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Author Guidelines
Updated July 2009
As the official journal of the Urology and Nephrology Research Center (UNRC) and the Iranian Urological Association (IUA), Urology Journal is a comprehensive digest of useful information on modern urology. Emphasis is on practical information that reflects the latest diagnostic and treatment techniques. Our objectives are to provide an exceptional source of current and clinically relevant research in the discipline of urology, to reflect the scientific work and progress of our colleagues, and to present the articles in a logical, timely, and concise format that meets the diverse needs of today's urologist.
Urology Journal publishes manuscripts on urology and kidney transplantation, all of which undergo extensive peer review by recognized authorities in the field prior to their acceptance for publication. Original research papers, reviews, and case reports in clinical and experimental urology are considered for publication.
REVIEW PROCESS
All original research papers and case reports submitted to the Urology Journal undergo extensive peer review, which is performed by at least 2 expert consultants, 1 editor, and 1 statistician. Author(s) also revise their manuscripts at least once in the process. Based on the comments of reviewers and the responses or revisions of the author(s), the Editorial Board either accepts or rejects the manuscripts. Author(s) should send their revised manuscripts within 2 weeks (or as otherwise agreed) and if received later, peer review process will be repeated. Reviewers' and authors' identities are kept confidential. The existence of a submitted manuscript is not revealed to anyone other than the reviewers and editorial staff.
SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Manuscripts should be submitted only via the online submission system. You should register/log in and select your role as "Author" to start submission of your manuscript. Please upload the following material via the online submission system: covering letter, title page, manuscript (including abstract, main text, tables, and legends), figures, and authors' agreement form.
PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Covering Letter
All manuscripts must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by all authors. Please upload a cover letter as Word document or a PDF file. Other than any comment you would like to write to the editor, these issues must be addressed in this letter: any potential conflict of interest, sources of financial support of the study, any previous presentation or publication of the paper (electronic or print version), any changes in the list and order of authors (if you are submitting a revised paper), and the name, address, telephone number, fax number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author. In the cover letter, you must also mention the names of three potential preferred referees that can be considered for reviewing your manuscript. In the event that an author is added or removed from the list of authors, written acceptance, signed by all authors, must be resubmitted to the editorial office.
Note. The Urology Journal does not publish a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published in any language.
General Instructions
It is the responsibility of the author(s) to ensure that papers are written in clear, concise English. Manuscripts should follow the stylistic conventions set forth in the American Medical Association Manual of Style, 10th edition. The journal editors are not prepared to undertake major corrections of language. Manuscripts that do not adhere to the journal's Instructions will be returned without being read. The Editor has the right to make editorial corrections and additional changes with the knowledge and approval of corresponding author. Proofs will be sent to the corresponding author by E-mail as a PDF file. Corrections should be kept to a minimum. Authors are asked to return their corrected proofs within 3 days of receipt. Please note that if no corrections are returned then the article will be published as it stands.
The preferred word processing format is Microsoft Word, but files produced using other packages can be translated. Authors should upload visual material separately from the main manuscript, whether or not it has been placed in the word-processed document. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, on one side of A4 paper only, with 2.5-cm margins on all sides. Please include a word count for the abstract and for the main text of the document (excluding references).
Standard abbreviations may be used without definition. Nonstandard abbreviations must be spelled out the first time they are used, followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses. Thereafter, only the abbreviation should be used. Abbreviate units of measure only when used with numbers. Units of measurement must be complied with the International System of Units (SI).
Original Research Papers
Papers must describe significant and original observations that can be critically evaluated and, if necessary, repeated. Papers describing only specialized methods are not acceptable unless they contain meaningful results obtained with the methods. They should be arranged as follows: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, and Legends. The title page must include the following: title; full first name; surname; affiliations of each contributor; each author's highest academic degree; the name, full postal address, and telefax/telephone numbers of the contributor who will deal with correspondence; and a brief descriptive running title not to exceed 60 characters, including spaces. The total number of pages and figures being submitted should also be indicated on this page. Between 3 and 10 key words for indexing should be typed at the bottom of the title page. These words should be identical to the medical subject headings (MeSH) that appear in the Index Medicus of the National Library of Medicine. A structured abstract (with the subheadings Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusion) should appear on the second page of the manuscript and should not exceed 250 words. As far as possible, abbreviations should be avoided in the abstract.
