INSTRUCTION FOR AUTHORS

The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences welcomes manuscripts on all aspects of medical, biomedical, and health sciences. Please note that, due to the strict criteria, the Journal’s rejection rate is 67% (September 2010 audit); all manuscripts should be prepared in a scholarly manner. The followings are the general guidelines for submission; please visit our website for more detailed information.

Types of Manuscript

•   Original Article
Report of original clinical or investigative laboratory research.

•   Review Article
Overview of recent researches in a particular subject area.

•   Brief Communication
Description of a complete small investigation; or of new models, hypotheses, or innovative methods.

•   Special Communication
Article on an important issue in clinical medicine, public health, health policy, or biomedical research.

•   Case Report
Brief case report of unusual interest.

•   Letter to the Editor
Comments on a manuscript published within 6 months in MJMS or a short letter on scientifically relevant findings.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be written in the English language and prepared in Microsoft Word document (.doc), preferably using Times New Roman, size 12, with double spacing and normal margin. Authors may refer to The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers: Scientific Style for tips on preparing a scientific manuscript.

The following materials should be provided in separate files:

• Title page

The title page should contain full title, a running title of not more than 50 characters, name(s) of author(s) and affiliation(s), corresponding author’s details, and acknowledgements (if any).

• Main document
• Title

The title should be concise but informative.

• Abstract

The abstract should be about 150-200 words. The abstract should state the purpose of the study, a brief description of the procedures employed, main findings, and principal conclusion.

• Keywords

Please use MeSH terms (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html) for keywords. 

• Text

The text of observational and experimental articles is usually divided into Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. A case report is divided into Introduction, Case Report, and Discussion. Other types of manuscript may be divided into several parts, as seen necessary by the Authors.

• References

Please follow CSE citation style (citation-sequence) for references. 

• Tables (if any)

Tables should be prepared to fit a portrait layout. Please keep the tables as simple as possible; further explanations can be included in the footnotes.

• Figures (if any)

Figures should be of high quality, in either EPS or TIFF format (minimum resolution: 300 dpi for photo images, 900 dpi for line arts, 600 dpi for combinations). Original file (e.g., Excel, SPSS output file) should also be provided for graphs and charts.

• Form(s)

The Authorship Agreement Form should be completed and submitted via mail, fax, or email. For manuscripts containing pictures of identifiable patients, the Patient Consent Form must be submitted as well.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscript should be submitted online via ScholarOne Manuscript (http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/maljms). For a first-time contributor, please register a new account. User tutorial and submission guide are available on the side bar.

A new submission will be pre-screened (content and plagiarism check) prior to peer review process. A decision letter will be sent to the submitting author once all reviews have been returned. Author can track the manuscript’s progress through the Author Center.

Copyright

Accepted manuscripts become permanent properties of the Universiti Sains Malaysia Press and may not be published elsewhere without prior permission from the publisher; authors will be required to sign a Copyright Transfer Form upon acceptance of their manuscripts. Permission must be obtained from copyright owner (the publisher) to reproduce published materials elsewhere.

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