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Information for Author
GENERAL INFORMATION
The Journal of Family and Community Medicine (JFCM) is the official journal of the Saudi Society of Family and Community Medicine. It is an international peer-reviewed journal. The purpose of the Journal is to promote excellence in the practice of Family and Community Medicine and closely related fields. The Journal was established to promote the knowledge, attitudes and practice of all aspects of comprehensive health care (preventive, curative and rehabilitative). The Journal also aims at facilitating the development of community-based research, education, and health services. Original papers, short communications, and letters to the editor are all welcomed. Case reports with substantial significance can also be considered for publication. Submissions in either Arabic or English language are acceptable. Most of the content of the JFCM is submitted at the authors’ initiative, but most editorials, as well as special series and reviews, are solicited by the Editors. Exceptional unsolicited reviews may also be considered.
AUTHORS’ PROFESSIONAL AND ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES
Authorship
Only those persons who contributed directly to the intellectual content of the paper should be listed as authors.
Project
Sources of outside support for research, including fundings, equipments, and drugs must be named in the cover letter. The role(s) of the funding organization, if any, in the collect of data, its analysis and interpretation, and in the right to approve or disapprove publication of the finished manuscript must be described in the Methods section of the text.
Previous or Duplicate Publication
In the cover letter, give full details on any possible previous or duplicate publication of any part of the paper. Previous publication of a small fraction of the content of a paper does not necessarily preclude its being published in the JFCM, but the Editors need information about previous publication. Please send a copy of any document that might be considered a previous publication.
Informed Consent
When appropriate, authors should state in the Methods section the procedure used to ensure adherence to ethical guidelines on informed consent and should affirm that such consent was obtained. If patients are recognizable in illustrations, release forms signed by the patients must be submitted with the paper.
Statement of Authorship
All authors of papers accepted for publication are required to sign a letter affirming that they have met the criteria for authorship, have agreed to be authors, and are aware of the terms of publication.
MANUSCRIPT FORMAT AND STYLE
Important Citations
1. Declaration of Helsinki. Bull Pan Am Health Organ 1990;24:606-9.
2. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Ann Intern Med 1997;126:36-47.
3. Begg C, Cho M, Eastwood S, Horton R, Moher D, Olkin I, et al. Improving the quality of reporting of randomized controlled trials. The CONSORT statement. JAMA 1996;276:637-9.
4. Gopen GD, Swan JA. The science of scientific writing. Am Sci 1990;78:550-8.
Authors are strongly encouraged to follow the principles of clear scientific writing. Manuscripts must be printed, double-spaced throughout on good quality A4 white paper with margins of at least 1 inch.
When submitting review articles, author(s) should follow the format of including sections on objectives, sources, methods of selection, compilation, interpretation of data and conclusions. Unlike original research papers, more than 25 references would be allowed.
Title Page
The title page should contain the following contents:
- Main title and subtitle (if any).
- Authors (First Name, Middle Name, Family Name), listed in the order in which they are to appear on the page of the published article.
- Highest qualification for each author.
- Institutional affiliation for each author.
- Financial support information. Include the grant number, if any, and the granting agency, corporation, or other source. Other financial support, such as for equipment and drugs, should also be listed.
- Short or ‘running’ title. Length should not exceed 58 characters.
- Name, address, telephone number, fax number, and electronic mail address (if available) of the author responsible for correspondence.
- Name and complete address of the author who will receive requests for reprints.
Abstract
The second page of the manuscript is to contain abstracts both in English and Arabic of 250 words or less. Abstracts must be organized and structured according to the following headings: (1) Purpose or background, (2) Patients and Methods or Materials and Methods, or Methods, etc., (3) Results, and (4) Conclusion.
Authors may substitute “Design” for “Patients and Methods” in abstracts of a review article.
SUBMITTING A MANUSCRIPT
General Considerations
Submissions to JFCM should include the following components:
1. a cover letter stating that the manuscript has been approved by all authors and that, it has not been published earlier nor it is being considered for publication elsewhere.
2. the manuscript
3. figures
4. related publications
5. the signed Co-author declaration and transfer of copyrights form
Manuscript
Submit one original and three photocopies of all parts of the manuscript.
Figures
For black-and-white figures, submit three original glossy prints or laser-quality proofs and three photocopies of each figure. For color figures, three color prints should be submitted for each figure. Indicate on a label the name of the first author of the paper, the figure number, and the top of the figure; then paste the label on the back of the figure. Do not mount figures. Number the figures in the order in which they are cited in the text. Photomacrographs should have scale markers that indicate the degree of magnification.
Figures are generally reduced in size for publication. To maintain legibility, all numbers, letters, and symbols should be large enough originally so that when reduced they will remain at least 1/12 inch (2 mm) high (i.e. approximately the same size as used for this line of type). Figures not properly prepared will be returned to the contributor for revision or will be relettered by the printer at a cost charged to the contributor.
For an accepted manuscript that contains a reprinted figure(s), the corresponding author must provide a letter of permission from the copyright holder.
Figure legends are required and should be typewritten or printed double-spaced on a separate sheet. All relevant and explanatory information extraneous to the actual figure should be included in the figure legend.
In addition, soft copies of all figures in 'jpeg' format should be provided in a CD
Tables
Tables must be cited chronologically in the text using Arabic numerals. Each appropriately numbered table should be typed on a separate sheet. A table legend should appear on the same page as the table it refers to, and include definitions of abbreviations used in the table but not in the text.
