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Author Guidelines

 

Instructions for Authors

Saúde, Ética & Justiça is an open-access, and fee-free journal published by the Department of Legal Medicine, Bioethics, Occupational Medicine, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP). The journal serves as a forum for scholarly contributions in the fields of Legal Medicine, Occupational Health, Forensic Odontologia (Forensic Dentistry), Law, Ethics, and related areas.
The views and concepts expressed by the authors in this journal do not necessarily reflect the official position of the institutions responsible for its publication. Authors bear sole responsibility for the drafting of the scientific text, the accuracy of the information provided, and the cited references.

Ethical Guidelines for Research

Studies involving human participants or the use of personal and/or institutional data must comply with the provisions of Law No. 14.874/2024 (the Brazilian Human Research Ethics Act). Such studies must be reviewed and approved by an authorized Research Ethics Committee (CEP) and adhere to the regulations of the INAEP (Instância Nacional de Ética em Pesquisa) prior to publication. The manuscript must explicitly cite the project's registration number (CAAE) within the CEP-INAEP system. For research involving animals, protocols must adhere to the standards established by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (CEUA).

Language Requirements

Manuscripts are accepted in Portuguese, English, or Spanish. Upon publication, all articles will feature an English version. If a manuscript submitted in Portuguese or Spanish is accepted, the authors are required to provide a professional English translation of the approved work for publication.

Technical Formatting

Manuscripts must be submitted online in Microsoft Word-compatible formats, with page margins set to 3 cm on all sides on A4 paper. The text must be formatted in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with single line spacing. The total length of the manuscript is strictly limited to a maximum of 20 pages.

Publication Sections

Manuscripts must be original and unpublished, contributing to the advancement of knowledge within the journal’s areas of interest. Submissions may be assigned to one of the following sections:
 
  • Original Article: Research reports or systematic literature reviews.
  • Opinion Article / Theoretical Study.
  • Case Report / Clinical Case.
  • Thesis/Dissertation Abstract: Summaries within the journal’s scope.
  • Letter to the Editor.
  • Tribute.
  • Commentary: Discussion on previously published articles.
Saúde, Ética & Justiça does not charge article processing charges (APCs) or submission fees, providing all published content free of charge online.

Submission Process

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically via the journal's website: www.revistas.usp.br/sej. Authors must register on the platform and follow the step-by-step submission prompts.
Submissions must be accompanied by a Cover Letter signed by all authors. This letter must include full names, email addresses, institutional affiliations, ORCID iDs, and an explicit statement detailing each author's specific contribution to the manuscript.
The Cover Letter must also include a formal disclosure regarding the potential use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) resources in the conceptualization, execution, and/or drafting of the study, specifying:
 
  1. Whether assistive or generative AI was utilized in the methodology, reference citations, or any other submitted document.
  2. If AI tools were employed, authors must specify the software, tool, website, or service used and describe how it was applied.

Cover Letter Template

To the Editors-in-Chief,
I, [insert corresponding author's full name], as the corresponding author, hereby submit the manuscript titled "[insert manuscript title]" for evaluation and potential publication in the journal Saúde, Ética & Justiça. This text falls under the following category (please check one):
(   ) Original Article (Research report or systematic literature review)
(   ) Opinion Article / Theoretical Study
(   ) Case Report / Clinical Case
(   ) Thesis/Dissertation Abstract
(   ) Letter to the Editor
(   ) Tribute
(   ) Commentary on published articles
I state that this work has not been published elsewhere nor is it under consideration by any other journal. Furthermore, all co-authors listed below are aware of and agree to the submission of this manuscript to Saúde, Ética & Justiça.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure Statement:
[Specify here any assistive and/or generative AI resources utilized and the respective stages of the manuscript creation, in compliance with the Instructions for Authors].
(The following details and signatures of ALL authors must be provided in the exact order they should appear in the article):
 
  • Full Name (no abbreviations):
  • Email Address:
  • Institutional Affiliation (including City, State, and Country):
  • ORCID iD (Format: orcid.org):
  • Author Contribution Statement:
  • Signature (handwritten or digital):
Reviewer Recommendations:
I recommend the following researchers to serve as potential peer reviewers for this manuscript based on their expertise in the field. I declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding their evaluation of this work:
 
