Instructions to authors

 

The journal Medicina Cutánea Ibero-Latino-Americana is the official publication of the Colegio Ibero-Latinoamericano de Dermatología.
The journal publishes peer reviewed articles related to basic, epidemiological, surgical, and clinical aspects in dermatology, accepting manuscripts for publishing in Spanish or English language, free of charge for readers and authors.

To this end, the journal will consider contributions in the following sections:

- Editorial

- Origianl article

- Review article

- Letter to the editor

- Clinical case

- Case for diagnostic (image in dermatology)

Manuscripts must be uploaded in electronic form through the editorial system at http://www.publisher.mcILA.permanyer.com, where the author for correspondence should first register as an the author in the platform. Once this author has obtained a username and password, the documents should be uploaded following the instructions.

**To avoid duplications in the system, please refrain from creating a new request when resubmitting your modified files. You should continue using the same reference until your manuscript completes the editorial process.

PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS

The following files should be sent separately in a fully editable document: Front Page, Manuscript, Ethical Responsibilities, Copyright Release Letter. 

File 1. Front page which should include, without exception: concise and informative titles of the paper in Spanish and English and a short title of no more than 40 characters (counting spaces and letters), name and surname(s) of each author (without titles or positions); the institutional departments to which they are attached (affiliations), name and e-mail of the author responsible for correspondence, acknowledgements, financing and conflict of interest.
Please also include your ORCID number. ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a unique and persistent identifier for researchers, helping to distinguish their work and enhance the visibility of their publications. It is essential for ensuring proper authorship attribution and avoiding confusion between authors with similar names. You can register for free at https://orcid.org. 

Funding 
The author should mention the organizations that fund their research in the Funding section of their manuscript, including grant numbers if necessary.
 

Conflicts of interest
Authors should describe any financial or personal relationships they have with other individuals or organizations that could give rise to a conflict of interest in relation to the article submitted for publication. If the author(s) are members of the Editorial Board, they must clearly state it in this section.

File 2. A second file with the completely anonymous manuscript. The file with the main text of the manuscript should be a completely anonymous document and should contain titles in English and Spanish, an abstract in English and Spanish with keywords, the body of the article, references, tables and captions of figures or graphs. Figures or graphs should be sent in separate documents or separately, one by one, in a high quality format. Please list all lines of your manuscript continuously, to facilitate review. 

Please refer to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Biomedical Journal Editors), www.icmje.org.

For more information on manuscript preparation, please consult: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html
 

Body of the manuscript

Abstract in Spanish
It should be presented in a maximum of 250 words, and should indicate the purpose of the research, the basic procedures (selection of the sample, analytical and observational methods); main findings (concrete data and, if possible, their statistical significance), as well as the relevant conclusions and the originality of the research. The abstract should be structured with the following sections: Background, Objective, Material, Methods, Results and Conclusions. At the end, 3 to 6 key words should be noted, to facilitate inclusion in international indexes. It is recommended to use the terms of the Medical Subject Headings of the most recent Index Medicus.

Abstract in English
It will be written in a maximum of 250 words with the same characteristics as the abstract in Spanish. It should begin with a version of the title of the paper in English. It should also include 3 to 6 key words. It is suggested that this paragraph be revised by an experienced translator in order to guarantee its quality.
 

Introduction
It should include the background, the statement of the problem and the objective of the study in a free and continuous writing duly supported by the bibliography.
 

Materials and methods
The characteristics of the sample and the methods used should be clearly indicated with the pertinent references, in such a way that the reading of this chapter will allow other researchers to carry out similar studies. The statistical methods used should be clearly indicated with the corresponding reference. The authors should detail in this section the ethical procedures they have followed; necessary for experiments with animals, patients, handling of confidential data, informed consent, etc., and that they have the authorization of the ethics committee of their institution.

Results
It should include the important findings of the study, comparing them with the figures or graphs that are strictly necessary and that expand the information provided in the text. Do not repeat information in the text and in the tables and/or figures.
 

Discussion
The results should be contrasted with what is reported in the literature and with the objectives and hypotheses stated in the work. 
 

