Author Guidelines

Update: October 14th, 2025

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

As part of the submission process, authors must ensure that their manuscript complies with all the following requirements. Submissions that do not conform to these guidelines will be returned to the authors and will not enter the peer-review process.

1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it under consideration by another journal (unless an explanation has been provided in the comments to the editor).

2. The manuscript file must be submitted in an editable format (Microsoft Word).

3. URLs must be provided for all references where available.

4. The text must be single-spaced, written in one column, using a 12-point font. Italics should be used instead of underlining (except for URLs). All illustrations, figures, and tables must be placed within the text, duly numbered and cited in the corresponding sections.

5. The manuscript must adhere to the bibliographic and stylistic standards described in these author guidelines.

6. For articles written in Spanish, an English version of the title, abstract, and keywords must be included.

7. Plagiarism prevention: All manuscripts will be screened with Turnitin software prior to peer review to verify originality and detect similarities.

Authors must declare that they have read and accepted the IJMSS Ethical Principles.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

Manuscripts must not exceed 15 pages, including text, illustrations, and references. Only submissions written in English or Spanish will be considered. The structure of the manuscript should include:
Title page, Abstract and Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and References.

ORDER OF THE MANUSCRIPT

1. Title Page
The title page must include:

• Title: Article title and subtitle, if applicable, in both English and Spanish.

• Authors: Full names of all authors, indicating the corresponding author and the intended order of appearance in the publication. Each author must include a valid ORCID digital identifier (https://orcid.org/register), containing at least affiliation and educational background.

• Institutional affiliation: The institutional affiliation of each author must be clearly stated. When authors have more than one affiliation, these must be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals.

• Email: Provide a contact email address for each author.

• Corresponding author: Identify one author who will serve as the corresponding author and primary contact with the editorial office.

2. Authorship Contribution
Authors must describe the specific contribution of each collaborator to the research and/or manuscript preparation. This information applies only to original research articles and systematic reviews or meta-analyses.

Authorship roles (include only those applicable):

1. Conceptualization

2. Data curation

3. Formal analysis

4. Funding acquisition

5. Investigation

6. Methodology

7. Project administration

8. Resources

9. Software

10. Supervision

11. Validation

12. Visualization

13. Writing – original draft

14. Writing – review and editing

Note: Authorship contribution is required only for research and review articles.

3. Abstract (Structured)
The abstract must not exceed 300 words. It should clearly summarize the research problem, methodological approach, and main findings.

Avoid the use of section subtitles (e.g., Introduction, Objectives, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions). Do not include acronyms, citations, or bibliographic references in the abstract.

4. Keywords
Provide between three and five keywords, selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus.
Both the Abstract and the Keywords must appear in English and Spanish.

5. Body of the Text
The main text must be organized as follows:

• For original research articles: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion.

• For case reports: Introduction, Case Report, Discussion.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement immediately before the Conclusions section. This statement must specify the accessibility and repository of the data supporting the study findings, in accordance with the journal’s data-sharing policy.

Authors should indicate:

• The name of the public repository where the dataset is stored (e.g., Mendeley Data, Zenodo, Figshare, or institutional repositories).

• The corresponding DOI or permanent URL.

• Any restrictions on data access and their justification (e.g., ethical or privacy considerations).

CITATIONS AND REFERENCES

Beginning in June 2025, IJMSS adopts the Springer Vancouver reference style. Manuscripts submitted after this date must use in-text citations formatted as Arabic numerals in square brackets [ ], corresponding to a numbered reference list at the end of the manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to use the official EndNote style file available at:
https://endnote.com/downloads/styles/springer-vancouver/

Manuscripts submitted before June 2025 will continue to follow the previous author–date reference style.

Examples of in-text citation:
The formulation of dental resins has evolved significantly in the past decade [1].

Examples of references:

Journal article:
[1] Suazo G, González H. Surface hardness of dental composites after glycerin application. J Dent Res. 2022;101(3):245–250. doi: https://doi.org/1x.1x16/j.xxxj.2024.0x.000

Book:
[2] Craig RG, Powers JM. Restorative Dental Materials. 11th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

Book chapter:
[3] Lin S, Barkmeier W. Adhesive systems in dentistry. In: van Noort R, editor. Contemporary Dental Materials. Berlin: Springer; 2015. p. 155–172.

TABLES AND FIGURES

Tables and figures must be cited in the text in consecutive order.
Tables should be numbered with Roman numerals and accompanied by a concise explanatory caption.
Figures should be numbered with Arabic numerals and provided as high-resolution files with descriptive captions.

ADDITIONAL SECTIONS

Acknowledgements: Include if applicable.
Ethical aspects: Authors must declare compliance with ethical standards and informed consent procedures. Research involving humans must have prior approval from an accredited ethics committee, clearly stated in the Methods section.
Conflict of interest: Disclose any potential conflicts relevant to the editorial process.
Funding: Specify any sources of financial support.
Images and illustrations: Authors must confirm that they hold the necessary permissions for publication. Photographs of identifiable persons require signed informed consent from the subject.

REFERENCE STYLE (PREVIOUS FORMAT)

The journal previously used a modified Harvard reference style. References should be listed alphabetically by the first author’s surname and chronologically when applicable. All authors should be included. When available, provide the article’s DOI or URL.

Examples:

Algieri, R., Ferrante, M., Fernández, J., Ugartemendia, J., and Bernadou, M. (2014). Anatomy of the Anterolateral Abdominal Wall: Ultrasonographic Assessment and its Application as a Guide in Nerve Blocks. Int J Med Surg Sci. 1(3):205–212. https://doi.org/10.32457/ijmss.2014.024

Mercado, C., and Sáez, A. (2019). Correlation between child and parental dental anxiety in a sample of Chilean schoolchildren. Int J Med Surg Sci. 6(1):7–9. https://doi.org/10.32457/ijmss.2019.004

McPhee, S. J., and Papadakis, M. A. (2010). Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. 49th ed. Mexico City: McGraw Hill.

NIH. (2020, July). Phase 3 clinical trial of investigational vaccine for COVID-19 begins. Available at: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/phase-3-clinical-trial-investigational-vaccine-covid-19-begins

NOMENCLATURE

All measurements must follow the International System of Units (SI).

Note: Not all sections are required for every manuscript; authors should include only those applicable to their study design.

EDITORIAL POLICY

Since Volume 4, Issue 1 (2017), IJMSS has been published exclusively in electronic format. The journal does not distribute printed copies to authors or readers.

The Editorial Committee reserves the right to limit or modify the number of authors according to the type of study, after prior notification to the corresponding author.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For any inquiries, please contact: ijmss@uautonoma.cl