Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Title abbreviation: Adv Clin Exp Med
JCR Impact Factor (IF) – 2.1 (5-Year IF – 2.0)
Journal Citation Indicator (JCI) (2023) – 0.4
Scopus CiteScore – 3.7 (CiteScore Tracker – 4.2)
Index Copernicus  – 171.00; MNiSW – 70 pts

ISSN 1899–5276 (print)
ISSN 2451-2680 (online)
Periodicity – monthly

Open Access
Clockss

Instructions for Authors

General rules

Please note that this journal employs an article processing charge. More about the amount of this charge and waivers here. The journal offers no discounts, including discounts for lower-income countries and countries against whom international sanctions have been imposed.

Please note that your paper – if accepted for publication – will initially be published online as an ahead of print article (with active DOI, registered in PubMed, but without page numbers) as soon as possible. You can see how an ahead of print published paper looks like here. Later the same paper will appear in an issue (DOI does not change) with numbered pages (the contents of our issues are planned in advance).

We offer neither fast-track nor priority publication in any form. We perform no pre-assessment of papers sent by e-mail regarding their scope or publication possibility.

Please note that papers not conforming to the rules listed below will not be peer-reviewed until the authors adjust them appropriately. Conformity to the instructions for authors is authors’ responsibility, not editors’.

The Editorial Board accepts for publication only manuscripts written in US English. Authors not entirely familiar with English usage are advised to seek assistance of an English speaker; correct style is the responsibility of the authors. The journal does not offer translation services.

Types of manuscripts

Manuscripts may be considered for publication in the following sections:

  • Original papers – including experimental research

  • Reviews

  • Meta-Analyses

  • Research-in-Progress

  • Study Protocols

  • Editorials (by invitation only)

  • Editorial commentaries (by invitations only)

  • Research letters. 

By reviews we understand various types of reviews listed here. Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine (Adv Clin Exp Med) DOES NOT ACCEPT case reports. Priority will be given to original papers developed as part of international cooperation.

We strongly encourage authors of systematic reviews to register their detailed protocols before data extraction commences, in a public registry such as PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/). The number obtained during the registration should be provided in the submitted paper.

More information here: Guidance notes for registering a systematic review protocol with PROSPERO and here: PROSPERO registry for protocols of systematic reviews.

Prospective registration of systematic reviews promotes transparency, helps reduce potential for bias and serves to avoid unintended duplication of reviews.

By Research-in-progress (RIP) we understand papers concerning research that has commenced but has not been completed as of yet.

A research letter is a brief, but scientifically important study which is basically a shorter form of Original paper. The text structure (Background – Objectives – Material and methods – Discussion – Limitations – Conclusions) remains the same. Research letters are peer reviewed and subject to stringent editorial review as well. They are also indexed in all databases, including PubMed and Scopus, and the number of points assigned for such publication is identical as for original papers. However, a research letter contains a maximum of 1500 words, as opposed to 3500 words in an original article, and at most 2 tables or figures (2 tables and 2 figures at most in one paper). The number of authors and the number of references are not limited. It is important to note that research letters are priority papers in our journal and the waiting time for publication is shorter. Authors of Original papers considered by the editors too brief to be published as such will be asked to change the category of the manuscript into a Research letter. The Editorial Office reserves the right to change the category of the manuscripts if its contents require it – e.g., from Original paper into Meta-analysis or Research letter.

Study Protocol articles provide a comprehensive overview of the design of prospective research, aiming to facilitate the dissemination of ongoing studies and enhance transparency in clinical and biomedical research. These articles outline the hypothesis, rationale, methodology, and ethical considerations of the study, serving as a valuable resource for researchers and clinicians. MORE INFORMATION HERE

The submitted manuscripts should meet the general standards and requirements agreed upon by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, known as “Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals”. They should also conform to the high-quality editorial procedures and practice (formulated by the Index Copernicus International Scientific Committee as Consensus Statement on Good Editorial Practice 2004).

All research presented in papers accepted for publication in Adv Clin Exp Med should be conducted in strict adherence to rules, guidelines, international conventions/declarations and other regulations pertaining research on humans, animals and cell lines.

If your submission relates to a clinical trial, include the number and registration date.

Submission of manuscripts

All manuscripts should be submitted to Editorial Office via electronic Editorial System.

We do not accept manuscripts sent by post or e-mail.

The manuscript should be anonymized – please remove all names and affiliations of the authors from the main text. Please make sure that all names of the authors and their affiliations are registered in the Editorial System during the submission.

There should be no title page – either as the first page of the paper or as a separate file. All authors should be registered in the Editorial System during the submission of the paper and the Editorial System will generate a title page. An “Authors' contributions” section should not appear at the end of the paper.

