Guidelines to Referees for Malawi Medical Journal
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We would like MMJ to be an attractive, interesting journal. When reviewing a paper, please have the following questions in mind:
- Are the content of the paper and the standard of writing suitable for MMJ?
- Which of the following formats would best suit the submitted manuscript?Should the authors be advised to alter the document into another format?
The journal will include articles of the following kinds:- (a) Editorial“ an overview of a topic or theme. Should be about 400-600 words, can include both fact and reflection.
- В (b) Research Paper “ a report of research work done. Should have relevance to Malawi. Should include a structured Abstract (≤ 300 words), Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The total length should not exceed 3500 words. Objectives must be clearly stated, statistical methods must be appropriate, and conclusions must be justifiable.
- В (c) Short Report. 400-800 words. A concise report of a research study, without summary, giving information as succinctly as possible. Maximum of two tables/figs in total; five references.
- (d) Case Report “В 1000 words. Same requirements as (c).
- (e) Viewpoint “В 200-800 words. This allows personal views or reflections that will not necessarily be shared by all. Must be interesting or entertainingly written.
- (f) Special Communication “ These manuscripts describe an important issue in clinical medicine, public health, or medical research in a scholarly, thorough, well-referenced, systematic or evidence-based manner. Recommended length: up to 3000 words (not including tables, figures, or references).
- (g) Letter to Editor “В 50-500 words.В When you referee a paper, you may wish to recommend that the authors should change it into a different format. A common example is the long research paper that would be better compressed into a Short Report, or even into a Letter to Editor.
- Is the paper of some relevance to Malawi, and does it contain material either of interest or of value to a Malawi readership?
We are generally not keen on papers entirely originating from elsewhere, unless of particular relevance in Malawi or otherwise of striking general interest. Most papers should have a bearing on the understanding or practice of health care or health education in Malawi.
If you are unable to submit your review at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mmj, please check the Reviewers™ ScholarOne guide on https://mchelp.manuscriptcentral.com/gethelpnow/training/reviewer/.