Asian Journal of Surgery

The Asian Journal of Surgery is published every 3 months and invites original scientific contributions in the broad field of clinical and experimental surgery.

The Editorial Board requires authors to be in compliance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URMs); current URMs are available at http://www.icmje.org.

1. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted by e-mail to ajsurg@ntu.edu.tw. Please contact the Editorial Office if assistance is needed.

Editorial Office
Asian Journal of Surgery
c/o Department of Surgery
National Taiwan University Hospital
No. 7 Chun-Shan South Road
Taipei 100, Taiwan
Tel: (+886) 2-23123456 ext. 65104
Fax: (+886) 2-23568810

1.1. Important Information
• Articles submitted should be in Microsoft Word document format and prepared in the simplest form possible. We will add in the correct font, font size, margins and so on according to the Journal's style.
• You may use automatic page numbering, but do NOT use other kinds of automatic formatting such as footnotes, endnotes, headers and footers.
• Put text, references, and table/figure legends in one file.
• Figures must be submitted separately as picture files, at the correct resolution. The files should be named according to the figure number, e.g., "Manuscript1_ Fig1", "Manuscript1_Fig2". Also see section 9.7. below.

1.2. Supporting Documents
The following documents must be included (refer also to the Publication Checklist that follows these author instructions):
(1) Cover Letter. This must include the name, address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the corresponding author.
(2) Authorship Statement. You may use the form that follows these author instructions. ALL the authors' signatures must be included.
(3) Conflict of Interest Statement. You may use the form that follows these author instructions. Also see Section 2 below.
(4) Copyright Transfer Agreement. You may use the form that follows these author instructions.
(5) Ethics Statement. Articles covering human or animal experiments must be accompanied by a letter of approval from the relevant review committee or authorities. Also see Section 3 below.
(6) Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow chart for randomized controlled trials submitted for publication. Also see Section 4 below.
(7) Articles where human subjects can be identified in descriptions, photographs or pedigrees must be accompanied by a signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) the descriptions, photographs and pedigrees from each subject who can be identified. Also see Section 5 below.
(8) Where material has been reproduced from other copyrighted sources, the letter(s) of permission from the copyright holder(s) to use the copyrighted sources must be supplied.

2. Disclosure of conflicts of interest

All authors are required to sign and submit a financial disclosure statement at the time of manuscript submission, for example:

I certify that all my affiliations with or financial involvement in, within the past 5 years and foreseeable future, any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript are completely disclosed (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, royalties).

Authors who have no relevant financial interests should provide a statement indicating that they have no financial interests related to the material in the manuscript. Any non-financial conflicts of interest must be declared in your own words.

3. Ethical Approval of Studies and Informed Consent

For human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee approval is required, and such approval should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed (World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Available at: http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/ index.html).

For investigation of human subjects, state explicitly in the methods section of the manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all participating adult subjects and from parents or legal guardians for minors or incapacitated adults, together with the manner in which informed consent was obtained (ex. oral or written).

For work involving experimental animals, the guidelines for their care and use should be in accordance with European Commission Directive 86/609/EEC for animal experiments (available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/chemicals/ lab_animals/legislation_en.htm); this should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript.

4. Reporting Clinical Trials

All randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) flow chart (available at http://www.consort-statement.org). This Journal has adopted the proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) that require, as a condition of consideration for publication of clinical trials, registration in a public trials registry. Purely observational studies (those in which the assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator) do not require registration. Further information can be found at http://www.icmje.org.

5. Identification of Patients in Descriptions, Photographs and Pedigrees

A signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs and pedigrees should be obtained from all subjects (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified (including by the subjects themselves) in such written descriptions, photographs or pedigrees. Such persons should be shown the manuscript before its submission. Omitting data or making data less specific to de-identify patients is acceptable, but changing any such data is not acceptable.

6. Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission

Submitted manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format (except in abstract or poster form) and are not under consideration in totality or in part by another publication or electronic medium.

7. Basic Criteria

Articles should be written in English (using American English spelling) and meet the following basic criteria: the material is original, the information is important, the writing is clear and concise, the study methods are appropriate, the data are valid, and the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data.

8. Article Categories

8.1. Review Articles
Reviews of contemporary topics of regional interest may be submitted. These should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and current subject in the field, and should be systematic and critical assessments of literature and data sources. They should cover aspects of a topic in which scientific consensus exists as well as aspects that remain controversial and are the subject of ongoing scientific research. All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes. All articles or data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion in the review and critically evaluated. Personal views not based on documented evidence are discouraged.
Typical length: 2000-4000 words, 50-100 references.

