AUTHOR GUIDELINES 

Dear Authors, 

Kindly Submit article only Once and do not repeat the submission process while submitting revised article. 

General instructions

1. Article should be submitted through online manuscript processing system only.  High resolution images can be uploaded separately.
2. The journal accommodates a maximum of 4 authors. Additional authors may be incorporated on request to editor-in chief by the corresponding author
3. Article should be prepared in standard A 4 page, typed in Times new roman with font of size 12, spacing at 1.5 in between lines and border at 1 inch on all four sides.
4. Abstract should be formatted under background, materials & methods, results and principle conclusion. Keywords should be limited to 6 and placed in alphabetical order.
5. The text of articles reporting original research is expected to be divided into Abstract, Keyword, Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion sections. This so called “IMRAD” structure is not an arbitrary publication format but a reflection of the process of scientific discovery. Authors may often use subheadings within these sections to further organize their content.
6. Other types of articles like case reports, narrative reviews, short communications and letter to editor will require different formats, which are less structured.
7. Word Count for Review and Original articles are to be 2500 and 3000 words respectively and that of Case report and Case series being 1500 and 2000 words respectively; excluding abstract, references and table text.
8. References should be used logically and repetition avoided. References in the text should be superscripted without any bracket  after punctuation marks e.g.¹
9. High Standard English language is not an essential criteria for an article to be accepted. But the language used must be clear and unambiguous for acceptance. Poor presentation and language is a justifiable reason for rejection of the article.
10. Authors are requested to place the figures and tables at the end of the article (after references).
11. All the Sanskrit words should be in italics with its first letter in capitals, except the names of ‘Acharya’ and the word ‘Ayurveda’.
12. English translation of Sanskrit words at the first instance in the manuscript is mandatory.

Step-wise guidelines for preparing manuscript:

The journal follows the recommendations of ICMJE for preparation of the manuscripts. The authors are requested to prepare the manuscript after going through the guidelines properly.

The following are the requirements for reporting within sections of all study designs and manuscript formats.

a. Title Page/first page 

General information about an article and its authors is presented in the title page of the manuscript and it should include the article title, author's complete information, any disclaimers, sources of support, word count, and conflict of interest declaration.

Article title. The title should provide a refined description of the complete article. It should be such that the information along with the Abstract will make electronic retrieval of the article sensitive and specific. Unnecessary prefix and suffix should not be added to the title. A short running title preferred by the authors should also be provided. 

Author information: Each author's highest academic degrees should be listed followed by the name of the department(s) and institution(s) or organizations where the work is to be attributed. Corresponding author should provide full contact information, including email address and telephone/ mobile numbers.

Disclaimers: A disclaimer is an author's statement that the views expressed in the submitted article are his or her own and not an official position of the institution or funding personnel.

Source(s) of support: These include grants, equipment, drugs, and/or other support that facilitated to conduct the work described in the article or writing of the article itself.

Word count: A word count of the text of the manuscript, excluding its abstract, acknowledgments, tables, figures, legends, and references should be mentioned. A separate word count of the Abstract should also be mentioned.

Conflicts of Interest declaration: Conflict of interests of each author needs to be a part of the title page.

b. Abstract

Original research, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses require structured abstracts. The abstract should provide the context or background for the study and should state the purpose of the study, basic procedures (selection of study participants, settings, measurements and analytical methods), major findings (giving specific effect sizes and their statistical and clinical significance, if possible), and principal conclusions. It should emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations, note important limitations, and not over interpret findings. As abstracts are the only substantive portion of the article indexed in many electronic databases, and the only portion many readers read, authors need to ensure that they accurately try to reflect the content of the article. An abstract should be composed with an maximum of 250 words.

c. Introduction

Provide the context or background of the study (that is, the nature of the problem and its significance). State the specific purpose or research objective of, or hypothesis tested by, the study or observation. Cite only direct and relevant references, and do not include data or conclusions of the present work.

d. Methods

Methods are the core of the study. This section should clearly explain about how and why a study was done in a particular way. This section should be sufficiently detailed such that others with an access to the data would be able to reproduce the results. In general, this section should include only information that was available at the time the plan or protocol of the study was being written. If an organization was paid or otherwise contracted to help to conduct the research (examples include data collection and management), it should be mentioned in the methods.

