Submissions

Author Guidelines

SAÚDE EM DEBATE

Authors’ Guidelines

Instructions for preparing and submitting articles

UPDATED MAY 2023

 EDITORIAL POLICY

The ‘Saúde em Debate’ (Health in Debate) journal was created in 1976 and is a Brazilian Center for Health Studies (CEBES) publication. This Center aims to disseminate studies, research, and reflections that contribute to the debate in the field of collective health, especially those that address issues related to health policy, planning, management, work, and evaluation. We value studies based on different theoretical-methodological approaches and with contributions from different branches of science.

The journal is published quarterly, and, at the editors’ discretion, special issues that follow the same submission and evaluation process as the regular issues are published. ‘Saúde em Debate’ accepts original and unpublished works that make relevant contributions to the scientific knowledge accumulated in the field.

The authors are entirely and exclusively responsible for the papers submitted to the Journal and may not submit their papers simultaneously to another journal in whole or in part. ‘Saúde em Debate’ has an Editorial Board that contributes to the definition of its editorial policy, reviewed periodically. Its members are part of the Editorial Committee and the base of reviewers in their specific areas.

The abbreviated title of the Journal is Saúde debate, which should be used in bibliographies, footnotes, references, and bibliographic captions.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY POLICY

Except where noted, all the Journal’s content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. This information is available on the site’s homepage and the first page of all articles.

COPYRIGHT

In case of approval and publication of the article in the Journal, its copyright will become the property of the Journal. Authors must, upon submission, complete and sign a Declaration of Liability and Cessation of Copyright according to the following model: https://saudeemdebate.org.br/sed/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/148.

FEES

A publication fee of BRL 600.00 (updated in June 2023) is charged for articles approved in any section of the Journal. We do not charge submission fees. After approval of the articles, the authors will receive an e-mail with instructions on the procedures for paying the publication fee.

The authors with an article approved for publishing in any modality are responsible for language revision (mandatory) and translation into English (optional) based on a list of reviewers and translators indicated by the Journal.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

The ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal offers free access to its content, following the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available to the public provides greater democratization of this knowledge, adopting the Creative Commons License type BY attribution (CC-BY 4.0).

All of the Journal’s content is available for anyone to read, download, copy, print, share, reuse, and distribute, with proper citation of the source and authorship. In these cases, no permission is required from the authors or publishers. The Journal’s editors must previously authorize the total or partial reproduction by any means of dissemination.

OPEN SCIENCE INCENTIVE POLICY

Preprint

‘Saúde em Debate’ accepts articles in preprints from academically recognized national and international databases such as SciELO preprints. Submitting the article in preprint is not mandatory, and this does not prevent the simultaneous submission to the ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal. In the case of submission in preprint, the author must inform the Journal of the assigned DOI number and the server’s name where it was deposited.

 Data sharing

The ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal encourages data sharing. To deposit Research Data, authors must choose the Open Access repository they consider most suitable for sharing their data and make the deposit. Information on data sharing in public repositories can be found at: https://data.scielo.org.

Based on Open Science criteria, authors are asked to complete the Open Science Compliance Form – SciELO (model enclosed), which must be attached to the Journal’s system upon submitting the manuscript as ‘Article components – Supplementary document’.

RESEARCH ETHICS AND INTEGRITY POLICY

The Journal adopts the ‘Standards for the presentation of articles proposed for publication in medical journals’ – International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) www.publicationethics.org. These integrity and ethical standards recommendations in conducting and reporting research are available at http://www.icmje.org/urm_main.html. ‘Saúde em Debate’ follows SciELO ‘Guidelines on Best Practices for Strengthening Ethics in Scientific Publication’. We recommend the authors to read them.

Human research ethics

The publication of articles with human research results is subject to compliance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of 1964, reformulated in 1975, 1983, 1989, 1996, 2000, and 2008 by the World Medical Association. It also complies with the specific legislation of the country where the research was conducted, wherever applicable.

In the last paragraph, human research articles must make clear compliance with the ethical principles in the ‘Material and methods’ section, mention the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) approval number, and forward a copy of the approval opinion upon submission.

Anti-plagiarism policy

The ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal adopts the guidelines, instructions, and flows recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics – COPE http://publicationethics.org/.

Upon receipt, manuscripts are submitted to plagiarism detector software. The authors may be asked about information identified by the tool to ensure the originality of the manuscripts, referencing all the research sources used. Plagiarism is unacceptable editorial behavior. Thus, if any similarities with other published texts are proven, the manuscript will be excluded from the evaluation process.

Conflict of interests

When signing the Declaration of Liability and Cessation of Copyright, authors must report on relationships that may establish a financial or affiliation conflict of interest.

Authorship and contribution

The journal accepts a maximum of seven authors per article. Information on all authors must be included in the submission form at: ‘Enter Metadata – List of Contributors – Add Contributor’, containing full name, affiliation institutions with up to three hierarchies, Orcid code (Open Researcher and Contributor ID), and e-mail. Individuals designated as authors must have substantially participated in the preparation of the manuscript and assume responsibility for its content.

