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Author's Checklist

General

1. All elements of the manuscript are written in English or Korean, double-spaced, and formatted with approximately 1-inch (2.5-cm) margins at the top, bottom, and sides.

2. The title page is prepared and uploaded separately from the blinded main manuscript. The blinded main manuscript is arranged in the applicable order specified in the Instructions for Authors.

3. Continuous line numbering is provided in the blinded main manuscript, as recommended.

4. The Copyright Transfer and Author Consent Form, signed by the submitting or corresponding author on behalf of all authors, is submitted as required.

Abstract and Keywords

5. For an Original Article, a structured abstract with the headings Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion is provided and contains no more than 250 words.

6. Up to 5 relevant keywords are listed at the end of the abstract and are consistent with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), where applicable.

References

7. All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.

8. Only references cited in the text are included. Original Articles generally contain no more than 30 references.

9. References are numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first cited, and every listed reference is cited in the manuscript.

10. In-text citations use Arabic numerals in square brackets, for example [1], [2-4], and [5,7,9].

11. References follow the format described in the Instructions for Authors and the NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.

12. All authors are listed when there are 6 or fewer; when there are 7 or more, the first 6 authors are listed, followed by “et al.”

13. Journal names are abbreviated according to Index Medicus; journals not listed there follow the ISSN List of Title Word Abbreviations.

Tables

14. Each table is provided on a separate page, has a concise title, and is numbered with an Arabic numeral.

15. Table titles are written as phrases in sentence case, with only the first word and proper nouns capitalized.

16. The number of tables and figures is within the limits specified for the applicable article type.

17. Tables are cited in numerical order in the text.

Figure Legends

18. A legend is provided for each figure.

19. Figure legends are presented together in numerical order after the References. Tables follow the figure legends.

Figures

20. Each figure is numbered with an Arabic numeral and cited in numerical order in the text.

21. A figure containing two or more panels is assembled and uploaded as a single file, with panels labeled using capital letters (e.g., Fig. 1A and Fig. 1B).

22. Identifiable photographs or other patient material are accompanied by written consent for publication when required. Masking the eyes alone is not considered sufficient anonymization.

Credits and Permissions

23. Written permission has been obtained to reproduce or adapt any copyrighted material for which permission is required, including tables, figures, and substantial quotations. The original source is credited in the text, table footnote, or figure legend, as appropriate.

24. All required permissions and consent documentation have been obtained and submitted when required by the journal.

Declarations

25. A conflict of interest statement has been provided, including a statement that no relevant conflicts exist when applicable.

26. Any material use of AI-assisted technologies has been disclosed in accordance with the Instructions for Authors, when applicable.

Author Confirmation

I have reviewed this checklist and confirm that the manuscript complies with the applicable requirements in the Instructions for Authors.

On behalf of all authors, the submitting or corresponding author confirms that all authors have made appropriate contributions, reviewed and approved the manuscript, and agreed to the declarations in the Copyright Transfer and Author Consent Form.