INFORMATION TO AUTHORS

1. Submission Overview

Manuscripts must be submitted through the Journal of Nepal Medical Association (JNMA) online submission system (OJS). All submissions must be original, not under consideration elsewhere, and comply with journal formatting and ethical requirements.

Submissions that do not meet basic requirements may be returned for technical correction before peer review.

 

2. General Submission Requirements

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission's compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors who do not adhere to these guidelines.

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration 
• The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, RTF, or WordPerfect document file format.
• The text of the manuscript is single-spaced and uses a 12-point Times New Roman font; all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the manuscript.
• Provide a website link to all references for PubMed, PMCID, DOI, Full Text (provide all or as much as available).
• The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the author guidelines. You can also view our author guideline (printed version) from HERE [You need to have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer.
• If submitting to a peer-reviewed section of the journal, the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review have been followed.
• For Research Article: Authors must check the EQUATOR Network, CONSORT, and STROBE sites for any reporting guidelines that apply to your study design and ensure they include any required supporting information recommended by the relevant guidelines. Documentation (checklist) for specific studies should be uploaded as supporting information during manuscript submission.
• For Case Report: Please download the Case Report Consent Form, get it signed, keep the original with the patient's chart, and submit a copy of it.
• Please go through the Author Guideline Video | Manuscript Preparation Video in the Nepali language before preparing and submitting to JNMA.
• Please go through the formatting guidelines before submission

 

3. Mandatory Submission Documents

Please submit all the following documents while submitting your new manuscript to JNMA:

1. Forwarding Lette
   
2. Authorship
   
3. Declaratio
   
4. Manuscript
   
5. Ethical Approval letter* (for research articles)
6. Reporting guideline checklist (for research articles where applicable)
7. Informed consent form (patient consent) is mandatory for case reports.

Failure to submit complete documents may result in technical rejection.

 

4. Templates and Formatting

Authors must use official JNMA templates for manuscript preparation. Authors are strongly encouraged to review the FORMATTING GUIDELINE before submission to ensure full compliance with journal requirements.

The majority of the submitted manuscript lacks proper formatting. Proper formatting significantly reduces technical rejection. Therefore, we encourage you to use the appropriate template for your manuscript.

1. Original Article Template

2. Case Report Template

3. Review Article Template

4. Medical Education Template

5. Viewpoint Template

Manuscripts not following proper formatting may be returned for correction before review.

JNMA follows the Vancouver referencing style. Authors should ensure correct and consistent citation formatting. Please use the guidance available at CITING MEDICINE to cite materials accurately. Use of incorrect or inappropriate citations and erroneous bibliographic listings may invalidate your manuscript at JNMA.

 

5. Reporting Guidelines

JNMA requires the use of an appropriate reporting guideline when writing any health research manuscript.

You must submit a completed checklist for the relevant guideline (and flow diagram if applicable) alongside your manuscript, indicating the manuscript page on which each checklist item is found. Editable checklists for reporting guidelines can be found here or on the EQUATOR Network site, which also gives general information on how to choose the correct guideline and why guidelines are important. Using a checklist helps to ensure you have used a guideline correctly.

At a minimum, your article must report the content addressed by each item of the identified checklist or state that the item was not considered in the study and, if relevant, the reason why not (for example, if you did not use blinding, your article should explain this). Meeting these basic reporting requirements will greatly improve the value of your manuscript, may facilitate/enhance the peer review process, and may enhance its chances for eventual publication.

Checklists are not simply an administrative hurdle. We ask you to complete a checklist because this helps you to check that you have included all of the important information in your article, and because it helps our editors and reviewers to complete the same check. If the checklist indicates an item that you have not addressed in your manuscript, please either explain in the manuscript text why this information is not relevant to your study or add the relevant information.

Authors must check the EQUATOR Network, CONSORT and STROBE sites for any reporting guidelines that apply to their study design and ensure they include any required supporting information recommended by the relevant guidelines. Documentation (checklist) for specific studies should be uploaded as supporting information during manuscript submission. 

Guidelines for Specific Study Types

Some common study types and the appropriate guidelines are listed below. If you cannot find an appropriate guideline here, search the full EQUATOR database and talk to our editor.

