Editorial Process

A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to the Cross River Journal of Medicine only and not published anywhere, simultaneously submitted, or already accepted for publication elsewhere. The journal expects that authors would authorize one among them or a suitable representative as a correspondent for all matters related to their manuscript. Once chosen, the journal will deal only with such a person in all correspondences. All manuscripts received are duly acknowledged. On submission, editors review all submitted manuscripts initially. Manuscripts with insufficient originality, serious scientific or technical flaws or lack of a significant message are rejected. Writing unlikely to interest the Cross River Journal of Medicine readers is also liable to be rejected at this stage.

Manuscripts found suitable for publication are sent to at least two expert reviewers. Names of reviewers are to be provided at the time of submission.  This is, however, not mandatory. Reviewers should have experience in a related subject and not belong to the same institution as the author/s or contributor/s. Names of reviewers are to be provided at the time of manuscript submission. However, selecting these reviewers is at the editor's sole discretion. The journal follows a double-blind review system where reviewers are unaware of each other’s identities. Every manuscript is also assigned to an editorial team member, who, based on the comments, makes a final decision on the manuscript. The comments and suggestions (acceptance/ rejection/ amendments in manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the author/s. Where required, the author is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript. This process will continue until editors are satisfied with the manuscript.

Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy-edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format. Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author, who is expected to return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The entire process of a final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed online. To achieve faster and greater dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes ‘Ahead of Print’ immediately upon acceptance

Authorship

Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to each of the three components mentioned below:

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

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

3. Final approval of the version to be published.

Participation solely in the acquisition of funding, data collection, or the research group's general supervision can only be changed with does not justify authorship. Contributor/s should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the manuscript's content. The order should be based on the relative contribution of the contributor towards the study and writing of the manuscript. Once submitted, the order can only be changed with the contributors' approval through a signed memo.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest related to the publication of the manuscript or any affiliations with institutions or products that may influence the study's outcome. This includes disclosing conflicts with products that may compete with those mentioned in the manuscript.

Preparation of Manuscripts

All manuscripts must be written in English language and prepared in accordance with "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" as published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Poorly formatted manuscripts will be desk rejected. Articles should include the following sections in the outlined sequence:

1. Title page: This should include the title of the article, the first name, middle initial and surname of each author with institutional affiliations and addresses of each of the authors and the name, full address, e-mail and phone number of a designated corresponding author.

2. Keywords: 3-5 words MESH keywords should be provided for indexing and retrieval purposes (paste your title and abstract here https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/MeSHonDemand to generate MESH terms).

3. Running title: A comprehensive summary of the manuscript title not exceeding five words should be provided.

4. Abstract: This would be a structured abstract not exceeding 250 words.  Original research articles should contain the following sections:

a.      Background/Objective(s): This provides a brief background to the study, including its objectives.

b.      Methods/Subjects: Setting and Subjects or Materials and Methods: This section gives a broad description of the type of study, the site where the study was carried out and the participants/subjects/materials used in the study.  Interventions (if any): should also be included here.

c.      Results: This includes the main outcome measures and outlines the study's findings.

d.      Conclusion: This gives the study's main conclusions and major recommendations (if any).

5. Introduction
6. Subjects/Materials and methods
7. Results
8. Discussions
9. Conclusions
10. Acknowledgements: if any, should include material, financial or technical support that does not justify authorship. The nature of such support, if financial, should be specified.
11. References
12. Tables
13. Illustrations and Figures
14. Images (submitted as single files)

 **Please note that the abstract, references, tables, and images must be included in the manuscript document.

The organizational headings and subheadings used for review articles are at the author’s discretion.  Review articles must cover a thorough overview of the subject and incorporate the most current research and opinion on the topic. 

Case reports should provide a narrative abstract of not more than 100 words indicating the nature of the case and justifying its worthiness for a special report.  The body should include the following sections: Introduction, Case report, Discussion, References and Illustrations (if any). 

