Online Submission

MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES

Manuscripts submitted to the MMJ must fall into one of the following categories. The journal will consider the following article types;

• Original Research – reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribution to knowledge (3500 word limit).
• Scholarly Review – critical reviews of the literature, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses (5000 word limit).
• Clinical Research Update
• Case Reports
• Letter to the Editor – are welcomed (1000 word limit).
• Invited Article

Submission Requirements according to Manuscript Category

Research / Original Articles

The articles that present the results of the original research study are considered as research articles. These manuscripts should describe how the research project was conducted and provide a thorough analysis of the results of the project. The length of a full paper should be minimum required to describe and interpret the work clearly. Manuscripts submitted in this category focus primarily on research related to techniques and materials used, or with potential clinical use, in respective field). These manuscripts should have a limit of (2,500 – 3500) words [including abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and acknowledgments; excluding figure legends and references]. It’s volume should not exceed 5000 words or equivalent space including title, summary/abstract, main  body,  references, table(s) and figure(s). In addition, there is a limit of a total of 5 figures and 5  tables.

The research articles should include the following in the order given below:

• Abstract,
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Materials and Methods
• Results including Tables and/or Figures
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• References
• Appendixes [if necessary]
• Abbreviations used [if necessary]
• Systematic reviews and meta-analysis (Systematic reviews may be submitted as research articles.)

Consort Randomized Clinical Trial

Manuscripts in this category must strictly adhere to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials-CONSORT- minimum guidelines for the publication of randomized clinical trials.  These guidelines can be found at consort-statement.org. These manuscripts have a limit of 3,500 words, [including abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and acknowledgments; excluding figure legends and references]. In addition, there is a limit of a total of 5 figures and 5 tables*.

Review Article

A review article provides an overview of the published literature in a particular subject area. Submissions of reviews covering topics of current interest are welcome and encouraged. A review article should contain an abstract, keywords, introduction, methods (including data sources, study selection, and data extraction), results and conclusion, acknowledgment, and references. Submission of reviews and perspective covering topics of current interest are encouraged. Review should be concise within 3000 -3500 words. Reviews should be concise and no longer than 4 to 6 printed pages (about 12 to 18 manuscript pages). It should be focused and must be up to date.

Short Communication

Short Communications are brief reports that present original and significant research and need to be published quickly. It may focus on a hot topic or may have new findings that are expected to have a significant impact on a current problem. Short communications are expected to have a higher than average impact. Short communications are in length less than 1000 words.

Case reports

Case Report/Clinical Technique in this category can be report of an unusual clinical case or the use of cutting-edge technology in a clinical case. New, interesting, and rare cases can be reported. They should be unique, describing a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge and providing a learning point for the readers. These manuscripts have a limit of (2500 – 3,500 ) words, [including abstract, introduction, discussion, and acknowledgments; excluding figure legends and references]. In addition, there is a limit of a total of 4 figures and 4 tables*.* Figures, if submitted as multi-panel figures must not exceed 1-page length. Manuscripts submitted with more than the allowed number of figures or tables will require the approval of the MMJ Editor or associate editors. Manuscripts in this category must strictly adhere to the – “Consensus based Clinical Case Reporting – (CARE) “- minimum guidelines for the publication of case report.

Letter to the editor

It should be brief and decisive observations. They should preferably be related to articles previously published in the Journal or views expressed in the journal. They should not be preliminary observations that need a later paper for validation.

If you are not sure whether your manuscript falls within one of the categories above, or would like to request preapproval for submission of additional figures please contact the Editor by email at …………………………………………………………. Importantly, adhering to the general writing methods described in these guidelines (and in the resources listed below) will help to reduce the size of the manuscript while maintaining its focus and significance. Authors are encouraged to focus on only the essential aspects of the study and to avoid inclusion of extraneous text and figures. The Editor may reject manuscripts that exceed these limitations.

Types of Submission METHOD

Manuscripts can be submitted either by – electronic submission (online) or as hardcopy submission.

• Hardcopy submission

Send the required number of copies of the manuscript in a heavy-paper envelope, enclosing the copies and figures in cardboard, if necessary, to prevent photographs from being bent. Place photographs and transparencies in a separate heavy-paper envelope.

