MISSION STATEMENT
"Advances in Palliative Medicine", hereinafter referred to as APM or «the Journal», is a on-line-reviewed journal covering a broad spectrum of topics in palliative medicine and aiming to advance the knowledge and science of this rapidly evolving field. We very much welcome submission of papers from all over the world. We plan to process submitted papers rapidly utilizing online submission and review process as well as providing early online access to the papers ahead of print. The Journal publishes review articles, original clinical and experimental investigations in the field of palliative medicine, case reports, images in palliative medicine, historical notes, letters, book reviews, and editorial comments. Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits (points) may be obtained based on online proof of the knowledge of the content of the issue - more information regarding this option will be provided on the journal’s website. "Advances in Palliative Medicine" is internationally indexed in EMBASE and Index Copernicus. The APM editors endorse the principles embodied in the Helsinki Declaration and expect all research involving humans to be conducted in accordance with these principles. For animal experimentation reported in the Journal, it is expected that investigators will have observed the Interdisciplinary Principles and Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Research, Testing and Education issued by the New York Academy of Sciences - Ad Hoc Committee on Animal Research. Adherence to these principles should be indicated in the text of manuscript. All human and animal research must have been approved by of the local ethical committee, and this should also be indicated in the manuscript.

AUTHORSHIP

All collaborators who have made significant and substantial contributions to a study are considered coauthors. The nature and level of contribution of all authors of accepted manuscripts must be indicated, i.e. conception, design, execution and interpretation of the data being published, wrote the paper. An author may list more than one contribution, and more than one author may have contributed to the same aspect of the work. Other contributions to the work, such as providing of reagents or analytic tools, should be listed in the Acknowledgements. Ghostwriting and guest-authorship are forbidden. In case of detecting ghost written manuscripts, actions will be taken involving both the submitting authors and the participants involved.

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
These guidelines are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (the complete document appears in N Engl J Med, 1997; 336: 305-315) and an updated guidelines are available at http://www.icmje.org.
Requirements. All manuscripts submitted should be accompanied by a covering letter including confirmation that:
- work has not been published or submitted elsewhere;
- manuscript has been approved by all co-authors;
- author(s) agree(s) to copyright transfer of the manuscript content to the Publisher;
- all sources of financial support have been disclosed;
- author(s) confirm(s) that (s)he is (they are) familiar with and will observe the Editorial Policy and Information for Authors included in APM;
- author(s) agree(s) to accept appropriate invoicing from the Publisher in case color illustrations are implemented.
The covering letter form can be found at: www.advpm.eu and can be uploaded when submitting the manuscript electronically.
Submission and preparation. All articles should be submitted electronically at the editors e-mail addresses given below.

