General information

“Przegląd Dermatologiczny” [Dermatology Review], a peer-reviewed bimonthly journal, is the official journal of the Polish Dermatological Society. The journal publishes original research articles (clinical and experimental), review articles, and letters to the Editor. Dermatology Review also publishes information from the activities of the Polish Dermatological Society (statements up to 500 words).

Case reports and case series are considered only in exceptional circumstances and must demonstrate substantial clinical or scientific value supported by a comprehensive review of the literature.

All such submissions undergo initial editorial assessment; only those approved by the Editor-in-Chief are sent for external peer review.

All manuscripts are subject to review by at least two independent reviewers in a double-blind peer review process.

All articles must be submitted in English via the online editorial system: http://www.editorialsystem.com/pden/login/.

Manuscripts not compliant with the journal guidelines will be returned to authors without external review.

Title page

The title page should be submitted as a separate file and must include:

–            full title of the manuscript,

–            full names of all authors,

–            institutional affiliations of all authors (institution, city, country),

–            corresponding author (full name and email address),

–            word count of the manuscript,

–            number of figures and tables.

Authors should indicate the corresponding author responsible for all communication with the journal. The title page may also include ORCID iDs of the authors (recommended).

Article types and structure

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

Abbreviations should be avoided in the title.

The title should not end with a full stop. Question marks may be used where appropriate.

The use of overly general phrases (e.g., “A case report”, “A review”) should be avoided unless necessary for clarity.

Titles should be specific and include key clinical or scientific information (e.g., study design, population, or condition where appropriate).

Abstract

An abstract must be provided for all article types except Letters to the Editor.

Abstracts must be written in clear, concise scientific English and accurately reflect the content of the manuscript.

Abbreviations and references are not permitted in the abstract. Standard units of measurement (e.g., kg, cm, mm) and universally accepted scientific terms (e.g., DNA, RNA, pH, UV) may be used without definition.

Phrases such as “we present” or “we report” should be avoided.

The abstract should be consistent with the main text and include only information presented in the manuscript.

The abstract must not contain data or conclusions that are not included in the main text.

The structure and length of the abstract must correspond to the article type, as specified in the “Article types and structure” section.

Keywords

For all article types, 3–5 keywords must be provided. Keywords should be selected in accordance with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and reflect the main topics of the manuscript. Keywords should not duplicate words already used in the title.

Original articles

Original articles should present novel clinical or experimental research with clear methodology and reproducible results.

They should include the following sections:

– Introduction (background and rationale),

– Aim (clearly stated study objective),

– Materials and methods (study design, participants, inclusion/exclusion criteria, procedures, statistical analysis),

– Results (presented in a clear and structured manner, without interpretation),

– Discussion (interpretation of results in the context of existing literature, strengths and limitations),

– Conclusions.

Abstracts for original articles must be structured, 200–250 words in length, and include: aim, materials and methods, results, and conclusions.

Statistical methods must be described in sufficient detail to allow verification of the results.

Review articles

Review articles should be structured and critically analyse the current state of knowledge.

They should include the following sections:

– Introduction (background and rationale),

– Aim,

– Methods (description of literature search strategy, if applicable),

– Results / Current state of knowledge,

– Discussion,

– Conclusions.

Abstracts for review articles may be either structured or unstructured and should be 200–250 words in length.

Structured abstracts should include: aim, methods, results, and conclusions.

Unstructured abstracts should present the key aspects of the review in a concise and coherent narrative form.

Systematic reviews should follow PRISMA guidelines where applicable.

Case reports

Case reports should present a single clinically relevant or unusual case with clear educational value.

They should include:

– Introduction,

– Case presentation (clinical history, examination, investigations, treatment, outcome),

– Discussion,

– Conclusions.

Abstracts for case reports may be either structured or unstructured and should be 150–200 words in length.

Structured abstracts should include: introduction, case presentation, and conclusions.

Unstructured abstracts should present the case and its clinical relevance in a concise narrative form.

A brief review of the literature is required.

Case series

Case series should present a group of patients with similar clinical features and provide meaningful clinical or scientific insight.

