INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
The journal publishes original papers concerning both clinical and basic research on Gastroenterology, including medical and surgical management.
The Journal publishes the following types of papers.
1. Original research articles
2. Editorials
3. Comprehensive literature Reviews or Invited Reviews
4. Current Views on interesting topics
5. Case Reports of especially interesting or challenging clinical cases
6. Letters to the Editor. They include opinions and comments on the papers and the other articles published in the Journal as well as brief descriptions or opinions concerning various topics of gastroenterology.
All articles published in this Journal are property of the Hellenic Society of Gastroenterology. Reproduction in whole or in part is not permitted except by written consent of the Editorial Board.
All articles, including those written by invitation of the Editorial board, are subject to peer review.
The papers which are submitted for publication must be accompanied by a letter signed by all authors, as in the example given at the end of these instructions. In case of experimental work performed in animals, the paper must by accompanied by the following statement: “All experimental procedures are in accordance to the European Legal framework existing for the Protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes (European Convention 123/Council of Europe and Directive 86/609/EEC) as well as the current Guidelines of International Organizations such as the Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA). Also all regulations followed by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for clinical studies. If the paper refers to humans, it must also be stated that the research was carried out according to the principles of the Conventions of Helsinki (1975). Informed consent must always be obtained from all patients participating in a study referring to human beings.
The articles for publication must be sent in three copies to the following address:
Annals of Gastroenterology,
The Editor, 67, Demokratias Ave., GR 154 51 Athens, Greece
Preparation of manuscripts
The articles must by typewritten and double space. The margin allowed should be of not less than 2.5 cm. particularly in the various categories of articles the following chapters should begin on a separate page.
1. Cover letter. The cover letter serves to introduce a submission to the editorial staff. The letter should explain any deviations from the standard format. Any potential conflicts concerning the exclusive nature of the paper should be declared.
2. Manuscript. Include three complete sets (with full page photocopies of any figures) of the manuscript. All pages should be numbered beginning from title page. Upon acceptance of a paper for publication the authors will be asked to supply a word processing file containing the manuscript. The manuscript should be organized into the following sections.
A. Title page: This includes: i) title of article which should be clear and short, ii) the name(s) of the author(s), iii) the medical center(s) in which the work was conducted, v) three to ten Key Words.
Finally list any acknowledgements of financial support.
B. Abstract: The second page contains the abstract which should not exceed 200 words. This should include the aim of the study, methodology, results and conclusion. For review articles the abstract page should be replaced by a Summary which also must not exceed 200 words.
C. Introduction: The introduction should give brief background information and state the reasons and purposes of the study.
D. Materials and Methods: This section must give sufficient information to permit detailed evaluation and duplication of the work by other investigators. An outline of the statistical methods should be placed here.
E. Results: The findings for the work should be reported in this section.
F. Discussion: In this section the findings of the work should be discussed in relation to other published works in the same field. Hypotheses and speculations must also be clearly identified.
G. Tables: These should be typewritten, double-spaced, each one on a separate page and numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Tables should include a short but concise subtitle, which should be a supplement but should not repeat the contents of the text. Vertical and horizontal lines should be avoided in the tables.
H. Figures: The graphs should be drawn with India ink. A self-adhesive label should be placed on the back part of each figure on which the number of the figure and the author(s) should be written, an arrow should indicate the top. All this material should be placed in an envelope between two card boards in order to avoid bending. All figures should be referred to in the text and numbered with Arabic numerals. The subtitles of the figures should be typewritten in double space on a separate page. Color illustrations are accepted if they make an exceptional contribution to the article.
I. References: These should be numbered in the text in serial number according to the order they appear, typewritten in double space on a separate page according to serial number as they appear in the text, according to instructions of the “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals” (published in the Annals of Internal Medicine). Abbreviations of the titles of the journals are made according to the instructions of the Index Medicus. No periods should be placed at the end of abbreviations of the journal. The last names and initials of all authors should be referred to if they are up to six, otherwise only the first three are referred, with et al following. References to journals are given as follows: Author(s), title of paper, journal abbreviation, year, volume and pages in which the publication is included. References to books are given in the following order: Author(s), title, volume (if more than one), number of publication (if there are others besides the first), publisher, city, year. References to a book chapter: Author(s) of the chapter, title or chapter. In: editor(s), title of book, volume, publication, publisher, city, year and pages in which the chapter appears.
J. Case reports: See instructions A and B. In forming the text, the introduction comes first followed by description of case and discussion. Also see G, H, I.
K. Galley proofs: As soon as a manuscript has been edited and typeset, a copy of the galley proof will be sent to the author. Timely correction of the galley proof will be sent to the author. Timely correction of the galley proof is essential to secure speedy publication of the article. At this stage, authors may make only minor corrections. At this point the author may order reprints, which are charged according to the number of reprints and the number of pages of the article.