• Online/ Electronic Submission

All manuscripts need to be submitted along with the completed submission checklist available for different type of studies found at …………………………… as well as with mandatory cover letter by email or submission link. Manuscripts should be prepared as word documents in doc/docx format only. Papers sent in PDF format will not be accepted. Manuscripts submitted that do not adhere to the prescribed ‘Instructions to Authors’ will be sent back to the authors for technical corrections before undergoing editorial or peer-review processes. A manuscript number will be mailed to the corresponding author within 24 hours. Manuscript needs to be submitted along with Cover letter and Authors declaration form through email attachment at ………………… or through website Submission Link. If you submit through website submission link then please follow the hyperlink “Submit manuscript” and upload all of your manuscript files following the instructions given on the screen.

• Source Files

Please ensure you provide all relevant editable source files at every submission and revision. Failing to submit a complete set of editable source files will result in your article not being considered for review. For your manuscript text please always submit in common word processing formats such as .docx.

Condition for submission of manuscript

• All manuscript are subjected to peer review
• Manuscript are received with the explicit understanding that they are not under simultaneous consideration by any other publication.
• Submission of manuscript for publication implies the transfer of the copyright from the author to the publisher upon acceptance.
• It is the authors responsibility to obtain permission to reproduce illustration, tables, etc from other publications
• The journal publishes the identity of authors including email addresses of authors.

SUBMISSION OF A MANUSCRIPT

Documents Requires for Submission / Manuscript Submission Checklist

Author should submit the manuscript to the editor in chief with —

• Form signed by all authors ( principle & co- authors)
• Two copies of author’s statement
• Name , address and telephone numbers of authors responsible for the correspondence as cover page
• Cover letter
• One hard copy
• One soft copy ( for electronic submission ; should be emailed to the authorized official email address)
• Email address of all authors
• The manuscript must be accompanied by copies of any permissions to reproduce published material, to use illustrations of or report sensitive personal information about identifiable persons or to acknowledge persons for their contributions.
• The MJ now requires corresponding authors to complete an author statement on behalf of all authors before acceptance of manuscript.
• Authorship Declaration : This must acknowledge i) that all authors have contributed significantly, and ii) that all authors are in agreement with the manuscript.

Preparation of Manuscript

Author should prepare manuscript in accordance with the “uniform requirements for manuscript” submitted to Biomedical Journal ( Ref. J Dhaka Med C-315oll 1998 : 7(2): 118-32 or N Eng J Med 1997: 336: 309-315).

Cover letter

The submitted manuscript must be accompanied by a covering letter signed by all coauthors as described under “Submission of Manuscript”. This must include the following: (a) information on prior or duplicate publication or submission elsewhere of any part of the work, as de- fined earlier in this document; (b) a statement of financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest; (c) a statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, that the requirements for authorship as previously stated in this document have been met and, furthermore, that each coauthor believes that the manuscript represents honest work; and (d) the name, address and telephone number of the corresponding author, who is responsible for communicating with the other authors about revisions and final approval of the proofs. The letter should give any additional information that might be helpful to the editor, such as the type of article in the particular journal that the manuscript represents and whether the author(s) will be willing to meet the cost of reproducing colour illustrations.

Author’s Statement/ Declaration Page

This page will contain the declaration of principle / corresponding author with signature of principle author along with co-authors. This must acknowledge i) that all authors have contributed significantly, and ii) that all authors are in agreement with the manuscript iii) that about any conflict of interest

Author should type/ print out manuscript :

• Manuscript should be written in English and typed on one side of white paper 219x 279 mm

 (8.5 d x 11 d)  or ISO A4 ( 212x 297 mm) with margins of at least 25 mm (1d)

