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Instruction to Authors
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Instruction to Authors

Instructions to Authors

The Philippine Children’s Medical Center Journal (PCMC Journal) is a peer-reviewed journal that is published bi-annually and publishes original scientific papers in basic and clinical pediatrics. It uses a single-blind per review process, with papers from identified authors being reviewed by unidentified reviewers. The articles it accepts for publication may be in the form of collective and current reviews, original papers, case reports, lectures, essays, editorials, abstracts, or letters to the editor.

All manuscripts, correspondence and editorial business should be sent to PCMC Journal, Office of Research Development, Philippine Children’s Medical Center, Quezon Ave., Quezon City. Manuscripts are received with the understanding that they are not under simultaneous consideration by another publisher. Accepted manuscripts become the permanent property of the Journal and may not be republished without permission from the Editor. These manuscripts are subject to editorial modifications to bring them in conformity with the style of the journal. Statements or views expressed by an author or authors are not the responsibilities of the editor or publisher.

Cover Letter

A covering letter must accompany all manuscripts with one author designated as correspondent, providing his/her complete address, telephone number, and e-mail address. In order for a manuscript to be considered, reviewed or edited, the following statement must be signed by all the authors: “I/We have been sufficiently involved in this work to take public responsibility for its validity and final presentation as an original publication.” Whenever applicable, there should also be a written declaration that the article had written informed consent for publication from the involved subject/s, had conformed to ethical standards and/or had been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee.

Systematic reviews and case reports do not generally need IRB review. The transmittal letter must include the statement “This paper has not been published and is not under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere. I/We hereby confer all copyright ownership/s to the PCMC Journal in the event that this work is published in this journal.

General Guidelines

01.

1 One original and two duplicate manuscripts should be submitted. An electronic copy must also be emailed to [email protected]. The manuscript should be typed double-spaced throughout with 1 ¼ cm (½ inch) paragraph indentation, using only one side of each 22x28 cm (8 ½ x 11 inch) opaque bond paper with 3-cm margins (1 ¼ inch) all around. Preferred font styles and sizes are: Times New Roman 12, Arial 11, Tahoma 11, & Verdana 11.

02.

2 The manuscript should be arranged in sequence as follows: (1) Title Page (2) Abstract (3) Text (4) References (5) Tables (6) Figures & Illustrations. A manuscript for an original article should not exceed 25 typewritten pages (including tables, figures, Illustrations and references). The text for case reports should not exceed 10 pages, including the visual aids and references.

03.

3 References should be selective and pertain directly to the work being reported.

04.

4 All the sheets of the manuscript should be labelled with the family name of the main/first author (all in capital letters) and page number (in Arabic Numeral) printed on the upper right corner.

Title Page

The title should be as concise as possible. Include only the full names of the authors directly affiliated with the work starting with the first name, middle initial if any, and last name. The highest educational attainment or title of the authors should be included as an attachment whenever appropriates; name and location of no more than three institutional affiliations may be included.If the paper has been presented in a scientific program or convention, provide a footnote giving the name, location and date of the meeting.

Abstract

For original articles, the abstract should contain no more than 200 words and should have a structured format consisting of the objective, methodology, results and conclusion. For case reports, the abstract should be from 50 to 75 words and need not be structured. At least 3 keywords, preferably using terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus, should be listed horizontally under the abstract for cross-indexing of the article.

Text

01.

1 Generally, the text should be organized consecutively as follows: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion (and Conclusion)

02.

2 All References, tables, figures and illustrations should be cited in the text, in numerical order.

03.

3 Even if commonly employed, all abbreviations should be spelled out once, the first time they are mentioned in the text, followed by the abbreviations enclosed in parentheses. Subsequently, the same abbreviations may be used instead of the long names.

04.

4 All measurements and weights should be System International (SI) units.

05.

5 Acknowledgements to individuals/ groups of persons, or institution/s should be included at the end of the text just before the references. Grants and subsidies from government or private institutions should also be acknowledge

References

01.

1 References in the text should be identified by Arabic Numerals in enclosed parentheses on the same line as the preceding sentence.

02.

2 References should be typed double-spaced on separate sheet. They should be numbered consecutively in the order which they are mentioned in the text.

03.

3 All references should provide inclusive page numbers.

04.

4 Journal abbreviations should conform with those used in the Index Medicus.

05.

5 A maximum of three authors per article can be cited; beyond that, “et al.” is added.

06.

6 The style/punctuation conforms to that recommended by the ICMJE, which is the ANSI standard style used by the NLM, and should follow the format of the examples shown below:

Journal Article

Padua FR, Paspe MG. Antinuclear antibody in the rheumatic and non-rheumatic diseases among Filipinos. Acta Med Philipp 1990; 26(2): 81-85.

Book

Huth EJ. How to write and publish papers in the medical sciences. Philadelphia: ISI Press, 1982.

Tables

01.

1 Cite all tables consecutively in the text and number them accordingly. Create tables preferably using a spreadsheet program such as MS Excel with one table per worksheet. Tables should not be saved as image files. The content of tables should include a table number (Arabic) and title in capital letters above the table, and explanatory notes and legends as well as definitions of abbreviations used below. Recommended font is Arial Narrow size 8.

02.

2 Each table must be self-explanatory, being a supplement rather than a duplicate of information in the text. The use of too many tables is discouraged.

Figures and Graphs

Figures or graphs should be identified by Roman Numeral/s with titles and explanations underneath. The numbers should correspond to the order in which the figures/graphs occur in the text. It is recommended that figures/graphs also be submitted as image files (preferably as .jpeg or.gif files) of high resolution. All identifying data of the subject/s or patient/s under study such as name, case numbers, etc., particularly in case reports should be removed.

Illustrations and Photographs

01.

1 All illustrations/photographic prints should be submitted in duplicate and placed in a separate envelope.

02.

2 Black and white glossy prints, unmounted, for photographs and photomicrographs are preferred. However, digital photographs are also accepted.

03.

3 Computer-generated illustrations which are not suited for reproduction should be professionally redrawn or printed on good quality laser printers. Photocopies are not acceptable.

04.

4 All lettering for illustration should be done professionally and should be adequate size to retain even after size reduction.

05.

5 The principal author’s last name and illustration number should be placed at the back of each illustration/ photo print in soft pencil. An arrow on the gummed label indicating the top should be drawn.

06.

6 For photomicrographs, the stain used (ex. H &E) and magnification (ex. X400) should be included in the description.

Contact Information

For comments, questions, and concerns, contact:

Paul Matthew D. Pasco, MD, MSc
Editor – In – Chief
PCMC Journal
Clinical Research Department
Philippine Children’s Medical Center
Quezon Ave., Quezon City
Tel No. 85889900 local 356
[email protected]
www.pcmc.gov.ph/research