Authors are requested to read
these instructions carefully before submitting their
manuscripts
The North Zone Journal of
Ophthalmology is the journal of the North Zone
Ophthalmological Society (NZOS). It will be published
quarterly in March, June, September, and December. It
accepts original articles based on clinical, basic, or
epidemiologic research; reviews and perspectives on
current trends in research and practice; case reports
of clinical significance; letters to the editor; book
reviews; journal abstracts; and dates for forthcoming
professional meetings (continuing medical education).
Submission of the Manuscript
All manuscripts should be sent to:
The Editor, North Zone Journal of Ophthalmology,
Department of Ophthalmology, Govt. Medical college and
Hospiatl, Sctor 32-D, Chandigarh-160047. All
manuscripts and illustrations must be submitted in
triplicate. The author(s) should retain a copy of the
manuscript and illustrations for reference. All
manuscripts should be accompanied by a cover letter as
well as the disclosure and copyright transfer
statement.
Cover Letter
The cover letter should state the
category of the manuscript represents.
Disclosure and Copyright Transfer Statement
All manuscripts should be
accompanied by the disclosure and copyright transfer
statement which must be signed and dated by all the
authors without which the manuscript will not be
accepted for review and possible publication. This
statement attests to the fact that the material (in
whole or part) is not under consideration of
publication by any other journal, is not in press in
any other format, and has not been published. The
statement should read as follows:
"The enclosed manuscript by
... et al entitled ‘....’ is submitted solely to
the North Zone Journal of Ophthalmology. The
undersigned confirm that the typescript and
illustrations have not been published in any other
journal, and on acceptance will not be offered to any
other publisher without the consent of the Editorial
Board. The undersigned transfers, assigns or otherwise
conveys all copyright ownership of this manuscript to
the North Zone Ophthalmological Society in the event
of its publication in the North Zone Journal of
Ophthalmology. Such conveyance includes any product
that may derive from the published journal, whether
print or electronic."
If the data in the manuscript were
presented at a scientific meeting, the place, date of
presentation, and name of the meeting should be stated
on the title page.
Any proprietary or financial
interest in any product mentioned in the manuscript
should be stated on the title page.
Receipt of the Manuscript
All manuscripts are acknowledged on
receipt. The acknowledgment letter will mention the
number assigned to the manuscript. Any subsequent
inquiries about a submission must quote this reference
number.
Peer Review
All manuscripts are subject to
editorial review. Manuscripts may be processed by
section editors. At least two referees, chosen for
their specific expertise, review most manuscripts.
Manuscripts involving statistics are, in addition,
subjected to statistical review (see Methodology
Guidelines). Identity of the referees is kept
confidential.
After review, the authors are
advised of acceptance, the need for revision, or
rejection. Acceptance is determined by originality,
significance, validity of the contribution, and
suitability of the subject matter to readers.
Accepted Manuscripts and Copyright
Accepted Manuscripts become the
permanent property of the Journal and may not be
published by the authors elsewhere without permission
from the Editor.
Revision of Manuscripts
Manuscripts sent for revision must
be returned within the time stipulated in the
Editor’s letter. Failing this, the manuscript must
be resubmitted and will face a subsequent delay in its
ultimate acceptance/publication.
Rejected Manuscripts
The manuscripts of rejected
articles are not returned due to high postal expenses.
However, all illustrations are returned to the
corresponding author by ordinary mail.
Preparation of the Manuscript
The manuscript should be prepared
according to the "Uniform requirements for
manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals"
published in the New England Journal of Medicine
1997;336:309-15. Manuscripts in incorrect format will
be returned to the authors. Adherence to the following
guidelines is essential if efficient and expeditious
processing of the manuscript is to be achieved.
• Type on one side of the
paper. (Bond/A4 size)
• Use black, clearly legible
type.
• Do not use smaller than 12
pitch or 11-point type.
• Use double spacing throughout
the manuscript including references, tables, and
legends.
• Do not type anything in all
capitals.
• Do not use vertical lines or
underlining anywhere in the text or the tables.
• In the upper right-hand
corner, identify each page with a number and a
running title.
• Number pages consecutively in
Arabic numerals beginning with title page.
• Other than the title page, do
not identify authors elsewhere in the manuscript. If
necessary, identify them with their initials in
parentheses.
• Numeric equivalents must
precede all percentages, for example: of 20 (25%) of
80 patients had retinopathy.
• Submit an original and two
sets of photocopies of the manuscript and three sets
of illustrations.
• For a listing of standard
abbreviations, consult: Scientific Style and Format,
6th ed (New York: Cambridge University Press; 1994).
