ISSN 0021-7557 printed version
ISSN 1678-4782 online version

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

• Submissions of Files
• Scope and policy
• Manuscript submission
• What to send on e-mail
• Guidelines for manuscript preparation

Articles prepared for submission should be saved in a single Microsoft Word document file, containing all sections described below (title page, abstract, main text, acknowledgements, references, tables, figures, and figure legends), which should be uploaded exclusively to the ScholarOne Manuscripts Publication System, available at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jpediatr.

Important notice: The submission web site is entirely written in English, but all text boxes can be filled with text in either English or Portuguese. This applies to all text boxes, including "Comments to the editor", "Competing interests", "Title"

General information

Updated July 2010

Jornal de Pediatria is the official publication of The Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP). It has been continuously published by the SBP since 1934. Currently, the printed version of Jornal de Pediatria is distributed to almost 20,000 health professionals and institutions in Brazil and Latin America. An online, full-text version of Jornal de Pediatria is available from http://www.jped.com.br in both Portuguese and English. Access to the website is free of charge. Jornal de Pediatria is indexed in the following databases: Index Medicus/MEDLINE ( http://www.pubmed.gov ), SciELO (http://www.scielo.org), LILACS (http://www.bireme.br/abd/P/lilacs.htm), EMBASE/Excerpta Medica (http://www.embase.com), Sociedad Iberoamericana de Información Científica (SIIC) Data Bases (http://www.siicsalud.com), Medical Research Index (http://www.purplehealth.com/medical-research-index.htm) and University Microfilms International.

Jornal de Pediatria publishes articles in the field of clinical investigation. Exceptionally, basic research articles are also accepted.

Papers can be submitted in either Portuguese or English. Authors are advised to use the language with which they feel most comfortable and confident that they will communicate more clearly. If a certain paper has been originally written in Portuguese, the authors should not submit an English version, unless it is a professional quality translation. Articles are published in English in the print version, and in English and Portuguese in the website (html and pdf). American spelling is used.

Important notice: The official language of publication of Jornal de Pediatria is English, and so is the language of its entire submission web site.

Peer review

All materials published by Jornal de Pediatria undergo peer review. Each manuscript is sent to the editors, who make sure that minimum standards and format requirements are met. The manuscript is then sent to two expert reviewers who are not members of the editorial staff. The reviewers are never from the same institution as the authors. Based on the comments of these two reviewers, the Editorial Board decides whether the manuscript should be published as is, rejected or returned to the authors for amendment. A manuscript may be returned to its authors several times for clarification and improvement. Each revised version is analyzed by the Board, which makes the final decision

Types of articles

Jornal de Pediatria accepts submissions of original articles, brief communications, special articles, and letters to the editor.

Editorials and comments,which usually make reference to selected articles, are solicited from experts in the field. The Editorial Board may consider the publication of unsolicited comments.

Original articles include reports on controlled and randomized studies, screening and diagnostic studies, and other descriptive and intervention studies, as well as reports on basic research carried out with laboratory animals. Manuscripts in this category should not exceed 3,000 words, 30 references and four tables and figures.

Clinical trials should be registered in one of the Clinical Trial Registries recommended by the World Health Organization and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. In the absence of a Latin American registry, Jornal de Pediatria suggests the National Institutes of Health’s registry, available at www.clinicaltrials.gov . The clinical trial identification number should appear at the end of the abstract.

Brief communications are short papers with a maximum of 1,500 words (not including references and tables) describing observations that are insufficient for a full-fledged original article. Exceptionally, case reports describing unusual events involving patient management, rare and new diseases, and innovative approaches to diagnosis and treatment will be considered for publication as a short communication. Depending on the topic, the text should be organized as an original article (see above) or as a case report: start with a brief introduction to contextualize the reader concerning the importance of the subject and present the objectives of the case report. A short description of the case(s) presented should be included, with comments about relevant aspects, which will be compared against information available in the literature. A maximum of 15 references and two figures or tables may be included. The abstract should be structured according to the type of article (see Guidelines for manuscript preparation).

