Guidelines for Submission
Guidelines for Submission
In submitting to the Philippine Journal of Allied Health Sciences, all authors are advised to take note of the following guidelines. The inability to comply with these guidelines may result in the rejection of submissions.
- All submissions should not have been previously published nor currently being considered for publication in any other journal. Manuscripts currently being peer-reviewed cannot be submitted to another journal without informing the Editor. Submission to PJAHS implies that the manuscript meets these criteria.
- The submission file should be in MS Word (.doc, .docx) or Rich text format (RTF).
- The journal is strict with plagiarism and will check all manuscripts considered for publication to plagiarism and similarity software.
- The text and style of the manuscript and bibliographic references strictly adhere to the requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.
- All human-related primary research studies submitted to PJAHS should abide by the journal’s ethical standards and have the proper ethical clearance from a recognized institutional review board or its equivalent.
General Author Guidelines
- All submissions must be made through the journal’s external submission link hosted by Scholastica. In case of a broken submission link, authors may submit through the journal’s website submission link or thru e-mail at pjahs@ust.edu.ph.
- All relevant fields must be filled in.
- All necessary files must be uploaded in one submission.
- Authors are encouraged to provide a message to the Editor about concerns they may have about the submission.
- Only the information about the submitting author should be used in the online submission system. Information about the other authors should be placed on the title page of the submission.
- All submissions of revised manuscripts will be made through the journal’s external submission link hosted by Scholastica. In case of a broken submission link, authors may submit through the journal’s website submission link or thru e-mail at pjahs@ust.edu.ph.
- Guidelines for re-submission will be e-mailed to the corresponding author in a separate document.
- We recommend authors submitting revisions to use this author response form.
The authors are given a maximum of four weeks (28 days) to respond and revise their manuscripts.
Guidelines for Authors
All authors must comply with the requirements set by the journal in submitting their manuscripts. The inability to follow these guidelines may result in the rejection of the submission.
Manuscripts accepted in this journal must be in English and conforms to the standard rules of American English. Authors whose native language is not English are strongly encouraged to have their manuscripts checked by professional language editing services, or by an independent colleague whose mother tongue is English before submission.
You can find the sample template of the manuscript here.
Each submission must be accompanied by a cover letter address to the Editor-in-Chief of PJAHS. A 1-page limit to the .doc/.docx/ .rtf/ .pdf file submitted is imposed. In the letter, the author must include the following:
- A short and concise overview of the manuscript to be submitted;
- The specific type of journal article being submitted for;
- The reason why the manuscript should be accepted in the journal;
- Summary of the research’s contribution to the body of scientific evidence;
- Optional items may include suggestion(s) for appropriate peer-reviewers and/or opposed list of reviewers;
- The corresponding author must sign the letter.
Interested authors may refer to this file for a journal submission cover letter sample.
Manuscript submissions should include the following: cover letter, title page, manuscript text file, tables, figures, and supplementary files.
The title page should contain the following:
- Full title of the article;
- Name and surname of the author(s) (i.e., John Doe);
- Institutional affiliations and address of each author;
- A corresponding author (only one corresponding author is permitted) with specific contact details (institutional address, e-mail address, work phone number, and/or fax number).
The manuscript text includes the abstract up to the reference section. Remove all information that may identify the authors’ identity to the reviewers (i.e., authors’ names, institutions, departments, other personal information). The manuscript text should contain the following:
- Full title of the article;
- Abstract (structure should be relevant to the type of article submission);
- Keywords (limit up to a maximum of five);
- Manuscript text (relevant to the type of article submission);
- Acknowledgment (optional);
- Individual author’s contributions (please use abbreviations for each author; the authors are suggested to check the ICMJE and COPE websites for guidance on individual author’s contributions.);
- Disclosure Statement (which includes funding agencies/bodies);
- Conflicts of interest;
- Reference list (following the journal’s reference style).
Table, figures, and supplementary files should be submitted in separate files. However, placeholder texts in the manuscript text should clearly refer to and identify these.
