Author Guidelines

Audience

The audience for Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways consists of health economists, market access experts, and, more broadly, everyone who has an interest in pharmacoeconomics, health economics, health policy, and public health. Authors should bear in mind the multidisciplinary nature of the readership when writing their articles.

Types of Articles

Editorial

Editorials are short articles on issues of topical importance. They aim to offer a personal perspective on a topic of recent interest, and we encourage our editorial writers to express their opinions. Editorials also give authors the opportunity to present criticism or address controversy.

Figures and tables can be included in editorials, if necessary. Word limit: approximately 1,000–1,500 words. Editorials do not undergo the peer-review process.

Original Research

Original research articles include original studies of research and analysis, particularly those concerning economic evaluations such as cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and cost-effectiveness analyses, and budget impact models. Articles should include a description of how cost data were identified and quantified and, in the case of budget impact models, how the model was designed and implemented.

A structured abstract of fewer than 300 words is required. The text should be limited to approximately 6,000 words (excluding the abstract, tables, figures, and references); up to 6 tables/figures (including detailed cost data inputs and results), and there is no limit on references.

Review (Economic Analysis)

Reviews should focus on a specific drug, a class of drugs, or a pathology. An abstract of less than 300 words is required. The text is limited to approximately 6,000 words (not including abstract, tables, figures, and references); about 6 tables, and there is no limit on references. There are two types of reviews:

  • Reviews on a specific drug or class of drugs must include the clinical issue and therapeutic role. The pharmacoeconomic profile and synthesis of the available economic evidence should be given the greatest emphasis.
  • Reviews on a pathologymust include the clinical issue and therapeutic options, with the cost of illness receiveing the greatest emphasis.

Methods

Articles should focus on specific methods and techniques used in economic analysis. Principles and applications of these techniques must be illustrated, and practical examples of their use should be provided.

An abstract of fewer than 300 words is required. The text is limited to 4,000 words (not including the abstract, tables, figures, and references); up to 4 tables/figures, and there is no limit on references.

Focus On

Focus On articles should cover an aspect of an issue that is relevant to the journal’s readership. For example, they may include discussions on the adoption of new technologies, or on issues concerning pricing and reimbursement. This section also welcomes small-scale research, preliminary results or brief reports that convey a message that fits the journal’s scope and of particular interest to the community.

An unstructured abstract of fewer than 300 words is required. The text is limited to 1,500–3,000 words (not including the abstract, tables, figures, and references); a maximum of 2 tables/figures is allowed, and there is no limit on references. Focus on articles do not undergo the peer-review process.

Brief Drug Profile

It is a brief review of the clinical and pharmacoeconomic aspects of a specific drug. The article should begin with a brief discussion of the disease for which the drug has received approval. The indication and dosing, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, efficacy, and safety should all be reported. The pharmacoeconomics profile should focus on a review of economic evaluations of the drug or on the cost of illness, if no economic analyses are available in the literature.

The text is limited to 3,000 words (not including tables and references); up to 3 tables/figures are allowed, and there is no limit on references.

Letter to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should report comments on articles published in Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways. They should contain substantive ideas and commentary supported by appropriate data and references. Whenever possible, they will be published with a reply from the author(s) of the original article.

No abstract is required. The text is limited to 1,000 words; up to 2 tables/figures are allowed, and there is no limit on references. Letters to the Editor do not undergo the peer-review process.

Supplements

The journal may publish supplements in addition to the regular issues. Supplements may cover thematic collections, proceedings from scientific meetings, or special projects. All supplement proposals are subject to editorial approval, and the content must meet the same scientific and ethical standards as regular issues. Before submission, authors or guest editors must contact the Editorial Office to obtain approval for the proposed supplement.

Title page

The information listed below must be provided exclusively in the Title Page document and should not appear in the main manuscript, which must remain anonymous for blinded peer review.

The title page should include the following information:

  • Manuscript title: Concise (up to 180 character), informative, and accurately reflecting the content of the paper. Avoid abbreviations where possible.
  • Author name(s), affiliation(s), and email address(es).
  • Corresponding author:Including full name and e-mail address.
  • Running title: A short version of the title (maximum 50–60 characters, including spaces) for use as a page header.
  • Conflict of interest statement: All authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest (for full details see “Conflict of Interest” section below). If no conflicts of interest exist, authors must include the following statement: “The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.”
  • Funding statement: Authors must clearly disclose all sources of financial support for the research, writing, and publication of the manuscript. Funding details should be included in a dedicated “Funding” section at the end of the main manuscript. If no funding was received, please state: “This research received no external funding”.
  • Acknowledgments (optional): Briefly acknowledge individuals or institutions that contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria. Examples include individuals who provided purely technical support or writing assistance.

Note: The title page should be uploaded as a separate file during submission and not included in the anonymized main manuscript.