The Introduction should state concisely the purpose and rationale for the study and cite only the most pertinent references as background. The Materials and Methods section should describe briefly (but in sufficient detail to permit other workers to repeat the study) the plan, patients, experimental animals or other species, material, controls, methods, procedures, and statistical method(s) used. The Results section should present the detailed findings. Refer to all tables and/or figures in this section. Figures and tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text; presentation of data in either one or the other will suffice. In the Discussion section, state the importance and significance of your findings, but do not repeat the details given in the Results section. Compare your findings with those of others. No new data should be presented in this section. The paper should conclude with a brief section that summarizes the clinical and research implications of the work, as appropriate.
Reports of Clinical Trials. Original research papers that report a randomized controlled trial, should comply with the guidelines provided by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) group. Also, supplying the manuscript with a CONSORT flowchart diagram is highly encouraged. Please refer to the CONSORT web site to see the guidelines and the flowchart template.
Although it is not obligatory yet, researchers who would like to publish reports of their clinical trial in Urology Journal are strongly encouraged to register their studies in a registry of clinical trials proposed by the World Health Organization or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. As an option, the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials is a registry suggested by the World Health Organization.
Review Articles
Anyone wishing to write a review for the journal should first contact the Editors. Review articles, solicited and unsolicited, are actively encouraged and should be composed of systematic, critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. They should have structured abstracts with the original article headings. All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes.
Brief Communications
Original research papers can also be published in a brief format. Submitted papers that are of interest but are not acceptable as a full-length original contribution are offered by the editor to be published in this section. Also, the authors can primarily submit their papers for consideration of publication in this section. An unstructured abstract not longer than 150 words is required for this section. The body of the manuscript should not exceed 1500 words, and no heading or subheading should be used. Tables and/or Figures should be limited to 2 ones and references to 15 in maximum.
Case Reports
Case reports will be considered only if they present a significant advance in therapy or highlight substantial scientific advances in understanding the mechanism(s) of the disease process. They should be prefaced by a brief introduction, highlighting the salient message, and their discussion should be confined to unusual aspects, not a major review of the literature. The length should not exceed 600 words. They should be arranged as follows: Title Page, Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, References, and Legends.
Points of Technique
Case reports presenting a new technique or innovation are considered for the Point of Technique section of the journal by the editor. They should be arranged as follows: Title Page, Introduction, Case Report, Technique, Results, Discussion, References, and Legends.
Pictorial Urology
Pictorial Urology is a section for publishing interesting images of medical conditions. Any kind of images (pictures, radiological images, pathologic images, etc) that show a typical, unique, or rarely seen variety of a condition related to urology, or those with a highly educational value can be submitted to this section. However, the section is not a place for case reports.
Only high-quality images that are not submitted or published elsewhere will be considered for publication. To submit an image, please send the materials via e-mail (urol_j@unrc.ir) and notice "Pictorial Urology" in your e-mail title. A maximum of 4 images can be submitted. A short title and accompanied by a legend of no more than 200 words is required. A short description of the case and images, as well as a brief discussion on the images should be provided in the text. No more than 3 references can provided for the text. For photographs of an identifiable patient, a written consent is required. No more than 3 authors can be listed for this section.
Fillers
Fillers are materials, including text and image, to be published in the blank spaces of the journal. The subject is not restricted, but those related directly or indirectly to medicine and urology are preferred. Quotations, interesting pictures, historical notes, and notice on events are some examples. Please contact the editorial office via e-mail (urol_j@unrc.ir) to send fillers.
Letters to the Editors
Correspondence will be considered for publication if it contains constructive criticism on previously published articles in this journal, the authors of which will be given the right of reply. The length should not exceed 750 words.
References
References should not exceed 30 readily available citations for all original articles. Self-citation should be kept to a minimum. Number references in the order in which they appear in the text; do not alphabetize. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with superscript Arabic numerals in parentheses. Our reference style requirements are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE updated October 2008, available from: http://www.icmje.org/).
Note: List all authors when there are 6 or fewer; when there are 7 or more, list the first 3, followed by "et al"
Examples:
Articles in journals
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.
