Instructions For Authors
Getting Started
Authors need to submit their manuscripts through the online submission platform available at https://editorialassist.com/ijma. Articles submitted as hard copies are not accepted.
All first-time users need to register themselves. Registration is free. Once registered, authors can use their username and password to submit and keep track of their articles. In case of any problems, the author can contact the Technical Assistance at technical.team@editorialassist.com
Types of Manuscripts
International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS publishes manuscripts in the following categories:
- Editorial or Commentaries Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Original Research Article Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Methodology Article
- Short Research Communication Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Systematic Review (with or without meta-analysis) Article Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template Click here to view and download the Evidence Checklist for Systematic Reviews
- Letters to the Editor Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Field Studies or Field Reports Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Public Health Practice Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Conference Reports
- Narrative Reviews Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
- Brief Research Article
General Information
International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) publishes original works and findings that contribute to the advancements in the field of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS.
Scientific and Editorial Quality Assessment
The International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) considers important scientific and editorial quality of manuscripts to determine whether a manuscript will be acceptable for publication. The following table contains key factors of consideration.
Category | Possible Considerations |
Article Content |
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Figure and table quality |
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Language quality (i.e., English editing) |
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Formatting and organization |
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Key messages |
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Ethics |
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*Adapted from NIH Medline Journal Selection Fact Sheet, Accessed August 20, 2023.
Section Policies
Author Responsibility
The journal accepts only original work that has not been published elsewhere. All authors must confirm that neither the manuscript nor any part of it was written or published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Publication of the content as an abstract during the proceedings of meetings is not considered prior publication and can be submitted for publication. At the time of submission, authors should disclose details, if the study described in the manuscript had been previously presented in a meeting or published as an abstract. The details have to be mentioned in the Acknowledgments section. Any use of previously published material protected by copyright laws must be acknowledged in the manuscript. Publishing of material on a website may be considered prior publication and should be mentioned at the time of submission. Authors should disclose details of related papers even those authored in a different language.
After the manuscript is accepted, it is not possible to add/remove/modify the name of any author.
Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to any of the four components mentioned below:
- Concept and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
- Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
- Final approval of the version to be published; and
- Aptitude to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the appropriate content of the manuscript. The order of naming the contributors should be based on the relative contribution of the individual included for authorship credit toward the study itself and the writing of the manuscript. Once the article has been submitted, the order cannot be changed without written consent from all the contributors. The journal prescribes a maximum number of eight authors for all categories of manuscripts except for Case Reports and Case Series that will have a maximum of four authors.
The authors need to identify one author who will correspond with the Journal office in all matters related to the manuscript called the Corresponding Author. The content of the final manuscript including changes suggested by the Editor-in-Chief or reviewer of the manuscript is the responsibility of the corresponding author.
Ethics
Studies conducted must adhere to and be in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans. According to the U.S.(Federal Research Misconduct Policy), scientific misconduct includes:
- Data falsification: Fabrication, deceptive and selective reporting of findings, suppression of data and/or distortion of data
- Plagiarism: Use without permission the language, ideas, or thoughts of another and representation of them as one’s original work
Direct copying of sentences, whether from their previously published paper or someone else’s paper, is considered plagiarism. Authors need to check that they have not inadvertently ‘cut and paste’ verbatim from published works.
Plagiarism
According to the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), plagiarism is the use of others’ published ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. The intent and effect of plagiarism are to mislead the reader as to the contributions of the plagiarizer. This applies to whether the ideas or words are taken from abstracts, research grant applications, Institutional Review Board applications, or unpublished or published manuscripts in any publication format (print or electronic).
Self-Plagiarism: Refers to the practice of an author using portions of their previous writings on the same topic in another of their publications, without specifically citing it formally in quotes. This practice is widespread and sometimes unintentional. The journal requires authors to disclose information and cite references about reused content from previously published work of their own or of others.
Incorrect Authorship: Excluding authors, wrongly presenting the same material as original in more than one publication, the inclusion of authors who have not made a definite contribution to the work published; or submission of articles without the concurrence of all authors.
Misappropriation of the Ideas of Others: An important aspect of scholarly activity is the exchange of ideas among colleagues. Scholars can acquire novel ideas from others during the process of reviewing grant applications and manuscripts. However, improper use of such information can constitute fraud. Wholesale appropriation of such material constitutes misconduct.
