Policies and Procedures

The JFCR follows the recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly work in Medical Journals and guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org) to inform its policies and procedures.

Language Editing for Manuscripts

The JFCR accepts only researches written in English. The language of the manuscript must meet the required English language standard for academic publishing, or it may be rejected by the assigned editor or reviewers. Thus, we strongly encourage authors, particularly non-native speakers of English, to consider revision of the manuscript with an English language editor. An English language-editing certificate from a professional English language service provider may be needed in some instances.

Copyright

Authors who submit their articles to the JFCR have to transfer the copyright of their articles to the JFCR journal. This permits JFCR to publish, distribute, transmit and adapt the work. Authors retain all proprietary rights other than copyright, such as patent rights.  After online publication, anyone can use the articles free of charge as long as the work is properly cited and credit is given to the author.

Therefore, all manuscripts must be accompanied by the following written statement, signed by all authors: "The undersigned author(s) transfers all copyright ownership of the manuscript [article title] to the JFCR.

Conflict of Interest

Authors should disclose any involvement and/or affiliation that could be perceived as a potential conflict of interest that could interfere with the objectivity or integrity of their research and its publication. Editors of JFCR should ensure that any publication in JFCR is free from undue influence. Upon submitting a manuscript to JFCR, our editors, associate editors, and reviewers, should declare any potential conflict of interest. Please notify the relevant editor of any suspicion of an undisclosed conflict of interest in a published work or under consideration for publication.

If there are no financial or personal conflicts of interest relevant to the content of the manuscript to declare, the author(s) should include the following statement in the manuscript: “the author(s) of this work have no competing interest that may bias this work submitted to the JFCR”.

Plagiarism

As defined by the World Association of Medical Editors (http://wame.org/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policies-for-medical-journals#Plagiarism): “Plagiarism is the use of others' published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source.” The uses of words, figures, tables, or ideas of others should be cited in the submitted manuscripts in-text citations and the list of references. The reuse of wording must be limited and be attributed or quoted in the text. “Plagiarism is scientific misconduct and will be addressed as such.”

JFCR has the full right to screen all submitted manuscripts using appropriate plagiarism checking tools. Plagiarism is unethical behavior and shall not be tolerated in any of our publications. If any instance of full or partial plagiarism is detected, JFCR reserves the right to reject the submitted manuscript.

The JFCR editors use CrossCheck/iThenticate plagiarism detection tools.

Ethical Issues: Human & Animal Rights

The articles submitted to JFCR involving experiments on human subjects should entail a clear statement to indicate that an ethics committee has approved the experiments and the procedures were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible ethics committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration (https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/) and that a clear approval was obtained from the responsible committee.

Concerning the animals, the author should entail a clear statement to indicate that the procedures were in accordance with the institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. All animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and should be carried out in accordance with EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, and the authors should clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed.

For human and animal experiments, the IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval number from the author(s) institution ethics committee should also be provided.

Patient Consent

As per the CARE (Case Reports) guidelines checklist, the patient (or parent or guardian) must provide written informed consent for inclusion, permissions, and releases of their clinical and imaging details or other personal information in the manuscript for the purpose of publication. The submitted manuscript needs to contain a statement that informed consent was obtained from the patient for the purpose of publication. If the informed consent has been waivered by the IRB (Institutional Review Board), the same must be included in the manuscript. For more information, please review the Elsevier Policy on the Use of Images or Personal Information of Patients or other Individuals.

Data Availability and Supporting Evidence

According to JFCR policies, the research data that validate the research findings should be submitted to the editor-in-chief upon reasonable request.

Open Access Options

The published articles are freely available to subscribers, researchers, and the wider public with permitted reuse through access programs.

Appeals and Complaints

Our journal online system provides a policy and process for considering appeals of editorial decisions. Any concerns, appeals or complaints, should be sent to the Editor-in-Chief.