Upon submission of the manuscript, all authors must complete and sign the Declaration of Liability and Cessation of Copyright – writing the full name and their detailed contribution as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE):

a) in the work conception or design;

b) in the data collection, analysis, and interpretation;

c) in the article’s drafting or its critical review;

d) in the final approval of the version to be published.

Information about the participation of each author, with the respective Orcid, will appear in the article in the item ‘Collaborators’ before the ‘References’.

Funding

In financed scientific works, the authors must send the information to the Journal about the funding source, with the process registration number. ‘Saúde em Debate’ complies with Ordinance N° 206 of 2018 of the Ministry of Education/Foundation Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel/Office on mandatory citation of CAPES for works produced or published in any medium, resulting from activities totally or partially financed by CAPES.

EVALUATION PROCESS

The evaluation process of scientific texts submitted to the ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal, in any of the modalities provided, is submitted to peer review, and academic merit is the criterion adopted in all evaluative stages. We seek to promote inclusion, diversity, and equity. No article will be outright rejected based on characteristics of the authors, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, political belief, or any other derogatory aspect.

Every manuscript the ‘Saúde em Debate’ journal receives is submitted to prior technical analysis to identify compliance with the Journal’s rules. Works that do not comply with the Journal’s publication standards are returned to the authors for adaptation and new submission.

Once the Journal’s norms are fully complied with, the editor-in-chief and associate editors appreciate the originals, who assess the originality, scope, timeliness, and compliance with the Journal’s editorial policy. Papers approved in this pre-assessment stage are forwarded to the associate editor, who will appoint two reviewers, considering the paper’s topic and expertise, who may approve, reject, or make recommendations for changes to the authors. Any opinion divergence will require the work to be forwarded to a third reviewer. Editors may, at their discretion, issue a third opinion. The referees will recommend accepting, refusing, or reformulating the works submitted. In the case of reformulation, the authors must return the revised work within the stipulated period, after which the work will be excluded from the system.

The Editorial Committee has full authority to decide on the final acceptance of the work and the changes made.

Additions or modifications will not be accepted after the final approval of the work. Eventual suggestions for changes in structure or content by the Journal’s editors will be previously agreed upon with the authors through e-mail communication. The formatted version (press proof) will be sent by e-mail to the authors for final review, and authors must return it within the stipulated period.

The end of the article will include information about the date of receipt, approval, financial support, and conflict of interest.

GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION OF WORKS

Papers must be submitted through the website: www.saudeemdebate.org.br. After registration, the author responsible for the submission will create a login and password to monitor the procedure.

Types of texts accepted for publication

 Original article: The result of empirical research that can be generalized or replicated. The text must contain a maximum of 6,000 words.

Essay: A critical analysis of a specific topic of relevance and interest in the context of Brazilian or international health policies. The text must contain a maximum of 7,000 words.

Systematic or integrative review: Critical reviews of the literature on current health issues. A systematic review rigorously synthesizes research related to an issue. The integrative provides broader information on the subject. The text must contain a maximum of 8,000 words.

Opinion article: Exclusively for authors invited by the Editorial Committee, with a maximum length of 7,000 words.

Case study: Description of academic, care, or extension experiences, with up to 5,000 words that significantly contribute to the field.

Critical review: Reviews of books of interest to public health at the discretion of the Editorial Committee. The texts must present an overview of the work’s content, its theoretical assumptions, and the public to which it is addressed, with a length of up to 1,200 words. The high-resolution cover must be submitted through the Journal’s system.

 Interview: Text produced by at least two people in which the respondent is always the first author, with a maximum of 7,000 words. 

Document and testimonial: Works referring to themes of historical or situational interest at the discretion of the Editorial Committee.

Important: in all cases, the maximum number of words includes the article body and the references. It does not include title, abstract, keywords, tables, boxes, figures, and graphs.

Text preparation and submission

The text can be written in Portuguese, Spanish, or English. It must be typed in Microsoft® Word or compatible, saved in doc or docx format, to be attached to the submission form’s corresponding field. It should not contain any information that identifies the authors or institutions to which they are affiliated.

Type on a standard A4 sheet (210X297mm), 2.5 cm margins on each of the four sides, Times New Roman font size 12, 1.5 line spacing.

The text should include

 On the first page:

Title: that clearly and succinctly expresses the text content, containing a maximum of 15 words. The title must be in bold, with capital letters only for proper names. The text in Portuguese and Spanish must have a title in the original language and English. The text in English must have a title in English and Portuguese.

Abstract: in Portuguese and English or in Spanish and English, with a maximum of 200 words, in which the objectives, the method used, and the work’s main conclusions are clear. Except for internationally recognized abbreviations, it must be unstructured, without using topics (introduction, methods, and results), citations, or acronyms.

Keywords: at the end of the abstract, include three to five keywords, separated by a period (only the first initial capitalized), using the terms listed in the structured vocabulary (DeCS), available at: www.decs.bvs.br.

