Guidelines and Policies
EDITORIAL POLICIES
1. Scope and Mission
The Archives of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAI) publishes original articles, special reports, review articles, case reports, letters to the editor, and editorials in the fields of allergy, clinical immunology, asthma, and immune-mediated disorders. The journal’s mission is to promote high-quality scientific dissemination, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and improvement of clinical practice.
2. Authorship and Contribution
The journal adopts the authorship criteria recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To be listed as an author, an individual must meet the following requirements:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the study, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the data.
- Drafting the manuscript or critically revising its intellectual content.
- Final approval of the version to be published.
- Responsibility for all aspects of the work, ensuring that issues related to accuracy or integrity are properly investigated and resolved.
Contributors who do not meet all the criteria should be listed in the Acknowledgments section.
3. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The journal recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including language models (LLMs), can be used as aids at various stages of scientific research. The journal’s policy follows the ICMJE (2025) (https://icmje.org/recommendations/browse/artificial-intelligence/), COPE https://publicationethics.org/guidance/cope-position/authorship-and-ai-tools), and WAME https://wame.org/page3.php?id=106).
3.1. Authorship and AI. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Authorship implies responsibility, capacity for consent, and intellectual contribution—attributes that AI tools lack.
3.2. Transparency and mandatory disclosures. Authors must disclose any use of AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of the manuscript. The disclosure must include the following:
- Name and version of the tool used;
- Purpose of use (e.g., linguistic review, translation, text generation, data analysis, and figure creation);
- Section of the manuscript in which the tool was used.
If AI was used to assist in writing, the disclosure must be included in the Acknowledgments section. If AI was used in data collection, analysis, or figure generation, the description must appear in the Methods section and figure captions.
Example of a statement: “The authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-4 version, March 2025) for the grammatical and stylistic review of the English text. All generated content was reviewed, edited, and validated by the authors, who assume full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.”
3.3. Authors’ responsibility. The authors are fully responsible for all the content in the manuscript, including any material generated or modified with the aid of AI. This includes verifying factual accuracy and bibliographic references and detecting potential biases or inaccuracies in AI-generated content.
3.4. References and citations. AI-generated citations are not permitted. All references must be manually verified by the authors for their existence, accuracy of bibliographic data, and relevance. AI tools do not constitute authoritative sources of scientific information and should not be used as references.
3.5. Images and figures. The use of AI for generating clinical images is, in principle, prohibited, except when such use is an integral part of the study design and is justified. Figures and graphic elements generated by AI must be clearly identified.
3.6. AI in the peer-review process. Reviewers must not enter the manuscript content into AI tools, as this constitutes a breach of confidentiality. If a reviewer wishes to use AI for support tasks (e.g., linguistic review of their own report), they must obtain prior authorization from the editor and ensure that no confidential information from the manuscript is shared with the AI tool. Reviews generated entirely by AI will not be accepted.
3.7. Editorial use of AI. The editorial team may use AI tools for non-decision-making technical tasks such as plagiarism detection, formatting verification, and metadata analysis. All editorial decisions are the sole responsibility of the human editors.
4. Research Ethics
Studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and the regulations of the National Health Council (Resolution No. 738, dated February 1, 2024) (https://www.gov.br/conselho-nacional-de-saude/pt-br/camaras-tecnicas-e-comissoes/conep/legislacao/resolucoes/resolucao-no-738-de-01-de-fevereiro-de-2024/view).
Approval by the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) or its equivalent is mandatory, and the approval number must be included in the manuscript. Studies involving animals must follow the 2024 CONCEA guidelines. (https://www.gov.br/mcti/pt-br/composicao/conselhos/concea/arquivos/dbca-2024.pdf).
Case reports must include an Informed Consent Form (ICF) signed by the patient or legal guardian or a justification for its waiver in accordance with current legislation.
5. Conflict of Interest
All authors must disclose potential conflicts of interest, whether financial or non-financial, that could influence the research, interpretation of data, or writing of the manuscript. The absence of conflicts of interest must be explicitly stated.
6. Plagiarism and Scientific Misconduct
Plagiarism, fabrication or falsification of data, misleading manipulation of images, and redundant publications are considered scientific misconduct and will be handled in accordance with the COPE guidelines. (https://publicationethics.org/). Manuscripts may be rejected or retracted, and the authors’ institutions may be notified of the same.
