Submissions

Author Guidelines

SCOPE

The Croatian Journal of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Medicine (CJAIM) is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research articles, review articles, case reports, editorials, and letters to the editor in the fields of anaesthesiology, intensive care medicine, perioperative medicine, pain medicine, emergency medicine, and related disciplines.

SUBMISSION

Originality

Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Submissions should not have been previously published in any form (except as abstracts or in conference proceedings).

Language

All manuscripts must be submitted in English. Authors whose first language is not English are strongly advised to have their manuscripts professionally edited before submission.

Submission Format

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically through the journal's online submission system. Submissions should be in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx).

Suggested Reviewers

Authors are encouraged to suggest 2-5 potential reviewers with relevant expertise. At least two suggested reviewers should be from institutions outside of Croatia. Please provide full names, affiliations, and email addresses. Suggested reviewers should not have conflicts of interest with the authors.

ANONYMIZATION FOR DOUBLE-BLIND PEER REVIEW

CJAIM uses double-blind peer review, meaning neither authors nor reviewers know each other's identities. To ensure anonymity, authors must submit TWO separate files:

Title Page (separate file)

Submit author information in a separate file containing:

• Title of the article
• Full names and affiliations of all authors
• Corresponding author contact details
• ORCID IDs
• Author contributions
• Conflicts of interest
• Funding sources
• Acknowledgements

Main Manuscript (anonymized)

The main manuscript file must be completely anonymized:

Remove or avoid:

• Author names and affiliations anywhere in the document
• Acknowledgements that identify individuals or institutions
• Funding information that could identify authors
• Self-identifying citations (e.g., "In our previous study, we found..." or "As we reported in [Author, 2023]...")
• References to specific institutions, hospitals, or locations that could identify authors
• Ethics approval numbers that include institutional names (use "Ethics approval was obtained from [Institution blinded for review]")
• Clinical trial registration details that link to author names

Self-citations: Replace self-identifying references with "[Author, year]" or "[blinded for review]" in both the text and reference list. These will be restored after acceptance.

Document properties: Remove author information from the file's metadata/properties (In Word: File → Info → Check for Issues → Inspect Document → Remove All).

Failure to properly anonymize submissions may result in delays or return of the manuscript for correction.

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION — GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt
• Spacing: Double-spaced
• Margins: 2.5 cm on all sides
• Pages: Numbered consecutively

MANUSCRIPT TYPES

Original Research Articles

• Maximum length: 4,000 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures)
• Should include: Abstract (250 words), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References
• Maximum 6 tables and/or figures

Review Articles

• Maximum length: 6,000 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures)
• Should include: Abstract (250 words), Introduction, Main body organized by topic, Conclusion, References
• Maximum 8 tables and/or figures
• Should be comprehensive and critical analyses of current literature

Case Reports

• Maximum length: 2,000 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures)
• Should include: Abstract (150 words), Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion, Conclusion, References
• Maximum 4 tables and/or figures
• Should describe novel or educational cases

Editorials

• Maximum length: 1,500 words
• Usually invited by the Editorial Board
• Should provide expert commentary on current topics

Letters to the Editor

• Maximum length: 500 words
• Maximum 5 references
• Should comment on recently published articles or address current issues

MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE

Title Page

The title page should include:

• Title of the article (concise and informative, maximum 150 characters)
• Full names of all authors (first name, middle initial, last name)
• Institutional affiliations of all authors (department, institution, city, country), with the institution's ROR ID where one exists (search https://ror.org)
• Corresponding author's name, email address, postal address, and phone number
• ORCID IDs for all authors (if available)
• Word count (excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures)
• Number of tables and figures

Abstract

Required in English.

• Original research articles and review articles: Structured abstract (250 words) with headings: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion
• Case reports: Unstructured abstract (150 words)
• Should be self-contained and comprehensible without reference to the main text
• Should not contain abbreviations or references

Keywords

3-6 keywords in English. Use MeSH terms.

REFERENCES

Use Vancouver style (numbered citations in order of appearance):

• Number references consecutively in the order they appear in the text
• List all authors up to 6; if more than 6, list first 6 followed by "et al."
• Include DOI numbers when available

Examples:

Journal article: Smith J, Doe A, Johnson B. Title of article. J Anesth. 2023;45(3):123-130. doi:10.1234/ja.2023.12345

Book: Brown C. Anesthesia Principles. 3rd ed. New York: Publisher; 2022.

Chapter in book: Wilson D. Perioperative care. In: Miller R, ed. Anesthesia Textbook. 8th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2023:234-256.

