INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

ABOUT FMCH

TheJournal of Family Medicine and CommunityHealth(FMCH) is a peer-reviewed, open-access English journal focusing on worldwide development of general practice, family medicine, and community health service. FMCH accepts different article types, including research articles, case reports, case studies, reviews, commentaries, and letters to the Editor.

SUBMISSION PROCESS

Currently, manuscripts should be submitted through email to jfmcheditor@outlook.com; in the future, all manuscripts should be submitted online. Along with the submission, a cover letter declaring any potential conflicts of interests is required. A notice of acceptance of manuscripts will be sent within 7 days after receipt; accepted manuscripts will be published within 3–6 months after acceptance.

PREPARING THE MANUSCRIPT

TITLE PAGE

The title page should include a clear and concise title without abbreviations, author names and affiliations, and corresponding author information (mailing address, telephone number, fax number, and email address).

A structured abstract includes the following four sections: Objective, purpose of the study; Methods, study process and statistical methods; Results, main findings of the study; and Conclusion, significance and implications of the findings. Please use the fewest possible number of abbreviations and do not include references in the abstract. The abstract should not exceed 250 words.

TEXT

The articles types should be structured using the IMRAD format.

Introduction The author should provide background knowledge in the related field, important literature on the issue under discussion, and the significance and expected contribution of the study. The section should end with a brief statement of what is being reported in the article.

Methods The author should clearly state the study design, setting, materials and/or subjects involved, sampling and/or grouping methods, interventions, and methods for statistical analysis. The author should generally use generic names instead of trade names; however, if there are critical differences among proprietary products, trade names should be used followed by generic descriptions, both in parentheses.

If human subjects are involved in the study, ethical approval by the appropriate committee should be noted and an “informed consent” statement should be included in the manuscript.

Results The author should clearly and simply state the main findings of the study; avoid repetitive presentation of the data through text and tables. The results of statistical analysis should include, where appropriate, relative and absolute risks or risk reductions, and confidence intervals. The mean differences in continuous variables and proportions in categorical variables and relative risks, including odds ratios and hazard ratios, should be accompanied by confidence intervals. Specify the computer software used. For all P values, include the exact value and not ＜ 0.05 or 0.001.

Discussion The author should provide an interpretation of the results, and indicate the relevance and significance of the interpretation. The limitations of the study, if any, should be acknowledged, and directions for further research in the related field should be included.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Major contributors to the study who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged; permission to cite names should be obtained. The sources of funding for the study should be included.

All references should be numbered consecutively in the order that the citations appear in the text. Text citations should be in brackets before punctuation and in line. List up to six author names, followed by “et al.” The journal titles should be abbreviated according to the style used in the list of journals indexed for MEDLINE. The below formats should be followed.

Journals

a. Standard journal article: Shukla N, Husain N, Agarwal GG, Husain M. Utility of cysticercus fasciolaris antigen in Dot ELISA for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis. Indian J Med Sci 2008;62:222–7.

b. Standard journal article (for more than six authors): List the first six contributors followed by et al.

c. 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.

d. Issue with supplement: Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996;23(1, Suppl 2):89–97.

Books and Other Monographs

a. Personal author(s): Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.

b. Editor(s), compiler(s) as author: Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.

c. Chapter in a book: Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. pp. 465–78.

Electronic Sources

Journal article on the Internet

Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12]; 102(6): [about 3 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm

Monograph on the Internet

Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [monograph on the 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 [homepage on the 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/.

Part of a homepage/Web site

American Medical Association [homepage on the Internet]. Chicago: The Association; c1995-2002 [updated 2001 Aug 23; cited 2002 Aug 12]. AMA Office of Group Practice Liaison; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ ama/pub/category/1736.html

FIGURES & TABLES

Please number tables consecutively in the order of appearance in the text. Provide a clear and concise title above the table and use footnotes for explanatory notes below the table. Please use double-spacing and do not use internal horizontal or vertical lines. Each column must have a short heading. Use the following symbols in footnotes in sequence: *, †, ‡, §,||, ¶, **, ††, ‡‡, §§,|| ||, and ¶¶. Number the figures consecutively in the order of appearance in the text. The figures should be of high quality and self-explanatory with symbols, arrows, or letters indicating the important areas in the figure. Provide titles and detailed explanations in the legends below the figures.

Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter). Temperatures should be in degrees Celsius. Blood pressures should be in millimeters of mercury. Please refer to International System of Units (SI) for additional units of measurement.

ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

Use standard abbreviations. In the case of non-standard abbreviations, the abbreviation should be in parentheses following the first use of the spelled out term.

AUTHORSHIP

An author should make substantive intellectual contributions to each of the following: 1) concept and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; 2) drafting or revision of the manuscript critically for important intellectual content; and 3) final approval of the version to be published. Each author should participate sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content. Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not justify authorship.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

All authors must disclose any and all conflicts of interest that exist with publication of the manuscript or an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also discloseconflicts of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in the manuscript.

PRESENTATION AND FORMAT

• Double spacing

• Margins 2.5 cm from all four sides

• Page numbers included at bottom

• Title page contains all essential information

• Running title provided (＜ 50 characters)

• Abstract pages contains the full title of the manuscript

• English abstracts provided (structured abstracts of 250 words for original articles; unstructured abstracts of 150 words for all other manuscripts, excluding letters to the Editor)

• Key words in English (three to eight)

• Introduction of 75–100 words

• Headings in upper case (not ALL CAPITALS)

• The references cited in the text should be before punctuation marks in square brackets.

• References following the Journal’s instructions

• Submit the file without ‘Track Changes’

LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR

• American English

• Write the full term for each abbreviation at first use in the title, abstract, keywords, and text separately, unless a standard unit of measure. Numerals from 1–9 should be spelled out.