7. Peer Review
All submitted manuscripts undergo peer reviews in a double-blind system. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the field of the study. Reviewers are advised to declare any conflicts of interest and to maintain the confidentiality of the process.
The journal recommends the use of reporting guidelines appropriate to the type of study (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE, ARRIVE, and others).
8. Corrections and Retractions
Errors identified after publication will be corrected using errata. Retractions will be issued in cases of scientific misconduct, serious errors that invalidate the results, or redundant publications, following the COPE guidelines.
9. Simultaneous Submission
Manuscripts must be submitted to only one journal at a time. Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is considered an ethical violation and will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.
10. Funding
The authors must disclose all sources of funding that supported the research. Funding disclosure must be included in the manuscript and submission letter.
11. Regulatory References
These policies are aligned with the recommendations of the following entities.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations (2025).
- Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) — Position Statement on Authorship and AI Tools (2023); Guidance on AI in Peer Review (2024).
- World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) — Recommendations on Chatbots and Generative AI (2023).
- National Health Council (CNS).
These policies will be periodically reviewed to incorporate updates from regulatory bodies and technological advancements.
GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS
Archives of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology
GENERAL INFORMATION
The journal “Archives of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology” (AAAI) is the scientific publication of the Brazilian Association of Allergy and Immunology (ASBAI), with over 2,000 readers and institutions in Brazil and throughout Latin America. AAAI accepts submissions of editorials, review articles, original articles, case reports, letters to the editor, and special articles, which may be submitted in Portuguese, Spanish, or English.
Manuscripts must be submitted in Portuguese or Spanish, as well as in English, or in English only.
Editorials: These are articles in which the editor-in-chief or associate editors invite experts to write about specific topics.
Review articles: These are articles that provide a critical, systematic evaluation of the literature on topics of clinical importance, with an emphasis on the causes and prevention of diseases, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
The type of review and the methodology applied, including specific protocols, must be clearly stated. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are included in this category.
Review articles are limited to 6,000 words, excluding references and tables. Bibliographic references must be current and number at least 30.
Original articles: These are articles reporting randomized controlled trials, diagnostic and screening studies, other descriptive and intervention studies, and experimental research.
The text should be between 2,000 and 3,000 words, excluding tables and references; the number of references should not exceed 30. The manuscript should be structured into the following sections: introduction, results, discussion, and conclusions.
Short Communications: the word count must be less than 2,000, excluding references and tables. The maximum number of references is 15. It is recommended not to include more than two figures. This section includes clinical and experimental studies that provide new and relevant information, but are preliminary and should be structured in the same way as original articles.
Case reports: These focus on individual patients or unique situations, rare or previously undescribed diseases, and innovative approaches to diagnosis or treatment. The manuscript should be structured around the following sections: introduction, case report, and discussion. The text consists of a brief introduction that informs the reader of the importance of the subject and presents the objectives of the case presentation(s); a summary of the case(s); and comments that discuss relevant aspects and compare the report with the literature.
Letters to the Editor: should comment on, discuss, or critique articles published in the AAAI. They may also address other medical topics of general interest. Research reports on relevant subjects are welcome, provided their content is not sufficiently developed to be published as an original article. There is no required structure, but a maximum limit of 1,000 words is recommended, including bibliographic references, which should not exceed six. Whenever possible, for a comment on an article previously published in the AAAI, a response from the authors will be published alongside the letter.
Special Articles: These are texts that do not fit into the categories above but that the Editorial Board deems of special relevance to the management of patients with allergies and/or immunodeficiency, such as practical guides, guidelines, or consensus statements. Their review follows specific criteria, with no size limit or prior requirements regarding bibliographic references.
It is important to consult the international guidelines below, as recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE):
ARRIVE - Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments
CARE - for case reports;
PRISMA - for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
CONSORT - for randomized trials;
STROBE - for observational studies;
SRQR - for qualitative research studies;
STARD - for diagnostic accuracy studies; and
EQUATOR Network and NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives - for other guidelines.
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARING ARTICLES FOR PUBLICATION - FORMAT AND CONTENT
FORMAT
General Guidelines
The manuscript for publication—including tables, figures, and references—must comply with the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals," published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, updated in January 2026 (http://www.icmje.org).
