International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine

Submission Guidelines

All manuscripts must be submitted online via the IJRM online manuscript submission and review system here.

Cover Letter and License Agreement

A cover letter identifying the person (full name, address, telephone, fax number and e-mail) responsible for correspondence concerning the submitted article should accompany all manuscripts.

Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they are not under simultaneous consideration by another publication. The author’s transmittal letter must accompany the manuscript and contain this statement:

The authors certify that:

• The manuscript is original, has been seen and approved by all authors involved and is neither being published in any other peer-reviewed journal nor being considered for publication elsewhere.
• The article contains nothing that is unlawful, libellous, or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract or of confidence or of commitment given to secrecy;
• The authors are responsible for all parts of the work. All statements contained in the article are true, and any formula or instruction contained in the article will not, if followed accurately, cause any injury, illness or damage to the user

All authors will be asked to fill and sign a “publishing agreement form” that send via email to the corresponding author before the article can be processed. This transfer agreement enables IJRM to protect the copyrighted material for the authors. The copyright transfer covers the exclusive rights to reproduce and distribute the article, including reprints, photographic reproductions, microform or any other reproductions of similar nature and translations, and includes the right to adapt the article for use in conjunction with computer systems and programs, including reproduction or publication in machine-readable form and incorporation in retrieval systems. Authors are responsible for obtaining from the copyright holder permission to reproduce all figures for which the copyright exists.

Manuscript Length

Papers should be of a length appropriate for the amount of information they contain. Failure to restrict the length of manuscripts can negatively influence the editor’s decisions.

Manuscript Format 

The format of the IJRM manuscripts, including tables, references, and figure legends, must be typewritten, on one side of A4 paper, with margins of 2.5 cm. Pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page and continuing through the last page of typewritten material. Avoid underlining.

Title Page 

The title page must contain:

1. The title of the article
2. The correct names and highest academic degree of each author
3. Each author’s official academic and/or clinical title and affiliation
4. The name and address of the institution(s)
5. Name, address, telephone number, e-mail and fax number of the author to whom correspondence should be sent.

Running Title 

The author should provide a running title of no more than 50 characters.

Requirements for Different Types of Articles

Original Articles

Style

Manuscripts should be written using clear and concise English. The manuscript should include the Title page; the Abstract; the Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results; Discussion; Acknowledgements; Conflict of interest, and References.

Abstract

All original articles must contain a structured abstract of not more than 250 words. The abstract should include; Background, Objective, Materials and Methods, Results, Conclusions and at least 3 to 5 Keywords, chosen from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of index medicus. They should therefore be specific and relevant to the paper. Authors need to be careful that the abstract reflects the content of the article accurately.

Randomized Controlled Trials

Abstract

The method of randomization and primary outcome measure should be stated in the abstract. The registration number of the trial and the name of the trial registry must be mentioned at the end of the abstract.

Introduction

This should summarize the purpose and the rationale for the study. It should neither review the subject extensively nor should it have data or conclusions of the study.

Materials and Methods

This should include the study design and exact method or observation or experiment, definitions such as for diagnostic criteria, the population or patient samples, and laboratory and statistical methods. If an apparatus is used, its manufacturer’s name and address should be given in parentheses. If the method is established, give the reference, but if the method is new, give enough information so that another author is able to perform it.

Statistical Analysis

Statistical methods must be mentioned and specify any general computer program used.

Inadequate or incorrect statistical analyses frequently cause rejection or delays in the review of manuscripts. Where appropriate, authors should seek advice from a professional statistician before the manuscript is submitted.

Results

This should include the pertinent findings in a logical sequence with tables and figures as necessary. It must be presented in the form of text, tables and illustrations. The contents of the tables should not be repeated in the text. Instead, a reference to the table number may be given. Long articles may need sub-headings within some sections (especially the Results and Discussion parts) to clarify their contents. Unnecessary overlap between tables, figures and text should be avoided.

