Author Guidelines

Instruction for Authors:

All manuscript should be submitted electronically through: http://ajs.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ajs/user

Registration and login are required to submit items online and to check the status of current submissions.

The authors can submit the following types of manuscripts:

1. Original Articles

2. Systematic Review or Meta Analysis

3. Review Articles

4. Case Reports

5. Letters to the Editor

6. Clinical Trials

7. Health Policy Challenge

How to prepare a manuscript:

Manuscripts should be typed doubled-spaced on one side of white A4(297 x 210 mm) paper, with 2.5cm outer margins. Number all pages consecutively beginning with the title page.

Manuscript must be come with a cover­ing let­ter to the Editor-in-Chief, including title and responsibility that it has not been pub­lished or submitted elsewhere and disclosure of conflict of interest.

Manuscripts should include a title page, abstract, main body of text, acknowledgments (if any), conflicts of interest statement (if any), references, tables and figures as appropriate.

Each section of the manuscript should begin on a new page.

1. Title Page

The title page should give the following information (in order, from the top to bottom of the page):

- Title of the article: choose a title that is long enough to cover the main points and by considering the importance of shortness. Only the first letter of the first word of each title and also abbreviations should be in upper case.• Full name of all authors should be mentioned. Method: [First Name] [Middle Name] [Last Name]

- Affiliation: Author's affiliation contains only department and university, not author's degree or position. Method: [name of department], [name of university], [city], [country]

Example: Neurosurgery Department, Shiraz University of medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.

- Corresponding author: one of the authors should be picked correspondence before and after publication. His/Her address, phone and fax number and email should be written.

- Running title: a shorter version of the title (40 characters at most) is needed for page header or footer.

- Classification: Choose the proper classification(s) based on your manuscript. It will be used when inviting editors and reviewers (review paper, original article etc.).

2. Abstract and Keywords

- Abstract: An abstract of 250-350 words should be provided to state the background and reason for the study, the methods, the main findings and the conclusions drawn from the observation. Abstract of original articles and case reports should be structured under the following headings: Background/ Objectives, Materials/Patients and Methods, Results and Conclusions.

- Keywords: A list of 3-10 keywords must be provided for indexing purposes. All keywords should be provided according to MeSH terms at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html. Note that the preferred expression is indicated by the label "MeSH Heading" and not "Entry Term." The desired terms may then be copied from the MeSH Browser. Another way of finding appropriate headings is to search PubMed to find articles on similar topics, and review the MeSH headings assigned to those articles.

3. Fonts

To distinguish different parts of the article, it is recommended to use the font Times New Roman size 12 for the body, size 12 bold for subheadings, size 14 for headings and size 14 bold for the title.

4. Full Word File with Figures

• Full-Text Manuscript with Figures.

Full-text of the manuscript must be a word file. This file should contain all parts of the manuscript including: Title page, Abstract, Article Body, Figures, Tables, Acknowledgments, Financial Disclosure, Appendices, and all other supplements in the format of Microsoft Word 2007or 2010.Submissions of text in the form of PDF files are not acceptable. A complete list of parts can be found in Instruction for Authors. References can be in ENDNOTE format.

• Full Word File without Figures:

This full-text of the manuscript is a word file without any figure or additional parts. This file should contain: Title page, Abstract, Article Body, Tables, WITHOUT any figure in the format of Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010.

*** Note: This file will be converted to the PDF.

5. Article Body

[especially required for original articles].

The rest of the article differs according to the article type you are submitting but generally includes the following headings: Background, Objectives, Materials/Patients and Methods, Results, Discussion and References.

• Background:

This should summarize the purpose and the rationale for the study. It should neither review the subject extensively nor should it have data or conclusions of the study.

• Objectives:

Author(s) should declare objectives/aims of the study.

• Materials/Patients and Methods:

This should include exact method or observation or experiment. If an apparatus is used, its manufacturer's name and address should be given in parenthesis. If the method is established, give reference but if the method is new, give enough information so that another author is able to perform it. If a drug is used, its generic name, dose and route of administration must be given. Statistical method must be mentioned and specify any general computer program used. The Info system used should be clearly mentioned.

• Informed Consent: 

Papers involving human subjects should state in the Methods section that informed consent was attaining from the patients and approval was obtained from the designated review board of the institution concerned.

• Results:

It must be presented in the form of text, tables and illustrations. The contents of the tables should not be all repeated in the text. Instead, a reference to the table number may be given. Long articles may need sub-headings within some sections (especially the Results and Discussion parts) to clarify their contents.

• Discussion:

This should emphasize the present findings and the variations or similarities with other work done in the field by other workers. The detailed data should not be repeated in the discussion again. Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. It must be mentioned whether the hypothesis mentioned in the article is true, false or no conclusions can be derived.

