ASTER MEDICAL JOURNAL

This Journal has already been registered with Registry of Newspapers of India under Ministry of Information and broadcasting. Soon this Journal will be indexed with ISSN number shortly.

AUTHORS INSTRUCTIONS FOR ARTICLE SUBMISSION

Authors can send the article for publication in Aster Medical Journal under following subheadings from any specialty and superspeciality of medical sciences including Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental and Physiotherapy.

  1. Original Article.
  2. Case Report
  3. Review Article
  4. Letter to Editor

Preparation of Manuscript for original article

Your Manuscript should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized – paper (8.5” x 11”) with 1” margins on all sides. You should use 12 pt Times New Roman fonts in Windows Word document. Authors should take care over the fonts which are used in the document, including fonts within graphics. Fonts should be restricted to Times New Roman.

Title:

Should be in Title Case; the first character in each word in the title has to be capitalized. Title page should include Authors details like giving each author’s affiliation (i.e. Department/Organization/ Address/Place/Country/email).

Author for Correspondence:

should give a valid e-mail of the corresponding (main) author is a must.

A research paper typically should include in the following order:

  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements (If any)
  • References
  • Figure legends
  • Tables
  • Appendixes (if necessary)
  • Abbreviations (if necessary)

Abstract – Limit of 250 Words

  • A brief summary of the research.
  • The abstract should under following headings – Background/Introduction, Objective/ Aim/ Goal of the study, material and methods used, results obtained, conclusion drawn.

Key words

  • Please, write no more than six keywords. Write specific keywords. They should be written left aligned, arranged alphabetically in 12pt Times Roman.

Introduction / Background

  • Description of the research area, pertinent background information and the hypotheses tested in the study should be included under this section.
  • The introduction should provide sufficient background information such that a scientifically literate reader can understand and appreciate the experiments to be described.
  • The introduction MUST include in-text citations including references to pertinent reviews and primary scientific literature leading to the need for your study.
  • The specific aims of the project should be identified along with a rationale for the specific experiments and other work performed.

Materials and Methods

  • Materials and/or subjects utilized in the study as well as the procedures undertaken to complete the work.
  • The methods should be described in sufficient detail such that they could be repeated by a competent researcher.
  • Please include the company sources for all uncommon reagents (kits, drugs, etc). Illustrations and/or tables may be helpful in describing complex equipment or elaborate procedures.
  • The statistical tool used to analyze the data should be mentioned.
  • All procedures involving experimental animals or human subjects must accompany with statement on necessary ethical approval from appropriate ethics committee.

Results

  • Data acquired from the research with appropriate statistical analysis described in the methods section should be included in this section.
  • The results section should describe the rational for each experiment, the results obtained and its significance.
  • Results should be organized into figures and tables with descriptive captions. The captions, although brief, should tell the reader the method used, explain any abbreviations included in the figure, and should end with a statement as to the conclusion of the figure. Qualitative as well as quantitative results should be included if applicable.

Discussion/Conclusion

  • This section should relate the results section to current understanding of the scientific problems being investigated in the field.
  • Description of relevant references to other work/s in the field should be included here.
  • This section also allows you to discuss the significance of your results - i.e. does the data support the hypotheses you set out to test? This section should end with new answers/questions that arise as a result of your work.
  • This section could also include implication for clinical application and scope for further research.

Total word count for the original article excluding Abstract, key words, Tables and figures, acknowledgement and references should not exceed 3500 words and should have a minimum of 1500words.

TABLES & FIGURES

Tables

  • Each table must start on a separate sheet. They should be numbered with Roman numerals according to their sequence in the text, and have a short self-explanatory heading. Detailed explanations of symbols, units, statistics and abbreviations should follow below the table.
  • Please submit table and figures relevant to your study only. In case you are including a table which has been taken from another source please include the reference to the source and ensure that copyrights rules have not been violated.

Illustrations

  • Figures for final production should be submitted as electronic files and hard copy.
  • All illustrations should be prepared for printing to fit 80 x 240 mm (column width) or 169 mm by up to 240 mm (full page) size. It is preferred that the full-page length is not used and that authors keep in mind that the caption will be placed underneath the figure.
  • Figure(s) must be numbered consecutively in the text.
  • Descriptive labeling in the figures should be clearly readable
  • Computer prepared photographic images must be at a minimum of 350 dpi at the final publication size. These should be submitted as JPEG, TIFF or PPT files, but encapsulated postscript (EPS) format is also acceptable.

Table and Figure legends

  • Figure and table legends should be included at the end of the manuscript.
  • Explanations should be brief and authors should keep in mind that legends will be placed below figures.

Acknowledgements

(Limit of 100 Words)

This is a brief section crediting the people who have helped make your manuscript possible and who aided you in your work but are not part of the authorship. Please mention all applicable grants and other funding that supported your work.

REFERENCES

References should be in Vancouver style as examples given below:

  1. Single/Multiple Authors

    2. Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul 25;347(4): 284-7.

  2. More than six authors

    3. Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res. 2002; 935(1-2): 40-6.

  3. Organization as Author

    4. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002; 40(5): 679- 86.

  4. Unknown Author

    5. century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ. 2002; 325(7357): 184-5.

  5. Journal article on the Internet

    6. Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12]; 102(6): [about 3 p.].

    Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/ AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm

    Note: Plant/Micro organisms, in-vivo, in-vitro should be in italics

  6. Personal author(s)

    7. Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

  7. Editor(s), compiler(s) as author

    8. Gilstrap LC 3rd, Cunningham FG, VanDorsten JP, editors. Operative obstetrics. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.

  8. Author(s) and editor(s)

    9. Breedlove GK, Schorfheide AM. Adolescent pregnancy. 2nd ed. Wieczorek RR, editor. White Plains (NY): March of Dimes Education Services; 2001.

  9. Organization(s) as author

    10. Royal Adelaide Hospital; University of Adelaide, Department of Clinical Nursing. Compendium of nursing research and practice development, 1999-2000. Adelaide (Australia): Adelaide University; 2001.

  10. Chapter in a book

    11. Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

  11. Conference proceedings

    12. Harnden P, Joffe JK, Jones WG, editors. Germ cell tumours V. Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell Tumour Conference; 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. New York: Springer; 2002.

  12. Thesis

    13. N. Khoshakhlagh. The compositions of volatile fractions of Peganum harmala seeds and its smoke. Pharm. D. Thesis, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. (2002).

WEBSITES

Website information

Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9].
Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF CASE REPORT

Case report from any specialty and super-specialty of medical sciences can be sent to the Aster medical Journal. Case reports have to be prepared under the following headings.

  1. Title: The words “case report” should be in the title. Key elements of the case should be mentioned in the title and might include the presenting symptoms, the diagnosis,intervention, or outcome.
  2. Abstract: In about 200 words summarize the: (1) Rationale for this case report, (2) Presenting concerns of the patient, (3) Diagnoses, (4) Interventions (including prevention and lifestyle), (5) Outcomes, and (6) Main lessons learned from this case.
  3. Key Words: Provide 2 to 5 key words that will assist in an online search for this case report.
  4. Introduction: Briefly summarize the background and context of this case report.
  5. Case report: Presenting Concerns is to Summarize the patient’s presenting concerns along with key historical data and demographic information.
  6. Clinical Findings: Summarize the (1) Medical, family, and psychosocial history (including lifestyle and genetic information); (2) Pertinent co- morbidities and interventions; and (3) Physical examination focused on the important findings including diagnostic testing.
  7. Diagnostic Focus and Assessment: Summarize the (1) Diagnostic results (testing, imaging, questionnaires, and referrals); (2) Diagnostic challenges; (3) Diagnostic reasoning and (4) Relevant prognostic characteristics (such as staging).
  8. Therapeutic Focus and Assessment: Summarize recommendations and interventions (pharmacologic, surgical, lifestyle) and how they were administered (dosage, strength, etc.)
  9. Follow-up and Outcomes: Summarize the clinical course of this case. How patient adherence to the intervention was assessed and were adverse events noted? Summarize patient-reported outcomes and follow-up diagnostic testing.
  10. Discussion: Summarize the strengths and limitations associated with this case report. Include references to the scientific and medical literature. How did you arrive at your conclusions and how might these results apply to other patients? What are the “take-away” messages?
  11. Patient Perspective: When appropriate, the patient should share their experience of their care in a brief narrative published with (or accompanying) this case report.
  12. Informed Consent: The patient should provide informed consent for this case report.
  13. If it is case report after introduction you can explain the case with relevant supporting photos, scans and lab-reports without revealing the identity of the patient.

Total word count for the original article excluding Abstract, key words, Tables and figures, acknowledgement and references should not exceed 2500 words and should have a minimum of 1000words.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF REVIEW ARTICLE

Articles for review can be taken from any discipline of medicine which interests the Author and the Reader.

Please include the following categories in your article review:

