Guidelines for Paper Writing
(Ⅰ) Title, Authors, and Affiliations
1. Title:
The title should not exceed 25 words and should be concise, eye-catching, accurately reflect the main content and information of the paper, highlight the content and unique aspects, and use standardized scientific terminology. It should attract readers and facilitate literature retrieval. It is preferable not to have subtitles or abbreviations. The English title should not exceed 10 meaningful words. The English title should correspond to the Chinese title.
2. Authors:
Chinese names should be separated by spaces, for example: Zhou Hong, Zhang Hong. English names should be separated by commas. Pinyin should be used for the Romanization of Chinese names, with the surname in all capital letters (e.g., Zhou Xiaohong, ZHOU Xiaohong).
3. Affiliations:
Author affiliations should include the full name of the institution, department, city name, and postal code. If there are authors from different institutions, superscript numbers (1, 2, etc.) should be used after the names to indicate the corresponding affiliations. The superscript numbers should also be used before the affiliations. Before the English abstract, the names and English addresses of all authors, including the first author and corresponding author, should be included. The first letter of each word in the affiliation should be capitalized, the city name should be written in Pinyin, and the postal code should be provided. To indicate the affiliation number for a specific author (e.g., "2") and the designation of the corresponding author (e.g., "*"), there should be no comma between them; use a direct format such as "2*" to indicate this.
4. Funded Articles:
Funded articles should have an asterisk (*) in the top right corner of the title. The first page should contain a footer indicating the funding project, including the project name and number. The names of funding projects should be written according to the official names specified by the relevant national departments. If there are multiple funding projects, they should be listed sequentially with a semicolon (;) as the separator. For example, "Funding Project: National Natural Science Foundation of China (30271269); National High-tech R&D Program of China (2003AA205005)." A copy of the funding project certificate should be attached.
5. Corresponding Author:
If there is a corresponding author, please provide their name and email address. There can be a maximum of two corresponding authors. The corresponding author should be indicated by a superscript triangle (∆). The first page should include a footer indicating: ∆ Corresponding Author and Email.
(Ⅱ) Abstract in Chinese and English:
1. Abstract:
The abstract should include the objective, methods, results, and conclusion. It should be written in the third person. Clinical and basic research papers should include both Chinese and English abstracts. The English abstract should include the title of the article, the names of all authors (in Pinyin with the first letter of each name capitalized, e.g., Zhou Xiaohong, ZHOU Xiaohong), affiliation names, city names, and postal codes. The words "Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion" should be bolded in both the Chinese and English abstracts, and the English abstract should correspond to the Chinese abstract. Chinese and English abbreviations should be written out in full or in English when first mentioned, for example: 视觉模拟评分法 (visual analogue scale, VAS). English punctuation should be used, with a half-width space after a comma (",").
2. Word Count:
The Chinese abstract should be within 300 Chinese characters, using Chinese punctuation. The English abstract should be within 400 words, using English punctuation.
(Ⅲ) Keywords:
1. Number:
3 to 8 words, separated by semicolons. English keywords should have the first letter in lowercase, for example: neuropathic pain; depression.
2. Standards:
Please try to use the latest edition of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) published by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in the United States. The Chinese translation can refer to the "Index Medicus Subject Headings Annotation Glossary" compiled by the Institute of Medical Information, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. New professional terms that are not listed in the vocabulary (free words) can be directly used as keywords, preferably placed at the end. For traditional Chinese medicine keywords, please select from the "Subject Terms for Traditional Chinese Medicine" compiled by the Institute of Information on Traditional Chinese Medicine, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. Articles with an English abstract should indicate the corresponding English keywords. Abbreviations in keywords should be expanded to full terms according to the "Index Medicus Subject Headings Annotation Glossary." The first letter of each English keyword should be lowercase, and the terms should be separated by semicolons (;).
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgidb=mesh).
(Ⅳ) Introduction:
The introduction serves as an introduction to the article and does not need a separate title. It provides a brief review of the research history related to the scientific questions addressed in the paper, particularly the research achievements in the past 2-3 years. It should include references to relevant literature and present the research problem and its novelty based on this background.
The chemical names of drugs should be used, and their English names should be added when first mentioned. Abbreviations in Chinese and English should be written out in full or in English when first mentioned, for example: 视觉模拟评分法 (visual analogue scale, VAS).
(Ⅴ) Methods:
1. Experimental subjects:
Specify the strain and source of the animals, for example: Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200-250 g, provided by the Experimental Animal Center of Peking University Medical School, with ethical approval.
2. Instruments and equipment:
Specify the manufacturer and place of manufacture, for example: Radiofrequency modulation (LNG30-1 RF generator, produced by Elekta AB, Sweden).
