About the Journal
Table of Contents
Focus and Scope
The Revista Médica del IMSS adheres to the guidelines set forth in the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), last updated in April 2025.
To better organize its content, the journal classifies articles into the following sections:
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Editorials
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Original Contributions
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Opinion Articles
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Review Articles
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Letters to the Editor
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Clinical Cases
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Others (Ethics, Education, History, and Philosophy of Medicine)
Articles involving human research must comply with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki (most recent revision in October 2024), the agreement issued by the Secretaría de Salud and published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación on January 4, 2013 (NOM-012-SSA3-2012), or the guidelines of the Research Ethics Committee of the institution where the study was conducted. Animal experiments must comply with institutional regulations or with those of the National Research Council regarding the use and care of laboratory animals.
If the article derives from a registered research project, the author must state the approval number granted by the corresponding Research Ethics Committee or its institutional equivalent. The author must also comply with applicable legislation if the research was conducted in another country. A copy of the approval letter issued by the Research Ethics Committee must be attached.
Peer Review Process
The Revista Médica del IMSS publishes original articles in Spanish and English. Previously published versions, articles in press, under review, or recycled texts are not accepted. Once submitted via the journal’s platform, the article is assigned an identification number and reviewed for compliance with author guidelines, inclusion of required documents (conflict of interest statement, authorship acknowledgment, and copyright transfer), and its contribution to knowledge in health sciences. Only then are reviewers assigned.
Once registered in the journal, it is not ethically acceptable to submit the manuscript to another publication (print or digital). Modifying the order of authors or adding/removing authors is also not allowed.
If the author wishes to withdraw the manuscript, a formal written notice must be sent to the editor via: revista.medica@imss.gob.mx
All manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review to ensure anonymity for both authors and reviewers. Reviewers complete an evaluation form previously validated by the editorial board according to the manuscript type. The review is confidential and may result in three possible decisions: acceptance, request for modifications, or rejection. If there are conflicting decisions, a third reviewer will be assigned for a final, non-appealable resolution. The editor is responsible for communicating the decision and any recommendations to the corresponding author.
If the article is accepted with modifications, the author has 20 business days to submit a revised version. Otherwise, the Revista Médica del IMSS reserves the right to publish or reject the article.
The average time between manuscript reception and publication is 8 to 10 months.
If the article is accepted for publication, the author retains intellectual rights over its content. However, the publication is considered the property of the journal through the signed copyright transfer agreement. Any full or partial reproduction in another medium requires prior authorization from the editor.
If the journal’s electronic platform is under maintenance, the review and editorial processes will continue via the official email: revista.medica@imss.gob.mx
Open Access Policy
The Revista Médica del IMSS adheres to international open access initiatives, including the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities (October 22, 2003), as well as the principles of the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).
In line with these principles, the journal provides free, immediate, and permanent access to all its content, without subscription or registration requirements. The journal’s website serves as its main dissemination platform, ensuring unrestricted availability of scientific articles to the academic and professional community.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a non-exclusive license to publish and distribute their work under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This allows third parties to reproduce, distribute, and publicly communicate the journal's content, as long as proper credit is given to the authors and the journal, and the use is non-commercial.
This policy contributes to the democratization of knowledge and enhances the visibility, impact, and responsible reuse of scientific output in health.
The publication of articles in the Revista Médica del IMSS is completely free of charge. No article processing charges (APCs) or any other fees are imposed on authors.
Journal History
The Revista Médica del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social is a bimonthly publication by Dirección de Prestaciones Médicas of the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, first published in 1962.
