LA MEDICINA DEL LAVORO - WORK, ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH publishes Editorials, Commentaries, Reviews, Original Articles, Communications, and Case reports written in English. The Italian language is acceptable for Educational articles, News, Obituaries, and SIML Documents and Statements. Areas of interest include occupational and environmental epidemiology, hygiene and toxicology, psychosocial factors at work, work-related mental and musculoskeletal problems, aging, work ability and return to work, working hours and health, history of occupational medicine. The manuscripts should not have been previously published. Nor should they be submitted to other journals. Submission should be done using the journal’s website http://www.lamedicinadellavoro.it. However, manuscripts which have previously appeared on a preprint repository is welcome, as the posting of articles not reviewed and not accepted by a scientific journal is not considered to be prior publication. All submitting authors of such manuscripts must make this clear in the covering letter at the time of submission. They must also know in this case, we should make an exception to our usual double-blind peer-review process: since such papers are indexed, blindness becomes impossible.
Once received, manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process. The editors reserve the right to suggest alterations or reject any article, and their decision is final. The editors cannot enter into correspondence about papers that are rejected as being unsuitable for publication. Responsibility for the information and views set out in the articles lies entirely with the authors.
Open access articles can be reused under the terms of the relevant Creative Commons license to facilitate reuse of the content. La Medicina del Lavoro will deposit all open access articles, including expressions of concern, retractions and other notices, with PubMed Central and its mirror sites promptly following publication online. Authors of open access articles may deposit the final published version in the repositories of their choice in accordance with the journal’s self-archiving policies.
Limits depending on the manuscript type
Authors are encouraged to be concise, avoiding double presentation of data in the text and in tables. The latter should be simplified as far as possible and prepared using the journal’s template. Headings, subheadings and plain text should be formatted according to the template’s styles.
Original research and discussion papers:
- Structured abstract: 250 words
- Text (from introduction to conclusion): 5000 words
- Tables/Figures: no more than 5 (sum of tables and figures). Tables should fit a vertical page (font>10 pt).
- References: no more than 40
Short communication or case report:
- Summary: 200 words
- Text (from introduction to conclusion): 1500 words
- Tables/Figures: no more than 2 (sum of tables and figures)
- References: no more than 20
Systematic reviews
- Summary: 200 words
- Text: 5000 words
- Tables/Figures: 5 are preferred, but additional tables/figures might be allowed depending on the circumstances.
- References: no more than 60 are preferred.
Authors are required to note the Word Count and numbers of tables/figures on the title page. Under some circumstances, the editors may allow authors to publish an article that exceeds the word count limits.
Types of manuscripts
Original research articles
Full paper
These articles should report original research studies that are relevant to occupational and environmental health in a way that is accessible to readers of the Journal. A concise writing style is encouraged.
Reviews, commentaries, perspectives
These articles should review or comment occupational and environmental health issue either working on published papers or suggesting new insights and methodological approaches. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational and intervention studies should follow such guidelines as MOOSE and STROBE, respectively.
Short communications and case reports.
These articles report original data using a limited study question or a topic that can be reported concisely.
Reporting of original research articles. The Journal requires authors to follow a pertinent guideline from the current existing guidelines on the reporting of various study types (presented in the table below). If a randomized controlled trial is reported, authors should complete a CONSORT checklist and flow-chart and be prepared to submit it if requested. The Equator network of reporting guidelines provides a more extensive list of links and topics at www.equator-network.org. The Journal instructions provide further advice on format and layout of the manuscript.
MANUSCRIPTS - Manuscripts should be written using Microsoft Word, 12 pt font, double spacing and wide margins. All pages, including references, must be numbered consecutively. Articles need to be reviewed by English language professional editors specialized in scientific English. Letters to the editor will not undergo the double-blind review process. Nor will they receive a DOI (digital object identification number). If they comment on, complete or review works already published in La Medicina del Lavoro – Work, Environment & Health, may be answered by the authors of the cited work. No further replies by the author of the letter will be accepted for publication. Although exceptions are possible, as a rule a full paper should not exceed 5,000 words, 50 references, and 5 Tables/Figures. Likewise, short communications and case reports should not exceed 1,500 words, 15 references, and 3 Tables/Figures. Editorials and Commentaries are mainly commissioned; please contact the Editor in Chief about unsolicited submissions: they do not include Tables or Figures, and should not exceed 1,000 words, and 15 references.