Journal Articles Accepted
Original scholarly articles may be in the form of:
Original research articles include research reports and studies in the fields of physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports science, speech-language pathology, nursing, psychology, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, nutrition, education, and other allied health sciences. Randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies are preferred studies. Nevertheless, PJAHS welcomes both quantitative and qualitative research article submissions.
All original research articles should be divided into the following sections: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, and references. The abstract should contain no more than 250 words structured in the following sections: background, methods, results, conclusions. A maximum of 10 authors is permitted. For papers with more than ten authors, it is suggested that a group name is used and/or with specific names of the additional authors listed in an ad hoc Appendix.
Authors are strongly encouraged to check their submissions using relevant guidelines for reporting research (i.e., CONSORT, STROBE, STARD, or consult the EQUATOR Network) before submission. The author’s self-appraisal using these checklists can be attached as an appendix. Whenever appropriate and/or available, authors are likewise encouraged to indicate in their manuscript the registration of the research project in the appropriate registry databases (i.e., ClinicalTrials.gov, PROSPERO, etc.).
All submitted original research articles are required of the following: a structured abstract of not more than 250 words; 3-5 keywords, text body of not more than 5000 words; maximum of 5 tables/figures; not more than 50 references. Individual tables and/or figures should be placed as a separate file submission. No tables/figures embedded in the main text will be permitted. A placeholder text indicating which table/figure should be inserted in specific parts of the manuscript is expected.
A study protocol is a research article the describes the background, study objectives, methods, and expected results of a proposed or ongoing research project. PJAHS will consider publishing study protocols (i.e., primary studies, systematic reviews with or without meta-analysis) that have been approved by a funding agency and/or an ethics approval body (proof of relevant documentation should be provided as a supplementary file). Whenever appropriate, study protocols should be registered in appropriate databases (i.e., ClinicalTrials.gov, PROSPERO, PHRR, etc.). Study protocols are strongly recommended to follow relevant reporting guidelines (i.e. SPIRIT, SPIROS, PRISMA-P, or consult the list by the EQUATOR Network). Study protocol without current ethics approval will not be considered. If you wish to submit a copy of your ethical approval, this should be a separate file and not part of your supplementary file. Abstract and the manuscript body must include the following sections: Background, Objective, Methods, and Expected Results. Abstracts should not be more than 250 words, manuscript text not more than 2500 words, a maximum of two tables and/or figures, and up to 20 references.
Meta-analyses and systematic reviews provide a critical overview of the research on specific topics related to physical therapy, occupational therapy, sports science, speech-language pathology, nursing, psychology, biomedical engineering, pharmacy, nutrition, education, and other allied health sciences. High-quality systematic reviews with definitive conclusions and clinical practice guidelines are a priority for publication.
Meta-analyses and/or Systematic reviews should follow similar guidelines as that of original research articles. However, authors are encouraged to follow the PRISMA guideline in reporting. If the systematic review has been registered in a protocol registry, authors are encouraged to report in the main text of their manuscript details of such.
Meta-analyses and/or Systematic review manuscript submissions must have a structured abstract of not more than 250 words, 3-5 keywords, the main text with a maximum of 6000 words, five tables/figures, and 50 references.
Short reports are a collection of various scientific articles which may include clinical studies, case reports, review articles, and studies on the reliability and/or validity of clinical measurement procedures. Short reports on early or initial findings of a research project must follow similar guidelines with original research articles. Other types of short reports may follow an unstructured format. An informative unstructured abstract of not more than 250 words is required. Short reports are limited to a maximum of 2000 words, three tables/figures, and 30 references.
Case studies are reports on the clinical practice of a profession. These articles provide a record of how clinicians interact with their patients and their interactions using specific evaluation and intervention techniques. We will accept case studies reporting clinical practice with individual or multiple patients. Ethical clearance from a recognized ethical review board is necessary. Abstracts can follow an unstructured format. The structure of the main text should have the following sections: Introduction, Case Presentation, Management and Outcome, and Discussion.
