Information for authors

The journal “Problems of Forensic Sciences” / “Z Zagadnień Nauk Sądowych” is a quarterly published by the Institute of Forensic Research in Kraków. All submitted papers are assessed by two reviewers (see: Reviewing procedure). The papers published in the journal are also available free of charge on the website journal's website.The journal's primary language is English.

Papers submitted to the journal should comply with the following rules:

1. Format of submitted papers. Manuscripts for publication in Problems of Forensic Sciences should be submitted to the Editorial Board (via Journal's Editorial Panel) in electronic form (articles in *.doc or *.docx files, figures - see section 4c). The body of the message accompanying the submission should also include a list of at least four suggested reviewers of the paper (specialists in the field) with their contact details.
   
   
2. Field and language of the paper:
   •  The editors accept experimental and review papers, case studies, methodological papers and reports (as long as they contain new and important information) in the broad field of forensic sciences, including toxicology, forensic genetics, forensic medicine, forensic science, forensic psychology and psychiatry, traffic accident investigation, and papers in related sciences;
   • Papers must be written in English or Polish and will be printed in English and Polish after positive review. Translation will be done by the editors.
     
     
3. The length of the article should not exceed 40,000 characters including spaces. In justified cases, the Editorial Board may accept longer papers for publication.
   
   
4. The article should contain:
   
   
   1. Information about the authors. Authors should include:
      • Name and academic degree/title;
      • Affiliation;
      • E-mail address;
      • Telephone number;
      • full correspondence details.
        
        
   2. Abstract. Authors must include at the beginning of the article an abstract in English of no more than 20 lines, containing 6 mandatory elements:
      • Purpose of the article;
      • The type of research methodology/approach used;
      • The main findings of the research/analysis;
      •  Practical implications for forensic science;
      • 3-6 keywords.
        
        
   3. Figures and tables attached to the article must meet the following conditions:
      • we accept the following files: graphic files in *.bmp, *.jpg, *.tif formats with an image resolution of 300-400 dpi, *.eps files or files from programs such as Corel Draw, Excel, etc.;
      • numbers of tables and figures are marked with Arabic numerals;
      • both figures and tables should be described in English;
      • figures and tables are published only in the English language version of the article.
        
        
   4. Literature cited. References in the text to works cited should follow the standards of the Vancouver system, thus:
      
      
      1. Citation format:
         
         Citations are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text and are indicated by Arabic numerals in square brackets [1]. Authors' names are abbreviated to a maximum of two initials.
         
         
      2. Journal articles
         Leurs R, Church MK, Taglialatela M. H1-antihistamines: inverse agonism, anti-inflammatory actions and cardiac effects. Clin Exp Allergy. 2002 Apr;32(4):489-98.
         
         If the journal maintains continuous page numbering throughout, months and number may be omitted:
         Thomas MC. Diuretics, ACE inhibitors and NSAIDs - the triple whammy. Med J Aust. 2000;172:184-185.
         
         If the article was written by more than six authors, et al. is written after the sixth:
         Guilbert TW, Morgan WJ, Zeiger RS, Mauger DT, Boehmer SJ, Szefler SJ, et al. Long-term inhaled corticosteroids in preschool children at high risk for asthma. N Engl J Med. 11 May 2006;354(19):1985-97.
         
         
      3. Books
         Rang HP, Dale MM, Ritter JM, Moore PK. Pharmacology. 5th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 2003.
         
         If the authors are editors:
         Beers MH, Porter RS, Jones TV, Kaplan JL, Berkwits M, editors. The Merck manual of diagnosis and therapy. 18th ed. Whitehouse Station (NJ): Merck Research Laboratories; 2006.
         
         Where citation is for a chapter in an edited publication:
         Glennon RA, Dukat M. Serotonin receptors and drugs affecting serotonergic neurotransmission. In: Williams DA, Lemke TL, editors. Foye's principles of medicinal chemistry. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002.
         
         
      4. Electronic resources
         World Health Organization (WHO). Mortality country fact sheet 2006 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2006. Available from: www.who.int/whosis/mort_emro_pak_pakistan.pdf.
         
         
      5. The list of references is published only in the English-language version of the article.
         
         
5. The editors do not pay any royalties for the published texts.
   
   
6. The editors reserve the right to make necessary corrections, abbreviations, title changes, and other editorial changes without the author's consent. Please pay particular attention to the correct spelling of all names, forenames, titles of quoted objects, dates, numbers, statistical data, dimensions, weights, etc. mentioned in the article.
   
   
7. By submitting an article for publication, the author declares that the article has not been published before and has been written with respect for the copyrights of other authors. The editors will not accept articles submitted to more than one publisher at the same time, and all such articles, as well as other articles submitted in the future by the same author(s), will be returned. Submission of an article also implies that the author(s) agree(s) to its publication and to the transfer of the exclusive right of use of the publisher's copyright, including the recording and dissemination of the work in print and electronically in various media, including database systems and the Internet.
   
   
8. The submitted texts, after an initial evaluation and selection by the thematic editors who are members of the Editorial Board, will be peer-reviewed (see: peer-review process) by two reviewers according to a form that includes questions about the scientific value of the work, significant elements of novelty, correct and satisfactory presentation of the methodology, reliability and clarity of the presentation of the results and their interpretation and conclusions, as well as the adequacy and inclusion of the necessary items of the literature review.