Information for authors

The Peruvian Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (Revista Peruana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia) is the official publication of the Peruvian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Its purpose is to dis- seminate knowledge about gynecology, obstetrics, human reproduction and other topics related to women among its members and professionals of the specialty and related specialties and health professionals in general.

The Peruvian Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics was founded in 1955 and publishes the results of re- search in the field of gynecology and obstetrics and subspecialties such as maternal-fetal medicine and surgery, reproductive endocrinology and infertility, gynecologic oncology and others related to women's health, as well as gender and violence, teaching and research, and public health. Unpublished items of interest for the Revista Peruana de Ginecologia y Obstetricia may pertain to basic sciences, controlled clinical trials, effectiveness of diagnostic tests, epi- demiological aspects, public health, and continual medical education related to the field of the OB/GYN.

The RPGO has an editorial committee designated by the Peruvian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, chaired by the journal’s Editor; additionally, the mis- sion, vision, objectives and functions of the editorial board are established in its internal regulations.

The Peruvian Journal in Gynecology and Obstetrics is published quarterly in four issues that comprise one volume per year. Our journal is peer-reviewed and indexed in the following databases: Scopus, SciELO, ESCI Web of Science, REDIB, Dialnet, MIAR, EuroPub, DOAJ, HINARI, Redalyc, IMBIOMED, Latindex, LILACS, LIPECS. These databases periodically provide sta- tistical information about the reading and impact of the articles published in the RPGO. Also, the RPGO is entirely financed by the Peruvian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, implying no cost for the authors who wish to publish nor charge for the processing of articles. In its electronic ver- sion, it is accessible free of charge in its entirety through the Open Journal Systems platform: http://51.222.106.123/index.php/RPGO , Web: www.spog.org.pe

Articles published in The Peruvian Journal in Gy- necology and Obstetrics are distributed in the fol- lowing sections: Editorial, Original Papers, Short Communications, Clinical Cases, Systematic Re- views - Meta-analysis, Symposia, Controversies In Obstetrics And Gynecology, Recent Research In Obstetrics And Gynecology, Adverse Events In Gynecology And Obstetrics, Opinion Articles, Spe- cial Articles, Historical Articles, Biographical Sketch And Letters To The Editor. It is not required to be a member of the Peruvian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, nor to be a specialist in GYN/OB field to submit articles. The Revista Peruana de Gine- cologia y Obstetricia is published according to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submit- ted to Biomedical Journals (last version updated in December of 2021: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/translations/spanish2016.pdf )

EDITORIAL POLICY

Submission of articles to the RPGO

Articles submitted to the RPGO must be unpub- lished. This means that neither the entire article nor parts of it have been published, nor are in the process of being published in another journal or any other form of scientific communication. The article cannot be simultaneously submitted for publication in another journal.

The articles submitted to the RPGO must be written in Spanish or English, or only in English if they come from authors/countries not fluent in Spanish.

The submission of papers will be exclusively in elec- tronic format, to the following electronic addresses:editorgeneral@spog.org.pe , Web: www.spog.org.pe

The following three files must be attached:

  1. The article prepared and written following the requirements of the RPGO: http://51.222.106.123/index.php/RPGO/informacionautores
  2. Statement of authorship and permission for publication of the scientific article with the signature of all authors recording their institutional affiliation, profession and highest academic degree, e-mail, telephone and their specific contribution to the development of the article. The electronic format for this affidavit is available at: : http://51.222.106.123/index.php/RPGO/article/view/2506
  3. Checklist, available at: http://51.222.106.123/index.php/RPGO/article/view/2507

The RPGO policies, including those related to conflict of interest, ethical aspects and misrepresentation of data and documents, apply to all submitted articles. The documentation is required to start the publishing process; otherwise, the article will be returned to the author. The Editorial Board may request that authors present the corresponding institutional approval for their study, as well as informed consent forms from case report or study participants, study databases, data tabulation files and, when appropriate, an approval document from a competent Ethics Committee. If the article was previously submitted to another journal, the authors must provide a detailed copy of the comments and raised observations of the peer review.

