Escamilla-Ortiz, Abilene Cirenia¹

Language: English/Spanish [Versi?n en espa?ol]
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The authors should know that publishing a manuscript takes a long way, from revising the article to its publication; an important part is to read and follow the authors' instructions of the journal in which they want to publish their manuscript, and at the same time see what kind of manuscripts the journal receives, as this can be a reason for rejection.¹

It is suggested that they review and read manuscripts from the journal they want to publish to see the format.¹

The editor(s) should not feel free pressured by the author since they want their manuscript to be published quickly, even if they send letters explaining that they are about to obtain an academic degree, promotion, qualification, etc.¹

The author should be familiar with the manuscript submission platform since suggestions and corrections made by the reviewers, or the editor will be sent to the author in case of being accepted for review.¹

In recent years, some authors, impatient to publish without waiting for the times that can take up to eight months, have opted to fall prey to predatory journals that offer to publish in less time and at a lower cost,² and should understand that there is no shortcut.

Nathan Efron compares the instructions for authors to the safety instructions on a flight; most do not listen or pay attention to them because they already know them or have heard them many times,³ so he recommends adhering to the authors' instructions of the journal to which the manuscript is intended to be sent, this makes it more likely to be published, out of respect for the journal and the editor and finally out of pride.³

Some authors need help to read and adhere to the instructions for authors, probably because they trust that the editor will do his or her job, but in most cases, this is not the case, as their manuscript may be rejected from the start.

Editors or reviewers verify that authors have adhered to the instructions. Otherwise, it may be thought that the author is not a reader of that journal, or another journal has already rejected the manuscript.⁴

They should follow the instructions to know how many authors should be included according to the type of manuscript, format, typeface, figures, or images. The latter should follow the journal's requirements since they may not be original or may have been manipulated.⁴

Some journals, including Surgeon General, provide authors with a checklist to verify that the requested information has been fulfilled before submitting the article for review.

REFERENCES

1. Jawaid SA, Jawaid M. Author's failure to read and follow instruction leads to increased trauma to their manuscripts. Pak J Med Sci. 2018; 34: 519-524.

2. Escamilla OA. Revistas depredadoras, un problema actual. Cir Gen. 2019; 41: 141-143.

3. Efron N. On the importance of adhering to instructions to authors. Clin Exp Optom. 2022; 105: 561.

4. Kojima T, Barroga E. The significance of understanding and following instructions to authors for manuscript preparation. Jpn J Gastroenterol Surg. 2014; 47: 302-303.

AFFILIATIONS

¹ Editor, Surgeon General. ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-5635-5845

CORRESPONDENCE

Abilene Cirenia Escamilla-Ortiz. E-mail: escamillaoa@amcg.org.mx