• Only one side of the paper
• Double spacing through out
• Font – Arial/ Cambria/ Callibri ; The fonts used in the text, as well as graphics, should be restricted to Arial/ Cambria/ Callibri, Symbol and Zapf Dingbats.
• Font size – 12 pt should be used.
• Reference style should be – Vancouver style
• Each manuscript component should begin on a new page in following sequence ;
• Title page
• Abstract and key words ,
• Main Body / Text :   Introduction,  Materials  and Methods, Results, Discussion and conclusion (For an original article/ Systematic review)
• Acknowledgements
• References
• Tables (each table, complete with title and footnotes , on a separate page) and legends for illustrations.
• Illustration must be good-quality , unmounted glossy prints usually 127 x 173 mm ( 5×7 in) but no larger than 203x 254 mm ( 8x 10 in) .
• Number the pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. Type the page number in the upper or lower right hand corner of each page.
• The manuscript should be submitted in separate files: title page; main text file; figures.
• Manuscript length: We encourage you to closely follow the article word count lengths given in the ‘Article types’ page of the journals. The manuscript length includes only the main body of the text, footnotes, and all citations within it, and excludes the abstract, section titles, figure and table captions, funding statement, acknowledgments, and references in the bibliography. Please indicate the number of words and the number of figures and tables included in your manuscript on the first page. Paragraphs should be no longer than 15 lines (125–200 words).

Writing and Formatting a Manuscript

For Writing style – Use clear, concise language that’s easy to understand. Avoid jargon and technical terms, and use simple sentences. Proofread for grammar and spelling.  For Formatting – follow the journal’s formatting guidelines, including font, font size, margins, and spacing.

General Points on Composition

• Authors are strongly encouraged to analyze their final draft with both software (e.g., spelling and grammar programs) and colleagues who have expertise in English grammar.
• References listed at the end of this section provide a more extensive review of rules of English grammar and guidelines for writing a scientific article.
• Always remember that clarity is the most important feature of scientific writing. Scientific articles must be clear and precise in their content and concise in their delivery since their purpose is to inform the reader. The Editor reserves the right to edit all manuscripts or to reject those manuscripts that lack clarity or precision, or have unacceptable grammar or syntax.
• The paragraph is the ideal unit of organization. Paragraphs typically start with an introductory sentence that is followed by sentences that describe additional detail or examples. The last sentence of the paragraph provides conclusions and forms a transition to the next paragraph.
• Keep to the point : The subject of the sentence should support the subject of the paragraph. For example, the introduction of authors’ names in a sentence changes the subject and lengthens the text. In a paragraph on sodium hypochlorite, the sentence, “In 1983, Langeland et al., reported that sodium hypochlorite acts as a lubricating factor during instrumentation and helps to flush debris from the root canals” can be edited to: “Sodium hypochlorite acts as a lubricant during instrumentation and as a vehicle for flushing the generated debris (Langeland et al., 1983).” In this example, the paragraph’s subject is sodium hypochlorite and sentences should focus on this subject.
• Sentences are stronger when written in the active voice, i.e., the subject performs the action. Passive sentences are identified by the use of passive verbs such as “was,” “were,” “could,” etc. For example: “Dexamethasone was found in this study to be a factor that was associated with reduced inflammation,” can be edited to: “Our results demonstrated that dexamethasone reduced inflammation.” Sentences written in a direct and active voice are generally more powerful and shorter than sentences written in the passive voice.
• Reduce verbiage : Short sentences are easier to understand. The inclusion of unnecessary words is often associated with the use of a passive voice, a lack of focus or run-on sentences. This is not to imply that all sentences need be short or even the same length. Indeed, variation in sentence structure and length often helps to maintain reader interest. However, make all words count. A more formal way of stating this point is that the use of subordinate clauses adds variety and information when constructing a paragraph. (This section was written deliberately with sentences of varying length to illustrate this point.)
• Use parallel construction to express related ideas. For example, the sentence, “Formerly, endodontic was taught by hand instrumentation, while now rotary instrumentation is the common method,” can be edited to “Formerly, endodontics was taught using hand instrumentation; now it is commonly taught using rotary instrumentation.” The use of parallel construction in sentences simply means that similar ideas are expressed in similar ways, and this helps the reader recognize that the ideas are related.
• Keep modifying phrases close to the word that they modify. This is a common problem in complex sentences that may confuse the reader. For example, the statement, “Accordingly, when conclusions are drawn from the results of this study, caution must be used,” can be edited to “Caution must be used when conclusions are drawn from the results of this study.”

To summarize these points, an article should contain effective sentences which are needed to be clear and precise, and often are short, simple and focused on one key point that would supports the paragraph’s theme.