Violation of Generally Accepted Research Practices: Improper manipulation of experiments to obtain biased results, deceptive statistical or analytical manipulations, or improper reporting of results.
Material Failure to Comply with Legislative and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Research: Violations of regulations and laws involving the use of funds, care of animals, human subjects, investigational drugs, recombinant products, new devices, or radioactive, biologic, or chemical materials.
Any form of unethical behavior is strictly discouraged and will result in the submitting author and his group being banned from submitting material to the journal for a time frame depending on the severity of malpractice.
Digital Image Editing Ethics
No particular feature within an image may be introduced, moved, enhanced, obscured, or removed. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are allowed if they are applied to the whole image and do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original image. Adjustments such as changes to settings must be disclosed in the figure legend.
Contribution Details
The authors should provide a description of contributions made by each of them toward the manuscript. The description should be divided into the following categories, as deemed applicable: concept, design, the definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole from inception to published article and should be designated as ‘guarantor’ or ‘guarantors’.
Sample Contributor’s Statement:
Dr. Johnson, Prof James conceptualized and designed the study, drafted the initial manuscript, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript.
Drs. Viputh, Vinesh, Okoro, and Chikete designed the data collection instruments, collected data, carried out the initial analyses, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript.
Sammy Clark critically reviewed and revised the manuscript.
Dr. Adibe conceptualized and designed the study, coordinated and supervised data collection, and critically reviewed and revised the manuscript for important intellectual content.
All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests
All authors must disclose any and all conflicts of interest they may have with the publication of the manuscript or any institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also disclose any conflict of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript.
Institutional Review Board Approval and Informed Consent
All prospective and retrospective human studies must have appropriate Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Board) approval, and signed informed consent from all human participants is required. All animal studies must have an appropriate Institutional Review Board or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee approval.
Compliance with these rules must be stated in the text, including a waiver of consent by the board or committee, if applicable. Manuscripts that do not comply with these rules will not be accepted for publication.
Patient consent and or ethical approval statements along with protocol number and date must be included in all research articles.
Protection of Patients’ Right to Privacy
For all research involving human subjects, informed consent to participate in the study should be obtained from participants (or their parent or guardian in the case of children under 16) and a statement to this effect should appear in the manuscript.
Identifying information, including patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, CT scans, photographs, sonograms, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published.
Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should assure that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note.
Reporting Guidelines
Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the method of masking (blinding), based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials CONSORT Statement.
Reporting Guidelines for Specific manuscript types are given below. A statement of compliance with the appropriate guideline must be included on the title page of the manuscript.
Guideline | Type of Study | Source |
---|---|---|
STROBE | Observational studies including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies | https://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=available-checklists |
CONSORT | Randomized controlled trials | http://www.consort-statement.org |
SQUIRE | Quality improvement projects | http://squire-statement.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=471 |
PRISMA | Systematic reviews and meta-analyses | http://prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist.aspx |
STARD | Studies of diagnostic accuracy | https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/radiol.2015151516 |
CARE | Case Reports | https://www.care-statement.org/checklist |
AGREE | Clinical Practice Guidelines | https://www.agreetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AGREE-Reporting-Checklist-2016.pdf |
The Editorial Process
The International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) has a highly rigorous single–blind peer-review process that makes sure that manuscripts are scientifically accurate, relevant, novel, and meaningful.
Manuscripts are subjected to an unbiased single-blind peer-review process. Decisions on accepting manuscripts for publication are solely based on the peer-review process, and the Editor-in-Chief’s discretion and the decision are final. The manuscript is sent for peer review to at least two external reviewers, and if required, it is sent to a third reviewer to act as a tie-breaker. A completed positive review by two reviewers recommending the acceptance of the manuscript for publication is mandatory.
Manuscripts submitted for publication in the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) are sent for single-blind review. The journal follows a single-blind review process wherein the reviewer is aware of the identity of the author but the author is unaware of the identity of the reviewer. The comments and suggestions (acceptance/rejection/amendments to the manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the author. The author is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised manuscript version showing how they addressed the comments. This process is repeated until reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript.
Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy-edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format. Galley proofs are sent to the author. The author is expected to return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The process of submitting the manuscript to the final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed online. To achieve faster and greater dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes articles online immediately on final acceptance.
Manuscripts that do not conform to the Author Guidelines or exceed the maximum word count, tables, or figures set for articles may be returned to the author without review. Authors can resubmit after complying with the requirements.
In-House Submissions
In-house submissions that contain the work of any editorial board member are not allowed to be reviewed by that editorial board member, and an independent editor makes all decisions regarding this manuscript. In addition, these manuscripts are reviewed by two external reviewers. This is also disclosed in the published manuscript under the section of Conflict of Interest.
Data Sharing Policy
NIH funded researchers, please follow the NIH guidelines on Data sharing as given at: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-21-013.html
Preparation of the Manuscript
The manuscript should be double-spaced, with a 2.5 cm margin, 12-point Times New Roman font, and justified. The pages of the manuscript should be numbered on the bottom right corner.
Language and Writing Style
The manuscript should be written in American English. The author should write the full term for each abbreviation at its first use in the title, abstract, keywords, and text separately unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measure. The use of acronyms and abbreviations must be kept to a minimum. When used, they are defined at first mention, followed by the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses. If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer’s name and address (city, state, and country). Manuscripts will be altered to meet the style guidelines of the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA). The authors are requested to check the manuscript for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors before submission. Headings and titles must be in Title Case.
Organization of Sections in an Article
Cover Page
The cover page includes (a) A complete manuscript title; (b) A list of all authors’ full names, highest academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations, and locations of affiliations; (c) Name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and a passport size (2×2 inches or 51×51 cm) photograph of the corresponding author with a plain background and high resolution (not blurry, grainy or pixelated). Do not use computer software, phone apps, filters, or artificial intelligence to modify your photo; and (d)…..[The rest will remain the same].
Abstract
An abstract is required for all categories of manuscripts.
For Original Research and Review articles, the abstract should be structured and divided into four sections: Background and Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions and Global Health Implications. The abstract should not exceed 300 words.
For Editorials, Commentaries, Letters to the Editor, and Replies, the abstract should be unstructured and should not exceed 100 words.
Abstracts should not contain any figures, tables, or references, trade names, or manufacturer’s names.
Keywords
Provide up to 5-8 words keywords at the end of the abstract for all types of articles. To the best of their abilities, authors should key words from MeSH (Medical Subject Headings), the NLM controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed. Authors can search keywords in the MeSH browser through this hyperlink.
Background and Introduction
All articles need a Background and Introduction section that describes the objectives of the investigation. This section must include review of the literature, identification of the gaps in the literature which will logically lead to why the current study fills or addresses the gap. The author should clearly state the specific goal or purpose of the article, and indicate why it is worthy of attention. In the introduction, describe the hypothesis to be tested, the dilemma to be resolved, or the deficiency to be remedied.
Methods
The research plan, the materials (or subjects), and the methods used should be described. An explanation of how the disease was confirmed and the controls used must be included, as well as the details of the data obtained and how it was analyzed. Authors are required to mention the specific reporting guideline that they followed for their study.
Methods can be presented with subheadings such as: study design, participants, assessments, statistical analysis, etc. Methods must include the following aspects:
When a surgical device is mentioned in the manuscript for the first time, its manufactures complete detail should be mentioned such as the BRANDED name of the device/medication followed by name of the manufacturer, city, and state. For example IVC filter (C.R. Bard, Inc. Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA). Please mention the name of the Ultrasound machine, its manufacturer, and the country of origin. In addition please mention the type of transducer and its frequency used for the study. This should be mentioned in the methods or the section where you describe how the ultrasound was performed. For Example GE, Logiq E9, Milwaukee, USA
Ethics: When reporting studies on human subjects, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional or regional) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (available at https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/). For prospective studies involving human participants, authors are expected to mention about approval of (regional/national/institutional or independent Ethics Committee or Review Board, obtaining informed consent from adult research participants and obtaining assent for children aged over 7 years participating in the trial. The age beyond which assent would be required could vary as per regional and/or national guidelines. Ensure confidentiality of subjects by desisting from mentioning participants’ names, initials or hospital numbers, especially in illustrative material. When reporting experiments on animals, indicate whether the institution’s or a national research council’s guide for or any national law on the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.
