Instructions to Authors

Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) - Instructions to authors

Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal is a periodical published quarterly that aiming at divulging and promoting scientific production and interchange of information between the Brazilian and International community in the different areas of Dentistry and other fields of Health Care. The entire content of the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) is available on the following web site https://cro-rj.org.br/revcientifica/index.php/revista, to which there is free access.

The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) publishes original articles, clinical case reports, protocols, reviews, letters to the editors and editorials/commentaries. Research involving animals and/or human beings must be accompanied by the Certificate of Approval of a Research Ethics Committee. All articles are published in PDF format, in American English or Portuguese and must be submitted in one of these languages. Abstracts in Portuguese and in English are demanded at the time of submitting and sending the final version.

Costs for publication:

There are no fees for processing or publishing the articles.

Peer Review Process

All the content published by the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) goes through the process of review by specialists. Articles submitted for appreciation are sent to the CRO-RJ librarian, who, under the supervision of the Editors-in Chief, initially assesses them regarding the minimum standards demanded relative to form of presentation in the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal), aiming at complying with all the guidelines required for sending original articles. Once approved at this stage, the manuscript is submitted for appreciation by the Editorial Board, to assess the merit of the work and decide about the convenience of publishing it, with or without changes. After this, the article is sent to undergo a process of evaluation carried out in the review system, by peers selected from a register of reviewers. The reviewers are always professionals from institutions different from that of the origin of the article; they are blind to the identity of the authors and place of origin of the work. After receiving both reports, the Editorial Council evaluates them, and decides about acceptance of the article without changes, rejection, or return to the authors with the suggestions about changes. The Editorial Board is responsible for returning the article to the authors for explanations, as many times as necessary, and at any time, the Editors may decide to reject the document. Each version is always analyzed by the Editorial Board that has the power of making the final decision.

TYPES OF ARTICLES PUBLISHED

The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) accepts the spontaneous submission of original articles, clinical case reports, protocols, reviews, letters to editors, commentaries, and editorials.

Original articles include randomized and controlled studies; studies of diagnostic tests and triage; observational cohort, case control and cross-sectional studies; other descriptive and experimental studies, as well as those of basic research with laboratory animals. Articles that report clinical trials with therapeutic interventions must be registered in one of the Registers of Clinical Trials listed by the World Health Organization. In the absence of a Latin American Register, the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) suggests that the authors use the following register www.clinicaltrials.gov, of the National Institute of Health (NIH). The Identification Number must be presented in the body of the manuscript. The submission of clinical trials must adhere to CONSORT checklist (http://www.consort-statement.org/). In cases of observational studies submission, for preparation of the manuscript, adhesion to the STROBE guidelines is requested     (https://www.strobe- statement.org/index.php?id=strobe-home).

Clinical Case Reports must not exceed 06 figures. The figures may be organized in the form of a panel. Each panel will be considered a figure. The abstract must not exceed 250 words. Case report articles must be accompanied by the term of free and informed consent signed by the participant and/or his/her legal guardian. For preparation of the manuscript, authors must adhere to the guidelines suggested in CARE (http://www.care-statement.org).

Protocols aim to guide clinical practices and research in the different specialties of dentistry. They must be structured in summary; introduction; step-by-step presentation of the adopted protocol with textual description and images/figures/tables; discussion, conclusion, and references.

Reviews are critical and orderly assessments of the literature relative to topics of clinical importance, with emphasis on factors such as the causes and prevention of diseases, their diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are included in this category. In the text of Systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the authors must include the Registration Number of the Review protocol in PROSPERO (http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/). For preparation of the manuscript, authors must follow the guidelines proposed by PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org/).

Letters to the editors must contain a constructive critical text about subject matter previously published in the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal). These must be submitted directly to the Editorial Board. Whenever possible, a reply to the authors will be published together with the letter.

Commentaries are considerations about a published article or a topic of interest to the journal. Commentaries are solicited from recognized experts in a particular field, who should provide an overview and a critical analysis of the topic being addressed. A commentary can also draw attention to current developments and speculate on future directions about a particular issue and can include original data as well as state an opinion.

