Instructions to Authors

Scope

The Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology - a quarterly journal entertains original communications on all aspects of biomedical research contributing to the advancement of knowledge in Medical Microbiology. The scope of the Journal allows publication of papers on medical education with reference to Microbiology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in either medical or paramedical courses; innovations in techniques; epidemiologic investigations and interdisciplinary work in infectious diseases. The journal follows British format of English language. Readers are encouraged to write comments on papers published in the Journal in the form of Correspondence. Brief communications containing significant findings will be given priority. Those who wish to contribute review articles may write to the Editor expressing their intention before hand, as the reviews are usually written on invitation. The journal is issued quarterly in the third weeks of January, April, July and October. All papers are subjected to peer review by Editorial Board and experts in the field before acceptance for publication. All accepted papers are subject to editorial changes and to meet printing cost a nominal charge of Rs 200.00 per page is payable by authors.

Submission of Manuscript

IJMM prefers online submissions, therefore, authors with access to internet are encouraged to submit articles online.

Online submission of articles

Articles can be submitted online from http://www.journalonweb.com/ijmm. New authors will have to register as author, which is a simple two step procedure. For online submission articles should be prepared in two files (first page file and article file). Images and copyright forms should be submitted separately.

The manuscripts should not have been submitted elsewhere simultaneously and should not have been reported earlier either partly or totally. They may be submitted elsewhere only in case not accepted by IJMM. It is necessary that all the authors give an undertaking/copyright (in the format given at the end for hard copy submission) indicating their consent to be co-authors in the sequence indicated on the title page. Copyright forms are available online which should be printed, filled up, signed by all authors and submitted online. In the event of hard copy submission, the typescripts in triplicate should be sent to:

The Editor,
IJMM,
L.V. Prasad Eye Institute,
Patia,
Bhubaneswar – 751 024,
Orissa, India.

First page file: Prepare the title page, covering letter, ackno-wledgement, etc. using a word processor program. All information which can reveal your identity should be indicated here. Use text/rtf/doc/pdf files. Do not zip the files.

Article file: The main text of the article, beginning from Abstract till References (including tables) should be in this file. Do not include any information (such as acknowledgement, your names in page headers, etc.) in this file. Use text/rtf/doc/ files. Do not zip the files. Limit the file size to 400 kb. Do not incorporate images in the file. If file size is large, graphs can be submitted as images separately without incorporating them in the article file to reduce the size of the file.

Images: Submit good quality black and white or colour images. Each image should be less than 400 kb in size. Size of the image can be reduced by decreasing the actual height and width of the images (keep up to 800 pixels or 4 inches). All image formats (jpeg, tiff, gif, bmp, etc.) are acceptable; jpeg is most suitable. Do not zip the files.

Legends: Legends for the figures/images should be included at the end of the manuscript text as well as uploaded at the time of online submission.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Authors are advised to consult a recent issue of the Journal or read the “Guidelines for authors” published in January issue of the current year or refer to the website , to get familiar with the format adopted with respect to various elements of a paper. Manuscript should be presented in as concise a form as possible, typewritten in double space on one side of good quality bond paper (21.0 x 29.7 cm). Pages should be numbered consecutively and the contents arranged in the following order: Title, Name(s) of the Author(s) with highest academic qualification of each author, abbreviated (running) title, Department(s) and Institution(s), Abstract, Key words, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgement, References. Abstract, Tables and Legends for figures should be typed on separate sheets and not in continuation of the main text. Due to the high cost of postage, it may not be possible for the Editor to return the original manuscripts to the authors if not accepted for publication. The name and mailing address of the author to whom requests for reprints or correspondence should be directed must be indicated. Submission of an email address is encouraged.

Title

Title of the article should be short and yet sufficiently informative so as to be useful in indexing and information retrieval.

Abstract

The abstracts should be brief (about 250 words) and structured (for special and original articles) to contain purpose, methods, results and conclusions of the paper. It should only highlight the principal findings and conclusions so that it can be used by abstracting services without modification. Conclusions and recommendations not found in the text of the article should not be inserted in the abstract. The abstract should be unstructured and restricted to 100 words for brief communications and case reports and 250 words for review articles. No abstract is required for articles in correspondence category.

Key Words

Up to five key words may be given for review, special, original articles and brief communications. Only three key words are required for case reports. Key words are helpful for indexing purposes.

Introduction 

Introduction should be brief and state precisely the scope of the paper. Review of the literature should be restricted to reasons for undertaking the present study and provide only the most essential background.

