Guidelines

1. Aim and Scope

YJMHR is the official journal for the University of Aden Medical and Health Faculties. It provides a forum for medical and health professionals in the country and the region to share their work experiences, challenges, best practices, and achievements as a bi-annual scientific periodical. This journal is intended to respond to the needs of medical, health and related biomedical professionals and to develop their research skills. YJMHR will publish original research paper, reviews, conference papers, case reports, students’ projects, editorials and letters to editors in the relevant disciplines.

2. EditorialPolicy

Manuscript submission to YJMHR is welcomed. Authors should prepare their manuscripts submitted to the YJMHR exactly according to the instructions given below. Manuscripts which do not follow the format and style of the Journal will not be considered for publication. The language quality is the responsibility of the author (s). The YJMHR reserves the right to make any further formal changes and language corrections if necessary if a manuscript accepted for publication to meet YJMHR requirements Manuscripts submitted for publication must not have been published, accepted for publication or currently be under consideration for publication elsewhere.

2.1 General Guidelines

 

Manuscripts should conform with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM) submitted to biomedical journals of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Please refer to http://www.icmje.org. Authors should authorize one of them to correspond with the Journal for all matters related to the manuscript.

Submission process

-Manuscripts should be submitted as Microsoft Word file attachment to the journal e-mail yjournal.mhr@gmail.comAllauthors will be contacted by email after submission to acknowledge the receipt of their manuscript.alternatively, three copies of each manuscript should be provided together with CD diskette containing the text, tables and figures.

-At the time of submission, the followings are need to be submitted in separate files, in order to consider the submission complete:

  • Covering letter.
  • Manuscript.
  • Tables/Figures and/or photos.
  • Authors’ contributions statement.
  • Conflict of interest and source of funding statements.

 

Review process

-The editorial committee of the Journal checks each submitted manuscript for general quality, suitability and whether it conforms to the accepted format. Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific or technical flaws, or lack of a significant message are rejected before proceeding for formal peer-review and if notitsunder journal scope. The final decision as to acceptance or rejection lies with the Editorial Board.

-Manuscripts that are found suitable for publication in YJMHR are sent to two expert reviewers. The journal follows a double-blind review process, wherein the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. Every manuscript is also assigned to a member of the editorial member, who based on the comments from the reviewers takes a final decision on the manuscript.

Author is requested to provide a point by point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript within specified time.

 

Ethical consideration

A statement must be included indicating approval for the study was granted by the ethics committee/institutional review board of the relevant institution.

-Authors should verify where appropriate that all persons on whom research has been carried out have given their voluntary, informed, written/oral consent, and where participants (living or dead) were unable to give such consent, that surrogate consent was obtained. Authors may be asked to supply such consent forms.

-All authors must give signed consent for publication of the article in a letter of submission which should accompany the manuscript. Any paper with joint authorship must be read and approved by all the authors. However, YJMHR will only need the signed consent of the lead author for publication of the article.

The authors are responsible for the accuracy of data and all matters contained in

thepapers including accuracy of references

-Photographs of persons should either not be identifiable as to the person or have a legally valid consent of the person concerned or of the legal guardian. For the reproduction of any figure or illustration where copyright clearance is necessary, required proof thereof should be submitted.

Conflict of interest

-All authors of must disclose anyand all conflicts of interest they may have with publication of the manuscript or an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented.

-Please see the ICMJE guidelines

Plagiarism policy

-All received manuscripts will be subjected to plagiarism check.

-Plagiarism of no more than 25% is acceptable. Otherwise, authors will be to change the text and resubmit to the Journal again.

2.2 Formatting Guidelines

Manuscripts submitted for consideration to YJMHR must conform to the following requirements that will facilitate preparation of the article for publication:

  • Manuscript requirements.
  • Double-spaced text, tables, and references with 2.5 cm margin on all sides.
  • Use only one-side A4 papers.
  • 12-point black font size Times Roman typeface.
  • Manuscript length must not exceed 25 pages (including text and references).
  • American English and spelling should be followed.
  • Numbers in text – one to eleven in words, 12 and upwards in figures.

 

2.2.1 Title page

 

This page should state:

a) The title of the manuscript:

Should be as concise as possible, preferably not more than15 words.It should reflect the study with precision.

b) Full names of the author(s).

c) Institutional affiliation(s).

d) Corresponding author should include his e-mail address and any other contact information (mailing address, fax and telephone). An author should have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the study that is going to be published. The ICMJE has recommended many criteria for authorship. Among them: The credit should be based on:

  • Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  • Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  • Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

 

Abstract: The abstract should be in Arabic and English language ranged

between250 – 300 words. Two types ofabstracts are recommended:

Structured: For research articles and reports. It should be clearly divided into four Sections: Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Introduction: the context and purpose of the study;

Methods: how the study was performed and statistical tests used; Results: the main findings. Conclusion: brief summary in terms of how results address the hypothesis/question and potential implications.

Unstructured: For review articles, policy and practices and case reports. This should appear as a narrative abstract in a single paragraph.

Editorials, commentaries and letters do not need an abstract. Do not cite references and abbreviations in the abstract.

Keywords: For indexing purposes, maximum five keywords are allowed below the abstract. As far as possible, use words from the heading list of Index Medicos. To obtain this access the Pub Med site (www.pubmed.gov) and selectMeSHBrowser Medical Subject Headings.

2.2.2 Text

-Write in the third person ("the authors conclude . . ."). Avoid the use of passive voice. Instead use the active voice which is precise and reflects responsibility for the actions taken.

-Major headings should be uppercase and appear flush left on a separate line.

-Subheadings should be indented and end with a period, with the text continued on the same line. Only the first word of subheadings should be capitalized.

-Style: Avoid long sentences, jargon and clichés. When tempted to use a difficult word or complex sentence, see if it can be replaced by a simpler one.

2.2.3 Tables and Figures

-Must be submitted as separate pages and should be included at the end of the manuscript; not embedded within the text. All tables and figures should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals in the order in which they are mentioned in the text.

-No more than five tables and /or figures.

-Tables should be designed as simple as possible (please see the example of Three Lines Table below). We strongly encourage authors to submit tables as Doc format.

Variable

No.

%

sex

Male

Female

Age (years)

<20

20-39

40-59

2.2.4 Photographs

-Submission of photographs or other illustrative material is appreciated.

-Color photos are preferred.

-Photos should be saved as .jpg or .tiffiles; high resolution of 300 dpi or greater; 4 x 5 in. or larger.

2.2.5 Abbreviations and System of Units

-Since abbreviations tend to make the text difficult to read, avoid them except when essential. In the Abstract, avoid all but the most standard abbreviations; e.g., AIDS. In the text, define each abbreviation when first used, e.g., Coronary Artery Diseases (CAD), and thereafter use the abbreviation alone without further explanation.Avoid beginning sentences with abbreviations. Abbreviations must be expanded in titles, subtitles and captions.

-Use abbreviations, rather than words, for units and percentages. (e.g., km, mm, kg, ml, % etc.,). International System of Units (SI) is used in this Journal.

2.2.6Citation and References

-Should be limited to essential up-to-date references. Use the Vancouver style where references numbered separately as they occur in the text. Number the references in sequential Arabic numerals in square parentheses [1,47]. These references should appear in a numbered list on a separate page after the discussion with 10-point font size times roman typeface.

-List all the references in numerical order. Within a reference list all authors up to a maximum of six. If there are more than six authors, then write “et al.” after the sixth author Please adopt the exact style as shown in the examples below, including punctuation and abbreviations of journal names which should be as per IndexMedicus(see Journals Database section in Pub Med).

Examples:

Journal article

Rose ME,HuerbinMB,MelickJ, Marion DW, Palmer AM,SchidingJK,et al.Regulation of excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res 2002; 935(1-2):40-6.

Book Chapter

Brown J, Murphy KH. Adult-onset Still’s Disease. In: Madison PJ, Woo P, Glass DN, ed. Oxford Textbook of Rheumatology. 2nd ed. Oxford: Medical Publication, 1998. p. 1127-1131.

Book

Smith MD. Introduction toGynecology. 6th ed. New York: Institutional Press, 2005.Report. World Health Organization. Issues in Health Services Delivery. WHO/EIP/00I. p. 3-4.

Website

Foley KM, Gelb and H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from:http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html/.

3. Manuscripts Types

1. Original Research articles andReports.

Original research article and reports should follow the IMRDC structure:

Introduction; Methods; Results Discussion and Conclusion.

The text of Research articles and Reports should not exceed 3000 words (excluding the accompanying Abstract, references, tables and figures). This is equal to 8 – 10 numbered pages of 300 – 400 words. The maximum number of references permitted is 25.

Introduction: Should be written from the standpoint of researchers and must clearly state - and illustrate the background to the research and its aims. It should be brief, generally limited to three or four points. The introduction should identify the gaps in the current knowledge and show the necessity of the study. The end of this section lays out the goals or objectives of the study and the hypothesis that will be tested (if any).

Methods: Sufficient information should be given to permit repetition of the work. This should include the design of the study, the setting, the type of participants or materials involved, a clear description of investigations, and the type of the analysis used. Clearly mention the period of research and the institution where it was conducted. Ethical consideration should be acknowledged.

Results: The Results should be stated concisely without discussion. The same data should not be presented in figures and tables. Do not repeat all the data that is set out in the tables or figures in the text; emphasize or summarize only important observations.

Discussion: The Discussion should deal with the interpretation of the results and not recapitulate them. We encourage authors to write their Discussion in a structured way, as follows: a) statement of principal findings; b) strengths and weaknesses of the study; c) strengths and weaknesses in relation to other studies; d) discussion of important differences in results; e) relevance and implication of the study; and f) unanswered questions and future research. A separate paragraph or section should acknowledge the limitations of the study.

Conclusion: The conclusion should summarize the major findings, potentialimplications and the way forward. It should address the hypothesis or purpose stated earlier in the manuscript.

Acknowledgment: If the author(s) wishes to recognize any individuals, organizations, or agencies for assistance or support for the reported work.

2. Case report

Only reports of cases/situations of interesting unusual nature are considered for publication. They should be unique, describing a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge and providing a learning point for the readers. Cases with clinical significance or implications will be given priority. Text should have the following four sections: Introduction, Case Report, Discussion and Conclusion. The text should not exceed 1000 - 1500 words (excluding references and abstract) and the number of references kept to a minimum (up to 10 references). Case Reports could be authored by up to four authors.

3.3. Reviews

Exhaustive, critical assessments of published and unpublished studies on research questions concerning health policy or practice, with meta-analysis when feasible. Not more than 3000 words (excluding tables, references and abstract) and 50-90 references. Authors submitting review article should include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data. These methods should also be summarized in the abstract. It is expected that these articles would be written by individuals who have done substantial work on the subject or are considered experts in the field. A short summary of the work done by the contributor(s) in the field of review should accompany the manuscript.

3.4. Brief Communications

They are treated like original articles, except that they should be limited to 1500 words, with an “Abstract” of 150 words or fewer and could be supported with up to 15 references.

Other aspects are like original articles.

3.5. Policy and Practices

Analytical assessments, debates or hypothesis-generating papers; not more than 3000 words and 25 references.

3.6. Editorials

Authoritative reviews, analyses or views of an important priority topic; not more than 800 words, maximum 12 references.

3.7. Commentaries

Explanatory or critical analyses of individual articles; not more than 800 words and 12 references.

3.8. Letters to the Editors

Letters commenting on published article are welcome. Letters will be sent to the authors of the original work for their comments and this will be published along with the letter. They should not be preliminary observations that need a later paper for validation. Letters should be kept as short as possible. The letter could have up to 500 words and 5 references. It could be generally authored by not more than four authors.

All correspondence should be directed to:

Prof. Dr. Huda Omer Basaleem

The Editor-in-Chief

Yemeni Journal of Medical and Health Research (YJMHR)

Email: yjournal.mhr@gmail.com

Website: https://www.yjmhr.edu.ye