Submissions

Author Guidelines

GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

Medisan is an Open Access scientific journal sponsored by the University of Medical Sciences in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Its editorial processing is carried out by the Provincial Information Center of Medical Sciences. It is available in the Open Journal System platform (OJS) https://medisan.sld.cu/index.php/san /, that facilitates the on-line development of the whole review, edition and publication process of manuscripts without applying positions for it. It has the National Registration of Serial Publications (RNPS: 1825) and the Serial Standard International Number (ISSN: 1029-3019).  

The journal adopts the modality of continuous publication with open volume. The manuscripts sent should not be published neither by the author nor by other person in other journal, with such purpose our Editorial Section has an Antiplagio Politics for its verification. Available manuscripts previously sent to recognized preprints servers, that is: MedRXiv, ArXiv, Central PubMed, SciELO Preprints and others, are accepted. In this case, it should be informed by the authors and indicate the localization address in the Editor Comments or at the end of the manuscript.  

The evaluation of manuscripts is carried out through the (open peer review), maintaining visible the name of authors in the manuscript to be reviewed and that of the reviewers in the evaluation guides, to be completed by the latter. The acceptance of the manuscript and decisions will be visible through the platform of the journal in a term of 30 days once the review process has begun. It will also be notified by electronic mail to the author of the contribution.  

Journal structure   

The journal is structured in different sections according to the types of manuscripts to publish in each volume.  

 

1. Editorial
2. Letter to the editor  
3. Original work
4. Review article
5. Case report
6. Short communication
7. Historical work
8. Medical education

General guidelines for all types of manuscripts

The journal fulfills the Requirements of uniformity for manuscripts  sent to

Biomedical journals of the Editors International Committee for Medical Journals  (ICMJE)   

Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.

 

Any manuscript sent to the journal, independently of its type, should fulfill the following general requirements:  

- The manuscripts will be presented in electronic format of text Word (.doc. docx), paper (size letter), superior, inferior, left and right margins (2 cm), orientation (vertical), page (normal), letter typology (Cambria), letter size (12 points), alignment (justified), spaced (1.5), paragraph with anterior space (0 point) and posterior space (6 points). It won't have any design, paging, sangria, tabulators, hyperlinks (but on-line references) or any other attribute, as heading and foot of page, marks, etc. In the right superior part of the manuscript the article type should appear. Files are not admitted in pdf format, neither compressed file in any format.  

- Title: without writing the word title, it should be centered, in boldface and just the initial capital letter, in Spanish language (the journal guarantees its translation into English language), it should not exceed 16 words, or include subtitles, initials, abbreviations, slangs. If names of institutions are used, should be the officials ones and must be updated.   

- Authors: without writting the word authors; each name (s) and last names should appear complete (avoid the initials), the name of the institution where he/she works (complete and official name), province and country of origin, electronic mail and ORCID (updated). Each author should be declared on separate lines and in order of participation in the manuscript. Neither professional titles, scientific or academic degrees, teaching or scientific categories, nor administrative positions are included. One of the authors of the manuscript will be the Author for correspondence; articles sent by people different from the authors are not admitted.  

Example 1 of authors

María Caridad Álvarez Pérez. Stomatology Faculty, University of Medical Sciences from Santiago de Cuba, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. maria@infomed.sld.cu, orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-xxxx-xxxx   

Example 2 of authors

María Caridad Álvarez Pérez. Juan Bruno Zayas Alfonso General Hospital, University of Medical Sciences of Santiago de Cuba. Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. maria@infomed.sld.cu, orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-xxxx-xxxx   

Example 3 of authors

María Caridad Álvarez Pérez. University of Medical Sciences of the FAR, Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. maria@infomed.sld.cu, orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-xxxx-xxxx   

 

ORCID iD: Each author should declare that their ORCID identifier is correctly updated (unique, persistent and free identifier for researchers).   

 

Keywords: Consult keywords in the MeSH) (Health Sciences Subject Headings).

 

Bibliographic references: they should fulfill the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals of the International Committee of Biomedical Journal Editors (Vancouver style). Relevant national and international literature on the subject must be represented and 70 % updated, considering as such, the last five years for journals and ten for books. It is mandatory to mention all authors of the cited text; if there are more than six, the first six must be mentioned, and after the sixth, the "et. al." must be added (in italics).

