Publisher Policies

The Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology (formerly known as Revista Colombiana de Anestesiología) is a publication of the Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (S.C.A.R.E.) (Colombian Society of Anesthesiology and Resuscitation (S.C.A.R.E.), featuring quarterly and in advance (Online First) articles in all areas of anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, intensive care, pain medicine and palliative care. 

The Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology is the unique peer-reviewed journal published by the Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (S.C.A.R.E.). Its editorial policies are dedicated and were developed to the Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology and adhere to the editorial policies of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology is published in two languages (Spanish and English), electronic (online and for mobile devices) format and circulates quarterly. To work properly, it relies on an article management system, on an Editorial Committee made up of professionals with high levels of academic training (master and doctorate level), and on recent scientific publications in indexed journals.

All articles that comply with the requirements outlined in the guidelines for authors go through a peer revision process. The peers, in turn, are professionals with high levels of academic training (master and doctorate level with scientific publications in indexed journals in the last two years. Comments from academic peers are sent to the authors for their review and incorporation in the articles. All the articles are later evaluated by the Editorial Committee, which decides which will be included in the following issue. Peer’s work is registered and certified at Publons.

Both the decisions of the Editor in Chief and of the Editorial Committee are autonomous and independent of the Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (S.C.A.R.E.)  and its financial backers.

Once the articles are accepted and proofread (which once again requires adjustments and acceptance from the authors), they continue on to copyediting, translation, and layout . Preliminary samples are sent again to the authors, who review them and suggest modifications to the diagramming. These will be incorporated into the final version of the article for publication. This journal management system is online through the web portal: www.revcolanest.com.co. The proper functioning of the journal management system is the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief and of the Scientific Directorate through the Research and Scientific Publications area.

The decisions and directives of the Journal are recorded in the minutes of the Editorial Committee. All documents that support the Journal’s editorial process are archived according to NTC ISO 9001:2015 norms.

 

Selection of editors and members of the editorial committee

Committee Members are chosen for their academic and scientific expertise in key areas related to the journal, such as anesthesiology, perioperative medicine, intensive care, pain medicine, and palliative care, for their international presence in the field, research expertise, or editorial policies. The experience of the Members must be verified through their curriculum vitae CV in which degrees obtained, academic distinctions, teaching experience, publications they have made in scientific journals, contribution to books or book chapters, clinical experience, participation in research projects, and in some cases the influence that the person may have in the field of anesthesiology (public positions, innovation,  spokespersons for social groups, etc.) will be taken into account. The Members of the Editorial Committee of the Journal must be nominated by other Members of the Committee.

The Editorial professional will be in charge of verifying that the contents of the CV of the nominated members meet the requirements to be considered as a suitable expert to make decisions regarding the CJA. This verification will be presented during a meeting of the Committee in which the candidates will be evaluated. The selection of the Members is made through a discussion of the Editorial Committee of the current Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology.

 

Editorial publisher policies

The Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology is the unique peer-reviewed journal published by the Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (S.C.A.R.E.). Its editorial policies are dedicated and were developed to the Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology and adhere to the editorial policies of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

 

Peer review policy

The Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology applies a stringent peer review policy. The Journal uses a double-blind review process. The identities of the authors and thematic and/or methodological reviewers are kept in anonymity throughout the entire review and evaluation process. The editor will usually conduct an initial evaluation of the article to ensure suitability in accordance with the objectives of the Journal and to determine compliance with the requirements for submission.

When the result of this process is positive, the manuscript will then be sent to a minimum of two independent expert thematic reviewers (peer review) to assess the scientific quality of the paper. Peer reviewers are usually local, regional or international experts in the subject matter. This process will take place through the submission platform, leading to communication, as soon as possible, of the decisions made by the editorial team as a consensus of reviewer and editor opinions.

At the end of the submission process, the editorial team, led by the editor, will decide whether to accept or reject the article and will also make a decision regarding suggestions for the authors. Given the above, it is very important to write the first page (also known as page 1) in a separate form, including full information of the authors and their institutional affiliations, as well as all relevant information such as conflict of interest, appreciation and contact information: e-mail, postal address and telephone number. This information is an integral part of the submission described herein for authors. It is understood that, at least during this phase, names of institutions or authors must not be mentioned in the body of the manuscript.

For more information regarding the origin and importance of this process, reading the following articles is recommended:

Miller DR y Donati F. Peer review policies and the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia: an update for authors and readers. Can J Anesth. 2007;54(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03021892

 

Advertising policy

All advertisements are fully independent from the editorial decisions. Editorial decisions are not influenced by sponsors, advertisers, or marketing decisions. Neither the Management team nor the Editorial Committee have direct contact with advertisers, and they don't have influence over the work of the Editorial Committee or peer reviewers

All advertisements are received and handled by CORE Servicios (https://coreservicios.com.co/). CORE Servicios doesn't have control over, or prior knowledge of specific editorial content before it is published. Any inquiries or interest in advertising with the Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology can be sent to s.villamil@coreservicios.com.co.

