Instructions for Authors - Critical Care and Shock

Legal aspects

The corresponding author should make it clear that the final manuscript has been approved by all authors and has not been published or under consideration by another journal. Copyright ownership is to be transferred by the following written statement, which must accompany all manuscripts at the time of submission and must be signed by all authors: “The undersigned authors transfer all copyright ownership of the manuscript to Critical Care and Shock in the event the work is published. The undersigned authors warrant that the article is original, is not under consideration by another journal, and has not been published previously.”

Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have, therefore, been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave informed consent before being included in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under study should be omitted.

Reports of animal experiments must state that the “Principles of laboratory animal care” were followed, as well as specific national laws where applicable. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to reject manuscripts not complying with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be held responsible for false statements or failure to fulfill these requirements.

Manuscript submission

It is highly recommended that all authors submit manuscripts to Critical Care and Shock by email to:

Simon Nanlohy, MD
Email: critcareshock@gmail.com

Joseph Varon, MD, FACP, FCCP, FCCM, FRSM
Email: jvaron@uh.edu

Authors should submit a complete electronic file using .doc file type for text and .jpg for figures.
Manuscripts should be sent with a cover letter designating one corresponding author, including an address, telephone/fax number(s), and email address. International authors are advised to include country and city codes.

The number of authors should be restricted to only those people who have truly participated in the conception, design, execution, and writing of the manuscripts.

Every manuscript MUST include a disclosure of any potential conflict of interest. Authors must write any potential conflicts with any pharmaceutical or device company in writing. The disclosure information must be specific and address any financial relationship the authors have with the sponsoring organization and any interests that the organization represents, as well as with any for-profit product discussed or implied in the supplement and/or individual articles.

Manuscript preparation

All manuscripts must be written in standard English. They should be typed using a normal, plain font (i.e., Times New Roman), with single spacing, single column, and paginated on 8.5 x 11 inch (21.8 x 28.3 cm). This applies to all manuscript parts, including references, legends, etc. Liberal margins (2.5 cm) should be left at the top, bottom, and sides. Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum and must be explained when they first appear; after the first use, an abbreviation may be used. Authors should retain a copy for reference, as manuscripts will not be returned.

Title page

The title page of each manuscript should include only (i) the article title, (ii) authors’ names (including first and middle names), (iii) the name and address of the institution(s) from which the work originated, plus the relevant information that includes city and state of foundations, funds, and institutions; (iv) name, address, telephone/fax number(s) and email address of the person to whom proofs and reprints requests should be addressed; (v) any necessary footnotes to these items; (vi) an abstract; and (vii) up to 6 keywords.

Abstract

An abstract should not exceed 300 words. For original articles and brief reports, the abstract must be divided into the following sections:

Objective: the exact question(s) addressed by the article.
Design: the basic design of the study.
Setting: the location and level of the clinical care.
Patients and participants: the manner of selection and number of patients or participants who entered and completed the study.
Interventions: the exact treatment or intervention, if any.
Measurements and results: the methods of assessing patients and key results.
Conclusions: key conclusions including direct clinical applications.

Main text

The text should follow the summary and begin on a new page, as should references, tables, and legends. Metrics units and Celsius temperatures should be used throughout. Standard abbreviations should be used for all measurements.

Heading levels should be clearly indicated. We suggest the following format:

Main heading
1. Subheading
  1. Sub-subheading, and so forth.

If applicable, grant support should be included in the Acknowledgments section.

The Introduction should explain the rationale of the study through a short review of the pertinent literature and state the purpose of the investigation.

The Materials and methods should follow the Introduction and should provide enough information to permit repetition of the experimental work.

The Results section should describe the outcome of the study. Data should be presented as concisely as possible, if appropriate, in the form of tables or figures. Very large tables should be avoided.

The Discussion should be an interpretation of the results, their limits, and their significance with reference to work by other authors.

References

References should be cited numerically; the numbers should be placed in brackets. Citations of personal communications and unpublished data should be avoided unless they are necessary. When used, such citations should appear in the text only, e.g., ‘(E.D. Smith, personal communication)’, and not in the reference list. Number the references in the order in which they appear in the text. Abbreviate titles of periodicals according to the style of Index Medicus. Follow the Vancouver style, e.g.:

Journal articles:

Brun-Buisson C, Legrand P, Rauss A, Richard C, Montravers F, Besbes M, et al. Intestinal decontamination for control of nosocomial multiresistant Gram-negative bacilli: study of an outbreak in an intensive care unit. Ann Intern Med 1989;110:873-81.

Books:

Jeejeebhoy KN. Nutritional support of the critically ill patient. In: Vincent JL, editor. Update in intensive care and emergency medicine. New York: Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg; 1985. p. 152-9.

Internet sources:

Song HJJMD, Chia AZQ, Tan BKJ, Teo PCB, Chua PHR, Samuel PM, et al. Associations and prognostic accuracy of electrolyte imbalances in predicting poor COVID-19 outcome: a systematic review and meta-analysis [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2023 Oct 22]. Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.11.19.21266563v1.full.pdf+html

Where there are six or fewer authors, you must list all authors. If there are more than 6 authors, give the first six names in full and add “et al”.

Review articles should contain a maximum of 4,000 words and 75 references.
Original papers must not exceed 3,000 words and 40 references.
Brief reports/case reports/technical notes should not exceed 1,500 words, and up to 10 references are permitted.
Editorials consist of up to 1,500 words and up to 20 references.
Letters to the Editor should follow the same general rules for articles, except that a separate title page and abstract are not required. They must not exceed 500 words. A table or figure may be included. If references are needed, they should follow the standard format and should not exceed 5 references. The full names and addresses of the authors should follow the text.

Figures and tables

Figures should be prepared electronically; non-digital originals should be scanned using a high-resolution scanner at 300 dpi or higher. Each figure should have a separate, explicit legend, typed single-spaced on a sheet separate from the text.

Figure numbers should be Arabic, corresponding to the order in which the figures are presented in the text. Identify all abbreviations appearing on the figure in alphabetical order at the end of each legend. Estimates for color work will be provided upon acceptance of the manuscript.

Tables should be single-spaced, each on a separate sheet, with the title above and any notes below. Explain all abbreviations. Tables and table numbers should be Arabic, corresponding to the order in which the tables are presented in the text. Do not give the same information in tables and figures. You must obtain permission to use all tables and figures that have already been published.

Final submittal of manuscripts

Authors should make proof corrections, checking that the text is complete and all figures and tables are included. After publication, further changes can be made only as an erratum. Substantial changes in content are not allowed without the approval of the responsible editor.

Disclaimer

The statements and opinions contained in the articles of Critical Care and Shock are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of the Editors, Asia Pacific Association of Critical Care Medicine, Indonesian Society of Critical Care Medicine, Philippine Society of Critical Care Medicine, Society of Intensive Care Medicine (Singapore), Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, or Chinese Society of Critical Care Medicine. The appearance of advertisements in the Journal is not a warranty, endorsement, or approval of the products or safety. The Editors, the Society of Critical Care and Shock, and the Publisher disclaim responsibility for any injury to persons or property resulting from any ideas or products referred to in the articles or advertisements.