Submissions

Author Guidelines

This document provides comprehensive technical instructions for the preparation of manuscripts submitted to Archives of Veterinary Medicine (AVM). Authors must comply with these guidelines in addition to the Instructions for Authors published on the journal website.

Compliance with the present document ensures consistency of formatting, clarity of scientific reporting, and alignment with international publishing standards.

 

1. Types of Articles and Structural Overview

Archives of Veterinary Medicine publishes the following categories of manuscripts:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Short Communications
• Case Reports

Each manuscript category has a defined structure and recommended length. Authors must ensure that their submission complies with the structural requirements applicable to the selected article type.

1.1 Structural Requirements by Article Type

The following table summarizes the required sections and recommended limits.

Section	Original Research	Review	Short Communication	Case Report
Title Page	✓	✓	✓	✓
Abstract (max. 300 words)	✓	✓	✓	✓
Keywords (3–7)	✓	✓	✓	✓
Introduction	✓	✓	✓	–
Materials and Methods	✓	–	✓	–
Results	✓	–	✓*	–
Discussion	✓	✓	✓*	✓
Case Presentation	–	–	–	✓
Conclusion	✓	✓	✓	✓
Acknowledgements (if applicable)	Optional	Optional	Optional	Optional
Funding Statement	✓	✓	✓	If applicable
Author Contributions	✓	✓	✓	✓
Ethical Statement	✓	If applicable	✓	✓
Competing Interests	✓	✓	✓	✓
Data Availability	✓	If applicable	If applicable	If applicable
ORCID iDs	✓	✓	✓	✓
References	✓	✓	✓	✓
Recommended Word Limit	≤ 5,000	≤ 6,000	≤ 3,000	≤ 2,500
Recommended Reference Limit	25-40	40-60	≤ 15	≤ 15

*For Short Communications, Results and Discussion may be presented as a combined section.

Original Research Article must:

• Clearly define a research objective or hypothesis.
• Be based on an appropriate and justified study design.
• Include sufficient methodological detail to allow reproducibility.
• Provide statistically valid and adequately powered results where applicable.
• Demonstrate analytical depth beyond purely descriptive reporting.
• Present findings that contribute novel scientific knowledge or meaningful clinical implications.
• Discuss limitations of the study.
• Avoid unsupported generalizations.
• Clearly state the novelty of the study in relation to existing literature.

IMPORTANT ! Manuscripts that do not demonstrate a clear advancement of knowledge beyond existing literature may not be considered for publication. Studies that present only descriptive data without analytical interpretation or broader scientific relevance may not be considered sufficient for publication.

 

Review Articles must:

• Provide critical synthesis, not only summary.
• Demonstrate comprehensive literature coverage.
• Clearly organize content into thematic subheadings.
• Identify unresolved questions and future perspectives.

Narrative summaries without critical analysis are discouraged.

Short Communications must:

• Present concise but complete research findings.
• Be limited in scope.
• Maintain methodological rigor.

Case Reports must:

• Describe a novel or rare condition, diagnostic approach, or therapeutic intervention.
• Clearly explain the scientific or clinical relevance.
• Avoid anecdotal reporting without analytical value.

2. General Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts must be submitted in .doc or .docx format (Microsoft Word compatible). Documents prepared in other text-processing software must be exported to .doc or .docx prior to submission.

All manuscripts must:

• Be formatted using A4 page size.
• Include continuous line numbering.
• Contain page numbering.
• Be written in clear and grammatically correct English.
• Use standard scientific nomenclature.
• Use SI units throughout.

Use of the official AVM manuscript template is strongly recommended.

2.1 Text Direction and Language Settings

All manuscripts must be prepared using left-to-right (LTR) text orientation.

Authors using operating systems or word-processing environments configured for right-to-left (RTL) languages (e.g., Arabic, Persian, Hebrew) must ensure that the document page layout and paragraph direction are set to left-to-right.

Even when the manuscript text is written in Latin script, embedded right-to-left formatting may remain active and can cause problems in numbering, table alignment, reference formatting, and typesetting.

Before submission, authors must verify that:

• The document direction is set to left-to-right.
• Paragraphs are justified.
• Automatic numbering (headings, tables, references) follows standard left-to-right order.
• No hidden RTL formatting remains in the file.

Manuscripts submitted with right-to-left formatting may be returned for technical correction prior to peer review.

3. Title Page

The Title Page must be uploaded as a separate file and must contain:

• Full article title (maximum 110 characters including spaces).
• Full names of all authors.
• Author affiliations indicated by superscript numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
• Full institutional affiliations (institution, department, city, country).
• The corresponding author marked with an asterisk (*) in superscript.
• A footnote stating: Corresponding Author: email address.
• Total word count (excluding references, tables, and figure legends).
• Article type.

