How to Submit Your Article

If you are submitting for the first time and do not have an existing account, please create an account at "Journals.sbmu.ac.ir/basir". Once you have logged in, you will be presented with the main menu and a link to your Author Center (Submit Manuscripts). Enter your Author Center to submit your manuscript. At the end of a successful submission, a confirmation screen with the manuscript number will appear. You will then receive an email confirming that the manuscript has been received by the journal. If you do not receive this confirmation, please check your submission and/or contact our help desk at info.joos@behrc.ir.

The manuscript should be prepared according to the journal style, using American English spelling and punctuation. Authors must submit their manuscript electronically to expedite the peer review process online at: http://journals.sbmu.ac.ir/basir/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions. Alternatively, you can submit your article via email by sending the complete manuscript, including the cover letter, title page, manuscript body, tables, and figures, to editor.joos@behrc.ir.

 

Copyright and Creative Commons License (Open-Access Policy) and Fees

There is no fee for publishing articles in the Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences. Our journal follows an open-access policy, which means that all articles published in the journal are freely available to the public. There are no subscription fees or price barriers to accessing the full text of the articles. This immediate open access allows for a greater global exchange of knowledge and ensures that research findings can be accessed and utilized by researchers, professionals, and the public without any delays or restrictions.

The corresponding author is responsible for completing and returning the signed Open Access Agreement to the editorial office or the publisher. Our journal publishes open-access articles under a Creative Commons license. With Creative Commons licenses, the author retains copyright, and the public can reuse the content. The authors grant JOOS a license to publish the article and identify as the original publisher.

 

The Editorial Process and Peer Review

This journal operates a double-blind review process. Upon submitting a manuscript, authors can expect to receive an acknowledgment within a span of two weeks. This acknowledgment will include a unique manuscript reference number for future correspondence. In the rare event that an acknowledgment is not received within a reasonable timeframe, authors are encouraged to reach out to the Editorial Office directly.

The Editorial Office conducts a thorough review of the submissions, ensuring that all necessary components are included. If any material or documents outlined in the author's instructions are missing, the submission may be rejected. Following this review, the manuscripts are then passed on to the Editor-in-Chief, who conducts an initial assessment. If the manuscript does not meet the required standards or does not align with the Journal's scope, it will be rejected without undergoing further review.

Manuscripts that exhibit exceptional merit and relevance to the Journal's subject matter are sent to two or more expert consultants for peer review. Authors can typically expect to receive a notification regarding the acceptance, rejection, or need for revision of their manuscript within eight weeks of the initial acknowledgment. However, it's important to note that occasional delays may occur, despite our best efforts to expedite the process.

The Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences (JOOS) maintains the authority to reject manuscripts that are suspected of potentially violating ethical principles, even if they have been initially accepted. This decision is made to uphold the integrity and ethical standards of the journal and ensure that published content aligns with established guidelines and principles. The journal takes this responsibility seriously in order to maintain the trust and credibility of its readership and the scientific community at large.

 

Publication Schedule

The publication schedule of the journal involves the release of articles on its website as "Ahead of Print" and the collection of these articles into quarterly issues.

Once an article has gone through the necessary editorial process and has been accepted for publication, it is made available on the journal's website as "Ahead of Print." This allows readers and researchers to access and benefit from the content before it is formally included in a specific issue.

The journal then collects these articles and organizes them into quarterly issues. These issues, containing a compilation of articles from a specific time period, are published and made available to the readership.

This publication schedule, combining the early online availability of articles as "Ahead of Print" and the subsequent quarterly compilation of issues, ensures a timely dissemination of research findings while maintaining a structured and organized format for readers to access the journal's content.

 

Reprints and Proofs

The Journal does not offer free printed reprints to authors. However, authors have the option to purchase reprints from the publisher. If authors choose to acquire printed reprints, payment should be arranged at the time of submitting the proofs.

 

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit should be attributed to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the following three components:

 

1. Concept and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.


2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.


