INTRODUCTION

Nepal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (NJOG) is the official journal of Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NESOG), published biannually since 2006. Nepal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology aims to be one of the leading general clinical journals of Obstetrics and Gynaecology so as to contribute and provide forum for scientific and clinical professional communication in the field of Obstetrics and Gynaecology throughout the world. This is an internationally peer reviewed, open access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Authors do not have to pay for submission, processing or publication of articles in NJOG.

Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles which is also available online (www.njog.org.np) freely. This is in accordance with the BOAI definition of open access and under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. NJOG has been included in EBSCO’s library products, BioMed Central, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP),  and also in Index Copernicus (IC). NJOG has also been indexed in Scientific Indexing Services (SIS) database. NJOG is a member of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA) and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). Our work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

SCOPE OF THE JOURNAL

This journal will publish entire range of articles from original research articles, case reports, reviews, systematic reviews, current commentaries, brief communications, tips and techniques, personal perspectives and letters to editor along with wide range of news, book reviews, biographical, historical and educational articles, annotation, personal practice, practical procedures and a lively correspondence section from the editor from all areas of obstetrics and gynaecology, including perinatology, endocrinology, related pathology, endoscopies and community research. Further, wide range of related field coverage includes prenatal diagnosis, feto-maternal medicine, gynecologic oncology, uro-gynaecology, infertility, reproductive endocrinology, sexual medicine and reproductive ethics.

Manuscripts in English from investigators/authors from any institutions in any country are considered. The results and ideas contained therein should be original and should be of high scientific merit. The journal gives preference to good quality research papers with new findings, clinically oriented studies over experimental and animal studies. NJOG gives special attention to the articles providing immediate impact to the health and policy will get preferences through fast track review, as well.

THE EDITORIAL PROCESS

The manuscripts will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that they are being submitted to one journal at a time and have not been published, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. On an average 25-30% of the manuscripts are rejected by the editors before a formal peer-review starts.

The Editors review all submitted manuscripts initially. Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific and technical flaws, or lack of a significant message are rejected or if good article are written poorly then author are requested to re-submit after the revision according to NJOG format. All manuscripts received are duly acknowledged.

NJOG reviewes new submissions according to its guidelines, when they meet all criteria, they will be sent to the two peer reviewers. All submitted article will undergo international peer review with blinding for two peer reviewers, simultaneously. If the decision conflicts between two, it will be send to third peer reviewer. The typical review will take minimum 4-6 weeks, which includes 2 weeks for peer review and remaining weeks for peer review handling process. However, this may take little longer due to unseen workloads.

When the article is received from peer reviewer there will be one of the following outcome and the decision choices include:

• Accept Submission: The submission will be accepted without revisions.
• Revisions Required: The submission will be accepted after minor changes have been made according to the reviewer’s comment.
• Resubmit for Review: The submission needs to be re-worked, but with significant changes, may be accepted. It will require a second round of review, however.
• Resubmit elsewhere: When the submissions do not meet the focus and scope of NJOG.
• Decline Submission: The submission will not be published with the journal.

All comments received from the reviewers will be passed on to the authors within 4-6 weeks after getting back from the reviewers. Regardless of whether or not the submission is accepted for publication, it is essential that appropriate feedback be provided to the contributors.

NJOG respects the views, opinion, comments and decision of the reviewer, however the right for acceptance and rejection of the manuscript is reserved with the Editor-in-Chief, on the basis of maintaining the integrity of the science, following the guideline of ICJME, WAME, CSE, COPE.

The editors will be responsible for directing the manuscripts to the appropriate reviewers who have knowledge and/or expertise in the requisite fields.  Each manuscript will be accepted (sometimes on a conditional basis pending suggested changes) or declined based on the reviewers’ comments, and other factors by Editor-in-Chief’s decisions. In the case of a controversial ground breaking article that could have far-reaching impact on the field, further reviews may be sought. The decision ultimately rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Peer Reviewers will be provided with Review Guidelines, once they accept to review the submission. NJOG will rate reviewers on a five-point quality scale after each review.

NJOG also ensures statistical accuracy in each research papers for which it has its own statistician for consultation.

If the manuscript is accepted for publication and published, the paper or the portion there of, will not be published elsewhere unless the consent is obtained in writing from editor-in-chief of NJOG.

INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with “Uniform requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals” developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/). The uniform requirements and specific requirement of NJOG are summarized below. Before sending a manuscript authors are requested to check for the latest instructions available. Instructions are also available from the website of the journal (www.njog.org.np).

MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION 


The manuscript must be typed double-spaced on one side only on A4 size white paper with New Times Roman Font, size of 12 points. Margins should be a minimum of 25 mm. Number each page at top right. The pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page. Each section of the manuscript should commence on a new page in the following sequence: title page and running head, structured abstract, key words, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions, acknowledgement, references, tables and figures with caption list. Particular attention should be taken to ensure the manuscript adheres to the style of the journal in all respects. Please do not use any signs for e.g. “and” for “and” or “@” signs for “at the rate” and related signs; however, you can use abbreviations used in standard text books, provided the full form has been given when it first appears in the text. 
The text of original articles should be divided into sections with the headings: Abstract, Key words, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, References, Tables and Figure legends. For case report: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Case, Comment, References, Tables and Figures legends.

1. Format: The whole text including references should be typed or printed by a good quality printer in double space using 12 fonts (Times New Roman) with margins of at least one inch on both sides. The pages should be numbered accordingly beginning with title page as 1, abstract as 2, etc. without disclosing author/s in the subsequent pages except the first/title page. Manuscript’s main body/text begins from page 3 onwards up to the references.

2.  The manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

• Cover letter

• Title and author information including corresponding address with email and contact phone number. Author’s name should begin as first name followed by family name.

• Abstract (structured except for case report and review article) and keywords separated by semicolons (in alphabetical order)

• Text (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusions)

• References

• Tables: Each table in one page as annex document

• Figures: Each figure as a separate attachment

• Legends for all the figures in one page as a separate attachment

3. Cover letter: It should confirm that the submission made has not been published, accepted or considered for publication elsewhere.

4. Title page: This should provide (1) a concise but informative title of the paper, (2) the full name of each author(s) with highest academic degree and institutional affiliation, (3) running title (in less than 40 letters), (4) address for correspondence about the articles and for the reprint request and (5) disclaimers, if any.

5. Abstract: The second page should carry a structured abstract of not more than 250 words. It should be in the format as: aims, methods, results and conclusions. For case report/brief communication unstructured abstract of not more than 250 words is required. It should be accompanied by 3-6 keywords arranged in alphabetical order. References should not be included in the abstract.

6. Text: The text should be divided into:

• Introduction: Provide a context for the study and state the objectives clearly. The introduction section should be limited to 250 words.

• Methods: It should be in sufficient detail and should contain study design, duration and place of study, ethical approval, inclusion and exclusion criteria, informed consent, statistical analysis and software used.

• Results: It should be presented in logical sequence in the text, tables and figures giving the main or most important findings first.

• Discussion: It should summarize briefly the main findings, explore possible explanations for these findings, compare and contrast the findings with other relevant studies, state the limitations of the study and explore the implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice.

• Conclusions: It should be linked with the aims of the study.

 It should be accompanied usually by upto 30 references within the framework of 4000 words. Generally, only up to six, either figures/tables/charts/illustrations are allowed.

For case reports: Manuscript should be arranged as Introduction, Case and Comment followed by 5-10 references such that the total length of the article is within 2000 words and generally only four, either figures/tables are allowed.

Letters to editor: It should be short, decisive observation, up to 400 words and generally 5 references.

No ‘Tabs’ should be given in the text. Findings should be analysed by statistical methods and be well interpreted showing level of significance as far as possible.

7. References: It should be provided in the Vancouver system of referencing. The references should be cited using superscript in Arabic numerals in the text and appear in order. In the reference list, the references should be numbered and listed in order of appearance as in the text. Cite the names of all authors when there are six or fewer; when seven or more list the first six followed by et al. Names of journals should be in regular font and abbreviated in the style used in Index Medicus. Reference to unpublished data and personal communications should not appear in the list but should be cited in the text only (e.g. Kanodia A, 2004, unpublished data)

References for standard journal, book chapters / book should appear as given below

•Standard Journal article:

Saha R, Sharma M, Padhye S, Karki U, Pandey S, Thapa J. Hysterectomy: an analysis of perioperative and post operative complication. KUMJ. 2003;1(2):124-7.

•Research Notes, Short communication, Letters to Editor and Editorials: The pattern should be the same as the of standard Journal article but with mention of research notes, short communication, letter to editor and editorials accordingly in the parenthesis (after the title):

Uga S, Morimoto M, Saito T, Rai SK. Surface ultrastructure of heterophyes (trematoda: hetrophyidea) collected from a man (Research Note). J Helminthol Soc. 1998;65:119-22.