 

 Submission of manuscripts

-Submission of the manuscript should be through one of the authors (Corresponding Author) and only through the online manuscript submission link (https://jfcr.journals.ekb.eg/). Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF file format. The manuscript should be submitted in two files; a title page file (including the names of all authors, the authors' order and their affiliations) and a blinded manuscript file (that should contain no references to any author or his/her affiliation).

-The corresponding author takes responsibility for the manuscript during submission, peer-review, and all other publishing processes. Moreover, it is the corresponding author's responsibility to make sure that all co-authors have approved publishing that article in the journal. Also, that the article obtained all the necessary institutional approvals.

Manuscript submission is made on the fact that it has not been previously published or submitted anywhere else and only submitted to this journal.

-All inquiries concerning the publication of accepted manuscripts should be sent via e-mail (ashraf.ali@miuegypt.edu.eg).

-JFCR employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to this journal, authors accept that the submitted manuscript will be screened for plagiarism against previously published works.

-The cover letter, manuscript, tables, and figures, submission statement, and supplementary information if any must be submitted in separate files.

-Use the "Submit Manuscript" link above to submit your articles for publication. Our online submission system guides you stepwise through the process of entering your article details and uploading your files.

- Word limit: Not more than 4000 words for the following headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion.

 

• Formatting Requirements

- Page number should be listed in the manuscript file at the bottom right side

- Text should be 1.5-spaced.

- Typeface should be Times/Times New Roman.

- Margins 2.5 cm from all four sides.

- Font size12.

 

• Title page

The title page, should contain the full article title in bold letter, the full name of author(s), the corresponding author, author`s affiliation(s) including author’s highest academic degrees, the position, the name of the department(s) and institution(s) or organization(s) to which the work should be attributed, the city, and country. The author should be mentioned in the order they appear in the published article.

 The JFCR encourages authors to include their multiple affiliations as well as their institutional e-mail(s). Authors are also encouraged to include their Open Researcher and Contributor Identification (ORCID) ID. The title page may include disclaimers and sources of support.

The title of the paper should clearly specify whether it is a randomized controlled trial, a systematic review, or a meta-analysis.

Corresponding author: One of the authors is designated as the corresponding author. He/she will handle correspondence at all stages of reviewing, publication, and post-publication including answering any future queries about methodology. Full information for the corresponding author should be included (Name, affiliation, institutional e-mail, telephone and fax numbers, and postal address).

• Cover letter

The submission should be associated with a cover letter e-signed by all authors and includes the following:

1. The type of manuscript (original article, case report, review article, letter to the editor, etc.).

2. The authors' order and affiliation.

3. The corresponding and contacting author information including full name, e-mail address, phone number, and mailing address.

4. The number of display items (figures and tables).

5. The number of attachments (manuscript, figures, tables, and Supplementary Information if any). 

6. The listing of authors’ Open Researcher and Contributor Identification (ORCID).

7. A statement indicating that the article has not been published in another publication and is not being submitted simultaneously to another journal.

8. A statement that this article represents original work and that the author(s) take full responsibility for the information provided.

9.A statement affirming that an informed consent was obtained from the patient (or parent or guardian) enrolled in this manuscript for the purpose of publication.

10.A statement indicating that the Corresponding Author will have to confirm that he/she has the right to sign on behalf of all authors.

11.All manuscripts must be accompanied by the following written statement, signed by all authors: "The undersigned author(s) transfers all copyright ownership of the manuscript [article title] to the JFCR.

• Submission Checklist

As part of the submission process, authors are required to check their submission’s compliance with journal policies and procedures. Submissions may be returned to authors if they do not adhere to these guidelines:

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it submitted to another journal for consideration. Alternatively, an explanation can be provided in comments to the editor explaining the situation.
• Title page, including full name, academic degrees, and institutional affiliation of each author; a brief description of each author's contribution to the submission; and author to whom correspondence should be directed, including full mailing address, phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail address.
• The manuscript body (text) is submitted in Microsoft Word or PDF file format.
• The cover letter, tables, and figures, illustrations, legends, submission statement, and supplementary information if any must be submitted as separate files under “Attachments”.
• The text follows the JFCR formatting style.
• Employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses).
• The manuscript should be submitted in two files: a title page file and a blinded manuscript file.
• All figures and tables should be properly cited and referenced in the text.
• Figure legend should appear on a separate page at the end of the manuscript document.