Evidence for approval by a local Institutional Review Board or Ethics Committee (for both human as well as animal studies) must be supplied by the authors. Animal experimental procedures should be as humane as possible and the details of anesthetics and analgesics used should be clearly stated. The ethical standards of experiments must be in accordance with the guidelines provided by the international and local compliance organizations such as World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Humans for studies involving experimental animals and human beings, and their local equivalents such as the Animal Welfare Act, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA). The journal will not consider any manuscript which is ethically unacceptable. A statement on ethics committee permission and ethical practices must be included in all original research manuscripts under the ‘Methods’ section.
Patient Consent: Patient anonymity must be maintained in all submissions. If there is any possibility that the patient can be identified in a figure, written consent must be obtained from the patient or parent/guardian by the author, and a line stating that this has been received is included in the article.
Study Design
Selection and Description of Participants: Describe your selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including controls) clearly, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. Author must identify the reporting guideline that they followed for their research.
Technical Information: Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods (see below); provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration.
Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol number and date, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the method of masking (blinding), based on the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org).
Statistical Analysis.
Whenever possible quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). The author should systematically report the details of the statistical analyses that were performed in a manner that supports the replication of their analysis by other researchers. The authors should report losses to observation (such as dropouts from a clinical trial). When data are summarized in the Result section, specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Avoid non-technical uses of technical terms in statistics, such as ‘random’ (which implies a randomizing device), ‘normal’, ‘significant’, ‘correlations’, and ‘sample’. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify and cite the computer software used. For all P values include the exact value and not less than 0.05 or 0.001. Mean differences in continuous variables, proportions in categorical variables and relative risks including odds ratios and hazard ratios should be accompanied by their confidence intervals.
Results
All results should be in a clear, logical sequence and should adhere to the specific objective of the paper. Data presented in tables should not be duplicated in the text. Important trends and points observed in the study will need to be described. Results can be broken down into subheadings focusing on specific variables such as the sociodemographic characteristics of the study participants, Dependent variable results, etc. When data are summarized in the Results section, 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 methods used to analyze them. Restrict tables and figures to those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tables. Where scientifically appropriate, analyses of the data by variables such as age and sex should be included.
Discussion
The article submitted should explain clearly the outcome of the research considering the goals and results obtained. Any limitations on the materials or subjects and methods must be included. How the results differ from those obtained by previous investigators need to be presented with adequate comparisons and explanations. Include key findings (primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, results as they relate to a prior hypothesis); Strengths and limitations of the study (study question, study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation); Interpretation and implications in the context of the totality of evidence should be described. Include what this study adds to the available evidence, effects on patient care and health policy, etc.
Do not repeat the data or other material mentioned in the Introduction or the Results section. In particular, contributors should avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless their manuscript includes economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed.
Conclusion and Global Health Implications
The conclusions of the study must be directly supported by the results of the study. Equal emphasis should be given to both positive and negative findings that have equal scientific merits. Offer a relevance statement that outlines the practical significance for clinical practice or health policy, refraining from speculation and broad assumptions. This statement should also address the need for further research before implementing the information in clinical environments.
Key Messages
Authors should include 3-5 bulleted key messages (KM) that provide the non-technical key take-aways of the findings of their study. The KMs are presented in plain language and are usually used for regular and social media publication of the article.
Compliance with Ethical Standards
- Conflicts of Interest:
- Financial Disclosure:
- Funding/Support:
- Ethics Approval:
- Declaration of Patient Consent:
- Acknowledgments:
- Disclaimer:
References
References are to be numbered sequentially in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Reference numbers are typed as superscripts, enclosed by square brackets, after the punctuation mark at the end of the line.
Example: …… with prior literature demonstrating racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes in the United States.[1]
Refer to the NLM Catalog for abbreviations of journal names (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals/).
Authors using any reference management software such as EndNote, Zotero, Reference Manager or others, please use the following output style – Vancouver. You must convert the file to plain text prior to submission.
