Author Guidelines
Authors are invited to make a submission to this journal. All submissions will be assessed by an
editor to determine whether they meet the aims and scope of this journal. Those considered to be
a good fit will be sent for peer review before determining whether they will be accepted or
rejected.
Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any
material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors
identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate,
research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal
requirements of the study's country.
An editor may desk reject a submission if it does not meet minimum standards of quality. Before
submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are structured and
articulated properly. The title should be concise and the abstract should be able to stand on its
own. This will increase the likelihood of reviewers agreeing to review the paper. When you're
satisfied that your submission meets this standard, please follow the checklist below to prepare
your submission.
All manuscripts must be submitted in MS Word format using Time New Roman or Calibri font size
12 and double-spacing.
The author must always retain a copy. All the authors must have approved the final manuscript.
Pages should be numbered consecutively in the lower right corner. The following contributions are accepted (words counts exclude abstracts, tables and references):
1. Original research (between 1000 and 3500 words)
2. Letter to the editors (Up to 400 words)
3. Scientific letters (Less than 700 words): one table or graphs and not more than 5
references
4. Review articles (Up to 1800 words): Most review articles are published as part of the
continuous professional development (CPD) programme of the Faculty of Family Medicine,
National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria and NFMJ. A scientific editor is
appointed to approve topics, invite authors and review the articles before they are
independently peer-reviewed. All articles are reviewed by Family Physicians/topic
specialists. Review articles outside the CPD programme are welcomed. Once accepted
they may be published in full articles available online.
5. Case report (between 1000 to 2500): This may be a special report, a unique clinical
experience and a short report of original research with a maximum of two tables or
illustrations and not more than 15 references.
FORMAT
TITLE PAGE: All articles must have a title page with the following information and in this order:
Title of the article; surname, initials qualification and affiliation of each author; The name;
Institutional affiliation, e-mail address and telephonic contact details of all authors; at least 5
keywords.
ABSTRACT: All articles should have an abstract. The structured abstract for an Original Research
should be between 250 and 350 words and should consist of four paragraphs labelled
“Background, methods, result, and conclusion”. It should briefly describe the problem or issue
being addressed in the study, how the study was performed, the major results, and what the
authors conclude from these results. The abstract for other types of articles should be no longer
than 200 words and need not follow the structured abstract format.
KEYWORDS: all articles should include keywords. Up to five words or short phrases should be
used, use terms for the medical subject headings (MeSH) of Index Medicus when available and
appropriate. Keywords are used to index the article and may be published with the abstract.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: in a separation section, acknowledge any financial support received or
possible conflict of interest this section may also be used to acknowledge substantial contributions
to the research or preparation of the manuscript made by persons other than the authors.
IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICIES/PRACTICE: all articles must include implications for policymakers and or implications for clinical practice
CONTRIBUTIONS OF EACH AUTHOR: all articles must include the contributions of each of the
authors to the work (conceptualization, review of literature, design of methodology, data
collection, data analysis and presentation of findings, discussion of findings, writing of the initial
draft, final proofreading and authorisation of completion of work).
REFERENCES: cite references in numerical order in the text, in superscript format. Do not use
brackets. In the references section, references must be numbered consecutively in the order in
which they are cited, not alphabetically. The style for references should follow the format set forth
in the “uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals prepared by the
international committee of medical journal editors. All references should be available for online
confirmation.
References are presented in Vancouver style, with standard index Medicus abbreviations for
journal titles. Authors should try to limit the number of references to no more than 35
Submission Preparation Checklist
All submissions must meet the following requirements.
• This submission meets the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
• This submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for
• consideration.
• All references have been checked for accuracy and completeness.
• All tables and figures have been numbered and labeled.
• Permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets and other material provided
with this submission.
About the Journal
The Nigerian Frontline Medicine Journal (NFMJ) is dedicated to advancing medical knowledge and
healthcare practices in Nigeria and beyond. Published biannually since its inaugural issue in 2023,
NFMJ prioritizes high-quality, peer-reviewed articles spanning various medical disciplines. Its mission includes promoting open access to ensure broad dissemination of research findings. The journal welcomes original contributions from frontline doctors and healthcare professionals across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare facilities, emphasizing health promotion and disease prevention.
