GUIDELINES TO MANUSCRIPT TYPES & FORMAT

Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences

pISSN: 1675-8544 | eISSN: 2636-9346

Last revised on 10 September 2024

CURRENT ISSUES  |  ARCHIVES

General Guidelines for Manuscripts

Contents

Abstract

  • The abstract should be an informative synopsis/summary of your manuscript.
  • All abstracts for original articles should follow the structured format, with the headings Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion. The word count should not exceed 250 words.
  • Abstract for Case Series should follow the structured format, with Introduction, Case Series and Conclusion heading. The word count should not exceed 250 words.
  • Abstracts for Short Communications, Review articles, Commentary and Case reports should follow the unstructured format. There is no need to divide the abstract into different sections. The word count should not exceed 150 words.

Keywords

  • Below the abstract, provide 5 keywords (compulsory) that will assist in cross-indexing the article.
  • Check and confirm that the keywords are the most relevant terms found in the title or the abstract and should be listed in the medical subject headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus found in http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html

Main Text

  • Times New Roman font, size 12, with double-line spacing. The left, right, top and bottom margins should be 2.54 cm (1 inch).
  • Do not use boldface for emphasis within the text
  • Numbers one to ten are written out in words unless they are used as a unit of measurement, except in figures and tables
  • Use single hard-returns to separate paragraphs. Do not use tabs or indents to start a paragraph
  • Do not use the automated features of your software, such as hyphenation, headers, or footers (especially for references). You can use page numbering

Figures

  • Abbreviate “Figure” as “Fig.”, e.g. Fig. 1, Fig. 2.
  • Number the figures consecutively in Arabic numerals (e.g. Fig. 1, Fig. 2) in the order of their first citation in the text.
  • Images as TIFF/JPEG files should be submitted with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI and a minimum dimension of 1,000 x 1,000 pixels. Colour images should be submitted in CMYK format instead of RGB format.
  • The figure should cover a minimum of 85-95% of the figure’s total area, and the margin area/space should not exceed 10%.
  • Each figure should be submitted separately without figure legend and title. (Authors are advised to keep backup files of all images).
  • Figure legends should be provided in the main text after references.
  • Line Figures – freehand and type-written lettering are not acceptable.
  • Letters, numbers and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size so that when they are reduced in size for publication, each item will still be clearly identifiable.
  • If a Figure has been published, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material.
  • Authors’ names and affiliations should not appear on the images.
  • All Figures/Figure-parts relating to one patient should have the same Figure number.
  • Symbols, arrows or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background.

Please refer to the sample of ‘Figure’ that could be obtained from the ‘Instruction & Forms’ tab.

Clinical Pictures

  • The ideal Clinical Picture provides valuable visual information to other clinicians.
  • Clinical Pictures should be interesting, educational, and respectful of the patient.
  • Authors must obtain signed informed consent from the institutes or hospitals that allow the use of patient images for publication.
  • Use no more than 450 words, with no references. The text should include a brief patient history and must put the image in context, explaining what the image shows and why it is of interest to the general reader.

Tables

  • Submit all tables in Microsoft Word format only.
  • Each table should be submitted separately.
  • Number the tables consecutively in Roman numerals (e.g. Table I, Table II, Table III) in the order of their first citation in the text
  • Provide a brief title, which should be shown at the top of each table
  • The main table heading should be in10 point Times New Roman font, BOLD
  • Legends should be in 10 points, single-spaced
  • Tables should be in 8-point Times New Roman font, single-spaced
  • Headings within tables should be in 8 points BOLD
  • Place table explanations in the footnotes of the table
  • Explain all non-standard abbreviations in the footnotes to the tables
  • Obtain permission for publication before submission of the manuscript and acknowledge fully if data from another published source is used

Abbreviations and Symbols

  • The full term for which an abbreviation or acronym stands should precede its first use unless it is a standard unit of measurement
  • Symbols and abbreviations should be those used by British Chemical and Physiological Abstracts
  • Weights, volumes, etc. should be denoted in metric units

