nstructions to Authors

Aim and Scope

The Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal aims to publish the highest quality material, both clinical and scientific, on aspects of Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery. It includes articles related to research findings, technical evaluations, and reviews. In addition it provides a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery, including educational issues.

The is an international, English language, peer-reviewed journal concerned with Cardiovascular Medicine and Surgery and is published quarterly. Papers submitted to this journal which do not adhere to the Instructions for Authors will be returned for appropriate revision to be in line with the Instructions for Authors. They may then be re-submitted.

Article categories

The Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal accepts the following categories of articles:

Clinical papers. Clinical studies based on either normal subjects or patients. It is the editorial policy to accept

case studies/reports too.

Pre-clinical papers. The results of pre-clinical research will be considered for publication provided they have an obvious clinical relevance.

Reviews. The Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal publishes a limited number of scholarly, comprehensive reviews whose aims are to summarize and critically evaluate research in the field addressed and identify future im- plications. Reviews should not exceed 5000 words.

Editorials. All editorials should be limited to 1500 words, 10 references.

Current opinion. Papers in this section will provide our readers with focused coverage of topical issues in Cardio-

vascular Medicine and Surgery and related disciplines which are of high current interest and potential.

Correspondence. Letters to the Editor must not exceed 500 words and should focus on a specific article published in the Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal within the preceding 12 weeks. No original data may be included. Authors will receive pre-publication proofs, and the authors of the article cited will be invited to reply.

Clinical vignettes. This category is intended for striking, illustrative, or rare clinical images, tomographs, x-rays or pathology specimens. Images in this category may be published on the cover of the journal and should be submit- ted as one figure, with separate lettered panels if required. The complete image should also have an Aspect Ratio 1:1. The image should be submitted with the names of no more than three authors and the clinical message contained in the picture should be amplified in a 250 word description (no references) which will be included with the image. Please also include a short title with the submission. Normal publication charges apply to this category.

Submission of manuscripts

The Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal uses a web-based submission and review system at www.icrj.i r. Online submission facilitates the submission of manuscripts from authors and streamlines the reviewing and publica- tion process.

Should you presently be unable to take advantage of online submission and review, please fax the Editorial office on (+98)7112343529 for further instructions.

Authors may send queries concerning the submission process to icrjournal@yahoo.com or editor@icrj.ir For enquiries about the review process and journal procedures, the editorial office can be contacted at icrjournal@yahoo.com or editor@icrj.ir As a matter of policy, the status of documents will not be discussed by telephone.

Once you have prepared your manuscript according to the instructions below, please go to the online submission system. First-time users must click "Register" on the navigation menu at the top of the screen. The system will ac- cept automatically your user name and password. Detailed guidelines for authors and reviewers are available at the submission site.

Review of manuscripts

All manuscripts correctly submitted to the Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal will first be reviewed by the Editors. Some manuscripts will be returned to authors at this stage if the paper is deemed inappropriate for pub- lication in the Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal, if the paper does not meet submission requirements, or if

the paper is not deemed to have a sufficiently high priority. All papers considered suitable by the Editors to progress further in the review process will undergo appropriate peer review and all papers provisionally accepted for publica- tion will undergo a detailed statistical review.

Fast track publication

1. Authors must send their manuscript by e-mail to: icrjournal@yahoo.com or editor@icrj.ir,  ensuring that the manuscript adheres to the Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal's Instructions for Authors. The accompanying cover letter should detail why the authors think the manuscript would be suitable for fast track publication.

2. The Editorial Office will communicate whether fast track assessment is appropriate within 48 hours. If the Editors decide not to accept fast track assessment, the paper may be considered for the normal review process. Authors will also have the opportunity to withdraw their submission. Please note that fast track assessment does not in any way guarantee acceptance of the manuscript.

3. For manuscripts entering fast-track assessment, the first Editorial decision will be made within 7 working days.

If provisionally accepted, a revised manuscript must be returned to the Editorial office as soon as possible.

4. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the Editors will aim to publish it online 15 days after acceptance and in print within the following 8 weeks, provided galley proofs are returned within 72 hours.

Please note: all authors of accepted articles are required to sign an authorship statement. If your article is accepted for Fast Track Publication. you will be required to submit this form immediately: a delay in submitting the form signed by ALL authors will result in a delay in publication.

