Guidelines

The BMC journal of medical sciences is an open-access, peer-reviewed multi-disciplinary medical and dentistry journal, Public Health & Medical Education, published by Bannu Medical College KPK. The BMC Journal of Medical Sciences is a bi-annually double-blind multi-peer-reviewed journal that serves as a forum for the dissemination of scientific knowledge in all branches of medicine and surgery, as well as their allied sciences, and the publication of scientific research in these fields.

Note: If  the author(s) face any technical difficulties during the upload process of manuscript submission, please send it to this email address which incudes the following documents( Manuscript, Ethical approval letter, Undertaking form): [email protected]

Authors Guidelines

  1. Aim of the journal
  2. Readership and scope
  3. Manuscript formatting
  4. Manuscript Submission
  5. Original Article, Review Articles, Short Communications, Letter to Editor, Case Reports and Case Series:
  6. Ethical considerations
  7. References
  8. Conflict of Interest
  9. Authors Contributions
  10. Acknowledgements
  11. Letter from Ethical Review Committee
  12. Word limits and number of references
  13. Scientific Reporting Guidelines
  14. APC and Publication charges

Aim of the journal

The journal's aim is to develop a medical research culture in Pakistan. As a result, we invite young researchers, whether students, M. Phil/Ph.D Scholars, or professionals, to submit their manuscripts to the BMC Journal of Medical Sciences. We strongly encourage submissions of human studies.

Readership and scope

Readers across a wide range of medical disciplines and sectors; basic and phase I/II clinical research articles in all biomedical specialties, including Autoimmunity, Gastroenterology, Immunology, Metabolism, Nephrology, Neuroscience, Oncology, Pulmonology, Vascular Biology, and many others like;

 

  • Aging
  • AIDS/HIV
  • Angiogenesis
  • Artificial Intelligence in Medical Applications
  • Autoimmunity
  • Bone Biology
  • Cardiology
  • Cell biology
  • Clinical trials
  • Dermatology
  • Endocrinology
  • Gastroenterology
  • Genetics
  • Hematology
  • Hepatology
  • Immunology
  • Infectious disease
  • Inflammation
  • Metabolism
  • Medical Education
  • Microbiology
  • Muscle biology
  • Nephrology
  • Neuroscience
  • Nursing
  • Oncology
  • Ophthalmology
  • Obstetrics & Gynaecology
  • Otology
  • Pulmonology
  • Physiotherapy
  • Public Health
  • Reproductive biology
  • Stem cells
  • Therapeutics
  • Transplantation
  • Vaccines
  • Vascular biology
  • Virology

BMC Journal of Medical Sciences follows the ICMJE guidelines “Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly work" in medical journals; available at: http://icmje.org/recommendations/

Manuscript formatting

The manuscript should be very revealing, systematically referenced and straightforwardly readable with fluency of language. All manuscripts should have double spacing with A-4 size page setting and one inch (25 mm) margin on both sides.

Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts for the BMC Journal of Medical Sciences should be submitted using the journal's online submission system at http://bmcjms.org/index.php/bmcjms. During the submission and peer-review process, the author, who is usually the corresponding author, is able to take responsibility for the paper. The corresponding author is committed to ensuring that all co-authors have read and approved the final version of the paper before it is submitted. To submit a work, the author must first register and login to the OJS.

In case of any difficulty/ problem through the online submission, article may be submitted via mail on

Email: [email protected]

Editorial

The editorial is written by a well-known expert in their field or a member of the editorial board at the editor's request. The editorial is a brief overview or comment on current medical and health-related issues.

Original Article

Maximum length, 3000 words (all text inclusive of title, abstract, figures, tables & references.

Title: The title should be explicit, descriptive and as brief as possible, Clear, concise, and limited to  words, including conjunctions.

 Structured Abstract: This section should be a clear, concise, and accurate summary of not more than 250 words, with no abbreviations or citations, and should describe the study's objective, study design, location, and duration, methods, results, conclusions, and keywords, which should contain no more than six Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Choose keywords that are significant and relevant. The abstract should be concise and focused on the main objectives and results/conclusions of the research work; it should provide the reader with a clear picture of what has been achieved.

Introduction: This section should explicitly clarify what was examined and why, as well as how it relates to previous work in the topic, especially previous 10 years international literature. Any necessary background information should provide context to readers in other disciplines to ensure that the implications of the experimental findings can be understood by researchers outside the authors’ area of research.

Methodology: It should contain the place of the study, patient population and the methodology of the study in detail technique, procedure / investigation clearly explained. Inclusion and exclusion Criteria, This section should also explain statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the results and sample size calculation method should be clearly explained with reference study.

