Author Guidelines

The Ethiopian Medical Journal (EMJ) publishes papers containing original observations or research of relevance to clinical medicine and public health. It is the official Journal of the Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA). Prospective contributors to the Journal should take note of the instructions of Manuscript preparation for Articles submitted to EMJ, for publication.
Article Types accepted by EMJ

1. Original Articles as reports of current clinical study, retrospective analysis of Hospital records or laboratory research with clinical relevance, not previously published or submitted elsewhere in print or electronic format.
2. Case series, Brief communications.
3. Review or Teaching Articles; literature review; review of a Medical Book, Pertinent to Africa: by invitation of Editorial Board.
4. Editorials.: by invitation of Editorial Board
5. Correspondence: regarding Articles appearing in the Journal;
6. Monographs/Special issues of the Journal.

General Instructional information

• All manuscripts must be submitted to the Chairman of the Editorial Board.
• The language of the Journal is English.
• Manuscripts must be type-written, on A4 size; Single spaced with 2.5cm margin on each side. Submit the manuscript with complete References, Tables and Figures.
• All pages should be numbered consecutively in the following order: Title page; Abstract and keywords page; main manuscript text pages; References pages; acknowledgment page; Figure-legends and Tables
• The Metric system of weights and measures must be used; temperature is indicated in degrees Centigrade.
• Generic names should be used for drugs, followed by propriety brand name; the manu facturer name in parenthesis, e.g. diazepam (Valium, Roche UK)
• Statistical estimates e.g. mean, median proportions and percentages should be given to one decimal place; standard deviations, odds ratios or relative risks and confidence intervals to two decimal places.
• Abbreviations must be given in full, at first mention in the text and at the foot of Tables, if used in tables.eg. Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN). Interstitial lung disease ('LD).
• The binomial nomenclature reference to bacteria is used e.g. HaemophilusInfluenza
• Accepted papers are subject to Editorial revision as required and become the copy-right of the EMA

Preparation of manuscripts and the format for each category is as follows:

Original Articles
About 2500 words, excluding Abstracts, References, Figures and Tables. The manuscript of the Article, should appear under the following headings:
a) Abstract (see below)

b) Introduction and Background: to provide necessary information and background to the Topic. It should not be a review of the subject

c) Materials & Methods: should contain details to enable validation of the study by others. Ethical aspect of the study is included in this section. It should be a statement certifying that all applicable institutional and government regulations for Ethical practice were followed in the conduct of the study. Photos of patients should be disguised or have a written consent; d) Results: This section should present the experimental or clinical data in text, tables or figures. The data in Tables and Figures should not be described extensively in the text. e) The Discussion should focus on the interpretation and significance of the Results of the study with comments that compare and describe their relation to the work of others (with references) to the topic. Do not repeat information of Results in this section.

• Abstracts of the Article is prepared on a separate paper; about 250 words; it should be structured under the titles: a) Aims/Purpose; b) Methods; c) Results; d) Conclusions.

Briefly summarize the essential features of the article under above headings, respectively. Mention the problem being addressed in the study; how the study was conducted; the results and what the author(s) concluded from the results. Statistical method used can appear under Methods paragraph of the Abstract, but do not insert abbreviations or References in the Abstract section.

• Keywords: Provide three to six key words, or short phrases at the end of abstract page. Use terms from medical subject heading of Index Medicus. to assist in cross indexing the Article.
• The Title page of the Article should be on a separate page of no more than 50 characters. It should be descriptive. Include the name(s), qualification of the author(s); the department or Institution to which the study/research is attributed; address of the main author to whom correspondence should be addressed
• Tables and Figures should not be more than six. Three dimensional histograms are discouraged. Tables should be typed in triplicate on separate sheets and given serial Arabic numbers. They should be titled and labeled clearly. Unnecessary and lengthy tables and figures are discouraged. Units should appear in parentheses in captions but not in the body of the table. Statistical procedures, if not in common use, should be detailed in the METHODS section or supported by references.
• Acknowledgements: Appropriate recognition of contributors to the research, not included under Authors; also add a note about financial or research funding.
• References:-

1. The accuracy of the References is the authors' responsibility.
2. References should be listed in order of appearance in the text of the manuscript, as per Vancouver style. Type the References on a separate sheet, double spaced and keyed to the text Abbreviation of Journal titles should conform to that in Index Medicus. Provide the first and last pages of each reference.
3. While personal comments or unpolished observation are cited in the text in parenthesis, published abstracts can be referenced.
4. References with six or less authors should all be listed. If more than six names, list the first three, followed by: et al

The following examples demonstrate the various Reference styles.
A) Articles

1. Bill A; Aqueous humor dynamics in monkeys (Macacairis and Cercopithecusethiops) Exp Eye Res 1971; 11:195-206
2. Gilbert C, Foster A. Childhood blindness in the context of Vision 2020: the right to sight. Bull World Health Org 2001; 79:227-32
3. Bayu Teklu. Disease patterns amongst civil servants in Addis Ababa: an analysis of outpatient visits to a Bank employee’s clinic. Ethiop. Med J 1980; 18:1-6
4. Edemariam Tsega; Biru Mengesha; Eric Nordenfelt; Bengt-Goran Hansen; Johan lindberg. Serological survey of Human Immunodeficiency virus infection in Ethiopia. Ethiop Med J 1988; 26(4): 179-84
5. Laird M; Deen M; Brooks S et al Telemedicine diagnosis of Diabetic Retinopathy and Glaucoma by direct ophthalmoscopy (Abstract). Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci1996; 37:104-105

B. Books and chapters from books

1. Henderson JW. Orbital Tumors, 3rd ed. Raven Press New York, 1994
2. Clipard JP. Dry Eye disorders. In Albert DM, Jakobiec FA (Eds). Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology. W.B Saunders: Philadelphia, PA 1994 pp257-76

C) Website
David K Lynch; laser History: Masers and lasers. http://home.achilles.net/-jtalbot/history/massers.htmAccessed 19/04/2001
2. Case Series/Brief Communication:
Minimum of three and maximum of 20 case reports;
• 750 words; excluding: Abstract, Title, Tables and References;
• Abstract of 200 words; structured; (vide supra)
• Statistical statements here are expressed as 5/8 (62.5%)
• References: maximum of 12
• Tables and Figures: no more than three.
3. Review Articles:
• By invitation of the Editorial Board; but an outline of proposal can be submitted.
• The chosen topic must be a comprehensive analysis of a specific subject, considered
as relevant to clinical medicine and Public Health;
• Word limit of 8000; excluding abstract, references, tables and Figures.
• Unstructured Abstract of 25Owords;
• Reference: maximum of 100.
4. Editorial: by invitation, but an outlined editorial topic can be proposed and submitted.
Word limit of 1000 words: excluding references and title; no Abstract; references: maximum of 25.

Manuscript Review/action Procedure
• The Editorial Board reserves the right of the final acceptance, rejection or editorial correction of papers submitted.
• Twenty-five reprints are supplied free to the first/corresponding author.
• Authors can submit the peer-reviewed, accepted manuscript to their institution
the research funding body or on their web-site, only after publication of the article in the EMJ.