• Acknowledgments:

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be covered in the acknowledgment section. It should include persons who provided technical help, writing assistance and departmental head that only provided general support. Financial and material support should also be acknowledged.

• Units, symbols, and abbreviations

Internationally accepted units (International System of Units), symbols, and abbreviations must be used. Abbreviations should be used sparingly and must be introduced in parentheses upon first mention. Abbreviations that have meaning only within the context of the specific manuscript should be avoided

• Drug names:

Generic drug names must be used in the title and throughout the manuscript text.

• Financial Disclosure:

should apply for all manuscript submissions.

Authors are expected to provide detailed information about any relevant financial interests or financial conflicts.

Many universities and other institutions and organizations have established policies and thresholds for reporting financial interests and other conflicts of interest

Authors who have no relevant financial interests are asked to provide a statement indicating that they have no financial interests related to the material in the manuscript.

Example:

Dr X reported receiving research grants and honoraria and consulting fees for speaking from A Research Center. Dr Y reported receiving honoraria from Bdrug factory.

• Funding/Support:

Detailed information regarding all financial and material support for the research and work

Not limited to grant support, funding sources, and provision of equipment and supplies.

Example:

Funding/Support: This study was supported in part by grant CA33528 from the National Institute of Health and by a teaching and research scholarship from the Iranian Society of……

6. Tables

All tables must be included at the end of the manuscript.

Tables in the word file should be separated by page break (each table in a separate page).

Each Table should have borders with normal style without any colored row or column.

Each Table should have a number and legend, and all abbreviations in the cells of the tables should be explained under each related table.

The style of table should be simple.

Each cell contains only one paragraph or one line.

7. Figures

Figures must be submitted as separate files.

Authors should declare in the cover letter that all figures of their manuscripts are original, otherwise the original source of figures should be mentioned and reprint form must be uploaded in the attachments.

Scanned graph or from other resources will not be accepted to publish.

All Line Arts should be in the form of encapsulated postscript (.eps), power point (.ppt), or portable document format (.pdf). It is highly recommended that figures not be sent as TIF (.tiff) or JPG (.jpg) files.

8. References

This Journal accepts references according to a style based on Vancouver style (with some minor changes). Vancouver, a numbered style, follows rules established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

They should be typed, double-spaced, on a separate page. Number the references consecutively as they appear in the text.

References In-text:

In the Vancouver system, the only indication required in the text of a paper is a number, allocated in ascending sequence, and presented in the text either in brackets, some or in superscript. For example:

"Recent randomized controlled trials in primary care showed benefits for patients with depression from increased telephone support, better cooperation between primary care and mental health professionals, and more systematic follow up.(7)"

If the same source is cited again later in the text, the same number is used once more. If multiple references are cited, use a hyphen to join an inclusive range of numbers thus: 2-5. Use commas without spaces to separate non-inclusive numbers in a multiple citation thus: 2-5,7,10.

Examples are given below.

• Journal Articles:

For articles with up to 6 authors, List all of them, for more than 6 authors; write the first six, followed by et al.

--Meydani SN, Leka LS, Fine BC, Dallal GE, Keusch GT, Singh MF, et al.Vitamin E and Respiratory Tract Iinfections in Elderly Nursing Home Residents: a Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2004 Aug 18;292(7):828-36.

--As an option, if a journal carries continuous pagination throughout a volume (as many medical journals do) the month and issue number may be omitted.

--Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

Optional addition of a clinical trial registration number

Trachtenberg F, Maserejian NN, Soncini JA, Hayes C, Tavares M. Does fluoride in compomers prevent future caries in children? J Dent Res. 2009 Mar;88(3):276-9. PubMed PMID: 19329464. ClinicalTrials.gov registration number: NCT00065988.

Organization as author

Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance.Hypertension. 2002;40(5):679-86.

Both personal authors and organization as author (List all as they appear in the byline.)

-- Vallancien G, Emberton M, Harving N, van Moorselaar RJ; Alf-One Study Group. Sexual dysfunction in 1,274 European men suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms. J Urol. 2003;169(6):2257-61.

No author given

21st century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ. 2002;325(7357):184.

• Books and Other Monographs:

Ford MJ, Munro JF. Introduction to Clinical Examination. 7th ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone; 2000.

• A chapter in a book

Sometimes you may wish to refer to a particular chapter in an edited book. Any quotation from the book should be listed under the author of the chapter from which it is quoted.

Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome Alterations in Human Solid Tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The Genetic Basis of Human Cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

• Conference proceedings

Harnden P, Joffe JK, Jones WG, editors.Germ cell tumours V. Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell Tumour Conference; 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. New York: Springer; 2002.