Case reports are descriptive reports on clinical issues and innovations from the perspective of the allied health practitioner. These articles should focus on practice implications, rather than on research methodology. These articles may provide a short discussion on current practice issues and patterns, innovative evaluation, and intervention techniques. An abstract that follows an unstructured format is needed. The main text may follow a similar unstructured format, however, the suggested structure should include sections on the following: Introduction (including a description of the social, cultural, economic, and professional contexts), Rationale (reasons for the new practice, roles, evaluation or intervention), Role of the Allied Health Profession, Implications to Practice, Impact to Allied Health Profession, Conclusion (including implications to other settings, contexts, professions, or countries).
These types of articles should discuss the reliability and/or validity of clinical measurement procedures independent or as part of a main research study. The structure of the abstract and the text follows that of original research articles. A discussion on the empirical implications of the clinical measurement testing to research and practice should be included. Ethical clearance from a recognized ethical review board is necessary.
These types of articles report on initial findings or results of an ongoing research study. They may also be brief reports of pilot studies as precursors to a main or larger-scale research study. The structure of the abstract and the text follows that of original research articles. However, the article should discuss how the initial findings can inform further research on the same or similar topics. Ethical clearance from a recognized ethical review board is necessary.
These types of articles critically review the literature on a topic related to allied health practice. The review should cover recent and relevant literature on contemporary allied health research and practice issues. A discussion on how the literature review informs allied health science is expected. They follow an unstructured format for the abstract and main texts.
These are types of miscellaneous articles that the editorial board finds to be useful in the field of allied health science. These may include conference announcements, committee reports, white papers, introduction to a professional association, local or international historical accounts of allied practice, practice guidelines, position papers, etc. These articles will follow an unstructured abstract and main texts. You may email us in advance to clarify whether your article falls under this category.
May be any pertinent topic related to allied health science. However, it is recommended that these are topics published in PJAHS in previous articles. The authors of the paper(s) cited in the letters to the Editor will likewise be allowed to respond in subsequent issues. Submissions deemed as polemic, rude, vulgar, pedantic, or pejorative will not be published. Submissions are not peer-reviewed but published at the discretion of the PJAHS editor. The opinions and conclusions expressed in the letters do necessarily reflect those of PJAHS and its Editor. Letter to the editor manuscript submissions has a maximum of 1000 words and five references.
Word count restrictions apply to the manuscript text (not including the abstract and references). Research reports should not exceed 5000 words, study protocols with 2500 words, systematic reviews and meta-analyses with 6000 words, short reports with 2000 words, and letters to the Editor with 1000 words. These do not include the cover page, abstract, references, tables, or figure legends.
Manuscript Format
- Use Arial, 11-point font with 1.5-line spacing set in a letter-sized document.
- Do not format text in multiple columns.
- Left justified and one-inch margin on all sides.
- ‘Normal’ style for text, ‘Heading’ styles for headings. Limit headings to 3 levels. Avoid using numbered sections and subsections.
- Indents and tabs should be avoided when formatting paragraphs and should use double carriage return between paragraphs.
- The manuscript text file should be a continuous file beginning from the title, abstract, manuscript text, and ends with the reference list.
- Insert page numbers at the bottom right side of the document.
- Tables, figures, and supplementary files should be in separate submissions. Compile all tables, figures, and supplementary materials in one file each. A placeholder text indicating which table, figure, or supplementary file should be inserted in specific parts of the manuscript text is expected.
- Include continuous line numbers in the manuscript file. All pages of the manuscript should be continuously numbered and placed on the bottom right hand of the page.
- Footnotes are not allowed. Consider moving them into the main text.
- Define abbreviations as they first appear in the text. Do not use non-traditional abbreviations unless they appear in the text for more than three times. Limit the use of abbreviations.
- Equations should follow the APA style of reporting results except for some specific formatting guidelines outlined herein. All statistical tests should be in italics (i.e., ICC, t, r, p, α, etc.). Numerical results should be expressed up to two decimal points (i.e., 1.00, 0.05, 0.01). If the exact p-value is less than 0.001, you can merely state “p<0.001.” Otherwise, report exact p-values, especially for primary outcomes. Technically, p-values cannot equal 0.00.
- Consult recently published articles from PJAHS on how tables and figures can be presented.
- Use SI units of measurements.
