Submissions

Author Guidelines

Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry accepts manuscripts prepared in accordance with the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

Manuscript Format

• Title Page: Should include the title of the manuscript, author(s) name(s), affiliations, and contact information
• Abstract: Should be structured, and not exceed more than 300 words. This abstract should consist of four paragraphs, labelled Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. They should briefly describe, respectively, the problem being addressed in the study, how the study was performed, the salient results, and what the authors conclude from the results.
• Keywords: Three to ten keywords or short phrases should be added to the bottom of the abstract page. Please use terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) of Index Medicus.
• Introduction: Brief background of research topic should be stated which funnels down in the light of existing literature to state the reason for conducting research and mention the objective of the research.
• Methodology: This section should consist of study design, ethical review statement, description of the selection of the observational or experimental subjects, study setting, study duration, sampling method, sample size calculations with references, follow-up period, inclusion and exclusion criteria, variables, identification of the methods, equipment and of all drugs and chemicals and data analysis
• Results: Give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical significance attached to them giving degree of freedom, test of significance value and p-value (in brackets) if any. Do not duplicate data in graphs and tables if already mentioned in text.
• Discussion: Detailed comparison of findings of study with the existing literature and extracting out the possible reasons for the match or mismatch with the existing literature. Study limitations should be mentioned in end of the discussion section.
• Limitations: The limitations of the study should address potential biases, sample size constraints, methodological weaknesses, and the generalizability of the findings.
• Conclusion: Final statement that will be the crux of findings in accordance with the objective of the study.
• Conflict of Interest: Any conflict of interest should be declared by all authors. This may include grants or honorarium, credits and promotions, memberships or any personal or professional relationships which may appear to influence the manuscript. Such competing interests are not unethical but should be declared.
• Acknowledgements: This is an optional section for acknowledging contributions from individuals or organizations. 
• Funding Disclosure: All sources of grants received and its spending should be disclosed. If there are no funding sources, the authors should state "none to declare".
• References: Must be written in Vancouver style The total number of references in an original article must not exceed 30, while in the review articles maximum limit of references is 45. References must be written single-spaced and numbered as they are cited in the text. The style for all types of references is given in the ‘Uniform requirements for manuscripts   submitted   to   biomedical journals’ at the website of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, icmje.org. Journal
• Article: Ashraf T, Yousaf K, Karim MT. Early Experience of Endovascular Treatment of Peripheral  Vascular Disease. Journal of University College of Medicine and Dentistry. 2021;1(1):43–6.
• Book: Polit DF, Hungler BP. Nursing research principles and methods. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999.
• Chapter in Book: Woessner JF.  Lysosomal function.  In: Dingle JT, Fell HG, editors Lysosomes in biology and pathology. London: North Holland Publishing Co; 1969:299–329
• Website accessed: World Health Organization. Physical activity. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/physical-activity. Published May 26, 2020. Accessed February 13, 2024.

Manuscript Formatting

To ensure consistency and readability in the manuscript, the following formatting requirements are recommended;

• Font: Times New Roman, 12-font size.
• Spacing: Double-spaced throughout the manuscript. Names of Drugs: Only generic names of drugs should be used.
• Units of   Measurement:   All   measurements   should   be expressed in conventional units, with System International (SI) units given in parentheses throughout the text.
• Abbreviations: Except for units of measurement, abbreviations are discouraged. The first time an abbreviation appears it should be preceded by the words for which it stands, However, title and abstract must not contain any abbreviations.
• Tables and Illustrations: Tables and figures should be submitted along with the text, and within the text rather than at the end. They should also be submitted separately as guided in the automated submission software and must have a title, and be on double space. If photographs of patients are used, either the subjects should not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to publish the picture.
• Headings: Bold and aligned left.
• Subheadings: Italicized and aligned left. We prefer not to use subheadings in the introduction and discussion sections.
• Margins: One-inch margins on all sides.
• Page Numbers: Bottom right corner.
• In-text Citations: In-text citations should be numbered and placed in superscript format following a full stop.
• Manuscripts are accepted for consideration if neither the article nor any of its contents have been published or submitted elsewhere. For submission of manuscript, authors will register on our web page. For certification of originality of work, an undertaking form will be signed by all the authors and will be submitted along with the manuscript, specimen of which is available online in the downloads section.  No more than 6 names will be listed under the title. The manuscript should be created in Times new Roman style with 12 font sizes.