The titles of journals will be abbreviated by the Index Medicus (List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus) url. Declaring the month and day the article was published is optional. No capital letters or underlining will be used.

The order of bibliographic elements and the use of punctuation marks prescribed by the Vancouver Style will be observed.

 

 

Online articles must have the URL (activated) and the consultation date will be in the following order and format: [cited: dd/mm/aaaa]. Internet is not included. The DOI, if available, does not include a consultation date; only the locator will be referenced, for example: DOI: 10.1109/5.bb1073.

 

Examples.

Journal

Author(s)      Title of article     Name of the journal             Year of Publication

Domínguez Mateos A, Valdés García LE. Patient with dengue and alarm signs during the epidemic of 2022 in Santiago de Cuba. Medisan. 2024 [cited20/01/2025];28(6): e4523.Available in: https://medisan.sld.cu/index.php/san/article/view/4523/pdf  

 

Cites date                    Volume                       Number                          Pages  

 

Book  

Author(s)               Title                               Edition                                    Place of   publication                  

Editorial

 

Apao Díaz J. Introduction to the  public health. 2ª ed. Havana: Editorial Medical Sciences; 2025. [cited20/01/2025]. Available in: http://www.bvscuba.sld.cu/libro/introduccion-to-the-health-publish-2da-ed /  

Year of publication                           Dates of the  cite                                          Available

Chapter of an electronic book

Author(s)       Title of chapter     Authors of the book           Place of publication

Cruz Cardentey M. Chapter 1. Arritmogenesis: dispersion, annisotropy, heterogeneity, alternation. In: Dorantes Sánchez M, Cruz Cardentey M, Chávez González E, Castro Hevia J, Gutiérrez López A, Castañeda Chirino O, et al. Arritmology. Present times and controversies. Havana: Editorial Medical Sciences; 2025.[cited 26/06/2025]. Available in: http://bvs.sld.cu/books/arritmology  present time _controversy/arritmology_presenttime_controversy_cap1.pdf  

Year of publication     Title of the book                        Date                                    Available

Exemple of chapter with volume and title

Author(s) Title of chapter Author(s) of book Title of book Place of publication

  Álvarez Sintes R. Chapter 48. Vaccine and immunization. In: Álvarez Sintes R, Hernández Goatherd GV, García Núñez RD, Barcos Pina I, MoorishBáster JC. Integral General medicine. 4ta ed. T. 1. Vol. 2. Health and medicine. Havana: Editorial Medical Sciences, 2022. [mentioned 26/06/2025]. Available in: http://bvs.sld.cu/libros_texto/mgi_tomoi_vol2_4taed/mgi_tomoi_vol2_4taed_capitulo48.pdf        

Year of publication Edition   Date of the cite   Volume Title Editorial Available

Thesis digital format

Author(s)                  Title of the thesis                     Place of publication

Leyva Ruano YS. Characterization of the nutritional state in the elderly. Doctor office 3. Rubén Batista Rubio Polyclinic. 2019-2021. [Thesis]. Holguín: University of Medical Sciences; 2021. [cited20/01/2025] .78 p. Available in: https://tesis.hlg.sld.cu/downloads/1838/TESIS%20YAIMA.pdf  

Editorial    Year of publication         Dates of the cite          Pages        Available in

 

Congress

Author(s)                 Title of conference              Place of conference        Date of the conference

González Pompa GL. The humanitarian international right and the sanitary personnel's artificial protection. In: CubaSalud2018, International Convention of Public Health, 23 at April 27. Cuba: Havana; 2018.p.1-8. [cited20/01/2025]. Available in: http://conventionhealth2018.sld.cu/index.php/conventionhealth/2018/index

Place of publication          Year of publication      Pages         Date of  the cite      Available in

 

Statistical    yearbook

Corporate author       Title of the Yearbook      Place of publication       Editorial