• Conference paper

Christensen S, Oppacher F. An analysis of Koza's computational effort statistic for genetic programming. In: Foster JA, Lutton E, Miller J, Ryan C, Tettamanzi AG, editors. Genetic programming.EuroGP 2002: Proceedings of the 5th European Conference on Genetic Programming; 2002 Apr 3-5; Kinsdale, Ireland. Berlin: Springer; 2002. p. 182-91.

• Scientific or technical report

Issued by funding/sponsoring agency:

Yen GG (Oklahoma State University, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Stillwater, OK). Health monitoring on vibration signatures.Final report. Arlington (VA): Air Force Office of Scientific Research (US), Air Force Research Laboratory; 2002 Feb. Report No.: AFRLSRBLTR020123. Contract No.: F496209810049.

• Issued by performing agency

Russell ML, Goth-Goldstein R, Apte MG, Fisk WJ.Method for measuring the size distribution of airborne Rhinovirus. Berkeley (CA): Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Energy Technologies Division; 2002 Jan. Report No.: LBNL49574. Contract No.: DEAC0376SF00098. Sponsored by the Department of Energy.

• Dissertation

Borkowski MM. Infant sleep and feeding: a telephone survey of Hispanic Americans [dissertation]. Mount Pleasant (MI): Central Michigan University; 2002.

• Patent

Pagedas AC, inventor; Ancel Surgical R&D Inc., assignee.Flexible endoscopic grasping and cutting device and positioning tool assembly. United States patent US 20020103498. 2002 Aug 1.

• Conference paper

For example

Anderson JC.Current Status of Chorion Villus Biopsy. In: Tudenhope D, Chenoweth J, editors. Proceedings of the Fourth Congress of the Australian Perinatal Society; 1986 Sept. 3-6; Brisbane, Queensland: Australian Perinatal Society; 1987. p. 190-6..

• Online Sources:

For all websites you need to note the date that you accessed the information, and database name or web address (URL). You can cite online articles in the same way you would print.

WWW document

These are the details you need for referencing a web document:

Author/editor's surname author/editor's first name or initial.editor [if appropriate]. Title of page.Title of site.Last update or copyright date.URL (Access date).

Below is a sample reference for a web document.

Royal College of General Practitioners.The Primary Health Care Team. RCGP website 2003 [cited 2004 Sep 22]; Available from: URL: http://www.rcgp.org.uk/information/publications/information/PDFInfo/21_OCT_03.pdf

Article in an online format

These are the details you need:

Author's surname, initials. (Year) Document title.Journal title, Volume (part).

Below is a sample reference for an online article.

Drasin, Todd, Dutson, Erik and Gracia, Carlos.Use of a Robotic System as Surgical First Assistant in Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery.Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 199(3).

• Electronic Materials:

CD-ROM

Anderson SC, Poulsen KB. Anderson's electronic atlas of hematology [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002.

Journal article on the Internet

Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 1 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htmArticle

Monograph on the Internet

Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html/.

Homepage/Web site

Cancer-Pain.org [Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

TIPS

a) How can we cite this journal in the reference part?

Some other journals have more than two parts and should be abbreviated when write in the references like: Example: Academic Journal of Cancer Research which should be written as Acad. J. Cancer Res.

b) How can we cite Iranian Journals in the reference part?.

Some of the Iranian journal called according to their Universities, like Scientific research Journal of Babol Medical Science. Authors should write these journals like below:

[J: Abbreviation of Journal] [full name of the city] [Univ: Abbreviation of University] [Med: Abbreviation of Medical] [Sci: Abbreviation of Sciences]

Example: J BabolUniv Med Sci

Some other journals have unique names and should write complete names in the reference part like:

Example: Yakhteh

9. Ethical Consideration

Ethics of studies involving humans and animals: Ethical considerations must be addressed in the Materials and Methods section. 1) Please state that informed consent was obtained from all participants. 2) Include the name of the appropriate institutional review board that approved the project. 3) Indicate in the text that the maintenance and care of experimental animals complies with National Institutes of Health guidelines for the humane use of laboratory animals or those of your institute or agency. 4) If human subjects are used then they have to be registered with the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials website (http://www.irct.ir) or the related country and ethical committee of the research center or University where the study was carried out. 5) Research with human subjects should be conducted in full accordance with ethical principles, including the WMA Declaration of Helsinki-Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects (2008): http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html.

AJS retains the right to reject any manuscript on the basis of unethical conduct of either human or animal studies.

10. Role of the Sponsor

The specific role of the funding organization or sponsor in:

• Design and conduct of the study Collection,
• Management,
• Analysis of the data
• Preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript

Example:

Role of the Sponsor: The funding organizations are public institutions and had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, and analysis of the data; or preparation, review, and approval of the manuscript. The A and B departments provided practical support for the focus group and survey processes, including letters of endorsement, hospital contact information, and assistance with logistic arrangements for focus group sessions.