Author Guidelines

Last Update: May 5, 2026

SUBMISSION AND PEER REVIEW PROCEDURE

ETHICS

TYPES OF PUBLICATION ACCEPTED AND FORMATTING GUIDELINES

DIGITAL ARTWORK PREPARATION

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING

SUBMISSION AND PEER REVIEW PROCEDURE

Starting in January 2026, manuscripts must be submitted using the standard review and publication template, which includes the title page. Layout and formatting are the responsibility of the authors

Please note: After acceptance of the article, a contribution of US$7.00 is required to generate a permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• Always review your manuscript before submitting it. You may stop a submission at any phase and save it to submit later. After submission, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You can also check the status of your manuscript by logging in to the submission system. The Editor-in-Chief will inform you via e-mail once a decision has been made.

The Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery (APN) is a triannual peer-reviewed medical online journal established in 2019 as the official publication of the Brazilian Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. Before submitting your paper, please read the section [About the Journal] to ensure your contribution is suitable for publication in APN.

All manuscripts must be submitted using the official APN template, available at template. Submissions that do not use the template will be returned to the authors without editorial review. Hard copy submissions are not accepted.

Please review your manuscript carefully before submission. You may stop a submission at any phase and save it to submit later. After submission, you will receive a confirmation e-mail. You can also check the status of your manuscript by logging in to the submission system. The Editor-in-Chief will inform you via e-mail once a decision has been made. Authors should expect an initial editorial decision within approximately 60 days of submission. Inquiries about manuscript status may be directed to editorialoffice@sbnped.com.br.

Please note: After acceptance, a contribution of US$ 7.00 is required to generate a permanent Digital Object Identifier (DOI).

Revision Procedure

APN uses a double-blind peer review system in which reviewers do not know the names of the authors, and the authors do not know who reviewed their manuscript. Please check the  Peer review process for further information.

Simultaneous Submission

Submission of a manuscript to APN implies that the work described has not been published previously, is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and will not be submitted to another journal while under review at APN. Simultaneous submission of the same manuscript to more than one journal is not permitted.

Author contributions

For transparency, APN requires authors to submit an author statement outlining their individual contributions using the standardized CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) roles: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Software; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing – original draft; Writing – review & editing. Author statements should be formatted with the name of each author followed by their assigned CRediT role(s). The author contribution statement is submitted as part of the manuscript.

APN applies a restriction on the number of authors for each article type. Please refer to the manuscript format table below.

Author Names, Affiliations, and ORCID

Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and verify that all names are accurately spelled. Authors are encouraged to include their ORCID identifier alongside their name and affiliation. Affiliations must be listed in the following order: section, department, institution, city, state, and country. Please provide the name of the institution in native-language.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must disclose any use of artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tools in the preparation of the manuscript, including writing, editing, translation, image generation, or data analysis. This disclosure must appear in a dedicated section of the manuscript titled "Artificial Intelligence," placed after the Funding section. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authors assume full responsibility for the integrity, accuracy, and originality of all AI-generated or AI-assisted content. 

ETHICS

Statement of Ethics

Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery adheres to the ethical standards of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). APN is listed among journals following ICMJE recommendations. Editors, authors, and reviewers are expected to adhere to these standards at all times.

The editorial team is committed to applying COPE flowcharts  in cases of suspected misconduct, including duplicate publication, plagiarism, data fabrication, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and other ethical violations.

Authors must ensure their submissions comply with the following principles:

• Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that submitted work is entirely original. Any use of the words or ideas of others must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism is checked during the desk review stage. A similarity index below 20% is considered acceptable; manuscripts at or above 20% will not proceed to peer review.
• Redundant or Concurrent Publication: An author must not publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal. Submitting the same manuscript simultaneously to another journal while under review at APN is prohibited.
• Authorship: Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study.
• Errors in Published Works: When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in their own published work, they must promptly notify APN and cooperate with the Editor to issue a correction or retraction, in accordance with COPE retraction guidelines.
• Complaints and Appeals: Complaints and appeals may be submitted by authors, reviewers, readers, or institutions regarding falsification, fabrication, plagiarism, duplicate publication, authorship disputes, conflicts of interest, informed consent violations, copyright issues, or any other ethical concern. Complaints must be sent to editorialoffice@sbnped.com.br with concrete data addressing the relevant factual questions (who, when, where, what, how, why). The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for resolving complaints and appeals unless personally involved, in which case the Co-Editor-in-Chief or Journal Management Editors assume this responsibility. Resolutions follow COPE guidelines.

