Iranian Journal of Medical Microbiology

General format
Manuscripts should be prepared using MS Word (in .doc or .docx format). PDF submissions are not accepted. Manuscripts should be double-spaced, including text, tables, legends, and references.
Number each page and avoid footnotes; instead, use parentheses within the text. Use the Tab key once for paragraph indents, Times New Roman typeface for the text, and Symbols for Greek and special characters.

Main sections of the manuscript
Papers include the following sections:
  Title

• The title should represent the research and its content.
• It should differ from the title of the articles published before.
• It should not exceed 50 words.

 Abstract

• The abstract in original and review articles and short communications include:

  • Background and Objective
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

• The sections in case reports and case series include:

  • Background
  • Case presentation
  • Conclusion

• No abstract is required for other articles e.g. editorials, letters.

• The abstract should not exceed 250 words.

Introduction

• Present the main aims of the research.
• Mention the main reasons for doing the research.
• There is no need for a detailed review of the literature.
• References should be cited for the content.

Methods

• State the type of your study.
• Present the methods, tools, and procedures used in detail to allow other researchers to duplicate the results without the need to contact the authors.
• Describe the intervention and control groups, if relevant.
• Describe the statistical tests used.
• Give reasons for using specific statistical tests, if relevant.
• Mention statistical significance.

 IJMM follows the COPE guidelines; so, authors need to read and follow these guidelines to avoid research misconduct, including falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism. Authors may visit http://www.publicationethics.org to obtain more information.
In addition, the authors should confirm that their study complies with the Declaration of Helsinki, that the ethics committee has approved their research, and that they have sought written informed consent from the participants or their guardians.

Results

• Present the findings in the text, tables, or figures, and avoid presenting the same findings twice.
• Be precise and do not explain your findings here; keep such explanation for the discussion.
• Apply the metric system/SI units for presenting quantities and measurements.

Discussion

• State the original and significant characteristics here. Do not present the findings of the results section again.
• State the importance of the findings and how they are relevant to previous studies.
• Only present the conclusions which are backed up by the data.
• State the limitations and applications of your results.

Making your article discoverable
Attempts should be made to make the article more discoverable. Readers should be able to find your article through search engines by typing your keywords.

Word processing formats

We accept Microsoft Word format (DOC or .DOCX) rather than PDF files.

Artwork, figures, and other graphics
Figures

Only essential Figures should be included. They should not duplicate the data presented in tables or in the text. The manuscripts may have up to 8 figures and tables. More figures and tables are considered supplementary material for online access only. The quality of the figure should not be affected by being printed. Figures should be no larger than 125 (height) × 180 (width) mm (5 × 7 inches) and should be sent as separate files in TIFF format at a resolution of at least 300 pixels per inch and 1200 pixels per inch for black-and-white line drawings. PDF is not acceptable for figures and illustrations.

Videos

Authors can submit videos, graphics, and a slide presentation if relevant. They will be referred as with other materials. The anonymity of the patients should be maintained unless written permission has been provided.
The length of each video clip or computer graphic is limited to 40 MB. Up to 3 videos or graphics can be submitted, with a concise legend for each video in the manuscript. We accept videos compatible with Windows Media Player and submitted in MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 (.mpg) or QuickTime (.mov) format.

Tables

Tables should be sent in a separate file with a short title for each table. Tables should be cited in the text and numbered by Arabic numerals. If tables are adopted from previous works, mention the reference at the end of the table caption. Asterisks (*) for significance values and other statistical points are necessary under the table.

Figure and video legends

Each figure should have a short caption describing its content. Figure legends should begin with the term Fig. followed by the figure number, both in boldface (e.g., Fig. 1).
 

References should be arranged in order of citation in the text in the Vancouver style and numbered consecutively. The minimum number of references for an Original Research articles is 30, Care Reports and Short articls are 15, Short articl is 15. In text, tables, and legends, identify references with Arabic numerals in parentheses. References should include names of all authors (last name, first); title of article; title of journal (abbreviate according to the style of Index Medicus) or book; year of publication; volume number; location and name of publishing company (books only); first page and last page.

Note: List all authors and/or editors up to 6; for more than six authors the first six should be listed followed by 'et al.'

Examples:

Journals

1. Standard journal article

Less than six authors

1. Vega KJ, Pina l, Krevsky B.Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. Ann Intern Med 1996 Jun 1; 124 (11):980-3.

As an option, if a journal carries continuous pagination throughout a volume (as man y medical journals do) the month and issue number may be omitted.

More than six authors:

1. Parkin DM, Clayton D, Black RJ, Masuyer E, Friedl HP, Ivanov E, et al. Childhood leukaemia in Europe after Chernoblyl: 5year follow-up. Br J cancer 1996; 73:1006-12.

