Author Guidelines
Papers should be submitted directly to the online Editorial Office at the Acta Biomedica website: www.actabiomedica.it.
ActaBiomed requires that all manuscripts be prepared in accordance with the “Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals” set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (http://www.icmje.org/icmjerecommendations.pdf).
In particular, the corresponding author, on behalf of all the other Authors, must declare the existence of all possible conflicts of interest, including financial, consultant, institutional and other relationships that might constitute a potential conflict of interest in relation to the subject matter of the article. In the case of existence of any such financial connections, the authors concerned must declare them in a brief but complete definition at the end of the article, before the references. If no conflict of interest exists the corresponding Author should type: "Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/ licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.
Without this declaration the online paper submission cannot be accepted.
Sources of funding, institutional affiliations and conflicts of interest should be declared in the publication. Reports of research not in accordance with the principles of this Declaration should not be accepted for publication“.
The journal does not charge any financial fee to the authors for the online manuscript submission. Authors are requested to choose a corresponding author. The corresponding author is responsible for the following requirements: managing all communications between the journal and all co-authors during the manuscript submission, publication process and after publication; ensuring that the names of authors, their arrangement and affiliations are correct; ensuring that all listed authors have approved the manuscript before submission; making sure all permissions to reproduce previously published material have been obtained from the copyright owner; making sure disclosures, declarations, statements from all authors are included in the manuscript as appropriate. It is the responsibility of the Authors of an article published in ActaBiomed to have contributed in a meaningful and identifiable way to the design, performance, analysis, and reporting of the manuscript.
ActaBiomed permits only one corresponding author per manuscript submission. This Author is solely responsible for all correspondence with the ActaBiomed and will receive all emails regarding forms, authorship issues, manuscript files, etc.
Research involving human subjects, human material, or human data, must have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and must have been approved by an Ethics Committee, sometimes referred to as an Institutional Review Board (IRB). A statement detailing this, including the name of the Ethics Committee, the reference number, date and duration of approval must be added to the manuscript. If a retrospective (“non-interventional”) study has been granted an exemption from requiring ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript. The final decision on whether to proceed to peer review in such cases is at the Editor’s discretion.
To be considered for publication the manuscripts submitted to ActaBiomed must meet an English style standards. For researchers for whom English is not the primary language, a revision by an English mother tongue is recommended before manuscript submission. His/her name should be reported in the acknowledgements. If he/she is not available, the Authors are requested to add an official certificate issued by the qualified Language Editing Service. As an alternative, ActaBiomed may offers a Language Editing Service that can assist the authors of manuscript. The cost of language editing depends on the length and characteristics of manuscript. For additional information please contact [email protected].
The corresponding author is also invited to check the article content for grammar mistakes and unintentional plagiarism using checking software prior to the submission.
Before submission users will have to register at website www.actabiomedica.it. Registration is mandatory. Registered authors can keep track of their articles after logging into the site using their user name and password. Authors do not have to pay for submission and processing of articles but a fee has to be paid after the acceptation of the article and before the publication.
Authors have complete right to withdraw the article after submission. If the author wishes to withdraw the article after complete article process (or) after reviewer process, then corresponding author has to pay the withdrawal fee (50% of the Article processing charge). For any further queries related to APC/Waiver/Manuscript withdrawal, please contact the Managing Editor, dr Valeria Ceci.
Please read carefully the complete Authors guidelines prior to submission. Note that submission implies that the content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Acta Biomed requires four templates for online submission: 1) ABM title page template, 2) ABM manuscript template, 3) ABM cover letter sample and 4) Conflict of interest statement. All users are invited to use them in the submission process in order to shorten the evaluation times. Submission missing one of these 4 files, will be desk rejected. This does not preclude a new resubmission, within 15 days, of a corrected version of manuscript. To submit, login at http://www.actabiomedica.it and create a new submission. Follow the submission steps as required and submit the manuscript. Before starting online submission process please login Submission Preparation Checklist . For authors section in ActaBiomed home page.
The ORCID ID of the corresponding author will be required; it is also recommended that co-authors indicate their ORCID IDs. It is our belief that an increased use and integration of ORCID IDs will be beneficial to the entire scientific community. Further information and registration details at ORCID. org (https://orcid.org/content/collect-connect).
Author Contributions Statement
It has to be placed after the conflict of interest. To qualify for authorship, all contributors (please report only monograms for name and surname) must meet the following 4 criteria based on ICMJE recommendations:
- Have made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the article; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the article; AND
- Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content; AND
- Approved the version to be published; AND
- Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
NB: Registered authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should instead be listed in an “Acknowledgements” section.