Human Subjects

Manuscripts involving research on human subjects must follow the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The Methods section must include a statement confirming that the study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee, and that informed consent was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians. For retrospective studies, case reports, and research using anonymized data where formal ethical approval was waived, authors must include a brief explanation in the Methods section justifying the waiver in accordance with their institutional policy. Authors should indicate the ethical review mechanism used in the cover letter.

Clinical Trial Registration: Manuscripts reporting randomized controlled trials must include the trial registration number from a recognized registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, ReBEC, WHO ICTRP) in the Methods section and in the manuscript abstract.

Animal Subjects

Manuscripts reporting animal experiments must include a statement in the Methods section confirming that the study was approved by the Institutional Review Board and that animal care complied with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources, National Research Council. Washington: National Academy Press, 1996). Authors should indicate the ethical review mechanism used in the cover letter.

Note: Although not required at the time of submission, authors must be prepared to provide evidence of IRB or Ethics Committee approval upon request by the Editor.

Patient Consent

It is the policy of APN that no identifiable protected health information (PHI) may be included in any submitted or published manuscript unless the information is essential to the scientific integrity of the work and the patient or their legal guardian has provided explicit written consent. PHI includes, but is not limited to, names, initials, dates of birth, case numbers, facial features, birthmarks, scars, tattoos, and any other detail that could identify an individual. Particular care must be taken in manuscripts involving children.

Authors must ensure that: (1) no PHI is present in text, data, or images unless consent has been explicitly obtained; and (2) all other pre-existing PHI has been fully anonymized and de-identified prior to submission.

Written consent must be obtained prior to submission for all patients whose names, likenesses, clinical details, or images are included. The patient or legal guardian must be informed in advance of all purposes for which the material may be used, including publication by APN. If consent is subject to conditions (e.g., anonymization measures), APN must be notified in writing. Images of children must show only children in appropriate dress to reduce the risk of inappropriate use.

Patient Consent form - English

TYPES OF PUBLICATION ACCEPTED AND FORMATTING GUIDELINES

Manuscript format

The number of authors may exceed the stated limit with valid formal justification provided to the Editor-in-Chief. Editorials and Letters to the Editor are generally published by invitation; external submissions in these categories are subject to editorial discretion.

Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to follow the relevant reporting guidelines for their study type, as provided by the EQUATOR Network:

• Randomised controlled trials (RCTs): CONSORT guidelines, flowchart and structured abstract checklist
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA guidelines, flowchart and structured abstract checklist
• Observational studies in epidemiology: STROBE guidelines (also refer to RECORD for observational studies using routinely collected health data) and MOOSE guidelines
• Diagnostic accuracy studies: STARD guidelines
• Quality improvement studies: SQUIRE guidelines
• Multivariate prediction models: TRIPOD guidelines
• Economic evaluation studies: CHEERS guidelines
• Animal pre-clinical studies: ARRIVE guidelines

Article Types

• Review Articles are balanced accounts of all aspects of a particular subject, including the pros and cons of any contentious or uncertain aspect. They may be narrative or systematic and are subject to peer review. The abstract must be structured. For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, authors must follow PRISMA guidelines.
• Original Articles may include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, outcome studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, case-control series, and surveys with high response rates. Authors must follow the appropriate EQUATOR reporting guideline for their study design and declare compliance in the Methods section.
• Clinical Case Reports present single cases or series of cases with important clinical or educational value. Authors must follow the CARE guideline. The key requirements are that the title accurately reflects the case; the abstract is structured with Introduction/Background, Case Presentation, and Conclusions; the case involves an important area of pediatric neurosurgery; the clinical history, examination, investigations, and follow-up are described in sufficient detail; a clear and definite outcome is reported; the discussion explains the case in the context of the published literature; and SI units are used throughout.
• How I Do It describes surgical procedures and techniques. The abstract must be brief (≤100 words) and unstructured. Headings should follow this order: Introduction and Relevant Surgical Anatomy; Description of the Technique; Indications; Limitations; How to Avoid Complications; Specific Information for the Patient (optional). A video clearly illustrating the procedure is strongly recommended, with voice-over recording and a running time below 3 minutes.
• Clinical Images illustrate a key clinical finding presented in the form of a clinical question with a validated answer. The text must not exceed 200 words and may include up to 5 references. Images must be saved in TIFF format at a resolution greater than 300 dpi.
• Clinical Videos describe clinical procedures accompanied by an illustrative video segment. Maximum video length is 5 minutes. The accompanying text must not exceed 200 words and may include up to 5 references. Accepted video formats include QuickTime, MPEG, and AVI, with individual file sizes restricted to 10 MB. Voice-over audio is required. The written transcript must match the oral narrative. Author and institutional names must not appear in the video itself — include them only on the title page. Time points for key steps must be listed in the text (e.g., 1:08 — cortical dissection).
• Technical Notes introduce new surgical modalities or variants of existing techniques. Follow-up and outcome must be clearly stated. The abstract does not need to be structured.
• Historical Vignettes and Obituaries describe key contributions of individuals or trace the development of disease concepts. An abstract is required but does not need to be structured. Manuscripts likely to exceed 1,200 words should be discussed with the editors prior to submission.
• Commentaries are published at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief as brief, narrowly focused communications of contemporary interest. They may discuss a recently published article, address an issue relevant to the journal's scope, or present brief reports of educational initiatives or working groups.