Abbreviations should be used sparingly and must be
preceded by the full form when used for the first
time, for example, intraocular pressure (IOP).
However, common abbreviations may be used without
full form, for example, mm, D, mm Hg. Please use
right eye and left eye, rather than OD and OS.
• All haematological and
clinical chemistry measurements should be reported
in the International Systems of Units (SI).
Temperature should be given in degrees Celsius.
Length, height, weight, and volume should be given
in metric units.
The manuscript should be arranged in the
following order:
1. Title page
2. Abstract and key words
3. Text
4. Acknowledgments
5. References
6. Tables
7. Legends
8. Illustrations
Each section should begin on a new page.
Title Page
The title page is page 1. It should
contain the manuscript title and each author’s full
name with highest academic degree(s). The abbreviated
title (running title) should not exceed 40 characters,
including spaces. The department and institution where
the study was performed should be indicated.
Sponsoring organizations and grant support are to be
acknowledged on the title page.
The name and mailing address of the
author to whom requests for reprints or correspondence
should be directed must be indicated. Submission of an
e-mail address is encouraged. It is the responsibility
of the corresponding author to intimate any change of
address after submission of the manuscript.
Abstract
The abstract should be structured
for Original Articles and unstructured for others. It
should not exceed 250 words. The structured abstract
should have the following sections: Purpose (or
Background), Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
Overall, it should be factual and comprehensive on its
own with salient clinical or research data.
Key Words
Key words should be submitted to
assist cross-indexing. These should not exceed five.
Text
The body of the text should include
Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and
Discussion.
Introduction: The
introduction should be pertinent to the study but not
an in-depth review of the literature. The author(s)
should briefly state the problem the manuscript
addresses.
Materials and Methods: The
materials, subjects, and methods should be clearly
defined so that the study may be duplicated by other
investigators. The statistical methods used to analyse
the data should be mentioned. Informed consent should
be obtained in studies on human subjects.
Results: Results should be
given in sufficient detail to allow the reader to
evaluate their meaning and validity.
Discussion: The discussion
may review the problem, citing pertinent previous
work. It should then give an explanation of the
results of the study, indicating statistical or
clinical significance, the implications, and possible
directions for future research.
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgments are accepted for
sponsoring organisations and grants, and for those who
referred patients, provided statistical assistance,
supplied essential tissue, equipment, or other
material without which the study could not have been
accomplished. Acknowledgments will not be published
for those who reviewed, discussed, edited or typed the
manuscript; clinic coordinators, ophthalmic
photographers, or technicians.
References
References should be listed in the
numerical order in which they appear in the text. The
names of all authors should be included if six or
less, or et al used after the sixth author if more. In
general the authors are advised to refer those
articles which they can share with the editorial board
on request.
Journal titles should be
abbreviated in accordance with Index Medicus. If in
doubt regarding the correct abbreviation, cite the
complete journal name. Do not cite unpublished data or
oral/poster presentations as references. Such material
may be mentioned in the text in parentheses as
personal communication/unpublished data. Web sites or
other online references may also be cited in the text
with the complete URL address. Articles from online
journals may be cited as references with the complete
citation provided in the reference list. Articles,
books, and chapters in press may be cited as such in
the list of references. References cited in the text
should be superscripted (for example, Bhalla et al5).
Responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of
references lies with the authors. Manuscripts with
incomplete references will face delay in acceptance
and ultimate publication. References should be given
in the following format:
Journal Article
Journal Article
: Melamed S, Epstein DL. Alterations of aqueous
humour outflow following argon laser trabeculoplasty
in monkeys. Br J Ophthalmol 1987; 74:776-781.
Chapter in book
Lessell S. Toxic and deficiency
optic neuropathies. In: Albert DM, Jakobiec FA,
editors. Principles and Practice of Ophthalmology:
Clinical Practice. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders
Company; 1994. Vol 4, p 2599-604.
Book
Lilienfeld AM, Lilienfeld DE.
Foundations of Epidemiology. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford
University Press;1980. p 226-55.
For other types of references,
follow the format suggested in N Engl J Med
1997;336:309-15.
Tables
Tables must have a brief heading
(title), and should be numbered in Arabic numerals
consecutively according to their appearance in the
text. The data presented in the table must be clearly
organised; it should be self-explanatory and should
supplement but not duplicate the text.
Vertical lines should not be used.
Abbreviations should be used only for units of
measure.
Explanatory matter should be given as footnotes.
Legends
Figure legends must be numbered
consecutively in Arabic numerals as they appear in the
text.
