Submissions

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

Information

On behalf of the Journal of Foot and Ankle, we thank you immensely for submitting your paper to our journal.
To standardize and improve the evaluation process of submitted papers, we are introducing the STROBE Statement as a working guide for authors and reviewers.
We are confident that by using this method, there will be greater fluidity and assertiveness between the parties, which should make the task of evaluating, guiding and correcting articles easier and faster.
It would be of great value if all the information regarding the authors and the service in which the study was carried out were concentrated only on the title page. Regardless, our technical editors will carry out the first review of submitted articles, hiding any information that could corrupt the double-blind peer review system. At the same time, your text will have all lines numbered continuously. Reviewers will use this line numbering when referring to the corrections they deem necessary, explaining them in a clear, objective, and constructive way.
On our platform you will have access to all these observations that will be included in each of the classic sessions of a scientific work: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Figures & Tables and References. All reviewers' questions, without exception, must be answered by the authors.
We ask that all corrections incorporated into the new text be “highlighted” to facilitate re-reading and confirmation of the adequacy of the text by reviewers. New corrected texts must be resubmitted for subsequent evaluation rounds.
As a last detail, we request that corrections and re-submissions be carried out in the shortest possible time to allow the journal's production flow not to suffer unnecessary interruptions that could compromise our timetable and quality.
Thank you very much again for submitting your paper to JFA.
Does the Cover Letter include the reason why you have chosen to publish your paper in our Journal, the word count of the text of the paper (excluding the Abstract, Tables, Figures, and References), the number of Tables, Figures and References, and a declaration by the lead author that all co-authors are in agreement with the content expressed in the paper?
Is the contribution original and unpublished, and is it not being assessed for publication by any other journal? Should this not be the case, a justification must be made in “Comments to the Editor”.
Are all the names of the authors written out in full and has the institutional affiliation been provided for each author? Only the name of the Institution, city, state, and country should be indicated.
Was the corresponding author informed, with his/her respective full professional address, Zip Code (CEP, in Portuguese), email, and cell phone number?
Is the file to be submitted in Microsoft Word format, with the pages and lines numbered sequentially?
Does the paper have a title, and does it not exceed 12 words?
Is the text formatted with double spacing; does it use 12-point Time New Roman or Arial font?
Does the text follow the requested style standards and bibliographical requirements?
Is the place where the study was conducted not mentioned in the Abstract?
Is the Abstract in compliance with the category of the article being submitted, as per the Instructions to Authors? Does it include at least 3 and at most 5 Keywords? Does it mention the Evidence Level and the type of Study?
Are the text citations numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals in parentheses, superscript and before the full stop of the sentence?
Are all the illustrations of the paper called “Figures” in the text (graphs, drawings, flow charts, schemata, radiographs and resonances?
Are all the figures cited in the text and numbered with Arabic numerals (Figure 1) and with their respective captions?
Are all the tables cited in the text and numbered with Arabic numerals (Table 1)? Do all the tables have a title, a heading for all columns and captions for abbreviations?
Does the manuscript text have information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series?
In the Methods section, in the first paragraph, do the authors mention whether the research was approved by the Ethics and Research Commission of their Institution?
Are the references formatted in the Vancouver style?
Do you accept that non-conformity with these requirements will cause the paper to be returned.

Author Guidelines

Type of paper	Abstract	Word limit for body of text (excluding captions, table titles and references)	References	Figures	Tables	Maximum number of authors allowed
Original Papers	Structured; max. 250 words	3000	40	12	6	10
Case Report	Not Structured; max. 150 words	1500	10	12	0	6
Special Papers*	Not structured; max. 250 words	4000	60	12	6	10
Systematic Review	Structured; max. 250 words	4000	60	12	2	10
Technique Tips	Not Structured; max. 250 words	3000	40	12	6	6
Editorials	-	700	-	-	-	1
Letter to the Editor	-	500	0	0	0	2
Title	-	Maximum 12 words (excluding articles and prepositions)
* at the invitation of the Editor

Publication Fee

There will be no publication fee for articles.

Research Checklist

JFA requires compliance to the following reporting guidelines, please upload your completed checklist with your submission and label it "Research checklist":
Below are the lists of Research Checklist to be used depending on the kind of your Research Article. If your paper does not belong to any below - Please search for the most relevant set of guidelines supplied by the EQUATOR Network (www.equator-network.org) or explain why in your cover letter. Also, a page number must be listed against each criterion in the checklist.