They should include:

– Introduction,

– Aim,

– Materials and methods / Case series description (including inclusion criteria and patient characteristics),

– Results,

– Discussion (including comparison with previously published studies and relevant literature, as well as clinical implications),

– Conclusions.

Abstracts for case series must be structured and 150–200 words in length.

Structured abstracts should include: aim, materials and methods, results, and conclusions.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should present concise and focused observations, comments on previously published articles, or brief clinical reports of significant interest.

They should be structured as a continuous text without formal section headings, although a logical flow (introduction–main point–conclusion) should be maintained.

Letters must not exceed 2 pages (including references, tables, and figures).

Abstract is not required.

The number of references should be limited (recommended maximum: 10).

A maximum of 2 figures or tables is allowed.

If the letter refers to a previously published article, the original article must be cited.

Letters reporting clinical cases must include patient consent and follow the same ethical standards as full articles.

The manuscript structure must correspond to the article type. Manuscripts not following the required structure will be returned to authors prior to review.

Figures and tables

Figures and tables should be prepared in separate files. Graphs are treated as figures.

Tables should be submitted in an editable format and not as images.

Figures must be of high quality (minimum 300 dpi).

Authors using material originating from other sources must obtain permission from the copyright holder and acknowledge the source appropriately.

Patient identity must not be identifiable in images.

The total number of figures, tables, and photographs must not exceed 6.

Supplementary material may be submitted and will be published online only.

References

References must follow the Vancouver (ICMJE) style and be numbered in the order of first citation in the text. The same reference number should be used for all subsequent citations of the same source.

References should be cited using Arabic numerals in square brackets. Reference numbers should be placed after punctuation marks, preferably at the end of a sentence or clause. When citing multiple references, use an en dash for consecutive numbers (e.g., [1–3]) and commas for non-consecutive references (e.g., [1,3,5]).

Each reference entry should include author surname(s), initials without punctuation, article title in sentence case, journal title abbreviated according to Index Medicus, year of publication, volume, and abbreviated page range. If the number of authors exceeds six, “et al.” should be used after the sixth author. DOI should be included where available.

References may be cited in tables and figures only within their titles/captions. Citations within the body of tables or figures are not permitted. Reference numbers in figure and table captions should follow the same format as in the main text.

For monographs, references should include the author surname(s), initials, book title, publisher, place of publication, and year of publication. For chapters in edited books, references should include the chapter author(s), chapter title, book title, editor(s), publisher, place and year of publication, and page range.

Examples:

– articles:

David M, Tsukrov B, Adler B, Hershko K, Pavlotski F, Rozenman D, et al. Actinic damage among patients with psoriasis treated by climatotherapy at the Dead Sea. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2005;52:445-50.

– books:

Odds FC. Candida and candidiosis. Baillière Tindall, London, 1988.

– chapters:

Anderson RR. Optics of the skin. In: Clinical photomedicine. Lim HW, Soter NA, eds. Marcel Dekker, New York, 1993:19-35.

Total number of references must not exceed:

–            original articles – 40

–            review articles – 70

–            case reports/case series – 25

–            letters to the Editor – 10

References should be limited to the most relevant and up-to-date literature. Authors are encouraged to cite recent publications, preferably from the last 5–10 years, unless older references are essential. Excessive self-citation should be avoided. References must be verified by the authors for accuracy and completeness prior to submission.

Style and language

Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise, and grammatically correct scientific English (American English only).

Authors are responsible for the linguistic quality of the manuscript prior to submission. Manuscripts requiring substantial language editing may be returned without review.

Redundant, overly descriptive, or informal language should be avoided.

Numerals should be used for all numbers, except when they begin a sentence.

Standard medical terminology should be used consistently throughout the manuscript.

Typography and formatting

Hyphens (-), en dashes (–), and em dashes (—) should be used correctly and consistently.

Hyphens (-) should be used for compound words (e.g., double-blind study).

En dashes (–) should be used for ranges (e.g., 5–10, 200–250) and relationships (e.g., dose–response).

Em dashes (—) should be avoided.

Units and numerical data

All measurements must be reported in the International System of Units (SI).

