Journal Scope

The journal considers all submissions related to surgery to be within its scope. In some instances, such as the Manchester Major Trauma Conference, the journal will consider non-surgical submissions, including acute & critical care and anaesthetics. The Scalpel will publish abstracts, short essays, and conference insights in its first year.

Online Submissions

All submissions will be made to The Scalpel via the Oxford Abstracts submission portal. Submissions will only be possible for contests and events run by the Scalpel Surgical Society and partner societies. For more information on available submission opportunities, please visit the Submission Opportunities page.

Editorial Policy

Adherence to language and editorial guidelines will be scored during peer review. All submissions must be made in UK English and use correct grammar. The text must be clear, concise, and adhere to any specified word limits. Editors reserve the right to make minor changes to accepted submissions to conform to the journal’s style.

Open Access

The Scalpel believes students should not have to pay or seek funding to publish their work. All accepted submissions will be published Open Access and free of charge. This applies to all publications from the Scalpel Surgical Society, as well as those from partner societies, unless otherwise stated.

Peer Review

All submissions undergo rigorous, double-blind peer review. All submissions will be marked by at least one member of the editorial team. Reviewers assess structure, methodology, relevance, language, and the quality of the discussion. The Scalpel does not disclose its scoring system or cut-off criteria. Submissions with concerns regarding legitimacy, methodology, or language will be automatically rejected.

Authorship

The Scalpel does not accept joint first authorship. All authors must have read and approved the final version of the work before submission. Each author must have made significant contributions to:

• At least one of study conception or data acquisition; and

• At least one of drafting the manuscript, revising the manuscript, or supervising the writing process.

References

No references are required for abstract submissions. Submissions requiring references must use APA style referencing. Failure to do so may lead to your submission being rejected. 

Ethical Guidance

The Scalpel adheres to the strict ethical guidelines outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and follows the ethical policies established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All prospective studies involving humans must have ethical approval before submission. No submission should contain patient-identifiable information unless written patient consent has been obtained. Authors must declare compliance with The Scalpel’s ethical policy during the submission process. The Scalpel reserves the right to request proof of ethical approval. Any breach of ethical guidelines may be reported to the relevant regulatory or professional body.

Funding & Acknowledgements

Acknowledgments are not available for abstract submission. Any funding obtained by authors for full-text submissions must be stated under acknowledgements. The authors may also acknowledge any contributors who do not meet the required criteria for authorship.

Declaration of Generative AI in writing

Generative AI must not be used in any submissions to The Scalpel. Authors must declare compliance with The Scalpel’s policy on generative AI during the submission process. Any submissions found to be in breach of this will be automatically rejected.