Letters to the editor usually express an opinion, discuss or criticize articles previously published in Jornal de Pediatria. Letters should not exceed 1,000 words and six references. Whenever possible, a response from the authors of the article to which the letter refers will be published along with the letter.

Review articles are systematic, critical assessments of the literature concerning topics of clinical relevance, with emphasis on aspects such as cause and prevention of diseases, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Usually, professionals of recognized expertise are invited to write review articles. Meta-analyses are included in this category. Jornal de Pediatria will also consider unsolicited review articles. For that, authors must submit an outline to the Editorial Board before submitting the manuscript.Review articles should not exceed 6,000 words, not including references and tables. A minimum of 30 up-to-date references should be cited.

Special articles do not fall under any of the categories above. They are considered to have special relevance and will be reviewed following special criteria. Special articles are not limited in terms of length or number of references.

Manuscripts must be submitted via e-mail. If the resolution of figures and photographs is not adequate for printing, original or high-resolution copies may be requested.

We recommend that authors keep a copy of the materials submitted, since they will not be returned to the authors.

1. Send to: jped@jped.com.br

2. Subject: Article's short title

3. Body of message: must contain the manuscript title and the name of the author in charge of pre-publication contacts, accompanied by a statement saying that:

a) the manuscript is original;
b) the manuscript has never been published, and will not be published in any other journal in case it is accepted for publication in the Jornal de Pediatria;
c) the manuscript is not under consideration by any other journal and will not be submitted to other journals while under consideration by the Jornal de Pediatria;
d) all authors have participated in the conception of the study, in the analysis and interpretation of data, and in the elaboration or critical review of the work;
e) all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript;
f) the authors have disclosed all information concerning relationships or financial involvement with organizations or individuals that might lead to a conflict of interest;
g) all individuals contributing to the study, but who do not fulfill authorship criteria, were cited in the acknowledgement section after having signed a consent form;
h) the authors understand that copyright will be transferred to The Brazilian Society of Pediatrics if the article is published. (If the article is accepted for publication, a copyright transfer form signed by all authors will be requested.) (If the article is accepted for publication, a copyright transfer form signed by all authors will be requested.)

4. Attached files: attach two separate files containing, respectively:

(a) cover letter, abstract in English (or Portuguese, matching the language of submission), key-words, main text, and references; and
(b) tables, figures and graphs. These files should be compatible with Microsoft Office^® (Word, Excel and Access).

The manuscript - including tables, figures, and references - should be in accordance with the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals," published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org).

Each section should start on a new page in the following order: title page, abstract, main text, acknowledgements, references, tables (print or insert each table, with title and footnotes, on a separate page), figures (print or insert each graph, with title and footnotes, on a separate page), and figure legends.

The main recommendations for each section are as follows:

Title page
The title page should contain all the following information:

a) concise and informative title. Avoid unnecessary terms and abbreviations; also avoid reference to the site and/or city where the work was carried out.
b) short title of not more than 50 characters including spaces to appear on the cover and headers;
c) authors’ names (first and last names and middle initials);
d) authors’ highest academic degree;
e) e-mail address of all authors;
f) if available, URL to electronic curriculum vitae; Brazilian authors are advised to inform the URL to “Currículo Lattes”;
g) the specific contribution of each author to the study;
h) statement of conflicts of interest (write "nothing to declare" or clearly disclose any financial or other interests which could cause embarrassment if revealed after the publication of the article);
i) institution or service with which the work is associated for indexing in Index Medicus/MEDLINE;
j) name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail of corresponding author;
k) name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail of author in charge of pre-publication contacts;
l) funding sources, or name of institutions or companies providing equipment and materials, if applicable;
m) word count of the main text not including abstract, acknowledgements, references, tables and legends to figures;
n) abstract word count;
o) number of tables and figures.

Abstract
The abstract should have no more than 250 words or 1,400 characters, and abbreviations should be avoided. The abstract of brief communications should not exceed 150 words. Don't write on the abstract words that could indentify the institution or city where the study is performed to facilitate the blind review. All information in the abstract must accurately reflect the content of the article.