Original Articles

• Maximum Length = 2500 words
• Maximum No. of Tables / Illustrations = 4
• Maximum No. of References = 30

Review Articles

• Maximum Length = 4000 words
• Maximum No. of Tables / Illustrations = 4
• Maximum No. of References = 45

Case Reports

• Maximum Length = 1500 words
• Maximum No. of Tables / Illustrations = 2
• Maximum No. of References = 15

Guest Editorial

When writing a guest editorial, it is essential to adhere to the guidelines provided in the following practical guide;  https://www.geneseo.edu/~bennett/EdWrite.htm

 Short Communications

• Maximum Length = 1500 words
• Maximum No. of Tables / Illustrations = 2
• Maximum No. of References = 15

Guidelines for Short Communications in JUCMD

For a short communication, it is important to note that conducting original research is not a requirement in JUCMD. Instead, short communications should focus on providing concise and relevant information that contributes to the field, such as highlighting key findings, presenting novel ideas, or offering insightful commentary on existing research or practices. The emphasis is on delivering a clear and focused message that effectively conveys the significance of the information, relates it to existing knowledge, and discusses its implications in a coherent and easy-to-understand manner. These communications should provide value by enriching the current understanding and stimulating further discussion or investigation. 

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

• The Metadata of the author and all the co-authors is complete in all aspects. Name and affiliations of the author and co-authors have not been mentioned anywhere in the main manuscript file.
• Once submitted there will be no change in author and co-author names and order. Any such requests may lead to rejection of manuscript
• The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
• All the references are written in vancouver style
• The author and co-authors certify that the manuscript has neither been published nor submitted in any other journal for publication.

The following documents should be available at the time of submission;

1. Cover Letter by the corresponding author to Editor-in-Chief
2. Article, including abstract and references.
3. Ethical Approval
4. Authors declaration form, filled and signed.

Cover Letter: All submissions should be accompanied by a cover letter that includes a brief overview of the manuscript and the full name, e-mail address, phone number, and mailing address of the corresponding author. The institutional affiliation of all authors should be given, along with their designations and departments. The manuscript should also specify the number of display items (figures and tables), the number of attachments (manuscript, figures, Supplementary Information if any), and their formats. It must include a statement indicating that the article has not been published in another publication and is not being submitted simultaneously to another journal.

Ethical Approval of Research: When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation. Do not use patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, in-text and illustrative material. When reporting experiments on animals, authors should indicate whether institutional and national standards for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. If an institution does not have an ethical review committee, the institution's approval from the concerned department may be submitted. All case reports require approval on the institutional letterhead from the head of the department. A statement should be included that participants gave informed consent before being included in the study or for publication of a case report.

Ethical Authorship Policy for Single-Center and Multi-Center Studies

1. Single-Center Studies: For studies conducted at a single institution, all listed authors must be affiliated with the institution where the research was carried out.

2. Multi-Center Studies: In the case of studies conducted across multiple institutions, each participating institution must have its own separate ethical consent approval, with distinct ethical consent letter numbers corresponding to their involvement.

Galley Proofs: After incorporating authors' final corrections following peer review, all manuscripts undergo editorial modifications, underscoring the importance of meticulous proofreading. PDF page proofs will be dispatched via email to the corresponding author for review. To expedite publication, proofs should be promptly reviewed and returned within 48 hours. Corrections should be submitted via annotated PDF, email, or fax. Authors may incur charges for extensive text revisions.

Post-production corrections: Corrections are made if the publication record is seriously affected by the academic accuracy of published information. Where these amendments concern peer-reviewed material, the correction will be published as a formal notice (erratum) in a subsequent issue.