  1. [Reviewer 1 Full Name] – [Email Address]
  2. [Reviewer 2 Full Name] – [Email Address]
Location and Date:

Editorial and Peer Review Process

Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial screening to verify scope alignment, coherence, clarity, and adherence to basic layout requirements.
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are forwarded for peer review. The Section Editor assigns the text to two external peer reviewers (ad hoc) who are experts in the field and independent of both the Editorial Board and the hosting institution. This evaluation is conducted under a double-blind peer review model.
Each review report will recommend one of the following outcomes:
 
  1. Accept without revisions.
  2. Major/Minor Revisions required for further evaluation.
  3. Reject.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to make the final decision regarding publication based on the reviewers' recommendations.
The journal strictly promotes scientific integrity and data reliability. Plagiarism detection tools are systematically utilized. Manuscripts that reproduce previously published text, in whole or in part, will be rejected. Textual borrowing through direct citations is permissible only for short passages and must be accompanied by rigorous and correct bibliographic citation of the source.

Manuscript Structure

Manuscripts must be organized as follows:
 
  • Title, abstract, and keywords in both English and the original language of the manuscript.
  • The main text must include: Introduction, Objective(s), Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, and References.
  • Acknowledgments may be appended at the end of the text if applicable.
  • Opinion Articles and Theoretical Studies may alternatively follow a structure comprising: Introduction, Development, Final Considerations, and References.
Note: Author identities, email addresses, and institutional affiliations must be kept strictly within the Cover Letter and excluded from the main text file to ensure a blind review process.

Pre-Submission Checklist

Before finalizing your submission, please verify that all the following criteria are met:
 
