Guide for authors
1- Aims and scope
Audiology is the official scientific biannual peer-reviewed publication of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran. It is supported by Iranian Association of Audiology. This journal is dedicated primarily to the topics relevant to audiology and allied sciences of Iran, which have been neglected or received little attention in the Western medical literature. Audiology particularly welcomes manuscripts which deal with audiology from geographic regions wherein problems regarding economical, social, ethic and cultural parameters affecting clinical and/or basic science aspects of auditory and balance system are taken into consideration. This journal is of primary interest to audiologists, otologists, speechtherapists, neurologists, pediatricians, linguistists, and educators. Audiology is credited by the State's Medical Science Journals Committee with the scientific-research privilege. Audiology publishes research articles, review articles, case-reports, and letter to editor. It does not publish translated articles. 2- General Information The submitted manuscript should be accompanied by a written statement signed with all its authors that the manuscript in whole or in part has not and will not be published in or submitted to any other journal. Manuscripts should be prepared in accordance with the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submission to Biomedical Journals" proclaimed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors(ICMJE)
which may be viewed at www.icmje.org. 3- Peer Review All manuscripts are peer reviewed, typically by at least two editorial consultants with relevant expertise, an associate editor responsible for manuscripts in a given area, and the editor. 4- Copyright and Conflict of Interest All submitted manuscripts should be accompanied with a statement from the author, showing there is no conflict of interest regarding that article. A conflict of interest, here, is a situation in which a medical research scientist, has competing professional or personal interests that make it difficult to fulfill his duties fairly. A conflict of interest can exist even if no unethical or improper act results from it, and can create an appearance of impropriety that can undermine confidence in the person or profession. The right is reserved for the journal to accept or reject the submitted article or incorporate any changes deemed necessary by the editorial board to make contributions harmonize the editorial standards of the journal. Accepted papers become the permanent property of Audiology. The act of submitting a manuscript to the journal carries with it the right to publish that paper and implies the transfer of the copyright from the author to the Publisher. 5- Ethics Manuscripts submitted to the journal are accepted on the understanding that the recommendations of the Declarations of Helsinki and Tokyo, for humans, and the European Committee Guidelines for the use of experimental animals have been adhered to. Authors must state in the manuscript that the protocol complies with these guidelines and are approved by their institutional Ethics Committee. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work. Informed consent of the patients participating in the study should be undertaken. 6- Preparation of Manuscript All manuscripts should be enumerated from the title page. Full title page should include the complete title of the manyscript, the name of all authors with their department or institution, the school and university to which they are affiliated, city and country, address for correspondence with telephone numbers, e-mail, and fax number, all in Persian. The same precise information should be also brought in the English abstract. Structured Abstract: A concise abstract of not more than 250 words is required. To facilitate their rapid assimilation, these should be organized according to the headings outlined below. No references should be included in the abstract. For a research article Background and aim: explanation of the main question and the purpose of the writing with presentation of the hypothesis. Methods: how the research is conducted, especially the statistical methods and characteristics of the specimen, population under the study, sample size, etc. Results: summary of information and data
obtained and the most important findings of the study. Conclusion: summary of explanation and interpretation of the final findings of the study. For a case report Background: the reason behind the selection of the case and the purpose of the study is explained. The Case: summary of clinical findings, abnormal laboratory findings, treatment and therapy result. Conclusion: summary of main findings and discoveries and the reason why this case is unique. For a review article Background and Aim: includes purpose of the review Recent findings: includes integration of findings and conclusions of the reviewed articles. Conclusion: includes the primary conclusion and clinical application of the topics presented at the review article. Keywords Three to six key words according to the MeSH index should be provided. Framework of a research article Introduction Explains the purpose of the study and provides the logical reason to conduct and write the article and the research question or the hypothesis is described in detail. The size of the introduction should be curtailed in comparison to the discussion. The reference numbers should appear in text consecutively. Methods The study subjects (Patients, Lab.