The publication operates under the copyright of the Faculty of Family Medicine at the National
Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. It has ISSN number 2636-6487. Despite being a relatively
new entrant in the scholarly landscape, NFMJ has maintained its promised frequency of publication, with the latest issue released in November 2023.
While currently not indexed, the journal employs a rigorous peer-review process to uphold the
quality and integrity of its articles. Utilizing a double-blind review system, submissions undergo
scrutiny by two expert reviewers over a two-week period. Authors receive constructive feedback
aimed at enhancing the scholarly merit of their work. Ultimately, the editorial board makes the final decision regarding publication. The journal employs Grammarly as its primary plagiarism detection tool. This software scans submitted manuscripts for any instances of plagiarism by comparing the text against a vast database of academic and online sources. Additionally, the editorial team conducts manual checks to ensure the originality of the content. If plagiarism is detected, appropriate actions are taken, which may include rejection of the manuscript or requesting revisions from the authors to address the issue.
With a rejection rate of 25%, the journal maintains standards while providing opportunities for
dissemination. Authors and reviewers adhere to specific guidelines, fostering a transparent and fair review process. Moreover, NFMJ operates as an open-access platform, allowing unrestricted access to its content. Given that this is an open-access journal, neither the user nor their institution will be charged for access to any of the content. The complete texts of the articles may be read, downloaded, copied, distributed, printed, searched, linked to, and used for any other permissible purpose without prior permission from the publisher or author. This fits the definition of open access provided by BOAI. Authors retain copyright, with articles licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal takes a firm stance against duplicate publication and any form of plagiarism, striving to maintain the integrity of scholarly research. As part of its editorial process, the journal routinely
conducts plagiarism screenings on submitted articles to ensure the originality of the work. Authors submitting manuscripts to this journal are expected to affirm that their study has not been published elsewhere and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere. Proper attribution should be given for any content reused from previously published papers, and authors are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions if applicable. Manuscripts found to contain plagiarism will not be considered for publication. In cases where plagiarism is detected in a published paper following an internal investigation, immediate action will be taken. All authors, their affiliated institutions, and relevant funding agencies will be notified, and the paper will be retracted from publication. The journal’s plagiarism policy draws inspiration from the Nature’s plagiarism policy and adheres to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) definition of plagiarism.
Plagiarism is defined as the attempt to pass off someone else’s work as one’s own, encompassing
the reuse of ideas, processes, results, or words without proper acknowledgement. Clear instances of plagiarism, such as the wholesale copying of large sections of text, result in immediate rejection of the manuscript. However, minor cases of plagiarism without dishonest intent, such as reusing parts of an introduction from a previous paper, are also addressed. Duplicate publication, also known as self-plagiarism, occurs when authors reuse significant portions of their own previously published work without appropriate references. This practice, sometimes referred to as ‘text recycling’, raises ethical concerns and is subject to scrutiny by editors, reviewers, and authors. The journal follows guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding text recycling, and adherence to these guidelines is strongly encouraged.
In cases of suspected minor plagiarism, authors are contacted for clarification, and final decisions
regarding the manuscript are made based on thorough assessments by reviewers and editors. If a
manuscript is accepted for publication, all relevant reports are published alongside the paper as part of the publication history, ensuring transparency in the peer review process. Journal editors evaluate each case of plagiarism based on its individual merits, relying on their knowledge and awareness of the literature and input from referees.
The journal’s support stems from the Faculty of Family Medicine at the National Postgraduate
Medical College of Nigeria. Notably, NFMJ boasts an extensive editorial board comprising esteemed professionals from various institutions across Nigeria. Additionally, international advisers contribute to the journal’s global perspective.
For those seeking hard copies, the journal is available for purchase at 6000 Naira, approximately 5
US dollars via the Editor-In-Chief. Interested parties can contact the designated email address for
further information. There are no fees associated with submitting and processing articles for
publication. However, upon acceptance of an article for publication, authors are required to pay a
publication fee of N60,000 or $50. This fee covers the costs associated with the final processing,
formatting, and publication of the article in the journal. Furthermore, the journal’s website serves as a central hub for accessing its content, reinforcing its commitment to widespread dissemination.
In “About the journal”, NFMJ is identified as the official publication of the Faculty of Family Medicine at the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria. Contact information for key personnel, including the Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, and others, is provided for inquiries and submissions.
