1. Originality and Exclusivity

• The Revista Médica del IMSS only accepts unpublished articles, written in Spanish or English.
• Once submitted, the manuscript must not be simultaneously sent to another journal, whether print or electronic.
• The order of authorship cannot be modified, nor can authors be added or removed after the initial submission, as declared in the Authorship Statement.

 

2. Editorial Process

• Each manuscript is registered, preliminarily evaluated by the editorial team and, if it meets the formal and thematic requirements, it is assigned for peer review. See our editorial manuals .
• The corresponding author will be the only official contact with the editorial team throughout the process.
• The request to withdraw the manuscript must be made formally, through a letter addressed to the editor.

 

3. Authors’ Responsibility

• Based on the provisions established in the Official Gazette of the Federation dated January 15, 2026, all research must have registration and approval by a Research Ethics Committee; therefore, any original publication must have such registration. Likewise, all research conducted within the IMSS must have the corresponding approval record in the SIRELCIS system.
• The content, opinions, and citations contained in the articles are the sole responsibility of the authors.
• Conflicts of interest must be declared through the Conflict of Interest Statement.
• Any financial support or sponsorship must be disclosed in the Acknowledgments section.
• Authors are responsible for responding within the established timeframes to any requests or requirements made by the editorial team during the review and editing process.
• Authors are accountable for the final approvals granted to their article before its publication; once the issue has been indexed, no further modifications to the content will be made.

 

4. Copyright and License

• Once accepted, authors transfer the rights of the article to the journal, retaining their moral rights.
• The journal publishes under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) license.
• Any total or partial reproduction of the content in other media requires prior authorization from the editor.

 

5. Manuscript Format and Submission

• All manuscripts must comply with the indicated formal specifications: Word format, Arial 12 font, double-spaced, established margins, etc. Download manuscript templates here .
• The following elements must be included:
  • Cover Page (with complete information of the authors and corresponding author).
  • Abstract in Spanish and English (structured or unstructured, depending on the type of article).
  • Keywords (3 to 5) taken from MeSH and DeCS.
  • Illustrations numbered and properly formatted.
  • References:

  References must be formatted according to the Vancouver style adapted to the guidelines of the medical journal, following the instructions provided in the Citation Manual available to authors. Verifiable, scholarly, and up-to-date sources will be prioritized, preferably those published within the last five (5) years, except in cases justified by their historical or theoretical relevance.

  Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of citations and the consistency between the text and the reference list, as well as verifying that all sources are accessible and reliable.

 

6. Mandatory Documentation (Annexes)

All manuscripts must be accompanied by the following documents in PDF format:

• Conflict of Interest Declaration (one per author).
• Authorship Recognition, signed by all authors.
• Copyright Transfer, handwritten and signed by all authors.
• For clinical cases: Patient’s informed consent.

 

7. Accepted Publication Types

Each article type has specific requirements for structure, length, abstract, keywords, and number of references:

Note: You must use the template corresponding to each article type, available on the journal’s website.

 

8. Editorial Ethics Policy

• The ethical standards of scientific publication are observed, including the protection of personal data and the confidentiality of patients.
• Authors must provide their ORCID iD, which must match the one used in their previous scientific publications.
• Each author must register only one institutional affiliation, selecting the one most closely related to the development of the study.
• Equal authorship designations, such as “co-first authorship”, “shared first authorship” or Equal authorship, are not permitted.
• Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the data and the scientific integrity of the manuscript.

The Revista Médica del IMSS adheres to the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), as well as to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), in order to ensure transparency, scientific integrity, editorial responsibility and ethical conduct at all stages of the publication process.

