Author Guidelines
The Nigerian Journal of Clinical Medicine (NJCM) is a biannual multidisciplinary medical journal published by the Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. It is an open access journal and is indexed on African Journal Online (AJOL).
NOTICE TO ALL AUTHORS
Submission of Manuscripts
The Nigerian Journal of Clinical Medicine (NJCM) is the official publication of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Association of Resident Doctors (LASUTH-ARD). It is exclusively owned by the LASUTH-ARD and published biannually.
All opinions, except otherwise stated, are those of the authors and do not in any way reflect the views of the NJCM, its Editorial Board or LASUTH-ARD. Consequently, NJCM, its Editorial Board and LASUTH-ARD bear no legal responsibility for such opinions.
Authors are encouraged to send their manuscripts to the LASUTH-ARD Secretariat addressed to The Editor, of the Nigerian Journal of Clinical Medicine (NJCM). An electronic copy of the manuscript in Microsoft Word format should be sent as an attachment to: lasuthjournal@yahoo.com as this will ease the processing of materials for publication. An acknowledgement mail will be sent to authors to indicate receipt of manuscripts.
Communication
To facilitate communication, subscribers and advertisers are required to include their email addresses and phone numbers in all correspondences with the Editorial Board of the NJCM.
Writing for the Nigerian Journal of Clinical Medicine (NJCM)
We welcome any contribution that advances/illuminates Medical Science or Practice, extending to all aspects of Medicine: Contributors are advised to follow the uniform requirements of manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals (BMJ 1991; 302:338-31 or N Engl J Med 1991; 324;424-428).
Contributions may be in the form of original articles, review articles, case reports, clinical practice materials, letters to the editor, short communications, commentaries, viewpoints, reviews of books and medical educational materials. The NJCM also publishes articles on socioeconomic, political and legal matters related to medical practice, conference and workshop reports and medical news.
Case Reports and Short Communications
These should not exceed 1500 words with not more than 30 references, 70% of which should not be longer than 10 years from publication; and 2 illustrations and tables.
Letters to the Editor
Letters should contain a maximum of 1000 words, illustrations/tables and 10 references. The contents may be clinical observations or other relevant matters to Medicine or comments on the materials published by the NJCM.
Manuscripts
The prescribed word count is up to 3000 words excluding tables, references and abstract. Abstract should be 200 words.
Manuscripts are reviewed for publication on the understanding that none of the materials has been published previously and none is currently under consideration for publication elsewhere.
Each of the following sections should begin on a new page: title page, abstract, introduction, material and methods, ethics, statistics, results, discussions, references, tables, legends to figure(s) and illustration(s).
Manuscripts should be sent with a cover letter as Microsoft Word attachments to the editor online at lasuthjournal@yahoo.com.
Title Page
This should include the title of the article, names and initials of authors(s), the department and institution where the work was done, name and address of the author to whom correspondence should be addressed; present address(es) of authors if different from that at which the work was done; keywords (not more than six) and running title. The use of abbreviations should be avoided in the title and abstract.
Abstract
The abstract should not exceed 200 words and should be written in a structured format, having a background, methods, results and conclusion.
Background
The objective of the study or review should be stated under this.
Method
The patients and material used should be described. The nature of the study (whether retrospective or prospective, etc.) should be stated. For reviews, this should state the data sources and mode of data extraction.
Results
This should state the main findings of the study.
Conclusion
The main conclusions of the study should be stated.
Tables and Illustrations
Tables should be typed and double-spaced on separate sheets of paper, numbered in Roman numerals Their approximate positions in the text should be indicated. All illustrations are to be considered as figures, submitted and numbered in Arabic numerals.
Photographs should conceal the subject's identity with the written consent of the same made evident. If an illustration has been published previously, full credit to the source must be given in the legend.
Abbreviation and Nomenclature
Non-standard abbreviations contained in the manuscripts (excluding references) should be listed in alphabetical order with definitions after the keywords.
Generic drug nomenclature is preferred to propriety (trade) names. And where this is not adhered to by the author, the Editor reserves the right to use appropriate generic names.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgement of general support, grants, technical assistance, etc. should be indicated. Authors are responsible for obtaining the consent of those being acknowledged.
Ethical approval
Authors of the original research articles are expected to make statements confirming the ethical approval of the work from their respective institutions upon submission of the articles for publication.
Acknowledgement of Receipts
For every article received by the NJCM, an acknowledgement is dispatched immediately via email with a reference number for future enquiries.
References
References should be in Vancouver style and should be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. A full list of authors should be given except when they exceed six (6), in which case, three (3) should be given followed by et al. Authors' names should be followed by the title of the article, the title of the journal, abbreviated according to the style of the index Medicus, year of publication, the volume and the first and last page numbers, e.g., Warren KS. Tropical Health: The Health Clarke Lecture, 1998. Rev Inter Discase 1990: 12:142-156. However, journals with abbreviations yet to be cited in the Index Medicus should be written in full.
References must not exceed 35, 75% of which must not be longer than 10 years from publication.
Articles in the press are not to be cited.
Textbooks
- Author(s) of Book:
The surname and initials of all authors should be followed by the title of the book, edition (except if first), place of publication, publisher, year and pages, e.g., Goldberg SJ, Allen HD, Sahn DJ Paediatric and Adolescent Echocardiography: A Handbook. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, 1980:263-265.
- Author(s) of a Chapter in a Book:
The surnames and initials of all authors of the particular chapter should be followed by the title of the chapters, editor(s) of the book, the title of the book, edition (except if first), and place of publication, publisher year and pages, e.g., Chen Y. Defects in the metabolism of carbohydrates. In: Behrman RRE, Kliegman RM, Jenson HB (eds). Nelson Textbook of Paediatrics. 16* Edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders.
Dissertations
For dissertations, the name(s) of the author(s) should be followed by the title of the dissertation, the fellowship, the name of the college, month and year e.g., Adebiyi A. A. Left Ventricular Systolic Function of Nigerians with Sickle Cell Anaemia Attending the University College Hospital, Ibadan. WACP
Dissertation. West African College of Physicians. October 1996.
Unit of Measurement
All measurements should be expressed in S.I. Units.
Peer Review
Two or more members of the Editorial Board read every article, including those solicited. All articles selected for publication (except items such as viewpoints) are then sent to two (or more) Consultant Physicians or Scientists who are experts in the field of Medicine under focus. Those who satisfy the requirements of this stage will undergo further evaluation by a Statistician if they contain statistical analysis.
Manuscripts are subject to editorial revision by the NJCM. Those considered worthy of publication but requiring changes or condensation will be mailed to the author(s) for revision.
Processing Fee
Author(s) are expected to pay a processing fee of Forty Thousand Naira (N40,000) per article submitted. All payments are to be made to The LASUTH-ARD Journal at Polaris Bank Plc (Acc No: 177 057 9083). A scanned copy of the payment teller should be mailed to
lasuthjournal@yahoo.com and confirmed on the Editors number +2348166383579
Reprints
These are not free and will be sent to the author(s) on request. The author(s) may order reprints of 100 or more copies.
Revised manuscripts
Two copies of revised manuscripts should be sent to the Editor.
Proofs
These may be sent to the corresponding authors for corrections only on request. If sent such proofs must be returned to the editor within eight days of posting by the editor (unless otherwise stated).
Copyright
On the acceptance, the copyright of the paper will be vested in the Journal and Publisher
Open Access Policy
This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, CC BY NC SA, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under identical terms.