Contributions should be reported in the manuscript after the Statement of Conflict of Interest and before References.
The corresponding author is responsible for completing this information at manuscript submission, and we expect that all authors will have reviewed, discussed, and agreed with the final version of the manuscript.
Manuscript categories and requirements for submission
Manuscripts should be typed in 12-point type and double spacing using Times New Roman style.
Original Articles: These include full-length report of current research within any area covered in the journal’s scope, and aims to address novel findings and make significant contribution to the scientific knowledge in medical scientific disciplines and sub-specialities. Main text – 5000 words limit, including the main body of text and abstract, and excluding references, figures and tables. It should carry an abstract of not more than 250 words.
The abstract must be self-contained and clear without reference to the text. The abstract format should include four sections: Background and aim of the work; Research design and Methods; Results (significant data found), and Conclusions.
Below the abstract provide 5-7 key words that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article.
The main text should be distributed in 9 sections : 1) Introduction; 2) Patients and Methods (this section contains the study design, definitions of terms used in describing the research, population or samples used for the study, measurements obtained and methods used for making them, statistical analysis plan, and any features of the methods used that are specific to this particular research. Ethics Committee approval (including reference number, date and duration of study approval); 3) Results (this section describes the main objective data and the results of the statistical analyses performed using them should be included as results. Neither further information on the methods used nor interpretation of the implications of findings should appear among the results—these belong in the Methods and Conclusions sections, respectively; 4) Conclusions (this section should briefly summarize the study’s main findings and place them in context of past research related to the topic of the article. In particular, it describes how the present observations add new information); 5) Acknowledgements (if added); 6) Funding (mandatory). If the research was carried out without funding, "None" should be stated in this section. Otherwise, the full official funding agency name should be given. Grant numbers should be given in brackets. It has to be placed before the references; 7) Statement of conflicts of interest; 8) Authors’ contribution and 9) References. There are no limits for references and max 10 tables/figures are deemed sufficient.
- Brief Reports: should be arranged like original articles. It should not exceed 2500 word with up to 2 figures or 2 tables or 1 figure and 1 table and 20 references. A structured abstract (maximum 200 words) is required.
- Editorials: An Editorial is defined as a comment on an article or articles published in Academy of Management Journal (AMJ). Editorials are generally solicited by the editorial office and written by recognized leader(s) in the field. Editorials should not exceed 2000 words. An abstract is not required, no more than 10 references and 1 figure or table are allowed.
- Review articles: The Review article can be submitted either by the invitations from the Editors or by the authors themselves. If you wish to submit an uninvited review article you should add a proposal that includes: Why this is an important topic to review, why it is best suited for ActaBiomed and why the review would appeal to the readership.
There are two principal types of review papers: Review Article and Systematic Reviews without Meta-analysis, each with a specific research question and rationale. In all types of reviews the objective of the review must be precisely defined and stated.
Review articles are articles that identify, synthesize and summarize existing evidence and information on a specific topic. Review articles should present a timely, comprehensive analysis of a specific topic.
- Systematic Review without Meta-analysis: A systematic review consists of searching, screening, and selecting all eligible literature following predetermined eligibility criteria, and appraising and synthesizing the literature to answer a specific research question. A systematic review requires a rigorous and systematic approach to reduce bias and produce more trusted evidence to facilitate decision making (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/about/about-cochrane-reviews). Each submission should include the PRISMA Checklist (We strongly encourage authors to comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines) and the protocol should be registered in PROSPERO (https://www.crd. york.ac.uk/ prospero).
The search strategy presentation must contain:
- The name of the database
- The date you did the search
- Which search terms you have used
- How you searched (quotes, especially fields, truncations, etc.)
- How you have combined your search terms
- If you have used any filter, or restriction (language, year, etc.)
Word limit: 6000 words max, including an abstract but excluding references, tables, and figures.
Abstract (Max. 250 words): Structured with Background and Objective (describe relevant background, reasons for conducting the review and its primary objectives). Methods: describe the search strategy, including databases and time frame. Conclusions: describe the main conclusions and how the review may potentially impact future researches, clinical practice and policy making.
Main text: Arranged as Introduction, Methods, Main Body and Conclusions.
References: No limit
Figures/Tables: max 10 tables/figures are deemed sufficient.
Author Contributions: Review articles should include a section describing the contribution made by each author to the manuscript.
Ethical Statement: Any image(s) must indicate the ethical statement in the methods section. Please report in full the Authors’ names and Journal reference in the didascaly of figure(s), diagram(s), etc., and the Publisher’ permission.
These review are submitted to the judgement of peer reviewers.