  • Title: Provided in the original language of the manuscript and in English (or only in English if it is the primary language of the text).
  • Author Information: All authors must be registered on the journal platform with full name, email, institutional affiliation, and ORCID iD. One author must be designated as the responsible author, providing a full postal address for correspondence.
  • Abstract: Up to 300 words, structured as a single paragraph. It must concisely outline the Introduction, Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. The abstract must be provided in both the original language and in English.
  • Keywords: Between three and eight descriptors (keywords) provided in English and the original language. Descriptors must be validated using the DeCS/MeSH (Descriptors in Health Sciences) database.
  • Cover Letter: Completed and signed by all contributing authors, containing full metadata (names, emails, Orcids) of each researcher included.
    The author contribution statement for the presented work must also be detailed in this letter.
    In the Cover Letter, authors must recommend two individuals who are experts in the field and could potentially serve as peer reviewers for the article. The full names and email addresses of the recommended reviewers must be provided.
    • The Manuscript File: It must contain the following structural sections: Introduction, Objectives, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Alternatively, for Opinion Articles and Theoretical Studies, the structure should comprise: Introduction, Development, and Final Considerations.
    An author contribution statement detailing each author's specific role in the presented study must be explicitly provided at the end of the text. Furthermore, authors must declare whether there are any potential conflicts of interest related to the publication of the article.
    Acknowledgments are optional. They should be brief and directed to individuals and/or institutions that collaborated with the study, and/or to research funding agencies.
    • Bibliographic References: Compiled strictly in accordance with Vancouver style guidelines.
    Citations (both direct and indirect) must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. All citations (within the text, tables, and footnotes) must be included in the reference list with their corresponding numerical indication, adding the author's name and the year of publication when necessary.
    Authors' surnames must be written in lowercase letters, except for the initial letter. No periods are used between the initials of given names. In cases of multiple authors, names must be separated by commas.
    When a work has two authors, both must be cited in the text, followed by the numerical indication corresponding to the reference. Examples: According to Carvalho and Linhares4; Tavares and Souza10 indicate that...
    When a work has more than two authors, only the first author's surname must be cited in the text, followed by the expression "et al." Example: Gomm et al.2, in 1993.
    The accuracy of the references is the sole responsibility of the authors.
    Citation Models and Examples
    Books
    Author(s) of the book. Title. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
    • Di Maio DJ, Di Maio VJM. Forensic pathology. New York: Elsevier; 1989.
    • Gordon I, Shapiro HA, Berson SD. Forensic medicine: a guide to principles. 3rd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 1988.
    Book Chapters
    Author(s) of the chapter. Title of the chapter. In: Author(s) of the book. Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Initial-final page of the chapter.
    • Sauer J. Manner of death: skeletal evidence of blunt and sharp instrument wounds. In: Rathbun TA, Buikstra JE, editors. Human identification: case studies in forensic anthropology. Springfield: Charles Thomas; 1984. p.176-84.
    Monographs, Dissertations, and Theses
    Author. Title [Type of document]. Location: Institution where it was presented; Year.
    • Ferraz FC. Freud e o campo da ética: sobre a gênese e o desenvolvimento da consciência moral [dissertation]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo; 1993.
    • Gonçalves AJ. Ferimentos cervicais penetrantes: análise de 145 casos [thesis]. São Paulo: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo; 1993.
    Electronic Monographs, Dissertations, and Theses
    Author. Title [Type of document] [Format]. Location: Institution where it was presented; Year. [Date of access using the expression "Accessed on: yyyy Mon dd"]. URL/Electronic address using the expression "Available from:"
    • Freire JJB. Da doutrina e do método em medicina legal. Ensaio epistemológico sobre uma ciência biopsico-social [thesis] [Internet]. São Paulo: Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade de São Paulo; 2009. [Accessed on: 2015 Apr 03]. Available from: http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47134/tde-15092009-092125/pt-br.php
    Journal Articles
    Author(s) of the article. Title of the article. Abbreviated journal title*. Year of publication; volume(number):initial-final pages of the article.
    • Salaru NNR. Evaluation of HLA in detection of non-parentage among known false trios. J Forensic Sci. 1993;38(6):1478-81.
    Journal Articles with DOI
    Author(s) of the article. Title of the article. Abbreviated journal title*. Year of publication; volume(number):initial-final pages of the article. Full DOI URL/address: DOI: http://dx.doi.org
    • Soares-Vieira JA, Billerbeck AE, Iwamura ES, Zampieri RA, Gattás GJ, Munoz DR, Hallak J, Mendonca BB, Lucon AM. Y-STRs in forensic medicine: DNA analysis in semen samples of azoospermic individuals. J Forensic Sci. 2007;52(3):664-70. DOI: doi.org
    • Funabashi KS, Barcelos D, Visconá D, Souza e Silva M, Oliveira e Sousa MLAP, Franco MF, Iwamura ESM. DNA extraction and molecular analysis of non-tumoral liver, spleen, and brain from autopsy samples: The effect of formalin fixation and paraffin embedding. Pathol Res Practice. 2012;208(15):584-91. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.prp.2012.07.001
    • Pomara C, D'Errico S, Riezzo I, Perilli G, Volpe U, Fineschi V. Blast overpressure after tire explosion: a fatal case. Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 2013;34(4):306-10. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PAF.0000000000000047
    Electronic Journal Articles
