Review Articles

 

REVIEW ARTICLES

The Review Articles section of Colombia Médica focuses on publishing works that analyze, integrate, and synthesize existing evidence on relevant and current topics in medicine and health sciences. These articles must offer a critical and up-to-date perspective, generating conclusions that contribute to advancing knowledge and serve as a reference for researchers, clinicians, and academics.

Objectives

  • Publish critical and comprehensive reviews of relevant topics in medicine and health sciences.
  • Disseminate evidence-based knowledge that facilitates clinical, research, and academic decision-making.
  • Promote the use of rigorous and transparent methodologies in the preparation of reviews.

Publication Criteria

Content

  • Articles must be based on clear methodologies, such as narrative reviews, systematic reviews, or meta-analyses, depending on the focus.
  • Manuscripts should provide a critical and updated synthesis of the available literature, with relevant conclusions for the field of study.
  • Authors must include a justification for the reviewed topic, highlighting its importance and relevance.

Length

  • Colombia Médica does not impose a strict word limit for review articles. However, a range of 4,000 to 8,000 words is recommended, excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures.
  • An unlimited number of references is allowed, but they must be relevant and reflect a comprehensive review of the topic. Recommendations include:
    • At least 40% of references should be published within the last 5 years.
    • No more than 30% of references from the previous century.
    • Up to 20% of references may come from sources other than scientific journals, such as books, technical reports, or guidelines.

Structure

Review articles should include the following elements:

  1. Title: Clear, informative, and representative of the article's content (maximum 20 words).
  2. Abstract: Structured and concise, with a maximum of 300 words. It should include objectives, data sources, selection methods, synthesis of results, and conclusions.
  3. Keywords: Between 3 and 6, following the terms of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH).
  4. Introduction: Contextualization of the topic, relevance, and specific objectives of the review.
  5. Methods: Detailed description of the search strategy (databases, search terms, inclusion/exclusion criteria) and procedures for synthesizing information.
  6. Results: Presentation of the gathered evidence, organized logically and comprehensibly.
  7. Discussion: Critical analysis of the information, study limitations, and areas for future research.
  8. Conclusions: Key findings and their impact on the studied area.
  9. References: In Vancouver format, prioritizing relevant and recent sources.

Publication Guidelines

To ensure quality and transparency, authors must use recognized publication guidelines depending on the type of review conducted. A checklist should be included in the manuscript and mentioned in the methods section. Recommended guidelines include:

  • PRISMA (for systematic reviews and meta-analyses).
  • SWiM (for synthesis without meta-analysis).
  • RAMESES (for realist reviews).
  • SANRA (for narrative reviews).
  • MOOSE (for meta-analyses of observational studies).

Format

  • Specific formatting details can be found in the Manuscript Submission Format section.
  • Figures: Editable formats (.jpeg, .png, .tiff) with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
  • Tables: Included at the end of the manuscript, numbered, and with descriptive titles. The use of tables and figures is recommended to improve understanding of the topic or specific aspects of the review.
  • Additional documents: Authors must attach the following completed documents at the time of manuscript submission:
    1. Copyright Transfer Agreement: Completed and signed by all authors.
    2. Conflict of Interest Declaration: Detailing any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the content of the article.
    3. CRediT Taxonomy Author Contribution Form: Specifying each author's role in the preparation and development of the manuscript (e.g., conceptualization, methodology, writing, data analysis).

  • Compliance with these requirements is mandatory, and their absence may delay or prevent the manuscript’s review process.

Review Process

  1. Reception: The editorial board will verify that the manuscript meets basic formatting and content requirements.
  2. Peer Review: Articles will be sent to two expert reviewers under a double-blind review model.

Ethical Considerations

  • Authors must ensure that the article has not been previously published or is under consideration in another journal.
  • Any conflict of interest or funding source must be explicitly declared.

Submission Process

  • Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the Colombia Médica editorial management system.
  • Non-compliance with the established guidelines may result in rejection of the manuscript.

Publication Rights

  • Once accepted, articles will be published under the CC-BY-NC license, allowing distribution and non-commercial use, provided that authors and the original source are acknowledged.