For an accepted manuscript that contains a reprinted table(s), the corresponding author must provide a letter of permission from the copyright holder.
References
References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in parentheses. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or figure.
Use the style of the examples below, which are based on the formats used by the NLM in Index Medicus. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus.
Articles in Journals
1. Standard journal article
Less than six authors:
Vega KJ, Pina I, Krevsky B. Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. Ann Intern Med 1996;124:980-3.
More than six authors:
Parkin DM, Clayton D, Black RJ, Masuyer E, Friedl HP, Ivacov E, et al. Childhood leukaemia in Europe after Chernobyl: 5 year follow-up. Br J Cancer 1996;73:10067-12.
2. Organization as author
The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Clinical exercise stress testing. Safety and performance guidelines. Med J Aust 1996;164:192-4.
3. No author given
Cancer in South Africa [editorial]. S Afr Med J 1994;84:15.
4. Volume with supplement
Shen HM, Chang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenecity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect 1994;102 Suppl 1:275-82.
5. Issue with supplement
Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reaction to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996;23(1 Suppl 2):89-97.
6. Volume with part
Ozben T, Nacitarhan S, Tuncer N. Plasma and urine sialic acid in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Ann Clin Biochem 1995;32(Pt 3):303-6.
7. Issue with part
Poole GH, Mills SM. One hundred consecutive cases of flap lacerations of the leg in ageing patients. N Z Med J 1994;107(986 Pt 1):377-8.
8. Issue with no volume
Turan I, Wredmark T, Fellander-Tsai L. Arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis in rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Orthop 1995;(320)110-4.
9. No issue of volume
Browell DA, Lennard TW. Immunologic status of the cancer patient and the effects of blood transfusion on antitumor responses. Curr Opin Gen Surg 1993;325-33.
Books and Other Monographs
10. Personal author(s)
Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.
11. Editor(s) or compiler(s) as author
Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.
12. Organization as author and publisher
Institute of Medicine (US). Looking at the future of the Medicaid program. Washington: The Institute; 1992.
13. Chapter in a book
Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner HM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-78.
14. Conference proceedings
Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.
15. Conference paper
Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Rienhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North-Holland; 1992. p. 1561-5.
16. Dissertation
Kaplan SJ. Post-hospital home health care: the elderly’s access and utilization [dissertation]. St. Louis (MO): Washington Univ.; 1995.
COMPUTER DISK REQUIREMENTS
Soft copy of the entire manuscript should be provided while submitting a manuscript. Only IBM/PC compatible are accepted. Each CD must be labeled with the following: Date, Name of the first author, Short title of article, MS-Word version number (only MS-Word 2003 is accepted). The text and table and figure legends should be saved as one file and the Arabic abstract as a separate file.
CO-AUTHOR DECLARATION AND TRANSFER OF COPYRIGHTS
Submit one copy of the completed Co-author declaration and transfer of copyright form. Original signatures from every author are needed on the Statement of Authorship and Dual Commitment sections in this form.
All authors must sign the transfer of copyright section of the form. Transfer of copyright to the Saudi Society of Family and Community Medicine, publisher of the JFCM, implies transfer of rights for print publication; electronic publication; production of reprints, facsimiles, microfilm, or microfiche; or publication in languages other than English or Arabic.
MAILING THE SUBMISSION
Manuscripts, accompanied by all supporting materials, should be mailed, with adequate protection for figures to:
The Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Family and Community Medicine
P.O. Box 40161, Al-Khobar 31952
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Telephone numbers: 966 3 8821036 / 8821037
Facsimile number: 966 3 8824241
E-mail: ssfcmhq@yahoo.com
ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION
Manuscripts may be submitted by e-mail as attachment files. The manuscript with the Arabic abstract and tables must be attached as one file and figures should be attached with separate file names in 'jpeg' format.
THE REVIEW PROCESS
Each manuscript is assigned a unique number, and its record is kept in a computerized database. The editorial staff releases information on manuscripts only to authors who give the manuscript number. Decisions on acceptance or rejection are communicated only in a letter from the Editor to the corresponding author.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT
A letter with the number assigned to the manuscript will be sent to the corresponding author within 2 days of receipt of a manuscript.
INTERNAL REVIEW BY EDITORS
Each manuscript is read by one or more of the Editors. Together, they decide whether to send the paper to outside reviewers. Rejection does not necessarily imply an adverse view of the manuscript. Papers that do not adhere the JFCM formats will be send back to the corresponding author and will be denied the reviewing process until resubmitted in the appropriate style.
PEER REVIEW
The Editors select reviewers from a computer-based file of reviewers. The quality and promptness of reviews are graded to help maintain the quality of reviewing. Reviewers are asked to treat papers as confidential communications.
ACCEPTANCE OR REJECTION
Manuscript Criteria
Manuscripts are judged on the interest and importance of the topic, intellectual and scientific strength, clarity of presentation and relevance to JFCM readers. Among the other factors considered are the strength of the paper compared with that of other papers under review.
Return of Manuscripts
Papers not accepted will not be returned to the authors unless this is specifically requested in the cover letter. All original figures, photographs, and slides, as well as the Authors’ Form will be returned. Reviewers’ comments are sent to authors regardless of whether a paper is accepted.
REPRINTS
An order for minimum number of reprints is mandatory. An order form, showing cost of reprints, is sent with the galley proofs. Individuals wishing to obtain reprints of an article that appeared in the JFCM can do so by contacting the author or the address given on the first page of the printed report. |
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