•Reporting Guidelines

Reporting guidelines have been developed for different study designs. Authors need to follow these guidelines because they help them describe the study adequately and facilitate the task of editors, reviewers, readers, and other researchers evaluating the medical literature.  Our editors and reviewers are also encouraged to use these guidelines in the review process. Useful sources for reporting guidelines are the EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality & Transparency of Health Research) Network and the NLM’s (National Library of Medicine)

Example

- CONSORT for randomized controlled trials

- CARE for case reports

- PRISMA for systematic review and meta-analyses

•Guide for different Manuscript Types

I-Original research articles

Original research articles should be have the following headings:

- Title

- Abstract

- Introduction

- Materials (Subjects) and Methods

- Results

- Discussion

- Conclusion

- Acknowledgments (if any)

- References

- Statement of Conflict of Interest

-Funding Sources

- Authors Contribution (If manuscripts are shared by more than three authors)

- Figures Legends

- Tables (in separate files)

- Figures (in separate files)

Abstract

The abstract should be structured, clear, concise, and informative, does not contain unnecessary details, and precisely reflects the content of the article.

Abstract word limit is 150 to 250 words.  It contains a brief overview of the manuscript and should include the introduction or background for the study, aim of the work, subjects or materials and methods or basic procedures, results, conclusions, and recommendations if any. Moreover, the abstract should not contain citations or any undefined abbreviations.

For cross-referencing purposes, some “keywords” (not more than 5) must be supplied as a footnote on the abstract page. They should be taken from those recommended by the US National Library of Medicine's Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) browser list (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html)

 Keywords are crucial for indexing; they allow your manuscript to be more easily recognized and cited. If possible, it is favorable to have all your keywords written into the abstract. This will help indexers scan only the title and abstract of articles.

References

The reference system or the citation style in the JFCR is the one recommended by the ICMJE Recommendations, which uses the author–number principle, also known as the Vancouver system or Vancouver reference style.

The ICMJE Recommendations now specify Citing Medicine, of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) as the home for the formatting details of Vancouver style. This was evident in the December 2013 edition of the ICMJE Recommendations, paragraph IV.A.3.g.ii. (References > Style and Format).

For further details about this referencing style, you may consult the home page of the NLM’s Citing Medicine, 2^nd edition (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK7256/). The following link can also be useful to know more about the top level of Citing Medicine at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/citingmedicine.

General principles for JFCR

In accordance with JFCR editorial policy, the following rules should be considered:

1. The number within the text should be outside the text punctuation and in superscript¹ without brackets.
2. Enter the surname (family or last name) first for each author.
3. Convert given (first) names and middle names to initials, for a maximum of two initials following each surname. The initials should be merged (e.g. A. S. should be merged into AS).
4. If there are more than 6 authors, shorten the list by writing the names of the first six authors followed by et al.
5. Use a hyphen to indicate the range of the page numbers (e.g.184-5). There is no need to write the ending page numbers in full. For example 184-5 instead of 184-185.
6. The titles of journals are abbreviated (see Abbreviation rules for journal titles). Do not abbreviate a book title.
7. Pagination appears at the end of the cited book. Provide the total number of pages on which the text of the book appears. 
8. Be consistent with your referencing style across the document.

Tables: (in separate files)

1. Tables should not be submitted as images but editable texts. Always use Microsoft Word “Table” feature.
2. Do not include tables in the manuscript file. It should be uploaded separately as a Word document.
3. Number tables consecutively, using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.), in the order of their citation in the text, and provide a brief and self-explanatory title for each. Make sure that all cited tables are referenced.
4. All nonstandard abbreviations used in tables should be well explained in footnotes, even if they are already mentioned in the text.
5. Ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.
6. Unshaded table cells and only horizontal lines are allowed.
7. If there are additional tables containing data that are too extensive to publish, authors should clearly state where they are located and how readers can access them. Such tables should be submitted along with the paper so that they can be available to the peer reviewers.
8. Make sure that the reader can understand the table content without referring back to the text.
9. Use legible font type and size.

