Aim and scope:
The Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research (JCPR) is a quarterly publication owned by Physiotherapy Research Center of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and aims to publish of reporting current regional and international researches in the field of topics relevant to
The Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research welcomes contributions in these fields in the form of original research articles, case reports, letter to the editor, and review articles.
Peer-review process:
Submissions deemed suitable by the editors will be refereed by two reviewers within a maximum of six weeks according to specific research reporting guidelines. All authors should send their revised manuscripts within two weeks. Reviewers' and authors' identities are kept confidential. The existence of a submitted manuscript is not revealed to anyone other than the reviewers and editorial staff.
Submission process:
Title page and manuscript text file should be separately submitted online via the online submission system.
Manuscript preparation:
1- Summary (for busy authors)
Title page, including title of the article, authors' names, affiliations, and detailed information of corresponding authors; Phone and Fax number, Email, and Postal Address should be supplied and submitted as a separate file.
Manuscript text file should be prepared according to specific research reporting guidelines. In addition, declaration section including acknowledgment, funding, and authors' contribution, should be addressed at the end of the manuscript text in all types of the above-mentioned articles. All clinical trials should be registered in a registry of clinical trials approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). As an option, the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) is one of the suggested registries.
2- Details
The journal adheres to the recommendations of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The main manuscript should carry the title, abstract, main text, acknowledgment, funding, authors' contribution, references, figures, and tables of the paper. The preferred word processing format for the manuscript file is Microsoft Word version 2003 or newer. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, with 2.5 cm margins on all sides. All abbreviations must be spelled out the first time used, followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses. Units of measurement must be complied with the International System of Units (SI). For indexing, three to five key words should be typed at the end of the abstract for each manuscript. These words should be identical to the medical subject headings (MeSH)that appear in the Index Medicus of the National Library of Medicine.
Observational Studies
Cohort, case control, and cross-sectional studies should be arranged based on Strengthening the Reporting of Observational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement and checklist as: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables, and Figures. A structured abstract (with the subheadings title, introduction, methods, results, and conclusion) should appear on the first page of the manuscript and should not exceed 350 words , 3-5 keywords and the main text (excluding the abstract and references) should not exceed 3500 words. Maximum 4 tables and 4 figures are allowed. 15-40 references should be stated for observational studies.
Clinical Trials
Original research papers that report a randomized controlled trial, should comply with the guidelines provided by the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) group. In addition, supplying the manuscript with a CONSORT flowchart diagram is highly encouraged. Researchers who would like to publish their clinical trial reports in The Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research are strongly encouraged to register their studies in a registry of clinical trials, which meets the criteria of WHO or ICMJE. As an option, the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) is a registry suggested by WHO.
Reviews
Review articles should be composed of systematic critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. They should have unstructured abstracts. All articles and data sources should include information about the specific types of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and tests or outcomes. Authors of review articles should be expert and have contributions in the field of the addressed subject. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses on clinical trials and observational studies should be prepared based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) and Meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology (MOOSE), respectively.
Case Reports
Case reports should be arranged in accordance with Consensus-based Clinical Case Reporting (CARE) as follows: Abstract (unstructured, not exceeding 200 words), Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, References, and Figures. The length should not exceed 1000 words. Maximum 1 table, 3 figures and 5-10 references should be stated. Case reports should optimally be accompanied by relevant figures to document findings.
Brief Reports
Original research papers can also be published in a brief format. Submitted papers that are of interest but not acceptable as a full-length original/research article, are offered by the editor to be published in this section. The authors can also primarily submit their papers for consideration of publication in this section. An unstructured abstract no longer than 200 words is required for this section. The body of the manuscript should not exceed 2000 words, and no heading or subheading should be used. The number of tables and/or figures should be limited to 2 and references to a maximum of 15.
Letters to the Editor
All correspondence will be considered for publication if it contains constructive criticism on previously published articles in The Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research (JCPR). Letters discussing articles published in the JCPR should be submitted at most within 4 months after the publication of the main article. Letter will undergo peer review and will be edited for clarity. Up to 5 references and less than 750 words should be stated.
Declarations:
Authorship
Based on the ICJME recommendations "all those designated as authors should meet all four criteria for authorship, and all who meet the four criteria should be identified as authors. Those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged". Author contribution should be stated in the declaration section. All authors should be accountable for all sections of the manuscript and declare that it is written originally and there is no data fabrication; data falsification including deceptive manipulation of images and plagiarism.
Any change in authorship (i.e. order, addition, and deletion of authors) after initial submission must be approved by all authors via written confirmation, in line with COPE guidelines. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that all authors confirm they agree with the proposed changes. If there is disagreement amongst the authors concerning authorship and a satisfactory agreement cannot be reached, the authors must contact their institution(s) for a resolution. It is not the journal editor’s responsibility to resolve authorship disputes. A change in authorship after publication of an article can only be amended via publication of an Erratum.
Funding and Support
All funding sources supporting the work must be declared in the declaration section at the end of the manuscript. Whole affiliations with or financial involvement in any organization on entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matters or materials of the research discussed (examples: employment, consultancies, stock ownership or other equity interest, patent-licensing arrangements) should be cited as conflict of interest at the end of manuscript text file.