Cuba. Ministry of Public Health. Direction of Medical Records and Health Statistics. Health Statistical Yearbook. Havana: Direction of Medical records and Health Statistics; 2023 [cited20/01/2025]. Available in: https://files.sld.cu/dne/files/2024/09/Anuario-Estad%c3%adstico-of-health-2023-edition-2024.pdf  

Year of publication           Date of the cite                    Available in

 

Web Sites

Author (name of the website)         Place of publication                     Editorial

Thank you for saving lives. Havana: Ministry of Public Health; © 2020[updated  Feb 13, 2020; cited 20/01/2025]. Acupuncture and techniques that have a lot in common: beyond the pain relief; [approx. 1 p.]. Available in: https://salud.msp.gob.cu/acupuntura-and-technical-tune-but-there-del-relief-del-pain /  

Date of publication Updating    Dates of the cite          Title       Pages               Available

 

Corporate Author   Place of publication   Year of publication   Dates of the cite

World Health Organization. Geneva, Switzerland: OMS; c2020 [citado20/01/2025]. Hypertension, data and figures; [approx. 12 p.]. Available in: https://www.who.int/es/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension  

Title                                                                Pages                                                      Available

 

Bibliographic cites should be delimited with Arabic numbers, in superscript, between parenthesis, separated by coma, without space between them, in consecutive order and after the punctuation mark, e.g. ⁽¹⁾ When there are several consecutive cites, all of them are included and no more than 4 are accepted, e.g. ^(1,2,3,4). When an author is mentioned in the text, the following is written: first surname + initial of the first name +  quote.  E.g. Rodríguez A⁽⁴⁾.   

- Conflict of interests: each manuscript must include in a mandatory manner, and after the bibliographical references, the presence or absence of conflicts of interest, that is, any competitive financial, personal, or professional interest of any of the authors that could be construed as undue influence on the content of the manuscript(e.g. if the author or institution received payment from third parties for any aspect of the submitted work, specify institutions and type of relationship; the existence of the author's patents relevant to the work, as well as other relationships, conditions, circumstances, or activities that readers may perceive as influencing the work)If you have no conflicting interests, add the text "It is declared that there are no conflicts of interest."

- Authorship contribution: Each manuscript must include in a mandatory manner and after the Conflict of Interest section, the contribution of each author. To do so, the CRediT taxonomy will be used, which recognizes the following roles:

1. Conceptualization: ideas; formulation or evolution of the overall goals and objectives of the investigation.
2. Data curation: Management activities to annotate (produce metadata), debug data, and maintain research data (including software code, when necessary to interpret the data itself) for initial use and subsequent reuse.

 

3. Formal analysis: useof statistical, mathematical, computational or other formal technique to analyze or synthesize study data.

 

4. Acquisition of financing: acquisition of financial support for the project that gives rise to this publication.

 

5. Research: carrying out a research process, specifically performing experiments or collecting data/evidence.

 

6. Methodology: development or design of methodology; creation of models.

 

7. Project management: responsibility for directing and coordinating the planning and performance of research activities.

 

 

8. Resources: Supply of study materials, reagents, materials, patients, laboratory samples, animals, instrumentation, computer resources or other analysis tools.
9. Software: programming, software development; design of computer programs; implementation of the computer code and support algorithms; test of existent code components.
10. Supervision: supervision and responsibility of leadership for the planning and performance of the investigation activity, including the external tutorship to the central team.   
11. Validation: verification, either as part of the activity or separately, of the general replication/reproducibility of the results/experiments and other results of the investigation.
12. Visualization: elaboration, creation or presentation of the published work, in short visualization/presentation of data.   
13. Writting – Elaboration of the original draft: creation or presentation of the published work, specifically writing of the initial draft (included the sustantive translation).   
14. Writting - Review and edition: elaboration, creation or presentation of the work published on the part of the original investigation group, specifically critical review, comment or review - including pre-or post-publication stages.

 If a role doesn't apply or isn't applicable, don't include it in the declaration. For a sole author, "Sole Author" should be indicated.

Example of authorship contribution

Conceptualization: author 1, (full name and surname of each, separated by a comma)

Data curation: author 1

Research: author 1, author 2

Methodology: author 1, author 2, author 3

Writing - Original draft: author 2

Writing - Review and editing: author 1, author 2, author 3

- Letter of rights assignment: each manuscript must be accompanied by this document (it is upload as a complementary File). The sending is mandatory. The pattern can discharge from the site of the journal (IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS). It should contain the digital firm of all the authors (they should be related in the same order of participation declared in the manuscript).

