The Hansen’s disease throughout its history, has always been an academic, scientific and humanitarian concern for health professionals; in a way that a group of young doctors dedicated to preventing leprosy motivated the São Paulo Society of Leprology to publish the São Paulo Leprology Journal, in 1933. Over the years, this journal expanded its scope of knowledge and, in 1936, became the Brazilian Journal of Leprology, remaining in activity until 1970.

In 1975, the renowned leprologist Dr. Abraão Rotberg, who pioneered the use of the term ‘Hansen’s disease’ instead of ‘leprosy’ (Note: This occurred specifically in Brazil, where the term ‘leprosy’ was viewed negatively), proposed to the Secretariat of Health of São Paulo the creation of a new journal to continue the legacy of the Brazilian Journal of Leprolog. Under the curation of the Health Institute, the first issue of Hansenologia Internationalis was published in 1976.

In 1989, Dr. Diltor V. A. Opromolla announced in the editorial of issue 14(1):1 that the journal's editorial responsibility would be transferred to the Lauro de Souza Lima Hospital, nowadays Lauro de Souza Lima Institute, a reference center for Hansen’s disease for the Ministry of Health and PAHO/WHO.

From 2005, Hansenologia Internationalis (HI) publishing supplements containing abstracts from congresses and symposiums organized by the  Brazilian Society of Hansenology

The journal was printed and distributed free of charge until 2008. Starting in 2009, following trends in knowledge production and dissemination in an accessible, democratic, and socially inclusive manner, it began being made available exclusively in an online format with open access. This change enabled the delivery of high-quality information to a broader audience, increasing the visibility of research findings.

Within the framework of this technological development, the Portal of Scientific Journals of the São Paulo State Secretariat of Health (SES-SP) was created in 2021. From that point onward, the journal adopted the Open Journal System (OJS), an open-source journal management and publishing system widely accepted by the Brazilian scientific editing community.

The integration of Hansenologia Internationalis into the SES-SP Portal also enabled a restructuring of the editorial workflow, transitioning from biannual publication to a continuous publishing model. It also facilitated the update of the Editorial Team, new registrations and the revision of information in indexing services and directories, modernization of the journal's editorial policies and guidelines, and a new layout for the publication.

The enhancement and strengthening of Hansenologia Internationalis as a technical-scientific publication would not have been possible without the contributions of renowned national and international researchers and ad hoc reviewers. Thus, with the efforts of its contributors, Hansenologia Internationalis historically ensures its important legacy in the dissemination of studies in the field of hansenology, both in Brazil and worldwide, greatly contributing to the development of research in this area.

Currently, HI Journal is the only ongoing Brazilian and Latin American publication focused primarily on leprosy. It is also one of the few scientific journals of its kind in the world with regular circulation, providing all issues in full, online, and free of charge.

The journal's primary mission is to publish and disseminate scientific knowledge in leprosy. In particular, it aims to advance scientific research, improve healthcare practices, and strengthen policies to control and eliminate the disease.

Open Access is the condition where the copyright holder of a scholarly work grants usage rights to others using an open license (Creative Commons Attribution - CC-BY) allowing for immediate free access to the work and permitting any user to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose."

This journal follows the Open Access model, allowing unrestricted online access (including no financial restrictions) to all scientific texts published by the journal. The adoption of this model, together with the waiver of all fees—whether for submission, processing, or publication—earns HI the "Diamond Journal" designation, awarded by the Miguilin directory of the Brazilian Institute of Science and Technology (IBICT).  

This journal follows the model Diamond Open Access.

In accordance with Open Science, Hansenologia Internationalis seeks to contribute to the development of participatory, transparent, and shared scientific knowledge, promoting greater democratization of knowledge so that the results of scientific research are accessible to society as a whole.

To this end, the journal’s editorial policy incorporates practices aligned with the principles of Open Science, such as open access, the use of preprints, the encouragement of research data sharing, and the possibility of implementing open peer review. To that end, please find below the Open Science Compliance Form.

In addition to these initiatives, the journal upholds standards of ethical conduct and best practices for authors, reviewers, and editors. It describes each author’s contributions, thereby promoting greater transparency in the attribution of authorship for published articles.

HI also values and recognizes editorial and peer-review activities. To this end, it gives due credit to the editors responsible for conducting the editorial process for published articles. Reviewers are provided with statements regarding the reviews they have issued; furthermore, authors have the option to validate their contributions through the Reviewer Credit platform. Additionally, in each issue, the journal publishes a list of the reviewers who contributed to the editorial process during that period, reinforcing its commitment to transparency, recognition of reviewers’ work, and valuing of the scientific community.

Committed to publication ethics and quality, the Hansenologia Internationalis journal upholds standards of ethical behavior and good practices for all parties involved: author(s), journal editor(s), reviewers, and the Publisher (the institution responsible for publication). The journal is dedicated to taking the necessary measures to uphold these principles and guides its editors, reviewers, and authors to base their conduct on the international principles of editorial conduct and practice established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), while also adhering to the guidelines and recommendations regarding integrity and ethical misconduct published by Scopus, a division of Elsevier. Thus, it is understood as:

Duties of Editors:

• Publication Decision: The journal editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published. The editor is guided by the journal’s editorial board policies and must strictly observe legal requirements concerning defamation, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The editor may consult the editorial board or collaborators when making decisions.

• Fair Practices: the editor must evaluate manuscripts based on their intellectual content, without discrimination regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, nationality, or political philosophy of the authors.

