Instructions for Authors and Reviewers

Last update 25 August 2022

JOURNAL OF CZECH OPHTHALMOLOGY SOCIETY AND SLOVAK OPHTHALMOLOGY SOCIETY

Instructions for authors

The journal Czech and Slovak Ophthalmology is a professional journal with open access to the full texts of the individual articles, which is published in the Czech language (printed and online) and the English language (US) (online only). The primary language version of the journal is English (US).

The journal accepts the following types of articles for publication: original scientific studies, including experimental, case reports and summary articles. All the published articles are subjected to a peer review procedure, in which anonymity is preserved. The editors prefer original articles to case studies.

The journal adheres to a strict and transparent approach for the evaluation of articles and abides by the highest ethical standards. The editorial board will accept only studies that in their thematic aspect correspond to the focus of the journal, and which are of a corresponding professional and academic standard. As soon as a sent study is accepted for publication by the editorial board, it becomes the property of the journal, and parts of the study may be reprinted only with the corresponding citation of origin.

Editorial policy

Czech and Slovak Ophthalmology abides by the highest standards relating to the editorial principles of publishing ethics, scientific inquiry and evaluation processes. The editorial board of the journal abides by the recommendations issued by the organisations Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME)Council of Science Editors and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

A condition for the publication of clinical studies is that the approaches used are in accordance with the ethical principles of the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 (revised in 2000). In the case of experiments on animals it is necessary to document adherence to the valid prescriptions and directions for breeding and experimental use of animals. The authors must declare their adherence to these conditions in writing in the form of an accompanying letter. All data on patients must respect the rules outlined by the relevant laws on personal data protection. The names of patients, their initials or hospital (treatment, registration) numbers must not be stated, in particular on any illustration material. On clinical photographs of patients, such adjustments must be made in order to ensure that it is impossible to clearly identify the patient.

Administrative matters

We require a photograph of the first author in quality resolution, in tif or jpg format.

It is forbidden to copy anything from the website into the text (in the form of marking the text and using the shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V). The reason for this is the copying of connected hidden fragments of text, which, if overlooked (because it may be relevant text at first glance), could completely devalue the entire article. This problem is detected as follows: place the cursor anywhere in the text and press Ctrl+A at the same time - this will mark the entire text. Parts of the text that have linked fragments of text from the Internet are colored in a darker color (most often citation numbers or citations in the bibliography). The only way to fix this problem is to manually rewrite those problematic parts of the text. In the manner described above, it is subsequently also checked whether these texts are in order - the darker coloring will disappear.

For transparency of co-operation with the Board of Directors of the Czech Medical Association of J. E. Purkyně and the Association of Innovative Pharmaceutical Industry (AIFP), it is necessary for every article published in the professional journal to be accompanied, on behalf of the entire team, with a sworn affidavit from the first author on direct or indirect influencing of the published study by company interests. 

It is also necessary for the first author, on behalf of the entire team, to present a sworn affidavit declaring that the study has not been submitted to another journal and is not printed elsewhere, with the exception of congress summaries and recommended procedures.

The recommended text is

The authors of the study declare that no conflict of interest exists in the compilation, theme and subsequent publication of this professional communication, and that it is not supported by any pharmaceutical company.

The authors of the study declare that in the last 24 months they have been and continue to be contractually bound by the (XY) company, from which they have received financial support for conducting the study, publication and attendance at a professional event, or are members of the company advisory board.

The first author of the publication is responsible for ensuring that the text of the declaration corresponds with the actual situation of his/her co-authors.

Requirements for formal structure of text

Write your articles in standard Czech or Slovak, or you can also send the manuscript in English (American English). Translation into English, or language revision, will be provided by the editors. Foreign authors (except Slovak authors) can send their contributions only in English. When using anatomical terms, including abbreviations, the valid Paris Nomenclature, as presented e.g. in the publication Fenais, H.: Anatomický obrazový slovník, Praha, Avicenum, 1981, is binding. Physical and chemical quantities are stated in SI units (International System of Units), according to ČSN (Czech Standard Specification) 01 1300.

Save your contribution in the format Word, font size 12, Times New Roman, line spacing 1.5, text width 15 cm, without underlining, and with automatic functions switched off. There is single space between each word. The text file must be named in such a manner as to prevent confusion (name of file without accents, e.g. in the surname of the main author, key word of study and indication of text: “Novak_glaucoma_text.docx”). The recommended size is maximum 10 standard pages (counted without the title page, abstract and literature, 1 standard page = 1 800 characters including spaces). Begin each new section on a new page. In the text of the contribution respect the order of title page, summary, key words, actual text of study and summary of used literature.

