Use the
following order for the sections of the manuscript: title page, abstract, text,
acknowledgments, references, tables (each on a separate page), and figure
legends. Number pages consecutively, beginning with the Title page. Do not use
automated word-processing features or embedding for numbering, footnotes, or
endnotes.
GUIDELINES
ON PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Guidelines
for composing general articles (full papers and review articles and short
communications) are provided below. Templates for other forms of submission
including case reports, case of the month, pictorial reviews and interesting
images, Editorials, letters to the Editor, etc. are being produced and would
soon be available for reference.
Reporting
guidelines
have been developed for a number of study designs. The general requirements
listed in the next section relate to reporting essential elements for all study
designs. A good source of reporting guidelines is the EQUATOR Network (http://www.equator-network.org/home/).In
preparing manuscripts, authors should follow the Uniform Requirements for
Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (as cited in Ann Intern Med.
1997;126:36-47 and JAMA. 1997;277:927-934).
In
general, the text of original scientific and methodology articles is usually
arranged in the following order: 1) Title page, 2) Introduction, 3) Materials
and Methods, 4) Results, 5) Discussion or Results and Discussion, 6)
Conclusions, 7) Acknowledgements, 8) References, 9) Tables and figures along
with caption and legends, 10) Tables and Figures captions and legends.
1. TITLE PAGE
Contains the manuscript
title, name of authors, authors’ addresses, Abstract, Keywords, the name and
contact details of the first or the corresponding author.
Manuscript
Title: This should be bold
faced (title case, font size 14) and should be concise and informative with a
maximum of 200 characters.
Name of the
authors: In normal face (font
size 12). Names of the authors should appear as first name, middle name initial
and full surnames. The author to whom correspondence should be directed must be
indicated with an asterisk.
Addresses of
authors: In normal face, lower
case (font size 12). Each author should provide complete affiliation details
with name of department and institution to which the work should be attributed.
The maximum limit on the number of authors is six. If the publication originates
from several institutes, the affiliation of each author should be clearly stated
by using superscript Arabic numbers after the name and before the
institute.
Correspondence:
At
the bottom left corner of this page, please mention “Correspondence” giving the
name, full address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the
corresponding author.
2. ABSTRACT
Abstract not
exceeding 250-300 words should be typed on a separate sheet. A structured
abstract provides the context and the essence of the study and should include
aims, methods, results and conclusions. Each section should be preceded by these
headings. Articles on clinical trials should contain abstracts that include the
items that the CONSORT group (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) has
identified as essential. See http://www.consort-statement.org/?
=1190.
Keywords:
Up
to 3-5 keywords must be provided in alphabetical order, preferably taken from
Index Medicus. These keywords should be typed at the
end of the abstract.
3. INTRODUCTION
This
section starts on a separate page after keywords. It should be a concise
statement of the background and the objectives of the work presented with
pertinent references to earlier work.
4. MATERIALS AND METHODS
This section
should follow the introduction on a new page. All important materials and
equipments including the manufacturer’s name and, if possible, the location
should be provided. The main methods used shall be briefly described, citing
references. New methods or substantially modified methods may be described in
sufficient detail including selection and exclusion criteria of the study
population (e.g. age, sex, ethnicity, etc.) when and if such details are
relevant to the study. Authors submitting review articles should specify the
methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and interpreting data. These
methods should also be summarized in the abstract.
Statistics:
The
statistical method and the level of significance chosen should be detailed.
Statistical methods should be described clearly to allow both readers and
reviewers to verify the reported results based on the original data that must be
provided. Define statistical terms, abbreviations and symbols where necessary
and also the name of the statistical analysis software
used.
5. RESULTS
The
important results of the work should be clearly stated and illustrated where
necessary by tables and figures. The statistical treatment of data and
significance level of the factors should be stated wherever necessary. Data that
is not statistically significant need only to be mentioned in the text and
unless they have a direct bearing on the study design and hypothesis, should not
be represented by charts and figures. Results should be presented in logical
sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations, giving the main or most
important findings first and please avoid repetition of data presented in the
tables and figures in the text. Also do not duplicate data in graphs and tables
and use precise technical terminology.
6. DISCUSSION
This
section should deal with the interpretation of results, making the readers
understand the problem been investigated in a logical fashion. Results and
discussion of the work can also be combined under one section (Results and
Discussion). The discussion should state the scope of the results., emphasise any new or important aspects of the
study, and the conclusions derived in the context of the totality of the best
available evidence. Avoid unnecessary repetition of the information given in the
Introduction or the Results sections.
7. CONCLUSIONS
Concisely
summarize the principal conclusions of the work and highlight the wider
implications. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid
statements and conclusions not adequately supported by the data. This section
should not merely duplicate the abstract. State the limitations of the study,
and explore the implications of the findings for future research and for
clinical practice.
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acknowledgements
should be brief but should include reference to sources of financial support.
Persons, who have contributed intellectually to the work but do not fulfil
condition number 6 in the copyright section (below), may be listed in the
acknowledgments.
9. REFERENCES
Only
published journal articles and books should be cited. Do avoid referring to
abstracts, unpublished papers and personal communications if possible.