3.1 Main Manuscript File (Blinded Version)

The Main Manuscript file must contain only the article title on the first page and must not include any author-identifying information.

The manuscript must:

• Be fully anonymized to ensure double-blind peer review.
• Include continuous line numbering throughout the document.
• Include page numbering.
• Place all tables after the reference list.
• Place all figure legends at the end of the manuscript file.
• Not contain acknowledgements, funding information, or other details that could reveal author identity (these must appear only in the mandatory end-of-manuscript statements).
• Not contain author-identifying metadata in the file properties.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that document properties, tracked changes, comments, and hidden metadata are completely removed prior to submission.

Manuscripts that are not properly anonymized may be returned for technical correction before entering peer review.

4. Abstract and Keywords

The abstract must not exceed 300 words and must be unstructured.

It must clearly summarize:

• The aim of the study
• Key methods (briefly)
• Principal findings
• Main conclusions

Citations, tables, figures, and unexplained abbreviations must not appear in the abstract.

 4.1 Keywords

Authors must provide 3–7 keywords.

Keywords must be selected using the FAO AGROVOC controlled vocabulary.

AGROVOC Thesaurus is available at:
https://agrovoc.fao.org/search

Use of standardized terminology improves indexing, discoverability, and metadata interoperability.

Do not use words from the title as keywords.

5. Main Text Structure

Manuscripts must demonstrate a clear scientific contribution beyond local or purely descriptive findings. Studies must provide novel data, analytical insight, methodological advancement, or clinically relevant implications with broader applicability.

INTRODUCTION

The Introduction must:

• Clearly describe the current state of knowledge.
• Identify relevant gaps in scientific understanding.
• Provide adequate references.
• Clearly state the objective(s) of the study.
• Where applicable, state the research hypothesis.

The manuscript must clearly articulate the scientific relevance and contribution of the study beyond purely descriptive findings.

The Introduction should not contain results or conclusions.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This section must:

• Provide sufficient detail for reproducibility.
• Describe study design and experimental units.
• Clearly define inclusion/exclusion criteria.
• Specify statistical methods.
• Provide manufacturer details for critical reagents and equipment.
• Include ethical approval information at the beginning of the section.

• Previously published methods should be referenced rather than fully repeated.
• Where established reporting guidelines exist for a specific study design (e.g., randomized trials, observational studies, diagnostic accuracy studies), authors are encouraged to follow the relevant reporting standards.

RESULTS

The Results section must:

• Present findings in logical order.
• Avoid interpretation or discussion.
• Avoid duplication of data between text and tables/figures.
• Clearly report statistical outcomes.

Only findings relevant to the stated objectives should be included.

Purely descriptive reporting without analytical interpretation may not be considered sufficient for publication.

DISCUSSION

The Discussion must:

• Interpret the results.
• Compare findings with relevant literature.
• Explain similarities or discrepancies.
• Address study limitations.
• Avoid repeating detailed results.
• Avoid introducing completely new data.

Speculative statements must be clearly identified as such.

CONCLUSION

The Conclusion must:

• Directly address the study objective.
• Summarize key findings.
• Avoid restating the entire Discussion.
• Avoid unsupported claims.

It should be concise and evidence-based.

 5.1 Original Research Articles

Must contain:

INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

5.2 Review Articles

Must contain:

INTRODUCTION

MATERIALS AND METHODS
MAIN TEXT (organized by thematic subheadings)

DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

5.3 Short Communications

Must contain:

INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (combined)
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

5.4 Case Reports

Must contain:

INTRODUCTION (optional)
CASE PRESENTATION
DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

5.5. Acknowledgement  

The Acknowledgements section is intended to recognize individuals or institutions that contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship. The Acknowledgements section is optional and should be included only when appropriate. It must not contain funding information, which must be reported exclusively in the Funding Statement.

Acknowledgements may include:

• Individuals who provided technical assistance (e.g., laboratory support, statistical advice, data collection support).
• Professional language editing services (if applicable).
• Institutional or administrative support not constituting authorship.
• Assistance in sample collection or field logistics.
• Critical manuscript review by colleagues who are not co-authors.
• Disclosure of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools for manuscript preparation (if not described in Methods), including the name and version of the tool used.

Individuals listed in the Acknowledgements must have given permission to be acknowledged.

Authors must ensure that acknowledged individuals do not meet the journal’s authorship criteria. Individuals who meet authorship criteria must be listed as authors and not in Acknowledgements.

The Acknowledgements section must not contain:

• Funding sources (these belong in the Funding Statement).
• Conflicts of interest (these belong in the Conflict of Interest statement).
• Ethical approval information (this belongs in the Ethical Statement).
• Promotional language.