Advertisement requests are subject to approval of the Coordinator of scientific research and publications of S.C.A.R.E. who verifies that content isn't deceptive or misleading, doesn't relate to harmful practices or treatments, and isn't offensive or indecent. Any product or service advertised in the journal should be related to the interests of the anesthesiology national or international community.

 

Research ethics policy

Colombian Journal of Anesthesiology and its publisher Sociedad Colombiana de Anestesiología y Reanimación (S.C.A.R.E.) adhere to all guidelines of the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE).

 

Originality

All submitted manuscripts must be the work of the authors identified and must not have been published previously or be under consideration in another journal. Editors will subject manuscripts submitted for publication to a plagiarism detection software test. Manuscripts referring to material that has appeared or is in the process of being published in abridged or preliminary form in other publications will not be considered. Redundant or duplicate publications will be assessed within the context of the indications provided by the ICMJE.

The ICMJE has provided details about what is and is not a duplicate or redundant publication. In case of doubt (in particular, regarding material you have published on a website), we ask you to continue with the process of submitting your manuscript but attaching a copy of the previously published paper or the paper submitted for consideration by other journals. Authors must attach to their article a letter mentioning any paper already published relating to the same patients or subjects to whom the current paper refers.

 

Authorship and changes in authorship

All individuals designated as authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria, and all qualifying authors must be listed. Each author must have participated sufficiently in the paper to assume public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

One or more of the authors must assume responsibility for the completeness of the paper, from conception to publication. Credits for authorship should be based on 1) substantial contributions to the conception and design, or data collection or data analysis and interpretation for the paper; 2) writing or critical review to confirm that the intellectual content is important; 3) final approval of the version for publication; and 4) acceptance of responsibility for all aspects of the paper and assurance of having researched and resolved questions related to the accuracy or completeness of any part of the paper. All the conditions described in items 1, 2, 3 and 4 must be met. Per se, funding, data collection or supervision activities of the research group do not justify authorship. All individuals who have contributed to the paper, but not as authors, should be mentioned in the Acknowledgements section.

Any change related to authorship or to contributions such as additions, deletions or reorganization of authors, after submission of the manuscript for consideration, must be approved in writing by all authors (including the added or withdrawn author) and submitted to the Editorial Office for final consideration. Requests for changes in authorship must come directly from the corresponding author and be submitted to the Editorial Office of the Journal.

All requests must state the reason for the name change and refer to the written permission of all authors.

 

Content ownership, plagiarism, and authorizations

All figures presented must be the exclusive property of authors. In the case of figures that do not meet this requirement, authors must request direct authorization. Authors are responsible for obtaining this authorization. Credits must be included in the key of all authorized printed figures.

These requirements apply in the following cases: 1) Previously published materials, such as adapted figures and tables or direct citations of over 50 words, require the permission of the copyright holder (usually the original publisher). 2) Unpublished data (i.e., from a conversation or manuscript in preparation) require the authorization of the relevant researcher. 3) Photographs showing unmasked faces require authorization from the study subject shown in the photograph. If it is not possible to obtain the consent of the subject or patient, the photographs must be masked.

The Journal uses plagiarism detection software during the initial assessment of submitted manuscripts. Authors are responsible for obtaining and uploading any needed permissions and for clearly and completely identifying any overlapping material and/or quoted or paraphrased passages with proper attribution in the text to avoid plagiarism (including self-plagiarism). 

 

Retractions and list of errors

The Journal shall proceed with retractions or removal of articles based on information from the authors or editors due to errors or lack of data to support the results or poor reproducibility thereof. Retraction notices shall be published in citable form and will appear as an article of the Journal itself.

The list of errors is used to correct or add text or information appearing in any place of a previously published article. The list of errors shall be labelled and published in citable form and will appear as an article of the Journal itself as correction of published material.

 

Legal content repository

The Colombian legislation requires that all written materials developed in Colombia must be in compliance with the Legal Repository Law and that a copy of the published materials be forwarded to the Colombian National Library. All of the material derived from this Journal  is forwarded to the Colombian National Library for preservation and assurance of public access to cultural heritage.

 

Duplicate Publication, Plagiarism and Fabrication

Manuscripts containing original material are accepted for consideration if neither the article nor any part of its essential substance, tables, or figures has been or will be published or submitted elsewhere before appearing in the Journal (in part or in full, in other words or in the same words, in English or in another language), and will not be submitted elsewhere unless rejected by the Journal or withdrawn by the author. (This restriction is exclusive of abstracts of the work submitted for presentation to learned societies and scholarly forums).

Simultaneous submissions of the same article to multiple journals are prohibited. If an author violates this requirement or engages in similar misconduct, The Journal Editorial Board may reject the manuscript or impose a moratorium on acceptance of new manuscripts from the author. If it deems the misconduct sufficiently serious, the Editorial Board can refer the matter for investigation to the author's academic institution or hospital or to the appropriate state or local disciplinary body. A letter of permission is required for any and all material that has been published previously or is "in press" by another journal. It is the responsibility of the author to request permission from the publisher for any material that is being reproduced. This requirement applies to text, illustrations, and tables.

