the subtitles, both words are spelled out in full.

 

Each Table and Figure must be accompanied by its own caption, succinct and clear. Subtitles should be self-explanatory (no need to resort to text).

 

Figures should be explicit as to whether the information includes individual values, means or medians, whether there is a representation of standard deviation and confidence intervals, and the sample size (n).

Photographs should include scientifically relevant identifiers (arrows and asterisks). Colour photographs may be published as long as they are considered essential.

 

Each Table should be used to show results, presenting lists of individual data or summarizing them, but should not constitute a duplicate of the results described in the text. They should be accompanied by a short but clear and elucidative title. The units of measurement used should be indicated (in parentheses below the name at the head of each category of values) and the numbers expressed should be reduced to decimal places with clinical significance.

 

For the explanatory notes in the Tables, letters (a, b, c, d, etc.) should be used, not symbols.

 

If patient photographs are used, they must not be identifiable or the photographs must be accompanied by written permission to use them.

 

The full-color illustrations are reproduced free of charge.

General principles:

  • Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text.
  • Provide the captions of the illustrations separately.
  • Scale the illustrations close to the desired dimensions of the published version.
  • Upload each illustration in a separate file.

 

The inclusion of figures and/or tables already published implies the authorization of the copyright holder (author or publisher).

 

The submission must be made separately from the text, according to the platform's instructions.

 

Figure files must be provided in high resolution, 800 dpi minimum for graphics and 300 dpi minimum for photographs.

 

The publication of color illustrations is free of charge, and RPMI reserves the right to publish a black and white version in the printed version of the magazine.

 

Graphic material must be delivered in one of the following formats:

JPEG (. Jpg)

Portable Document Format (. Pdf)

Powepoint (.ppt)

TIFF (. Tif)

Excel (.xls)

 

Permission for publication/reproduction: In the case of publication of book or magazine tables, authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the authors of the works from which they are reproduced for said publication, and must present it in the submission.


Videos

The use of supplemental videos is encouraged. Videos can be submitted along with the manuscript (but in a separate file) and, if approved by the editor, will be published online along with the article. Video submission is strongly encouraged for manuscripts that report surgical, examination, or exercise techniques, or mechanisms of injury. This can be done in the same way as a figure or table by referencing the content of the video or animation and indicating in the body text where it should be placed. All uploaded files must be properly labeled and have one of the recommended file formats (.MP4, . MOV. WMV, . WebM, .MPEG), with a preferred maximum size of 150 MB per file, 1 GB total.

 

For videos featuring identifiable individuals, individuals must sign a Consent form. It is the author's responsibility to submit the signed Consent forms, if necessary, for each video.

 

Appendices/ Appendices

Where necessary, annexes should be used to present lengthy or detailed enquiries, descriptions of extensive mathematical calculations, and/or lists of items. They should be placed after the list of references, if necessary, with captions. Long attachments, such as algorithms, surveys, and protocols, will be published online only; the URL will be provided in the printed article where the attachment is cited.

 

If there is more than one appendix, they should be identified as A, B, etc. The formulas and equations in appendices should be numbered separately: Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc.; In a later appendix, Eq. (B.1), and so on. Likewise for tables and figures: Table A.1; FIG. A.1, etc.

 

Style

RPMI segue AMA Manual Style, 10ª edição (http://www.amamanualofstyle.com) e ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (http://icmje.org/recommendations)

 

Nota final – Para um mais completo esclarecimento sobre este assunto aconselha-se a leitura das Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals do International Commitee of Medical Journal Editors), disponível em http://www.ICMJE.org

February 2024

 

  1. Submission Checklist
  2. Letter of Submission, written and signed by the corresponding author, which must justify why the work is suitable for publication by RPMI; that all authors met the criteria for authorship; mention that it is original, that it is not being evaluated in another journal and that it has not been previously published; mention that the manuscript complies with the structure and style standards adopted by the journal; state that the work is in accordance with ethical and legal principles (complied with the recommendations of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association / was evaluated and approved by an ethics committee, if original study); and indicate the sources of funding.