Conflict of Interest
Authors are expected to disclose any commercial associations or sources of support that might pose a conflict of interest regarding the submitted article.
Data Availability
Author(s) should guarantee that data of the study are available and will be provided if anyone needs them.
References:
Our reference style requirements are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals by the ICMJE. The references should be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. In the text, tables, and legends, identify references using the style of Vancouver.
Note: List all authors when they are six or fewer; when they are seven or more, list the first three, followed by “et alâ€
Samples:
- Articles in journals
Ahmad MA, Hamid MS, Yusof A. Effects of low-level and high-intensity laser therapy as adjunctive to rehabilitation exercise on pain, stiffness and function in knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Physiotherapy. 2021 Mar 26.
- Articles in journals with more than six authors
Andrade GN, Rodrigues T, Takada JY, Braga LM, et al. Prolonged heart rate recovery time after 6-minute walk test is an independent risk factor for cardiac events in heart failure: a prospective cohort study. Physiotherapy. 2021 Mar 22.
- Article In press
Lewis FJ, Stewart HC, Roddam H. Effects of exercise interventions on physical function, mobility, frailty status and strength in the pre-frail population: a review of the evidence base for practice. European Journal of Physiotherapy. [In press].
- Article In other language
Fatahian, H., Rahnam, N. Effects of 12 Weeks of Selected Injury Prevention Training on Ankle Intrinsic Risk Factors in Professional Male Soccer Players. The Scientific Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 2020; 9(3): 205-216. [Persian].
- Books and other monographs
Brukner P. Brukner & Khan's clinical sports medicine. North Ryde: McGraw-Hill; 2012.
Figures and tables:
Figures and tables should be created/scanned then saved and submitted as either a TIFF or JPEG file. Line art must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi (dots per inch). All scanned images including electronic photographs/radiographs, CT scans, etc., must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. If fonts are used in the artwork, they must be converted to paths or outlines, or they must be embedded in the files. All figure legends should be typed on a separate page. Each table with its legend must be typed double-spaced on a separate page at the end of the manuscript.
Responsibility and ethical requirements:
All authors must have significantly contributed to the research. Based on Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the authors are not allowed to utilize verbatim text of previously published papers or manuscripts submitted elsewhere (Plagiarism). If a manuscript contains any previous published image or text, it is the responsibility of the author to obtain authorization from copyright holders. The author is required to obtain and submit the written original permission letters for all copyrighted material used in his/her manuscripts.
All data in the article must be real and authentic. Falsification (omitting or altering research materials, data, or processes so that the results of the research are no longer accurately reflected) and Fabrication (inventing data or results and reporting them in the research) are both fraudulent and seriously alter the integrity of research. Therefore, articles must be written based on original data and use of falsified or fabricated data is strongly prohibited.
Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research retains the right to reject any manuscript on the basis of unethical conduct of either human or animal studies.
1) If human subjects are used then they have to be registered with the Clinical Trials.gov or Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials website (www.irct.ir) or the related country and ethical committee of the research center or University where the study was carried out.
2) Research with human subjects should be conducted in full accordance with ethical principles, including the WMA Declaration of Helsinki-Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects (2008)http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html3) The submitted manuscripts must transparently state this in their methods and materials including a statement outlining whether the study has been independently reviewed and approved by an ethical board.
4) Moreover, where human subjects are used, the informed consent explaining the nature of the procedure and possible discomforts and risks should be obtained from all patients who participated in the experimental investigation and subjects should be able to freely reject participation.
5) If animals are used, a statement protocol approval by the institutional animal care and use committee must be included. Methods section must clearly show that adequate measures were taken to minimize pain and/or distress, for example the administration of local anesthetics or general anesthesia. Experiments should be carried out in accordance with the European Communities Council Directive of 24 November 1986 (86/609/EEC) and in accordance with local laws and regulations governed within that country or with the guidelines laid down by the National Institute of Health (NIH) in the USA regarding the care and use of animals for experimental procedures.
Editorial Independence:
The editor in chief makes the final decision regarding publication or rejection of the submitted articles without interference of its owner (The Journal of Clinical Physiotherapy Research of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences) or economic interests.
Publication fee:
Article submission and processing in this journal are free. However, following acceptance, an Article Processing Charge should be paid.
Peer review helps editors select suitable manuscripts, however, the editor makes the final decision regarding all the content. Decisions may be made by issues unrelated to the quality of a manuscript, such as suitability for the journal. The editor can reject any article at any time before publication, including after acceptance if concerns arise about the integrity of the work.
Manuscripts selected for peer review will be refereed by two reviewers during six weeks according to specific research reporting guidelines for different study designs; including CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and STARD for studies of diagnostic accuracy. Authors better send their revised manuscripts within 2 weeks and if the revised version is not uploaded within 2 months, the submission will be archived.
- Reviewers' and authors' identities are kept confidential.
- The existence of a submitted manuscript is not revealed to anyone other than the reviewers and editorial staff.
- Reviewers are required to keep manuscripts and their information confidential.
- They must not use knowledge of the manuscript before its publication for their personal interests.
- The reviewers' comments should be constructive, honest, and polite.
- Reviewers should declare their conflicts of interest and decline review if a conflict exists. Knowing the author(s) must not affect their comments and decision.