Manuscript Guidelines

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Manuscripts should be written in English (US) using Microsoft Word or compatible software. Texts should be typed on A4-sized paper. Pages should be numbered sequentially at the bottom of the page, with the title page as page 1. Main text paragraphs should be typed using Times New Roman size 12, double-spaced, left-justified. Use tabs rather than the spacebar for indentations in both text and tables. The Journal uses American English spelling. The Publication Section will endeavor to assist where necessary with English language editing, but authors are advised to seek editing assistance as much as possible before submission to expedite the review process.

Listed below are some of the types of manuscripts that the Journal currently accepts. The Journal recommends that authors identify the type of their submitted manuscript.

• Original Research: Original research articles include experimental studies, qualitative and quantitative observational studies. These articles report the relevance of the findings in a larger (public health) perspective.
• Perspective: Perspectives are articles discussing insights and commentaries regarding tropical medicine issues and public health events. The scope of the discussion must be clearly defined.
• Field Report: A field report is a short article detailing a field investigation. This includes what is and how it was being investigated, and the relevant lessons learned from the investigation. More comprehensive reports can be submitted as Original Research.
• Surveillance Report (Implementation/Evaluation): This type of article describes a summary and interpretation of surveillance data over a given period of time. A description of the surveillance system and the limitations of the data collected must be included.
• Case Report/Series: This is an unstructured article describing an unusual case or series of cases related to tropical medicine and public health. Subheadings may be used to increase the readability of the article.
• Policy Review: This is a scientific review and analysis of current public health policy(ies). Reviewed policies can be current or historical, or a combination of both.
• Letter to the Editor: This article is a letter commenting on a previously published article OR a letter commenting on the theme of the current Journal issue. Letters do not undergo peer review.
• News, Meeting and Conference Reports: These are documentation of meetings, proceedings and conferences regarding tropical medicine and public health issues. These articles do not undergo peer review. Please contact the Editorial Office directly if you intend to submit these types of articles.

Recommended guidelines for all submitted manuscripts are as follows:

• Abstract word count: between 150-250 words
• Main text word limit (excluding text in figures, tables and references): < 3500 words

MANUSCRIPT FORM

The MANUSCRIPT FORM should contain the following sections, in sequence:                       

Download MANUSCRIPT FORM

1. TITLE PAGE. This section should include the following subsections, in sequence:
1. Title of the article (ALL CAPS, no bold, centered on page). This should be informative, concise and reflects the contents of the study. With a few exceptions, abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out in the title. The title of the paper should be limited to 200 characters, including spaces.
2. Running title. The running title is a shortened version of the complete title of the article, often lacking articles (e.g. “the”, “a”, “an”) and wordy filler phrases. Common abbreviations and acronyms are allowed. It appears on the right-hand top of the browser window. The running title should be limited to 60 characters, including spaces.
3. Full name of each author with academic degree(s) separated by comma(s). The name(s) and department/institution for each author or to which the work should be attributed using superscripts after the name(s). For authors with multiple affiliations, only the primary institution and the departments or subunits should be included. The city and country of each institution should also be identified.
4. Corresponding author’s name and contact details (mailing address, phone/fax number and email address, including a statement whether the email address may be published). The corresponding author is responsible for all inquiries about the manuscript and reprint requests and is the author the Editorial Office will correspond.
5. How to cite the article. The preferred citation of the article should be in AMA format.
   
   
2. ABSTRACT. This section should be between 150-250 words, in paragraph form with no subheadings but should contain the following information in proper sequence:
1. Objectives - contains the context or background of the study and the purpose or objective of the study.
2. Methods - contains the study design, brief description of the study setting and participants (including sampling design).
3. Results - contains a summary of the principal outcome measures or data obtained with data on confidence intervals and levels of statistical significance whenever applicable.
4. Conclusions - contains a summary of the discussion and key points elucidated from the study results, as well as possible impact(s) on public health policy or practice.
3. Five to seven MeSH® keywords or short phrases from the list of Index Medicus should be identified and included at the end of the Abstract page, except when suitable MeSH terms are not yet available for recently introduced terms. The Journal recommends using MeSH on Demand by the U.S. National Library of Medicine for reference (https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/MeSHonDemand).
   
   
4. MAIN TEXT. This section typically contains one or more of the following sections in proper sequence:
1. Introduction - contains the context and brief background for the study. This section should only reflect pertinent references in the literature review. This section also includes the nature of the research problem and its significance, major hypothesis or rationale, and objectives or purpose of the study or observation.
2. Methodology - contains methodological information available at the time the study plan or protocol was written; all information obtained during the course of the study belongs in the Results section. This section should contain sufficient detail to permit replication by others. This section should contain the following information:

• Study Design - information on the type of study design used. The Journal recommends manuscripts follow standard reporting guidelines:
  1. Randomized controlled trials - CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org). The Journal also requires all submitted RCTs to have been previously registered in any Primary registry of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (https://www.who.int/ictrp/network/primary/en/), or in ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov);
  2. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses - PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org);
  3. Observational studies - STROBE (https://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=available-checklists);
  4. Diagnostic/prognostic studies - STARD (http://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/stard/);
  5. Qualitative studies - SRQR (http://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/srqr/) or COREQ (https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/article/19/6/349/1791966);
  6. Case studies - CARE (http://www.care-statement.org/);
  7. Other types of study designs - consult the EQUATOR Network (http://www.equator-network.org/)
• Setting - a brief description of the study site(s).
• Participants/Subjects - information regarding the total number of participants/subjects, sample size calculation, selection procedures, eligibility and exclusion criteria, randomization procedure, masking etc. Any type of identifying information (e.g. patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers) should not be included in the text.
• Main and secondary outcome measure(s) - information describing the operational definition(s) of all the variables that the study collected.
• Intervention and/or data collection tools and procedure(s) - information on all the data collection tools and methods in the study used to gather the outcome measures. Sufficient detail should be included to allow reproducibility of results. This section should include methods, instruments and equipment with the manufacturers name and address in parenthesis, e.g. (Zeiss Corporation, San Leandro, CA, USA). All drugs and chemicals including generic name(s), dosage(s) and route(s) of administration should be included (for pediatric patients, doses should be indicated using milligram per kilogram dosage. For meta-analyses or systematic reviews, cite methods used for locating, selecting, extracting and synthesizing data.
• Data Management and Statistical Analysis - information describing statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. Whenever possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols should be defined appropriately. All computer software and statistical packages used should be identified properly, e.g. MS Excel (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA, USA); SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 25.0).
• Ethical considerations - information summarizing measures done in the study to protect subjects or respondents. For studies involving human subjects, indicate whether the procedures done were in accord with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, and/or approved by the institutional review board (IRB) / Ethics Committee, and whether informed consent was secured. The type of informed consent should be indicated (written or oral); for oral informed consent, it must be stated why written consent could not be obtained. For animal subjects, indicate whether the institution’s or National Research Council’s guide for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed. For all studies, the name(s) of the approving institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent committee(s) should be clearly stated.

1. Results - contains data on all the relevant main and secondary outcome measure(s), including confidence intervals and levels of statistical significance whenever necessary. Demographic data of the study population should be included. Outcomes and measurements should be presented in a logical sequence. Tables, figures and images should be incorporated within the text (please refer to paragraph below on tables, figures and images). Information already contained within texts or figures should not be repeated in-text. Data should be presented as ratio/percentages and absolute numbers whenever possible. Statistical methods used to analyze each data set should be included. Graphs may be used as an alternative to tables with many entries; avoid duplicating data in graphs and tables. Where scientifically appropriate, data should be stratified accordingly (e.g. age, sex).
2. Discussion - contains an analytical narrative of the significant findings presented, emphasizing new and important aspects of the study. Implications and limitations should be included and related to other (and possibly) contradictory literature. Conclusions clearly supported by the data should be incorporated into the end of the discussion, without a separate heading. New hypothesis(es) may be included when warranted, but clearly label them as such. Recommendations may also be included when appropriate. Avoid excessive generalization, undue speculation, digressions and theorizing, and statements on economic benefits and costs unless the study includes economic data and analysis.
3. References - should list all in-text cited references, listed in alphabetical order, following the American Medical Association (AMA) style. All authors should be listed when there are less than seven; when there are seven or more, list only the first three followed by “et al.”. Following the author(s) name(s) should be the title, Journal Name (abbreviated according to the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus) date; volume: and first and last page numbers (separated by a hyphen). Online references should include full website address, e.g. Available from: URL: http://www....[Cited year month day]. Please refer to previous publications of the Journal for examples of formatting. For further information on AMA style and format, please refer to http://sites.uci.edu/medsim/files/2015/03/AMA-citation-Guide.pdf.
   For example: Bunnag D, Viravan C, Looareesuwan S, Karbwang J, Harinasuta T. Clinical trial of artesunate and artemether on multidrug resistant falciparum malaria in Thailand. A preliminary report. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 1991; 22: 380-5.
1. In-text citations should follow the AMA style: citations should be included parenthetically as author(s) (for 1 or 2 authors) or author et al. (more than 2), plus year; e.g. (Pritchard and Brown, 2001; Ratchtrachcenchai et al., 1998). For further information, please refer to http://sites.uci.edu/medsim/files/2015/03/AMA-citation-Guide.pdf.
   Tables, figures, and images should be incorporated within the text using the Microsoft Word (or compatible software) table tool. Each table, figure and image must be referenced in-text, properly labeled, and must be understood on its own. Titles of tables should be placed on top; captions of figures and images should be placed at the bottom. Abbreviations should be spelled out inside tables, unless defined in a footnote. Raw data should not be presented. Figures and images should be at least 600 pixels per inch (ppi) and inserted using the Microsoft Word (or compatible software) insert image tool. Footnotes should be placed under the tables, figures or images and should use the following symbols in superscript format: *, †, ‡, §, ¦, **, ††, etc.
   All measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples, up to two (2) decimal places, unless specifically required otherwise. Rates, ratios, proportions, and probabilities should also be limited to 2 decimal places, unless otherwise required. Temperatures should be in degrees Celsius. Blood pressures should be in millimeters of mercury, unless other units are specifically required. Laboratory values should be reported using International System of Units (SI). Drug concentrations may be reported in either SI or mass units, but the alternative should be provided in parentheses where appropriate.
   
   
2. SUPPLEMENTAL TEXT are additional information which may be included at the end of each manuscript, and are limited to the following components:
1. Acknowledgements
2. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
3. Funding Information