Initially, the submitted articles are evaluated by the Editorial Committee of the RPGO.

Some articles will be rejected immediately if they do not meet the stipulated requirements; all articles are subject to review by peers. See Essential requirements - Immediate rejection.

STATEMENT OF ETHICS AND PUBLICATION MALPRACTICE

The Revista Peruana de Ginecología y Obstetricia follows the standards described in the ethical behavior and publication malpractice statement, published in the Best Practice Guidelines by the COPE Committee on Publication Ethics:https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines

Academic ethics are a fundamental axis in research and publication, and form the basis for the reputation of scientists and physicians. In order to promote academic integrity and the publication of high-quality scientific papers, the RPGO issues the following Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement. It addresses the ethical behavior of all parts related to publishing at the journal of the Peruvian Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecología - SPOG), including the author, the reviewer and the editor of the RPGO. The RPGO will be careful that commercial needs do not compromise intellectual and ethical standards, and will be always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when necessary.

For Peruvian researchers, we recommend that they follow the National Scientific Integrity Code from the National Council for Science and Technology, which establishes conduct norms, infringements and sanctions for natural or legal persons who conduct scientific research, in order to adopt good clinical practices and integrity: https://tinyurl.com/ttrmokn

1. Pubilcation and authorship

Authorship must be based solely on: a) substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study or the acquisition, analysis or interpretation of the information; b) the drafting of the paper or the critical review of its intellectual content; c) the approval of the final version to be published; and d) the agreement to be responsible for the article on every aspect, ensuring that all matters related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work have been adequately investigated and solved: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-ofauthors-and-contributors.html

An author must be capable of identifying the coauthors responsible for specific parts of the article and must trust each of their contributions. Those who contribute less than 4 of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors, but should be recognized in the acknowledgements.

The corresponding author is the person who assumes the responsibility of pertinently communicating with the RPGO, during the presentation of the manuscript, the peer-review and publication processes.

2. Author’s responsibilities

All authors significantly contribute to research and must mark on the Affidavit of Authorship (Declaración Jurada de Autoría) the specific parts of the article to which they have contributed and that all data are real and authentic. Authors are required to participate in the peer-review process and must provide retractions and correct mistakes.

Before presenting articles to the journal, we encourage authors to review the suggestions by the Committee on Publication Ethics, compiled in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors:https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines These recommendations are endorsed by the Editorial Board of the RPGO. In accordance with these guidelines, the RPGO considers the following as ethical misconduct: plagiarism, fictitious authorship, changes in authorship, redundant publication, data manipulation, and non-revealed conflict of interest.

Authors are forbidden to publish the same research in more than one journal or in any other digital medium.

A. Conflict of interest

Objectivity and transparency are essential in scientific research and the review process. Researchers and authors, as well as editors and reviewers, must always declare conflicts of interest when publishing a document.

The most evident conflicts of interest are financial relations, such as:

  • Direct relations: employment, shareholding, subventions, patents
  • Indirect relations: remunerations, consulting services to sponsoring organizations, mutual investment funds, indemnities for expert opinion

Readers must be informed about who has financed the research and the role of the investigation’s funders. Conflicts may also arise from personal relationships, academic competition and intellectual appetence. The best course of action is always that of total transparency and, when in doubt, to reveal the problem. Enumerating the funding sources does not imply a conflict of interest.

B. Protection of individual information

The RPGO protects the confidentiality of individual information (e.g., that obtained by means of the doctor-patient relationship). The names of patients, initials, medical record numbers or general information that may allow identifying studied subjects must not be mentioned. Images of patients used in the publication of original articles of case reports must have a written authorization and informed consent. All recognizable traits of identifiable persons will be covered in the photographs. It is possible to publish without explicit consent if the report is important to public health.

Studies of patients, or studies of registries of patients or volunteers, require approval by the Committee of Institutional Ethics, as well as informed consent. If the study addresses topics in occupational or environmental medicine, besides ethical considerations and protecting individual information, we also require the approval for dissemination by the company where the research was performed.

