Preparation and organization of manuscripts

Medicina & Laboratorio® adheres to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Works in Medical Journals (updated December 2018), established by the ICMJE to ensure the production of high-quality manuscripts that are ethically sound and of integrity. For more information, please visit http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf .

The following structure should be applied to the presentation of the articles: manuscript presentation page, abstract, keywords, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, figures and legends.

Homepage

The article title must be included in both Spanish and English. The title should be concise, informative, and without abbreviations. The full name of each author, including both surnames with a hyphen, followed by the abbreviation of their highest academic rank, must also be included in the order in which it appears. Institutional affiliation should include the author's profession, highest academic degree, current position, institution, city, and country, and should be linked to the corresponding author using superscript numbers. For the corresponding author, who will be in constant communication with the Editor, an email address, a mailing address, and a telephone number must be included. Finally, a paragraph declaring any conflict of interest must be added.

Summary and keywords

The manuscript must include a structured abstract in both Spanish and English, summarizing the main points and the objective of the work. Each abstract should not exceed 250 words and should not include references or acronyms. For original research articles or systematic reviews, the abstract should be structured under the following subheadings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion. Narrative review articles should include an abstract with background information on the topic, recent findings, and the objective of the review.

Between four and eight keywords should be included, in both English and Spanish. For this purpose, it is suggested to consult the Health Sciences Descriptors (DeCS) of the Latin American and Caribbean Literature Index in Health Sciences (LILACS), available at http://decs.bvs.br/E/homepagee.htm , where the Spanish term and its English translation can be found. MeSH terms for the English words can also be consulted at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh .

Acknowledgments

The individuals, institutions, or companies that collaborated on the work are cited. Likewise, original articles must include the source of funding and any other support received for their completion.

References

Bibliographic references must adhere to the international standards established by the Vancouver Group ( https://wilkes.libguides.com/vancouver_style_referencing ). References should be listed at the end of the article and numbered sequentially according to their order of appearance, using Arabic numerals within square brackets. If tables or figure captions contain references, these should be numbered sequentially with their appearance in the text. If electronic reference management software is used, it is recommended that the file be attached.

For reference usage, please consult the complete citation list available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html . Examples are provided below.

Articles from scientific journals

Campuzano-Zuluaga G, Ortiz D, Peng JH, Francis Ikpatt O, Fan YS, Barredo JC, et al . Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma with translocations involving BCL6 and MYC (double-hit lymphoma). Am J Clin Pathol 2016;145:710-716.

Electronic Articles

Mehmood R, Muhammed RK, Hussain S, Sana A. Evaluation of di-potassium and tri-potassium EDTA evacuated tubes for routine haematological testing. J Clin Lab Anal 2018;32:1-4. Epub February 21, 2017. doi:10.1002/jcla.22188.

Books

Rosenstein BJ, Fosarelli PD. Pediatric pearls: The handbook of practical pediatrics. 3rd ed. St Louis; Mosby. 1997.

Book chapters

Knight JA, Kjeldsberg CR. Cerebrospinal, synovial, and serous body fluids. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's clinical diagnosis and management by laboratory methods. 21st ed. Philadelphia: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. p. 426-454.

Web Pages

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) . Clinical laboratories. Particular requirements for quality and competence (ISO 15189:2007). Accessed October 17, 2017. Available at: https://www.isotools.org/2012/03/13/iso-151892007-laboratorios-clinicos-requisitos-particulares-para-la-calidad-y-la-competencia/.

Tables and figures

Tables and charts should be named “Table”. They should include new information and not repeat what is stated in the text.

Photos, images, graphs, and flowcharts should be named “Figure.” Original photo and figure files must be submitted separately in high-resolution digital image format (TIFF or JPG). Both color and black and white are acceptable. If using unpublished material or material published elsewhere but belonging to other authors, it must be accompanied by the copyright holder's authorization and proper attribution. Patient photographs must be identifiable, and their consent is required. Microscopic slides must include the staining method and magnification used. Any symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters used within the image must be clearly explained in the figure caption following the image description.

Tables should be cited in the text as Table 1, Table 2, etc. Figures should be cited in the same way.
The structure of manuscripts for Medicina & Laboratorio ® depends on the type of article, as follows:


Review articles are characterized by a thorough literature search. They may include sections such as introduction, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, diagnosis (with emphasis on the diagnostic tools used and their interpretation), and conclusions. The use of algorithms to clarify diagnostic procedures is recommended, as is the use of tables and figures to facilitate reading and comprehension of the text.


They should be presented in the following format: introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion. Systematic review articles must include the literature search strategy, including search terms, included time periods, and article selection criteria.

• Introduction : This summarizes the basis of the observation and the objective of the research.
• Materials and methods : This section defines the type of study, describes the study population, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and whether sampling was used. It also details the data collection methods, statistical analysis, and ethical considerations. Additionally, it lists the materials and equipment used (including the manufacturer's name).
• Results : The findings are presented, including tables and figures, along with their statistical significance. Information presented in tables and figures should not be repeated in the text.
• Discussion : The most important findings of the study are highlighted in contrast to the results of other previously published research on the topic. In addition, the implications of the findings, the contributions and limitations of the study, as well as new hypotheses or recommendations for future research, should be included.

These are writings in which the authors present their position on a specific topic, whose argumentation is based on the results of their own experience or current literature.


An introduction and justification for the case report should be included. The case description should clearly outline the clinical course and diagnostic test results in a sequential manner. Based on this information, a diagnostic conclusion should be presented, along with a discussion of the findings in light of the medical literature.


These are short manuscripts on topics of national or international interest, or related to articles published in the current issue of Medicina & Laboratorio®. They are submitted at the request of the Editor or the Editorial Committee.


This includes correspondence received from readers, such as comments, clarifications, and contributions related to the material published in the journal. In addition, it provides answers to questions submitted to the Editorial Committee or the Editor.


The personal information collected from the authors will be used exclusively for editorial purposes and will not be available to any other person or institution.