There should be no cover letter.

The Author(s) should provide a short title that does not exceed 45 characters and spaces.

The Author(s) should disclose all financial and material support when registering the paper in the Editorial System. Should any conflict of interest arise, it should be reported while submitting the manuscript in a dedicated section of the submission procedure in our Editorial System. Information about funding sources should be reported while submitting the manuscript in a dedicated section of the submission procedure, not in the Acknowledgements section of this procedure. Both acknowledgements and the information on funding sources and conflict of interest should be registered in the Editorial System during the submission process and removed from the main body of the paper.

Manuscripts which are not adequately prepared will be returned to the corresponding Author and rejected if we do not receive proper revisions within 30 days.

We have prepared a useful tool for the authors of our journal, including guidelines needed while working on a new article. We hope that provided instruction will address any of your concerns. Before uploading a new manuscript, read the above guidelines and get acquainted with all necessary information.

How to create an account in Editorial System

The editorial staff of Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine is aware that creating an account in the Editorial System [https://www.editorialsystem.com/acem/], which we use, i.a., for manuscript and review submission, is not always easy from the perspective of authors and peer reviewers. Therefore, we offer a guideline in PDF linked below, which presents the whole process using screenshots and comments.

Guideline – how to create an account in Editorial System

Should any problems arise, do not hesitate to contact the Managing Editor of Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine – Marek Misiak: marek.misiak@umw.edu.pl [alternative e-mail for Chinese authors: marek.misiak@friend.pl]. He will establish an account for you and you will only need to log in.

Preprints

Adv Clin Exp Med endorses and encourages posting of preprints of manuscripts on non-profit preprint servers such as BioRxiv, MedRxiv, ResearchSquare or Authorea, as well as on authors’ or institutional websites. Posting of preprints is not considered as a prior publication and the manuscript can enter peer review at Adv Clin Exp Med following the regular procedure.

Preprints may be posted at any time before or during the peer review process (the deposited version must, however, be a version existing before submission and cannot be altered as a result of peer reviewers's comments), but not after acceptance in the journal. When the preprint has been posted after the manuscript had been submitted to Adv Clin Exp Med, the authors should inform the editorial office about this fact by e-mail.

Preprints are defined as an author’s version of a research manuscript prior to formal peer review at a journal, which is deposited on a public server. If the article is already accessible online as registered preprint on any website or in any database, and has been already assigned with a DOI, such information, together with an URL of the registered preprint, has to be provided during submission of the paper as well as appear in the cover letter.

Once the preprint is published in Adv Clin Exp Med, it is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated with a publication reference, including the DOI and a URL link to the published version of the article on the journal website. The editors of Adv Clin Exp Med periodically screen the preprints of papers already published in this journal for such amendments.

A paper summarizing up-to-date knowledge on preprints and our preprint policy has been published in Adv Clin Exp Med:

Supporting open science: Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine and preprints

Financial disclosure

This information should describe sources of funding that have supported the work. It is important to gather these details prior to submission because your financial disclosure statement cannot be changed after initial submission without journal approval. If your manuscript is published, your statement will appear in the Funding sources section of the article.

All affiliations or financial involvement (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants, patents received or pending, royalties) with any organization or entity with a financial interest in, or in financial competition with, the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript must be completely disclosed in the submitted manuscript. All financial and material support for the research and work must be clearly identified, including listing of support that might constitute or give the appearance of influencing the findings. Report all support for the work reported in your manuscript without time limit.

The statement should include:

  • Specific grant numbers
  • Initials of authors who received each award
  • Full names of commercial companies that funded the study or authors
  • Initials of authors who received salary or other funding from commercial companies

Also state whether any sponsors or funders (other than the named authors) played any role in:

  • Study design
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Decision to publish
  • Preparation of the manuscript

If they had no role in the research, include this sentence: “The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.”

Information about funding sources should be reported while submitting the manuscript in a dedicated section of the submission procedure, not in the Acknowledgements section or in the paper itself.

Conflict of interest

All authors are expected to provide disclosures before submission for inclusion in the “Conflict of Interest” statement. Items included in the disclosure statement should cover: consulting fees or paid advisory boards (for the past 3 years or the known future), equity ownership/stock options (publicly or privately traded firms, excluding mutual funds), lecture fees when speaking at the invitation of a commercial sponsor (for the past 3 years or the known future), employment by the commercial entity that sponsored the study, grant support from industry, patents and/or royalties, expert witness, and other activities performed for a commercial sponsor.

Should any conflict of interest arise, it should be reported while submitting the manuscript in a dedicated section of the submission procedure in our Editorial System, not in the Acknowledgements section or in the paper itself.

More about conflict of interest here.

