Submissions

Author Guidelines

Welcome to the submission portal for the Nigerian Journal of Family Practice (NJFP)! We are committed to publishing high-quality research and clinical insights in family medicine and primary healthcare, with a special focus on the African context. To ensure a smooth and efficient review process, please carefully review the guidelines below before preparing and submitting your manuscript.

Submissions can only be made online at sofpon.njfp@gmail.com and Upload on the journal portal. Adhering to these guidelines is crucial for efficient processing and peer review of your submission.

I. Submission Process

1. Online Submission: All manuscripts must be submitted electronically. Please email your manuscript to sofpon.njfp@gmail.com. Additionally, authors are required to upload their submission directly on the journal's online portal for comprehensive tracking and management.
2. File Format: Your manuscript must be submitted in Microsoft Word® format.
3. General Formatting:
• Use Times New Roman font, size 10 points.
• Maintain single-spacing throughout the document.
• Page numbers should be placed consecutively in the lower right corner of each page.
4. Author Responsibility: It's essential that authors retain a copy of their submitted manuscript. All authors named on the submission must have thoroughly reviewed and approved the final manuscript before it is sent to the journal.

II. Types of Contributions Accepted

NJFP welcomes various types of submissions, each with specific word count limits (these limits exclude abstracts, tables, and references):

• Original Research (1,000 to 3,500 words): These are detailed reports of original studies contributing new knowledge to the field.
• Letters to the Editor (Up to 400 words): Short communications, often providing commentary on recently published articles or brief observations.
• Scientific Letters (Less than 700 words): Concise scientific communications, typically limited to one table or graph and no more than 5 references.
• Review Articles (Up to 1,800 words): Comprehensive analyses and syntheses of existing literature on a specific topic. Many review articles are integrated into the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme of the Society of Family Physicians of Nigeria (SOFPON) and NJFP. These undergo a specialized editorial process, including topic approval by a scientific editor, author invitation, and a dual peer-review by both a family physician and a topic specialist. Review articles outside the CPD programme are also highly encouraged. Accepted review articles may be published in full in the printed journal OR a 600-word abstract will be published in print with the complete article made available online on the SOFPON website.
• Case Reports (1,000 to 2,500 words): These may include reports of unique clinical experiences, special cases, or short reports of original research. They should include a maximum of two tables or illustrations and no more than 15 references.

III. Manuscript Structure and Formatting

All articles must adhere to the following specific structural and formatting requirements:

1. Title Page: This must be a separate page containing the following information in the specified order:
• Full title of the article.
• Surname, initials, qualifications, and affiliations of each author.
• The full name, complete postal address, email address, and telephone contact details of the corresponding author.
• At least 5 keywords for indexing purposes.
2. Abstract:
• Original Research articles require a structured abstract of 250 to 300 words. It must consist of four clearly labeled paragraphs: "Background," "Methods," "Results," and "Conclusions." This abstract should briefly describe the research problem, methodology, major findings, and authors' conclusions.
• Abstracts for all other article types should not exceed 200 words and are not required to follow the structured format.
3. Keywords: Include up to five keywords or short phrases immediately after the abstract. Where possible and appropriate, use terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) of Index Medicus, as these are crucial for indexing and discoverability.
4. Acknowledgements: In a dedicated section, acknowledge any financial support received for the work or declare any potential conflicts of interest. This section can also be used to acknowledge significant contributions to the research or manuscript preparation made by individuals not listed as authors.
5. Implications for Policy/Practice: All articles must explicitly state three distinct implications for policy makers and three distinct implications for clinical practice derived from the findings of your work.
6. Contributions of Each Author: Clearly delineate the specific contributions of each author to the work. This includes, but is not limited to: conceptualization and literature review; design of methodology; data collection; data analysis and presentation of findings; discussion of findings; and final authorization of the completed work.
7. References:
• Cite references in numerical order within the text, using superscript format (e.g., ¹). Do not use brackets.
• In the "References" section, references must be numbered consecutively based on their order of appearance in the text, not alphabetically.
• The referencing style must strictly follow the format set forth in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
• Abbreviations for journal titles should follow the Index Medicus format.
• Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy of all references.
• Personal communications and unpublished data should generally not be referenced. If absolutely essential, such material should be incorporated directly into the appropriate place in the text.
• When there are six or fewer authors, list all authors. If there are seven or more, list the first three, followed by "et al."
• When citing URLs for web documents, include them in the reference list using the following format: Authors of document (if available). Title of document (if available). URL. (Accessed [date]).
• Sample References:
1. Omigbodun OO, Babalola O. Psychosocial dynamics of psychoactive substance misuse among Nigerian adolescents. Annals of Medicine, 2004; 3(3):111-115.
2. FDATalk Paper: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2002/ANS01151.html (Accessed 04/10/2002).
8. Tables:
• Tables should be self-explanatory, clearly organized, and supplementary to the text.
• Each table must include a clear descriptive title placed at the top and be numbered consecutively in Roman numerals (I, II, etc.) according to its first mention in the text.
• Tables must be inserted in their correct position within the manuscript text.
• Place all explanatory matter in footnotes below the table, not in the heading.
• Explain all nonstandard abbreviations in footnotes. For footnotes, use the following symbols in sequence: *, †, ‡, §, ||, ¶, **, ††, ‡‡.
9. Figures:
• All figures must be inserted in the appropriate position within the electronic document.
• Symbols, lettering, and numbering (in Arabic numerals, e.g., 1, 2, etc., in order of appearance in the text) should be clear and large enough to remain legible after potential size reduction.
• Figures must have clear descriptive titles placed below the figure.
10. Photographs and Images:
• If photographs of patients are used, ensure that the subject is either not identifiable, or include written permission from the subject authorizing the use of the picture.
• Clearly indicate the desired position of photographs and images within the text.
• Electronic images should be saved as either JPEG or GIF files.
• All photographs should be scanned at a high resolution (300dpi, print optimized).
11. Permissions: Authors are responsible for obtaining written permission from the original author and publisher for the use of any quotes, illustrations, tables, or other materials taken from previously published works that are not in the public domain. The author is also responsible for the payment of any copyright fee(s) unless these have been explicitly waived. These letters of permission must accompany the manuscript upon submission. The original source(s) should be clearly mentioned in the figure legend or as a footnote to a table.

IV. Review and Action Process

• Manuscripts undergo an initial examination by the editorial staff. Suitable submissions are then sent to independent, double-blind reviewers, who are not informed of the author(s)' identity.
• If publication in its original form is not recommended, the reviewers' comments (with their identity undisclosed) may be passed to the first author, potentially including suggested revisions.
• Manuscripts not approved for publication will not be returned.

V. Ethical Considerations

• Human Subjects Research: Papers based on original research involving human subjects must strictly adhere to the Declaration of Helsinki on "Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects." Authors must explicitly state from which recognized ethics committee approval for the research was obtained within the manuscript.
• Conflict of Interest: Authors must declare all financial contributions to their work or any other forms of conflict of interest that could potentially prevent them from executing and publishing unbiased research. A conflict of interest exists when an author (or the author's institution) has financial or personal relationships with other persons or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their opinions or actions (Modified from: Davidoff F, et al. Sponsorship, Authorship, and Accountability. (Editorial) JAMA 2001: 286(10)).
• If applicable, authors may use the following declaration: "I declare that I have no financial or personal relationship(s) which may have inappropriately influenced me in writing this paper."