• Confidentiality: the editor and any editorial team members must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential collaborators, other editorial advisors, or the publisher, as appropriate.

• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: the editor must not use unpublished information for their own research without the express written consent of the author(s). The editor should refrain from evaluating manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest resulting from competitive or collaborative relationships, or any other connections with the authors, companies, or institutions associated with the articles.

• Participation and Cooperation in Investigations: the editor must take reasonable responsive measures when ethical complaints are raised regarding a submitted manuscript or published article.

Duties of Reviewers:

• Contribution to Editorial Decisions: peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and, through editorial communication with the author(s), may also help improve the article.

• Timeliness: any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to evaluate the research reported in a manuscript or knows that immediate review will be impossible should notify the editor and excuse themselves from the review process.

• Confidentiality: all manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others.

• Standards of Objectivity: reviews should be conducted objectively, and reviewers should express their opinions clearly, supported by arguments.

• Acknowledgment of Sources: peer reviewers should identify relevant published works not cited by the authors. Reviewers must also bring to the editor's attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and any other published document of which they have personal knowledge.

• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest arising from competitive or collaborative relationships, or any other type of relationship or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions associated with the articles.

Duties of Authors:

• Reporting Standards: authors of original research reports must provide an accurate account of the work performed, along with an objective analysis of its significance. Underlying data should be presented accurately in the article. A manuscript must include sufficient detail and references to allow others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

• Originality and Plagiarism: authors must ensure that their work is entirely original. If the authors have used the work and/or words of others, they must have been appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable. Refer to the policy on Plagiarism Prevention and Use of Artificial Intelligence.

• Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publications: an author should not, in general, publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal or primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal simultaneously and/or publishing the same article in different journals constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

• Acknowledgment of Sources: proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in shaping the nature of the work reported. Information obtained privately, such as through conversations, correspondence, or discussions with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained during confidential services, such as manuscript review or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit, written authorization of the authors of the work involved in such services.

• Authorship of the Article: authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study reported. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as coauthors. Others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project should also be acknowledged or listed as contributors. The author should ensure that all appropriate coauthors and no inappropriate ones are included in the article and that all coauthors have seen and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission for publication.

• Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: all authors must disclose in their manuscripts any financial or substantive/material conflicts of interest that might influence the results or interpretations presented. All sources of financial support for the project must also be disclosed.

• Fundamental Errors in Published Works: when an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their published work, it is their obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with the editor to retract or correct the article. Refer to the policy on Errata and Retraction.

Duties of the Publisher:

• HI Journal is committed to ensuring that the obtaining of funding or other commercial revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

• The journal ensures that all articles are peer-reviewed to maintain the quality of scientific publications. Additionally, it utilizes the Similarity Check tool to identify plagiarism and assess content similarity.

(*) This Ethics Policy is based on recommendations by Elsevier and COPE — Committee on Publication Ethics — Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors.

Ethics in research involving humans and the use of animals

The publication of articles presenting research results involving humans is conditional on compliance with the ethical principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association. Additionally, researchers must comply with the specific legislation of the country where the research was conducted, regarding human and/or animal subjects.  In Brazil, this includes the regulations set by the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP) and the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA). Research carried out in Brazil must respect the legal precepts of Law No. 14.874, of May 28, 2024, which regulates research with human beings and establishes the National System of Ethics in Research with Human Beings.

Articles conducted in Brazil whose results involve human beings and/or experimental animals must provide clear information about compliance with this regulation in the last paragraph of the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript. Authors must also provide the number of the Ethical Approval Certificate System (CAAE), generated by the CEP/INAEP system (Plataforma Brasil), or the number of the institutional Animal Use Ethics Committee. At the time of submission, as a complementary document, the respective approval opinions of the Research Ethics Committees must be sent, signed by the committee.

For studies conducted in other countries, approval from the ethics committee, or its equivalent, of the institution or country must be provided, in accordance with applicable laws and ethical standards, and the document must be attached at the time of submission.

The Editorial Board of the journal reserves the right to request additional information regarding the ethical procedures executed in the research.

Hansenologia Internationalis: Leprosy and Other Infectious Diseases is an official, multidisciplinary, open-access scientific journal of the Lauro de Souza Lima Institute, which is part of the Health Services Coordination of the São Paulo State Health Department.

The journal's primary mission is to publish and disseminate scientific knowledge in leprosy. In particular, it aims to advance scientific research, improve healthcare practices, and strengthen policies to control and eliminate the disease.

Hansenology interacts with various health sciences, including dermatology, infectious diseases, and public health. Its scope of interest, therefore, focuses on studies employing epidemiological approaches and control protocols, as well as the investigation of dermatoneurological clinical manifestations, the disease's pathophysiology, pharmacotherapeutic protocols, and laboratory tests that aid diagnosis and assess treatment failure. These tests employ cellular and molecular tools that encompass genetics, immunology, microbiology, and pathology. The journal also publishes manuscripts on topics such as disability prevention, rehabilitation, history, human rights, education, and health communication in leprosy.

As such, the journal is intended for the scientific community and professionals involved in research, care, teaching, and the formulation of public policies related to leprosy and other infectious diseases. Its content is geared toward researchers, faculty members, students, and professionals in the health sciences and related fields, including physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, biologists, biomedical scientists, pharmacists, epidemiologists, public health professionals, historians, and sociologists.

This journal follows the standards set forth in the SciELO Program's Digital Preservation Policy.

