Submissions

Author Guidelines

Guidelines for authors

Ethiopian Journal of Translational Sciences is an official and scholarly scientific journal of the Amhara Public Health Institute [APHI]. EJTS is a peer reviewed, print version and online open access scientific journal that publishes original articles of different category in the domain of health sciences and does not charge publication fee to the authors.

Mission and scope

EJTS mission is to contribute to the advancement of health sciences by publishing multi-disciplinary research findings with a strong level of evidence.

This journal has broad scope and thus, accepts studies and commentaries adding scientific value to the advancement of health promotion, prevention of diseases, epidemiology, health systems and policies, laboratory medicine, and biomedical sciences. With this broad category, the journal publishes original articles, review articles, brief communications, commentaries and case reports.

 Before submitting a manuscript:

Before submitting papers to EJTS for publication, authors are highly advised to read the overall editorial policy of the journal and the guidelines as stipulated below. Authors can also refer elsewhere the Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [Updated 2014]. The specific requirements of EJTS are summarized below and also described in the editorial policy.

Having good knowledge on the requirements for submission of manuscripts is likely to avoid unnecessary delay that might be encountered during submission. The best way to better be familiar with EJTS specific guidelines for authors is reading one or more previously published articles. 

Authors need to be as well familiar with their rights and responsibilities and declare that they agree with the set rules of the journal before submitting and publishing their manuscripts.

Every author or co-author must not exercise duplicate submission, plagiarism, and self-plagiarism. It is the editorial policy of EJTS to avoid plagiarism. EJTS would like to bring to your attention that all manuscript submissions will be screened against the

Cross check database using plagiarism detector software. Authors can also screen their manuscript before submission using iThenticate at http://www.ithenticate.com. The journal would like to ahead remind authors that manuscripts with insufficient originality, or lack of nobility in the preparation may be rejected from the outset.

Preparing manuscript

Apart from the Uniform requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals, authors are advised to prepare their manuscript in accordance with the specific formatting and style of this journal, which is again specific to the type of manuscript category. The first and foremost important determinants for due consideration of the manuscript for peer review are the originality of the work and the appeal of the writing style in each section of the manuscript.

Making each section of the manuscript concise and handy is also an important undertaking to reach to the wider audience of the journal. Take note that the EJTS exercises mainly expository and descriptive writing style in all the section of a manuscript with little plus persuasive type in the discussion section. As the editors and peer reviewers are not in a position to make grammatical edits or rewriting the manuscript, the corresponding author has to make sure that it is written in clear and concise English. 

It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to make sure that each co-author has read the manuscript before submission for peer review and before publishing the reviewed article. All contributors should disclose any conflict of interest before submitting the manuscript. Figures, illustrations and tables borrowed unchanged, adapted, or modified should get permission from the copyright owners, and need to be clearly noted.

The Title Page

Authors should note that the title is the first impression the researcher makes with his or her manuscript to readers. Thus, the title should be concise, informative and attractive with probably some suspense to get the attention of readers. In other words, authors should give more attention to the title of the manuscript to make it very powerful to let the readers read the abstract. The content of the title may speak about research design and outcome variable. The length of the Title should not exceed 25 words.

Examples:

1. A versus B in the treatment of C: a randomized controlled trial;
2. Is X a risk factor for Y? A case control study;
3. What is the impact of factor X on subject Y: Meta-analysis and systematic review;

It is also good not to start the title with the following redundancy prone words: Investigation of…, Assessment of…, Evaluation of…, Analysis of…, A research…, and like add little value to the title as research by its nature is all about these.

Authors should also list the full names, institutional addresses and email addresses of all authors. If a collaboration group should be listed as an author, the Group name can be listed as an author. The names of the individual members of the group can be included in the acknowledgment section. The corresponding author should be indicated with complete contact address.  It is also helpful for editors and peer-reviewers identifying the type of manuscript in the title page as the original article, meta-analysis, case report etc.

Abstract

The abstract is the second most important impression the researcher makes beyond the title. Abstract is a concise statement of background, objective, methods, results and conclusions each structured as separate paragraphs. Describing the context, objective, study setting and design, statistical analysis used, main findings and conclusions with the single most important recommendation.

