Author Guidelines

• Write in clear English, using either British or American spelling consistently. Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscript edited before submission.
• Submit an editable Microsoft Word file (.docx) on A4 pages, using 12-point Times New Roman, double line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, page numbers, and continuous line numbering.
• Use SI units and generic drug names. Define each abbreviation at first use in the abstract and again at first use in the main text.
• Italicise gene symbols and species names, and follow the relevant nomenclature, including HGNC and the International Code of Nomenclature.

1. Cover letter: State the article’s contribution and confirm that it is not under consideration elsewhere.
2. Title page: Upload as a separate file because the journal uses double-blind review.
3. Anonymised manuscript: Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and identifying file metadata.
4. Figures: Upload each figure as a separate high-resolution file.
5. Reporting checklist: Include the completed checklist (see Section 7).
6. ICMJE disclosure forms: Provide a completed form for every author.
7. Supplementary material: Include any supplementary files, if applicable.

• Provide a concise, informative title of no more than 20 words, without abbreviations, and a running title of no more than 50 characters.
• Include the full names, degrees, affiliations (department, institution, city, and country), and ORCID iDs of all authors.
• Identify the corresponding author and provide their postal address, email address, and telephone number.
• Report the word counts for the abstract and main text, as well as the number of tables and figures.
• Include declarations covering ethics approval, consent, funding, conflicts of interest, author contributions, data availability, use of AI tools, and acknowledgements.

Use a structured abstract with the following headings:

Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusion.

• Report key numerical findings with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals.
• Do not cite references in the abstract.
• Provide 3–6 keywords, preferably selected from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).

Introduction

Summarise what is already known, identify the gap in knowledge, and end with a clear objective or hypothesis.

Methods

Describe the study design, setting and dates, participants and eligibility criteria, sampling and sample-size calculation, variables and measurement tools (including validity and reliability), interventions, and statistical analysis, including the software and version used. Include the ethics approval statement in this section.

Results

Present findings in a logical order without interpretation. Do not repeat in the text all the data already shown in tables. Report exact p-values (for example, p = 0.032; p < 0.001 for very small values), together with effect estimates and confidence intervals.

Discussion

Interpret the main findings, compare them with previous studies, explain the study’s strengths and limitations, and state the implications for practice, policy, or research.

Conclusion

Provide a short paragraph supported directly by the results.

• Place each table on a separate page after the references and number tables in order of citation (Table 1, Table 2, etc.), with a brief title above each table.
• Create tables using Microsoft Word’s table tool, not as images.
• Explain abbreviations and statistical tests in table footnotes.

• Accepted formats are TIFF, JPEG, PNG, or EPS. Use a minimum resolution of 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line art.
• Number figures in order of citation and provide figure legends in the manuscript file.
• Remove information that could identify a patient. Obtain written consent for any recognisable image.
• Obtain and cite permission for any figure reproduced from another source.

Describe statistical methods in sufficient detail for a knowledgeable reader with access to the data to verify the results. Follow the SAMPL guidelines. Manuscripts involving complex analyses will be sent to the statistical editor.