Results: Present results using text, tables, and illustrations. Use the format that provides the information in the most brief and straightforward way possible. Tables and illustrations should be referred to in the text rather than being repeated (e.g., detailed information should not be given in both the text and tables). Images and Figures may be sent in the form of JPG, PNG. Images of MRI and CT scans that patient identity like name and date should not be mentioned. Tables and Figures: 3 tables/ 3 figures are allowed and may be increased, depends upon the research work. Legends and footnotes should be included in the tables.

Discussion: It includes the comparison of results with other studies, and specifically in the light of relevant literature. Highlight the unique and important aspects of your study and place your findings in the perspective of the entire body of significant evidence. Don't duplicate statistics or other material from other portions of the paper, such as in the Introduction or the results section. Repetition of results should be avoided. References should be cited in sequential order.

Conclusion: It may be included to briefly summarize the net result of your study.
References: The references should be listed as they appear in the text. It should contain the name of the authors, title of the article, source with its volume, number, year of publication and the page numbers. All references should be enlisted in Vanocur style. The following web addresses can be logged on for various sources that can be used for reference/ citation purposes.

https://guides.library.uq.edu.au/referencing/vancouver/introduction
Details of how to cite references can be found at ICMJE website. (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/manuscript-preparation/preparing-for-submission.html).

Review Articles

Review articles are usually invited manuscripts from experts in different fields. Topics from current problems or advancements in the field of medicine are usually chosen. Word limit is 5000 words, with no limit on references, tables or figures.

Short Communications

Short communication is a research manuscript on a novel and interesting topic. It may be an abbreviated research paper which cannot be included in the “original papers” section. Word limit is 1500 words.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis:

Good systematic reviews and meta analysis are at the top of evidence pyramid. Systematic reviews and meta analysis about important topics will be accepted by the journal provided they fulfil the PRISMA checklist available from http://www.prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/PRISMAStatement.aspx. Word limit is 3500 words excluding headings and references.

Letter to Editor:

This is a short opinion written usually about any of the articles published in BMC Journal of Medical Sciences. Preference would be given to objective critique of recent articles. Word limit is 400 words, excluding headings and references.

Case Reports and Case Series:

Although, case reports and case series are considered at the bottom of the evidence pyramid, nevertheless they can be a great source of knowledge for rare diseases. These can be a fantastic place to start for new researchers, hence the BMC journal of Medical Sciences will welcome case reports and series submissions. Publish 1-2 case reports in a single issue. Maximum word limit for case reports is 1500 words. These reports should comprise of :

  • Abstract: It should be a non structured abstract, summarising the case report. It should not exceed 200 words.
  • Introduction: A brief background of the case or the disease.
  • Case presentation: The actual case, clinical presentation, management and outcome.
  • Discussion: This should include the context in which the case is being reported.
  • References: Maximum 10 references in Vancouver style, preferably from the last five years.

Ethical considerations

Protocols for research projects involving human subjects or animals must have been approved by a suitably constituted Ethics Committee of the institution.

  1. Conflict of Interest: During the submission of the manuscript, all the financial assistance must be disclosed. Authors must be explicit of the potential conflicts that may or may not exist during the work done. The authors of study funded by an agency with financial interest in the outcome must sign a statement that they had full excess to all data in the study and are responsible for the integrity and accuracy of the data analysis. This statement should be submitted along with the manuscript.

Authors Contributions: Authors should meet the following conditions in line with ICMJE guidelines:

  1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
  2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
  4. Agreement 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.

An author should meet all of the above criteria.

Acknowledgements: It should include all the contributors of the study who do not meet the criteria for authorship. This may include, but not limited to technical helpers, writing assistance and institutional assistance that only provided general support. Financial and material support should also be acknowledged. Individuals contributed in sample collection who do not meet authorship criteria can be listed as “clinical investigators” or “scientific advisors”.

  1. Proof Reading: For proof reading, the final version of manuscript is sent to the corresponding author before publication.

Note: All articles submitted to BMC journal must only be submitted to this journal and may not have been published elsewhere in part or total. The authors will be requested to sign an agreement to give the copyright to the publishers.

LETTER FROM ETHICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE:

Approval certificates / letter from Institutional Review Board / Biomedical Ethical Committee / Ethical Review Committee are necessary for acceptance of articles.

Word limits and number of references:

Word limit for submission of each manuscript is as under excluding Abstract & References

Manuscript Type

Word limit

References

Original Article

3000

20-25

Review Article

4000-4500

35-50

Case Report

2000

10

Short communication/Letter to the editor

1500

5-10

Scientific Reporting Guidelines

Authors are recommended to consult following scientific reporting guidelines while writing and compiling the research and manuscript. The guidelines developed by EQUATOR Network, which are available online for each type of study design. Authors can use following checklists for each study design:
STROBE for observational studies in epidemiology (cross-sectional, cohort & case-control);
ORION for infection control intervention studies; REMARK for tumour marker prognostic studies; STREGA for genetic association studies;
CONSORT for randomized control trials;
TREND for non-randomized controlled trials;
STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;
GRRAS for reliability and agreement studies;
PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
SPIRIT for study protocols;
MOOSE for meta-analysis of observational Studies; 
SRQR for qualitative research studies; 
COREQ for qualitative research; 
SQUIRE for quality improvement studies and TRIPOD for multivariate prediction models. 

