Types of Articles

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be prepared in one of the following categories:

• Original Research Article
• Theoretical Research Article in the fields of research methodology, medical ethics, or medical education
• Review Article or Systematic Review
• Clinical or Field Trial Study

Note: Case Studies and Short Communications will only be considered for publication if they demonstrate exceptional scientific significance.

Manuscript Length (Medical Sciences)

Original Research Article

• 3,500–5,500 words
• Approximately 10–15 pages
• The manuscript should include the following sections:
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion

Theoretical Research Article

• 3,500–6,000 words
• Approximately 10–16 pages
• Intended for manuscripts related to:
  • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Education
  • Theoretical developments in Health Sciences
• These articles do not contain primary field data.

Review Article / Systematic Review

• 5,000–8,000 words

Clinical or Field Trial Study

• 4,500–7,000 words

Scientific Requirements for Submitted Manuscripts

Submitted manuscripts must satisfy all of the following requirements:

• The manuscript must be the original work of the author(s).
• The manuscript must not have been published previously or be under consideration elsewhere.
• The study must have been conducted and written in accordance with accepted principles of research ethics.
• Intellectual property rights and copyright regulations must be fully respected.
• The subject of the manuscript must fall within the scope of medical sciences.
• The authors bear full responsibility for the scientific content of the manuscript.
• References should primarily consist of recent, reliable, and indexed scientific sources (e.g., PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science).
• All sections of the manuscript (Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion) should demonstrate logical consistency and coherence.
• Scientific data should be presented using appropriate and reproducible statistical analyses.
• Figures, tables, and illustrations must meet publication-quality standards with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi.
• Studies involving human participants or animals must include the relevant Research Ethics Approval Code.
• Every manuscript must contain separate statements regarding:
  • Conflict of Interest
  • Funding Source

Required Structure of Scientific Articles

All manuscripts should be organized according to the following format:

1. Title
2. Author(s) Information
3. Abstract
4. Keywords
5. Introduction
6. Research Objectives
7. Research Question(s)
8. Significance of the Study
9. Literature Review
10. Materials and Methods
11. Results
12. Discussion
13. Conclusion (including practical implications, study limitations, and recommendations)
14. Acknowledgments (optional)
15. References
16. Appendices

Article Title

A.

The title should be accurate, concise, grammatically correct, and clearly convey the principal message or objective of the study. Whenever possible, the main title should be limited to 15 words or fewer. Ambiguous or misleading terminology should be strictly avoided.

B.

If the main title alone cannot adequately communicate the central message of the study, the use of a subtitle is recommended.

Note: The purpose of a subtitle is to elaborate on important aspects addressed in the main title and to provide readers with additional context regarding the study.

C.

The use of abbreviations, mathematical formulas, discipline-specific jargon, colloquial expressions, proprietary names, trademarks, or commercial brand names should be avoided in the title as well as throughout the manuscript whenever possible.

Author Information

Only individuals who have made substantial intellectual contributions to the research—including study conception, design, implementation, data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation—should be listed as authors.

The inclusion of guest authors, honorary authors, or the omission of ghost authors is strictly prohibited. If any of these forms of authorship misconduct are identified at any stage of submission, review, publication, or after publication, the manuscript will be rejected or retracted, and appropriate legal action may be taken in accordance with intellectual property and copyright regulations.

For manuscripts with multiple authors:

• The specific contribution of each author (e.g., study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, etc.) should be explicitly stated.
• If authors are affiliated with different universities or research institutions, each institutional affiliation must be clearly identified.
• The order of authorship should reflect the relative scientific contribution of each author, with the principal contributor listed first.
• When all authors have contributed equally, alphabetical ordering of authors' names is recommended.
• Authors' names and institutional affiliations should be presented according to the journal's prescribed format.

Abstract

The abstract provides a concise yet comprehensive overview of the entire manuscript and enables readers to determine the relevance of the study.

The abstract should:

• Contain 150–250 words.
• Be written as one continuous paragraph.
• Include, in order:
  1. The overall objective and scope of the study.
  2. The research methodology.
  3. A summary of the principal findings.
  4. The main conclusions.
  5. The scientific novelty and contribution of the study to national and international scientific knowledge.

The abstract should be written in the past tense, and information not presented elsewhere in the manuscript should not be introduced.

Keywords

• Each manuscript should include 4–7 keywords together with their English equivalents.
• Keywords should correspond closely to the title and the manuscript content.
• The use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) or other standardized indexing terms is strongly recommended.

Introduction

The purpose of the Introduction is to provide readers with sufficient background information concerning the research topic and its objectives. It should present a logical and persuasive rationale for conducting the study while guiding readers toward the most recent developments in the field.

The Introduction should include the following components:

1. The nature and scope of the study, including a general introduction and the importance of the research topic.
2. The theoretical background and conceptual framework, including a concise review of foundational studies and the evolution of the research area.
3. A brief review of the existing literature and identification of the current research gap.
4. A clear statement of the overall research objectives.
5. A brief indication of the overall findings and the general conclusion of the study.

In general, the Introduction should follow an inverted funnel structure, beginning with broad background information and progressively narrowing toward the specific research problem addressed by the study. The Introduction should generally be written in the present tense.

Research Objectives

The research objectives define the scope and depth of the study and should be stated clearly and explicitly. If both general and specific objectives are included, each should be presented separately.

Research objectives should possess the following characteristics:

Precision and Clarity

Objectives should be clearly defined and free from ambiguity.

Measurability

The objectives and the means of achieving them should be measurable.

Achievability

The objectives should be feasible within the available resources and facilities.

Relevance and Realism

Objectives should address existing scientific problems and remain aligned with the overall purpose of the research.