Title and authors
A good title allows readers to identify the topic and helps documentation centers catalog and classify the material. The title should concisely and clearly describe the article’s topic. The use of overly general titles, abbreviations, and acronyms should be avoided.
Only those who actively participated in the work should be listed as authors.
Length and Format of the Manuscript
The full article must be written in 12-point Times New Roman font, double-spaced. The sections must follow this order: article text, acknowledgments, references, tables (each complete table, with a title and captions, on a separate page), and figure captions. Figures must be submitted separately and numbered.
Abstract and keywords (descriptors)
All information included in the abstract must also appear in the article. It must be written in the third person and must NOT contain abbreviations or bibliographic references.
Abstracts must be submitted in Portuguese, Spanish, and English.
Abstracts for original articles, reviews, and short communications should contain up to 300 words and be structured into the following sections: Introduction (including Objective), Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Similarly, the abstract should be structured into: Introduction (including Objective), Methods, Results, and Conclusions.
Special articles have a summary and abstract of up to 250 words and do not need to be structured into sections.
Abstracts in case reports should contain up to 250 words and be structured as follows: introduction, case description, and discussion
Editorials and Letters to the Editor do not require a summary.
Below the summary, provide three to six scientific descriptors, keywords, or key phrases, which will aid in the proper inclusion of the summary in bibliographic databases. Use descriptors from the "Descriptors in Health Sciences" list, compiled by BIREME (www.bireme.org) and available in medical libraries or on the Internet (http://decs.bvs.br). Use the "Medical Subject Headings" list, published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html.
Authors’ contribution
This section is required for articles with more than six authors and optional for all others. Each author’s specific contribution to the study must be described in this section, identifying the author by their initials.
Commonly cited contributions include: project conception and planning; data analysis and interpretation; execution and supervision of the procedures involved in the work; and organization and revision of the manuscript. An author may contribute to one or more aspects of the study.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments should be brief and objective, mentioning only those individuals or institutions that contributed significantly to the study but did not meet the criteria for authorship.
Funding
Public and/or private funding sources must be explicitly stated.
CONTENT
Abstracts
Abstracts in original articles and reviews
They should be structured into sections and be no longer than 300 words.
Introduction (including the objective): explain why the study was initiated and what the initial hypotheses were. Define the main objective and state the most relevant secondary objectives.
Methods: describe the study design (specify, if applicable, whether the study is randomized, blinded, prospective, etc.), the setting or location (specify, if applicable, the level of care—primary, secondary, or tertiary; private clinic, institutional, etc.), the patients or participants (specify selection criteria, number of cases at the beginning and end of the study, etc.), the interventions (describe essential characteristics, including methods and duration), and the outcome measurement criteria.
Results: report the main data, confidence intervals, and statistical significance.
Conclusions: present only those supported by the study data and that address the objectives, as well as their practical application, giving equal emphasis to positive and negative findings that have scientific merit.
Abstract in case reports
The abstract should be no longer than 250 words and should be structured into an introduction, case description, and discussion. It should include aspects such as: why the case merits publication, with emphasis on issues of rarity, novelty, or new forms of diagnosis and treatment; briefly present the relevant information about the case; and discuss the importance of the report for the medical community and the prospects for practical application of innovative approaches.
Abstract in special articles
Abstracts for special articles are not divided into sections. The abstract should be no longer than 250 words and should highlight the most relevant aspects of the article and its significance in the context of the topic addressed.
Letters to the Editor and Editorials do not include an abstract.
Text
Text of original articles and short communications
The text of original articles must contain the following sections:
Introduction: should be brief, citing only strictly relevant references to demonstrate the importance of the topic and justify the study. At the end of the introduction, the study’s objectives must be clearly described.
Methods: These should describe the study population, the sample, and the selection criteria, with a clear definition of the variables and a detailed statistical analysis, including standardized references to the statistical methods and information on any computer programs used. The procedures, products, and equipment used should be described in sufficient detail to allow the study to be replicated. It is mandatory to include a statement that all procedures were approved by the research ethics committee of the institution to which the authors are affiliated or, in the absence thereof, by another research ethics committee designated by the National Research Ethics Commission of the Ministry of Health.
Results: must be presented clearly, objectively, and in a logical sequence. Information contained in tables or figures should not be repeated in the text. Use graphs instead of tables with large amounts of data.