C. Experimentation in humans and animals

Articles describing experiments carried out in humans must indicate whether the performed procedures followed the ethical rules of the institutional or regional Ethics Committee and the Declaration of Helsinki: https://www.wma.net/ es/que-hacemos/etica-medica/declaracion-dehelsinki/

In Peru, the rules to follow for experimentation on humans are established in the Clinical Trials Regulation. The National Institute of Health of Peru is the authority responsible at national level for ensuring compliance with this regulation and the related rules governing the authorization, implementation and registration of clinical trials in the Peruvian Registry of Clinical Trials: https://ensayosclinicos-repec.ins.gob.pe/ In our country, the authors of clinical trials in humans require approval by the National Institute of Health before starting the experiment. At the request of the RPGO, the author must deliver copies of documentation evidencing authorization.

For animal experimentation, the authors will take into consideration international standards, especially those recommended by the Office of Animal Care and Use of the National Institutes of Health (http://oacu.oir.nih.gov/), as well as the guidelines of the institution or national law governing the care and use of laboratory animals. The animals used must be named in the title, abstract, keywords and materials and methods. Such experimentation should be thoroughly detailed in the methods section. Experimental research on animals performed in Peru must have the approval of an ethics committee in animal investigation.

3. Peer review and responsibilities of the reviewers

Peer review or arbitration is a method used to ensure the quality, originality, feasibility and scientific rigor of a research paper. Peer review is a process that is mandatory for all types of articles which are presented to the RPGO, except for editorials, special articles, symposia proceedings, articles addressing controversies and letters to the Editor, which are evaluated by the Editorial Committee. Papers submitted to the RPGO are evaluated by reviewers with experience and knowledge in the subject referred to in the article they assess. The aim of the peer review process is that the paper’s concepts are clearly presented and achieve a high quality in order to be published. Preferably, the reviewers are external to the Peruvian Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics and the RPGO.

The requirements to be a reviewer in the RPGO are knowledge of the topic, impartiality, academic rigor, research experience, responsibility and ethical conduct. The reviewer’s opinions will be objective, without any conflicts of interest concerning the research, authors or research funders. Should the contrary happen, they will not accept to undertake the peer review process. Reviewers will handle their work with confidentiality. They must highlight relevant published papers that have not yet been cited.

Reviewers selected for the RPGO are not remunerated, but they are mentioned in the printed volume where they contributed. When required by the article, there are reviewers with expertise in the field of biostatistics and epidemiology. The authors of articles should not suggest reviewers, since this constitutes a conflict of interest.

Papers submitted to the RPGO will be initially evaluated by the Editorial Committee to ensure they follow the established requirements. Afterwards, they will be subject to peer review. For this, the Editorial Committee will invite 2 or more reviewers per article who will anonymously qualify the article in a period of 15 days through an evaluation form provided by the journal. The content of these evaluation forms is available in the following URL as information for authors and readers: http://www.spog.org.pe/web/index.php/component/content/article/94-documentos/244-revistaperuana-de-ginecologia-y-obstetricia The review process is double-blind. Referees or reviewers issue suggestions and recommendations on how to improve the article. The Editorial Committee and the reviewers for methodology may require that the authors send the database described in the methods and employed to obtain the results presented in the article. .

The evaluation of referees considers the article:

  • Suitable for publication without changes
  • Suitable for publication with minor changes
  • Suitable for publication with major changes
  • Not suitable for publication.

The suggestions and recommendations are sent to the author, who is given 15 days to submit the modified article. No article will be definitively accepted until all of the corrections have been clarified and modified. In this first stage, if the author doesn’t send the modified paper within the given timeframe, he or she will be notified for immediate submission; after the deadline, the article will be archived for lack of response from the authors..

