Article Types
Article Types
The article types below are accepted for submission to Journal of Abdominal Wall Surgery (JAWS).
JAWS offers multiple article types to maximize your options for disseminating your work.
Please ensure that any manuscript you submit to conforms to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommendations for ethics and the relevant EQUATOR Network guidelines as well as to the general JAWS article requirements. All submitted manuscripts will be checked by plagiarism detection software.
All articles are peer-reviewed, receive a DOI, are citable, published in PDF and HTML format, and submitted for indexing in relevant digital archives.
Additional information relevant to your submission:
ARTICLE TYPES
Original Research
Original Research articles report on primary and unpublished studies. Original Research may also encompass confirming studies and disconfirming results which allow hypothesis elimination, reformulation and/or report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Original Research articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Original Research articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Materials and Methods, 4) Results, 5) Discussion. Authors should follow the appropriate EQUATOR Network reporting guideline for their study design (e.g. CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, TRIPOD for prediction model studies, STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies, or SRQR for qualitative research) and include the completed checklist as Supplementary Material.
Review
Review articles cover topics that have seen significant development or progress in recent years, with comprehensive depth and a balanced perspective. Reviews should present a complete overview of the state of the art (and should not merely summarize the literature), as well as discuss the following: 1) Different schools of thought or controversies, 2) Fundamental concepts, issues, and problems, 3) Current research gaps, 4) Potential developments in the field. Review articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 12,000 and may contain no more than 15 Figures/Tables. Review articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected in review or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content. Further to this, guidelines manuscripts fall within the category of Review articles, and should follow the same characteristics. However, the journal’s Editorial Board reserves the right to request a summary of the Guidelines from the author following their own criteria, or if the manuscript exceeds the review article’s characteristics.
Systematic Review
Systematic Review articles present a synthesis of previous research, and use clearly defined methods to identify, categorize, analyze and report aggregated evidence on a specific topic. Included in this article type are meta-syntheses, meta-analyses, mapping reviews, scoping reviews, systematic reviews, and systematic reviews with a meta-analysis. Systematic Review articles are peer-reviewed and have a maximum word count of 12,000. Systematic Reviews should: clearly define the research question in terms of population, interventions, comparators, outcomes and study designs (PICOS), and state which reporting guidelines were used in the study. For design and reporting, systematic reviews must conform to the reporting guidelines (e.g., PRISMA, Cochrane, Campbell), and include the PRISMA flow diagram (if applicable), as well as funding information (if no specific funding to carry out the research, please state so). Systematic Reviews should have the following format:
Abstract
Introduction
Methods (including study design; participants; interventions; comparators; systematic review protocol; search strategy; data sources; study sections and data extraction; data analysis)
Results (including a flow diagram of the studies retrieved for the review; study selection and characteristics; synthesized findings; assessment of risk of bias)
Discussion (including summary of main findings; limitations; conclusions)
Systematic Reviews must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected in review or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content.
Mini Review
Mini Review articles cover focused aspects of a current area of investigation and its recent developments. They offer a succinct and clear summary of the topic, allowing readers to get up-to-date on new developments and/or emerging concepts, as well as discuss the following: 1) Different schools of thought or controversies, 2) Current research gaps, 3) Potential future developments in the field. Mini Reviews articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 2 Figures/Tables. Mini Review articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. Mini Review articles must not include unpublished material (unpublished/original data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications) and may be rejected or reclassified, at a significant delay, if found to include such content.
Case Report
Case Reports highlight unique cases of human or animal patients that present with an unexpected diagnosis, treatment outcome, or clinical course. Case Reports are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 and may contain no more than 4 display items (figures, tables, or videos). Authors should follow the CARE guidelines and submit a completed CARE checklist as a supplementary file (template available here). Case Reports should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction: including what is unique about the case and medical literature references, 3) Case description: including de-identified patient information, relevant physical examination and other clinical findings, relevant past interventions and their outcomes, 4) A figure or table showcasing a timeline with relevant data from the episode of care, 5) Diagnostic assessment, details on the therapeutic intervention, follow-up and outcomes, as specified in the CARE guidelines, 6) Discussion: strengths and limitations of the approach to the case, discussion of the relevant medical literature (similar and contrasting cases), take-away lessons from the case, 7) Patient perspective. Authors are required to obtain written informed consent from the patients (or their legal representatives) for the publication. Only Case Reports that are original and significantly advance the field will be considered. All Case Reports should carry the title “Case Report: "area of focus".
