Author Guidelines

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Author Guidelines

English manuscripts may be submitted via the Submission form. The Editor and Publisher reserve the right to make literary corrections for the sake of clarity. A letter of transmittal signed by each author must accompany all manuscripts clearly stating that the manuscript is not concurrently under consideration for publication in any other journal, and all the named authors were involved in the work leading to eventual publication of paper, and that all the named authors have read and confirmed the contents of the manuscript prior to submission. Assignment Authorship Responsibilities

The corresponding author is advised to keep a backup copy of the electronic file for reference and safety.

 Manuscript Preparation

Contributors should prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. For information, visit: Vancouver Protocol

 General Items

• Manuscript should be prepared in English text.


• Pages must be numbered consecutively.


• The manuscript should be typed in double-spaced format on A4 page size or 8.5x11-inch bond paper, with 30 mm margins.


• References must be double-spaced as well.


• Indent or space paragraphs.


• Arrange your manuscript in the following order: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, Figures, Captions.

  
Title Page

• Title: The first letter of each word in the title must be capitalized e.g. Effect of Intracanal Posts on Diagnostic Accuracy of Cone Beam Computed Tomography.


• Do not use abbreviated words in the title, only known items including enzymes are ok to be used.


• Authors (first name, middle initial, surname) e.g. ¹Kazem Mehrdad


• Authors’ Affiliations: Full names of the department(s) and institution(s) where the work was carried out along with  the city, state and country e.g. Dept. of Periodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.


• Short Title (Maximum 70 characters)


• Corresponding Author details (essential): Name, complete address, phone, ORCID and E-mail address
  
  Abstract
  • Structured format with the following subheadings: Objective(s), Methods, Results, Conclusion


• Abstract must be 250 words or less.


• Keywords: 3 to 8 keywords according to MeSH. Capitalize the first letter of each word, separate by “,”.


• Abstract needs to be comprehensive and easily readable independent from the main text.

  Text

No nonstandard abbreviations, terms or symbols are accepted in presented manuscripts. Abbreviations need to be at their minimum; However if necessary, should be spelled out at first mention. Standard metric units (mm, cm, ml, l, mg, g, msec, sec, min, hr, etc.) are accepted for use.

 Introduction
Introduction must be written in a structured format and cover the following subjects, without mentioning the actual subheadings:

• Summarized statements regarding the significance of the understudy topic.


• The existing knowledge about the issue (with reference).


• Last paragraph of the Introduction must state the objectives of the study and its relevance to dentistry, where not obvious.

  Methods

• The procedures performed and the analytical techniques used must be thoroughly described.


• Only references to published methods are acceptable.


• Mention how did you collect the sample size by providing the power of study or referencing to previous works (with reference)


• Include at least general composition details and batch numbers for all materials.


• Testing medications are to mentioned in their generic format name.


• Mention the manufacturer’s company name, city and country in parenthesis for all commercial products e.g.: Filtek Z250 composite (3M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA); or light curing unit (Kerr, Orange, USA)


• Mention the statistical package (statistical tests, details of randomization, blinded observations, numbers of observations made and those dropped out in addition to the level of significance).

  Results
• Use appropriate tables and figures according to the study design and its nature with limits of 4, each.

• Do not make subjective comments.


• No reference to previous literature is allowed in the Results section.


• Mention the exact P values for significant differences; specify P>0.05 for non-significant ones.


• Do not present the data in several formats such as tables and graphs while already there in text, but do emphasize or summarize important trends or observations.

• The P-value should be reported in one of the following forms:

1. P-values less than 0.001 should be written as p<0.001.


2. P-values between 0.001 and 0.01 should be written as p<0.01.


3. P-values between 0.01 and 0.05 should be written as p<0.05.


4. P-values greater than 0.05 should be expressed completely with three decimal places, such as p=0.425.

• Mean values, standard deviations, standard errors, confidence intervals should be reported with two decimal places and percentages should be reported with only one decimal place.


• Name of statistical methods should be written briefly at the end of the “materials and methods” of the abstract and completely at the end of the “materials and methods” of the body of the article.In addition, the statistical tests mentioned in these two parts should be the same.


