Structure and types of articles

Types of articles by section

EDITORIAL

It is requested by the Director or the General Editor of the journal and its approval will be in hands of the Editorial Committee. This editorial will be a short essay that contains information on both current and transcendent topics regarding articles published in the same issue or a topic of interest for the scientific community according to the editorial policy.  

ORIGINAL ARTICLES

They contain the results of scientific research that follow the editorial line of the journal. The journal may suggest changes in format during the revision of manuscript process, considering the objectives, design and results of the research conducted.

They must have the following structure:

  • Abstract. Written in Spanish and English. For original articles, they must be structures as follows: objectives, materials and methods, results and conclusions. At the end of each abstract, the keywords must be consigned, with three as a minimum and five as a minimum, in Spanish and English. For Spanish, the “Descriptores en Ciencias de la Salud” – DeCS, by BIREME must be employed (http://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/portal/decs-locator/?lang=es) and, in English,  the MeSH, by the NLM (https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/search).
  • Introduction. Must be short and include information on the current state of the health problem, background information, rationale and study objectives.
  • Materials and methods. Describe the methodology employed that allows the study reproduction and evaluation of quality of the information. It is advised that the authors check the international consensuses for article submission depending on the design of the study; for example, STROBE for observational studies, STARD for diagnostic tests, CONSORT for clinical trials, PRISMA for systematic revisions and/or SRQR for qualitative studies.
  • Results. They must be presented clearly, without opinions nor interpretations. Tables and figures must be references in the text, not repeating information.
  • Discussion. Interpretation and analysis of the main results that respond to the study objectives, compare them to other studies, present differences or similarities and explain the reason behind them. In this section, authors must present the limitations (biases) of the study, explaining why they don’t invalidate their findings. Clinical implications of the findings are detailed. Finally, conclusions (in response to the study objectives) and recommendations close this section.
  • Bibliographic references that were cited in the article

CASE REPORTS

They comprise the report or information on one or more cases that meet one of the following criteria: rare disease, unusual presentation of a common disease, adverse unknown events, rare disease association, first reported cases in the casuistry of the area, new interventions or new uses of medication. Additionally, those cases that leave important clinical lessons and/or represent a diagnostic, ethical or management challenge. These lessons must be original or unprecedented.

The message or lesson must be clear to the scientific community. Adopting the CARE guide is advised (https://www.care-statement.org/) for its making. Its structure comprises: non-structured abstract (Spanish and English versions), keywords (Spanish and English), introduction, case report, discussion and bibliographic references. Omit information that may help identify the patient and, in case photographs where their face is included, there must be an explicit authorization for their use. Figures or photographs must be high-quality and submitted as jpg or tiff files (attach as complimentary files). Authors must also attach the informed consent of their patient(s).

REVIEW ARTICLES

They will include articles on some topics of clinical interest for the exercise of oncologic medicine, radiotherapy, oncologic surgery, pathologic anatomy and specialties related with oncologic pathologies. Revision articles must be clear, concise and up-to-date. Its structure must contain a title, a non-structured abstract, keywords, an introduction, search strategy, the body of the article, conclusions and bibliographic references.

SPECIAL ARTICLES

They will include articles such as clinical practice guidelines, expert, expert consensuses, methodological reviews,  novel or alternative procedure reviews, and others that will be of interest  in the field of the oncological pathologies.

The structure of a special article includes a title, an abstract, keywords, an introduction, the body of the article, conclusions and bibliographic references.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letters that complement or contribute to the content of original articles published in the last issue of the journal, and no longer than 800 words, will be accepted.

Scientific letters with preliminary results of research or contributions to specific scientific research will also be accepted. Letters must not be longer than 1000 words and can only contain one table or figure and a maximum of 10 bibliographic references.

The structure of letters to the editor includes: title, letter text and bibliographic references.