Instruction to Authors

Ceylon Medical Journal 1996: 41; 2; p 83 - 86

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT

The CMJ will consider all manuscripts prepared in accordance with the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (1). A summary of these and the requirements of the CMJ are given below.

Manuscript typing

All parts of manuscript, including tables and figure legends, must be typed with double spacing. References must also be double spaced. Manuscripts should be typed in capital and lower case letters, on white paper, 216 x 279 mm (8 x 11 in.), or A4 (212 x 297mm). Arrange components in the following order: title page, abstract, text, references, tables in numerical sequence, and figure legends. Begin each component on a separate page. Number all pages consecutively, starting with the title page.

Title page

The title page should contain the following:

1. Main title and subtitle (if any).
2. Authors listed in the form and order in which they are to appear in the published article.
3. Institutional affiliation for each author, in a footnote on the title page of the article. The institutions listed should reflect the affiliations of the authors at the time of the study, not their present affiliations, if they differ.
4. Financial support information. Include the grant number, if any, and the granting agency. Other financial support, such as that for equipment and drugs, should also be listed.
5. Name, address, and telephone number of author responsible for correspondence.
6. Name and complete address of the author who will receive reprint requests.
7. The number of words in the manuscript, exclusive of the abstract, references, tables, figures, and figure legends.

Abstract

Abstracts for articles are limited to 250 words; those for Brief Reports, to 150 words. Authors of original research and of review articles are asked to submit a structured abstract organised into the following categories:

Authors are asked to see papers in any recent issue of the British Medical Journal or Annals of Internal Medicine for guidance on structuring the abstracts.

Heading in text

Use only three levels of headings in the text. Clearly indicate the levels of headings by using different typographic conventions (such as all capital letters or bold type) or by positioning (flush to margin, indented). Keep headings short (three or four words); do not use abbreviations. Do not underline any headings.

Style

The British Medical Journal and Annals of Internal Medicine are recommended to authors as guides to style, clarity of presentation and conciseness.

Units

Use Sl units throughout (2), except for systemic arterial blood pressure and haemoglobin content. Other units may be given in parenthesis. Use only Arabic numerals.

Names of drugs and instruments

Generic names must he used for all drugs. Include the proprietary name only if it is needed for a Specific purpose (e.g. to differentiate between drug forms or if a particular preparation is involved in an adverse effect). Instruments may be referred to by proprietary name, giving the name and location of the manufacturer in the text in parentheses.

References

Number references in the order in which they are first cited in the text. Use Arabic numerals within parentheses. Note that the CMJ requires the COMPLETE name of journal (and not its abbreviation), year, volume and first and last page numbers.

The reference list should not include unpublished material. Symposium papers may be cited from published proceedings; oral presentation of a paper at a meeting does not constitute publication. References to articles or books accepted for publication but not yet published must include the title of the journal (or name of the publisher) and the year of expected publication. Unpublished work (personal communications, papers in preparation) may be cited by inserting a reference within parentheses in the text; authors must submit a letter of permission from the cited persons to cite such communications.

Sample references below are in the style required by the CMJ.

Journals: List all authors when six or fewer: when seven or more, list only the first six and add et al.

1. Standard article.

Bernstein H. Gold H. Sodium diphenylhydantoin in the treatment of recurrent arrhythmias. Journal of The A//1e/i-can Medical A.vsociatiol7 1965: 191: 695-9.

2. Corporate author.

The Royal Marsden Hospital Bone Marrow Transplantation Team. Failure of syngeneic hone marrow graft without preconditioning in post-hepatitis marrow aplasia. Lancet. 1977; 2: 242-4.

3. Special format (also applies to abstracts).

Cahal DA. Methyldopa and haemolytic anaemia (Letter). Lancet. 1975: 1: 201.

Books: List all authors) or editors when six or fewer; when seven or more, list only the first six and add et al.

1. Author.

Eisen HN. Immunology: An Introduction to Molecular and Cellular Principles of the Immune Response. 5th ed. New York: Harper and Row; 1974: 406.

2. Editors.

Dausset J. Colombani J: eds. Histocompatibility Testing 1972. Copenhagen: Munksgaard: 1973: 12-8.

3. Chapter in a book.

Hellstrom I, Helstrom KE. Lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxic reactions and blocking serum factors in tumor-bearing individuals. In: Brent L, Holbrow J; eds. Progress in Immunology 11. v. 5 New York: American Elsevier; 1974: 147-57.

Other Citations in Reference List:

1. In press (must have journal title).

Dienstag JL. Experimental infection in chimpanzees with hepatitis A virus. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 1975. In Press.

2. Magazine article.

Roueche B. Annals of medicine: the Santa Claus culture. The New Yorker 1971. Sep 4: 66-81.

In-text citations of unpublished material (to be placed within parentheses):

1. Personal communication.

(Strott CA, Nugent CA. Personal communication).

2. Unpublished papers.

(Lerner RA, Dixon FJ. The induction of acute glomerulonephrritis in rats. In preparation).

(Smith J. New agents for cancer chemotherapy. Presented at the Third Annual Meting of the American Cancer Society, June 13, 1983 New York).

Tables

All tables must be typed double spaced. Do not submit tables as glossy prints. Tables should be numbered with arabic numerals, in the order in which they are cited in the text. A table title should describe concisely the content of the table so that the table can be understood without reference to the text. Abbreviations that would not be permitted in text may be used in tables, but they must be explained in footnotes to the table.

Figures

Figures should be professionally drawn or prepared using a computer and high-resolution printer. Lettering should he uniform in style. Freehand or typewritten lettering is not acceptable.

Number the figures in the order in which they are cited in the text. Photomicrographs should have scale markers that indicate the degree of' magnification.

Submit three glossy prints of each figure. Indicate on a label the name of the first author of the paper, the figure number and the top of the figure: then paste the label on the back of' the figure. Do not mount figures on backing board.

Colour figures may be submitted and will be published if essential. Three colour prints should be submitted for each figure. Indicate cropping, if needed, with an overlay of transparent paper. Colour photographs are included only if publishing costs are borne by the author. Authors may also be asked to contribute towards the cost of publishing black and white photographs and figures.

Legends for figures

Reduce the length of legends by using partial sentences. Explain all abbreviations and symbols on the figure, even if they are explained in the text.

Stain and magnification should be given at the end of the legend for each part of the figure. If there is no scale marked on the figure the original magnification used during the observation should be given, not that of the photographic print.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledge only persons who have contributed to the scientific content and provided financial or technical support. Authors must submit written permission from persons acknowledged for other than financial or technical support.

Ordering reprints

A form for ordering reprints is sent to authors when articles are in press.

Handling charge

A nominal handling fee of Rs 250 will be charged from authors at the time of submission of an article. This fee is not refundable. Cheques in favour of 'Ceylon Medical Journal A/ C 10185' should be sent at time of submission of manuscripts.

Correspondence with the Editor

Address all editorial correspondence to the Editor. The Ceylon Medical Journal, 6 Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka.

References

1. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. New England Journal of Medicine 1991:324: 424-8.
2. Young D. Implementation of SL units for clinical laboratory data: style specifications and conversion tables. Annals of Internal Medicine 1987; 106: 114-29.