FORMAT & Style

Manuscripts should follow the style of the Vancouver agreement detailed in the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ revised ‘Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication’, as presented at http://www.ICMJE.org/ .

Spelling. The journal uses British spelling and authors should therefore follow the latest edition of the …………… Dictionary.

Units. All measurements must be given in SI or SI-derived units. Please go to the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) website at http://www.bipm.fr  for more information about SI units.

Abbreviations. Abbreviations should be used sparingly – only where they ease the reader’s task by reducing repetition of long, technical terms. Initially use the word in full, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Thereafter use the abbreviation only.

Trade names. Chemical substances should be referred to by the generic name only. Trade names should not be used. Drugs should be referred to by their generic names. If proprietary drugs have been used in the study, refer to these by their generic name, mentioning the proprietary name, and the name and location of the manufacturer, in parentheses

Language style

The default language style at Journal is British English. If you prefer your article to be formatted in American English, please specify this on the first page of your manuscript.

Inclusive language guidelines

When preparing your manuscript for submission, take a mindful approach towards personal biases and a concerted effort to limit their influence. Authors should remove any suggestion or implication of superiority or inferiority of one person over another based on age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, religion, or socio-economic class. We ask authors to use inclusive language practices and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion into their research and keep it at the forefront during the composition of their findings.

Furthermore, when drafting your work, please take into account the following considerations 

• In general, seek to avoid  language that could be deemed insulting, profane, or derogatory.  
• Descriptors that identify personal attributes such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health conditions, where they are not critically relevant to the discussion.   Any form of language that suggests a particular culture or group as the default or standard.  
• And where feasible:   proactively ask individuals or groups how they would prefer to be referenced.   

Parts of the Manuscript/ Article Structure

Title page

The Title page should contain the following: 

1. The title of the article: A short informative title that contains the major key words. The title should not contain abbreviations. A short running title (less than 40 characters) should also be provided.
2. The full names of the authors : The name and initials of each author with the highest academic degree(s)

• The name of the departments and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed

1. The name, address (postal), email address , contact number of the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript and to whom request for reprints or correction should be addressed.
2. Source (s) of funding for research and /or publication
3. Category in which the manuscript is being submitted ( original article , review or others)

• Disclosure statement
• The present address of any author, if different from that where the work was carried out, should be supplied in a footnote.

Title

• The title should be concise, omitting terms that are implicit and, where possible, be a statement of the main result or conclusion presented in the manuscript.
• Abbreviations should be avoided within the title.
• Witty and creative titles are welcome, but only if relevant and within measure. Consider if a title meant to be thought-provoking might be misinterpreted as offensive or alarming. In extreme cases, the editorial office may veto a title and propose an alternative.
• The title should be a concise description of the article in one sentence.
• Authors should avoid:
• Titles that are a mere question without giving the answer
• Unambitious titles, for example starting with ‘Towards,’ ‘A description of,’ ‘A characterization of’ or ‘Preliminary study on’
• Vague titles, for example starting with ‘Role of’, ‘Link between’, or ‘Effect of’ that do not specify the role, link, or effect
• Including terms that are out of place, for example the taxonomic affiliation apart from species name.

Main text file

Manuscripts should be presented in the following order: (i) title, abstract and key words, (ii) text, (iii) references, (iv) appendices, (v) tables (each table complete with title and footnotes) and (vi) figures. Figures and supporting information should be supplied in separate files. Footnotes to the text are not allowed and any such material should be incorporated into the text as parenthetical matter.

Abstract

As a primary goal, the abstract should make the general significance and conceptual advance of the work clearly accessible to a broad readership. All articles must have a brief abstract that states the purpose, basic procedures, main findings and principal conclusions of the study. The abstract should be no longer than a single paragraph.  It can be structured, for example, according to the IMRAD format or unstructured. Word count for – the structured abstract 250 words and unstructured abstract 150 words but It should not exceed 200 words. The abstract should not contain abbreviations or references or tables or figures.

Keyword

Below the abstract 3 to 10 key words or short phrases should be added .

Abbreviations

Avoid abbreviations in the title and abstract .Standard abbreviations should be used throughout the manuscript. All nonstandard abbreviations should be kept to a minimum and must be defined in the text following their first use.

