Authors are requested to submit the manuscripts to the SciTeMed journals as per the classifications below. In sending the manuscripts, kindly mention the article type in the title page (above article title). The manuscript’s category will then be classified by our editors and editorial coordinators once it is submitted to the journals.
Original Articles
Original Research is a scientific report of the results from an original clinical research. There is no word limit for original articles. However, original articles must have 2,000 to 5,000 words. When submitting your original article, please note the following guidelines.
Review Articles
Authors should review topics of contemporary interest and importance, and ideally address controversial issues by broaching both sides of the controversy. The review should emphasize the best evidence currently available. Review articles cover a wide variety of areas including science, technology, and medicine. Original data should not be contained in review articles. In addition to narrative reviews, we encourage authors to submit systematic meta-analysis. Systematic review articles should follow the standard format as explained in the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) document. There are no restrictions on word count or number of figures. Nevertheless, we encourage authors to draft manuscripts concisely. A brief review on books is also welcome.
Case Reports
Case Reports must: (1) describe original entity or report new presentation of a known disease, (2) report a new perspective of case which poses a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, or (3) identify a clinical pearl or clinical wisdom that could benefit future patients. Case Reports may provide a comprehensive review of similar cases and point out the differences between present case and previous ones. Case reports should include the following sections: abstract, introduction, case report, discussion, conclusion, and references. There are no limits on word count, number of figures, or amount of supporting information. However, we encourage you to present and discuss the significant findings of your case concisely.
Images
Images (illustrations or photographs) should capture the sense of visual discovery and variety that clinicians experience. The figures may include clinical images, radiology images (e.g. sonography, CT, MRI, PET, SPECT), pathology images (histopathology, cytopathology, hematopathology) or a series of images of a procedure or event. The legend should not contain more than 500 words.
Editorials
Editorials are usually solicited and written by the SciTeMed Editors on a variety of subjects of interest to the Journal readers. They may include 1 figure or table. They are typically shorter than one page.
Rapid Communications
This section is committed to rapid publication of short papers that present original and significant material. Rapid communications address new ideas, controversial opinions, or even negative results. Articles should be concise with minimum references. The word count should not exceed 2000 words. Manuscripts need not be formally structured as are full papers, but should provide sufficient methods and data necessary for vivid comprehension. SciTeMed focuses on the speedy dissemination of important work. Authors can contact managing editors for submission of rapid communications. Upon receipt, they will be promptly assessed, and if accepted, published with priority.
Ideas and Innovations
The type of article should propose innovative ideas that may influence scientific research, healthcare delivery, technique, education, or public policy. A considerate review of the relevant literature of the issue is required to support an argument that current ideas, theories, concepts, or practices need to be changed to gain potential benefit. The abstract should convey the the novelty and significance of the topic, the importance of the idea or innovation, and the clarity of the argument and conclusions. There are no restrictions on word count, nevertheless, we encourage authors to draft manuscripts concisely.
How I Do It
The type of article should present a novel method, test, procedure, or surgical technique. The article needs to offer an innovative idea or way of doing something new, different, and better than those that have existed in clinical practice. Originality and quality of illustrations are essential ingredients. There are no restrictions on word count.
Video Articles
SciTeMed journals provide a video article section designed to be presented as a detailed "how to" multimedia manual for clinical procedures or surgeries. The type of publication should offer a unique, substantive approach to an existing clinical practice. Originality and quality of illustrations are essential ingredients. Authors should submit a manuscript (video article) that contains the following sections: introduction, indications, procedures, potential complications, and discussion. Key pictures captured from the videos need to be included in the manuscript. There are no restrictions on word count or number of figures. However, the video article should be easy to read and should be quick way to review clinical pearls. The authors should provide legends of pictures and videos. Any video clip over 30 seconds in length must have English-language narration or subtitles.