2. Organization as author

1. The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand clinical exercise stress testing. Safety and performance guidelines .Med J Aust 1996; 164:282-4.

3. No author given

1. Cancer in South Africa [editorial]. S Afr Med J 1994; 84:15.

4. Article not in English

1. Ryder TE, Haukeland EA, Solhaug JH. Bilateral infrapatellar seneruptur hostidligere frisk kvinne Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen1996; 116:41-2.

5. Volume with Supplement

1. Shen HM, Zhang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenicity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect 1994; 102 Suppl 1:275-82.

6. Issue with supplement

1. Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women's psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996; 23(1 Suppl 2):89-97.

7. Volume With part

1. Ozben T,Nacitarhan S, Tuncer N. Plasma and urine sialic acid in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Ann Clin Biochem 1995; 32(Pt 3):303-6.

8. Issue with part

1. Poole GH, Mills SM. One hundred consecutive cases of flap lacerations of the leg in ageing patients. N Z Med J 1994; 107(986 Pt 1):377-8.

9. Type of article indicated as needed

1. Enzensberger W, Fischer PA. Metronome in Parkinsons disease [letter]. Lancet 1996; 347:1337.

 Clement J, De Bock R. Hematological complications of hantavirus nephropathy (HVN) [abstract] .kidney lnt 1992; 42:1285.

Books and other Monographs

10. Personal author (s)

1. Ringsven MK,Bond D.Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.

11. Editor(S), compiler (s) as author

1. Norman lJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.

12. Organization as author and publisher institute of Medicine (US).

Looking at the future of the Medicail program. Washington: The institute; 1992

13. Chapter in a book

1. 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

14. Conference proceedings

1. Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th international Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.

15. Conference paper

1. Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Rienhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th world Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North –Holland: 1992. p. 1561-5

Other Published Material

16. Newspaper article

1. Lee G.Hospitalizations tied to ozone pollution: study estimates 50,000 admissions annually. The Washington Post 1996 Jun 21; Sect .A:3 (col.5).

17. Audiovisual material

1. HIV+/Aids: the factes and the future [videocas – sette]. St. Louis (M O): Mosby – year Book; 1995.

18. Legal material

Pubic law:

1. Preventive Health Amendments of 1993, Pub. L. No. 103- 183, 107 Stat .2226 (Dec. 14, 1993).

Unenacted bill:

 2. Medical records. Confidentiality Act of 1995, S.1360, 104^th Cong. 1st Sess. (1995).

19.In press

2. Leshner Al. Molecular mechanisms of cocaine addiction. N Engl J Med. In press 1996.

Electronic Material

20. Journal article in electronic format

Morss SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious diseases. Emerg Infect Dis [serial online] 1995 Jan-Mar [cited 1996 Jun 5]; 1(1):[24 screens]. Available from: URL: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm

21. Monograph in electronic format

CDI, clinical dermatology illustrated [monograph on CDROM]. Reeves JRT, Maibach H. CMEA Multimedia Group, producers. 2nd ed. Version 2.0. San Diego: CMEA; 1995.

22. Computer file

Hemodynamics lll: the upc and downs of hemodynamics [computer program]. Version 2.2. Orlando (FL): Computerized Educational Systems; 1993.

Tables, Figures and Illustrations

Figures and tables should be kept to a necessary minimum, no more than seven, and their information should not duplicated in the text. The position of figures and tables should be indicated in the manuscript.

Tables should be typed on separate sheets and be numbered (with Arabic numbers). Each table must include appropriate headings and Footnotes. Units of measurement must be clearly indicated.

Color images should be at least 300 DPI in JPEG, TIFF or BMP format. Illustrations should be designed to fit the journal page with a maximum plate size 254×203 mm, have an additional white border. Larger illustrations will be printed at the discretion of the Editor. Reduction or cropping may be necessary to conserve space. The best results can be obtained from original artwork and original photographs.

A short detailed legend (maximum, 60 words length) should be provided for each figure. Legends for the illustrations should be typed double spaced on a separate paper. Stains and magnifications should be specified for all photomicrographs. Color illustrations cannot be reproduced in color unless the cost is subsidized by the author. Authors will receive notice of the cost of color reproduction as soon as after acceptance as possible. The corresponding author must sign a written agreement to cover the estimated costs before production of color figures will be undertaken.
 

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) offers guidance to authors in its publication Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE Recommendations), which was formerly the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts. The recommended style for references is based on the National Information Standards Organization NISO Z39.29-2005 (R2010) Bibliographic References as adapted by the National Library of Medicine for its databases.