Hepato-Gastroenterology publishes work on topics concerning the medical and surgical management of GI diseases, including the exploration of new therapeutic trends. Original, unpublished papers undergo peer review before being accepted for publication. Authors are invited to suggest potential reviewers. However, in all cases, the editorial staff's decision is final.

ACCEPTANCE

• Initial acceptance is purely on grounds of medical interest and merit.
• Editorial acceptance follows when the paper/article is being prepared for typesetting. Papers must conform absolutely to the regulations below, otherwise they will be returned UNEDITED for rewrite.
  NOTE: To prevent delays in publication, we strongly suggest that papers should be checked carefully for grammatical, lexical and spelling errors BEFORE submission. Also note, Please note that all materials submitted become property of the publisher and will not be returned.

The journal publishes several types of paper:

• Original Papers: presenting the results of full-length studies
• Case Reports
• Invited Papers (Special Topics): a series of articles on a selected GI topic.

Hepato-Gastroenterology editors select a group of co-authors to cover various related aspects. Readers are welcome to submit suggestions for Special Topics.

• Surgical Techniques: outlining new surgical procedures
• Literature Reviews
• 'Express Communication' Original Papers or Case Reports (see below for further information)

The Editors also welcome submission of:

• reports of especially interesting or challenging cases.
• unusual or interesting photographs.
• quiz questions.
• letters to the Editor.
• 'calendar' information regarding GI-related congresses and meetings worldwide.
• editorial articles.
• news from around the world.
• feature articles on work/research being carried out in particular geographic locations.
• feature articles relevant to the field of GI medicine.

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

1. Cover Letter
The initial submission must include a cover letter. This should explain any deviations from the standard format and any potential conflicts concerning the exclusive nature of the paper. The author is welcome to supply a brief description of the paper together with 3-5 names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of potential reviewers. The names and complete mailing addresses (including e-mail addresses) of all co-authors should be included in the cover letter.

2. Manuscript
Include 3 complete sets of the manuscript (with full page photocopies of any figures). The submission should be typed (font size 11 or 12), double-spaced with 1" margins on A4 paper. The first author's surname should appear in the header on each page after the Title Page. Number all pages consecutively, starting with the Title Page. Manuscripts should not exceed 15 pages, including references, tables and illustrations.
Upon initial acceptance, the authors will be asked to supply a Word file of the manuscript on 3.5" disk. Do not include a disk in the initial submission.

3. Title Page
The title Page should include:

• the title of the article (not more than 85 characters long, including spaces).
• a running title (not more than 45 characters long, including spaces).
• the names of all authors involved.
• the name and location of the department or institution where the work was performed.
• the corresponding author's full name, postal address, phone and fax number and e-mail address.
• information regarding whether the authors consider the paper an Original Paper, Case Report etc.
• information regarding in which section of the journal the authors wish their paper to be placed.
• acknowledgement of any financial support.
• a list of key words.
• a list of all abbreviations used.

4a. Original Papers and Case Reports: ABSTRACT
Original Papers must include an abstract of no more than 200 words. Do not include abbreviations, references or footnotes in the abstract. The abstract must have four sections:

• BACKGROUND/AIMS, outlining the precise purpose of the paper
• METHODOLOGY, giving a brief description of materials used and a concise explanation of the methods
• RESULTS, providing a summary of the findings
• CONCLUSIONS, explaining the significance of the work
  
  
  

4b. Reviews and Surgical Techniques: SHORT SUMMARY

5. INTRODUCTION
The introduction should give brief background information and state the reasons and purposes behind the study.

6. METHODOLOGY
This section must give sufficient information to permit detailed evaluation and duplication of the work by other investigators. Ethical guidelines followed must be described. Approval of institutional human research review committees or animal welfare committees should be cited. An outline of the statistical methods should be included here.

7. RESULTS
In this section, the findings of the work should be presented. Use tables and figures where appropriate to improve the clarity of the presentation.

8. DISCUSSION
Discuss the results in relation to other published works in the same field. Offer explanations for any differences between the presented work and previous studies. Identify hypotheses and speculation clearly.

9. LANGUAGE
The standard language of the journal is American English.

10. ABBREVIATIONS
The first appearance in the text should be written in full, with the abbreviation given afterwards in parentheses. Subsequently, only the abbreviation should be given. See below for common abbreviations.

11. NUMBERS
A number at the beginning of a sentence should be written in full. Otherwise, a number should be given in digit form.
Example: The control group included 60 subjects (34 men and 26 women). Forty-five of them were healthy volunteers (24 men and 21 women).
There should not be a space between numbers and mathematical symbols or measurement values.
Example: 35%; p<0.021; 1.5cm; 2560x103/µL

12. REFERENCES
Number references consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. Punctuation, order, capitalization and spacing must conform EXACTLY with the example given below.

7 Primrose JN, Axon ATR, Johnston D: Highly selective vagotomy and duodenal ulcers that fail to respond to H2 receptor agonists. Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi 1988; 296:1031-1045. (In Japanese with English abstract)

NOTE:

• no period (full-stop) after reference number
• no periods between or after initials
• colon after final name
• only first letter of title capitalized
• period at end of title
• journal abbreviation conforming to Index Medicus, National
  library of Medicine (see below)
  semi-colon after year
• colon, no space between issue number and page numbers
• hyphen, no spaces between page numbers
• period at end
  
  
  

13. Tables
Tables should be typed on separate A4 sheets. Place the table number and title above the table, and any explanatory notes below the table. All tables must be included on the disk when this is submitted. Please use tabs rather than spaces to separate columns.

14. Figure Legends
Figure Legends should be typed on a separate A4 sheet. Figures should be numbered in order of presentation in the text. The legends should permit interpretation of the figures without reference to the text. All figure legends must be included on the disk when this is submitted.

15. Figures
Submit 3 complete sets of high-quality glossy prints in 3 separate envelopes. Use only the minimum number of figures required to illustrate a point. Do not duplicate data already present in the text or tables. Figures should be submitted in their actual size with labels at least 1.5mm high. The largest size that can be published without reduction is 17.5cm wide and 22cm high. If scanned figures/tables are to be submitted within the Word document, they should be scanned at a resolution of 304 dpi. Please submit a suggested layout for related figures on a separate sheet. Do not mount figures. Attach to the back of each figure a self-adhesive label with the author's last name, the figure number and an arrow pointing to the top. Note: color illustrations are accepted if they make an exceptional contribution to the article. Authors will be required to subsidize the publication of color figures at a cost of 128 EUR per figure.

DISK SUBMISSION

GALLEY PROOFS

EXPRESS COMMUNICATION

IGSC EDITORIAL AND HEAD OFFICE