Instructions to authors

The Portuguese Journal of Dermatology and Venereol (Port J Derm and Venereol) is the official organ of the Portuguese Society of Dermatology and Venereology, which has been published continuously since 1942, with 4 issues/year. It was formerly known as Revista da Sociedade Portuguesa de Dermatologia e Trabalhos da Sociedade Portuguesa de Dermatologia e Venereologia.

It is an open access, double-blinded, peer-reviewed journal published in English that strives to publish high quality dermatological science with scientific merit and originality as the overriding criteria for publication.  It includes review and original articles on basic, clinical, and translational investigation, case reports of special interest, letters to the editor and images cases within the field of Dermatology and Venereology.

The main objective of the journal is to spread dermato-venereological news and, therefore, contribute to improve the understanding, management and treatment of skin disease and patient care among physicians and other healthcare workers and scientists.

Types of articles:

•    Editorials

•    Original articles

•    Review articles

•    Case reports

•    Dermatology images

•    Letters to editor

 

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

Manuscripts must be sent through the new electronic publishing system of the journal at http://publisher.pjd.permanyer.com/main.php.

The author of correspondence must create an account by registering. Once a username and password has been created, the manuscript may be upload to the platform by following the instructions.

To avoid duplications in the system, please refrain from creating a new request when resubmitting your modified files. You should continue using the same reference until your manuscript completes the editorial process.

All articles must include without exception:

1. A front page with:

- Title in English and Portuguese. The title should contain no abbreviations and should not exceed 120 characters 
- Running title, of no more than 40 characters
 First name, initial of the second name (if applicable) and surname(s) of each author (without title or role). Add a hyphen if a second surname is included. Example: Antonio P. Morales; or Antonio Morales, or Antonio P. Morales-Andrade.
- Affiliations will be referenced with consecutive numbers in superscript, after the name of the author. Example: Antonio P. Morales1; XXXX 2; etc.
- The institutional departments in which they are assigned: Unit, Service, Department / Hospital / Faculty and University / City, Province, Country
- Name and current address of the author responsible for correspondence
* Acknowledgements: All acknowledgements and financing information must be included. This section must go on the front page so that the main document of the manuscript remains anonymous.

2. Full text, tables, and figures

- The texts must be in Word format and correctly written in English.
- The text should be typed in Times New Roman 12. Every new section of the article should start on a new page (abstract in English and keywords; abstract and key words in Portuguese; main text; references + tables + figure captions).
- The pages will be numbered consecutively starting at the front page, and the number will be placed at the top of each page.

 

For more help, please refer to the International Committee of Editors of Biomedical Journals website, www.icmje.org. 

 

For more information on how to prepare your manuscript, please consult: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html

 

FORMAT OF THE MAIN TEXT 

Abstracts

Original articles, including systematic reviews, must contain an abstract in English and one in Portuguese, structured as follows: - Title - Objective - Method - Results - Conclusions – Keywords (maximum 6) with a maximum of 350 words. 
Non-structured abstracts should be provided for review articles (maximum 250 words) and case reports (maximum 150 words). 

Introduction 

It should include the background, and the objective of the study in continuous writing duly supported in the bibliography.

Methods

The characteristics of the sample and the methods used (with relevant references) should be clearly indicated. The statistical methods used should be clearly indicated with the corresponding reference. The authors must include the ethical procedures they have followed for experiments with animals, patients, management of confidential data, informed consent, etc. and they must confirm having the authorization from the Ethics Committee at their institution.

Results

Results should include relevant findings of the study, comparing them with figures or graphs that are strictly necessary and that extend the information given in the text. Information should not be repeated in the text and in the tables and / or figs.

References

References should be presented in Vancouver style and in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Editors of Biomedical Journals). References should be indicated consecutively with Arabic numerals, and in the order in which they appear for the first time inside the text and be placed in superscript. The text, tables, and figures (and captions, if applicable) must be referenced as well. In citations with multiple authors (more than six authors), only the first 6 authors of the work should be included, followed by et al., after the abbreviation of the name or names of the 6th author. In the case of 6 or less authors, all of them must be included in the quotation, (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html).

