The Netherlands Journal of Critical Care (Neth. J. Crit. Care) welcomes high-quality original contributions that advance knowledge and practice in critical care medicine. Authors are requested to carefully follow the guidelines below before submitting a manuscript.

1. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared clearly and systematically in an editable Microsoft Word file. The manuscript should be written in clear academic English and should be organized according to the nature of the submitted work.

Authors should ensure that the manuscript is complete, consistent, and free from unnecessary formatting or typographical errors before submission.

2. Title Page

The title page should include:

• Full title of the manuscript
• Full names of all authors
• Academic qualifications and professional designations
• Institutional affiliations
• Department and institution, where applicable
• Email address of each author
• Identification of the corresponding author
• Corresponding author's email address
• ORCID iD, where available

3. Abstract

Original research articles should include a concise and informative abstract describing the purpose of the study, methodology, principal findings, and conclusions.

The abstract should accurately reflect the content of the manuscript and should not contain information that is not presented in the main text.

4. Keywords

Authors should provide relevant keywords that accurately represent the main topics, concepts, or findings of the manuscript. Keywords should assist readers in discovering the article through academic databases and search systems.

5. Main Manuscript

The structure of the manuscript should be appropriate to the article type. For original research, authors are generally encouraged to organize the manuscript using the following sections:

• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion

Additional sections may be included where appropriate to the study design and nature of the manuscript.

6. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be clearly numbered and appropriately cited within the manuscript. Each table and figure should have a concise and informative title or caption.

Authors must ensure that figures and other visual materials are of suitable quality for publication and that any third-party material has the necessary permission and acknowledgment.

7. References

References must be prepared according to the journal's required MLA referencing format.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete, and correctly cited in the manuscript. Where available, references should include the correct DOI or a direct link to the original source.

Authors should verify that every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list and that every reference in the reference list is cited appropriately in the manuscript.

8. Ethical Approval

Where applicable, studies involving human participants, patient data, animals, or other ethically regulated research must have appropriate ethical approval before submission.

Authors should provide relevant ethical approval documentation and include an appropriate ethics statement in the manuscript.

9. Informed Consent

Where applicable, authors should obtain appropriate informed consent from participants. For case reports or material containing identifiable patient information, consent for publication should be obtained where required.

Authors must take appropriate measures to protect patient privacy and confidentiality.

10. Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any actual, potential, or perceived conflict of interest that could influence the research, interpretation of findings, or publication process.

If no conflict exists, authors should provide an appropriate declaration stating that there are no conflicts of interest.

11. Funding Statement

Authors should disclose all sources of financial support for the research or publication. Where no external funding was received, this should be clearly stated.

12. Authorship

All listed authors should have made meaningful contributions to the research or manuscript and should approve the final version before submission.

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the editorial office and ensuring that all authors have approved the submitted manuscript.

13. Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not contain plagiarized, fabricated, or falsified material.

Authors should provide a plagiarism or similarity report generated using Turnitin or an equivalent reputable similarity-detection software. Authors are encouraged to ensure that the similarity index complies with the journal's plagiarism policy before submission.

The journal may conduct its own similarity or plagiarism screening during the editorial process.

14. Duplicate or Simultaneous Submission

Manuscripts submitted to the Netherlands Journal of Critical Care should not simultaneously be under consideration by another journal.

Authors must disclose any previous publication, related manuscript, conference presentation, preprint, or substantially overlapping work where applicable.

15. Cover Letter

Each submission should be accompanied by a cover letter containing:

• Manuscript title
• Article type
• Brief statement regarding the significance of the work
• Confirmation that the manuscript is suitable for the journal
• Confirmation of originality
• Disclosure of conflicts of interest
• Relevant ethical information
• Any additional information the authors wish to communicate to the editor

16. Peer Review

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment are sent for single-blind peer review, where reviewers' identities are concealed from the authors.

Authors should respond carefully and professionally to reviewer comments when revisions are requested. Revised manuscripts should clearly indicate how each substantive reviewer or editorial comment has been addressed.

17. Revision of Manuscripts

When a revision is requested, authors should submit:

• The revised manuscript
• A detailed response to reviewers' comments
• A clear indication of changes made in the revised manuscript, where requested

Failure to adequately address major concerns may result in further revision or rejection.

18. Corrections and Retractions

Authors should promptly inform the editorial office if they discover a significant error in their published work. The journal may issue corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions where appropriate in accordance with its publication ethics policies.

19. Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

• The manuscript is provided in Word format.
• Complete author information is included.
• ORCID iDs are provided where available.
• The manuscript follows the required structure.
• References are formatted in MLA style.
• DOI numbers or direct links are accurate where available.
• A cover letter is included.
• Ethical approval documentation is provided where applicable.
• Informed consent requirements have been addressed where applicable.
• Conflict of interest information is disclosed.
• Funding information is provided.
• A plagiarism/similarity report is included.
• The manuscript is not simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.