• Protection of humans and animals: Any study involving human beings, animals, human biological material, identifiable clinical data or sensitive information must have written authorization from the corresponding local research ethics committee and, where applicable, from the research committee, biosafety committee or competent health authority of the institution or site where the study was conducted. Studies involving human beings must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki, current Mexican legislation and the principles of respect for dignity, autonomy, privacy, confidentiality, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice.
• Declaration of the ethical and institutional authorization record: Manuscripts must declare, in the Methods section, the authorization record granted by the local research ethics committee and, where applicable, by the research committee of the institution or site where the study was conducted. This declaration must include the full name of the evaluating committee, its institutional code or identifier, and the registration number, folio or code assigned to the protocol. Beginning with volume 64, number 4, corresponding to the year 2026, this information will become visible in the manuscripts published by the journal, as part of the editorial elements of transparency, traceability and ethical verification.
• Editorial scope of the authorization record: For editorial purposes, the existence and declaration of the registration number, folio or code issued by the competent evaluating committee shall imply that the protocol was reviewed and authorized in accordance with the ethical policies required by the Revista Médica del IMSS, as well as with current Mexican legislation, applicable institutional provisions and international standards for research ethics. Consequently, it shall be understood that the considerations related to informed consent, confidentiality, data protection, risk-benefit assessment, protection of vulnerable populations and other relevant ethical obligations were evaluated by the corresponding committee during the protocol review process.
• Research involving vulnerable populations: Manuscripts reporting research conducted with vulnerable populations must provide evidence of compliance with applicable Mexican legislation and current international ethical standards, including the General Health Law, the Regulations of the General Health Law on Health Research, the Mexican Official Standard NOM-012-SSA3-2012, the Declaration of Helsinki and the International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans issued by CIOMS/WHO. For editorial purposes, vulnerable populations shall include, among others, children and adolescents; persons who are unable to provide informed consent by themselves; persons with disabilities when their condition may affect comprehension, decision-making or the autonomous exercise of consent; pregnant women, women in labor, postpartum or breastfeeding women; communities in situations of social, economic or cultural vulnerability, including Indigenous communities and peoples; persons deprived of liberty; students, workers, trainees, members of hierarchical institutions or any subordinate group in which consent may be influenced by a relationship of authority.
• Ethical considerations included in the approval: In studies involving vulnerable populations, the authorization issued by the research ethics committee must have considered, as applicable, the scientific and social justification for including such population; the proportional assessment of risks and benefits; risk minimization; the informed consent procedure; assent from children, adolescents or persons unable to provide consent by themselves when applicable; reinforced protection of privacy and confidentiality; measures to prevent coercion, undue inducement, exploitation, discrimination or stigmatization; cultural appropriateness in Indigenous or socially vulnerable communities; protection of pregnant women, women in labor, postpartum or breastfeeding women; and assurance that acceptance, refusal or withdrawal of consent will not affect the academic, employment, institutional, medical, military or legal status of the participants.
• Confidentiality and privacy: Authors must follow institutional protocols for access to clinical data and obtain written informed consent from participants when applicable. Names, social security numbers, medical record numbers, initials, photographs, diagnostic images, biometric data or any other element that may directly or indirectly identify a person must not be included, unless such information is scientifically indispensable and explicit consent for publication has been obtained.
• Supporting documentation: The journal may request from the authors, at any stage of the editorial process, a copy of the decision issued by the research ethics committee, the protocol registration record, the informed consent form, the assent form, institutional authorization or any other document necessary to verify compliance with the applicable ethical and regulatory obligations. The omission, insufficiency or inconsistency of this information may result in editorial rejection, suspension of the review process, requests for clarification, post-publication correction or retraction, according to the severity of the case and in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidelines and current regulations.
• Funding: Any source of financial, institutional, material or technical support that contributed to the development of the research, preparation of the manuscript or publication of the article must be transparently declared.
• Authorship: The criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) apply. Only those who have made substantial contributions to the design, analysis or interpretation of data, participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version and accepted public responsibility for its content shall be recognized as authors. Changes in the order or number of authors will not be accepted after the initial submission, except with documented justification and editorial approval.
• Conflict of interest: Authors must declare any financial, institutional, academic, employment, personal or other relationship that could influence, or reasonably be perceived as influencing, the results, analysis, interpretation or presentation of the manuscript. The conflict of interest statement will be published in the print and digital versions.
• Originality and permissions: Manuscripts must be original and unpublished. Authors are responsible for obtaining the corresponding permissions to reproduce previously published materials, such as tables, figures, photographs, scales, instruments, questionnaires or extensive text fragments, and must submit the respective authorizations to the journal when requested.
• Plagiarism and duplication: Redundant, duplicate, fragmented or substantially derivative manuscripts based on previous publications without proper editorial disclosure are not accepted. If plagiarism, data manipulation, fabrication, falsification, redundant publication or misuse of protected material is detected during review, the article will be rejected; if the misconduct is identified after publication, correction, expression of concern or retraction will be issued, as appropriate, in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidelines.
• Corrections and retractions: The journal will issue errata, corrections, expressions of concern or retractions in a timely manner when substantial errors, scientific integrity issues, ethical non-compliance or information affecting the reliability of the published article are identified. These actions will seek to preserve the traceability, updating and authenticity of the published versions.
• Use of artificial intelligence: The use of generative artificial intelligence tools or automated systems to support writing, translation, analysis, image generation, data processing or manuscript preparation must be explicitly declared. Such tools may not be listed as authors, since they cannot assume public responsibility for the content, scientific integrity, originality or accuracy of the data presented.
• Supporting documentation: The journal may request from authors, at any stage of the editorial process, a copy of the research ethics committee approval, informed consent form, assent form, protocol registration, institutional authorization, conflict of interest statement, reproduction permissions or any other document necessary to verify compliance with applicable ethical and regulatory obligations. Omission, insufficiency or inconsistency of this information may be grounds for editorial rejection, suspension of the review process, request for clarification, post-publication correction or retraction, depending on the severity of the case and in accordance with COPE and ICMJE guidelines and current regulations.