Brief Research Report
Brief Research Report articles present original research and/or preliminary findings in a more succinct way, and with fewer details, than Original Research articles. Brief Research Reports also encourage submission of negative results and may report on the non-reproducibility of previously published results. Brief Research Reports articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 4,000 and may contain no more than 4 Figures/Tables. Brief Research Report articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract, 2) Introduction, 3) Method, 4) Results, 5) Discussion. Supplementary material may be included with Brief Research Reports.
Protocol
Protocol articles provide a detailed description of a research project or study protocol under development. It is recommended that the study is officially registered, and details of the registration including the registration date and number are included in the manuscript. Protocol articles are peer-reviewed, have a maximum word count of 3,000 words and may contain no more 4 figures and tables. Abstracts have a maximum of 250 words (including registration number). Protocol articles should have the following format: 1) Abstract 2) Introduction 3) Main and Secondary Hypothesis, 4) Methods and Design, 5) Discussion 6) References, with a maximum of 15 references. In the Methods and Design section the statistical methods and sample size must be justified, clearly specifying inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. The recruitment of cases over the calculated sample size should not exceeded 50%. The number of authors should not exceed 8. If it is essential to exceed 8 authors, the contribution of each author must be justified. Authors should follow the SPIRIT guidelines and include the completed checklist as Supplementary Material.
Commentary
Commentary articles provide critical comments on a previous publication. Commentary articles have a maximum word count of 1,000 words and may contain no more than 1 Figure/Table. They should not contain unpublished or original data. General Commentary articles should have the following format: 1) Title: “Commentary: Title of the original article” (mandatory), 2) Introduction, 3) Subsections relevant for the subject, 4) Discussion. At the beginning of your Commentary, please provide the complete citation of the article being commented on. Please note Commentary articles are limited to one Commentary and one Response to a previous publication. Authors must submit their manuscript within 12 months of the official online publication date of the corresponding article.
Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor contain brief descriptions of novel and important findings, unusual clinical observations, or conclusions. Letters to the Editor usually refer either to an article or clinical issue that is of general interest to the readership of the journal, or a brief report of clinical or research findings related to the journal’s scope. Letters to the Editor are considered for publication provided they do not contain material that is under consideration or published elsewhere. Letters to the Editor have a maximum word count of 1,000 and may contain 1 display item (figure or table) with the number of references limited to five.
Editorial
Editorials are short essays that express the author’s viewpoint or explain journal policies. Editorials have a maximum word count of 1,000 words.
Opinion
Opinion articles allow authors to contribute viewpoints on the interpretation of recent findings in any research area, value of the methods used, as well as weaknesses and strengths of scientific hypotheses. They should abide to the following guidelines: not contain unpublished or original data, be supported by evidence, be fully referenced, encourage constructive discussion, refrain from emotionally-charged argumentation. Opinion articles have a maximum word count of 2,000 and may contain no more than 1 Figure/Table. Opinion articles should have the following format: 1) Introduction, 2) Subsections relevant for the subject, 3) Discussion. The Editors particularly encourage the use of videos of surgical techniques to demonstrate ideas presented in the article. Videos will be hosted in the Supplementary Material of the published article.
In Memoriam
In Memoriam articles are by invitation only.
Correction
Correction: Should authors notice errors that affect the scholarly record or the integrity of the paper, authors are encouraged to submit a correction online. The correction must detail the reason(s) for the error(s) and include only the elements (e.g. sections, sentence, figure) of the manuscript being revised or corrected. All authors of the original paper need to agree to the request for changes. The 'manuscript contribution to the field' statement should be used to clearly state the reason for the Correction. Depending on the extent of the correction required, corrections may require peer review. Authors are informed that requests for changes beyond those described here may not be accepted for publication.