Discussion

The discussion should emphasize the present findings and the variations or similarities with other work done in the field by other workers. Conclusions based on the findings, evidence from the literature that supports the conclusions, applicability of the conclusions, and implications for future research. The detailed data should not be repeated in the discussion again. Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. It must be mentioned whether the hypothesis mentioned in the article is true, or false, or no conclusions can be derived.

Conclusion

The conclusion should state the final result that the author(s) has (have) reached. The results of other studies should not be stated in this section.

Supplementary Materials

Movie clips, questionnaires, etc, may be published in the online version of the journal.

Acknowledgements

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be covered in the acknowledgement section. Financial and material support should also be acknowledged. Personal acknowledgement should precede those of institutions or agencies.

Conflicts of interest 

Authors must acknowledge and declare any sources of funding and potential conflicting interest, such as receiving funds or fees by or holding stocks and shares in, an organization that may profit or lose through the publication of your paper.

References 

All manuscripts should be accompanied by relevant references. The referencing style must be Vancouver.

Tables 

In limited numbers should be submitted with the captions placed above. Each table should be numbered consecutively with Roman numerals and typed double-spaced, including all headings. Verify tabular statistics to make sure they tally and match data cited in the text. Do not submit tables as photographs.

Figures 

It should be in limited numbers, with high-quality artwork and mounted on separate pages. The captions should be placed below. The same data should not be presented in tables, figures and text, simultaneously.

Illustrations

All illustrations must be numbered as cited in the text in consecutive numeric order. Written permission must accompany any photograph in which the subject can be identified or any illustration that has been previously published.

Review Articles

• Systematic reviews should contain original articles’ parts. The protocol of these studies should adhere to PRISMA (for systematic reviews of RCTs) or MOOSE (for Observational studies) guidelines. Up to 40 references can be stated. The abstract should be structured.

• Nonsystematic reviews (narrative reviews) should be written by experts and contain a critical assessment of the current knowledge of the field. Different parts of these articles include the abstract, introduction, discussion and conclusion. The abstract should be non-structured. They should contain at least 60 references and a maximum of 5000 words.

• Short communications and brief reports can be in the form of a research article, systematic review or ongoing research which reports its interesting findings. The parts in this type of article are like those of the original one, but they are smaller and prepared in a maximum of 2000 words. 10-15 references should be stated.

Letter to the Editor

These should be about criticism of previous articles, criticism or review of books, analysis of a related topic with reproductive medicine, expansion and explanation about an idea or a complicated problem. This should be prepared in a maximum of 1000-1500 words. These articles need no structure.

Case Reports

These should include abstract, keywords, case presentation, discussion, acknowledgement, references, and 1-4 figures. Necessary documentation of the case(s), like pathology reports, laboratory test reports, and images, should be included in the submission package. 5-10 references should be stated.

Submission Requirements 

• Submit only the final version of the manuscript.
• The file should be in Microsoft Word.

Disposal of Materials

Once published, all copies of the manuscript, correspondence and artwork will be held for 1 year before disposal.

Submission Preparation Checklist

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 or an explanation has been provided.
• Authors who resubmit a paper that has previously been rejected must provide the original manuscript and a letter explaining in detail how the paper has been modified. 
• The submission file is in Microsoft Word document file format and conforms to the submission guidelines.
• Abstract size is not exceeded 250 words.
• The entire manuscript (including references and tables) is typed double-spaced with margins of at least 2.5 cm for each side of the page on one side of A4 paper. The text is single-spaced; uses a 12-point font in Times New Roman; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
• The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements.
• A legend is provided for each figure on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.
• All symbols are explained in legends, and all symbols in legends appear in figures.
• References are numbered in the order in which they appear in the text in parentheses.
• The study protocol was approved by the regional ethics committee or an institutional review board (for all human or animal studies).
• All listed authors have seen and approved the manuscript.
• All authors accept responsibility for the scientific integrity of the work described in this manuscript.