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Author Guidelines

These Guidelines are developed in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the Law “On Mass Media” No. 2124-I from 27.12.1991 with subsequent amendments, “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (these requirements are periodically reviewed and clarified, and the current official version is available on the website www.ICMJE.org), the requirements of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation and regulate the relationship between the publisher acting through the editorial board of the journal Acta Biomedica Scientifica, and the author who submitted his article for publication.

Acta Biomedica Scientifica publishes articles on the problems of medical and biological sciences including the issues of practical healthcare, as well as on related issues.

The following manuscripts can be submitted to the journal:

1. Original articles – are based on the results of clinical studies. The conduct and description of all clinical trials should be in full compliance with the CONSORT standards – http://www.consort-statement.org.
2. Lectures – clinical reviews prepared by a generalist, including sections on epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnostic methods, treatment and prevention, with unstructured summaries.
3. Literature reviews – have a narrower specialized focus than lectures, and unstructured summary.
4. Case reports – an information message that presents a complex diagnostic problem and a description of its solution or a rare clinical case.
5. Letter to the editor. Contains no more than 500 words and should be aimed at discussing a specific article published in the journal Acta Biomedica Scientifica.
6. Short communication papers.

The Editorial Board ask to carefully read the following instructions for manuscript preparation.

Text preparation

Manuscript structure. All manuscripts are submitted electronically as Microsoft Word files (Times New Roman typeface, 12 type size, 1,5 line interval, field sizes: left – 30mm, right – 10mm, top and bottom – each no less than 20mm) with signed and scanned cover letter and license agreement.

The article should start with:

1. Family name (s) of the author (s) and initials (full names of authors should correspond to their foreign passport data or be transliterated using the site http://translit.net/en/bgn.
2. Title of the article in English. The title of the manuscript in English should fully (from the point of view of the language) convey the meaning.
3. English-language names of institutions and their official address (es).
4. Abstract. Abstract in English is an individual source of information for English-speaking readers, and it should, if possible, give an exhaustive picture of the research conducted. It should be sufficient by volume to create a full idea of the manuscript for English-speaking readers (200-300 words);

The structured abstract should have IMRAD form with distinct sections: Introduction, Materials, and methods, Results, Discussion.

5. Key words. Keywords should be taken only from the MeSH thesaurus (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh).

The full text of the article.

Depending on the type of manuscript, the structure of the full text can be different.

For original research:

• Background

Describe the urgency of the problem that has been the subject of the study, including its scale (prevalence, incidence, etc.), mediated effects (social, economic), and also determine the resolved and unresolved aspects of the problem with the analysis of previously published data (local, foreign). Each statement of the authors, with the exception of the most well-known ones, should be referenced. In this case, no more than 3 references per statement should be used. The aim of the study: to describe the main (primary) goal of the study, the research question, the solution of which required a study.

• Methods

Study design.

The section should give an idea of what the plan (design) of the research was; who was included in the study and where it was conducted; the duration of the study; future medical intervention (when planning such interventions); how the results of the study were evaluated; how the hypothesis was tested. For randomized trials, it is mandatory to provide a detailed description of the randomization procedure.

Compliance criteria.

List and, if necessary, characterize (for example, indicating threshold values for quantitative characteristics) preliminary (before the start of the study) formulated criteria for inclusion, non-inclusion and exclusion from the study.

Terms and conditions.

Identify the research centers that participated in the study, indicating the settlement and their departmental affiliation. Give explanations about any specific factors (social, economic, cultural) that can affect the external generalizability of the study findings.

Duration of the study.

Authors should provide data on the planned duration of the study period and on the duration of the observation period with description of all intermediate control points. It is necessary to note, if there was a shift in the planned time intervals during the study.

Description of medical interventions.

Describe the doses to be administered, the mode of their titration, the methods of administration, the timing of the start and duration of the use of drugs, and the conditions for therapy cessation. For surgical interventions describe the features of preoperative preparation, the operations, including anesthesia and postoperative management of patients. Descriptions will require medical interventions of non-pharmacological nature, as well as the organizational measures to be studied.

Outcomes of the study.

The main outcome of the study is to show an indicator, without assessing the values of which the research objective cannot be achieved. It can be “hard” (cases of death, development of life-threatening diseases, severe complications) or “surrogate” endpoint (an indicator of the function of the body system, biochemical parameter, quality of life assessment). The main outcome of a medical intervention study should be a characteristic of its safety, efficacy or economic acceptability.