Preparation of manuscripts

All submitted manuscripts must not exceed 5000 words (or for Editorials 1500 words and Correspondence 500 words), including References, Figure Legends and Tables. The number of Tables, Figures and References should be appropriate to the manuscript content and should not be excessive. Style and spelling Oxford English spelling should be used. Authors whose first language is not English are requested to have their manuscripts checked carefully before submission. This will help expedite the review process and avoid confusion. Abbreviations of standard SI units of measurement only should be used. Declaration of Helsinki .

Sections of the manuscript. Clinical and Pre-clinical papers should be divided into the following sections: (1) Title page, (2) Abstract and Keywords, (3) Introduction, (4) Methods, (5) Results, (6) Discussion, (7) Acknowledge- ments, (8) References, (9) Figure legends, (10) Appendices, (11) Text tables, (12) Figures.

General format. Prepare your manuscript text using a Word processing package (save in .doc or .rtf format). Submissions of text in the form of PDF files are not permitted. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, including text, tables, legends and references.

Number each page. Please avoid footnotes; use instead, and as sparingly as possible, parenthesis within brackets. Enter text in the style and order of the journal. Type references in the correct order and style of the journal. Type unjustified, without hyphenation, except for compound words. Type headings in the style of the journal. Use the TAB key once for paragraph indents. Where possible use Times New Roman for the text font and Symbol for the Greek and special characters. Use the word processing formatting features to indicate Bold, Italic, Greek, Maths, Super- script and Subscript characters. Clearly identify unusual symbols and Greek letters. Differentiate between the letter O and zero, and the letters I and l and the number 1. Mark the approximate position of each figure and table. Check the final copy of your paper carefully, as any spelling mistakes and errors may be translated into the typeset version.

Title page. The title page should include the following: (1) the title, (2) the name(s) of authors (no more than 12 authors are acceptable), (3) the institution(s) where work was performed, (4) the position, institution, and location of all authors, (5) the telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the corresponding author (6) the institu- tional affiliations of the authors (including corporate appointments) should be acknowledged in a footnote.

Abstract. All abstracts may not contain more than 200 words. The abstract should be formatted with the following heading: (1) Background, (2)Objective(3) Methods (4) Results, (5) Conclusion.

Keywords. A maximum of six keywords may be submitted.

Figures. The review process will not begin until all figures are received. Figures should be limited to the number necessary for clarity and must not duplicate data given in tables or in the text. They must be suitable for high qual- ity reproduction and should be submitted in the desired final printed size so that reduction can be avoided. Figures

should be no larger than 125 (height) x 180 (width) mm (5 x 7 inches) and should be submitted in a separate file from that of the manuscript.

Electronic submission of figures. Figures should be saved in TIFF or jpg format at a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch at the final printed size for colour figures and photographs, and 1200 pixels per inch for black and white line drawings. Although some other formats can be translated into TIFF format by the publisher, the conver- sion may alter the tones, resolution and contrast of the image. Digital colour art should be submitted in CMYK rather than RGB format, as the printing process requires colours to be separated into CMYK and this conversion can alter the intensity and brightness of colours. Therefore authors should be satisfied with the colours in CMYK (both on screen and when printed) before submission. Please also keep in mind that colours can appear differently on different screens and printers. Failure to follow these guides could result in complications and delays.

Where there is difficulty submitting the figures electronically, they may be sent, separately from the manuscript, by post to:

Iranian Cardiovascular Research Journal, Zand Ave , Iranian Red Crescent Society

Photographs. Photographs should be of sufficiently high quality with respect to detail, contrast and fineness of grain to withstand the inevitable loss of contrast and detail inherent in the printing process. Please indicate the mag- nification by a rule on the photograph.

Colour figures. There is no charge for the inclusion of colour figures. Colour figures can be uploaded as online

Supplementary data at no charge.

Line drawings. Please provide these as clear, sharp illustrations, suitable for reproduction as submitted. All la- belling should be on the original. Faint and grey shading or stippling will be lost upon reproduction and should be avoided. Where various shadings are used within one figure please ensure that it is easy to differentiate between them, using standard shadings (see the hard copy of the journal for examples). There should be sufficient white space between lines and dots to ensure the areas will not fill in and look grey. If stippling is used, this should be made up of clear black dots with visible white space between them.

