Guide for Authors

Instructions for Authors

A. Scope of the Journal

B. General Policy

C. Types of Articles

D. Manuscript Preparation

E. Submission Process

F. Copyright

G. Peer Review Policy

H. Peer Review Process

I. Proof

J. Publication Fees

 

A. Scope of the Journal

The Journal of Midwifery & Reproductive health (JMRH) is a peer-reviewed quarterly English publication of Nursing & Midwifery School, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. This professional journal provides a venue for the publication of research relevant to midwifery and reproductive health practice by specialists and researchers in various disciplines including midwifery, reproductive health, maternal and child health, obstetrics and gynecology, sexual health promotion, women's health and nursing. The journal is an open-access  e-Journal which is sponsored and published by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS). A limited number of journals in print form will also be published.


B. General Policy

  • Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis) and it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  • Also publication should be approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder.
  • The two aforementioned issues should be declared in a cover letter by the corresponding author available Here. Cover Letter MUST be signed by all authors.
  • Ethics and malpractice statements of the JMRH are based on COPE’s Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors and pertain to all parties involved in the publishing: the editor, the peer reviewer and the author. Plagiarism of text from a previously published manuscript by the same or another author is a serious publication offence. Small amounts of text may be used, but only where the source of the material quoted is clearly acknowledged. If there is an allegation of plagiarism, scientific misconduct or fraud, JMRH shall follow the recommendations of the Uniform Requirements and reserves the right to present the allegations to the author’s institution or any other agency.
  • Multiple submissions or redundant publications will not be considered for publication.
  • Manuscripts undergo a similarity check by iThenticate plagiarism-detection software when submitted and your article may be returned to you, if the above has not been adhered to.
  • Ethical considerations must be addressed in the Materials and Methods section. Please include the name of the appropriate institutional review board that approved the project as well as the code of ethics. Also, state that informed consent was obtained from all human adult participants and from the parents or legal guardians of minors.
  • Published research must comply with the guidelines for human studies and animal welfare regulations. It should be stated that the study has been conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • Reports of randomized clinical trials should include a completed CONSORT checklist (available at: http://consort-statement.org/resources/downloads) as well as the registration number of the clinical trial. 

 

C. Types of Articles

The articles that could be considered for publications in JMRH, are as follows:

 

1. Original articles

Original articles are the most common type of journal articles, which are detailed studies reporting scientific findings of the original research studies. They report previously unpublished works and classified as primary literature. The article consists of English Abstract, introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References. They might be either quantitative or qualitative original articles.

 

A. Quantitative original articles

Quantitative original articles are research based on traditional scientific methods, which usually seek the effect of interventions on variables or causal relationships between two or more variables, using statistical methods to test the strength and significance of the differences or relationships. Quantitative research consists of the collection, tabulation, summarization, and analysis of numerical data for the purpose of answering research questions or hypotheses. Quantitative original articles should not exceed the word count of 5000 (without abstract, table contents and references) with a structured abstract no more than 250 words as well as 6 tables and figures and 50 references.

 

B. Qualitative original articles 

Qualitative research articles seek to provide understanding of human perceptions, experiences, motivations, and behaviours based on description and observation using a naturalistic interpretative approach to a subject and its contextual setting through collecting and analyzing textual data. Qualitative approaches comprise a wide array of research traditions, most often in the categories of grounded theory, ethnography, and phenomenology, but they also include qualitative description, qualitative content analysis, action research,  and case study. They present in-depth insights into a problem or generate new ideas for research. The maximum word count for qualitative research reports could be up to 6000 with a structured abstract no more than 250 words and total number of 6 tables and 60 references.

 

2.Review articles

Review articles covers a particular topic or new trends and theories, critical evaluation of existing data, defined topics or emerging fields of investigation, and or critical issues of public concerns. These article consists of Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements and References.

 

A. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are most welcomed. Systematic reviews, typically involve a detailed and comprehensive plan and search strategy derived a priori, with the goal of reducing bias by identifying, appraising, and synthesizing all relevant studies on a particular topic. Often, systematic reviews include a meta-analysis component which involves using statistical techniques to synthesize the data from several studies into a single quantitative estimate or summary effect size. So, they have a high level of evidence as represented by the evidence-based pyramid. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should respectively follow the PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. These articles must include a structured abstract of no more than 250 words, a main text up to 5000 words excluding up to 6 tables and/or figures and 50 references.

 

B. Narrative review articles

Narrate review articles are the articles by well experienced authors and those who have expertise in the related fields. The corresponding author of the review articles must be one of the authors of at least three articles appearing in the references. These articles must include a structured abstract of no more than 250 words, a main text of 4500 words including up to 4 tables and/or figures and 60 references.

 

3. Short communications

Short communications are brief reports of research works containing new findings, which consists of Abstract (an unstructured abstract of no more than 200 words), the body of manuscript, acknowledgement and references. The body of manuscript should also included Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements and references and are not exceeding a total words of 2500, 3 tables and 30 References.