Hansenologia Internationalis uses the LOCKSS system from the Public Knowledge Project (PkP) to create a distributed archiving system among the journals of the São Paulo State Health Department, enabling the creation of permanent archives of the journal for preservation and restoration purposes.

The journal is also part of the Cariniana network, the Brazilian Network of Digital Preservation Services from the Brazilian Institute of Science and Technology (IBICT). See also: Keepers.

• DOAJ
• BVS Hanseníase
• BVS Rede de Informação e Conhecimento
• Google Acadêmico
• Latindex Catalogo 2.0
• Lilacs
• Capes.periódicos
• Research4life
• Oasisbr
• OpenAlex
• WorldCat

• Título do periódico: Hansenologia Internationalis
• Título abreviado: Hansen. Int.
• Alternative title: Hansenologia Internationalis, hanseníase e outras doenças infecciosas
• Publicação de: Lauro de Souza Lima Institute
• Periodicidade: Annual
• Modalidade de publicação: Continuous publication
• Ano de criação do periódico: 1976

The Hansenologia Internationalis Journal shares its articles on the social media platforms of the Portal de Revistas Científicas da Secretaria da Saúde de São Paulo, the BVS Hanseníase, and the BVS Rede de Informação e Conhecimento. It encourages authors to share their articles through their personal and institutional networks.

A preprint is a manuscript deposited on a server dedicated to this purpose before submission to a peer-reviewed scientific journal, to enable open and immediate evaluation by experts. This model serves as an alternative for the rapid dissemination of research findings, increased visibility, and establishing originality.

The HI journal accepts manuscripts that have been previously made available on national preprint servers, such as SciELO Preprints and EmeRI, and international preprint server such as  bioRxiv, medRxiv, Research Square and Preprints.org. In such cases, since the authors’ identities are already publicly available, the evaluation process will be conducted through single-anonymized or open peer review. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors must provide a link to the version published in the HI journal in the repository.

Original manuscripts received will be analyzed by the editor-in-chief and then by members of the Executive Editorial Committee, who will conduct a preliminary review called a desk review. The purpose of this evaluation is to:

• Analyze if the manuscript aligns with the thematic scope of the journal;

• Check if the manuscript adheres to the Author Guidelines;

• Verify if the supplementary documentation (title page, author declaration, REC approval, etc.) is correctly completed;

• Perform a similarity check using anti-plagiarism tools.

After approval in this first stage, the manuscript will be sent to at least two specialists for peer review according to the following criteria:

• Originality and scientific relevance: aims to assess the originality and scientific contribution of the manuscript.

• Clarity and organization: aims to check the structure and flow of the text.

• Content: aims to analyze the elements present in the sections: title, abstract, descriptors, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, final considerations/conclusion, and references.

• Methodological quality: check the robustness of the methods used, as well as their scientific documentation.

• Ethical compliance: aims to check that ethical issues have been adequately addressed.

• Writing: this aims to inform about the need for corrections related to grammar, spelling, and style.

• Potential impact: considers the relevance and future contribution of the manuscript to the scientific field.

 If necessary, a third reviewer may be invited if previous evaluations result in doubts regarding acceptance.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal Hansenologia Internationalis are evaluated through two peer review models:

- Double-blind peer review – In this model, reviewers do not know the authors’ identities or affiliations, and authors do not know the identities of the reviewers. The evaluation forms and reviewers’ recommendations remain confidential, ensuring that scientific merit is the sole determinant of publication. To guarantee the integrity of this process, authors’ names and affiliations must be omitted from the manuscript and provided only on the Title Page.

- Open Peer Review – To strengthen the transparency and integrity of the editorial process, beginning in May 2026, the journal will offer the option of open peer review, subject to agreement between authors and reviewers. This model allows the disclosure of identities and direct interaction between authors and reviewers through the journal’s submission system throughout the review process.

For manuscripts previously deposited as preprints, and considering that the authors’ identities are already publicly available, the review process will be conducted through single-anonymized or open peer review.

At the time of submission, authors must indicate the preferred review model for their manuscript by completing the Open Science Compliance Form. 

During the review process, reviewers complete a standardized evaluation form containing predefined assessment criteria and an open field for comments. Based on their evaluation, reviewers may recommend acceptance, rejection, or revisions and corrections to the manuscript.

If revisions are requested, authors must submit a revised version of the manuscript through the journal’s system. When necessary, the revised version may be re-evaluated by the same reviewers. The final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscript rests with the editor-in-chief, in collaboration with the assistant or associate editor(s).

At the conclusion of the editorial process, the reviews of accepted articles may be published, subject to the consent of both the authors and reviewers. If authorized, the reviewer’s identity may also be disclosed.

The names of the editor-in-chief and the assistant or associate editor(s) responsible for coordinating the peer review process will be published in all articles.

The editorial committee and editors reserve the right to:

• Reject texts that do not comply with the journal’s guidelines or have pending documentation;

• Request changes to submitted texts when necessary to alter wording, analysis, or content;

• Make formal, spelling, and grammatical changes as indicated by specialized reviewers.

The period from submission to approval or rejection is approximately 4 to 6 months. On average, the following timelines are considered:

• Desk review and reviewer selection — 15 days;

• Reviewer acceptance and report submission — 20 days;

• Reviewers' recommendations analysis and decision returned to authors — 7 days;

• Manuscript correction and resubmission — 21 days;

• Re-evaluation (if necessary) — 10 days/round.

Hansenologia Internationalis values the quality of the review process as well as the speed in evaluation and completion of the editorial process. However, the evaluation flow may vary under certain circumstances, such as:

• When an invitation is declined or the deadline for submitting the review is not met without justification. In this case, the editor will select a new reviewer and start a new evaluation cycle (20 days).