Only standard abbreviations are acceptable.  Any special abbreviations must be written out in full, followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis the first time.

In the case of a clinical trial, the registration number, the name of the registry and its URL must be indicated.

HOW TO BLIND YOUR MANUSCRIPT

To ensure manuscripts are adequately blinded for online submission, authors must follow the checklist below, which includes the following steps:

1. Title page and running header/footers: Remove author names and institutions.

2. Acknowledgments are not required and are best removed from blinded articles.

3. Remove author names, institutions, grant titles, and grant numbers throughout. Remove the research location throughout the paper. Use XXX instead.

4. Authors’ prior research: You can cite your previous research if unavoidable. Always cite yourself in the third person and avoid using pronouns such as “I,” “we,” or “our.” For example, “Smith and Black (2007) have demonstrated” – not “We have previously demonstrated (Smith & Black, 2007).”

5. Reply to the reviewer: When submitting a revision, upload a blinded memo that describes how the editor and referee comments were addressed.

Word count limits

1. Original research articles: 

Word count: 3,000 words (excluding abstract and references)

Abstract: Limit to 250 words

References: Limit to 50

Tables & Figures: Limit to 4

2. Review Articles:

Word count: 3000 words (excluding tables, references and abstract). 

Abstract: Limit to 250 words

References: Limit to 90

3. Case reports:

Word count: Not more than 1500 words (excluding references and unstructured abstract) 

Abstract: Limit to 100 words

References: Limit to 10 

4. Case Series article: 

More than four cases should be reported in a case series article. 

Word count: Limit to 1500 words (excluding references and unstructured abstract) 

References: Limit to 10 

5. Brief communication article:  

Word count: Not more than1500 words

References: Not more than 15

Tables/Figures: Not more than 2

6. Perspective:  

Word count: Not more than 2000 words 

References: Not more than five references.

Unstructured abstract.

7. Letter to the Editor:  

Word count: 600 words 

References: Not more than 5. 

No abstract.

8. Systematic review and Meta-analysis articles:

Word count: Not be more than 4000 words

References: Not more than 80 references

References

These must be numbered consecutively following the order of their first appearance in the text.  The references should be identified in the text table and figure legends in Arabic numerals in superscript (e.g. as noted in other studies ^1-5).  They should be inserted each time a reference is cited.  Published abstracts can be included in references, but unpublished observations and personal communications are not allowed.

References should be listed in the Vancouver style.

The following are sample references:

1. Journal article: Manzur A, Dominguez MA, Pujol M, Gonzalez MPM, Limon E, Hornero A, et al. Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections: an emerging threat in Spain. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2008; 14: 377–380.

List all authors, but where they are more than six, list the first six followed by et al.

2. Chapters in books: Otubu JAM. Anatomy of the pelvic organs. In: Akin Agboola, ed. Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Medical Students, Volume 1. Lagos, Heinemann Educational Books, 1988; 1-12
3. Books: Symonds E. M. Essential Obstetrics and Gynaecology. 1^st Edition.  Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 1987; 70-72.
4. Internet: Banta D. What is the efficacy/effectiveness of antenatal care? Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2003; (Health Evidence Network report; http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E829 96.pdf, accessed 30 December 2003).

Copies of any permission(s)

It is the responsibility of authors/ contributors to obtain permission to reproduce any copyrighted material. A copy of the permission obtained must accompany the manuscript.

Submission of Manuscripts

Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word format and submitted online at crjmed.com. Hard copies will not be received. Submit both a blinded and an unblinded version of the article. The blinded version should be the main article while the unblinded version should be submitted as an additional file. All submissions must be accompanied by all supporting materials (tables, graphs and images) and a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief. The cover letter should be on the first page of the unblinded article and must contain a full statement to the editor concerning the presentation of the manuscript in part (abstract) or as a whole in a meeting. The organization, place and exact date it was read must be clearly indicated. 