8.2. Original Articles These may be randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, laboratory and animal studies, cohort studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, casecontrol studies, and surveys with high response rates, which represent new and significant contributions to the field.

Section headings should be: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments (if applicable), Conflicts of Interest (if any), and References.

The Introduction should provide a brief background to the subject of the paper, explain the importance of the study, and state a precise study question or purpose.

The Methods section should describe the study design and methods (including the study setting and dates, patients/ participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, or data sources and how these were selected for the study, patient samples or animal specimens used, explain the laboratory methods followed), and state the statistical procedures employed in the research.

The Results section should comprise the study results presented in a logical sequence, supplemented by tables and/or figures. Take care that the text does not repeat data that are presented in tables and/or figures. Only emphasize and summarize the essential features of any interventions, the main outcome measures, and the main results.

The Discussion section should be used to emphasize the new and important aspects of the study, placing the results in context with published literature, the implications of the findings, and the conclusions that follow from the study results. Hypotheses and impressions should be stated as such and only if supported by available facts. Patient groups and applicable conditions must be carefully defined whenever recommendations for treatment are made.
Typical length: 2000-3000 words, 40-80 references.

8.3. Case Reports
These are short discussions of a case or case series with unique features not previously described that make an important teaching point or scientific observation. They may describe novel techniques, novel use of equipment, or new information on diseases of importance. Section headings should be: Abstract, Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, Acknowledgments (if applicable), Conflicts of Interest (if any), and References.

The Introduction should describe the purpose of the present report, the significance of the disease and its specificity, and briefly review the relevant literature.

The Case Report should include the general data of the case, medical history, family history, chief complaint, present illness, clinical manifestation, methods of diagnosis and treatment, and outcome.

The Discussion should compare, analyze and discuss the similarities and differences between the reported case and similar cases reported in other published articles. The importance or specificity of the case should be restated when discussing the differential diagnoses. Suggest the prognosis of the disease and possibility of prevention.
Typical length: 800-1000 words, 20-30 references.

8.4. Letters to the Editor

These are short comments on previously published articles in the Journal; it must be accompanied by a Cover Letter. The text should not exceed 500 words with no more than 5 references. One table or one figure may be included. The Editors reserve the right to edit any letter received.

9. Manuscript preparation

Text should be typed double-spaced on one side of white A4 (297 x 210 mm) paper, with outer margins of 2.5 cm. The manuscript should include a title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments (if any), conflicts of interest statement (if any), references, and figures and tables as appropriate. Each section of the manuscript should begin on a new page. Pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page.

9.1. Title Page
The title page should contain the following information (in order, from the top to bottom of the page):
• category of paper
• article title
• names (spelled out in full) of all authors*, and the institutions with which they are affiliated; indicate all affiliations with a superscripted lowercase letter after the author's name and in front of the appropriate affiliation
• running title not exceeding 50 characters
• corresponding author details (name, e-mail, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)

*The name of each author should be written with the family name last, e.g., Jing-Lin Chang. Authorship is restricted only to direct participants who have contributed significantly to the work.

9.2. Abstract and Keywords
Abstracts should be no more than 250 words in length. Abstracts for Original Articles should be structured, with the section headings: Background/Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion. Abstracts for Case Reports are unstructured, but should include the significance and purpose of the case presentation, the diagnostic methods of the case, the key data, and brief comments and suggestions with regard to the case. Abstracts for Review Articles are also unstructured. For all article categories (except Letters to the Editor), 3-5 relevant keywords should be provided in alphabetical order.

9.3. Main Text
The text for Original Articles should be organized into sections as follows: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. Sections for Case Reports are: Introduction, Case Report, Discussion. The text for Review Articles should be divided into logical sections with appropriate headings. Each section should begin on a new page.

9.3.1. Abbreviations
Where a term/definition will be continually referred to, it must be written in full when it first appears in the text, followed by the subsequent abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used. An abbreviation should not be first defined in any section heading; if an abbreviation has previously been defined in the text, then the abbreviation may be used in a subsequent section heading. Restrict the number of abbreviations to those that are absolutely necessary.

9.3.2. Units
Système International (SI) units must be used, with the exception of blood pressure values which are to be reported in mmHg. Please use the metric system for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. Temperatures are to be given in degrees Celsius.