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies:
https://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=strobe-home

See link below for more information:
https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/strobe/ 

 

APC and Publication charges

BMC journal of Medical Sciences Charge Rs,10,000/- (Non Refundable) per  Article publication fee. 

Editorial Policies

Editorial Review Process
Reviewers make a decision 
DUPLICATE PUBLICATION
Registration of clinical trials.
Digital Preservation
Plagiarism 
Manuscript Retraction Policy
Appeals and Complaints
Scientific Misconduct 
OPEN ACCESS POLICY:
LICENSE TERMS:

Editorial Review Process

  • Each manuscript is reviewed by one or more Members of the Editorial Committee and, where additional expert input is required. The initial scrutiny is comprised of supporting documents attached by the author during submission, Plagiarism checking, bio statistics review and quality of the paper. After passing the first acceptance criteria, your paper is forwarded to peer-reviewers in your field for feedback before being approved by the journal's Editor-in-Chief.. Once your article is accepted, we will process it for publication.

Editors, Editorial Committee Members, and Annual Reviews staff treat submitted manuscripts and all communication with authors as confidential. Authors and Reviewers must also treat communication with the journal as confidential.

  • For each article published in a journal, reviewers are requested to evaluate the following:
  • Whether or not the article will be useful to a wide readership. The objective is for all papers to be valuable to specialists, other scholars, instructors, and students.
  • Whether the citations broad and representative of the published primary literature.
  • Whether the abstract represents the whole article and is informative.
  • Whether the article well organized and easy to read.
  • Whether the illustrations and tables are effective.

Reviewers make a decision to:

  • Accept the article and publish with minor to moderate revisions;
  • Request significant revision followed by another review; or
  • Reject the article; Reviewers can recommend whether the author may resubmit or not.
  • If an external Reviewer is consulted or an article is recommended for rejection, the Editor(s) makes the final decision about publication. If an article is rejected, the Editor(s) communicates the reasons for rejection to the author, and indicates if a substantial revision and resubmission is welcome.

DUPLICATE PUBLICATION
Manuscripts are considered for publication with the understanding that they have not been published, simultaneously submitted, or previously accepted for publication elsewhere when they are submitted to the BMC journal of Medical Sciences.

Registration of clinical trials. 

Clinical trials should generally be registered in accordance with the criteria outlined by the ICMJE, including the June 2007 update. Authors should provide the trial registration number in the Acknowledgments section and provide a link to the trial registration, to be cited as a reference.

For more information, please see the Consensus Statement on Mandatory Clinical Trial Registration, adopted by the members of the Surgery Journal Editors Group, published in the April 2007 issue of the Annals of Surgery (245(4): 505-506), which is available online at http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1877041

Currently, there are six registries approved by the ICMJE:
clinicaltrials.gov/
www.ISRCTN.org
www.who.int/ictrp/about/details/en/index.html
www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index/htm/
www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp
www.anzctr.org.au/default.aspx

Authors are encouraged to actively promote their research work to their global network of colleagues and contacts around the world. Our suite of resources are available to help you engage with your readership, increase your visibility and make your article more discoverable online.

Digital Preservation

BMC journal of Medical Sciences is deposited in the following digital archives to guarantee long-term digital preservation:
PKPLN OJS, CLOCKSS (journals) Portico (apply soon)

Plagiarism 

BMC journal of Medical Sciences uses Turnitin plagiarism software to find out any plagiarism in the received manuscripts.

Manuscript Retraction Policy

In case the author wants to retract the manuscript during processing, they should email the editor in chief stating the reason of the withdrawal. Manuscript will not be considered withdrawn unless all authors receive a formal letter of withdrawal from editor in chief.

Appeals and Complaints

If an author believes their manuscript has been incorrectly rejected, an appeal letter can be submitted by responding to the decision email directly or contacting [email protected]

Scientific Misconduct 

BMC journal of Medical Sciences follows the guidelines of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and Pakistan Association of Medical Editors (PAME). JHSCR discourages falsification and fabrication of data, plagiarism, misappropriation of ideas of others, improprieties of authorship and violation of generally accepted research practices. Authors involved in scientific misconduct may be black listed and barred from further submissions.

OPEN ACCESS POLICY:

BMC journal of Medical Sciences  supports the open access initiative “to provide unrestricted access to scientific literature for rapid dissemination of recent updates in various disciplines of science and technology”. The contents of Journal will be freely available online.

LICENSE TERMS:

BMC journal of Medical Sciences follows "CC BY NC "creative commons" licensing. For more details visit the website (http://creativecommons.org/).