-  Suppplementary file: Any additional material that is relevant and supports the key claims of the manuscript is considered as such. Includes: research database  (in Excel 97-2003 format), questionnaire, observation guide, document review guide, interview guide, program, images, figure). In  Original Articles sending the research data base is mandatory.

If data are restricted (for valid reasons), full details of the restrictions on the data and how, where, and under what conditions they can be accessed must be provided.

Ethical considerations and good practices: Each investigation must be carried out within the appropriate ethical framework, according to the study design.

Consent: For articles involving direct patient interaction, authors must ensure that they have obtained written informed consent or assent from all subjects involved (or their legal guardian in the case of a minor, or a next of kin if the participant is deceased).

All research submitted must comply with the ethical declarations according to the design used, whether in humans or animals (Declaration of Helsinki)

If it is a clinical trial type research, the trial registration number, the registration date, and the URL of the trial in the registry database obtained from a public clinical trials registry are required(en Cuba: http://registroclinico.sld.cu/), ofOMS: https://www.who.int/ictrp/es/or other official record, from which you must provide your data). In addition, they must comply with the evaluation parameters expressed in the international CONSORT guide.http://bvs.sld.cu/revistas/recursos/CONSORT.pdf, authors must send, as a Supplementary File, proof of the consent of the sponsoring center. On the other hand, the materials and equipment used (where applicable), must be indicated with their brand and model. In all references to drugs, the generic name must be used. For chemical products, if the trade name is used, the generic name must be written in parentheses. If drugs/medications are administered, specify the therapeutic regimen (pharmaceutical form, route of administration, dose, administration interval and duration of treatment). At the end, you must include ethical aspects in all applicable cases (research involving humans and animals). Patient names and brand names are not mentioned. In general, all necessary elements must be provided to ensure the research can be reproduced by other researchers. Confidentiality will be maintained in case authors submit any complaints to the journal's committee or reviewers. The journal is committed to ensuring the integrity of its published articles. For this reason, plagiarism is strictly prohibited, and research found to be plagiarized will be eliminated from the journal or from the evaluation process.

Any ethical violation related to the document will be resolved using the protocols established by the International Committee on Ethics in Scientific Publication."https://publicationethics.org/". Editorial Committee, together with the editorial department, makes the administrative decision.

 

Use of Guidelines: The journal accepts, in addition to the suggested refereeing guidelines, the use of other standardized evaluation guides of international use in several languages to improve the quality and transparency of research, which are available on the EQUATOR site (Enhancing the quality and Transparency Of healthResearch) https://www.equator-network.org/  such as: CONSORT(http://bvs.sld.cu/magazines/resources/CONSORT.pdf(forrandomizedclinicaltrials) PRISMA (for systematic reviews), STROBE (for observational studies) CARE (for case reports).They can be reviewed by both authors and reviewers.

 

Specific guidelines according to type of manuscript

Editorial: This is a brief manuscript (its maximum length should not exceed 1,500 words, including bibliographic references) that allows an author or the journal's Editorial Committee to express their point of view on a topic, scientific situation, current problem, or editorial policies. It will be written at the request of the journal's Editorial Board. It does not include an Abstract section. It must include only one author. A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 bibliographic references are allowed.

Original article: A manuscript that communicates, for the first time, the results of scientific research carried out in any area of knowledge. It deals with gaps in scientific knowledge, exposes previously unconsidered aspects, analyzes complementary elements, or further elaborates and expands on previous research.

