Instructions for Authors

The journal Veterinarski arhiv publishes original scientific papers, case reports, short communications, review papers and book reviews, as well as obituaries of teachers and scientists of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Zagreb. Occasionally, in supplemental issues, it publishes papers of relevant conferences. The scope of the journal includes all fields of veterinary sciences. Only unpublished manuscripts may be accepted for the review process. Manuscripts should be written in English.

Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief. Submission of a manuscript is understood on the basis that the manuscript is original and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. The manuscripts must contain all the necessary information to enable reproducibility of the described work. All authors are expected to approve the paper and to sign a cover letter to confirm that the manuscript has been prepared according to the journal’s instructions for authors, and checked for all possible inconsistencies and typographical errors. They must declare that the manuscript submitted is an original work and that it has been neither published in any other journal nor it is under consideration for publication by any other journal. Declaration of the authors must be signed by all authors. The author(s) should submit the manuscript electronically as A4 size with up to 30 lines per page of the entire text and tables. After the revision process and the acceptance of the manuscript for printing, the author(s) should submit the corrected manuscript graphs using one of the commonly used PC software packages. The preferred program is Word for Windows for text and tables, and TIFF, JPG (minimum 300 dpi) for figures. The use of E-mail (veterinarski.arhiv@vef.hr) with the file in attachment is encouraged. The total length of the manuscript should not exceed 10 pages (18000 characters) excluding tables and figures although exceptionally longer articles may be considered when the excess length is justified by the data and ideas presented.

Writing of the text. Manuscript format should strictly conform to these instructions. Write out in full the acronyms and genera in titles the first time they are used in a text, as well as when they are used as the first word in a sentence. Provide a standard error or standard deviation measure for all mean values reported. Use no more than two significant digits in reporting per cent values. Write the paper in a past-tense style. Number all pages in the upper right corner, starting with the title page. Authors should number all of the rows of the manuscript consecutively on the left margin, beginning with the title page. The first page shall contain the full title of the article, full names (first, middle initial if applicable, and surname) of all authors and full titles of the institution concerned. If the authors belong to several institutions, insert corresponding numbers after the author’s surname and before the name of the relevant institution. On the first page, provide a Running title which, together with the last names of up to two authors (or the first author, adding et al., if there are more than two), must not exceed 100 characters, including blanks between words. At the bottom of the first page insert the full postal address (including academic degrees, phone and fax numbers, E-mail address) of the author responsible for correspondence with readers.

The Abstract should not exceed 20 lines but should contain full information regarding the results of the study. Authors need to be careful that abstracts reflect the content of the article accurately. Use up to six Key words to identify the object, problem and method of study. The Introduction should be brief and should include recent references concerning the topic, and a meaningful statement of purpose (objective). Provide sufficient details of documentation on Materials and methods so that a study may be repeated. Results should include a concise, logical presentation of raw data. It is editorial policy to use the International System of Units SI symbols for all units. Generally this section is free from references to other reports. In the Discussion, the results should be discussed, evaluated or interpreted. Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results section. Conclusions may constitute the final paragraph of the Discussion section, or a separate one. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not adequately supported by the data. If the authors wish to express their thanks for some service, information, financial support, or the like, this should be inserted at the very end of the text, preceding the References. All biotica (mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, plants, etc.) should be identified by their scientific names.

References in the text and in the References section should be given according to the style used in recent issues of Veterinarski arhiv. Readers should be provided with direct references to original research sources. Extensive lists of references to original work on a topic can use excessive space on the printed page. Therefore, small numbers of references to key original papers will often serve as well as more exhaustive lists. Quote only those references cited in the text. Use the following system for arranging the references:
For periodicals
KORTEKAAS, J., J. KETELAAR, R. P. M. VLOET, W. L. LOEFFEN (2011): Protective efficacy of a Classical swine fever virus C-strain deletion mutant and ability to differentiate infected from vaccinated animals. Vet. Microbiol. 147, 11-18.
For congresses and symposia
FRASER, D. (2010): Animal welfare and the veterinary profession: 50 years of change. Proceedings of the 21st International Pig Veterinary Society Congress, 18-21 July, Vancouver, Canada, pp. 7-10.
For books
RADOSTITS, O. M., C. C. GAY, K. W. HINCHCLIFF, P. D. CONSTABLE (2007): Veterinary Medicine. A textbook of the diseases of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and goats. Paratuberculosis (Johne’s disease). 10th ed., Saunders Elsevier, Edinburgh, London, New york, Oxford, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Sydney, Toronto, pp. 1017-1044.
For chapters in the book
COLITZ, C. M. H., V. KUONEN (2007): Ocular infections. In: Equine Infectious Diseases. (Sellon, D. C., M.T. Long, Eds.), Saunders Elsevier, St. Louis, pp. 106-115.
For theses
BRINKHOF, J. (2009): Detection and control of lentiviral infections in sheep and goats. PhD Thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.

