A Monograph Series Devoted To The Understanding Of Medicine, Mental Health, Mind, Man And Their Matrix
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Instructions to Authors
MSM : www.msmonographs.org Mens Sana Monographs ISSN 0973-1229 : E-ISSN 1998-4014
A Monograph Series Devoted To The Understanding Of Medicine, Mental Health, Man, And Their Matrix
Authors may send original unpublished* Monograph Manuscripts/Theme Papers/Musings/Prefaces/Reflections/Introductions/MSM Poems not submitted elsewhere for potential publication to The
Editors, Mens Sana Monographs,
14, Shiva Kripa,
Trimurty Road, Nahur,
Mulund (W),
Mumbai 400 080, Maharashtra, India.
Tel.: +91 022 25682740/ +91 022 25673897.
The Mens Sana Monographs (MSM) are meant to forward resolute foundational enquiry into all issues dealing with man and society with focus on mental health and medicine but not restricted to them. Issues dealing with health, science, philosophy, religion, culture, and their inter-relationship are very much the concern of MSM.
Monograph Manuscript
Outer limit for a Monograph Manuscript, including Preface, Abstract, Introduction, References and Questions Raised, is 67,500 words (approximately 150 pages). Pertinent references alone should be quoted. Tables, figures and elaborate statistics should be avoided unless absolutely necessary. MSM is a viewpoint forum based on evidence, not necessarily statistical. Hence reviews, overviews, position statements are welcome, but they should be of a fundamental-foundational nature, not just a compilation of views. (The word limit for a manuscript is relaxable in exceptional cases. Authors should verify this from the Editors before submission).
Conceptual analysis of evidential findings, and insightful analysis of epoch making writings of the past and present are welcome. Authors are advised to go through the Conceptual Foundations of the MSM at http://www.msmonographs.org/cf.asp and check a recent copy of a monograph (available on request in pdf format) to understand style and substance requirements.
Review and Electronic Submission
All manuscripts are subject to editorial and anonymous peer review. We encourage electronic submission in Word Format withVerdana 10 pt or Times New Roman 11 pt font size.
Principal Author, Corresponding Author and Co-Author/s
The Principal Author must clearly specify who are the Principal Author, Corresponding Author and Co-Authors in propersequence. The institutional affiliations of each must be clearly mentioned with the submission. All those who have not substantially contributed to the submission should not be included as coauthors. They maybe acknowledged at the end of the submission separately. All authors are required to reveal conflicts of interest, if any. It will be the responsibility of the Corresponding Author to obtain it from his co-authors.
Submissions, once made, may not be withdrawn after acceptance for publication by MSM. If submissions are withdrawn before acceptance, a valid reason needs to be given.
Informed Consent, Human and Animal Rights, and Conflict of Interest
MSM accepts the following from the URM of ICMJE:
Published Statement of Informed Consent
Patients have a right to privacy that should not be infringed without informed consent. Identifying information, including patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published. Authors should identify Individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for this assistance.
Identifying details should be omitted if they are not essential. Complete anonymity is difficult to achieve, however, and informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should provide assurance that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note.
The requirement for informed consent should be included in the journal's instructions for authors. When informed consent has been obtained it should be indicated in the published article.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") -- February 2006
Published Statement of Human and Animal Rights
When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (5). If doubt exists whether the research was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach, and demonstrate that the institutional review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study. When reporting experiments on animals, authors should be asked to indicate whether the institutional and national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") -- February 2006
Published Conflict-of-Interest Statement
Public trust in the peer review process and the credibility of published articles depend in part on how well conflict of interest is handled during writing, peer review, and editorial decision making. Conflict of interest exists when an author (or the author's institution), reviewer, or editor has financial or personal relationships that inappropriately influence (bias) his or her actions (such relationships are also known as dual commitments, competing interests, or competing loyalties). These relationships vary from those with negligible potential to those with great potential to influence judgment, and not all relationships represent true conflict of interest. The potential for conflict of interest can exist whether or not an individual believes that the relationship affects his or her scientific judgment. Financial relationships (such as employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony) are the most easily identifiable conflicts of interest and the most likely to undermine the credibility of the journal, the authors, and of science itself. However, conflicts can occur for other reasons, such as personal relationships, academic competition, and intellectual passion.
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ("Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals") -- February 2006
Keeping all the above in mind, authors must disclose conflicts of interest, if any, or mention clearly there is none. MSM expects authors to disclose, alongwith their submission, any commercial interest that poses, or can appear to pose, a conflict of interest. Consultancies, Grants, Stocks or Equity, Venture Capital investments, Employment and/or other association that may involve a conflict of interest must be disclosed with their submission.