Discussion: Interpret the results and compare them with existing literature, emphasizing the novel and important aspects of the study. Discuss the implications of the findings and the study’s limitations. Conclusions should be presented at the end of the discussion, taking into account the study’s objectives. Relate the conclusions to the study’s initial objectives, avoiding assertions not supported by the findings and giving equal emphasis to positive and negative findings that have similar scientific merit. Include recommendations when relevant.
The text of short communications should follow the same structure, even if the results and conclusions are still preliminary.
Text of review articles
The text of review articles should include the following sections.
Introduction: a brief introduction in which the authors explain the importance of the review for clinical practice, in light of the medical literature. At the end of the introduction, the objectives of the review must be clearly described.
Methods: the type of review, the methods for selecting articles, and for data extraction.
Results: a summary of the data found in the selected articles must be presented.
Conclusions: The main findings of the review should be linked to potential clinical applications, while limiting generalizations to the scope of the review. Outline the limitations of the study.
Case report text
The case report text should contain the following sections:
Introduction: briefly presents what is known about the disease in question and the current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, through a concise yet up-to-date literature review.
Case description(s): The case is presented with sufficient detail for the reader to understand its full course and contributing factors. When the article addresses more than one case, it is recommended to organize the information in a table for clarity and efficient use of space. Avoid including more than three figures.
Discussion: presents correlations between the case(s) and other described cases, the importance of the report to the medical community, and the prospects for the practical application of innovative approaches.
Letter to the Editor or Editorial
These do not follow a rigid section format.
References
Bibliographic references must be numbered and listed in the order in which they appear in the text, where they should be identified by the corresponding Arabic numerals in parentheses. They must be formatted according to the revised Vancouver style (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html).
Below are some examples illustrating the Vancouver style for the preparation and punctuation of bibliographic citations. It is worth noting that when the first and last pages of a citation fall within the same tens, hundreds, thousands, etc., there is no need to write repeated numbers. For example, a reference that begins on page 1320 and ends on 1329 should be listed as 1320-9.
If there are more than six authors, list the first six names followed by "et al."
Articles in journals
- By individual authors
Morris SS, Grantham-McGregor SM, Lira PI, Assuncao AM, Ashworth A. Effect of breastfeeding and morbidity on the development of low birth weight term infants in Brazil. Acta Paediatr. 1999;88:1101-6.
- Corporate author
Pan American Health Organization, Expanded Program on Immunization. Strategies for the certification of the eradication of wild poliovirus transmission in the Americas. Bull Pan Am Health Organ. 1993;27(3):287-95.
- Volume with supplement
Shen HM, Zhang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenicity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect. 1994;102 Suppl 1:275-82.
- Issue with supplement
Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol. 1996;23(1 Suppl 2):89-97.
- Volume with section
Ozben T, Nacitarhan S, Tuncer N. Plasma and urine sialic acid in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Ann Clin Biochem. 1995;32(Pt 3):303-6.
- Issue with part
Poole GH, Mills SM. One hundred consecutive cases of flap lacerations of the leg in elderly patients. N Z Med J. 1994;107(986 Pt 1):377-8.
Books or other monographs
- Book chapter
Howard CR. Breastfeeding. In: Green M, Haggerty RJ, Weitzman M, eds. Ambulatory pediatrics. 5th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1999. p.109-16.
- Authored by the author
Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.
- Editor(s), compiler(s) as author(s)
Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.
- Organization as author and publisher
Institute of Medicine (US). Looking at the future of the Medicaid program. Washington: The Institute; 1992.
- Conference proceedings
Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; Oct 15–19, 1995; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.
When published in Portuguese:
Costa M, Hemodilution for sudden deafness. Proceedings of the 46th Brazilian Congress of Otorhinolaryngology; Oct 23–25, 2008; Aracaju, Brazil. São Paulo, Roca; 2009.
- Paper presented at a conference or similar event (published) Blank D, Grassi PR, Schlindwein RS, Mello JL, Eckert GE. The growing threat of injury and violence against youths in southern Brazil: a ten-year analysis. Abstracts of the Second World Conference on Injury Control; May 20–23, 1993; Atlanta, USA. Atlanta: CDC, 1993:137–38.