To ease the task of the Editorial Committee, when the authors send a manuscript previously evaluated, they must enclose a letter of response to the evaluators enumerating the new modifications (section, page, line) and, when necessary, diverging points of view. Depending on the case, the RPGO can resubmit the corrected article to a reviewer before considering its publication. Should there be any controversy or tie in the evaluation by external reviewers or by the members of the Editorial Committee, the journal’s Director is responsible for the final decision regarding the paper’s publication. If the corrections were not sent within a period of up to six months, the article will be rejected for publication, and the manuscript’s file will be eliminated.

The RPGO reserves the right to make changes or amendments to the article for the sake of a better understanding. These changes will not modify the article’s content. The corresponding author will approve the pdf file before final publication. Reviewers may suggest for the original article to be published as a short communication or as a letter to the Editor.

The average time of the editorial process from reception of the item to the final decision of the Editorial Committee to publish it, including the peer review process and corrections, varies between 2 and 4 months. The author may request information on the progress of the review of the article as well as the stage of the publishing process in which the article is. The average annual rejection rate for articles sent to the RPGO is 36%.

In order to promote open access, disseminate scientific research, and foster the participation of readers, authors may publish preliminary versions of their articles in electronic format before the corresponding peer review (preprint) in any preprint platform or repository, such as: https://arxiv.org/ or https://www.medrxiv.org/. This way, readers and researchers may offer suggestions and observations to improve the manuscript, before it is sent to the RPGO. The Editorial Committee will also consider publishing in electronic format items that have been peer-reviewed and are suitable for publication prior to the quarterly deadlines of regular publication of the RPGO (advance publication).

4. Editorial responsibility

According to the recommendations issued by the COPE Committee on Publication Ethics (http:// publicationethics.org/), the RPGO is committed to satisfy the needs of both readers and authors, to constantly improve the journal, to ensure the quality of the published content, to defend freedom of expression, to maintain the integrity of academic records, to prevent commercial needs from compromising intellectual standards and, as expressed at the beginning, to be always willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when necessary.

5. Statement on publication ethics

The editor’s decision to accept or refuse to publish an article will be based solely on the importance, originality and clarity of the paper, as well as on the relevance of the study. The RPGO is committed to act free of discrimination based on authors’ gender, sexual orientation, religious or political beliefs, ethnic or geographic origin.

We adopt and follow reasonable proceedings to handle complaints of conflict or of ethical nature, according to the RPGO and the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecología’s policies and methods, as the case may require. We will give the authors the pertinent opportunity to answer to the claim. The Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecología guarantees that the RPGO subscribes to the aforementioned principles. .

The editor will not revoke his decisions to accept the presentation of articles unless serious problems in said presentation are identified. The new editors must not override the decisions to publish presentations made by the previous editor, unless grave issues are found.

Misconduct and ethical misbehavior can be identified and mentioned to the editor and the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecología at any time, by any person, as long as enough information and evidence are provided in order to begin an investigation. The RPGO uses a software to detect plagiarism and ethical misconduct. It also uses tools such as that proposed by Nature to evaluate publication integrity:https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-03959-6

Intentional distortion or negligence in the research / publication process that may lead to the fabrication of data, text, hypotheses or methods in the manuscript, or the publication of another researcher’s work, or the distortion of the research process in other ways, all represent scientific misbehavior. The RPGO will not accept plagiarism or fraudulent information.

In case any misconduct in publication ethics was detected, the RPGO will reject the article and will follow the steps recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics, which include informing of the author’s misconduct to the other authors, to the institution he/she belongs to, to his superiors, to the research funders, to his institution’s ethics committee, and to other scientific journals. Besides, in the case of Peruvian researchers, ethical misconduct will be informed to Concytec for the corresponding sanctions, according to their faculties stated by the law: jhttps://tinyurl.com/yd3x85hj .

GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPMENT AND PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH

We recommend authors submitting articles to the RPGO to follow the internationally established standards for design, development and presentation of different types of studies:

Authors and contributors of articles submitted to the RPGO

The authors of papers presented to the RPGO must submit the affidavit of authorship. This requirement applies to all types of articles including editorials and letters to the Editor. Ethical considerations about authorship and collaboration must follow the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals of the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/ It is essential that each author of an article provides their ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) code in order to distinguish his academic and research activities: https://orcid.org/ Each author will also send his or her e-mail address.