•Corporate Author in Journal:

Ghana Vast Study Team. Vitamin A supplementation in northern Ghana: effects on clinical attendance, hospital admissions and mortality. Lancet. 1993;343:7-12.

Note: Supplement volume or issue of a Journal should be indicated by “Suppl” in parenthesis after the publication year, for example: Brit Med J. 1990 (Suppl);13:121-5.

•Personal Author in Book:

Oslen OW. Animal parasites: their life cycles and ecology. 3rd ed. Baltiore-London-Tokyo: Univ Park Press; 1974. p. 194.

•Editor(s), compiler(s) as authors:

Firkin F, Chesterman N, Penington D, Bryan R, editors. De Gruchy’s clinical haematology in medical practice. 5th ed. Oxford: Blackwell Science; 1989.

•Corporate Author in Book:

 Verginia Law Foundation. The medical and legal implications of AIDS. Charlottesville: The Foundation; 1987.

•Book:

Rock JA, Thompson JD, editors. Te Lende’s operative gynaecology. 8th ed. Philadephia: Lippincott-Raven; 1996.

•Chapter in a book:

 Bhatt RV. Antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage. In: Menon K, Devi PK, Rao KB, editors. Postgraducate Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 4th ed. India: Orient Longman; 1989. p. 155-65.

•Scientific and Technical Report:

WHO. Control of the leishmaniasis 1990. Technical Report Series 793.

•Papers accepted for publication:

 Hirai K, Takagi E, Okuno Y. Status of polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum of persons aged 10-72 in Nepal. Nutr Res. (in press).

. Papers from online sources:

 UNAIDS report on the global AIDS epidemic 2012. [cited 2013 July 19]. Available   from http://www.unaids.org/en/resources /campaigns/20121120_global report2012 / global report

The commonly cited types of references are shown here, for other types of references such as electronic media; newspaper items, etc. please refer to ICMJE Guidelines (http://www.icmje.org or http://www.nlm.nih.gov/ bsd/uniform_requirements.html or http://www.ncbi. nlm.nih.gov/books/bookres.fcgi/citmed/frontpage. html).

8. Tables: Each table should be typed in a single separate page. Tables should not be submitted as photographs. Tables should be numbered consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text. There should not be any vertical or horizontal lines in the table. Each table should be provided with short self-explainatory heading that matches the column width. Any explanatory matter should be placed in footnotes and should be indicated by symbol. Explain all nonstandard abbreviations in footnotes, and use the following symbols, in sequence:

        *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, **, ††, ‡‡

Tables should also contain statistical measure (for example, P values). All the tables must be included in a folder labeled as table document. Each table must fit either the half (75mm) or full column width (vertically or horizontally).

9. Figures/Illustrations: Figures should be drawn professionally. Photographs should be clear, sharp (contrast) and be [1200 pixel (image dpi 200-300)] in color (usually 5x 7 inches) as this can be viewed better online. However color pictures will be printed as black and white in the printed Journal. Letters, numbers and symbols should be clear and even throughout and of sufficient size so that it will still be legible when reduced. Title and detailed explanation, if any, should be in the legends for figures, not on the illustrations themselves. All the legends should be sent as a separate document or a folder. Legend for figure must not be continued below the references. The figures should not be identifiable unless it is accompanied by written permission of the subject. Figures should be numbered consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text. Each figure must be saved separately as JPEG (preferably as zipped). Figure should not appear in the manuscript (text), but must be properly indicated where they should appear in the text. Photographs of potentially identifiable people must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph. If a figure has been published previously, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the figure. Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher except for documents in the public domain.

10. Units of Measurements: Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be reported in metric units. Temperature should be in degree Celsius.

11. Abbreviations: Only the standard abbreviations should be used. Abbreviations should be avoided in the Title and Abstract. The spelled-out abbreviation followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis should be used on first mention unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement.

12. Reprints: Reprints will be available on request made in advance at the time of acceptance of manuscript.

13. Disclaimer: Neither the Editorial Board nor the publisher accept responsibility for the views of authors expressed in their contributions.

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

Manuscripts must be submitted in clear, concise English language. Please submit one original and two photocopies of the manuscript and three sets of the original figures along with a Forwarding, Authorship and Declaration letter, sample is available in the NJOG website. Authors also have to include a diskette (preferably CD) along with hard copies. All authors must give signed consent to publication in a letter sent with the manuscript. Note: An electronic copy of the article is mandatory through email.

All the manuscript must be submitted preferably as an email attachment to njogeditor@gmail.com

Please also see the ‘Guidelines to Authors’ and ‘Editorial Policy’ for further details.

