Scope
The Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases (JGLD) (formerly Romanian Journal of Gastroenterology)
publishes papers reporting original clinical and scientific
research, which are of a high standard and which
contribute to the advancement of knowledge in the field
of gastroenterology and hepatology. The field comprises
prevention, diagnosis and management of gastrointestinal
and hepatobiliary disorders, as well as related molecular
genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology. Known
personalities with expertise and published papers in a
specific field are invited to write reviews and editorials in
our journal. Due to limited space, we do not accept any more
papers related to pediatric pathology. We also do not publish
experimental studies. Case reports will be accepted if of
great interest and well investigated. Technical Reports and
Clinical Imaging chapters should include new or improved
techniques and devices used in clinical research or in the
practice of gastroenterology and hepatology. Letters to
the Editor, especially those mentioning an opinion on an
article previously published, or expressing a new finding
are welcome. Letters are selected for their importance and not all letters submitted can be published. Notes will also be
accepted if on topics of professional interest.
The journal is published quarterly and papers are
accepted for publication in English language. Manuscripts that do not conform to standard English style, usage or grammar are returned to the authors for modification prior to scientific review. The website address of the JGLD is http://www.jgld.ro
Contact information for correspondence:
Monica
Acalovschi, MD, PhD, Editor J Gastrointestin Liver Dis,
Str. Croitorilor 19-23, 400162, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, Tel:
+40 264 433 427, Fax: +40 264 431 758; Email: editorjgld@gmail.com
Please consider before submission
A covering letter should accompany your submission.
You can use your own wording, but please consider the
following points and make the appropriate declarations.
Redundant or duplicate publication
We ask you to confirm that your paper has not been
published in its current form or a substantially similar form
(in print or electronically, including on a website), that it
has not been accepted for publication by another journal,
and that it is not under consideration by another publication.
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors has
provided details regarding duplicate or redundant publications
(http://www.icmje.org). In your covering letter to the editors,
please mention any published work that concerns the same
patients or subjects as the present paper.
Conflicts of interest
Please state all possible conflicts of interest, including
financial and other relationships. If you are sure that there
is no conflict of interest, please state this also. The sources
of funding should be acknowledged in your paper.
Permissions to reproduce previously published material
Please send us copies of permission to reproduce material
(such as illustrations) from the copyright holder.
Patient‘s consent forms
The protection of a patient’s right to privacy is essential. Please send copies of patient’s consent forms on which
patients or other subjects of your experiments clearly grant
permission for the publication of photographs or other
material that might identify them.
Even if patient-identifying material is not included
in your paper, all studies dealing with patients or normal
volunteers (including case reports) need their written
informed consent. A statement must be included in the ‘Methods’ section of your paper.
Ethics Committee approval
You must state clearly in your submission in the Methods
section that you conducted studies on human participants
with the approval of the Hospital, or University Ethics
Committee etc. Similarly, you must confirm that experiments
involving animals adhered to ethical standards.
*These instructions comply with those formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. The Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases is on the list of journals that follow the ICMJE’s Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. The list as well as the complete document can be found at: http://www.icmje.org.
Authorship
We ask all authors to sign the submission letter in order
to confirm that they have read and approved the paper. We
also ask all authors to confirm that they have met the criteria
for authorship as established by the International Committee
of Medical Journal Editors, believe that the paper represents
honest work, and are able to verify the validity of the results
reported.
Copyright assignment
Papers are accepted for publication on the understanding
that exclusive copyright in the paper is assigned to the
Publisher. Authors are asked to sign a copyright assignment
form after acceptance of their papers (www.jgld.ro). They
may use material from their paper in other works published
by themselves. Signature of the copyright form is a condition
of publication and papers will not be passed to the publisher
unless a signed form has been received.
Submissions
All manuscripts submitted to the JGLD are made
available for online review. The journal only accepts
electronic submission of manuscripts in Word format (see
Online manuscript submission). Please note that Word 2007
is not yet compatible with journal production systems. The
journal cannot accept Microsoft Word 2007 documents until
such time as a stable production version is released. Please
use Word’s ‘Save As’ option therefore to save your document
as an older (.doc) file type.