Samples of reference style and format taken from
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html
- Articles in Journals
- Books and Other Monographs
- Other Published Material
- Unpublished Material
- Electronic Material
Books and Other Monographs:
Editor(s), compiler(s) as author:
Chapter in a Book:
Monograph on the Internet Format:
Assistance with References:
Tables must be significant and provide a good summary of the study. Tables should be self-explanatory and not duplicate the data given in the text or figures. Each table must have a descriptive title, and each column a heading. Tables must contain a minimum of four lines and two columns of data and not exceed 10 columns and 25 rows. Tables are numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text. Abbreviations used in the tables are defined below each table. All arithmetic calculations (percentages, totals, differences) must be double-checked for accuracy, and data must agree with the data given in the text.
Graphs
Graphs need to be exported as JPEG or TIF images and submitted as figures. Graphs and line drawings need to be a minimum of 1000 dpi. Graphs should include clearly labeled error bars described in the figure legend. The authors must state whether a number that follows the ± sign is a standard error (SEM) or a standard deviation (SD). The number of independent data points (N) represented in a graph must be indicated in the legend. Numerical axes on graphs should go to 0, except for log axes.
Figure/Image Legends
All figure parts relating to one image should have the same figure number. The style for figure legends is given here:
Figure 1: Age and gender of the patient followed by presenting symptoms and subsequent diagnosis. Imaging modality used, organ/section imaged, view, and abnormality seen in the image. Add arrows pointing to the abnormality seen in the image.
Example: Figure 1: 42-year-old woman with Behçet disease who presented with dyspnea. (a) Contrast-enhanced CT image shows the increased diameter of both middle and lower lobe pulmonary arteries (arrows) on the right; the aneurysms are partially thrombosed. (b) CT image with lung window shows well-defined lung parenchymal nodules (arrow) corresponding to the aneurysms.
Written permission to reprint in print and electronic media, including online use, must be obtained for all previously published illustrations, and an appropriate credit line to be given in the legends.
Figures/Images
All images should be uploaded in JPEG, or TIF, format. The file size should be within 12 MB in size. Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. Labels, numbers, and symbols should be clear and of uniform size. The lettering for figures should be large enough to be legible after reduction to fit the width of a printed column. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background and should be marked neatly with transfer type or by tissue overlay and not by pen. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for figures not on the figure/image themselves. The photographs and figures should be trimmed to remove all the unwanted areas and the patient’s name and medical record number. If photographs of individuals are used, their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph and eyes must be covered. If a figure has been published elsewhere, the original source must be acknowledged and written permission from the copyright holder submitted to reproduce the material. A credit line should appear in the legend for such figures. Electronic manipulation of images that materially alters the medical information must be identified and the nature of the alterations described. Symbols used must be uniform in size and style and large enough to withstand reduction. Line drawings and graphs should be in black on a white background, using the same size type as the text. 0.5 mm hairline rules must be avoided. Authors’ names and affiliations must not appear anywhere on the images.
Image Size
Black & white images: JPEG, or TIF format, Grayscale mode, and 300 DPI resolution. The height and width of an image should be at least 6 x 5 inches.
Color images: 300 DPI resolution, no layered files, no alpha channels. Color profile if used: CMYK (No Indexed Color, Lab, or RGB profiles)
Line art: 1200 DPI resolution, Grayscale or Jpeg format. No layered files, no alpha channels. Color profile if used: CMYK (No Indexed Color, Lab, or RGB profiles) The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce, or enlarge the photographs to an acceptable size.
Video Clips
The journal encourages authors to submit video clips, cine clips, or real-time images (preferably in ‘mp4’). The maximum size of each multimedia file should not exceed 400 MB. In addition to the video content, authors must provide a still image from each video file. Supply TIFF or JPEG files.
Submission of the Manuscript
Online Manuscript Submission
All manuscripts must be submitted online at International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS. You will see step-by-step instructions when you are submitting your manuscript. You will need to submit the following documents as separate files.
