Clinical & Surgical Review

Instructions for Authors

Guidelines for manuscript preparation and submission.

1. General Information Clinical & Surgical Review is a peer-reviewed digital medical journal dedicated to the publication of clinical, surgical and hospital-based research. The journal welcomes submissions from physicians, surgeons, residents, researchers and healthcare professionals. Manuscripts should be scientifically relevant, ethically conducted and clearly written. There is no fee for manuscript submission or initial editorial review. If a manuscript is accepted for publication, an Article Processing Charge of 56 USD will apply. This fee is requested only after formal acceptance. Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication. 2. Types of Manuscripts Accepted Authors may submit manuscripts in the following categories: Original Research Review Article Systematic Review Meta-analysis Case Report Case Series Surgical Technique Clinical Image Letter to the Editor Editorial The Editorial Office reserves the right to suggest reclassification of a manuscript when appropriate. 3. Submission Process All manuscripts must be submitted through the online Submit Manuscript section of the journal website. The corresponding author is responsible for completing the submission form accurately and ensuring that all authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript. The submission process includes: Corresponding Author Information Manuscript Information Author Information File Upload Declarations All required fields must be completed before submission. 4. Corresponding Author Information The corresponding author must provide the following information: First name Middle name, if applicable Last name Second last name, if applicable Email address Phone number, optional ORCID, recommended Affiliation Department Institution City Country The corresponding author will be the main contact between the journal and the authors throughout the editorial process. All editorial decisions, requests for revision, acceptance notifications and publication-related communication will be sent to the corresponding author's registered email address. Authors should therefore provide an active and frequently monitored email address. 5. Manuscript Information The submission form requires the following information: Article Title The title should be concise, specific and informative. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and overly general titles. Short Title A short running title may be provided for use in page headers and article metadata. Article Type Authors must select the manuscript category that best represents the submitted work. Main Specialty Authors should select the principal clinical or surgical specialty associated with the manuscript. Abstract An abstract must be included when appropriate for the article type. For Original Research articles, a structured abstract is recommended with the following sections: Background or Introduction Methods Results Conclusions For Case Reports and Review Articles, an unstructured abstract may be accepted. Keywords Authors should provide 3 to 8 keywords, separated by commas. Whenever possible, keywords should correspond to recognized biomedical terminology. 6. Author Information All authors must be entered individually in the online submission form. For each author, provide: First name Middle name, if applicable Last name Second last name, if applicable Academic degree Email address ORCID, recommended Affiliation Department Institution City Country Author order Corresponding author designation, when applicable The author order entered in the submission platform must match the author order presented in the manuscript. Changes in authorship after submission should be requested formally and may require written approval from all authors. 7. Authorship Criteria Only individuals who have made substantial contributions to the work should be listed as authors. Authors should have participated meaningfully in one or more of the following: Study conception or design Data acquisition Data analysis or interpretation Drafting the manuscript Critically revising the manuscript Approval of the final version All authors must approve the submitted version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for their contribution. Guest, honorary or inappropriate authorship is not permitted. 8. Author Photograph The submission system allows an optional author photograph. The uploaded photograph may appear as a small circular profile image next to the article title in article listings, featured articles or other website sections. Recommended characteristics: Professional headshot Neutral or simple background Good image quality Clear frontal photograph JPG or PNG format The photograph is optional and does not influence the editorial evaluation of the manuscript. 9. Manuscript File The main manuscript should preferably be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). The manuscript should be prepared in clear academic English or Spanish. Authors submitting manuscripts in Spanish may be required to provide, before final publication: English title English abstract English keywords Authors submitting manuscripts in English may be required to provide: Spanish title Spanish abstract Spanish keywords The manuscript file should contain, as applicable: Title page Abstract Keywords Introduction Methods Results Discussion Conclusions Acknowledgments Funding statement Conflict of interest statement Ethics statement References Figure legends Tables 10. Cover Letter Authors may upload a Cover Letter addressed to the Editorial Office. The Cover Letter may briefly include: Title of the manuscript Article type Main contribution of the work Importance and relevance of the manuscript Confirmation that the manuscript is original Confirmation that the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere Any information that the authors believe the editor should know The Cover Letter should not duplicate the abstract. 11. Ethics Committee Approval For research involving human participants, animals, medical records, biological samples or identifiable health data, authors must provide ethics committee approval when applicable. The manuscript should clearly state: Name of the ethics committee Institution Approval number or protocol identifier, when available Date of approval, when applicable A copy of the ethics approval document may be uploaded during submission. The Editorial Office may request additional documentation before acceptance or publication. 12. Informed Consent For case reports, case series, clinical images or manuscripts containing identifiable patient information, authors must obtain informed consent when applicable. A copy of the consent document may be requested by the Editorial Office. Patient confidentiality must be protected at all times. Authors should avoid including: Full patient names Initials when identifiable Hospital record numbers Exact addresses Unnecessary identifying details Images should be anonymized whenever possible. 