Conclusions
In this section, the main conclusions of the study should be summarized and, if they are preliminary, future studies that need to be carried out should be suggested. It is necessary that the conclusions are congruent with the objectives that were proposed and that they are derived directly from the research process carried out.

References
References should be presented according to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (International Committee of Editors of Biomedical Journals). References should be indicated with Arabic numerals consecutively and in the order in which they first appear in the text. They should be referenced in the text, tables and figure captions with the corresponding numbers. In citations with multiple authors (more than six authors), only the first 6 authors of the paper should be included, followed by et al. after the abbreviation of the name or names of the 6th author. In the case of 6 or fewer authors, all of them should be included in the citation (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html). 

- Articles published in periodicals should appear in the following format: Welt CK, Chan JL, Bullen J, Murphy R, Smith P, DePaoli AM, et al. Recombinant human leptin in women with hypothalamic amenorrhea. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:987-97. 

- References to books should include the full name of the publisher as well as the city and country of publication and the year it was published, according to the following model: Aréchiga H, Somolinos J. Contribuciones mexicanas a la medicina moderna. Fondo de Cultura Económica. Mexico D.F., Mexico, 1994. 

- References to chapters in books should appear as follows: Pasternak RC, Braunwald E. Acute myocardial infarction; or: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. Isselbacher KJ, Braunwald E, Wilson JD, Martin JB, Fauci AS, Kasper DL (Eds.) McGraw-Hill Inc. 12th ed. Edition, New York, USA, 1994, pp. 1066-1077.

 

Tables
They should be included at the end of the manuscript after the reference section.
They should be double-spaced, numbered consecutively in Roman characters in the order cited in the text, with titles at the top and the meaning of abbreviations, as well as explanatory footnotes. 
 

Figures or graphs
Figures or graphs should be sent in separate documents or separately, one by one, in a high quality format. Figure captions should be double-spaced. The caption should contain the necessary information to correctly interpret the figure without resorting to the text. They should be referenced in the text in order. Qualities: Graphics, tracings and drawings should be generated with high resolution graphics programs (JPG, TIFF, EPS, PowerPoint and Illustrator). All iconography must be original. Otherwise, the source reference must be cited and the author must obtain prior permission from the respective publisher. Figures should not repeat data already written in the text. Photographs of objects should include a ruler to calibrate the reference measurements. Microphotographs should show the microscopic magnification or a reference micron bar. The name, face, patient data or any recognizable feature should not appear in the figures. Authors are encouraged to add color illustrations that adequately embellish the text. The recommended size is 300 dpi or 180 mm.

 

File 3. Ethical Responsibilities

With regard to potential conflicts of interest, the right of subjects to privacy and confidentiality, as well as human and animal rights as research subjects, the journal adheres to the "Uniform Requirements for the Preparation of Manuscripts for Submission to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing Biomedical Publications" in the most recent version published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors at http://www.icmje.org. A copy of the informed consent should be requested in the case of studies with patients and clinical cases, as well as the approval of the Bioethics Committee of the corresponding institution in the case of clinical and experimental studies.

The procedures in humans must comply with the ethical norms of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1975 (World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki) Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA 2000; 284:3043-5, as well as the agreement published in this regard by the Ministry of Health on January 26, 1982, and the Standards of the Ethics and Research Committee of the Institution where the original work was performed. Animal studies should follow similar guidelines (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council. Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals. Washington, DC. National Academy Press. 1996). With regard to the confidentiality of the data, the way in which the anonymity of the participants and the privacy of their information has been protected should be reported.

 

TYPES OF ARTICLES
 
Editorial
This section will be dedicated to the analysis and reflection on the health problems of the population, the different preventive and therapeutic approaches, as well as the advances achieved in the field. Indicative maximum length 5 pages and 5 references. By invitation of the editor.
 

Original article
Its content presents the results of original clinical or basic research. In original articles the body of the manuscript should be structured in Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. Maximum length 15 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables and 50 references.
 

