For Authorsgjikia2026-05-11T02:40:16+04:00

Author Guidelines

These guidelines apply to all manuscripts submitted to the journal. Authors are strongly encouraged to read this document in full before preparing a submission. Manuscripts that do not comply with these requirements will be returned without review.

At a Glance

Parameter	Requirement
Submission method	Online only — geosurgery.org.ge/upload-an-article/
Language	English (mandatory); Georgian abstract accepted in addition
File format	MS Word (.docx)
Font / size	Times New Roman or Arial, 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing
Margins	2.5 cm left; 2.0 cm top, bottom, right
Page size	A4
Article length	7–20 pages (incl. tables, figures, references)
Abstract length	150–250 words
Keywords	4–8 terms (MeSH preferred)
References	Vancouver style; last 5–10 years preferred; DOI required
Figures / images	JPEG or TIFF, minimum 300 dpi
Article types	Original Research, Review, Case Report, Short Communication, Letter to the Editor
APC / submission fee	None — free of charge
Open Access license	CC BY-NC 4.0
ORCID	Required for corresponding author; recommended for all authors

1. Aims and Scope

Guram Tatishvili Bulletin of Georgia Surgery is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific and practical journal published by the Gr. Mukhadze Surgical Association of Georgia. The journal publishes original research, reviews, case reports, and educational materials across all domains of surgery and related disciplines.

The journal’s scope encompasses, but is not limited to:

Emergency and abdominal surgery;
Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery;
Oncosurgery and surgical oncology;
Endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery;
Reconstructive, plastic, and microsurgery;
Surgical endocrinology and transplantology;
Traumatology and trauma surgery;
Anaesthesiology and perioperative care;
Radiology and surgical imaging;
Biomedical ethics and deontology in surgery;
History of surgery and surgical education;
Clinical guidelines and recommendations.

Advertising articles are not accepted.

2. Article Types

Article Type	Length (words)	Abstract	References	Notes
Original Research	3,000–5,000	Structured, 150–250 words	Up to 40	IMRaD structure
Review Article	Up to 6,000	Structured or unstructured, 150–250 words	Up to 80	PRISMA required for systematic reviews
Case Report	1,500–3,000	Unstructured, 100–150 words	Up to 20	CARE checklist mandatory; patient consent required
Short Communication	Up to 1,500	Unstructured, up to 100 words	Up to 10	Max 2 figures or tables
Letter to the Editor	Up to 600	Not required	Up to 5	Commentary on articles published within 6 months

2.1 Original Research Article

Reports of original experimental or clinical studies. Structure: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.

Length: 3,000–5,000 words (excluding abstract and references)
Abstract: structured, 150–250 words
References: up to 40

2.2 Review Article

Systematic or narrative reviews of the literature on a defined topic. Systematic reviews must follow PRISMA guidelines and include a PRISMA flow diagram. Authors of narrative reviews should describe the search strategy used.

Length: up to 6,000 words
Abstract: structured or unstructured, 150–250 words
References: up to 80

2.3 Case Report

Reports of clinically significant individual cases. Must follow the CARE (CAse REport) guidelines (www.care-statement.org). The CARE checklist must be submitted as a supplementary file.

Structure: Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion, Conclusion
Length: 1,500–3,000 words
Abstract: unstructured, 100–150 words
References: up to 20
Patient consent statement: mandatory (see Section 8)

2.4 Short Communication

Preliminary findings, technical notes, or focused clinical observations.

Length: up to 1,500 words
Abstract: unstructured, up to 100 words
References: up to 10
Maximum 2 figures or tables

2.5 Letter to the Editor

Commentary on articles published in the journal within the preceding 6 months, or brief clinical observations.

Length: up to 600 words
No abstract required
References: up to 5

3. Submission

3.1 How to Submit

All manuscripts must be submitted exclusively through the journal’s online submission system at www.geosurgery.org.ge/upload-an-article/. Submissions by e-mail or post are not accepted.

Before submission, authors must confirm that the manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration elsewhere. Simultaneous submission to another journal constitutes a violation of publication ethics and will result in rejection.

3.2 Required Files at Submission

Main manuscript file (.docx) — anonymised (no author names or affiliations in the text)
Title page (separate file) — with full author details (see Section 4.1)
CARE checklist (.docx or .pdf) — for case reports only
PRISMA checklist and flow diagram — for systematic reviews only
Cover letter — brief statement of the article’s significance and confirmation of ethical compliance
Figures — uploaded as separate files (JPEG or TIFF, ≥300 dpi)
Ethics approval document — scan or copy (if applicable)

3.3 Language

The primary language of publication is English. All manuscripts must be submitted in English. Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have their manuscript reviewed by a native English speaker or professional editing service before submission. A Georgian abstract may be provided in addition to the English abstract.

