Instructions for Authors
About the Journal
The Iranian Journal of Surgery is a quarterly scientific and research journal published under the auspices of the Iranian Society of Surgeons. The journal serves as the official publication of the Iranian Society of Surgeons and affiliated surgical specialty associations.
The journal is published and managed under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief, Editorial Board, and Scientific Advisory Board.
The Iranian Journal of Surgery publishes a broad range of scientific contributions, including original research articles, review articles, case reports, clinical experiences, scientific critiques, articles related to the history of surgery, letters to the editor, professional notes and perspectives, and educational materials.
Since Autumn 2024 (1403), the journal has been published bilingually. Accordingly, accepted articles are published in both full-text Persian and full-text English versions.
The Iranian Journal of Surgery is published quarterly, with four issues per year.
For further information about the journal, please visit the About the Journal page.
Aims and Scope
The Iranian Journal of Surgery covers a broad range of surgical and related fields, including:
The journal aims to publish original research and other scholarly contributions related to surgery; present novel methods, techniques, and clinical advances; facilitate scientific interaction and knowledge exchange; address research and implementation challenges as well as economic and social issues related to surgical care; and promote innovation in surgical education and skills training.
The journal also welcomes invited articles and up-to-date interdisciplinary topics developed in collaboration with guest editors. It seeks to improve the quality, citability, and scientific impact of published articles while promoting publication ethics, transparency, and respect for intellectual property rights.
For further information, please visit the Aims and Scope page.
Article Types
The Iranian Journal of Surgery accepts the following types of scientific articles and contributions:
The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board may determine or modify the article type based on the journal's policies and the nature of the submitted manuscript.
Manuscript Submission and Initial Assessment
Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal's electronic submission system. Submission must be completed by the corresponding author, who is responsible for communication with the journal and coordination with all co-authors.
Submission of a manuscript to the journal implies that:
Upon receipt, all manuscripts undergo an initial assessment for completeness, relevance to the journal's scope and aims, manuscript structure, ethical requirements, originality, and scientific quality.
Manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's scope, policies, or scientific and ethical requirements may be rejected before peer review.
Peer Review Process
The Iranian Journal of Surgery uses a double-anonymized peer review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are not disclosed to one another.
Manuscripts considered suitable after initial assessment are sent to qualified experts in the relevant field for peer review. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts confidentially, objectively, and scientifically and to disclose any potential conflicts of interest to the journal.
Reviewers' comments and required revisions are communicated to the corresponding author. Authors must submit revised manuscripts within the timeframe specified by the journal.
The final decision regarding acceptance, rejection, or revision of a manuscript rests with the Editor-in-Chief and, where appropriate, the Editorial Board.
If a manuscript is authored and submitted by the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Editorial Board members, or members of the journal's executive team, its evaluation and peer review will be conducted by individuals outside these groups to ensure impartiality and appropriate management of conflicts of interest.
For complete information, please visit the Peer Review Process page.
Open Access and Publication Charges
The Iranian Journal of Surgery is an Open Access journal, and published articles are freely available to readers.
The journal currently charges no Article Processing Charges (APCs) or other fees for manuscript submission, assessment, peer review, or publication.
Published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Preprint Policy
The Iranian Journal of Surgery does not consider prior posting of a manuscript as a preprint to be a barrier to submission.
At the time of submission, authors must disclose any existing preprint version and provide complete information, including the title, authors, name of the preprint server, and the relevant identifier or DOI.
Posting a manuscript as a preprint alone is not considered prior publication in a scholarly journal. However, authors are responsible for transparently disclosing the existence of the preprint and its relationship to the submitted manuscript.
After publication of the final article in the journal, authors should, where possible, update the preprint record with information about the published version and the article DOI.
Author Responsibilities and Authorship Criteria
All individuals listed as authors must meet the applicable authorship criteria and accept responsibility for the scientific content of the article.
The Iranian Journal of Surgery follows the authorship recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Authorship should be based on substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; participation in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content; approval of the final version; and agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Individuals who contributed to the research but do not meet the authorship criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgments section, with their specific contributions described.
All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript and agree to its submission and publication.
Any change in the number or order of authors after submission requires a formal request from the corresponding author and the agreement of all authors.
Honorary authorship, gift authorship, and unjustified exclusion of eligible authors are not acceptable.
Corresponding Author
The corresponding author is primarily responsible for communication with the journal throughout manuscript submission, peer review, revision, and publication.
The corresponding author must:
Author Contributions
The journal may require authors to specify the role and contribution of each author in the preparation of the manuscript.
When requested, author contributions may be reported in areas such as study design, data collection, data analysis, interpretation of results, initial drafting, critical revision, and approval of the final manuscript.
Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial relationships or activities that could influence the design of the research, interpretation of the results, or presentation of the manuscript.