Video Abstracts
Authors are encouraged to submit a video abstract along with any type of article. Video abstracts display videos of authors explaining their research in their own words. It helps authors connect and communicate with readers in a engaging way. It also helps the readers understand the authors’ ideas as well as the contents of the articles.
Perspectives, opinions, and commentaries
These scholarly articles should express a personal opinion or a new perspective about a previous research on a particular topic. Authors need to have in-depth knowledge of the topic they choose. These articles do not follow a strict structure as long as the ideas flow logically. Basically, these articles may have an abstract (about 150 words), an introduction, a few paragraphs in the body, and a conclusion. There is no limit to the length of these articles; we however encourage the authors to draft the article concisely with a word count of 1500-2000 words or fewer.
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor provide a forum for readers to comment about articles recently published in the SciTeMed journals. They also provide a place for authors to publish brief articles, such as reports of original cases. Despite having no required limit to the length of these articles, we suggest that letters to the Editor do not exceed 500 words (excluding references).
Other article types
We also welcome other article types, such as photo quiz, conference summaries, or books reviews. Before submitting a manuscript, please send a Presubmission Inquiry to our Editorial Office (submit@scitemed.com).
Articles for submission must be previously unpublished and in English. Papers should be well-written, precise and clear. It is important that papers be copy-edited carefully before submission. Before you submit your manuscript, go back and review your title, keywords and abstract. These elements are keys to ensuring that readers will be able to find your article online. One simple thing you can do to improve your article’s visibility, proper indexing and cross-linking, is to specify the full names of all authors.
Authors are requested to submit the manuscripts as per the following criteria which will help us assess the manuscript before sending it for the review process. Please note that required documents not submitted during the initial submission may cause delay in processing the article.
Title page
Abstract
Abstracts should be informative and completely self-explanatory where topics must be briefly presented. The abstract should summarize the research content in 300 words or less.
Keywords
3-5 keywords are required following the abstract.
Text
When submitting your manuscript, please take note of the SciTeMed guidelines. Please see the section of Article Types for formatting requirements. Manuscripts that do not adhere to the instructions will be returned to their corresponding authors for technical revision before undergoing peer review.
References
Start the reference list on a separate page after the acknowledgment. The authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references. Each reference should be identified in the text in numerical order. Each reference number should be enclosed in square brackets, eg [1] or [1,2,3] or [1-3]. When formatting references, list all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list the first three, followed by “et al.” Any articles that are not in English must be translated. The following are sample references:
File Format
We accept only DOC file formats. Microsoft Word documents should not be locked or protected. Do not submit PDF’s of your text.
Language
Manuscripts must be submitted in English.
Manuscript Length
There is no restriction in manuscript length or word count, number of figures and supporting information. Still, we encourage you to present and discuss your findings concisely.
Font style and size
Times New Roman and 12-point type.
Layout
Manuscript text should be double-spaced.
Units of Measurement
Authors should express all measurements in conventional units, with Système International (SI) units given in parentheses throughout the text.
Abbreviations
Do not use non-standard abbreviations unless they appear at least three times in the text. Define abbreviations at first mention in the text and in each table and figure. Keep abbreviations to a minimum.
Figures
Authors are requested to send the figures in JPEG or TIFF. The dimensions should be as follows: width (789-2250 pixels at 300 dpi) and height (maximum 2625 pixels at 300 dpi). Figures should be submitted at the desired dimensions with a resolution no greater than 300-600 dpi. Submit files at a size of 10 MB or less. The authors should provide figure legend that contains no more than 100 words. Figures cannot be embedded in Microsoft programs as this decreases resolution size. While preparing the manuscript, please make sure that you are citing the figures at the relevant places in the text. If images of patients are used, either the subjects should not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the figure.
Tables
Begin each table on a separate page. Tables must be submitted in Word table format. Tables should be placed on separate pages and be numbered in the proper order of their mention in the text. Provide a brief title for each table, and define any abbreviations in table footnotes.