Review article
It will be on a current topic of medical relevance. The main or corresponding author must be an authority in the area or topic under review and must attach a bibliographic list of his contributions that support his expertise in the subject. Maximum length 20 pages, 6 figures, 6 tables and 45 references.

Clinical cases
This section is dedicated to the publication of case series with a literature review, focusing on multiple patients with similar clinical characteristics.
Each series must include at least three clinical cases, describing the most relevant aspects of their evolution and management, based on information taken from medical records, and supplemented with a review of relevant literature.
The manuscript should include an abstract in both Spanish and English (maximum 100 words) in free format, followed by an introduction, presentation of the case series (minimum three), literature review, discussion, illustrations, and bibliography. The maximum allowed length is 10 pages, with up to 6 figures, 6 tables, and 30 references.
To promote transparency in research, authors must complete the appropriate forms, such as the CARE (CAse REport Guidelines), ensuring that the clinical case report meets international standards of quality and transparency in publication: https://www.care-statement.org

Diagnostic case
It is a section to show images of interest in dermatology. It may involve clinical aspects, laboratory studies, pathological anatomy or any other that is considered of relevance to dermatologists. One or two illustrations of excellent quality should be submitted (recommended size is 300 dpi or 180 mm), accompanied by a brief description (maximum 100 words) in English and Spanish highlighting the importance of the image. If necessary, up to 3 bibliographic references. Patients' privacy must be protected.

 

File 4. Letter of Assignment of Rights or COPYRIGHT

The papers submitted must be accompanied by a letter signed by all the authors of the paper, stating that it has not been published previously, nor has it been sent simultaneously to another journal, that there is no conflict of interest and that if accepted, they assign the copyright to the Colegio Ibero-Latinoamericano de Dermatología. It must contain the name of the manuscript and the name of the journal.

The opinions contained in the article are the responsibility of the authors.

Articles will not be accepted for review if they are not prepared according to the instructions for authors.
 

 

EDITORIAL PROCESS

The editorial process consists of 6 stages:

1. Reception of the manuscript (indeterminate, depending on whether the author meets the requirements): its objective is to verify that the manuscript complies with the specifications of these instructions for authors and that the submitted documentation is complete.

2. Initial editorial review (maximum 5 business days): its objective is to corroborate the relevance, timeliness, originality, and scientific contribution of the manuscript, as well as the methodological and statistical soundness of the study. At this time, it will be submitted to an electronic plagiarism detection system. Derived from this, a rejected opinion may be obtained, or it will be sent for review by peer researchers.

3. Review by peer researchers (maximum 30 business days): the opinion of at least two experts in the area in question will be obtained, who will evaluate the technical and methodological aspects of the investigation.

4. Editorial review (maximum 7 business days): its objective is to make a decision based on the opinion of peer reviewers. The opinion can be rejected, major changes, minor changes or accepted. In the case of major or minor changes, it will be submitted again for evaluation by the initial peer reviewers.

5. Final edition (6 weeks): its objective is the technical and linguistic edition (and translation), layout of galleys, DOI assignment, and correction by the author.

6. Advanced publication: All manuscripts will be published ahead of print on the journal's website as soon as they complete the editing process, until they are incorporated into a final issue of the journal.

 

PRINT PROOFS (PDF) OF ACCEPTED ARTICLES 

The corresponding author will receive proofs of the article for revision and correction of terminology errors, or any other updates related to facts/figures. As the article will already have been edited according to the journal’s internal editorial guidelines, style corrections will not be accepted. The corresponding author will receive an email with the article in PDF format, on which they can leave their comments. Authors will need to have Adobe Reader (version 9, or a later version), downloadable for free). For other system requirements, please visit the Adobe website.

Alternatively, authors may list their corrections and submit them via email. Any major changes at this stage will be subject to the approval of the Editor. Authors should make sure to include all changes in a single email, as we cannot guarantee the inclusion of subsequent corrections.

The proof review is the responsibility of the author.

 

Relevant links

- Committee on Publication Ethics. Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Responsibilities in the Submission and Peer-Review Process