Additional outcomes of the study: show indicators that characterize the additionally expected results of the study, allowing, for example, assessing other effects or action mechanisms of medical intervention.

Analysis in subgroups.

List the criteria (for example, sex, age, characteristics of the severity of the disease, etc.) used to form subgroups, in which an additional analysis of the results of the study was carried out.

Methods of recording outcomes.

Describe all the methods and tools used to record the main and additional outcomes of the study.

Ethical expertise.

Provide information on the results of the verification of the study report by the ethics committee of any level: a) citing its conclusion in this subsection; b) specifying the document number; c) the date of its signing; d) the official name of the ethics committee.

Statistical analysis.

Principles for sample size determination: describe the procedure for sample size determination or provide another substantiation for the sample size (if any). In the absence of such grounds, indicate that the sample size was not previously determined.

Methods of statistical data analysis: a) specify statistical programs used to analyze the results of the study (developer, country); b) note the presentation format of the quantitative data; c) describe the statistical criteria used in the analysis of the data.

• Results

Objects (participants) of the study.

Provide a detailed description of the examined sample, which should include: a) presentation of the research design; b) a description of the initial (recorded when included in the study) characteristics of the participants in the study. For retrospective studies, the objects of research are data sources (medical record, databases, etc.).

Main results of the study.

Describe the main outcome of the study and the related results of statistical data analysis. An illustrative (tables, figures) data representation is welcomed. In this case, duplication of data in the text is not allowed.

Additional research results.

Describe the additional outcomes of the study, the results of the evaluation of effects in the subgroups, and (or) the mechanisms of the described effects. The analysis should be limited only to those subgroups that were listed in the subsection “Analysis in subgroups.”

Adverse events.

Describe all the adverse events that have occurred during the study of medical intervention. Any medical events (illnesses, injuries, unplanned surgical interventions, etc.), whose communication with the medical intervention (preventive, diagnostic, curative or any other) cannot be ruled out as undesirable. The absence of undesirable phenomena should also be noted.

• Discussion

Discuss not only the merits, but also possible shortcomings, including systematic research limitations.

Summary of the main result of the study.

Present a short (no more than 3-5 sentences) description of the research results relevant to its main goal (without duplicating the text of the RESULTS section).

Discussion of the main result of the study.

Present an analytical text containing a discussion of the results relating to the hypothesis (the main goal) of the study. Discussion should be conducted in the context of previously known data, opinions and theories, as well as considering the additional results of this study, the results of analysis in subgroups. If necessary, discuss the key mechanisms of medical intervention effects.

Limitations of the study.

Provide an analysis of factors that can significantly affect the findings of the study. Restrictions can be assigned to every stage of the study, starting with its substantiation, methods (conditions, sample size, used tools for assessing effects) and concluding with interpretation of results (effect size, applicability of research results when conditions of use change, etc.).

• Conclusion

Briefly (1-3 sentences) summarize the results of previously conducted studies (preferably based on the systematic assessments presented in the DISCUSSION section) on the problem analyzed; briefly (1-3 sentences) to outline the key unresolved aspects of the indicated problem; briefly (5-7 sentences) describe the results obtained with an explanation of their contribution to the solution of the problem. Give a brief rationale for the clinical and/or scientific use of the results of the study. Conclusion must be presented in the form of a single text, not numbered inferences.

Theoretical and review articles can be broken into subsections in accordance with the authors’ concept.

Main text

The main purpose of writing the review should be to discuss the accumulated material and to present the author’s new view of the previously described phenomena, to rethink and search for new approaches to their interpretation, but NOT to simply list the facts and state the current state of the matter. Thus, the discussion is an obligatory part of the survey manuscript (it can be highlighted in a separate section or pass systematically through the entire text).

In the survey manuscript, you must specify all the sources of primary information used (full-text and abstract databases), and describe in detail the search procedure: database names, filters and keywords, as well as all additional conditions for the selection of primary sources.

The manuscript should be structured into sections, and also contain the necessary graphic material to facilitate the perception of the text.

Section 1. Text.

Section 2. Text.

Section 3. Text.

Conclusion

Conclusion must be presented in the form of a single text, not numbered inferences. All terms and definitions must be scientifically reliable. Medicinal products should be given only in international non-proprietary names, which are used first, then, if necessary, several trade names of preparations are given. It is preferable that the registries conform to the Enzeme Classification standard. The manuscript can be complemented by a glossary of terms (ambiguous, that can cause difficulties while reading). In addition to the generally accepted abbreviations for measurement units, physical, chemical and mathematical quantities and terms (for example, DNA), abbreviations of word combinations often repeated in the text are allowed. All abbreviations are interpreted at the first mention in the text. Doses of medicinal products, measurement units and other numerical values should be indicated in the SI system.