 

4. Commentary

A commentary has in-depth knowledge of a topic or present criticism on a previously published article and is eager to present a new and/or unique viewpoint on existing problems, fundamental concepts, or prevalent notions, or wants to discuss the implications of a newly implemented innovation. A commentary may also draw attention to current advances and speculate on future directions of a certain topic, and may include original data as well as state a personal opinion. It should has a short title that emphasizes the key message. There is no need to an abstract. Its length should be around 1000-1500 words and one or two tables and figures are allowed. The references should not be more than 20.

 

5. Case report

Case report is published only if the report is of exceptional interest. The case report consists of Abstract (an structured abstract of no more than 200 words), Introduction, Case presentation, Discussion, Acknowledgements and References. Case reports must not exceed 1,000 words and 10 references as well as 4 tables and/or figures.

 

6. Editorial

Editorial is an opinion piece published as an article that often reflects the opinion of the journal. It is written by the editor-in-chief or the senior editorial staff of the publication, emphasizing upon their view on matters they consider being important for the benefit of their readership. Such articles are evaluated by the editorial board of a publication prior to publishing. These articles should be between 500 to 1000 words, with a maximum of 8 references.

 

7. Letter to the editor

Letter to the Editor is a letter received from the readership of a publication that addresses concerns and issues deemed as important. Mostly, it is a question or challenge to an article published recently. Letters must be received within 3-6 month of publication of the article to which they refer and should be no longer than 500 words with up to 5 references.

 

D. Manuscript Preparation

All manuscripts submitted to JMRH should adhere to the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” which have been explained in the following instructions. Manuscripts should be concise and typed double-spaced in a font size of at least 12 points, double spaced with margins of at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) saved as Microsoft Word® 2007 format. Journal titles cited in the references must be conformed to the abbreviations used in Index Medicus and follow the Vancouver style as shown below. Manuscripts should be accompanied by a covering letter indicating that the final manuscript has been seen and approved by all the authors. The covering letter should also note the type of manuscript submitted (original article, review article, short communication, case report, or letter to the editor).

 

Details of manuscript structure

The manuscript should have the following sections: Title page, Abstract, Main Body, Acknowledgement, References, Figures and Tables. Each part should begin on a new page in the following sequence:

 

1. The title page: A title page should be indicating the manuscript title plus the full names and affiliations of all authors involved in the preparation of the manuscript. One author should be designated as the corresponding author and full contact information including phone number and email address should be provided for this author. At the end of the title page, a  short running title not more than 40 characters (including letters and spaces), a word count for the main text (excluding abstract, acknowledgments and references), a separate word count for the abstract and total number of figures and tables should be expressed.

 

2. The Abstract: The recommended format for a structured abstract, with the following headings for an original article including Background & Aims, Methods, Results and Conclusion followed by maximum 5 Keywords at the foot of the abstract chosen from the last version of the Medical Subject Heading (MESH).

 

3. Introduction: This section should be concise and clear, giving relevant details and background and aims, providing a rational to the study. The objective of the study and the main questions and their significance should be clearly stated. Only directly pertinent references should be provided. No data or conclusions from the work should be reported. 

 

4. Methods: The Methods section should describe the research methodology in sufficient detail that other researchers could reasonably to be able to duplicate the work. Study design and sampling along with selection and description of participants (inclusion and exclusion criteria) should be explained. Methods of collecting data including instruments, questionnaires, interviews, etc. should be elaborated. If equipment is used, its manufacturer’s name and address should be given. Statistical analysis should be described by specifying the computer software employed and statistical tests used. Moreover, it is necessary to mention if the study has been conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki, and that the subjects have read and signed the informed consent. Reports of randomized clinical trials should include a completed CONSORT checklist (available at: http://consort-statement.org/resources/downloads).

 

5. Results: The Results section should present the findings in appropriate detail in the form of text, tables and figures. Tables should be used only when they can present information more efficiently than running text. They should be self-explanatory and clearly designed.The contents of the tables should not be all repeated in the text. Figures should be provided only if they improve the article. Tables and figures should be restricted to those explaining the argument of the paper and providing supporting data. All the tables and figures should be organized in separate pages after References while their location should be mentioned in the main text. Do not submit tables as photograph.

 

6. Discussion: The Discussion section should be used to critically appraise the implications of the main findings as well as giving possible explanation for those findings and their limitations and to compare them with other relevant studies discussing discrepancies and similarities. The strength and weaknesses of the study should be discussed and recommendations for future research and clinical practice should be given.

 

7. Conclusion: In this section the new and important aspects of the study should be emphasized. It must be mentioned whether the hypothesis mentioned in the article is true, false or no conclusions can be derived.

 

8. Acknowledgements: This part should include a statement thanking those who assisted substantially with work relevant to the study. It should include persons who provided technical help or writing assistance and the departments that only provided general support. Grant support should also be included in this section. It is mandatory to report the organization approving the project, project assigned number, the full name of the organization which has provided the financial support for the project. This includes providers of supplies and services from a commercial organization.

 

9. Conflict of Interest: Any conflict of interest (financial or personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within) and sources of financial support must be listed in this part. This includes providers of supplies and services from a commercial organization. Any commercial affiliation must be disclosed, regardless of whether they provide the funding or not.

