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Author Guidelines

INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS

Scope of the Journal the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases(MEJDD) aims to publish the highest quality material, both clinical and scientific, on aspects of gastrointestinal and liver diseases. It includes articles related to research findings, technical evaluations, and reviews. In addition, it provides a forum for the exchange of information on all aspects of gastrointestinal and liver, including educational issues. The Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases is an international, English language, peer-reviewed journal concerned with adult and pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology and colorectal surgery and is published quarterly. Papers submitted to this journal which do not adhere to the instructions for authors will be returned for appropriate revision to be in line with the instructions for authors. They may then be re-submitted. Article categories the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases accept the following categories of articles:

Clinical papers:

Clinical studies based on either normal subjects or patients. It is the editorial policy to accept case studies/reports too.

Clinical Trial Registration:

MEJDD requires that randomized controlled trials be registered according to policies accepted by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). In order to be considered for publication, trials that begin enrolment of patients after January 2008 must register in a public trials registry at or before the onset of enrolment, and trials that began patient enrolment on or before this date must register any time before submission to the journal.

The registration number of the trial and the name of the trial registry must be mentioned at the end of the abstract. Acceptable trial registries include the following: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; http://www.anzctr.org.au; http://isrctn.org; http://www.irct.ir; http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr

Pre-clinical papers:

The results of pre-clinical research will be considered for publication provided they have an obvious clinical relevance.

Reviews:

MEJDD publishes a limited number of scholarly, comprehensive reviews whose aims are to summarize and critically evaluate research in the field addressed and identify future implications. Reviews should not exceed 5000 words.

Systematic Review:

These types of publications should report the clear narrow research question and a reproducible methodology including: a replicable comprehensive search protocol to capture published and unpublished researches, screening process based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, PRISMA follow diagram, quality assessment process of studies and assessment of risk of bias, unbiased reasons for exclusion of studies, verified quality assessment tools used in the review, data extraction tools, and qualitative and quantitative analysis (meta-analysis) methods.

Case Reports:

Case Reports should be arranged as follows: Title page, Abstract (non structured, not exceeding 125-150 words), Background, Case report, Discussion, References, and figures. Necessary documentations of the cases like pathology reports, laboratory test reports, and imagines should be included in the submission package.

Editorials:

All editorials should be limited to 1500 words, 10 references.

Current opinion:

Papers in this section will provide our readers with focused coverage of typical issues in adult and pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology and colorectal surgery and related disciplines which are of high current interest and potential.

Correspondence:

Letters to the editor must not exceed 500 words and should focus on a specific article published in the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases within the preceding 12 weeks. No original data may be included. Authors will receive pre-publication proofs, and the authors of the article cited will be invited to reply.

Clinical vignettes:

This category is intended for striking, illustrative, or rare clinical images, tomographs, x-rays or pathology specimens. Images in this category may be published on the cover of the journal and should be submitted as one figure, with separate lettered panels if required. 'The complete image should also have an Aspect Ratio 1:1.the image should be submitted with the names of no more than three authors and the clinical message contained in the picture should be amplified in a 250 word description (no references) which will be included with the image. Please also include a short title with the submission. Normal publication charges apply to this category.

Submission of manuscripts The Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases uses a web-based submission and review system at http://www.mejdd.org online submission facilitates the submission of manuscripts from authors and streamlines the reviewing and publication process. Should you presently be unable to take advantage of online submission and review, please fax the editorial office on (+98) 21 88335061-3 for further instructions. Authors may send queries concerning the submission process to mejdd@iagh.org. For enquiries about the review process and journal procedures, the editorial office can be contacted at mejdd@iagh.org. As a matter of policy, the status of documents will not be discussed by telephone. Once you have prepared your manuscript according to the instructions below, please go to the online submission system. First-time users must click "Register" on the navigation menu at the top of the screen. The system will accept automatically your user name and password. Detailed guidelines for authors and reviewers are available at the submission site. Review of manuscripts all manuscripts correctly submitted to the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases will first be reviewed by the editors. Some manuscripts will be returned to authors at this stage if the paper is deemed inappropriate for publication in the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases, if the paper does not meet submission requirements, or if the paper is not deemed to have a sufficiently high priority. All papers considered suitable by the editors to progress further in the review process will undergo appropriate peer review and all papers provisionally accepted for publication will undergo a detailed statistical review.