FIRST PAGE -The first page of the manuscript should contain: title of the article, first name and surname of the author or authors, affiliation of each author, indication of any financial support for the research, and complete address of the author responsible for correspondence. On the same page a running title must be provided, along with at least 3 keywords. If the article has already been presented in a meeting, a footnote should be added giving the date and place.
TABLES - Tables should be included at the end of the text and should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Each table must be preceded by a legend, which must contain sufficient information to render the table self-explanatory. In the text, tables must be cited in full (e.g. table 1). Tables should be incorporated in the same file as the text, following their legends, and using the same fonts. Only short paragraphs are acceptable to fill table cells.
FIGURES – Figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals. Each figure must be accompanied by a legend. In the text, the figure must be cited in full (e.g. figure 1). The figures can be embedded in the manuscript and should be placed at the end, after the tables, along with their legends. If figures are prepared in jpeg or tiff (or high-resolution pdf) format, they should be loaded separately as supplementary files. Photographs, drawings, graphs, diagrams must have a minimum size of 10x15 cm. A minimum resolution of 300 dpi is required. Figures will be printed in black and white or on greyscale. Colour figures will be printed in colour only if the authors agree to pay printing costs. If figures or graphs are taken from other journals or books, the contributor must obtain prior written authorization from the author and the publisher. A copy of this authorization should be sent to the editorial board of the Journal and the source of the material should be quoted in the article.
ARRANGEMENT OF MANUSCRIPTS - Articles should be divided into Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References. Repetition in the text under Results of data already given in tables and figures should be avoided. Only standard symbols, acronyms and abbreviations must be used. Results from observational studies should be reported following the guidelines in the STROBE statement, results of randomised trials should be reported following the CONSORT guidelines, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow the PRISMA or MOOSE guidelines, whereas diagnostic tests should be reported according to STARD (see www.equator-network.org for further details). For units of measure, authors should refer to the International System of Units. When appropriate, authors should provide effect estimates (e.g. ratios or differences of means, rates or risks) with their confidence intervals. Please avoid using terms like “statistically significant”, “P<0.05”, “P>0.05”, “NS” or “statistically not significant”. When P values are calculated, exact values should be provided (e.g. P=0.16, P=0.02). The use of “P<” is acceptable if P is very small (e.g. P<0.001).
ACCOMPANYING LETTER – The author responsible for correspondence should declare that all the authors have read and agreed with the content and interpretation of the submitted article. The accompanying letter should also contain a declaration signed by the corresponding author also on behalf of all the other authors concerning potential conflict of interest (see below).
TITLE - The title must be typed in the space provided in the web site.
ABSTRACT - The abstract should describe the study concisely but clearly, high-lighting only significant details; it should be divided into: background, objectives, methods, results, discussion, and should not exceed 250 words. For Case reports and Short communications, the abstract will be replaced by a summary without sub-headings not exceeding 150 words. It must be typed in the web site in the space provided.
KEYWORDS - In the space provided, at least 3 key words should be inserted using capital letters only for the first letter of each key word and for proper names.
REFERENCES - Responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of references lies with the author. References should STRICTLY follow the AMA format available from PubMed of the National Library of Medicine (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). They should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text and identified in the text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in parentheses (no superscripts!). For example: “Thus, for example, Lewis analyzed the COVID-19 pandemics (1), whereas the respiratory effects of welding were discussed by Antonini et al (2). Principles and methods of epidemiology can be found in a classical textbook (3) and a survey exemplifying the prevalence of arterial hypertension in a working population was summarized by Fogari and Orlandi (4). The carcinogenic risk associated with exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) is reviewed in a specific monograph (5). Articles appearing in electronic journals can also be cited as references mentioning the last accession date (6), whereas unpublished observations and personal communications should not be cited, but they should be mentioned in the text (Foà, 1990: personal communication). Some examples of compilation and citation format are given below.
