•  
•  

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Instructions for Authors

Contents

• Who Can Submit?
• Authorship Criteria
• General Submission Rules
  • Article Types
  • Reporting Guidelines
  • Additional Mandatory Uploads
  • Formatting Requirements
• Language Editing Services
• Rights for Authors and Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Who Can Submit?

Anyone may submit an article (see Article Types) to be considered for publication in Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy provided he or she owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is authorized by the copyright owner or owners to submit the article. Authors are the initial owners of the copyrights to their works (an exception in the non-academic world to this might exist if the authors have, as a condition of employment, agreed to transfer copyright to their employer).

Authorship Criteria

The journal adheres to the ICMJE criteria for authorship, which is as follows:

The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
• Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; AND
• Final approval of the version to be published; AND
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The details of this criteria are available here: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html#two

General Submission Rules

Submitted articles cannot have been previously published, nor be forthcoming in an archival journal or book (print or electronic). Please note: "publication" in a working-paper series does not constitute prior publication. In addition, by submitting article to Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, the author is stipulating that all material related to article is not currently under review at another journal (electronic or print) and that he or she will not submit the material to another journal (electronic or print) until the completion of the editorial decision process at Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy. If you have concerns about the submission terms for Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, please contact the editors.

Every article will be published along with a received/accepted date.

All manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with "Uniform requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals" developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (May 2022). The uniform requirements and specific requirement of Indian Journal of Research in Homeopathy are summarized below.

Article Types

1. Original Articles

These are the original, substantiated and unpublished research articles in all aspects of basic and applied research in homoeopathy, including randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, outcome studies, cost effectiveness analyses, case-control series, and surveys with high response rate. The original articles have various sections with the headings: Abstract, Key-words, Introduction, Material and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References, Tables and Figure legends. The text of original articles may be up to 4000 words (word limit excludes Abstract, references and Tables). Abstract should be structured, within 250 words, and with 5 headings: Background, Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusion.

Some of the areas of focus reported under original research include clinical research, basic research, public health research using homoeopathic medicines and drug research including drug standardization, drug proving, clinical verification studies on drugs prepared according to homoeopathic pharmaceutical methods etc.

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on the basis of the CONSORT Statement.

The Reporting guidelines for each study type are given below. Authors should also refer to appropriate extensions pertaining to homoeopathy for reporting their studies.

• Randomised trials: “Reporting data on homeopathic treatments (RedHot): A supplement to CONSORT”.
• Reporting experiments in homeopathic basic research (REHBaR) – a detailed guideline for authors

2. Review Article

A paper which comprehensively sums up the current state of research on a particular topic falls under this article type. It collates all empirical evidence that fits pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a specific research question. These include Meta-analysis/Systematic Reviews/Scoping review- which should include: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Conflict of Interest, Acknowledgements and References. Reviews shall have a maximum length of 10,000 words, inclusive of title, abstract, tables, figures, and references list. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must be reported according to following PRISMA guidelines, as available at http://www.prisma-statement.org/.

• PRISMA for reporting of systematic reviews/Meta-analysis
• PRISMA-P for reporting of systematic review and meta-analysis protocols
• PRISMA-ScR for reporting of scoping reviews
• MOOSE for reporting of meta-analyses of observational studies

3. and 4. Case Report/Case Series

We invite you to report practice-based evidence in the form of case reports, which reflect on clinical research. Authors may report new, interesting, and rare cases; clinical successes with homoeopathic treatment in difficult diseases or diseases of public health importance; unexpected or unusual presentations of a disease; diseases presenting with a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge; clinical presentations, diagnoses and/or management of new and emerging diseases; unexpected course in disease course while under treatment; findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease. It is expected that all reported cases are reported with appropriate supporting evidence and should provide a learning experience for the readers. Authors may refer to CARE guidelines and more specific HOM CASE guidelines to report the cases and ensure completeness, without which the article may not be accepted. For causal attribution, MONARCH criteria is to be used. Word Limit: Up to 1500 words (excluding Abstract and references); Abstract:Structured abstract with Word limit of 250 words, with 2 headings: Introduction and case summary; Headings: Abstract, Key-words, Introduction, Case report, Discussion, Reference, Tables and Legends in that order; References: Up to 15 references permitted.