All monographs containing patient data must be based on informed consent and must ensure full confidentiality.
When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.
Original/Published work
*MSM is meant to publish original work. MSM may occasionally accept publication of already published work provided it is in consonance with the philosophy of MSM, required permission of the original copyright owners is obtained, and the material is resubmitted according to MSM requirements.
Editors' Opinion and Publication
The opinions expressed by the authors may not necessarily coincide with those of the editors, but that is not necessary for acceptance for publication.
Acceptance of Submission
All manuscripts are subject to editorial and anonymous peer review. Acceptance, or otherwise, will be communicated within one month of receipt. On acceptance, the author/authors will be requested to submit a recent passport sized photograph to be printed along with their monograph/paper. Unused manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by return-post self-addressed envelope. Authors/ Contributors / Discussants may please send all correspondence by Registered Post/Speed-Post/Email only. Electronic submission is preferred.
Critical comments/ Readers Respond
These may kindly be forwarded to the Editors for incorporation in the next issue. They may ordinarily be not more than 1900 words (4 pages), with a maximum of 10 references. A brief biodata or CV, address for correspondence, email id and passport size photograph may preferably accompany them.
Themes Issues/Monographs
Outer limit and other details of Papers for Theme Issues will be informed on the MSM Website at http://www.msmonographs.org/callforpapers.asp , in issues of MSM, as well as other forums from time to time. They may ordinarily not be more than 4500 words, complete with an abstract (200 words maximum), introduction and concluding remarks (300 words maximum). Each paper for a Theme Monograph may contain not more than 30 references.
At MSM, we have been using the modified Harvard referencing system until now. Most biomedical Journals use the Vancouver system.
Both systems have their plus points and their drawbacks.
We have decided to modify our referencing system to incorporate the best of both.
We shall continue to have authors’ names with year in the text, but will add a number which matches that number in the Refr List alphabetically arranged at the end of the paper. Also, the individual citation in the Refr list will be modified to make it easy for PubMed to pick up and also for our webmaster to establish links at html pages of respective articles.
In a nutshell
1. As before we shall continue to have authors’ names in the text, but now will change to add numbers along with, like this (Walsh et al., 2010 [37]). [See example below]
2. These numbers must correspond to numbers in the Refr list at the end of the paper. [Also see example below]
3. Refr list should continue to be arranged in alphabetical order.
This style, let’s call it the MSM Style, incorporates the number and individual citation of the Vancouver System [both help in web referencing], while it incorporates the authors’ names/year in text and alphabetical order in Reference list from the Harvard System[helping in article/reference list browsing and critical/analytical study of text].
If you need any clarification, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Someday, hopefully, other journals may realise the usefulness of this change, and accept it for their journals.
The Mens Sana Monographs accepts The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)'s updated "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts (URM) Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" updated Oct 2008 [ www.icmje.org], except with regard to referencing, where it follows the Modified Harvard Style [see in References below]. Authors are requested to note that their submissions are in accordance with the Uniform Requirements mentioned above.
The Mens Sana Monographs also accepts the "Editorial Policy Statements Approved by the CSE Board of Directors” that covers the responsibilities and rights of editors of peer-reviewed journals [ http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/services/draft_approved.cfm]
The Mens Sana Monographs also accepts the "Editorial Policy Statements" of The Council of Science Editors (CSE) that covers the responsibilities and rights of editors of peer-reviewed journals. http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/services/draft_approved.cfm
Word Count, Font, Photograph and CV
Authors are encouraged to submit a word count with their submission. Submission should be in Word format, with Verdana 10 pt or Times New Roman 11 pt font size. MSM publishes a photograph of the contributing author with a brief CV (250 words for a monograph and 50-100 words for other contributions.) along with his/her contribution (optional).
Reprints/Off prints
All authors will receive 1 COPY of the Monograph containing their work free of charge. All discussants/commentators will receive 1 offprint free of charge.
Copyright
Copyright of material published rests with the Mens Sana Monographs. However, authors are permitted to disseminate their published work freely by post or electronic means, and to put it up on their personal/institutional web sites for the information and knowledge of their viewers and fellow researchers, with due acknowledgement of the original source of publication (MSM). Authors should contact and obtain permission from MSM if they intend publication of their work in any other form later. Such requests are ordinarily granted on due acknowledgement of publication in MSM.
Instructions to Authors