- Mini-Review and Narrative Reviews: A mini-review often provides a fairly brief summary of experience, literature, techniques, or other issues. Though a mini-review is far less comprehensive than a systematic review, scoping review, or clinical practice review, it is concise with minimal text to target valuable topics or emerging topics that have not yet been extensively researched.
A narrative review will be an update on current understanding of the physiology of the disease or condition, diagnostic consideration, and treatment. Narrative Reviews do not require a rigorous literature search but should rely on evidence and should be written by established experts in the field.
Manuscripts structure:
Word limit: 4000 words max, excluding an abstract, references, tables and figures.
Abstract: Unstructured (Max. 250 words).
Main text: Unstructured.
References: 30 max.
Figures/Tables: 3 max.
The reviews are submitted to the judgement of peer reviewers.
- Editor’s Invited Commentaries or Viewpoints: This section discuss a paper published in a specific ActaBiomed issue and should set the problems addressed by the paper in the wider context of the field. Commentaries should not exceed 1000 words, 1 figure or table and no more than 7 references. The abstract is not needed.
- Case reports: The Case Report article is a detailed description or documentation of an emerging disease, unusual or rare disease, or the unusual manifestation of some common diseases. These contributions could be of up to 2000 words (excluding abstract and references) and should have the following headings: Abstract (unstructured), Running title, Key-words, Introduction, Case report, Discussion, Reference, Figures/ tables (maximum four). Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under the study should be omitted. In any case, a document enclosing the patient’s agreement to publish all the necessary information must be obtained.
CARE guidelines should be followed (http://www.care-statement.org/).
If the participant has died, then consent for publication must be sought from the next of kin of the participant. This documentation must be made available to Editors on request, and will be treated confidentially. If the research was carried out without funding, "None" should be stated in this section. Otherwise, the full official funding agency name should be given. Grant numbers should be given in brackets. It has to be placed before the references.
- Clinical and Medical Images: Starting in 2024, Acta Biomedica welcomes the submission of high-quality articles in various fields of clinical and medical images to offer a platform to share leading expert experiences centred on patient care. Clinical and Medical Images are simply well-organized graphical representations of a specific case description.
The title must be short, specific and informative. An abstract is not required, but providing 3 keywords may allow the article searching. Images are limited to one, single or multi-paneled, with a maximum of 400 words for case description, diagnosis and discussion, and 3-5 references. Additional article structure includes a conflict of interest statement, funding, ethical approval and acknowledgements/dedication.
Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under the study should be omitted. A document enclosing the patient’s agreement to publish all the necessary information must be obtained. If the participant has died, then consent for publication must be sought from the participant's next of kin. This documentation must be made available to Editors on request and will be treated confidentially.
Manuscripts should be double-spaced. Please number each page. Authors (not more than 3) should upload separate files for the title page and the manuscript. Each author's full first name and surname should be followed by his or her department, institution, city and country. It is editorial policy to list only one author for correspondence. Only original, high-quality images will be considered for publication, provided they do not contain material that has been submitted or published elsewhere. All articles will be carefully selected and peer-reviewed.
- Promoting PhD Medical Students Scientific Research: The authors of the submitted manuscript must meet the aims and guidelines of Acta Biomedica. Up to 4 medical students as Co-authors will be allowed. The mandatory provision of a mentorship for supporting and conducting students in writing and submitting research manuscripts is required. His/her name will be reported in the list of Co-Authors. The accepted articles will be exempted from APC (Article Processing Charge).
- Letters to the Editor: These should be short and concise reports and should be of general interest to the field of medical scientific disciplines and sub-specialities. The letter must include not more than 6 authors and should not exceed 1200 words, one figure and one table and up to 6 references. Abstract is not required. Key words are not required. The letter will be submitted to the judgement of peer reviewers. If the research was carried out without funding, "None" should be stated in this section. Otherwise, the full official funding agency name should be given. Grant numbers should be given in brackets. It has to be placed before the references. A maximum number of five Letters to the Editor will published in each issue of Acta Biomedica.
- Correspondence: Correspondence should usually be in reference to manuscripts published in Acta Biomedica in the previous 4 months. Correspondence to the Editor should be no more 750 words and may include one figure or table and up to 4 references. No abstract is required. The Editor-in Chief may invite a reply from the author(s) of the original publication or may forward the correspondence to the author(s). The publication is free of charge.
- Humanities: These are assays that show the relevance of the arts to the science and practice of medicine. Humanities should not exceed 1200 words, 3 Authors, 3 figure and up to 7 references. The manuscripts will be submitted to the judgement of reviewers.