Important Points:

• A case report may be authored by up to four authors only.
• A case report must be submitted after seeking informed consent from the patient and maintaining anonymity

5. Perspectives

This article type includes debates, commentary and other discussion topics.“Debates” are brief provocative accounts that provide differing perspectives on a single shared issue or topic of discussion. Their focus may be similar to that of editorials and viewpoints, but these are generally shorter pieces that make one or two salient points. The editors will decide whether a given article, if accepted for publication, is designated ‘Debate’ or ‘Commentary’. Debate article can be an argument from an area of subject based on research practices and ethical concerns. The content should reflect a polite approach from an author to argue without creating damage to reputation of the referred individual or organization. The viewpoint should address pros and cons on the subject issue with factual statements and proper evidence. Title:Up to 30 words; Unstructured Abstract:up to 200 words; Main Text word count: 1200-3000; Keywords: 3 to 5; Maximum references: 5-10; Tables/Figures: Up to 2

6. Short Communication

The journal invites Short Communications for rapid dissemination of significant findings which do not warrant a full-length paper. The examples of short communication include preliminary results that are original and of high interest, time sensitive,concerning a particular aspect of a problem, a new finding expected to have a significant impact on the relevant scientific community etc. All short communications are peer-reviewed. The length maybe restricted to 2500 words, 8- 10 references, no more than 2 figures/tables. There should be an unstructured, unreferenced abstract of 150 words and a single section in main text which combines Methods, Results and Discussion, Conclusion, followed by references and consent.

7. Letter to Editor (LTE)

A letter to editor is a form of response or brief communication to a journal’s editor written on any article published in the journal or any other topic of interest to the readers. LTE are invited to encourage intellectual discussion between readers and authors, thereby enhancing scientific knowledge.

A LTE must be relevant and purposeful with constructive criticism or opinions about a specific manuscript like original article, case report or case series published in this journal. It can highlight concerns about methodology or quality, any additional information or findings, clarification about any aspect of the article. The LTE should be of maximum 1,000 words and can include up to 10 references and normally do not include table or figure. There should be proper citation to the original article and the issue or concern raised properly described. The text flow should have introduction, key points, conclusion and suggestions. Any disrespectful, obscene, rude comments should be strictly avoided. The writing should be courteous, specific and based on scientific evidence.

The Editor-in-chief shall have the discretion to publish the Letters and may edit for clarity or length.

8. Response to Letter to Editor

The reply letters are provided with the original letter to editor under the heading of ‘Reply’. As per Editor-in-chief’s discretion, the Letter to editor may be sent to authors of original article who will provide a response to be co-published with the letter. The response may be limited to 500 words.

The following Article types are also published in this journal, but solely as invited articles:

9. Book Review

10. Conference Report

11. Research Highlights

12. Obituary

Reporting Guidelines

Authors must refer to one of the following reporting guidelines as per the study design, also available at https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/

Formatting Requirements

Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy adheres to the Manuscript Preparation Guidelines. Although we can provide limited technical support, it is ultimately the responsibility of the author to produce an electronic version of the article as a Microsoft Word, WordPerfect or RTF file that can be converted to a PDF file.

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy
This document provides details on typesetting and layout requirements pertaining to manuscript submission to Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy.

Conflicts of Interest (CoI)/ Competing Interests

By submitting to this journal, all authors state no conflicts of interest/competing interests they may have with publication of the manuscript or an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented, unless disclosed otherwise in the manuscript. Authors should also disclose conflict of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript. A Conflict of Interest Form will be required to be filled up by each author during submission.

