The Official Journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery

The European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery publishes original articles, editorials, reviews and short reports. All manuscripts are peer-reviewed. We urge authors to submit their manuscript in the correct format if they wish to avoid rejection.

A Manuscript Front Sheet and Publisher's Agreement, signed by all authors, must accompany all submissions. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have seen and approved the manuscript. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authorship credit should be based on:

1) substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
3) final approval of the version to be published.

Ethics
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have seen and approved the manuscript. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content.

Any funding, sponsorship or conflict of interest must be stated. Failure to do so will result in rejection. Material relating to human investigation and animal experiments is published on the understanding that the work has been approved by your local ethical committees.

An article is reviewed on the understanding it has not been submitted for publication elsewhere. If you have published similar work before, then please tell us and send us copies of previous publications so that we may assess the degree of overlap.

Other contributors should be acknowledged at the end of the manuscript articles.

Preparation of manuscripts

Please indicate the word count on the front page of your manuscript. We subscribe to the policy of uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Med Educ 1999; 33(1):66-78 or: www.icmje.org.

Online Submission

All material should be submitted through the online submission and review system: Editorial Manager. Authors must refer to www.editorialmanager.com/ejves for further instructions.

Postal Submission

If you do not have internet access then papers must be typewritten on A4 paper (210 x 297 mm), on one side of the paper only, double-spaced with 3-cm margins. Manuscripts that do not conform to these requirements will be returned for retyping. Please also submit your manuscript and illustrationson a 3.5" disc or CD-ROM prepared on a PC-compatible computer (preferably Microsoft Word).

Instructions:
• Use automatic page numbering but avoid other kinds of automatic formatting such as footnotes, endnotes, headers and footers.
• Put the text, references, tables and legends for figures in one file, and each figure in a separate file.
• Illustrations should be sent in EPS or TIFF format. If JPEG is the only format available, they must be saved at the highest possible quality setting, that is, with minimum compression.

Manuscript Requirements (Original articles)
Title
The title page should give:
• The title of the article
• The authors' names and affiliations
• The name, address, telephone, fax and email of the corresponding author.
• The category for which the manuscript is being submitted (original article, leading article, review, case report, technique, or lesson of the month).
• A short title of not more than 50 characters (running head).

Abstracts
The abstract should not exceed 200 words and should conform to the following format:
• Objectives
• Design
• Materials
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

Length
Articles should be as brief as possible, a maximum of 4000 words including references, and we will shorten lengthy manuscripts. The discussion should be clear, concise, and limited to matters arising directly from the results.

Each of the following sections should begin on a new page and all pages numbered serially:
• Title page
• Abstract and 3-6 key words
• Main text in the format of Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion
• Acknowledgements
• References
• Tables
• Legends for Illustrations

Keywords
Three to six key words or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-referencing the article should be included. Terms from the medical subject headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used.

Reference
Please ensure that you include all relevant references to previous articles in the EJVES. References should be typed with double spacing and cited in the Vancouver style. Unpublished communications should be cited in the text, in parentheses.

In the text, references should be numbered consecutively by superscript: 1,2 or 1-3. References should be listed in numerical order at the end of the article.

The sequence for a journal article is: author(s), title of paper, journal name (abbreviated as in Index Medicus or written in full if no abbreviation quoted), year of publication, volume number, first and last pages.

The sequence for a book is: author(s), editor(s) or compiler(s), title and edition number, place of publication and publisher's name, year of publication, first and last pages (if relevant).

Examples:
1. Bunt TJ. Synthetic vascular graft infection. J.Vasc Surg 1983; 94:1-9.
2. Roos DB. Transaxillary first rib resection for thoracic outlet syndrome. In: Bergan JJ, Yao JST eds. Operative Techniques in Vascular Surgery. New York: Grune and Stratton, 1980: 125-129.

When citing a W.B. Saunders journal, include the digital object identifier (DOI), if noted, from the article?s title page. Please note the following examples.

1. Naidoo NM, Corr PD, Robbs JV, Maharaj J, Nair R. Angiographic embolisation in arterial trauma. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg 2000; 19: 77?81, doi:10.1053/ejvs.2000.0978.
2. Elsharawy MA, Cheatle TR. Buttock claudication secondary to isolated internal iliac artery stenosis. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg, doi.10.1053.ejvs.2000.0921.

Figures
Colour reproduction is possible if considered essential by the editors, however authors may be expected to make some contribution for this service.

The legends for illustrations should be listed on a separate page, at the end of the manuscript, in numerical order and should contain brief but comprehensive explanations. Keys to symbols and shading used should appear in the legend, not on the illustration.

All authors wishing to use illustrations already published must first obtain the permission of the author and publisher and/ or copyright holders and give precise reference to the original work.