CONSORT statement - Required for all randomized controlled trials and Experimental Studies
PRISMA statement - Required for all systematic reviews
EVEREST statement - Required for all economic evaluations
STARD statement - Required for all diagnostic research papers
STROBE statement - Required for all observational studies
MOOSE statement - Required for all meta-analyses of observational studies
GRRAS - Reliability and agreement studies
BRISQ - Biospecimen reporting

Title page:

The title page must be sent in a separate file and include:

the title of the paper, which should be both concise and informative, avoid the use of acronyms or abbreviations. The title should be no longer than 12 words (excluding articles and prepositions);
full names, with no abbreviations, of all the author and all co-authors, and their respective institutional affiliation in full (Institution; city; state, country), address and ZIP (Zone Improvement Plan) Code (or CEP – Código de Endereçamanto Postal), cell phone number, and e-mail;
ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID, http://orcid.org/) number of the author and all co-authors;
place where the study was conducted;
if the paper was presented at a meeting or conference, the meeting, including its official title, the venue and date of the presentation must be mentioned;
if the article is part of a thesis or dissertation, the Institution and date of the thesis defense must be mentioned;
The “Authors’ Contribution”, of the author and all co-authors as per the following model. It is necessary to meet at least two of the following criteria:
(a) they must have conceived or planned the activities that led to the paper, or they must have interpreted the results achieved, or both;
(b) they must have written the paper or reviewed the successive versions and participated in the reviewing process;
(c) they must have approved the final version.

Example:
Each author personally and significantly contributed towards the development of this article:
Author's name: conceived and planned the activities that led to the study, wrote the paper, participated in the reviewing process, approved the final version;
Author's name: interpreted the results of the study, participated in the reviewing process;
Author's name: participated in the reviewing process, approved the final version.

Manuscript Preparation:

The manuscript must be sent in a separate file and include:

1. Abstract

Because abstracts are the only substantive portion of the article indexed in many electronic databases, and the only portion that many readers read, authors need to ensure that they accurately reflect the content of the article. It is important to point out that the abstract should not mention the place where the study was carried out.

A minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 Keywords must be included. These Keywords may be consulted at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov.mesh. At the end of the abstract, the Level of Evidence and the Type of Study must be included pursuant with the classification table published by the Center for Evidence-based Medicine, Oxford, the United Kingdom (http://cebm.net).

For Original articles: structured, without exceeding 250 words, including: Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion;
For Special Articles: Not structured, without exceeding 250 words;
For Case Report: not structured, without exceeding 150 words, brief description with Objective, and Case Description.
For Technical Tips: not structured, without exceeding 250 words.

Note: The abstract should also be completed in the submission system.

2. Manuscript Body

No mentioning of the place where the study was conducted or any information that identifies the author(s) should be included.

For Original
The manuscript must include the following: Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusion; and References.
Special Article
The manuscript must include: Introduction; Conclusion; and References.
For Case Report
The manuscript must include: a brief Introduction; Case Description; Discussion, and References.
For Technical Tips
Introduction, a Technique section (Methods) in which the technique or exam itself is described in detail. This section should contain illustrations; Discussion (consisting of a clinical discussion about the process, procedure, or the actual diagnosis. It should state the problem that led to the use of the process, procedure or diagnosis as well as the reason(s) it is more useful than another process, procedure, or diagnosis); and References.

Style and Format

The manuscript must be sent as a Word file and typed using double spacing, in 12 Arial or Times New Roman font, normal margins, sequential pages, and continuous and numbered lines. Do not number the lines manually. Please use the text editor feature for this task.

Tables

Tables should only be included to clarify the text, with no redundant information that has already been mentioned in the text, and numbered according to the order in which they appear. Create tables using the Table function in Microsoft Word, in a separate file, double-spaced, and with the same font as is used in the text. Do not use vertical lines between columns. Use horizontal lines only above and below the legend, at the bottom of the table. They must be numbered in Arabic numerals and have a short title, referencing the source, referencing the source, and they must be self-explanatory, with information that allows readers to understand the table without having to resort to the text. Make sure that each table is mentioned in the text. To have an intelligible table, a minimum of 2 lines is required.

Figures

Illustrations (graphs, drawings, flow charts, schemata, radiographs and resonances) must be cited as Figures in the text, according to the following recommendations:

with high resolution (a minimum size of 300dpi);
in JPEG format;
sent as separate files from the main file of the text in Word (do not include figures in the manuscript);
the figures legends should explain their content clearly, independently of the text,
must be mentioned in the text;
figures must be numbered using Arabic numerals, in the order in which they appear in the text;
abbreviations used in the figures must be explained in their legends;
the journal accepts a maximum of 12 figures per article.

Permission to Use Figures and Tables Owned by Another Party: Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions. Provide a full citation for the previous publication and a letter from the owner of the copyright granting permission for Journal of the Foot & Ankle to reproduce the copyrighted material OR a completed permissions form .