• The titles should be written at the top of the tables and at the bottom of the charts and figures.


• Tables should not have vertical or diagonal lines, and horizontal lines should be used only for headers.


• If multiple regression models are used, the method of entering the variables into the regression equation should be specified. In linear regressions, the values of unstandardized coefficients, their standard errors, standardized coefficients, the test statistic of the coefficients and the corresponding p-values should be expressed. In non-linear regression, such as logistic, unstandardized coefficients, standard errors, odds ratios (OR), 95% confidence interval for odds ratios, coefficient test statistic, and corresponding p-values should be reported.


• If analysis of variance methods are used, the type of this method should be completely explained.


• The statistical software and its version should be completely written.


• The findings related to the mentioned statistical methods should be seen in the result section.


• The statistical methods should match with the study design.


• Justification for sample size should be completely explained.Type I and II errors, statistical test power, effect size, the reference from which the parameters were extracted should be carefully mentioned.The method of determining the sample size should be related to the main purpose of the study.

     Discussion

• Explain and interpret your obtained results (collected data).


• Discuss the implications of your results.


• Mention limitations of your study.


• Compare your data with those of previously published studies including those pro and those against the present results.


• Provide suggestions for future investigations in the same line.

Conclusion 

• Must NOT copy Results or Discussion.


• Must briefly state inference, significance, or consequences in one or two lines.

Acknowledgement: (if included)

• Personal or institutional contributions are to be added including financial and material support. Any technical help, critical review, data collection, and participation in clinical trial), grant’s number from such organization. Example: "This study was part of a post-graduate thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the M.S. degree in Shahid Beheshti University, School of Dentistry." Or "This study was financially supported by a grant from Shahid Beheshti University, School of Dentistry".

 Conflicts of interest

Authors must acknowledge and declare any sources of funding and potential conflicting interest, such as receiving funds or fees by, or holding stocks and shares in, an organization that may profit or lose through publication of your paper. Declaring a competing interest will not lead to automatic rejection of the paper, but we would like to be made aware of it.

The Conflict of Interest statement should list each author separately by name:

Kazem Mehrdad has received research grants from Drug Company A.

If all authors declare no conflict, this can be done in one phrase: “None Declared

 References
• References must be ordered with a sequence of Arabic numerals: Cite references in text in numerical order and in parenthesis as superscript numbers e.g. ⁽²⁵⁾. When listing references, follow the uniform requirements style (the Vancouver style for more information, visit:

Vancouver Protocol. 

• All references must be listed at the end of the paper, without indents.


• Name the first six authors followed by et al, if there are more than six authors.


• Limit referencing to books (maximum of three).


• Papers accepted but not yet published can be included in the reference list, but papers in preparation, unpublished observations, and personal communication should be noted in parentheses in the text.


• You can also reference to a website and provide the website address in the reference list. For example:

Journal article

1- Fujimura K, Kobayashi S, Suzuki T, Segami N. Histologic evaluation of temporoma-ndibular arthritis induced by mild mechanical loading in rabbits. J Oral Pathol Med 2005; 34: 1157-1163.

Book chapter

2- Blomberg S. Psychologic response. In: Branemark PI, Zarb GA, Albrektesson T. Tissue Intergrated Prosthesis. Chicago: Quintessence Int 1985; Chap9: 199-209.

Entire book

3- Hicky JC, Zarb GA, Bolender CL. Boucher’s prosthodontic treatment for edentulous patients. 9^th Ed. St Louis: The C.V. Mosby Co. 1985; Chap 15: 313-323.

Internet

4- Morse SS. Factors in a emergence of infectious diseases. Emerg Infec Dis [Serial Online] 1995 Jan-Mar [Cited 1996 Jun 5]; 1(1): [24Screens] Available At: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm

Tables and Figures: All tables and figures must be discussed in the text of the manuscript.

Tables

• One table per page, each with a title.


• Number tables in order of mention in the text using Latin numerals.


• When appropriate, standard deviations of values should be indicated in parentheses; (do NOT use notation).