Declarations

All manuscripts must contain the following sections under the heading 'Declarations':

  • Data availability

See the Data sharing section below.

https://advances.umw.edu.pl/en/data-sharing

  • Consent for publication

We often find that authors have confused consent for publication with consent for participation in their study. For the purpose of this document, 'consent' refers to consent to publish personal information about an individual, and not informed consent for participation in a study.

  • Use of AI and AI-assisted technology

See the Data sharing section below and our AI policy.

If any of the sections are not relevant to your manuscript, please include the heading and write 'Not applicable' for that section.

Copyright declaration

The Author/Author(s) declare that:

a) they are copyright holders to the scientific work/publication;

b) they are entitled to dispose of copyright for the purposes of the concluded license/publishing agreement with the Wroclaw Medical University;

c) they created the work/publication on their own;

d) the work/publication does not violate the rights of third parties.

In the event that a third party files a claim against Wroclaw Medical University as a result of the inconsistency of the Author's statements or assurances, the Author is obliged to immediately cover the full amount of all damages, costs, and expenses incurred by Wroclaw Medical University in connection with such claims. This includes damages and costs awarded by a competent court or resulting from the content of the settlement concluded with the aggrieved party, as well as costs of legal services.

Authorship

The authorship should be based on the following criteria:

  • substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;

  • drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;

  • final approval of the version to be published.

Authors should meet all 3 above criteria. If a large, multi-center group conducted the research, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. The Author submitting a collectively authored manuscript should establish the order of authorship, provide all individual authors of the particular group, as well as provide the group's name. All those designated as Authors should meet all criteria for authorship, and all who meet the criteria should be identified as Authors. The contribution of each Author must be documented to the extent to take the public responsibility for appropriate portions, the content and the conflict of interests. 

Other individuals who have participated in generation of the research paper but who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments section with a brief indication of the nature of their contribution. Any editing services used in preparation of the manuscript should be disclosed in the acknowledgments.

All Authors who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors and their authorship should be disclosed in the Editorial System in accordance with the following list:

A – research concept and design; B – collection and/or assembly of data; C – data analysis and interpretation; D – writing the article; E – critical revision of the article; F – final approval of the article.

Do not provide a list of Authors' contributions in the main text of the manuscript – neither with full names nor with initials.

The submitting author is NOT automatically designated as the corresponding author in the submission system. The corresponding author is the primary contact for the journal office and the only Author able to view or change the manuscript while it is under editorial consideration. The corresponding author role may be transferred to another co-author. However, note that transferring the corresponding author role also transfers access to the manuscript. The corresponding author cannot be changed following the acceptance of the paper – there cannot be one corresponding author for contacts with editors and another one for contacts with readers following publication since it is not a honorary but a practical role.

The order of Authors in the Editorial System is also the order in which the Authors will appear on the title page of the published paper. Therefore, the first author in the Editorial System will be also considered the first author of the paper. Before submitting the paper, please check whether the order of the Authors in your manuscript as registered in the Editorial System reflects the order you intend. Changes of authorship following the acceptance of the manuscript for publication are not permitted.

Ghostwriting and guest authorship are manifestations of scientific misconduct, and any detected cases will be investigated, including notification of the relevant entities (institutions employing the authors, scientific societies, associations, scientific editors, etc.). Editors require the identification of funding sources of publications, information about contribution to research from institutions, associations and other entities (the rule: financial disclosure). Editors continuously monitor and document any signs of scientific misconduct, especially violations and breaches of ethics applicable in the study. Please read our ethics statement.

Author names will be published exactly as they appear in the manuscript file. Please double-check the information carefully to make sure it is correct, especially regarding the sequence of name and surname – in English, given name always goes first and surname goes second. Please provide always full names, never initials. Patronimic names (e.g., Ukrainian or Russian) should not be used. Both names and surnames should be capitalized at the beginning (including Chinese names).

Please note that there can be only 1 first author and 1 corresponding author for each manuscript (both functions can be also held by a single person). Adv Clin Exp Med does not permit co-first authorship and co-corresponding Authors for any reasons. However, we offer to mark the names of 2 chosen Authors on the first page of the paper with asterisks [*] and to place a disclaimer [X and Y contributed equally to this work] on the same page. 

All authors who have an ORCID should provide it during submission.

No information allowing for authors' identification, in particular authors' names, should appear anywhere in the main body of the paper. 

Affiliations

Each Author on the list must have an affiliation. The affiliation should include department, university, or organizational affiliation and its location, including city and country (please, do not provide: 1) names of states/provinces; 2) postal addresses and postal codes). Affiliations consisting of only the whole institution name (e.g., university or hospital) are considered too general (this does not apply to employees of private companies). If an author is a student, it should be stated in their affiliation. In the submission system, enter only the preferred or primary affiliation. Do not mix 2 or 3 affiliation into one.