Abbreviations and symbols

Following the ICMJE recommendations, the Journal of the Foot & Ankle only allows the use of standardized abbreviations, since the use of non-standardized ones may confuse readers. When an abbreviation is mentioned for the first time, it should initially be spelled out in full, followed by the relevant abbreviation in parentheses, unless the abbreviation to be used represents a standardized measurement unit.

Avoid abbreviations in the title of the manuscript.

Measurement units

Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume must be reported in metric units (meters, kilograms or liters) or in their multiples of ten. Temperature measurements must be expressed in degrees Celsius. The results of blood pressure should be measured in mercury millimeters.

For other measurement units, please look up the International Units System (SI, from the French Système International d'Unités).

Medicine concentrations may be described in SI or mass units.

Other information

Always list manufacturer, city and state abbreviation or country of origin for devices and brand names.

Text citations

In all the paper categories, text citations must be made numerically and sequentially, in the order in which they appear in the text. Should more than two references be mentioned in sequence, only the first and the last should be typed in, separated by a hyphen. For example: ^(7-11).

In the case of alternating citations, all references must be typed in, separated by commas. For example: ^(7,11,16).

References

The presentation of the references should follow the “Vancouver Style” format. In the References section, only papers that were consulted for and actually cited in the text should be included. The references must be numbered sequentially, as they appear in the text.

Up to six authors should be named; if there are more than six authors, cite the first six followed by "et al." The abbreviated title of the periodical must conform to the abbreviations of the Medline periodicals.

Reference models
See below examples of the main types of bibliographic references. For other documents, please consult http://www.icmje.org/.

Printed Material
A Journal article or paper:
Attar F, Selvan D, Machin D, Shariff R, Geary NP. Periopertive changes in the microcirculation in feet after foot and ankle surgery. J Foot Ankle Surg. 2007;46(4):238-41.

Reid KS, Martin BD, Duerksen F, Nicolle LE, Garrett M, Simonsen JN, et al. Diabetic foot complications in a northern Canadian Aboriginal community. Foot Ankle Int. 2006;27(12):1065-73.

When an institution is an author:
The Foot Society: of Australia and New Zealand. Sciatic nerve injury following intramuscular injection: a case report and review of the literature. J Neurosci Nurs. 2006;38(4):238-40.

When the author is not named:
Orthopedics in South Africa [editorial]. S Afr Med J. 1994;84(1):15.

A chapter of a book:
Mylek WY. Endothelium and its properties. In: Clark BL Jr. editor. New frontiers in surgery. New York: Mc Graw – Hill; 1998. p. 55-64.

A book:
Sutton MG St J, Oldershaw PJ, Ketler MN, editors. Textbook foot and ankle. Cambridge (MA): Blackwell Science; 1996.

A thesis:
Takimura CK. Correlação das variáveis geométricas de lesões do tornozelo com achados ultra-sonográficos [tese]. São Paulo: Universidade de São Paulo; 2003.

An event:
Silva HH. Pé torto congênito. In: 45^o Congresso Brasileiro de Atualização em Cirurgia Ortopédica; 1995; São Paulo. Anais. São Paulo: Associação Brasileira de Medicina e Cirurgia do Tornozelo e Pé; 1995. P.27-9.

Minna JD. Recent advances for potential clinical importance in the biology of lung cancer. In: Annual Meeting of the American Medical Association for Cancer Research: 1984 Sept 6-10. Proceedings. Toronto: AMA; 1984. v. 25. p. 293-4.

Electronic Material

A journal article or paper:
Morse SS. Observations on the fibrous retinacula of the heel pad. Foot Ankle Int [Internet]. 2006 [cited 2006 Dez 5]; 27(8): [about 4 p.]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm.

A book:
Tichenor WS. Observations on the fibrous retinacula of the heel pad [Internet]. New York: Health on The Net Foundation; 1996. [cited 2005 May 27]. Available from: http://www.sinuses.com.

A chapter of a book:
Tichenor WS. Radiographic comparison of standing medial cuneiform arch height in adults with and without acquired flatfoot deformity. In: Tichenor WS. Foot : treatment [Internet]. New York: Health on The Net Foundation; 1996. Available from: http://www.sinuses.com/postsurg.htm.

A thesis:
Fernandes TD. Avaliação biométrica comparativa do talus no pé equinovaro congênito [tese]. São Paulo: Universidade de São Paulo; 1994. [citado 2006 Jun 10] Disponível em: http://servicos.capes.gov.br

An event:
Barata RB. Epidemiologia no século XXI: perspectivas para o Brasil [Internet]. In: 4^o Congresso Brasileiro de Epidemiologia; 1998 Ago 1-5; Rio de Janeiro. Anais eletrônicos. Rio de Janeiro: ABRASCO; 1998. [citado 2005 Jan 17]. Disponível em: http://www.abrasco.com.br/epirio98.