Fast track publication authors must send their manuscript by e-mail to: mejdd@iagh.org ensuring that the manuscript adheres to the Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases instructions for authors. The accompanying cover letter should detail why the authors think the manuscript would be suitable for fast track publication. The editorial office will communicate whether fast track assessment is appropriate within 48 hours. If the editors decide not to accept fast track assessment, the paper may be considered for the normal review process. Authors will also have the opportunity to withdraw their submission. Please note that fast track assessment does not in any way guarantee acceptance of the manuscript. For manuscripts entering fast-track assessment, the first Editorial decision will be made within 7 working days. If provisionally accepted, a revised manuscript must be returned to the editorial office as soon as possible. If the manuscript is accepted for publication, the editors will aim to publish it online 15 days after acceptance and in print within the following 8 weeks. Provided galley proofs are returned within 72 hours. Please note: all authors of accepted articles are required to sign an authorship statement. If your article is accepted for fast track publication, you will be required to submit this form immediately, a delay in submitting the form signed by all authors will result in a delay in publication.

Ethical consideration:

The implemented guidelines are in accord with the uniform requirements for manuscript submitted to biomedical journals (http://www.icmje.org/privacy). The editorial office reserves the right to edit the submitted manuscripts in order to comply with the journal's style. In any case, the authors are responsible for the published material. The research that involves human beings (or animals) must adhere to the principles of the declaration of Helsinki (http://www.wma.net/e/ethicsunit/helsinki.htm).

Ethics of Publication:

The MEJDD’s policy regarding suspected scientific misconduct including plagiarism, fabricated data, falsification, and redundancy is based on the guidelines on good publication practice of the “Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)”. The complete guidelines appear on COPE website: http:/www.publicationethics.org.uk.

Authorship:

Due to uniform requirements for manuscript submitted to medical journals "an author" is generally considered to be someone who meets the conditions 1,2, and 3." 1) substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, 2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, and 3) final approval of the version to be published."

Plagiarism:

The authors are not allowed to utilize verbatim text of previously published papers or manuscripts submitted elsewhere. Preparation of manuscripts All submitted manuscripts must not exceed 5000 words (or for editorials 1500 words and correspondence 500 words), including references, figure Legends and Tables. The number of Tables, Figures and References should be appropriate to the manuscript content and should not be excessive. Style and spelling: Oxford english spelling should be used. Authors whose first language is not English are requested to have their manuscripts checked carefully before submission. This will help expedite the review process and avoid confusion.

Abbreviations of standard SI units of measurement only should be used. Sections of the manuscript: Clinical and pre-clinical papers should be divided into the following sections: (1) Title page, (2) Abstract and Keywords, (3) Introduction, (4) Methods and Materials, (5) Results, (6) Discussion, (7) Acknowledgments, (8) References, (9) Figure legends, (10) Appendices, (11) Text tables, (12) Figures. General format: Prepare your manuscript text using a Word processing package (save in. doc or .rtf format). Submissions of text in the form of PDF files are not permitted. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, including text, tables, legends and references. Number each page. Please avoid footnotes; use instead, and as sparingly as possible, parenthesis within brackets. Enter text in the style and order of the journal. Type references in the correct order and style of the journal. Type unjustified, without hyphenation, except for compound words. Type headings in the style of the journal. Use the TAB key once for paragraph indents. Where possible use Times New Roman for the text font and Symbol for the Greek and special characters. Use the word processing formatting features to indicate Bold, Italic, Greek, Maths, Superscript and Subscript characters. Clearly identify unusual symbols and Greek letters. Differentiate between the letter O and zero, and the letters I and the number1. Mark the approximate position of each figure and table. Check the final copy of your paper carefully, as any spelling mistakes and errors may be translated into the typeset version. Title page: The title page should include the following: (1) the title, (2) the name(s) of authors (no more than 12 authors are acceptable), (3) the institution(s) where work was performed, (4) the position, institution, and location of all authors, (5) the telephone number, fax number and e-mail address of the corresponding author (6) the institutional affiliations of the authors (including corporate appointments) should be acknowledged in a footnote.

Abstract:

All abstracts may not contain more the 200 words. The abstract should be formatted with the following heading: (1) BACKGROUND, (2) METHODS (3) RESULTS (4) CONCLUSION, and KEYWORDS. A maximum of six keywords may be submitted.