You may need to use more than one guideline, depending on your research. For example, if you randomly assigned human participants to one of two interventions and then conducted unstructured interviews with each participant, you will need to use CONSORT, COREQ, and TIDIER together. To make sure you collect all of the relevant guidelines, check each major heading, even if you have already found a relevant guideline under a previous major heading.

If you are reporting a protocol

• Use the SPIRIT guideline for the protocol of a clinical trial
• Use the PRISMA-P guideline for the protocol of a systematic review
• If you are reporting a review of a section of the existing literature
• Use the ENTREQ guideline for a review of studies that use descriptive data, such as unstructured interviews (qualitative data)
• Use the MOOSE guideline for a review of observational studies
• Use the PRISMA guideline for any other kind of systematic review or meta-analysis
• If you are reporting on animal research
• Use the ARRIVE guideline for research on animals in a lab
• Use the REFLECT guideline for research on livestock
• If you are reporting descriptive data (either alone or alongside quantitative data)
• Use the COREQ guideline for reporting unstructured interviews and focus groups
• Use the CARE guideline for reporting one case study or a series of case studies, (SCARE for surgical case report)
  - Use the SRQR guideline for any other descriptive data (qualitative research)
• If you are reporting research into diagnosis
• Use the STARD guideline if you compared the accuracy of a diagnostic test with an established reference standard test
• Use the REMARK guideline if you evaluated the prognostic value of a biomarker
• Use the TRIPOD guideline if you developed, validated, or updated a prognostic or diagnostic prediction modelling tool.
• If you are reporting research into an intervention or treatment on people
• Use the TIDIER guideline to fully describe your intervention
• Use the CHEERS guideline for an economic evaluation of the interventions
• If you are reporting research into an intervention, treatment, exposure, or protective factor on people
• Use the CARE guideline for reporting one case study or a series of case studies (SCARE for surgical case report)
• Use the CONSORT guideline or one of its extensions:
• If you selected your participants before they received the intervention/exposure/etc. under study, AND
• You controlled which intervention/exposure/etc. they each received, AND
• You used a random allocation method to decide which intervention/exposure/etc.
• Use the STROBE guideline or one of its extensions:
• If you selected your participants after they received the intervention/exposure/etc. under study, OR
• You selected your participants before they received the intervention/exposure/etc. under study AND you did not control which intervention/exposure/etc. they received (they decided/their doctor decided/life just happened) ie: an observational study (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort)
• Use the TREND guideline:
• If you selected your participants before they received the intervention/exposure/etc. under study, AND
• If CARE , CONSORT, and STROBE are not applicable to your research AND
• You used a non-random way to decide which intervention/exposure/etc. Your participants received, such as which hospital they went to or what their clinical symptoms were. ie: a non-randomised trial

 

6. Clinical Trials Policy

Clinical Trials

JNMA follows the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of a clinical trial:
"A clinical trial is any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. Clinical trials may also be referred to as interventional trials. Interventions include but are not restricted to drugs, cells and other biological products, surgical procedures, radiologic procedures, devices, behavioral treatments, process-of-care changes, preventive care, etc."

Registering Clinical Trials

All clinical trials submitted to JNMA must be entered in a publicly accessible registry approved by the WHO or ICMJE. JNMA considers prospective trial registration (that is, registration before participant enrollment has begun) to be the best publication practice, as recommended by the  ICMJE. We follow the ICMJE, so the trial submitted to JNMA has to be registered in a public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrollment and must contain a data sharing statement.

 

7. Submission Process (OJS System)

JNMA uses the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform for manuscript submission and tracking. All manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the official OJS portal. Authors should follow the steps below:

• Account Registration: Authors must create an account in the OJS system using a valid email address. All accounts may be subject to verification.
• Start Submission: After login, select “New Submission” and choose the appropriate article type.
• Metadata Entry: Authors must complete all metadata fields accurately, including manuscript title, abstract, keywords, full author details, corresponding author designation, and ORCID ID for all authors.
• File Upload: Upload the manuscript and all required documents as per author guidelines, including a blinded manuscript and supporting files.
• Final Review and Submission: Authors must carefully verify all entered information before final submission to ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Confirmation and Tracking: A confirmation email is generated after successful submission. Authors can track manuscript status through the OJS dashboard.
• Communication: All communication regarding submissions will be handled through the OJS system and official journal email addresses.