A homepage/ website:
Cancer-Pain org [Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000 [update 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/

Acknowledgements
This is an optional item.
Acknowledgements must be concise and appear at the end of the text (after Conclusion section), , indicating the names of the persons or institutions that contributed to the intellectual or technical phase of the paper, as well as funding agencies that contributed to the research that resulted in the published paper.

Review Process

All papers that are sent to the Journal undergo a peer review by at least two reviewers. Acceptance will be based on originality, relevance, and contribution to science. The reviewers will make general comments on the paper and will decide if it will be published, if recommended corrections are to be incorporated, or if it is rejected. In cases of differences of opinion among the reviewers, a new opinion may be requested. When modifications are suggested, they will be forwarded to the main author, who must then resubmit the corrected manuscript within the time frame established by the Editor. Subsequently, it will be returned to the same reviewers so that they can check if their demands have been met. In exceptional cases, when the subject of the manuscript so requires, the Editor-in-Chief may request that the review be conducted by a professional who is not listed among the Editors and the Editorial Council.

After Review

Following this process of peer review, the Editor-in-Chief will forward the approved papers for publication. As far as possible, the decision as to the acceptance of a paper will occur within 120 days of its receipt.

Once a paper has been accepted for publication, an edited Paper (in PDF format) will be sent to the corresponding author to be proofread, and for a final assessment and approval.

Submitting Material

Papers must be submitted exclusively by electronic submission at https://jfootankle.com/JournalFootAnkle and must contain the following documents:

Cover Letter (click here to download template) addressed to the Editor-in-Chief including:

title of the article;
reason why the Journal of the Foot & Ankle was chosen to publish the paper;
type of paper (Original Article, Case Report or Special Article);
Level of Evidence (Check Here);
word count of the Title;
word count of the Abstract;
word count for the paper (excluding the Abstract, Tables, Figures, and References);
number of Tables;
number of Figures;
number of References;
a declaration from the author that all the co-authors agree with the content expressed in the paper, proclaiming any conflicts of interest, and compliance with any relevant ethical considerations.

Authors' contribution on the title page;
Declaration of Conflicts of Interest (Check Here);
Ethical Review Committee Statement Form (click here to download template);
Title page (click here to download template);
Manuscript text in Word format (including Abstract);
Figures in separate files from the text;
Tables in separate files from the text.

Checklist for Compulsory Documents and Declarations

Document/ Declaration	Person who signs	When to annex
a. Cover Letter	The Corresponding Author	When submitting paper
b. Ethical Review Committee Statement Form	The Corresponding Author	When submitting paper
c. Conflict of Interests	All authors	When submitting paper
d. Permission to Use Figures and Tables	The Corresponding Author	When submitting paper
e. Copyright Transfer	All authors	When submitting paper

SUBMITTAL CHECKLIST

As part of the submission process, authors are obliged to verify the conformity of the submission with all the items listed below. Before you submit your article, and to avoid it being sent back, please go through the Checklist.
Submissions that do not comply with the norms herein will be returned to the authors.

Editorial

Editorials refer to topics which are selected for each issue of the JOURNAL OF THE FOOT & ANKLE due to their importance for the scientific community. They are generally written by the Editor-in-Chief or by outstanding specialists in areas of interest who are commissioned by the Journal.

Special Article

These are articles that do not belong in any of the aforementioned categories, but that are deemed relevant to the field by the Editorial Council.

Original Article

Controlled and randomized studies, observational studies, records, basic research with experimentation animals are included here. Original papers must contain the following sections: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and References. Preferably, the number of references must not exceed forty.

Case Report

These include descriptions of cases involving patients, or particular situations, rare diseases, or those that have never been described, as well as innovative forms of diagnosis or treatment. The case study in question should focus on relevant themes that should be compared to those available in existing literature, and must not exceed ten references.

Letter to the Editor

These must comment, discuss or criticize papers that have been published in the Journal itself, or tackle other themes of general interest. A response from the authors of the paper in question may be published together with the letter.

Systematic Review

The Journal of the Foot & Ankle encourages authors to submit systematic review articles. The Editorial Team will evaluate the quality of the article as well as whether the subject matter is relevant to the readers of the journal. We suggest that authors be guided by the PRISMA recommendation (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and considered preferable include the registration number in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database.

Technical Tip

Technique tips must offer a tip for, or a modification of, a pre-existing, documented procedure or clinical application. Entirely new procedures are NOT considered clinical tips and MUST be prepared and submitted according to the instructions for manuscript submissions.

Privacy Statement

The names and e-mail addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.