About the Journal
General Information about the Journal
The Journal of the Central American Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Central American Federation (REVCOG) of Associations and Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FECASOG) is the main communication media in Gynecology and Obstetrics in the Central American Region. it has been published digitally since 2008. FECASOG has its physical address in Guatemala, recognized as a non-profit entity to promote research in this discipline of medicine.
Website of our Federation: https://fecasog.com/
Published by Infomedic International, with physical address at Paitilla Medical Offices #430, Panama, Rep. of Panama. For learn more about the editorial, visit our website at: https://www.infomedicintl.com.
Objective and Scope
The journal aims to serve as an educational tool for the dissemination and promotion of knowledge in the fields of clinical gynecology and obstetrics directed at all health professionals and students in health disciplines. The coverage and scope specifically include all Central American countries, Caribbean countries, and South America.
Publication Frequency
The journal is currently published online quarterly in its digital version.
Access and Distribution Policies
Reception and Initial Evaluation: Once the manuscript is submitted to the journal, the editorial team conducts a preliminary evaluation to verify that it complies with the journal's standards, thematic focus, and basic quality requirements. At this stage, works that do not meet the fundamental criteria are discarded. This includes: 1) the theme, 2) compliance with ethical aspects, 3) writing quality.
Reviewer Assignment: If the manuscript passes the initial evaluation, it is assigned to one or more experts in the corresponding thematic area, known as reviewers. These reviewers are selected for their experience and knowledge in the subject, ensuring an objective and rigorous evaluation. Reviewers are selected based on their demonstrated expertise in the theme.
Details of the Editorial Process, refereeing and peer review process
Please review our detailed description of our peer-review process using this link: https://www.revcog.org/index.php/revcog/revision
Conflict of interest
Authors are also required to declare any potential conflicts of interest in a brief paragraph at the end of their manuscript. Our journal operates under the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). This statement includes owning stocks, providing consultant services, membership in organizations, financial associations, travel fees, or royalties. A conflict of interest should be identified for any direct or indirect benefit, whether financial or not, derived from the publication and provided by a third party.
In the same way, authors must disclose the source of funding for their work or any sponsor that supported the research directly or indirectly. When the author submits the manuscript, each listed co-author will receive an email with a link that will take them to the digital potential conflict of interest form. This form must be filled out by each co-author by clicking the submit button. The model of the form was taken from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.
Manuscripts Submitted by Journal Editors
- Conflict of Interest: When one of our editors submits a manuscript for consideration, we acknowledge the conflict of interest and take steps to exclude that editor from any stage of the editorial process related to their manuscript.
- Manuscript management: We assign the handling of the manuscript to another independent editor, without personal or professional ties to the author-editor. This editor will oversee the entire peer review process and make necessary editorial decisions.
- Revisión por Pares Expertos: Para garantizar una evaluación justa e imparcial, asignamos la revisión de manuscritos con autores reconocidos o de alta jerarquía a revisores con amplia experiencia y conocimientos en el tema, asegurando así un proceso riguroso y objetivo.
- Impartiality in Evaluation: When authors are recognized figures in the field or hold a high position, we commit to preventing their reputation from influencing the evaluation of the manuscript. We strictly focus on the scientific quality and merit of the work.
- Careful Assignment of Reviewers: We select reviewers who can maintain objectivity and are not influenced by the authors' reputation. Manuscripts with Potential Financial or Personal Conflicts of Interest:
- Full Disclosure: We ask authors to declare any financial or personal conflicts of interest that may influence the interpretation of the results. This includes research funding from pharmaceutical companies or other entities with commercial interests.
- Conflict of Interest Review: We carefully review conflict of interest statements and, if necessary, take additional steps such as requesting additional reviews from independent reviewers. Conflict of Interest Statement and Sources of Funding.
Retractions and Corrections
- Handling of Retractions: If after publication we discover that an article contains serious errors, or if we identify inappropriate conduct, such as plagiarism or data manipulation, we follow a formal retraction process. This process is transparent and publicly documented.
