Preparing manuscript
All manuscript should be written in American English. The journal does not offer translation services. Manuscripts which are not adequately prepared will be returned to the authors. The journal accepts only original papers and all kinds of reviews (narrative review, systematic review, systematic review and meta-analysis, etc.). Apart from the abovementioned articles, the journal publishes commissioned content, i.e., editorial material; the submissions are allowed by invitation only.
Abstract
Abstract in English needs to be submitted with the manuscript.
Abstracts of original papers must consist of 5 separate parts introduced by separate subheadings in the following order: Background, Objectives, Material and methods, Results, Conclusions. Abstracts of original papers should contain from 200 to 300 words. All abbreviations used in the text should be explained in the article.
Abstracts of reviews are unstructured and should contain from 150 to 250 words. All abbreviations used in the text should be explained in the article.
Graphical abstract
Beginning with the 1/2023 issue, the journal Dental and Medical Problems requires also visual abstracts (also known as graphical abstracts) when submitting the paper. Such abstract is a single, concise, pictorial and visual summary of the main findings of the article. It should be a figure that is specially designed for the purpose, which captures the content of the article for readers at a single glance. Authors must provide an original image that clearly represents the work described in the paper. Graphical abstracts should be submitted as a separate file in the submission system as Figure 0. For ease of browsing, the graphical abstract should have a clear start and end, preferably "reading" from top to bottom or left to right. Try to reduce distracting and cluttering elements as much as possible. No additional text, outline or synopsis should be included. Any text or label must be part of the image file. Please do not use unnecessary white space or a heading “graphical abstract” within the image file. The text within the graphical abstract should be used sparingly. The graphical abstract for a paper should not include data items of any type; all the content should be in a graphical form.
Allowed data formats: for VECTOR graphics (charts, diagrams, etc.) – pdf, eps, ai, cdr (if the graphic was created using MS Office programs, source files of a given program are very helpful: doc, docx, ppt, pptx, xls, xlsx); for BITMAP graphics (photos, screenshots) – tif, jpg, png, bmp (min. 1200 pixels of the base in the drawing with the width of one column and 2400 for the width of two columns). The minimal resolution of tif, jpg and png files is 300 dpi. Regarding text within the graphical abstract, its size should be 12–16 points (smaller fonts will not be legible online).
The editorial office of Dental and Medical Problems does not offer graphical or DTP services – the authors have to provide graphical abstracts in a finished form. Neither one of the figures from the manuscript (e.g., a graph or diagram) nor a PRISMA diagram can simultaneously serve as a graphical abstract.
More on how to prepare visual abstract (with examples): https://www.elsevier.com/authors/tools-and-resources/visual-abstract
More on how to prepare graphical abstract, more examples and an online tool to prepare it: https://mindthegraph.com/blog/create-effective-graphical-abstract/
Key words
Abstract should be followed by 3–5 key words written in English, and recommended by the "Index Medicus Subject Headings": MeSH (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html).
Main text
Manuscripts should be submitted in the following formats: doc, docx, rtf. The total number of words in review papers should not exceed 6,000 words, and in original papers 5,000 words. The main text in original papers must consist of 5 separate parts in the following order: Introduction with objectives, Material and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions. References to literature, figures and tables should be placed in the order of their citation in the text. The Author(s) should not use italics, bold or underlined words in the texts. Please use only generic names of drugs. Laboratory values should be expressed using the International System of Units (SI). The Author(s) should provide short title that does not exceeds 45 characters and spaces. The Author(s) should disclose all financial and material support. The conclusions should not be presented as a list with bullet points.
Ethical considerations
Manuscripts must comply with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME). Manuscripts not conforming to the principles of the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki should not be accepted for publication.
Papers describing animal experiments can be accepted for publication only if the experiment conforms with the legal requirements binding in Poland as well as with the European Communities Council Directive 86/609/EEC as of November 24, 1986 or the National Research Council Committee for the Update of the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Authors must provide a full description of the anesthetics and surgical procedures applied in their experiment.
All manuscripts must follow the international standards of reporting research, available at https://www.equator-network.org/.
Binding reporting standards:
CONSORT – for clinical trials
(https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/consort/);
PRISMA 2020 – for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
(http://prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist.aspx);
SQUIRE – for formal, planned studies, designed to assess the nature and effectiveness of interventions meant to improve the quality and safety of healthcare
(www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/squire/);
STROBE – for observational studies in epidemiology
(https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/strobe/);
ARRIVE – for in vivo animal research
(www.nc3rs.org.uk/arrive-guidelines);
MOOSE – for meta-analyses of observational studies
(www.elsevier.com/__data/promis_misc/ISSM_MOOSE_Checklist.pdf);
STARD – for diagnostic accuracy studies
(https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/);
STREGA – for gene–disease association studies
(www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/strobe-strega/);
SRQR – for qualitative research
Statistical analysis guidelines
References
It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure the accuracy of all references according to AMA citation style. References should be limited only to the most recent positions and directly connected to the presented topic. References should be identified by Arabic numerals in superscript and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the manuscript. Abbreviations for journal names should be cited according to Index Medicus. If a journal is not listed in Index Medicus, its full name should be given. If the cited work is available online, the DOI numer should be given, and in the case of lack thereof - URL with access date.