Text

Authors should use the following subheadings to divide the sections of their manuscript: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion.

Acknowledgements

All authors must affirm that they have no financial affiliation (e.g., employment, direct payment, stock holdings, retainers, consultantships, patent licensing arrangements or honoraria), or involvement with any commercial organization with direct financial interest in the subject or materials discussed in this manuscript, nor have any such arrangements existed in the past three years. Any other potential conflict of interest should be disclosed. Any author for whom this statement is not true must append a paragraph to the manuscript that fully discloses any financial or other interest that poses a conflict. Likewise, the sources and correct attributions of all other grants, contracts or donations that funded the study must be disclosed. The contribution of colleagues or institutions should also be acknowledged. Personal thanks and thanks to anonymous reviewers are not appropriate.

Tables

Tables should not be embedded in the text but should be included at the end of the manuscript on separate pages. Tables should be created with a word processor and cited consecutively in the text.  Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text. Number tables consecutively in the text in roman numerals. Type tables on a separate page with the legend above. Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the table, legend and footnotes must be understandable without reference to the text. Vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations must be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: †, ‡, §, ¶, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for P-values. Statistical measures such as SD or SEM should be identified in the headings.

Tables are appropriate when it is critical to present exact numerical values. However, not all results need be placed in either a table or figure. For example, the following table may not be necessary: Instead, the results could simply state that there was no inhibition of growth from 0.001-0.03% NaOCl, and a 100% inhibition of growth from 0.03-3% NaOCl (N=5/group). Similarly, if the results are not significant, then it is probably not necessary to include the results in either a table or as a figure. These and many other suggestions on figure and table construction are described in additional detail in Day (1998).

Figures

All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be numbered using roman numerals, and cited in consecutive order in the text. Each figure should be supplied as a separate file, with the figure number incorporated in the file name.

Although we encourage authors to send us the highest-quality figures possible, for peer-review purposes we are happy to accept a wide variety of formats, sizes, and resolutions. To ensure the highest print quality, your figures must be submitted in TIF/JPG/JPEG format with a minimum 300 dpi or higher resolutions. Captions/legends will be placed below figures and adjusted to 10 font size. Figure Legends should be concise but comprehensive – the figure and its legend must be understandable without reference to the text. Include definitions of any symbols used and define/explain all abbreviations and units of measurement.

Figure Captions : Each figure should have a concise caption describing accurately what the figure depicts. Include the captions in the text file of the manuscript, not in the figure file. Figure captions begin with the term Fig. in bold type, followed by the figure number, also in bold type. No punctuation is to be included after the number, nor is any punctuation to be placed at the end of the caption. Identify all elements found in the figure in the figure caption; and use boxes, circles, etc., as coordinate points in graphs. Identify previously published material by giving the original source in the form of a reference citation at the end of the figure caption

Figure Lettering : To add lettering, it is best to use Arial / Cambria font.   Keep lettering consistently sized throughout your final-sized artwork, usually about 2–3 mm (8–12 pt). Variance of type size within an illustration should be minimal, e.g., do not use 8-pt type on an axis and 20-pt type for the axis label. Avoid effects such as shading, outline letters, etc. Do not include titles or captions within your illustrations.

There are two general types of figures. The first type of figures includes photographs, radiographs or micrographs. Include only essential figures, and even if essential, the use of composite figures containing several panels of photographs is encouraged. For example, most photos, radio- or micrographs take up one column-width, or about 185 mm wide X 185 mm tall. If instead, you construct a two columns-width figure (i.e., about 175 mm wide X 125 mm high when published in the MMJ), you would be able to place about 12 panels of photomicrographs (or radiographs, etc.) as an array of four columns across and three rows down (with each panel about 40 X 40 mm). This will require some editing to emphasize the most important feature of each photomicrograph, but it greatly increases the total number of illustrations that you can present in your paper. Remember that each panel must be clearly identified with a letter (e.g., “A,” “B,” etc.), in order for the reader to understand each individual panel. Please note that color figures may be published at no cost to the authors and authors are encouraged to use color to enhance the value of the illustration. Please note that a multi-panel, composite figure only counts as one figure when considering the total number of figures in a manuscript (see section 3, below, for the maximum number of allowable figures).The second type of figures is graphs (i.e., line drawings including bar graphs) that plot a dependent measure (on the Y-axis) as a function of an independent measure (usually plotted on the X axis). Examples include a graph depicting pain scores over time, etc. Graphs should be used when the overall trend of the results are more important than the exact numerical values of the results. For example, a graph is a convenient way of reporting that an ibuprofen-treated group reported less pain than a placebo group over the first 24 hours, but was the same as the placebo group for the next 96 hours. In this case, the trend of the results is the primary finding; the actual pain scores are not as critical as the relative differences between the NSAID and placebo groups.