More than six authors
Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res. 2002;935:40-6.
Books and other monographs
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. p. 93-113.
Figures and Tables
Figures and tables should be kept to a necessary minimum and their information should not be duplicated in the text. Figures and tables must be included with disk submissions, either as JPEG, GIF, TIFF, or BMP. Tables should be typed on separate sheets, be numbered (with Arabic numbers), and have a title. Include double-spaced legends (maximum length, 60 words) on separate pages. Computer-generated images and photographs must have acceptable quality (at 300 dpi or higher).
AUTHOR'S RESPONSIBILITY AND ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS
Author(s) should certify that neither the submitted manuscript nor any other one with substantially similar content under their authorship in any language has been published or being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in the covering letter.
The Urology Journal follows the latest definition for authorship provided by the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. All authors should have a substantial contribution to the manuscript and take public responsibility for its contents. All persons designated as authors are assumed to qualify for authorship and all those who qualify are listed. The corresponding author takes responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article. In the event that an author is added or removed from the list of authors, written acceptance, signed by all authors, must be submitted to the editorial office.
Submission of the manuscript elsewhere can be done only if the authors decline their submission to the Urology Journal and make sure that the editor is informed.
Any financial interests, direct or indirect, in connection with the author(s)' manuscript must be disclosed in the covering letter. Furthermore, sources of financial support of the project are named in the covering letter as well as the Acknowledgements.
If the work involves experimentation on living animals, the author(s) must provide evidence that the study was performed in accordance with local ethical guidelines. If the study involves human beings, the author(s) must include a statement that the study was approved by the local ethical committee and that informed consent was obtained from the study participants. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed.
All relevant permissions to cite the unpublished observations of others must be obtained by the manuscript author(s). The names and initials of these persons must be cited in the text, and permission from the original author(s) must be obtained. Permission also must be obtained to reproduce or adapt any figures or tables that have been published previously.
Misconduct
The Urology Journal complies with the international regulations against scientific misconduct (fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism). Any suspected act of misconduct in the submitted materials to the journal will be meticulously assessed and the needful action will be taken based on the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Authors are asked to be careful about using the others' words, ideas, and materials and fully cite any sources of the contents of their submitted papers, if they are not original. Sentences extracted from other sources should be supported by reference citation and be in quotation marks or be appropriately paraphrased. Please see the definitions of Fabrication, Falsification, and Plagiarism. For further information see below:
Plagiarism: where unawareness makes a lame excuse
COPYRIGHT
The Urology and Nephrology Research center is the copyright owner of the material published in Urology Journal. However, in accordance with Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (released June 20, 2003, available from: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/bethesda.htm), all works published in Urology Journal are open access and are immediately available without cost to anyone at the journal's web site. All authors should read the Authors' Agreement Form carefully and submit a completed and signed copy of it along with their manuscript.
COMPLIMENTARY COPIES
Authors who are not subscribers will receive a complimentary copy of the issue in which their paper appears.
Submission Preparation Checklist
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.
- The submission has not been previously published, in any languages, nor is it submitted to another journal for consideration.
- The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
- Tables are placed within the main file of the manuscript and Figures are separate image files (except for charts) that are submitted as Supplementary Files.
- The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
- The authors have read and signed the Authors' Agreement Form and they are going to submit it as a supplementary file or will fax it to the editorial office (+98 21 6691 2653) within 1 week.
- The authors are willing to publish their work in Urology Journal, unless they officially decline it and make sure that the editor is informed.
Copyright Notice
The Urology and Nephrology Research Center is the copyright owner of the published material. However, in accordance with Bethesda Statement on Open Access Publishing (released June 20, 2003, available from: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/bethesda.htm), all works published in Urology Journal are open access and are immediately available to anyone on the web site of the journal without cost. Authors should sign the Author's Agreement Form when submitting their papers in which the conditions are described in detail.
The users are free:
to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work
to make derivative works
to make commercial use of the work
Under the following conditions:
Attribution. Users must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author and journal.
For any reuse or distribution, users must make clear to others the license terms of this work.
Any of these conditions can be waived if permitted from the copyright holder.
The fair use and other rights of the users are in no way affected by the above.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.