ORCID

Authors submitting their manuscripts to Wroclaw University Press journals are advised to use a unique ORCID number (Open Researcher and Contributor ID). It is a popular digital tool allowing for the identification of the author and their research work in scientific communication. You can register for an ORCID number for free at: https://orcid.org.

Changes to authorship

Before manuscript submission, provide the final and definite list of all authors. If you want to add, remove or change the order of the authors, you can do it only before the manuscript acceptance. Each change, however, should be always approved by the journal Editor.

Changes of authorship following the acceptance of the manuscript for publication are not permitted. 

To make authorship changes, send to the Editorial Office a document containing the following information:

1) list of original authors;
2) list of current authors;
3) the reason for the change in the author list; and
4) identification of current corresponding author (if the modification includes changing the person fulfilling this role).

The document must also include signed consent from all authors stating that they agree with the addition, removal or rearrangement in the list. In other words, all the original and the current authors must sign it. We require such signatures from all authors, even those who have been added or removed. The document should be sent to the Managing Editor: marek.misiak@umw.edu.pl [alternative e-mail for Chinese authors: marek.misiak@friend.pl].

Acknowledgements

Those who contributed to the work but do not meet our authorship criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments with a description of the contribution. Include individuals or companies which have assisted with your study, including advisors, administrative support and suppliers who may have donated or given materials used in the study. Funding of the research should be disclosed in Funding sources section, not in Acknowledgements. Conflict of interest should be disclosed in the Conflict of interest section, not in Acknowledgements.

Names of countries, cities and institutions

We use the following names of countries:

  • China [not: People’s Republic of China]

  • Turkey [not: Türkiye]

  • South Korea [not: Korea, and not: Republic of Korea]

  • Czech Republic [not: Czechia]

  • Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) [not: Cyprus, if the institution in question is in TRNC and not the Republic of Cyprus]

We use English names of cities, not their original versions [e.g., Mexico City (not: Ciudad de México), Naples (not: Napoli)]. 

We use English names of universities, hospitals, clinics, scientific institutes, and other entities, not their original versions [e.g., National Autonomous University of Mexico (not: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México)].

We do not use the names of states nor provinces, neither in affiliations nor in the main body of the text [e.g., Xi'an, China (not: Xi'an, Shaanxi, China); Los Angeles, USA (not: Los Angeles, California)]. When providing the location of the manufacturer of equipment, please give the name of the city and the country, not of the state/province [e.g., GraphPad Software, San Diego, USA (not: GraphPad Software, California, USA; not: GraphPad Software, California, USA)].

Title of the manuscript

Titles should be written in sentence case (only the first word of the text, proper nouns and genus names are capitalized). Avoid specialist abbreviations in titles if possible. For clinical trials, systematic reviews or meta-analyses, the title should include the study design.

Abstract

Abstract of ORIGINAL PAPERS, META-ANALYSES and RESEARCH LETTERS should contain 200–300 words and consist of 5 separate parts introduced by separate subheadings in the following order:

  • Background;

  • Objectives;

  • Materials and methods;

  • Results;

  • Conclusions.

An unstructured abstract 150–250 words is required for REVIEWS and EDITORIALS.

Abstract should be registered only in the system – please do not paste it into the main body of the paper. None of the abstract sections should be filled with N/A (not applicable).

Graphical abstract

The journal Adv Clin Exp Med requires graphical abstracts (GAs) for papers accepted for publication. The editorial office of Adv Clin Exp Med does not offer graphic designing or DTP services – the authors have to provide graphical abstracts in a finished form. The GAs should be submitted as a separate file in the submission system.

Requirements regarding graphical abstracts

An extensive paper on GAs was published in Adv Clin Exp Med:

In a blink of an eye: Graphical abstracts in Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine

Key words

Abstract should be followed by 3–5 key words written in the language of the manuscript and recommended by the Index Medicus Subject Headings (MeSH).

Main text

Manuscripts should be submitted in the following formats: DOCX, DOC or RTF. 

The manuscripts – main text and reference list – should be formatted as follows: Times New Roman 12, spacing 1.5. Do not format text in multiple columns.

The main body of the text should not contain names and affiliations of the authors or the abstract. Tables, figures and reference list should be submitted only as separate files and should not be pasted into the main text. All numbers of the references in the text should be in superscript and without parentheses. 

Do not number headings or subheadings. Limit manuscript sections and sub-sections to 3 heading levels (bold for level 1, bold and italic for level 2 and italic for level 3). Make sure heading levels are clearly indicated in the manuscript text.

Footnotes of any kind are not permitted (apart from footnotes in tables). 

