Instructions for Authors

Authors are strongly encouraged to carefully review the journal's policies on submission, peer review, and publication ethics prior to submitting their manuscripts. Adherence to these policies will facilitate the preparation of a complete, accurate, and compliant submission.

The Journal of Turkish Clinical Biochemistry considers only original manuscripts. Submissions must not have been previously published, either in whole or in part, nor be under consideration by another journal. If the manuscript has been presented at a scientific meeting or conference, this must be clearly stated on the title page, including the name, date, and location of the event.

All manuscripts must follow the ICMJE Recommendations (updated January 2026). In addition, authors are required to comply with the appropriate reporting guidelines relevant to their study design.

Reporting Guidelines by Study Type

High-quality scientific reporting requires adherence to established methodological frameworks. Each study design is supported by standardized reporting guidelines developed to ensure transparency, reproducibility, and the critical appraisal of research findings. Authors submitting to the Journal of Turkish Clinical Biochemistry are expected to identify and apply the reporting guideline appropriate to their study design and to submit a completed checklist at the time of manuscript submission.

Comprehensive resources on reporting guidelines are available through the EQUATOR Network and the NLM Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

The most commonly used guidelines by study type are:

• Randomized Controlled Trials: CONSORT (SPIRIT for study protocols)
• Observational Studies: STROBE (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)
• Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: STARD
• Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: PRISMA (PRISMA-P for protocols)
• Animal Studies: ARRIVE, with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (8th edition)
• Nonrandomized Behavioral and Public Health Studies: TREND
• Case Reports: CARE
• Qualitative Research: SRQR
• Quality Improvement Studies: SQUIRE
• Prediction Model Studies: TRIPOD+AI

Authors are also encouraged to apply the SAGER guidelines to ensure appropriate consideration of sex and gender throughout the study. In addition, consultation of the EASE Guidelines for Authors and Translators prior to submission is recommended to enhance clarity, structure, and overall manuscript quality.

Preparation of the Manuscript

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Turkish Clinical Biochemistry must be prepared in accordance with the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition.

Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the journal's online manuscript submission and evaluation system. Submissions made via any other medium, or by individuals other than the listed authors, will not be considered.

Each submission must include the following forms and files:

Copyright Agreement and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form: Authors are required to complete and submit this form (available here) together with the manuscript. The document should be signed electronically using Adobe Acrobat Reader DC (available free of charge at http://get.adobe.com/reader).

ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form: All authors must individually complete the conflict of interest disclosure form provided by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (available at http://www.icmje.org/conflicts-of-interest/). The number of submitted forms must correspond to the number of authors (e.g., X authors = X forms).

Title Page: The title page must be uploaded as a separate Word document and should include the full manuscript title, a short running title, the complete list of authors with their ORCID iDs, institutional affiliations, and the contact details of the corresponding author (including email address and mobile phone number). If applicable, information regarding prior presentation of the work (conference name, date, and location), financial disclosures, and acknowledgements should also be provided.

Main Document: The main manuscript file must be submitted as a Word document. For Original Articles, Review Articles, and Case Reports/Series, the manuscript and any accompanying figures must be fully blinded for peer review. All identifying information related to authors or institutions should be removed and replaced with "xxx" where necessary.

Manuscript Types

Original Article: Original Articles report novel research findings and must adhere to a structured format. The abstract should be structured with the following subheadings: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. The main text should be organized as Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Please refer to Table 1 for word limits and additional requirements.

Original Articles must also include 3–5 "main points." These points should concisely highlight the most significant findings and the primary message of the study. They should be presented as a clear, straightforward list and written in accessible language to facilitate comprehension by readers and specialists.

Review Article: The journal welcomes both invited and unsolicited review articles from authors with recognized expertise and a strong publication record in the relevant field. Review Articles should provide a comprehensive and critical overview of current knowledge on a clinical topic, including evaluation and synthesis of relevant literature. Authors may define appropriate subheadings; however, all Review Articles must include Introduction and Conclusion sections. Please refer to Table 1 for word limits and other requirements.

Case Report: Case Reports present detailed descriptions of rare, diagnostically challenging, or educational clinical cases encountered in clinical biochemistry practice. These manuscripts should offer novel insights into diagnosis, laboratory findings, treatment, or emerging approaches not yet well represented in the literature. The manuscript should include Introduction, Case Presentation, and Discussion sections, along with an unstructured abstract. Please refer to Table 1 for length limitations. Written informed consent must be obtained from the patient (or their legal representative) prior to submission, and this should be clearly stated in the manuscript.