• Results of statistical analysis must be included (Authors can use superscript letters to indicate significant differences).


• Abbreviations in tables need to be addressed in their footnotes. Use symbols for explanatory footnotes (e.g.*, #, **).

Figures

• Do not import figures into the text file but, instead, indicate their approximate locations directly in the electronic text. Images must be in the format of GIF or JPG.


• Detailed description should be provided for each legend, and not on the actual figures.


• Figures grouped together should have similar dimensions and be labeled "a, b, c", etc.


• Place magnification markers directly on the micrographs.


• Authors should consider that the majority of figures will be reduced to the width of a single column (approximately 80 mm). Preferably figures should exactly match.


• Authors can indicate if they feel a figure should be full page width.


• Figures that have been used from another published source, permission is required and acknowledge from the original source in the legend.

Graphs

• Unique, concise axis labels; do not repeat the Figure caption.


• Uniform size for graphs of similar type.


• Type size that will be easily read when the graph is reduced to one column width.


• Lines must be thick and solid (100% black).

  Captions to tables and figures

• List together on a separate page.


• Should be understandable apart from the text.


• Include key for symbols or abbreviations used in Figures.

 Illustrations

Radiographs, CT scans, ECGs, graphs, etc. should be professionally designed. Do not send artwork, or slides. Glossy photographs are requested. Computer-generated line art is acceptable only as an original work. The back of each illustration should have the following information: figure number, title of manuscript, and correct orientation (i.e. top). Complete anonymity of patients is recommended. Please mask the eyes in photographs of patients.

Manuscript preparation for other types of articles

Original Articles:

These include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic test, outcome studies, and cost-effectiveness analyses. It is critical to keep the text of original articles limited to maximum 4500 words (excluding Abstract, References and Tables).

Review Articles:

Accurately discuss the sequence of development of a particular topic. It should be brief but complete and provide documentation by references.

They are written by experts on the subject and in this line the corresponding author of the review article needs to have at least three articles presented in Reference section. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis are in priority for acceptance provided that they follow the PRISMA (http://www.prisma-statement.org/) and MOOSE guidelines (http://www.consort-statement.org). Review articles also include an abstract of no more than 300 words, main text of 2000-3000 words excluding a maximum of 90 references, and up to 6 tables and/or figures (altogether 5500-6000 words).

 Short Communications:

Short communications are brief research works of new findings, with less than 2500 words from introduction through references. The Short Communication should have Abstract, main body including Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion; Acknowledgement, References, Tables and Figures (maximum 3000 words).

 Clinical Report:

It should be maximally 4-5 pages accompanied by no more than 5 illustrations.

• Describe the significance of the case


• Make appropriate reference to other treatment methods and provide a rational explanation for the chosen method.


• Include a brief summery.

  Case Reports:

Case reports are accepted as long as they present an exceptional case and carry an interest for readers. The case report consists of Abstract (unstructured), Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, Acknowledgements, and References. Case reports must not be more than 1,000 words, 15 references and acceptable number of tables and/or figures (Not more than 2500 words).

 Letters to the Editor:

Letters may be of two categories, commenting either on recently published original research articles or reporting cases. The former must be received within 2 months of publication of the article to which they refer and should be less than 500 words. The latter should contain no more than 1000 words altogether including up to 10 references and 2 figures and/or tables.

 The Technical Procedure

• Mention the objective of the technique.


• Describe the procedure


• Make appropriate references to alternate techniques.


• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the technique presented


• Explain the technique in a step-by-step manner.

 Other

Potential guest editorials are invited by the Editorial Board.

Ethical Guidelines and Considerations

The Journal of Dental School policy regarding suspected scientific misconduct including plagiarism fabricated data, falsification, and redundancy is based on the guidelines on good publication practice of the "Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)". The complete guidelines appear on COPE website: http://www.publicationethics.org.uk .

Ethical considerations must be addressed in the Materials and Methods section.

1) Please state that informed consent was obtained from all human adult participants and from the parents or legal guardians of minors. Include the name of the appropriate institutional review board that approved the project.