4. Manuscript Preparation

4.1 Title Page (separate file — not anonymised)

The title page must include:

Full title of the manuscript (concise and informative, maximum 20 words)
Running head (abbreviated title, maximum 50 characters)
Full names of all authors (First name, Last name)
Institutional affiliations for each author (department, institution, city, country)
ORCID iD for the corresponding author (mandatory); for all other authors (recommended)
Name, postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the corresponding author
Word count (excluding abstract and references)
Number of figures and tables
Conflict of interest statement
Funding statement
Author contribution statement (CRediT taxonomy recommended)

4.2 Abstract

A structured abstract (150–250 words) is required for Original Research Articles and Review Articles, with the following headings: Background / Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusion.

An unstructured abstract (100–150 words) is required for Case Reports and Short Communications.

The abstract must be self-contained — it should not contain references, unexplained abbreviations, or footnotes.

A Georgian translation of the abstract is welcome but not mandatory.

4.3 Keywords

Provide 4–8 keywords below the abstract. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms are strongly preferred. Keywords should reflect the article’s core topics and aid indexing in bibliographic databases.

4.4 Manuscript Structure

Original Research Articles

Introduction — background, rationale, and objective of the study
Materials and Methods — study design, patient/sample selection criteria, procedures, statistical methods, ethics statement
Results — findings presented in logical sequence; use of tables and figures encouraged
Discussion — interpretation of results in context of existing literature; limitations must be addressed
Conclusion — concise statement of key findings and their implications
Declarations — funding, conflicts of interest, author contributions, acknowledgements
References

Case Reports (CARE structure)

Introduction — brief background; why this case is noteworthy
Case Presentation — patient demographics (de-identified), timeline, clinical findings, diagnostics, interventions, outcomes
Discussion — comparison with literature, lessons learned, limitations
Conclusion
Patient Consent Statement (mandatory — see Section 8)
References

4.5 Formatting

File format: Microsoft Word (.docx)
Font: Times New Roman or Arial, 12 pt
Line spacing: 1.5 throughout
Margins: 2.5 cm left; 2.0 cm top, bottom, and right
Page size: A4
Pages: numbered consecutively from the title page
Paragraphs: do not indent; leave one blank line between paragraphs
Do not use automatic hyphenation
Abbreviations: define at first use in the text; avoid in the title and abstract
Units: SI units throughout; non-SI units in parentheses where necessary

5. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must comply with the criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To qualify as an author, each person must have:

Made substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
Drafted the work or critically revised it for important intellectual content;
Approved the final version submitted for publication;
Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

All persons who contributed to the work but do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section, not listed as authors.

Use of the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) author contribution statement is recommended. For example: “Conceptualisation: A.B.; Methodology: A.B., C.D.; Writing – original draft: A.B.; Writing – review & editing: C.D., E.F.; Supervision: E.F.”

ORCID iD is mandatory for the corresponding author. All other authors are strongly encouraged to register at orcid.org and include their iD.

6. References

6.1 Style

References must follow the Vancouver citation style. Number references consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text. In-text citations are given as Arabic numerals in square brackets, e.g. [1], [2,3], [4–7].

References should be to primary sources. All sources must be cited in English (or transliterated if originally in a non-Latin script). References to work published within the last 5–10 years are preferred. A DOI must be provided for all sources where available.

6.2 Format Examples

Journal Article

Surname AB, Surname CD, Surname EF. Title of article. Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. https://doi.org/XXXXX

Zimlitski M, Zimlitski G, Bregadze G, Loria G. Primary leiomyosarcoma of the bone: a case report. Guram Tatishvili Bull Georgia Surg. 2020;8:61–65. https://doi.org/10.48412/GTBGS.2020.08.61-65

Book

Surname AB. Title of Book. Edition (if not first). City: Publisher; Year. Total pages p.

Book Chapter

Author AB. Title of chapter. In: Editor CD, editor. Title of Book. City: Publisher; Year. p. XX–XX.

Online resource

Organisation Name. Title of page [Internet]. City: Publisher; Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: https://www.example.org/page

List up to 6 authors; if more, list the first 6 followed by “et al.”

Do not sort references alphabetically. References are numbered in the order they appear in the text.

7. Tables, Figures, and Illustrations

7.1 Tables

Submit tables in MS Word or MS Excel format — not as image files.
Each table must be on a separate page at the end of the manuscript, after the references.
Number tables consecutively in the order cited in the text (Table 1, Table 2, etc.).
Provide a concise descriptive title above each table.
All abbreviations used in a table must be defined in a footnote below it.
Data in tables must be consistent with data reported in the text.
Do not duplicate data presented in figures.

