This journal follows the norms of Vancouver for the preparation of manuscripts, modified as follows:
Title page. The first page must have:
Title. The title of the article have to be concise but informative, and shall not exceed 120 characters including spaces. A short title should be suggested. For scientific names write the taxonomic family in parenthesis after the specie’s name. Do not add species authorship in the title.
Author (s). Names of each author with the highest academic degree, working center, city and country should be presented. Likewise should be specified name and address of the author in charge of manuscript correspondence.
Abstract. The abstract includes the central objective of the work, basic procedures (selection of study subjects; observation and analysis methods), most important findings (including specific information or data with their statistical significance as possible) and main conclusions. The newest and more relevant observations of the work must be emphasized. Maximum 250 words. It must be submitted in Spanish and English.
Key words. Maximum 5 and preferably based on international
standards.
Introduction. Should contain the objective of the work and summarize the logical fundaments that support it. Only opportune references must be included, but no data or results.
Methods. Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods (see below); provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration. Authors submitting review manuscripts should include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data. These methods should also be summarized in the abstract.
Describe statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Avoid relying solely on statistical hypothesis testing, such as the use of P values, which fails to convey important information about effect size. References for the design of the study and statistical methods should be to standard works when possible (with pages stated). Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify the computer software used.
Results. Present your results in logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations, giving the main or most important findings first. Do not repeat in the text all the data in the tables or illustrations; emphasize or summarize only important observations. Extra or supplementary materials and technical detail can be placed in an appendix where it will be accessible but will not interrupt the flow of the text; alternatively, it can be published only in the electronic version of the journal.
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. Restrict tables and figures to
those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to
assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with
many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tables.
Avoid non-technical uses of technical terms in statistics,
such as “random” (which implies a randomizing device),
“normal,” “significant,” “correlations,” and “sample.”
Discussion. Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results section. For experimental studies it is useful to begin the discussion by summarizing briefly the main findings, then explore possible mechanisms or explanations for these findings, compare and contrast the results with other relevant studies, state the limitations of the study, and explore the implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not adequately supported by the data. State new hypotheses when warranted, but clearly label them as such.
Acknowledgment. Detail the support received the study in form of grants, equipment, reagents, or all of them. Appoint the people that have given intellectual help but whose contributions do not justify the authorship and describe them, for example “scientific consultant”, “critical revision of the research project”, “data collection”. Technical help will be thank in a paragraph separated from those destinated to acknowledge other type of contributions.
Bibliographic references must be written as follows:
— One author: Lozano (1995) or (Lozano, 1995).
— Two authors: Lozano and Barrera (1994) or (Lozano and Barrera, 1994).
— More than two authors: Lozano et al. (1993) or (Lozano et al., 1993).
— Articles accepted, but unpublished: Jones and Smith (in press) or (Jones and Smith, in press). When there are several references in the text they must be cited in chronological order. Each reference cited in the text must appear in the bibliography and vice versa.
Bibliography. It is convenient not to cite as reference the reviews presented in congresses or other meetings. Allusions to works accepted for publication, but unpublished must appear as “in press”, indicating the journal’s name; you must get a written authorization for cite these works, as well as an admission for publication certificate. The information about works presented but not acepted must appear as “observations do not published” and always with written authorization of the person in charge of the source of the information.
As possible, avoid expressions such as “personal communication”, unless the cited information give essential information that cannot be obtained from published sources; in this case the person’s name and communication date must be shown up between parenthesis in the text. If they are scientific articles, you will need written authorization. You must verify the references with original documents.
Write the last name and first name initials of all authors. Sort alphabetically by last name.
Write the journal’s titles in abbreviated form according to the style used in NCBI- Journals: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=search&DB=journals.
Journal article
—Standar article
-Six or less than six authors: Include all authors.
NILSSON S, ARUP V, BARANOWSKI R, EKMONS S. Tree-Dependent Lichens and Beetles as Indicators in Conservation Forest. Conserv Biol. 1994;9(5):1208-1215.
-More than six authors: Include until the first six authors
and then write et al.