Acknowledgments

The Acknowledgements sections recognizes collaborators of the study, i.e., people who made significant contributions to the article, including participants in clinical trials. The contributor and his/her collaboration to the research must be mentioned specifically. The collaborators named in this section must endorse written authorization for the publication of their names. Examples to include in Acknowledgements: people who collaborated giving only technical support, collaboration in the drafting of the manuscript, heads of departments whose participation was of a general nature.

Declaration of copyright transfer

At the time of sending the sworn statement of authorship and permission for publication of the article, authors submitting papers to the RPGO give up their patrimonial rights to the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecología for releasing the article in all conditions, procedures and means available to it. The authors will not receive royalties or compensation from the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecologia for the publication of the article in the RPGO. Accordingly, the intellectual property of the articles published in the RPGO belongs exclusively to the authors.

Permissions for the publication or dissemination of the contents of the RPGO – Digital preservation policy

Under the aegis of the regulations, all rights are reserved by the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecologia. The dissemination of the contents of the RPGO (text, tables, and figures) is authorized provided the source is cited. You may go to the journal’s Editor to ask for the reprinting of an issue of the RPGO. The RPGO has legal deposit. The RPGO provides open access to its contents, based on the principle that offering open access to research will contribute to a greater global exchange of knowledge. The RPGO is available in full text in: http://www.spog.org.pe/web/revista/index.php/RPGO/index

Digital data storage system

The RPGO uses the LOCKSS program through the OJS platform to create a digital storage system that allows creating permanent records in the journal as an aid to preserve and restore. In the same way, through the Creative Commons license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/), we allow the public to use our contents without having to request author permits, while guaranteeing their intellectual property. The RPGO archives the intellectual content of the electronic documents in their records for long periods, following the principles of integrity, authenticity, immutability, originality, reliability and accessibility.

Checklist of articles submitted to the RPGO

The checklist of items sent to the RPGO must be filled in its entirety by the author. Its aim is to verify that the article meets the requirements for publication. The author must send the checklist, the article and the sworn statement of authorship via email. In case an article does not apply to some of the items in the checklist, the checkbox will be left unmarked. If the checklist is not submitted, the publishing process cannot continue.

Proof print

This stage of the publishing process comes after the layout and editing of the article. A proof print of the article will be sent to the author in PDF format. The authors will carefully review this proof and mark possible errors. The corrected document must be returned within a period of 48 hours. Changes to the content of the article will not be accepted. The Editorial Committee reserves the right to admit or refuse the corrections made by the author in the proof prints. If authors do not submit observations to the proof print, the Editorial Committee will consider the final version accepted. The RPGO will award the respective DOI (digital object identifier) to each diagrammed article.  Likewise, the diagrammed article will indicate
the date of receipt of the paper, the date of acceptance for publication and the date of online
publication.

Disclaimer

Claims, judgments and opinions expressed in the articles published in the RPGO belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Committee of the RPGO. Both the Editorial Committee of the RPGO and the Sociedad Peruana de Obstetricia y Ginecologia do not assume any responsibility for the presented material, nor guarantee or support any product that is advertised in the magazine, nor guarantee claims made by the manufacturer of that product or service.

Original breve. Escrito breve que no tiene la trascendencia de un artículo original y que por su diseño requieren de una presentación abreviada. Puede ser una investigación original preliminar.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES

The specifications for the submission of articles to the RPGO conform to the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

Articles must be submitted in Spanish, English or Portuguese, as a Microsoft Word file for Windows, with size 12 Times New Roman font, on A4, doublespaced, with 2.5 cm margins. Each component of the article will begin on a separate page and with consecutive numbering on the top right corner, in the following order: title page and title summary, summary and abstract, main text, acknowledgements, references, tables and figures with legends. Preferably, the research performed should not be older than five years.