Ensure that the size of the lettering is in proportion with the overall dimensions of the drawing. Ideally, the drawings should be submitted in the desired final printed size to avoid reduction. If submitting line drawings which require reduction, please check that the lettering will be clearly legible after the drawing has been reduced to the size at which it will be printed. After reduction, letters should not be smaller than 2 mm in height.

Figure legends. These should be on a separate, numbered manuscript sheet grouped under the heading "Legends" on a separate sheet of the manuscript after the References. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. Common abbreviations and others in the preceding text should not be redefined in the legend

T ables. Tables should be typed with double spacing, but minimising redundant space, and each should be placed on a separate sheet. Tables should be submitted, wherever possible, in a portrait, as opposed to landscape, layout. Each Table should be numbered in sequence using Arabic numerals. Tables should also have a title above and an explanatory footnote below.

Acknowledgements. All sources of funding and support, and substantive contributions of individuals, should be noted in the Acknowledgements, positioned before the conflict of interest statement.

Reference format

(1) All publications cited in the text should be presented in a list of references following the text of the manu- script. The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spellings of authors' names are exactly the same in the text and in the list of references. Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

(2) References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned. In the text they should be cited with Arabic numerals between square brackets. For listing references, follow the JAMA style, abbreviating names of journals according to Index Medicus. List all authors/editors but if there are more than six, list the first six plus et al.

Article citation example

Afhami MR, Hasanzadeh P, Panahi JR. Evaluation the facility of endotracheal intubation with propofol and alfentanyl without muscle relaxants in elderly patients. MJIRC 2006; 8: 15-20.

Chapter citation example

Nichols WW, O'Rourke MF. Aging, high blood pressure and disease in humans. In: Arnold E, ed. Mc- Donald's Blood Flow in Arteries: Theoretical, Experimental and Clinical Principles. 3rd ed. London/ Melbourne/Auckland: Lea and Febiger; 1990. p. 398-420.

W ebpage citation example

Panteghini M. Recommendations on use of biochemical markers in acute coronary syndrome: IFCC pro-

posals. eJIFCC 14. http://www.ifcc.org/ejifcc/vol14no2/1402062003014n.htm (28 May 2004) Where the date in parenthesis refers to the access date.

Supplementary data

Supporting material that is not essential for inclusion in the full text of the manuscript, but would nevertheless benefit the reader, can be made available by the publisher as online-on- ly content, linked to the online manuscript. The material should not be essential to understanding the conclusions of the paper, but should contain data that is additional or complementary and directly relevant to the article content. Such information might include more detailed methods, extended data sets/data analysis, list of In- vestigators, or colour/additional figures.

All text and figures must be provided in suitable electronic formats (instructions for the preparation of Supple- mentary data can be viewed here). All material to be considered as Supplementary data must be submitted at the same time as the main manuscript for peer review. It cannot be altered or replaced after the paper has been accepted for publication. Please indicate clearly the material intended as Supplementary data upon submission. Also ensure that the Supplementary data is referred to in the main manuscript where necessary.

Statistics

All manuscripts selected for publication will be reviewed for the appropriateness and accuracy of the statisti- cal methods used and the interpretation of statistical results. All papers submitted should provide in their Methods section a subsection detailing the statistical methods, including the specific method used to summarize the data, the methods used to test their hypothesis testing and (if any) the level of significance used for hypothesis testing.

Sources of funding

All sources of funding for the work should be acknowledged in a footnote on the title page and in the Acknowl- edgements within the manuscript, as should all the institutional affiliations of the authors (including corporate ap- pointments).

Ethics

The authors should state that their study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki, that the locally appointed ethics committee has approved the research protocol and that informed consent has been obtained from the subjects (or their guardians).

Conflict of interest

All authors must make a formal statement at the time of submission indicating any potential conflict of interest that might constitute an embarrassment to any of the authors if it were not to be declared and were to emerge after publication. Such conflicts might include, but are not limited to, shareholding in or receipt of a grant or consultancy fee from a company whose product features in the submitted manuscript or which manufactures a competing prod- uct. All authors must submit a statement of Conflict of Interest to be published at the end of their article. If no Conflict of Interest is declared, this will be stated in the article using the following wording:

'Conflict of Interest: none declared'