Author Guidelines

The Journal of Community Medicine and Health Sciences (JCMHS) welcomes original manuscripts that advance understanding in public health, community medicine, epidemiology, and related disciplines. These guidelines help authors prepare and submit manuscripts in accordance with international publishing standards (COPE, ICMJE, and WAME).

1. General Information

All submissions must be made through the journal’s online submission portal. The corresponding author must ensure that the manuscript has not been published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere. JCMHS publishes under a Gold Open Access model, enabling unrestricted access to all articles immediately upon publication.

2. Article Categories

The journal accepts the following types of submissions:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Case Reports and Clinical Studies
• Short Communications
• Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
• Editorials, Opinions, and Commentaries
• Letters to the Editor

3. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English (British or American, consistently applied). Text should be double-spaced, with 1-inch margins on all sides and standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt).

3.1 Structure of the Manuscript

• Title Page: Title (≤ 18 words), author names, affiliations, corresponding author’s email, and ORCID (if available).
• Abstract: Structured (250 words maximum) under Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
• Keywords: 4–6 relevant terms aligned with MeSH or community medicine taxonomy.
• Main Text: Typically organized under Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and Acknowledgments.
• References: Formatted in NLM/Vancouver style.

3.2 Length Limits

4. File Format and Submission

Manuscripts must be uploaded as editable Word (.docx) files through the submission system. Tables and figures should be embedded within the text and also uploaded separately as supplementary files (JPEG, PNG, or TIFF, ≥ 300 dpi).

5. Ethical Considerations

• Studies involving humans must include approval by an Institutional Ethics Committee and informed consent statements.
• Animal studies must follow institutional and international ethical standards (ARRIVE guidelines).
• Clinical trials must include registration numbers (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, CTRI).
• Authors must disclose conflicts of interest and financial support.

6. Plagiarism Policy

All submissions undergo plagiarism screening using iThenticate. Manuscripts with a similarity index above 15 % (excluding references) will be returned to authors for revision or rejection. See the Plagiarism Policy for details.

7. References

References must be numbered consecutively in the order of appearance in the text, using Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g., [1], [2–4]). Example:

• Journal article: Smith J, Brown K. Community health engagement strategies in rural areas. J Community Med Health Sci. 2024; 8(2): 120–130.
• Book: Green A, White R. Essentials of Public Health Policy. Oxford University Press; 2023.

8. Tables and Figures

Tables must be titled above and numbered sequentially. Figures must be high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) with captions below. Authors must confirm that all figures are original or used with permission.

9. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship should conform to ICMJE criteria: significant contribution to conception, data acquisition, or interpretation; drafting or revising the article critically; and approval of the final version. Each author must agree to accountability for all aspects of the work.

10. Acknowledgments

Authors should acknowledge individuals or institutions providing technical assistance, data access, or funding support. Sources of financial support must be disclosed in a separate funding statement.

11. Conflicts of Interest

All authors must declare any personal or financial conflicts of interest that could influence the research or interpretation of results. If no conflicts exist, include: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

12. Language and Style

Manuscripts should maintain scientific precision, clarity, and neutrality. Avoid excessive jargon. Non-native speakers are encouraged to use professional language-editing services prior to submission.

13. Abbreviations and Units

Define abbreviations at first mention and use SI units throughout. Drug names should use generic terms; trade names may appear in parentheses if necessary.

14. Supplementary Material

Data files, questionnaires, videos, or extended tables may be included as supplementary material. These must be referenced in the main text and comply with ethical and copyright standards.

15. Data Availability Statement

Authors must include a statement clarifying where the dataset supporting the study’s conclusions is available (e.g., institutional repository, Zenodo, Dryad). Example:

“The datasets generated during the current study are available in the Zenodo repository at https://doi.org/10.xxxxx/zenodo.xxxxxx.”

16. Cover Letter

A formal cover letter must accompany the submission, outlining the novelty, relevance, and ethical compliance of the research. It should confirm that all authors have read and approved the manuscript.

17. Peer Review and Editorial Process

All manuscripts undergo an initial editorial screening, followed by double-blind peer review. Authors may be asked to revise their manuscript based on reviewers’ comments. Revised versions must include a detailed response letter.

18. Proofs and Publication

Proofs are sent to the corresponding author before publication. Only minor typographical corrections are allowed at this stage. Articles are published online after final approval and payment of the applicable APC.

19. Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright of their articles under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction, provided proper attribution is given to the original work and source.

20. Post-Publication Corrections

Any significant errors identified post-publication must be reported immediately to the Editorial Office. Corrections, errata, or retractions will be handled as per the Withdrawal Policy.

21. Ethical Compliance Statements

Authors must include the following statements where applicable:

• Ethics approval and consent to participate: Provide institutional review board approval number.
• Consent for publication: Required if identifiable information (e.g., images) is included.
• Availability of data and materials: As per Section 15.
• Competing interests: Declare or state none.
• Funding: Include grant or institutional support details.

22. Editorial Correspondence

All queries regarding manuscript preparation or submission should be directed to:

• Email: [email protected]
• Subject: “Query – Author Guidelines”
• Response time: 3–5 business days

23. Checklist Before Submission

• ☑ Manuscript conforms to formatting and word limits
• ☑ All authors meet authorship criteria and approved final version
• ☑ Conflict of interest and ethics statements included
• ☑ References formatted in Vancouver style
• ☑ Figures and tables correctly numbered and captioned
• ☑ Cover letter and supplementary files attached

“Clear, ethical, and well-structured manuscripts accelerate peer review and enhance the visibility of your research.”