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E-ISSN 2183-9417

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

 

Scope and policy

    Nascer e Crescer – Birth and Growth Medical Journal is a peer-reviewed scientific journal edited by the Department of Education, Training and Research of Centro Hospitalar Universitário do Porto (DEFI/CHUPorto). Published quarterly since 1992, it is indexed in SciELO and referenced in several scientific databases. Its main goal is to disseminate and develop scientific knowledge, promoting research in Maternal-Fetal, Neonatal, and Pediatric Health. Nascer e Crescer – Birth and Growth Medical Journal publishes material in the form of editorials, original articles, review articles, clinical cases, imaging cases, letters to the editor, and current perspectives. The journal follows an open access policy and makes its articles fully available at https://revistas.rcaap.pt/nascercrescer, under the Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC 4.0). The journal charges no fees to authors or readers. The management of scientific content is the sole responsibility of the editorial staff.

 

Form and preparation of manuscripts

    AUTHORSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITY CRITERIA

    Nascer e Crescer – Birth and Growth Medical Journal subscribes to the guidelines for submitting manuscripts to biomedical journals issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
    Designated authors or coauthors should meet all four criteria for authorship in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" of ICMJE:

    1. Substantial contribution to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
    2. drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
    3. final approval of the version to be published;
    4. agreement in taking responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the work.

    The cover letter should specify the contribution of each author to the manuscript.
    Everyone who has contributed to the manuscript but does not fully meet authorship criteria should be referred to in the “Acknowledgements” section.

     

    Ethics in publishing
    Authors must ensure that the study originating the manuscript has complied with the ethical principles for human dignity and applicable legislation and rules, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
    When applicable, authors should mention that informed consent was obtained from study participants and that the study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of participating institutions.
    A conflict of interest and funding statement is mandatory.

     

    PUBLICATION GUIDELINES

    SUBMISSION

    Manuscripts should be submitted via the online submission website at https://revistas.rcaap.pt/nascercrescer.
    Manuscripts should be submitted in a current Microsoft Word version, together with a cover letter and authorship and conflict of interest statements.

    Manuscripts should be written in English language and have the following structure: 1 – Title in English and Portuguese; 2 – Authors; 3 – Abstract and keywords in English and Portuguese; 4 – Main text; 5 – References; 6 – Figures; 7 – Tables; 8 – Legends; 9 – Acknowledgements and clarifications.
    Pages should be consecutively numbered in the same order as the previous structure.

     

    First page

    1. Clear and concise title, in English and Portuguese, without the identification of the institution where the study took place;
    2. author names (first and last or clinical name) followed by their affiliations (Unit, Department, Institution), email, and ORCID ID;
    3. identification of the Corresponding Author, with postal address, email, and telephone number.

     

    Second page

    1. Abstract in Portuguese and English, avoiding the use of abbreviations.
    2. Abstracts should be organized and formatted according to the considered type of article.
    3. Immediately after the abstract, keywords in English and Portuguese should be provided in alphabetical order, which will be used for indexing purposes. Keywords should be in accordance with the recommended nomenclature in Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

     

    TEXT

    Editorials
    Editorials are to be submitted upon invitation by the Editor or Editorial Board and generally concern comments on currently relevant topics. Editorials should not exceed 1200 words and have a maximum of two figures or tables and 15 references. Abstract is not required.

    Original Articles
    Full articles should be divided into Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. Articles should be no longer than 5000 words and have a maximum of eight tables or figures and 40 references. The abstract should follow the same structure as the main text and be no longer than 250 words. A maximum of seven keywords should be used.

    Review Articles
    Review articles should be divided into Introduction, Objectives, Main Text, and Conclusions and not exceed 5000 words, five tables or figures, and 80 references. The abstract should not exceed 250 words and be structured according to the main text. A maximum of seven keywords should be used.

    Clinical Cases
    This type of article reports one or several clinical cases which, due to their rarity, therapeutic innovation, or other feature, are relevant to the scientific community. Clinical cases should be exemplary, properly studied and discussed, and include a brief introduction, the description of the case(s), and a concise discussion including a brief conclusion. The text must not exceed 2500 words and 15 references. The abstract should have a maximum of 150 words and have the same structure as the main text. A maximum of seven keywords is allowed.

    Imaging Cases
    This type of article is appropriate for clinical cases in which image proves crucial for the diagnosis. Images can be related to the clinical observation or complementary exams of the patient. The text should be no longer than 2000 words and start with a description of the case followed by the question: What is your Diagnosis? This should be followed by the diagnosis, patient’s management, and a brief discussion. A maximum of 10 references can be used. The abstract and keywords (a maximum of five) should be at the end of the text.

