About the Journal

Purpose

Columna Médica is a scientific journal specialized in the field of health sciences, electronic and developed by students and professionals specialized in different areas of knowledge. It constitutes the scientific-student body of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Mayabeque, conceived for students, academics, and researchers from Cuba and around the world to publish the results of their research.

Publication Frequency

It is edited by the Provincial Information Center of Medical Sciences of Mayabeque and publishes articles on a continuous basis (a single annual volume without being structured into issues) in order to disseminate scientific work more quickly, without renouncing rigor and good editorial practices, covering medical and biomedical research.

Scope

It is an international, open-access journal, under the principle of making research freely available to the public, which promotes greater global knowledge exchange and allows copying, reusing, and distributing its contents as long as recognition of the original authors is maintained.

This journal DOES NOT APPLY CHARGES for article processing (APC) to authors and does not offer subscriptions.

Mission: To disseminate the scientific-technical work of students and health professionals, both Cuban and foreign, covering all aspects of health sciences.

Vision: To achieve a publication that disseminates high-quality scientific material, with transparency and accessibility, serving as a reference framework at national and international levels for health science researchers. Additionally, to achieve and maintain better positioning.

Objective: To strengthen scientific activity among students and professionals in health sciences with a multidisciplinary approach.

Historical Overview of the Journal

During the Ninth Congress of the University Student Federation, held at the Palace of Conventions in Havana from July 06 to 08, 2018, the Minister of Public Health of Cuba announced the decision to create new student scientific journals in each province of the national territory, responding to the demand of medical students for spaces for scientific publication. Shortly after this announcement, new student health science journals emerged.

The new publications dedicated to undergraduate scientific dissemination initially had only national visibility through the Infomed network; later, they were given global reach and rigorous evaluation parameters to raise the quality of student science.

Columna Médica emerged as an initiative of students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Mayabeque and was officially approved on the digital platform on September 21, 2021. The first volume of the journal was published on May 1, 2022, with a quarterly frequency. That year, the first two issues were published, corresponding to May–August and September–December. In 2023, the quarterly frequency continued, publishing the second volume with three issues, and in 2024 the continuous publication modality was adopted with a single annual volume without being structured into issues.

Regarding positioning, the Editorial Committee of this publication has been committed since its inception to making science visible in prestigious international spaces recognized by the scientific community. On October 31, 2023, Columna Médica was registered with an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) in its electronic version (ISSN: 3005-6659), which facilitated its indexing in important platforms, including the Latindex directory on June 10, 2024, and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) on June 17, 2024. Since then, numerous databases, directories, indexes, and other platforms have made Columna Médica articles visible.

Likewise, the journal’s leadership has been represented by students committed to scientific work and publication quality (See historical leadership of the journal).

Sections and Types of Contributions Published

Journal Sections	Peer Review
	Yes	No
Editorial		X
Editorial Note		X
Letter to the Editor	X
Original Article	X
Brief Communication	X
Review Article	X
Case Report	X
Humanities Article	X
Opinion Article	X
Current Topic	X
Author Response	X
Medical Image	X
Conference Abstracts		X

Editorial: A brief article expressing the journal’s institutional stance on scientific, ethical, political, or social topics of relevance. Written by the editorial team or invited experts and does not contain original data.

Editorial Note: A concise communication from the editorial team reporting internal changes, calls, recognitions, policy updates, or relevant events for the scientific community.

Letter to the Editor: Text submitted by readers or authors commenting on, questioning, or complementing previously published articles. May include clinical observations, ethical reflections, or brief scientific contributions. Must maintain a respectful and academic tone.

Original Article: A detailed report of an unpublished investigation presenting clear objectives, rigorous methodology, verifiable results, and critical discussion. It is the main channel for communicating new scientific knowledge.

Brief Communication: A condensed version of an original article reporting preliminary findings, technical innovations, or relevant cases. Its structure is more concise but maintains scientific rigor.

Review Article: A critical and systematic analysis of existing literature on a specific topic. May be narrative, systematic, or include meta-analysis. Does not present new data but synthesizes evidence and guides future research.

Case Report: A detailed description of one or more unusual, illustrative, or educational clinical cases. Includes background, diagnosis, treatment, and discussion. Requires informed consent for publication.

Humanities Article: An interdisciplinary reflection on ethical, historical, philosophical, cultural, or educational aspects related to health sciences. Promotes critical and humanistic thinking in scientific practice.

Opinion Article: An argumentative essay expressing the personal or institutional perspective of an author on a scientific or ethical topic. Must be evidence-based and respectful of diverse opinions.

Current Topic: A brief article analyzing recent events, health alerts, regulatory changes, or scientific advances impacting public health, research, or medical practice.

Author Response: Text written by the author of a published article in response to comments, critiques, or letters received. Must provide clarifications, arguments, and maintain academic tone.

Medical Image: Presentation of a clinical, radiological, histological, or other image accompanied by a brief diagnostic and educational description. Requires informed consent if the image allows patient identification.

Conference Abstracts: Considered preliminary information or advances of ongoing work, therefore not preventing later full-text publication. This section is published within an ordinary volume in book format. Selection and evaluation of abstracts are responsibilities of the event’s Scientific Committee and not part of the journal’s regular peer-review process.

See: Instructions for authors

The publication of a special supplement will be determined by the need to communicate about a topic or event. Its structure and table of contents will be determined by the Editorial Committee.

Topics Published by the Journal

Columna Médica publishes research in the area of medical and biomedical sciences with a multidisciplinary approach:

Knowledge Area Medical and Health Sciences
Disciplines	Basic Medicine
	Clinical Medicine
	Health Sciences
	Medical Biotechnology
	Other Medical Sciences
	Stomatology
	Nursing
	Health Technologies

Publication Languages

Columna Médica publishes articles in both Spanish and English to ensure international reach and facilitate the dissemination of scientific advances across multiple communities. However, to ensure coherence, terminological precision, and efficiency in the editorial process, all manuscripts submitted for evaluation must be presented exclusively in Spanish.

This allows optimization of peer review by respecting the native language of most reviewers, maintaining uniformity in scientific and methodological evaluation, and avoiding delays or biases derived from low-quality preliminary translations.

Once the manuscript in Spanish is approved, the journal offers internal editorial translation, carried out by professional translation services, with final review by the authors. The English version must meet internationally accepted standards of clarity, terminological precision, and scientific style.

However, it is mandatory that all manuscripts submitted to the journal include the title in English and the abstract, written or reviewed by native speakers, professionals with experience in scientific writing, or digital tools including artificial intelligence (AI).

Submission Language	Publication Languages
Spanish	Spanish
	English

Support, Format, and Structure of Contributions

Accepted file formats are text documents (.docx), spreadsheets (.xlsx), and images (.jpg, .png, .tiff); .pdf files are not accepted. All files must be free of executable macros and external links (except citations or bibliographic references) that compromise secure opening.

The structure and content must correspond to methodological requirements according to the article type detailed in the instructions for authors.

It is recommended to optimize images and compress documents without significant loss of quality.

File size limits:

File	Maximum Size
Text Document	10 MB
Spreadsheet	5 MB
Individual Image	2 MB
Total Size per Submission	20 MB

File naming must facilitate identification, file type, and cross-referencing between the manuscript and its attachments.

It is strictly prohibited to submit files that include:

• Any form of malicious software or macros with executable functions.
• Pornographic, violent, or discriminatory content.
• Personally identifiable information without explicit consent.
• Material infringing copyright or unauthorized by licenses.

Non-compliance will result in immediate return of the submission without substantive evaluation. The Editorial Committee will notify the authors for correction and resubmission according to this policy.