Graphical Abstract

• Authors are required to submit a graphical abstract, in a single JPEG/TIF image that visually represents the key findings of your article. The graphical abstracts will appear on the cover page of the online version of the article. It should constitute a single image without a separate legend as per the following specifications; Graphical Abstracts should be submitted as a single high-resolution (300 dpi or greater) image file; preferred file types are .tif, .jpeg, or .png
• Please lable the file clearly as ‘Graphical Abstract’.
• Font: Please use Arial, Times New Roman, or Symbol font in 8 pt, with 5 pt for sub- and superscript. Lines and strokes should be between 0.5 and 1 pt.
• Colors: The use of color is encouraged. Color figures should be in RGB format.

References

The MMJ follows the Vancouver reference style , which can be found in most citation management software products.. Citations are placed in parentheses at the end of a sentence or at the end of a clause that requires a literature citation. Do not use superscript for references. Original reports are limited to (35- 60) references. There are no limits to the number of references for review articles. All the authors submitting their articles, should consider the following points before submitting their articles;

References should be numbered consecutively throughout the article, beginning with [1] for the first-cited reference. References should be cited in the text by numerals in a superscript manner. If cited in tables or figure legends, number according to the first identification of the table or figure in the text. References should be listed at the end of the paper in the order in which they appear in the text. List all authors when are six . when they are seven or more , List the first six contributors followed by et al. in all references. In the text, references should be cited with parentheses and should appear in front of the full point or comma at the end of the sentence/clause.

References follow the ICMJE guidelines. The author’s surname is followed by the author’s initials in capitals without spaces or full stops. All references show page numbers in the format (121-26). Sample references are given below;

Manuscripts Category Classifications and Requirements/ Organization of manuscripts according to article category

Original Article

For Original Research articles, it is recommended to organize your manuscript in the following sections or their equivalents for your field.

• Title Page:

The title should describe the major emphasis of the paper. It should be as short as possible without loss of clarity. Remember that the title is your advertising billboard—it represents your major opportunity to solicit readers to spend the time to read your paper. It is best not to use abbreviations in the title since this may lead to imprecise coding by electronic citation programs such as PubMed (e.g., use “sodium hypochlorite” rather than NaOCl).

• Abstract

Please Note: All abstracts should be organized into sections that start with a one-word title (in bold), i.e., Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions, etc., and should not exceed more than 250 words in length. It should provide brief details about the objectives of the study, materials and methods, Results, and Conclusions. The abstract should concisely describe the purpose of the study, the hypothesis, methods, major findings, and conclusions. The abstract can be either structured or unstructured, it should be a single paragraph without subheadings. Write the abstract in past tense since the study has been completed. Three to ten keywords four-six keywords/ should be listed below the abstract.

• Introduction

This should be brief with no subheadings and indicates the aim of the study and the essential background information. The introduction should briefly review the pertinent literature in order to identify the gap in knowledge that the study is intended to address and the limitations of previous studies in the area. This should clearly state the hypothesis or purpose statement, how and why the purpose or hypothesis was developed, and why the author deems it important. Authors should realize that this section of the paper is their primary opportunity to establish communication with the diverse readership of the MMJ. Readers who are not expert in the topic of the manuscript are likely to skip the paper if the introduction fails to succinctly summarize the gap in knowledge that the study addresses. It is important to note that many successful manuscripts require no more than a few paragraphs to accomplish these goals. Therefore, authors should refrain from performing the extensive review or the literature, and discuss the results of the study in this section.

