Česká urologie - Czech Urology

Česká urologie

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

1. INTRODUCTION

The Czech Urology journal (Česká urologie) is an official periodical of the Czech Urological Society (CUS). As a rule, it appears on a quarterly basis; the articles are always reviewed by two independent expert reviewers and then are subject to approval by Executive Editorial Board and Editorial Board.

The journal is open to non-members of CUS as well. It accepts original papers from the field of urology and the related fields in the form of clinical and experimental studies and case reports. The journal also includes commentaries and editorials to each paper, new books reports or reviews, commentaries to interesting articles, discussions, biographies of outstanding personalities, news from the CUS Board, personal communications and letters to the editor. Reviews of topical themes are commissioned by the Editorial Board. Authors interested in publishing reviews should contact the Editor-in-Chief in advance.

Published papers are sole property of the journal. Reprints of articles or of the parts thereof, figures, tables or diagrams are be allowed only by the agreement of the Editor with the identification of the source.

2. MANUSCRIPT

The author of the paper shall be responsible for the originality of the paper and for the fact that the paper or a part thereof was not published in other media (including electronic media). The author shall submit the manuscript by e-mail to the Editorial Office of the journal – see below (or by post if on a CD). The Editorial Office shall forthwith acknowledge the receipt and the inclusion of the paper into the review process, if the submitted manuscript meets all the requirements. On the basis of the review process, the Editorial Office reserves the right to decide on whether the paper is accepted or refused within two months at the latest. Within this time limit, the author guarantees not to offer the paper for publication elsewhere. The author shall be informed about the final acceptance or refusal of the paper in writing. The time limit for the decision may be extended, if the author is requested to perform a correction on the basis of the reviewer’s comments (in which case it may be deemed highly probable that the paper after the correction will be accepted).

3. SIZE OF MANUSCRIPT

The size of the manuscript depends on the type of article.

  • A Review should not exceed 5000 words (about 20 pages of the manuscript) and 40 references.
  • Original Articles/Special Focus should not exceed 3500 words and 30 references. A figure or a table shall equal 200 words.
  • Case Reports should not exceed 1500 words and 10 references.
  • News from scientific meetings and conferences should not exceed 2 pages.
  • Reviews should not exceed 2 pages, i.e. 500 words.
  • Letters to the Editor /Discussions should not exceed 2 pages, i.e. 500 words and 7 references.
  • News/Personal communications should not exceed 2 pages.
  • Anniversaries of prominent personalities should not exceed 3 pages + photographs.
  • Upon agreement with the Editor-in-Chief, abstracts from specialised events may be published.
4. FORM OF MANUSCRIPT

In preference, the manuscript should be written in MS Word (doc or, possibly, rtf). Manuscripts should be double-spaced (i.e. 30 lines per page) with a 12 point font size, preferably Times New Roman. The Enter key should only be used at the end of the paragraph! Each page should be numbered.

The manuscript must contain the following parts, each of which shall commence on a separate sheet of paper:

  • Title of the paper
  • Abstract and key words in the Czech/Slovak language
  • Abstract and key words in the English language
  • Text of the publication itself (including, where applicable, Acknowledgements)
  • List of references
  • Legend to the illustrations in the Czech /Slovak language (figures, diagrams, tables)
  • Legend to the illustrations in the English language (figures, diagrams, tables)
  • Illustrations
4.1. TITLE PAGE OF THE MANUSCRIPT

The title page of the manuscript should contain:

  • Title of paper
  • Full names of the author/authors (first name and surname)
  • Official names and addresses of the author’s/authors` establishments (in case of several authors, please number each surname with a superscript ordinal number and attach the same number to the establishment)
  • Contact information for correspondence with the principal author (name, surname, address, telephone, fax and e-mail)
  • Statement of Support (independent article, government grant, corporate grant)
  • Major statement, description of the content of the article not exceeding 40 words in the Czech and English languages for a readers` front page notice.
4.2. STRUCTURED ABSTRACT AND KEY WORDS

Structured abstracts in the Czech and English languages, not exceeding 1 page (maximum 250 words) shall include, in the following order:

  • The objective: one to two sentences giving the background and the objective of the paper.
  • The cohort (material) and the method: description of the studied cohort, methods used.
  • Results: the most significant results, expressed numerically, with an indication of statistical significance.
  • Conclusion: what is implied by the study in question.

In reviews and case studies, the abstract need not be structured as shown above.

Key words not exceeding 5, in alphabetical order, should be inserted below the text of the Abstract in the Czech and English languages (in terms according to the Medical Subject Heading List at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html).

The abstract should not contain references or unexplained abbreviations.

4.3. TEXT OF THE PUBLICATION

Style common in journals of medical journals is recommended. Original articles should be structured as follows:

  • Introduction
  • Cohort (material) and the method (methodology)
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • References

In the end include the list of tables and a list of figures and their description.

Methods: As regards the methods, describe the used instruments and software, indicate their types and manufacturer/seller.

The names of instruments and drugs should be accompanied with the names and locations of manufacturers stated within the brackets. If possible, in addition to trade names of the preparations, generic names should always be included, too.

Abbreviation: As a matter of principle, all abbreviations should be explained within the brackets when first used in the text (except the most frequent abbreviations, such as e.g. kg or min). In abstracts, titles and captions to illustrations, abbreviations should be used very cautiously.

Acknowledgements: Acknowledgements to colleagues, sponsors or supporters of the project.