Do not send your manuscripts in PDF format. The word
count for electronic submissions is up to 3,500 words for
original articles, 4,500 words for review articles 1,500 words
for case reports and Clinical Imaging papers, 300 words for
Letters, 300 words for Image of the issue. Manuscripts that
exceed the word limit will not be accepted by the system.
Authors should NOT in addition post a hard copy
submission to the editorial office, unless they are supplying
artwork, letters or files that cannot be submitted electronically,
or have been instructed to do so by the editorial office.
Include the following where appropriate: subject consent
forms; transfer of copyright form; permission to reproduce
previously published material; checklist.
Double spacing should be used throughout the manuscript,
which should include the following sections, each starting
on a separate page: title page, abstract and key words,
text, acknowledgements, references, individual tables and
legend for figures. Pages should be numbered consecutively,
beginning with the title page, and the Arabic numbers should
be placed in the top right hand corner of each page.
Presentation of papers
Title page
The title page should carry the full title of the paper and
a short title to be used as a ‘running head’ (and which should
be so identified and should comprise up to 45 characters).
The first name, middle initial and last name of each authorshould appear. If the work is to be attributed to a department
or institution, its full name should be included. No more than
6 authors are accepted for Case Reports, Letters, Image of
the issue. Any disclaimers should appear on the title page,
as should the name and address of the author responsible for
correspondence concerning the manuscript and the name,
address and e-mail address of the author to whom requests for
reprints should be made (the author should mention if he does
not want his e-mail address to be published). A word count
for the text only (excluding abstract, acknowledgement,
figure legends, and references) allows editors and reviewers
to assess whether the information contained in the paper
warrants the amount of space devoted to it, and whether the
submitted manuscript fits within the journal’s word limits.
A separate word count for the Abstract is also useful for the
same reason.
Finally, the title page should include the sources of any
support for the work in the form of grants, equipment, drugs,
or any combination of these.
Abstracts
The second page should carry a structured abstract of no
more than 250 words. Do not use abbreviations, footnotes,
or references.
Background & Aims. Describe the importance of the study
and the precise research objective(s) or study question(s).
Methods. Methods should include information on the
following aspects of study design when applicable:
Design - describe the basic study design, e.g. randomized
controlled trial, cross sectional study, cohort study, case
series, survey etc;
Setting - specify whether the study was conducted in a
primary or tertiary care setting, in an ambulatory care clinic
or hospital, in the general community etc;
Participants - indicate the number of study subjects
and how they were selected, recruited, and assigned to the
intervention;
Intervention - report the method of administration and
duration of the intervention.
Results. Provide the main outcomes of the study,
including confidence intervals or p values.
Conclusion. State only conclusions that are directly
supported by the evidence and the implications of your
findings.
Review articles and case reports should include an
unstructured summary.
Key words
The abstract should be followed by a list of 3–10 keywords
or short phrases which will assist the cross-indexing
of the article and which may be published. When possible,
the terms used should be from the Medical Subject Headings
list of Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/ meshhome.html).
Text
Full papers of an original study may be divided into
sections headed Introduction, Methods (including ethical andstatistical information), Results and Discussion (including a
conclusion). This so-called “IMRAD” structure is not simply
an arbitrary publication format, but rather a direct reflection
of the process of scientific discovery. Long articles may
require subheadings within some sections (especially the
Results and Discussion sections) to clarify their content.
Other types of articles, such as case reports, reviews, and
editorials, are likely to require other formats.
Excessive use of abbreviations is not recommended.
Outline statistical methods used. Identify drugs and
chemicals used by generic name (if trade-marks are
mentioned, manufactured name and city should be given).
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements should be made only to those who
have made a substantial contribution to the study. Authors
are responsible for obtaining written permission from people
acknowledged by name in case readers infer their endorsement
of data and conclusions.
