1. About the Journal and Scope

Insuficiencia Cardiaca is a peer-reviewed, diamond open access journal dedicated to cardiology and cardiovascular medicine, with a particular focus on heart failure and related conditions. The journal publishes original research, clinical studies, reviews, case reports, guidelines, and educational material aimed at improving the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long-term management of patients with cardiovascular disease.

 

The journal welcomes submissions on topics including, but not limited to:

 

• Heart failure (acute and chronic) and cardiomyopathies
• Coronary artery disease and ischemic heart disease
• Valvular heart disease
• Cardiac imaging and diagnostic methods
• Arrhythmias and device therapy (ICDs, CRT, pacemakers)
• Mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation
• Cardiovascular risk factors and prevention
• Cardio-renal, cardio-metabolic, and cardio-oncologic interactions
• Cardiovascular pharmacotherapy and interventional cardiology
• Cardiovascular nursing, rehabilitation, and patient education
• Health services, quality of care, registries, and health economics in cardiology

 

2. Article Types

The journal considers the following types of manuscripts:

 

• Original Research Articles – Full reports of clinical, translational, or basic research with clear objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
• Review Articles – Narrative or systematic reviews, with or without meta-analysis, that synthesize current evidence on a specific topic.
• Clinical Case Reports / Case Series – Well-documented cases of particular educational or scientific value, especially in heart failure and complex cardiovascular disease.
• Short Communications / Brief Reports – Concise presentations of novel or preliminary findings that merit rapid dissemination.
• Editorials and Commentaries – Usually invited, discussing important advances, controversies, or topics in cardiovascular medicine.
• Clinical Images – Short reports centered on a high-quality image (echocardiography, MRI, CT, angiography, ECG, etc.) with a concise explanation.
• Guidelines, Consensus Documents, and Position Papers – Typically invited, produced by professional societies or expert groups.
• Letters to the Editor – Brief comments on previously published articles or current issues of interest.

 

Authors unsure about the appropriate category can indicate their preferred type; the editors may suggest a more suitable format during the editorial process.

 

3. Language and Length

Insuficiencia Cardiaca accepts manuscripts primarily in Spanish or English. Exceptionally, the journal may consider manuscripts in Portuguese, especially for content of regional relevance, at the editors’ discretion.

 

As a general guideline (which can be adapted according to the content):

 

• Original articles: up to ~4,000–5,000 words (excluding references, tables, and figure legends).
• Review articles: up to ~6,000–7,000 words.
• Short communications: up to ~2,000–2,500 words.
• Case reports: up to ~2,500 words.
• Letters to the editor: up to ~800–1,000 words.

 

These limits are indicative; the editors may allow flexibility when scientifically justified.

 

4. File Formats and Templates

Authors may prepare their manuscripts in any standard word-processing or LaTeX format. The journal does not require the use of a specific template at the submission stage.

 

• Word submissions: Use a standard format (e.g. .doc or .docx), double-spaced text, and clearly separated sections (Title Page, Abstract, Main Text, References, Tables, Figures).

 

It is the responsibility of the journal to adapt accepted manuscripts to the house style, including copy-editing, layout, and typesetting. We encourage authors to focus on scientific quality, clarity, and completeness; strict adherence to formatting rules is not required at submission.

 

5. Manuscript Structure

Although we accept flexible formats, we recommend the following structure for most original research articles:

• Title Page
• Abstract and Keywords
• Main Text:
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods / Patients and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions
• Acknowledgments (if applicable)
• Funding
• Conflicts of Interest
• Ethical Approval and Informed Consent
• References
• Tables and Figures (with legends)
• Supplementary Material (if applicable)

 

6. Title Page

The title page should include:

 

• Full article title (concise, informative, and specific).
• Short running title (up to ~50 characters).
• Full names of all authors (given name and surname).
• Affiliations of each author (institution, city, country).
• Designation of the corresponding author, including full postal address, telephone (optional), and email.
• Author contributions (optional but recommended).
• Word count (main text) and number of tables and figures.

 

7. Abstract and Keywords

For original research articles, the abstract should be structured with the following sections:

 

• Background
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

 

For reviews and case reports, a non-structured abstract is acceptable. Typical length: 200–300 words.

 

Provide 3–6 keywords, preferably using terms from standard vocabularies (e.g. MeSH). These should reflect the main topics of the article.

 

8. Main Text

8.1. Introduction

Briefly describe the clinical or scientific context, the rationale for the study, and the main objectives or hypotheses. Avoid extensive literature reviews in this section.

 

8.2. Materials and Methods / Patients and Methods

 

Describe the study design, setting, participants (inclusion/exclusion criteria), interventions, data collection procedures, endpoints, and statistical analyses in sufficient detail to allow replication. For clinical and epidemiological studies, follow relevant reporting guidelines (e.g. CONSORT, STROBE).

 

Clearly state:

• Ethics committee or institutional review board approval, with reference number if available.
• Informed consent procedures for human participants where applicable.
• Compliance with guidelines for animal research, if relevant.
• Clinical trial registration number (for clinical trials).

 

8.3. Results

Present the results clearly and logically, using tables and figures where appropriate. Do not repeat in the text all the details already shown in tables or figures; highlight the key findings. Report effect sizes, confidence intervals, and p-values where relevant.

 

8.4. Discussion

Interpret the results in the context of current knowledge. Discuss how the findings add to the literature, their clinical relevance, and their limitations. Avoid overstating the implications; clearly distinguish between data-based conclusions and speculation.

 

8.5. Conclusions

Provide a concise statement of the main conclusions and, when appropriate, implications for clinical practice or future research.

