Instructions to authors

• Editorials*
• Editorial Comments*
• Original research article
• Scientific Letters
• Review Articles
• Opinion Articles
• Special Articles*
• Images in Cardiology
• Letters to the Editor
*By invitation only

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

The manuscripts must be sent through the new electronic publishing system of the journal at http://publisher.acm.permanyer.com/main.php. The author of correspondence must create an account by registering. Once you have a username and password, you may upload your files to the platform by following the instructions. All articles must include without exception.

**To avoid duplications in the system, please refrain from creating a new request when resubmitting your modified files. You should continue using the same reference until your manuscript completes the editorial process.

1. Front page with:

– Title in English and Spanish

– Running title, of no more than 40 characters

– First name, initial of the second name (if applicable) and surname(s) of each author (without title or role). Add a hyphen if a second surname is included. Example: Antonio P. Morales; or Antonio Morales, or Antonio
P. Morales-Andrade.

– Affiliations will be referenced with consecutive numbers in superscript, after the name of the author. Example: Antonio P. Morales¹; XXXX²; etc.

– The institutional departments in which they are assigned: Unit, Service, Department / Hospital / Faculty and University / City, Province, Country.

– Name and current address of the author responsible for correspondence.

– Acknowledgements: All acknowledgements and financing information must be included. This section must go on the front page so that the main document of the manuscript remains anonymous.

2. Full text, tables and figures.

– The texts must be in Word format and correctly written in English.

– The text should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12. Every new section of the article should start on a new page. (Front page; summaries in English and Spanish and keywords; main text; references + tables + figure captions).

– The pages will be numbered consecutively starting at the front page, and the number will be placed at the top of each page.

All Original Articles, Review Articles, Research Articles, Opinion Articles, Special Articles, Images in Cardiology and Clinical Cases must contain:

– The front page as stated in section 1

– A second file with the manuscript, completely anonymous, a statement of conflict of interests, financing, and the ethical responsibilities form to be filled in electronically through the manuscript manager at the time of submission.

– The main text must be anonymous, and it should contain:

• A summary in English and in Spanish + keywords in both languages
• The body of the article in English
• References, tables and figure captions

For more help, please refer to the International Committee of Editors of Biomedical Journals website, www.icmje.org. For more information on how to prepare your manuscript, please consult: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/ browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html).

ABSTRACTS

– All Original Research Articles must contain an abstract in English and one in Spanish, structured as follows: Title - Objective - Method - Results - Conclusions – Keywords

– For all Review Articles, the abstract should be structured as follows: Title - Summary – Keywords

FORMAT OF THE MAIN TEXT

– Introduction: It should include the background, the approach to the problem and the objective of the study in continuous writing duly supported in the bibliography.

– Material and methods: The characteristics of the sample and the methods used (with relevant references) will be clearly indicated, in such a way that the reading of this chapter allows other researchers to carry out similar studies. The statistical methods used should be clearly indicated with the corresponding reference. The authors must include the ethical procedures they have followed for experiments with animals, patients, management of confidential data, informed consent, etc. and they must confirm having the authorization from the Ethics Committee at their institution.

– Results: They should include relevant findings of the study, comparing them with figures or graphs that are strictly necessary and that extend the information given in the text. Do not repeat information in the writing and in the tables and / or figs.

– References: They will be presented in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Editors of Biomedical Journals). References will be indicated consecutively with Arabic numerals and in the order in which they appear for the first time inside the text. The text, tables and figures (and captions, if applicable) must be referenced as well. In citations with multiple authors (more than six authors), only the first 6 authors of the work should be included, followed by et al., After the abbreviation of the name or names of the 6th author. In the case of 6 or less authors, all of them must be included in the quotation, (https://www.nlm. nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html).

• Articles published in journals should appear in the following format: Welt CK, Chan JL, Bullen J, Murphy R, Smith P, DePaoli AM, et al. Recombinant human leptin in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351: 987-97.