    Letters to the Editor
    Letters to the Editor consist of comments regarding articles previously published in NASCER E CRESCER or short notes regarding a specific subject or clinical case. They should not exceed 500 words and five references and may include one figure or table. In the case of comments to articles previously published in the journal, these should refer to articles published over the last semester and the authors of the article will be invited to reply. Both the letter and the authors’ reply will be published in the same journal issue.

    Current Perspectives
    Perspectives are commissioned by the Editorial Board and address current topics of interest within the scope of the journal. They should not exceed 1200 words and ten references and may include one figure or table. Authors who wish to submit this type of article should send a summary to the Editor-in-Chief, indicating the authors and affiliations and the title, for assessment of the relevance of the work.

     

    General Guidelines

    • Abbreviations used should be adequately specified. When required, they should be defined when first mentioned in the text. If more than six abbreviations are used, an explanatory table with all abbreviations should be included. Abbreviations should not be used in the title.
    • Measurements should be expressed in international units (SI units, The SI for the Health Professions, WHO, 1977), using the respective abbreviations adopted in Portugal.
    • Numbers one to ten should be written out in words unless used as units of measurement or have decimals. Numbers greater than nine should be written in Arabic numerals unless they are at the beginning of a sentence.
    • Results should not be duplicated in the text and in tables/figures; only the main results should be mentioned in the text.

     

    REFERENCES

    • References should be numerically cited in the order they appear in the text using Arabic numerals in superscript (ex.:4).
    • Consecutive references are given as a range with an en rule, indicating only the first and the last (ex.:4-7). When non-consecutive­­, all references should be indicated, separated by a comma (ex.:4,7,9).
    • All references should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscript Submitted to Biomedical Journals (www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html), and journal names should follow the Index Medicus Authors may refer to the NLM’s Citing Medicine webpage for formatting recommendations regarding different reference types.

    Examples:

    1. Medical journal: list the six first authors followed by et al. (in italic) in the case of six or more authors, followed by article title, journal name, publication year, volume, number, and pages. : Haque KN, Zaidi MH, Haque SK, Bahakim H, el-Hazmi M, el-Swailam M, et al. Intravenous Immunoglobulin for prevention of sepsis in preterm and low birth weight infants. Pediatr Infect Dis 1986; 5(6): 622-65. https://doi: 10.1097/00006454-198611000-00004.
    2. Book chapter: author(s), chapter title, name(s) of the Editor(s), book title, edition number, city and name of the publisher, publication year, first and last page number of the chapter. Ex.: Phillips SJ, Whisnant Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-78.
    3. Book: author(s), book title, edition number, city and name of the publisher, publication year, and page numbers. Ex.: Jenkins PF. Making sense of the chest x-ray: a hands-on 2nd. London: Taylor & Francis; 2013. p. 120.
    4. Electronic reference: journal article in electronic format. Ex.: Jeha G, Kirkland Etiology of hypocalcemia in infants and children. January, 2010. (Assessed May 8, 2013). Available at: http://www.uptodate.com.

     

    FIGURES AND TABLES

    • Figures and tables should be submitted on an individual page, in high-quality digital format, with an accompanying explanatory title and legend whenever necessary.
    • Tables and figures should be consecutively numbered with Arabic numerals in the order they appear in the text.
    • All abbreviations and symbols should have an accompanying legend.
    • If the figure or table is an integral or modified copy from another publication, the original source and authorization for use should be mentioned when appropriate.
    • Clinical pictures and complementary exams of patients should be anonymized to prevent their identification and accompanied by the respective consent for publication, signed by the patient or a legal representative.
    • The total number of figures and tables should not exceed what is stipulated for each article type.

     

    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS AND DECLARATIONS

    Acknowledgments and the declarations of conflict of interest and funding source should be mentioned on the last page of the article.

     

    REVISION PROCESS

    Every manuscript undergoes a double-blind peer-review process, after which the Editor may:

    1. accept it without changes;
    2. accept it after changes suggested by reviewers;
    3. reject it.

    If the paper is accepted with changes, these should be made by the authors within thirty days and highlighted in the manuscript with shading and notes where necessary. The new version with changes will be again revised by the reviewers for final approval.

     

    PROOFS
    After acceptance of an article, proofs will be sent to the authors in electronic format for revision, with indication of the revision deadline according to the editorial requirements of NASCER E CRESCER. Failure to comply with the proposed deadline exonerates NASCER E CRESCER from accepting the revised version, and the version sent is assumed to be final.

     

    INFORMATION AND CLAIMS
    For inquiries or claims regarding the editorial process or final decision regarding your article, please contact NASCER E CRESCER secretariat via email: nascerecrescer@chporto.min-saude.pt or phone: +351 915 676 516.

     

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