13. Figures Figures must be uploaded separately when possible. Accepted formats may include: JPG JPEG PNG TIFF Figures should have sufficient resolution for digital publication. Each figure should include: Figure number Brief title Complete legend Explanation of abbreviations when necessary Figures should be cited in numerical order in the manuscript. Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce previously published material. 14. Tables Tables may be uploaded separately or included in the manuscript file, depending on the submission system requirements. Each table should include: Table number Clear and concise title Column headings Appropriate units Footnotes when necessary Explanation of abbreviations Tables must be cited in numerical order in the manuscript. Avoid unnecessary duplication of data between tables, figures and the main text. 15. Supplementary Material Authors may upload supplementary material when it provides relevant information that supports the manuscript but is not essential to the main article. Examples include: Additional tables Extended methods Data collection instruments Questionnaires Video files Additional images Appendices Supplementary datasets Supplementary material is subject to editorial review. 16. References References should follow the Vancouver style. References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of all references. Whenever possible, include: Author names Article title Journal title Year Volume Issue Page range or article number DOI References should preferably rely on original, relevant and current scientific sources. 17. Conflict of Interest All authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional or personal relationships that could potentially influence the work. If no conflict exists, authors should include a statement such as: The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The submission form requires authors to confirm that conflicts of interest have been disclosed. 18. Funding All sources of financial or material support must be disclosed. The funding statement should include: Name of funding organization Grant number, when applicable Role of the funding organization in the study If the study received no external funding, authors may state: This research received no external funding. 19. Originality and Previous Publication By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that: The manuscript is original. The manuscript has not been previously published. The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal. All authors approve the submission. All necessary ethical requirements have been met. Conflicts of interest have been disclosed. Funding information has been disclosed. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated data, falsified data and inappropriate image manipulation are not permitted. The journal may use plagiarism detection tools during the editorial process. 20. Peer Review Process All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial evaluation. The Editorial Office may: Send the manuscript for peer review Request changes before peer review Reject the manuscript during initial screening Recommend transfer to a more appropriate article category When applicable, manuscripts are evaluated by one or more reviewers with expertise in the corresponding field. Editorial decisions may include: Accept Minor Revision Major Revision Reject The final editorial decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor. Peer review recommendations do not guarantee acceptance. 21. Revised Manuscripts When revision is requested, authors should submit: Revised manuscript Point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments Clearly identified changes when requested Authors should respond respectfully and specifically to each comment. Failure to submit revisions within the requested timeframe may result in administrative closure of the submission. 22. Article Processing Charge There is no fee for manuscript submission or initial editorial review. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, an Article Processing Charge of 56 USD will apply. The fee is requested only after formal acceptance of the manuscript. Payment of the publication fee does not influence: Editorial screening Peer review Revision requirements Acceptance decisions The Article Processing Charge supports: Editorial processing Manuscript production Official journal PDF formatting Web publication Article hosting Website maintenance Administrative publication services DOI assignment may be included when available and officially registered. 23. Official Article Production After acceptance and completion of the publication process, the manuscript will be prepared in the official journal format. The production process may include: Metadata verification Author name verification Affiliation verification Abstract formatting Figure and table formatting Reference formatting Official PDF generation Website publication Final citation preparation The corresponding author may receive a final proof for review before publication. Only minor corrections should be made at the proof stage. 24. Publication Format Published articles may include: Individual article webpage Official downloadable PDF Article metadata Full author list Affiliations Abstract Keywords Citation information Volume and issue information Article ID DOI when available Digital articles may use an article identifier instead of traditional page numbering. Example: Clin Surg Rev. 2026;1(1):e001. 25. Submission Declarations Before completing submission, the corresponding author must confirm: The manuscript is original. The manuscript has not been published elsewhere. All authors approve the submission. Conflicts of interest have been disclosed. Funding information has been disclosed. Ethics approval was obtained when applicable. Informed consent was obtained when applicable. There is no fee for submission or initial editorial review. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, an Article Processing Charge of 56 USD will apply. All declarations must be confirmed before the manuscript can be submitted. 26. Editorial Correspondence All official communication regarding a submission will be sent to the corresponding author. Authors should use the manuscript submission ID in all correspondence with the Editorial Office. The corresponding author is responsible for communicating editorial decisions and revision requests to all co-authors. 27. Final Responsibility Authors are responsible for the accuracy, integrity and originality of their work. Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have read, understood and accepted these Instructions for Authors and the journal's editorial and ethical policies.
Guides by manuscript type

How to structure your manuscript

Case Report

Title

Must make clear that it is a clinical case. It usually includes the main finding.