TABLES AND FIGURES

Tables:

• Number tables consecutively (Table 1, Table 2, etc.)
• Provide a descriptive title above each table
• Use clear column headings
• Include footnotes if needed
• Submit tables in editable format (not as images)

Figures:

• Number figures consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.)
• Provide a descriptive legend below each figure
• Ensure high resolution (minimum 300 dpi)
• Acceptable formats: TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS
• Obtain permission for any previously published figures

ETHICAL REQUIREMENTS

Human Subjects Research

• Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (2024 revision)
• Include a statement that the study was approved by an appropriate ethics committee
• Include the approval number
• State that informed consent was obtained from all participants

Clinical Trials

CJAIM requires all clinical trials to be registered in a public registry at or before first patient enrolment, per ICMJE requirements. The registration number must appear in the abstract and methods section.

Acceptable registries include any WHO-approved primary registry:

• ClinicalTrials.gov
• EU Clinical Trials Register
• ISRCTN
• ANZCTR (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry)
• Any other WHO ICTRP primary registry

Animal Studies

Animal studies must comply with institutional guidelines and relevant regulations.

Authorship

All authors must meet ICMJE authorship criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content
3. Final approval of the version to be published
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation of results. Authors are encouraged to use the ICMJE Disclosure Form (available at www.icmje.org). If no conflicts exist, state "The authors declare no conflicts of interest."

REPORTING GUIDELINES

Authors must follow the appropriate reporting guideline for their study design. Completed checklists should be submitted alongside the manuscript. CJAIM endorses the EQUATOR Network.

• CONSORT — Randomized controlled trials
• PRISMA — Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• STROBE — Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)
• CARE — Case reports
• STARD — Diagnostic accuracy studies
• ARRIVE — Animal research
• TRIPOD — Prediction models
• SPIRIT — Clinical trial protocols
• SQUIRE — Quality improvement studies
• SRQR — Qualitative research
• CHEERS — Health economic evaluations
• PRISMA-P — Systematic review protocols

USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

CJAIM applies a tiered disclosure framework for AI and generative tools. Authors remain fully accountable for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content.

• Tier 1 — Linguistic assistance (grammar, spelling, light rewording): disclose in the Acknowledgements, with tool name, version, and date of use
• Tier 2 — Research assistance (literature search, summarization, coding help): disclose in Methods, with tool name, version, prompts or prompt categories, verification procedure, and which human author is responsible
• Tier 3 — Methodological assistance (data analysis, image/figure generation, synthetic data): disclose in Methods with full prompt transparency, model specificity, validation procedure, and data-privacy confirmation; synthetic data must be clearly labelled

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. AI must not be used for peer review of manuscripts. See the full AI Policy for detail.

CRediT (CONTRIBUTOR ROLES TAXONOMY)

CJAIM recommends the use of CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to describe each author's contribution. CRediT provides a standardized way to represent the roles that contributors play in research output. Include the CRediT statement on the Title Page.

The 14 CRediT roles are: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Investigation, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Software, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing.

ORCID REQUIREMENT

CJAIM requires the corresponding author's ORCID iD at submission. ORCID iDs for all co-authors are strongly encouraged. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier for researchers and helps ensure accurate attribution. Register for free at orcid.org

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

All manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement (DAS) specifying where and how data can be accessed, or explaining restrictions. See our Data Sharing Policy for details and examples.

FUNDING DISCLOSURE

Authors must identify all sources of financial support for the research. Include the funding organization name, grant number (if applicable), and the role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript preparation, or decision to submit. If no funding was received, state "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency."

PLAGIARISM SCREENING

All submissions are screened with Crossref Similarity Check (powered by iThenticate) prior to peer review. Manuscripts with unacceptable overlap are handled per COPE flowcharts.

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING

Authors retain copyright of their work. By submitting to CJAIM, authors grant the journal a non-exclusive licence to publish the article under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). This license allows unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction provided the original work is properly cited.

Authors are required to sign an Author Agreement (License to Publish) form upon acceptance.

SELF-ARCHIVING POLICY

Authors may deposit the Version of Record (published PDF) in institutional or subject repositories immediately upon publication, in line with CJAIM's CC BY 4.0 license. No embargo period applies. We encourage authors to include a link to the publisher's version.

EDITORIAL PROCESS

1. Manuscript receipt and acknowledgment
2. Plagiarism screening (Crossref Similarity Check)
3. Initial editorial assessment
4. Double-blind peer review (minimum 2 reviewers)
5. Editorial decision
6. Revision (if required)
7. Acceptance/rejection
8. Language editing
9. Author proofs
10. Publication

REVISION AND RESUBMISSION

• Address every reviewer comment point by point in a detailed response letter
• Highlight changes in the revised manuscript
• Resubmit within the specified timeframe (usually 30 days)

PUBLICATION FEES

CJAIM is an open-access journal with no article processing charges (APCs) or submission fees.

CONTACT

For questions regarding submission:

Email: editorial@cjaim.org

Website: https://ojs.srce.hr/cjaim