Videos
Videos can be submitted as supplementary materials in any types of article. For examplae, videos can be submitted along with original articles or images. A video file submitted for consideration for publication should be in complete and final format and at as high a resolution as possible. Any editing of the video will be the responsibility of the author. SciTeMed supports several kinds of video file, including the following common formats: MOV, MP4 (MPEG4), AVI, WMV, FLV, 3GP, MPEGPS, and WebM. The video aspect ratio should be set as 4:3 or 16:9 (widescreen). Please use H.264 for the video codec. The video file should be prepared with the resolution no less than 1280x720 (720p). The frame rate should be between 25-60 frames/sec. The bitrate should be 5 Mbps or higher. The information of patients should be deleted from the video. The file size should be less than 2 GB. You can compress large video files by using Handbrake, a free software. Please submit your videos via: www.wetransfer.com.
Papers submitted to our journals will be screened for plagiarism using CrossCheck/iThenticate plagiarism detection tool. Apart from that we check with Copyscape for plagiarism, we will immediately reject papers leading to plagiarism or self-plagiarism.
Plagiarism
Adapted from Bella H. Plagiarism. Saudi J Med Med Sci 2014;2:127. [Article Link]
"Plagiarism is the use of others' published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. The intent and effect of plagiarism is to mislead the reader as to the contributions of the plagiarizer. This applies whether the ideas or words are taken from abstracts, research grant applications, Institutional Review Board applications, or unpublished or published manuscripts in any publication format. Plagiarism is scientific misconduct and should be addressed as such.
Self-plagiarism refers to the practice of an author using portions of their previous writings on the same topic in another of their publications, without specifically citing it formally in quotes. This practice is widespread and sometimes unintentional, as there are only so many ways to say the same thing on many occasions, particularly when writing the methods section of an article. Although this usually violates the copyright that has been assigned to the publisher, there is no consensus as to whether this is a form of scientific misconduct, or how many of one's own words one can sue before it is truly "plagiarism." Probably for this reason self-plagiarism is not regarded in the same light as plagiarism of ideas and words of other individuals. If journals have developed a policy on this matter, it should be clearly stated for authors."
Direct plagiarism is the plagiarism of the text. Mosaic plagiarism is the borrowing of ideas and opinions from an original source and a few verbatim words or phrases without crediting the author.
Authors can adhere to the following steps to report plagiarism:
Plagiarism could be detected using Google search engine or one of two programs; iThenticate or Turnitin.
SciTeMed makes use of a user-friendly Manuscript Tracking System where Authors can submit their manuscripts directly online and see the progress of the submitted manuscripts. Submit your manuscript at: https://www.scitemed.com/manuscript
Once you go through the above link, you can register as Author by filling all the required fields and then select the type of journal you would like to submit from the “Choose Journal” option. After uploading all the required documents, you will receive an automatic acknowledgement e-mail from the online editorial tracking system that has the information of your user id, password, your article title, journal name, article number, etc. You can check the progress any time by logging into the online editorial tracking system. You will also be notified through e-mail when your article completes each stage.
If you have difficulty in operating the Manuscript Tracking System, you can submit your manuscript to submit@scitemed.com. Please indicate the journal to which you choose to submit your article. Our editorial staff will upload on your behalf and will guide you at every stage of the article processing.
Once the article is submitted to the journal, it has to complete the following 4 stages of processing before being published online: (1) Initial Screening, (2) Assigning to the Editorial Board, (3) Copy-editing, Author Proof & PDF conversion, and (4) Manuscript Publication.
Initial Screening
Minimum of 60% content should be unique. Typically, after a paper is submitted to a journal, a journal editor screens the manuscript and decides whether or not to send it for full peer review. Editors will then go through the abstract and may even skim through the introduction, figures and tables, or other sections of the paper to determine whether the manuscript passes their quality threshold. If the manuscript clearly lies outside the scope of the journal, then a rapid rejection allows the author to quickly find and submit their manuscript to another more appropriate journal.