• When there is a discrepancy in the decision between the two reviewers. In this case, the editor will invite a third reviewer and start a new evaluation cycle (20 days).

• When a reviewer or author requests an extension, justifying their need and commitment to submitting the review or correction by the established date without affecting the process.

Authors can track the evaluation process by logging into the system and accessing the ‘View Pending Submissions’ icon under the Submission tab. When needed, they can request information from Hansenologia Internationalis about the process.

Situations not covered in this policy will be analyzed by the editorial team.

Hansenologia Internationalis emphasizes the importance of transparency and reproducibility in scientific research. Accordingly, authors are encouraged to deposit research data and the codes used in reliable repositories, ensuring their accessibility and long-term preservation. This practice not only promotes research integrity but also advances scientific knowledge by enabling other researchers to validate and reuse data.

To share research data, authors may use institutional or subject-specific repositories, such as SciELO Data or others, depending on the study’s field of research and in accordance with the guidelines in SciELO’s List of Repositories for Research Data Deposit. 

We also recommend that authors read the Guide to Promoting Openness, Transparency, and Reproducibility in Research published by SciELO journals and the Guide to Citing Research Data published by SciELO.

All original articles published by the journal will include a section titled “Statement on the Availability of Research Data and Other Materials,” indicating whether the study data are available, along with the conditions and location for access.

Authors are also encouraged to ensure that all data, codes, and materials used in the design and conduct of the research are properly cited in the text and listed in the references section, preferably with a persistent identifier, such as a DOI.

There are no charges for manuscript submission, evaluation, or publication.

Crossmark is a collaborative initiative by various publishers, organized by CrossRef, designed to provide readers with a standardized method to access the most current version of a published work. 

HI Journal uses Crossmark to ensure readers have access to revised and updated versions of articles. This commitment underscores the importance of maintaining the integrity of research data, benefiting researchers, librarians, and health professionals, and reinforcing trust in the academic electronic record. Applying the Crossmark icon demonstrates a commitment to preserving published content and ensuring transparency regarding any changes, guaranteeing that readers always have access to the most reliable version of a document. By clicking the Crossmark logo, readers can check the current status of a document and access information about its modification history.

The policy for article corrections, errata, and retractions in the Hansenologia Internationalis journal was developed to address these issues based on best editorial practices. The publication of Expression of Concern,  errata and retractions, when necessary, will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines published by SciELO: Guide for the Publication of Expression of Concern, Guide for the Registration, Tagging, and Publication of Errata and the Guide for the Registration, Tagging, and Publication of Retractions. These are in line with the Retraction Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Thus, HI Journal adheres to international standards, updating its policies as necessary to ensure the integrity and trust in the publication of its content.

Therefore, in exceptional situations, an article may be modified in cases such as:

1. Article Correction: minor errors identified after publication may be corrected through a revised version of the article or a correction notice (errata), detailing the changes, additions, or deletions of data and the reasons behind them.

2. Article Retraction: this serves as a mechanism to alert readers that the research presents a problem or flaw, aiming to correct the scientific record and memory. Retractions may be partial (only a specific section retracted) or total, when severe issues are identified that significantly affect the results or conclusions. These may arise from honest mistakes, research misconduct, duplication, or plagiarism. Retractions will be clearly indicated and linked to the original article.

The decision to correct or retract an article will be made based on a thorough evaluation by the editorial team and in consultation with experts, if necessary.

DOI of the Errata and Retraction Policy registered with Crossref: https://doi.org/10.47878/hi-crossmark-policy

Authors are responsible for identifying and disclosing any potential conflicts of a personal, academic, political, financial, commercial, or associational nature related to the material used in the work, or any other conflicts that may influence them, and for stating whether or not such conflicts exist in the Declaration of Authorship and Responsibility at the time of submission. Reviewers must also inform the editor of any conflict that may influence or impede their evaluations, as must the editors.

The existence, or absence, of conflicts of interest will be disclosed at the end of the published article, along with all sources of financial support used for the research.

In accordance with the ethics policy cited above, if a conflict of interest is identified during the editorial process, HI Journal will proceed as follows:

• Authorship: if a potential conflict of interest is identified during the review phase or after the manuscript’s acceptance, the journal’s editorial team will contact the authors for clarification and, if confirmed, will request that the existence of the conflict be updated in the Declaration of Authorship and Responsibility. If there is a refusal to disclose or correct a conflict, the manuscript will be rejected.

• Reviewers: If a reviewer fails to disclose a conflict of interest, the review of the article will be invalidated, and the reviewer in question may be removed from the journal’s pool of reviewers for future reviews. In this case, the manuscript will be re-evaluated by another reviewer.

• Editors: If an editor is involved in a conflict of interest, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor to ensure that the editorial decision is made impartially. The editor involved in the conflict will not participate in the evaluation or the final decision regarding the article.

Members of HI’s Editorial Policy Committee and Editorial Board may submit manuscripts to the journal. However, in such cases, they will have no involvement in the editorial or decision-making process related to their work, ensuring impartiality and transparency.

If a relevant conflict of interest is identified after the publication of an article, the journal will take the following actions:

• If the conflict of interest did not impact the article, the journal will publish an explanatory note regarding the situation.

• If the conflict of interest affected the study’s results or conclusions, the journal will publish a correction and, if necessary, a retraction of the article.