Tables
Tables should be numbered in series and must be cited in the text in sequence. Each table with an appropriate brief legend should be typed on a separate page and the end of the manuscript. Tables should be kept as simple as possible and wherever possible a graphical presentation used instead.

Acknowledgements
The acknowledgements page should specify:
• Contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, e.g. technical help
• Sources of financial and material support
• Possible conflicts of interest

Units & Abbreviations
The decimal point and not a comma should be used, e.g. 6.89 not 6,89. A space rather than a comma should follow thousands and multiples thereof, e.g. 10 000 not 10,000.

Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be reported in metric units (metre, kilogram, litre) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius and blood pressure in millimetres of mercury. All other measurements including laboratory measurements should be reported in the metric system in terms of the International System of Units (SI).

Authors should limit the use of abbreviations. Terms which are mentioned frequently may be abbreviated but only if this does not detract from reader comprehension. Abbreviations for SI units and statistical terms are those in Baron DN (ed): Units, Symbols and Abbreviations: A Guide for Biological and Medical Editors and Authors 4th ed. London, Royal Society of Medicine.

When quoting specific materials or proprietary drugs, authors must state in parentheses the name and address of the manufacturer. Generic names should be used whenever possible.

Statistics
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all statistical calculations. Detailed guidance on the handling of statistical material can be found by clicking here.

Design:
Authors should set out clearly the objectives of the study and state whether the study was retrospective or prospective. Randomised trials must include the items included in the CONSORT statement. ( http://www.consort-statement.org)

Presentation:
Wherever possible a graphical presentation should be used to illustrate the main findings of a study. Base the graph on data points unless the sample sizes are very large. When plotting life tables always indicate the numbers of individuals at risk at the various times of follow-up. Avoid the use of 'error bars' showing 1 standard deviation or standard error.

The use of a mean and standard deviation (SD) to describe a distribution is only appropriate when the distribution is known to be normal. For non-parametric data, the median is a better measure of the centre of the distribution and the range or interquartile range (IQR), a better measure of spread. Avoid spurious precision; perecentages should generally be given as integers.

Analysis:
There should be a clear description of which methods were used, and any analyses not in common usage should be supported by references. In general, "non-parametric" analyses should be used, e.g. the Mann-Whitney test for comparing two groups and the Wilcoxon test for comparing the changes to a group.

Strive to limit the number of statistical tests performed, especially on subgroups. If you cannot avoid multiple comparisons, then use an appropriate adjustment to avoid a "type-1" (false-positive) error. Results of statistical tests should be reported by stating the value of the test statistic (t), the number of degrees of freedom (df) and the p value to two decimal places, e.g. t = 1.34, 16 d.f., p = 0.20.

Where possible, the results of the primary analysis should be reported using confidence intervals instead of, or in addition to, p values. Do not use statistical tests to compare the baseline characteristics of study groups, but rather use adjusted analyses to investigate the effect of such imbalances.

Interpretation:
Statistical significance should not be confused with clinical relevance. Use confidence intervals to assess clinical relevance, especially when interpreting a 'negative' finding. Do not place undue emphasis on secondary analyses, especially when they were suggested by an inspection of the data.

Short Reports
We give priority to reports describing novel conditions or complications, those with a valuable message, and technical innovations or modifications. Short reports should not normally exceeed 750 words, laid out in the the following format:
• Title page (as for original articles)
• Abstract (introduction, report, discussion), maximum 100 words and 3-6 keywords
• Main text (introduction, report, discussion)
• References (maximum 5)
• Legends for illustrations (maximum 2)

The rejection rate for short reports in the printed journal remains high and most are published in EJVES Extra, with the abstract published in the printed journal.

Reviews and editorials
We encourage the submission of reviews and editorials. The maximum word count for reviews is 5,000 words including references and for editorials 1,000 words including references. Priority will be given to editorials addressing a current problem, systematic reviews and meta-analyses. We advise potential authors seeking advice on the suitability of topics to email the editorial office at ejves@elsevier.com.

Letters, Book Reviews and Forthcoming Events
We welcome letters commenting on articles in the Journal and notification of forthcoming events, maximum 300 words including references. Email your letter or details of forthcoming events as an attached Word file to the editorial office at ejves@elsevier.com.

Copyright Information
Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that the contribution is to this Journal only. If it is accepted for publication, exclusive copyright in the paper and illustrations shall be assigned to the publisher.

Permissions Information
All authors wishing to use illustrations already published must first obtain the permission of the author and publisher and/ or copyright holders and give precise reference to the original work.

Proofs
No Changes can be made at the proof stage except for corrections of typographiocal errors. Offprints
In consideration for the assignment of copyright, the publisher will supply 25 offprints of each paper. Further offprints may be ordered at extra cost using order forms supplied with the proofs. The publisher will not put any limitation on the personal freedom of the authors to use material contained in the paper in subsequent publications.