Information for Authors

Bangladesh Critical Care Journal

Information for Authors:
Manuscripts prepared following the “Uniform Requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical Journals” (http://www.icmje.org/urm_full.pdf    ) issued by ICMJE (International Committee for Medical Journal Editors) is acceptable to this journal for publishing. Authors are requested to follow the April 2010 update for latest information.

Editorial scope:

  • The BCC Journal is intended to promote prompt publication of concise, scientific article based on the study in all fields of medical and health sciences with special predilection to matters concerning critically ill patients & ICU practice.
  • Submitted manuscripts should not be previously published or currently being considered for publication elsewhere.
  • All submitted articles will undergo double blind peer review as per recommendations by subject specific experts selected by editors.
  • Reviewed manuscripts will be sent to the corresponding author for appropriate response if it is indicated.
  • Acceptance is based on significance, originality, clarity and fulfillment of the criteria of the publication policy of this journal.
  • The Editor-in-Chief will make all final decisions regarding acceptance.
  • Selection of the reviewed and accepted manuscripts intended for publication in a particular issue will be decided by the Editorial Board.
  • Hard copy of rejected manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by stamped or self-addressed envelope.
  • Upon acceptance for publication the copyright of the paper automatically transfers to the BCCJ and will not be published elsewhere either in part or whole without written permission of the copyright holder.
  • Review articles should be written by a subject expert.

Ethical aspects:

  • Clinical trials should have been conducted according to the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki by World Medical Association; revised 2008
  • (http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/17c.pdf).
  • Manuscript must contain a statement in the method section that all interventional studies have been approved by the appropriate ethical committee after careful examination of the ethical aspects.
  • Permission of the patients or their families to reproduce photographs of the patients where identity is not disguised.
  • Author should obtain written permission to reproduce any table or illustration from any other source.

Manuscript submission:

The authors are requested to strictly follow the guidelines below for submission of manuscript to BCCJ for publication. The following documents with manuscripts are to be submitted for publication.

  • A cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief of the journal.
  • A Title page.
  • Abstract and key words in the first page followed by the text, prepared in the format of IMRaD.
  • Authors may submit 2 hard copies of all documents and one copy in electronic form written in a CD with adequate labeling.
  • Alternately author can submit directly in electronic format (*.doc format as attachment) through email.
  • In case of electronic submission, formal cover letter signed by all the authors should be scanned & submitted along with the manuscript.

Cover letter:

  • All authors must sign after seeing the manuscript with the statement that they are the only authors.
  • It should contain a declaration that this manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere or currently not under consideration in any other journal.
  • It should clearly indicate the publication type (Original/Review/Case report/letter etc.)
  • Should also mention the expected benefit of the medical science from publishing of this article & the rationale of publishing the article in BCCJ.

Manuscript Organization:

Typing

  • Double spaced throughout with justified paragraph format and 5cm margin form the header and 2.5cm margins in all other aspects
  • Font type is Times New Roman with font size 12.
  • Printed on a good quality A4 80 gm on one side of paper, or formatted as such in electronic format.
  • Manuscript should have uniform style, carefully proofread for grammar, spelling and punctuation
  • All pages should be numbered consecutively beginning from the title page & number should be placed at bottom center of each page.

Manuscript format
In general, original articles should be divided into following sections:

  • Title page, Abstract, Text, Acknowledgement, References.
  • Tables, graphs, illustrations should be appropriately placed in the manuscript with legends & foot notes as expected in printed version.
  • Each of the sections is to start on a separate page

Title page:

  • Title of the article
  • Names of all authors with their designation and institutional affiliations
  • Name of the department and institute where the study was undertaken
  • Name of the corresponding author with contact address, telephone number, email address
  • Disclosure of conflict of interest if any
  • Disclosure of sources of funding or sponsor
  • A short running head
  • ‘Key words’ representing the article and suitable for electronic search
  • Number of tables given
  • Number of figures given
  • Word count of abstract/summary

Abstract/Summary:

  • Structured with headings (Background, Objectives, Methods with statistical analysis, Result & Conclusion) for original works.
  • Authors name should not be given.
  • Preferably within 250 words.
  • No abbreviations in the title and abstract except standard abbreviation.
  • A non structured abstract is suggested for review article and case report.

