Guidelines for Authors

Welcome to the Proceedings of Shaikh Zayed Medical College. We publish original research and scholarly contributions in medical and health sciences. Authors are requested to carefully follow these guidelines to ensure smooth processing of their submissions.

1. Types of Articles

  • Original Research Articles – Novel findings in clinical, laboratory, or educational research.
  • Case Reports and Case Series – Rare or unusual clinical cases.
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses – Must follow PRISMA guidelines (https://www.prisma-statement.org ).
  • Review Articles – Expert narrative reviews.
  • Short Communications – Brief reports of new findings.
  • Letters to the Editor – Scholarly correspondence.
  • Clinical Practice Points – Practical, evidence-based clinical guidance.
  • Guest Editorials & Invited Papers – By invitation.
  • Commentaries & Conference Proceedings – As approved by the Editorial Board.

2. Submission and Publication Fees

  • Article Processing Charges (APC): Upon acceptance PKR 15,000 (non-refundable).
  • Fast track is open for limited number of papers only and the fee is PKR 30,000 (non-refundable), to be submitted upon acceptance. Fast track option is available on the website, and it will take 4 to 6 weeks for the complete the review process.
  • Printed Copy: PKR 5,000 (per copy, excluding shipping).
  • Challan can be generated from the website https://proceedings-szmc.org.pk
  • Proof of payment must be uploaded via OJS before the manuscript is moved to Proof Reading section.

Waiver Policy: Authors from low-income countries (World Bank list: https://data.worldbank.org/country/XD ) or without funding may request up to 50% waiver. Waiver decision will be on case-by-case basis. The waiver request must be directed to the Editor-in-Chief on [email protected] 

Refund Policy: APC is non-refundable because it is charged after acceptance.

3. Manuscript Organization

Authors must follow EQUATOR Network guidelines (https://www.equator-network.org) relevant to their study design.

Word Limits excluding abstract, references, tables and figures

  • Original Research: ≤ 2,500 words
  • Review/Meta-analysis: ≤ 3,500 words
  • Case Series / Clinical Practice Points: ≤ 1,500 words
  • Case Reports / Short Communications: ≤ 500 words
  • Letters to the Editor: ≤ 400 words
  • Editorials: 600–1,200 words

Formatting

  • File: Microsoft Word (doc/docx)
  • Font: Times New Roman/Calibri/Arial, size 12, double-spaced
  • Page: A4, 1-inch margins
  • Each major section on a new page
  • Line numbered

Title Page (Title page is to be uploaded separately)

  • Concise title of study/ manuscript (≤ 20 words, no abbreviations). Avoid abbreviations and jargon. It is preferred to include the design of the study in the title.
  • Full author names
  • Affiliations:
  • Primary affiliation (main institution/department where the research was conducted)
  • Secondary affiliation (if applicable, e.g., joint appointment, research center, or hospital)
  • Current affiliation can be specified if not currently affiliated with the department where the research was conducted
  • Author names and affiliations should be clearly matched using superscript numbers or symbols.
  • Corresponding author details (address, email, phone, mobile)
  • Contact emails and number of all authors
  • Corresponding author details (address, email, phone, mobile)
  • Mention word count of abstract, manuscript body, total number of references, tables and figures on the title page.

Abstract

  • Original Research: Structured, ≤ 300 words (Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusion)
  • Reviews/Meta-analyses: non-structured, ≤ 350 words comprising of scope and objective of review, data base searched, date range, selection criteria of studies, key findings and conclusion.
  • Other types: non-structured, ≤ 150 words

Keywords: 3–6 MeSH terms (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh ).

Materials and Methods

  • Study design, setting, inclusion/exclusion criteria
  • Registrations: ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov ) for RCTs, PROSPERO (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero ) for Systematic reviews
  • Data collection procedure and instruments, validation, pilot testing where required
  • Statistical analysis (descriptive as well as inferential statistics analysis plan, software, tests, significance, missing data handling)
  • Ethical approval with IRB number and date (upload IRB letter as a separate file)
  • Informed consent per COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org )
  • AI use disclosure as per ICMJE guidelines (https://www.icmje.org )

Results

Present findings logically. Avoid interpretation or discussion of the results in this section. Do not duplicate data between text and tables or figures. Max 5 tables and 5 figures. Tables above, figures below with captions. High-quality images (≥ 300 dpi, JPEG/TIFF).

Discussion & Conclusions

Interpret findings with literature and highlight implications and gaps. Conclusions must align with the objectives and avoid giving new data.

4. References (Vancouver Style)

  • Use [square brackets] for in-text citations. Example: “This method has been widely used. [1]”
  • Cite in order of appearance, after punctuation.
  • Multiple references: [2,3,5] or [2–5].
  • List references at the end, numbered.
  • Journal abbreviations: Index Medicus (https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/aim.html ).
  • DOIs must be added to reference and required format: https://doi.org/xxxxx

Reference Limits

  • Original Research: ≤ 30
  • Reviews/Meta-analyses/Clinical Practice Points: ≤ 40
  • Case Reports/Case Series: ≤ 15
  • Short Communications/Letters: ≤ 10

Examples

  • Journal: Smith J, et al. Early detection of cervical cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2022;23(4):456–63. https://doi.org/xxxx
  • Book: Murray PR, et al. Medical Microbiology. 9th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2020.
  • Chapter: Whelton PK, Carey RM. Epidemiology of hypertension. In: Mann J, Hilary C, eds. Hypertension. Springer; 2019. p. 45–61.
  • Website: WHO. Global Tuberculosis Report 2024. Geneva: WHO; 2024. Available from: https://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report

5. Tables, Figures & Illustrations

  • Tables: Title above, footnotes below, numbered consecutively.
  • Figures: Caption and legend below, ≥ 300 dpi, TIFF/JPEG.
  • Graphs/Illustrations: Clear in both color and grayscale.
  • Explain abbreviations and symbols in footnotes/legends.