Author Submission Guidelines
Instructions for authors preparing and submitting original surgical investigations, rare clinical case reports, innovative operative technique descriptions, and clinical reviews to JSCCR.
Scope & Accepted Article Categories
The Journal of Surgery and Clinical Case Research (JSCCR) welcomes submissions in all surgical disciplines, including General Surgery, Orthopedic & Trauma Surgery, Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery, Neurosurgery, Surgical Oncology, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, and Minimally Invasive / Robotic Surgery.
Original Surgical Research
Up to 3,500 wordsProspective or retrospective clinical investigations, randomized trials, surgical outcome analyses, and diagnostic accuracy studies.
Surgical Case Reports
1,200 – 1,800 wordsRare anatomical anomalies, unexpected operative findings, surgical complications and their successful salvage, or novel therapeutic dilemmas adhering to CARE guidelines.
Operative Techniques & Surgical Innovations
1,500 – 2,500 wordsStep-by-step description of technical modifications, new laparoscopic/robotic approaches, novel instrumentation usage, or operative pearls.
Comprehensive Reviews & Meta-Analyses
4,000 – 5,000 wordsIn-depth evaluations of evolving surgical paradigms, systematic reviews of operative trials, and clinical practice guideline syntheses.
Clinical Images in Surgery
Up to 500 wordsStriking clinical, radiological, or intraoperative images demonstrating pathognomonic surgical signs or unusual intraoperative pathologies.
Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
Manuscripts must be submitted in clean English (American or British spelling consistently maintained throughout). Authors whose primary language is not English are strongly advised to seek medical editing before submission.
1. Title Page (Unblinded for Office)
- Concise and informative title (avoid abbreviations).
- Full names of all authors with middle initials, institutional affiliations, and departmental addresses.
- Corresponding author's physical address, institutional email, telephone number, and ORCID iD.
- Word count for abstract and main text, plus count of figures and tables.
- Conflict of interest statements and specific grant/funding disclosures.
2. Anonymized Manuscript File
- All author names, hospital/institution names, and identifying geographic markers must be removed for double-blind peer review.
- Microsoft Word (.docx) format with standard 12 pt font (Times New Roman or Calibri) and 1.5 line spacing with continuous line numbering.
3. Case Presentation Structure (CARE Guidelines)
- Patient Information: Age, biological sex, relevant demographic background, medical/surgical history.
- Clinical Findings: Physical examination findings, presenting symptoms, and clinical timeline.
- Diagnostic Assessment: Preoperative laboratory, radiological (CT/MRI/Ultrasound), or endoscopic findings.
- Operative Intervention: Step-by-step surgical management, anesthetic protocol, operative positioning, unexpected anatomical findings, and blood loss.
- Postoperative Course: Recovery timeline, surgical drains, complication management (Clavien-Dindo classification), and pathology confirmation.
- Clinical Takeaway & Discussion: Comparison with existing literature, surgical teaching points, and justification for novel management.
4. Figure & Operative Photography Specifications
- Photographs and color intraoperative figures: Minimum 300 DPI resolution in TIFF, PNG, or high-quality JPEG format.
- Line drawings and graphs: Minimum 600–1200 DPI resolution.
- Patient Privacy: Eyes must be blacked out or masked. Any identifiable anatomical tattoos or scars must be cropped unless clinically essential and explicitly consented to.
- Metadata Scrub: All DICOM, radiological (CT/MRI), and ultrasound images must be scrubbed of patient name, hospital ID/MRN, and examination date.
- Figure Legends: Explicit legends describing anatomical view (e.g., anteroposterior, laparoscopic view from umbilical port), arrow callouts, and histopathology stains (e.g., H&E stain, 40× magnification).
5. Vancouver Citation & Reference Style
- References must be numbered consecutively in order of appearance in the text using bracketed numbers [1], [2-4].
- List all authors if six or fewer; if seven or more, list the first six followed by 'et al.'
- Include active DOI strings (e.g., https://doi.org/10.xxxx/yyyy) for all indexed references.
- Format example: Vance A, Rostova E, Tanaka H. Minimally invasive salvage of retroperitoneal vascular anomalies. J Surg Clin Case Res. 2026;1(1):12-18.
Operative Figures, Videos & Photography Standards
Clinical Photography Checklist
Photographs must be minimum 300 DPI. Line drawings and graphs must be minimum 600 DPI. Upload figures separately as individual files.
Strip all patient names, dates of birth, MRNs, and hospital identifiers from CT, MRI, ultrasound scans, and histological slide labels.
Use white or high-contrast arrows to highlight pathognomonic lesions, surgical margins, or anomalous vasculature, defined in the legend.
MP4 format (H.264 codec), max 150 MB, maximum 5-7 minutes duration. Audio narration in English or concise English subtitles is mandatory.
Ethical Compliance & Patient Consent
Mandatory Patient Informed Consent
For all Case Reports and Operative Videos containing patient clinical information, photographs, or imaging, written informed consent for publication must be obtained from the patient (or parent/legal guardian if minor or deceased). A statement confirming this must be explicitly included in the manuscript text:
COPE Adherence
JSCCR adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines for research misconduct, authorship, and dispute resolution.
IRB & Ethics Approval
Human research studies must state the name of the granting Institutional Review Board (IRB) and protocol approval number.
Plagiarism Screening
All incoming submissions are screened through Crossref Similarity Check (iThenticate). Similarity over 15% triggers immediate rejection.
Peer Review Process & Editorial Timeline
Editor-in-Chief scope check, CARE checklist validation, and plagiarism scan.
Evaluation by at least two independent expert surgical referees.
Author revisions re-evaluated by Section Editor for final acceptance.
Proof approval, Crossref DOI registration, and open-access publication.
Submit Your Manuscript
Ready to contribute to the Journal of Surgery and Clinical Case Research?
- Title Page with complete affiliations & ORCIDs
- Anonymized manuscript (.docx) with line numbers
- Signed patient consent documentation
- Figures in separate high-res (300+ DPI) files
Please use subject line: Manuscript Submission: [Article Type] - [Short Title]
Our editorial triage office confirms receipt and provides a manuscript tracking ID within 24 hours.