- Cover Page:
Cover page includes (a) complete manuscript title; (b) List all authors’ full names, highest academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations, and locations of affiliations; (c) name and address of the corresponding author, including, telephone number, and e-mail address and (d) sources of support that require acknowledgment, and a short title of no more than 45 characters (including spaces) for use as a running title. - Manuscript:
This document should include the title, abstract, keywords, manuscript body, and references. This must be in the document format. Acknowledgment Section should be included at the end of the main manuscript. Acknowledgment should not contain the name of the city or the institution. - Figures:
Figures must be submitted in .tiff or jpeg format. Color images should be of good quality. Each image should be less than 1 MB in size. The size of the image can be reduced by decreasing the actual height and width of the images (1240 x 800 pixels or 5-6 inches).
Figure legends are uploaded as a document format.
Graphs:
- Do not embed them in the main manuscript. They should be uploaded separately at the time of uploading the figures in the “jpeg” or “tiff” format.
Tables:
- Tables should be included in the main manuscript file after the references.
- Copyright and disclosure forms are available for download from the author’s panel and should be uploaded as PDF files.
- Author’s passport size photo is required and can be uploaded at the time of uploading figures etc.
- Instruction on supplemental digital multimedia/video content: In addition to the video content, authors must provide a still image from each video file. Supply TIFF or JPEG files. These are also uploaded at the time of figure upload.
Specific Details for Each Manuscript Type
These are descriptions of a major program intervention or policy option that is adjudged to be relevant to the fields of public health and medical research. Submissions should include rigorous assessments of the processes and the impact of the study, as well as recommendations for the future. Field Studies undergo full peer-review.
Click here to download the Manuscript Template
Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor and Replies should be brief and succinct based on constructive criticism of articles published in the IJTMRPH within the previous two months. The letter and reply should be solely based on the data published in the article. Letters should not duplicate prior published material or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. The Editor-in-Chief will use his discretion to publish or reject the letter. These letters and replies do not undergo peer review. Submitted letters are subject to the editing of content and style. The abstract should be a single paragraph and unstructured maximum of 100 words; Total References allowed – 5; tables and figures maximum of 1; no more than 5 authors are allowed.
Click here to download the Manuscript Template
These comprise presentations of novel statistical, demographic, and public health applications and techniques, experimental methods, tests, or procedures. Submissions should demonstrate how the new method improves upon what is currently in existence. Methodology articles undergo full peer-review.
This will be the report of data from original research conducted by researchers. Original Research Articles undergo full peer-review. An original article is a research paper based on unique findings and techniques and provides new information on the topic. The data section should be based on randomized clinical trials and contain information on all relevant study elements.
Appropriate statistical data is necessary for findings to be conclusive. The Methods section should contain the criteria for the selection of human participants and laboratory animals involved in the trials and provide evidence of approval from relevant ethics organizations. When human subjects are involved, the methods followed and the extent to which they were in accordance with ethical standards and Human Rights guidelines need to be indicated.
The article should include the following sections:
A structured Abstract of no more than 300 words composed of the following parts:
Background and Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions and Global Health Implications (3,000 words). Original articles can have references up to a maximum of 30, figures including subparts of up to a maximum of 1, and Tables up to a maximum of 3. Supplementary figures or tables must be discussed with the Editor-in-Chief.
Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
Review Articles
A review article is a balanced, in-depth scholarly study of the latest trends or present status of a specific timely topic, but is not an original article. No new data or personal experiences are presented. It is an analysis of the advances in the field based on a literature review of the topic. A review article includes a concise abstract limited to 300 words. The main article with a detailed description of each disease process with appropriate images and a valid conclusion can be a maximum of 3000 words. The author can include up to a maximum of 90 references, 1 figures including subparts, and up to 3 tables.
Click here to view and download the Manuscript Template
Click here to download the Evidence Checklist for Systematic Reviews
Short Research Communication
Special collections or supplements are curated sections that focus on specific themes, topics, or research areas. These collections are distinct from the regular content of the journal and often serve to provide in-depth exploration of subjects of particular interest. They can encompass a range of formats, including articles, reviews, commentaries, and more.
The purpose of special collections or supplements is to offer a comprehensive and concentrated examination of a subject, allowing for greater exploration and analysis than what might be possible in individual articles. These collections provide a platform for researchers to present their work within a broader context and contribute to a deeper understanding of complex topics.
The journal utilizes special collections to foster collaboration, promote interdisciplinary research, and stimulate conversations within specific fields. These collections can also help highlight emerging trends, important breakthroughs, or areas that require further investigation. Additionally, they offer an opportunity for scholars to address gaps in current literature, propose new methodologies, or present alternative perspectives.