 

10. References: References should be given in the Vancouver style and numbered consecutively in the order which they are first mentioned in the text. Citation in the text should be in line with text in parenthesis with Arabic numbering style. The titles of the journals should be provided completely according to the style used in the list of Journals Indexed in MEDLINE. Write surname and initials of all authors when there are six or less. In the case of seven or more authors, the names of first six authors followed by “et al.” should be written. The reference of information must be based on the following order:

 

a. Journal article (With 6 or less authors)

Hammarberg K, Johnson L, Petrillo T. Gamete and embryo donation and surrogacy in Australia: The social context and regulatory framework. International Journal of Fertility & Sterility 2011; 4(4):176-183.

 

b. Journal article (With more than 6 authors)

Byers E S, Sears HA, Weaver AD, Cohen JN, Voyer SD, Thurlow JL, et al. An adolescent perspective on sexual health education at school and at home: I. high school students. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality 2003; 12(1):1-17. 

 

c. Book

Glanz K, Rimer Bk, Wisvanath K. Health Behavior and Health Education: Theory, Research, and Practice. 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass; 2008.  

 

d. Book chapter

Burns LH, Covington SN. Psychology of infertility. In: Burns LH, Covington SN, editors. Infertility counselling: A comprehensive handbook for clinicians. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University press; 2006; P. 1-19.

 

e. Epub; Article by DOI

Nicolaides KH, Wright D, Poon LC, Syngelaki A, Gil M. First-trimester contingent screening for trisomy 21 by biomarkers and maternal blood cell-free DNA testing. Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2013 Jun 7. doi: 10.1002/uog.12511

 

f. Online document

United Nations Fund population (UNFPA). Comprehensive sexuality education: Giving young people the information, skills and knowledge they need. Available from: http://unfpa.org/public/home/adolescents/pid/6483 (accessed 29 August 2011).

 

g. Conference Paper

Kiesel L., Sonntag B. Early pregnancy loss, is there any treatment? Can progesterone help? In Proceedings of the 4th World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics Gynecology and Infertility, 2003 April 24-27; Berlin, Germany. p.315.

 

h. Abstract published in journal

Amini rad O.The antioxidantal effect of pomegranate juice on sperm parameters and fertility potential in mice. Cell Journal (Yakhteh). 2008; 10 Suppl 1:38.

 

i. Thesis

Bakhireva L. Asthma control in pregnancy and selected drug therapy in relation to prenatal outcomes. Presented for the Ph.D., California. University of California. 2007. 

 

Abbreviations and symbols: Abbreviations should be defined where first mentioned in the text. Please use the international and standard abbreviations and symbols .Standard units of measurements and chemical symbols of elements do not need to be defined. Avoid using them in title and abstract.

 

E. Submission Process

Contributions should be in English.All manuscripts should be submitted online using online submission system at http://jmrh.mums.ac.ir. You need to sign up and log into the system for submission of your manuscript. Please follow the on screen instructions during submission. After completion of manuscript submission, you can track the status of the manuscript by logging into the system. For any further enquiry you can send an email to jmrh@mums.ac.ir.

 

F. Copyright

Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the Journal and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written permission of the Editor. Upon acceptance of an article, the corresponding author on behalf of all authors will be asked to complete and sign Journal of Midwifery & Reproductive Health Copyright Assignment Form, which is available Here

 

G. Peer Review Policy

All submitted research articles to this journal will be undergoing rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and reviewing and then anonymous reviewing by independent reviewers.

 

H. Peer Review Process

All submissions will be reviewed anonymously by at least three independent referees. All manuscripts will be acknowledged upon presenting to the Journal office, provided that all stated requirements are met. Authors are encouraged to suggest names of three expert reviewers, but selection remains a prerogative of the Editor. The whole review process depends on receiving referees comments and revising the manuscripts based on these comments to the author. On receipt of the revised article from the author, and after final approving by referees, the letter of acceptance is issued to the author. Authors have the right to communicate to the editor if they do not wish their manuscript to be reviewed by a particular reviewer because of potential conflicts of interest.

 

J. Proof

Authors are sent page proofs for checking the production editor after acceptance of the manuscript. Proofs are sent by e-mail as PDF files and should be checked and returned within 48 hours of receipt. It is the authors’ responsibility to check that all the text and data as contained in the page proofs are correct and suitable for publication. We request that authors pay particular attention to the author's names and affiliations as it is essential that these details are accurate when the manuscript is published.

 

J.Publication Fees

Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health does not charge authors any article processing charge (APC) upon acceptance to cover operational, editorial, marketing, archiving, and customer service costs. However, please note that the charge of English edition by native editors should be paid by the authors personally, and the journal has no responsibility in this regard and just will request the English editing certificate. Authorized editing services would be introduced by the journal office to the authors on their request.

Please make sure that a copy of your certificate has been sent through journal’s Editorial Manager as a jpg file or alternatively sent it by e-mail to jmrh@mums.ac.ir.