Submissions

Author Guidelines

Scope

The Medical Frontier Journal (TMFJ) publishes original research, reviews, case reports, short communications and letters across clinical medicine, community medicine and public health, epidemiology, and translational research. Manuscripts must be original, not previously published, and not under consideration elsewhere.

Article types

Choose the appropriate section when submitting. Word limits, abstract format and reference limits for each type are listed under Sections below. Manuscripts exceeding the limits may be returned to authors before review.

Files to upload

1. Title page (separate file): title, short running title, all authors' full names, designations, departments, institutions, ORCID iDs, and full details of the corresponding author (address, email, phone); word counts; number of tables and figures; source of funding; conflicts of interest; acknowledgements; contribution of each author.
2. Blinded manuscript: must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgements or any identifying information (including in file properties), to allow double-blind peer review.
3. Figures (JPEG/PNG/TIFF, minimum 300 dpi) and any supplementary files.
4. Ethics committee approval letter and, for case reports, the patient consent form (these are not shared with reviewers).

Manuscript format

• Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx), A4 size, Times New Roman 12 pt, 1.5 line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, page numbers.
• Original research follows the IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion.
• Abstract followed by 3–6 keywords (preferably MeSH terms).
• Use SI units and generic drug names. Define abbreviations at first use.
• Follow the relevant reporting guideline: CONSORT (trials), STROBE (observational studies), PRISMA (systematic reviews), CARE (case reports), STARD (diagnostic accuracy), COREQ (qualitative studies). See the EQUATOR Network.

Tables and figures

Number tables and figures consecutively in the order cited in the text. Tables must be editable (not images), with a title above and explanatory notes below. Each figure needs a legend. Patient photographs must be de-identified or accompanied by written consent.

References

Use the Vancouver style (ICMJE/NLM), numbered consecutively in the order of first citation, with superscript numbers in the text. List all authors up to six; for more than six, list the first six followed by "et al." Abbreviate journal titles per the NLM Catalog. Include DOIs where available.

Example: Bhatt R, Shah K, Patel N. Prevalence of hypertension among adults in rural Gujarat: a community-based study. Indian J Community Med. 2024;49(2):210-5. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx

Ethics

• Studies involving human participants require Institutional Ethics Committee approval (approval number and date stated in Methods) and must follow the ICMR National Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical and Health Research Involving Human Participants and the Declaration of Helsinki.
• Informed consent must be described in Methods. Case reports require written informed consent from the patient or legal guardian for publication.
• Clinical trials must be prospectively registered with the Clinical Trials Registry – India (CTRI) or another WHO-recognised registry; give the registration number in the abstract.
• Animal studies require Institutional Animal Ethics Committee approval.

Authorship

All listed authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria. Others who contributed should be acknowledged. Changes to authorship after submission require written consent from all authors. ORCID iDs are strongly encouraged for all authors and required for the corresponding author.

Conflicts of interest and funding

All authors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could influence the work, and all sources of funding. Write "None declared" where applicable.

Plagiarism and publication ethics

TMFJ follows COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) and ICMJE recommendations. All submissions are screened for similarity; manuscripts with significant unattributed overlap with published work, data fabrication or falsification, duplicate submission or redundant publication will be rejected and handled according to COPE flowcharts.

Use of AI tools

AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Use of generative AI for writing or data analysis must be disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgements; authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy and originality of the content. See the full Generative AI Policy on the About page.

Peer review process

Each submission is first screened by the editors for scope, quality and compliance with these guidelines; manuscripts that do not meet them may be returned or declined without review. Suitable manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review by at least two independent reviewers. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

There is no fee for submission or peer review. An Article Processing Charge is payable only after a manuscript is accepted for publication:

• Indian authors: ₹14,999
• Foreign authors: US$200

Payment details are sent with the acceptance letter. The APC covers editorial management, copyediting, typesetting, online hosting and long-term preservation. Ability to pay plays no part in editorial decisions.

Open access and copyright

All articles are published open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright.