Manuscript Preparation

Table of Contents

Format and Style

The language of Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry is English. Both British and American English spelling conventions are acceptable; however, consistency should be maintained within a manuscript. Authors for whom English is a second language are strongly encouraged to seek professional language editing before submission to ensure high linguistic quality.

Manuscript Length

There is no strict word limit, and there is no limit on the number of Tables and Figures. However, authors are encouraged to include only essential Tables and Figures to ensure clarity and conciseness.

Accepted File Formats

Manuscripts should be submitted in Word (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) (not write-protected) and must include all Figure files. Acceptable Figure file formats include high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi) TIF, EPS, JPG, JPEG, or PNG. Tables must be created in Word, not Excel. Manuscripts should be formatted according to the Author Guidelines.

Font and Formatting

  • Font: Times New Roman, 12-point.
  • Layout and Spacing: 1.5-line spacing, single-column format.
  • Page Size and Numbers: A4 page size with 1-inch margins on all sides. Page numbers should be placed at the bottom of each page.

Headings and Subheadings

Manuscript sections should be structured using a maximum of three heading levels:

  1. First-level headings: All capital letters and bold (e.g., INTRODUCTION).
  2. Second-level subheadings: Bold with the first letter of each major word capitalized (e.g., Study Design).
  3. Third-level subheadings: Italicized, non-bold, with the first letter of each major word capitalized (e.g., Sample Selection).

Reference Style

Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) reference style. Authors should refer to the ICMJE sample references for formatting details.

Abbreviations, Symbols, and Nomenclature

All abbreviations or acronyms must be spelled out in full upon first mention.

Units of Measurement

Authors must use SI units throughout the manuscript. If non-SI units are included, the SI equivalent should be provided in parentheses immediately following the original unit.

Manuscript Structure

All submitted manuscripts must adhere to the journal’s structural guidelines and include the following submission files:

Double-Blind Peer Review Process

Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry follows a double-blind peer review system, where the identities of both authors and reviewers are concealed. To facilitate this, the Title Page and Main Text files must be uploaded separately.

Required Submission Files

Authors are required to upload at least four separate files during the submission process:

  1. Cover Letter
  2. Title Page
  3. Main Text (with no author identifiers), structured as follows:
    • Title
    • Running Title
    • Abstract
    • Keywords
    • Highlights of the Study
    • Introduction
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusions
    • References
    • Tables 
    • Figure Legends
  4. Required Forms (must be uploaded during submission):

More details for each required file are provided below.

  1. Supplementary Files: Authors may also upload additional documents, such as:
    • Ethics approval certificate
    • Language editing certificate
    • Additional supporting materials (e.g., datasets, multimedia files)

These supplementary files are optional but may be requested during the review process if necessary.

Figures and Tables

  • Figures should be uploaded as separate files in high-resolution formats (TIF, EPS, JPG, JPEG, or PNG, at least 300 dpi).
  • Tables should be embedded within the main text and formatted in Word, not Excel.

Required submission files

Cover letter

Authors must upload a Cover Letter as a separate file into the online submission system. The Cover Letter should include the following information:

  • Summary of the Study’s Contribution: Briefly describe the study’s significance and its contribution to the scientific literature.
  • Relation to Previous Work: Explain how the study relates to and builds upon previously published research.
  • Article Type: Clearly specify the type of article (e.g., original research, review, case report).
  • Suggested Reviewers: Provide the names, institutional affiliations, and email addresses of potential reviewers who are qualified to evaluate the manuscript.
  • Opposed Reviewers: List any reviewers the authors prefer to exclude from the peer review process, along with a brief explanation if necessary.

Title page

The Title Page must be uploaded as a separate file from the Main Text and should include the following sections:

  1. Article Type

    • Clearly specify the type of article (e.g., original research, review, case report).

  2. Title of the Paper

    • Provide a brief, concise, and informative title that accurately reflects the study’s content.
    • Avoid abbreviations and formulae.
    • Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems; ensure clarity and relevance.

  3. Running Title

    • Provide a short running title not exceeding 80 characters (including spaces).

  4. Author List

    • All authors must meet the authorship criteria as outlined in the Authorship Policy.
    • Clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author, along with academic degrees.
    • Ensure all names are spelled accurately.
    • List all institutional affiliations where the research was conducted.
    • Use lowercase superscript letters to indicate affiliations immediately after each author’s name.
    • ORCID IDs are mandatory for all authors. Provide ORCID IDs, full postal addresses, and email addresses for all authors. 
    • Ensure that the corresponding author’s contact details are up to date.

  5. Corresponding Author

    • Provide the full name, affiliation, postal address, telephone number, fax number (if applicable), and email address of the corresponding author.

  6. Keywords

    • Authors should include 3 to 6 keywords, selected according to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), ensuring they are fully relevant and appropriately represent the study’s content.

  7. Declarations
    Authors must include the following declarations:

    • Abbreviations: List all abbreviations used in the manuscript.
    • Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: Provide details of ethical approval, including the name of the ethics committee and approval number (if applicable).
    • Consent for Publication: State whether consent for publication has been obtained, if applicable.
    • Availability of Data and Materials: Describe whether data supporting the findings are publicly available or how they can be accessed.
    • Competing Interests: Declare any potential conflicts of interest related to the manuscript.
    • Funding: List all funding sources that supported the research. If no funding was received, state: “The authors received no financial support for this research.”
    • Authors’ Contributions: Specify each author’s contribution to the manuscript (e.g., study design, data collection, analysis, manuscript drafting).
    • Acknowledgments: Mention any relevant acknowledgments such as congress presentations, thesis-related work, or special thanks to contributors who do not meet authorship criteria.