The Acknowledgements section must appear before the Mandatory End-of-Manuscript Statements

 Mandatory End-of-Manuscript Statements

Immediately after the Conclusion and before References, the following declarations must appear in this exact order:

Author Contributions

Funding Statement
Ethical Statement (where applicable)
Data Availability Statement
Conflict of Interest
Authors' ORCID iDs

Submissions lacking these statements may be returned prior to peer review.

7. Tables

Tables must:

• Be editable (not images).
• Be numbered consecutively.
• Have a concise title placed above the table.
• Include footnotes where necessary.
• Not duplicate data presented in figures.

Each table must be understandable without reference to the main text.

8. Figures

Figures must:

• Be uploaded as separate files.
• Not be embedded within the manuscript file.
• Have minimum resolution of 300 dpi (photographs) and 600 dpi (line art).
• Include scale bars where applicable.
• Use clear labeling.
• Graphs must use clearly readable fonts.
• Avoid excessive decorative formatting.
• Statistical significance markers must be clearly defined in the legend.

           Figure legends must be placed at the end of the manuscript file.

9. References and Citation Style

The journal uses the Harvard (Author–Year) referencing system.

In-text citation example:
(Smith, 2022)
(Smith and Jones, 2023)

Detailed examples and formatting rules are available in:

The Reference and Citation Guide – Archives of Veterinary Medicine is available within the AVM Manuscript Submission ToolKit 2026 and can also be accessed directly at the following link:https://niv.ns.ac.rs/e-avm/Reference_and_Citation_Guide_AVM_FINAL.pdf

Authors are encouraged to use reference management software (e.g., EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero) configured for Harvard style.

9.1 Reference Accuracy and Completeness

• All references must include DOI where available.
• Authors are responsible for accuracy of citations.
• References must be verified against original sources.
• Follow the Harvard (Author–Year) format consistently.
• Be listed alphabetically by first author’s surname.

9.2 Citation Quality

Authors should:

• Prioritize peer-reviewed sources.
• Avoid excessive self-citation.
• Avoid citing predatory or non-indexed journals where possible.
• Limit citations of non-scientific sources unless strictly necessary.
• Excessive citation of grey literature (conference abstracts, unpublished data, theses, non-peer-reviewed sources) should be avoided unless scientifically justified.

Overreliance on outdated literature or irrelevant citations may negatively affect editorial evaluation.

9.3 Citation Balance

The reference list should reflect:

• Current state of knowledge.
• International literature.
• Methodological foundation of the study.

Purely local or outdated reference lists may indicate limited scientific scope.

 

10. Reporting Standards

Manuscripts reporting in vivo experimental animal studies must comply with ARRIVE 2.0 Essential 10 guidelines.

A completed ARRIVE checklist must be submitted during manuscript submission.

Failure to comply may result in rejection prior to peer review.

11. Ethical Compliance

Studies involving animals must have prior approval from an appropriate Ethics Committee.

The Ethical Statement must include:

• Name of approving authority
• Approval number
• Date of approval

Studies involving client-owned animals must confirm informed owner consent.

12. Use of Artificial Intelligence

If artificial intelligence (AI) tools were used in manuscript preparation beyond basic language editing, their use must be clearly disclosed in the Methods section or Acknowledgements, as appropriate.

AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all submitted content. The editorial office reserves the right to request clarification regarding the extent of AI tool usage.

Undisclosed or inappropriate use of AI tools may be considered a breach of publication ethics.

For detailed policies regarding the acceptable and unacceptable use of artificial intelligence in submissions, authors must consult the Editorial Policy and Publication Ethics page:

https://niv.ns.ac.rs/e-avm/index.php/e-avm/policy_and_ethics#ai-policy

13. Final Pre-Submission Checklist

Before submission, authors must ensure that:

• The manuscript follows the required structure.
• All mandatory statements are included.
• References follow Harvard style.
• Keywords are selected from AGROVOC.
• Tables and figures meet technical standards.
• ARRIVE checklist is included where required.

Non-compliant submissions may be returned prior to peer review.

14. Statistical Reporting Standards

All statistical analyses must be described in sufficient detail to allow replication.

Authors must clearly state:

• The statistical software used (name, version, manufacturer, country).
• The statistical tests applied.
• Whether assumptions of the statistical tests were verified.
• The definition of experimental units (n).
• The number of independent experiments or biological replicates.
• Where applicable, authors should report effect sizes and confidence intervals in addition to p-values.
• Post hoc analyses must be clearly identified as such.

14.1 Reporting of p-values

• Exact p-values must be reported whenever possible (e.g., p = 0.032).
• Use lowercase italic p.
• Do not report p = 0.000; instead report p < 0.001.
• Clearly define the level of statistical significance (e.g., p < 0.05).

14.2 Data Presentation

• Mean values must be accompanied by a measure of variability (e.g., mean ± SD or mean ± SEM).
• The type of variability indicator must be specified.
• Avoid reporting only percentages without raw sample size (n).
• Confidence intervals are encouraged where appropriate.