The EJTS upper word count limit for abstract section is 300 words. There should not be any abbreviation in the abstract section and no need to cite references, tables and figures. Avoid phrases like …are described, …is discussed, …is explained in the abstract section. Abstract need to stand alone in terms of giving the highlight information presented in the text.  Reports of randomized controlled trials should follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials [CONSORT] extension for abstracts. Therefore, the overall structure of the abstract for observational or experimental studies include:

• Background:Should state the context and purpose of the study with the primary research question/objective.
• Methods:Has to give an emphasis to the study design and statistical tests used.
• Results:Need to highlight the main findings pertinent to the set objective.
• Conclusions:Should be made based on the main finding and may infer potential implications. It is important to show the clinical relevance for basic-science articles.
• Trial registration:For clinical trials only, the registration number and date of registration should be stated.

Note that the full title of the manuscript must be repeated on the abstract page header.

Keywords

Five to seven keywords representing the main content of the article need to be listed in alphabetical order. Citing the country of study increases the visibility of the article for an international audience.

The main body of the manuscript

The main body of the manuscript need to be structured and headed by: background, methods, results, discussion, references, tables and figures. Study limitation, conclusion and recommendation are included in the last three paragraphs of the discussion section. Figures, pictures, illustrations and tables should not be embedded in the text and all should be placed after the references and each should have a separate page or a separate file.

Original article and brief communication: The sequence of section for original article and brief communication should be in the following order: Title page, Abstract, Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments [if any], References, Tables in numerical sequence [if any], Figures in numerical sequence [if any], and appendices [if any].

Systematic review and meta-analysis: follow the same sequence with the exception in the detail of the methods section [Search strategy, inclusion criteria and study selection, data extraction, operational definitions, data analysis].

Case Reports: should be presented as Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Case description, and Discussion. Case reports can be rare cases, eye catching and clinical challenges providing a learning point for the larger audience.

Commentaries:  may vary with the subject matter interested in.    

Background

The Background section should provide a summary of the existing literature and the significance of the current study to the existing body of knowledge. Partly, it is gaining knowledge on the area the study and partly justifying the research question, theoretical or conceptual framework of the study. In short, the background section presents the rationale of the study and clearly indicate why it is worth doing, what is known and what is unknown before.

Organizing the literature review as a background information, preferably from general to specific, from international to national data, or synthesizing the information thematically is acceptable. The author’s intelligence in extracting and synthesizing the available data to have linked flow of ideas makes the background information more complete. Specific to experimental studies, authors need to state their hypothesis in the background section.

Methods

The methods section should well describe the study design using standard methodological terms, the study setting, the source and sample population studied, the characteristics of study participants or description of materials, the primary and secondary outcome measures in the first few paragraphs. The type of statistical analysis and the computer package used, including a power calculation when it is appropriate, has to be well described.

The methods section should also show a clear description of all processes, interventions and comparisons. Drug names generally should be generic. When proprietary brands are used in research, it is good to include the brand names in parentheses. The standard scientific names writing should be maintained [start with capital letter for genus name and small letter for species name].

All measurements [length, height, weight, and volume] have to be reported in in metric units [meter, kilogram, or liter] or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be reported in degrees of Celsius [⁰C] and blood pressures in millimeters of mercury. Similarity, all laboratory measurements should be reported in the International System of Units [SI]. Percentages need to be rounded to one decimal place.

Cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies should conform to the STROBE panel format as presented in the journal’s website. Manuscripts extracted from randomized controlled trials should follow the twenty-five-item checklist developed by the CONSORT Group as presented in the journal’s website. Meta-analyses with or without meta-regression or systematic review studies should conform to the PRISMA Statement criteria as presented in the journal’s website.

Results

The results section should be presented in the text and, if the study is quantitative, in Tables and Figures. Results should be presented in a logical order, starting with socio-demographic data [if any] and the main finding of the current study. Highlight only important data from the Tables and Figures; no need to repeat in the text all the data in the Tables and Figures. All quantitative data described in the result section should be put in absolute numbers and percentages in brackets.

As noted above, Tables and Figures should be placed at last or in a separate file, but have to be sequentially cited in the results section. The findings of the study, if appropriate, including results of statistical analysis must be well described in words and in number. In the first paragraph, demographic findings may be dealt with.  Tables, Figures and illustrations should have complete information to standalone and be self-explanatory. Limit the number of columns and rows in a Table to 8 and 12, respectively [Table length crossing a page is not attractive for readers]. One or more of the following symbols can be used to further explain the content in the Table [*, †, ‡,]. The full term of abbreviations used in the Table must be documented below the Table. Tables can be prepared as Portrait or Landscape form. 

