About the Journal

Updated: October 14th, 2025

Background [Top]

The International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS), e-ISSN: 0719-532X, was established in 2014 by the Universidad Autónoma de Chile as part of its institutional commitment to the dissemination of medical and surgical knowledge. Since its creation, IJMSS has served as a scholarly platform for multidisciplinary research in medicine, surgery, and allied health sciences, promoting open scientific dialogue among clinical and academic communities across Latin America and beyond.

IJMSS is edited and published by the Faculty of Health Sciences of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile in Santiago, Chile, and is supported by national and international academic collaborations aimed at fostering scientific excellence and innovation in health research.

Focus and Scope [Top]

The International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS), e-ISSN: 0719-532X, is a peer-reviewed open-access journal published quarterly. It aims to publish high-quality research articles, systematic reviews, case reports, and short communications covering all fields of medical, surgical, and clinical sciences. The journal’s international scope embraces translational research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advances in diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive medicine.

Until 2024, publications were distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Starting in 2025, the journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).

Objective: To promote and disseminate rigorous scientific research in medical and surgical sciences, contributing to global clinical knowledge and evidence-based healthcare.

Vision: IJMSS seeks to become an international reference in open-access medical publishing, encouraging scientific integrity, innovation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and educators in health sciences.

Aimed at: professionals, academics, clinicians, and researchers in fields including medicine, surgery, dentistry, nursing, public health, biomedical sciences, and related specialties.

The journal publishes original articles, case reports, reviews, short communications, and letters to the editor in English or Spanish. IJMSS has no article processing charges (APC) or submission fees at any editorial stage.

e-ISSN: 0719-532X

Frequency [Top]

IJMSS publishes four issues per year (March, June, September, and December). From Volume 11 (2025) onward, the journal adopts a continuous publication model, ensuring immediate online availability of accepted manuscripts.

Peer Review Process [Top]

All manuscripts submitted to IJMSS undergo an initial screening by the editorial team, followed by an external double-blind peer-review process.

  • Verification of thematic relevance and compliance with the journal’s scope.
  • Similarity analysis using Turnitin® software.
  • Verification of compliance with the journal’s Instructions for Authors.
  • Assignment of the manuscript to two external reviewers who provide evaluations under a double-blind process.

Reviewers assess manuscripts according to standardized criteria and recommend one of the following decisions: a) Accept; b) Publishable with modifications; c) Re-evaluable; d) Recommend another journal; or e) Not publishable.

The average time from submission to the first editorial decision is approximately 45 days.

Article Evaluation Criteria [Top]

  • Title and abstract in both English and Spanish.
  • Scientific and methodological rigor.
  • Relevance and originality of the topic.
  • Expository coherence and clarity.
  • Appropriate citation and use of recent literature.
  • Compliance with the IJMSS editorial format.

Decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief based on reviewers’ recommendations. Authors of manuscripts requiring modifications are given two weeks to submit a revised version. In the case of conflicting reviews, a third reviewer may be assigned, and the Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision.

Review Evaluation Criteria [Top]

  • Verification of thematic relevance and scientific merit.
  • Compliance with publication standards and ethical integrity.

AI Tools Policy [Top]

Policy on the use of AI tools by IJMSS authors and reviewers

IJMSS prohibits listing artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or large language models (LLMs) as authors. This policy follows the COPE recommendations, which state that AI tools cannot assume ethical or legal responsibility for scholarly content. If AI-assisted tools are used for text generation, image creation, data collection, or analysis, authors must declare this transparently in their manuscripts.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of all content, including portions generated or assisted by AI. The use of AI tools for peer review or editorial evaluation is strictly prohibited.

Open Access Policy [Top]

The International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS) provides immediate and unrestricted open access to all its content, in accordance with the Open Access Policy of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile (Rectory Resolution 103/2017). All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), allowing free distribution and reproduction provided the original source is properly cited.

Research Data Availability Policy [Top]

To promote transparency, reproducibility, and data sharing in biomedical and clinical research, the International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS) establishes that data availability is mandatory for all studies reporting empirical results, except when restricted by ethical, legal, or confidentiality obligations.

1. Data Availability Statement. Authors must include, immediately before the Conclusions section, a Data Availability Statement indicating: (a) the repository used, (b) dataset DOI or persistent URL, (c) the applied license (CC0 or CC BY 4.0 preferred), (d) file descriptions (raw data, code, supplementary materials), and (e) access conditions.

2. Repositories. Authors may deposit datasets in institutional, disciplinary, or general-purpose repositories that ensure long-term preservation and assign persistent identifiers (e.g., DOI). Repositories must comply with FAIR data principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

3. Sensitive Data. For studies involving human participants or clinical data, authors must ensure anonymization and compliance with ethical approvals and informed consent. When full data sharing is restricted, metadata and a data-access statement must be provided.

4. Code and Materials. Computational code, statistical scripts, and protocols must be shared in suitable repositories (e.g., GitHub, Zenodo) and cited with a persistent identifier in the manuscript.

5. Exceptions and Embargoes. IJMSS allows limited embargoes (up to 12 months) for justified legal, ethical, or patent reasons. Permanent restrictions must be explained in the Data Availability Statement.

6. Data Citation. All datasets and code must be cited in the reference list with persistent identifiers, ensuring proper attribution.

