Table 1: Characteristics of journal guidelines.

Scimago Journal & Country Rank

Journal name

Impact

factor

Guideline

provided to

authors

Word limit

(n = 36)

Deadline for

submission

(months) (n = 12)

Maximum

tables & figures

(n = 23)

Maximum

references

(n = 29)

Maximum

authors

(n = 8)

1

Annals of Surgery

10.13

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

2

JAMA Surgery

13.63

Letter to the editor

400

1

N/A

5

3

3

The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation

7.87

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

4

Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry

8.26

Commentaries/ Correspondence

500

N/A

N/A

4

N/A

5

European Urology Oncology

7.48

Letter to the editor

500

3

0

5

3

6

Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery

4.46

Commentaries/ Correspondence

2000

N/A 

1

20 

N/A 

7

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

4.58

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

8

American Journal of Surgical Pathology

4.96

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

9

Bone and Joint Journal

4.31

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

10

Journal of the American College of Surgeons

4.59

Letter to the editor

500

6

N/A

6

1

11

British Journal of Surgery

5.68

Letter to the editor

600

N/A

1

5

N/A

12

Journal of Vascular Surgery

3.41

Letter to the editor

350

N/A

1

10

N/A

13

Journal of Hand Surgery

2.12

Letter to the editor

300

N/A

1

5

3

14

Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

4.24

Letter to the editor

500

2

2

5

N/A

15

Spine Journal

3.19

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

16

Liver Transplantation

4.57

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

1

5

N/A

17

Acta Orthopaedica

2.97

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

18

Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy

3.17

Letter to the editor

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

19

Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery

2.82

Letter to the editor

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

20

Annals of Surgical Oncology

4.06

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

1

10

N/A

21

Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases

3.81

Letter to the editor

N/A

1

N/A

N/A

N/A

22

Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine

3.01

Letter to the editor

500

24

1

10

N/A

23

Journal of Endovascular Therapy

3.1

Letter to the editor

N/A

N/A

N/A

10

N/A

24

European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery

5.33

Letter to the editor

800

N/A

1

5

N/A

25

Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery

2.69

Letter to the editor

500

2

1

5

N/A

26

Bone and Joint Research

3.53

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

27

Journal of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences

4.16

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

1

5

3

28

Foot and Ankle International

2.29

Letter to the editor

400

4

1

5

3

29

EFORT Open Reviews

2.3

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

30

JAMA Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery

3.85

Letter to the editor

400

1

N/A

5

3

31

Journal of Neurosurgery

3.97

Letter to the editor

500

24

1

10

N/A

32

The Breast

3.75

Commentaries/Correspondence

200

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

33

World Journal of Emergency Surgery

4.1

Commentaries/Correspondence

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

34

Surgery

3.36

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

0

5

N/A

35

Aesthetic Surgery Journal

3.8

Letter to the editor

750

12

5

5

N/A

36

Clinical Neurosurgery

 

Letter to the editor

850

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

37

Obesity Surgery

3.41

Letter to the editor

1200

N/A

3

N/A

N/A

38

Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery

4.45

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

1

5

N/A

39

Surgical Endoscopy and Other Interventional Techniques

3.17

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

40

Neurosurgery

4.85

Letter to the editor

850

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

41

European Spine Journal

2.46

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

N/A

4

N/A

42

Journal of Refractive Surgery

2.71

Letter to the editor

500

12

1

5

N/A

43

Neurosurgical Focus

3.64

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

44

Global Spine Journal

2.68

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

0

8

N/A

45

European Journal of Surgical Oncology

3.96

Letter to the editor

700

N/A

N/A

4

N/A

46

Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

2.29

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

47

Hernia: the Journal of Hernias and Abdominal Wall Surgery

2.77

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

3

5

N/A

48

Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery

2.02

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

49

International Journal of Surgery

3.36

Commentaries/Correspondence

750

N/A

1

5

3

50

Annals of Gastroenterological

5.16

Letter to the editor

500

N/A

1

5

N/A

*N/A: Not applicable due to no explicit value provided; SD: Standard deviation