To add symbols to the manuscript, use the Insert → Symbol function in your word processor or paste in the appropriate Unicode character. Do not paste graphical files (e.g., JPG, PNG, TIFF, BMP) with symbols in the text. Equations should be generated using the appropriate functions in your word processor, not pasted as uneditable graphic files.

The main body of the text (regardless of its type) should consist of the following sections introduced by separate subheadings in the following order:

  • Highlights

  • Background/Introduction (at least 1 page long);

  • Objectives;

  • Limitations of the study;

  • Conclusions.

For Original papers and Research letters, the main body of the text should consist of the following sections introduced by separate subheadings in the following order:

  • Highlights

  • Background (at least 1 page long);

  • Objectives;

  • Materials and methods;

  • Results;

  • Discussion;

  • Limitations of the study;

  • Conclusions.

For cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies within the Original papers category, the structure of the Materials and Methods sections should conform to the stipulations of the STROBE checklist (see below). For Meta-analyses, the structure of the Materials and Methods sections should conform to the stipulations of the PRISMA checklist (see below).

The Author(s) should not use italics (apart from names of the genes and taxonomy), bold or underlined words in the text. Please use only generic names of drugs.

When the study involves humans or animals, please include the disclaimer about the approval of the bioethical committee or about the reason why such consent was waived. When the study involves humans, please include a disclaimer about compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki or about the reason why the Declaration is not applicable, as well as information of informed consent provided by the subjects or lack thereof. More about our ethical stipulations here.

Highlights

The “Highlights” section is the first in the main body of the paper – it should appear before the Background/Introduction section.

The "Highlights" section provides a concise summary of the most significant findings and relevance of the article. It aims to help readers quickly understand the key aspects of the study and enhance the article’s visibility in scientific databases.

Guidelines for preparing “Highlights”

Use of inclusive language

Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Content should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader; contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition; and use inclusive language throughout. Authors should ensure that writing is free from bias, stereotypes, slang, reference to dominant culture and/or cultural assumptions. We advise to seek gender neutrality by using plural nouns ("clinicians, patients/clients") as default/wherever possible to avoid using "he, she," or "he/she." We recommend avoiding the use of descriptors that refer to personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability or health condition unless they are relevant and valid. These guidelines are meant as a point of reference to help identify appropriate language but are by no means exhaustive or definitive.

Names of species and genes

Write in italics (e.g., Homo sapiens). Write out in full the genus and species, both in the title of the manuscript and at the first mention of an organism in a paper. After first mention, the first letter of the genus name followed by the full species name should be used (e.g., H. sapiens) (apart from situations when the name of the species begins a sentence).

All names of genes should be in italics.

Statistical analysis

Please read thoroughly our new statistical guidelines. These requirements are to be followed closely. Each paper which includes statistical analysis results in any form undergoes statistical review by a statistical editor, separately from the peer review. Papers which do not pass this review are not accepted for publication.

Checklist

In addition, when preparing the manuscript, it is obligatory to structure the article according to one of the checklists below:

It is obligatory to refer to the EQUATOR site as a reference in selecting the appropriate checklist for the study: https://www.equator-network.org/. A FILLED checklist needs to be uploaded in the Editorial System separately. Please note that especially the STROBE checklist has to be submitted in a fillable version and filled in (https://www.strobe-statement.org/checklists/). We do not assess manuscripts without a checklist. We do not provide assistance in choosing or filling in a checklist.

Please note that the CASP checklist should be used when it actually applies to a given manuscript. It should not be chosen simply because other checklist (e.g., STROBE or ARRIVE) appears too complicated.

If you experience problems in choosing a checklist, use THIS LINK.

An extensive paper on checklists was published in Adv Clin Exp Med:

Checklists for reporting research in Advances in Clinical and Experimental Medicine: How to choose a proper one for your manuscript?

Laboratory equipment, reagents and software

If any equipment, software, reagents, antibodies, or anything else obtained from external entities was used, the following information should be provided:

  • exact model of equipment, full name of assay or reagent, catalog number of antibody, etc.;

  • name of the manufacturer;

  • location of the manufacturer (country and city (not state/province - e.g., Los Angeles, not California);

  • in case of software – exact version of the software (e.g., IBM SPSS v. 24.0);

  • in case of freeware software or databases (like KEGG or Gene Ontology) a direct URL from which the used version of the software can be downloaded is sufficient.

Abbreviations

If an abbreviation is introduced in the text, it should be explained when a given term or name of the institution appears in the text for the first time; then, only abbreviation should be used, not the full expression (unless the expression appears at the beginning of the sentence). Do not begin a sentence with an abbreviation. 