Text:

  • IMRaD
  • Text should be arranged into following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussions, Acknowledgement, & References

Introduction:

  • Statement of the problzem with a short discussion of its importance and significance
  • Review of the literature related to the problem with pertinent reference
  • Objectives/hypothesis/benefits expected stated in 1-2 paragraphs

Methods:

  • Study type, place and time
  • Description of study variables
  • Description of study subjects and grouping
  • Selection criteria
  • Approval of the interventional study involving human subjects by ethical review committee and description of the ethical aspects in such study
  • Description of procedure, methods, apparatus, drugs or chemicals as applicable
  • Description of statistical procedure with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results

Results:

  • Present result in logical sequence in text, table and illustration with most important finding first
  • Describe without comment
  • Restrict number of tables and figures needed to support assessment of paper
  • Do not duplicate data in tables and figures

Tables:

  • Simple, self explanatory with brief title, not duplicated in text
  • Each table should be numbered in Romans and printed in appropriate place in the text
  • Tables should be formatted by Microsoft word & presented with in the *.doc file, Not as a picture.
  • Use of many tables is not encouraged

Illustrations:

  • All illustrations must be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals as they appear in the text
  • Submit print photograph of each illustration along with its electronic file
  • Figure number, title of manuscript, name of the corresponding author and arrow indicating top should be written on a sticky label affixed on the back of each photograph
  • Scanned picture, graph, chart with title and figure number should be placed at the appropriate place as expected in the printed version and its original electronic file should be submitted separately also in the CD along with text or by separated file attachments through email.
  • Photomicrograph should indicate the magnification, internal scale and the method of staining
  • All drugs should be mentioned in their generic form. The commercial name may be used in parenthesis

Acknowledgement:
Individuals, institution, sponsor, organization or bodies should be acknowledged in the article for their contribution or financial or any form of assistance to the work

References:

  • For reference, use author number style (Vancouver) which is based on an ANSI standard adapted by the National Library of Medicine(NLM)
  • References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text
  • Identify references in the text, tables and legends by Arabic numerals in superscript
  • All citations to electronic references should be presented in numbered references following the text
  • The titles of the journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus
  • Write names of 6 authors followed by et al. if authors number is more than six.
  • The reference list is not usually verified by the editorial staff or reviewer. It is the total responsibility of author to provide accurate information.
  • Consult http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine/ for full detail of the referencing system followed by BCCJ.

Examples of common referencing is given below:

Standard journal article:

  • Khalil M, Chowdhury MAI, Rahman H, Mannan S, Sultana SZ, Rahman MM, et al Splenic Mass and its relation to age, sex and height of the individual in Bangladeshi People. J Bangladesh Soc Physiol 2008; 3(1): 71-78.

Journal article with organization as author:

  • American diabetes Association. Diabetes update. Nursing, 2003 Nov; Suppl: 19-20.

Journal article with multiple organizations as author:

  • American Dietetic association; Dietitians of Canada. Position of Dietetic association and Dietitians of Canada: nutrition and women’s health. J Am Diet Assoc 2004 Jun; 104(6): 984-1001.

Journal article with Governmental body as author:

  • National Institute on Drug Abuse (US); Caribbean Epidemiology Centre; Pan American Health Organization; World Health Organization. Building a collaborative research agenda: drug abuse and HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean 2002-2004. West Indian Med J. 2004 Nov; 53 Suppl 4: 1-78.

Standard book with initials for authors:

  • Eyre HJ, Lange DP, Morris LB. Informed decisions: the complete book of cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery. 2nd ed. Atlanta: American Cancer Society; 2002. 768 p.

Contributed chapter of a book:

Rojko JL, Hardy WD. Feline lukemia virus and other retroviruses. In: Sherding RG, editor. The cat: diseases and clinical management. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1989. p. 229-332.

Conference Proceedings:

  • Pacak K, Aguilera G, Sabban, E, Kvetnansky R, editors. Stress: current neuroendocrine and genetic approaches. 8th symposium on Catecholamines and Other Neurotransmitters in Stress: 2003 Jun 28-July 3; Smolenice Castle (place of conference), Slovakia. New York (place of publication): New York Academy of Sciences (publisher); 2004 Jun. 590 p.

