Author instructions

Revista Científica Odontológica guidelines for the authors of articles

The Revista Científica Odontológica is the official journal for scientific diffusion of the oral medicine department of Universidad Científica del Sur. It is a peer reviewed trimestral publication (January-March, April-June, July-September, October-December), distributed globally.

Its aim is to publish original articles related to issues within the field of oral medicine across its different specialties, as well as material of importance to public health, particularly those aspects targeted at improving the health of the nation and the region in general. The publication is aimed at health professionals and the general public interested in oral medicine related issues. 

The journal promotes the exchange of scientific experiences in health among institutions and individuals engaged in research within and beyond Peru, with the aim of encouraging advances in health research and the application of such advances. The distribution of its unabridged texts, in both printed and online form, is free of charge. 

The articles published in Revista Científica Odontológica are divided into the following sections: original article, review article (systematic and narrative), case reports, research protocol, special article and letters to the editor. Contributors are advised to follow the research publication recommendations contained in the Equator Network (link). 

All submissions to the journal must include: a) letter transferring rights and letter guaranteeing the originality of the article, signed by all the authors and accepting that their proposal will be submitted to the journal’s editorial process, and b) the article submitted for publication, which must adhere to the formal requirements and structure set out in these guidelines. 

DRAFTING GUIDELINES

All articles submitted for publication must meet the following requirements:

1. Formal requirements

1.1. The language used must be Spanish or English.
1.2. The subjects addressed must be related to dentistry and oral medicine.
1.3. Articles must be original (unpublished). Exceptions may be made, solely at the invitation of the editorial committee.
1.4. Articles must only be submitted to one journal at a time. Authors undertake not to send the proposed article to another journal until the editorial process of the first journal has been concluded.
1.5. Articles must be submitted in a legible format using the program Microsoft Word (for Windows 97 onward; extensions .doc and .docx), in the Times New Roman font, size 12 single space, normal margins, with the page numbers located in the upper right corner.
1.6. Where tables are included, these must be submitted in a legible Microsoft Excel format (for Windows 97 onward; extensions .xlsand .xlsx). Tables must include a legend and, where necessary, a description of the results. Abbreviations must be clarified at the foot of the table.
1.7. Any graphs sent must be in the formats TIFF or JPEG, in a resolution greater than 50 DPI, with the name of the author and corresponding title. If more than one graph is sent, each one must be submitted with a number in the top right corner. They must each include a legend and, where necessary, a description of the results. Abbreviations must be clarified at the foot of the graph.
1.8. The structure and guidelines of one of the sections published by the journal must be followed. 

2. General aspects

2.1.  All articles must contain the following information on their first page: 

2.1.1. Names and surnames of all the authors. Unless authors suggest a particular form, the first name and first surname of each author will be used.
2.1.2. Authors’ institutional affiliation, as well as the city and country.
2.1.3. Profession and highest academic qualification achieved.
2.1.4. Researchers’ ORCID numbers.
2.1.5. Authorial contribution: Information must be included concerning the individual contribution of the authors during the carrying out of the research and drafting of the article submitted for publication.
2.1.6. Sources of financing that made the conducting of research possible, or similar information.
2.1.7. Information concerning possible conflicts of interest on the part of authors; that is, any relationship or condition which might affect the objective interpretation of the article (institutional or financial).
2.1.8. Corresponding author contact information (address, email and contact telephone number).
2.1.9. If the article submitted for publication is derived from a thesis or has been presented at a scientific event, details must be included concerning the title of the thesis and the degree obtained, or the place and date of the event. 

2.2. The content of the article submitted for publication must be structured in accordance with the following guidelines: 

2.2.1. Concise and informative title with a maximum of 50 characters, including spaces.
2.2.2. Abstract in Spanish and English summarizing the article submitted for publication, containing no more than 250 words.
2.2.3. Key words in Spanish and English in accordance with DeCS, MeSH, Medicus and Dental Index, mentioning which was used. The maximum number of key words is four.
2.2.4. Main article, the length of which will depend on the section (see Table 1).
2.2.5. Acknowledgements: Specify in a succinct manner, detailing contributions during the development of the research. This is not mandatory.
2.2.6. Financing: Describe the institution that financed the research or if it was self-financed.
2.2.7. Conflicts of interest: Include any possible conflict of interest.
2.2.8. Bibliographical references used in the text: Numbered consecutively in the order they appear in the text, expressed with Arabic numerals in superscript, following the punctuation. Journal titles must be abbreviated in accordance with the style used in the Index Medicus. All authors must be mentioned when they are six or fewer; in cases of seven or more authors, use the term “et al” following the seventh author. The guidelines used by the journal are taken from the Vancouver style. 

Paragraph headings 2.2.2 and 2.2.3 are valid for the following sections: Original article, review article, case report, research protocol, special article and letters to the editor. 

The abstract should be structured (divided into objective, materials and methods, results and conclusions) in the case of original articles and unstructured for other sections.  

3. Specific aspects of each section:

3.1. Original article. An article submitted for publication, the aim of which is to present the results of scientific research. The main body of the article should be divided as follows:

3.1.1. Introduction. This text should address the background to the problem, its impact on public health, the knowledge gap the research is seeking to reduce, justification for the study and its objectives.
3.1.2. Materials and methods. This section should contain the characteristics of the population studies, how individuals were selected (sampling, inclusion and exclusion criteria), defining of variables, instruments used, analysis plan and ethical aspects. Depending on the study, some of these aspects may be omitted.
3.1.3. Results. Clear presentation of the findings of the study.
3.1.4. Discussion. Interpretation and comparison of the results with those of other similar studies. The strengths and weaknesses (limitations) of the study should also be included, together with suggestions for future studies.
3.1.5. Conclusions. 

3.2. Review articles. These may consist of two modalities: Narrative review articles and systematic reviews.

3.2.1. Narrative reviews. Concise presentation of the most recent literature covering the subject being reviewed, by a professional expert in the field. The main body of the text should be divided into the following sections: introduction, main contributions to the subject (as subheadings) and conclusions.
3.2.2. Systematic review. The format should be followed of The Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (link). 

3.3. Case report. The presentation of a clinical case characterized by its rarity, novelty or some other condition of interest to public health.The structure is: introduction, case report, discussion and conclusions. 

3.4. Research protocol. The presentation of a research project. The research should not yet have been conducted. The structure should be as follows:

3.4.1. Introduction. This section should contain the background to the problem and the rationale for conducting the study, objectives, design of the study.
3.4.2. Methods. This section may include, while not being limited to: the scope of the study (design, etc.), eligibility criteria, interventions, expected results, action schedule, methods for selecting the participants (sampling, recruitment), data gathering methods, handling of data, statistical analysis plan, monitoring of data, report and action in the event of possible harm. 
3.4.3. Ethical aspects. This section should include, while not being limited to, the following: information concerning approval of the study by an ethical committee, possible amendments made to the protocol, how consent or assent will be obtained, confidentiality, declaration of conflicts of interest, access to data, additional or subsequent attention to the study, dissemination policy.
3.4.4. Appendices. All the material which the author considers necessary for an understanding of the study.

3.5. Special article. Occasionally, some clinical-academic contributions are published as special articles that are well-researched discussion articles on topics of current interest and relevant to dentistry. The content includes summary, introduction, development and discussion of the topics analyzed, conclusions and bibliographic references. These types of articles are also evaluated through a peer review process.

3.6. Letters to the editor. In this section, readers comment upon articles published previously by the journal. Where applicable, a response from the author alluded to may be included. This section may also include preliminary studies which for different reasons cannot be included in other sections of the journal.