Manuscripts containing original material are accepted for consideration with the understanding that neither the article nor any part of its essential substance, tables, or figures has been or will be published or submitted for publication elsewhere before appearing in the Journal. This restriction does not apply to abstracts or press reports published in connection with scientific meetings. Copies of any closely related manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor along with the manuscript that is to be considered by the Journal. The Journal strongly discourages the submission of more than one article dealing with related aspects of the same study.

Submit an original and one copy of the complete manuscript, including text pages, legends, tables, references, and glossy prints of figures. Please include a word count (not including abstract or references). Only typed copy, on standard-sized typewriter paper and double-spaced throughout, with margins of at least 2.5 cm, is acceptable. Address all submissions to the Editor by email, Archives of Medicine and Health Review (Journal of the Nigerian Medical Association, FCT). A cover letter signed by all authors should identify the person (with the address and telephone number) responsible for negotiations concerning the manuscript; the letter should make it clear that the final manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors and that they have taken due care to ensure the integrity of the work.

At least one person’s name must accompany a group name — e.g., Amina J. Bosede, for the Abuja Medical Group. As stated in the Uniform Requirements (see above), credit for authorship requires substantial contributions to (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation of data; and (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content. If more than 12 authors are listed for a multicenter trial or more than 8 for a study from a single institution, each author must sign a statement attesting that he or she fulfils the authorship criteria of the Uniform Requirements. Acknowledgements will be limited to a column of Journal space, and those acknowledged will be listed only once.

When sending either new manuscripts or presubmission inquiries to us, authors must classify their submissions as one of the article types described below.

Note, however, that these guidelines are intended for initial submissions to; if a paper is selected for revision and potential acceptance for publication, we will likely request updated materials that adhere to much stricter guidelines for print and online publications.

Most article types are subject to peer review, and certain article types — such as reviews and editorials — are usually solicited by the editors, though unsolicited submissions may be considered.

AUTHORSHIP

Research articles do not have an authorship limit, but other articles may have limits to the number of credited authors. Please check the details for the article you are planning to submit.

WORD-COUNT LIMITS

Manuscript word-count limits cited below include all information from the introduction through the conclusion or discussion. They exclude abstracts, figure legends, and table notes. Manuscripts far exceeding word-count limits will be returned unread.

The Journal asks authors of research articles to disclose at the time of submission any financial arrangement they may have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review and will not influence the editorial decision, but if the article is accepted for publication, the editors will usually discuss with the authors the manner in which such information is to be communicated to the reader.

Because the essence of reviews and editorials is the selection and interpretation of the literature, the Journal expects that authors of such articles will not have any financial interest in a company (or its competitor) that makes a product discussed in the article. Potential authors who have questions about these issues should contact the Editor.

Authors of articles must express all measurements in Système International (SI) units, but they may include older conventional units in parentheses if they desire. Authors of Letters to the Editor are requested, but not required, to do the same.

Titles and Authors’ Names
With the manuscript, provide a page giving the title of the paper; titles should be concise and descriptive (not declarative). Also include a running head of fewer than 40 letter spaces; the name(s) of the author(s), including the first name(s) and academic degree(s); the name of the department and institution in which the work was done; the institutional affiliation of each author; and the name and address of the author to whom reprint requests should be addressed. Any grant support that requires acknowledgement should be mentioned on this page.

Abstracts

Provide on a separate page an abstract of not more than 400 words. This abstract should consist of four paragraphs, labelled Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. They should briefly describe the problem being addressed in the study, how the study was performed, the salient results, and what the authors conclude from the results.

Key Words

Three to 10 keywords or short phrases should be added to the bottom of the abstract page, which will assist us in indexing the article and which may be published with the Abstract. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings from Index Medicus when possible.

References must be typed with double spacing and must be numbered consecutively as they are cited. References first cited in tables or figure legends must be numbered so that they will be in sequence with references cited in the text. The style of references is that of Index Medicus. List all authors when there are six or fewer; when there are seven or more, list the first three, then “et al.” The following is a sample reference:

1. Lahita R, Kluger J, Drayer DE, Koffler D, Reidenberg MM. Antibodies to nuclear antigens in patients treated with procainamide or acetylprocainamide. N AMHR;301:1382–5.

Numbered references to personal communications, unpublished data, and manuscripts either “in preparation” or “submitted for publication” are unacceptable (see “Permissions”). If essential, such material may be incorporated in the appropriate place in the text.

Tables
Type tables with double spacing on separate sheets, and provide a title for each. Excessive tabular data are discouraged. If an article is accepted, the Journal will arrange to deposit extensive tables of important data with the National Auxiliary Publications Service (NAPS); we will pay for the deposit and add an appropriate footnote to the text. This service makes available microfiche or photocopies of tables at moderate charges to those who request them.

Illustrations
Figures should be professionally designed. Glossy black-and-white photographs are requested. Photocopied or computer-generated figures are not acceptable. Symbols, lettering, and numbering should be clear and large enough to remain legible after the figure has been reduced to fit the width of a single column.

The back of each figure should include the sequence number, the name of the author, and the proper orientation (e.g., “top”). Do not mount the figure on cardboard. Photomicrographs should be cropped to a width of 8 cm, and electron photomicrographs should have internal scale markers.

If photographs of patients are used, either the subjects should not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the figure. Permission forms are available from the Editor.

Legends for illustrations should be typewritten (double-spaced) on a separate sheet and should not appear on the illustrations.

Colour illustrations are encouraged. Send both transparencies and prints for this purpose.

Abbreviations
Except for units of measurement, abbreviations are discouraged. Consult the CBE Style Manual (Fifth edition. Bethesda, Md.: Council of Biology Editors, 1983) for lists of standard abbreviations. The first time an abbreviation appears it should be preceded by the words for which it stands.

Drug Names
Generic names should generally be used. Authors who wish to do so may insert brand names in parentheses.

Permissions
Materials taken from other sources must be accompanied by a written statement from both author and publisher giving permission to the Journal for reproduction.

Obtain permission in writing from at least one author of papers still in press, unpublished data, and personal communications.

Review and Action
Manuscripts are examined by the editorial staff and are usually sent to outside reviewers. We encourage authors to suggest the names of possible reviewers, but we reserve the right to final selection. Rejected manuscripts are usually returned to authors within six weeks. Decisions about potentially acceptable manuscripts may take somewhat longer.