 

8. Authorship Criteria

Authorship must follow the criteria of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).View ICMJE Authorship Criteria

The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work AND
• Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND
• Final approval of the version to be published; AND
• Agreement 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.

In addition to being accountable for the parts of the work done, an author should be able to identify which co-authors are responsible for specific other parts of the work. In addition, authors should have confidence in the integrity of the contributions of their co-authors.

CRediT statements should be provided during the submission process and will appear above the acknowledgment section of the published paper.CRediT author statement.

 

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manuscript Preparation

JNMA recognizes the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, including large language models, in supporting scientific writing and research. However, authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all submitted content.

AI tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authors are responsible for verifying all AI-generated content, ensuring appropriate citation of sources, and avoiding plagiarism or misrepresentation.

Manuscripts submitted to JNMA are confidential; therefore, authors should not upload submitted manuscripts into AI platforms where data confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. If AI tools are used during manuscript preparation, editing, or analysis, authors are encouraged to declare their use and specify the purpose in the manuscript.

 

10. Article Types

Original Article

JNMA accepts research conducted in the field of basic and clinical medical sciences, medical education, public health, hospital and healthcare management, allied health sciences, and research and publication ethics. It undergoes a rigorous peer-review process. The manuscript in this section requires at least 2000 words and 15 references. Abstract must be within 150 words.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript, 5. Ethical approval letter, 6. Checklist of a reporting guideline, 7. Blinded copy of manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Case Reports

This section includes a report of a case with a literature review that includes an unexpected association between diseases or symptoms, an unexpected event in the course of observing or treating a patient, findings that shed new light on the pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect, a unique feature of a disease, or atypical management. Please use the CARE Case Report Checklist while preparing your case report.

The total word count for the submission in this section should not exceed 1000 words, with an abstract within 150 words.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript, 5. Case report consent form, 6. CARE Checklist.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Student JNMA

This section focuses on the articles written by medical, dental, and health students. Students are welcome to submit their perspectives, voices, and experiences to communicate with policymakers, health planners, and academicians.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Review Article

A review article summarizes the current state of understanding on a topic and analyzes or discusses research previously published by others. It has to be about 3000 words without counting the abstract (200 words) and references (>50 and usually <100). It undergoes a rigorous peer-review process.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Medical Education

JNMA accepts perspectives on undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing medical education. The word limit is up to 1500 words excluding an abstract of 150 words.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Short Communication

These are research articles that don't fit exactly into a research article, but the findings are interesting, e.g., a pilot study. The word limit is 3000 words with an unstructured abstract of 150 words.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Viewpoint

Based on issues related to health sciences to raise awareness, new ideas, and personal expert opinions to improve health. The word limit is 800 words with an unstructured abstract of 100 words.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

Letter to the Editor

Includes a reaction and issue relating to JNMA, a comment relating a recent article, or a thought-provoking commentary of fewer than 400 words without an abstract.
Required Submission Documents: 1. Forwarding Letter, 2. Authorship, 3. Declaration, 4. Manuscript.

Please refer to the formatting guidelines.

 

11. Technical Screening (Pre-Peer Review Check)

All submissions undergo initial editorial screening for:

• Relevance to journal scope
• Formatting and template compliance
• Completeness of documents
• Ethical approval and consent (if applicable)
• Basic scientific quality

Manuscripts not meeting these requirements may be returned before peer review.

 

12. Peer Review Process (Summary for Authors)

• JNMA follows a double-blind peer review system.
• Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. If reviews conflict, a third reviewer may be consulted.
• The peer review process evaluates: Scientific validity, Methodology, Originality, Ethical compliance, and Clarity and reporting quality.

 

13. Editorial Decisions

Based on reviewer recommendations and editorial assessment, manuscripts may receive:

• Accept Submission – No revisions required
• Minor Revision – Small corrections required
• Major Revision – Substantial revision required, may require re-review
• Resubmit Elsewhere – Not suitable for journal scope
• Reject Submission – Not suitable for publication due to scientific, ethical, or methodological reasons

The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

 

14. Communication Policy

All communication regarding submissions must be conducted through the official journal email system or the OJS platform. Direct communication with individual editorial members is discouraged to ensure transparency and proper tracking.

 

15. Data Transparency

Authors are encouraged to include:

• Data availability statement (where applicable)
• Transparency in methodology and reporting
• Complete and verifiable citation of references