- Corrections: In case of minor errors detected post-publication, we publish clear corrections that amend the original version of the article. Related or Redundant Publications:
- Evaluation of Duplicated Publications: We carefully evaluate manuscripts that present results similar to previously published works by the same authors, in order to avoid unnecessary duplication and self-plagiarism. We request authors to cite and reference their previous works properly. Through these actions, we ensure that our editorial process maintains its scientific and ethical rigor, preserving the credibility of our journal and the trust of the academic community. Good practices and ethical aspects
The Journal adheres to the good practices, recommendations, and procedures proposed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for the editing of scientific journals.
Authors must take into account the principles of the World Medical Association on research in humans and the well-known Helsinki Declaration (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki- principios-éticos-para-la-investigación-médica-en-sujetos-humanos/). Likewise, the Journal endorses the recommendations of the ICMJE for the conduct, writing, editing, and publication of papers in medical journals. (http://www.icmje.org/recomendaciones/). Clinical studies should use the CONSORT or TREND guidelines when appropriate. Meta-analysis studies should follow the PRISMA guidelines. Diagnostic reports should follow the STARD guidelines. Epidemiological studies should consult with the STROBE Initiative. Microarray reports should follow the MIAME guidelines and be published in accessible repositories. In biomedical research, authors may assess the BioShari guidelines.
Studies in humans
In the case of clinical experiments in humans, studies must have institutional approval and approval from their ethics committees, declarations of the implementation of good clinical practices, and document how informed consent was obtained. If requested by the Journal, authors must provide this material. This includes following the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. In addition, registration of clinical trials with WHO or ICMJE may be requested. Animal studies
Regarding studies with animals, these must be conducted with internationally accepted standards. Institutions must obtain approvals from their institutional committees or equivalents (ethics committees). This information must be reported in the manuscript. Informed consent
Studies must follow privacy standards and request signed informed consent.
The Journal requires researchers to obtain consent from study subjects, under international WHO/OMS regulations and local regulations by ICGES. Studies containing identifiable personal information will not be accepted. Information for Authors
1. Letters to the editor/comments:
Any reader has the right to address questions to the authors of an article or the editorial committee, in order to clarify doubts or point out, in a constructive manner, any issues with the article. Letters to the editorial committee should not exceed 500 words, and comments on articles should not exceed 2000 words.
2. Gynecology and Obstetrics in images:
Images of interest or curiosities that provide learning in the fields of gynecology and obstetrics will be considered for publication.
These images must be approved by the patient through the signing of an informed consent form (see Forms section). This form should not be sent to the editorial committee, but the author should retain the original and only send us the "Author Confirmation" form, where they certify that the patient has seen the manuscript and consents to its publication. The file should be submitted in .jpg (300 dpi), .gif (300 dpi), .tif (300 dpi) format with an explanatory comment of no more than 200 words. The image should be sent as a separate file from the comment and not embedded in the Word file.
3. Research articles/cases:
3.1. General instructions:
To submit a manuscript, please use the format established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) in the document "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (now called "Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals") available at the following link: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/translations/spanish2016.pdf
Additionally, you must follow the following instructions:
3.2. Specific Instructions:
3.2.1. Format:
The manuscript should be submitted in Word format (doc. docx). Tables, figures or illustrations should be submitted as individual files, with their position within the manuscript clearly identified by name or corresponding number (Table 1, Figure 1).
The document should be written in Times New Roman font, size 12, double-spaced, with margins of 2.5 cm on each side. The first page should include the title of the article, the names of the participating authors, along with their affiliations. Specify who the first author is and who the corresponding author is. The corresponding author is responsible for responding to any queries from the editorial committee or readers, so their information on the first page should include a contact email. The second page should include the abstract and keywords. The text of the manuscript begins on the third page following the aforementioned guidelines. Upon completion, on separate pages, any acknowledgments, biography, tables, and figures should be mentioned in the order they are referenced in the article. This does not exempt them from being sent as individual files.