A space should be used between the numerical value and the unit (e.g., 5 mg, 10 cm), except for percentages (%) and degrees (e.g., 37°C).

Decimal points (not commas) should be used (e.g., 3.5, not 3,5).

Ranges should be expressed using an en dash (e.g., 5–10 mg, 200–250 patients).

Units should be written in standard abbreviated form (e.g., mg, kg, mL) and used consistently throughout the manuscript.

All laboratory values should be reported together with reference ranges.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be kept to a minimum.

All abbreviations must be defined at first mention in the main text and used consistently throughout the manuscript. Abbreviations should not be redefined in subsequent sections.

Abbreviations should be avoided in the title and abstract.

Additional requirements

Manuscripts must be prepared in a way that does not disclose author identity (double-blind review process).

Manuscript length should not exceed the following word limits (excluding abstract, references, tables, figure legends, and supplementary material):

– original articles – 4000 words

– review articles – 5000 words

– case reports – 2000 words

– case series – 3000 words

– letters to the Editor – 1000 words

The Editors reserve the right to request shortening of manuscripts exceeding the recommended length.

Manuscripts should be submitted as separate files: main text (without author-identifying information), title page, figures, tables, and supplementary material (if applicable).

File names should clearly indicate their content (e.g., “Main text”, “Figure 1”, “Table 1”).

Ethical requirements

Studies involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and require approval by an appropriate ethics committee. The approval number must be provided in the manuscript.

Written informed consent must be obtained from all patients. Patient anonymity must be strictly preserved. Identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, must not be disclosed.

For studies involving animals, authors must confirm compliance with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.

Publication standards

Authors are encouraged to follow international reporting guidelines, including CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, and CARE, where applicable.

All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest and sources of funding. The role of the funding source in study design, data collection, analysis, and manuscript preparation should be clearly stated.

All authors must meet authorship criteria and approve the final version of the manuscript.

Guest authorship and ghostwriting are considered forms of scientific misconduct and will not be tolerated.

Authors must confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration elsewhere.

All submissions may be screened for plagiarism.

Use of artificial intelligence (AI)

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in manuscript preparation must be disclosed.

AI tools may be used for language editing or formatting only. They must not be used to generate scientific content, interpret data, or draw conclusions.

AI tools must not be listed as authors.

Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript, including any content produced with the assistance of AI tools.

The manuscript must include the following statements, where applicable:

–            conflict of interest

–            funding

–            data availability

–            ethical approval

–            informed consent

These statements should be included at the end of the manuscript.

Peer review process

All manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers.

The evaluation process typically takes 2–4 months.

Reviewers evaluate manuscripts via the electronic submission system using the journal’s review form and are expected to provide objective, constructive, and timely assessments. Additional comments for the Editors and authors may be provided where appropriate.

Editorial responsibilities

Editors are responsible for making publication decisions and act in a fair, objective, and unbiased manner.

Ethical Standards

Termedia Publishing House is committed to upholding the highest standards of ethical conduct at all stages of the publication process.

The journal follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Copyright and licensing

© Polish Dermatological Society. This is an Open Access journal, all articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/), allowing third parties to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and to remix, transform, and build upon the material, provided the original work is properly cited and states its license.

Authors retain copyright.

Final remarks

The Editors reserve the right to make necessary stylistic corrections and to shorten manuscripts.

At the proof stage, authors should limit corrections to typographical errors only.

All required documents must be submitted with the manuscript.

Authors are encouraged to consult the Submission Checklist for Authors prior to submission to ensure compliance with the journal requirements.

For any questions regarding manuscript preparation or submission, authors are encouraged to contact the Editorial Office.

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Reports from the Polish Dermatological Society

Reports from the activities of the Polish Dermatological Society and collaborating dermatological organizations from other countries should present concise and factual summaries of meetings, statements, or initiatives.

Reports must not exceed 500 words.

Reports may be submitted in Polish, provided that an English translation is included.

Reports must not contain promotional or advertising content, including references to pharmaceutical or cosmetic products, companies, or brands.

Reports are not subject to external peer review.