Editorials are commissioned from authorities in specific areas. They must contain observations with constructive critical content about a subject of interest in the field of Dentistry. They must be submitted directly to the editorial board.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

The manuscript must be written using 12-point Arial font, on A4 size pages, with 1.5 line spacing, and a 3 cm margin on each side of the page, including the bibliographic references and titles/legends of tables and illustrations. The file must be presented in digital format, extension “docx”. Each section must appear in plain text in the following order: title page, abstract in Portuguese, Abstract in English, text, acknowledgments, references, tables (with title and notes), figures (with legends). Tables and figures must be presented in a separated page.

The following text are the main guidelines about each section, according to the type of manuscript:

Title Page

The title page must contain all the following items of information:

1. a) title of the article, concise and informative, avoiding the use of superfluous terms and abbreviations;
2. b) abbreviated title (short title) with a maximum of 60 characters, counting the spaces;
3. c) the full name of each author (first name and surnames, with the last surname typed in bold-face font.
4. d) department to which the authors are affiliated and the institution or official service to which the study is tied;
5. e) specific contribution of each author to the study;
6. f) declaration of conflict of interest (write “nothing to declare” or a clear revelation of any interest of an economic or other nature that may cause embarrassment if it becomes known after publication of the article);
7. g) name, address, telephone, fax and e-mail address of the corresponding author;
8. h) source of financing or supplier of equipment and materials.

Abstracts

The abstracts (Portuguese and English) must contain a maximum of 250 words, avoiding the use of abbreviations. No words that identify the institution or city where the article was written must be put into the abstract, to facilitate a blind reviewing. All the information that appears in the abstract must also seem in the article. The abstract must be structured according to the following description:

Abstract of Original Article

Introduction (optional): introduce the reader to the topic to be addressed in the article.

Objective: define the main aim and inform only the most relevant secondary aims.

Materials and Methods: inform the type of study design, contextual or local, the patients or participants (define the eligibility criteria, sample number, sample distribution criteria among groups, etc.), the interventions/exposures (describe characteristics, including methods of application, variables analyzed, duration, etc.), and the criteria for measuring the outcome, including the statistical analysis.

Results: inform the main data, confidence intervals and significance, the statistics of the findings.

Conclusions: present only those supported by the data of the study, and that contemplate the aims, as well as their practical application with equal emphasis on the positive and negative findings that have similar scientific merits.

Abstract of Case Reports

Introduction (optional): inform the reader about the topic to be addressed.

Objective: briefly state the aims of the report (diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis).

Case Report: report the case itself.

Results: inform the main data related to resolution of the case.

Conclusions: present only those supported by the data of the case report, and that contemplate the aims and their application.

Abstract of Protocols

Inform the reader about the topic to be addressed and state the aim of the protocol.

Abstract of Reviews

Introduction (optional): briefly report the central topic of the review and justify why it was conducted.

Objective: inform the aim of the review, indicating whether it especially emphasizes some factor, risk, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or prognosis.

Sources of data: describe the sources of the research, defining the databases and years researched. Briefly inform the eligibility criteria of articles and methods of extraction and evaluation of the quality of information (in cases of Systematic Reviews).

Summary of data: inform the main results of the research, whether they are quantitative or qualitative.

Conclusions: present the conclusions and their clinical application.

After the summary of the original articles, case reports or reviews, include three to six keywords that will be used for indexing.

Abstract of Commentaries

Inform the reader about the published article to be explored or the topic of interest, and the purpose of the commentary, justifying it.

Keywords

After the abstracts (Portuguese and English) of the original articles, case reports, protocols, reviews, and commentaries, include three to six keywords that will be used for indexing. Use terms of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), available in http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/ meshhome.html. When adequate MeSH terms are not available, it is possible to use free terms.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations must be avoided because they hamper comfortable reading of the text. When used, they must be defined when they are used for the first time. They must never appear in the title and abstracts.

Texts

The text of original articles must contain the following sections, each one with its respective sub-title:

Introduction: clear, objective, succinct, citing only references strictly related to the topic, and seeking to justify why the study was conducted. At the end of the introduction, the aims of the study must be clearly described.