    Author(s). Title of the article. Abbreviated journal title* [Format]. Year of publication [Date of access using the expression "Accessed on: yyyy Mon dd"]; volume(number):initial-final pages. URL/Electronic address using the expression "Available from:"
    • Pavezi N, Flores D, Perez CB. Proposição de um conjunto de metadados para descrição de arquivos fotográficos considerando a Nobrade e a Sepiades. Transinf [Internet]. 2009 [Accessed on: 2010 Nov 08];21(3):197-205. Available from: http://revistas.puc-campinas.edu.br/transinfo/search.php?op=search&query=metadados&limit=all
    *Journal titles must be abbreviated following the NLM Catalog (Index Medicus) listings or the VHL Portal (for national and Latin American journals), which can be consulted at:
    • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=journals
    • http://portal.revistas.bvs.br
    Whole Proceedings (Conferences, Seminars, etc.)
    Name of the event; Year; Location. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.
    • 13º Congresso Brasileiro de Educação Médica; 1975; Salvador. Salvador: Associação Brasileira de Escolas Médicas; 1976.
    Papers Presented at Events
    Author. Title: subtitle. In: Name of the Event; Year of the event; Location of the event. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Initial-final page of the publication.
    • Castro CM. O secundário: esquecido em um desvão do ensino? In: Anais do 1º Seminar Internacional de Avaliação da Educação; 1995; Rio de Janeiro. Rio de Janeiro: Fundação Cesgranrio; 1996. p.133-50.
    Legal Documents
  • Legal Documents
    Jurisdiction (Country, State, or City). Name of the Court or Tribunal. Title (specification of the legislation, number, date (year, month, day)). Syllabus/Title [Format]. Official publication data. Date of publication (year, month, day) [Date of access using the expression "Accessed on: yyyy Mon dd"]. URL/Electronic address using the expression "Available from:"
    • Decree:
      Brasil. Decreto nº 3667, de 21 de novembro de 2000. Concede indulto, comuta penas e dá outras providências [Internet]. Diário Oficial [da] República Federativa do Brasil. 2000 nov. 22 [Accessed on: 2001 Jan 09]. Available from: http://www.ibccrim.com.br/legislação/desc-novembro.htm
    • Law (Act):
      Brasil. Presidência da República, Subchefia para Assuntos Jurídicos. Lei nº 9605 de 12 de fevereiro de 1998. Dispõe sobre as sanções penais e administrativas derivadas de condutas e atividades lesivas ao meio ambiente, e dá outras providências [Internet]. Brasília, DF; 1998. [Accessed on: 2010 Nov 09]. Available from: http://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/Leis/L9605.htm
    • Provisional Measure (Medida Provisória):
      Brasil. Senado Federal. Medida provisória nº 497 de 2010. Promove desoneração tributária de subvenções governamentais destinadas ao fomento das atividades de pesquisa tecnológica e desenvolvimento de inovação tecnológica nas empresas, institui o Regime Especial de Tributação para construção, ampliação, reforma ou modernização de estádios de futebol - RECOM, e dá outras providências [Internet]. [Accessed on: 2010 Nov 09]. Available from: http://www.senado.gov.br/atividade/materia/detalhes.asp?p_cod_mate=97716
    Homepages and Websites
    Author. Title [Internet]. Place of Publication; Year [Date of access using the expression "Accessed on: yyyy Mon dd"]. URL/Electronic address using the expression "Available from:"
    • Universidade do Oeste Paulista. Ação global encerrará atividades de extensão do ano [Internet]. Presidente Prudente; 2010. [Accessed on: 2010 Nov 19]. Available from: www.unoeste.br
    Every reference to a journal article or digital document must include the URL/electronic address or the DOI number that identifies the sourced text. Journal titles must be referred to in their abbreviated form according to the NLM Catalog (Index Medicus).
    • Figures: Illustrations and photographs must be embedded within the text and also submitted as separate files in JPEG format with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Charts, tables, and frames must be embedded within the body of the text in Word or Excel format. Numbering must be consecutive, and captions/legends should be short and informative.
    • Tables: Tables must be embedded within the body of the text and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order of their appearance in the article. Table lines must be vertical and horizontal, avoiding slanted or diagonal lines. Legends must be short and informative. A maximum of 10 (ten) tables per manuscript will be accepted.
    If a manuscript includes figures extracted from other previously published works, authors must obtain written permission for reproduction, except for public domain documents. This written authorization must accompany the submitted manuscript.
    • Abbreviations: Standardized forms must be used. When non-standardized abbreviations are necessary, they must be defined upon their first appearance in the text, followed by the acronym in parentheses.
      Example: The Brazilian Society of Legal Medicine (Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Legal - SBML) is the representative body for forensic physicians.
    Mailing Address / Contact Information
    Revista Saúde, Ética & Justiça
    Department of Legal Medicine, Bioethics, Occupational Medicine, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
    Oscar Freire Institute, FMUSP
    Av. Dr. Arnaldo, 455. CEP: 01246-903 – São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
    Email: revistasej@fm.usp.br
    Attn: Carla Júlia Segre Faiman
    Phone: +55 (11) 3061-8427; 3061-8408
    Website: www.revistas.usp.br/sej
    Last updated: August 27, 2026.
     

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

  • The names of the authors and their institutional affiliations must not appear in the same document in which the text is found. These data must be included in the submission letter.
  • Submission letter

Copyright Notice

Copyright Notice
Authors who publish in this journal agree to the following terms:
  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication, which allows the work to be shared with acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it as a book chapter), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
 

Privacy Statement

The names and addresses provided in this journal will be used exclusively for the services provided by this publication, and will not be made available for other purposes or to third parties.