Discussion

Discussion should start by describing the main finding of the study in words-a brief synopsis of key findings. It should be followed by discussing the implications of the current findings in context of existing evidence-what is added in the existing body of knowledge. Only the concept of other findings as well need to be mentioned in the discussion section. Repeating the quantitative results in the discussion is a redundancy, and one of the reasons for at glance rejection of manuscripts. Extensive citation and discussion of published literature in the discussion [extending the background to the discussion section] is also a malpractice and another major reason for rejection.

As noted above, it is also in this section that the limitations of the study, conclusions and recommendations need to be described and stated. The conclusion is a summary of the main findings. Stating a hypothesis that may give some clue for further investigation on that specific matter. 

Formatting the text

Manuscripts should be prepared and submitted in a Word document. EJTS takes American English spelling as standard for uniformity in all published articles. Use 12-font HELVETICA, double space between lines with no indent between paragraphs. Apply automatic page numbering function to number the pages from cover page to the last one. Species names should be in italics to give emphasis. Statements copied from another work must be put in quotation mark [“…”] and the source should be mentioned. 

Abbreviations and symbols

Generally, abbreviations are not recommendable. When they are important, they should be defined at first mention and need to be used consistently over the course of the whole text. Abbreviation that occurs before the Background section, in the Tables and Figures heading are not acceptable.  Symbols [like: &, @, :-, Q, ∆ and others] are not acceptable. Similarly, short form of writings [like: i.e., n’t, b/n, Rx, and others] are not acceptable.

Footnotes

Footnotes and endnotes are not acceptable.

Manuscript length

The word count of the text, excluding the Title page, Abstract, References, Figures and Tables, is summarized in the Table below.

 Citation and referencing

The citation should follow the Vancouver style with superscript numbering in sequential order after the full stop.

Example: The finding in this study is consistent with the finding in X and Y studies.^1,2

All references must be numbered and must be cited in the text in ascending numerical order. Incomplete reference listing is one of the major reasons for repeated back and forth manuscript submission.

Number of References for original articles, systematic reviews and meta-analysis, brief communication and commentaries, and case reports should not exceed the recommended maximum number listed in the above Table.

Listing of a reference to a journal should be according to the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors [Vancouver Style] and should include authors' name[s] and initial[s] separated by commas, full title of the article, correctly abbreviated name of the journal, year, volume number, issue number or supplement number [no. Suppl] or special issue [no.  spec], and first and last page numbers. Up to six authors’ initial name with or without et al can be listed. Punctuation marks should be carefully checked. The titles of manuscripts should be abbreviated according to the style used in PUBMED and MEDLINE [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals].

Books with chapter authors used as reference should be referenced as: Up to six-chapter author[s] name and initial[s] with or without et al, section title, In: book title, edition or volume number, publisher or company name, year published, pages. For books with no section or chapter author, up to six authors’ initial name with or without et al, book title, edition or volume number, publisher or company name, year published, pages.

Web references are also acceptable provided that the full URL is given or copied and pasted, and the date when the reference was last accessed is mentioned. All other information [Authors or Organization name, title] should be complete. If available, citing the DOI makes the source accessible and more credible.

Personal communications should be placed NOT in the list of references, but in the text in parentheses, given name, date and place where the information was gathered or the work carried out. Unpublished data should also be referred similarly.

Authorship

As an international practice, authorship should be for substantial contribution in the professional work of the research, starting from generating the research idea and synthesis of the literature to engagement with in-depth analysis and write up of the manuscript. Therefore, the understanding is that all co-authors of an original research or review have participated in the actual work and take public responsibility for any section or the whole content of the published article, as per the recommendation of the ICMJE.

The order of listing authors has to be from the top to the least contributor. After submission, the order cannot be changed without written consent of all co-authors. As an international experience, the most senior person, unless he/she is the major contributor and listed as first, can be listed last in the list. The co-authors responsibility is extended to giving response to comments on published articles.

Corresponding author

The corresponding author should not necessarily be the first or the last author. The corresponding author is the one who has taken the responsibility of submitting the manuscript and is in charge for further communications with the editorial office of the journal. His/her contact address should be clearly stated, preferably with alternate contacts. It is also the corresponding author’s responsibility to follow the status of the manuscript and give response to the academic editor’s and publication team request before the stated deadline. In case, extension warrants, the corresponding author has to communicate with the editorial office as early as possible. The corresponding author takes the responsibility of approving the final version for publication.

Use of inclusive and restrictive language

Authors have to avoid marginalizing, offensive, misrepresentative words, convey stereotype messages or evoke existing stereotypes. Rather, it is advisable to entertain diversity, use gender-neutral terms unless specified, convey respect to all people, and to be community sensitive.