Materials and Methods: Describe the study population/sample and the eligibility criteria; clearly define the variables and detail the statistical analysis; if necessary, include references about the methods during this section. Procedures, products, and items of equipment used must be described in sufficient detail to allow reproduction of the study. Furthermore, they must contain details of the brand and place of manufacture. In case of studies with human beings and/or animals, it is mandatory to include a declaration that all the procedures were approved by the research ethics committee of the institution to which the authors belong. In the absence of this, approval must be obtained from another research ethics committee indicated by the National Commission of Research Ethics of the Ministry of Health.

Results: this section must be presented clearly, objectively and in a logical sequence. The information contained in tables or figures must not be repeated in the text.

Discussion: this section must interpret the results and compare them with data previously described in the literature, emphasizing the new and important aspects of the study. Discuss the implications of the findings and their limitations, as well as the need for additional research. Avoid repetition of the results and/or superimposition between results and discussion. The conclusions must be presented at the end of the discussion, and must respond to the aims of the study, by avoiding information and inferences that were not supported by the findings. The authors must place equal emphasis on favorable and unfavorable findings that have similar scientific merits.

The text of case reports must contain the following sections, each one with its respective sub-title:

Introduction: clear, objective, succinct, citing only references strictly related to the topic, and seeking to justify why the study was conducted. Describe the aims at the end of the introduction.

Case Report: must present details of the case and procedures for performing them. Describe the follow-up data and prognosis of the case, when pertinent. The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) suggests that cases without due conclusion should be avoided. Mention the term of free and informed consent of the patient.

Discussion: discuss the diagnostic, therapeutic and technical criteria used, among other details about the case. Discuss the clinical implications of the findings and their limitations. The conclusions must be presented at the end of the discussion and must respond to the aims of the case report, by avoiding information if inferences were not supported by the findings. The authors must place equal emphasis on favorable and unfavorable findings that have similar scientific merits. Include recommendations when necessary.

The text of review articles must contain the following topics:

- In case of narrative reviews, the following topics are suggested:

Introduction: clear and objective, in which the authors explain the importance of the review to clinical practice in dentistry. The introduction must be end with the aims of the review.

Sources of data: describe the methods of data search, selection, and extraction, followed by data synthesis.

Data Synthesis: data synthesis (result/discussion) must present all the pertinent information in rich detail.

Conclusion: the conclusion section must correlate the main ideas of the review with the possible clinical applications, limiting generalization to the domains of the review.

- In cases of systematic reviews, with or without meta-analyses,     the       authors  must follow the  PRISMA statement (http://www.prisma-statement.org/). These reviews must contain: Introduction: that demonstrates the pertinence of the subject and the existent controversy with respect to the topic. At the end of the introduction, the authors should raise the focused question of the review. Materials and Methods: must present the search strategy; eligibility criteria of the studies; risk of bias analysis of the included studies; data extraction, and when pertinent, the strategy used for quantitative data synthesis.

Result: must respond in an orderly manner to the data searched according to the methodological design with respect to the qualitative and quantitative synthesis of the primary studies included.

Discussion: must consider interpreting the results, emphasizing resolution of the controversies related to the topic, with this being directed towards answering the focused question of the review, showing whether or not there is need for further research. The limitations of the study must also be pointed out, as well as the study external validity (generalization of the data) and the certainty of the evidence must be discussed.

Conclusion: The conclusion section must correlate the main ideas of the review with the possible clinical applications.

Letters to editors must be written about an article that has already been published in the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal), with relevant information. The letters must be summarized but maintaining the main points main. The letter always be sent to the authors of the target article. Thus, a response can be published in the same edition.

The text of the protocols must contain the following sections, each one with its respective subtitle:

Introduction: clear, objective, succinct, citing only references strictly related to the theme and contextualizing the subject for which protocols will be presented.

Protocol: it must be organized in a didactic way, considering the context presented in the introduction. If possible, use figures.

Conclusion: Briefly discuss the importance of the protocol presented, highlighting its practical and/or clinical applicability.

Acknowledgments

They must be brief and objective; they should only mention the person or institutions that made a significant contribution to the study, but that had not fulfilled the criteria of authorship.