Anyone who identifies a potential conflict of interest related to a published article should notify the journal’s editorial team via email: hansenologia.internationalis@gmail.com

To preserve the integrity of the content published, all manuscripts will be subjected to similarity checking using the Crossref Similarity Check tool during the desk review process.

Authors must ensure the originality of the texts submitted to the journal, and all references to works by different authors must be properly cited in the body of the text and included in the references section at the end of the manuscript.

Submissions that exhibit plagiarism will be rejected, and the authors will be notified of the reason for the rejection. If plagiarism is identified through a complaint after publication, the article will be retracted.

The editorial team uses the international guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Basic Guidelines for Integrity in Scientific Activities from the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) as the basis for analyzing plagiarism.

If the text has been previously presented at scientific events or is the result of academic work, it is required that the submitted text is not identical to the version from which it originated, and that it is clearly an expansion of the initial work. Authors must indicate on the title page the reference to the event where it was presented or to the work with which it is related.

The journal uses DeepL and Grammarly for grammar and style checks in English. 

Machines have certainly been integrated into people's daily lives for problem-solving for over five decades. This process has continuously enabled the production of smart devices that combine sensors, geolocation, and robotics with high performance, executing various advanced functions almost autonomously in fractions of a second. 

In this context, Hansenologia Internationalis, as a platform for disseminating scientific knowledge, cannot ignore the potential benefits that new scientific information technologies may offer to the journal and its readers. On the other hand, attention to ethical principles and transparency will always be imperative.

Thus, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of research and manuscripts is acceptable. However, this should be done with caution and only to improve the language and readability of the text, as recommended by the Guide for the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools and Resources in Research Communication in the SciELO Network. If generative AI or AI-assisted technology is used in manuscripts submitted to Hansenologia Internationalis, the authors must:

• Inform/mention the sources of the materials used in the research and writing of the article or chapter. Any and all use or content generated by an AI application must be disclosed in the abstract and in the methods section or its equivalent.

• Ensure that all cited material is properly attributed, including full citations, and that the sources cited support the statements made by the AI application, as it is not uncommon for references to non-existent works to be generated.

• Take public responsibility for your work.

• Indicate in the title page the declaration of the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.

Artificial Intelligence does not constitute authorship; therefore, it is unacceptable for the name of any AI or algorithm to be included as an author of the work. Similarly, concealing the use and content of AI is an ethical failure that violates the principles of transparency and honesty in research.

The journal supports the adoption of the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA), recommending the use of the SAGER Guidelines (Sex and Gender Equity in Research).

These guidelines are a set of recommendations for reporting information on sex and gender in the study, data analysis, results, and interpretation of research findings, aimed at guiding authors in the design and preparation of their manuscripts. Check also: Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines Checklist.

Hansenologia Internationalis advocates for the use of inclusive language, recognizing diversity and respecting all individuals in ensuring more equal opportunities.

Inclusive language utilizes the resources of language to gradually eliminate and transform the use of words and expressions that may be considered discriminatory and stigmatizing towards socially underrepresented, unprotected, or vulnerable individuals, groups, or communities to stereotypes, negative perceptions, and attributions. To this end, it recommends reading and using the Guide for the Use of Inclusive Language.

Source: Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER), Guidelines Checklist  and Guide for the Use of Inclusive Language.

The publication of articles presenting research results involving humans is conditional on compliance with the ethical principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration of the World Medical Association. Additionally, researchers must comply with the specific legislation of the country where the research was conducted, regarding human and/or animal subjects.  In Brazil, this includes the regulations set by the National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP) and the National Council for the Control of Animal Experimentation (CONCEA). Research carried out in Brazil must respect the legal precepts of Law No. 14.874, of May 28, 2024, which regulates research with human beings and establishes the National System of Ethics in Research with Human Beings.

Articles conducted in Brazil whose results involve human beings and/or experimental animals must provide clear information about compliance with this regulation in the last paragraph of the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript. Authors must also provide the number of the Ethical Approval Certificate System (CAAE), generated by the CEP/INAEP system (Plataforma Brasil), or the number of the institutional Animal Use Ethics Committee. At the time of submission, as a complementary document, the respective approval opinions of the Research Ethics Committees must be sent, signed by the committee.

For studies conducted in other countries, approval from the ethics committee, or its equivalent, of the institution or country must be provided, in accordance with applicable laws and ethical standards, and the document must be attached at the time of submission.

The Editorial Board of the journal reserves the right to request additional information regarding the ethical procedures executed in the research.

Authors retain the copyright to their manuscripts without restrictions and are fully responsible for all submitted and published content, including compliance with copyright law (Law No. 9,610/1998) and obtaining permissions for the use of third-party material, ensuring proper attribution where applicable.

The author agrees that, if the article is accepted and published in the journal, it may be shared with acknowledgment of the author’s authorship, in accordance with the Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 License, which allows articles to be reused and distributed without restriction, provided that the original work is properly cited.

Site Liability

As an open-access journal, Hansenologia Internationalis permits the reproduction, sharing, and adaptation of published content, provided that proper credit is given to the original publication by correctly citing the source and clearly indicating any modifications, adaptations, or translations made.

The journal is not responsible for adaptations or any modifications made by third parties to its originally published content. The opinions, data, and conclusions presented in the articles are the sole responsibility of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the editorial team, the editorial board, or the journal’s sponsoring institution.

Licensing

This journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The rights belong to the authors, and this license allows others to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon their work, even for commercial purposes, as long as proper credit is given for the original creation. It is the most flexible of all the available licenses. It is recommended to maximize the dissemination and use of licensed materials.