General Guidelines

• Submit exclusively using the official APN template. Submissions in other formats will be returned without review.
• Keep the manuscript format simple and clear. Do not attempt to design the document layout; APN will apply its own style upon acceptance.
• Save each figure as a separate file. Do not embed figures within the manuscript file.
• Keep abbreviations to a minimum. Define all abbreviations the first time they appear in the text.
• Manuscripts must be written in English.
• Use SI (International System of Units) measurements throughout. Non-metric equivalents may be included in parentheses.
• Use generic drug names. Proprietary names may be cited in parentheses with the manufacturer's name and location.
• Credit suppliers and manufacturers of equipment and materials within parentheses, including the company name and primary location.

Article structure

Manuscripts must be divided into clearly defined sections with headings on separate lines. The recommended structure for each article type is as follows.

For Original Articles and Review Articles: Title Page; Abstract and Keywords; Introduction; Material and Methods; Results; Discussion; Conclusions; Acknowledgments; Disclosures; Conflict of Interest; Funding; Artificial Intelligence (if applicable); Author Contributions; References; Figure Legends; Tables.

For Clinical Case Reports: Title Page; Abstract and Keywords; Introduction; Case Report; Discussion; Conclusions; Acknowledgments; Disclosures; Conflict of Interest; Funding; Artificial Intelligence (if applicable); Author Contributions; References; Figure Legends; Tables.

Abstract and Keywords: The abstract must briefly outline the article's content and conclusions. For Original Articles and Review Articles, the abstract must be structured with the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. For Clinical Case Reports, the required headings are Introduction/Background, Case Presentation, and Conclusions. The abstract must not exceed the word limit for the article type. Authors are recommended to select keywords using DeCS (Health Sciences Descriptors) or MeSH (Medical Subject Headings).

Introduction: State the study objectives and provide adequate background. Avoid detailed literature surveys or summaries of results in this section.

Material and Methods: Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced independently. Published methods should be summarized and cited. Modifications to existing methods must be described. The Methods section must include the ethical approval statement, IRB information, and informed consent declaration.

Results: Present results clearly, objectively, and concisely. Report statistical results including p-values, confidence intervals, and effect sizes where applicable.

Discussion: Explore the significance of the results without repeating them. A combined Results and Discussion section is acceptable. Avoid extensive citation and description of published literature.

Conclusions: Restate the major findings and address their potential clinical implications and applications.

Acknowledgments: Acknowledge individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet authorship criteria (e.g., laboratory technicians, data collectors, medical editors, statistical consultants). Specify the type of contribution made by each person. 

Disclosures and Conflict of Interest: Each named author must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest relevant to the manuscript. Types of conflict include consulting arrangements, royalties, research support, institutional support, ownership, stock or options, speakers bureau participation, and fellowship support. If no conflicts exist, include the statement: "The authors report no conflict of interest concerning the materials or methods used in this study or the findings specified in this paper."

Funding: State the source(s) of financial support for the study. If no funding was received, include the statement: "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."

Artificial Intelligence: If AI or AI-assisted tools were used in any aspect of manuscript preparation, authors must describe the tools used, the tasks for which they were used, and confirm that all AI-assisted outputs were reviewed and verified by the authors. If no AI tools were used, this section may be omitted or state: "No AI tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript."

Author Contributions: List each author's name followed by their CRediT roles as described in the Submission section above.

References

References should be the most recent and pertinent literature available. All references must be complete and carefully verified. Useful resources for incomplete reference data include PubMed (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed) and the National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov).

• All references must include a DOI or a URL.
• References must follow Vancouver style (used by MEDLINE and PubMed), with the following specifications:
• References must be cited sequentially in the order they appear in the text, using Arabic numerals in square brackets, e.g., [1].
• References are not cited alphabetically.
• List all author names when there are six or fewer. For seven or more authors, list the first three authors followed by et al.
• References must be placed after the article text, preceded by a page break.
• An EndNote output style file is available at: https://endnote.com/wp-content/uploads/plugins/styles/Vancouver.ens

Reference examples:

Journal article: de Oliveira RS, Cinalli G, Roujeau T, Sainte-Rose C, Pierre-Kahn A, Zerah M. Neurenteric cysts in children: 16 consecutive cases and review of the literature. J Neurosurg. 2005 Dec;103(6 Suppl):512-23. doi: 10.3171/ped.2005.103.6.0512.

