Instructions to Authors These instructions are in accordance with "Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals" from the International Committee of Medical Journals Editors (N Engl J Med 1991; 324: 424-8). Submission of manuscripts - Manuscripts (two copies including tables and illustrations) should be sent to: Italian Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics - CIC EDIZIONI INTERNAZIONALI, Corso Trieste, 42 - 00198 Rome. Covering letter - Manuscripts should be accompanied by a covering letter containing: a) a statement that the scale of charges indicated by the publisher has been accepted; b) the explicit declaration that the manuscript is not under simultaneous consideration by any other publication; c) information on prior publication of any part of the work; (any permission needed to reproduce it or to use illustrations should be included). Papers considered for publication - Only original papers concerning human reproduction or gynaecology and obstetrics are considered. Accepted papers become the permanent property of the journal and may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the written consent of both the author and the editor. The following types of papers are published: 1) Biological papers on anatomy, histology, ultrastructure, physiology, microbiology, genetics, virology and pathology. Maximum 20 pages of typed text, references and tables included, illustrations contained in 4 pages. 2) Clinical papers, reporting clinical research, case reports, evaluation of surgical techniques or medical treatments. Maximum 20 pages of typed text, referen-ces and tables included, illustrations contained in 4 pages. 3) Editorials and Reviews. Editorials express the personal opinion of the authors shared by the Editorial Staff. Review articles summarize present knowledge on biologic and clinical subjects. 4) Point of view, presenting the personal evaluation of the author about clinical, biological or ethical problems. Maximum 10 pages of typed text, only essential tables, graphs, formulas, illustrations; not more than 20 references. 5) Letters to Editor, preferably discussing material previously published in the journal. Maximum 2 typed pages of the text, not more than 5 references. 6) Proceedings of congresses can be considered, also as Supplements of the Journal. Preparation of manuscript - Begin each of the following sections on separate pages: title page, abstract and key words, text, acknowledgements, references, individual tables and figure legends. Number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. Particular attention should be taken to ensure the manuscript adheres to the style of the journal in all respects. The title page should carry (I) the title of the article (avoid abbreviations); (II) a short running head or foot-line of not more than 40 characters; (III) first name, middle initial and last name of each author; (IV) name of department(s) to which the work should be attributed; (V) name and address of author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript; (VI) the source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these. The abstract should be of not more than 200 words. The abstract should state the purposes of the study or investigation, basic procedures, main findings, and the principal conclusions. For original research reports, a structured abstract of not more than 250 words should be prepared using the following headings: Objective (main question, objective, or hypothesis), Methods (study design, participants, outcome measures), Results (measurements, including confidence intervals and level of statistical significance where appropriate), and Conclusions (those directly supported by data, along with any clinical implications). Key words. From 3 to 10 key words should be identified: use terms from the medical subject headings list of "Index Medicus" when possible. The text of biological and clinical articles is usually divided into sections with the headings "Introduction" "Materials and methods", "Results", and "Discussion". When reporting experiments on human subjects indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the committee on human experimentation (institutional or regional) or with the Helsinky Declaration of 1975, as revised in 1983. When reporting experiments on animals, indicate whether the institution's or the National Research Council's guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from persons acknowledged by name, because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions. References. Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited only in tables or legends to figures should be numbered in accordance with a sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or illustration. Use the format of the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” (Vancouver style) (JAMA 1993;269:2282-6). Journal titles should conform to abbreviations used in Cumulated Index Medicus. The references must be verified by the author(s) against the original documents. Examples of correct forms of references are given below. Standard journal article (list all authors, but if the number exceeds six, give six followed by et al.): You CH, Lee KY, Chey WY, Menguy R. Electrogastrographic study of patients with unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gatroenterology 1980; 79: 311-4. Chapter in a book: Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathologic properties of inva-ding microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, editors. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1974:457-72. Personal communications and unpublished data, if essential, may be used but not as numbered references. If they are used, they are to be referred to, within parentheses, at the appropriate location in the text. If used, the author(s) must obtain written and signed permission for their use from the individual being quoted. This signed permission must accompany the manuscript when it is submitted to the Editor. Published abstracts can be used as numbered references; however, reference to the complete published article is preferred. Illustrations. Cite each figure in the text in consecutive order by Arabic numerals, and supply a brief legend for each one. Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed. Figures should be preferably unmounted but several illustrations can be grouped on the block for reproduction. Each figure should bear on its back the number of the figure, the names of the authors, the top and the right and left side of the figure. For illu- strations in colour supply colour negative or positive transparencies. Place photographs and transparencies in a separate heavy-paper envelope enclosed in the envelope of the manuscript. Tables. Cite each table in the text in consecutive order by roman numerals and supply a brief title for each. Place explanation matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in footnotes all nonstandard abbreviations that are used in each table. Abbreviation and units. Only standard abbreviations are to be used. Consult the Council of Biology Editors Style Manual or the AMA’s Manual of Style. Abbreviations in the title are not acceptable. They should be avoided, if possible, in the abstract. In the text they should be kept to a practical minimum. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement. For quantitative data, the International System of Units (SI) should be used, except for blood pressure, which should be expressed in mmHg. Galley proofs. Authors can only point out minimal missed corrections on evident alterations of the submitted manuscript. Galley proofs must be returned to the publisher in 15 days: after that date the Editor will be allowed to print the article.