Inadequate statistical reporting may result in revision prior to peer review.

15. Scientific Nomenclature and Terminology

15.1 Latin Names of Species

Scientific names of species must be written in italics (e.g., Escherichia coli, Sus scrofa domestica).

The full scientific name must be provided at first mention. Thereafter, the genus name may be abbreviated (e.g., E. coli).

15.2 Drug  Names

Medicinal products must be referred to by their International Nonproprietary Name (INN). If a trade name is used, it must be followed by the manufacturer in parentheses at first mention.

15.3 Abbreviations

Abbreviations must be defined at first mention in the text. Abbreviations should not be used in the title or abstract unless universally recognized.

 

15.4 Units and Symbols

Only SI units are permitted.

Decimal separators must follow international standards (e.g., 0.05, not 0,05).

A space must separate numerical values and units (e.g., 5 mg, 37 °C).

16. Technical File Preparation and Clean Formatting

Before submission, authors must ensure that:

• All tracked changes are removed.
• No comments remain in the document.
• Document metadata does not contain author-identifying information.
• Automatic numbering functions correctly.
• Tables are not inserted as images.
• Figures are not embedded in the main manuscript file.

Files that do not meet technical standards may be returned for correction prior to peer review.

17. Data Availability and Research Transparency

Archives of Veterinary Medicine supports the principles of open science, transparency, and reproducibility of research.

All manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement in the Mandatory End-of-Manuscript Statements section.

17.1 Data Availability Statement

Authors must clearly state one of the following:

• Data are available in a publicly accessible repository (provide repository name, accession number, and DOI if available).
• Data are available upon reasonable request from the corresponding author.
• Data are included within the article or its supplementary materials.
• No new data were generated or analyzed in this study.

Statements such as “data available on request” must be justified when public deposition is not possible (e.g., privacy, ethical, or legal restrictions).

 

17.2 Recommended Repositories

Authors are encouraged to deposit datasets in recognized repositories appropriate for their discipline (e.g., institutional repositories, subject-specific repositories, or general repositories such as Zenodo or Figshare).

Where possible, datasets should receive a DOI to ensure persistent accessibility.

17.3 FAIR Principles

Authors are encouraged to prepare datasets in accordance with the FAIR principles:

• Findable
• Accessible
• Interoperable
• Reusable

Although mandatory public deposition is not required in all cases, transparency in data reporting is expected.

17.4 Research Integrity

Any fabrication, falsification, selective omission, or inappropriate manipulation of data constitutes scientific misconduct and will be handled according to the journal’s Publication Ethics policy.

18. Supplementary Materials

Supplementary materials (datasets, extended tables, additional figures, protocols, multimedia files) must:

• Be uploaded as separate files during submission.
• Be clearly labeled (e.g., Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S2).
• Be cited in the main text.
• Be provided in standard, accessible file formats (e.g., .xlsx, .csv, .pdf, .mp4).

Supplementary materials must not contain author-identifying information in order to preserve double-blind peer review.

18.1 Formatting Standards

• Supplementary tables must remain editable where applicable.
• Figures must meet minimum resolution standards.
• All legends must be clearly provided.
• Units, symbols, and statistical reporting must follow the same standards as the main manuscript.

18.2 Archiving and Accessibility

Supplementary materials will be published online together with the article and will be permanently linked to the published version.

Authors are responsible for ensuring accuracy and completeness of supplementary files prior to submission.

19. Manuscript Language and Editorial Standards

Manuscripts must be written in clear, precise, and grammatically correct English appropriate for an international scientific audience and must meet a professional scientific standard of writing.

Clarity and precision are considered part of the scientific quality of the manuscript.

Authors are fully responsible for the linguistic quality and clarity of their submission prior to peer review.

19.1 Language Quality

Manuscripts that do not meet acceptable language standards may be:

• Returned to authors for language revision prior to peer review; or
• Rejected without external review if the scientific content cannot be adequately assessed due to language deficiencies.

Authors who are not native English speakers are strongly encouraged to use professional scientific language editing services prior to submission.

19.2 Consistency and Terminology

Authors must ensure:

• Terminological consistency throughout the manuscript.
• Consistent spelling (British or American English — one system only).
• Clear distinction between similar scientific terms.
• Accurate use of technical and discipline-specific vocabulary.

19.3 Clarity and Scientific Style

Manuscripts should:

• Use precise scientific language.
• Avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Avoid overly long or complex sentences.
• Avoid colloquial expressions.

Claims must be supported by data or appropriate references.

19.4 Editorial Amendments

The Editorial Office reserves the right to perform minor linguistic and formatting corrections after acceptance in order to ensure clarity and consistency with journal standards.

Substantial content changes will always require author approval.