This makes sense because in science there is only a “provisional” nature of knowledge, and “reproducibility” is something that characterizes scientific research. It should contain enough and available information so that readers and investigators can evaluate the results and reproduce the investigation. Their maximum extension should not exceed of 4 500 words (it includes title, abstract, charts, graphics, diagram, images and pictures with its titles, bibliographical references and annexes). Up to  five  authors are admitted. It consists of the following sections:   

- Abstract (just in Spanish language): It is a small version of the article that guides the reader to identify the basic content in a quick and exact way, and  determine its relevance. It is structured and consists of the following sections: Introduction, Objective, Method (type of investigation, space context and temporary range, population, sample, sampling type, variables, main theoretical, empiric and statistical-mathematical methods),

Results and Conclusions: They are written in an impersonal way and in past tense (but conclusions are written in present tense). The maximum extension should not exceed of 250 words (not counting the heading of sections). Neither bibliographical cites, nor abbreviations or initials should appear.  It includes:

Keywords:  Minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase letter, separated by semicolon, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and they should appear in the Health Sciences Subject Headings (MeSH) available in the URL: http://decs.bvs.br/E/homepagee.htm (if just three keywords  are declared, all should be available in the MeSH; if more than three are declared, just one cannot be available in the MeSH). The journal guarantees the translation of the abstract into the English language.

- Introduction: It is written in present tense. The maximum extension should not exceed of 1½ sheets. It should expose and support in a concise way the investigation problem, history and present time (validated with bibliographical cites of the national and international spheres). Also, it highlights the contributions of other authors to the topic under study. Justify the reasons for conducting the research, clearly state the objective and the research hypothesis (only if applicable). Do not include tables, figures, images, diagrams, results or conclusions of the research being presented.

- Method: It is written in past tense. Includes: type of research, social context and time range where the research was carried out, population, inclusion, exclusion and exit criteria(only if applicable), sample, type of  sampling used, analyzed variables, scientific methods (theoretical, empiric and statistical-mathematical), statistics tests and measuring instruments used. When unknown methods are used, besides offering a complete information on them, the reasons, advantages, disadvantages of their use will be exposed and the bibliographical cites will be delimited (just up to three). Neither formulas nor the statistical analyses are explained. If it is a clinical trial type research, the trial registration number, the registration date, the URL of the trial in the registry database and compliance with the evaluation parameters expressed are required in the international CONSORT guide(http://bvs.sld.cu/revistas/recursos/CONSORT.pdf). In the case of clinical trials with products from the Cuban biopharmaceutical industry, the authors must send, as a Supplementary File, proof of the consent of  sponsoring center.

On the other hand, the materials and equipment used (where applicable) must be indicated with their brand and model. In all reference to drugs the generic name will be used. In chemical products, if the trade name is used, the generic name will be written in parentheses. If drugs/medications are administered, specify the therapeutic regimen (pharmaceutical form, route of administration, dose, administration interval and duration of treatment).  Finally, it should include ethical aspects in all applicable cases (research on humans and animals).

Patient names and brand names are not mentioned. In general, all necessary elements must be provided to allow the research to be reproduced by other researchers.

- Results: It is the shortest and most essential part of the manuscript, since it represents the new knowledge that is being contributed. They are written in the past tense and are described briefly, clearly, precisely and without excessive words (they are not commented on or interpreted). Only relevant ones are highlighted, including those contrary to the research hypothesis (if stated) and in accordance with the research objectives. They should appear in a logical sequence, preferably using texts (this is the main and most efficient way of presenting the results).

If tables (never call them charts), graphs, diagrams, images and photographs are used, they must not repeat information or exceed five. If more than one is used, they must be identified with Arabic numerals (consecutively in order of appearance in the text) and with a brief title (at the top of tables and at the bottom of graphs, diagrams, images and photographs). Tables, charts and graphs should not be provided as images (they must be editable) and should be white for the background and grey for the lines. In tables, blank boxes should not appear; when there is no data, they should be filled with a slash (-). If percentages must add up to 100, make sure they add up to 100.  Statistical tests must be used correctly. Images and photographs must be submitted with a resolution of at least 200 ppp so that they are clearly visible at the size in which they will be displayed. All photographs of people must be accompanied by a statement of consent from those involved for publication. Distinctive elements, including medical record numbers or codes in the case of clinical and radiographic images, that could be used to identify the patient or participant, should be removed. When the image requires masking of facial features that identify the patient, this will be done during image processing for publication by the editorial staff, in order to achieve uniformity and aesthetics in the manipulation of the image to be published.