Rejection of Manuscripts

Submitted manuscripts that are not as per the “Authors Instructions” would be returned to the authors for technical correction and re-submission.

Anti-Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism includes duplicate publication of one's work, in whole or in part, without proper citation or mispresenting others’ ideas, words, and creative expression as one’s own. The Journal follows a strict anti-plagiarism policy. All manuscripts submitted to the Cross River Journal of Medicine undergoes plagiarism check with commercially available software. Based on the extent of plagiarism, authors may be asked to address any minor duplication or similarity with the previously published work. If plagiarism is detected after publication, the Journal will investigate. The journal will notify the authors’ institution and funding bodies if plagiarism is established and retract the article. 

Reporting guidelines

Reporting guidelines for specific study designs

The reporting guidelines for other types of studies can be found at https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/

Guideline for Reviewer Suggestions for Manuscripts

Authors are strongly encouraged to suggest up to three potential reviewers when submitting a manuscript. While this is optional, providing reviewer suggestions can help streamline the peer review process. Authors should adhere to the following guidelines when suggesting reviewers:

Publication fees

There are no page charges for submissions to the journal.  The Journal only collects a charge for accepted articles before publication.

Publication charge:

Nigeria: N50,000.00 (Fifty thousand Naira).

Fast-tracked: N100,000 (One hundred thousand Naira)

Outside Nigeria: USD 100.00 (One hundred US dollars).

Fast-tracked: USD 125.00 (One hundred and twenty-five US dollars)

CRJMED Final Submission Checklist

This checklist is designed to assist you in verifying that your submission follows the provided instructions. Please do not include it in your manuscript submission. ARTICLES THAT ARE NOT FORMATTED ACCORDING TO THESE GUIDELINES WILL BE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE DESK REJECTION.

• Manuscript Formatting: Compile the MAIN ARTICLE as a single, BLINDED document that MUST include the title, abstract, MESH keywords, references, tables, and images (where necessary).
• Manuscript File type: Only MS Word documents are accepted. Do not submit pdf files.
• Tables: Insert each table and its caption in the appropriate location within the manuscript.

Formatting Guidelines for Tables:

1.        One Value per Cell: Your table should contain only one value or data point per cell. Avoid combining multiple percentages, values, or data points into a single cell.

2.        Clear Cell Borders: All table cells should have clear, visible borders to distinguish each data point. Do not hide any table borders.

• Figures and Photographs: Create each figure and photograph in .jpg or .tif format and insert them in the appropriate sections of your manuscript, with captions provided separately.
• Reference Style: Adhere to the Vancouver superscript style for your references.
• Anonymity: To maintain anonymity, exclude all authors' names and identifying information from the main manuscript file.
• Title Page: Upload a separate title page with all author information.
• Running Title: Provide a running title for your manuscript.
• Abstract: Include a 250-word abstract, double-spaced on a separate page within the main manuscript file, and also submit it separately during the submission process.
• Keywords: Append 3-6 relevant MESH keywords at the end of your abstract.
• Introduction/Background: Provide a clear introduction/background section highlighting the study's necessity.
• Informed Consent: Describe the informed consent procedures for study participants in the Methods section.
• Statistical Analysis and Sample size estimation: Indicate the Type I error level (α) utilised for hypothesis testing (while α < 0.05 is customary, it is not mandatory). Detail the method for estimating sample size, including naming the specific formula and parameters applied without typing out the formula)
• Results: Present and statistically analyse each hypothesis clearly in the Results section.
• Discussion: Thoroughly discuss findings in the Discussion section, including study limitations and conclusions.
• Proofreading: Conduct multiple spell checks, grammar checks, and proofreading to eliminate typographical and spelling errors.
• Word Count: Adhere to the word count limits specified for your article type.
• Readability: Have your manuscript reviewed by a proficient, English speaker to ensure readability and clarity and that technical terms are defined within context.