Tables preparation

Tables are placed in the text of the article. All tables should have a numbered heading and clearly marked graphs, convenient and understandable for reading. The data in the table must correspond to the figures in the text, but should not duplicate the information presented in it. Links to tables in the text are required.

Figures and illustrations preparation

Figures with captions are located in the text of the article. The volume of graphic material should be minimal (with the exception of works where the study requires sufficient graphic material). Each drawing must be accompanied by a numbered caption. Links to drawings in the text are required. Figures and tables should be executed compactly in order to save space. The most convenient for printing reproduction are the widths of one column (up to 8 cm), two columns (up to 16.5 cm) or the entire sheet (16.5 × 22 cm). Illustrations should be placed in the manuscript file as a fixed picture. Please do not draw any elements on top of the picture (arrows, captions) inserted in the MS Word file, because these elements may be missed or lost during the editing and layout stages.

Illustrations (graphs, diagrams, charts, drawings), drawn by means of MS Office, should be high contrast and clear. Graphs and diagrams are provided in the form of files in the formats of the programs in which they were built. Figures are sent separately as separate files. Bitmap images made in graphics editors are provided in the form of *.tif, *.jpg files with a resolution of at least 300 dpi. At a resolution of 300 dpi, the width of the image in pixels should be no less than 950 pixels for a picture 8 cm wide, no less than 1950 pixels for 16.5 cm, no less than 2600 pixels for 22 cm.

Vector images are provided in the format of the program in which they are executed (Corel Draw, Adobe Illustrator) or in the format *.eps.

Bitmap images (photographs, prints of screens of monitors (screenshots) and other untagged illustrations) need not only be inserted into the text of the manuscript, but also uploaded separately in a special section of the form for submitting the article in the form of files of the format (*.tif, *.jpg, *.eps) (*.doc and *.docx – in case there are additional marks in the image). Image files must be assigned a name corresponding to the figure number in the text. In the description of the file, you should give a caption in English, which should match the name of the photo placed in the text (example: Fig. 1. Morphological classification of atherosclerosis).

The need to print illustrative material in color format is indicated at the submission.

If the manuscript uses drawings previously published in other publications (even if their elements are translated from foreign to Russian), the author is obliged to grant permission to the editorial office for the publication of this image in the journal Acta Biomedica Scientifica, otherwise it will be considered plagiarism.

Funding

Indicate the source (s) of the research funding (if any, such as a grant), using, for example, the following: “The study was carried out with financial support …”. If there is no funding, leave the section blank.

Conflict of interests

Identify the existence of a so-called conflict of interest, that is, conditions and facts that can influence the results of the study (for example, funding from concerned individuals and companies, their participation in discussing research results, writing a manuscript, etc.). In the absence of such, the following expression should be used: “The authors of this article report that there is no conflict of interest”.

Acknowledgments

It is possible to express gratitude to those whose contribution to the study was insufficient to be recognized as co-authors, but at the same time considered authors to be significant (consultations, technical assistance, translations, etc.).

References list preparation

While preparing a reference list you should use the Vancouver Style Guide.

In the list of references there are only published materials (links to the Internet resources are allowed). Links to the author’s abstracts and dissertations are not allowed.

Self-citation should be avoided, except when it seems necessary (for example, if there are no other sources of information, or the present work was conducted on the basis of or in continuation of the studies cited). Self-citation should be limited to 10% of total amount of references.

In the references list, each source should be placed from a new line under the sequence number. All works are listed in order of citation.

Number of works cited: in original articles, there can be up to 40, in reviews and lectures – up to 80 sources. It is advisable to cite modern sources published in the last 5-10 years.

In the text of the article, references to sources are shown in square brackets with Arabic numerals. However, there should be no references to methods of the type “… measured by the method [7]” or “… was carried out according to [7]”.

It is important to indicate DOI (individual identification number) if an article has it.

You should not shorten the title of an article. The name of foreign journals should be reduced in accordance with the catalog of MedLine database names (NLM Catalog). If the journal is not indexed in MedLine, the authors should write its full name. Names of domestic journals should not be reduced.

Examples:

Blikbern WN. Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review. 2003; 84: 191-215.

Ramic E, Prasko S, Mujanovic OB, Gavran L. Metabolic syndrome – theory and practice. Mater Sociomed. 2016; 28(1): 71-73.

