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Policies

Contents

I. Publication Policies

Eligibility

The mission of Eastern Virginia Medical Journal (EVMJ) is to provide a platform for Eastern Virginia Medical School at Old Dominion University (EVMS ODU) faculty and trainees to advance the science, education and practice of medicine.

Open Access and Copyright

All articles published by EVMJ are free to view and download. Under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), copyright of open access articles published in EVMJ is retained by the authors, who license EVMJ to edit and reproduce the submission with no time or number restrictions. Authors also grant any third party the right to use the article freely as long as its integrity is maintained and the work is cited appropriately.

This policy permits compliance with the NIH Public Access Policy. However, EVMJ does not automatically post NIH-supported papers to PubMed Central at this time. Authors are encouraged to understand their responsibilities and take appropriate actions within the required time frame.

Fees

EVMJ is supported by the GME Office of EVMS ODU and ODU Libraries. There are no fees, including submission/publication/color fees or Article Processing Charges, for eligible authors.

Authorship

Based on Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), all authors must have contributed significantly to one or more of the following: conception or design of the study; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; and/or drafting or substantially revising the manuscript.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is not tolerated in EVMJ. Any submission found to contain plagiarism will be administratively rejected and not permitted to resubmit. Self-plagiarism will be administratively rejected but resubmission will be allowed after sufficient revision. If a prior publication in EVMJ is identified to have significant plagiarism, the article will be retracted. (See the ICMJE guidelines.)

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II. Types of Articles

Original Research

Original Research articles, classified as primary literature, present full data reports of novel research studies. Articles in this category include basic science or clinical studies involving humans or animals that would be of interest to a wide variety of specialties. Original Research submissions are limited to 4,000 words and 5 tables/figures. When preparing submissions, please comply with the appropriate reporting standards: randomized trials (CONSORT), observational studies (STROBE), systematic reviews (PRISMA), qualitative research (SRQR).

Brief Reports

Brief Reports are articles such as case series or studies with a small number of subjects that suggest the need for additional investigation. Submissions should be formatted similarly to Original Research articles but limited to 2000 words, 2 tables/figures, and a maximum of 15 references.

Quality Improvement

Quality Improvement articles present focused reports of original quality, patient safety, and/or process improvement projects or programs. Quality Improvement involves systematic activities that are organized and implemented by an organization to monitor, assess, and improve its quality of health care. Quality Improvement submissions are limited to 3,000 words and 2 tables/figures. Please refer to reporting standards (SQUIRE) when preparing manuscripts.

Advances in Medical Education

Articles detailing curriculum development and/or novel content delivery modalities will be considered for publication. Original Research or Review Articles, including those in which medical education is the primary subject matter, should be submitted to the appropriate category. Advances in Medical Education articles should include detailed descriptions of the educational technique or approach employed, resources required, outcome measures (acceptance by educators/learners, achievement, etc.), and recommendations regarding further study or implementation. Advances in Medical Education submissions are limited to 4,000 words and 5 tables/figures.

Review Articles

Review Articles concisely summarize the most up-to-date scientific literature on a focused clinical topic. Topics may include understudied or underappreciated areas of medicine in need of new input or a controversial subject that allows a broad exploration of the existing science. Recommendations, if included, should be supported by the available scientific literature. The majority of references should be less than 5 years old. Review Article submissions are limited to 5,000 words and 4 tables/figures.

Case Reports

Selected Case Reports will be considered by the Editorial Advisory Board for publication. Articles should consist of a description of an unusual disease entity (or treatment) or an unusual presentation of a common disease entity that is unique to the medical literature. Case reports should be limited to 1000 words, an abstract of 250 words or less, and a maximum of 15 references. A submission deadline for each journal issue will be publicized on the journal web site; any submissions received after the deadline may be considered for the following issue.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor are unstructured discussions about a previously published article or another topic of interest. Please address these submissions "To the Editor," restrict the word count (≤1,000 words) and cite no more than 3 references.

Special Articles

EVMJ will consider for publication manuscripts in other areas, including commentary on the humanistic side of medicine, perspectives on the practice or history of medicine, clinical practice issues, and statements from professional societies. All manuscripts will be reviewed for relevance to the journal's readers and editorial excellence.

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III. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts that are not correctly formatted will be returned to the authors. Please follow these guides carefully.

Submit manuscripts as MS Word documents, formatted according to these Style Guidelines.

Manuscripts must be written in American English and prepared according to the guidance in the current edition of the AMA Manual of Style; authors should consult the current edition of Webster's International Dictionary regarding spelling and Stedman's Medical Dictionary for medical terminology.

Corresponding Author

The corresponding author is responsible for communicating with the other authors about revisions and final approval of the proofs. It is expected that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, and the authors listed are the sole authors of this work. The authors affirm that the manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not under consideration elsewhere. See ICMJE Guidelines for further details. The submitting author is considered to be the corresponding author.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose relevant conflicts of interest and/or funding sources in the body of the manuscript. The Corresponding Author will also complete ICMJE authorship conflict of interest disclosures during the submission process. A sample of the form is available here.