•    Articles published in journals should appear in the following format: Welt CK, Chan JL, Bullen J, Murphy R, Smith P, DePaoli AM, et al. Recombinant human leptin in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea. N Engl J Med. 2004; 351: 987-97.
•    References to books must include the full name of the publisher as well as the city and country of publication and the year in which it was published, according to the following model: Aréchiga H, Somolinos J. Mexican contributions to modern medicine. Fund of Economic Culture. Mexico D.F., Mexico, 1994.
•    References to chapters in books should appear as follows: Pasternak RC, Braunwald E. Acute myocardial infarction; or: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. Isselbacher KJ, Braunwald E, Wilson JD, Martin JB, Fauci AS, Kasper DL (Eds.) McGraw-Hill Inc. 12a. Edition, New York, USA, 1994, pp. 1066-1077.

 
Tables

Tables must be double-spaced, listed consecutively in the order mentioned in the text, with the titles at the top; the meaning of the abbreviations and explanatory notes should be below. Tables should be included at the end of the manuscript after the references section.

Figures and graphics

- Figure captions should be written in double space. Captions should contain the necessary information to interpret the figure without resorting to the text. They should be referenced in the text in order or appearance. Graphics, tracings, and drawings must be sent as high resolution (JPG, TIFF, EPS, PowerPoint and Illustrator). All iconographies must be original. Otherwise, they must be referenced, and the author must obtain prior permission of the respective publisher. Data that has already been written in the text should not be repeated. Photographs of objects should include a rule to calibrate reference measurements. Microphotographs should show a microscopic magnification or a reference micrometer bar and the staining used.

- The name, face, patient data or any recognizable feature must not appear in the figures.

- Authors are encouraged to add colored illustrations that adequately accompany the text. 

 

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Ethical disclosures

The following form must be submitted when uploading the article on the platform: https://www.permanyer.com/formulario-responsabilidades/#

The journal adheres to the "Uniform Requirements for Preparing Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing Biomedical Publications" in the most recent version published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors on its website http://www.icmje.org. regarding possible conflicts of interest, privacy and confidentiality, as well as human and animal rights as subjects of research. A copy of the informed consent will be requested in the case of studies with patients and clinical cases, as well as the approval of the Bioethics Committee of the corresponding institution, in the case of clinical and experimental studies.

The procedures in humans must adhere to the ethical standards of the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki) Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA 2000; 284: 3043-5, as well as the agreement published by the Ministry of Health on January 26, 1982, and the Rules of the Ethics and Research Committee of the Institution where an original work was carried out. Studies in animals should follow similar guidelines (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council, Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals, Washington, DC, National Academy Press, 1996). In relation to data confidentiality data, the way in which the anonymity of the participants and the privacy of their information have been protected must be informed.

Funding

The author should mention the organizations that fund, including grants or similar, if applicable.

Conflicts of interest

Authors should describe any financial or personal relationship they have with other people or organizations that could lead to a conflict of interest in relation to the article submitted for publication. 

To promote the transparency and quality of the research, the authors will be asked as an essential requirement to self-assess adherence to the relevant international guidelines according to the type of study:

– Clinical trials: CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org/). In addition, all trials must be registered in one of the international databases, and the corresponding registration number must always be indicated.

– Observational studies: STROBE (www.strobe-statement.org).

– Diagnostic tests: STARD (www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/).

– For other types of studies, consult the guidelines on the EQUATOR initiative (http://www.equator-network.org/).
 

 

TYPES OF ARTICLES 

Editorials 

Editorials are normally written at the invitation of the Editor and consist of commentary on articles published in the journal or on subjects of particular relevance. Editorials should not exceed 1200 words and 10 references and may include 1 table and 1 figure. Abstract is not required.

 

Original articles

The maximum extension should be 4000 words and up to 50 references. It presents the results of original clinical investigation or basic research. In the original articles the body of the manuscript should be structured by: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions, Figures and Tables.

In the case of clinical trials they should follow the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org/) and should be registered in a public trials registry in accordance with International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, http://www.icmje.org) recommendations. The clinical trial registration number should be included at the end of the abstract of the article.

 

Systematic reviews

Systematic Reviews can be presented in the Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion format. The subject must be clearly defined. The objective of a systematic review should be to produce an evidence-based conclusion. The Methods should give a clear indication of the literature search strategy, data extraction, grading of evidence and analysis. We strongly encourage authors to comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).
Systematic review articles should not exceed 4000 words, excluding up to 6 tables or figures and up to 100 references. Structured abstract up to 350 words.

 

Review articles

The maximum extension should be 5000 words and up to 100 references. It approaches a current issue of medical relevance. 