Original article should provide ethical clearance reference number.

Clearly describe the selection of observational or experimental participants (healthy individuals or patients, including controls), including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population.

Specify the main and secondary objectives of the study–usually identified as primary and secondary outcomes. Identify methods, equipment (give the manufacturer's name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow others to reproduce the results.

Describe new or substantially modified methods, give the reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations.

Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including appropriate scientific names and gene names of herbal drugs, dose(s), and route(s) of administration.

Mention the statistical test(s) used during analysis of the observations and results. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify the statistical software package(s) and versions used.

e. Results

All information obtained during the study belongs to the section of Results. Present the results in logical sequence in the text, tables, and figures, providing the main or most important findings first. Do not repeat all the data in the tables or figures in the text; Emphasize or summarize only the most important observations. Provide data on all primary and secondary outcomes identified in the section of Methods.

f. Discussion

Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that are drawn from it in the context of the totality of the best available [Company] evidence. Do not repeat the data or any other information given in other parts of the manuscript, such as in the Introduction or the Results section. For experimental studies, it is useful to begin the discussion by briefly summarizing the main findings, then exploring the possible mechanisms or explanations of those findings, compare and contrast the results with other relevant studies, state the limitations of the study, and explore the implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice.

Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not adequately supported by any data. In particular, distinguish between clinical and statistical significance, and avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless the manuscript includes any appropriate economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority or alluding to work that has not been completed. State new hypotheses when warranted, but label them clearly.

g. Referencing method followed by the Journal

The journal follows Vancouver style of referencing. Authors are requested to follow the same while preparing their manuscript.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by numbered references following the text.

Guidelines:

The method of citing references are different for journal, books and internet sources. Hence authors are requested to provide the reference as cited below.

Journal reference 

• Authors (use et al. after 6 authors, if there are more than six authors, complete names should not be written. “et al” must be in italics)
• Article title (should be exact as existing)
• Journal name (should be in standard PubMed abbreviations, full journal name should not be written)
• Year
• Volume
• Issue
• Page numbers (to be written as 445-47)

References of journals should be as 

E.g. 1. Skalsky K, Yahav D, Bishara J, Pitlik S, Leibovici L, Paul M. Treatment of human brucellosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 2008 Mar 29;336(7646):701-4.

Book reference 

• Authors (use et al. after 6 authors, if there are more than six authors, complete names should not be written. “et al” must be in italics)
• Title of the Book
• Name of the Chapter
• Editor of the Book
• Edition
• Place of publication
• Publisher name
• Year
• Chapter number (Only if Quoting from specific chapter of a book)
• Page number (Only if Quoting from specific chapter of a book 

References of books should be as follows,

E.g. Ayurveda Samhita reference quoting 

With commentary 

Sushruta, Dalhana, Sushrutasamhita, Nibandhasangraha Commentary, Visarpanadisthanarogachikitsaadhyaya, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 17, Verse 29-33,  edited by Vaidya Jadavji Trikamji Acharya, 9th ed. Varanasi: Chaukambha Orientalia; 2008, p. 468

Without commentary 

Sushruta, Sushrutasamhita, Visarpanadisthanarogachikitsaadhyaya, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 17, Verse 29-33, edited by Vaidya Jadavji Trikamji Acharya, 9th ed. Varanasi: Chaukambha Orientalia; 2008, p. 468 

While quoting the opinion of an editor of the Samhita

Jadavji T., editor. Sushrutasamhita, Visarpanadisthanarogachikitsaadhyaya, Chikitsa Sthana, Chapter 17, Verse 29-33, 9th ed. Varanasi: Chaukambha Orientalia; 2008, p. 468