Additional mandatory uploads

• First Page file (Template attached)
• Conflict of Interest Form

Formatting Requirements

• Do not include a title page or abstract. (Begin the document with the introduction; a title page, including the abstract, will be added to your paper by the editors.)
• Do not include page numbers, headers, or footers. These will be added by the editors.
• Write your article in English.
• Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Only Word/RTF files (.doc or .docx) are accepted).
• Page size should be 8.5 x 11-inches; (22 x 28cm).
• All margins (left, right, top and bottom) should be 1.5 inches (3.8 cm), including your tables and figures.
• Single space your text.
• Insert line numbers in the manuscript.
• Use a single column layout with both left and right margins justified.

• Font:

  1. Body—12 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available

  2. Footnotes—10 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available

• If figures are included, use high-resolution figures, preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).
• When possible, there should be no pages where more than a quarter of the page is empty space.
• Identity of authors should not be revealed in paper (i.e. article file) except first page file (e.g. name of the institute/study site in materials and methods, citing previous study as ‘our study’, names on figure labels, name of institute, physician in investigation reports, Acknowledgement, Funders’ information etc. The study setting etc. to be replaced with the phrase: "hidden for review process". All this information should be given under First Page File. Once review is over, the editors will convey to the authors for replacing this phrase with original text.
• Abbreviations spelt out in full for the first time in the article.
• Numerals from 1 to 10 spelt out. Numerals at the beginning of the sentence spelt out.
• Homoeopathy medicines names spellings and abbreviations should be as per Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India (HPI) or any other standard pharmacopoeia when the medicine is not mentioned in HPI. Homoeopathy names must be mentioned in italics, in full at first appearance and abbreviated subsequently. Click here to view Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia of India [HPI].
• Mention potencies uniformly as 6C, 30C, 1M, 3X, 6X, etc.

Note: The authors must strictly adhere to the timelines provided for revision. If there is no response from the authors for 60 days after the due date, the article will be automatically rejected.

Additional Recommendations

Indenting, Line Spacing, and Justification

Indent all paragraphs except those following a section heading. An indent should be at least 2 em-spaces.

Do not insert extra space between paragraphs of text with the exception of long quotations, theorems, propositions, special remarks, etc. These should be set off from the surrounding text by additional space above and below.

All text should be left-aligned as far as possible.

Language & Grammar

All submissions must be in English. Except for common foreign words and phrases, the use of foreign words and phrases should be avoided. If used, the foreign terms should be set in italics rather than underlined.

Article should be written in standard English grammar. In case of assistance related to language, authors may like to visit Language Editing Services.

Colored Text

Set the font color to black for the majority of the text. We encourage authors to take advantage of the ability to use color in the production of figures, maps, etc., however, you need to appreciate that this will cause some of your readers problems when they print the document on a black & white printer. For this reason, you are advised to avoid the use of colors in situations where their translation to black and white would render the material illegible or incomprehensible.

Please ensure that there are no colored mark-ups or comments in the final version, unless they are meant to be part of the final text. (You may need to "accept all changes" in track changes or set your document to "normal" in final markup.)

Font Faces

Except, possibly, where special symbols are needed, use Times or the closest comparable font available. If you desire a second font, for instance for headings, use a sans serif font (e.g., Arial or Computer Modern Sans Serif).

Font Size

The captions should be set in ALL CAPS, 14 PT. FONT.

The main body of text should be set in 12pt.

Headings

Headings (e.g., start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their font size. Use the same font face for all headings and indicate the hierarchy by reducing the font size. There should be space above and below headings.

Main Text

The font for the main body of text must be black and, if at all possible, in Times or closest comparable font available.

Use of Italics

Whenever possible, homoeopathy remedy names, botanical or zoological nomenclature of species, etc., titles of books, movies, etc., should be set in italics rather than underlined.