Time-Bound

The objectives should be achievable and assessable within a defined period.

Research Question(s)

Research questions should possess the following characteristics:

Clarity

The research question should focus on a clearly defined scientific problem.

Feasibility

The question should be answerable within a reasonable timeframe and available financial and research resources. The investigator should possess sufficient expertise and resources to address the question.

Scientific Interest

The question should be of interest to researchers, readers, and the broader scientific community.

Novelty

The research question should be original and should not have been adequately answered in previous studies.

Ethical Acceptability

The research question should comply with accepted ethical standards and be approved by the appropriate ethics committees when applicable.

Relevance

The question should be relevant to societal needs and to the researcher's academic discipline.

Appropriate Scope

The question should neither be too narrow to limit meaningful discussion nor too broad to prevent an adequate answer within the defined scope of the study.

Scientific Complexity

The question should be sufficiently analytical and researchable. It should not be answerable merely by "Yes" or "No."

Significance of the Study

The significance of the study should be presented clearly and systematically.

Where appropriate, both the theoretical significance and the practical significance of the research should be discussed.

Literature Review

The literature review provides a comprehensive evaluation of the current state of knowledge regarding the research topic. A well-organized review demonstrates the author's understanding of previous studies, identifies existing knowledge gaps, and justifies the necessity of the present investigation.

The literature review should consist of the following components:

Opening Paragraph

This paragraph should introduce the research field, summarize the current state of knowledge, and explain the purpose of reviewing previous studies.

Main Body

This section should include:

• A synthesis of previous research findings.
• The criteria used for selecting the literature.
• The approach adopted for reviewing the literature (e.g., systematic review, historical review, methodological review, argumentative review, thematic review, etc.).
• A critical analysis and integration of previous findings.
• A logical organization of the reviewed literature.

Concluding Paragraph

The concluding section should include:

• Identification of research gaps.
• Justification for conducting the present study.
• Explanation of how the current study differs from previous investigations.
• The relationship between previous findings and the present study.
• The expected scientific contribution of the study.
• The conceptual framework underpinning the research.

Materials and Methods

This section should include the following components:

Study Period

The time and duration during which the study was conducted should be clearly reported. Whenever appropriate, a timeline or schedule may be presented.

Study Design

The research design should be described together with the rationale for selecting the particular methodology.

Study Population

The target population should be described in sufficient detail, including relevant demographic characteristics such as age, sex, educational level, and other influential variables.

Sample and Sampling Method

This subsection should include:

• Sample size.
• Demographic characteristics of participants.
• Characteristics of the variables under investigation.
• Available sampling techniques.
• Sampling strategy.
• Justification for selecting the chosen sampling method.

Data Collection Instruments

The instruments used to collect data (e.g., questionnaires, interviews, observations, medical records, focus group discussions, etc.) should be described together with evidence of their validity and reliability.

Data Collection Procedures

The procedures followed during data collection should be explained step by step.

Data Analysis

The statistical or qualitative analytical methods employed should be clearly described.

Examples include:

• Student's t-test
• Z-test
• Chi-square test
• Analysis of Variance (ANOVA)
• Regression Analysis
• Content Analysis
• Thematic Analysis

or any other appropriate analytical method.

Discussion

The Discussion section provides the scientific interpretation of the study findings and answers the research question.

The Discussion should include:

1. A concise summary of the principal findings.
2. Interpretation and explanation of the findings, including relationships among variables and the generalizability of the results.
3. Comparison of the findings with previous studies.
4. Scientific interpretation of the contribution of the findings to existing knowledge and their practical implications.
5. An overall conclusion derived from the findings and, where appropriate, the proposed general hypothesis.

Conclusion

The Conclusion should provide a concise yet comprehensive synthesis of the entire study.

Unlike the Introduction, which progresses from broad concepts toward a specific research question, the Conclusion should move from the specific findings toward their broader implications.

Merely repeating the main headings or providing superficial answers to the research questions is insufficient. Instead, the findings should be critically integrated and synthesized to produce a coherent scientific conclusion.

The Conclusion should also include the following:

Practical Implications

Whenever applicable, explain how the findings can be implemented in addressing practical problems in healthcare, society, economics, policy, or other relevant fields.

Study Limitations

Study limitations represent factors beyond the researcher's control that may have influenced the findings.

Authors should clearly report:

• Each limitation concisely.
• The reasons for each limitation.
• The potential impact of each limitation on the study findings and conclusions.

Transparency in reporting limitations is considered an essential component of scientific integrity.

Recommendations for Future Research

Recommendations should be evidence-based and scientifically justified.

These recommendations may include:

• Addressing new research questions generated by the current findings.
• Investigating questions that could not be answered because of study limitations.
• Replicating the study in different populations or cultural settings to assess the generalizability of the findings.
• Evaluating the validity, reliability, or applicability of the methodology used in the present study.

Recommendations should be specific, logical, and supported by the study findings.

Results

The Results section should objectively present the findings of the study without interpretation.

Findings should be organized logically using appropriate text, tables, and figures where necessary.

Only results directly related to the research objectives should be presented.

References

The following principles should be observed when preparing references:

1. Only important, reliable, and published sources should be cited. Unpublished materials, conference abstracts, theses, and other secondary sources should generally not be included in the reference list. If citation of such material is essential, it should appear only as a footnote or within the main text. Articles that have been accepted for publication but are not yet published may be cited by indicating the journal name followed by "In Press."
2. Before manuscript submission, all bibliographic information should be carefully checked against the original publications to ensure complete accuracy.
3. Every source cited within the text must also appear in the reference list.
4. All manuscripts submitted to the Shifa Scientific-Research Journal of Medical Sciences must follow the Vancouver Referencing Style.