Kanem Journal of Medical Sciences
Journal / Kanem Journal of Medical Sciences / Submissions

 

1. Preamble
Kanem Journal of Medical Sciences (KJMS) is an institution-based biannual peer-reviewed journal publish by College of Medical Sciences, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. The first edition was published in 2007 with over 20 editions since inception. Provided the authors comply with the guide, KJMS publication time (interval between submission of original manuscript and final decision) is about 2-3 months. Contributing authors are requested to carefully read this guide and adhere to the instructions provided.
2. Aim and Scope
KJMS is an international forum for communication among medical and allied medical scientists, clinicians and other relevant professionals. The Journal provides opportunity for exchange of novel and significant information pertinent to medical and allied medical sciences.
3. Types of Article
KJMS accepts and publishes the following types of article:
i. Original research articles
ii. Systematic review and meta-analysis
iii. Reviews
iv. Case reports
v. Letters/emails to the Editor
vi. Short communications
4. Manuscript Preparation
4.1 Research Article
The manuscript for research articles should include the following sections:
Title Page
i. The title page should contain:
ii. The title – Clear, descriptive and not more than 25 words. It must be in bold sentence case (capitalising o n l y the first letter of a sentence and proper nouns)
iii. Authors should give their full first and family names (e.g. Brown C. David)
iv. Full address of all the authors.
i. Indicate the corresponding author and provide the email address and phone number.

Abstract
Abstract should not exceed 250 words and should be structured into Background, Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusions.
Keywords
Below the abstract, provide 3-6 keywords representing the main content of the article.
Introduction
This section should be used to provide background to the study including existing facts, statement of research problem and the significance.
Materials and Methods
This structured section should include clear description of all the processes such as study area, study design, subject enrolment, sample collection, clinical and laboratory procedures, ethical issues and statistical analyses.
Results
There must be a clear and orderly presentation of the important findings in texts, tables or figures and presentation of same findings in different formats should be avoided.
Discussion
The discussion section is expected to provide explanations to the findings in context of the existing knowledge. In addition, the strength(s) and limitation(s) of the study should be stated.
Conclusion
This section should provide a concise summary of the general finding.
Conflict of Interest
Authors are required to declare all financial and non-financial conflict of interests and where there is none, it must be clearly stated.
Authors’ Contribution
In line with the recommendation of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), authors are required to clearly state their individual contributions (Available at: www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authorsand-
contributors.html).
Acknowledgements
This section is optional. It may be used to appreciate those that have directly contributed to the study and do not meet the criteria for authorship (see the link for guide on authorship: https://publicationethics.org/authorship).

4.2 Reviews
Review articles should contain the following:
i. Title page
ii. Abstract
iv. Introduction
v. Body – main focus of the review and may be structured into relevant sub-headings
vi. Conclusion
vii. Conflict of interest
viii. Authors’ contribution
ix. Acknowledgements
4.3 Case Reports
Reports of previously unreported or unusual cases of medical conditions (including reactions to drugs and medical devices) and treatment approaches should be presented using the pattern below:
i. Title page (see section 4.1)
ii. Abstract – This should be structured into Background, Case presentation and Conclusion.
iii. Keywords
iv. Introduction
v. Case presentation
vi. Discussion
vii. Conclusion
viii. Conflict of interest
ix. Authors’ contribution
x. Acknowledgements

4.4 Other Reporting Templates
In line with international best practices, authors are required to prepare their manuscripts using the appropriate standards of reporting relevant to the study design used (Available at: https://bmjopen.bmj.com/pages/authors/). For instances: STROBE (https://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032) for observational, case control and cross sectional studies.
PRISMA (www.prisma-statement.org) for systematic review of controlled trials.
MOOSE (https://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032) for systematic review and metaanalysis of observational studies.
CONSORT (www.consort-statement.org) for randomized controlled trials.
TREND (https://www.cdc.gov/trendstatement/) for quasi experimental/non-randomized studies.
STARD (https://www.equator-network.org/index.aspx?o=1032) for study of diagnostic accuracy
and assessment scale.
SPIRIT (www.spirit-statement.org) for study protocols.

4.5 Writing Styles
i. The manuscript should be prepared in Microsoft word using Times New Roman with font size 12 except where otherwise specified.
ii. Use double line spacing (2.0) except for the list of references.
iii. Main headings should appear in bold sentence case (e.g. Materials and method) while sub-headings should appear unbolded sentence cases (e.g. Study area).
iv. Insert page number at the centre bottom of each page.
. Use simple and clear English expressions, preferably British spellings.
vi. All abbreviations must have been initially written in full where they first appear.
vii. All measurements should be in SI Unit.
4.6 Tables
i. All tables must appear after the reference section with a table per page.
ii. Using Arabic numerals (e.g. Table 1), tables must be numbered in the order which they are cited in the text.
iii. Title should be written in bold sentence cases at the top of each table and where
necessary key/legend should be provided below the table. The legend should be in font size 10.
iv. Use full colon (:) to separate the number of the table and the title (e.g. Table 1: Haematocrit values).

