Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. An editor may reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Those considered to be a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or rejected.
To become familiar with the ethical guidelines for publishing, prospective authors may visit the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (http://www.icmje.org). Authors are also instructed to familiarise themselves with the LAP-VEGaS Practice Guidelines for Reporting of Educational Videos in Laparoscopic Surgery published in the Annals of Surgery (2018). Though these guidelines were formulated for laparoscopic surgery, the essence of the guidelines can be followed when submitting all types of surgical videos.
Types of articles
Anyone is welcome to submit their contributions, whether it is to share a new technique, a novel technological innovation, or to present a standard surgical procedure in compliance with international guidelines and consensus recommendations in an original and didactic way.
Articles with videos
- Video of 10 minutes duration- of a particular surgery or technique. It should show major events in the surgery, clearly annotated and narrated.
- Video of length less than 60 seconds- Highlight one specific technique used. Example: a specific technique of laparoscopic knotting.
- Full-length surgical videos- showing incision-to-closure, long-form, high-quality, surgeon-narrated allowing virtual shadowing experience optimized for learning.
10-minute video
The video should start with intro slides. These slides should have the diagnosis of the patient and the procedure demonstrated. Authors’ information includes authors’ titles such as MD, PhD, FACS, FRCS, etc., and their affiliated institution name, city, and country will also be displayed in the intro slides.
The patient’s details and his clinical presentation, relevant radiological/ endoscopic findings are presented following the intro slides. The video should show the position of the patient, and if relevant, the position of the surgeons. Incision sites and port sites should be shown (of the patient or as a figure).
The procedure video comes next with markings showing the required anatomical structures. In the final few seconds, the histopathology report of the operated specimen and the patient’s outcome are presented. The final slide should summarize the key learning objectives of the video. Conclusions should be pertinent to the proposal and should not be exaggerated.
The authors should try to edit the video into the recommended 10-minute time slot. Alternatively, they can submit a longer video in a similar format in the third category (full-length videos). Editing must involve smooth transitions (avoid fancy transitions). Radiographs and other images must not contain any patient-identifiable information.
The video should be narrated clearly in English. Text and audio in the video must be in English. Audio must include narration in clear, grammatically correct English. No background music is allowed. The videos should not have any watermark. A watermark of the journal will be attached to the video before publication.
A High-Definition (HD) video is preferred: the resolution of the video should be at least 512 x 384 for 4:3 aspect ratio videos, and 512 x 288 for 16:9 videos. Videos can be larger than these dimensions, but not smaller.
Written narrative
The video should be accompanied by a Word document containing the video's narrative, with a description (limited to 1000 words) of the case, procedure, outcome, and references, 6 to 9 images that tell the story, and legends for figures.
The full title of the video should be stated. All the contributing authors with their affiliations and email addresses should be added.
The references should be added in the Vancouver format.
Choose one of the captivating, high-resolution representative images in high resolution. This will appear as a thumbnail next to the article on the website.
60-second videos
This video should strictly be edited to fit into the 60 minutes. Introductory slides are not mandatory. The videos should preferably be in portrait mode so that they can be shared more easily as reels/shorts on social media. Audio can be added to narrate the video in English. Alternatively, standard background music will be added at the editor’s office.
The video should be accompanied by a Word document containing the video's narrative, with a description (limited to 500 words) of the case, procedure, and outcome (references are encouraged), 3 to 6 images that tell the story, and legends for figures.
Full-length videos
The guidelines applicable to the first category (10-minute video) apply to this category too. There is no time limit to this category.
Authorship
The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria: 1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND 2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND 3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND 4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Contributors who meet fewer than all 4 of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors, but they should be acknowledged at the end of the written narrative, and their contributions should be specified (e.g., “participated in writing or technical editing of the manuscript”).
Consent and disclosure forms
The source of the work or study, as well as any obligations or potential conflicts arising from it, should be disclosed. All authors should submit a completed ICMJE Disclosure Form downloadable from the website http://www.icmje.org.
A patient consent form should also be submitted. The template can be downloaded here: patient consent form.
