Author Guidelines

Submission Overview

Aesthetic Medicine publishes manuscripts in the following categories: Original Article, Review, Mini-review, Case Report, Case Series, Brief Report, Letter to the Editor, and Research Letter. Reviews may include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and narrative reviews. Descriptions and requirements for each article type are provided below.

Submission Categories

Original Article

Original Articles report original research relevant to Aesthetic Medicine.

The manuscript should be organized as follows:

Structured Abstract
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion and Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Conflict of Interest
References
Figure/Table Legends

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 4,000 words
References: maximum 50
Legends: maximum 10

Review

Reviews provide a comprehensive and critical overview of a relevant topic in Aesthetic Medicine. The journal accepts systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and narrative reviews.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include a clearly defined research question, search strategy, and methodology. They should present a balanced and critical discussion and use a well-defined method to identify and select relevant studies, as well as to collect and analyze data from the studies included. Authors submitting systematic reviews and meta-analyses should consult the PRISMA reporting guidelines.

Narrative reviews should provide a clear, scholarly, and balanced synthesis of the available literature on a relevant topic. Authors are encouraged to describe the rationale for the review, the scope of the literature considered, and the criteria used to select the most relevant sources.

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 4,000 words
Figures and tables: maximum 15 combined
References: maximum 200
Legends: included where applicable

Mini-review

Mini-reviews provide a concise overview of a focused topic in Aesthetic Medicine.

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 2,000 words
Figures and tables: maximum 12 combined
References: maximum 100
Legends: included where applicable

Case Report

Case Reports describe a single clinically relevant case with educational value for the field of Aesthetic Medicine.

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 1,500 words
Figures and tables: maximum 6 combined
References: maximum 30
Legends: included where applicable

The manuscript should generally be organized as follows:

Introduction
Case Presentation
Discussion
Conclusions

Case Series

Case Series describe a group of patients with a shared clinical condition, treatment, technique, complication, outcome, or other relevant feature in the field of Aesthetic Medicine.

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 2,000 words
Figures and tables: maximum 8 combined
References: maximum 40
Legends: included where applicable

The manuscript should generally be organized as follows:

Introduction
Case Series Presentation
Discussion
Conclusions

Authors should clearly describe the number of cases included, the inclusion criteria, the relevant clinical findings, the treatment or procedure performed, the outcomes, and any complications or follow-up data, where applicable.

Brief Report

Brief Reports are short reports of original studies, evaluations, or unique first-time reports of clinical case series.

Requirements:

Abstract: structured, maximum 250 words
Main text: maximum 1,200 words, excluding abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, references, and online-only material
Figures and tables: maximum 3 combined
References: maximum 15

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should begin with “To the Editor” and should present concise comments or observations relevant to the journal’s scope.

Requirements:

Abstract: not required
Main text: maximum 500 words
Short, informative subheadings may be used where appropriate

Research Letter

Research Letters are concise, focused reports of original research. They must not duplicate material published or submitted elsewhere.

The text should generally be organized as follows:

Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion

Requirements:

Abstract: not required
Main text: maximum 600 words
References: maximum 6
Figures and tables: maximum 2 combined
Authors: maximum 7
Online supplementary material: permitted only for brief additional and essential methods; not permitted for additional results or discussion

The text should include the full name, academic degrees, and a single institutional affiliation for each author, together with the e-mail address of the corresponding author. Other contributors may be listed in the Acknowledgments section, with their permission, including academic degrees, affiliation, contribution to the study, and whether compensation was received.

Figures and Images

Photographs, clinical images, micrographs, diagrams, graphs, and other illustrations must be submitted as high-quality image files. TIFF format is preferred; maximum-quality JPG files are also accepted. Images should be submitted in RGB or grayscale mode, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Authors should remove all unnecessary white margins from around or between image elements, whether the image is submitted as an individual figure or as part of a composite panel.

Figures must be cited consecutively in the text and numbered according to the order in which they are first mentioned. All figures should be placed at the end of the manuscript, after the References section, together with their corresponding figure legends. Figure legends must be concise and must not be embedded within the image files.

Line art, such as diagrams and graphs without shading, should be submitted at high resolution, preferably in TIFF format. Mixed figures, including photographs with overlaid text, arrows, labels, or other graphic elements, should be submitted as high-quality TIFF or JPG files.

When multiple related images are presented together, authors should assemble them into a single composite panel and upload the final panel only, rather than the individual component images. Each element within the panel must be labeled with uppercase letters, such as A, B, C, and D, placed inside the image itself, preferably in the top-left or bottom-left corner. These letters should not be added as external text or included only in the figure legend.

Image files must be named clearly according to their citation order in the text, for example: Figure1.jpg, Figure2.tiff, Figure3.jpg.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all images are anonymized. Any information that could identify a patient must be removed. If a patient may be identifiable from an image, written consent for publication must be obtained before submission.

Tables

Tables must be self-explanatory and should supplement, not duplicate, the content of the text. Each table should be concise and should preferably fit on one single-spaced typed page.

Tables should be created using the table function of a word processing application, preferably Microsoft Word. Excel files are accepted when appropriate, but tables submitted only in PDF format are not allowed.

Each value should be placed in a separate cell. Tables must be cited in the text in numerical order and numbered according to the order in which they are first mentioned.

Each table must include:

A clear and concise title
Appropriate column and row headings
Explanatory footnotes, where necessary
Definitions of all abbreviations used in the table

Tables should not repeat data already described in detail in the text. Authors should ensure consistency between the data presented in the text, tables, and figures.