3.2.2. Abstract:
The abstract should not include references and all mentioned information should appear in the manuscript. If it is an original article, it should not exceed 200 words and follow a unique format, each section clearly demarcated and in a new paragraph: Objectives - Methodology - Results - Conclusions. If it is a case report(s), it should not exceed 150 words and follow a unique format, each section clearly demarcated and in a new paragraph: Concept - Case - Conclusion. If it is a review, an unstructured summary (not exceeding 250 words) is accepted. Keywords: No more than six words, separated by ";". Preferably use terms available in the DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors) structured vocabulary. This vocabulary was created by BIREME and developed from the U.S. MESH (Medical Subject Headings).
The National Library of Medicine aims to create a common, consistent, and unique base of medical terminology for the purposes of indexing, searching, and retrieving information. The complete list is accessible at the following link: http://decs.bvs.br/E/decs2018e.htm
3.3.4. Manuscript:
It should include the following sections, depending on the type of article submitted. 3.3.4.1. Research article. Keywords. Introduction. Materials and methods. Discussion. Bibliography. Research articles must include the approval number from a certified ethics committee, which should appear in the "Materials and methods" section. If the study is randomized, it should follow the CONSORT guidelines and include a flowchart for publication (Figure 1 of the article) and a checklist (not for publication).
The flowchart model and checklist can be found at the following link: http://www.consort-statement.org/downloads/translations
We urge all researchers to register their study in a public database prior to the inclusion of the first research subject, following the recommendations of the ICJME (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors). The suggested registration databases include ClinicalTrials.gov or any mentioned in the ICTRP (WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform). 3.3.4.2. Case Description(s):
Keywords. Introduction. Discussion. Conclusion. Biography (at least 5). Case descriptions should focus on an atypical/unique presentation or a different or novel management. Confidentiality is paramount, so the patient must sign an informed consent and agree to the case presentation.
Informed consent should not be submitted to the editorial committee, but remain with the article author and, instead, a "Author Confirmation" should be sent, certifying that the patient has reviewed and agrees with the publication. Both documents can be downloaded from the "Forms" section.
Review Article:
Keywords. Introduction. Methodology. Topics. Discussion. Conclusion. Biography. Review articles should include clear subtitles that clarify the topics to be discussed.
Conflict of Interest:
All authors are ethically obligated to disclose any affiliations with other individuals or organizations that may have any influence on their work. These may include, but are not limited to: employment, consulting services, stock ownership, patents, and any type of grants. This disclosure must appear in the article.
If there is no conflict of interest, it should be written "Conflict of interest: none." Additionally, the signed form "Conflict of Interest Declaration" must be included with the article, downloadable in the "Forms" section.
c5. Submission Statement:
The act of submitting an article for publication implies that the submitted manuscript has never been published (excluding academic talks and theses), is not pending a decision in another journal, all authors listed agree with it, and it will not be published in another format after approval by the journal (this includes physical and digital formats in any language). It is understood, at the time of submitting an article for consideration, that the editorial committee has the authority to review the originality of the manuscript with the software or technique it deems appropriate.
c6. Forms:
Informed consent for patients (images/clinical cases). Author confirmation. Conflict of interest declaration. References:
We request adherence to the Vancouver style, accepted by the National Library of Medicine of the United States and developed as part of the creation of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). For a quick guide, you can visit the following link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver_system
For additional details or a more comprehensive review, you can refer to the original English version at:
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html
Journal history
The FECASOG journal publishes original articles related to any area of knowledge relevant to gynecology and/or obstetrics.
Publications may include unpublished research of interest, topic reviews, and descriptions of cases/case series that, at the discretion of the editorial committee and after undergoing a rigorous peer review process, merit being known to the Central American and global scientific community. The journal accepts articles that have not been published in any other journal or online digital medium and are written in the Spanish language, as it is predominant among the member countries of the federation. From this point on, we take the first necessary steps to eventually opt for being cited in some of the main quality indexes (Scimago, Scopus, among others).