References

The references must be formatted in the Vancouver style, also known as the Uniform Requirements style.

The bibliographic references must be numbered and ordered according to they appear in the text, in which they must be identified by the respective superscript Arabic numbers. To list the references, do not use the Word resource of end notes or footnotes.

Articles accepted for publication, but not yet published, may be cited provided that the name of the journal is indicated and that it is “in press”.  Unpublished observations and personal communications may not be cited as references. If it were imperative to include information of this type in the article, it must be followed by the observation “unpublished data” or “personal communication” in parentheses in the text of the manuscript.

The titles of journals must be abbreviated as recommended in the Medicus Index; a list with their respective abbreviations may be obtained by means of the publication NLM “List of Serials Indexed for Online Users”, available at the address http:// www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lsiou.html.

As follows, we present some examples of the model adopted by the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal):

Articles in periodicals:

1. Up to six authors:

Vieira AR, Bayram M, Seymen F, Sencak RC, Lippert F, Modesto A. In Vitro Acid-Mediated Initial Dental Enamel Loss Is Associated with Genetic Variants Previously Linked to Caries Experience. Front Physiol. 2017 Feb 22;8:104. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2017.00104.

2. More than six authors:

da Silva Bastos Vde A, Freitas-Fernandes LB, Fidalgo TK, Martins C, Mattos CT, de Souza IP, et. al. Mother-to-child transmission of Streptococcus mutans: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Dent. 2015 Feb;43(2):181-91. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2014.12.001.

3. Organization as author:

American Academy of Pediatrics. Clinical practice guideline. Diagnosis and management of childhood obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Pediatrics 2012;130 (3):576-684.

4. Articles with electronic publication, not yet with printed publication:

Tavares Silva C, Calabrio IR, Serra-Negra JM, Fonseca- Gonçalves A, Maia LC. Knowledge of parents/guardians about nocturnal bruxism in children and adolescents. Cranio. 2016; Jun 24:1-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Books:

Andreasen JO, Andreasen FM. Textbook and color atlas of traumatic injuries to the teeth. 4ª ed. Copenhagen: Mosby. 2007.

Chapters of Books:

Pagel JF, Pegram GV. The role for the primary care physician in sleep medicine. In: Pagel JF, Pandi-Perumal SR, editors. Primary care sleep medicine. 2nd ed. New York: Springer; 2014.

Academic Studies:

BorkowskiMM. Infant sleep and feeding: a telephone survey of Hispanic Americans [dissertation]. MountPleasant(MI): Central Michigan University; 2002.

CD-ROM:

Soils. Geographica on CD ROM. [CD ROM]. Melbourne, Australia: Random House. 1999.

Homepage/website:

Integrative Medicine Center [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2017 [cited 2017 Mar 25]. Available from: https://www.mdanderson.org/patients- family/diagnosis-treatment/care-centers-clinics/integrative- medicine-center.html.

Ministry of Health Documents/Decrees and Laws:

1. Brazil. Decree 6.170, of July 25, 2007. States provisions about the rules relative to Transfers of resources from the Union by means of transfer agreements and contracts and makes other provisions. Diário Oficial, Brasília, 26 jul. 2007.
2. Brazil. Ministry of Health Health Care Secretary Department of Primary Care Política Nacional de Atenção Básica / Ministério da Saúde. Health Care Secretary Department of Primary Care Brasília, Ministério da Saúde, 2012. (Série E. Legislação em Saúde)

Presentation of Paper/Study?

Pierro VSS, Maia LC, Silva EM. Effect of pediatric syrups on roughness and erosion of enamel (abstract). 82nd. IADR  General Session & Exhibition; 2004 Mar 10-13,  Honolulu, Hawaii. J Dent Res 2004, 83 (Special Issue A): 896.

Tables

Each table must be presented on a separate page, numbered with Arabic numeral (1, 2, 3, etc.), in the order of appearance in the text; with single spacing between lines, and contain a summarized but explanatory title. All the explanations must be presented in notes and not in the title, identified with superscript letters in alphabetical order. Do not underline or draw lines within the tables and do not use spaces to separate the columns. Do not use space on either side of the symbol ± or any other symbol.