4.7 Figures
i. All figures must appear after the tables with a figure per page.
ii. Using Arabic numerals (e.g. Figure 1), figures must be numbered in the order which they are cited in the text.
iii. Legend conveying the title should be written in sentence cases below the figures.
iv. White space surrounding figures should be minimal.
v. Each figure should not exceed 10MB in size.
vi. Figures may be presented in TIFF, JPEG, BMP, PNG or PowerPoint.
vii. Use full colon (:) to separate the number of the figure and the legend (e.g. Figure 1: Sex distribution).

4.8 References
KJMS adopts Vancouver reference style and intending authors are required to strictly adhere to this style. All references should be numbered in the order which they are cited and should be in superscript (e.g. …in the blood.1). References in the list should include only those publications that are cited in the text and should be arranged in the numerical order in which they appear in the text. For indexed journals, the names should be written as they appear in the INDEX MEDICUS while the full names of non-indexed journals should be used. The references lists should include DOIs, where available. Materials submitted for publication but not yet accepted may be cited in the text as "unpublished data" and must not be included in the reference list.
4.8.1 In-text Citations
i. Citing one reference at the same time
…findings are similar to previous report.1
ii. Citing more than one reference (consecutive e.g. 1, 2, 3 and 4) at same time.
…findings are similar to previous reports.1-4
iii. Citing more than one reference (inconsecutive e.g. 3, 6 and 9) at same time
…findings are similar to previous reports.3, 6, 9
iv. Citing the author’s name in the text
…finding is similar to previous reports by Johnson.
…finding is similar to previous reports by Richard et al.

List of References
(a) Journal articles
Weiji WA, Hillen B. Relationship between masticatory muscle cross-section and skull shape. J Dent Res 2016; 63(9): 1154-1157.
(b) Books
West KM. Epidemiology of diabetes and its vascular lesions. New York: Elsevier; 2010.
(c) Chapters in Books:
Ley P. Patient satisfaction. In: Macer D, (ed.) Communicating with patients. London: Chapman and Hall; 2015. p.1-30.
(d) Online Publications (e.g. journals and books)
Ley P. Patient satisfaction. Association of Psychotherapists. Available at: http://www.cms/unimaid.edu.ng .
(e) Conference Proceedings
Abdulwahab YA. Risk factors of pre-eclampsia among patients seen at University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. In: Lee BC, Ji A (eds.) Proceedings of the 10th International Conference of the Nigerian Medical Association, 10-14 January, 2018, Abuja, Nigeria. London: Taylor & Francis; 2018. p.110-115.
(f) Reports
Taylor F. Malaria burden in Africa. World Health Organization. Report number: 20, 2018.
(g) Web Page/Website
World Health Organization. Malaria indicators. Available at: http://www.who.com (Accessed 12th March 2018).
(h) Email (Sender and receiver must give consent to include their details in the reference list) Yusuf AM. Email sent to: Sheriff BA. 5th May 2018.
Please note the following:
Yusuf AM is the sender of the mail.
Sheriff BA is the receiver of the mail.
The date is when the mail is sent.
(i) Personal Communication
Stone AC. Consultant-Physician. Personal communication. 23rd April 2019.
(j) Lectures/Presentations
Ibrahim MA. Pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorders. (Lecture or Presentation). University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. 10th May 2019.

5. Submission of Manuscript
The corresponding author may submit the manuscript(s) through the online submission system (www.kjmsmedicaljournal.com) or via Email: (kanemjournal@yahoo.com). Automated acknowledgement mail will be sent once the submission is received. Submission of a manuscript will be taken to imply that it is unpublished work except in abstract form and is not being considered for publication elsewhere. This point should be clearly stated in the author's covering letter. Prior to submission, intending authors are strongly advised to observe the following:
i. Strict adherence to the KJMS style of writing (see Section 4).
ii. Effective proof reading to ensure acceptable grammatical expressions in English Language (preferably British spellings).
iii. The manuscript conforms to COPE principles of publications (http://publicationethics.org).
iv. All authors read the manuscript and agree on submission to KJMS (should be indicated in the covering letter).
6. Editorial Process
Manuscripts will be assigned manuscript numbers once they are received by the Editorial Office and subsequent communications between KJMS and corresponding author must bear these numbers. The Editor-in-Chief will do editorial review to ascertain conformity with KJMS instructions and will assign KMJS-conformed manuscripts to appropriate Deputy Editor. The Deputy Editor confirms that the manuscripts worth consideration for publication and he/she assigns the manuscript to 3 independent reviewers with expertise in the focus of the manuscript. Usually, the editorial process may take 1-2 weeks depending on the numbers of manuscript and availability of reviewers. The outcomes of the review process will be communicated to the Editor-in-Chief who is turn relay same to the authors through the corresponding author. Please note KJMS-non-conformed manuscripts will be immediately returned to the authors for resubmission following required corrections. All manuscripts received will be treated with absolute confidentiality and will be shared only with individuals directly involved with the publication
processes.

