ISSN 1677-3225 online version

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

• Scope and Policy
• Form and preparation of manuscripts
• Send of the manuscripts

The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences, published by the Piracicaba Dental School - UNICAMP, is an international non-profit journal, which publishes Original Research Articles, Short Communications, Literature Reviews, Case Reports, and Letters to the Editor, dealing with Dentistry or related disciplines. The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences is committed in publishing the scientific and technologic advances achieved by the dental community, according to the quality indicators and peer reviewed material, with the objective of assuring its acceptability at the local, regional, national and international levels. The primary goal of the Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences is to publish the outcomes of original investigations as well as invited case reports and invited reviews in the field of Dentistry and related disciplines. The periodicity of this journal is threemonthly (March, June, September and December).

Whilst every effort is made by the publishers and Editorial Board to make sure that no inaccurate or misleading opinion or statement appears in this Journal, they wish to make clear that the opinions expressed in the article, correspondence, advertisement herein are responsibility of the contributor, author or advertiser. Accordingly, the publishers, the Editorial Board and their respective employees, offices and agents accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any inaccurate or misleading opinion or statement.

The manuscript sent for publication must be original and the simultaneous submission to other journal, either national or international, is not allowed. The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences shall retain the copyright of all manuscript published, including translations, yet allowing future reproduction as a transcription, provided the source is properly mentioned.

Only manuscript written in the English language shall be accepted, and the authors are fully responsible for the texts, citations and references.

The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences has the right to submit all manuscripts to the Editorial Board, which is fully authorized to settle the convenience of their acceptance, or return them to the authors with suggestions for modifications in the text and/or for adaptation to the editorial rules of the Journal. In this case, the manuscript will be re-evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board.

The concepts stated on the manuscript published are full responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board. The dates of receipt of the original manuscript and its acceptance will be indicated in the occasion it is published.

The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences adopts a blind expert peer review process. Manuscripts will be firstly evaluated regarding presentation according to the instructions for authors. Manuscripts not in accordance with instructions will be rejected and returned to authors without being reviewed by referees.

Manuscripts in accordance with the instructions will be appreciated in their scientific merit and methods by at least two referees from different institutions of that of the authors, besides the Editor-in-Chief. When revision of the original is required, the manuscript will be returned to the corresponding author for modification. A revised version with modifications will be re-submitted by the authors, and that will be re-evaluated by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board.

The Editor-in-Chief will decide upon the acceptance of the manuscript, and may return it to the authors for revision and necessary modifications in the text and/or illustrations. In this case, the authors will be required to re-submit a revised version with the modifications or proper explanations. The revised version will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board.

Upon approval of the scientific merit, manuscripts will be analyzed regarding the use of proper English grammar (technical review) and statistics. If manuscripts are still considered inadequate, they will be returned to authors for revision.

Authors and referees will be kept anonymous during the review process.

Contents of the manuscript are the authors' responsibility and do not reflect the opinion of the Editor-in-Chief or Editorial Board.

Galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author by electronic mail in pdf format for final approval.

Approval of galley proofs by the corresponding author should be returned with corrections, if necessary, within 96 hours.

If not returned within 96 hours, the Editor-in-Chief will consider the present version the final, and will not allow further modifications. Corrections in the galley proofs should be restricted to minor mistakes that do not modify the content of the manuscript. Major corrections will imply that the manuscript should enter the review process again.

Inclusion of new authors is not allowed at this phase of the publication process.

Online Early articles are complete full-text articles published online in advance of their publication in a printed issue. Articles are therefore available as soon as they are ready, rather than having to wait for the next scheduled print issue. Online Early articles are complete and final. They have been fully reviewed, revised and edited for publication, and the authors' final corrections have been incorporated. Because they are in final form, no changes can be made after online publication. The nature of Online Early articles means that they do not yet have issue or page numbers, so Online Early articles should be cited as following:
Steiner-Oliveira CF, Maciel FA; Rodrigues LKA, Napimoga MH, Pimenta LAF, Höfling JF; et al. An in vitro microbial model for producing caries-like lesions on enamel. Braz J Oral Sci [online]. 2007;6. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from: www.fop.unicamp.br/brjorals.

Structure of the manuscript

Cover page (must be submitted as a supplementary file) which should contain only:

• Title of the manuscript in English.
• Names of the authors in direct order with their respective degrees and affiliations in English. (No more than six)
• Full address of the corresponding author, to whom all correspondence should be addressed, including fax and phone number as well as e-mail address.

Text:

Original Research Articles are assembled in the following sections:

1. Title page
2. Structured abstract and keywords
3. Introduction, Material and methods, Results, and Discussion
4. References
5. Tables (each on a separate page)
6. Figures

Results and Discussion may be joined. Short Communications and Case Reports should be divided into appropriate sections.

The trade name of material used must be followed by the manufacture, city, state and country, within parentheses upon first mention. All abbreviations must be explained at first mention.