Data

  • An International System of Units (SI) is required
  • Numbers in text and tables should always be provided if % is shown
  • Means should be accompanied by Standard Deviation and Medians by Inter-Quartile Range
  • Exact p values should be provided unless p<0·0001

Drug Names

  • Recommended international non-proprietary name (rINN) is required

Reference Citation Style for MJMHS

References

  • Use the form of references adopted by the US National Library of Medicine and the Index Medicus. Use the style of the examples cited at the end of this section.
  • The citation and bibliographical style of all reference sources (book, chapter in a book, journal articles and internet) should adhere to the Vancouver citation style and must supplement with a digital object identifier (DOI). The reference can be cited without a DOI if it does not have a DOI.
  • If you use reference managing software such as EndNote, Mendeley or RefWorks, you may opt for the “Springer Vancouver” style for reference formatting.
  • References in text, table and legends should be numbered in brackets (e.g. [1], [1, 4], [1-3] and [1, 3-5]) and cited consecutively in the order of appearance in the manuscript.
  • Personal communications and unpublished observations may not be used as a reference.
  • Two references are cited, separated by a comma, with space. Three or more consecutive references are given as a range with an en rule.
  • References in tables, figures and panels should be in numerical order according to where the item is cited in the text
  • Give any subpart to the title of the article. Journal names are abbreviated in their standard form as in Index Medicus
  • If there are six authors or fewer, give all six in the form: surname space initials comma
  • If there are seven or more, cite the first six names followed by et al.
  • For a book, give any editors and the publisher, the city of publication, and the year of publication
  • For a chapter or section of a book, cite the editors, authors and title of the section, and the page numbers (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7271/#A34171)
  • For online material, please cite the URL, together with the date you accessed the website
  • Do not include references in the abstract.
    Examples of reference styles are given below:

Standard Format for Books
Author Surname Initials. Title: subtitle. Edition (if not the first). Place of publication: Publisher; Year. [Include DOI if available].

Book with 1-6 authors/editors
Abul A, Lichtman A, Pillai S. Cellular and molecular immunology. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier Saunders; 2012.

More than 6 authors/editors (Book, Chapter in a book & etc.)
Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL, et al. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York: McGraw Hill; 2008.

Chapter in a book
Vidyadaran S, Ramasamy R, Seow HF. Stem cells and cancer stem cells: Therapeutic Applications in Disease and Injury. In: Hayat MA, editor. New York: Springer; 2012.

Corporate/Organisation as Author
Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. Dental hygiene: definition and scope. Ottawa: Canadian Dental Hygienists Association; 1995.

E-book
Frank SA. Immunology and Evolution of Infectious Disease [Internet]. Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2002 [cited 2014 December 17]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2394/pdf/TOC.pdf. doi/book/10.xxxx/xxxxxxxxxx

Standard Format for Journal Articles
Author Surname Initials. Title of the article. Title of the journal abbreviated. Year of Publication: Volume Number (Issue Number): Page Numbers. DOI

Journal article 1-6 authors
Dazzi F, Ramasamy R, Glennie S, Jones SP, Roberts I. The role of mesenchymal stem cells in haemopoiesis. Blood Reviews. 2006;20(3):161-71. doi: 10.1016/j.blre.2005.11.002.

Journal articles with more than 6 authors
Leong YY, Ng WH, Umar Fuaad MZ, Ng CT, Ramasamy R, Lim V, et al. Mesenchymal stem cells facilitate cardiac differentiation in Sox2-expressing cardiac C-kit cells in coculture. J Cell Biochem. 2019;120(6):9104-16. doi: 10.1002/jcb.28186.

Journal article in press
Clancy JL, Patel HR, Hussein SM, Tonge PD, Cloonan N, Corso AJ, et al. Small RNA changes en route to distinct cellular states of induced pluripotency. Nature communications.2014; 5:5522.Epub 2014/12/11.

It is the author’s responsibility to check all references very carefully for accuracy and completeness. Authors should avoid using abstracts as references. “Unpublished observations” and “personal communications” may not be used as references; if cited, a letter (from the person quoted) granting permission must be submitted. Subject to editorial approval, the person quoted will be cited in parentheses in the text and not in the reference section.