Scientific and Technical Reports:

  • Page E, Harney JM. Health hazard evaluation report. Cincinnati (OH)(Place of publication: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US) (Publisher); 2001 Feb.24 p (Total number of pages). Report No.: HETA2000- 0139-2824

Dissertation &Thesis:

Entire Reference

  • Kempner JL. Aching heads, making medicine: gender and legitimacy in headache (title) [dissertation]. [Philadelphia]: University of Pennsylvania;2004.271p.
  • Alam M. Study of Heart Rate Variability in Adolescent Athletes [M Phil thesis]. [Dhaka]: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University; 2008. 178p.

Part of Dissertation &Thesis:

  • Mackowski MP. Human factors: aerospace medicine and the origins of manned space flight in the United States [dissertation]. [Tempe (AZ)]: Arizona State University; 2002 May. Part 2, Space medicine; p.188-377.
  • Alam M. Heart Rate Variability in Adolescent Athletes [M Phil thesis]. [Dhaka (Bangladesh)]: Bangabandhu Medical University; 2008 July. Appendix (Name of the part) 4 (Number of the part), Classification of Physical Activity Intensity (Title of the part). p.7 (Location of the part).
  • Standard journal article on the Internet:
  • Kaul S, Diamond GA. Good enough: a primer on the analysis and interpretation of noninferiority trials. Ann Intern Med [Internet]. 2006Jul4 [cited 2007 Jan 4]; 145 (1):662-9.
  • Available from: http://www.annals.org/cgi/reprint/145/1/62.pdf

Journal article on the Internet with organization (s) as author:

  • National Osteoporosis Foundation of South Africa. Use of generic alendronate in treatment of osteroporosis. S Afr Med J [Internet]. 2006 Aug [cited 2007 Jan 9]; 9(8):696-7. Available from: http://blues.sabinet.co.za/WebZ/Authorize?

Journal article on the Internet with governmental body as author:

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(US), National center for HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention and control of tuberculosis in correctional and detention facilities: recommendations from CDC. Endorsed by the Advisory Council for the elimination of tuberculosis, the national Commission of Correctional Health Care and the American correctional Association. MMWR R Rep [Internet]. 2006Jul7 [cited 2007Jan 9]; 55(RR-9):1-44. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5509al.htm

Journal article on the Internet with no author:

  • Prevention strategies for asthma-secondary prevention. CMAJ [Internet]. 2005 Sept [cited 2007Jan 5]; 173 (6 Suppl): S25-7. Available from: http//:www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/173’6_suppl/S25

Journal article on the Internet without standard volume, issue or article number:

  • Jacobs JL, Lee MT, Lindberg M, Kamin C. Problem based learning, multimedia paucity of behavioral issue learning. Med Educ. Online [Internet]. 2005 [cited2005]: [5p]. Available from: http://www.med-ed-online.org/pdf/ 10000006.pdf

Editing and peer review:

  • All submitted manuscripts are subject to scrutiny by the Editor in-chief or any member of the Editorial Board.
  • Manuscripts containing materials without sufficient scientific value and of a priority issue, or not fulfilling the requirement for publication may be rejected or it may be sent back to the author(s) for resubmission with necessary modifications to suit one of the submission categories.
  • Manuscripts fulfilling the requirements and found suitable for consideration are sent for peer review. Submissions, found suitable for publication by the reviewer, may need revision/ modifications before being finally accepted.
  • The Editorial Board finally decides upon the merit of the reviewed and revised/modified submission.
  • Reviewed accepted manuscript may be sent to the authors, and should be corrected and returned to the editorial office within one week. No addition to the manuscript at this stage will be accepted.
  • All accepted manuscripts are edited according to the Journals style.

Submission Preparation Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check off their submission’s compliance with all of the following items, and submissions may be returned to authors that do not adhere to these guidelines.

  • The submission has not been previously published, nor is it currently before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word 97-2003, *.doc file format.
  • Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
  • The text is double-spaced; uses a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
  • The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

Communication for manuscript submission:
Authors are requested to send new and revised manuscripts to the following address:

Editor-in-Chief
Bangladesh Critical Care Journal
Email: bccj.editor@gmail.com

Corresponding author should clearly indicate a reply address and preferably an electronic means of communication in the title page.

Copyright:
Except for personal use, no part of the materials published in this journal may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher.