Papers:
The United Medical College Journal (published biannually) accepts contributions from all branches of medical science which include original articles, review articles, case reports, annotation/brief communication, Book review, Electronic Media review, Conference report and letter to the Editor. The articles submitted are accepted on the condition that they must not have been published in whole or in part in any other journal and are subject to editorial revision. The editor preserves the right to make literary or other alterations which do not affect the substance of the contribution and to determine the priority and time of publication. It is a condition of acceptance that the copyright becomes vested in the journal and permission to republish must be obtained from the publisher. Authors must conform to the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals (JAMA 1997; 277: 927-34).
A notation indicating that permission for reproduction has been secured from the author(s) or publisher(s) should be included with a table or illustration that has been published elsewhere.
Preparation of manuscript:
Each manuscript should indicate the title of the paper, and the name(s) and full address(es) of the author(s). Contributors should retain a copy in order to check proofs and in case of loss. Two hard copies of each manuscript (double-spaced) should be submitted directly or by courier or postal service. If a manuscript is accepted for publication in the UMCJ, the editor responsible for it and may request a soft copy (a CD or via Email) for the revision. Each paper will be reviewed for possible publication. The Editor may wish to see the raw data (electronic form) if necessary. Manuscript written in English and typed on one side of A4 size white paper. In preparing the manuscript, use double spacing throughout, including title, abstract, text, acknowledgement, references, table and legends for illustrations and font type and size ‘Times New Roman 12’. Begin each of the following sections on a separate paper. Number pages consecutively. The standard layout of a manuscript:
– Title page
– Abstract, including Keywords
– Introduction
– Methods
– Results
– Discussion, Conclusion
– Acknowledgements(if applicable)
– Funding
– List of references
– Tables & Figures
– IllustrationS
The pages should be numbered in the bottom right-hand corner and the title page being page one, etc. Start each section on a separate page. Article must be accompanied with Author declaration form signed by all authors and they must declare that they made the manuscript plagiarism free.
Title page:
A separate page which includes the title of the paper. Titles should be as short and concise as possible (containing not more than 20 characters). Titles should provide a reasonable indication of the contents of the paper. This is important as some search engines use the title for searches. The title page should include the name(s) and address(es) of all author(s). Details of the authors’ qualifications and post (e.g., professor, consultant) are also required. An author’s present address, if it differs from that at which the work was carried out, or special instructions concerning the address for correspondence, should be given as a footnote on the title page and referenced at the appropriate place in the author list by superscript numbers (1, 2, 3 etc.) If the address to which proofs should be sent is not that of the first author, clear instructions should be given in a covering note, not on the title page.
Abstract:
The ‘Abstract’ will be printed at the beginning of the paper in a single paragraph. It should be on a separate sheet, in structured format (Introduction/Background; Methods; Results; and Conclusions) for all Clinical Investigations and Laboratory Investigations. For Reviews and Case Reports, the abstract should not be structured. The Abstract should give a succinct account of the study or contents within 200 words. The results section should contain data. It is important that the results and conclusion given in the ‘Abstract’ are the same as in the whole article. Avoid abbreviation in the abstract. References are not included in this section.
Keywords:
Three to six keywords pertinent specific to the article should be included on the summary page under the heading Keywords. They should appear in alphabetical order.
Introduction:
The recommended structures for this section are:
– Background to the study/Introduction
– What is known/unknown about it
– What research question / hypothesis you are interested in
– What objective(s) you are going to address
A paper’s introduction should be no longer than 300 words and no longer than 1.5 pages, double spaced. The problem’s history and the investigation’s goal should be briefly described in the introduction. It ought to include information on the problem under investigation as of the study’s inception. It is appropriate to cite prior research here, but only if it directly addresses the issue at hand. The primary and, if appropriate, secondary goals of the study should be stated explicitly in the concluding paragraph.
Methods:
The title of this section should be ‘Methods’ – neither ‘Materials and methods’ nor ‘Patients and methods’. The Methods section should give a clear but concise description of the process of the study. Subjects covered in this section should include:
– Research design
– Data type
– Study period, study location
– Sample selection criteria
– Ethical consideration / license
– Sampling plan (study population, sampling type, sample selection criteria, sample size selection)
– Research instrument, data collection procedure, questionnaire format, data analysis process, validity, reliability and authenticity of data, data processing and quality control of data.
Ethical clearance:
The World Medical Association published the Declaration of Helsinki, which outlines the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects, in October 2000. These principles must be followed by all clinical investigators reporting human research, regardless of their country of origin. Visit http://ohsr.od.nih.gov/guidelines/helsinki.html to access this paper. It is recommended that investigators read and abide by the Helsinki Declaration. Peer review will not be granted to clinical research that do not adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki standards. Any published study that is later determined to be in violation of the Declaration of Helsinki will be withheld or retracted. On the basis of the Declaration of Helsinki, the United Medical Journal requires that all manuscripts reporting clinical research state in the first paragraph of the ‘Methods’ section that:
– The study was approved by the appropriate Ethical Authority or Committee.
– Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects, a legal surrogate, or the parents or legal guardians for minor subjects.
There should be no way to identify human subjects. Never reveal a patient’s name, initials, hospital code, birthdate, or any other type of protected health information. If someone’s photo is going to be utilized, get their consent or remove all identifying information from the image. A label with the author’s name at the top placed on the back of each figure is required. Save copies of the written informed consents and the ethics approval. The editors may, in exceptional cases, ask for blinded copies of these records in order to address concerns regarding study conduct and ethics approval. The procedures should be sufficiently detailed to enable the reader to interpret the inquiry and repeat it if needed. It is not necessary to provide a detailed description of previously published standard techniques; nonetheless, the original work should always be properly credited. Exposure and outcome in longitudinal research (case-control and cohort) should be quantified. It is recommended that any study variables lacking a universal definition be operationalized, meaning they should be defined in a way that facilitates consistent measurement. An indicator of the author’s method error should be provided whenever measurements are conducted. When naming a producer of measuring instruments, the instrument identity or relevant catalogue number should be included. For solutions intended for use in laboratories, the town and country of manufacture must be mentioned, together with the precise concentration and preparation techniques.
Single case reports:
Short technical remarks, brief exploratory investigations, and single case reports of exceptional interest or clinical relevance are also encouraged. The length, including an unstructured abstract of no more than 200 words, must not above 1500 words. There must be more than four figures or tables and more than twenty-five references.
Animal studies:
When it comes to animal studies, the author has an obligation to ensure the board is satisfied that the animal in question has not endured needless suffering. Therefore, the Home Office License number or local equivalent must be stated together with a clear indication that ethical permission was received for investigations involving the use of animals.
Drugs:
When a medicine is initially stated, it should be referred to by its international non-proprietary name, then, if the structure is unknown, its chemical formula in parentheses, and, if applicable, its proprietary name with a capital initial. The drug’s dosage and duration should be sufficiently specified. The generic name of the medication should be used first, followed by the proprietary name in brackets, if it is already in use (and has been granted a license by the relevant licensing authority).
Results:
Display the results in the text, table, and figures in the correct order. Don’t duplicate all of the information found in the text’s tables and/or graphics. Enumerate the key points. As a footnote to the tables or figures, mention the statistics that were used for the statistical analysis. Figures ought to be drawn with professionalism. Illustrations can be numbered and photographed as glossy black-and-white prints.
Discussion and Conclusion:
Remarks on the study’s findings and observations made from them. Don’t duplicate the data that is already included in the results in detail. Discuss the findings’ ramifications, as well as their advantages and disadvantages when compared to other pertinent research. Steer clear of generalizations and conclusions that aren’t backed up by the evidence. Refrain from asserting precedence. Recommendations could refer to new theories or study implications. We welcome letters. They must be typed in duplicate, double-spaced on one side of the page.
References:
References must be written in the Vancouver style and numbered in Arabic numerals according to the text’s sequence of appearance. Everything should be listed in the reference list, with the exception of references having more than six authors, in which case list the first six names and then et al. number of reference should be kept below 40 except review article.
Examples of correct forms of references:
Journal article:
Author(s). Article title. Journal Name (abbreviated). Year Month Day; Volume(Issue): page range. Available from: URL DOI
Website:
Author(s). Title [Internet]. Year [cited Date]. Available
Book:
Author(s). Title. Edition. Place of publication:Publisher; Year.
Chapter in a book:
Author(s). Title of chapter. In: Editor(s), editors. Title of book. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. Page range.
Conference proceedings:
Editor A, Editor B, editors. Title of conference: subtitleof conference; Year Month Date; Location. Place of publication: Name of Publisher; Year.
Scientific or technical report:
Author AA, Author BB. Title of report. Place of
publication: Publisher; Date of publication. Total
number of pages. Report No.:
Or
Organization Name. Title of report. Place of publication:
Publisher; Date of publication. Total number of pages.
Report No.:
Electronic material:
Electronic book:
Author’s Surname INITIALS. Book Title [Internet].
Edition/version. Place of publication: Publisher; Date of
original publication [Date cited]. Available from: URL.
Electronic journal article:
Author’s Surname INITIALS. Title of article. Title of
journal (abbr) [Internet]. Date of publication [Date cited];
volume number(issue): pages. Available from: URL
Newspaper article on the internet:
Author’s Surname INITIALS. Title of article. Newspaper title [Internet]. Date of publication [Date cited]; Section (if applicable). [pages]. Available from: URL EDITORIAL PROCESS The executive editor and/or any member of the editorial board may review any submitted manuscript.
Manuscripts that do not meet the publication requirements or do not have adequate scientific merit may be rejected. Alternatively, they may be returned to the author(s) for revision in order to fit into a different submission category. Manuscripts that meet the criteria and are deemed appropriate for review are forwarded to a peer reviewer. Articles that the reviewer deems appropriate for publication may require editing or revisions before being approved in full. The editorial board ultimately determines whether the reviewed material can be published once revisions or amendments have been submitted. All accepted submissions will undergo style editing in accordance with the journal. To ensure content is relevant for publication, the editorial board maintains the right to alter, shorten, crop, or trim any illustration. An acceptance letter could be sent at the principal author’s request.