Submissions

Preparing the manuscript, authors are kindly requested to adhere to the following regulations based on the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals”, developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors:

1. Manuscript requirements. We accept submission via the online form only.
   Please upload your manuscript as a Microsoft Office Word document (*.doc, *.docx and *.rtf formats).

1. Length of the manuscript from an original study or literature review (including tables and list of references) should not exceed 6000 words. Case reports should be limited to 4000 words, short reports and letters to the editor should not exceed 1500 words. Please consult the MS Word built-in statistics service prior to submission in order to find out the exact length of your manuscript. Should your manuscript exceed the aforementioned limits, the editorial board will carry out the final decision on its publication based on recommendations from your reviewer.
2. Text formatting. Lettering in Times New Roman is preferable in all cases (font size 12 pt with 1.0 line spacing and 2 cm margins). Kindly refrain from using underlining in your document (italic and bold formatting is acceptable).
3. File structure.The journal editorial board prefers to receive a manuscript as a single complete file with all figures, tables and any additional supplemental materials. Please organize your text according to the following template:
   
   • Article title. Best article titles bear short, clear and distinctive messages.
   • Authors and their affiliated institutions, linked by superscript numbers, should be listed beneath the title on the opening page of the manuscript.
   • Abstract of an original study should start with some brief background information and statement of the study’s OBJECTIVE, followed by MATERIALS & METHODS and finishing with the RESULTS. The closing sentence should outline the main CONCLUSIONS of the study in the most comprehensible terms. Please note that your abstract should be 300 words or less.
   • Choice of keywords. MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) thesaurus is a preferred source for choosing keywords.
• The body of the text should start with a brief introduction, describing the paper’s significance. In the case of an original study, the body of the paper should follow a common structured approach to the description of the studies aim, its materials, methods and results, as well as Discussion and Conclusions sections.
• Acknowledgements section may be presented in Russian, English or both languages. It should comprise the following:
  
  • Clarification regarding any potential or actual conflicts of interest of the authors. Any affiliations, financial relations, financial or political interests in the manuscript as a whole or in part, including employment and other liabilities that may result in withholding or deliberate corruption of data or adversely influenced interpretation, are considered a conflict of interest and must be explicitly stated as such. Please note that conflicts of interest do not impede a publication, though failure to disclose one does.
  • A brief list of funding sources for the results reported in the paper, as well as the publication process itself (e.g. a commercial organization, a foundation or government grant, etc.).
  • An optional note describing the roles or responsibilities of the authors. You may also place here an acknowledgment for any individuals or organizations that assisted in your work.

2. List of references should be organized according to the guidelines by U.S. National Information Standards Organization NISO Z39.29-2005 [R2010]) in Vancouver style. For detailed instructions on bibliographic formatting, see «References list guidelines». The following are the principle points you should be aware of while preparing your manuscript for submission:
   
   • References should be numbered in the order in which they are cited.
   • Number of references is limited to 60 for literature reviews, and to 20 for original studies and lectures.
   • Within the body of the text references should be provided in Arabic numerals enclosed in square brackets.
   • A complete list of all authors should be presented in every bibliographical entry. Please put an “et al.” notation after the third name if cited paper has more than 4 authors. Do not shorten titles of your citations. Shortened journal titles should correspond to the MedLine catalogue. If the journal is not indexed by MedLine, please provide its full title.
3. Enumerate your tables, give those a heading and clearly marked columns that would be easy to read and comprehend. Please make sure that table data is in line with the numbers in the body of the text (but does not simply duplicate them).
4. Reduce graphical materialto minimum (unless the nature of your study dictates otherwise). Photographs should be rich in contrast, illustrative artwork – clear and of high resolution (dpi).
   
   • If you wish to include in your paper any graphical material created other than by means of standard office applications (e.g. results of diagnostic imaging, photographs, screenshots, digital artwork, etc.), please submit them as separate files via our web form in *.jpeg, *.bmp or *.gif formats. The absolute minimum for acceptable resolution is 300 dpi, though higher is preferable. Do keep in mind that image files should be tagged with numbers corresponding to the enumeration within the manuscript. In addition, file description should provide the caption of your image as it would appear in the paper         
     (exp.: “Fig. 1. Elliott Proctor Joslin, M.D. (1869-1962).”).
   • Graphs should be labeled on the ordinate and abscissa with the parameter or variable being measured, the units of measure, and the scale.
   • Units should be metric and follow SI convention.
   • Kindly take care to provide references to all of your supplementary materials (tables, graphs, etc.) within the body of the text.
5. Ethics statement. In accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidance authors must provide an ethics statement if the study made use of human or vertebrate animal subjects and/or tissue. Approval from the relevant body is required for studies involving:
   
   • humans (live or tissue), including studies that are observational, survey-based, or include any personal data;
   • animals (live or tissue), including observational studies;
   • non-commercial cell lines.
6. Cover letter.The journal editorial board requires authors to submit a scanned copy of a cover letter from their institution in *.pdf format. We expect a cover letter to summarize concisely why your paper is a valuable addition to the scientific literature and briefly relate your study to previously published work. Cover letter should be authenticated by seal and be signed by the head of your institution and by all of your co-authors. We require a separate letter for each of the affiliations declared in the manuscript.
7. Editorial feedback Within the next 7 days the editorial board will inform of receiving the manuscript. A decision on acceptance or rejection is usually taken within 4 weeks.