References
References should be numbered consecutively in the
order in which they first appear in the text. They should be
assigned Arabic numerals, which should be given in brackets,
e.g. [12]. References should include the names of all authors
when six or fewer; when seven or more, list only the first
three names and add et al. References should also include
full title and source information. Journal names should be
abbreviated as in Index Medicus (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ tsd/serials/terms_cond.html).
No more than 90-100 references will be accepted for
reviews. For Letters to the Editor and Images of the Issue,
5-6 references. References should be typed double-spaced
on separate sheet. Abbreviations of journals conform to those
used in Index Medicus.
Examples:
Articles
Nomura H, Sou S, Tanimoto H et al. Short-term interferon α therapy for acute hepatitis C: a randomized controlled trial.
Hepatology 2004; 39: 1213-1219.
Gould JC, Melvin WS. Telerobotic foregut and esophageal
surgery. Surg Clin North Am 2003; 83: 1421–
1427.
Book
Whitehead WE, Schuster MM. Gastrointestinal
Disorders. Behavioral and Physiological Basis for
Treatment. Orlando: Academic Press, 1985.
Chapter in books
Kahrilas PJ, Pandolfino JE. Gastroesophageal reflux
disease and its complications, including Barrett’s metaplasia.
In: Sleisenger and Fordtran’s Gastrointestinal and Liver
Diseases. 7th Edn, Philadelphia: Saunders, 2002, 599-622.
Avoid or keep as low as possible the use of abstracts as
references. Personal communications and unpublished work
should not feature in the reference list but should appear
in parentheses in the text. Unpublished work accepted
for publication but not yet released should be included in
the reference list with the words ‘in press’ in parenthesesbeside the name of the journal concerned. References must
be verified by the author(s) against the original documents,
although JGLD also checks the accuracy of the references.
Tables
Each table should be typed on a separate sheet in double
spacing. Tables should not be submitted as photographs.
Each table should be assigned a Roman numeral (e.g. Table
III) and a brief title. Explanatory matter should be placed in
footnotes. Explain in footnotes all non-standard abbreviations
that are used in each table. Identify statistical measures
of variations, such as standard deviation and standard error
of the mean.
Each table should be cited in the text.
Illustrations
All graphs, photographs (on glossy paper), diagrams
will be referred to as figures and should be numbered
consecutively in the text in Arabic numerals. They will
be submitted electronically as a separate electronic file,
preferably named as “figure 1.tiff”, figure 2.jpeg” etc., or
in copy actual-size and on CD-rom (if necessary). Do not
prepare too small images, as there is no effective way to
increase the resolution of an image beyond its original size.
Figures must be at least 150 dpi to ensure quality. If scanned,
line art should be at a resolution of 800 dpi, and halftones
and colour at 300 dpi. For vector images (graphs, carts), eps
is the best format to be used.
If a figure has been published before, the original source
must be acknowledged and written permission from the
copyright holder for both print and electronic formats should
be submitted with the material.
Figures may be reduced, cropped or deleted at the
discretion of the Editor.
Figures that are submitted in color must be published
for reproduction costs. Send fax written agreement to pay
for color figures reproduction to +40-264-433335, email to editorjgld@gmail.com or include with submission.
Legends for illustrations
Captions should be typed in double spacing, beginning
on a separate page. Each one should have an Arabic
numeral corresponding to the illustration to which it refers
with a title above and explanatory notes below it. Do not
embed image files or other objects in your Word document.
Internal scales should be explained and staining methods for
photomicrographs should be identified.
Units of measurement
Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume
should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or
litre) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be
given in degrees Celsius. Blood pressures should be given
in mmHg.
All hematological and clinical chemistry measurements
should be reported in the metric system in terms of the
International System of Units (SI). Editors may request that
alternative or non-SI units be added by the authors before
publication.
Abbreviations and symbols
Use only standard abbreviations. Avoid abbreviations in
the title and abstract. The full term for which an abbreviation
stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a
standard unit of measurement.