The abstract should be structured as described below:

Abstract for original articles
Objective: State why the study was initiated and any initial hypotheses. Precisely define the main purpose of the study; only the most relevant secondary objectives should be listed.

Method: Describe the study design (if appropriate, state whether the study is randomized, blinded, prospective, etc.), setting (if appropriate, describe the level of care, i.e., primary, secondary or tertiary, private clinic or public institution, etc.), patients or participants (selection criteria, number of cases at the beginning and at the end of the study, etc.), interventions (include essential information, such as methods and duration of the study), and criteria used to measure the outcomes.

Results: Describe the most important findings, confidence intervals, and statistical significance of the findings.

Conclusions: Only describe conclusions that reflect the purpose of the study and that are supported by your findings. Discuss possible applications of the findings, with equal emphasis on positive and negative findings that have similar scientific merit.

Abstract for review articles
Objective: Explain why the review was performed, stating whether it focuses on a special factor, such as disease etiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment or prognosis.

Sources: Describe all sources of information, defining databases and years researched. Briefly state the criteria used to select articles for review and to assess the quality of information.

Summary of the findings: State the main quantitative or qualitative findings.

Conclusions: State your conclusions and their clinical application, keeping generalizations within the scope of the subject under review.

Abstract for brief communications
For experimental observations, follow the model described for original articles.
For case reports, used the format described below:

Objective: State why the report deserves publication, with emphasis on matters of rarity, uniqueness, or innovation in terms of diagnosis and treatment.

Description: Briefly describe basic facts concerning the case(s), with emphasis on uniqueness and innovation.

Comments: Conclusions about the importance of the report for the pediatric community and perspectives for practical application of the innovative approaches.

Below the abstract, include three to six keywords that will be useful for indexing purposes. Please use Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html. Whenever adequate descriptors are not available you may use new terms.
Abbreviations should be avoided and are not accepted in titles or in the abstract. If used, abbreviations should be defined the first time they appear in the text.

Text

The main text in original articles should contain the following sections, indicated by a subtitle:

a) Introduction: Make it brief, including only references that are strictly relevant to underscore the importance of the topic and to justify the study. At the end of the introduction, research objectives must be clearly stated.

b) Methods: This section should describe the study population, the sample being analyzed, and the selection criteria; it should also clearly define the variables under study, and describe in detail the statistical methods employed (including appropriate references about statistical methods and software). Procedures, products, and equipment should be described in sufficient detail so as to allow reproduction of the study. A statement concerning approval by the research ethics committee (or equivalent) of the institution in which the work was carried out must be included.

c) Results: Study results should be presented in a clear, objective manner, following a logical sequence. Information contained in tables or figures should not be repeated in the text. Use figures rather than tables to present extensive data.

d) Discussion: Results should be interpreted and compared with previously published data, emphasizing new and important aspects of the present study. Discuss the implications of the findings and the limitations of the study, as well as the need for additional research. Conclusions should be presented at the end of the Discussion section, taking into consideration the purpose of the work. Relate the conclusions to the initial study objectives, avoiding statements that are not supported by the findings and giving similar emphasis to positive and negative findings that have similar scientific relevance. If relevant, include recommendations for further research.

The sections in review articles may vary depending on the topic. We suggest that authors include a brief introduction, in which they explain (from the perspective of the medical literature) the importance of the review for the practice of pediatrics. It is not necessary to describe how data were selected and collected. The conclusions section should correlate the main ideas in the review to possible clinical applications, keeping generalizations within the scope of the subject under review.
The main text in case reports should contain the following sections, indicated by a subtitle:

a) Introduction: Briefly describe what is known about the disease and the standard diagnostic and therapeutic approaches through a short and up-to-date review of the literature.

b) Report of case(s): Describe the case in sufficient detail so as to allow readers to understand the evolution of the case and other factors that might have influenced the event being described. If more than one case is presented, we suggest that authors summarize the information in a table for clarity and space reasons. Do not include more than two figures.

c) Discussion: Correlate the case(s) to others that have been previously reported; state the importance of the report for the pediatric community, as well as the perspectives for application of the innovative approaches.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements should be brief and objective; only individuals or institutions that contributed significantly to the study, but are not qualified for authorship, should be mentioned. Individuals cited in this section must agree in writing to the inclusion of their names, since readers may infer their endorsement of the conclusions of the study.