9.3.3. Names of drugs, devices and other products
Use the Recommended International Non-proprietary Name for medicinal substances, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion. For devices and other products, the generic term should be used, unless the specific trade name is directly relevant to the discussion. If the trade name is given, then the manufacturer name and the city, state and country location of the manufacturer must be provided the first time it is mentioned in the text, for example, "...SPSS version 11 was used (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA)."

9.3.4. Statistical requirements
Statistical analysis is essential for all research papers except case reports. Use correct nomenclature for statistical methods (e.g., two sample t test, not unpairedt test). Descriptive statistics should follow the scales used in data description. Inferential statistics are important for interpreting results and should be described in detail.
All p values should be expressed to 2 digits to the right of the decimal point, unless p < 0.01, in which case the p value should be expressed to 3 digits to the right of the decimal point. The smallest p value that should be expressed is p < 0.001, since additional zeros do not convey useful information; the largest p value that should be expressed is p > 0.99.

9.3.5. Personal communications and unpublished data
These sources cannot be included in the references list but may be described in the text. The author(s) must give the full name and highest academic degree of the person, the date of the communication, and indicate whether it was in oral or written (letter, fax, e-mail) form. A signed statement of permission should be included from each person identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data.

9.4. Acknowledgments and Conflicts of Interest Statement
General acknowledgments for consultations, statistical analysis, etc., should be listed concisely at the end of the text, including the names of the individuals who were directly involved. Consent should be obtained from those individuals before their names are listed in this section. All financial and material support for the research and work from internal or external agencies, including commercial companies, should be clearly and completely identified. Ensure that any conflicts of interest (financial and/or non-financial) are explicitly declared.

9.5. References
9.5.1. In the main text, tables, figure legends
• References should be identified using superscripted numbers, and numbered consecutively in order of appearance in the text; the numbers should be placed after periods and commas and before colons and semicolons.
• References cited in tables or figure legends should be included in sequence at the point where the table or figure is first mentioned in the main text.
• Do not cite uncompleted work or work that has not yet been accepted for publication (i.e., "unpublished observation", "personal communication") as references (also see Section 9.3.5.).
• Do not cite abstracts unless they are the only available reference to an important concept.

9.5.2. In the references list
• References should be limited to those cited in the text and listed in numerical order, NOT alphabetical order.
• References should include, in order, authors' surnames and initials, article title, abbreviated journal name, year, volume and inclusive page numbers. The last names and initials of all the authors up to 6 should be included, but when authors number 7 or more, list the first 3 authors only followed by "et al". Abbreviations for journal names should conform to those used in MEDLINE.
• If citing a website, provide the author information, article title, website address and the date you accessed the information.
• Reference to an article that is in press must state the journal name and, if possible, the year and volume.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

Examples are given below.

Standard journal articles
Bisdas T, Pichlmaier M, Wilhelmi M, Bisdas S, Haverich A, Teebken O. Effects of the ABO-mismatch between donor and recipient of cryopreserved arterial homografts. Int Angiol. 2011;30:247-255.

Quintini C, D'Amico G, Brown C, et al. Splenic artery embolization for the treatment of refractory ascites after liver transplantation. Liver Transpl. 2011;17:668- 673.

Journal supplement
Kaplan NM. The endothelium as prognostic factor and therapeutic target: what criteria should we apply? J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1998;32(suppl 3):S78-80.

Journal article not in English but with English abstract
Kawai H, Ishikawa T, Moroi J, et al. Elderly patient with cerebellar malignant astrocytoma. No Shinkei Geka. 2008;36:799-805. [In Japanese, English abstract]

Book
Bradley EL. Medical and Surgical Management. Philadelphia: Saunders; 1982:72-95.

Book chapter in book with editor and edition
Greaves M, Culligan DJ. Blood and bone marrow. In: Underwood JCE, ed. General and Systematic Pathology. 4th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2004:615-672.

Bulletin
World Health Organization. World Health Report 2002: Reducing Risk, Promoting Healthy Life. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002.

Conference proceedings
Pacak K, Aguilera G, Sabban E, Kvetnansky R, eds. Stress: Current Neuroendocrine and Genetic Approaches. 8th Symposium on Catecholamines and Other Neurotransmitters in Stress, June 28-July 3, 2003, Smolenice Castle, Slovakia. New York: New York Academy of Sciences; 2004.

Thesis
Ayers AJ. Retention of Resin Restorations by Means of Enamel Etching and by Pins [MSD thesis]. Indianapolis, IN: Indiana University; 1971.

Website Wisdom Teeth. American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Web site. http://www.aaoms. org/wisdom_teeth.php. Accessed November 15, 2008.