This structured format ensures clarity, completeness, and adherence to journal submission requirements.

Main Text (Without Author Identifiers)

All manuscripts submitted to Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry must adhere to the following structured format:

Title

Provide a brief, concise, and informative title that accurately reflects the study’s content. Titles are frequently used in information retrieval systems; therefore, avoid abbreviations and formulae whenever possible.

Running Title

Provide a brief running title not exceeding 80 characters (including spaces).

Abstract

The abstract must not exceed 300 words and should be presented using a structured format. The structured subheadings should be explicitly included in the text of the abstract. The title of the article should be repeated at the top of the abstract page.

  • Original Research Articles: Aim; Methods; Results; Conclusions.
  • Reviews and Case Reports: A short, non-structured, single-paragraph abstract summarizing the study.

Keywords

Include 3 to 6 keywords, selected according to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Separate keywords with a semicolon, and capitalize the initial letter of each keyword (e.g., Dental Anxiety; Performance Anxiety).

Highlights of the Study

At the end of the abstract, include a 3-item “Highlights of the Study” statement that provides insights into:

  1. Rationale and clinical importance
  2. Main conclusion
  3. Implications of the study

Each bullet point must not exceed 200 characters (including spaces).

Introduction

The introduction should follow a structured format, covering:

  • Definition and background of the problem
  • Brief literature review
  • Rationale for the study
  • Hypotheses and aims

The final paragraph should clearly state the study’s aims and/or hypotheses (e.g., null or a priori hypotheses).

Methods

The methods section should be detailed enough to ensure reproducibility. Authors must provide sufficient details, including:

  • Study design and materials used
  • Procedures and protocols followed
  • Ethical considerations and approvals

The final paragraph should be titled “Statistical Analysis” and include:

  • Statistical methods used, ensuring they are described with adequate detail
  • Quantification of findings with appropriate measures of error or uncertainty (e.g., confidence intervals)
  • Eligibility criteria, randomization, and sample size considerations
  • Software and statistical methods referenced with citations (when applicable)

For more details, refer to the ICMJE recommendations: www.icmje.org/recommendations.

Results

Authors must avoid repeating table data in the text. Instead, highlight key findings from tables and figures.

Discussion

The discussion should:

  • Provide a concise conclusion
  • Discuss the potential clinical implications or policy relevance of the findings
  • Be supported by appropriate references
  • Avoid duplicating results or restating findings already presented in tables or figures

Conclusions

Summarize the key findings, their interpretation, and the main conclusions drawn from the study.

References

Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

  • Prefer referencing original research articles over books.
  • Cite papers indexed in reputable international databases (e.g., Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus).
  • Use reference management tools (e.g., EndNote, Reference Manager). The EndNote reference style can be requested via (info@contemppediatrdent.org).

    • The list of references should begin on a fresh page in the manuscript. All references should be numbered consecutively in order of appearance and should be as complete as possible.

In-Text Citations

Citations should be in consecutive numerical order using Arabic superscript numerals after punctuation marks. Reference numbers should be placed immediately after terms such as “et al.” or “previous studies” rather than at the end of sentences.

Example in-text citations:

    • “Dental anxiety has multifactorial etiology.1, 2 It has high prevalence worldwide.2,4-7”

    • “Buldur et al.19 stated that……” “Previous studies3, 9-15 reported that……….”

Reference List Formatting

All references should be listed numerically at the end of the manuscript.

Journal Article

Format:
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name (abbreviated) Year; Volume:Page range.

Example:

  1. Buldur B, Kapdan A. Comparison of the Antimicrobial Efficacy of the EndoVac System and Conventional Needle Irrigation in Primary Molar Root Canals. J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;41:284-288.
Online Article with DOI

Format:
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name (abbreviated) Year Month Day. DOI.

Example:

2. Buldur B. Pathways between parental and individual determinants of dental caries and dental visit behaviors among children: Validation of a new conceptual model. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2020 April 02. DOI: 10.1111/cdoe.12530.

Book

Format:
Author(s). Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Example:

3. Johnson C, Anderson S, Dallimore J. Oxford Handbook of Expedition and Wilderness Medicine. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2015.

Book Chapter

Format:
Author(s). Chapter title. In: Editor(s), editors. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. Page range.

Example:

4. Darden L. Mechanisms and models. In: Hull DL, Ruse M, editors. The Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2008. p.139-159.

Website

Format:
Author(s). Title [Internet] Year [cited Date]. Available from: URL.

Example:

5. Cancer Research UK. Current research into breast cancer [Internet] 2020 [cited 2020 Feb 14]. Available from: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/our-research.

Figures and Tables

Tables

  • Embed tables within the main text at the end of the manuscript.
  • Cite tables in ascending numerical order in the manuscript (e.g., Table 1, Table 2 and 3).
  • Table captions must be placed above the table (e.g., Table 1. Distribution of extracted teeth according to sex.).
  • Avoid vertical lines unless absolutely necessary.
  • Do not use color formatting unless essential.

Figures

  • Upload figures as separate files in high-resolution JPEG, JPG, PNG, or TIFF (minimum 300 dpi).

  • Cite figures in ascending numerical order in the manuscript (e.g., Figure 1, Figure 2 and 3).

  • Figure captions must be placed below the figure (e.g., Figure 1. Distribution of extracted teeth according to age.).

  • Figures should fit journal formatting standards:

    • Full-page width: 17 cm
    • Single-column width: 8 cm

  • If using previously published illustrations, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder and provide documentation.