References
References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text, identified by superscript numbers. Do not use automatic numbering, footnotes or end notes for references.

References should follow the Vancouver style, also known as the Uniform Requirements style, which is based largely on an American National Standards Institute style adapted by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) for its databases. Authors should consult Citing Medicine, The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=citmed) for information on the recommended formats for a variety of reference types. Authors may also consult sample references (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html), a list of examples extracted from or based on Citing Medicine for easy general use; th es e sample references are maintained by NLM.
Unpublished articles that have been accepted for publication may be included as references if the name of the journal is included followed by "in press."
Unpublished observations and personal communications should not be cited as references; if this information is essential for the understanding of the article, it may be cited within the text, followed by the observations in parentheses "unpublished observation" or "personal communication.”
Titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the Index Medicus; for a comprehensive list of journal title abbreviations, see the List of Serials Indexed for Online Users, available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lsiou.html. For more detailed information, refer to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, available at http://www.icmje.org/.

Tables
Each table should be typed on a separate sheet of paper, numbered consecutively in the order in which it appears in the text. Tables should have a brief but comprehensive title. All explanatory notes should be presented as footnotes indicated by the following symbols, in the following sequence: *,†, ‡, §, ||,¶,**,††,‡‡. Do not underline or separate lines with borders. Do not use the space bar to create columns. Do not leave a space before or after the symbol ±.
Figures (photographs, drawings, graphs, etc.)
All figures should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they have been first cited in the text. All explanatory notes should be included in the figure legend. Reproduction of previously published figures should be indicated in the legend, and must be accompanied on submission by a permission letter from the copyright holder. Photographs should not allow identification of patients; please note that masking the eye region may not be sufficient to protect the patient's anonymity. If any photographs allow a patient to be identified, a written permission to use the photograph must be provided. Photomicrographs should present internal scales and arrows that contrast with the background.

Jornal de Pediatria publishes color illustrations online. However, all figures will be converted into black & white format for publication in print. If the authors consider that color is essential, they should contact the editors. Computer-generated images, such as graphs, should be attached as .jpg, .gif, or .tif files, with a resolution of at least 300 dpi, to enable good-quality reproduction. This resolution will be adjusted to 72 dpi for online publication. Do not submit three-dimensional graphs. If the resolution of scanned drawings, photographs, or illustrations is not adequate for printing, submit your manuscript via regular mail with two copies of the original illustrations (professionally drawn or printed with a resolution of 300 dpi or higher). In this case, affix a label to the back of the figure, indicating figure number, first author's name, and top of the figure (with an arrow).

Figure legends

Legends should be included on a separate page, identified by figure number.
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. All authors fully agree with the Copyright Notice.
2. The submission file is saved as a Microsoft Word document.
3. The title page contains all required information, as specified in the Author Guidelines.
4. An abstract with keywords in the language of submission (English or Portuguese) is provided, following the title page.
5. The text is double-spaced throughout, uses a 12-point font, and uses italics rather than underlining for emphasis (except with URL addresses). All tables, figures, and figure legends are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text, and they are placed each on a separate page, after the references, at the end of the file.
6. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
7. References are presented in the so-called Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text.
8. Information concerning approval of the study by a research ethics committee is clearly stated within the main text, in the methods section.
9. All URL addresses in the text (e.g., http://www.sbp.com.br) are activated and ready to click.
10. When submitting a manuscript to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the names and affiliations of the authors should be removed from the main file. In references and footnotes, the names of authors, titles of papers and other information should be replaced with simply "Author," so as to ensure a blind review process.