- Discussion: it is written in present tense. It tests the intelligence, creativity, updating and ethics of the authors. The results of the research are commented, interpreted and discussed (one by one and in the same order in which they were presented).  Comparisons are made with the results of similar research, carried out by the authors themselves or by others at the national and international level (coincidences and discrepancies). Authors should express their criteria and evaluative judgments regarding the research results and refer to new and significant aspects. Scientific novelty, practical significance, the scope of the results, and the limitations of the research are recognized. Finally, the conclusions must be stated (without stating the section). They are written in present tense; they should be brief, clear, precise, address the research objectives and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that are not fully  supported by the data obtained in the research. They must not repeat the results achieved. Finally, recommendations are provided for further studies.

- Bibliographic references: a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 are allowed.

 

Review article: It is a manuscript that comprehensively summarizes the latest advances or findings in a particular topic, and that has not yet been covered in the same way in the existing literature. The decision to publish and peer-review a review article rests with the Editorial Committee. The maximum length should not exceed 5 000 words (including the title, abstract, introduction, development and final considerations, but not bibliographic references). Up to four authors are accepted. It consists of the following sections:  

- Abstract (just in Spanish language): unstructured.  It is written in an impersonal way and in past tense (except the final considerations that are written in present tense). The maximum length should not exceed 250 words (without counting the heading of sections). No bibliographical cites, abbreviations or acronyms should appear. It includes the Keywords: a minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase, separated by semicolons, ordered alphabetically, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and must appear in the Subject Headings in Health Sciencies (MeSH) available in the URL: https://decs.bvsalud.org/es / (if only three keywords are declared, all must be available in the MeSH; if more than three are declared, only one may not be available in the MeSH). The journal guarantees the translation of the abstract into English language.  

- Introduction: it is written in present tense. The maximum length should not exceed one page. It should briefly and concisely explain and justify the reasons for the review, its contribution or its novelty. At the end the objective of the review is stated. It should not include tables, figures, images, diagrams, results or final considerations of the review being presented.

- Method: iI is written in past tense and   includes search strategy, time range covered by the search, keywords or subject headings, languages, filter of results, selection criteria, articles finally included and relevant data of those not included.

- Development: it is structured with the subtitles that the author considers appropriate. It must contain summarized and updated information about the topic under review, interpretation of the results indicated in the scientific literature consulted, comparison of the reviewed research in terms of differences and coincidences, authors' opinions (should not be a passive review, nor include research results, or unpublished data sets).  Also, the limitations or contributions of the review must be noted or highlighted. A total of five entries are allowed, including tables, graphs, diagrams, images, photographs and appendices.

- Final considerations: they are written in present tense. They should be brief, clear, precise, address the review´s objectives and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that are not fully supported by the information provided.

- Bibliographic references: a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 50 are allowed.   

 

Case(s) report: It is a manuscript that clearly and simply describes one or more case reports (not more than three) that are novel and unusual for the scientific community. The maximum length should not exceed 2 500 words (including the title, abstract, introduction, case report, discussion, but not the bibliographic references). Up to three authors are allowed. It consists of the following sections:

- Abstract (only in Spanish language): It is informative (unstructured). It should present the case report succinctly. It is written in an impersonal way and in past tense. The maximum length should not exceed 250 words. No bibliographic cites, abbreviations, acronyms should appear. It includes the Keywords: a minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase, separated by semicolon, ordered   alphabetically, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and  should appear in the Subject Headings in Health Sciencies  (MeSH) if only three keywords are declared, all must be available in the MeSH; if more than three are declared, only one may not be available in the MeSH). The journal guarantees the translation of the abstract into English language.

- Introduction: it is written in present tense. The maximum length should not exceed one page. It should expose briefly the problem or general thematic in which the case report is bounded and   justify why the one that is presented is novel and unusual for the scientific community. At the end the objective is stated. It should not include tables, figures, images, diagrams, results, or final considerations of the case being presented.