• References to books must include the full name of the publisher as well as the city and country of publication and the year in which it was published, according to the following model: Aréchiga H, Somolinos J. Mexican contributions to modern medicine. Fund of Economic Culture. Mexico D.F., Mexico, 1994.

• References to chapters in books should appear as follows: Pasternak RC, Braunwald E. Acute myocardial infarction; or: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. Isselbacher KJ, Braunwald E, Wilson JD, Martin JB, Fauci AS, Kasper DL (Eds.) McGraw-Hill Inc. 12a. Edition, New York, USA, 1994, pp. 1066-1077.

TABLES

They must be double-spaced, listed consecutively in the order mentioned in the text, with the titles at the top; the meaning of the abbreviations and explanatory notes will go below. They should be included at the end of the manuscript after the references section.

FIGURES AND GRAPHICS

– Figure captions will be written in double space. Captions will contain the necessary information to interpret the figure without resorting to the text. They should be referenced in the text in order or appearance. Graphics, tracings and drawings must be sent as high resolution (JPG, TIFF, EPS, PowerPoint and Illustrator). All iconography must be original. Otherwise, they must be referenced and the author must obtain prior permission of the respective publisher. Data that has already been written in the text should not be repeated. Photographs of objects should include a rule to calibrate reference measurements. Microphotographs should show a microscopic magnification or a reference micrometre bar.

– The name, face, patient data or any recognizable feature must not appear in the figures.

– Authors are encouraged to add coloured illustrations that adequately accompany the text.

– The costs of colour illustrations will be covered by the author.

ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The following form must be submitted when uploading the article on the platform: https://www.permanyer.com/formulario-responsabilidades/#

The journal adheres to the "Uniform Requirements for Preparing Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing Biomedical Publications" in the most recent version published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors on its website http://www.icmje.org. regarding possible conflicts of interest, privacy and confidentiality, as well as human and animal rights as subjects of research. A copy of the informed consent will be requested in the case of studies with patients and clinical cases, as well as the approval of the Bioethics Committee of the corresponding institution, in the case of clinical and experimental studies.

The procedures in humans must adhere to the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki) Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA 2000; 284: 3043-5, as well as the agreement published by the Ministry of Health on January 26, 1982, and the Rules of the Ethics and Research Committee of the Institution where an original work was carried out. Studies in animals should follow similar guidelines (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council, Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals, Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1996). In relation to data confidentiality data, the way in which the anonymity of the participants and the privacy of their information have been protected must be informed.

FINANCING

The author should mention the organizations that fund, including grants or similar, if applicable.

CONFLICT OF INTERESTS

Authors should describe any financial or personal relationship they have with other people or organizations that could lead to a conflict of interest in relation to the article submitted for publication.

JOURNAL SECTIONS

– Editorial: This section will be dedicated to analyzing and reflecting on general / global health issues in the population, different preventive and therapeutic approaches, as well as the progress made in the field of biomedical research. Maximum extension: 5 pages and 5 references. By invitation of the Editor only.

– Original research article: The maximum extension will be 20 pages (Word format) including the iconography and bibliography. It presents the results of original clinical investigation or basic research. In the original articles the body of the manuscript should be structured by: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. To promote the transparency and quality of the research, the authors will be asked as an essential requirement to self-assess adherence to the relevant international guidelines according to the type of study:

– Clinical trials: CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org/). In addition, all trials must be registered in one of the international databases, and the corresponding registration number must always be indicated.

– Observational studies: STROBE (www.strobe-statement.org).

– Diagnostic tests: STARD (www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/).

– For other types of studies, consult the guidelines on the EQUATOR initiative (http://www.equator-network.org/).

– Review article, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses: The maximum extension will be 20 pages (Word format) including the iconography and bibliography. It approaches a current issue of medical relevance. The main author must be an authority in the area or subject under review and must submit a list of their own publications which endorse their expertise in the field. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the authors will be required to submit the self-adherence form according to the PRISMA statement: (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).