For histologic figures, stain and
magnification should be noted (for example,
haematoxylin and eosin, x70). Legends must identify
all symbols or letters appearing in the figure.
Illustrations
Authors should take care to submit
high-quality photographs and illustrations. Line
drawings or graphs must be printed on glossy paper.
Unmounted illustration must be submitted in
triplicate. Each illustration should be numbered in
Arabic numerals and cited consecutively in the text.
Attach a label on the back of each print giving the
illustration number, an arrow indicating the
orientation "top", and the article’s
running title (without author’s name). Do not write
on the print. Do not damage illustrations with paper
clips or by bending them. The legend or illustration
number should not be incorporated into the
illustration. Photomicrographs should have internal
scale markers. To be suitable for reproduction,
lettering, arrows, and other symbols must be large and
dark enough to be legible after reduction. Published
illustrations and photographs will not be returned to
the author(s).
Patients should have their identity
concealed (including names and hospital numbers) or
their photographs should be accompanied by the
patient’s written permission to publish.
Any figure that has been published
elsewhere should have an acknowledgment to the
original source and proof of permission to use from
the holder of copyright.
Graphs, Original Illustrations, and Line
Drawings:
These may be drawn with India ink,
photographed, and submitted as photographic prints, or
may be drawn on a computer in graphic format and
submitted as laser printouts. Upon acceptance, these
computer-generated materials should be included in the
electronic file (See Electronic Manuscript). Bar
graphs or pie charts should be prepared without fills
or screens. If screens are required for clarity,
submit one copy with the required fill and two clear
line illustrations without the fill.
Photographs: All photographs
(black & white and colour) must be of top-quality
prints and should be 5x7 or 4x6 inch in size. A
smaller size will result in poor quality. Black &
white photographs are printed free of charge. Attach a
label on the back of each photograph giving the
illustration number, an arrow indicating the
orientation "top", and the article’s
running title (without author’s name). Do not write
on the print.However, the number of photographs to be
selected for printing will be decided by the Editorial
Board. The cost reproduction of colour photographs
will be borne entirely by the author(s).
Categories of Manuscripts
Review Articles
Original Articles
Original articles should generally
not exceed 3,000 words or 12 double-spaced pages.
Case Reports
Case reports are short
communication of interesting cases with unique
findings.
These should not exceed 1000 words
with a maximum of 4 illustrations. They should follow
the following format: introduction, case(s), and
discussion. No more than 8 references should be cited.
Each brief report must begin with a 75-100 word
summary that highlights the significance of the
article (This replaces the abstract in other category
article). Besides these requirements, the general
instructions for authors should be followed.
Letters to the Editor
Comments about an article published
in the Journal, or on topics of ophthalmic interest
are considered. Comments regarding articles in the
Journal should be submitted within 3 months of
publication, and the author(s) of that article will be
given an opportunity to reply. Letters to the editor
will be reviewed by the Editorial Board, may be
subject to editing, and will be published as space and
editorial priorities permit. These should not exceed
250 words of text and one figure or one table, and
three references (including a reference to the journal
article in question).
The general instructions for
authors should be followed. The letters should be
accompanied by the disclosure and copyright transfer
statement. Authorship is limited to three, and
signatures of all authors are required.
Book Reviews
Book reviews should be accompanied
by photocopies (one set) of the title page, inner page
(citing page numbers, indexing, illustrations, year of
publication, publishing company), and contents page(s).
Journal Abstracts
Abstracts of interesting articles
published in other journals may be submitted. Those
contributing journal abstracts should include a
photocopy of the published article.
Electronic Manuscript
Upon acceptance for publication or
at the time of revision when a manuscript is likely to
be accepted for publication, the corresponding author
will be requested to send an electronic file on disk,
in addition to the original manuscript. Disks that are
IBM PC compatible (non Macintosh) will be accepted.
Floppy disks should be 3.5 inch, double-sided, and
high-density. Files should be MS Word for Windows.
Files in formats other than these should be converted
to MS-DOS text format (ASCII) before submission. The
disk should be labelled with the title of the article,
author’s name, the file name, and software used
including version. The disk must contain exactly the
same material as the revised manuscript including the
tables, legends, and graphs. Graphs and line
drawings/diagrams must be sent in graphic format, that
is, EPS, LOTUS / EXCEL - Spreadsheet files, PICT /
CHART files, or Harvard graphic. Do not send graphs
and diagrams in Freehand.
The disk should be sent in proper
packaging to avoid damage and corruption of the
information during transit. Unreadable disks will be
returned to the author for substitution. Disks with
their packaging will be returned to the author after
use by the Journal.