- Others: In general, Acta Biomed does not accept articles that fall outside the above-mentioned categories. If you have any questions regarding the article category for submission to Acta Biomed, please contact the Editorial Office at: [email protected].
ABM has decided not to accept research and review protocols since January 2024.
Third-party permission
Authors who wish to use copyrighted third-party content (defined as any material within the manuscript which is not the author’s original work) must obtain permission from the copyright holder (usually the original publisher). Third-party content may consist of figures, photos, illustrations, and may be found in several places such as, but not limited to, websites, print, and online books and articles, theses, annual reports, conference material, etc. Please report in full the Authors’ names and Journal reference in the didascaly of figure(s), diagram(s), etc., and the Publisher’ permission. Once obtained, documents certifying the permission to use third-party content should be sent to [email protected] for archiving purposes.
The following items must be submitted to ActaBiomed:
- The corresponding Author must disclaim in the frame letter to the Editor-in Chief that the submitted paper has not already been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. It is original and not contains parts taken from other publications. All submissions are accepted with the understanding that they have not been, and will not be, published elsewhere substantially in any format. Also, there should be no ethical concerns with the content or data collection.
- Please, download and use the four template files (TITLE PAGE, MANUSCRIPT, ABM COVER LETTER SAMPLE and CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT) for your online submission (see below). Then, upload both files in your submission.
a) TITLE PAGE must contain:
- a concise informative title;
- full author(s) names (without professional qualification); please, mark in red the family name (last name) of all the authors;
- affiliations: department or institution where work was done;
- correspondence: full name and address of author to whom correspondence about the manuscript and request for reprints should be referred, as well as fax, telephone number, E-mail and ORCID number;
- a running title of no more than 40 characters;
- total text word count and abstract word count.
- The online submission fields must contain the full names of all authors, using the button "add contributors" with capital letters only for the first letter of authors’ names. Missing authors in the metadata will reflect in missing authors list in Databases as Scopus. Therefore, please pay attention to be sure that all authors and their affiliations have been added.
Removal or addition of author(s) during the revision of manuscript and/or after manuscript acceptance is not permitted.
Please, be sure to add all the affiliations of authors during submission process, including the affiliation of the author who submit the article.
Be certain to list E-mail of the corresponding author on the title page. The correspondences will only take place via website.
- b) MANUSCRIPT must include:
- abstract (not more than 250 words),
- key words (5-7 key words that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article),
- a running title of no more than 40 characters,
- manuscript,
- tables and figures with legends [on the top for the table(s) and at the bottom for the figure(s)],
- ethic committee permission (institution, name, protocol number, year and duration of permission) and informed consent must be reported in the section Patients and Methods.
- acknowledgements (if added); funding; statement of conflicts of interest (mandatory),
- references.
General Style Points:
Acronyms and Abbreviations: should be used sparingly and only where they ease the reader’s task by reducing repetition of long, technical terms. Initially use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation.
Drugs: should be referred to by their generic names, rather than brand names.
Units of measurement: Measurements should be given in SI or SI-derived units. Visit the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) website for more information about SI units. Although not an SI unit, Celsius should be used for body temperature or for laboratory measurement temperatures in the physiologic range. If using conventional system measurements, these should be followed in parentheses by equivalent SI values. Submitted manuscripts are required to report HbA1c in both SI (IFCC) and NGSP/DCCT units.
Numbers: numbers under 10 are spelt out, except for: measurements with a unit (8 mmol/l); age (6 weeks old), or listed with other numbers (11 dogs, 9 cats).
Statistics: When data are summarized in the Results section, specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. When data are summarized in the Results section, give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical methods used to analyze them.
Use upper italics (P: 0.048). For all P values include the exact value and not less than 0.05 or 0.001. Exact P values, such as P = 0.23, are preferable to the term ‘N.S.’or ‘not significant’. P values given in tables or figures need not to be repeated in the text.
P values are preferably quoted to three decimal places, e.g. P = 0.025 or P = 0.003, but when P > 0.1, it is sufficient to keep to two decimal places, e.g. P = 0.25. Small P values can be expressed as P < 0.001 or P < 0.0001. Both ‘p’ and ‘P’ are allowed, although the international standard is P (large italic) (From: Fukuda H and Ohash Y. Jpn J Clin Oncol 1997;27:121–7).
Unqualified use of such analyses is strongly discouraged. The Editor requires to Authors to provide an official certificate/evidence of statistical certification (or at least expertise) on the study design, statistical analysis, presentation and interpretation of results.
Trade Names: Chemical substances should be referred to by the generic name only. Trade names should not be used. Drugs should be referred to by their generic names. If proprietary chemicals, reagents or special pieces of apparatus have been used in the study, refer to these by their generic name, mentioning the proprietary name and the name and location of the manufacturer in parentheses.