Title page

On the first page should be typed the title, author(s)' full name(s), degrees, affiliations (in English) and the name and address of the author responsible for correspondence, including phone and fax number as well as e-mail address. The title should be limited to ten words, if possible, and should not exceed 15. It should describe the article's content specifically, clearly, and concisely.

Abstract

On a separate page a structured abstract limited to 300 words should clearly state the aim, methods, results, and any conclusions drawn from the study. The authors are referred to the list of subjects of the "lndex Medicus" and DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors available at http://decs.bvs.br/). Authors must use "comma" to separate the keywords, which must have the first letter of the first word in small letters. Ex: dental materials, inlays, clinical trial.

Introduction

Summarize the purpose of the study, indicating only pertinent references.

Do not review existing literature extensively. State clearly the working hypothesis.

Material and methods

Material and methods should be presented in sufficient detail to allow confirmation of the observations. Indicate the statistical methods used, if applicable. Please refer to item for ethical principles and registration of clinical trials.

Results

The results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, tables and figures. Do not repeat the same data in both tables and figures. Do not repeat in the text all data mentioned in the tables and illustrations.

The important observations should be emphasized and statistical data must be reported here.

Discussion

Summarize the findings without repeating with details the data given in the Results section. Present your conclusions within the Discussion.

Relate your observations to other relevant studies and point out the implications and limitations of the findings.

Acknowledgements

Financial support by government agencies should be acknowledged as well as technical assistance or assistance from colleagues.

TECHNICAL NORMALIZATION

The manuscript should be typed as follows: 1.5 spacing in 11 pt Arial font, with 3-cm margins at each side, on an A4 page, adding up to at most 15 pages, including the illustrations (graphs, photographs, tables, etc). The authors should keep a copy of the manuscript for possible requests.
Pages should be numbered consecutively, starting with the title page.

Illustrations and Tables

The illustrations (photographs, graphs, drawings, charts, etc.), regarded as figures, should be limited to the least amount possible, consecutively numbered with Arabic numbers according to the order they appear in the text.

Photographs should be sent in original colors and digitized in .jpg, tif or gif formats with 10cm width and at least 300dpi. These illustrations should be provided in supplementary files and not inserted in the Word document.

Separate parts of composite figures must be labeled with letters A, B, C, etc. Single figures may not exceed 8 cm in width, or groups of figures may not exceed 16 cm in width. Figures should be labeled with the title of the article.

The corresponding legends for figures should be clear, concise and typed at the end of the manuscript as a separate list preceded by the corresponding number, and the title should be below the figure.

The tables should be logically arranged, consecutively numbered with Arabic numbers, on a separate page at the end of the manuscript. The legend shall be placed on the top of the tables. Tables should be open in the right and left laterals. Each table must contain all necessary information so that it may be independent of the text.

Footnotes should be indicated by asterisks and restricted to the least amount possible.

Citation of the Authors

Citation of the authors in the text may be performed in two manners:

1. Just numeric: "Aside from prevalence reports, very few studies have evaluated the response to therapy according to the individual genotype4,10,12. References must be cited in a numeric ascending order within the paragraph.
2. or alphanumeric
• one author - Ismail²⁴ (1997)
• two authors - Neilson and Pitts²²(1991)
• three authors - Grindefjord, Dahlof and Modeer¹⁷ (1995)
• more than three authors- Leroy, et al.¹⁸ (2005)

Punctuation characters such as "periods" and "commas" must be placed after the numeric citation of the authors. Ex: Queluz21.

References

The references must follow the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals - Vancouver available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html.

All references must be cited in the text. They should be numbered consecutively, in order of citation. The order of citation in the text should follow these numbers. Abbreviations of the titles of the international journals cited should follow the Index Medicus/MEDLINE.

Personal communications and unpublished data with no publication date must not be included in the reference list.

The names of all authors should be cited up to 6 authors; in case there are more authors, the 6 first authors should be cited, followed by the expression ", et al.", which must be followed by "period" and should not be written in italics.

At most 30 references may be cited, except for invited reviews by the Editor-in-Chief.

Examples of references:

Book
Melberg JR, Ripa LW, Leske GS. Fluoride in preventive dentistry: theory and clinical applications. Chicago: Quintessence; 1983.

Book chapter
Verbeeck RMH. Minerals in human enamel and dentin. ln: Driessens FCM, Woltgens JHM, editors. Tooth development and caries. Boca Raton : CRC Press; 1986. p.95-152.

Manuscript published in journals
Blomlof JP, Blomlof LB, Lindskog SF. Smear removal and collagen exposure after non-surgical root planning followed by etching with an EDTA gel preparation. J Periodontol. 1996;67:841-5.

Manuscript with more than 6 authors
The first 6 authors are cited, followed by the expression ", et al."
Bikker FJ, Ligtenberg AJ, van der Wal JE, van den Keijbus PA, Holmskov U, Veeman EC et al. Immunohistochemical detection of salivary agglutinin/gp-340 in human parotid, submandibular, and labial salivary glands. J Dent Res. 2002;81:134-9.

Manuscript without authors' names
Seeing nature through the lens of gender. Science. 1993;260:428-9.
Volume with supplement and/or Special Issue
Davisdson CL. Advances in glass-ionomer cements. J Appl Oral Sci. 2006;14(sp. Issue):3-9.