Figures (photographs, drawings, graphs, etc.)

All the figures must be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.) in order of appearance in the text. The legend must be clear and objective and must appear at the end of the Figure. All the explanations must be presented in the legends, including those about the abbreviations used. Figures reproduced from other previously published sources must indicate the reference or source in the legend, in addition to being accompanied by a letter of permission from the copyright holder. Photographs must not allow identification of the patient. Microphotographs must present internal scales and arrows in contrast with the background.

Illustrations in color are accepted for publication, without additional cost to the authors. Computer-generated images, such as graphs, must be attached in the form of files in the following formats: .jpg, .gif or .tif, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Graphs must preferably be presented in two dimensions.

Verification List

As part of the submission process, authors are requested to indicate their agreement with the items listed below:

1. The authors must sign and submit their agreement by means of a Copyright License Declaration (and end user license), and the content of their intellectual work must be indicated as their responsibility.
2. The corresponding author must prepare, with the consent of the other authors, a letter of submission of the article to the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal).
3. The submission file (manuscript) must be sent as a Microsoft Word document.
4. The title page must contain all the information required, as specified in the guidelines to the authors.
5. The abstract and keywords must be formatted and submitted in English and Portuguese, following the title page.
6. The entire text must be presented in 1.5cm spacing using 12-point Arial font. All the tables and figures must be numbered in the order of appearance in the text; each of these must be placed on a separate page, after the bibliographic references at the end of the article.
7. The text must be in accordance with the demands of style and bibliography described in the publication guidelines.
8. The references must be presented in the Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order they appear in the text.
9. Information about approval of the study by a research ethics committee must be clearly presented in the text, in the Materials and Methods section, and must be sent as an attachment.

10 All the internet addresses presented in the text must be active and ready to be clicked on.

11.The potential Conflict of Interest must be signed by the authors and sent as an attachment during the submission process.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) uses a system to detect plagiarism. When submitting an article to the journal, the authors accept that the study will be digitized in the mentioned program at the time of submission, and in the case of acceptance, prior to publication.

Ethics Policy of the Publication

All submitted articles cannot have been previously published, or concurrently sent to another journal. All authors must have read and approved the content, as well as declared possible conflicts of interest. The article must follow the ethical principles of the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal), as well as comply with international ethical committe for research with human and animals.

Conflict of interest and financial aid

The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) requires all authors to declare potential conflicts of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or other type that may be perceived as having influenced the results of a study, and the objectivity of an author, is considered a potential source of conflict of interests, and must be declared. The potential sources of conflict of interest include, but are not limited to, rights arising from patent rights or ownership of shares, membership of a board of directors, membership of an advisory board or committee of a company and receiving advice or speaking fees from a company.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all the authors fulfill and sign the copyright license declaration and other mandatory documents at the time of submission.

Confirmation of sending the documents

After submission, the corresponding author will receive an e-mail to confirm receipt of the article. If this e-mail of confirmation is not received after 24 hours, please contact the Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) by e-mail: revista.cientifica@cro-rj.org.br. The error may have been caused by some type of spam filtering in the e-mail server.

Updating the status of the article

The initial process of evaluating the article may take up to 60 days, counted from the date of its submission. Should this period have expired, you may contact the Editorial Board to verify the present status. The Revista Científica do CRO-RJ (Rio de Janeiro Dental Journal) will inform you by an e-mail, once a decision has been made. One of the following possibilities will be indicated in the reply: 1. Adjust suit the guidelines and Re-submit; 2. Accepted; 3. Minor adjustments required; 4. Major adjustments required; 5. Rejected. In the last case, the article will be summarily refused and cannot be re-submitted to the journal.

Submission of Revised Articles

The revised manuscripts must be sent within 2 months after notifying the authors about the conditional acceptance (minor or major adjustments). All the revisions must be accompanied by a letter of responses to the reviewers considering all the questions and suggestions made. The letter must detail the author’s reply, point by point, to each of the reviewers’ comments. In addition, the revised manuscript, highlighting the changes in different color must be sent as a new file.

The authors must supply an official certificate of the English language editing service that the manuscript was submitted. The costs of translation/revision of the English language are the responsibility of the authors.