Footnotes

Footnotes should appear at the bottom of the page on which they are referenced rather than at the end of the paper. Footnotes should be in 10 pt. Times or closest comparable font available, they should be single spaced, and there should be a footnote separator rule (line). Footnote numbers or symbols in the text must follow, rather than precede, punctuation. Excessively long footnotes are probably better handled in an appendix. All footnotes should be left and right-justified (i.e., flush with the right margin), unless this creates awkward spacing. Authors may note that Footnotes do not include References, which should come at the end of the document.

Tables and Figures

To the extent possible, tables and figures should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text. Large tables or figures should be put on pages by themselves. Avoid the use of overly small type in tables. In no case should tables or figures be in a separate document or file. All tables and figures must fit within 1.5" margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) in both portrait and landscape view. The editors reserve the right to request original tables, figures, and other images separately at any time. Please be sure to include the version date in the filename of your supplemental file(s) when uploading (e.g. dataset_1_jan_2022.txt), as well as when uploading any revision to supplemental content.

• No repetition of data should be there in tables/graphs and in text.
• Figure legends should be provided (not more than 40 words)
• Figures and Tables must be cited in the text.
• Credit note/acknowledgement for figures and tables borrowed/reproduced from another source should be provided.

Mathematics

Roman letters used in mathematical expressions as variables should be italicized. Roman letters used as part of multi-letter function names should not be italicized. Whenever possible, subscripts and superscripts should be a smaller font size than the main text.

Short mathematical expressions should be typed inline. Longer expressions should appear as display math. Also expressions using many different levels (e.g., such as the fractions) should be set as display math. Important definitions or concepts can also be set off as display math.

Equations should be numbered sequentially. Whether equation numbers are on the right or left is the choice of the author(s). However, you are expected to be consistent in this.

Symbols and notation in unusual fonts should be avoided. This will not only enhance the clarity of the manuscript, but it will also help insure that it displays correctly on the reader's screen and prints correctly on her printer. When proofing your document under PDF pay particular attention to the rendering of the mathematics, especially symbols and notation drawn from other than standard fonts.

References

The journal mandatorily follows ICMJE Guidelines for references. This link provides the details of the same. http://www.icmje.org or http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html.

A few examples for references are shared below:

• Journal article, up to 6 personal author(s):

Pannek J, Pannek‑Rademacher S, Jus M, Jus M. Usefulness of classical homoeopathy for the prevention of urinary tract infections in patients with neurogenic bladder dysfunction: A case series. Indian J Res Homoeopath 2014;8:31.

• Journal article, more than 6 personal author(s):

Nayak C, Singh V, Singh K, Singh H, Chakraborty PS, Kaushik S, et al. Clinical Research: A prospective multicentre observational study to evaluate the role of homeopathic therapy with a group of predefined homoeopathic medicines in the management of gastroenteritis. Indian J Res Homoeopath 2008;2:28‑35.

• Volume with supplement

Buxton M. Assessing the cost-effectiveness of homeopathic medicines: are the problems different from other health technologies? British Homoeopathic journal 2000;89, Supple 1: S20-S22.

• Electronic journal article:

Mahesh S, Denisova T, Gerasimova L, Pakhmutova N, Mallappa M, Vithoulkas G. Multimorbidity After Surgical Menopause Treated with Individualized Classical Homeopathy: A Case Report. Clin Med Insights Case Rep. 2020 Oct 19;13:1179547620965560. doi: 10.1177/1179547620965560. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1179547620965560?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

• Book, personal author(s):
Allen HC. Keynote and Characteristics with Comparisons of Some of the Leading Remedies of the Materia Medica with Bowel Nosode. New Delhi: B Jain Publishers (Pvt) Ltd; 2002.
• Book or pamphlet, organization as both author and publisher:

Central Council for Research in Homeopathy. Clinical Research Studies‑Series III. New Delhi: Central Council for Research in Homeopathy; 2010.

• Book, editor(s):

Coker R, Rifat Atun MM, editors. Health Systems and the Challenge of Communicable Diseases. Experiences from Europe and Lain America. MC Graw Hill. UK: Open University Press; 2008.

• Book,editor(s), specific chapter with individual author(s):

Central Council for Research in Homeopathy. Acute respiratory infections. In: Clinical Research Studies‑Series III. New Delhi: Central Council for Research in Homeopathy; 2010. p. 1‑9.

• Electronic book, organization as author, freely available:

European Central Council of Homeopaths. Nosodes in Homeopathy Practice: An ECCH Survey; 2008.[Internet] Europe: ECCH; 2008.[cited 2020 May 28] Available from:https://www.aeha-buendnis.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Nosodes-in-homeopathy-practice-ECCH-survey-July-2008.pdf.

• Webpage
European Central Council of Homeopaths. Nosodes in Homeopathy Practice: An ECCH Survey; 2008.[Internet] Europe: ECCH; 2008. Available from:https://www.aeha-buendnis.de/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Nosodes-in-homeopathy-practice-ECCH-survey-July-2008.pdf.
• Part of Website

European Coalition on Homeopathic and Anthroposophic Medicinal Products (ECHAMP). Nosodes. [about 1 screen]. [updated 2020 Nov 30 ; cited 2021 June 10] ]Available from: https://echamp.eu/our-sector/practice-and-evidence/products/nosodes.

• Entry in an online reference work:

Title of encyclopedia [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; year. Title of article; [updated YYYY Mon DD; cited YYYY Mon DD]; [# of pages/screens]. Available from: URL

• Electronic newspaper article:

Akpan N. Why a Coronavirus Vaccine could Take Way Longer than A Year. News Report by National Geographic. [Internet]. 2020 April 25 [cited 2020 April 28];Life:[about 2 screens].Available from: https:// www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/why-coronavirus‑vaccine‑could‑take‑way‑longer‑than‑a‑year/.

• Streaming video:

Manchanda RK. Management of rare diseases with homoeopathy [MP4]. New Delhi: CCRH; 2018 Feb 21 [viewed on 2021 June 10]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgAhYr2RX8g.

Language Editing Services

The authors may utilise Elsevier's Webshop for language editing services. Please note that this service is a paid one, and is optional for the authors. The publishers of this journal have no direct or indirect association, financial or otherwise, with the said service provider.

Rights for Authors and Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

Rights for Authors and Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy

As further described in our submission agreement (the Submission Agreement), in consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy all copyright in the article, subject to the expansive personal--use exceptions described below.

Attribution and Usage Policies

Reproduction, posting, transmission or other distribution or use of the article or any material therein, in any medium as permitted by a personal-use exemption or by written agreement of Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy, requires credit to Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy as copyright holder (e.g., Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy © 2021).

Personal-use Exceptions

The following uses are always permitted to the author(s) and do not require further permission from Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy provided the author does not alter the format or content of the articles, including the copyright notification:

• Storage and back-up of the article on the author's computer(s) and digital media (e.g., diskettes, back-up servers, Zip disks, etc.), provided that the article stored on these computers and media is not readily accessible by persons other than the author(s);
• Posting of the article on the author(s) personal website, provided that the website is non-commercial;
• Posting of the article on the internet as part of a non-commercial open access institutional repository or other non-commercial open access publication site affiliated with the author(s)'s place of employment (e.g., a Phrenology professor at the University of Southern North Dakota can have her article appear in the University of Southern North Dakota's Department of Phrenology online publication series); and
• Posting of the article on a non-commercial course website for a course being taught by the author at the university or college employing the author.

People seeking an exception, or who have questions about use, should contact the editors.

General Terms and Conditions of Use

Users of the Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy website and/or software agree not to misuse the Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy service or software in any way.

The failure of Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy to exercise or enforce any right or provision in the policies or the Submission Agreement does not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any term of the Submission Agreement or these policies is found to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of the Submission Agreement and these policies remain in full force and effect. These policies and the Submission Agreement constitute the entire agreement between Indian Journal of Research in Homoeopathy and the Author(s) regarding submission of the Article.