Author Guidelines

                              AFRICAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH SCIENCES AND MEDICINE

                                                   Author Guidelines

                          Instructions for preparing and submitting manuscripts

                                       Published by Dilla University, Ethiopia

The Editorial Board should confirm all policies, timelines, fees, licensing terms and submission arrangements before publication.

1. About the journal

The African Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine (AJHSM) publishes scholarly work in public health, clinical medicine and biomedical sciences. Topics include epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, nutrition, reproductive and maternal health, child health, health services, health policy, laboratory sciences, pharmacy and related fields. The journal seeks work that is methodologically sound, ethically conducted and relevant to health practice, policy or research.

2. Article types

• Original research articles: maximum 8,000 words, including tables, figures and references, with no more than eight tables and/or figures.
• Review articles: maximum 10,000 words. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow PRISMA guidance where applicable.
• Short communications or policy briefs: maximum 3,500 words and no more than three tables and/or figures.
• Case reports, case series, methodological articles, clinical trial reports, commentaries and other article types may be considered when they fit the journal’s scope. Authors should contact the Editorial Office if the required format is not specified.

3. Originality and exclusive submission

Submit only work that is original and not under consideration by another journal. Prior dissemination as an abstract, thesis or conference presentation should be disclosed in the cover letter. A conference paper submitted as a journal article should contain meaningful additional work and cite the earlier version. Translated or previously published material requires full disclosure and written permission from the original publisher where applicable.

4. Authorship and author contributions

All listed authors should have made a meaningful scholarly contribution, approve the submitted version and agree to be accountable for their contribution and the integrity of the work. The corresponding author confirms that all authors approve submission and that the author order is agreed. Provide an author-contribution statement. Changes to authorship after submission require a written explanation and approval from all authors, including anyone being added or removed.

5. Ethics, consent and research integrity

• Human-participant research must state the name of the ethics committee or review board, approval or reference number, and approval date where available. Explain how informed consent was obtained or waived.
• Animal research must identify the approving body and relevant animal-care standards.
• Clinical trials should be registered in a recognized public registry. Include the registry name and registration number in the manuscript and abstract. Submit the protocol or protocol registration details where relevant.
• For case reports or identifiable images, obtain written consent for publication from the patient or authorized representative.
• Report funding sources, the role of funders, and any financial or non-financial competing interests. If none exist, state this explicitly.
• Do not fabricate, falsify, manipulate or selectively omit data. Plagiarism, duplicate publication, inappropriate image manipulation and undisclosed text recycling are grounds for rejection or post-publication action.
• Authors should disclose use of generative AI tools where such tools contributed to writing, analysis, image generation or other parts of the work. AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain responsible for accuracy, originality, citations and confidentiality.

6. Reporting standards and data transparency

Use the reporting guideline appropriate to the study design, such as CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies, COREQ for qualitative research, and CARE for case reports. Include a data availability statement describing whether the data are publicly available, available on reasonable request, restricted for ethical or legal reasons, or not applicable. The Editorial Office may request underlying data, analysis code, protocols or other materials to assess the work.

7. Manuscript preparation

7.1 File format and layout

• Submit editable Microsoft Word files. Use A4 paper, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial, double line spacing, page numbers and clear section headings.
• Use American English consistently. Define abbreviations at first use and avoid unnecessary abbreviations. Use generic drug names.
• Use a separate title page and anonymized main manuscript to support double-blind peer review.
• Place tables and figures near their first mention in the manuscript or upload them as separate high-quality files if the submission system requires it.
• Ensure the anonymized manuscript contains no author names, affiliations, acknowledgements or identifying file metadata.

7.2 Title page

• Full article title, preferably no more than 20 words.
• Running title, preferably no more than 10 words.
• Full names and institutional affiliations of all authors, with affiliations linked to authors by superscript numbers where needed.
• Corresponding author’s email and full mailing address.
• ORCID iDs where available.
• Author-contribution statement, acknowledgements, funding, competing interests and any other declarations required by the journal.