It’s important to note that the inclusion of special collections or supplements in goes through a rigorous editorial and peer-review process, ensuring that the content maintains the same level of quality and credibility as the rest of the journal. The decision to create a special collection is often guided by the journal’s editorial board, and guest editors or experts in the field might be invited to curate the collection. Guest editors can also propose special collections.
In summary, special collections or supplements in the journal serve as dedicated platforms for in-depth exploration of specific topics, fostering collaboration, promoting interdisciplinary research, and advancing understanding within particular fields. They are carefully curated to provide valuable insights and perspectives, enhancing the overall quality and scope of scholarly discourse.
- Topics covered by special issues shall fall within the scope of the journal;
- The Editor-in-Chief shall retain responsibility for the content of the journal, including special issues;
- Special issue articles shall comply with the same editorial oversight as regular papers, including compliance with our external peer review;
- The Editor-in-Chief may serve as the editor or call for the nomination of a guest editor;
- The Editor-in-Chief shall reserve the right not to accept a guest editor nomination, or nominate another person to oversee the review of articles;
- The guest editor nominees shall be vetted and approved by the Editor-in-Chief.
Publication Partnerships
The International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) is published in partnership with faculty and staff at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training & Research, Texas, United States. BCM authors receive discounts on article processing charges and expedited reviews.
Submission Fee
The international journal of maternal and child health and AIDS (IJMA) does not charge any submission fee. Submission is free.
Publication/Processing Fee
Article Type |
Developed Countries* |
Developing Countries or LMIC* |
Letters to the Editor |
120 |
50 |
Original Research |
650 |
400 |
Editorials, Commentaries & Viewpoints |
650 |
400 |
Short Research Communication |
650 |
400 |
Field Studies, Notes from the Field, & Case Reports |
650 |
400 |
Public Health Policy & Practice |
650 |
400 |
Conference Reports |
400 |
250 |
Methodology Articles |
650 |
400 |
Systematic Reviews (with or without Meta-Analysis) / Narrative Reviews |
650 |
400 |
Book Reviews |
650 |
400 |
Other Supplementary Charges
Article Type |
Word Limit* |
References |
Tables, Figures, & Images |
Letters to the Editor |
700 |
5 |
1 |
Original Research |
3,000 |
30 |
3 |
Editorials, Commentaries & Viewpoints |
1,500 |
15 |
2 |
Short Research Communication |
1,000 |
10 |
2 |
Field Studies, Notes from the Field & Case Reports |
1,000 |
10 |
2 |
Public Health Policy & Practice |
3,000 |
30 |
3 |
Conference Reports |
1,000 |
10 |
1 |
Methodology Articles |
3,000 |
30 |
3 |
Systematic Reviews or Meta-Analyses |
3,500 |
45 |
4 |
Book Reviews |
700 |
5 |
1 |
Notes: The stated word limits exclude Article title, Author information, Abstracts, keyword, and References. (2) Journal templates for each article type are available on the journal website.
Waivers/Discounts
The journal offers discounts and waivers on a case-by-case basis. The journal does not want the inability to pay to limit the publication of important research work. Discounts or waivers should be discussed and agreed upon at the time of submission.
Requests for waivers or discounts must be included in the cover letter during manuscript submission.
Copyright and Open Access Statement
Authors Retain Copyright
All of the content published in the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA) is protected under the International copyright law, defined by Creative Commons and International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The author of an article retains the academic copyright of the content and can self-archive the article. The journal retains the commercial rights of the published content and publisher executes the commercial rights on behalf of the journal. The journal also grants to all readers and users a free, irrevocable, global, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute and display the content publicly and to make and distribute derivative works in any digital medium for any reasonable and non-commercial purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship and ownership of the copyrights under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International Public License.
Open Access Publication and Creative Commons Licensing
International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS is an open-access journal, and manuscripts published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0), which allows others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Compliance with Funder-Mandated Open Access Policies
An author whose work is funded by an organization that mandates the use of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License is able to meet that requirement through the available open-access license for approved funders.
Privacy Statement
The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party. For any Questions or Difficulties please contact us technical.team@editorialassist.com