Guidelines for Authors
The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice publishes scholarly papers, descriptive and timely reports, and continuing information and findings related to research and development in the practice and education of allied health professionals. The Editorial Board of the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice encourages the submission of articles, letters to the editor, research abstracts, case studies and book reviews as well as original research and evidence based practice. Of special interest are articles with a broad allied health practice, education and research emphasis. Submissions with appeal to segments of our audience are also very welcome. The journal follows closely the Uniform Requirements at this link: http://www.icmje.org/
Each submission is accepted with the understanding that it is to be published exclusively in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, unless other arrangements are made in advance.
To be published in the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice, an article should meet the following three criteria:
- Importance. Makes a significant contribution to health professions research, education, or practice. Articles that introduce novel practices or illustrate generally accepted practice in an exemplary manner are particularly desirable. Implications for other health professions and the general collaborative practice of medicine are considered important.
- Relevance to Audience. Is it relevant to health professionals in diverse fields of allied health?
- Adequacy of Methodology. Manuscripts reporting empirical studies have clearly described designs and methods, and clearly formulated findings/conclusions supported by valid, reliable data. Other manuscripts (e.g., on theory development or methodological (issues) are supported by appropriate documentation, reasoning, and/or examples.
Manuscript. Authors should use only 10-point font size, Arial Narrow, preferably in Microsoft Word or OpenOffice format. Do not use proportional spacing; use left-justified (ragged) right margins and letter-quality printing.
Preparation of Copy. The manuscript should be submitted to the link located at the end of this guide (including references) and should have single line spacing using 10 pitch Arial Narrow font. Page size should be set to "LETTER" not "A4." Do not use line numbers. A separate cover letter must be uploaded as a supplemental file into the manuscript system and must indicate the title of the article, a list the names, credentials, and affiliations of the authors in the order of authorship. This letter must also state the contributions made by each author.
Length of Manuscript
Although the information presented in the article will determine the appropriate length, it is recommended that the length not exceed approximately 15 single-spaced pages, including references, tables, and figures. Longer manuscripts must be accompanied by justification of length.
Style, Citations, and References
Manuscripts and citations should be prepared in accordance with standard style (American Medical Association Manual of Style). The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice follows standard guidelines for nonsexist use of language. References should be listed as they appear in the text, not alphabetically. Include year, volume number, and inclusive page numbers in the reference. Do not put page numbers in the citation. Text citations should be a superscript number with no brackets on parenthesis, such as.1 Do not put citation numbers within the sentence, only place them at the end of the sentence. See the following link for reference style. There should be no more than 40 references in the standard article. Do not use automatic referencing systems or endnotes as the reference may renumber or disappear altogether during formatting.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html
When entering the information for references from PubMed, please include the PubMed identification number at the end of each reference. This will allow the readers quick access to the journal abstract and links to other similar content. See the example below and a link to see where the number is located on the pubmed.gov website.
Snow BL, Shamus E, Hill C. Physical therapy as primary health care: public perceptions.J Allied Health. 2001 Spring;30(1):35-8. [PMID 11265271]
Below is a link to the pubmed website to see where the PMID number is listed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11265271
Paragraphs
Do not indent the first line of a new paragraph. Just separate each new paragraph with a line space. Much like this guide to authors.
Tables and Figures
Authors are encouraged to submit tables and figures. All diagrams, photos or drawings must be converted to jpg, png, tiff, or gif images prior to submission for review and attached as additional files during submission.
Tables must be developed using the TABLE FUNCTION of Microsoft Word. Do not make a table with Tabs. Separate text with cells in the table. Do not use a text box or Excel to create a table. Use NO graphics in a table. All tables must fit on a portrait page, not landscape. Landscape tables will be placed as Appendixes.
A text marker should dictate the placement of photographs or diagrams; "Place Figure 1 here." Tables are to be placed in their appropriate spot by the author.
We do not accept pdf's.
Abstract
An abstract of no more than 350 words is required for all submissions. It should be written as a single paragraph. It must also be included on the manuscript and pasted into the window of the manuscript submission page. It should include the following headings:
- Purpose
- Method
- Results
- Conclusions and possibly recommendations.
Abstracts do not contain references.
Informed Consent
Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed upon without informed consent. Identifying information, including patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should identify Individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for this assistance.
Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note.
The requirement for informed consent should be included in the journal's instructions for authors. When informed consent has been obtained it should be indicated in the published article.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") -- February 2006
Proofing and Editing
Article content is the author's responsibility. Accepted manuscripts are copyedited to conform to Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice style. Authors should note that the editing process may be separate from and can occur after or in conjunction with the Editorial Board review process. The corresponding author will receive a proof of the article via a temporary web site for review and approval prior to publication. However, changes made by copy editors for style, grammar, and readability should not be altered by authors unless a scientific error has been introduced. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copyeditor and authorized by the corresponding author.
A good reference book for grammar, syntax and punctuation is,
Hacker, D. (2016). A Writer's Reference, 8th ed. Bedford/St. Martin's: Boston. ISBN 0-311-908353-6.