For using the same reference more than once but different Shloka/ Page number

The journal follows a special format for quoting the same reference more than once but with different Shloka/ Page number, then authors are instructed to follow the below pattern

Ibdiem Sushrutasamhita (Mention the Reference number of Sussrutasamhita used at the first instance), 17/34-35;469

Modern Text books quoting 

1. Cheers B, Darracott R, Lonne B. Social care practice in rural communities. Sydney: The Federation Press; 2007.

2. Speroff L, Fritz MA. Clinical gynaecologic endocrinology and infertility. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2005. Chapter 29, Endometriosis; p.1103-33. (only if quoting from specific chapter ) 

Internet Reference

• Name of the author
• Title of the work
• Name of the website/webpage
• Source of data (Website/ Webpage/ Online Books/ Research Papers/ Reports/online journal article)
• Year 
• Last accessed/updated/cited date
• Available from: mention the URL of the site

References of online dictionaries should be as 

E.g. 1. Stedman’s medical dictionary. [Internet]. 26th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1995. Apraxia; p.119 -20. [Cited 2009 Nov 11]. Available from: http://www.stedmans.com 

Thesis Reference

• Author
• Thesis title [type of thesis]
• Place of publication
• Publisher
• Year

E.g. 1. Srihari S. An Applied Study on enhancement of Medha (intelligence Quotient) in School going Children with Yashtimadhu Choorna [PhD thesis]. Jamanagar: Gujarat Ayurved University; 2012

h. Abbreviations and Symbols

Use only standard abbreviations as nonstandard abbreviations can be confusing to the readers. Avoid abbreviations in the title of the manuscript. Spell out abbreviations for the first instance unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement.

Guidelines for Writing Articles 

1. CARE Checklist for writing Case Reports 

2. CONSORT guidelines for reporting RCT 

3. STROBE Checklist for Cross Sectional Studies 

Publication Charges: 35$ for Indian Authors and 50$ for International Authors 

JRTM Publication Fee Waiver Policy for SAARC Countries

The Journal of Research in Traditional Medicine (JRTM), is committed to promoting research in traditional medicine on a global scale. Recognizing the financial limitations faced by some researchers,particularly those from developing nations, JRTM offers publication fee waivers to corresponding authors from SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries.

Eligibility:

• Corresponding author must be affiliated with a recognised research institution or university within a SAARC member country (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka).
• The research topic must be relevant to traditional medicine practices within the SAARC region.
• Authors are encouraged, but not required, to be members of a recognized traditional medicine association in their respective SAARC country.

Benefits:

• Full or partial waiver: JRTM, at its discretion, may offer a full or partial waiver of the article processing charges (APCs) for accepted manuscripts.
• Expedited review: Manuscripts submitted by eligible SAARC authors will receive priority consideration for review, ensuring a faster publication timeline.
• Global recognition: Publication in JRTM provides authors with an international platform to disseminate their research findings and gain recognition from the global traditional medicine community.

Application Process:

• Authors from SAARC countries are encouraged to indicate their affiliation and request the fee waiver during the online submission process through ejmanager.
• Supporting documentation, such as a letter from the corresponding author's institution confirming their SAARC affiliation, might be required.
• The JRTM editorial team will review the waiver request alongside the manuscript for quality and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

Additional Information:

• Specific details regarding the waiver policy, including the application process and waiver amounts, will be available on the JRTM website and editorial guidelines.
• Authors are recommended to consult the latest information before submitting their manuscript.

JRTM's publication fee waiver program aims to bridge the financial gap for researchers in SAARC countries and foster a more inclusive research environment in the field of traditional medicine. By making JRTM a more accessible platform for SAARC researchers, the journal contributes to the advancement of traditional medicine knowledge and its integration into mainstream healthcare on a global scale.

Last updated on 10/07/2024