Pre-submission checklist
It is hoped that this list will be useful during the final
checking of an article prior to sending it to the Journal’s
Editor for review:
– one author designated as corresponding author: with
e-mail address, full postal address, telephone and fax
numbers;
– all necessary files have been uploaded;
– keywords, running head;
– all figures and tables (including title, description,
foot-notes);
– references are in the correct format for this Journal;
– all references mentioned in the reference list are cited
in the text, and vice versa;
– permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted
material from other sources.
Reprints
A copy of the Journal will be supplied free of charge.
Reprints of the published articles will be available on
payment in the amount ordered before publication. Forms
for ordering reprints (minimum order 25) will be sent with
proofs to authors and should be returned with corrected
proofs.
Online manuscript submission
The process is simple. Go to www.jgld.ro, click on
Guidelines for authors and read the guidelines. Then, back
on the home page of www.jgld.ro, go to Submit an article and
click. The first time you use the system, you will register for
an account. You will use your account log-in and password
each time you return to the site, whether to make changes in
your manuscript (edit) or check on the status on the left menu.
In case you forget the password, you have the possibility to
get a new one by using, the button Forgot your password.
You will receive an e-mail with the link where you can
introduce a new password.
After you log on, click on Add new article and start to
submit the manuscript – article type, title, authors, abstract,
key words, article body, references, figures, tables, proposed
reviewers and cover letter, in the required order. You
should propose minimum 3 reviewers.Your text and figures
will be uploaded in a few minutes and you will first save
the manuscript. Then you will see it again and check for
corrections. You click on Send to Editor and your manuscript
will be submitted.
Once in our system, the manuscript is assigned a tracking
number and you will receive a confirmation letter. After
sending, your manuscript will appear as under evaluation.
As soon as the reviewers’ comments are ready, you
will receive a letter from the editor confirming acceptance,
inviting you to revise your manuscript, or informing you that
the manuscript can not be accepted for publication. If youare invited to revise your manuscript you have the possibility
to make the corrections and send the manuscript again. You
should add a reply letter to the reviewers answering point
by point their comments.
If you encounter any problem when submitting your
manuscript, please contact us at the address: editorjgld@ gmail.com
By implementing this online system, we ensure greater
speed and accuracy in publishing.
Peer-review procedure
The JGLD offers thorough peer review, online submission
and immediate publication on acceptance. The journal is
advised by an International Editorial Board, and a local
Review Board.
The Editorial office receives about 700 manuscripts a
year. The Editor-in-chief or one of the editors first reads
the manuscripts received and decides upon their priority
level: some are immediately sent to the reviewers, some
are rejected without being sent for review and some are
returned to authors with suggestions for improvement before
submitting them to reviewers.
All the original papers will be reviewed by two or three
independent reviewers, of whom two are international
personalities. Authors are invited to suggest minimum three
possible reviewers from the respective field of interest and,
if they consider necessary, to mention whom they do not
want to review their paper. The reviewers, who remain
anonymous, are asked to evaluate the manuscript by applying
the same standards as for the international journals. The
reviewers send their comments to the Editor. The Editor will
inform the authors about the suggestions made by the referee
and ask them to answer the questions and make the required
corrections. This information is provided up to three months
from the date they submitted the paper to the journal.
The revised manuscript should be sent in no more than
two months to the Editor. Revised manuscripts sent later
will not be considered.
When the Editor receives the corrected version with all
changes marked, accompanied by a letter with a point-bypoint
reply to the reviewers’ comments, he sends those back
to the same reviewer, who makes the final recommendation
for acceptance or rejection of the manuscript.
All manuscripts are checked before printing by the
English language Editor.
Open access
The abstract of the published articles will immediately
be placed in PubMed Central. Thanks to the Open Access
policy of the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases,
all original articles, reviews, editorials and case reports
published in the journal are available online for all to read
and use free of charge. Free and unrestricted availability via
the Internet to all increases the visibility of published papers
and may result in higher rate of citation.
The Editorial Team
Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver
