Submissions

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Author Guidelines

Article Types

SDJ SSO – Science and Clinical Topics publishes original research papers, theoretical and methodological papers, case studies and short clinical topics.

In the Scientific Article format, these submission types can be considered:

  • Original research papers report empirical studies (based on quantitative and/or qualitative methods) and range between 4,000 and 7,000 words (plus abstract, notes, tables and figures, references, and supplements).
  • Theoretical papers present innovative theories and models for health communication. The specifications are the same as for original research papers.
  • Methodological papers focus on methodological issues relevant for the discipline (e.g., tracking health data). The specifications are the same as for original research papers.
  • Review articles systematise the existing literature or present a meta-analysis of published results or multiple data sets. The specifications are the same as for original research papers.
  • Research reports focus on methods, such as the development of a new questionnaire, or they feature small empirical studies that do not require an extensive theoretical rationale. They contain up to 3,000 words, excluding abstract, notes, tables and figures, references, and supplements.

Please note that scientific articles should be in English, and contain an extended abstract of approximately 500 words in French and German. The extended abstract is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion (D: Zusammenfassung: Einleitung, Material und Methoden, Resultate, Diskussion;
 F: Résumé: Introduction, Matériels et methodes, Résultats, Discussion). Please use this template when preparing your manuscript.

The Clinical Topics section of our journal will consider the following manuscript types:

  • Clinical topic: this can be a case series, an extended case report, or a presentation related to a clinical technique or material. Please use this template when preparing your manuscript.
  • Clinical short topic: This is the former "Thema des Monats" format. Please proceed as indicated in the template.

These clinical articles also require an Abstract in English of maximally 250 word for the publication in PubMed. Articles should be in French or German, and will be presented in the original language of submission. For our printed journals, these articles will be translated into either French or German.

As an online journal, SDJ SSO – Science and Clinical Topics is able to publish all types of electronic supplements. The idea of supplements is to provide information that is not essential for the basic understanding of the article but nevertheless provide the reader with additional insights into instruments, measures, datasets, statistical models etc.

Ethical requirements
Manuscripts that describe the results of trials involving humans or animals are only accepted for publication if it is clear from the text that the studies were conducted in accordance with the highest ethical standards for human and/or animal welfare. In the case of experimental studies involving animals, the reference number of the animal testing permit issued by the affiliated veterinary office must be included. In addition, written approval by the relevant ethical committee must be submitted alongside the manuscript. In the case of prospective clinical trials involving humans, the article must include a note indicating that the requirements of the Declaration of Helsinki regarding informed consent have been met. Furthermore, the authors must provide the written approval for the study issued by the relevant ethics committee. Photographs depicting a patient’s face (frontal or profile) must be presented in such a way as to protect the person’s identity. If done otherwise it is necessary to acquire written permission from the patient prior to submission.

Plagiarism
Authors must declare that they have written the manuscript independently and have not used any sources other than those indicated. All passages taken verbatim or in spirit from other sources have been marked as such. This also applies to AI-supported resources (see AI guidelines). Otherwise, the authors are in breach of plagiarism regulations. Swiss Dental Journal SSO – Science and Clinical Topics reserves the right to take legal action.

AI Guidelines for Preparing Manuscripts
Artificial intelligence (AI) natural language processing tools such as ChatGPT are permitted as aids for preparing a manuscript. The tool may not be listed as an author on a submitted manuscript as AI tools do not fulfil the criteria required to qualify for authorship. If AI tools are employed for generating text in Reviews, articles, or for producing figures, this must be clearly stated in the manuscript in the Acknowledgments section. Authors should include all tool details, including the program version and for which parts of the article the tool has been used. Authors are held responsible for the content of their Review, Note, Report or other articles. Authors must rigorously check any parts generated by an AI tool; verifying references generated by an AI tool is particularly important.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • The manuscript has not been previously published, nor is it under review with another journal (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The authors confirm that their study was performed according to the highest ethical standards relating to human and/or animal welfare. An approval note by the ethics committee in charge is submitted alongside with the manuscript.
  • Figures are submitted in JPG or PDF format in adequate size.
  • The corresponding author confirms that all co-authors have agreed to the submission.
  • Conflicts of interest are either stated in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript, or the authors state explicitly that they deny any possible conflict of interest in that same section (Acknowledgements).
  • No author is listed who did not make any substantial contribution to the manuscript. Being the head of a clinic or research group per se does not qualify to be listed as an author.
  • The text is formatted according to the SDJ article template for Scientific Articles Scientific Articles or Clinical Topics.
  • The text adheres to the bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines (NLM, also known as Vancouver).
  • Extended abstracts in German and French (Section Science) or in English (Section Clinical Topics and Clinical Short Topics) are included.
  • All authors declare that they have written the manuscript independently and have not used any sources other than those indicated. This also applies to AI-supported resources (see AI guidelines). All passages taken verbatim or in spirit from other sources have been marked as such.

Copyright Notice

The authors agree to the following license and copyright agreement:

  1. Authors retain copyright in their work.

  2. Authors grant the Swiss Dental Journal SSO – Science and Clinical topics the right of first publication online on the internet (on the publication platform HOPE of the Main Library of the University of Zurich).

  3. The electronic contributions on the internet are distributed under the «Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International»-License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows others to copy and redistribute the work in any medium or format, to remix, transform and build upon the material with an acknowledgement of the work’s authorship and initial publication in Swiss Dental Journal SSO – Science and Clinical Topics. These conditions are irrevocable. The full text of the license may be read under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  4. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of their work, as long as the conditions of the CC BY 4.0 License are fulfilled and initial publication in the European Journal of Health Communication is acknowledged.

  5. Authors grant the Editors commercial rights, using a publishing house, to produce hardcopy volumes of the journal for sale to libraries and individuals, as well as to integrate the manuscript, its title, and its abstract in databases, abstracting and indexing services, and other similar information services.

  6. This agreement is subject to possible legal disclosure obligations.

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