Indicate tables, graphs and images attach in separate files. Tables must be sent as individual files (or single sheets) that can be edited, in DOC format or equivalent (Google Docs, Open Office) that can be opened in Word. Graphs must be submitted as single files (or single sheets) that can be edited, in XLS or equivalent (Google Sheets, Open Office) format that can be opened in Excel. Tables and graphs must be sent in English and should be commensurately simply and comprehensibly numbered in order in accordance with their appearance in the text. For each table and graph, complete a description in English in a separate file. Explain all the abbreviations that were used - below the description of each image or graph. In addition, check that all tables and texts are actually cited in the text. Name the file in the same manner as the text (e.g. “Novak_glaucoma _tabs.xlsx”).

Send pictorial documentation in electronic form in format JPG, BMP, TIFF, in print resolution of min. 300 dpi. The minimum width of the image should be 2000 pixels. If pictorial documentation published elsewhere is reprinted, it is necessary to state the original source and document the written consent of the holder of exclusive copyright. Number pictorial appendices according to their occurrence in the text and save them separately, named analogously as the other files (e.g. “Novak_glaucoma_1.jpg”). Add the key to the pictorial documentation as a separate MS Word file, named analogously as the other files (e.g. “Novak_glaucoma_legend.docx”), and explain any applicable symbols or abbreviations.

Please attach one illustration image to each article, which will be placed on the magazine's website next to your article. The image should be at least 800x600 pixels in size and 72 DPI or higher.

Package all files in an archive (ZIP, RAR) and send them as an appendix in an e-mail (one file), unless the size of the archive file exceeds 15 MB. To send files in excess of 15 MB, use the service www.uschovna.cz.

Title page

The title page must contain a brief and apposite title of the article in the Czech (only Czech and Slovak authors) and the English languages (maximum 10 words), for case reports it is suitable to state this in the title. It must also contain the full first names and surnames of all the authors in an order reflecting the proportion of their contribution to the text, the names of the workplaces of all authors (in the case of more than one workplace, state first the workplace where the study was predominantly compiled), the address of the main author, telephone number and e-mail address for correspondence relating to the text. If the authors have an identified identification number ORCID (for more information see orcid.org), we recommend it for each author, for a better search and citation. If financial or non-financial support (grants, instrument equipment, pharmaceuticals etc.) was drawn upon during the preparation of the contribution, it is necessary to state the sources of this support within a sufficient scope. Any applicable thanks can be placed before the list of used literature.

SUMMARY

Abstract

The structured abstract presents a summary of the content of the article in brief form. It must contain characteristic data from the article, all in English and if applicable also in the Czech/Slovak language. The structure of the abstract of an original study copies the structure of the study as a whole, thus it contains the chapters “Aims, Material and Methods, Results and Conclusion”. The abstract should be of a maximum size of one standard page (maximum 1 800 characters).

Key words

In a number of 3–8 words or short phrases enabling documentary underpinning of the study in terms of its content. It is recommended to use words or phrases based on the recommended terms in the English language National Library of Medicine: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). The Czech/Slovak wording of the key words should then be derived from their English equivalents.

Structure of original study

INTRODUCTION

The introduction briefly outlines the purpose of the study and summaries the reasons for the study or observation.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The material and methods characterise the selection of patients or laboratory animals, including controls. The used methods and procedures are described in sufficient details so that other workplaces can reproduce the study. Established methods are only referred to. The used pharmaceuticals and chemicals are precisely characterised, including internationally unprotected abbreviated chemical (generic) names, doses and methods of administration. Names, initials and case record numbers are not used for indication of patients. The numbers of observations and the statistical significance of results are stated. In the case of prospective projects, registration is required before the project launch in ClinicalTrials.com. In the case of instruments state the manufacturer and if applicable also type or model. 

RESULTS

Results are stated in a logical sequence in the text, in tables or graphs. In the text, the most important observations are accentuated and summarised.

DISCUSSION

New, important aspects of the study are emphasised, as well as conclusions comparing with other analogous studies and the planned study aims.

CONCLUSION

A brief formulation of the conclusion which the study brings.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements are designated only for persons who have fundamentally contributed to the compilation of the study. The author must have the consent of the persons stated in the Acknowledgements.  

REFERENCES

The text may contain only genuine sources, i.e. publications to which the author refers in the text, or genuinely significant studies (studies must not be presented only for formal reasons). The literature is ordered in accordance with its appearance in the text, not alphabetically, and indicated with the number of the relevant reference written in the form of the upper index and cited according to the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” according to the “Vancouver citation format”.