Archiving

Authors are permitted to deposit all versions of their articles in institutional or subject-specific digital repositories, allowing for the self-archiving of preprints, postprints/manuscripts accepted by the author, and published articles/final formatted and published versions.

In addition, the journal Hansenologia Internationalis encourages authors to self-archive their accepted manuscripts by publishing them on personal blogs, academic or personal social media, provided that a complete citation to the version on the journal’s website is included.

• Dejair Caitano do Nascimento, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4578160859478338, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3663-3593, e-mail: dnascimento@ilsl.br

• Fabiana Covolo de Souza Santana, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1298802290039292, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7955-4310, e-mail: fsouza@ilsl.br

• Fabiana Covolo de Souza Santana, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1298802290039292, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7955-4310, e-mail: fsouza@ilsl.br
• Ida Maria Foschiani Dias Baptista, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/9463741222480284, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1574-9490, e-mail: ifoschiani@ilsl.br
• José Ricardo Bombini, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1789597017544858, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1530-6136, e-mail: jrbombini@ilsl.br
• Patrícia Sammarco Rosa, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8870159564860425, ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2745-2854, e-mail: prosa@ilsl.br
• Vania Nieto Brito de Souza, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3556086197459444, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4963-769X, e-mail: vbrito@ilsl.br

• Alice Cruz, Universidade de Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, Portugal. Lattes: Não possui, ORCID: Não possui
• Ana Carla Pereira Latini, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3561609652550177, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5784-9959, e-mail: apereira@ilsl.br
• Ana Paula Trombone Garlet, Unisagrado (UNISAGRADO), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8152853020428952, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8102-6098, e-mail: tromboneap@yahoo.com.br
• Bernard Naafs, Foundation Global Dermatology (FGD), Munnekeburen, Friesland, Países Baixos. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8617-8226, E-mail:benaafs@dds.nl
• Charlotte Avanzi, Colorado State University (CSU), Fort Collins, Colorado/CO, United States of America. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1062-4058, E-mail: charlotte.avanzi@colostate.edu
• Claudio Guedes Salgado, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Marituba, Pará/PA, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/2310734509396125, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3961-7764, e-mail: csalgado@ufpa.br
• Cleverson Teixeira Soares, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/2885470325917487, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1286-5410, e-mail: cleverson.soares@ilsl.br
• Eliane Ignotti, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá, Mato Grosso/MT, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4407130301215869, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9743-1856, e-mail: eliane.ignotti@unemat.br
• Erica Chimara Silva, Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL), São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6815520434239716, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9574-8449, e-mail: erica.chimara@ial.sp.gov.br
• Gustavo Pompermaier Garlet, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0901521368129412, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5071-8382, e-mail: garletgp@usp.br
• Heron Fernando de Souza Gonzaga, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1522799032758280, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9979-6472
• Isabela Maria Bernardes Goulart, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Uberlândia, Minas Gerais/MG, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/7482509894855417, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3284-1037, e-mail: imbgoulart@ufu.br
• Ivander Bastazini Junior, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1417916643973126, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0300-1263, e-mail: ivander.junior@ilsl.br
• James Venturini, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS), Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul/MS, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6087443445790715, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0035-2439, e-mail: james.venturini@ufms.br
• Joel Carlos Lastoria, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/9531498781164017, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5828-6601, e-mail: lastoria@fmb.unesp.br
• Josafá Gonçalves Barreto, Universidade Federal do Pará (UFPA), Castanhal, Pará/PA, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1894551542259862, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0817-3486, e-mail: jbarreto@ufpa.br
• José Antonio Garbino, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0651875288382975, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4042-5797, e-mail: jgarbino@ilsl.br
• Jose Guillermo Pereira Brunelli, Centro de Especialidades Dermatológicas – PNCL – Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social (MSPBS), San Lorenzo, Paraguai. Lattes: n/a , ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9660-4156, e-mail: jose_pereira15@hotmail.com
• Juliana Ferreira de Moura, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Curitiba, Paraná/PR, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/7928520348050421, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1532-2304, e-mail: julianademoura@ufpr.br
• Laurinda Rosa Maciel, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro/RJ, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8580547232786717, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7463-0502, e-mail: laurinda.maciel@fiocruz.br
• Lia Gonçalves Possuelo, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), Santa Cruz do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul/RS, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/9903194013924888, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6425-3678, e-mail: liapossuelo@unisc.br
• Luciana da Silva Ruiz Menezes, Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6547073557892525, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7374-8640, E-mail: lu_ruiz74@hotmail.com
• Luiza Pinheiro Hubinger, Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Botucatu, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3321022618020622, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7377-7652
• Marcelo Luciano Vieira, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6800572094521227, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4319-715X, e-mail: marcelovieira@puc-rio.br
• Marco Andrey Cipriani Frade, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/9103136155056414, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2700-5971, e-mail: mandrey@fmrp.usp.br
• Marcos Cesar Florian, Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6964846564959641, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2275-9048, E-mail: mcflorian@unifesp.br
• Marcos da Cunha Lopes Virmond, Universidade Nove de Julho (UNINOVE), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/8494064152695188, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1395-639X, E-mail: virmondmarcos@gmail.com
• Marcos Tulio Raposo, Universidade Estadual do Sudoeste da Bahia (UESB), Jequié, Bahia/BA, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6153145269971937, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2990-9459, e-mail: tulio.raposo@uesb.edu.br
• Maria Ângela Bianconcini Trindade, Instituto de Saúde (IS-SP), São Paulo, SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0667836678757347, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1011-766X, e-mail: mabtrindade@gmail.com
• Maria Renata Sales Nogueira, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0551046616287922, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8647-0350, e-mail: mrnogueira@ilsl.br
• Pedro Pulzatto Peruzzo, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Campinas, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5126921195345108, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5270-8674, e-mail: pedro.peruzzo@puc-campinas.edu.br
• Regina Maldonado Pozenato Bernardo, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/7487617342955512, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1765-3759, e-mail: regina.bernardo@ilsl.br
• Renata Bilion Ruiz Prado, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3489562560769949, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3545-614X, E-mail: rruiz@ilsl.br
• Susilene Maria Tonelli Nardi, Instituto Adolfo Lutz (IAL), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/4903962807126351, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8793-8437, e-mail: susilene.nardi@ial.sp.gov.br.
• Vânia Del'Arco Paschoal, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/0591361982921620, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8414-3548, E-mail: vania.paschoal@edu.famerp.br
• Wilson Marques Junior, Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/1453957198527855, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4589-2749, e-mail: wmjunior@fmrp.usp.br