Literature citations should be numbered consecutively in numerical order
starting from the first mention in the text using Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g. [1], [1, 2], [1, 3, 6], [2-5]). References appearing in a table or figure should be numbered
sequentially with those in the text. However, electronic references should be
inserted in parenthesis in the text directly after the information to which they
refer. Note: Please do not use supercripts for references in text.
The
Uniform Requirements style for references is based largely on an American
National Standards Institute style adapted by the NLM for its databases. Authors
should consult NLM’s
Citing Medicine
for information on its recommended formats for a variety of reference types.
Authors may also consult sample
references,
a list of examples extracted from or based on Citing Medicine for easy use by
the ICMJE audience; these sample references are maintained by NLM. The titles of
journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of
Journals Indexed for MEDLINE, posted by the NLM on the Library's
Web site. Also, please check the references as they should appear in text and in the reference section of the pre-publication manuscript available on the Writers' Resources page. Basic guidelines are provided below:
10. UNITS
Isotopes: When abbreviating isotopes, designate them in the following
manner using superscripts: 125I, 113mIn, 99mTc.
Radiopharmaceuticals: Radiopharmaceuticals should be
listed with the isotope first followed by the chemical form. Abbreviations of
isotopes are preferred but not required: 99mTcO4 (99mTc pertechnetate),131I-HSA (131I human serum albumin), 99mTc-MDP (99mTc methylene diphosphonate), etc.
Abbreviating radiopharmaceuticals: In using abbreviations to shorten
the lengthy name of a radiopharmaceutical, the full name should be spelled out
completely the first time it is mentioned, followed by the abbreviation in
parentheses (99mTc-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA);
thereafter 99mTc-DTPA). In the abstract, abbreviations may be used
throughout without explanation.
Radiopharmaceutical doses: The radioactive doses should be
submitted as Becquerels units and abbreviated (Bq).
SUBMISSION OF MANUSCRIPTS
Authors are
invited to submit their manuscripts electronically through Journal's email
address (Editor-in-Chief
PJNM)
along with a covering letter by the corresponding author or the first author.
Each manuscript will be provided with a manuscript ID and all correspondence is
done through e-mail. Please always refer to the manuscript ID for any further
enquiries.
Covering
Letter
All manuscripts
should be accompanied by a cover letter from the author responsible for
correspondence regarding the manuscript. The letter should contain a statement
that the manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors and should give
any additional information that may be helpful to the
Editor.
Copyright
Submission of a
manuscript implies that: 1) the work described has not been previously
published, nor is it under consideration for publication elsewhere; 2) all
co-authors have approved submission for publication in the PJNM; 3) approval for
publication has been obtained from the institution where the work has been
carried out; 4) the clinical or research work covered in the article, was
performed in compliance with the regulations and ethical guidelines of the
affiliated institution(s); 5) any financial support for the study or any
conflict of interest has been disclosed in the acknowledgement section; 6) each
of the authors of the article has contributed significantly to the design,
analysis and/or interpretation, writing or critiquing drafts of the manuscript
and has approved the final manuscript before publication; and 7) upon acceptance
of the manuscript for publication, copyright ownership for the publication will
be transferred to the PJNM. However, the authors can use material from their
paper in other works published by them. The publisher will not be held legally
responsible should there be any claims for compensation or copyright
infringement.
PEER-REVIEW
PROCESS
All
submitted manuscripts will undergo peer-review. Reviewers receive manuscripts
with blind title pages to ensure an unbiased review. Reviewers are asked to
provide detailed constructive criticism for transmission to the authors. PJNM
will request the reviewers to submit their comments within 2 weeks of agreeing
to review a paper. All efforts are taken to provide fair and thorough reviews as
speedily as possible. Having appraised the reviewers’ reports, the Editors will
make a final decision on each manuscript.
Categories
of decision: These include: 1)
acceptance, 2) acceptance following minor revision, 3) acceptance after
revision, and 4) rejection.
When revisions
are requested, all points raised by the reviewers must be answered by the
authors on a separate sheet, returned with their revised manuscript. However, if
the authors disagree with specific reviewer's recommendations, authors are free
to explain their reasoning when resubmitting their paper.
Authors should
also be aware that manuscripts may be returned without external review when the
Associate or the Ex Officio Editors consider that the scientific quality of the
submission does not meet the acceptance criteria for publication in the PJNM and
will undermine the reputation or the professional standard of the journal.
Editorial rejection also serves to speed up the editorial process and to allow
the authors’ papers to be promptly submitted and reviewed
elsewhere.
REFERENCES
International
Committee of Medical Journal Editors [homepage on the Internet]. Uniform
Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and
Editing for Biomedical Publications. Available from: http://www.icmje.org
Patrias,
Karen. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors,
editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling, Daniel L., technical editor. Bethesda (MD):
National Library of Medicine (US); 2007. Available from: http://www.icmje.org/index.html.
Uniform
Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. N Engl J Med 1997;
336:309-316.
Citing
Medicine, 2nd edition.The NLM Style Guide for Authors,
Editors, and Publishers.
Karen Patrias, Dan Wendling,
Technical Editor. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007.
International
Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Uniform Requirements for
Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Sample References. From: www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html
Authors