For further reference, the applicable regulatory and ethical texts may be consulted:

Ley General de Salud

Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Investigación para la Salud

NOM-012-SSA3-2012

Declaration of Helsinki

International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans, CIOMS/WHO

COPE Core Practices

ICMJE Recommendations.

 

9. Clinical Trials Policy

The Revista Médica del IMSS follows the clinical trial registration recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and requires manuscripts reporting clinical trials to comply with applicable Mexican legislation, including the Ley General de Salud, the Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Investigación para la Salud, the NOM-012-SSA3-2012, the provisions issued by the Comisión Federal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COFEPRIS), the Declaration of Helsinki, and the CIOMS/WHO international ethical guidelines.

For editorial purposes, a clinical trial is defined as any study in which individual participants or groups of participants are prospectively assigned to one or more health-related interventions in order to evaluate their effects on biomedical, clinical, or health-related outcomes. Health-related interventions may include drugs, biological or biotechnological products, medical devices, surgical procedures, behavioral interventions, dietary interventions, diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic interventions, or changes in health care processes. Outcomes may include clinical, biomedical, pharmacokinetic, safety-related, adverse-event, or any other health-related measures.

Registration

• Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry before or at the onset of participant recruitment.
• The journal accepts registration in platforms recognized by the World Health Organization through the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), in ClinicalTrials.gov, or in other public registries that meet ICMJE criteria.
• Purely observational studies, in which assignment of the medical intervention is not at the discretion of the investigator, do not require clinical trial registration.
• The clinical trial registration number must be included in the manuscript, preferably at the end of the abstract and in the Methods section.
• The manuscript must state the name of the registry, trial identification number, registration date, recruitment start date, and a functioning link to the public registry.
• Every clinical trial must have approval from a research ethics committee before recruitment begins and, where applicable, from a research committee, biosafety committee, or competent health authority. In cases required by Mexican legislation, protocol authorization by COFEPRIS must be documented.

Results

• Authors must disclose any prior publication, posting, or dissemination of results from the same clinical trial or closely related work.
• Posting results in the same public registry in which the trial was primarily registered will not be considered prior publication, provided that results are presented as a brief structured abstract or in tabular form.
• Disclosure of results in other contexts, such as sponsor or investor meetings, institutional communications, or promotional materials, must be declared and may be considered by the editorial leadership when assessing manuscript originality.
• Any discrepancy between the registered protocol, the originally declared outcomes, and the results presented in the manuscript must be explained transparently.

Reporting

• Authors should report randomized clinical trials in accordance with the current CONSORT guideline, where applicable.
• Authors are encouraged to include the CONSORT checklist and a flow diagram describing participant progress through the trial, including recruitment, enrolment, randomization, follow-up, withdrawals, losses, and completion.
• The manuscript must describe the randomization procedure, allocation concealment, blinding, sample size calculation, statistical analysis, primary and secondary outcomes, effect estimates, confidence intervals, and adverse events.
• Authors must disclose all sources of funding, sponsorship, supply of drugs, devices, materials, or any third-party involvement in the design, conduct, analysis, interpretation, or decision to submit the manuscript.

Failure to comply with requirements for ethical approval, regulatory authorization when applicable, informed consent, prospective registration, transparency of results, or funding disclosure may constitute grounds for editorial rejection, request for clarification, correction, expression of concern, or retraction, in accordance with COPE, ICMJE, and current regulations.

For further reference, the applicable regulatory and ethical texts may be consulted:

Ley General de Salud

Reglamento de la Ley General de Salud en Materia de Investigación para la Salud

NOM-012-SSA3-2012

COFEPRIS: Ensayos clínicos y protocolos de investigación en seres humanos

Declaration of Helsinki

International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans, CIOMS/WHO

WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform

ICMJE Clinical Trial Registration

CONSORT Statement.

 

10. Advertising and Direct Marketing

• The Revista Médica del IMSS does not accept advertising from private companies or any content intended for profit. Any dissemination is limited to official information from the IMSS and public agencies.
• Direct marketing activities are restricted to the institutional promotion of the journal, calls for papers, editorial updates, and calls for peer reviewers.

 

11. Privacy Statement

• The Coordinación de Investigación en Salud del IMSS is responsible for the management of personal data.
• The information will be used exclusively for editorial management, statistical purposes, and institutional communication.
• The full privacy notice is available at: https://www.imss.gob.mx/avisos-privacidad

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