2) Indicate in the text that the maintenance and care of experimental animals complied with National Institutes of Health guidelines for the humane use of laboratory animals, or those of your Institute or agency.

For studies on human subjects the following should be included:

Randomized Controlled Trial Registry

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol, assignment of interventions (allocation to groups), and the method of blinding, based on the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org). Authors should provide the registration number at the end of the abstract and in the Materials and Methods part of the text. Registration in one of the following trial registers is accepted:

http://www.actr.org.au/

http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/

http://isrctn.org/

http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp

http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr

http://www.irct.ir/

Approval by the Ethical Committee of the university/research center is required. All procedures could also be presented in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000”. Also, include that “informed consent was obtained from all patients for participation in the study”.

If any identifying information about patients is included in the article, the following sentence should be added as well:

“Additional informed consent was obtained from all patients for whom identifying information is included in this article”.

For studies on animals the following sentence should be included:

“All institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals were followed”.

For articles that do not contain studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors:

While it is not absolutely necessary, we recommend including the following sentence, just to make sure that readers are aware that there are no ethical issues with human or animal subjects:

“This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors”.

Misconducts

JDS is a follow COPE in its Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors. Plagiarism of text from a previously published manuscript by the same or another author is a serious publication offence. Small part of text can be used, if the source of the material quoted is clearly acknowledged and the text is inserted in quotation. If there is an allegation of plagiarism, scientific misconduct or fraud, JDS will follow the recommendations of the COPE and ICMJE. JDS will put the author(s) in its blacklist and will not accept any other submission from that author(s) for at least 2 years. The Journal reserves the right to report the allegations to the author’s institution or any other agency.

Open Access Policy

This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public.

Page charges

There are no charges for publication in this Journal.

Peer review process

Journal of Dental School is a peer-reviewed journal. All manuscripts are considered confidential. They are peer-reviewed by at least 3 anonymous reviewers selected by the Editorial Board. The corresponding author will be notified of the editor’s decision regarding acceptance or rejection of the manuscript or requiring modifications. An accepted manuscript is scheduled for publication in the next upcoming issue.

Complaints and Appeals

The “Journal of Dental School” responds promptly to complaints and ensures there is a way for dissatisfied complainants to take complaints further by sending an email to editor-in-chief of the journal. We follow the COPE's guidelines and flowcharts for handling  complaints against the journal, its staff, editorial board or publisher.

Editorial Independence

Although the "Journal of Dental School" is sponsored financially by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, it benefits from editorial freedom. The editors evaluate and accept articles based only on significance, originality, validity, and adherence to the aims and scope of the Journal.

Our editorial policy is consistent with the principles of editorial independence presented by the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

Authorship

According to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, released by the ICMJE, an “Author” is generally considered to be someone who simultaneously meets the following conditions 1, 2, 3, and 4.

1-Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

2-Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND

3-Final approval of the version to be published; AND

4-Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

General notes on text

• Abbreviations and acronyms: Terms and names to be referred to in the form of abbreviations or acronyms must be spelled out in their first use either in the Abstract or the body of the manuscript.


• ONLY abbreviate terms that are going to be used for 3 times or more in the text.
  • Use S.I. units (International System of Units). If non-SI units must be quoted, the SI equivalent must immediately follow in parentheses.


• Use correct symbols i.e. g, mL, etc.

General Policy

• Receipt of manuscripts will be acknowledged.


• After initial review, authors will be notified of status.


• Every effort is made to obtain timely reviews.

On acceptance, authors will be required to sign a transfer of copyright agreement. If figures, tables, or other excerpts, are included from copyrighted works the author is responsible for obtaining written permission from the copyright holder prior to submitting the final version of the paper. Full credit must be given to such sources.

Proofs

Authors will receive a galley proof in order to enable the author to check the product before publication. Proofs are sent by e-mail in PDF format expecting response in one week. In case the Journal does not receive any reply, the manuscript is counted as approved, with no changes. It is the sole responsibility of the authors to check the accuracy and soundness of the text and data in the page proofs. Attention should be paid to names and affiliations with no chance to add any authors or large sentences to the article.

Privacy Statement

The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

Advertising Policy 

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