Paragraph numbering: If you number the paragraphs, use the following format:

  • 2. Methods
  • 2.1. Patients
  • 2.1.1. Inclusion criteria

Units of measurement: Use only SI units; after the figure, always use the official symbol of the unit.

In the beginning of the sentence, do not use a numeral but a word. In the text itself, write all numbers exceeding 9 with a numeral (18 patients, six patients). If you use an abbreviation (Fig. 1), place it within the brackets; otherwise use the whole word without the brackets.

4.4. STATISTICAL PROCESSING

Used statistical procedures should be described in detail for readers to be able to clearly identify method of result processing. You can discuss the applied methods, the experimental design or, where applicable, randomisation. Uncommon statistical abbreviations and symbols should be explained.

4.5. TABLES

Each table should be double-spaced and on a separate sheet of paper. Tables should be numbered with Arabic numerals. The captions to the tables should be in the Czech and English languages. Explanatory notes should be included as footnotes and the abbreviations used should be explained.

4.6. DIAGRAMS AND FIGURES

Figures should support and explain the text, and not duplicate it.

  • Diagrams should be sent in the MS Excel electronic format and numbered consecutively.
  • Only illustrations in electronic format and sufficient resolution (see below) shall be admitted. Illustrations shall not include personal data, numbers of medical records, numbers of medical examinations and no identification of the human subjects in the pictures is allowed. The editor requires that the image files be supplied on CDs in JPG, TIF, BMP or CDR (Corel Draw) formats. Please do not insert figures and graphs in the environment of a word processor (MS Word)! Each diagram or figure should be uploaded on a CD as a separate file and named based on its order in the text, e.g. OBR 1B.JPG. Minimum resolution of the image files shall be 300 dpi (dots per inch), with colour format RGB or CMYK. For image files in JPG format, low or no compression („high quality“) is recommended. Image files should not be supplied in MS PowerPoint format!
  • In microphotographs (histological specimens), indicate the degree of specimen magnification and colouring.
  • Legends to graphs, figures and tables should be in both Czech and English, on a separate sheet containing sufficient information to make the illustrations legible without text. Abbreviations should be used only if they may not be avoided.
  • For figures, diagrams and tables, please indicate their appropriate placing in the final text on the margin of the printed manuscript.
4.7. REFERENCES

Maximum number of references: 40 (emphasis should be placed on Czech sources; this will be positively evaluated in the review process).

In accordance with the Vancouver Declaration, the list of references should include all authors up to a total number of five authors; if there are more than six authors, list the first three followed by et al. (surname and the first letter of the first name(s). The list of references should be typed double-spaced on separate sheets and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text (not in the alphabetical order).

Journal references (under Index Medicus) should be written in the following order: name, title, year, volume (number, where applicable), first and last page numbers of paper.

Book references should be cited in the following format: author, title, edition, place of issue, name of publisher, year of publishing; if the book has several authors, the main author may be stated followed by et al.

Identify references in the text by Arabic numerals in round brackets (), not by author‘s name only.

If possible, avoid unpublished communications. If necessary, include information on an unpublished communication as a personal or unpublished communication in the following form „personal communication, Jan Stránský, Kroměříž“ and within square brackets.

Example: a periodical:

Manjurul Islam AHM, Kato H, Hayama M, Kobayashi S. Are neuroendocrine cells responsible for the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia? Eur Urol 2002; 42(2): 79-93.

Example: a book:

Matthews DE, Farewell VT. Using and understanding medical statistics. 3. ed. New York: WH Freeman 1996; 396.

Example: a chapter in a monograph:

Huang GJ, Wu YK. Operative techniques for carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia. In: Huang GJ, Wu YK, eds. Carcinoma of the esophagus and gastric cardia. Berlin: Springer; 1984: 313-348.

4.8. CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Each author including joint authors shall indicate and sign in his own hand the manner how the written manuscript was funded as well as the financial benefits from the company or establishment associated with this article (company consultant, fee, etc.). He shall indicate these facts in the final part of the Acknowledgement section.

4.9. ETHICAL ASPECTS

Human studies should be assured by informed consent and approved by an ethical committee. The author should mention that the study was conducted according to the Helsinki declaration of 1975 and its revision in 2000. If there is any doubt pertaining to adherence to the Helsinki declaration, an explanation must be included. Animal studies should be in agreement with ethical standards and approved by a special committee appointed to this purpose. The author shall mention these details in an accompanying letter.

4.10. HUMAN RIGHTS

Details on published patients, such as the name, the date of birth and the birth identification number cannot be shown in photographs or family trees, unless essential for scientific purposes of the paper in question and unless written consent to that was given by the patient. Persons on photographs should not be identifiable.

5. SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPT

The complete manuscript should be sent in electronic form to the e-mail address mentioned below or (on a CD) to the address mentioned below as registered mail in a hard envelope.

For each manuscript enclose a cover letter in electronic form containing:

  • A statement that the paper was not published or accepted for consideration or publication by another periodical,
  • In case of clinical studies and studies including experiments on animal subjects, a statement that the protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of the relevant authority; at the same time, the description of the methods should contain a statement „The protocol was approved by the Ethical Committee of (name of establishment)…“
  • Number of pages, tables, diagrams and figures,
  • The full name and address, telephone, fax number and e-mail of the contact person.

Address:

Galén
Česká urologie
Na Bělidle 34, 150 00 Praha 5

You will be notified when the manuscript is received and whether it has been accepted.

E-mail: czechurol ( et ) galen.cz