PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT

Guidelines for submission in Annals of Transplantation are in accordance with: Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (N Eng J Med, 1997; 336: 309-15).

The manuscript should be typewritten on a white paper of the size ISO A4 (210x297 mm). The text should be processed on the laser or inkjet printer preferably, or on a typewriter; in the last case, however, the authors are requested to take care about the quality of printing tape. Text should be one and half spaced with 12-point typeface. Margins: 2.5 cm (1 inch) at top, bottom, right, and left.

Illustrations are very helpful and for case reports are mandatory. In reviews it should be explained what information retrieval sources were used and what were the criteria in selecting the referred papers.

The Editorial Board reserves the privilege to adjust the format of the article.

The manuscript should include:

Title page with the following information:

• full names of all authors
• name of the department and institution in which the work was done
• affiliations of the authors
• manuscript full title
• running title
• full name, address, telephone and/or fax number of the author responsible for manuscript preparation
• email address to speed up contacts with authors
• source(s) of support in the form of grants (quote the number of the grant) equipment, drugs etc.

Summary page. SUMMARY in structured form not exceeding 250 words should consist of four paragraphs labeled: Background, Material and Methods, Results, Conclusion. Each summary section should begin in a new line and briefly describe, respectively, the purpose of the study, how the investigation was performed, the most important results and the principal conclusion that authors draw from the results.

KEY WORDS (3 to 6) or short phrases should be written at the bottom of the page including summary. The use of the items included in Index Medicus (Medical Subject Headings) is advised.

Text. The text of the article should be divided to seven paragraphs labeled: Background, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgements, References.

Background should contain scientific rationale and the aim of the study or (in case of a review) purpose of the article

Material and methods should describe clearly the selection of observational or experimental subjects (patients or laboratory animals) including controls, such as age, gender, inclusion and exclusion criteria, (the circumstances for rejection from the study should be clearly defined), randomization and masking (blinding) method.

The protocol of data acquisition, procedures, investigated parameters, methods of measurements and apparatus should be described in sufficient detail to allow other scientists to reproduce the results. Name and references to the established methods should be given. References and brief description should be provided for methods that have been published but are not well known, whereas new or substantially modified methods should be described in detail. The reasons for using them should be provided along with the evaluation of their limitations. The drugs and other chemicals should be precisely identified including generic name, dose and route of administration.

The statistical methods should be described in detail to enable verification of the reported results.

Provide information on patientsA~ informed consent. Studies on patients and volunteers require informed consent documented in the text of the manuscript. Where there is any unavoidable risk of breach of privacy - e.g. in a clinical photograph or in case details - the patientA~s written consent to publication must be obtained and copied to the journal. Information on approval of a Local Ethical Committee should also be provided.

Results should concisely and reasonably summarize the findings. Restrict tables and figures to the number needed to explain the argument of the paper and assess its support. Do not duplicate data in graphs and tables. Give numbers of observation and report exclusions or losses to observation such as dropouts from a clinical trial. Report treatment complications. The results should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, tables and illustrations. Do not repeat in the text all the data from the tables or graphs. Emphasize only important observations.

Discussion should deal only with new and/or important aspects of the study. Do not repeat in detail data or other material from the Background or the Results section. Include in the Discussion the implications of the findings and their limitations, including implications for future research. The discussion should confront the results of other investigations especially those quoted in the text.

Conclusions should be linked with the goals of the study. State new hypotheses when warranted. Include recommendations when appropriate. Unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by the obtained data should be avoided.

Acknowledgements. List all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship, such as technical assistants, writing assistants or head of department who provided only general support. Financial and other material support should be disclosed and acknowledged.

References must be numbered consecutively as they are cited. References selected for publication should be chosen for their importance, accessibility, and for the „further readingł opportunities they provide. References first cited in tables or figure legends must be numbered so that they will be in sequence with references cited in the text. The style of references is that of Index Medicus. List all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list the first three, then „et al.ł The following is a sample reference:

Standard journal article

Article with published erratum

Article in electronic form

Article, no author given

Book, personal author(s)

Book, editor(s) as author

Book, Organization as author and publisher:

Chapter in a book

Conference proceedings

Conference paper

Avoid using abstracts or review papers as references. Unpublished observations' and personal communications' can not be used as references. If essential, such material may be incorporated in the appropriate place in the text.

Tables. Type or print out each table on a separate sheet of paper. Do not submit tables as photographs. Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text, and supply a brief title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in each table. For footnotes use the following symbols, in this sequence: *, , ý, §, ||, Â, **, , ýý, etc.

Identify statistical measures of variations such as standard deviation and standard error of the mean. Do not use internal horizontal and vertical rules. Be sure that each table is cited in the text.

If you use data from another published or unpublished source, obtain permission and acknowledge them fully.

Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed; freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Instead of original drawings, x-ray films, and other material, send sharp, glossy, black-and-white photographic prints, usually 127 x 173 mm (5 x 7 in) but no larger than 203 x 254 mm (8 x 10 in). Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size that when reduced for publication each item will still be legible. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations, not on the illustrations themselves.

Each figure should have a label pasted on its back indicating the number of the figure, author's name, and top of the figure. Do not write on the back of figures or scratch or mar them by using paper clips. Do not bend figures or mount them on cardboard.

Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. If a figure has been published, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher, except for documents in the public domain.

Photographs should be color or black & white glossy prints with numbers and descriptions on the back, following the pattern: title, authors, number of the photograph, its description.

Photomicrographs should have internal scale markers. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background. If photographs of people are used, either the subjects must not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph.

Legends for Illustrations. Type or print out legends for illustrations using double-spacing, starting on a separate page, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, identify and explain each one clearly in the legend. Explain the internal scale and identify the method of staining in photographs.

Units of Measurement. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. Blood pressures should be given in millimeters of mercury.

All hematological and clinical chemistry measurements should be reported in the metric system in terms of the International System of Units (SI). Alternative or non-SI units should be added in parenthesis.

Abbreviations and Symbols. Use only standard abbreviations. Avoid abbreviations in the title and abstract. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement.

Text on a diskette. The text may be processed with the use of any standard text editor. Standard fonts are advised, 12-point typeface. Tables, figures, drawings and photographs may be processed using any mode and software (*.txt, *.doc, *.wpd, *.xls, *.cdr, *.bmp, *.eps, *.tif preferably). Use 3.5ł diskettes, CD-R or ZIP disks.

When submitting disks, authors should (1) be certain to include a print-out of the version of the article that is on the disk; (2) put only the latest version of the manuscript on the disk; (3) name the file(s) clearly; (4) label the disk with the format of the file and the file name; (5) provide information on the hardware and software used. Indicate the format: IBM PC or Apple and the name (+version) of software use.