Such interests may include funding, employment, consultancy, stock ownership, honoraria, professional relationships, or other relevant interests.
If no conflict of interest exists, authors must explicitly state this.
Funding
All sources of financial support used to conduct the research must be transparently disclosed.
Authors should provide the name of the funding organization or institution and, where applicable, the grant or contract number.
If no financial support was received, this should be explicitly stated.
Funding should not compromise the authors' independence in study design, data collection and analysis, interpretation of results, or the decision to publish.
Acknowledgments
Individuals who contributed to the research or preparation of the manuscript but do not meet the authorship criteria may be acknowledged, with their specific contributions described.
Authors should obtain permission from individuals before including their names in the Acknowledgments section, where possible.
Any use of artificial intelligence tools to assist with writing or editing the manuscript must also be disclosed in this section in accordance with the journal's AI policy.
Use of Artificial Intelligence and AI-Assisted Technologies
The Iranian Journal of Surgery follows a policy of responsible and transparent use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies based on the current recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
Artificial intelligence and AI-assisted technologies, including large language models (LLMs), chatbots, and image-generation or image-editing tools, cannot be listed as authors or co-authors of a manuscript.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and final content of their manuscript, including content produced or modified with the assistance of AI tools.
At the time of submission, authors must disclose whether AI-assisted technologies were used in preparing the manuscript. If AI-assisted technologies were used, the tool(s) and the manner in which they were used must be disclosed in the cover letter and in the appropriate section of the manuscript.
For example:
Authors must carefully review all AI-generated or AI-assisted content and remain responsible for its accuracy and validity. The use of AI must not result in plagiarism, misattribution, infringement of copyright, or the presentation of inaccurate information.
AI-generated content should not be used as a primary scientific source; original and authoritative sources must be cited.
Failure to disclose substantial use of AI-assisted technologies may result in a request for clarification, revision of the manuscript, or other appropriate action in accordance with the journal's publication ethics policies.
Research Ethics Approval
All research involving human participants, identifiable human information, or animals must be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical principles and regulations.
For studies requiring ethical approval, authors must state the name of the ethics committee or authority, the institution, and the ethics approval number or code in the manuscript.
Example:
"This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of [Institution Name] under ethics approval code [Code]."
If a study does not require ethics approval, authors must clearly explain why.
The journal may request documentation of ethical approval from authors when necessary.
Informed Consent and Patient Rights
Protection of the confidentiality and privacy of patients and research participants is mandatory.
Identifying information, including names, medical record numbers, addresses, identifiable images, and other information that could permit identification of an individual, must not be published unless disclosure is scientifically necessary and written informed consent has been obtained.
When identifiable images are published, authors are responsible for obtaining written informed consent for publication.
Covering the eyes or other parts of an image alone does not constitute a substitute for informed consent for publication of an identifiable image.
The journal may request an informed consent form from authors when necessary.
Clinical Trial Registration
All studies that meet the definition of a clinical trial must be registered in a publicly accessible and reputable clinical trial registry before enrollment of participants begins.
For research conducted in Iran, registration in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) is recommended and, where applicable, required:
IRCT: https://fa.irct.ir/
For research conducted outside Iran, authors should use a reputable registry recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) within the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) framework:
WHO ICTRP: https://www.who.int/tools/clinical-trials-registry-platform
The clinical trial registration number must be provided in the manuscript and, where possible, at the end of the abstract.
Registration with an ethics committee or obtaining approval from a regulatory authority does not, by itself, replace public registration of a clinical trial.
Clinical trials should be registered prospectively, whenever possible, before enrollment of the first participant. Failure to appropriately register a clinical trial may affect the eligibility of the manuscript for publication.
Data Availability and Data Availability Statement
Authors should, upon request by the journal, provide appropriate access to data supporting the results of the research, subject to ethical requirements, privacy protections, and applicable data regulations.
Where applicable, authors should provide a Data Availability Statement specifying whether the research data are available, deposited in a public repository, or cannot be publicly shared because of ethical, legal, confidentiality, or other applicable restrictions.
Originality and Prohibition of Duplicate or Simultaneous Publication
A manuscript must not be under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Authors must not publish the same research simultaneously or redundantly in multiple journals. Substantial reuse of data, text, or results from a previous publication must be transparently disclosed and, where appropriate, the previous publication must be cited.
Publication of an abstract or presentation at a scientific conference does not necessarily prevent submission of a full manuscript, provided that it does not constitute prior publication of the full article. Authors should nevertheless disclose such prior dissemination at the time of submission.
Submission of a manuscript previously posted as a preprint is permitted in accordance with the journal's Preprint Policy.
Plagiarism
All manuscripts must represent the authors' original work. Use of text, ideas, data, images, tables, or other material belonging to others without appropriate attribution is prohibited.