The Journal online submission system employs an automated plagiarism/duplicate publication software. As such, we use this program strategically to help us discover instances of misconduct at the earliest stages of manuscript submission. Plagiarism is when an author passes off the work of someone else as his or her own. This can also include self-plagiarism, which happens when an author reuses portions of his or her previously published work without the proper references. Manuscripts containing plagiarized content will not be considered for publication in The Journal. All authors need to take responsibility for their manuscripts. If your name is on a manuscript, make sure all of the material in the paper either is original or is properly cited and has proper permission to be reproduced. If you have a question about the originality of any part of a manuscript, verify it with your coauthors. Senior authors should pay special attention to what the junior authors are doing and where they are sending their manuscripts. If you realize you have made an error of dual publication or plagiarism inadvertently, proactively contact the editorial office. It is much better to come forward of your own volition than to have an accusation made against you.

If the Journal learns of a case of plagiarism after publication, The Journal will conduct an investigation. If plagiarism is found, the author, the author's institution and funding agencies, and the original publication will be notified. A statement noting the plagiarism, providing a reference to the plagiarized material, and linking to the original to the original paper may follow. Depending on the extent of the plagiarism, the paper may also be formally retracted.

 

Image Integrity

Illustrations, figures, and tables should be labeled clearly, arranged symmetrically, in either “portrait” or “landscape” orientation, and numbered sequentially in the text. Photographs should be identical in terms of size, position, and lighting. Figures must be accompanied by legends attached at the end of the manuscript. Graphics altering programs can be used to assemble multi-panel images, clean up dust specs from scanning in originals, and cropping. However, these programs should not be used improperly to attempt to modify results.

 

Conflict of Interest

All sources of funds supporting the work and a statement of financial interest, if any, must be included for each author of a manuscript, along with a list of all products, devices, drugs, etc. used in the manuscript. All manuscripts must have this information. Each author is required at the time of submission to disclose any commercial associations or financial disclosures that might pose or create a conflict of interest with information presented in any submitted manuscript. Such associations include any of the following: consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest, patent licensing arrangements, payments for conduction or publicizing a study described in the manuscript, royalty recipient, grant recipient, employee, board member and review panel member.

 

Correction and Retraction Policy

The Journal takes full responsibility to correct errors as they occur. Content that is published online or in an issue is considered the final published record and must be preserved; therefore all changes to articles must be made as a formal correction. Corrections will be published online and in the next available issue and will be bi-directionally linked to the original article. These corrections will then be transmitted to indexing services and other aggregating databases.

Corrections will be reviewed and considered if they affect the publication record, the scientific integrity of the paper, or the reputation of the authors, or of the Journal. Corrections that do not significantly affect the paper may not be approved (i.e. a spelling error).

Retractions will be considered if results are invalid or ethical guidelines have been violated (i.e. applicable cases of plagiarism or ghostwriting). All coauthors must sign a retraction detailing the error and how the conclusions were affected.

All decisions about corrections or retractions are made by the Editor. Author consultation may be required. In situations where coauthors disagree about a correction, the Editors will consult with independent peer-reviewers before applying the appropriate correction. The dissenting author(s) position will be noted on the correction.

 

Informed consent policy

All articles based on original data, derived from animal or human studies, must include a statement of ethical approval in the Methods section. This paragraph must contain the following information: name and address of the responsible ethics committee, protocol number assigned by such ethics committee and date of approval by the ethics committee. This section is mandatory. For example: This study received ethical approval (Ethics Committee No. NAC 207) from the NAC Ethics Committee of University Hospitals in Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland, on February 12, 2015.

For studies or case reports involving human participants, clear reference must be made in the text to the written informed consent obtained from study participants; the latest version of the Declaration of Helsinki should also be consulted. 

For animal experiments, the guidelines for animal care and the licenses applied to conduct the study should be mentioned and reported in accordance with the ARRIVE statement (Animals in Research: Report of In Vivo Experiments). 

If the authorization of ethics bodies is not necessary, or if there is any deviation from these ethical requirements, the reason must be stated. Publishers may request evidence of authorization from ethics bodies. If you have the approval of a national drug agency (or similar), you should mention it and provide the details, as it will be particularly useful when it comes to the application of unregistered drugs.

It is essential to protect the patient's right to privacy. Copies of informed consents in which patients or other experimental subjects explicitly grant their authorization for the publication of photographs or other materials allowing their identification should be collected and kept. If you do not clearly include this in your research consent form, you must obtain that authorization or remove the identification material.

If photographs of people are used, their identity must be masked or, otherwise, informed consent for their use must be obtained. If necessary, Editors may request copies of the informed consents. In the case of previously published figures, credit must be given to the original source and, together with the material, the written authorization of the holder of the copyright must be given for the printed format and also for the electronic format. Authorization is mandatory, regardless of authorship or publisher, except for documents that are already in the public domain.