All submitted manuscripts must be free of editorial comments, change tracking code, end notes, running headers or footers and anything other than the manuscript text and tables. It is the AUTHORS responsibility to submit a clean copy. Manuscripts submitted for consideration will be immediately rejected if such code or comments exist in the text. Manuscripts will also be rejected if all guidelines above are not met.
Headings are never indented and should follow the list below.
LEVEL 1
Level 2
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Level 5
Disclosure Statements
1) Authorship
All persons designated as authors must meet the criteria for authorship detailed in the in the Friedman article.
Please read the Friedman article regarding categories of authorship to which the IJAHSP subscribes.
Please keep in mind, if you are a professor advising on a student paper in a teacher/student relationship, the IJAHSP does not consider this authorship. The professor should be acknowledged, but should not receive authorship credit.
Manuscripts submitted by authors who were employees of the United States federal government at the time the subject of their work was investigated and the piece was written are not subject to the Copyright Act; these authors must inform the Editor of their status as federal employees.
Authors transfer their copyright to the IJAHSP but will not lose the right to reprint material from the articles. Any reprint will be required to acknowledge and credit the Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. If a manuscript is not accepted, or is withdrawn before publication, the transfer of copyright is null and void.
2) Conflicts of Interest
Authors must inform the Editor in writing of any financial arrangements, organizational affiliations, or other relationships that might constitute a conflict of interest regarding the subject matter of the manuscript.
Editors who make final decisions about manuscripts have no personal financial involvement in any of the issues they might judge. Other members of the editorial staff, if they participate in editorial decisions, provide editors with a current description of their financial interests (as they might relate to editorial judgments) and disqualify themselves from any decisions where they have a conflict of interest. Published articles and letters include a description of all financial support and any conflict of interest that, in the editors' judgment, readers should know about. Editorial staff will not use the information gained through working with manuscripts for private gain.
3) Acknowledgements
Authors may acknowledge persons who have made substantial contributions to the development of the study or manuscript, but must obtain permission from all persons named in an acknowledgement. Authors must inform the Editor in writing that such permission has been obtained. Authors should also disclose financial support or gifts of equipment or supplies in an acknowledgement.
4) Permission to Reprint
Authors who include illustrations or tables taken from other publications in their manuscript must obtain written permission to reproduce this information from the original publisher of the source material.
5) Human and Animal Rights
When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach, and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. When reporting experiments on animals, authors must indicate whether the institutional and national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") -- February 2006
All research manuscripts where human subjects were used, must have the IRB approval letter included with the submission.
The types of manuscripts published include;
Research Articles
This type of original research addresses an important issue in allied health. Manuscripts should report recent, original work that expands the body of knowledge in one or more allied health disciplines. The research should either have implications for the improvement of practice, provide a better understanding of contemporary issues, present a program evaluation, or advance a theoretical framework. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are encouraged. Manuscripts submitted for this must be methodologically sound and supported by data. Manuscripts reporting original research customarily include: a structured abstract, an introduction stating the purpose and relevance of the study, a clear and full description of materials and methods, including criteria for subject selection, a report of the results, a discussion of the findings and a bibliography.
Commentary and Editorials
This feature will be used for the presentation of scholarly discussion of an issue of interest to allied health professionals. Commentaries or editorials can focus on such topics as discussions of applications of theory to practice, a critique of certain practices, recommendations for change, or contemporary controversial issues. Commentary and editorials are at the invitation of the Editor only. Letters to the Editor may be submitted at any time without invitation.
Article Reviews
Identifies and abstracts key articles that deal with current thinking in allied health education and practice. Appropriate articles may be found in the professional journals of the individual allied health disciplines and in journals with a wider spectrum of interest. Topics might include, but not be limited to, research and development in allied health education and practice, current trends and history in allied health, health care policy and planning, legal and political issues in allied health, interpersonal skills development, simulation, and unique audiovisual approaches.
Book Reviews
The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice invites readers to review current books, monographs, or audiovisual materials of general or specific interest to the allied health community. This material may be appropriate from a single discipline or be of interdisciplinary interest. Reviews should contain the following information: title, author, publisher, city and state of publication, year of publication number of pages, and price. The review should include a description of the central theme of the work, a sectioned summary with headings such as field of study, target audience, graphics, illustrations, authors, etc, a critical analysis of the content, and a critical analysis by the reviewer regarding the potential value of the material to allied health education and/or practice. The review should not exceed 3 single-spaced pages.
Features
Reserved for special topics of potential interest to the allied health community, chosen at the discretion of the Editor. Features may include such things as summaries of proceedings of conferences, abstracts of submitted papers, speeches, executive summaries of government reports and summaries of special studies related to important issues in allied health. It is used primarily to communicate significant matters to the allied health community.
Any other concepts for consideration should be directed to the editor for evaluation and possible inclusion. The journal reserves the right to refuse all submissions.
Educational Perspectives
All manuscripts related to teaching and educational methods will be considered for this category.
Clinical Perspectives
This category covers case reviews, case studies, procedural descriptions and clinical policy. Other areas of clinical medicine and healthcare related to the delivery of competent care will be considered for this section.
Evidence-Based Practice
All systematic reviews, or specific evidence-based practice research studies will be considered for publication in this section.