7.2 Figures and Photographs

Submit figures as separate files (not embedded in the Word document).
Accepted formats: JPEG (.jpg) or TIFF (.tif).
Minimum resolution: 300 dpi for photographs; 600 dpi for line drawings and graphs.
Number figures consecutively (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.) and cite each in the text.
Provide a descriptive figure legend for each figure in a separate list at the end of the manuscript.
Radiographs must be submitted with positive images.
For microphotographs: indicate magnification (objective and eyepiece), staining method, and orientation.
Graphs and charts: submit in editable format (MS Excel or PowerPoint) in addition to the image file.

7.3 Figure Legends

Provide all figure legends in a numbered list on a separate page at the end of the manuscript. Legends must be sufficiently detailed to allow interpretation of the figure without reference to the text. Define all abbreviations and symbols used.

Patient-identifiable information must not appear in figures. Photographs showing identifiable facial features require explicit patient consent (see Section 8).

8. Ethical Requirements

8.1 Ethics Approval

All research involving human participants must have been conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the relevant institutional and national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments.

Authors must include an Ethics Statement in the Declarations section of the manuscript, specifying:

Name of the ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB/IEC) that approved the study
Approval reference number
Confirmation that informed consent was obtained from all participants, or the justification for waiver of consent

Studies involving experimental animals must state the type and number of animals used, species, anaesthesia method, and compliance with institutional animal welfare standards.

8.2 Patient Consent for Publication

For case reports, clinical photographs, and any manuscript in which individual patients may be identifiable, authors must confirm that written informed consent was obtained from the patient (or their legal guardian) for publication of the case details and any associated images.

The following statement must appear in the Declarations section:

“Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the Editor-in-Chief.”

Where patient consent was not obtained (e.g., deceased patient, lost to follow-up), authors must state the reason and confirm that the patient is not identifiable from any detail in the manuscript.

8.3 Conflicts of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, expert testimony, grants, and patents. If no conflict of interest exists, state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

8.4 Funding

Authors must identify the sources of funding for the study in the Declarations section. If no funding was received, state: “This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

8.5 AI-Assisted Writing

Authors must disclose the use of any artificial intelligence (AI) or AI-assisted tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Grammarly AI) in the preparation of the manuscript. AI tools may not be listed as authors; authorship requires accountability, which AI systems cannot assume. Disclose AI use in the Methods section (if used for data analysis) or in the Acknowledgements section.

8.6 Plagiarism and Prior Publication

Submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism. Manuscripts must represent original work not previously published in any language. Submission of the same manuscript to two or more journals simultaneously constitutes duplicate submission and is a violation of publication ethics.

Text recycling from authors’ own previously published work (self-plagiarism) must be disclosed and is only permissible to a limited extent (e.g., in Methods sections), with appropriate citation.

9. Declarations Section — Template

Every manuscript must include a Declarations section after the Discussion/Conclusion and before the References, using the following structure:

Section	Required Statement
Ethics approval and consent to participate	The study was approved by [Name of ethics committee], approval No. [XXXX]. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. / Consent was waived because [reason].
Consent for publication	Written informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this case report and any accompanying images. / Not applicable.
Availability of data	The data supporting the findings of this study are available on reasonable request from the corresponding author.
Competing interests	The authors declare no conflict of interest. / [Specify conflicts.]
Funding	[Funding source and grant number.] / This research received no external funding.
Authors’ contributions	Conceptualisation: [A.B.]; Methodology: [A.B., C.D.]; Writing – original draft: [A.B.]; Writing – review & editing: [C.D., E.F.]; Supervision: [E.F.]
AI-assisted writing	No AI writing tools were used in the preparation of this manuscript. / The following AI tools were used: [tool name, purpose]. AI was not used for data analysis or interpretation.
Acknowledgements	[Optional — persons who contributed but do not meet authorship criteria; professional editing or language services.] / Not applicable.

10. After Acceptance

Authors will receive the typeset proof for review. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours. Only essential corrections are permitted at the proof stage.
The corresponding author will be notified of the publication date and the article DOI.
The final published version (Version of Record) will be freely available immediately upon publication under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Authors are encouraged to self-archive the published PDF in their institutional repository and to share it via ResearchGate, Academia.edu, or similar platforms, citing the original publication.

11. Contact

Contact	Details
Editorial Office	Guram Tatishvili Bulletin of Georgia Surgery
Website	www.geosurgery.org.ge
Online submission	geosurgery.org.ge/upload-an-article/
Publisher	Gr. Mukhadze Surgical Association of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
ISSN (Print)	2449-2221
ISSN (Online)	2667-9795
License	CC BY-NC 4.0

These Author Guidelines are aligned with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the CARE guidelines for case reports, and the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Last updated: 2026.