Instructions for Authors
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.
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 They report previously unpublished works and classified as primary literature.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.
C. Study protocols
Study protocol articles will only be considered for proposed or ongoing clinical research that provide a detailed account of the objectives/ hypothesis, rationale and methodology of the study in the format of an original research article. We encourage authors to submit their study protocols in advance of participant recruitment completion and confirm the study status within the cover letter. Additionally, we may not consider study protocols where authors have other articles published or under consideration relating to the same protocol. Please note that study protocols without full external peer review as part of the funding process or ethics approval may not be considered for publication. Proof of both ethics and funding will be required, and we recommend that authors provide the relevant documentation on submission and declare them in Declarations section of the manuscript. The study protocol will undergo editorial peer review by the handling editor and/or may send for additional peer review.
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 series
Case report/Case series is published only if the report is of exceptional interest. The case report consists of Abstract (a structured abstract of no more than 200 words), Introduction, Case presentation, Discussion, Declarations and References. Case reports must not exceed 1,000 words and 10 references as well as 4 tables and/or figures.
Case series should consist of at least 3 or more (up to 10) clinical cases/patients with the same clinical condition. It has the same structure of the case report unless it should include a description of each case/ patient’s presentation, diagnostic work-up, interventions, and outcomes (Patient 1, Patient 2, etc.). Case series must not exceed 2,000 words and 15 references as well as 6 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.
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. Declarations
All manuscripts must contain the following sections under the heading of 'Declarations':
Acknowledgements: This part should include a statement thanking those who assisted substantially with work relevant to the study, but does not meet the criteria for authorship. 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. Authors should obtain permission to acknowledge from all those mentioned in the Acknowledgements section. If you do not have anyone to acknowledge, please write "Not applicable" in this section.
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.
Ethical Considerations: Manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must address ethical considerations. Please state that informed consent was obtained from all human adult participants and from the parents or legal guardians of minors. Also, address the issues of confidentiality and anonymity of the data and the participants’ privacy and their right to withdraw from the study without any prejudice. If your manuscript does not report on or involve the use of any animal or human data or tissue, please state “Not applicable” in this section.
Code of Ethics: In all manuscripts the name of the ethics committee that approved the study as well as ethics committee’s reference number or the code of ethics should be addressed.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any step of manuscript preparation is in agreement with the COPE position statement. Authors could use AI to support different aspects of manuscript preparation including drafting, grammar checking to improve the language and readability, to produce images, or content generation. It is essential that the final content is thoroughly reviewed by the authors and they are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript. Authors are required to disclose any utilization of AI tools (how and which AI tools have been used) at the end of the manuscript. The authors could use the following format of declaration: “We acknowledge the use of [AI tool name] to [write the X section] OR We have not used any AI tools or technologies to prepare this manuscript”.
Funding: All sources of funding for the research reported should be declared. If the funder has a specific role in the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript, this should be declared.
Authors' contributions: The individual contributions of all authors to the manuscript should be specified in this section. Please use initials to refer to each author's contribution in this section.For example in research studies it could be written in the following manner: ‘EI and RLR contributed substantially in the conception and design of the study. XX and XX carried out the data collection. XX analysed and interpreted the data. XX drafted the manuscript. XX reviewed the manuscript critically for important intellectual content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved’.
9. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
All articles published in JMRH are open access and freely available online, immediately upon publication. This is made possible by an article-processing charge (APC) of ) of 15,000,000 Iranian Rials (IRR), which will be charged from the beginning of May 2025 to cover article production and hosting, provision of online tools for editors and authors, liaison with abstracting and indexing services, and customer services.
Upon editorial acceptance of an article, the corresponding author will be notified that payment is due. The publication of the accepted manuscript will be done when author has already paid the publication fee through the journal website.
Invited articles, guest editorials, case reports, and letters to the editor are exempt from article charges. Additionally, these charges apply only to accepted articles by Iranian authors. JMRH automatically grants a 100% waiver on article processing charges for international (overseas) authors.