The journal may screen manuscripts for plagiarism and other forms of research misconduct at any stage of the review process or after publication. If plagiarism is identified, the journal will take appropriate action in accordance with publication ethics policies and COPE guidelines.
Fabrication and Falsification of Data
Fabrication refers to making up data or results that were not actually obtained. Falsification includes altering, omitting, or manipulating data, methods, or results in a manner that misrepresents the actual findings of the research.
Both are forms of research misconduct and are strictly prohibited. Authors must ensure that all data and results presented in the manuscript are genuine, accurate, and scientifically defensible.
Inappropriate Manipulation of Images
Images submitted with a manuscript must accurately represent the research findings. No scientific feature present in an image may be removed, added, moved, concealed, or enhanced in a manner that changes or distorts its scientific interpretation.
Global adjustments such as brightness, contrast, or color balance may be acceptable when applied uniformly to the entire image and when they do not distort the scientific information contained in the image.
The journal may request original image files or underlying data when concerns arise regarding image integrity.
Copyright and Permission to Use Third-Party Material
Authors are responsible for ensuring that they have the necessary rights to use text, images, tables, figures, and other material belonging to third parties.
When copyrighted material is used, authors must obtain the necessary permission from the copyright holder unless such use is permitted under applicable law or license terms.
All adapted or reproduced material must be appropriately acknowledged and cited.
Articles published in the journal are made available under the CC BY license.
Transparent Reporting of Research
Authors should report their research completely, accurately, and transparently.
Where applicable, the use of established reporting guidelines is recommended, including:
Authors should use the reporting guideline appropriate to their study design and, where required, submit the corresponding checklist with the manuscript.
General Structure of an Original Research Article
Original research articles should, where applicable, follow the structure below:
Depending on the article type, some sections may be omitted or the structure may differ.
Title Page
The title page should include:
The title should be concise, accurate, informative, and reflective of the principal content of the study.
Unnecessary abbreviations should be avoided in the title.
Abstract for Original Research Articles
Original research articles must include a structured abstract.
The abstract should be concise and accurate and should include the following sections:
Where applicable, the clinical trial registration number should be included in the abstract.
The abstract should not contain unnecessary references, information not presented in the main manuscript, or claims that extend beyond the findings of the study.
The Persian and English versions of the abstract must be consistent in content.
Abstract for Case Reports
The abstract of a case report should be concise and structured and may include the following sections, as appropriate:
Patient-identifying information must not be included in the abstract or main manuscript.
Abstract for Review Articles
The abstract of a review article should be structured according to the type of review and, where applicable, include:
For systematic reviews, the search strategy, eligibility criteria, and methods of data synthesis should be clearly reported.
Keywords
Each manuscript should include keywords relevant to its subject.
The use of standardized medical terminology and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is recommended.
The number of keywords should be appropriate to the article type and the requirements of the manuscript submission system.
Introduction
The Introduction should briefly describe the scientific background of the study, the importance of the topic, the existing knowledge gap, and the rationale for conducting the research.
The primary objective and, where applicable, the research question or hypothesis should be clearly stated.
General or unnecessary information that is not directly relevant to the research objective should be avoided.
Materials and Methods
The methodology should be described with sufficient detail and transparency to allow scientific evaluation and, where possible, replication of the study.
Depending on the study design, this section should include:
For equipment and materials that are important for reproducibility, the manufacturer's name and location should be provided.
Statistical methods should be described specifically. Merely naming the statistical software is insufficient. The statistical tests or methods used, significance level, and, where appropriate, confidence intervals and other statistical measures should be reported.
Principles of Biostatistical Reporting
Statistical methods must be reported with sufficient detail.
Where applicable:
In diagnostic, prognostic, survival, meta-analytic, or other specialized study designs, statistical methods should be appropriate to the study design and reported in accordance with relevant reporting standards.
Results
Results should be presented logically and systematically and should directly address the research question or objectives.
Unnecessary duplication of the same information in the text, tables, and figures should be avoided.
Results should be presented without extensive interpretation; interpretation and comparison with previous findings should primarily be addressed in the Discussion section.
Tables
Tables should:
Tables that merely duplicate information readily presented in the text should be avoided.
Figures, Images, and Graphs
Figures and images must be submitted in appropriate quality and in accordance with the journal's technical requirements.
Each figure must have a number and an appropriate title or legend and must be cited in the text.
Images should be as self-explanatory as possible and clearly demonstrate the intended scientific information.
When images or other visual materials belonging to third parties are used, authors are responsible for complying with copyright requirements and obtaining the necessary permissions.
Patient images must comply with confidentiality and informed consent requirements.
Discussion
The Discussion should:
Conclusion
The Conclusion should be based on the actual findings of the study and should clearly and concisely state the main message of the research.
Claims extending beyond the study findings or excessive generalization of the results should be avoided.