Entire issue
Dental Update. Guildford 1991;18(1).

Thesis
Hyde DG. Physical properties of root canal sealers containing calcium hydroxide. [Master's thesis]. Michigan: University of Michigan; 1986. 80p.

The authors are fully responsible for the correctness of the references.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND REGISTRATION OF CLINICAL TRIALS

Experimental procedures in humans and animals

The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences reassures the principles incorporated in the Helsinky Declaration and insists that all research involving human beings, in the event of publication in this journal, be conducted in conformity with such principles and others specified in the respective ethics committees of authors' institution. In the case of experiments with animals, such ethical principles must also be followed. When surgical procedures in animals were used, the authors should present, in the Material and methods section, evidence that the dose of a proper substance was adequate to produce anesthesia during the entire surgical procedure. All experiments conducted in human or animals must accompany a description, in the Material and methods section, that the study was approved by the respective Ethics Committee of authors' affiliation and provide the number of the protocol approval. The Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board reserve the right to refuse manuscripts that show no clear evidence that the methods used were not appropriate for experiments in humans or animals.

Clinical Trial Registration - International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN)

The Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences supports the policies of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for the registration of clinical trials. The journal recognizes the importance of such initiatives for the registration and international publication of clinical studies with an open access. Therefore, the Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences will publish only those clinical trials that have previously received an identification number, the ISRCTN, validated by the criteria established by the WHO and ICMJE. The WHO defines clinical trials as "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. Interventions include but are not restricted to drugs, cells and other biological products, surgical procedures, radiologic procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, process-of-care changes, preventive care, etc".

In order to register a clinical trial, please access one the following addresses:

Register in the Clinicaltrials.gov
URL: http://prsinfo.clinicaltrials.gov/

Register in the International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN)
URL: http://www.controlled-trials.com/

ANY QUERIES SHALL BE SOLVED BY THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND EDITORIAL BOARD

Manuscripts must be submitted in English to the Editor by e-mail (brjorals@fop.unicamp.br) or mail.

Correspondence, when applicable, should be addressed to:

BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF ORAL SCIENCES
A/C Dagmar de Paula Queluz, Editor-in-Chief
Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba - UNICAMP
Avenida Limeira, 901
13.414-903 - Piracicaba SP, Brasil
Phone: +55 (19) 2106-5706
Fax: +55 (19) 2106-5218
E-mail: brjorals@fop.unicamp.br
Website: http://www.fop.unicamp.br/brjorals

Authors whose primary language is not English must have their article reviewed by a native English speaker. The decision of acceptance for publication belongs to the Editors and is based on the recommendation of the Editorial Board and/or ad hoc reviewers. The following guidelines must be followed carefully. Correction of technical presentation and English revision, if necessary, will be charged to the author at the time of acceptance.

The corresponding author should retain the original file in Word format as well as illustrations (when applicable).

The original file containing the main manuscript must be submitted without the authors' identification and affiliations. The cover page must be submitted as a supplementary file containing the names of the authors, affiliations and correspondence address.

Figures must be submitted as supplementary files according to the specifications regarding the form and preparation of manuscripts.

Tables must be prepared in Word format and inserted after the references at the end of the original Word file.

The submission Form, signed by ALL the authors, must be submitted as a supplementary file containing the following text:

By signing the Submission Form, the authors state:

Copyright transfer: In the event of publication of the above mentioned manuscript, we, the authors, transfer to the Brazilian Journal of Oral Sciences all rights and interest of the manuscript. This document applies to translations and any preliminary presentation of the contents of the manuscript that has been accepted, but yet not published. If any authorship modification occurs after submission, a document of agreement of all authors is required to be kept by the Editor-in-Chief. Exclusion of authors may only be accepted by his/her own request.

Responsibilities of the authors:

I hereby state that:

• The content of the article is original and does not consist of plagiarism or fraud;
• The work is not under consideration or will be submitted to other journal until a final decision is issued by this journal;
• I have effectively contributed to this work and I am familiar with its contents;
• I have read it and assume the responsibility for its contents. I understand that if the work, or part of it, is considered deficient or a fraud, I take shared responsibility with the other authors.

Release of conflict of interest:

• All my affiliations, corporate or institutional, and all sources of financial support to this research are properly acknowledged, except when mentioned in a separate letter. I certify that do not have any commercial or associate interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted manuscript.

PRINT NAME OF ALL AUTHORS:_____________ SIGNATURE:_____________ E-MAIL:_________________________ DATE:_____

Checklist for Authors

1. Submission form.
2. An original copy of the manuscript, figures and tables. Text and figures must be sent as separate files.
3. Authors' full names, degrees, affiliations and address for correspondence in a separate page.
4. Manuscript 1.5 spacing in 11 pt Arial font, with 3-cm margins at each side, on an A4 page.
5. References.
6. Tables with their respective legends each on a separate page at the end of the article.
7. Figure legends on a separate page.
8. Figures with name of the manuscript.