Journal papers:
- Lewis D. Coronavirus outbreak: what’s next?. Nature.2020;578(7793):15-16. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00236-9
- Antonini JM, Taylor MD, Zimmer AT, Roberts JR. Pulmonary responses to welding fumes: role of metal constituents. J Toxicol Environ Health A.2004;67(3):233-249. doi: 10.1080/15287390490266909
Book, book chapters and monographs:
- McMahon B, Pugh TF: Epidemiology. Principles and methods. Boston (MA): Little Brown and Co, 1970
- Fogari R, Orlandi C: Essential hypertension among workers of a metallurgical factory. In Rosenfeld JB, Silverber DS, Viskoper R (eds): Hypertension control in the community. London: Libbey J, 1985: 270-273
- International Agency for Research on Cancer. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk to Humans. Some Non-heterocyclic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and Some Related Exposures. Lyon, France: IARC, 2010: 92
Documents available on the web:
- NIOSH, National Institute Occupational Safety and Health. (2003). Hydrocarbons, Aromatic. Method 1501. Available on line at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ docs/2003-154/pdfs/1501.pdf (last accessed 31-12-2010)
Names of journals should be abbreviated according to Index Medicus as they appear in PubMed. Personal communications and unpublished communications at congresses should not be included in the References but quoted in full in the text.
PROTECTION OF RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS - All submitted research articles must include a statement (either in the Method section or the Acknowledgement) that the study obtained ethics approval (or a statement that it was not required and why), including the name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), the number/ID of the approval(s), and a statement that participants gave informed consent before taking part. If no formal ethics committee is available, authors should indicate that the procedures followed were in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration as revised in 2008.
INFORMED CONSENT – Any article that contains personal medical information about an identifiable living individual requires the patient’s explicit consent before it can be published. If consent cannot be obtained because the patient cannot be traced then publication will be possible only if the information can be anonymized. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that an identifiable patient be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should disclose to these patients whether any potential identifiable material might be available via the Internet as well as in print after publication.
DECLARATION OF INTEREST – A conflict of interest might exist when professional judgement on a primary interest, such as the interpretation of one’s own results or obtained by others, might be influenced, even unknowingly, by a secondary interest, such as an economic advantage or personal rivalry. A conflict of interest is not in itself anti-ethical. Nevertheless, it must be publicly and openly acknowledged. Such acknowledgement shall have no bearing on the decision to publish. In conformity with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) of October 2008, when sending an article for publication in La Medicina del Lavoro - Work, Environment & Health, enclosed with the manuscript, the corresponding author, also on behalf of all the other authors, should declare the existence or otherwise of financial connections (consultancies, ownership of shares, patents, etc.) or of 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. On the web site the possible presence of conflict of interest must be declared in the space provided. Authors must declare all sources of funding and describe the role of the study sponsor(s), if any, in the (i) study design, (ii) collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, (iii) writing of the report, and (iv) decision to submit the paper for publication. If the funder(s) had no such involvement, this should be stated. Membership of Committees or Panels of either Governmental or NGOs’ Agencies publishing scientific opinions and assessments that are relevant to the subject matter of the article must also be declared. If no conflict of interest exists type: NONE.
PROOFS - The corresponding author of an accepted manuscript will receive one set of proofs for correction of printing errors. No substantial alterations may be made to the proof. Correction of proofs by authors relieves the editorial board of all responsibility for any errors in the printed text.
REVIEWS - Books and other publications on occupational health and industrial hygiene which authors or publishers wish to be reviewed in the Journal should be sent to the journal’s address.
ADVERTISEMENTS, BACK ISSUES AND REPRINTS - Advertisers and persons interested in back issues and reprints should contact: MATTIOLI 1885 - Casa Editrice, Strada di Lodesana 649/sx, Loc. Vaio 43036 Fidenza (Parma), Tel. 0524/530383, Fax 0524/82537, e-mail: redazione@mattioli1885.com
As part of the submission process, on the Journal’s website, authors are required to verify their submission’s compliance with a detailed checklist. Submissions that do not adhere to these guidelines may be returned to authors.