 

- Case(s) report: the case report should include demographic details as age, sex, skin color and occupation (without providing details that could lead to the patient's identification), personal and family medical history,  reason for the visit,  main signs and symptoms,  complementary studies,  therapeutic behavior and its results, and  autopsy (in case of death).  The use of images and photographs of the case presented is recommended (not more than three). These must be identified with Arabic numbers (consecutively according to the order of appearance in the text) and with a brief title at the bottom. Also, they should be sent with a resolution of at least 200 ppp so that they are clearly visible in the size in which the image will be displayed. All photographs of people must be accompanied by a declaration of consent from those involved to publish them. The distinctive elements, including clinical record numbers or codes in case of clinical and radiographic images that could be used to identify the patient or participant should be removed. When the image requires masking of facial features that identify the patient, this will be done during image processing for publication for the editorial staff, with the purpose of achieving uniformity and aesthetics in the manipulation of the image to be published.

 

- Discussion: It is written in present tense. A critical analysis of the case report is done and confronted with other cases reported in the national and international environment (coincidences and discrepancies). The scientific novelty of the case presented is acknowledged.

-Conclusions: Should be presented at the end (without enunciating the heading). These are written in present tense; should be brief, clear, precise, address the stated objective and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that are not fully supported by the case presented.

- Bibliographic references: A minimum of 8 and a maximum of 10 bibliographic references are accepted.

Short communication: It is a manuscript that communicates the results of a scientific research, whose rapid dissemination is of great importance. It addresses gaps in scientific knowledge, exposes aspects not previously considered,  analyzes complementary elements or makes greater in depth and expansions to previous research. Its maximum length should not exceed 2 500 words (it includes the title, abstract, tables, graphs, diagrams, the images and photographs with its titles, and bibliographic references). Up to four authors are allowed. It consists of the following sections:

 

- Abstract (just in Spanish language): It is informative (unstructured), but a logical order of the ideas is recommended, allowing for a proper appreciation of the content. It is written in an impersonal way and in past tense. The maximum length should not exceed 250 words. No bibliographical cites, abbreviations, or acronyms should appear. It includes Keywords: a minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase, separated by semicolon, ordered alphabetically, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and should appear in the in the Health Sciencies Subject Headings MeSH,  (if just three keywords are declared, all should be available in the MeSH; if more than three are declared, just one may not be available in the MeSH). The journal guarantees the translation of the abstract into  the English language.  

 

 

Introduction: It is written in present tense. The maximum length should not exceed one page. It should expose and support in a concise way the reasons why the research is done and the novelty. At the end the objective of the investigation is declared. It should not include tables, figures, images, diagrams, results or conclusions of the research being presented.

  - Development: It is structured with the subtitles that the author considers convenient. It should contain the results, the differences and coincidences with other investigations, and the opinions of the author of the manuscript. Also, it should highlight the limitations and contributions (theoretical and practical) of the research. Tables can be used (never denominate them charts), graphs, diagrams, images and photographs information must not be repeated or exceed two. If more than one is used, should be identified with Arabic numbers (consecutively according to the order of presentation in the text) and with a concise title (in the superior part of the charts and in the inferior part of the graphs, diagrams, images and photographs). Tables, graphs and diagrams should not be provided as images (they must be editable) and the background color should be white and the lines gray. If percentages must add up to 100, make sure they add up to 100. There must be a correct use of statistical tests. Images and photographs must be submitted with a resolution of at least 200 ppp so that they are clearly visible at the size in in which the image will be displayed. All photographs of people must be accompanied by a declaration of consent of those involved to publish them. Distinctive elements, including clinical record numbers or codes in the case of clinical and radiographic images that could be used to identify the patient or participant should be removed. When the image requires masking of facial features that identify the patient, it will be done during image processing for publication by the editorial staff, in order to achieve uniformity and aesthetics in the manipulation of the image to be published.

  

- Conclusions: They are written in present tense. They should be brief, clear, precise, should contain the research objectives and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that are not fully supported by the information provided.  

- Bibliographical references: a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 15 bibliographical references are accepted.