If there are more than 6 authors, then write names of first 6 authors and put et al after. For example:

Kolesnikova LI, Darenskaya MA, Dolgih VV, Sholokhov LF, Shenin VA, Grebenkina LA, et al. Peculiarities of changes in the parameters of the pituitary-thyroid system and lipid metabolism in adolescents of different ethnic groups Klinicheskaya laboratornaya diagnostika. 2012; (2): 19-22 (In Russian)

To find more examples please follow the link of Imperial College London (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/admin-services/library/learning-support/reference-management/vancouver-style/your-reference-list/) for reference list preparation.

Information about the authors.

The section should contain the following information:

• Full name; academic degree, rank and position of each author;
• full postal address of the institution and e-mail of each author;
• mobile phone (only for communication with one of the authors in case if corrections are needed – it is not published in the journal).
• ORCID of each author.

Example of contact information:

Ivan I. Sidorov – Cand.Sc.(Med), Senior Research Officer at the Laboratory of Pathophysiology of the Scientific Center for Family Health and Human Reproduction Problems. Address: 664003, Irkutsk, Timiryazev str., 16, tel .: (3952) 20-73-67; e-mail: iphr@yandex.ru.

John R. Smith – PhD, MD, Research Officer at Stanford University, NY, 10016, USA. Email: johnsmith@gmail.com; ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-004-4329-7891.

Accompanying documents

When submitting a manuscript, you should present scanned images of completed and certified accompanying documents (in *.pdf or *.jpg formats).

A cover letter signed by all authors of the article, and completed License Agreement are obligatory for presentation.

A cover letter may (not necessarily) be created on the official letterhead of the institution, indicating contact details and the director.

The cover letter gives the following information:

1. the author (s) guarantees that the manuscript is original; neither the article nor the illustrations were previously published in other journals;
2. the author (s) guarantees that the manuscript is not under consideration in other journals;
3. the author (s) is responsible for the authenticity of the materials presented in the manuscript;
4. information on conflicts of interest / funding;
5. information on compliance with ethical standards in the conduct of the study.
6. information about the author responsible for correspondence, which, in accordance with Part 4 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, on behalf of the authors, concludes the License Agreement with the editorial office.

The cover letter should contain the signatures of all the authors of the manuscript (in the case when the authors of the manuscript work in different institutions, cities, countries, it is possible to submit several cover letters; eventually the journal should have the signatures of all authors of the manuscript).

The signatures of all authors authorize the publication of the manuscript in the journal and the posting of information about the article in various electronic sources (e-library.ru; websites of print distributing agencies). In addition, the authors’ signatures guarantee that the experimental and clinical studies are carried out in accordance with international ethical standards of scientific research. The articles are not considered without the above-mentioned information.

If the manuscript is a part of the thesis work, then it is necessary to indicate the estimated protection terms.

The articles are peer-reviewed, after which the decision on publishing expediency is made; rejected articles are not returned and are not rereviewed. It is not allowed to submit articles to other journals simultaneously, or to send the already published works to the journal.

The editorial board has the right on academic and literary editing of the article and/or to return the article for rectification.

The date of receipt of the article in the journal is the day the editorial board receives the final version of the text.

Preparation of the manuscript.

Absence of plagiarism in the text. The authors guarantee that the text of the manuscript sent for consideration was not previously published (neither fully nor partially), nor is it under consideration and in the process of publication in another journal. If the manuscript was previously filed for review in other journals, but was not accepted for publication, be sure to include this information in the cover letter. The editors use TEXT.RU website (https://text.ru/antiplagiat) and Antiplagiat.ru (https://users.antiplagiat.ru/Page/About) to check all incoming articles on plagiarism. Copyright is registered in the License Agreement.

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 manuscripts are accepted if has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.

2. The materials should be prepared in a format OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, RTF, or World Perfect.

3. Internet links are provided as a complete URL. 

4. Text should be typed with an interval of one and a half line spacing, font Times New Roman, 14 pt; to highlight the accents it is recommended to use italics rather than underlining (except Internet links). All images, graphics and tables are placed within the text according to the meaning of the particular part of text  (and not at the end of the document).

5. Text should follow the stylistic and bibliography requirements as stated in  Regulations  located in the Part "About Us." 

6. Please, remove the authors' names from the title of the article and other parts of the document to ensure the  anonymity of reviewing.

Copyright Notice

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

1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2. 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 acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3. 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

Specified when registering the names and addresses will be used solely for technical purposes of a contact with the Author or reviewers (editors) when preparing the article for publication. Private data will not be shared with other individuals and organizations.