Registration of clinical trials: ‘Saúde em Debate’ supports the policies for registering clinical trials of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), thus recognizing their importance for registration and international dissemination of clinical trial information. In this sense, clinical trials must contain the identification number in one of the registers of clinical trials validated by the WHO and ICMJE, available at: http://www.icmje.org. In these cases, the identification number must appear at the end of the abstract.

In the text body:

The style and creativity of the authors are respected for text composition of the text. However, the text must include conventional elements, such as:

Introduction: with a clear definition of the investigated problem, justification, and objectives.

Material and methods: described objectively and clearly, allowing research reproducibility. The number of the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) approval opinion must be registered if it involves human beings.

Results and discussion: can be presented together or in separate items.

Conclusions or final considerations: which depend on the research type.

 References: should contain only authors cited in the text and follow ICMJE’s Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals used to prepare references (known as ‘Vancouver Style’). For further clarification, we recommend accessing the Reference Standardization Manual prepared by CEBES editors.

We recommend using articles published by the Journal to contribute to the Journal’s qualification and dissemination. 

OBSERVATIONS

The Journal does not use underlines and bold for emphasis. Use single quotation marks to draw attention to expressions or titles of works. Examples: ‘gateway’; ‘Saúde em Debate’. Words in other languages must be written in italics, except for proper names.

Avoid using capital letters in the text, except for those absolutely necessary. Testimonials from subjects should be in italics and double quotation marks in the text body (if shorter than three lines). If they are longer than three lines, they must be written in italics, without quotation marks, highlighted from the text, with a 4 cm indent, single space, and 11 font.

Do not use footnotes in the text. Footnote markings, when absolutely essential, should be superscripted and sequential.

Avoid data or information repetition in the different parts of the text.

The maximum number of figures, graphs, boxes, or tables is five (with a maximum of two pages each). Figures, graphs, boxes, and tables must be in an open/editable format, not taken from other files. Figures such as photographs, drawings, and maps should be sent in high resolution (at least 300 DPIs), in black and white or grayscale. They must be submitted in separate files from the text, one by one, following their sequential order in the study (they must be numbered and contain title and source). Please identify the place where they should be inserted in the text.

In the case of photos, the subjects can only be identified if they so authorized in writing for scientific dissemination purposes.

ERRATA:

Any retraction, errata, or modifications after the article’s publication must be informed by the author to the Journal by e-mail at revista@saudeemdebate.org.br. The Journal follows the procedures indicated in the SciELO ‘Guide for registering and publishing errata’.

COMPLAINTS AND APPEALS:

Authors can ask for explanations if they identify misconduct in the Journal’s publication ethics policies. Complaints must be made in writing, with a letter sent to the editor by e-mail at revista@saudeemdebate.org.br. Once the complaint is received, the investigation process begins by the Journal’s Executive team under the guidance of the Editor-in-Chief. A report is prepared at the end of the investigation, and a response is sent by e-mail to the interested party with the decision taken.

Complaints improve the evaluation process, processing time, and publication of manuscripts submitted to the Journal.

DOCUMENTS LISTED BELOW MUST BE SCANNED AND SENT THROUGH THE JOURNAL’S SYSTEM UPON ARTICLE REGISTRATION 

1. Declaration of Liability and Cessation of Copyright

All authors must complete and sign the declaration per the model available at: https://revista.saudeemdebate.org.br/sed/libraryFiles/downloadPublic/148.

2. Research Ethics Committee (CEP) Approval Opinion

In the case of human research conducted in Brazil, attach the document of research approval by the Research Ethics Committee of the institution where the work was performed. If institutions do not have a CEP, the CEP document by which it was approved must be presented. Regarding research conducted in other countries, attach a statement indicating full compliance with ethical principles and specific legislation.

3. Open Science Compliance Form – SciELO

Authors must complete the form: https://wp.scielo.org/wp-content/uploads/Open-Science-Compliance-Form_en.docx,  and attach it to the Journal system as ‘Article components – Supplementary document’.

MANDATORY DOCUMENTATION TO BE FORWARDED AFTER ARTICLE APPROVAL 

1. Spelling and Grammar Review Declaration

Approved articles must undergo a spelling and grammatical review by a qualified professional based on the Journal’s accredited reviewers. The reviewer’s declaration must accompany the revised article.

2. Translation Declaration

Approved articles may be translated into English at the discretion of the authors. In this case, the translation will be performed by a qualified professional based on a list of translators accredited by the Journal. The translator’s declaration must accompany the translated article.

PRIVACY POLICY

The names and addresses informed in this journal will be used exclusively for the services provided by this publication. They shall not be made available for other purposes or to third parties.

The journal employs the OJS (Open Journal Systems) software to evaluate its manuscripts. This system provides for the backup of all registered content. Furthermore, ‘Saúde em Debate’ has been available in the digital collections of the company Docpro since its first issue launched in 1976 (http://www.docvirt.com/asp/saudeemdebate/default.asp).

 ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE

Avenida Brasil, 4.036, sala 802
Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil – CEP 21040-361
E-mail: revista@saudeemdebate.org.br