Submission Guidelines
As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with the following items:
- The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
- The submission file is in OpenOffice or Microsoft Word document file format.
- All submissions must be accompanied by all supporting materials and a cover letter signed by the corresponding author on behalf of all authors.
- The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Submission Guidelines.
These guidelines conform to the 'Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals' set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), known as the Vancouver group. These requirements were published in the British Medical Journal in 1997 (BMJ, 314: 1-10). For detailed guidance, please refer to the following:
General Formatting:
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- Title Page: Submit as a separate file including manuscript title, author names with affiliations, and corresponding author’s contact details.
- Main manuscript: De-identification: Submit separately from title page and ensure that it is de-identified and does not include any author information to facilitate blind peer review.
- Manuscript Length: Original research articles should not exceed 4,000 words (excluding references, tables, and figures); lengths for reviews and other articles may vary.
- Font and Size: Times New Roman, 12-point font.
- Line Spacing: Double-spaced throughout; single-spacing allowed for references, tables, and figure legends.
- Margins: 1-inch margins on all sides.
- Page Numbers: Bottom right corner of each page.
Title and Abstract:
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- Title: Concise, descriptive, up to 20 words.
- Abstract: Structured for research articles (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion), 300 words or less.
- Keywords: 3-6 keywords below the abstract for indexing.
Key Message:
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- Authors must include a "Key Message" section consisting of 2-3 bullet points summarizing core findings and implications.
Main Text:
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- Sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.
- Headings: Use consistent formatting (e.g., bold, italics) for clarity.
References:
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- Format: Vancouver superscript style.
- Reference List: List authors up to six; for more, list six followed by 'et al.' Include article title, abbreviated journal name, year, volume, and page numbers.
- Example:
In-text citation: The prevalence of the disease has increased significantly over the past decade.¹
Reference list: Smith J, Doe J. The rise of chronic diseases. Journal of Medical Research. 2020;15(3):123-9.
Tables and Figures:
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- Maximum of 7 tables and/or figures within the manuscript.
- Tables: Include title and legend, place appropriately within text.
- Figures: Include title, legend, high resolution (300 dpi and above), place within text.
Ethical Considerations:
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- Include statements on ethical approval, consent (human and animal studies), conflicts of interest, and funding sources.
Supplementary Materials:
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- Additional materials (e.g., datasets, multimedia files) should be clearly marked and referenced in the main text.
- Include a “supplementary material” section at the end of the document, stating the Name of the file and its content.
Article Types:
- Original Research Articles: Maximum 4,000 words, structured abstract.
- Review Articles: Maximum 5,000 words, structured/unstructured abstract, comprehensive review of literature. Authors of systematic reviews should also provide a link to, or reference an additional file in the ‘methods’ section, which reproduces all details of the search strategy for all the databases used.
- Short Communications: Up to 2,000 words, unstructured abstract, concise presentation of findings.
- Editorials: Up to 2,000 words, commentary on relevant topics.
- Case Reports: Up to 2000 words. Descriptive title, structured abstract, detailed case presentation.
- Articles: Up to 1,500 words. Reflective title, brief unstructured abstract, discussion of viewpoints.
- Methodology Articles: Up to 4,000 words. Clear title, abstract summarizing methods, detailed methodology description.