Assigning to the Editorial Board
Article will be assigned to the journal’s editorial board member who is an expert in the related field.
Peer-review Process
After assigning to the Editorial board member, the Editorial board member will take the initial decision whether to accept the article or reject the article. Once the article is initially accepted by the Editorial board member, he/she will assign the article to the reviewers. At least 2 reviewers will review and give feedback on it before it can be published in the journal.
SciTeMed follows the blind review process for processing the articles. Once the managing editors receive the review comments from the reviewers, the handling Editorial board member will go througth he comments and take the second decision whether to accept or reject the article.
Based on the Editorial board member’s decision, the author will be notified by the managing editors. If the article is sent for minor/major revisions, then authors are requested to revise the manuscript as per the comments and has to submit the revised version (mark the changes with colour for easy notification) along with the response to the review comments within a specified period of time. If Authors require more time for the revision, then they should inform the managing editors before the given revision deadline. Then the managing editors will adjust the schedules of the editors and reviewers for the re-review.
Once authors submit the revised version along with the response to the reviewers’ comments, the article will then be sent back to the reviewers who reviewed it initially and then they will give the response to the handling Editorial board member. If the article is not accepted and further revision is required, the author will be notified to make the changes as per the new comments. If the article is rejected, the reviewers’ and editor’s comments will be sent to the corresponding author.
If the article is accepted, then it will be forwarded to the journal’s respective Editor-in-chief, who will go through the article (i.e. initial submission and revised submission), review comments. The Editor-in-chief will make the final decision whether to accept or reject the article based on the decision of the handling Editorial board member.
Copy-editing, Author Proof & PDF Conversion
Once the article is accepted, it will be forwarded to the copy-editing team. The copy-editing team will prepare/align the manuscripts as per the publisher style and will see if the article contains grammatical errors. If errors are found, then the copy-editors will immediately inform the managing editors and the managing editors will notify the authors to get it resolved. Once the copy-editing is done, the file will be converted into XML and will be forwarded to the production team for PDF generation. After the PDF is generated, the PDF will be forwarded to the Proofreading team to check the PDF version. Once the proofreading is completed, the PDF version will be forwarded to the Author for proof corrections.
SciTeMed offsets publication expenses – including the cost of peer review management, journal production, and online hosting and archiving – by charging an Article Processing Charge, to authors, institutions or funders for each article published.
Publication fees vary by journals and article types. Article Processing Charge are payable upon article acceptance. Fees are subject to change and charged at the applicable rates effective on your submission date. Authors from low-income countries may be granted a waiver. Article Processing Charge waiver is approved on a case-by-case basis.
To avoid unethical withdrawal of a manuscript, we sincerely request the authors, especially the corresponding author, to address the following issues before submitting the manuscript for publication:
Manuscript Withdrawal Charges:
After successful payment for the article processing and publication, your article will be published. SciTeMed offers Online Early View. Online Early View allows final revisions of articles (completed articles in queue for assignment to an upcoming issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a final journal issue which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication.
Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki. Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number. For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal. Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative. Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants. All research involving animals submitted for publication must be approved by an ethics committee with oversight of the facility in which the studies were conducted.
In submitting work to SciTeMed, authors agree to the policies of the journals, including free access and use of the material published in it with, of course, proper acknowledgment of authorship and source. The decision of the editorial board is final. Articles accepted for publication will be copyrighted by SciTeMed. However, authors retain joint copyright status to access and use their published work for future use with proper acknowledgement of said work under SciTeMed publishers where appropriate. Because SciTeMed relies on the generosity of scholars who contribute their time to review articles, we ask that authors not submit their work to other journals at the same time. Papers should only be submitted once consent is given by all contributing authors. The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who (1) made a substantial contribution to the concept and design, acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) draft the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content, and (3) approve the version to be published. Authors should meet the conditions of all the points above. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.
SciTeMed Journals confirm to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.