Animals) as well as the age, gender and other characteristics should be mentioned. Why and how the study was conducted should be clear (for example why a specific age group is used in the study, etc…). The principle of WWWWWH (What, Where, Why, Who, When, How) should be taken into consideration. Avoid terminologies which have nonspecific meanings and use descriptive phrases instead. Describe fully the method of data collection (for example the questionnaire or the other source of information) and the tools and equipments used in the study (The manufacturer's details, etc…); so that others can make use of it if need arises. Explain about all medications and chemicals accurately (drug's name, summary pharmacology, dosage, usage and manufacturer). Less well known methods need more explanation. Provide convincing reason why you use the new method. Describe fully the statistical methods. It is not enough to mention the statistical software's name; rather the types of statistical tests should be stated. Results Findings that include multiple informational points should be presented by tables and graphs and a brief explanation in the text. The context of the "Findings" section should be concise and clear and explain to the reader an abstract from tables and figures. When there are few findings or a simple result, instead of tables and figures, the text itself should appear in the context. Discussion Emphasis should be put on the important and new findings of the study. Data or other instances presented at the introduction or results, should not be repeated in detail in this section. A review of articles should be placed in this section. Results should be compatible with the objectives of the study. New hypotheses should be brought up. Suggestions should come up. Explain your interpretation and explanation of the findings from the Results section. Compare study findings with anticipated findings. Conclusion includes the final results. Acknowledgements include information on grants received and expression of appreciation to all who have helped the researcher in material and spiritual forms (technical, writing, etc…). References should be numbered consecutively as they appear in the text. Bibliographies cited in tables and figures should be numbered according to the site where the corresponding table or figure is first referenced. References should be formatted in “Vancouver” style. Listed below, are sample references to a journal article, a chapter in a book, and a book, respectively, in the correct format (In the case of seven or more authors, the names of the first six authors should be listed followed by et al.): 1- Berlin CI, Bordelon J, Jhon PS, Wilensky D, Hurley A, Kluka E, et al. Reversing click polarity may uncover auditory neuropathy in infants. Ear Hear. 1998;19(1):37-47. 2- Shepard NT, Telian SA. Evaluation of balance system function. In: Katz J, editor. Handbook of clinical audiology. 4th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1994.p. 438-42. 3- Gelfand SA. Essential of audiology. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme; 2001. Tables Tables should be self-explanatory, clearly arranged and supplemental to the text. Tables should provide easier understanding and not duplicate information already included in the text or figures. Tables should have a short title, and its column should have a heading. Tables should be numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text. Tables should be followed with an explanatory note of abbreviation definitions. All arithmetic (percentages, totals, differences) should have been double checked for accuracy, and tabular data agree with data given in the text. Figures Submitting your artwork in an electronic format helps us to produce your work to the best possible standards, ensuring accuracy, clarity and a high level of detail. Number the illustrations according to their sequence in the text. Use a logical naming convention for your artwork files, and supply a separate list of the files and the software used. Make sure you use uniform lettering and sizing of your original artwork. Save text in illustrations as graphics, or enclose the font. Please do not embed graphics in your word processing file. Regardless of the application used, when your electronic artwork is finalized, please save as or convert the images to .tiff or .jpg formats. Ensure that the resolution of the figures will be at least 1000 dpi for line drawings. Ensure that each illustration has a caption. A caption should comprise a brief title and a description. Keep text in the illustrations themselves to a minimum, but explain all symbols and abbreviations used. Framework of a Case Report In preparing this type of articles, patients
privacy should be respected and an informed consent form should be obtained and attached to the article. The sequence of different section are: Abstract, Key Words, Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables. Framework of a Review Article A review article should have the principal structure (reasoning and discussions) of a research report. The sequence of different section are: Abstract, Key Words, Introduction, Subtitles, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgements, References, Tables. 7- Submission Procedure You are strongly urged to submit your manuscript to Audiology electronically via http://aud.tums.ac.ir. All correspondence, including notification of the Editor's decision and requests for revision, take place by e-mail. Should you unable to submit via the web, please contact to: Mahin Sedaie, Chairman, Editorial office, Department of Audiology, faculty of Rehabilitation, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Pich-e-Shemiran, Enghelab Avenue, Tehran 1148965141, Iran; Telefax: 009821-77621188; e-mail: aud@tums.ac.ir. |