Figures: (in separate files)

1.  All figures and artwork must be provided in electronic format and uploaded separately from the text. Each figure or artwork should be uploaded in a separate electronic file.
2.  Number the figures and illustrations according to the order that they appear in the text.
3.  Figures and illustrations should be numbered with Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).
4.  In the manuscript, a caption for illustrations should be on a separate page, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations.
5.  It is essential to consider how your figures will appear online.
6.  Adjust the resolution of your figures using the original program you used to create them when you saved the file.
7.  Your cited images should faithfully represent those of the original reference. Any adjustments or processing software used should be stated.
8.  Letters, numbers, symbols, or abbreviations on figures should be clear, consistent throughout, and large enough to remain legible.
9.    Figures should be made as self-explanatory as possible.
10. When symbols, arrows, numbers, abbreviations, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, identify and explain each one clearly in the legend.
11. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background and should be marked neatly with tissue overlay and not by pen.
12. Titles and detailed explanations should be written in the legends for illustrations, and not on the illustrations themselves.
13. Authors should take the written permission of any individuals whose photographs are included in the manuscript. 
14. If a figure has been published elsewhere, acknowledge the original.
15. The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce, or enlarge the photographs to an acceptable size.
16. All figures must be designated GRAYSCALE (black and white) or RGB (color).
17. Carefully review the PDF conversion of your files before submitting them to ensure the accurate and correct conversion of all the figures.
18. Please make sure that artwork files are in an acceptable format (TIFF (or JPEG), EPS (or PDF) or MS Office files) and with the correct resolution.
19. Figures that do not meet the resolution requirement will be returned if necessary.

Figures Formats

If your electronic artwork is created in a Microsoft Office application (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) then please supply 'as is' in the native document format.

Regardless of the application used other than Microsoft Office, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please 'Save as' or convert the images to one of the following formats (note the resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations given below):

• EPS (or PDF): Vector drawings, embed all used fonts.
• TIFF (or JPEG): Color or grayscale photographs (halftones), keep to a minimum of 300 dpi.
• TIFF (or JPEG): Bitmapped (pure black & white pixels) line drawings, keep to a minimum of 1000 dpi.
• TIFF (or JPEG): Combinations bitmapped line/half-tone (color or grayscale), keep to a minimum of 500 dpi.

Figure Legends

1)   Legends for all figures should be brief and specific and should appear on a separate page at the end of the manuscript document after the list of references. Legends should indicate the figure number and must be numbered correctly.

2)   Legends for composite figures should be formatted as a single legend containing necessary information about each part/panel (not separated).

3)   Credit for any previously published illustration must be given in the corresponding legend.

Authors Contribution

If manuscripts are shared by more than three authors, a section that provides author(s) contribution in the study should be provided. The role of each author should be preceded by their initials. The authors should be mentioned by their orders in the title page, cover letter and published article.

Abbreviations and Units

As the Journal of Fundamental and Clinical Research is a journal with a multidisciplinary readership, abbreviations should be avoided as much as possible. Examples of abbreviations that may be used without definition are: ADP, AMP, ATP, DNA, RNA, EDTA.

Other abbreviations used to improve legibility should be defined in parentheses the first time they appear in the manuscript and used consistently thereafter. Chemical symbols may be used for elements, groups, and simple compounds, but excessive use should be avoided.

SI Units (International System of Units) should be used.

II-Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analysis

Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses must be prepared according to contemporary PRISMA (Preferred Reporting for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) standards.

III-Randomized Clinical Trials

Randomized Clinical Trials must meet current CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) requirements.

IV-Case Reports

Case reports must meet current CARE (Case Reports) requirements.