The total number of references:
- original paper – 75
- review paper – 200
Declarations
All manuscripts must contain the following sections under the heading 'Declarations':
- Trial registration (for observational studies and randomized controlled trials);
- Ethics approval (from the institutional Research Ethics Committee) and consent to participate;
- Data availability;
- Consent for publication.
If any of the sections are not relevant to your manuscript, please include the heading and write 'Not applicable' for that section.
IMPORTANT!
Authors' data (names, affiliations, contributions), information about competing interests and funding sources as well as acknowledgements should be provided ONLY via the Editorial System. They must be removed from the manuscript body to ensure blind peer-review.
Acknowledgments should list people who have considerably contributed to the paper preparation (e.g., helped with the acquisition of data, made corrections or linguistic edits, etc.). If there are no acknowledgements, Authors should state that none are declared.
All Authors are required to disclose information about the sources of funding of their manuscript as well as about the contribution of research institutions, associations and other entities ('Funding sources'). If there are no funding sources, Authors should state that none are declared.
All Authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work ('Conflict of interest'). Examples of financial conflicts include:
- employment;
- consultancies;
- stock ownership;
- honoraria;
- paid expert testimony;
- patents or patent applications;
- travel grants.
If there is no conflict of interest, Authors should state that none exists.
Tables
Tables should be placed in separate files. References to Tables should be written in Arabic numerals and placed according to the sequence of citing them in the manuscript. Allowed formats: xls, xlsx, doc, docx.
Figures
Figures should be placed in separate files. References to Figures should be written in Arabic numerals and placed according to the sequence of citing them in the manuscript. Allowed formats: tiff, cdr, eps, jpg, png (minimum resolution 300 dpi). Descriptions of Figures should be placed in the main text.
Authorship
The authorship should be based on the following criteria:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
- Final approval of the version to be published.
Authors should meet all three (3) above criteria. If a large, multi-center group conducted the research, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. The Author submitting a multi-author manuscript should establish the order of authorship, provide all individual authors of the particular group, as well as provide the group's name. All those designated as authors should meet all criteria for authorship, and all who meet the criteria should be identified as authors. The contribution of each Author must be documented to the extent to take the public responsibility for appropriate portions, the content and the conflict of interests. Authors who do not meet all three criteria of authorship should be acknowledged (prior to their written consent).
All Authors who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors and their authorship should be disclosed in accordance with the following list: A – research concept and design; B – collection and/or assembly of data; C – data analysis and interpretation; D – writing the article; E – critical revision of the article; F – final approval of article.
Changes to authorship following the online publication of the manuscript are not permitted.
Definitions of editorial material
Editorial – an article that expresses the Editors’ and the Editorial Board Members’ opinions on a subject of particular interest at the present time.
Perspective – an article that is meant to provide a forum for Authors to discuss new ideas and experimental approaches from a personal viewpoint; it may contain opinions, yet it should remain balanced.
Comment – an article that is written in an accessible style and is of immediate interest to a broad readership; it should focus on policy, science and society or purely scientific issues.
Research Highlights – usually commissioned from recognized experts in a particular field; they intend to highlight one or more exciting, recently published research articles or clinical trials and to place the new findings into the context of the current literature.
Formatting guidelines for editorial material:
- a title of up to 15 words;
- up to 3 Authors (for editorials, the number is limited to 2);
- the competing (financial and non-financial) interests statement required;
- Authors’ affiliations and contributions required;
- received/reviewed/accepted/published dates included;
- no abstract; instead, a one-sentence highlight allowed as a kind of summary or the main conclusion;
- the main text of up to 1000 words;
- the number of references not exceeding 15;
- 1 display item allowed (table/figure/photo) – not required, though encouraged;
- display item legends limited to 1 sentence and the list of abbreviations used, if applicable;
- all articles checked with an anti-plagiarism program;
- all articles subjected to 1 peer review.
ORCID
Authors submitting their manuscripts to Wroclaw University Press journals are obliged to use a unique ORCID number (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). It is a popular digital tool allowing the identification of the Author and their research work in scientific communication. You can register for an ORCID number for free at: https://orcid.org/.