3. Providing final approval of the version to be published.

Merely participating in funding acquisition or data collection does not qualify for authorship. Additionally, general supervision of the research group is insufficient for authorship recognition. Each contributor should have actively participated in the work to an extent that allows them to take public responsibility for relevant portions of the manuscript's content.

The order in which contributors are listed should reflect their relative contributions to the study and writing of the manuscript. Once a manuscript is submitted, the order of authors cannot be changed without written consent from all contributors.

The journal establishes a maximum number of authors for each manuscript, which depends on factors such as the manuscript type, scope, and the number of participating institutions. If the number of authors exceeds these limits, the authors are expected to provide a justification for the additional contributors.

 

Contribution Details

Authors are required to submit an "Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement" that outlines their contributions to the manuscript. Only those individuals who meet the criteria for authorship should be listed as authors. All authors must certify that they have actively participated in the work to a sufficient extent to take public responsibility for the content. This includes involvement in the concept, design, analysis, writing, or revision of the manuscript.

Additionally, each author must certify that the submitted material, or similar material, has not been previously submitted to or published in any other publication. By providing this certification, authors affirm the originality and exclusivity of their work for consideration by the journal.

The "Authorship & Conflicts of Interest Statement" serves as a declaration of author contributions, ensuring transparency and accountability in the publication process.

 

Publication Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

By submitting your manuscript to the journal, you confirm that it is an unpublished work and not under consideration elsewhere. It is the responsibility of authors to adhere to the standards of publication ethics as described by the Commission on Publication Ethics (COPE). Plagiarism, falsification or fabrication of data, including duplicate publication of the authors' own work without proper citation, are unacceptable practices. Allegations of ethical misconduct are taken very seriously, and we will follow the guidelines set forth by COPE when dealing with them.

 

COPE Guideline Adherence Statement

Our Journal is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in scholarly publishing. As an ophthalmologic scientific journal, we adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to ensure the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the research we publish. The following statement outlines how our journal aligns with key COPE guidelines:

 

Types of Articles

Original Articles: Should consist of a title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and references sections. The text length should be limited to 4000 words, excluding references and abstract. Clinical trials should include patients' informed consent and the approval of the institution's ethics committee.

Case Reports: Should not exceed 1500 words and should include an abstract, keywords, introduction, case presentation, discussion, conclusion, references, and 1 to 4 figures or tables. The necessary documentation of the case(s) such as ophthalmic pathology and laboratory test reports should be included.

Review Articles: These might be requested by the editor, but JOOS also accepts unsolicited reviews. Both solicited and unsolicited review articles are subject to editorial and peer review, similar to original articles. The text length should be limited to 5500 words, excluding references and abstract.

Letters to the Editor and Short Communications: JOOS accepts letters to the editor or Short Communications. A letter or communication should not exceed 1000 words in length. Articles published in the journal over the past 6 months might be discussed in letters to the editor.

Surgical Methods: JOOS accepts surgical method articles. A surgical method should not exceed 1000 words in length. It should include figures detailing the surgical technique.

 

Structure of the Article

Title Page:

The first page of the manuscript should include the following information:

(1) Title of the paper.

(2) Names of the authors.

(3) Affiliations of the authors.

(4) ORCID IDs of the authors.

(5) Acknowledgments for research support.

(6) Name, address, email, phone number, and fax number of the corresponding author.

(7) Any financial interests, direct or indirect, that exist or may be perceived to exist for individual contributors in connection with the manuscript, along with a short title.

Abstract:

The abstract for original papers should contain separate sections for the purpose, materials and methods, results, and conclusion. Clearly present the objective of the study, findings (including statistical significance), and the conclusion based on the findings. Case reports and their conclusions are also acceptable. Do not include references in the abstract. Ensure that it serves as both a general introduction to the topic and a brief, non-technical summary of the main results and their implications. The abstract should be less than 250 words (150 words for case reports and surgical methods).

Keywords:

Include three or more keywords chosen based on the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) suggestions.

