Instructions to Authors

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Included here is an abbreviated version of theinstructions. Those planning on submitting manu-scripts should visit jima.imana.org, click on About andread Online Submissions.

JIMA accepts original and review articles, updatesin different medical disciplines, case reports, and let-ters to the editors. JIMA also welcomes articles deal-ing with medical ethics in general and Islamic medicalethics in particular. JIMA solicits and publishes arti-cles about Islamic medicine and the history of medi-cine, particularly the contributions of Muslim physi-cians, both historical and contemporary.

The manuscript should not have been previouslypublished. Nor should the manuscripts be under con-sideration by other journals. Prior presentation(s),meeting(s), or publication of an abstract do not pre-clude submission to JIMA.

Authors should submit a statement indicating thattheir opinions do not reflect the opinions or policies ofthe institutions with which they are affiliated, ifrequired by those institutions.

Authors are also expected to submit a statementinforming the editor of any commercial associationthat might pose a conflict of interest.

Below are the guidelines for authors wishing tosubmit articles to be considered for publication inJIMA. These generally conform to the “UniformRequirements for Manuscripts Submitted toBiomedical Journals,” established by the InternationalCommittee of Medical Journal Editors(www.icmje.org).

Submission of ManuscriptManuscripts must be submitted online at

jima.imana.org. For technical assistance, contact theassistant editor at jima@imana.org or at +1706.284.3002.

Manuscripts are sent to outside reviewers.Authors are usually notified within eight (8) weeksabout the results of the review process. If revisionsare suggested, the authors should send their revi-sions/responses in a timely manner, as specified inthe JIMA notification.

When a manuscript is submitted and accepted forpublication, the author transfers copyright ownershiprights to the Islamic Medical Association of NorthAmerica (IMANA). Details of JIMA’s copyright policyare available at jima.imana.org.

Manuscript Preparation1. Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word2003 format.

2. The body of the manuscript should contain its title,an abstract (see below) and key words, the text,acknowledgements, references, legends of tablesand figures. This file should contain no informationthat can identify the authors.

3. Each figure and table must be submitted separate-ly as a supplementary file. Graphics must begrayscale with resolution greater than or equal to 300dpi. In addition, each table’s data should be submittedas a supplementary file. These supplementary filesmay be made available on the web site at the editor’sdiscretion. These files should contain no informationidentifying the authors.

3. A title page should be submitted as a supplemen-tary file. This page should contain: (a) the title of thearticle, (b) names of all authors (first name, middle ini-tial, and then last name), (c) highest degrees of eachof the author(s), (d) name(s) and address(s) of theinstitution(s) at which the study was conducted, (e)institutional affiliations of the author(s), if differentfrom (c) (f), acknowledgement of source(s) of finan-cial support, if any, and (g) the preferred method ofreader contact with the corresponding author.

4. The abstract should be limited to 150 words anddouble-spaced, with the required margins and head-ed by the title of the article. Below the abstract, listthree to five key words or short phrases for indexingpurposes. Whenever possible, use the terms from theMedical Subjects list of Index Medicus.

A structured abstract is to be used for regular arti-cles and is to contain the following major headings:

Objective(s): Reflects the purpose of the study, thatis, the hypothesis that is being tested.Study Design: Include the setting for the study, thesubjects (number and type), the treatment or inter-vention, and the type of statistical analysis.Results: Include the outcome of the study and statis-tical significance, if appropriate.Conclusion(s): States the significance of the results. Astandard abstract is required for other types ofpapers, for example, Case Reports and ReviewArticles.5. The manuscript text should usually be divided into

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the following headings: Introduction, Materials andMethods, Results, and Discussion.

The introduction should state the purpose of thearticle, summarize the rationale for the study, and citeonly the most pertinent references as background.

The Materials and Methods section should detailthe selection process of experimental subjects,including controls, the use of experimental animals,and identify the procedures used, including the statis-tical methods, in sufficient detail to permit others toreplicate the study. It should also address InstitutionalReview Board issues as stated in the Human andnon-Human Experimentation section of this docu-ment.

Results should be presented in logical sequencein the text, tables, and figures. Tables and figuresshould supplement, not duplicate, the text.

Discussion should emphasize the new and impor-tant aspects of the study and its conclusions. Limityour opinions to those strictly indicated by the facts inyour report. New hypotheses should be stated clear-ly, when warranted.

Quoting Qur’anic verses and Ahadith is encour-aged in both the introduction and discussion sections.The quotation should be on a separate line in the text.It should be given a reference number in the text andlisted in the reference section. See examples in theReferences section.

6. Use standard abbreviations only. Abbreviationsshould not be used in the title and should be avoidedas much as possible in the abstracts. In the text,abbreviations should be kept to a practical minimum.The full term for which a given abbreviation standsshould precede its first use in the text, unless it is astandard unit of measurement. Consult ScientificStyle and Format by the Council of Science Editors(www.councilscienceeditors.org) or the AmericanMedical Association’s Manual of Style.