- Manuscript should be in MS Word and saved as document (.doc or .docx) or Rich Text Format (.rtf) files. MS Word documents should not be blocked, or password protected. For the manuscript text file, remove all identifying information to facilitate blind peer-review.
- Submissions may be returned to the author if presented in the incorrect format.
Manuscripts are accepted based on scientific interest and relevance to Allied Health Science. Manuscripts are accepted based on the discrete opinion of the Editors supported by evaluations made by at least two anonymous peer-reviewers. Manuscripts requiring revisions are returned to the corresponding author for response, modifications, and improvement. The revised manuscript should be submitted within the allotted timeframe upon receipt of the decision. Submissions made beyond this timeframe forfeit prior submission and will be considered as a new submission. The final acceptance of the manuscript is based on the critical judgment of the journal’s editor-in-chief.
We strongly recommend authors have their manuscripts checked by a professional language editing and proofreading service. There are numerous author services you may consider. For authors based in the Philippines, the English Editing service of the UST-Graduate School may be a good option. For a limited time, we have partnered with Academic Summits, a professional proofreading online service to offer our authors an exclusive 10%-15% discount on a wide range of author services. Learn more about Academic Summits.
Manuscripts submitted to PJAHS are critically appraised and evaluated by our editorial board reviewers and/or international academic editors in accordance with standards and principles of peer review as outlined by ICMJE and COPE. The Editor-In-Chief first reviews each submission on its suitability before endorsing it to the Managing Editor, who then assigns it to peer-reviewers within the area of expertise of the submitted manuscript. Submissions deemed out of the scope of PJAHS result in an automatic desk rejection within 1-2 weeks. A manuscript submission that surpasses the initial review process is assigned to at least two different anonymous peer-reviewers. The authors will receive a decision on the peer-review process within at least four weeks. You may refer to this figure for a visual summary of the journal’s double-blind peer review process.
The organization of the text should follow the headings prescribed in this guideline. Clarity and conciseness in the arrangement of the text will be highly appreciated. It is not necessary to start each section of the text on a new page. Use inclusive and gender-neutral language. The specific contents of the manuscript text follow the type of article submission.
The abstract commences the main manuscript text and is seen on the third page of the submitted document and should contain the following structured sections: background, methods, results, conclusions. The specific sections may conform to the type of article submissions. The maximum word count is specific to the type of journal article submitted. It should summarize the salient points of the manuscript submitted. Citations should not be included in the abstract. As much as possible, avoid abbreviations in this section. This section ends with 3-5 keywords.
The introduction should clearly state the aims of the study. The introduction need not be lengthy, and only references necessary in understanding the objectives of the research should be included. This section should also contain an explicit declaration of the objectives of the study.
The study design, participants, and methods used for the study should be described in full detail to allow a knowledgeable reader to reproduce the research. The specific methods (i.e., instrumentation, outcome measures, procedures, data, and statistical analysis) should likewise be saliently discussed. Consider using subsection headings. Where possible, a flow diagram depicting the major procedures involved in the research should be included.
Diagrams, photos, or drawings must be converted to JPEG or GIF and submitted as a separate file. A text marker must be added in the text for the placement of diagrams, e.g., “Insert Photo 1 here.”
Use text, tables, and figures to present the results of the study. Restrict tables and figures to only those that are necessary. There is no need to repeat information presented in tables and figures in the text, but all tables and figures should be referred to in the text. There is a maximum number of tables and figures allowed for each type of submission.
Tables and figures should not be in the main text but submitted as a separate and individual submission. All tables or figures should be submitted in one file. A text marker must be added in the text for placement of tables/figures, e.g., “Insert Table 1 here.”
New and important findings should be emphasized in the discussion, focusing on their implications, clinical applications, and limitations. Avoid repeating data previously presented in the Method and Results sections. Include a discussion on the implication of the results to allied health science research and practice.
The conclusions should clearly address the objectives of the study.
Include here individuals and/or institutions that contributed to the research project but did not meet the criteria for authorship. Include a description of the contribution. Do not acknowledge funders here; indicate them in the Disclosure Statement. Everyone named in the acknowledgments section must be previously informed by the author(s) that they are named in the article.