Papers submitted to the RPGO must belong to one of the following categories:

Original paper:Unpublished research paper on a subject related to the scientific, technical, humanistic or ethical field of gynecology, obstetrics or human reproduction

Systematic review: Research that analyzes original studies previously published in the scientific literature; based on them, it aims to answer research questions in the field of gynecology, obstetrics or human reproduction, through the systematic search of original articles and their selection based on explicit and detailed criteria. For further information, read: http://www.prisma-statement.org/documents/Page%20PRISMA%202020%20Spanish.pdf. The existence of clear and homogeneous data makes it possible to perform a statistical analysis called Meta-analysis (https://www.elsevier.es/ es-revista-urologia-colombiana-398-articulo-conceptos-fundamentales-revisiones-sistematicasmetaanalisis-S0120789X15000076).

Short communicationBrief report that does not have the transcendence of an original article and requires a shortened presentation because of its design. It can be a preliminary original investigation.

Case report: Obstetrics or Gynecology case report of diagnostic interest, rarity of observation or clear interest that warrants its publication.

Controversies in obstetrics and gynecology:Presentation of themes in obstetrics and gynecology in debate and controversy regarding diagnosis, management or therapy.

Recent research in obstetrics and gynecology: Summaries of abstracts of recent research published in institutional documents and in scientific journals in obstetrics and gynecology. Summaries of abstracts of recent research published in institutional documents and in scientific journals in obstetrics and gynecology.

Adverse events in obstetrics and gynecology:Articles related to the occurrence of an unintentional damage or complication that produce a prolonged hospital stay, disability or death, consequence of the medical management, more than of the treated disease itself.

Special articles:Essays in obstetrics and gynecology that systematize information on some specific theme, but without the rigor of a Systematic review; they can be experiences. Articles that are within the editorial policy of the journal will be considered. Special articles will be solicited by invitation of the Editorial Committee.

Clinical Practice Guidelines: Papers with recommendations based on systematic reviews of the available evidence, created through literature search and synthesis by gynecology and obstetrics professionals, with the aim to improve clinical practice. They answer specific questions and must be written by health institutions from Peru or abroad.

Symposia: Exposition of different aspects on a topic in the field of gynecology, obstetrics or human reproduction, done by experts in the field through individual writings.

History: Narration and exposition of past events related to obstetrics, gynecology and human reproduction.

Biographical sketch: Biographical sketch of a contemporary medical OB/GYN, whose work has had a substantial influence in the specialty or in the history of the Peruvian Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics.

Letter to the Editor: Written communication addressed to the Editor of the journal, referred to articles previously published in the RPGO, or to provide information about research performed by the authors.

l. Original papers

The total length of the manuscript, including bibliography, will not exceed 14 pages. It should preferably not exceed 3500 words of content, 5 figures or tables, and 30 references. They shall be drafted according to the following scheme:

Resumen and palabras clave in Spanish

Abstract and key words in English

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

Acknowledgements

References

1. The first page of the Original paper will contain:

- Article title: concise and informative, with an approximate length of 15 words, without abbreviations; the conclusions of the study should not be included in the title

- Name of the author or authors: first and last name.

- Name of the department or departments and the institution or institutions to which the work should be attributed.

- Academic degree and institutional affiliation of the authors.

- ORCID iD and e-mail of each author (https://orcid.org/)

- Name and e-mail address of the author to whom correspondence is to be addressed.

- Authorship contributions according to CrediT taxonomy: https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.
php/educacion/credit https://credit.niso.org/

In addition, authors will state the following items:

  • Authorship recognition
  • Ethical responsibilities
  • Confidentiality of the data
  • Right to privacy and informed consent
  • Funding
  • Conflict of interest
  • Original contribution and importance

The manuscript will start from the second page, with the following components.