All abbreviations in the abstract should be explained in the abstract and then again in the main text (the abstract and the main text are treated as separate texts). All abbreviations appearing in a table/figure or its caption must be explained in the legend of a given table/figure, even if they appear also in the main text or in other tables/figures – each table/figure has to be fully comprehensible when viewed outside the context of the whole paper. 

Nonstandard abbreviations should be avoided. Do not use abbreviations in manuscript titles (except when space considerations require otherwise) or figure legends and table titles. In rare cases, when the abbreviation is more familiar than the expansion, the abbreviation alone can be used (in our journal, this applies to DNA, USA and SPSS, but not to, e.g., DMSO, DMEM or PBS). Be careful not to introduce abbreviations which are already widely used with other meaning (e.g., SD is usually understood as ‘standard deviation’, OS as ‘overall survival’ and OD as ‘optical density’).

All abbreviations used in the text should be explained in the article, not on a separate list.

Tables

We accept up to 10 tables (2 tables in Research letters). Tables should be placed in separate files, not pasted into the main body of the text. They should be in an editable format (not inserted as pictures). References to Tables should be placed according to the sequence of citing them in the manuscript. The text should include references to all tables. 

All tables must be consecutively numbered. Separate tables must have separate numbers (i.e., Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, not Table 3A, Table 3B, etc. (or Table 3.1, Table 3.2, etc.) when separate tables are considered).

If you need to present more than 10 tables, the additional ones should be made available as the shared data (see our data sharing policy). Do not submit any data (including figures and tables) as Additional files – they will not be available to the reviewers.

Do not place captions for tables and figures within the text, but only in the file(s) containing tables. Please do not attempt to point out where exactly a given table or figure is to appear. We cannot guarantee that they will be placed exactly in the places in the paper you planned them – they will appear on the same page they are first referred to (or on the same fold-out), but not necessarily below a given sentence.

Allowed formats: DOC and DOCX [not XLS or XLSX]. The same data should not be provided twice – both in the text and in the table, but only in the table, while the text should include only a reference to a given table. Include a brief and self-explanatory title with any explanations essential to the understanding of the table given in footnotes at the bottom of the table. There cannot be empty cells in the table – if no information is given, fill in a cell with a hyphen (–).

All abbreviations used in a given table/figure should be explained below it or in the caption, even if a given abbreviation has already been explained in the text.

Citations in the tables should be numbered and included in the Reference list. When you cite references in the tables, you have to provide the numbers of the references also in the table. The references in the tables should be in the order they appear on the reference list. If there are 2 authors, both surnames should be provided. If there are more than 2 authors, surname of the first author and et al. should be provided. References in tables should fit into the consecutive numeration of the references in place where a given table is first mentioned. Do not provide a separate reference list for a table or tables – a manuscript can have only one reference list.

Figures

We accept up to 10 figures (2 figures in Research letters). Overtly complex figures will be divided into smaller ones and the number of figures will be counted again. A single figure can have no more than 6 panels (A–F). One panel means one chart – multiple small charts cannot form one panel. 

If you need to present more than 10 figures, the additional ones should be made available as the shared data (see our data sharing policy). Do not submit any data (including figures and tables) as Additional files – they will not be available to the reviewers.

Do not compile several already complex charts into one figure. All elements of each figure must be legible when viewed on an A4 page in a PDF file in full-screen mode, without zooming. Overtly complex figures with multiple charts/graphs combined into one panel cannot fulfill this requirement. Do not combine several graphs or charts into one figure – it’s simply unpublishable and we will not be able to include such figures into the published manuscript. Papers with such figures will not be published, even if accepted by peer reviewers. Figures deemed too complicated by our editors will have to be divided into smaller ones – preferably following the rule one chart = one figure.

Figures should be placed in separate files, not pasted into the main body of the text. All figures must be consecutively numbered. Separate figures must have separate numbers (i.e., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 3, not Fig. 3A, Fig. 3B etc. (or Fig. 3.1, Fig. 3.2, etc.) when 2 separate figures are considered). A single figure can have multiple panels (up to 6), but separate figures cannot be considered panels of 1 figure.

References to Figures should be placed according to the sequence of citing them in the manuscript. The text should include references to all figures.

Please refer to tables and figures in the text; do not place captions for tables and figures within the text. Please do not attempt to point out where exactly a given table or figure is to appear. We cannot guarantee that they will be placed exactly in the places in the paper you planned them – they will appear on the same page they are first referred to (or on the same fold-out), but not necessarily below a given sentence.