Acknowledgements
State contributions that need to be acknowledged but do not justify authorship.

Acknowledgeable contributions include (not in exhaustive order) general support by a Department Head or Chairman, technical help, and financial and/or material support (including grants). Mention conflicts of interest, if any.

The format for the text varies depending on the type of article. The list of article types and their respective formats are as follows: Original Article, Short Communication, Review Article, Case Report, Commentary and Letters to Editors.

Type of Manuscripts

Original Article

  • An original article is a report on the research objectives and analytical process, as well as a discussion of the implications of the results of a study
  • The manuscript should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Title of the manuscript
      • Abstract (Structured & 250 words) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Materials and Methods
      • Results
      • Discussion
      • Conclusions
      • Acknowledgements
      • References
      • Figure Legends
  • The original article should not exceed 6000-word count, 4-7 figures/table and 50 references.

Short Communications

  • A Short Communication is a brief report that presents original and significant research data. It is not meant to publish preliminary or incomplete results but to provide a platform for the rapid dissemination of exceptionally interesting and valuable data.
  • The manuscript should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Title of the manuscript
      • Abstract (Unstructured & 150 words) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Materials and Methods
      • Results and Discussion (Combined)
      • Conclusions
      • Acknowledgements
      • References
      • Figure legends
  • The short communications should not exceed 3000-word count, 3-5 figures/tables and 20 references.

Case Report

  • Case reports submitted to MJMHS should contribute to medical knowledge and must have educational value or highlight the need for a change in clinical practice or diagnostic/prognostic approaches.
  • The manuscript file should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Title of the manuscript
      • Abstract (Unstructured & 150 words) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Case Report
      • Discussion
      • Conclusions
      • Acknowledgements
      • References
  • The length of the manuscript should not exceed 1500 words, 3-4 figures/tables and 5 references.

Case series

  • The Case Series should report 3-6 similar cases that address clinical problems/challenges in diagnosis/treatment or health-related solutions (non-clinical) to provide a better or different perspective in managing these cases/issues.
  • The manuscript file should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Title of the manuscript
      • Abstract (Structured & 250 words) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Case Series
      • Discussion
      • Conclusions
      • Acknowledgements
      • References
  • The case series must be accompanied by a comprehensive review of the literature.
  • The structure of the abstract should follow subheadings: Introduction, Case Series & Conclusion
  • The length of the manuscript should not exceed 3000 words, 3-5 figures/tables and 20 references.

Study protocol

  • Study protocol articles will generally only be considered for proposed or ongoing trials that have not completed participant recruitment at the time of submission. Submissions should provide a detailed account of the study’s hypothesis, rationale, and methodology. Randomised trial protocols should follow the SPIRIT guidelines (https://www.spirit-statement.org), including the SPIRIT flow diagram in the main body of the text.
  • The manuscript should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Title Page
      • Abstract (Structured – Introduction, Methods, Discussion and Trial Registration; maximum 250 words) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Methods/Design
      • Discussion
      • Acknowledgements
      • References
      • Figure Legends
  • The study protocol article should not exceed 4000-word count, 1-2 figures/table and 30 references.