Figures:

The review process will not begin until all figures are received. Figures should be limited to the number necessary for clarity and must not duplicate data given in tables or in the text. They must be suitable for high quality reproduction and should be submitted in the desired final printed size so that reduction can be avoided. Figures should be no larger than 125 (height) x 180 (width) mm (5 - 7 inches) and should be submitted in a separate file from that of the manuscript. Electronic submission of figures: Figures should be saved in TIFF or jpg format at a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch at the final printed size for colour figures and photographs, and 1200 pixels per inch for black and white line drawings. Although some other formats can be translated into TIFF format by the publisher, the conversion may alter the tones, resolution and contrast of the image. Digital colour art should be submitted in CMYK rather than RGB format, as the printing process requires colours to be separated into CMYK and this conversion can alter the intensity and brightness of colours. Therefore authors should be satisfied with the colours in CMYK (both on screen and when printed) before submission. Please also keep in mind that colours can appear differently on different screens and printers. Failure to follow these guides could result in complications and delays where there is difficulty submitting the figures electronically, they may be sent, separately from the manuscript, by post to: Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases, Unit 1, No. 37, 7th St., Kargar-e-Shomali Ave., Tehran, Iran.

Photographs:

Photographs should be of sufficiently high quality with respect to detail, contrast and finesses of grain to withstand the inevitable loss of contrast and detail inherent in the printing process. Please indicate the magnification by a rule on the photograph. Colour figures: There is no charge for the inclusion of colour figures. Colour figures can be uploaded as online Supplementary data at no charge. Line drawings: Please provide these as clear, sharp illustrations, suitable for reproduction as submitted. All labeling should be on the original. Faint and grey shading or stippling will be lost upon reproduction and should be avoided. Where various shadings are used within one figure please ensure that it is easy to differentiate between them, using standard shading (see the hard copy of the journal for examples). There should be sufficient white space between lines and dots to ensure the areas will not fill in and look grey. If stippling is used, this should be made up of clear lack dots with visible white space between them. Ensure that the size of the lettering is in proportion with the overall dimensions of the drawing. Ideally, the drawings should be submitted in the desired final printed size to avoid reduction. If submitting line drawings which require reduction, please check that the lettering will be clearly legible after the drawing has been reduced to the size at which it will be printed. After reduction, letters should not be smaller than 2 mm in height. Figure legends. These should be on a separate, numbered manuscript sheet grouped under the heading "Legends" on a separate sheet of the manuscript after the References. Define all symbols and abbreviations used in the figure. Common abbreviations and others in the preceding text should not be redefined in the legend. Tables: Tables should be typed with double spacing, but minimizing redundant space, and each should be placed on a separate sheet. Tables should be submitted, wherever possible, in a portrait, as opposed to landscape, layout. Each Table should be numbered in sequence using Arabic numerals. Tables should also have a title above and an explanatory footnote below.

Conflict of interest:

All authors must make a formal statement indicating any potential conflict of interest that might constitute an embarrassment to any of the authors if it were not to be declared and were to emerge after publication. Such conflicts might include, but are not limited to, shareholding in or receipt of a grant or consultancy fee from a company whose product features in the submitted manuscript or which manufactures a competing product. The statement should be positioned before the list of references. If there are no conflicts of interest, please insert the wording 'Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this work.

Acknowledgments:

All sources of funding and support, and substantive contributions of individuals, should be noted in the acknowledgments, positioned before the conflict of interest statement.

Reference:

Format References should be identified in the text by Arabic numerals and numbered in the order cited. All references should be compiled at the end of the article in the Vancouver style: Complete information should be given for each reference including the title of the article, abbreviated journal title and page numbers. Maximum of 6 authors should be listed. Personal communications, manuscripts in preparation and other unpublished data should not be cited in the reference list but may be mentioned in parentheses in the text. Authors should get permission from the source to cite unpublished data. Titles of journals should be abbreviated in accordance with Index Medicus (see list printed annually in the January issue of Index Medicus). If a journal is not listed in Index Medicus then its name should be written out in full.

Article citation example: 1. Naves JE, Lorenzo-Zuniga V, Mar­n L, Manosa M, Oller B, Moreno V, et al. Long-term outcome of patients with distal ulcerative colitis and inflammation of the appendical orifice. J Gastrointestin Liver Dis 2011;20:355-8.

Chapter citation example: 2. Nichols WW, O'Rourke MF. Aging, high blood pressure and disease in humans. In: Arnold E, ed. McDonald's Blood Flow in Arteries: Theoretical, Experimental and Clinical Principles. 3rd ed. London/Melbourne/Auckland: Lea and Febiger; 1990. p.398-420.