Chapter in a book: Toma H. Takayasu's arteritis. In: Novick A, Scoble J, Hamilton G, eds. Renal Vascular Disease. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1995:47-62.

Book: Stryer L. Biochemistry. 2nd ed. San Francisco: WH Freeman; 1981:559-596.

Thesis: Stern I. Hemorrhagic Complications of Anticoagulant Therapy [Ph.D. dissertation]. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University; 1994.

Government publication: Food and Drug Administration. Jin Bu Huan Herbal Tablets. Rockville, MD: National Press Office; April 15, 1994. Talk Paper T94-22.

Online article: Rosenthal S, Chen R, Hadler S. The safety of acellular pertussis vaccine vs whole-cell pertussis vaccine [abstract]. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med [serial online]. 1996;150:457-460. Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/ajdc/vol_150/no_5/abstract/htm. Accessed November 10, 1996.

Preprint: Author A, Author B. Title of preprint. medRxiv [Preprint]. Year Month Day [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: https://doi.org/[DOI].

Figure Legends

• Figures include photographs, radiographs, drawings, graphs, bar charts, flow charts, and pathways, but not lists or tables. Figures must be cited sequentially in the text in the order in which they appear. According to the journal template, figure legends should appear in the manuscript text immediately after each corresponding figure. Each legend must clearly describe the figure content, identify all lettered parts (A, B, C, etc.), and explain any arrows, arrowheads, asterisks, or other markers used. For figures reproduced or adapted from a previously published source, a complete credit line must be provided at the end of the legend, for example: (Reprinted with permission from Ballestero MFM, Santos MV. Hydrocephalus. Childs Nerv Syst. 2015;20:356.)

Tables

• Tables must be created using the Table function in Microsoft Word. Do not use spaces, tabs, or Excel to create tables. APN adopts the Springer three-line table format: one horizontal rule above the column headers, one below the column headers, and one closing rule at the bottom of the table. No vertical lines and no internal horizontal rules within the data rows are permitted.
• According to the journal template, each table must appear in the manuscript text close to its first citation, and its title must be placed directly above the table, not after the main text. Table titles should be concise, descriptive, and should not end with a period. Units of measurement must be stated in the column headers and not repeated within individual cells. Numerical values should be aligned to the decimal point within columns. Subgroup categories should be presented as indented sub-rows under their parent variable. All abbreviations used in a table must be expanded in a footnote immediately below the closing rule, using superscript lowercase letters in alphabetical order.
• Tables must be numbered sequentially in the order in which they are cited in the text. Data presented in tables should be discussed in the manuscript but should not be repeated verbatim in the text. If a table is reproduced or adapted from a previously published source, a complete credit line must be included as the first footnote beneath the table.

DIGITAL ARTWORK PREPARATION

General Guidelines

• Figures must be inserted in the manuscript at the appropriate locations, in high quality, according to the journal template.
• Each figure must also be uploaded as a separate file.
• Do not compress figure files.
• All black-and-white and color images must be submitted at a minimum resolution of 300 dpi in TIFF format.
• Line art must be submitted at 1,200 dpi in EPS or TIFF format.
• Figures should be cropped to their final intended size or larger, in the correct orientation.
• Figures should not be enlarged after submission, as this reduces resolution and print quality.
• If you are uncertain about the final required size for your figures, please contact the editorial office at editorialoffice@sbnped.com.br.

Black-and-White Art

• Black-and-white artwork includes halftone and grayscale photographs, radiographs, drawings, line art, graphs, and flowcharts. If color art must be converted to black-and-white, perform the conversion yourself to verify that no critical details are lost. Line art should be black on a white background with clean, evenly dark lines. Avoid screens or cross-hatching, as these may produce uneven results in print.

Art Labels

• Arrows, arrowheads, and asterisks should be large and clearly visible — lighter in dark areas and darker in light areas — to remain legible if figures are reduced in size. Use rules and leader lines of at least 1 point in thickness. Capitalize the first word of each label and all proper nouns. Use only one or two sizes of a serif font for labels; avoid multiple font types and sizes within a single figure.

EDITORIAL CONTACTS

For questions about submission requirements, manuscript status, or editorial policies, please contact the APN Editorial Office:

Archives of Pediatric Neurosurgery — Editorial Office Phone: +55 51 3388-2424 / +55 51 99963-7811 E-mail: editorialoffice@sbnped.com.br