Study Limitations
Authors should clearly describe the important limitations of the study.
Limitations that may affect the validity, generalizability, or interpretation of the findings should be specifically addressed.
References
References must follow the Vancouver style and be numbered according to the order of their first citation in the text.
Reference numbers in the text, tables, and figure legends must appear in the order in which they are cited. References must not be arranged alphabetically.
Journal titles should follow standard medical indexing conventions and, where possible, the standard abbreviations used by MEDLINE/Index Medicus.
Authors should cite primary and authoritative sources whenever possible.
References published solely as abstracts should generally not be used as primary references where suitable full-text sources are available.
Articles accepted for publication but not yet published should be cited appropriately with their publication status indicated. The journal may request a letter of acceptance where necessary.
Manuscripts that have merely been submitted to a journal and have not yet been accepted should not be cited as published references.
The use of current and reliable sources and avoidance of unnecessary citation of irrelevant references are recommended.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all bibliographic information in the reference list.
Language and Bilingual Publication
Since Autumn 2024 (1403), the Iranian Journal of Surgery has published articles in both Persian and English.
Accepted manuscripts must include a full-text Persian version and a full-text English version.
The scientific content of the two versions must be consistent with respect to the title, authors, abstract, main text, tables, figures, references, and other components of the manuscript.
Authors are responsible for the accuracy and consistency of the Persian and English versions.
Case Reports
Case reports should present relevant and educational clinical information in a structured manner and, where applicable, include the following sections:
Protection of patient confidentiality and written informed consent for publication of identifiable information and images are mandatory for case reports.
Review Articles
Review articles should have a clearly defined question or objective and a transparent method for identifying, selecting, and evaluating relevant sources.
For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the search methods, databases, search strategy, eligibility criteria, study selection process, assessment of quality or risk of bias, and methods of data synthesis must be clearly reported.
Use of the PRISMA guidelines is recommended for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Letters to the Editor
Letters should be relevant to the scientific scope of the journal and may include a scientific perspective, constructive critique of a published article, report of an important finding, or discussion of a topic relevant to surgery.
Letters to the Editor must not contain unpublished material belonging to others without appropriate attribution or unsupported scientific claims.
Information to Be Declared at Submission
At the time of submission, authors should provide the following information, as applicable:
Corrections, Retractions, and Post-Publication Amendments
After publication, if a significant error or inaccurate information is identified, authors are required to notify the journal as soon as possible.
Depending on the nature and significance of the error, the journal may publish a Correction, Expression of Concern, or Retraction.
Decisions regarding post-publication actions will be made according to publication ethics principles and based on the nature and extent to which the error affects the integrity or validity of the article.
Research Misconduct
Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, duplicate publication, simultaneous submission, inappropriate image manipulation, unjustified removal or addition of authors, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, and other conduct inconsistent with accepted standards of research and publication ethics constitute research misconduct.
When research misconduct is suspected or a credible report is received, the journal will investigate the matter and, where appropriate, follow the guidelines and procedures of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Scientific Responsibility for the Article
Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy, precision, and integrity of the scientific content of the manuscript, including the data, methods, analyses, interpretations, and results presented.
Submission of a manuscript constitutes confirmation that the information provided is truthful and accurate and that no data or results have been fabricated or falsified.
Authors must cooperate fully with the journal in investigating and clarifying any questions concerning the data, methodology, or results.
Reviewer Responsibilities and Confidentiality
Reviewers must:
Reviewers must not upload manuscripts or confidential manuscript information to AI systems or other platforms that do not guarantee the confidentiality of the information without permission from the journal.
Editorial Independence and Responsibilities
The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for making scientific decisions regarding submitted manuscripts.
Editorial decisions should be based on scientific quality, originality, significance, and the relevance of the manuscript to the journal's scope and policies and should not be influenced by personal, financial, or commercial interests.
Editors and Editorial Board members must disclose any conflict of interest related to a manuscript and, where a significant conflict exists, recuse themselves from the decision-making process concerning that manuscript.
Appeals and Complaints
Authors may request reconsideration of an editorial decision when they have substantive and documented scientific grounds.
Appeals must be submitted in writing, respectfully and with clear scientific justification for the request.
Appeals and complaints concerning the publication or peer review process will be reviewed by the journal. Where applicable, the principles and guidelines of COPE will be taken into consideration.
Communication with the Journal
All correspondence concerning a manuscript must be conducted through the corresponding author and the journal's official submission system or official contact address.
Authors should keep their contact information up to date throughout the peer review and publication process and must notify the journal of any change in email address or institutional affiliation.
Final Author Checklist Before Submission
Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:
Important Note
Submission of a manuscript to the Iranian Journal of Surgery constitutes acceptance of and compliance with the journal's policies, research ethics and publication ethics principles, and the authors' responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the scientific content of the manuscript.