Webpage citation example: 3. Panteghini M. Recommendations on use of biochemical markers in acute coronary syndrome: IFCC proposals. eJIFC 14. http://www.ifcc.org/ejifcc/vol14no2/1402062003014n.htm (28 May 2004) Where the date in parenthesis refers to the access date.

Supplementary data supporting material that is not essential for inclusion in the full text of the manuscript, but would nevertheless benefit the reader, can be made available by the publisher as online-only content, linked to the online manuscript. The material should not be essential to understanding the conclusions of the paper, but should contain data that is additional or complementary and directly relevant to the article content. Such information might include more detailed methods, extended data sets/data analysis, list of investigators, or colour/additional figures. All text and figures must be provided in suitable electronic formats (instructions for the preparation of supplementary data can be viewed here). All material to be considered as supplementary data must be submitted at the same time as the main manuscript for peer review. It con not be altered or replaced after the paper has been accepted for publication. Please indicate clearly the material intended as Supplementary data upon submission. Also ensure that the supplementary data is referred to in the main manuscript where necessary. Statistics all manuscripts selected for publication will be reviewed for the appropriateness and accuracy of the statistical methods use and the interpretation of statistical results. All papers submitted should provide section a subsection detailing the statistical methods, including the specific method used to summarize the data, the methods used to test their hypothesis testing and (if any) the level of significance used for hypothesis testing. Sources of funding all sources of funding for the work should be acknowledged in a footnote on the title page and in the acknowledgments within the manuscript, as should all the institutional affiliations of the authors (including corporate appointments). Self-archiving and post-print policy authors may deposit the post-print of their article into PubMed Central, other subject repositories or institutional repositories, but must stipulate that public availability be delayed until 12 months after the first online publication. For further details of this policy please visit: Author self-archiving policy. Assignment of copyright and authorship responsibilities: When papers are provisionally accepted, the corresponding author will be asked to return a signed letter (including signatures of all co-authors) by fax to (+ 98) 21 88335061-3 or email to mejdd@iagh.org stating that all authors have seen and approved the paper and that the work has not been, and will not be, published elsewhere. (Available form http://ojs.hbi.ir/index.php/mejdd/announcement). Papers will not be published until the Editorial Office has received this faxed letter. It is a condition of publication in the journal that authors assign copyright to The Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. In assigning copyright authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication and Shiraz University of Medical Sciences press is notified in writing and in advance. Permissions information if illustrations or figures are to be duplicated from previously published work, written permission must be obtained both from the publisher and the author, and a credit line giving the source added to the relevant figure legend. If text material (250 to 300 words) is to be reproduced from published sources, written permission id required from both publisher and author for shorter quotations, it is sufficient to add a bibliographic credit. The letters containing the permission for the reproduction of either text or illustrations must accompany the manuscript. If you have been unable to obtain permission, please indicate this. Proofs page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author. Please provide an e-mail address to enable page proofs to be sent via e-mail. These should be checked thoroughly for any possible changes or typographic errors. Significant alterations instigated at this stage by the author will be charged to the author. It is the intention of the Editor to review, correct and publish your article as quickly as possible. To achieve this it is important that all of your corrections are returned to us in one all-inclusive mail or fax. Subsequent additional corrections will not be possible, so please ensure that your first communication is complete. Online access and off prints details of free online access will be sent to the corresponding author, who may then circulate them to co-authors. If the offprint is required, a completed offprint order form must be returned with the proofs. Late orders submitted after the journal is in press are subject to fees.

MEJDD follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE Recommendations 2013), the guidelines on editorial independence produced by the World Association of Medical Editors, the code on good publication practice produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics, and the EQUATOR network resource center guidance on good research reporting.

Contact Us:

If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us through the Journal

Email at: mejdd@iagh.org

Telefax: + 98 21 88335061-3

E-mail: mejdd@iagh.org, iaghjournals@gmail.com

Tehran Office: No. 37, 7th Ave., Karegare - e - Shomali Ave., Tehran, Iran.

 

 

 

 

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.

  1. The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).Please complete Authors Agreement Form.
  2. The submission file is in Microsoft Word, RTF, or Word Perfect document file format.
  3. Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  4. The text is double-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.
  5. The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines, which is found in About the Journal.
  6. If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.

  7. ORCID iDs can only be assigned by the ORCID Registry. You must conform to their standards for expressing ORCID iDs, and include the full URI (eg. http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097).
 

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. This work is published by Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseaes as an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), 

      which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

  1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).

 

Privacy Statement

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