– Scientific letters: It refers to those articles of clinical research with a small group of patients or preliminary results of basic research. You should add the front page with a maximum of six authors. Abstracts, sections or headings should not be included. A maximum of ten references, two tables or figures, maximum 1200 words are allowed. The structure should be as follows: Front page-Presentation of the case - Bibliography - Tables - Titles and / or feet of figures – Figures. In the case of scientific letters that report clinical cases, the authors will also be asked as an essential requirement to self-assess adherence to the CARE international quality guideline (www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/care/). 

– Letters to the editor: They are meant to expose: 1) positive or negative comments in response to a previous publication; 2) the concise communication of an investigation; or 3) a case report. It must have a maximum of 4 authors, a maximum length of 800 words, a title in Spanish and in English, 2 figures, no tables.

– Images in Cardiology: This is a section for showing images of interest in Cardiology. It may involve clinical aspects, cabinet studies, pathological anatomy or any other that is considered relevant for cardiologists. Two or three illustrations of excellent quality should be sent, accompanied by a brief description that highlights the importance of the image, in English and in Spanish (250 words max). If necessary, up to 3 bibliographical references can be included. Patients privacy must be strictly maintained.

For other types of studies, consult the guides in the EQUATOR initiative (http://www.equator-network.org/).

COPYRIGHTS

All submitted works must be accompanied by a letter signed by all the authors, stating that it has not been published previously, nor has it been sent simultaneously to another journal, and that there is no conflict of interest. In case of acceptance, the copyright will be transferred to the Archivos de Cardiología de México (English Edition). 

Authors are responsible for their opinions and statements.

Articles that do not meet the above-mentioned requirements will not be accepted.

EDITORIAL PROCESS

The editorial process consists of 6 stages:

1. Reception of the manuscript (indeterminate, depending on whether the author meets the requirements): its objective is to verify that the manuscript complies with the specifications of these instructions for authors and that the submitted documentation is complete.

2. Initial editorial review (maximum 5 business days): its objective is to corroborate the relevance, timeliness, originality, and scientific contribution of the manuscript, as well as the methodological and statistical soundness of the study. At this time, it will be submitted to an electronic plagiarism detection system. Derived from this, a rejected opinion may be obtained, or it will be sent for review by peer researchers.

3. Review by peer researchers (maximum 30 business days): the opinion of at least two experts in the area in question will be obtained, who will evaluate the technical and methodological aspects of the investigation.

4. Editorial review (maximum 7 business days): its objective is to make a decision based on the opinion of peer reviewers. The opinion can be rejected, major changes, minor changes or accepted. In the case of major or minor changes, it will be submitted again for evaluation by the initial peer reviewers.

5. Final edition (6 weeks): its objective is the technical and linguistic edition (and translation), layout of galleys, DOI assignment, and correction by the author.

6. Advanced publication: All manuscripts will be published ahead of print on the journal's website as soon as they complete the editing process, until they are incorporated into a final issue of the journal.

PRINT PROOFS (PDF) OF ACCEPTED ARTICLES 

The corresponding author will receive proofs of the article for revision and correction of terminology errors, or any other updates related to facts/figures. As the article will already have been edited according to the journal’s internal editorial guidelines, style corrections will not be accepted. The corresponding author will receive an email with the article in PDF format, on which they can leave their comments. Authors will need to have Adobe Reader (version 9, or a later version), downloadable for free). For other system requirements, please visit the Adobe website.

Alternatively, authors may list their corrections and submit them via email. Any major changes at this stage will be subject to the approval of the Editor. Authors should make sure to include all changes in a single email, as we cannot guarantee the inclusion of subsequent corrections.

The proof review is the responsibility of the author.

Relevant links

- Committee on Publication Ethics. Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Responsibilities in the Submission and Peer-Review Process