Manuscript preparation

Headings

No more than three levels of subheading should be used, and they should be clearly distinguished.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations should be defined at first mention in the text and in all table and figure footnotes. IProviding a separate list of abbreviations is suggested.

Language

Manuscripts may be submitted in English (using U.S. spelling) or in Italian (however, the abstract, keywords, and title, must always be provided in English).

References

  • Author’s names should appear with initials given without full stops.
  • List the first six authors. If there are more than six, list the first three followed by et al.
  • Journal names should be italicized and abbreviated according to the standard PubMed format, followed by a period.
  • The volume number should be followed by a semicolon.
  • Page ranges should be separated by a hyphen, without spaces.
  • Include DOI numbers where available.

Examples

  • Journal example: 
    • Houssami N, Abraham LA, Miglioretti DL, et al. Accuracy and outcomes of screening mammography in women with a personal history of early-stage breast cancer. JAMA. 2011;305(8):790-799. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.188
    • De Giorgis S, Brunetti N, Zawaideh J, Rossi F, Calabrese M, Tagliafico AS. Influence of Breast Density on Patient's Compliance during Ultrasound Examination: Conventional Handheld Breast Ultrasound Compared to Automated Breast Ultrasound. J Med Ultrasound. 2020;28(4):230-234. https://10.4103/JMU.JMU_13_20
  • Book example: Lunet N. Meta-analysis of observational studies. In: La Torre G (ed). Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Torino: SEEd Medical Publishers, 2010
  • Meeting abstract example: Smith AB, Jones CD. Recent progress in the pharmacotherapy of diseases of the lower urinary tract. Presented at: 13th International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry. Atlanta, GA, USA, 28 November-2 December 1994
  • Website example: Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. 11th ed. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster Inc, 2003. Available at: http://ww.m-w.com/dictionary.htm
    or: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Antisocial personality disorder. London: NICE, 2009. Available at: http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG77/PublicInfo/pdf/English (last accessed January 2011)

A specific citation style for Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways is available in Zotero. Authors are encouraged to use this style when preparing their manuscripts to ensure correct and consistent formatting of references.

Figures and tables

Summary figures/tables/boxes are very useful, and thus strongly encouraged. Authors should include illustrations and tables to condense and illustrate the information they wish to convey. Commentary that augments the article and could be considered stand-alone should be presented in a separate box (e.g.,  a summary of a trial or trial series, a case study summary, or a glossary of terms).

Please insert all figures and tables within the body of the main manuscript, immediately following their first citation in the text. Do not place all figures and tables at the end of the document or upload them separately unless otherwise instructed. Supplementary figures and tables should be provided as separate files clearly labeled as “Supplementary Material” (for full details see “Supplementary Material” section below).

All abbreviations used in a figure or in a table should be defined in the legend.

Schemes, diagrams, and flowcharts should also be provided in an editable electronic format such as PowerPoint, or Excel.

Tables and Figures Copyright

If a table, figure, or box has been published previously (even if you are the Author), acknowledge the original source and obtain written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material, where required.

As the Author of your manuscript, you are responsible for securing permissions to use material owned by others. Since the permission-seeking process can be remarkably time-consuming, it is advisable to begin requesting permission as early as possible.

Please send us copies of the permission letters or forms granting you permission for the use of copyrighted material so that we can ensure any special requirements regarding wording and placement of credits are fulfilled. Keep the originals for your records. If a fee is required for the use of a table/figure/box, it must be covered by the Author.

Supplementary Material

Authors are encouraged to provide Supplementary Material that supports the main findings of the paper. This may include additional figures, tables, or detailed methodological descriptions.
Each supplementary item should be cited in the text (e.g., “see Supplementary Table 2”) and provided as a separate file named accordingly. Supplementary files are published online as received and are not subject to copyediting or formatting by the publisher.

Ethical Guidelines

Conflict of Interest

Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways requires authors, reviewers, and editors to disclose any competing financial interests.

Competing interests are defined as those of a financial nature that, through their potential influence on behavior or content, or through the perception of such potential influences, could undermine the objectivity, integrity, or perceived value of a publication. These may include the following:

  • Funding: Research support from organizations that may gain or lose financially through this publication.
  • Employment: Recent, current, or anticipated employment by any organization that may gain or lose financially through this publication.
  • Personal financial interests: Stocks or shares in companies that may gain or lose financially through this publication; consultation fees or other forms of remuneration from organizations that may gain or lose financially; patents or patent applications whose value may be affected by publication.

If there are no conflicts of interest, the disclosure should read: “The authors have declared no conflicts of interest.”

If one or more authors have a conflict to disclose, a further statement an should be included for the remaining authors declaring no conflict, e.g., “All remaining authors have declared no conflicts of interest.”