- Theses
Kaplan SJ. Post-hospital home health care: the elderly's access and utilization [doctoral dissertation]. St. Louis (MO): Washington Univ.; 1995.
Electronic material
- Electronic journal article
Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 1 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htmArticle
Morse SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious diseases. Emerg Infect Dis [electronic journal] 1995 Jan-Mar [cited 1996 Jun 5];1(1). Available from: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm.
- Article with document number instead of traditional pagination
Williams JS, Brown SM, Conlin PR. Videos in clinical medicine. Blood pressure measurement. N Engl J Med. 2009 Jan 29;360(5):e6. PubMed PMID: 19179309.
- Article with Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
Zhang M, Holman CD, Price SD, Sanfilippo FM, Preen DB, Bulsara MK. Comorbidity and repeat hospital admissions for adverse drug reactions in older adults: a retrospective cohort study. BMJ. 2009 Jan 7;338:a2752. doi: 10.1136/bmj.a2752. PubMed PMID: 19129307; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2615549.
- Internet resource
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Preparation and use of food-based dietary guidelines [website]. Available from: www.fao.org/docrep/x0243e/x0243e09. htm#P1489_136013.
Note: A complete list of examples of bibliographic citations can be found online at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html. Articles accepted for publication but not yet published may be cited provided that the journal is indicated and that they are “in press.”
Unpublished observations and personal communications may not be cited as references; if it is essential to include information of this nature in the article, it must be followed by the statement “unpublished observation” or “personal communication” in parentheses within the body of the article.
Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the Index Medicus abbreviations; a comprehensive list of journals and their respective abbreviations can be found in the NLM publication "List of Serials Indexed for Online Users," available at http://www.nlm.nih. gov/tsd/serials/lsiou.html.
Tables
Tables must be submitted in .docx (Microsoft Word®) or .xls (Microsoft Excel®) format. Use the exact number of rows and columns when creating the table. Empty or merged rows and columns may disrupt the table, rendering it incomprehensible. Type each table double-spaced on a separate page, and do not submit tables as photographs. Number the tables consecutively in the order they are cited in the text. Each table should have a brief but complete title so that the reader can easily determine what has been tabulated. The title should appear above the table. Give each column a short or abbreviated title, including the unit of measurement; the basis of relative measures (percentages, rates, indices) must be clearly indicated when these are used. Provide necessary explanations as a caption, with footnote references using superscript letters in alphabetical order: a, b, c, etc. Explain in the legend all abbreviations used, even if they appear in the manuscript text. Identify statistical measures of variation, such as standard deviation and standard error of the mean. Do not use internal horizontal or vertical lines. Ensure that each table is cited in the text. If using data from another source, published or unpublished, obtain permission and acknowledge it fully.
Figure captions
These should be presented on a separate page within the article text. When using symbols, arrows, numbers, or other elements within the illustrations, clearly identify and explain each one in the caption.
Figures (photographs, drawings, graphs)
Figures must be submitted separately and numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. All explanations must be provided in the captions. Figures reproduced from other previously published sources must indicate this in the caption and be accompanied by a letter of permission from the copyright holder. Photographs must not permit patient identification; bars covering the eyes may not provide adequate protection. If identification is possible, it is mandatory to include a written document proving informed consent for publication. Microphotographs must include internal scales and arrows that contrast with the background. Color figures are accepted by the AAAI for online publication. Figures must be attached as files in .jpg, .gif, or .tif formats, with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Graphs must be presented in two dimensions only, under all circumstances. Drawings, photographs, or other illustrations digitized by scanning usually do not have a resolution high enough for the journal's print version; therefore, they must be converted to a resolution higher than 300 dpi.
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SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES Contact the Office of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology Records Fone: (11) 5575-6888 / (11) 99703-7937 E-mail: aaai@asbai.org.br / revsbai@sbai.org.br |
INSTRUCTIONS FOR REVIEWERS
Archives of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology
Peer review is the cornerstone of the scientific integrity of any medical journal. Reviewers are independent experts who evaluate the methodological quality, clinical relevance, and soundness of the conclusions in submitted manuscripts, thereby making a decisive contribution to the advancement of knowledge in Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
By accepting the invitation to review, the expert assumes ethical and scientific responsibilities and is expected to:
- Evaluate the manuscript with rigor, objectivity, and impartiality;
- Identify strengths and weaknesses, offering constructive criticism;
- Respect the confidentiality of the process;
- Declare any conflicts of interest;
- Meet the deadline set by the Editorial Board.