Body of the Manuscript:

Organize the original article body using the following headings:

• Introduction

• Materials and Methods (For papers involving human subjects, you should use "Patients and Methods" instead of "Materials and Methods.")


• Results (with subheadings).


• Discussion (without subheadings).


• Conclusion


• Acknowledgments (optional)


• References (limited to 60 references, though not strictly enforced)


• Figure legends (these are limited to 350 words per figure).


• Additional Information (including a Competing Interest Statement)

Formatting Guidelines:

• Format the manuscript file as single-column text without justification.


• Use double-spacing for the main text with font size 12.


• Maintain consistent typeface and font size for all figures.


• Present all display items on a white background, avoiding excessive boxing, unnecessary color, spurious decorative effects, and highly pixelated computer drawings.


• Refrain from truncating the vertical axis of histograms to exaggerate small differences.


• Ensure that labels are of sufficient size and contrast to be legible, even after appropriate reduction.


• Lettering in figures should be in lowercase type, with only the first letter of each label capitalized.


• Limit display items to 8 (figures and/or tables), with the number of items commensurate with the overall word length.


• Avoid using footnotes.


• Keep the main text within the word limits: 4,500 words for original articles, 5,500 words for review articles, 1,500 words for case reports, 1,000 words for surgical methods, letter to editors and short communications (not including abstract, references, and figure legends).


• Restrict the abstract to 250 words (150 words for case reports and surgical methods).

Preparing Tables and Figures:

• List tables and figures in the order cited in the text using Arabic numerals.


• Present tables on a separate page.


• Submit tables and figures as separate files, not embedded within the text.


• Include a short descriptive title above each table, with a clear legend and any footnotes or captions below the table.


• Provide column headings and indicate measurement units.


• Submit illustrations as high-resolution TIFF files (minimum 300 dpi).


• Consider color illustrations for publication.

Prepare Double-Blind Review Files:

This journal employs double-blind review, meaning that both reviewer and author identities are concealed from each other throughout the review process. To facilitate this, authors should upload a blind manuscript:

• Remove author names and affiliations from the title page.


• Omit the names of any funding sources.


• Exclude acknowledgments.


• Remove any identifying information, including author names, from file names and ensure document properties are anonymized.

 

Statistical Guidelines

If your paper includes statistical testing, it should contain the following information:

• Name of the statistical tests used.


• Justify the use of a particular test and explain whether the data conform to the assumptions of the test.


• Indication of whether the tests were one-tailed or two-tailed.


• Sample size calculation method.


• Actual P-value for each test.


• Use of the word "significant" should always be accompanied by a P-value.


• Summarize data sets with descriptive statistics, including sample size, measures of center, and measures of variability.


• Graphs should include clearly labeled error bars.

 

Experimental Section

Specific details about the instruments used, sources of specialized chemicals, and related experimental procedures should be incorporated into the text under the heading "General Experimental Procedures." This information should be presented as a paragraph or paragraphs within the Experimental Section.

 

Chemical and Biological Nomenclature and Abbreviations:

In the text, molecular structures should be identified using bold Arabic numerals assigned in the order of their presentation. Once a compound has been identified in the main text or a figure, it can be referred to by its name, a defined abbreviation, or the bold Arabic numeral, as long as the chosen form of reference is used consistently.

Whenever possible, chemical compounds and biomolecules should be referred to using systematic nomenclature, preferably following the guidelines of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). Standard chemical and biological abbreviations should be used. If unconventional or specialist abbreviations are used, they should be defined at their first occurrence in the text.

 

References

The responsibility for the accuracy of references lies with the authors, and they should be numbered in the order of citation in the text. Citations should be indicated with Arabic numbers. Personal communications and unpublished data, including manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted for publication, should not be used as references; however, they may be mentioned in parentheses in the text.

Journal Article:

Example: Lago Ade M, Nassaralla BR, Stival LR, Nassaralla Junior JJ. Changes in corneal sensitivity following cross-linking for progressive early-stage keratoconus. Arq Bras Oftalmol. 2014;77(2):84-7.

For references with six or fewer authors, include the surnames and initials of all authors. For references with seven or more authors, list the names of the first six authors followed by "et al."

Example: Shortt AJ, Bunce C, Levis HJ, Blows P, Doré CJ, Vernon A, et al. Three-year outcomes of cultured limbal epithelial allografts in aniridia and Stevens-Johnson syndrome were evaluated using the Clinical Outcome Assessment in Surgical Trials assessment tool. Stem Cells Transl Med. 2014;3(2):265-75.

Book:

Example: Ringscen MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses, 2nd ed. Albany, NY: Delmar Publishers; 1996.

Chapter in Book:

Example: Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and Stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management, 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-78.

 

Editorial Responsibilities

We have established a qualified editorial board comprising experts in ophthalmology and related fields who are responsible for the overall editorial decision-making process. Our journal implements a rigorous and transparent peer review process to ensure the quality and integrity of published research. We maintain editorial independence, and all editorial board members declare any potential conflicts of interest.

 

Transparency and Reporting

We encourage authors to adhere to relevant research reporting guidelines, such as the CONSORT statement for clinical trials and the STROBE statement for observational studies. We require authors to disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could potentially influence their research.

 

Plagiarism and Unethical Practices

We employ plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts for potential instances of plagiarism or duplicate publication. Allegations of research misconduct or unethical practices are investigated promptly and in accordance with COPE guidelines. Our journal ensures compliance with ethical standards and guidelines for human and animal research, including obtaining informed consent and ethical review board approval.

 

Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

We promptly publish corrections when errors or inaccuracies are identified in published articles. In cases of serious misconduct or fundamental errors, we follow the COPE guidelines for retracting articles. Expressions of concern are issued when doubts arise about the integrity or validity of published work.

 

Specific Considerations

All manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences must be exclusive to this journal. They should not have been published, in part or in whole, in any other publication, professional or lay, and will become the property of the publisher. Any reproduced or adapted material from other published or unpublished sources must be appropriately acknowledged. Authors must obtain permission to reproduce copyrighted material.

Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, the author will be required to sign an agreement transferring the copyright to the publisher, who reserves the copyright. The author is responsible for the content of the published manuscripts and should assist the editor and publisher by reviewing proofs.

There are no page charges for authors or their institutions for publication in this journal. All authors should have made significant contributions and agree with the content of the manuscript. The corresponding author will be responsible for meeting this requirement.

The author is responsible for obtaining written permission to quote from unpublished materials or for quotations exceeding 250 words in one extract or 500 words in total from any copyrighted work. Permission is also required for reprinting figures or tables from unpublished or copyrighted material.

 

Ethics Declarations

If your research involves human or animal subjects, you must include the appropriate ethics declarations in the Methods section of your manuscript.

 

Consent to Participate/Consent to Publish

Study participant names (and other personally identifiable information) must be removed from all text, figures, tables, and images.

The use of colored bars/shapes or blurring to obscure study participants' eyes/facial regions is not acceptable. If your manuscript includes information or images that could lead to the identification of a study participant, your Methods section must include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained to publish the information/images in an online open-access publication.

 

ORCID

The Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences (JOOS) encourages all authors and reviewers to register for an ORCID. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that differentiates you from others. By ensuring that your research is always associated with you for citations and usage statistics, an authenticated ORCID account allows you to sign in to Editorial Manager with a single step and enables you to switch between all journals where you are registered as an author, reviewer, and/or editor.

For more information on ORCID, please visit their website: http://orcid.org/

 

Contact Us

Editorial Office: 4th floor, BasirEye Health Research Center, # 3, Sheibani Alley, North Jamalzadeh Street, Tehran, Iran.

Postal Code: 1418643561

Tel: 098-21-66940404

Website: journals.sbmu.ac.ir/basir

Email: info.JOOS@behrc.ir