Each figure should have a concise, self-explanatory caption describing accurately what the figure depicts. Captions for the figures should be placed at the end of the main body of the text. Do not embed the legend in the figure file. When applicable, be sure that both the figure captions and the figures themselves contain corresponding labels for multiple parts. Identify all elements found in the figure in the figure caption; and use boxes, circles, etc., as coordinate points in graphs. If any magnification is used in the photographs, indicate this by using scale bars within the figures themselves. All abbreviations used in a given table/figure should be explained below it or in the caption, even if a given abbreviation has already been explained in the text.

If Authors used in the work any figures, photographs, charts, tables, etc. which are not their work, and are protected by the copyright law, they shall be obliged to provide the Publisher with a written authorization to use such materials issued by the author’s economic rights holders. Identify previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference citation at the end of the figure caption.

Please read our technical requirements for figures.

References

The references should be consecutively numbered, not prepared in Harvard style and not marked in the text using solely links to the reference list (without numbers) or DOIs pasted into the text. The reference list should be in the order of works being cited in the text, not in alphabetical order. 

Please do not paste the reference list into the main text – it should be submitted only as a separate file.

We strongly encourage authors to cite primarily works published within the last 5 years; older papers and other materials should be cited only when absolutely necessary (e.g., when a definition is mentioned).

Do not include references in the abstract or in headings/subheadings.

It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure the accuracy of all references according to AMA citation style.

References should be limited only to the most recent positions and directly connected to the presented topic. References should be identified by Arabic numerals (without parentheses) in superscript and numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the manuscript. This also includes references in tables – they should fit into the consecutive numeration of the references in place where a given table is first mentioned. All references from the reference list should be mentioned in the text, consecutively and with no gaps (e.g., Reference 16 cannot appear until reference 15 is mentioned at least once). If references are mentioned in a table, they should also appear in ascending order.

When you cite references in the tables, you have to provide the numbers of the references also in the table. The references in the tables should be in the order they appear on the reference list. If there are 2 authors, both surnames should be provided. If there are more than 2 authors, surname of the first author and et al. should be provided. References in tables should fit into the consecutive numeration of the references in place where a given table is first mentioned.

Do not cite the following sources in the reference list:

  • Unavailable and unpublished work, including manuscripts that have been submitted but not yet accepted (e.g., “unpublished work” or “data not shown”). Instead, deposit such data in a publicly available database (e.g., as a preprint if it is a complete but yet unpublished manuscript). Articles that are accepted for publication but not yet published should be cited as in press.
  • Retracted papers – they cannot be cited, even as retracted articles. If the retraction occurs between the submission of the manuscript and its acceptance, you will be informed by the editors that 1 or more publications cited in your paper has been retracted; in such situation, you will be asked to remove it from your referece list or replace it by other, non-retracted publication.
  • Personal communications (these should be supported by a letter from the relevant authors but not included in the reference list).
  • Submitted research should not rely upon retracted research. You should avoid citing retracted articles unless you need to discuss retracted work to provide historical context for your submitted research. If it is necessary to discuss retracted work, state the article’s retracted status in your article’s text and reference list.

Ensure that your reference list includes full and current bibliography details for every cited work at the time of your article’s submission (and publication, if accepted). If cited work is corrected, retracted or marked with an expression of concern before your article is published, and if you feel it is appropriate to cite the work even in light of the post-publication notice, include in your manuscript citations and full references for both the affected article and the post-publication notice. Email the journal office if you have questions.

Abbreviations for journal names should be cited according to Index Medicus. If a journal is not listed in Index Medicus, its full name should be given. The abbreviation et al. should be applied when there are more than 6 authors, but only the first 3 authors should be listed in such situations (e.g., Hu X, Chang J, Mao M, et al.).

Please provide DOIs to all positions on the Reference list. When it is possible, please also provide the PMID (ID from the PubMed database) in addition to the DOI – it makes entering the reference list into the reference manager much easier. If a cited position lacks the DOI, please provide only the PMID. If there is also no PMID, please provide direct URL to the published paper (not to a database). This includes papers in Chinese or Turkish.

If you use EndNote software to manage your references, CLICK HERE.

If you use any reference manager (EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero or other), please provide the reference list as a JSON file or other format in which the reference list can be exported from the reference manager (in addition to the Word file). Please submit it as an Additional file in the Editorial System – it will make our work much easier. 

This journal should be cited in lists as Adv Clin Exp Med.

Policy concerning data sharing

All papers submitted to Adv Clin Exp Med since August 15, 2024, will be subject to our new policy concerning data sharing.

The following provisions apply only to original papers (including research letters). They do not apply to reviews, meta-analyses, study protocols, and research-in-progress papers..

Please note that availability of data from the corresponding author on request is no longer an option (excluding cases when data sharing is not possible for ethical reasons).

Adv Clin Exp Med requires the Authors of all original papers to make all data necessary to replicate the results of their study publicly available without restriction when the paper is submitted to the journal (relevant information must be registered in the Editorial System at the time of submission).