As research reports should not be as such persuasive, there is no need to overemphasize or exaggerate the findings of the study. Authors should also be careful in generalizing their research findings to the larger population.

Research ethics

For primary studies involving humans, authors should make sure that their research protocol has been approved by a recognized institutional review board and appropriate consent is secured before data collection. The registration number and date of registration of controlled research trials should be described in the methods section. Manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must, therefore, include a statement on ethics approval and consent [even where the need for approval is waived] before submitting. It is still important to mention ‘Not applicable’ for studies those do not involve humans, human data or tissue. Authors are advised to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics [COPE] guidelines elsewhere.

Submission declaration

During initial submission of a manuscript, authors are requested to declare that the work submitted to this journal for publication has not been published before [except in the form of an abstract or conference proceeding], or it is not under consideration for publication anywhere else.

If the manuscript is accepted by the EJTS for publication, authors ensure that the findings included in the submitted manuscript will not be published elsewhere in any language, without the written consent of the EJTS.

The corresponding author assures that the submitted manuscript has been read and approved by all co-authors.

It is must that all authors disclose any financial and personal relationships with companies or individuals who may inappropriately influence on the outcome of the research work for any hidden agenda.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement is mainly for those individuals who technically or financially supported the research work. It should be in a separate section after the discussion section and before the reference list.

Submitting manuscript

Manuscripts should be submitted through email attachment or the ScholarOne electronic submission system. Since the electronic submission system is designed for author’s stepwise response, it is not possible to jump to the next step before responding to the compulsory requests in each page. All sections of the manuscript [text, Tables, Figures and any artwork] should be submitted electronically. Anything impossible for electronic version submission through the ScholarOne system needs ahead communication to the editorial office. Authors can follow their manuscript status by logging in to the ScholarOne submission system. However, the corresponding author can receive as well email message for early reminder, or early response about the status of the manuscript. 

Submission checklist

1. The manuscript is prepared conforming the EJTS policy and guidelines.
2. The word count of the title, abstract and text is within the journal’s maximum limit.
3. The full Title of the manuscript is repeated in the Abstract page of the manuscript
4. Keywords are listed in alphabetical order.
5. The title of Tables and legends of Figures is complete/describing the content, study area and year of study. 
6. Tables and Figures are placed after the reference list or provided as a separate file.
7. Make sure that all Figures and Table citations in the text match with the names provided. Similarly, all references listed are cited in the text in ascending order.
8. 'Spell check' and 'grammar check' is done.
9. No abbreviation is used in the title and abstract. All abbreviations are initially defined and consistently used.
10. Punctuation marks in the reference listing are checked.
11. Page numbers are put at the bottom of each page starting from the Title page.
12. No identity of the authors is revealed with the exception of the Title page.
13. The registration number and date of registration of controlled research trials is described.  

Online Submission

Once the checklist is complete, the corresponding author need to register and login to the online submission website [ScholarOne website]. Registration is mandatory for all online submissions. The registered author will be automatically provided username and password. Authors are advised to contact the editorial office via email for any problem encountered during registration or submission [editorial office email].  The editorial office would like to bring to your attention again that submitted manuscripts that are not as per the guidelines for authors of this journal will be returned to the authors for correction. It is only those manuscripts which passed the assistant editor’s check list will be forwarded to the academic editor for further preliminary evaluation before they are subjected to peer-review.

Review process

EJTS exercises a double-blind review process; authors should remove all possible identifiers from the body of the manuscript by restricting all identifiers on the cover page. Authors should also do all the best to hide their identity when citing their own previous research works as well. Never use first person singular or plural when you are citing your work as a reference.

The EJTS editorial policy is to let manuscripts preliminarily reviewed by section editors and sending to two or more peer reviewers without revealing the identity of the authors to the reviewers. If accepted for production, many more members of the publication team will be reviewing and making corrective comments before the final decision for publication. The academic editor has a discretionary right for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of manuscripts. Authors have to be assured that final decision is made after several in house consultation. Therefore, the decision is final. 

Accepted manuscript for publication

All accepted manuscripts would be copy edited for grammatical and typographical errors by professional language editors. But authors should take note that manuscripts written in good English are much preferred from the outset to qualify for peer review, and probably for acceptance. Galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author for final touch [if any] before accepting for publication. At this stage, the corresponding author has to be prompt in responding within the given time. For all articles ready for publication, the corresponding author is requested to complete an 'Article Publishing Agreement’, detailed in the editorial policy of the journal.