Instructions for Authors

02 · Structure

How to structure a manuscript

File format

Word or LaTeX, double-spaced, with continuous line numbers throughout.

Title page

A separate file: title, all authors with affiliations, ORCID iDs, and the corresponding author’s contact details. Kept separate so the manuscript can be sent for double-blind review on request.

Title

Specific about the disease, the design and the population. State the thyroid tumor type or diagnostic group where the study is confined to one.

Abstract

Structured, under 300 words, with objectives, methods, results and conclusions. The conclusion states what the study shows, not what the authors hope it implies.

Keywords

Terms reflecting the thyroid cancer subtype, the discipline and the methods used.

Introduction

The clinical or scientific context and the specific gap the study addresses.

Methods

Enough detail for the study to be repeated, including the diagnostic and treatment protocols applied.

Results

Reported without interpretation, consistent between text, tables and figures.

Discussion

Interpretation held to the design, with limitations stated plainly rather than deferred to a closing sentence.

Declarations

Ethics, consent, trial registration, data availability, funding, competing interests, AI use and author contributions.

04 · Clinical studies

Reporting a clinical study

• Population. Where the patients came from, over what period, and how they were selected. Consecutive, consented or convenience.
• Diagnostic criteria. How the diagnosis was established — cytology, histology, molecular — and by whom.
• Tumor classification. The WHO edition applied, the histologic subtype, and grade where relevant.
• Stage and risk. The staging system and edition, and the risk-stratification system, stated explicitly rather than implied.
• Intervention or exposure. Defined operationally: extent of surgery, radioiodine activity and indication, drug, dose and duration.
• Comparator. What the comparison group received, and how it was chosen.
• Follow-up. Duration, completeness, and how losses were handled.
• Outcomes. Defined in advance where possible, with the endpoint stated — recurrence, response, disease-specific or overall survival.
• Statistics. The analysis performed, the software, handling of missing data, and any deviation from a pre-specified plan.

06 · Imaging

Imaging studies

• Modality and protocol. Equipment, acquisition parameters, contrast or radiopharmaceutical, and timing.
• Interpretation criteria. The reporting system applied and its edition, and the thresholds used.
• Reader methodology. How many readers, their experience, whether they were blinded, and how disagreement was resolved.
• Reference standard. What the imaging was compared against — histology, cytology, follow-up — and the interval between them.
• Reproducibility. Inter- and intra-reader agreement, reported with the statistic used.

08 · Case reports

Case reports and case series

A case report is published where it carries a lesson another clinician can use: a rare primary or secondary thyroid malignancy, an unusual presentation or metastatic pattern, a diagnostic pitfall, an unexpected or durable treatment response, a novel complication, or a molecular finding with management consequence.

• Consent. Documented consent to publish, including for images. Report the documented consent to publish for case reports and identifiable images; for case series state the applicable ethics approval or exemption and consent arrangements.
• De-identification. No identifying detail in text, images, tables or metadata. A patient can be identified by a date or a rare combination of features as easily as by a name.
• Clinical completeness. Presentation, diagnostic workup, pathology, treatment, follow-up and outcome, with the timeline clear.
• Evidence boundaries. A single case shows what happened, not why. Do not draw causal conclusions or recommend a treatment approach from one patient.
• CARE. Reported to the CARE guideline, with the completed checklist submitted.

10 · Checklist

Before you submit

• Scope. Confirm that the manuscript connects its material, methods, and conclusions to a substantive thyroid-oncology question, including cancer risk, the benign–malignant diagnostic boundary, tumor biology, care, or outcomes.
• Type and length. The article type is one the journal accepts, and the length is within the indicative range.
• Files. Manuscript with line numbers, separate title page, figures at 300 DPI, editable tables, supplementary files labeled.
• Abstract. Structured, under 300 words.
• Reporting checklist. Completed for the study design.
• Declarations. Ethics, consent, trial registration, data availability, funding, competing interests, AI use and author contributions.
• References. Complete, with DOIs where available, and the edition cited for every classification or guideline used.
• Conclusions. Held to what the design supports.

Double-blind manuscript preparation

For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.

Clinical trial registration

Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.

Reporting by study design

Basic, qualitative, methods, simulation, replication, small-sample, and null-result studies are eligible by subject fit. Apply evidence standards appropriate to the design and claims; clinical deployment, a mechanistic explanation, or statistical significance is not a universal scope requirement.

• Experimental work: describe models, controls, biological and technical replicates, materials, analysis, and reproducibility. For animal studies, report the relevant ethics approval and welfare safeguards and use ARRIVE where applicable.
• Qualitative work: explain sampling, data collection, analysis, reflexivity, and ethical safeguards; use an appropriate qualitative reporting framework.
• Diagnostic studies: report the reference standard, participant spectrum, verification procedures, and uncertainty; use STARD where applicable.
• Case series: distinguish prospective or retrospective observational series from individual case narratives and apply the reporting framework appropriate to the design.
• Prediction models: use TRIPOD+AI where applicable; describe development/evaluation data, calibration, discrimination, uncertainty, bias, and intended setting.

Preparation details by article form

The four indicative word ranges above are the journal’s current published guidance. Keep case reports, editorials, and commentaries concise and focused on their stated purpose. Every manuscript should contain the sources, figures, and tables needed to support its conclusions.

• Research and methods papers: organize the abstract around objectives, methods, results, and conclusions; describe the scientific or methodological question, methods, findings, limitations, and interpretation.
• Reviews: state the question and review approach, describe search and selection methods where relevant, synthesize the evidence, and discuss limitations. Systematic reviews should follow PRISMA.
• Short communications: present a complete concise study with the same ethical, methodological, and reporting requirements as a full research article.
• Case reports and series: give the clinical or diagnostic context, the case timeline or cohort methods, findings, outcome or follow-up, limitations, and the transferable lesson.
• Editorials and commentaries: develop a defined scholarly argument with relevant supporting references and disclosures.
• Keywords: provide 5–12 keywords, separated by commas, consistent with the publisher’s author instructions.
• Files: provide an editable manuscript; figures with legends and readable labels; editable tables; clearly labeled supplementary material; and appropriate reporting checklists. Include permissions and licensing information for reused material.

References and examples

Use numbered references in order of first citation. Check author names, titles, years, pagination, identifiers, and links against the source. List the first three authors followed by “et al.” where applicable, following the publisher’s reference guidance.

• Journal article: Baloch ZW, Asa SL, Barletta JA, et al. Overview of the 2022 WHO Classification of Thyroid Neoplasms. Endocr Pathol. 2022;33:27–63. doi:10.1007/s12022-022-09707-3.
• Book: WHO Classification of Tumours Editorial Board. Endocrine and neuroendocrine tumours. 5th ed. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2025.
• Webpage: American Thyroid Association. NIFTP [Internet]. Available from: https://www.thyroid.org/niftp/ [cited 2026 Sep 12].

Use the following formats for other sources, replacing the descriptive elements with the source’s actual details:

• Dataset: Creator(s). Dataset title [dataset]. Repository; year. Version. DOI or accession number.
• Preprint: Author(s). Title [preprint]. Repository; year. Version or posting date. DOI.
• Trial registration: Registry. Registered study title. Registration number; registration date. Registry URL.