A. Title Page
The title page of the manuscript should include: (1) concise and informative title (less than 200 characters); (2) complete by line, with first, middle initial and last name of each author up to ten authors may be cited; (3) complete affiliation for each author, with the name of department (s) and institution (s) to which the work should be attributed; (4) name, address and telephone number and email address (necessary) of one author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript.
B. Abstracts
Provide on a separate page a structured abstract of not more than 250 words for original article and an unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words for other submission types. The structured abstract should consist of four paragraphs, labeled Background and Aims, Methods, Results and Conclusion.
Background and Aims: Indicate the purpose and objective of the research.
Methods: Describe the setting/location for the study, study design, study population, data collection and methods of analysis used.
Results: Present as clearly and detailed as possible the findings of the study, with specific results in summarized form.
Conclusions: Briefly discuss the data and main outcome of the study. The unstructured abstract is in the form of one paragraph covering these headings.
Key Words Key Words – 3-5 words. Use Key Words from MeSH index –website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh
C. Introduction
Word limit – 250 words
State the purpose of the article and summarize the rationale for the study or observation. Give only strictly pertinent references and do not include data or conclusions from the work being reported. Clearly mention the objective(s) of the study in this section without adding any sub-heading.
Introductions should be short and arresting and tell the reader why you undertook the study. Divide the Introduction into three parts: The first paragraph should be a very short summary of the existing knowledge of your research area. This should lead directly into the second paragraph that summarizes what other people have done in this field, what limitations have been encountered with work to date, and what questions still need to be answered. This, in turn, will lead to the last paragraph, which should clearly state what you did and why.
D. Methods
Basically, it should include three questions: How was the study designed? How was the study carried out? How was the data analysed?
Mention following, in order of their appearance, and writing in past tense or passive verb:
Study type and study design
Place and duration of study
Sample size and Sampling method
Methods of data collection
Ethical Approval and Patient consent
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Protocols followed (if any)
Statistical analysis and software used
You should give precise details of the questionnaires you used and how they were developed, validated, and tested for repeatability.
For comparison, you must also describe the methods of randomization, allocation concealment and blinding of the research staff and the participants to study group allocation. You must also describe any procedures that you used to maximize or measure compliance with the interventions. If a drug is being tested, then the generic name, the manufacturer, the doses used and any other information should be included.
E. Results
Present results in logical sequence in the text, tables and illustrations. Do not repeat in the text all data in the tables or illustrations. Emphasize or summarize important observations.
You should use an interesting sequence of text, tables, and figures to answer the study questions and to tell the story without diversions. Remember that results and data are not the same thing. You do not need to repeat numbers in the text that are already presented in a table or a figure.
It is essential that you are consistent in the use of units in your reporting so that readers can make valid comparisons between and within groups. NHJ require you to use Système Internationale (SI) units
Clearly present relevant data, and avoid data redundancy
Only significant results must be shown under this heading
Use a mixture of text, tables, and figures
Avoid using percentages unless the group have more than 100 subjects
When condensing results give the number of subjects, the range of results, the central tendency (mean± SD), and the spread (confidence interval for the mean)
If you have done an analysis of variance give the estimates with their degrees of freedom and p values Prepare tables and figures according to the instructions mentioned above
Tables and illustrations/ graphs/ charts should not represent the same results.
Use the space below the legend to show some important findings.
Write all your result text under one section referring to appropriate legends.
Template for Result, in order of their appearance
Describe study sample. Whom did you study?
Univariate analyses - How many participants had what?
Bivariate analyses - What is the relation between the outcome and explanatory variables?
Multivariate analyses - What is the result when the confounders and effect modifiers have been taken into account?
F. Discussion
Discuss major findings. It should not merely be a repetition of results section. Only duplicating data from results section into this heading is NOT allowed
Avoid unnecessary explanation of someone else work unless it is very relevant to the study. Other studies should be quoted in relation to the findings of the present study. Provide and discuss with the literatures to support the study. Mention about:
- Limitations of your study
- Confounding factors
- Possible implications which are not mentioned in the abstract
Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the introduction or the results section. Include in discussion section the implications of the findings and their limitations including implications for future research. Relate the observations to other relevant studies.
Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by data. In particular, authors should avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless their manuscript includes economics data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed.
What did this study show? Address the aims stated in the Introduction
Strengths and weaknesses of methods
Discuss how the results support the current literature or refute current knowledge
Future directions “So what?” and “where next?” impact on current thinking or practice
G. Acknowledgements
Persons who have contributed intellectually to the paper but whose contributions do not justify authorship may be named and the function or contribution is described - for example, “scientific advisor critical review of study proposal, “data collection,” or “participation in clinical trial”. Such persons must have given their permission to be named. Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from person acknowledged by name, because readers may infer their endorsement of the data and conclusions. Technical help should be acknowledged in a paragraph separate from those acknowledging other contributions.
Acknowledge any person or institute who have helped the study. Make acknowledgement short and do not add praise or literature in this section.
H. References
Abide by NHJ guideline – Vancouver citation method. Not more than 60 references for Original Article.