7. Plagiarism Check
In line with COPE principles, all manuscripts submitted to KJMS will be subjected to plagiarism check during the editorial process. Manuscripts with at least 75% originality will be considered for further editorial review. Thus, authors are encouraged to consider using Cross Check (http://www.crossref.org/crosscheck.html) to determine the originality of their manuscripts prior to submission to KJMS.

8. Peer Review Process
Reviewers will be given 2-4 weeks to provide opinions that could improve the quality of the manuscript. They are expected to provide written, fast, concise, polite, unbiased and justifiable reports in accordance with COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers (Available at: https://publicationethics.org/files/Peer%20review%20guidelines.pdf) within the stipulated time and make recommendation based on their overall assessment of the manuscript. Where applicable, reviewers’ comments will be sent to the authors through the corresponding author who is expected to provide a point-by-point response to all the comments and submit same along with the revised manuscript within 2-4 weeks. In KJMS, the model of peer review use is Double-blind model (https://publicationethics.org/files/Who_owns_peer_reviews_discussion_document.pdf).

9. Decisions (Acceptance or Rejection)
The decision to accept or reject the original or revised manuscripts is the primary responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief who is guided by the reviewers’ reports. Emphasis will be placed on the originality, importance, clarity and relevance of the manuscript to the scope of KJMS. Such decision will be communicated to the corresponding author as early as possible. Please note that rejected manuscripts may be re-submitted as new manuscripts provided all the issues that led to the rejection have been adequately addressed.

10. Copyright Statement
Author/s retain the copywrite of their work under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

11. Open Access Statement
KJMS is an open access journal operating under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 international Licence(CC BY 4.0). All published content is immediately freely available without charge and users are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose as long as they credit the original creation.

12. Galley Proofs
Galley proofs will be sent to the corresponding author via the email address provided. They are required to proof read the documents and return same to the Editor-in-Chief within 72 hours. They are particularly advised to ensure that the names and addresses are correctly written. At this stage, authors should not introduce new information into the accepted manuscript or make changes except where mistakes are made while generating the galley proof.

13. Publication Charges
KJMS charges the sum of Twenty thousand Naira (₦20,000) only or Dollar equivalent as publication charges which are expected to be paid into KJMS account (First Bank:2006899484). This will only be paid following acceptance of the manuscript; thus, authors are advised to wait
for the decision of the editorial board and the instruction to proceed to payment. Opportunity for waiver (part of full) will be provided for authors with financial challenges and who have requested for waiver with convincing evidence during submission of the manuscript. KJMS will not reject manuscript based on inability of the authors to fulfill their financial obligation provided such manuscript is of exceptional quality.

14. Ethical Consideration
Research and publication ethics are paramount to publication of any article by KJMS. Authors should comply with relevant research ethics as applied to their work including ethics governing use of human subjects, human tissues and medical records and experimental animals. Evidence of ethical approval from appropriate authority must be indicated at appropriate section of the manuscript. Issues of research misconduct are taken with absolute seriousness by KJMS and are handled according to COPE principles (Available at: https://publicationethics.org/misconduct). In addition, good publication practice must be imbibed by authors (http://publicationethics.org).

15. Conflicts of Interest
KJMS gives consideration to conflict of interest since this may influence the judgment of the authors, reviewers and editors. Thus, authors are required to clearly declare conflict of interest and where there is none, this should be clearly stated. The scope of such conflict may include personal, commercial, political, financial and scientific interests. Please note that editors may need to withdraw from the review process of manuscripts that conflict with their interest.

16. Reprint requests
The Journal copies will be sent to the corresponding author after publication. Order forms and price list will, however, be sent with the proofs for additional reprint orders by authors. The forms and the appropriate fee in bank draft, certified bank cheque, or authenticated transfer
receipt must be submitted with the proofs.