Letter to the Editor: Letters to the Editor provide an opportunity for concise commentary on articles previously published in the journal. They may also include brief educational cases or topics of general interest to readers. This article type does not require an abstract, keywords, tables, figures, or images. The text should be unstructured, and any referenced article must be appropriately cited.

Table 1. Limitations for Each Manuscript Type

*Word limit excludes abstract, references, tables, and figure legends.

Tables

Tables must be submitted in an editable text format and not as images. They should be placed at the end of the main document, following the References section, and created using the "Insert Table" function in Microsoft Word. Each table must have a clear and descriptive title. All abbreviations used within tables should be defined in footnotes placed directly beneath the respective table.

Figures, diagrams, etc.

All figures, images, artwork, diagrams, and other visual materials must be submitted as separate files in addition to the main manuscript. Each visual element should be accompanied by a descriptive caption. Figures must be cited in the main text in consecutive numerical order. All submitted images should have a minimum resolution of 300 DPI and must be of sufficient clarity and quality for publication.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be defined at first mention in the abstract and again upon first use in the main text. Standard abbreviations may be used without definition. Abbreviations appearing in tables should be defined in footnotes beneath each table.

Units of Measurement

All measurements must be reported in SI units. Where conventional units are commonly used in clinical practice, these may be provided in parentheses following the corresponding SI values.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials may be submitted to support and enhance the content of the manuscript. All supplementary files should be clearly labeled and appropriately referenced within the main text.

Keywords

Please provide 3–5 keywords, whenever possible from the MeSH database.

Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the study but do not fulfill the criteria for authorship (e.g., provision of funding, overall supervision, administrative support, writing assistance, technical or language editing, and proofreading) should be appropriately acknowledged in this section. Authors are required to confirm the inclusion of such acknowledgments during the manuscript submission process. In addition, all sources of financial and material support should be clearly stated and disclosed within the conflict of interest declaration at submission.

References

All references must be formatted in accordance with the Vancouver referencing style. Literature citation should conform to the standards available at NLM's International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals: Sample References available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html. References should be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals in parentheses, in the order of their first citation in the text. Authors are responsible for ensuring accuracy, completeness, and consistency in reference formatting, including punctuation and style. Previously published articles in the journal may be consulted as examples. List all authors if there are six or fewer; if there are more than six authors, list the first six followed by "et al."

Examples

Journal Article: Ugovšek S, Jeras J, Šebeštjen M, Zupan J. Influence of LDL cholesterol and Lp(a) on monocytes and macrophages in atherosclerosis. Biochem Med (Zagreb). 2025;35(3):030503. doi:10.11613/BM.2025.030503.

Book: King BM, Rosopa PJ, Minium EW. Statistical reasoning in the behavioral sciences. 7th ed. Hoboken (NJ): John Wiley & Sons; 2018.

Book Chapter: Fairbanks VF, Klee GG. Biochemical aspects of hematology. In: Burtis CA, Ashwood ER, editors. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Company; 1999. p. 1673–1676.

Website: Tao J. Anyone know how to calculate eta squared for a Kruskal-Wallis analysis? [Internet]. ResearchGate; [cited 2025 May 20]. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/post/Anyone-know-how-to-calculate-eta-squar

International Agency for Research on Cancer. Publication of the WHO Classification of Tumours, 5th Edition, Volume 4: Female Genital Tumours [Internet]. Lyon: IARC; [cited 2025 Apr 7]. Available from: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/publication-of-the-who-classification-of-tumours-5th-edition-volume-4-female-genital-tumours

Thesis/Dissertation: Roberts KM. Clinical evaluation of mineral trioxide aggregate in pulp capping procedures [dissertation]. Ann Arbor (MI): University of Michigan; 2023.

Conference Abstract (published in a journal or proceedings): Scotucci J, Gurnell M, Powlson A. LH-dependent female testosterone excess persisting after bilateral oophorectomy [abstract]. Endocr Abstr. 2023;94:P318.

Conference Abstract (presented, unpublished): Chasman J, Kaplan RF. The effects of occupation on preserved cognitive functioning in dementia. Poster session presented at: 4th Annual Conference of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology; 2006 Jun 15–17; Philadelphia, PA.

Production Process

Language Editing: Following acceptance, manuscripts undergo professional language editing provided by Caleo to ensure clarity, coherence, and linguistic accuracy. This process includes correction of grammar, punctuation, and formatting, as well as improvement of overall readability.

Proof Production: After language editing, manuscripts proceed to copyediting and typesetting. The corresponding author will receive page proofs for final review prior to publication.

Authors are expected to return corrected proofs within the specified timeframe. Only minor corrections are permitted at this stage; substantial revisions may result in delays in publication or require additional editorial evaluation.