 

Case reports 

Case Reports should include the following sections: Introduction, Clinical Case, and Discussion. Clinical case studies should not exceed 1500 words and 15 references.
 We strongly encourage authors to comply with the CARE guidelines (http://www.care-statement.org/). Unstructured abstract with up to 150 words.

 

Dermatology images 

This is a section for showing images of interest in Dermatology and Venerology. It may involve clinical, histological or image aspects, or any other that is considered relevant for dermatologists. A maximum of three illustrations of excellent quality should be sent, accompanied by a brief description that highlights the importance of the image (250 words max) and up to 5 bibliographical references can be included. Patients’ privacy must be strictly maintained.

 

Letters to the editor

They are meant to expose: 1) positive or negative comments in response to a previous publication, or: 2) the concise communication of an investigation. It must have a maximum of 4 authors, a maximum length of 800 words, and maximum 10 references, 2 figures, and 2 tables.

 

COPYRIGHT

All submitted works must be accompanied by a letter signed by all the authors, stating that it has not been published previously, nor has it been sent simultaneously to another journal, and that there is no conflict of interest. In case of acceptance, the copyright will be transferred to the Portuguese Society of Dermatology and Venereology,who will publish them open access under the licence: CC BY-NC-ND (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

The views expressed in the article are those of the authors.

No articles will be accepted for review if they are not prepared in accordance with the instructions for authors.

 

	Guidance for the submission of manuscripts
Requirements	Editorial	Original articles	Review Articles	Case reports	Dermatology images	Letters to the Editor
1. Front Page	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
2. Abstract + Keywords	-	Yes	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
3. Abstract + Keywords (Portuguese)	-	Yes	Yes*	Yes*	-	-
4. Content (max words)	Yes (1200)	Yes (4000)	Yes (5000)	Yes (1500)	Yes (250)	Yes (800(
5. Bibliography (Max references)	Yes (10)	Yes (50)	Yes (100)	Yes (15)	Yes (5)	Yes (10)
6. Figure captions	-	Yes	Yes	Yes	-	Yes
7. Figures	-	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes (3 maximum)	Up to 2 or tables
8. Tables	-	Yes	Yes	.	-	Up to 2 or tables
	* Abstracts must be descriptive, not structured

 

EDITORIAL PROCESS

The editorial process consists of 6 stages:

1. Reception of the manuscript (indeterminate, depending on whether the author meets the requirements): its objective is to verify that the manuscript complies with the specifications of these instructions for authors and that the submitted documentation is complete.

2. Initial editorial review (maximum 5 business days): its objective is to corroborate the relevance, timeliness, originality, and scientific contribution of the manuscript, as well as the methodological and statistical soundness of the study. At this time, it will be submitted to an electronic plagiarism detection system. Derived from this, a rejected opinion may be obtained, or it will be sent for review by peer researchers.

3. Review by peer researchers (maximum 30 business days): the opinion of at least two experts in the area in question will be obtained, who will evaluate the technical and methodological aspects of the investigation.

4. Editorial review (maximum 7 business days): its objective is to make a decision based on the opinion of peer reviewers. The opinion can be rejected, major changes, minor changes or accepted. In the case of major or minor changes, it will be submitted again for evaluation by the initial peer reviewers.

5. Final edition (6 weeks): its objective is the technical and linguistic edition (and translation), layout of galleys, DOI assignment, and correction by the author.

6. Advanced publication: All manuscripts will be published ahead of print on the journal's website as soon as they complete the editing process, until they are incorporated into a final issue of the journal.

 

PRINT PROOFS (PDF) OF ACCEPTED ARTICLES 

The corresponding author will receive proofs of the article for revision and correction of terminology errors, or any other updates related to facts/figures. As the article will already have been edited according to the journal’s internal editorial guidelines, style corrections will not be accepted. The corresponding author will receive an email with the article in PDF format, on which they can leave their comments. Authors will need to have Adobe Reader (version 9, or a later version), downloadable for free). For other system requirements, please visit the Adobe website.

Alternatively, authors may list their corrections and submit them via email. Any major changes at this stage will be subject to the approval of the Editor. Authors should make sure to include all changes in a single email, as we cannot guarantee the inclusion of subsequent corrections.

The proof review is the responsibility of the author.

Relevant links:

Committee on Publication Ethics. Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Responsibilities in the Submission and Peer-Review Process