Supplementary Material

Authors may submit supplementary material that cannot be included in the main article due to length, file size, or format limitations. Supplementary material may include datasets, extended tables, additional figures, videos, audio files, or other media. Accepted supplementary material will be made available online alongside the published article.

Supplementary files must be uploaded during the submission process as separate files only when they are distinct and independent. When multiple related items are intended as a single supplement, such as several supplementary tables or figures, they should be compiled into one single file before uploading.

Supplementary material will not be copyedited. Authors are responsible for ensuring its clarity, accuracy, completeness, and proper formatting.

Do not include author names, affiliations, contact details, or any identifying information in supplementary files.

If more than one supplementary item is submitted, each item must be cited in sequence within the main text, for example: Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S1, Supplementary Video S1. Supplementary material should not be included in the References section.

A list of supplementary items should appear as an appendix at the end of the manuscript. Each supplementary file should be titled using the prefix “S”, for example: Table S1, Figure S1, Video S1.

Acceptable formats include PDF, Word files (.doc, .docx), Excel files (.xls, .xlsx), and multimedia files such as .mpg, .mp4, and .mp3.

References

References must follow the American Medical Association (AMA) citation style.

References must be cited in the text using superscript Arabic numerals and numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear. The reference list must appear at the end of the manuscript and must be arranged in numerical order, matching the order of citation in the text.

When the same reference is cited more than once, the original reference number should be used again. Multiple references cited at the same point in the text should be separated by commas, without spaces.

Examples:

Single citation: ...as previously reported.¹
Multiple citations: ...as shown in previous studies.¹,³,⁵
Consecutive citations: ...as reported in the literature.²–⁴

Superscript reference numbers should generally be placed outside periods and commas and inside colons and semicolons.

The reference list should include all necessary bibliographic information to allow readers to identify and retrieve the cited source. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine journal title abbreviations.

For journal articles, references should generally include:

Author surname and initials
Article title
Abbreviated journal title
Year of publication
Volume number
Issue number, where applicable
Page range or article number
DOI, where available

For references with up to six authors, list all authors. For references with more than six authors, list the first three authors followed by “et al.”

Examples

Journal article:

Salwachter AR, Freischlag JA, Sawyer RG, Sanfey HA. The training needs and priorities of male and female surgeons and their trainees. J Am Coll Surg. 2005;201(2):199-205.

Journal article with DOI:

Coppinger T, Jeanes YM, Hardwick J, Reeves S. Body mass, frequency of eating and breakfast consumption in 9-13-year-olds. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2012;25(1):43-49. doi:10.1111/j.1365-277X.2011.01184.x

Journal article with more than six authors:

Fukushima H, Cureoglu S, Schachern P, et al. Cochlear changes in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005;133(1):100-106.

Book:

Modlin J, Jenkins P. Decision Analysis in Planning for a Polio Outbreak in the United States. Pediatric Academic Societies; 2004.

Book chapter:

Solensky R. Drug allergy: desensitization and treatment of reactions to antibiotics and aspirin. In: Lockey P, ed. Allergens and Allergen Immunotherapy. 3rd ed. Marcel Dekker; 2004:585-606.

Website:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Outbreak notice: Cholera in Haiti. Published October 22, 2010. Updated January 9, 2012. Accessed February 1, 2012. https://www.cdc.gov

Unpublished data, manuscripts submitted but not accepted, and personal communications should not be included in the reference list. They may be cited only in the text, where appropriate.

Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy and completeness of all references before submission.

Permissions, Patient Consent, and Copyright

Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions before submitting their manuscript.

Photographs or clinical images in which a patient or any other person may be identifiable must either be appropriately anonymized or accompanied by written permission for publication from the individual shown in the image. Masking the eyes or face may not be sufficient to ensure anonymity if the person can still be recognized from other features or contextual information.

Authors wishing to reproduce or adapt figures, tables, images, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere must obtain permission from the copyright holder for both print and online publication. Evidence of permission must be provided at the time of submission.

Any material submitted without evidence of permission will be considered to originate from the authors. The journal is not responsible for any costs incurred by authors to obtain permissions from copyright holders. If permission cannot be obtained, authors should use original material or alternative sources for which appropriate permission is available.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all submitted material complies with applicable copyright, privacy, and ethical requirements.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manuscripts

The use of AI-assisted tools, including large language models, is permitted only to support language editing, grammar correction, and improvement of readability.

AI-assisted tools must not be used to generate original scientific content, create or alter data, conduct analyses, interpret results, produce images or figures, or replace the authors’ own scientific judgment.

Authors must disclose any use of AI-assisted tools in the Methods section or, when more appropriate, in the Acknowledgments section. The disclosure should include the name of the tool used and a brief description of how it was used.

AI-assisted tools cannot be listed as authors, because they do not meet authorship criteria and cannot take responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, or originality of the work.

Authors remain fully responsible for all content submitted, including the integrity, accuracy, originality, validity of references, and compliance with ethical and publication standards.

Editors and reviewers must not upload unpublished manuscripts, figures, tables, or related peer-review material into AI-assisted tools or other third-party platforms that do not guarantee confidentiality.

Manuscripts may undergo plagiarism, image-integrity, and ethical checks. Undisclosed, inappropriate, or misleading use of AI-assisted tools may lead to manuscript rejection, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, depending on the stage of publication and the severity of the issue.