3. Reagents:
Specify the chemical name, specifications, model, and source.
4. Experimental groups:
Clearly define the control group and experimental groups, with sample sizes.
5. Statistical methods:
Quantitative data should generally be expressed as "mean ± standard deviation (± SD)" or "mean ± standard error of the mean (± SEM)," and skewed data should be expressed as "median (interquartile range)." Select appropriate statistical analysis methods based on the study design, data conditions, and analysis objectives. Provide the specific names of the statistical analysis methods used, such as paired t-test for grouped design data, two-way analysis of variance, or multiple factor analysis of variance. Report the P-value (e.g., P < 0.05).
Statistical symbols should be written according to the relevant regulations in GB 3358-82 "Statistical Terminology and Symbols," using italics. Commonly used symbols include: ① arithmetic mean of the sample, denoted by lowercase x (median is still denoted by uppercase M); ② standard deviation, denoted by lowercase s; ③ standard error of the mean, denoted by lowercase sx; ④ t-test, denoted by lowercase t; ⑤ F-test, denoted by uppercase F; ⑥ chi-square test, denoted by lowercase chi (χ2); ⑦ correlation coefficient, denoted by lowercase r; ⑧ degrees of freedom, denoted by lowercase nu; ⑨ probability, denoted by uppercase P (specific test values, such as t-value, chi-square value, q-value, etc., should be provided before the P-value).
(Ⅵ) Results:
1. Content:
Mainly describe the primary data obtained from the research project. The results should include statistical analysis of factors influencing the outcomes and provide recommendations for indications and contraindications.
2. Logical order of the text:
Expressed in the format of "1. (1)①", where "(1)" is the last-level sub-section number, and "①" is the logical number within the paragraph (not used for paragraph numbering).
3. Randomization methods:
Clearly state the specific randomization method used, such as random number table, drawing lots, computer selection, etc.
4. Expression of numerical ranges:
Use " ~ " with 1/4 of a Chinese character length before and after the numbers or words. For example, "3 ~ 4 mg".
5. Units of measurement and combined units:
Units of measurement should follow the regulations and writing rules for quantities, units, and symbols in GB 3100-3102-1993 "Quantity and Unit". The formatting throughout the text should be consistent. When the denominator consists of two or more units, an interval mark (middle dot) should be added between the units, such as ng/kg/min should be expressed as ng/(kg·min) or ng·kg-1·min-1.
6. Abbreviations in Chinese and English:
Abbreviations should be written out in full or in English when first mentioned, for example: 视觉模拟评分法 (visual analogue scale, VAS).
7. If there is no statistically significant difference in the comparison of results, there is no need to use "P > 0.05" to indicate this.
8. Presentation Methods:
Information can be presented using text, figures, and tables (standard tables). For specific requirements regarding figures and tables, please refer to the "General Specifications for Paper Figures and Tables".
9. General Specifications for Paper Figures and Tables:
(1) Design: Concise, self-explanatory, clear, and aesthetically pleasing.
(2) Width: When taking up half a column, the width of a figure or table should be 8 cm. When taking up a full column, the width should be 16 cm. All text in figures and tables should be in English, and Chinese should not appear. Arial font should be used uniformly for English text.
(3) Statistical indicators: Use *, #, △, etc., to indicate P < 0.05; use **, ##, △△, etc., to indicate P < 0.01; use ***, ###, △△△, etc., to indicate P < 0.001. * indicates a comparison with preoperative or control group, and #, △ indicate intergroup comparisons. Information can be expressed using text, figures, and tables (standard tables). The titles, content, and captions of figures and tables should be in both Chinese and English, with the first letter capitalized in English.
(4) In-text representation of figures and tables: If there is only one table or figure in the text, indicate it as "(see Table 1)" or "(see Figure 1)". When multiple figures and tables appear together, indicate as "(see Table 1 and Figure 1)", "(see Table 1, 2 and Figure 1, 2)", or "(see Table 1-3 or Figure 1-3)", etc. Explanatory text should be placed in the caption below the figure or table, and all abbreviations used in the figure or table should be explained in the caption if they are not widely known. Pay attention to the self-explanatory nature and independence of the figures and tables. For radiographic images, include patient age, gender, preoperative diagnosis, surgical procedure, image acquisition time, and description of the main pathological features in the figure caption.
Standard Tables:
(1) Text: The table title and content should be in both Chinese and English.
(2) Data: The data should present statistical results, not raw data. Numbers in the same column should have consistent decimal places. It is not necessary to include excessive decimal places unless required.
(3) Statistical annotations: Use "*", "#", "△", and so on to indicate statistical differences in the upper right corner of the data. Provide explanations in text below the table. For example, "* P < 0.05, compared with the control group; # P < 0.05, compared with Group A."