 

Historical article: It is a manuscript that exposes topics of medical historiography in general and includes the story of personalities, historical events and diseases relevant to public health. Priority is given to those who celebrate closed anniversaries. The maximum length should not exceed 5 000 words (includes the title and abstract, but not the bibliographical references). Up to four authors are allowed. It consists of the following sections:

- Abstract (just in Spanish language): it is structured and consists of: Introduction, Method, Development and final Considerations. It is written in an impersonal way and in past tense (except the final considerations that are written in present tense). The maximum length should not exceed 250 words (without counting the heading of sections). No bibliographical cites,  abbreviations or acronyms should appear. It includes Keywords: a minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase, separated by semicolon, ordered alphabetically, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and  should appear in the Health Science Subject Headings MeSH if just three keywords are declared, all must be available in the DeCs; if more than three are declared, just one may not be available in the MeSH. The journal guarantees the translation of this abstract into English language.

- Introduction: It is written in present tense. The maximum length should not exceed one page. It must concisely explain and justify the reasons why the research is being carried out and its novelty. At the end the objective of the investigation is declared. It should not include tables, figures, images, diagrams, results or final considerations of the research being disclosed.  

- Method: It is written in past tense and  includes the theoretical and empiric scientific methods used.  

- Development: It is structured with the subtitles that the author considers appropriate. It must contain: information about the subject of research, approaches from other researchers and opinions of the authors of the manuscript (these must predominate, as it should not be a passive story). The terms of historiography must be used appropriately; and the ideas defended must be clearly presented and convincingly scientifically valid. A total of four among tables, graphs, diagrams, images and photographs are allowed. Documents and facsimiles must be clear enough to allow reading.

- Final considerations: They are written in present tense. They should be brief, clear, precise, they should contain the research objectives, and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that are not fully supported by the information provided.

- Bibliographical references: a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 bibliographical references are allowed.

Medical education: It is a manuscript that communicates, for the first time, the results of scientific research carried out in the area of medical education. Studies related to the teaching-learning process in all its stages, any other activity related to the teaching process in higher medical education, its organization, planning, development and implementation, evaluation, quality, results, and links with other activities. It addresses gaps in scientific knowledge, exposes previously unconsidered aspects, analyzes complementary elements, or further elaborates and expands on previous research. Reproducibility exists, something that characterizes scientific research. It must contain sufficient and available information so that readers and researchers can evaluate the results and reproduce the research. Its maximum length should not exceed 4 500 words (including bibliographical references and annexes). Up to six authors are allowed. It consists of the following sections:

  - Abstract (just in Spanish language): not structured. It is written in an impersonal way and in past tense (except the final considerations that are written in present tense). The maximum length should not exceed 250 words (without counting the heading of sections). No bibliographical cites, abbreviations, or acronyms should appear. It includes Keywords: a minimum of three and a maximum of six, in lowercase, separated by semicolon, ordered alphabetically, representative of the semantic content of the manuscript and should appear in the Descriptors in Health Sciencies (DeCs) if just three keywords are declared, all should be available in the DeCs; if more than three are declared, just one may not be available in the DeCs). The journal guarantees the translation of this abstract into English language.

  - Introduction: It is written in present tense. The maximum length should not exceed one page. It must briefly and concisely explain and justify the reasons for conducting the research, its contribution or novelty. At the end its objective is declared.

- Method: It is written in past tense and includes search strategy, time range covered by the search, keywords or descriptors, languages, results filter, selection criteria, articles finally included and relevant data of those not included.

  

- Development: It is structured with the subtitles that the author considers appropriate. It must contain summarized and updated information on the topic, interpretation of the results reported in the scientific literature consulted, comparison of the reviewed research in terms of differences and coincidences, and opinions of the authors. Likewise, the limitations or contributions of the research must be noted or highlighted. A total of five articles are allowed, including tables, graphs, diagrams, images, photographs, and appendices.

 

- Final considerations: These are written in the present tense. They should be brief, clear, precise, address the topic's objectives, and be generalizing, without making statements or inferences that aren't fully supported by the information provided.

- Bibliographic references: a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20 are allowed.

Manuscripts that do not comply with all the aspects outlined in these GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS will not be accepted for review. If a manuscript is rejected after initial review, authors may submit an updated manuscript through a NEW SUBMISSION. The journal's editorial board will decide whether the updated manuscript will be processed or rejected permanently.

 

Editting Committee

MEDISAN, Medical  journal from Santiago de Cuba