2. Abstract and key words

The abstract will be presented on a separate sheet. If it is written in Spanish, it must include the corresponding English translation, and not surpass 250 words each. The structure of the abstract is: Introduction (background and concise justification for the study), Objectives (what the authors aim to determine in the study), Methods (study design and population), Results (main results) and the most important Conclusions in regard to the proposed objectives. After the abstract, 3 to 10 key words must be included. These have to belong to MeSH terms: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome. html In the Resumen, the corresponding parts are Introducción, Objetivos, Métodos, Resultados, Conclusiones, Palabras clave that belong to DECSBIREME'Descriptors in Health Sciences: https://decs. bvsalud.org/es/descriptores-nuevos-2021/. Unless there is an officially accepted translation, institution’s names shall remain in their language of origin

3. Introduction

It includes the exposition of motives and objectives of the work and a brief reference of the pertinent literature, without making an extensive review of the subject. It shall not include data or conclusions of the conducted research. It shall not exceed two pages.

4. Methods

It briefly describes characteristics of subjects or of the material employed in the work, the techniques used to conduct the investigation, and the statistical techniques used. Details are expected only for new or modified techniques. In case of known techniques, authors shall only mention the bibliographic reference. Ethical considerations shall also be mentioned, including informed consent and approval by institutional or hospital ethics committees, even for observational studies.

5. Results

These shall be presented in brief form, as orderly and coherently as possible. The use of tables and figures is to complement the information; its number has to be limited to a minimum. Tables and figures, arranged by Arabic numbers, will have a corresponding legend. The units of measurement will be according to the International System of Units (decimal comma in Spanish and decimal point in English; use only one decimal). The photographs will be of the best possible resolution. If the paper includes already published material, it is imperative to attach a copy of the letter of authorization from the original author and the respective publisher, or place the reference from which the material was obtained.

6. Discussion

Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that derive from them. Do not repeat the data or information already presented in the sections of introduction and results. Set the nexus of the conclusions with the goals of the study, but refrain from making general statements and from drawing conclusions that are not scientifically supported. Compare the results with those of other researchers. If justified, new hypotheses and recommendations may be included. The second to last paragraph on this section must mention the limitations of the study, and a final paragraph should mention the conclusions of the study.

7. Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments to persons or institutions that have collaborated in the preparation of the article will appear before the bibliographic references.

8. References

References shall refer exclusively to the text of the article; they will be ordered sequentially according to their appearance and presented in Vancouver style: http://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf. In case the articles listed have a DOI, please include it. Due to the importance of the scientific paper, bibliographic references must be updated (not older than 5 years), emblematic, or must have been a milestone for current knowledge.

Direct references to original research are recommended. References should not be used by authors to promote their own interests (self-citation). Citing articles from predatory journals should be avoided. Referenced review articles do not always reflect the original research accurately. References to articles not yet published should include the term 'in press'. To identify the cited reference, it is recommended that authors use an electronic bibliographic source system such as PubMed or another database.

Citations to bibliographic references, in the body of the article, should be presented in increasing order of appearance, in parentheses, in superscript, and with a maximum of 4 references per referenced concept.

Journal articles: First list the surname of the author and co-authors followed by the initials of the names, these without separation between themselves. One article can include up to six authors, separated by commas. If there are more than six authors, the sixth name will be followed by the expressions 'y col' in Spanish, or 'et al' in English. A period will be placed after the authors’ names, and then the title of the article will be quoted in the language of origin, followed by another period. Next, include the name of the journal (in internationally recognized abbreviation), period, and the year of publication, semicolon; the volume number (supplement number in parenthesis), followed by a colon; finishing with the pages on which the article appears and an end period. Add the DOI in articles that have them.

Example: Lokki AI, Aalto-Viljakainen T, Meri S, Laivuori H. Genetic analysis of membrane cofactor protein (CD46) of the complement system in women with and without preeclamptic pregnancies. PLoS One. 2015 Feb 24;10(2):e0117840. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0117840.

Books, brochures or similar publications:Author or co-authors will be listed in the same way than as in the articles. The order is as follows: title of the work, period, and then the word "In" followed by a colon, surnames and initials of the editors of the book followed by the word "editor(s)" in parenthesis, period, and the title of the book in the language of origin, period; and the number of edition, period; place of editing and colon, name of publisher, period; year of the edition, colon and (without separation) pages in which the article appears, period. DOI

Example: Naeye RL. Maternal nutrition and pregnancy outcome. En: Dobbing J, editor. Maternal Nutrition in Pregnancy. Eating for Two? Londres: Academic Press; 1981:89-111.

