Manuscript Preparation Guidelines
These guidelines are based on ICMJE recommendations.
Permission and copyright: Where relevant, it is the responsibility of the authors to obtain permission from copyright holders, and to ensure that the use of images, data and illustrations in the manuscripts do not violate copyright laws. If a copyright violation in any of the published article is brought to our attention, we will notify the author for correspondence. It is the responsibility of the author(s) to settle issues with the copyright holder.
General: Manuscripts should be written in English using size 12 Arial font. The overall margin should be 2 cm (0.787 inches) with double space between lines. The manuscript should be submitted as a single file Microsoft Word document, with tables and figures inserted after the references. Also high resolution TIFF images should be uploaded separately. The page numbers should be included at the bottom right of the document. The guidelines for review articles and commentary are given at the end. The following are the guidelines for original articles. Arrange the articles in the described order.
Title page: Title, Author(s), affiliation of the author(s), email of all authors and contact details of the corresponding author with his or her academic title.
Abstract: No more than 250 words, single paragraph without any references. The abstract should be written in such a way that it conveys the entire message of the article. Below the abstract include a short title (maximum 50 characters including space) and five key words in alphabetical order.
Introduction: Describe why you are doing what you are doing in the light of the available literature.
Materials and Methods: Describe each method under separate headings. If relevant, include a statement about ethics approval and ethics approval number. Policy concerning ethics approval is included here. Describe the methods clearly. Mention the number of samples, equipment and chemicals used, and the number of repeats. Include the statistical methods used. Include the catalogue number of antibodies.
Results: Describe the results obtained and the level of significance. Do not repeat tabulated results in the text. Reference to tables and figures should be made parenthetically in the text, for example (Figure 1 or Table 1).
Discussion: Describe your findings but ensure that this is not a repeat of the ‘Results’ section. What is novel about your results? How do your results compare or contrast with the existing literature? What is your message to the scientific community?
Conclusion: Write a concluding paragraph summarising your findings and suggestions for future directions.
Acknowledgements: Acknowledge your colleagues and sources of finance that made this research possible.
Conflict of interest: Declare any conflicts of interest that are pertinent to the current manuscript. More information on conflict on interest is given here. If you do not have any conflict of interest then write "The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to research, authorship and/or publication of this article"
References: At least 85% of the cited references should be from articles published in peer reviewed journals. Citations to non-peer reviewed articles and blogs should be kept to a minimum and should not exceed more than 15% of the total cited articles. Use Vancouver style. References should be cited in numerical order (in parentheses) in the text and listed in the same numerical order at the end of the manuscript. There are no limits for the number of references. If you use any software to generate references, manually verify that they are accurate and adhere to the requirements. Examples are given below (adapted from Monash University). The best way to ensure accuracy is to download from PubMed.
1. For journal articles with 1-6 authors, list all authors.
Format: Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD. Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number - optional):page numbers.
Example: Courthod G, Tucci M, Di Maio M, Scagliotti GV. Papillary renal cell carcinoma: A review of the current therapeutic landscape. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2015 Oct;96(1):100-12.
2. For journal articles with more than 6 authors, add et al. after the sixth author.
Format: Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF, et al . Title of article. Abbreviated title of journal. Date of publication YYYY Mon DD;volume number(issue number-optional):page numbers.
Example: Alves MR, Carneiro FC, Lavorato-Rocha AM, da Costa WH, da Cunha IW, de Cássio Zequi S, et al. Mutational status of VHL gene and its clinical importance in renal clear cell carcinoma. Virchows Arch. 2014 Sep;465(3):321- 30.
3. Book
Format: Author AA. Title of book. # edition [if not first]. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Pagination.
Example: Carlson BM. Human embryology and developmental biology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2009. 541 p.
4. Chapter in a book
Format: Author AA, Author BB. Title of book. # edition. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Chapter number, Chapter title; p. [page numbers of chapter].
Example: Speroff L, Fritz MA. Clinical gynecologic endocrinology and infertility. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; c2005. Chapter 29, Endometriosis; p. 1103-33.
5. Edited Book
Format: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. # edition[if not first]. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year. Pagination.
Example: O'Campo P, Dunn JR, editors. Rethinking social epidemiology: towards a science of change. Dordrecht: Springer; 2012. 348 p.
6. Chapter in an edited book
Format: Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. # edition. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year of publication. p. [page numbers of chapter].
Example: Blaxter PS, Farnsworth TP. Social health and class inequalities. In: Carter C, Peel JR, editors. Equalities and inequalities in health. 2nd ed. London: Academic Press; 1976. p. 165-78.
Tables: All tables should be created with the 'insert table' function of Microsoft Word. Tables in portrait fromat should fit within the page margin (2.54 cm or 1 inch). Tables that are in landscape format will be published as supplementary files. The tables should be cited in numerical order in the text in bold font (Table 1, Table 2 etc). Each table should have a table number and a descriptive title above the table. Explanations for abbreviations and levels of significance should be given at the bottom of the table as letters in superscript (for example a, b, c etc), not as symbols (for example @, # etc.). Insert table(s) immediately after the references.
Figures and figure legends: All illustrations are referred to as "Figures" and must be numbered consecutively in bold font, for example (Figure 1, Figure 2 etc). Photomicrographs should be high resolution TIFF images (minimum 300 dpi). After creating the images as high-resolution TIFF images, use the 'insert picture' function of the Microsoft Word to insert figures at the end of the article immediately after the tables. Provide figure legends including figure number, a short title and description immediately below each image. Also upload the figures separately at 'step 4' of the submission process. Photomicrographs should have internal scale markers. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background. Explain the internal scale and identify the method of staining in photomicrographs.
Units: Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be in degrees Celsius. Blood pressure should be in millimeters of mercury.
Abbreviations and Symbols: Use only standard abbreviations. Avoid abbreviations in the title of the manuscript. The spelled-out abbreviation followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis should be used on first mention unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement.
Review articles: The style, title page, abstracts, tables, references and quality of images are similar to the above guidelines. A review article can be between 3000 and 5000 words, excluding the abstract and references. Write an introduction, followed by contents under various subheadings. Do not number the headings.
Commentary: The word limit is 1500, excluding references. Other aspects are similar to review articles.
Letter to editor: Comments about any of the published articles in JCBMR can be submitted as letter to editor. The word limit is 1000, including abstract and references.
Title: The title should identify that it is a letter to editor and that is about a published article in JCBMR.
Example title: Letter to editor regarding [insert the short title of the manuscript].
Abstract: Write an abstract, no more than 100 words. Include five key words below the abstract.
Body: Write your comments as paragraphs without any headings.
Other guidelines are similar to ‘review articles’.
Editorials are upon invitation only.