7.3 Abstract and keywords

Provide a structured abstract of no more than 300 words. For original research, use Background, Methods, Results and Conclusions. Include the setting, study period, participants, key measurements and principal findings as relevant. Do not include references in the abstract. List five to eight keywords or phrases. Include clinical-trial registration details where applicable.

7.4 Main text

• Introduction: summarize the context, evidence gap, rationale and study objective or hypothesis.
• Methods: describe the design, setting, study period, participants, sampling, variables, data collection, analysis and ethics approval in enough detail to support assessment and reproducibility.
• Results: present findings clearly and in the order of the objectives. Avoid repeating all table or figure data in the text.
• Discussion: summarize the main findings, compare them with relevant evidence, explain implications, acknowledge limitations and state a balanced conclusion.
• Use subheadings where helpful. Avoid more than three levels of headings.

8. Tables, figures and supplementary files

• Number tables and figures consecutively in the order cited. Give each a concise, informative title or legend.
• Define abbreviations and explain relevant statistical measures in table footnotes or figure legends.
• Do not present the same information repeatedly in text, tables and figures.
• Submit figures at publication quality, preferably at least 300 dpi for raster images. Provide permission for reproduced material and acknowledge the original source.
• Label supplementary files clearly and cite them in the main text.

9. References

AJHSM follows Vancouver referencing. Number references consecutively in the order they first appear in the text. Ensure every in-text citation has a matching reference-list entry and vice versa. Use standard journal abbreviations where available. List all authors when there are six or fewer. For more than six authors, list the first three followed by et al., in line with the journal’s current reference style. Do not include unpublished data or personal communications in the reference list.

10. Submission checklist

• Cover letter explaining the relevance of the manuscript and confirming originality and exclusive submission.
• Title page with complete author and contact information.
• Anonymized main manuscript with abstract, keywords, main text, references and tables/figures.
• Ethics approval and consent statements, as applicable.
• Funding, competing-interest, author-contribution and data-availability statements.
• Trial registration details and relevant reporting checklist, where applicable.
• Permissions for copyrighted material and consent for identifiable images, where applicable.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the submitted version.

11. Peer review and editorial decisions

AJHSM uses double-blind peer review. Manuscripts first undergo an editorial screening for scope, quality, completeness, ethics and reporting. Suitable submissions are normally sent to at least two independent reviewers; the journal’s existing editorial guideline specifies a target of three reviewers. Possible decisions include accept, minor revision, major revision, reject and resubmit, or reject. The final decision rests with the editors, who consider the substance of the reviews and the manuscript’s contribution.

12. Revisions and proofs

• Submit a clean revised manuscript, a version showing changes, and a point-by-point response to every editor and reviewer comment.
• Explain respectfully when a suggestion has not been followed and provide a reason.
• At proof stage, check names, affiliations, tables, figures, references and typographical errors. Proof corrections should normally be returned within 48 hours of receipt, consistent with the journal’s existing guideline.
• Proofs are for correcting production errors. Substantive changes require editorial approval.

13. Copyright, access and publication charges

The journal’s current copyright, reuse, open-access and publication-charge policies should be consulted on the journal website or confirmed by the Editorial Office before submission. Authors should not assume a particular licence or fee status unless it is explicitly stated in the current policy. On acceptance, authors will be asked to complete the journal’s applicable publication and rights forms.

14. Post-publication corrections and concerns

Authors should promptly inform the Editorial Office of errors discovered after publication. The journal may publish corrections, expressions of concern or retractions when justified by the evidence and in accordance with its publication-ethics procedures.

15. Submission and contact

Submit manuscripts through the submission route specified on the official AJHSM website. If the online platform or instructions are unavailable, contact the Editorial Office using the current contact details listed on the journal website: https://journal.du.edu.et/index.php/ajhsm

Policy references for authors

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals: https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/
• EQUATOR Network, reporting guidelines: https://www.equator-network.org/
• PRISMA, systematic review reporting: https://www.prisma-statement.org/
• CONSORT, randomized trial reporting: https://www.consort-statement.org/
• STROBE, observational study reporting: https://www.strobe-statement.org/