All the data and related metadata underlying the reported findings should be deposited in appropriate public data repositories unless already provided as part of the submitted article. Authors must deposit the data when submitting the paper to the journal. It is not permitted to deposit the dataset after the manuscript has been accepted for publication.

There are several exceptions for data sharing (more information here), but authors of each manuscript are required to provide a Data Availability Statement (DAS) describing compliance with the journal’s data policy. It should occur in the main text of the manuscript, in the final section Declarations, after Conclusions.

Papers not including any declaration concerning data sharing will not enter peer review until such declaration is provided.

Authors of original papers and research letters should not upload in the Editorial System any supplementary files with relevant data. All supplementary files referred to in the manuscript (supplementary tables, supplementary figures and others) must be a part of the shared dataset deposited in the repository). Even if there are no data to share, any Supplementary files (referred or not referred to in the text) should be deposited in a repository and a single DOI of this deposit should be provided in the data availability statement. Please be advised that Additional files uploaded into the Editorial System are NOT VISIBLE to the reviewers, while an URL in the Data sharing declaration is available to them.

If sharing the raw data using Zenodo repository poses a problem, we can do it for you if you send the files to be shared to marek.misiak@umw.edu.pl or marek.misiak@friend.pl, or upload them as Additional files into the Editorial System. 

MORE INFORMATION

Originality check

As a part of the initial verification of the manuscript, each text is checked using anti-plagiarism software (iThenticate). Only manuscript with a Similarity Index (SI) lower than 30% will be accepted for further verification – those with SI od 30% or higher will be sent back to authors for rewrite. This applies also to papers being continuations or expansions of previous publications – re-using previously published text, e.g. in the Materials and methods section, is not an accepted solution. Please note that re-using fragments of one or more publications of one or more authors of the paper is also considered plagiarism (and is called self-plagiarism).

Usage of artificial intelligence (AI) tools

These guidelines only refer to the writing process (i.e., generating text using an AI tool), and not to the use of AI tools to analyze and draw insights from data as part of the research process. They do not apply to the use of basic tools for checking grammar, spelling, references etc.

GUIDELINES REGARDING AI USAGE

Diversity, equity, ethics, and inclusion statement (optional)

We welcome statements pertaining to diversity and inclusion within a manuscript’s acknowledgments section under the heading “Diversity, equity, ethics, and inclusion.” Such statements may discuss author positionality that denotes one or more authors’ identification with underrepresented groups, such as those defined by race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability status (e.g., “One or more authors identify as…”). These statements may also discuss diversity and inclusion as they pertain to study design (e.g., inclusion of authors or study subjects, community benefit-sharing, and/or inclusion of local researchers and communities in planning and execution). Statements that exceed 200 words and primarily discuss study design should instead be placed in the additional files.

Diversity, equity, ethics, and inclusion statements are not required for publication, nor will disclosures be included as criteria for acceptance or rejection. 

Suggested peer reviewers

Authors of each submitted manuscript are required to suggest 3 potential peer reviewers. Fulfilling this requirement is paramount to alleviating the peer-review crisis is scientific publishing and is mandatory.

Suggested reviewer has to be:

  • from a different country than any of the authors;
  • a specialist in a relevant field of medicine (There have been instances where the recommended reviewers were from completely unrelated scientific fields, sometimes not even within medicine.).

Please provide the following information concerning the suggested reviewers:

  • name;
  • institutional e-mail;
  • link to the institutional personal page of the reviewer (if possible).

This would facilitate proper identification and traceability to their professional profile and respective institutions.

The suggested reviewers cannot have a conflict of interest as described here:
https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-systems-and-software/policies/conflict-of-interest-guidelines-for-reviewers

Proofs

Corrections to the proofs should be restricted to printer’s errors only. Please read, correct and return the proof to the Editorial Office within 3 working days. Delay in the return of proof may result in publication of the paper without your corrections or may postpone the publication. It is the authors' responsibility to ensure that there are no errors in the proof.

Mark the corrections in the PDF file using the “comment” option. Either changing the contents of the PDF file itself or providing the corrections as a separate list is not considered appropriate. All corrections have to be made using ONLY the “comment” function. Changing anything in the PDF itself renders it unusable for us [this includes both changes to the text and tables/figures, as well as adding watermarks]. It is also unethical because the editors need to be able to track each correction you make. Do not lock the comments on the proof – we need to be able to remove them.

Please note that since October 1, 2021 after the article is published as ahead of print, it cannot be changed (which encompasses also affiliations and authors’ order). Such stipulation stems from requirements set by scientific databases in which the papers published in Adv Clin Exp Med are stored.