Company/manufacturer publication/pamphlet

Eastman Kodak Company, Eastman Organic Chemicals.Catalog No. 49. Rochester, NY: Eastman Kodak; 1977:2-3.

9.6. Tables

Tables should supplement, not duplicate, the text. They should have a concise table heading, be self-explanatory, and numbered consecutively in the order of their citation in the text. Information requiring explanatory footnotes should be denoted using superscripted lowercase letters in alphabetical order (a, b, c, etc.). Asterisks (*, **) are used only to indicate the probability level of tests of significance. Abbreviations used in the table must be defined and placed after the footnotes. If you include a block of data or table from another source, whether published or unpublished, you must acknowledge the original source.

9.7. Figures

9.7.1. General guidelines
The number of figures should be restricted to the minimum necessary to support the textual material. They should have an informative figure legend and be numbered in the order of their citation in the text. All symbols and abbreviations should be defined in the legend. Patient identification should be obscured. All lettering should be done professionally and should be in proportion to the drawing, graph or photograph. Photomicrographs must include an internal scale marker, and the legend should state the type of specimen, original magnification and stain.

Figures must be submitted as separate picture files at the correct resolution (see Section 9.7.2. below). The files should be named according to the figure number, e.g., "Manuscript1_Fig1", "Manuscript1_Fig2".

9.7.2. Formats
Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please "save as" or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/ halftone combinations given below):
• EPS: Vector drawings. Embed the font or save the text as "graphics".
• TIFF: Color or grayscale photographs (halftones): always use a minimum of 300 dpi.
• TIFF: Bitmapped line drawings: use a minimum of 1000 dpi.
• TIFF: Combination of bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale): a minimum of 600 dpi is required.
• DOC, XLS or PPT: If your electronic artwork is created in any of these Microsoft Office applications, please supply "as is".
Please do not:
• Supply files that are optimized for screen use (like GIF, BMP, PICT, WPG); the resolution is too low;
• Supply files that are too low in resolution;
• Submit graphics that are disproportionately large for the content.

A detailed guide on electronic artwork is available at http://www.elsevier.com/artworkinstructions.

10. The Editorial and Peer Review Process

As a general rule, the receipt of a manuscript will be acknowledged within 2 weeks of submission, and authors will be provided with a manuscript reference number for future correspondence. If such an acknowledgment is not received in a reasonable period of time, the author should contact the Editorial Office.

Submissions are reviewed by the Editorial Office to ensure that it contains all parts. The Editorial Office will not accept a submission if the author has not supplied all parts of the manuscript and supporting documents as outlined in these instructions.

Manuscripts are then forwarded to the Editor-in- Chief, who makes an initial assessment of it. If the manuscript does not appear to be of sufficient merit or is not appropriate for the Journal, then the manuscript will be rejected without review. Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to authors unless requested.

Manuscripts that appear meritorious and appropriate for the Journal are reviewed by at least two Editorial Board members or expert consultants assigned by the Editor-in-Chief. The results of the peer reviews are then discussed in a committee meeting with the Associate Editors. Authors are usually notified within 10 weeks of whether the submitted article is accepted for publication, rejected, or subject to revision before acceptance. However, do note that delays are sometimes unavoidable.

11. Preparation for Publication

Once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, the authors should submit the final version of the manuscript in MS Word format, with all tables/figures as applicable, to the Editorial Office at ajsurg@ntu.edu.tw.
Accepted manuscripts are copyedited according to the Journal's style and PDF page proofs are e-mailed by the Publisher to the corresponding author for final approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor.

12. Reprints

Authors receive 10 stapled offprints of their articles free of charge, which will be sent by the Editorial Office to the corresponding author. Professional reprints (which include a cover page for the article) may be ordered from the Publisher at prices based on the cost of production. A reprint order form can be downloaded from the Journal's website at www.e-asianjournalsurgery.com.

13. Copyright

Manuscripts published in the Asian Journal of Surgery become the permanent property of the Asian Surgical Association, Taipei, Taiwan, and may not be published elsewhere in any form without written permission. All articles published in the Journal are protected by copyright, which covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, as well as translation rights. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the Asian Surgical Association.

14. Notices

Announcements of forthcoming regional conferences and meetings are published free of charge. Please specify the title of the meeting, the dates and venue, organizers and correspondence or secretariat address. Notices should be e-mailed to the Editorial Office at ajsurg@ntu.edu.tw.

Forms

• Publication Checklist

• Copyright Transfer Statement

• Authorship Statement

• Conflict of Interest Statement