Systematic review

  • Authors should report systematic reviews and meta-analyses following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) statement and guidelines or other relevant guidelines for systematic reviews. Systematic reviews or meta-analyses terms should be included in the title, abstract and/or full article. Authors may register their systematic review (e.g. in a registry such as PROSPERO) and provide the registry number in their article. Meta-analysis of observational studies requires a MOOSE checklist for meta-analysis of observational studies.
  • The information below is adapted from the Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN).
  • The manuscript should be organised according to the following subsections:
      • Abstract (Structured Aims, Design, Data Sources (include search dates), Review Methods, Results, Conclusion and Impact), 250 words and keywords.Introduction (Include rationale, conceptual or theoretical context, and topic’s relevance.)
      • Background and Aims (Present the scientific, conceptual or theoretical framework that guided the review, identifying and providing an overview of the conceptual model and/or theory where appropriate. Identify key concepts or variables. Include research topic/objectives/questions/hypothesises).
      • Design (The review design should be the most appropriate for the review question. Identify the type of review and describe the design and methods used in detail. Report processes and steps used and any methodological adaptations/deviations (if any) with supporting rationale.) Report original methodological sources of reference for the review design and methods.
      • Search methods (Include: Development, testing and choice of search strategies (consider using a supplemental information file to report searches), inclusion/exclusion criteria, databases searched, keywords, languages, and inclusive dates of the literature searched.)
      • Search outcome and audit trail (application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, retrieval and selection of references and handling. Summarise included studies (and, if appropriate, excluded studies) in separate tables).
      • Quality appraisal (Please note that for most systematic review approaches quality appraisal is mandatory and considered the primary marker of a systematic review. If the quality appraisal was not undertaken, provide a convincing and robust explanation, and in the limitations section, outline the potential impact on the credibility of the review findings.) Include a description of approaches used, outcome of appraisal process and audit of discarded studies. Make clear the criteria that were used for discarding studies.
      • Data abstraction (Describe the methods and processes).
      • Synthesis (Include a clear description of processes used).
      • Result ( Present the results of your review using appropriate subheadings outlined here and adhere to the relevant standard(s) of reporting. Include a flow diagram illustrating the flow of literature through the review. Review methods that involve multiple methodological stages/processes should report the outcome of each stage/process. If appropriate, identify each definition’s conceptual or theoretical context or discussion of the concept found in the literature.)
      • Discussion (Draw out the applicability, theoretical and practical implications of the review findings. End with limitations and strength and generalisability/transferability of the evidence.)
      • Conclusion (This should not be a summary/repetition of the findings. Clarify the contribution of the review to existing knowledge, highlight gaps in knowledge and understanding, outline future research, report implications/recommendations for practice/research/education/management as appropriate, and be consistent with the limitations. If applicable, consider whether one or more theoretical frameworks could guide future research about the review topic.)
  • Systematic Reviews should contain 4000 – 4500 words, a maximum number of references is 100, and a maximum number of illustrations/Tables is 10.
  • Useful resources links:
      • Moher D. a Liberati, J. Tetzlaff, DG Altman, P. Grp, Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement (Reprinted from Annals of Internal Medicine). Phys. Ther. 2009;89:873-80.
      • Stroup DF, Berlin JA, Morton SC, Olkin I, Williamson GD, Rennie D, Moher D, Becker BJ, Sipe TA, Thacker SB. Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology: a proposal for reporting. Jama. 2000 Apr 19;283(15):2008-12. (MOOSE guideline)
      • PRISMA statement guidelines and checklist (http://www.prisma-statement.org/)
      • Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (https://www.york.ac.uk/crd/)
      • Cochrane Collaboration (https://www.cochrane.org/)
      • The Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co-ordinating Centre (EPPI-Centre) https://eppi.ioe.ac.uk/cms/)
      • Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) (https://joannabriggs.org/)
      • National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (https://www.nice.org.uk/)

Commentary

  • These are short articles describing an author’s personal experience of a specific topic and should outline the various viewpoints. The editor usually invites commentaries.
  • The manuscript file should be organised according to the following headings:
      • Unstructured abstract (optional) and Keywords
      • Introduction
      • Relevant section headings of the author’s choice
      • References
  • Length should be about 1,000-1,500 words, 2 figures/tables and references should be limited to only those that support the argument.

Letter to the Editor

  • Letters to the Editor should either offer objective and constructive criticism of published articles or discuss matters of general scientific or medical interest to readers of MJMHS.
  • This is also a forum for authors to publish concise articles such as reports of novel cases.
  • No abstract is required. Standard formal letter format is recommended.
  • Comments on MJMHS published articles/authors’ reply
      • 250 words (main text only)
      • 1 small table or figure (optional)
      • Up to 5 references
  • Discussion on new topics/novel cases
      • 450 words (main text only)
      • 1 small table or figure (optional)
      • Up to 5 references
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