References should be cited in consecutive numerical order at first mentioned in the text and designated by the reference number in parenthesis. References appearing in a table or figure should be numbered sequentially with those in text.
The reference list must be typed double spaced and numbers consecutively, as in the text. “Unpublished observations” and “personal communications” should not be used as references, although written-not verbal-communications may be noted as such in the text. References cited as “in press” must have been accepted and not merely in preparation or submitted. The author is responsible for the accuracy of all references and must verify them against the original document.
For journal articles, list the first six authors, et al.
Hasan K, Bulhan K P, Zafar A, et al. Acute leukemia in children. French-American-British (FAB) classification and its relation to clinical features. J Pak Med Assoc 1992; 4:229-31.
For books and book chapters, follow the examples below:
DeGroot IJ. Evaluation of thyroid function and thyroid disease. In: DeGroot L, Stanbury J B, eds. The thyroid and its diseases. 4th ed. New York: Wiley, 1975, pp 196-248.
Dupont B. Bone marrow transplantation in severe combined immunodeficiency with an unrelated MLC compatible donor. In: White H J Smith R, eds. Proceeding of the third annual meeting of the International Experimental Hematology. Houston: International Society for Experimental Hematology, 1974, pp 44-46.
In Press
Leshner AI. Molecular mechanisms of cocaine addiction. N EngI J Med. In press 1996.
Journal article in electronic form
Morse SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious diseases. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar [cited 1996 Jun 5], Computerized Educational Systems, 1993.
Monograph in electronic form
CDI, clinical dermatology illustrated [monographs on CDROM] Reeves JRT, Maibach H. CMEA Multimedia group, producers 2nd ed. Version 2.0. San Diego: CMEA, 1995.
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.
Dissertation
Kaplan SJ. Post-hospital home health care the elderly’s access and utilization [dissertation]. St. Louis (MO): Washington Univ., 1995.
Volume with supplement
Shen HM, Zhang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenicity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect, 1994; 102 Suppl 1:275-82.
World Wide Web page
Beckleheimer J. How do you cite URL’s in a bibliography? [online] 1994 [ cited 2000 Dec 13]. Available from: URL:http://www.nrlssc.navy.mil/meta/bibliography.html
World Wide Web page (no author)
Educating America for the 21st century: Developing a strategic plan for educational leadership [online] 1994 [cited 1999 May 15]. Available from: URL: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/CONF/Edplan.html
World Wide Web Home page
Curtin University of Technology. [Homepage of the Curtin University of Technology] [online] 2000 May 22 last update. [cited 2000 Jun 12]. Available from: URL: http://www.curtin.edu.au/
I. Abbreviations and Symbols
With the exception of units of measurement, Journal discourages the use of abbreviations, for additional information on proper medical abbreviation, consult the CBE style Manual, Fifth Edition (Bethesda, MD Council of Biology Editions, 1983). When an abbreviation is used, it should be preceded by the full word or name of the item being abbreviated.
J. Drug Names
Generic names should generally be used.
K. Tables
Type each table double-spaced on a separate page. Do not submit tables as photographs. Tables should be self-explanatory and should supplement, not duplicate the text. Each table must be cited in consecutive numerical order in the text. Number the tables consecutively with an Arabic number following the word Table. The titles should be descriptive, brief and typed centered in upper and title, column headings and at the end of the table. Do not use vertical lines. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading.
Place explanatory matter in footnotes not in heading. Use the following symbols in this sequence *,+,++,#,**. Expand in the footnote all non-standard abbreviations used in each table. For footnotes, identify statistical measures of variations, such as standard deviation and standard error of the mean. If data from another published source are used, obtain written permission from the publisher of the original source and acknowledge fully. If data from an unpublished source are used, obtain permission from the principal investigator and acknowledge fully.
L. Illustrations
Illustrations should clarify and augment the text. The selection of sharp, high-quality illustrations is of paramount importance. Figures of inferior quality will be returned to the author for correction or replacement.
Submit two complete sets of glossy illustrations, no smaller than 3-1/2x5 inches nor larger than 8x10 inches. Do not send original artwork. Glossy photographs of line drawings rendered professionally on white drawing paper in black India ink, with template or typeset lettering, should be submitted. No hand drawn or typewritten art will be accepted. Letters, number and symbols (typeset or template) must be clear and of sufficient size to retain legibility after reduction.
Each illustration must be numbered and cited in consecutive order in the text. Illustrations should be identified on a gummed label affixed to the back of each illustration and containing the following information: figure number, part of figure (if more than one) and designation of “top”.
Legends for Illustrations
Legends for illustrations should be concise and should not repeat the text. Legends should be typed double-spaced on a separate page. Each figure should be cited in consecutive numerical order in the text. Give the figures a number following the word Figure. Use letters to designate parts of illustrations (e g, A, B, C) and describe each part clearly in the legend. Any letter designations or arrows appearing on the illustration should be identified and described fully.
Originally (not previously published) illustrations are preferred for publication in the Journal; however, if illustrations have been published previously, authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from the publisher to reprint. The source of the original material must be cited in the references and the following credit line included in the legend (reprinted by permission of Ref. X). All permission release must be submitted to the Editor at the time of manuscript submission.
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