In the case of references to as yet unpublished studies that have nevertheless been accepted for publication, state the title of the journal with the note “in print”.

Indication of citations in text

Number literary references in the text, tables or descriptions of images in ascending order using Arabic numerals in square brackets. In the case of more than one source, separate with a comma, without spaces [1,2].

Formatting of citations

For formatting of citations, the type of source is of fundamental significance. There is a whole range of sources, and this may concern for example chapters from a book, academic articles, electronic sources and others.

Complete instructions on citation and the rules for citation of other than the above-stated examples of sources according to the “Vancouver citation format” are available at the address:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=citmed.TOC&depth=2

Auxiliary programs for formatting citations

Article in journal

In the list of citations we number the Arabic number, period, space and followed by our own citations. The surnames of the authors are presented in their entirety, initials of the first name without a full stop, names of authors are separated by a comma, the last is followed by a full stop. If the number of authors is greater than 6, state the first three authors and then the abbreviation et al. The name of the article is ended with a full stop. This is followed by the official abbreviation of the journal (names of journals are abbreviated according to the style used in the Index Medicus) and year (if applicable also month) of publication, not separated by a comma, after the year a semicolon. Annual of journal and if applicable in rounded brackets number of issue, colon, pages ended with a full stop.

Example

  • Leurs R, Church MK, Taglialatela M. H1-antihistamines: inverse agonism, anti-inflammatory actions and cardiac effects. Clin Exp Allergy. 2002 Apr;32(4):489-498.
  • Tashiro J, Yamaguchi S, Ishii T, Suzuki A, Kondo H, Morita Y. Inferior oncological prognosis of surgery without oral chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer in clinical settings. World J Surg Oncol. 2014 May 10;12(1):145. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Mendicute J, Bascarán L, Pablo L, et al. Multicenter Evaluation of Time, Operational, and Economic Efficiencies of a New Preloaded Intraocular Lens Delivery System versus Manual Intraocular Lens Delivery. Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 Feb 16;15:591-599.
    doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S263658

If a journal uses continuous paging throughout the entire annual (as in the case of several medical journals), the month and issue number may be omitted.

  • Thomas MC. Diuretics, ACE inhibitors and NSAIDs – the triple whammy. Med J Aust. 2000;172:184-185.

Chapter in a book

In the case of authors state the full surname, initials of the first name without a full stop, names of authors are separated by a comma, the last is followed by a full stop. Name of book separated by a comma, number of issue ended with a full stop. City of publication and in round brackets country of publication and colon, publisher and semicolon, year of publication and full stop, name of chapter and semicolon, and page ended with full stop.

Example

  • Riffenburgh RH. Statistics in medicine. 2nd ed. Amsterdam (Netherlands): Elsevier Academic Press; c2006. Chapter 24, Regression and correlation methods; p. 447-486.

Book, monograph

In the case of authors state the full surname, initials of the first name without a full stop, names of authors are separated by a comma, the last is followed by a full stop. Name of book separated by a full stop and number of issue ended with a full stop. City of publication and colon, publisher and semicolon, year of publication and full stop, total number of pages ended with full stop.

Example

  • Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, Moore PK. Pharmacology. 5th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 2003. 450.

Examples of other citations

Electronic publication

Example

  • World Health Organization (WHO). Mortality country fact sheet 2006 [internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2006. Available from: www.who.int/whosis/mort_emro_pak_pakistan.pdf

Article from a website

Example

  • Complementary/Integrative Medicine [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/.

Article from an online database

Example

  • MeSH Browser (2011 MeSH) [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), Medical Subject Headings Section; [1999] - [updated 2010 Aug 28; cited 2011 Jul 8]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html Files are updated every week on Sunday.

Articles not in English

Cited in the same manner as articles in English, with the exception that the source language is stated at the end of the citation.

Example

  • Forneau E, Bovet D. Recherches sur l'action sympathicolytique d'un nouveau dérivé du dioxane. Arch Int Pharmacodyn. 1933;46: p. 178-191. French.

If an official name of the title exists in English, this is stated in square brackets immediately after the title in the original language.

Contact for sending scripts

Electronically to e-mail address: redakce@cs-ophthalmology.cz

Contact for Editor In Chief

Professor Jiří Řehák
Department of Ophthalmology
Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry,
Palacký University Hospital
I. P. Pavlova 6
779 00 Olomouc
Czech Republic

redakce@cs-ophthalmology.cz