The manuscript should be carefully checked to ensure that the spelling of author’s names, and dates are exactly the same in the text as in the References list. It is recommended to include references to papers from peer reviewed periodicals. Citations from non-available sources (proceedings, reports) should be avoided. In the text, refer to the author’s name and year of publication. If reference is made in the text to a publication written by more than two authors, the name of the first author should be used followed by “et al., 2011”. In the list, names of all authors should be written. The list of References should be arranged alphabetically by authors’ names. Publications by a single author should be arranged according to publication dates. Publications by the same author(s) for the same year should be arranged as 2011a, 2011b, etc. Abbreviate the titles of the periodicals listed in the chapter References according to the International List of Periodical Title Words Abbreviations. Use the official Thomson Reuters (ISI) Journal Citations Reports abbreviations. In the case of publications in any language other than English, the full title should be given in English with the language of publication in parenthesis, e. g. (in Croatian). Avoid citing a “personal communication” unless it provides essential information not available from a public source. For scientific articles, authors should obtain written permission and confirmation of accuracy from the source of a personal communication. The accuracy of all reference citations should be checked taking utmost care. To minimize citation errors in the published version of articles, authors should verify references against the original documents. Authors are responsible for checking that none of the references cite retracted articles except in the context of referring to the retraction.

On a separate page at the end of the manuscript, where applicable, provide the Croatian translation of the title, Abstract and Key words. Translations into the Croatian language for foreign contributors may be provided by the Editorial Office.

Tables and Figures should be submitted on separate pages. Avoid the use of three-dimensional graphs and halftones unless essential for data presentation. Tables and Figures should not exceed 11 cm in width and 13 cm in height. Large tables should be avoided. All tables should be prepared in Word for Windows using the table option with gridlines (see recently published articles in Vet. Arhiv). Please supply one set of figures (graphs & photographs) with numbers, letters or scale bar on the figure itself, along with the ones fully described on separated captions. Standard abbreviations of units of measurement should be added in parentheses. Illustrations should be numbered according to their sequence in the text. Illustrations should be designed according to the format of the page of the journal. Mark the top of Figures finely with a pencil and insert the number and author’s name on the reverse. Mount a scale bar directly on fully described photographs. Supply figure captions on a separate page.

Page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author, who will be asked to check them very carefully for typographical errors and to sign them to signify agreement for the printing of the article. Corrected and signed page proofs should be returned as a matter of urgency.

Veterinarski arhiv will not accept reports for publishing whose authors have not adhered to the rules, regulations, and laws for the humane treatment of animals. See: Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, 22 September 2010, Official Journal of the European Union L 276, 20 October 2010, pp. 33-79.

All material published in Veterinarski arhiv must adhere to high ethical standards concerning animal welfare. (Consensus Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for Veterinary Journals - International Association of Veterinary Editors, Geneva, Switzerland, 2010).

  • Animal ethics-based criteria for manuscript consideration
  • Manuscripts will be considered for publication only if the work described therein:
    1. Follows international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for humane animal treatment and complies with the relevant legislation;
    2. Has been approved by the ethics review committee at the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted, where such a committee exists;
    3. For studies using client-owned animals, demonstrates a high standard (best practice) of veterinary care and involves informed client consent.

  • Prior to acceptance of a manuscript, to verify compliance with the above policies, the authors must:
    1. Sign a letter certifying that the legal and ethical requirements have been met with regards to the humane treatment of animals described in the study;
    2. Specify in Materials and methods the ethical review committee approval process and the international, national, and/or institutional guidelines followed.

  • Animal ethics-based criteria for manuscript rejection
    1. Manuscripts and authors that fail to meet the aforementioned requirements;
    2. Studies that involve unnecessary pain, distress, suffering, or lasting harm to animals;
    3. The Editor retains the right to reject manuscripts on the basis of ethical or welfare concerns.

An author will receive 20 reprints free of charge. If more are required, the author should ask for them on the occasion of signing page proofs and will be asked to personally cover printing costs. Articles published in Veterinarski arhiv (Online) - are available at the Internet address: http://www.vef.unizg.hr/vetarhiv in pdf format.