Materials & Methods 

The nomenclature, the source of material and equipment used, with the manufacturer’s details in parenthesis, should be clearly mentioned, the procedures adopted should be explicitly stated to enable other workers to reproduce the results, if necessary. New methods may be described in sufficient detail and also indicate their limitations. Established methods can be just mentioned with authentic reference and significant deviations, if any, given with reasons for adopting them. When reporting experiments on human subjects, it should be indicated whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards on human experimentation (as per the guidelines laid down by the Central Ethical Committee of the Indian Council of Medical Research). The manuscript must state in the methods section that the study and data accumulation were carried out with approval from the appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB)or institute ethical committee and that informed consent was obtained from the subjects.

When reporting experiments on animals, procedures adopted for the care and use of laboratory animals need to be mentioned. Biomedical research involving animals must conform to generally accepted principles of animal maintenance and care. The drugs and chemicals used should be precisely identified, including generic name(s), dosage(s) and route(s) of administration.

The statistical analysis done and statistical significance of the findings when appropriate should be mentioned. Unless absolutely necessary for a clear understanding of the article, detailed description of statistical treatment may be avoided. Articles based heavily on statistical considerations, however, need to give details particularly when new or uncommon methods are employed, others need to give only authentic references.

Results

Only such data that are essential for understanding the discussion and main conclusions emerging from the study should be included. The data should be arranged in unified and coherent sequence so that the report develops clearly and logically. Data presented in tables and figures should not be repeated in the text. Only important observations need to be emphasized or summarised. The same data should not be presented both in tabular and graphic forms. Interpretation of the data should be taken up only under the Discussion and not under Results.

Discussion

Long, rambling and involved discussions should be scrupulously avoided. The discussion should deal with the interpretation of results without repeating what already was presented under Results. It should relate new finding to the known ones and include logical deductions. The conclusions can be linked with the goals of the study but unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by the data should be avoided. Claiming of priority on work that is ongoing should also be avoided. A hypothesis should, if warranted, clearly be labelled as such; recommendations may be included as part of the Discussion, only when considered absolutely necessary and relevant

Case Report

Recommended for description of uncommon infections. It should be divided into introduction, case history and discussion with not more than 10 references. Illustrations and tables, when included, should be limited to one each. Case reports with good documentation are preferred. Should have an unstructured abstract limited to 100 words and key words limited to 3 words. .

Brief Communication

Recommended for brief observations that do not warrant a full length paper. It may be divided into sections as for the full paper. It must not exceed 1000 words. References must be as few as possible and not more than 13. Illustrations and tables, when included, should be limited to one each. It should have an abstract (unstructured) limited to 100 words and key words limited to 5 words.

Correspondence

Addressed to the editor, correspondence can be related to previously published articles or for presentation of preliminary, or novel results. It should be limited in length to 300 words and should be continuous without headings. It may include 2-3 paragraphs, not more than 5 references and one table or figure.

Book reviews

Authors of books seeking review may submit two copies of the book to the editor. The editor invites experts in the field to submit a review of the book. Alternatively, a review may be submitted voluntarily to the editor along with a copy of the book.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement should be brief and made for funding agencies or specific scientific assistance and not for providing routine departmental and institutional facilities. The Journal does not print acknowledgements for those who reviewed, discussed, edited, or typed a manuscript, or gave “technical,” “helpful,” “crucial,” or “moral” support or similar collegial aid to the authors. The Journal also does not publish acknowledgements of individuals who, by virtue of doing their job, contributed to the implementation of the study, e.g. secretaries, clinic coordinators, technicians, photographers, or technologists. At the request of the author, the Journal will acknowledge those who referred patients, translated references, provided extensive statistical assistance, or provided essential tissue, equipment, or other materials without which the study could not have been completed. Conflict of interest if any should also be mentioned, if none then mention must be made to that effect.

References
References will not be checked in the Editorial Office. Responsibility for their accuracy and completeness lies with the author.

The total number of references should normally be restricted to a maximum of 20 for an original research article, 10 for a case report, 13 for a brief communication and 5 for correspondence. For review articles the number of references may be restricted to 50. References to literature cited in the text should be numbered consecutively and placed at the end of the manuscript. In the text they should be indicated above the line (bracketed [ ] superscript). As far as possible, mentioning names of author(s) under references should be avoided in the text. Authors are required to list only references that they have read and that are pertinent to the manuscript. They should avoid quoting references in languages other than English. The commonly cited types of references are shown here, for other types of references such as electronic media, newspaper items, etc. please refer http://www.icmje.org. .

Journals: The titles of the journals should be abbreviated and italicized according to the style used by the Index Medicus. The January issue of the Index Medicus may be consulted. In citing reference to research papers, names and initials of maximum of six authors followed by et al, followed by :title of the article, journal, year, volume number and first page and last page of the article.

e.g. Chande C, Thakar YS, Pande S, Dhanvijay AG, Saoji AM. Production of anti-immunoglobin and anti-light chain antisera. Indian J Med Microbiol 1996;14:145-9 .