  1. Bibliographic Reference
  2. Introduction, Objectives, Article Domain, Audience, Journal and Conceptual/ Empirical Classification
  3. Brief Summary
  4. Results
  5. Contributions
  6. Foundation
  7. Synthesis with Concepts
  8. Analysis and Additional Analysis
  9. General Critique
  10. Further Critique of a Conceptual Article/ an Empirical Article
  11. Issues (as listed by the author)
  12. Issues (as per your opinion)
  13. Relevance/Impact
  14. Questions
  15. Annotated Bibliography
  1. Full Bibliographic Reference
    2. State the full bibliographic reference of the article you are reviewing (authors, title, journal name, volume, issue, year, page numbers, etc)
  2. Introduction:
    • State the Objective of the Article (goals or purpose), its domain/ topic area.
    • Identify the intended audience of the article, i.e. what background should reader have;
    • What background material one should be familiar to understand the article?
    • Is the journal appropriate (or inappropriate) for this article?
    • Classify whether the article is Conceptual or Empirical or Review
  3. Brief Summary
    • Summarize the article very
  4. briefly, roughly as under:
    • Paragraph 1: What is the problem being addressed?
    • Paragraph 2: which solution is being proposed?
  5. Results
    • Briefly summarize the important points (such as observations, conclusions, findings, inferences) and “take home points” in the article.
  6. Contributions
    • An article makes a contribution by adding to the knowledge of researchers in a research field. An article can make a contribution to research field in many ways. Does it provide a new way to look at a problem? Does it bring together or “synthesize” several concepts in an insightful way that has not been done before? Does it provide new results/ solutions or identify new issues? Are the issues addressed introduced in a way that their relevance/ impact to practice is evident?
      • >
    • List the article’s original contribution. Discuss each contribution with due care.
  7. Foundation
    • Identify the key pieces of prior research upon which article are built. If the article is entirely new domain, “This article does not build upon any foundation research” may be specified.
  8. Synthesis with Concepts
    • Synthesis means analyzing a particular topic by comparing and contrasting it with, and thinking about it from the viewpoint of, the basic concepts related to the topic.
  9. Analysis
    • State that what has changed since the article was written? How do its lessons, ideas and theories still apply? To what extent have its issues been resolved?
  10. General Critique
    • In this section one should state his/her opinions of how well the authors presented and discussed the research results including interpretations in the article. It should contain both positive and negative comments with due justification.

    Following issues may be addressed:

    • Does it build upon the appropriate foundation (i.e., upon appropriate prior research)?
    • Is the approach and execution is correct?
    • Confidence with respect to the article’s results, and why?
    • Does article throws upon exclusive new ideas?
    • What are the article’s shortcomings and limitations?
    • Are all important aspects and issues of its domain covered?
    • Examine and comment the logic given in the article
    10 a. Further Critiques of a Conceptual Article
    • Article shall be tested upon logical consistency, coherence in arguments, substance of article and focus.
    10 b. Further Critiques of an Empirical Article
    • In this section the strength of the empirical evidence supporting the author’s argument shall be examined.
    10 c. Further criticizes of a Review Article
    • The logical sequence of background information and the focus as the state-of the art research should be examined.
    • Article should be checked upon clarity, theoretical background, latest literature & critical review, scope for further research in the related area.
  11. Issues (as listed by author)
    • State issues as listed by author. How they are addressed or not addressed?
  12. Issues (as per your opinion)
    • State issues according to you which remain unresolved or issues which could arise in future. Also, provide suggestions for resolving them.
  13. Relevance/Impact
    • Determine how much this article has relevance/Impact, do a citation analysis.
  14. Questions
    • List three insightful questions of your own arising from this article that could really make one think.
  15. Annotated Bibliography

    16. For every item you have cited in your review, you need a full reference and an annotation explaining it, as under:

    • List the full bibliographic references in Vancouver style
    • Write 2-4 sentences describing the article.
    • Write 2-4 sentences describing why you cited it.

Total word count for the original article excluding Abstract, key words, Tables and figures, acknowledgement and references should not exceed 3500 words and should have a minimum of 1500words.

GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION OF LETTERS TO EDITOR

  • Letters to editor should be in any field of Medicine.
  • Correspondence author’s details like affiliations, address, mobile no and email id should be sent.
  • Word limit should be 500 to 750 words.
  • Letter should effectively convey what author wants. Submission of Manuscript
  • Manuscripts should always be submitted to Editor in chief of Aster medical Journal.
    email id:[email protected]
  • Hard copies along with CD having manuscripts may also be submitted if requested by the Editor. All submissions are peer reviewed by the editorial board and a select group of reviewers of that discipline. Please make sure that all guidelines are followed carefully. All the accepted articles will be queued for publication and will appear in the futures issues based on the priorities set by the editorial board.

Correspondence

Dr. Amita ray
Editor-in–chief of AMJ Professor & HOD Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology DMWIMS,
Wayanad, Kerala
Email id: [email protected]

Acknowledgements

messages and reviews sent electronically will be acknowledged electronically upon receipt.

Status of Manuscript

Team will inform the status of submitted manuscript directly to the corresponding author’s email id.

Author Checklist

In order to maintain quality and consistency in publications, we ask you to perform the following checklist prior to submitting your final proof for publication:

  • Include the original, hard copy of Author’s Transfer of Copyright signed by each author
  • Thoroughly check the reference style as mentioned above.
  • Thoroughly check the article for correct grammar, in particular: spelling of names, affiliations, any symbols, equations, etc.
  • Provide laser printed hard copies of all figures and graphics in black and white or colour (If any)
  • Ethical committee approval document is mandatory for all original research.
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