ROLDÁN A, CARAVACA F, HERNÁNDEZ MT, GARCÍA C,
SÁNCHEZ B, VELÁSQUEZ C, et al. No-Tillage, Crop Residue Additions, and Legume Cover Cropping Effects on
Soil Quality Characteristics Under Maize in Patzcuaro Watershed (México). Soil Till Res. 2003;1786:1-9.
-Indication of article the type of the article (summary):
CLEMENT J, DE BOCK R. Hematological Complications of Antavirus Nephropathy (HVN) [summary]. Kidney Int.
1992;42:1285.
Books and others monographs
—People as authors
DARNELL J, LODISH H, BALTIMORE D. Biología celular y molecular. 5 ed. Barcelona: Publisher Labor S.A.; 1988.
—Publisher(s), compiler(s) as authors
PANKBURST C, DOUBE BM, GUPTA VV, publishers. Biological Indicators or Soil Health. New York: CAB Internacional; 1997.
—Organization as autor and publisher.
FUNDACIÓN NATURA. Plan integral para la conservación
biológica y el desarrollo sostenible en el municipio de
Encino, Santander. Encino: Fundación Natura, Alcaldía
Municipal de Encino; 2000.
—Book’s chapter.
JONES C, MCSHEA WJ, CONROY MJ, KUNZ TH.
Capturing Mammals. In: Wilson DE, Cole FR, Nichols JD,
Rudran R, Foster MS, editors. Measuring and Monitoring
Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Mammals.
Washington and London: Smithsonian Institution Press;
1996. p. 53-78.
—Doctoral Thesis (or similar)
BECERRA MT. Influencia del disturbio antrópico sobre las
comunidades de pequeños mamíferos de bosque seco
tropical [Master Thesis] Bogotá: Departamento de
Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de
Colombia; 1999.
—Dictionaries and similar consulting works
Stedman’s
medical dictionary. 26th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins;
1995. Apraxia; p. 119-20.
—Map
Life Zones or Vegetables Formations of Colombia, [map of
vegetation]. Instituto Geográfico Agustín Codazzi, Subdirección
Agrológica; 1977.
Unpublished material
—In press
LESHNER AI. Molecular Mechanisms of Cocaine
Addiction. N Engl J Med. In press 1997.
Informatic material
—Journal’s article in electronic format
MORSE SS. Factors in the Emergence of Infectious
Diseases. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar
[cited 5 Jun 1996];1(1):[24 screens]. Available in: URL:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm.
—Computer records
Hemodynámics III: The Ups and Downs of Hemodynamics
[computer program]. Versión 2.2. Orlando (FL): Computerized
Educational Systems; 1993.
Tables and figures captions. Not standard explanations and abbreviations should be on notes under the tables or figures. Identify statistical dispersion measurements such as standard deviation. If you use information published or unpublished of any source, you should have an authorization of this. You should express acknowledgements and attach the written authorization of author rights owner to reproduce the material. The titles and detail explanations will be include in captions and not inside the tables and figures.
Tables and figures. They should appear at the end separated from the text. Cite each figure and table in the text according to a numeric order, for example (Fig. 4) o (Figs. 4 y 5) or (Table 1.). Use strictly the necessary tables and figures to explain the argument of the work and support it. Also use figures as alternative for tables of many entrances; do not duplicate data in figures and tables, nor repeat information of tables or figures in the text.
Tables should appear with consecutive numbers. Avoid designs with excess of lines and shades. Distinguish between columns’ titles and data. Figures such as photographs, graphics, schemes, maps, etc., in black and white, should have consecutive numbers, with a title in the lower part. Combine several figures in only one if they support the same conclusion. The images should be sent in .jpg or .tiff format, 10 x 13 cm size, and 300 dpi resolution. The publication in color will be financed by the author. If you include drawings or schemes, they should be drawn in a professional way. Labels done by hand or typed are not admitted. Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and in the whole figure, and at sizes legible after reduction. Avoid margins in figures and designs in color if they are not going to appear like this. The photographs taken through a microscope should have interior scale indicators. The symbols, rows or letters employed in this type of photographs should contrast clearly with the background. The interior scale and the identification of tincion method employed in the photomicrographs should be expressed in the figure’s caption.
Abbreviations and symbols. When you used an abbreviation for first time, it will be preceded by the corresponding complete term, except if the abbreviation is a common measurement unity.