Authors

All authors are required to complete the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and to return it to the Managing Editor (at o.bandi@seedstm.com).

Authors from pharmaceutical companies or other commercial organizations should declare these as competing interests upon submission. They should also adhere to the Good Publication Practice guidelines for pharmaceutical companies (GPP3), which are designed to ensure that publications are produced in a responsible and ethical manner. The guidelines also apply to any companies or individuals involved in industry-sponsored publications, such as freelance writers, contract research organizations, communications, and consulting companies.

Editorial Staff

Editors declare any conflict of interest once a year. Decisions on manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest will be made by another editor.

Peer Reviewers

All peer reviewers are required to declare any conflicts of interest upon accepting to review a paper.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways recognizes the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Bing AI, or similar large language models) to support scientific writing. However, to preserve the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the scientific record, strict rules apply to their use in manuscripts submitted to the journal.

  1. Authorship and Responsibility: Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors, as they cannot take responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, or originality of the work. All authors remain fully accountable for the content of their manuscripts, including any part drafted or revised with the assistance of AI.
  2. Transparency of Use: If AI tools have been used in any stage of manuscript preparation (e.g., language editing, grammar improvement, drafting of text, data analysis, or figure creation), this use must be explicitly declared in the manuscript. The declaration should appear in the Acknowledgments section (e.g., “Portions of the text were generated with the assistance of [tool name, version, provider] and were reviewed and edited by the authors for accuracy and integrity.”).
  3. Prohibited Uses: Generative AI must not be used to fabricate, manipulate, or falsify data, results, or references. Undeclared or inappropriate use of AI tools that compromises research integrity will be considered a form of scientific misconduct and handled according to COPE guidelines.
  4. Verification and Originality: Authors must carefully verify and edit all AI-assisted content to ensure it is accurate, original, properly cited, and free from plagiarism or bias. The journal reserves the right to check manuscripts for undeclared AI use and to reject submissions that fail to meet these requirements.

Confidentiality

In case reports, the privacy of patients must be respected and patient identification must not be possible. If, for scientific reasons, a patient’s identity cannot be anonymized, authors must obtain written consent from patients: the document must be made available to SEEd. The Consent Request form can be obtained from the editorial staff (at o.bandi@seedstm.com).

Informed Consent

Every clinical trial submitted to Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways must include a statement confirming that the study received ethics approval from an ethics committee (or a statement indicating that approval was not required), including the name of the ethics committee and the approval ID, together with a statement confirming that participants provided informed consent prior to participation.

Human/Animal Rights

For articles concerning research on human beings, Authors must provide assurance that the study protocol is in accordance with the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki (as revised in 2024).

For studies involving animal experimentation, Authors should provide assurance that all animals received humane care in accordance with the criteria described in the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals" published by the National Institutes of Health, available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/Guide-for-the-Care-and-use-of-laboratory-animals.pdf

Plagiarism and Other Misconduct

Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways follows the COPE guidelines concerning the handling of plagiarism and any research or editorial misconduct. (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts). Therefore, if a submitted article contains plagiarism, i.e., unattributed use of large portions of text and/or data presented as if they were the author’s own work, the editors will contact the authors to request an explanation. If this is not satisfactory, the journal may contact the authors’ institution(s). In specific cases, peer reviewers may be asked to check images for falsification/fabrication.

Redundant publications will be handled in the same way, again following COPE guidelines (http://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts).

Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors.

SEEd Medical Publishers uses iThenticate software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Wherever the “Similarity Check Deposited” or “Similarity Check Depositor” logos appear, you can be assured that the publisher whose content you are reading is committed to actively combating plagiarism and publishing original research. The plagiarism policy of SEEd Medical Publishers’ is available above. For more information about Similarity Check visit https://www.crossref.org/services/similarity-check/

Appeals and Complaints

Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways adheres to COPE guidelines regarding appeals of editorial decisions and the handling of complaints.

Authorship

An “author” is generally considered to be someone who has made substantive intellectual contributions to a published study. According to the ICMJE guidelines, to qualify as an author one must meet all of the following criteria:

  1. Making substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  3. Giving final approval of the version to be published; AND
  4. Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The acquisition of funding, the collection of data, or general supervision of the research group, alone, does not usually justify authorship.

Farmeconomia. Health Economics and Therapeutic Pathways does not permit changing, adding or deleting authors after publication of the paper.

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship (i.e., individuals who provided purely technical support or writing assistance) should be listed in the “Acknowledgements’ section”. Examples include

Medical Writers

The involvement of medical writers, or anyone else who assisted with the preparation of the manuscript, must be clearly acknowledged, together with their source of funding, in accordance with the European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) guidelines. The role of medical writers should be explicitly stated in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section.

Author fees

For information on the article processing charges (APCs) applicable to authors, please click here.