 

  1. When submitting an article, authors must fill out the "Declaration of Authorial Responsibility and Publication Authorization" (place link where it can be downloaded) and "Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest" (place link where it can be downloaded).

 

  1. Indicate all the data of the corresponding author: Name; postal address; email; ORCID.

 

  1. In the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript, include names, affiliations, and specific contributions of all people who contributed to the work but who do not meet the criteria for authorship. Written permission must be obtained for all persons mentioned in the Acknowledgments section and the corresponding author must confirm that such written permission has been obtained.

 

  1. Include informed consent forms for photographs, identifiable patient descriptions.

 

  1. Include written permission from the publishers (or other copyright owner) to reproduce or adapt previously published content (e.g., tables, figures, substantial portions of text).

 

  1. Check all references for accuracy and completeness. Place the references in proper format, in numerical order, making sure each one is cited in sequence in the text. It is advisable to use referral management software.

 

  1. Include for each Table and Figure a brief title (a brief sentence, preferably no more than 10-15 words) and an explanatory caption as needed.

  2. Information for Reviewers

RPMI reviewers must act in accordance with the principles of accountability, integrity, confidentiality, impartiality and objectivity, and carry out their work as reviewers with absolute transparency.

 

The review process:

All submitted manuscripts are evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief or one of the Deputy Editors for their suitability for the review process. To save time for authors and reviewers, only manuscripts deemed most likely to meet our editorial criteria are sent for formal review.

 

Manuscripts that are sent for formal review go through at least two reviewers. On the basis of their opinions, the Editor-in-Chief or one of the Deputy Editors shall decide:

- Accept the manuscript, with or without minor revisions

- Invite authors to review the manuscript to address specific concerns before a final decision is made

- Or reject the manuscript, usually due to lack of novelty, insufficient conceptual advancement, or major technical and/or interpretation problems.

 

Selection of reviewers:

The selection of reviewers is central to the review process, and our choice is based on many factors, including expertise, reputation, specific recommendations, and our previous experience with the reviewer. The Editor-in-Chief or one of the Deputy Editors invite the reviewers and only after accepting the invitation will the reviewer have access to the full article.

Writing the report:

The most useful reviewers' reports are therefore those that present clear and reasoned arguments and refrain from recommending a course of action in comments addressed to authors.

 

The main purpose of reviewers' reports is to provide the Editor-in-Chief or one of the Deputy Editors with the information they need to make a decision, but they should also instruct authors on how to improve their manuscript.

 

Reviewers are asked to send confidential comments to the Editor-in-Chief or to one of the Deputy Editors and separate from those that can be transmitted directly to the authors.

 

Reviewers are asked to maintain a positive and impartial, but critical, attitude in the evaluation of manuscripts. Criticism should be dispassionate; Offensive language is not acceptable.

 

To the extent possible, a negative report should explain to the authors the weaknesses of their manuscript so that they can understand the basis of the decision to request a revision or to reject the manuscript.

 

Confidentiality:

Reviewers should treat the review process as being strictly confidential, and should keep in mind the following guideline:

- Manuscripts should not be discussed with anyone who is not directly involved in the review process

 

Deadlines:

RPMI is committed to speedy editorial decisions and publication.

Efficiency in the peer review process is a valuable service both for our authors and for the scientific community at large. Accordingly, we ask that reviewers respond promptly or let us know if they anticipate a significant delay, which allows us to keep authors informed and, if necessary, find alternative reviewers.

 

Conflicts of interest:

Since it is not possible for the Editor-in-Chief or one of the Deputy Editors to know all possible biases, we ask reviewers to declare potential conflicts of interest and to decline review in cases where they feel unable to be objective. 

 

For detailed information, see: https://publicationethics.org/

 

Magazines in February 2024