• Alessandra Carriel Vieira, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/5582072765651456, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7568-5089, e-mail: alessandra.vieira@ilsl.br
• Andréa Cristina Bogado, Instituto Lauro de Souza Lima (ILSL), Bauru, São Paulo/SP, Brasil. Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3184558918977652, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6383-8738, e-mail: andrea.bogado@ilsl.br

• Acará Estúdio Gráfico, São Paulo, SP, Brasil, e-mail: contato@acara.com.br.
• Andrea da Silva, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Madrid, Espanha. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4115-6576, e-mail: andrea.naslund@oppenvarld.com

The Hansenologia Internationalis accepts manuscripts for publication in the following categories: editorials, original articles, review articles, clinical studies, case reports, experience reports, opinion pieces, brief communications, guides, protocols, guidelines, standards, and technical manuals, interviews, letters to the editor, and obituaries. If necessary, the journal may also publish errata and retractions, as well as review of accepted articles, subject to the consent of the authors and reviewers. Detailed information about each category can be found at the end of this page.

The journal publishes, as a supplement, proceedings containing abstracts of events in the field of Hansenology; however, this type of document is not eligible for indexing in databases.

Hansenologia Internationalis publishes original articles in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.

The HI journal accepts manuscripts that have been previously made available on national preprint servers, such as SciELO Preprints and EmeRI, and international preprint server such as  bioRxiv, medRxiv, Research Square and Preprints.org. In such cases, since the authors’ identities are already publicly available, the evaluation process will be conducted through single-anonymized or open peer review. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the authors must provide a link to the version published in the HI journal in the repository.

Acceptance criteria for authorship require significant contributions to the conception and/or development of the research and/or manuscript drafting, as well as mandatory participation in the revision and approval of the final version. For defining the roles of authors and collaborators, we recommend consulting the ICMJE | Recommendations | Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors. As an expression of transparency and acknowledgment of the diverse contributions made by researchers to the communicated study, the specific contributions of each author will be included at the end of the published article. Regardless of their individual contributions, all authors share equal responsibility for the article.

Submitted manuscripts must be consistent with the journal's scope. Only manuscripts that are strictly in accordance with the instructions specified in this guideline will proceed with the editorial process.

Author affiliation is a mandatory requirement and must indicate the author’s institutional affiliation and geographic location during the period in which the research was conducted. Where applicable, authors may list more than one institutional affiliation. The name of the institution, city, state, country, and ORCID must be provided when completing the Title Page.

When completing the submission form, please provide the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) registration number for each author and co-author. ORCID is a globally recognized and accepted unique digital identifier for researchers/academics. The integration of ORCID with the OJS system simplifies information management and enables the automated updating of authors' scientific output.

Similarly, authors must provide the Research Organization Registry (ROR) of the institution they are affiliated with by entering the institution's name and selecting the ROR ID in the submission form. Used internationally, ROR is a unique, open identifier developed to eliminate ambiguities in institutional names and to connect research organizations, researchers, and research outputs.

Hansenologia Internationalis publishes original articles in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. If written originally in English or Spanish, the article must include the Portuguese version. The title, abstract, and keywords of the manuscripts are required in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

The journal is registered with Crossref and assigns a unique persistent identifier, a Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

The corresponding author will be responsible for communicating with the journal throughout the editorial process. If the manuscript is published, the corresponding author’s email address will be included in the article as a means of contact for readers and the scientific community. By submitting the manuscript, the author declares that he or she is aware of and agrees to the publication of this information.

The manuscript must be in Portuguese, formatted in Microsoft Word 2007 or later, in editable .doc format, and attached to the manuscript submission process.

If written originally in English or Spanish, the article must include the Portuguese version. The title, abstract, and keywords of the manuscripts are required in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.

It is recommended that authors use the following page setup and text formatting: A4 paper size; top and right margins 3 cm, bottom and left margins 2 cm; line spacing 1.5 for the text and single spacing for references; text of the manuscript should be justified, and for the references, left-aligned; use Verdana font, size 14.

• Manuscript Title: full title in Portuguese, English, and Spanish. The title should be concise, clear, and as informative as possible, identifying and individualizing the scientific article. It should not contain abbreviations. 

• Abbreviated Title: following the same language guidelines as mentioned above, the abbreviated title should summarize the subject of the manuscript. 

• Section of the Journal to which the manuscript content belongs: the author should specify the category of the text to be submitted. Example: original article, review articles, clinical case studies.