Prior Presentations and Preprints

Results previously presented at national or international conferences or as preprints (manuscript draft prior to peer review, eg, on a preprint server), do not count as prior publication, nor do they affect the peer review process. Include information about the preprint, such as the date and location of the preprint publication, on the Title Page. Once the submission is accepted and published in EVMJ, it is the author’s responsibility to ensure that the preprint record is updated with a publication reference.

Audience

EVMJ is intended for a broad medical and medical education readership; authors should keep this audience in mind when drafting the submission. Technical aspects of a specialty submission may benefit from a brief explanation to convey the intended message.

Inclusive Language

EVMJ encourages inclusive language in all aspects of the submission. Authors should avoid unnecessary or irrelevant descriptions of personal or potentially sensitive attributes (e.g., age, gender, race, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation, disability, or health condition). Please see the sponsoring institution’s statement on Diversity and Inclusion.

Protected Information

Do not include potentially identifiable patient information, and ensure that the draft does not violate HIPAA regulations. Patients must provide written informed consent before submission of case reports or case series, even if no identifiable information or images are included. Written permission must be obtained and submitted to EVMJ for any identifiable information or images.

Institutional Review Board Approval

Any study that involves research on human patients or that involves or generates protected health information, including many Quality Improvement projects, must be approved by the relevant Institutional Review Board. The approval should be documented in the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript.

Clinical Trials Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov); the registration number must be reported in the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in education and research is evolving. Any and all use of AI-assisted technology must be appropriately described in the manuscript (e.g., in the Methods section of Original Research). AI may not be listed as authors. Please see the sponsoring institution's Artificial Intelligence Guidelines and Resources for more information.

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IV. Submission Process

Review the process for submitting articles and ensure the needed items are available.

Click the Submit Article button on the left side of the journal's home page. This will prompt you to log in or create a new account.

Review the submission instructions and click Continue.

Read and Accept the Article Submission Agreement.

Enter name and email for yourself (Corresponding Author).

Enter email for each additional author and click Add Author. You will then have the opportunity to provide complete information for that author. Repeat for each author on the submission. Arrange the authors in the appropriate order, then click Continue.

  • Multiple institutions can be entered in the space provided, separated by a semicolon.
  • If any author needs to modify (add, remove, change) their affiliated institutions, this may be done under My Account --> Edit Profile. Alternatively, the changes may be requested through email to the journal editors.

    • Fill in the article information:

    • Article Title - use title case.
    • Short Title - this will appear in the header of the final product
    • Author ORCID Identifier - enter as a web address, one per line
    • Keywords - list at least 3 MeSH keywords separated by commas.
    • Disciplines - Medicine and Health Sciences is already selected; choose other academic disciplines that fit your article.
    • Document Type - select from the pull-down menu.
    • Abstract - copy/paste your abstract into the box. If your article does not have an Abstract, please enter "This article does not have an Abstract."
    • Cover Page Footnote - optional.
    • Full Text of Submission - upload your main submission file without a title or author names.
    • Acknowledge the Instructions for Uploading Figures.
    • Cover Letter - you are encouraged to upload a cover letter detailing what makes your submission of interest to the readers of EVMJ.
    • Review and complete the Conflict of Interest disclosures.
    • Click Submit.

      • Upload Additional Files - image files for figures should be added after the initial submission. Specify the figure number for each uploaded image.

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      V. Peer Review and Editorial Processes

      Manuscripts submitted to EVMJ will be reviewed by 2 or more expert reviewers, who will advise the responsible Editor on the manuscript's suitability for publication and may recommend modifications. Publishing processes may require timely completion of revisions, and authors are asked to note and respect deadlines for revision. After a manuscript is accepted for publication, it will be edited for compliance with the AMA Manual of Style and house guidelines; authors will receive prepublication galleys for review and approval.

      The editor's decisions regarding publication are final.

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      VI. Guidelines for Peer Reviewers

      Peer reviewers are selected from faculty, staff, and trainees at EVMS ODU, along with previous EVMJ authors. The initial invitation to participate as a peer reviewer will be sent by email; once the invitation is accepted (you may need to create an account), a follow-up email will be sent with instructions.

      To complete your peer review, please download the template to match the article type AND the template for the cover letter to the editors, below:

      The completed peer review template can then be uploaded to the site under your login.

      If you accept an invitation to review a manuscript, please:
    • Submit your review in a timely manner (within 2-3 weeks).
    • Maintain confidentiality - do not discuss (or otherwise publicize) the manuscript or your review.
    • Keep your comments about the manuscript, rather than the authors. Do not address the authors directly in your comments.
    • Remember that your comments will be read by the authors - please keep them polite, thoughtful, constructive, and specific. Your peer review will be used to improve the quality of the published articles.
    • Submit both positive and negative comments about every manuscript. Every submission has room to improve and none are entirely bad.
    • Keep your attention on the quality of the content rather than the writing itself.
    • Don't forget that you are not the only reviewer for any manuscript and only the editors will decide acceptance or rejection.

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