Thesis: Authors must be presented in the same way as in the articles. Then, list the title of the work, specifying the aimed degree in parentheses, period. City and country where sustained, separated by a comma, colon and the university of origin, a comma, the year, and period. Number of pages, followed by the abbreviation “pp”.

Example: Gota DF. Morbilidad y mortalidad. Estudio retrospectivo en pacientes hospitalizados del Hospital Cayetano Heredia (Tesis de Bachiller). Lima-Perú: Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia. 1990:59 pp.

II. Short communications

The total length of the manuscript should not exceed 2000 words of content, 4 figures or tables, and 20 bibliographic references. They must follow this sequence:

  • Abstract and keywords (up to 150 words)
  • Resumen and Palabras clave
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Bibliographic references

III. Systematic reviews - Meta-analysis

They must be drafted according to the following scheme:

  • Non-structured abstract and Resumen, maximum 250 words each
  • Key words and Palabras clave
  • Introduction
  • Methodology of information search
  • Development of the topic
  • Conclusions
  • Bibliographic references with a minimum of 70, preferably not older than 5 years.

Otherwise, indications for the original articles are valid.

IV. Case Reports

The total extent of the work, including references, will not exceed 6 pages or 1500 words. A maximum of 4 figures or tables and 15 references will be accepted. They should be worded as follows:

  • Non-structured abstract and Resumen, maximum 125 words each
  • Key words and Palabras clave
  • Brief Introduction
  • Case report
  • Discussion
  • Bibliographic References, preferably not older than 5 years.

V. Symposia

Articles must be written as follows:

  • Non-structured abstract and Resumen, maximum 250 words
  • Keywords and Palabras clave
  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Development of the topic
  • References with a minimum of 70, preferably not older than 5 years.

Otherwise, the indications for original articles are valid.

VI. Special articles, Controversies, Recent research in obstetrics and gynecology, Adverse events in gynecology and obstetrics

These articles should be written as follows:

  • Non-structured abstract and Resumen, maximum 250 words each
  • Keywords and Palabras clave
  • Introduction
  • Development of the topic
  • References

Otherwise, the indications for original articles are valid.

VII. Clinical practice guidelines

The manuscript should not exceed 4000 words in content, 6 figures or tables, and 70 bibliographic references. They must follow this sequence:

  • Non-structured abstract and Resumen up to 250 words each
  • Key words in English and Spanish
  • Introduction
  • Methods
  • Recommendations
  • Bibliographic references

VIII. Letters to the Editor

The following Letters to the Editor will be considered:

  • Letters that refer to articles previously published in the RPGO
  • Letters that refer to research developed by the authors
  • Letters with recent academic or clinical contributions of interest to the specialty.

They should be written as follows:

The total length of the paper, including bibliographic references, will not exceed 2 pages or 500 words. We will accept a maximum of 2 figures or 2 tables and a maximum of 10 references. Up to 3 authors will be accepted and references no more than 10.

If the letter addresses advances of preliminary investigations, or if it succinctly describes research, the number of words can be up to 1 000.

Letters to the Editor and replies must be written in a concise style, informing the problem, featuring then the discussion, and proposing solutions or conclusions.

SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL

If the author(s) consider it appropriate, they may add complementary information to that presented in the article to improve the understanding of the topic, such as: image files, audio files, video files and applications; they can forward them together with the documentation requested by the RPGO. Said material will only be published in electronic format without changes to the author’s original submission.

Concerns or questions about our editorial policy or about the requirements for submission of articles to The Peruvian Journal in Gynecology and Obstetrics (Revista Peruana de Ginecología y Obstetricia) can be addressed to the Director:

 

Dr. José Pacheco-Romero
editorgeneral@spog.org.pe
Web: www.spog.org.pe