Preparing Main Manuscript Text - Review

    Hits: 995

    Preparing main manuscript text

    Review

    Review Articles provide a comprehensive, critical, and scholarly synthesis of current evidence in clinical, biomedical, and health sciences. Reviews should offer clear insights, identify knowledge gaps, and highlight implications for practice, research, or policy.

    JCHS accepts: 

    • Narrative Reviews
    • Systematic Reviews
    • Systematic Reviews with Meta-analysis

    1. General Requirements

    • Maximum 5000 words (excluding abstract and references)
    • Figures and tables should be relevant (Maximum 5, combined)
    • No fixed reference limit, but citations must be current and pertinent
    • Review type (Narrative/Systematic/Meta-analysis) must be specified in the cover letter.


    2. Manuscript Structure

    A. Abstract

    • Narrative Reviews: 
      • Abstract should be structured under the following paragraph, not exceeding 250 words.
    • Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis:
      • Abstract must be structured under the following headings: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion
    • Single paragraph
    • ≤250 words
    • Must summarise key themes, scope, major findings, and conclusions
    • Avoid references and unnecessary abbreviations

    For systematic reviews, the abstract should briefly mention: 

    • Databases searched
    • Timeframe
    • Number of studies included

    B. Keywords

    • Ten (10) Keywords
    • Preferably MeSH terms where applicable

    3. Main Text

    3.1 Introduction

    • Clear background and context
    • Importance of the topic
    • Rationale for the review
    • Objectives of the review
    • Written to be comprehensible to non-experts in the field

    3.2 Review (Main Body)

    The structure depends on the type of the review;

    3.2.1 Narrative Review

    • Organised into logical subsections with clear headings
    • Critically synthesise existing literature (not merely descriptive)
    • Highlight controversies, emerging trends, and research gaps
    • Provide balanced interpretation

    3.2.2 Systematic Review (with or without Meta-analysis)

    Must include the following subsections:

    • Search strategy (databases searched, timeframe, keywords)
    • Inclusion and exclusion criteria
    • Study selection process
    • Data extraction methods
    • Risk of bias/quality assessment
    • Data synthesis approach
    • Statistical methods (for meta-analysis)

    Authors must:

    • Follow PRISMA guideles
    • Include a PRISMA flow diagram
    • Submit a completed PRISMA checklist
    • Provide PROSPERO registration number (if registered), where applicable

    Accession Numbers (If applicable)

    Accession number for nucleic acid sequences, protein sequences, or atomic coordinates must be provided in square brackets with corresponding database names, e.g..:
    [EMBL:AB026295], [GenBank:U49845], [PDB:1BFM], [Swiss-Prot:Q96KQ7]

    3.3 Conclusions

    • Clearly state the main conclusions
    • Explain clinical, scientific, or policy relevance
    • Identify future research directions
    • Avoid overstated claims unsupported by evidence

    4. Declarations (Mandatory)

    4.1 Conflict of Interest

    Authors must declare conflicts or state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest."

    4.2 Funding Statement

    State funding source or declare : "This research received no specific grant from any funding agency."

    4.3 Acknowledgements

    Individuals who contributed but do note meet authorship criteria should be acknowledged. Authors should also acknowledge the instituition(s) that supported or facilitated the preparation of the review, where applicable.

    4.4 Author Contributions

    All authors must meet authorship criteria: 

    • Substantial contribution to conception, design, literature synthesis, or interpretation
    • Drafting or critical revision of the manuscript
    • Final approval of the version to be published

    5. Tables and Figures

    • Must add value to the review
    • High-resolution images (≥300 dpi)
    • Tables summarising included studies are encouraged for systematic reviews
    • Maximum 5 (combined)

    6. References

    • Must follow Vancouver style
    • Include DOI where available
    • Ensure references are current, relevant. and balanced
    • Excessive self-citation should be avoided

    7. Ethical and Reporting Standards

    • Narrative reviews should demonstrate scholarly balance and transparency.
    • Systematic reviews and meta-analysis must comply with PRISMA guidelines
    • PROSPERO registration is strongly encouraged for systematic reviews.