• Abstract: informative text of no more than 250 words. It should be structured, including an introduction, study objective, justification (if applicable), methods used, results obtained, discussion of results and conclusion. The abstract should be written in a single paragraph, single-spaced, without the use of abbreviations or bibliographical citations, and presented in Portuguese (Resumo), English (Abstract) and Spanish (Resumen).

• Keywords: should appear in the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) or Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). They should be placed below the abstract and contain at least three (3) and no more than six (6) keywords, written in mixed case and separated by periods. Example: Public health. Leprosy. Health education. The keywords must also be presented in English (Keywords) and Spanish (Palabras clave), after the respective abstracts.

• Introduction: clear and objective, containing information that justifies the work, limiting references to what is necessary, ideally from the last five years, and pertinent to the field of research. 

• Materials and Methods: a concise description, without omitting essential information for understanding and replicating the work. Established methods and techniques should be referenced by citation whenever applicable, and the Ethical Committees that reviewed the human study process or the guidelines followed for the protection and experimental treatment of animals should be indicated. This section should include, when relevant, the study subject, the study design, specific procedures, data analysis, and ethical aspects.

• Results: whenever necessary, results should be accompanied by tables, figures, or other self-explanatory illustrations that preferably should not be described in text form. Data should undergo statistical analysis when applicable. The content should be informative, not interpretive.

• Discussion: limited to the results obtained, including only the necessary references. The content should be interpretive, with hypotheses and speculations formulated based on the findings. The text should be argumentative, where the authors validate their conclusions.

• Conclusions: present the relevant conclusions, essentially answering the work’s objective(s). The conclusion should be written in the present tense.

• Acknowledgments: acknowledgments should be placed at the end of the text and made to institutions, including the full name and country.

• Funding Source: authors must indicate whether the work received funding and provide the funding agency, protocol number, and year of approval. The same information must be provided when research-related scholarships have been awarded.

Attention: manuscripts submitted for double-blind review should not include author information. This rule does not apply to manuscripts previously published in preprint.

Spelling revision, accuracy of references in the list, and proper citation in the text and references are the responsibility of the authors.

The number of figures should be limited to what is essential for presenting the results, not exceeding 5. Illustrations include tables, charts, graphs, photos, maps, and other graphic resources necessary for understanding the content. All illustration data, including the title, must be in title case, except for acronyms. Illustrations already published must cite the source. When the illustration is authored by a third party, the authors of the submitted manuscript must attach permission from the original author regarding the reproduction of the illustration. 

In photographs, when a patient is depicted, their identity must be obscured. The inclusion of a formal consent document for publication is mandatory, such as the Informed Consent Form (ICF) or, in the case of minors, the Informed Assent Form (IAF).

Figures representing the same data as Tables will not be accepted. 

All illustrations must be identified by type and numbered (Arabic numerals) in the order they appear in the text, with a concise descriptive title. Figures, with their respective titles and captions, should be presented as supplementary documents.

All illustrations must include a title or explanatory caption: the illustration and its caption should be self-sufficient, meaning they should allow understanding of the information being conveyed; they should be mentioned and discussed in the text and must be editable. For more information, click here!

Citations in the text and illustrations should be identified by superscript Arabic numerals without parentheses, in the order in which they appear in the text, corresponding to the respective order number in the reference list.

When citing multiple references in sequence, separate the numbers with a dash, or when using non-sequential numbers, use a comma. Example: ^1-5 1-5  or ^1,5,7.

For authors mentioned by name in the text, present the first name in upper-lower case, followed by the superscript reference number.

Only cited references should be listed at the end of the work, in numerical order, aligned to the left, and formatted according to the international standards outlined in the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, as established by the ICMJE.

Documents with up to 6 authors should list all of them with the surname and abbreviated first name. Example: Silva AD. Documents with more than 6 authors should list the first 6 and use ‘et al.’ for the remaining authors. Example: Silva AD, Fernandes M, Souza, P. Vieira AS, Prado J, Pereira M, et al.

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the official abbreviation of the journal. For national journals, refer to the Portal de Revistas Científicas em Ciências da Saúde da BVS, and for international journals, consult the NLM Catalog, performing a search by the journal name. If the journal does not have an abbreviation, use the full name.  

In all references, whenever possible, include the direct link to the cited document and/or the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The DOI should be the last element presented in the reference. 

References to personal communications and unpublished manuscripts should not be included in the reference list. Citations/references from undergraduate thesis, conference proceedings, symposia, workshops, meetings, and unpublished texts (such as lectures, etc.) will not be accepted. It is recommended that the references used in the text be composed preferably of original articles and the most recent possible.

See examples of citations and references here!

The author must follow the step-by-step instructions for filling out the Submission form and then attach the following documents to the process:
 

• Title Page — Mandatory

• The Declaration of Authorship and Responsibility signed by all authors — Mandatory

• Open Science Compliance Form — Mandatory

• Manuscript Text — Mandatory

• Informed Consent Form (ICF) and/or Informed Assent Form (IAF) — if applicable

• Approval from the Research Ethics Committee — if applicable

Authors must indicate whether the work received funding and provide the funding agency, protocol number, and year of approval. The same information must be provided when research-related scholarships have been awarded.

Lauro de Souza Lima Institute
Rod. Cte. João Ribeiro de Barros, KM 225/226.
Bauru - SP – Brasil - CEP 17034-971 - Caixa Postal 3021
Telefone: (14) 3103-5900
e-mail: hansenologia.internationalis@gmail.com; hansen_int@ilsl.br