Example: “Severe hypocalcemia as the initial presentation of…: a case report”.

Abstract

Usually structured in:

  • Background / Introduction: why the case is relevant.
  • Case presentation: essential patient data, diagnosis, treatment and course.
  • Conclusion: what lesson the case provides.

Keywords

Generally 3–6. Use MeSH terms whenever possible.

Introduction

Very brief, usually 2–4 paragraphs:

  • What is known about the disease or problem.
  • What is unusual about this case.
  • Why it deserves to be published.

The last paragraph usually closes with something like: “We present the case of…”

Case Presentation

This is the central part. The recommended order is chronological:

  • Relevant demographic data.
  • Chief complaint.
  • Relevant personal and family history.
  • Present illness.
  • Physical examination.
  • Laboratory studies.
  • Imaging / ancillary studies.
  • Differential diagnoses.
  • Diagnostic process.
  • Final diagnosis.
  • Treatment / intervention.
  • Clinical course.
  • Follow-up.
  • Final patient status.

Ideally it should read as a timeline: Patient → symptoms → evaluation → findings → diagnosis → treatment → response → follow-up.

Discussion

This is where the publication is scientifically justified. A order that works very well:

  • Paragraph 1: the main message of the case.
  • Following paragraphs: comparison with the literature.
  • Then: pathophysiological mechanism that could explain the findings.
  • Then: differential diagnosis and relevant therapeutic decisions.
  • Then: what makes this case different from previously published ones.
  • Finally: limitations and clinical takeaway.

Avoid repeating the whole case presentation here.

Conclusion

Very brief: usually one or two paragraphs. It should answer:

  • What do we learn from this case?
  • What should the clinician remember if they encounter a similar patient?

Patient Perspective

Some journals, especially those following CARE, allow or request a brief patient perspective.

Informed Consent

Example: “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and accompanying images.”

Declarations

Depending on the journal:

  • Ethics approval
  • Consent for publication
  • Conflict of interest
  • Funding
  • Author contributions
  • Data availability

References

Cited following the journal reference style.

Review Article

Title

Should state the topic and that it is a review (narrative or systematic).

Example: “Current management of…: a narrative review”.

Abstract

Summary of scope, methods (for systematic reviews) and key findings. Structured or unstructured depending on the review type.

Keywords

Generally 3–6, preferably MeSH terms.

Introduction

Define the topic, its clinical relevance, the rationale for the review and its objectives/scope.

Methods (systematic reviews / meta-analyses)

  • Databases searched and search strategy.
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
  • Study selection and data extraction process.
  • Risk-of-bias assessment / PRISMA flow when applicable.

Narrative reviews may omit a formal Methods section.

Main Body / Thematic Sections

Organize the evidence into logical subtopics. Synthesize and compare findings rather than listing studies one by one.

Discussion

  • Integrate the main findings.
  • Strengths and limitations of the available evidence.
  • Clinical implications.
  • Knowledge gaps and directions for future research.

Conclusion

Concise take-home message supported by the reviewed evidence.

Declarations

  • Funding
  • Conflict of interest
  • Author contributions
  • Data availability

References

Comprehensive and up to date, following the journal reference style.

Surgical Technique

Title

Name the procedure and make clear it is a technique description.

Example: “Laparoscopic … : surgical technique”.

Abstract

Brief summary of the technique, its purpose and the clinical context.

Keywords

Generally 3–6, preferably MeSH terms.

Introduction

Clinical problem, rationale for the technique, existing approaches and what this technique adds.

Surgical Technique

This is the central section. A useful order is:

  • Indications and contraindications.
  • Preoperative preparation and work-up.
  • Patient positioning and anesthesia.
  • Step-by-step description of the procedure.
  • Instruments, devices and materials used.
  • Intraoperative tips, tricks and pitfalls.
  • Closure and postoperative care.

Discussion

  • Advantages and limitations of the technique.
  • Potential complications and how to avoid them.
  • Comparison with alternative techniques.
  • Learning curve and reproducibility.

Conclusion

Concise summary of the technique’s value and applicability.

Declarations

Include written informed consent for any identifiable images, plus funding and conflict of interest.

References

Cited following the journal reference style.