 

9. References

Please use a numbered reference style (similar to the MLA), with references cited in the text in order of appearance using Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g. [1], [2–4]).

Examples:

• Journal article:
  Smith J, Pérez L, González M. Title of the article. Journal Name. 2023;15(4):123–130.
• Book:
  Braunwald E. Braunwald’s Heart Disease. 11th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2019.
• Book chapter:
  Díaz R, López J. Heart failure in Latin America. In: Author AB, ed. Title of the Book. City: Publisher; 2020. p. 45–60.

 

It is not necessary to perfectly match the journal’s reference style at initial submission; the editorial office will standardize references after acceptance. However, references must be complete and accurate.

 

10. Tables and Figures

• Number tables and figures consecutively (Table 1, Table 2; Figure 1, Figure 2).
• Provide a clear, descriptive title or legend for each table and figure.
• Tables should be editable (not images) if possible, created using the table function of your word processor.
• Figures (graphs, images, photographs) should be submitted in high-resolution formats (e.g. TIFF, PNG, JPEG) or embedded in the manuscript for review; separate files may be requested after acceptance.
• Ensure that patient identity is protected in all images (e.g. remove facial features, identifying marks, and confidential information).
• If figures or tables are reproduced or adapted from other sources, obtain permission and provide a proper credit line.

 

11. Supplementary Material and Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to provide supplementary material (e.g. additional tables, extended methods, raw data summaries, appendices) when it enhances the transparency and usefulness of the article. Supplementary files should be clearly referenced in the main text.

 

Where appropriate, authors should include a Data Availability Statement, indicating whether data are available on reasonable request, deposited in a repository, or not publicly available due to privacy or legal restrictions.

 

12. Ethical Considerations

The journal adheres to high standards of publication ethics (see the separate “Publication Ethics” section). Authors must:

 

• Confirm that the work is original, has not been published elsewhere (except as a preprint), and is not under consideration by another journal.
• Ensure that all authors meet acceptable authorship criteria and that no ghost or gift authorship is present.
• Provide details of ethics committee or IRB approval and informed consent for human studies, and appropriate approvals for animal studies.
• Respect patient privacy and confidentiality, including in case reports and images.

 

13. Conflicts of Interest and Funding

All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest, financial or non-financial, that could be perceived as influencing the results or interpretation of their work. Examples include:

 

• Employment, consultancies, or advisory roles
• Honoraria, grants, or funding from commercial entities
• Stock ownership, patents, or royalties

 

State conflicts of interest (or declare that none exist) in a dedicated section of the manuscript.

 

All funding sources must be acknowledged, including grant numbers and the role of funders in the study design, data collection, analysis, or publication.

 

14. Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Tools by Authors

Authors may use AI-assisted tools (e.g. for spelling, grammar, or language polishing), but:

 

• AI tools must not be listed as authors.
• Authors remain fully responsible for verifying the accuracy, completeness, and impartiality of any AI-assisted output.
• Any substantive use of AI tools beyond minor language corrections (e.g. drafting text, generating summaries, or images) should be disclosed in the manuscript, specifying the tool and how it was used.
• Authors must ensure that using AI tools does not violate intellectual property, privacy, or confidentiality (especially regarding patient data or unpublished material).

 

15. Submission Process

Manuscripts should be submitted electronically as email attachments. At present, the journal accepts submissions via:

 

Email (preferred):

editor@insuficienciacardiac.com
with a copy to:

revista@insuficienciacardiac.com

 

Please include:

• The manuscript file (Word or PDF).
• Any figure files, if not embedded in the text (optional at initial submission).
• A cover letter briefly describing:
• The type of article and its main contribution.
• Why the work is suitable for Insuficiencia Cardiaca.
• Confirmation that the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere.
• Any relevant information on ethics approvals and conflicts of interest.

 

16. Peer Review and Editorial Process

The journal uses a single-blind peer review process: reviewers know the authors’ identity, but authors do not know the reviewers’ identities.

 

Typical steps:

• Initial screening for scope, basic quality, and ethical issues.
• External peer review by at least two expert reviewers.
• Editorial decision: accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject.
• Revision and re-evaluation (if applicable).
• Final acceptance, followed by copy-editing, typesetting, and online publication.

 

Under normal conditions, the journal aims to complete the process from submission to online publication in approximately four months, depending on reviewer availability and the extent of revisions.

 

17. Copy-Editing, Layout, and Proofs

After acceptance, the journal’s editorial team is responsible for:

• Scientific and language copy-editing of the accepted manuscript.
• Formatting the article according to the journal’s house style.
• Preparing the final layout for online publication.

 

Authors will receive page proofs for final verification. Only minor corrections (e.g. typographical errors, small clarifications) are allowed at this stage; substantial changes to content should be avoided unless requested by the editors.

 

18. Open Access, Copyright, and Article Charges

Insuficiencia Cardiaca is a diamond open access journal:

• No submission fees or article processing charges (APCs) are required from authors.
• All articles are freely and permanently available online to readers worldwide.

Authors retain copyright to their work and grant the journal a non-exclusive licence to publish under a Creative Commons licence (typically CC BY 4.0 or as indicated on the article). This allows broad reuse of the work, provided that the original authors and source are properly cited.

 

19. Contact

For any questions about manuscript preparation, suitability of topics, or the editorial process, please contact:

 

Editorial Office – Insuficiencia Cardiaca

Email: editor@insuficienciacardiac.com

Alternative contact: revista@insuficienciacardiac.com

 

We thank authors for choosing Insuficiencia Cardiaca as a venue to disseminate their work in cardiology and cardiovascular medicine.