Every manuscript submitted for review is a confidential document. Before beginning the evaluation, the reviewer must ensure that there is no conflict of interest with the authors, the institutions involved, or the results presented.
The reviewer has 15 calendar days to complete their evaluation, starting from the date the invitation is accepted. If an extension is needed, it must be requested from the Editorial Board at least 5 days in advance, with justification. Failure to respond to the invitation within 5 business days will be interpreted as a refusal.
The review must be conducted systematically, considering the following aspects:
a) Relevance and Originality
- Does the manuscript address a clinically relevant issue for the specialty?
- Is the scientific contribution original, or is it a redundant replication of previously published work?
- Is the research question clearly formulated?
b) Methodology
- Is the study design appropriate for the proposed objectives?
- Is the study population described with sufficient precision to assess internal and external validity?
- Are the inclusion and exclusion criteria appropriate and clearly defined?
- Are the diagnostic and laboratory methods used properly referenced and validated?
- Is the statistical analysis consistent with the data and the study’s objectives?
- Is the sample size calculation presented and justified when relevant?
c) Results
- Do the results answer the questions posed in the objectives?
- Are tables, figures, and graphs legible, self-explanatory, and correctly referenced in the text?
- Are the data presented consistent across the text, tables, and figures?
- Are the primary and secondary outcomes clearly distinguished?
d) Discussion and Conclusions
- Are the conclusions supported by the presented data and do they not go beyond the scope of the study?
- Are the study’s limitations acknowledged and discussed honestly?
- Does the discussion contextualize the results in relation to current and relevant literature?
- Do the authors avoid claims of causality in observational studies?
e) References
- Are the references relevant, up-to-date (preferably from the last 5 years, except for seminal references), and formatted according to the journal’s guidelines?
- Is there no excessive self-citation by the authors?
- Are primary sources used in place of citations?
f) Ethical Considerations
- Does the study report approval by the Research Ethics Committee (REC) and the registration number, when applicable?
- Is informed consent (ICF) mentioned in studies involving human participants?
- Is the clinical trial registration reported when relevant (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, ReBEC)?
g) Writing and Structure
- Is the text clear, objective, and grammatically correct?
- Does the abstract accurately reflect the content of the manuscript?
- Is the title informative and accurate?
- Does the manuscript adhere to the word limits established by the journal?
Upon completing the review, the reviewer will indicate one of the following recommendations:
|
Decision |
Criterion |
|---|---|
|
Accept without revisions |
High-quality manuscript, requiring no changes. |
|
Accept with minor revisions |
Minor adjustments to wording, formatting, or clarity; no changes to the analysis. |
|
Major revisions required |
Methodological, analytical, or interpretive issues that require further analysis or the collection of additional data. |
|
Reject |
Fundamental flaws in design, methodology, or scientific integrity; results insufficient for publication in the field. |
The review should be written in technical, respectful, and impersonal language. Criticisms should always be accompanied by constructive suggestions. Derogatory or ironic comments, or those that reveal the reviewer’s identity, are strictly prohibited. The reviewer should remember that the review process contributes to the authors’ professional development and to the advancement of science.
BEST PRACTICES FOR WRITING A REVIEW:
- Begin with a summary of the manuscript’s objective and main contributions;
- Organize your critiques into “Major Comments” and “Minor Comments”;
- Number each comment to facilitate the authors’ response;
- Indicate the page, paragraph, or line corresponding to each observation;
- Justify methodological criticisms with references to the literature when relevant.
USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE REVIEW PROCESS
LLMs use the data entered for their own training, do not always have access to the most recent publications, do not reliably detect data fraud or image manipulation, and exhibit inconsistent performance when evaluating complex statistical methodologies.
Thus, these tools can support the form of the review (clarity, structure, grammar), but should not replace expert judgment regarding scientific merit, clinical relevance, and data integrity.
Manuscript confidentiality is the most important consideration; submitting the full manuscript to external LLM tools is not permitted.
The reviewer must always declare to the editor the use of any AI tool, specifying its purpose.
We appreciate your contribution to the field of allergy and clinical immunology.
