Types of articles

Types of articles

Documents published in the Archivos de Medicina journal correspond to the following types:

Scientific and technological research article. Document that presents, in detail, the original results of research projects, with significant contributions to knowledge, all within the guidelines of the Archivos de Medicina journal. Its length should not exceed 5,000 words. Randomised controlled trials must comply with the CONSORT standard [1-2].

Observational studies in epidemiology. Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. We insist that the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) recommendations [3-4] must be followed. They should not exceed 5,000 words in length and a maximum of 50 references.

The structure generally used contains the following sections:

• Introduction: provides the context and background of the problem. The last paragraph of the introduction should refer to the objective or purpose of the study or the hypothesis to be tested.
• Materials and methods: includes all the information obtained during the study, such as the selection and description of participants, technical information (methods, procedures, and equipment), statistical methods, and a description of the medications used.
• Results: presents the results in a logical sequence using text, tables, and figures. Do not repeat the results presented in tables or figures within the text.
• Discussion: emphasise the most novel and important aspects of the study and the conclusions drawn, but do not repeat information already included in the introduction or results in the discussion. Compare and contrast the results with other relevant similar studies. Discuss the implications of the study for clinical practice and possible new research.
• Limitations of the study.
• Conclusions: establish a correlation between the objective or purpose of the study, but avoid conclusions that are not adequately supported by the results.
• References: include a maximum of 50 references.

Review articles.

Narrative or integrative review. This is a document resulting from a critical, but not systematic, review of the literature on a specific topic that requires updating. The narrative review and its general structure are flexible. At least 50 bibliographic references and a maximum length of 5,000 words are suggested. The SANRA standard is a useful guide for conducting narrative reviews [5].

Systematic review of the literature with or without meta-analysis or meta-synthesis. The systematic review of the literature is carried out according to a strict methodology, with the aim of avoiding bias and the omission of relevant studies. There will be no limit on the number of references, and the length should not exceed 8,000 words. The PRISMA standard guides the conduct of systematic reviews of the literature [6].

The standards document and Equator network can be consulted to determine the type of standard to be applied according to the type of study and for the different types of literature review.

Report or case study. Document presenting the results of a study on a particular situation in order to share the technical and methodological experiences considered in a specific case. It includes a commented review of the literature on similar cases. It is advisable to follow the recommendations of the Consensus-based Clinical Case Reporting Guideline Development (Gagnier et al., 2013) (CARE) [7]. It should not exceed 2000 words and 25 references. In case reports, it is important not to omit ethical considerations.

Short article. A brief document presenting preliminary or partial original results of scientific or technological research, which generally require prompt dissemination. It should not exceed 2000 words and 20 references.

Letter to the editor. A letter to the editor is a short manuscript that comments on or takes a critical stance on an article published in the journal, or that highlights an original idea that cannot yet be supported in a formal article [8-9]. It should not exceed 1000 words or have more than five references.

Editorial. Document written by the editor, a member of the Editorial Committee or a guest researcher, on guidelines in the Journal's subject area.

Translation. Translations of classic or current texts, transcriptions of historical documents or documents of particular interest in the Journal's field of publication.

Book review. In this format, an expert summarises and analyses the content of a book of interest to the journal's readers.

References

1. Schulz KF, Altman DG, Moher D, CONSORT Group. CONSORT 2010 statement: updated guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials. Obstetrics and gynecology [Internet]. 2010 May [cited 2018 Aug 10];115(5):1063–70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2014.07.014
2. Cuschieri S. The CONSORT statement. Saudi journal of anaesthesia [Internet]. 2019 Apr 1 [cited 2023 Feb 24];13(Suppl 1):S27–30. https://doi.org/10.4103/SJA.SJA_543_18
3. Cuschieri S. The STROBE guidelines. Saudi journal of anaesthesia [Internet]. 2019 Apr 1 [cited 2023 Feb 25];13(Suppl 1):S31–4. https://doi.org/10.4103/SJA.SJA_543_18
4. Vandenbroucke JP, von Elm E, Altman DG, Gøtzsche PC, Mulrow CD, Pocock SJ, et al. Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration. International journal of surgery (London, England) [Internet]. 2014 Dec [cited 2018 Aug 8];12(12):1500–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2014.07.014
5. Baethge C, Goldbeck-Wood S, Mertens S. SANRA—a scale for the quality assessment of narrative review articles. Research Integrity and Peer Review [Internet]. 2019 Dec 26 [cited 2024 Oct 20];4(1):1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/S41073-019-0064-8/TABLES/1
6. Yepes-Nuñez JJ, Urrútia G, Romero-García M, Alonso-Fernández S. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Revista Espanola de Cardiologia. 2021;74(9):790–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.recesp.2021.06.016
7. Gagnier JJ, Kienle G, Altman DG, Moher D, Sox H, Riley D, et al. The CARE guidelines: Consensus-based clinical case reporting guideline development. BMJ Case Reports. 2013;1–4. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2013-201554
8. Süer E, Yaman Ö. How to write an editorial letter? Turk Uroloji Dergisi. 2013;39(SUPPL. 1):41–3. https://doi.org/10.5152/tud.2013.053
9. Castro-Rodríguez Y. La carta al editor en la publicación científica. Consideraciones para su elaboración. Odontoestomatología [Internet]. 2021 May 17 [cited 2022 Dec 2];23(37). https://doi.org/10.22592/ODE2021N37A5