7. Use generic names of medications and use themetric or international System of Units (S.I. forSysteme Internationale).

8. In the Acknowledgments section, acknowledgeonly persons who have made substantial contribu-tions to the study.

9. References should be numbered consecutively asthey appear in the text. Use the format of the UniformRequirements for Manuscripts Submitted toBiomedical Journal (www.icmje.org). Journal titlesshould conform to abbreviations used in CumulatedIndex Medicus.

a. Standard journal article: List all authors if threeor fewer. If more than three, list the first three-authors followed by et al. Halpern SD, Ubel PA,Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul25;347(4):284-7.

b. Organization as author: Diabetes PreventionProgram Research Group. Hypertension,insulin, and proinsulin in participants withimpaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension.2002;40(5):679-86.

c. No author given: 21st century heart solutionmay have a sting in the tail. BMJ.2002;325(7357):184.

d. Personal author(s) of books and monographs:Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS,Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St.Louis: Mosby; 2002.

e. Editor(s), compiler(s) as author: Gilstrap LC3rd, Cunningham FG, VanDorsten JP, editors.Operative obstetrics. 2nd ed. New York:McGraw-Hill; 2002.

f. Author(s) and editor(s): Breedlove GK,Schorfheide AM. Adolescent pregnancy. 2nded. Wieczorek RR, editor. White Plains (NY):March of Dimes Education Services; 2001.

g. Chapter in a book: Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A,Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in humansolid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, edi-tors. The genetic basis of human cancer. NewYork: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

h. Conference proceedings: Harnden P, Joffe JK,Jones WG, editors. Germ cell tumours V.Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell TumourConference; 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. NewYork: Springer; 2002.

i. Newspaper article: Tynan T. Medical improve-ments lower homicide rate: study sees drop inassault rate. The Washington Post. 2002 Aug12;Sect. A:2 (col. 4).

j. Audiovisual material: Chason KW, Sallustio S.Hospital preparedness for bioterrorism [video-cassette]. Secaucus (NJ): Network forContinuing Medical Education; 2002.

k. In press: Tian D, Araki H, Stahl E, Bergelson J,Kreitman M. Signature of balancing selection inArabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. In press2002.

l. Homepage/web site: Cancer-Pain.org [home-page on the Internet]. New York: Association ofCancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01[updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9].Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

m. Qur’anic Verse: The Glorious Qur’an Chapter

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40, Verse 68.n. Hadith from printed volume: Ibn Hajar al-

‘Asqalani. Fath al-Bari bi-Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari (The Creator’s Inspiration inInterpreting the Verified Collection of al-Bukhari). Cairo, Egypt: Al-Bahiyyah EgyptianPress; 1930. Vol 11, p. 405.

o. Hadith from database: Sahih Al-Bukhari, Book79, Kitaab al-Tibb, Chapter 1, Hadith 5354. [on-line] Available from: http://www.muhaddith.org.

10. Number the tables consecutively, and use Arabicnumerals. Each table must be cited in sequence at anappropriate point in the text. Each table has to have acaption. These should be brief yet indicate closely thepurpose or content of the table. Each column shouldbe precisely defined by headings. Abbreviations andspecial designations should be explained in a footnoteto the table.

11. The term figure includes all types of illustrationssuch as graphs, diagrams, photographs, flow charts,and line drawings. A reasonable number of black andwhite figures will be reproduced without charge. Colorshould be used in illustrations only when it illustrates apoint that cannot be made in black and white. Colorfigures may not be reproduced in the print edition, butmay be available in the electronic edition. Figuresmust be cited consecutively in the text with Arabicnumerals. Figures should be 12.5 cm by 17.5 cm (5inches by 7 inches). Consistency in size is stronglypreferred. Any special instructions regarding sizing

should be clearly noted. Freehand lettering on the fig-ure is not acceptable. All lettering must be in propor-tion to the drawing, graph, or photograph. Figure leg-ends should not appear on the figure.

Illustrations should be professionally created.Photographs must be sharp and glossy. If photo-graphs of patients are used, either the subjects shouldnot be identifiable or written permission to reproducethem should accompany the submission.

12. When reporting experiments on human subjects,include in the Materials and Methods section that thestudy was approved by the authority on human exper-imentation of the institution in which the study was per-formed. Also indicate that the procedures followedwere in accord with the ethical standards of theHelsinki Declaration (JAMA, 1997;277:925-6). In thecase of experimentation on animals, indicate in theMaterials and Methods section that the NationalResearch Council’s guide for the care and use of lab-oratory animals was followed and that the approval ofthe local institution was obtained.

13. Direct quotations, tables, or figures that haveappeared in copyrighted material must be accompa-nied by written permission for their use from the copy-right owner and original author along with completereference information.

14. Author(s) is/are responsible for all the statementsmade in his/their work, including changes made by thecopy editor.

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