• Numbers at the beginning of a sentence should be spelled out.

• Check the manuscript for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors

• If a brand name is cited, provide the manufacturer’s name and address (city and state/country).

• Species names should be in italics.

ARTICLE TYPES

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Research articles include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, studies which involve screening and diagnostic testing, outcome studies, cost effectiveness analyses, case-control series, and surveys with high response rates. The text of research articles should be divided into sections with the following headings: Abstract; Keywords; Introduction; Methods; Results; Discussion; and References.

For randomized controlled trials, please see the CONSORT initiative (http://www.consort-statement.org).

For studies involving diagnostic accuracy, please see the STARD initiative (http://www.consort-statement.org/stardstatement.htm).

For systematic reviews and meta-analyses, please see the QUOROM initiative (http://www.consort-statement.org/ Initiatives/MOOSE/moose.pdf)

For observational studies in epidemiology, please see the STROBE initiative (http://www.strobe-statement.org).

For meta-analyses of observational studies in epidemiology, please see the MOOSE initiative (http://www.consort-statement. org/Initiatives/MOOSE/moose.pdf).

Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results sections. In particular, contributors should avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless the manuscript includes economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed. New hypotheses may be stated if needed; however, hypotheses should be clearly labeled as such. The prescribed word count for research articles is 3000 words (excluding the abstract, references, and tables). Up to 30 references can be included. The articles should not have more than six authors.

CASE REPORT

New, interesting, and rare cases can be reported. Case reports should be unique, describing a significant diagnostic or therapeutic challenge, and providing a learning point for the readers. Cases with clinical significance or implications will be given priority.

Case reports should have the following four sections: Background; Case Presentation; Conclusions; and Consent.

Background The background information should be accessible to those researchers without special knowledge in the area. This section should include a short literature review, and should end with a very brief statement of what is being reported in the article.

Case presentation The case should be presented with all necessary details and with a discussion with references to the literature. Demographic information, medical history, symptoms and signs, and treatment or intervention of the patient should be provided.

Conclusions The main conclusions of the case report and a clear explanation of the importance and relevance should be given.Consent This section should provide a statement to confirm that the patient has given consent for t he case report to be published.

The manuscript could be of up to 1000 words (excluding the abstract and references) and up to 10 references. Case reports could be authored by no more than four authors.

REVIEW

It is expected that these articles would be written by individuals who have done substantial work on the subject or are considered experts in the field.

The manuscript should have unstructured English abstracts (250 words) representing an accurate summary of the article. The section titles depend upon the topic reviewed. Authors submitting review articles should include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing the data. These methods should also be summarized in the abstract. Post-publication updates on the subject of review covering the advances in the areas should be sent as a letter to Editor when major developments occur in the field.

The prescribed word count is up to 3000 words, excluding the abstract, tables, and references. The manuscript may include up to 90 references.

COMMENTARY

These short, narrowly focused articles of contemporary interest are usually commissioned by the Journal. There are two common forms of a Commentary; the first form is a discussion of an article or trial that was recently published or that is soon to be published, explains the implications of the article, and puts the article in context; the second form is more editorial in nature and covers an aspect of an issue within the Journal’s scope. For example, the article can discuss the advances in technology and changes in peer review or grant application procedures on research and treatment.

Background The background to the article and its aims should be stated, and should end with a brief statement of the issues at stake.

Main text The main text should contain the body of the article, and may be broken into subsections with short, informative headings.

Conclusions The conclusions should clearly state the main conclusions of the commentary and give a clear explanation of the importance and relevance.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Letters to the Editor should be short and decisive observations. Letters to the Editor should be related to articles previously published in the Journal or views expressed in the Journal. Letters to the Editor should not be preliminary observations that require a subsequent paper for validation. The letter should be limited to 500 words and 5 references. Letters to the Editor can be authored by no more than four authors.

Journal Introduction

The Journal of Family Medicine and Community Health aims to promote timely communication of medical knowledge and skills, especially in the f eld of family medicine to provide better care for all people. It is established to be a peer-reviewed open-access journal focusing on family medicine, community health, chronic disease management, community nursing, hospice care, paramedics, epidemiology, education and training and community health policy worldwide. The Journal intends to become a high-quality journal for family medicine and general practice, and achieve a high impact factor in coming years.

The Journal of Family Medicine and Community Health will include the following article types: Editorials; Original research; Review articles; Commentaries; Case reports; Case studies; Methodologies; Policy briefs; Cochrane updates; Education and training; Community health services research; Letters to the Editor; Organization news; and Theme forum.

Website Introduction

The website for the Journal of Family Medicine and Community Health is http://fmch-journal.org/authors/ manuscript-preparation/, and provides key information about the Journal. Information about the aims and scope, the Editorial Board, and the Editorial Off ce of the Journal of Family Medicine and Community Health is under “About us.”Authors may f nd information needed to prepare and submit manuscripts through “Authors,” and reviewers can f nd a guide through “Reviewers.” The articles in the current issue will be published under “Articles,” where past issues are archived. Newly released news items, policies, and guidelines are found under “News.” “FAQ” has answers to common inquiries, but “Contact Us” for unanswered inquiries.

Express Submission

The Journal provides an express submission path for papers on multi-national studies, multi-center studies, and grant-funding projects. The authors of such papers can utilize the express submission email at jfmcheditor@outlook. com. Please provide a cover letter stating related background information (multi-national and multi-center studies) and/ or funding proof (grant-funding projects) along with the manuscript. Papers in this category will be published within 3 months after acceptance. We will also provide relevant download and citation data of papers published in the J ournal.

Please list three to eight key words representing the main content of the paper.