Text of the manuscript should be prepared preferably in Microsoft Word, although other text files are allowed (e.g. TXT, RTF). Margins should be no less than 1 inch (2.5 cm). Double spacing should be used throughout the manuscript. Pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page. Abbreviations, if used, should be defined on their first appearance in the text and those not accepted by international bodies should be avoided. The authors should minimize the number of abbreviations and should avoid using categories “group I, A etc...” replacing it by relevant labelling of the groups.
Original scientific papers. Submitted manuscripts should include the following sections, each of which should begin on a separate page:
1) Title page
2) Structured abstract and key words
3) Text
4) Acknowledgements
5) References (cite all authors if less than 6, otherwise cite first 3 authors and add "et al.")
6) Figure legend
7) Tables
8) Figures
Title page. The title page should include the full title of the paper, a short title, consisting of no more than 60 characters including spaces, to be used as a running head, the authors full names, academic degrees, hospital and academic affiliations, and the name, address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail of the individual responsible for editorial correspondence and/or reprint requests. The title page should also include information regarding the sources of any support for the work in the form of grants, equipment, or drugs.
Abstract. Each original paper should have a structured abstract of no more than 250 words with the following four paragraphs: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. The abstract should be followed by a list of 3-5 key words, which should be in accordance with MeSH system. Only common abbreviations should be used in the abstract.
Text. The text should be divided into the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. Methods should include subsections describing study population (if relevant), respective methodology, and statistical analyses. The Results ’ section should provide detailed description of the authors’ findings. Discussion should emphasize originality and novelty of the authors’ findings followed by discussion of relevant findings in literature as well as related mechanistic/methodological aspects. The Conclusions section should consist of few sentences summarizing the most important findings. There is no limitation regarding the length of the manuscript, but generally the manuscript should not exceed 3000 words, not including references, tables, and figures. The number of references should be limited to no more than the 30 most relevant.
Review articles. An abstract with no more than 250 words is required describing briefly purpose and content of the review article. However, there is no need for a structured abstract. The abstract should be followed by a list of 3-5 key words. Review articles should have less than 6,000 words with less than 100 references.
Structured reviews.Advances in Palliative Medicine editors encourage authors to submit reviews that reflect systematic analysis of available literature. Such reviews should have the following structure: Abstract, Background, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions. Abstract should have no more than 250 words, should be structured and followed by a list of 3-5 keywords in accordance with MeSH system. Background should define aim of review and clinical problem. Methods should provide criteria for literature selection. Results should include qualitative and quantitative information from studies subjected to analysis. Structured review should have less than 6000 words with less that 100 references.
Case reports. There will be an opportunity to submit interesting and unique case reports, which should not exceed 1500 words with up to 15 references.
Editorial comments. Editorial comments will be by invitation only and they should not exceed 1500 words with up to 15 references.
Letters to the Editors. Letters to the Editors and comments should be limited to 500 words.
Historical notes - pearls and giants in Palliative Medicine Medicine. Short articles by invitation only.
References. The style of references is that of Index Medicus.
Journals. List consecutive reference number, list all authors when there are 6 or fewer; when there are 7 or more, list the first 3, then "et al." list title, journal title (abbreviated according to Index Medicus), year, volume (Arabic numerals), first and last page. Numbered references to personal communication, unpublished data, and manuscripts either "in preparation" or "submitted for publication" are unacceptable. If essential, such material may be incorporated in the appropriate place in the text. The following is a sample reference:
Eliasson M, Jansson J, Nilsson P, Asplund K. Increased levels of tissue plasminogen activator antigen in essential hypertension. A population-based study in Sweden. J Hypertens 1997; 15: 349-356.
Books. List consecutive reference number, last name and initial(s) of the author(s)/editor(s), title, the editor, place and year of publication. Reference to a specific chapter should include: last name and initials of its author(s), chapter title, last name and initials of the book author(s)/editor(s), title, the editor, place and year of publication and pages.
Book reference with different author and editor: Rosen MR. Principles of cardiac electrophysiology. In: Kelley WN ed. Internal Medicine. J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia 1992: 90-95.
Book reference with identical author and editor: Braunwald E. Heart disease. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia 1992: 393-418.
Tables. Tables should be prepared on separate pages, each with proper header and legends. Tables should be included in the main file of the manuscript after text and references.
Figures. The authors should submit an electronic version of the figures included at the end of the text file. Files TIF at the standard resolutions (i.e. 300 dpi for photos, 600 dpi for line art), EPS, CDR, AI sized at the final print size are preferred. Other figure formats may be supported, but DO NOT USE PDF, JPG, PPT, or PS files for either text or figures, as they cannot be used for typesetting purposes.
Review process. Manuscripts submitted for publication in APM are evaluated as to whether they present new insights into the announced topic and are likely to contribute to progress in research or to changes in clinical practice. Received manuscripts are initially examined by the APM editors. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication are rejected immediately to allow the authors to recognize deficiencies and submit the paper to another journal or submit a revised version to APM. Incomplete submissions or manuscripts not prepared in the required style (see above) are sent back to the authors without scientific review. If manuscript is accepted for review, the authors will be notified in a letter giving the reference number for further correspondence with the Editorial Office. The registered manuscripts are sent to outside reviewers. We encourage authors to suggest the names of possible reviewers, but we reserve the right of final selection. Submitted papers are accepted for publication after a positive opinion has been returned by the independent reviewers.
Conflict of interest. Authors of research articles should disclose at the time of submission any financial arrangement they may have with a company whose product appears prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review and will not influence the editorial decision, but if the article is accepted for publication, the editors will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be communicated to the reader. Journal policy requires that reviewers, associate editors, editors, and senior editors reveal in a letter to the Editor-in- Chief any relationships that they have that could be construed as causing a conflict of interest with regard to manuscript under review. The letter should include a statement of any financial relationships with commercial companies involved with a product under study.
Permissions. Materials previously published should be accompanied by written consent for reprinting both from the relevant Publishers and the authors (if required).
Copyright transfer. Sending the manuscript the author(s) confirm( s) that (s)he has (they have) not previously submitted it to another journal (except for abstracts of no more than 400 words) or published it elsewhere. The author(s) also agree(s), if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication, to automatic and free transfer of copyright to the Publisher allowing for publication and distribution of the material submitted in all available forms and fields of exploitation (in accord with article 50 of the copyright act and related rights, including multimedia and distribution through internet). The author(s) accepts that the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in any language without the written consent of the copyright holder, i.e. the Publisher.
Disclaimer. Every effort is made by the Publisher and Editorial Board to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or statement appears in the APM. However, they wish to make it clear that the data and opinions appearing in the articles and advertisements herein are the responsibility of the respective contributor, sponsor or advertiser. Accordingly, the Publisher and the Editorial Board accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of any such inaccurate of misleading data, opinion or statement. Every effort is made to ensure that drug doses and other quantities are presented accurately. Nevertheless, readers are advised that methods and techniques involving drug usage and other treatments described in the Journal should only be followed in conjunction with the drug or treatment manufacturer’s own documentation as published in the country of the reader.
Complete packages of manuscripts are to be sent to the following address:
The Editor: Advances in Palliative Medicine
Chair of Palliative Care, Nicolaus Copernicus University,
Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Poland
ul. Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie 9, 85-094 Bydgoszcz, Poland
tel.: +48 (52) 585 34 61
+48 (52) 585 34 61
+48 (52) 585 34 61
e-mail: kizoppal@cm.umk.pl; sabinabojko@wp.pl

Author statement

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
2. The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word or RTF document file format.
3. Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
4. The text is written using font size 12 and 1.5 space between the lines; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); all illustrations, figures, and tables are  attached in separate file(s). Figures should be submitted in separate files.
5. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
6. If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.
7. The cover letter has been signed by all author(s) and is ready to be downlowaded.

Sending the manuscript the author(s) confirm( s) that (s)he has (they have) not previously submitted it to another journal (except for abstracts of no more than 400 words) or published it elsewhere. The author(s) also agree(s), if and when the manuscript is accepted for publication, to automatic and free transfer of copyright to the Publisher allowing for publication and distribution of the material submitted in all available forms and fields of exploitation (in accord with article 50 of the copyright act and related rights, including multimedia and distribution through internet). The author(s) accepts that the manuscript will not be published elsewhere in any language without the written consent of the copyright holder, i.e. the Publisher.

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