In press articles may be included in the text in circular brackets and not listed in the references. The name and initials of the first author and the journal (italics) should be given followed by the words -in press.

e.g. (Parikh M et al. Rapid diagnosis of neonatal bacteraemia. Indian J Med Microbiol 1995- in press).

Books: When the book has only authors and no editor(s). 1. Parija SC. A text book of Medical Parasitology: 1st ed. (All India Publishers and Distributors, Madras) 1996:30-34. 2. Hamerton JL. Human cytogenetics. (New York Academic Press) 1971, Vol. II:12-18. When the reference is to author(s) who has contributed a chapter in a book edited by some one else. Miller JM, O’hara CM. Substrate utilization systems for the identification of bacteria and yeasts, Chapter 10. In: Manual of clinical Microbiology, 6th ed. Murray PR, Baron ES, Pfaller MA, Tenover FC, Yolken RH, Eds. (ASM Press, Washington DC) 1995:103. Baron EJ, Finegold SM. (Eds) Spirochetes and other spiral shaped organisms, Chapter 31. In: Bailey and Scott’s Diagnostic Microbiology, 8th ed. (The CV Mosby Company, St. Louis) 1990:445.

Online Journals 
Friedman SA. Preeclampsia: A review of the role of prostaglandins. Obstet Gynecol (serial online). January 1988; 71:22-37. Available from BRS Information Technologies, McLean. VA. Accessed December 15, 1990.

World Wide Web 
Gostin LO. Drug use and HIV/AIDS (JAMA HIV/AIDS Website). June 1, 1996. Available at: http://www.amaassn.org/special/hiv/ethics. Accessed June 26, 1997.

All references given must be original and complete. Reference “cited by” and “quoted by” from other publications should not be included.

Tables

Table should be typed separately and numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.). They should bear brief title. Column headings should be short and they should have only horizontal lines. Units of measurement should be abbreviated and placed below the headings. Statistical measurement variations such as SD and SE should be numbered. Table should not be submitted as photographs.

Illustrations

For hard copy submissions, three sets of illustrations (one set original and 2 copies) should be submitted,. numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Line drawings should be made on good quality tracing paper or Bristol board. Letters, numbers and symbols should be clear in the figures and of sufficient size, so that when reduced, they can be accommodated in single column (8.5 cm) or double (17.0 x 21.0 cm) column sizes. All illustrations must be protected by thick card board packing against damages during transit. Photomicrographs should have internal scale markers regarding details of magnification to facilitate reduction in size. Symbols, arrows and letter used in the photomicrographs should contrast with the background. For hard copy submissions, IJMM prefers to receive figures/images on CDs rather than art work. Only high quality figures/images (at least 800 pixels) are acceptable.

All published material should be acknowledged and copyright material should be submitted along with the written permission of copyright holder.

Colour illustrations will be accepted only at the author’s expense.

Proof and Reprints
For all accepted articles the authors are required to pay a nominal charge of Rs 200.00 per page as demand draft in favour of “Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology” payable at Bhubaneswar.

Reprints order must be sent to the Editorial Office along with the corrected proofs, if not sent earlier, within 48 hours. Twenty Reprints of published articles (except correspondence and book reviews) will be available at Rs.1000/ - (Rupees one thousand only) to the corresponding author.

Corresponding authors of accepted articles are supplied printer’s galley proof and reprints order/charges for colour printing. Corrections on the proof should be restricted to printer’s errors only and no substantial additions/deletions should be made. No change in the names of the authors (by way of additions and deletions) is permissible at the proof stage.

Undertaking

We, the undersigned, give an undertaking to the following effect with regard to our article entitled “_______________________” submitted for publication in the Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology.

1. The article mentioned above has not been published or submitted to or accepted for publication in any form, in any other journal.
2. We also vouchsafe that the authorship of this article will not be contested by anyone whose name(s) is/are not listed by us here.
3. We also agree to the authorship of this article in the following sequence.

Authors Names (in sequence)        Signature of Authors with date

1. ___________________                ___________________ 


2. ___________________                ___________________ 


3. ___________________               ___________________

Important 

1. All the authors are required to sign independently in this form in the sequence given
2. Each author should have generated at least part of the intellectual content of the paper.
3. Each author should be able to defend publicly in the scientific community, that intellectual content of the paper for which he/she can take responsibility.
4. No addition/deletion or any change in the sequence of the authorship will be permissible at a later stage, without valid reasons/permission of the Editor.
5. If the authorship is contested at any stage, the article will not be processed for publication till the issue is resolved.