• Materials and methods

Please provide concise but complete information about the material and the analytical, statistical, and experimental procedures used. This part should be as clear as possible to enable other scientists to repeat the research presented. The use of subheadings to divide the text is encouraged. Primary headings should be in BOLD CAPITAL LETTERS. Secondary or subheadings should be in Bold sentence case. Third-level subheadings should be in Italicized sentence Case. In the case of animal/human experiments or clinical trials, authors must give the details of ethical approval.

The objective of the materials and methods section is to permit other investigators to repeat your experiments. The four components of this section are the detailed description of the materials used and their components, the experimental design, the procedures employed, and the statistical tests used to analyze the results. The vast majority of manuscripts should cite prior studies using similar methods and succinctly describe the essential aspects used in the present study. Thus, the reader should still be able to understand the method used in the experimental approach and concentration of the main reagents (e.g., antibodies, drugs, etc.) even when citing a previously published method. The inclusion of a “methods figure” will be rejected unless the procedure is novel and requires an illustration for comprehension. If the method is novel, then the authors should carefully describe the method and include validation experiments. If the study utilized a commercial product, the manuscript must state that they either followed manufacturer’s protocol or specify any changes made to the protocol. If the study used an in vitro model to simulate a clinical outcome, the authors must describe experiments made to validate the model, or previous literature that proved the clinical relevance of the model.

Studies on humans must conform to the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 and state that the institutional IRB/equivalent committee(s) approved the protocol and that informed consent was obtained after the risks and benefits of participation were described to the subjects or patients recruited. Studies involving animals must state that the institutional animal care and use committee approved the protocol. The statistical analysis section should describe which tests were used to analyze which dependent measures; p-values should be specified. Additional details may include randomization scheme, stratification (if any), power analysis as a basis for sample size computation, drop-outs from clinical trials, the effects of important confounding variables, and bivariate versus multivariate analysis.

• Results

This section may be divided by subheadings. Footnotes should not be used and must be transferred to the main text.

• Discussion

This section may be divided by subheadings. This section should be used to interpret and explain the results. Both the strengths and weaknesses of the observations should be discussed. Discussions should cover the key findings of the study: discuss any prior research related to the subject to place the novelty of the discovery in the appropriate context, discuss the potential shortcomings and limitations on their interpretations, discuss their integration into the current understanding of the problem and how this advances the current views, speculate on the future direction of the research, and freely postulate theories that could be tested in the future. Include only those data that are critical for the study, as defined by the aim(s). Do not include all available data without justification; any repetitive findings will be rejected from publication. All Figures, Charts, and Tables should be described in their order of numbering with a brief description of the major findings.

• Conclusion

This should clearly explain the main conclusions of the work highlighting its importance and relevance. Ideally, a review of the potential clinical significance is the last section of the discussion. What are the major conclusions of the study? How does the data support these conclusions.

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 

All the authors must disclose the possible conflicts of interest/Competing Interests they may have with the 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 disclose conflicts of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript. The Conflict of Interest statement should list each author separately by name. The ICMJE has developed a Disclosure Form to facilitate and standardize authors’ disclosures, please click this link to download the ICMJE COI form [editable PDF form can be downloaded from here]. Authors are required to upload the duly filled and signed form under the additional files section, during manuscript submission. They can also send it by email to ……………………………… Please follow the link to read the detailed ICMJE recommendations for disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships and activities, and conflicts of interest.

Disclosure statement/ FUNDING SOURCES

Authors must declare any financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest by disclosing any financial arrangements they have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product, or any conflict relating to technology or methodology. The absence of any interest to disclose must also be stated.

Authors should give the name of granting agencies and grant numbers, along with a short description of each funder’s role.  Only the funding related to the submitted work should be mentioned and authors are NOT required to provide the complete list of every single grant that supports them.

REPORTING STANDARDS

Authors of the original research article must present accurate data of work performed during their research. Authors are also expected to discuss the objective of their work and the significance of their results. An article should contain sufficient information and references to ensure the reproducibility of the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are considered unethical behavior and are unacceptable.

DATA ACCESS AND RETENTION

Authors may be asked to provide the raw/supplementary data for a paper that is under editorial review. The authors should be prepared to provide the public access to these data (if practicable) and to retain such data for a reasonable time after the publication.