Final checklists before you submit your article for the possible publication in the NJOG: Please download the followings by clicking below-

1. Forwarding letter

2. Authorship letter

3. Declaration form

4. Manuscript form

Forwarding letter

• Signed by all contributors
• Previous publication / presentations mentioned
• Source of funding mentioned
• Conflicts of interest disclosed

Authors

• Complete author  information
• Author for correspondence, with e-mail and tel. no.
• Identity not revealed in paper except title page (e.g. name of the institute in material and methods, citing previous study as ‘our study’, names on figure labels, name of institute in photographs, etc.)

 General outline for article presentation and format

• Double spacing
• Margins 2.5 cm from all four sides
• Title page contains all the desired information
• Running title provided (not more than 50 characters)
• Abstract page contains the full title of the manuscript
• Abstract provided (not more than 150 words for case reports and 250 words for original articles)
• Structured abstract provided for an original article
• Key words provided – arrange them in alphabetical order (three  to five)
• Introduction of 150-200 words
• Headings in title case (not ALL CAPITALS, not underlined)
• References cited in superscript in the text without brackets after with/without comma (,) or full stop (.)
• References according to the journal’s instructions – abide by the rules of Vancouver system. 

Language and grammar

• Uniformity in the language
• Abbreviations spelt out in full for the first time
• Numerals from 1 to 10 spelt out
• Numerals at the beginning of the sentence spelt out

Tables and figures

• No repetition of data in tables/graphs and in text
• Actual numbers from which graphs drawn, provided
• Figures necessary and of good quality (colour)
• Table and figure numbers in Arabic letters (not Roman)
• Labels pasted on back of the photographs (no names written)
• Figure legends provided (not more than 40 words)
• Patients’ privacy maintained (if not, written permission enclosed)
• Credit note for borrowed figures/tables, etc.  provided  

Authors should send their manuscripts to:

The Editor-in-Chief

Nepal Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology,

Nepal Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (NESOG),

Maternity Hospital, Thapathali, GPO Box: 23700, Kathmandu, Nepal

Tel No: 977-1-4252315 Fax No: 977-1-4215175

Email: njogeditor@gmail.com

Web: www.njog.org.np

NJOG Follows ICJME Guidelines (http://www.icmje.org/) and Council of Science Editors (CSE) Policy

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM) submitted to Biomedical Journals” developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME). We incorporate the URM into our review and publication process. We also incorporate the ‘Editorial Policy Statements’ of Council of Science Editors (CSE) into our review and publication process and the authors/editors/reviewers are requested to visit the links: http://www.icmje.org andhttp://www.councilscienceeditors.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3286

Authorship

All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Authorship credit should be based only on significant contribution. The first author named must accept the responsibility for ensuring that both versions of the paper submitted and the corrected proofs have the approval of all co-authors. Submission of a manuscript will also be taken to imply that all authors have obtained permission from their employers or institution to publish, if they are obliged to do so and that relevant ethical approval has been obtained for clinical studies. However, authorship credit should be based only on significant contribution to (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of data, to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content and on (c) final approval of the version to be published. Authors may include explanation of each author’s contribution separately.

Conflict of Interest Notification

To prevent the information on potential conflicts of interest from being overlooked or misplaced, it needs to be part of the manuscript. Authors need to include relevant conflict-of-interest information in the cover letter. We also require submission of financial disclosure. However, it should also be included on a separate page or pages immediately following the title page. NJOG does not send information on conflicts of interest to reviewers.

Ethics – Statement of Human Rights/ Animal Rights

When reporting studies on human, 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 http://www.wma.net/e/policy/17-c_e.html). Do not use patients’ 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 was followed.

Evidence for approval by a local Ethics Committee (for both human as well as animal studies) must be supplied by the authors on demand. 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 CPCSEA (animal) and ICMR (human). The journal will not consider any paper, which is ethically unacceptable. A statement on ethics committee permission and ethical practices must be included in all research articles under the ‘Methods’ section.

NJOG is also a member of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). We incorporate their Policies and Ethical Guidelines into our review and publication process and authors, editors and reviewers are encouraged visit the link: http://www.publicationethics.org and http://www.wame.org

Statement of Informed Consent

All the authors should take ethical approval from the institution where the research is carried out and the letter should be submitted to NJOG. Similarly, informed consent should be taken from the study subjects or participants and this should be mentioned during submission of the manuscript.

Technical Information

Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers 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, 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).

Note: Authors submitting review article should include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data. These methods should also be summarized in the abstract.