GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS

Sapiens in Health Sciences (SHS) is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal dedicated to publishing original research that contributes to the advancement of knowledge in the health sciences. The journal promotes the generation, synthesis, translation, and application of scientific evidence related to health outcomes, quality of care, patient safety, interdisciplinary healthcare, and evidence-based practice.

SHS welcomes contributions from researchers, healthcare professionals, educators, and students in medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, dentistry, nutrition, obstetrics, and related disciplines, fostering interdisciplinary approaches aimed at improving healthcare delivery and population well-being.

Types of Manuscripts Accepted

Original Research Articles

Original research articles present unpublished findings derived from quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods studies. Manuscripts must provide relevant evidence for clinical practice, healthcare management, community health, or the improvement of health outcomes.

Recommended length: 3,000–6,500 words.

Mandatory structure:

  • Title
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Methodology
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions
  • References
  • Conflict of Interest Statement
  • Data Availability Statement
  • Funding Statement
  • Author Contributions

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

These manuscripts provide rigorous syntheses of scientific evidence designed to answer a clearly defined research question.

Authors must strictly follow the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines.

The following elements are mandatory:

  • Search strategy.
  • Databases consulted.
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria.
  • Methodological quality assessment.
  • PRISMA flow diagram.

Recommended length: 3,500–7,500 words.

Narrative Reviews

Critical and interpretative analyses of scientific literature addressing topics relevant to the health sciences.

Recommended length: 3,000–6,000 words.

Case Reports and Case Studies

These manuscripts describe clinical situations, healthcare interventions, or professional experiences of scientific and educational relevance.

Authors must follow the CARE (Case Report Guidelines).

Recommended length: 2,000–3,500 words.

Short Communications

Short communications present preliminary findings, methodological innovations, or results of immediate interest to the scientific community.

Recommended length: up to 2,500 words.

Research Protocols

Research protocols describe studies in the planning or implementation phase, promoting scientific transparency and reproducibility.

Recommended length: 2,500–5,000 words.

Methodological Articles

Methodological articles present instrument validation studies, methodological developments, analytical models, clinical tools, or innovative procedures applied to the health sciences.

International Reporting Guidelines

To strengthen scientific quality and research transparency, authors are expected to follow the appropriate international reporting guideline according to the study design.

Study Type

Recommended Guideline

Clinical Trials

CONSORT

Observational Studies

STROBE

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

PRISMA 2020

Qualitative Studies

COREQ

Case Reports

CARE

Research Protocols

SPIRIT

Languages of Publication

The journal accepts manuscripts in:

  • Spanish
  • English
  • Portuguese

Authors whose native language is not English are encouraged to obtain professional language editing prior to submission.

Manuscript Format

Manuscripts must be submitted using the journal's official template in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

General Formatting Requirements

Documents must comply with the following formatting requirements:

  • Font: Verdana.
  • Font size: 11 points.
  • Line spacing: 1.15.
  • Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides.
  • Alignment: Justified.
  • Continuous page numbering.
  • Consistently structured headings and subheadings.
  • Tables and figures inserted in the appropriate location within the text and numbered consecutively according to their order of appearance.

Manuscripts should be written in a clear, precise, and scholarly style, maintaining terminological consistency, scientific rigor, and a coherent logical structure. Excessive use of abbreviations should be avoided, and all abbreviations must be defined at their first occurrence in the text.

Citations and References

Sapiens in Health Sciences (SHS) adopts the Vancouver referencing style, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), as its official standard for citations and bibliographic references.

Citations must be numbered consecutively in the text according to the order in which they appear and must correspond exactly to the final reference list. Every cited source must include complete, verifiable, and up-to-date bibliographic information.

To ensure scientific quality, metadata interoperability, source traceability, and compliance with international indexing standards, authors are required to:

  • Verify the accuracy and consistency of all bibliographic references.
  • Include the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) whenever available.
  • Prioritize peer-reviewed scientific literature published in indexed journals.
  • Favor recent and relevant references directly related to the study topic.
  • Avoid incomplete, unverifiable, or non-academic sources.

The accuracy of citations and references is the sole responsibility of the authors. Manuscripts containing significant bibliographic inconsistencies may be returned for correction before entering the scientific review process.

Abstract and Keywords

All manuscripts must include:

Abstract

Maximum length: 250 words.

The abstract must describe:

  • Conceptualization.
  • Objective.
  • Methodology.
  • Main results.
  • Conclusions.

Keywords

Three to five keywords must be provided.

Authors are encouraged to use MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) or DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors) terms whenever applicable.

Ethical Considerations

Research involving human participants must include:

  • Name of the ethics committee that approved the study.
  • Ethics approval number or code.
  • Statement confirming informed consent.

All studies must comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki, applicable national regulations, and internationally recognized standards of good research practice.

Originality and Exclusivity

By submitting a manuscript, authors declare that:

  • The work is original and unpublished.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  • All authors have approved the final version.
  • The information presented is accurate and verifiable.
  • Permission has been obtained for the use of copyrighted materials when applicable.

Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must comply with the principles established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

All manuscripts must include an author contribution statement using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) framework.

Funding

Authors must disclose all funding sources related to the research.

The following information should be provided:

  • Funding institution.
  • Project title.
  • Funding call or program.
  • Grant number, when applicable.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, including:

  • Financial.
  • Institutional.
  • Professional.
  • Academic.
  • Personal.

When no conflicts exist, the following statement should be included:

"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest."

Data Availability

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement.

Whenever possible, authors are encouraged to deposit the following materials in institutional or subject-specific open repositories:

  • Datasets.
  • Research protocols.
  • Instruments.
  • Supplementary materials.

Artificial Intelligence Policy

Generative artificial intelligence tools may be used exclusively to support:

  • Writing.
  • Translation.
  • Language editing.

Any use of such tools must be explicitly disclosed within the manuscript.

Artificial intelligence systems may not be listed as authors and may not assume responsibility for the scientific content of the work.

References

The journal follows the Vancouver style, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

References must:

  • Be numbered consecutively.
  • Appear in the order in which they are cited.
  • Be carefully verified before submission.

Authors are encouraged to include recent scientific literature published in internationally indexed journals.

Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Material

  • Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively.
  • Descriptive titles must be provided.
  • Sources must be indicated when applicable.
  • Images must be submitted in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi).

Supplementary material may include:

  • Datasets.
  • Protocols.
  • Research instruments.
  • Additional analyses.
  • Multimedia files.

Editorial Process

All manuscripts undergo the following editorial stages:

1. Initial Editorial Assessment (Desk Review)

The editorial office evaluates:

  • Relevance to the journal's scope.
  • Compliance with editorial requirements.
  • Basic methodological quality.
  • Ethical considerations.
  • Originality.

2. Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial evaluation are submitted to at least two external reviewers with expertise in the relevant field.

3. Editorial Decision

Possible editorial decisions include:

  • Accepted.
  • Accepted with minor revisions.
  • Major revisions and resubmission.
  • Rejected.

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

The journal maintains formal mechanisms for:

  • Corrections.
  • Errata.
  • Expressions of concern.
  • Retractions.

These procedures are conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Final Statement

These guidelines form part of the editorial policy of Sapiens in Health Sciences (SHS) and are intended to ensure scientific quality, editorial transparency, academic integrity, research reproducibility, and the responsible dissemination of knowledge in the health sciences.