Illustrations: It is the authors’ responsibility to obtain permission (from the author and copyright holder) to reproduce illustrations, tables, etc. from other publications. If the figures have been reproduced from another source, a letter from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher) authorizing the reproduction of the material must be attached to the covering letter.
All original photographs and graphics should be sent as high resolution files: not less than 300 d.p.i. and with a base of the same size as a column of the Journal (8 cm). A letter of permission must accompany all photographs when there is a possibility of identification. (Please, follow all recommendations reported for “Third-party permission”). Legends should be added. The citation of the Figures in the text should be added as (Figure 1.... Figures 1-3, and so on). Cite figures with the format: Figure 1 A, Figure 1 B, Figure 2, Figure 3, etc. When consecutive subparts of a figure are cited, they should be cited as: Figure 1A-1D, etc.
Tables: tables should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the table, legend, and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. All abbreviations must be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for P-values. The Tables must be embedded in the main manuscript. Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, the information contained in the text.
Figure Legends: Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement. Statistical measures such as SD or SEM should be identified in the headings.
References: references should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. They have to be placed in round brackets and NOT in square brackets or superscripted for example: (1,2) or (1-3). References cited only in tables or in legends to figures should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text.
The list of references should be typed in numerical order and indicate: authors’ names (all authors when six or less; when seven or more list only the first three and add “et al.”); article title, name of the Journal (abbreviated as in Index Medicus), publication year, volume and first and last page numbers. Please, don’t use the bold or the italics styles for the references and do not insert a dot after the name of authors. After the name of the cited Journals insert a dot followed by doi. If it is not available replace it with PIMD.
The recommended style for references should be mainly based on Vancouver style. Bibliographic References as adapted by PubMed Citation-National Library of Medicine (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Examples:
- Standard journal articles
- Soliman AT, De Sanctis V, Yassin M, Wagdy M, Soliman N. Chronic anemia and thyroid function. Acta Biomed. 2017;88(1):119-27. doi: 10.23750/abm.v88i1.6048.
- Electronic journal
- Vanelli M. Tips to avoid weak scientific English. Acta Biomed. 2021; 92(3): e2021235. doi: 10.23750/ abm.v92i3.11810.
- Organization as author
- Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002;40(5):679-86. doi: 10.1161/01.hyp.0000035706.28494.09.
- No author given
- Listed NA. Abstracts from 11th George Rajka International Symposium on Atopic Dermatitis. Acta Derm Venereol. 2021;101(221). doi: 10.2340/00015555-3793.
- Article not in English
- Chen S, Chen YL, Chen B, Chen YH. Zhonghua Yi Shi Za Zhi. 2019;49(3):168-78. [Chinese]. doi: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0255-7053.2019.03.006.
- Volume with supplement.
- Geraud G, Spierings EL, Keywood C. Tolerability and safety of frovatriptan with short- and long-term use for treatment of migraine and in comparison with sumatriptan. Headache. 2002;42 Suppl 2:S93-9. doi: 10.1046/j.1526-4610.42.s2.7.x.
- Issue with supplement
- Glauser TA. Integrating clinical trial data into clinical practice. Neurology. 2002;58(12 Suppl 7):S 6-12. doi: 10.1212/wnl.58.12_suppl_7.s6.
- Chapter in a book
- Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. pp. 93-113.
- Conference proceedings
-Harnden P, Joffe JK, Jones WG, editors. Germ cell tumours V. Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell Tumour Conference. 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. New York: Springer; 2002.
Conflict of Interest statement
If no conflict of interest exists the corresponding Author should report after references : "Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article". It has to be placed before the references.
Acknowledgments
The acknowledgments are located before the reference list. Contributions from anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed. The source of financial grants and the contribution of colleagues or institutions should be acknowledged. Thanks to anonymous reviewers are not appropriate.
Funding
If the research was carried out without funding, "None" should be stated in this section. In providing details of funding, authors should report: The full official funding agency name should be given. Grant numbers should be given in brackets. It has to be placed before the references.
Last pre-print check
Before the final printing, the Editor will request via website to the corresponding author to make the last check of the already accepted manuscript and to return it within 48 hours. Corrections should be marked on the actual galley proofs. Co-Author(s) additions are not permitted. Please, remember that AFTER THE PUBLICATION OF THE ARTICLE NO MORE CORRECTIONS WILL BE MADE.
Reprints: Reprints are available if requested. Order form and a price list have to be requested to the Publisher.
(Last update version: 23 July 2024)