7. Editorial Verification. During peer review, the editorial office may request access to data or documentation to verify methodological consistency between the manuscript, data, and analyses.

Example statement for authors:

  • “The data supporting this study are available in [Repository Name] at [DOI or URL], under the license [CC0/CC BY 4.0]. Supplementary materials and analysis code are also accessible at [repository link].”
  • “Due to ethical restrictions, anonymized clinical data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author. Metadata and documentation are accessible at [DOI or URL].”

Diversity Commitment Policy [Top]

The International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS), a scientific publication of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile, affirms its institutional commitment to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) across all stages of the editorial process and in scholarly communication. We recognize that diversity encompasses multiple dimensions, including gender, age, ethnicity, nationality, geography, sexual orientation, disability status, and stage of professional or academic development.

As a guiding principle, IJMSS seeks to reflect and strengthen the plurality and representativeness of the national and international scientific community, fostering editorial practices that ensure equal opportunities and fair treatment for all authors, reviewers, and members of the editorial team.

Priority Principles and Actions

  1. Invited Authors. IJMSS is committed to fostering greater diversity in gender, nationality, and career trajectories among invited contributions, seeking balanced and equitable representation in special issues, narrative reviews, and editorials.
  2. Peer Reviewers. The journal promotes gender equity and diverse participation in reviewer selection, considering geographic distribution, professional experience, and institutional diversity. The Editorial Committee will strive to maintain balance in invitations and monitor reviewer participation with these parameters in mind.
  3. Editorial Committee Membership. IJMSS is committed to maintaining and strengthening the diversity of its Editorial Committee, including equitable representation by gender, country, region, and specialty, in alignment with the mission of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and its gender equality policy.
  4. Inclusive Language and Visual Representation. The journal employs inclusive, non-sexist academic language and will ensure that images, illustrations, and photographs reflect the diversity of the national and international scientific and clinical communities. To this end, IJMSS adopts ethical and communication guidelines based on recommendations from the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation and international organizations promoting equity in science.
  5. Events and Academic Activities. In seminars, congresses, or activities organized by IJMSS or its partners, a non-exclusionary policy will be applied with respect to gender and other conditions, guaranteeing the representation of women and minorities on scientific committees, round tables, panels, and keynote sessions.
  6. Monitoring and Transparency. IJMSS will report annually—on its website or in the editorial report—descriptive indicators on the gender composition and geographic origin of authors, reviewers, and Editorial Committee members, in order to evaluate progress and promote continuous improvement in diversity policies.
  7. Training and Awareness. Editors and Editorial Committee members will receive periodic training in best editorial practices, gender equity, and inclusive language, in collaboration with relevant institutional units and national or international scientific cooperation bodies.

Institutional Commitment. This policy is framed by the principles of the Universidad Autónoma de Chile’s Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy and by recommendations from COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), the EQUATOR Network, and UNESCO (Science for Equality). IJMSS reaffirms its commitment to advancing a more just, plural, and representative editorial culture, consistent with the values of open and responsible science promoted by the Chilean and Latin American scientific communities.

Preprints Repositories [Top]

IJMSS authors may deposit preprints of manuscripts submitted to the journal once they are accepted and in the pre-publication production stage. The preprint version must include a citation to the IJMSS article DOI once available.

Statement of Ethics and Negligence [Top]

The International Journal of Medical and Surgical Sciences (IJMSS) adheres to the COPE code of ethics and the Declaration of Helsinki. All research involving humans or animals must include an ethical statement describing institutional approval and informed consent.

Responsibilities of the Editorial Committee [Top]

The IJMSS Editorial Committee oversees the double-blind peer-review process and ensures adherence to ethical and methodological standards. It may provide clarification in cases of dispute or editorial appeal.

Editor Responsibilities [Top]

  • Ensure ethical integrity and scientific quality of published material.
  • Maintain confidentiality and manage conflicts of interest.
  • Prevent and address cases of research misconduct.
  • Guarantee fair and unbiased evaluation based solely on scientific merit.
  • Publish corrections, clarifications, or retractions when necessary.

Reviewer Responsibilities [Top]

  • Conduct objective, constructive, and timely evaluations.
  • Respect confidentiality of the peer-review process.
  • Report potential conflicts of interest or ethical issues.
  • Base recommendations on scientific evidence and methodological rigor.

Author Responsibilities [Top]

  • Ensure originality and avoid redundant or duplicate publication.
  • Provide accurate data and declare any conflicts of interest or funding sources.
  • Include only contributors who meet authorship criteria.
  • Cooperate with editors to correct or retract work when required.

Plagiarism Detection Policy [Top]

All submissions are screened for plagiarism using Turnitin®. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected and authors notified. IJMSS adheres to COPE guidelines for managing research misconduct.

Erratum, Retractions, Clarifications, and Apologies [Top]

Corrections and retractions are issued following COPE recommendations and ethical standards to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.

Policy for the Preservation of Digital Archives [Top]

IJMSS ensures long-term digital preservation through participation in systems such as LOCKSS, Portico, and institutional repositories managed by the Universidad Autónoma de Chile.

Rejection Rate [Top]

The current rejection rate of IJMSS is 23%.

DOI [Top]

Each published article in IJMSS receives a unique DOI identifier for permanent citation and indexing.