The list of references should be prepared and followed strictly according to a modified Vancouver style. The reference list should be numbered according to the place in the text where it was first cited, not alphabetically. Avoid using macros from reference management software in listing your references. Instead, paste a text version of the references.
In-text citations should be numbered continuously using a superscript character with no brackets or parenthesis (i.e., in-text citation.1). The reference list should be numbered and corresponds to the in-text citation. You may also refer to this website for more information.
Authors preparing their manuscript for submission or revision may consult this document for the referencing style used by the journal.
Table and/or figures must be individually submitted. All tables or figures should be submitted in one file. Each should be labeled accordingly as they appear in the manuscript text. Provide a self-explanatory title for each table and/or figure. When necessary, explain the legends and/or abbreviations in your tables/figures. PJAHS uses the APA style for reporting tables and figures. Likewise, you may consult recently published articles from PJAHS on how to present tables and figures. Please be mindful of the maximum number of tables or figures allowed for each kind of article submission.
Tables must be submitted in separate files for submission. PJAHS will accept tables in the following formats: .doc or .docx. Upload the highest quality available for images. Include table numbers in the filenames of the files that will be submitted (i.e., Table 1.docx). Do not embed tables in the manuscript text. All tables should be cited in the manuscript text and have a title that is placed within the manuscript text. Description of the table’s legends is optional, but if included must be placed within the manuscript text or as part of the table. Cite tables in the manuscript text as “Table 1”, “Table 2” etc.
“Figure” refers to graphs, charts, drawings, and photographs. Use the original file format and image size whenever possible. Upload the highest quality available images. File types that are acceptable for submission are .pdf, .jpeg and .png. Include figure numbers in the filenames of the files that will be submitted (i.e., Figure 1.jpeg). Do not embed figures in the manuscript text. All figures should be cited in the manuscript text and have a title that is placed within the manuscript text. Description of the figure’s legends is optional, but if included must be placed within the manuscript text or as part of the figure. Cite figures in the manuscript text as “Figure 1”, “Figure 2” etc.
The authors are responsible for attaining relevant permission to reproduce and include images in their articles. PJAHS may require submitting authors proof that such permission was sought, or whether the images used are from the authors’ own work.
Supplementary materials are uploaded separately. PJAHS will consider similar file types as tables and figures for uploading as supplementary materials. They must be labeled appropriately in the following format: “Supplement A”, Supplement B”, etc., and referred to in the manuscript text in the same manner. Examples of supplementary materials include the following: appraisal tool, the sample of questionnaires, pre-prints, copy of protocol registrations, proof of funding, etc. The maximum number of supplementary materials that will be accepted is shared with the maximum number of tables and/or figures.
PJAHS has opted to apply the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY) to all manuscripts to be published. This makes PJAHS an Open Access Publication. Authors who intend to submit to PJAHS grant all users free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to copy, use, distribute, transmit, and display their work worldwide, subject to proper citation and reference of authorship. The published article, including all supplementary items, shall be deposited and archived in the PJAHS website database. The authors of accepted manuscripts will need to sign a publication disclosure form with the journal.
At this time, PJAHS does not have any Article Processing Charges. Submission, acceptance, and publication in PJAHS are entirely free of charge.
All submissions must be made through the journal’s external submission link hosted by Scholastica. In case of a broken submission link, authors may submit through the journal’s website submission link or thru e-mail at pjahs@ust.edu.ph.
In using the journal’s external submission link hosted by Scholastica, the submitting author is required to create their own account. All correspondence will be through this peer review system unless otherwise advised by the journal.
SUBMISSION
The Philippine Journal of Allied health Sciences [ISSN: 1908-5044 (Print); 2984-9667 (Online] is an Open Access, peer reviewed journal published by the University of Santo Tomas-College of Rehabilitation Sciences, Manila, Philippines.
- Philippine Journal of Allied Health Sciences, Rm. 124 St. Martin de Porres Bldg. University of Santo Tomas, España Blvd, Sampaloc, Manila, Philippines 1008
- pjahs@ust.edu.ph
- +63-2-3406-1611 local 8443
© 2021 Copyright University of Santo Tomas, Philippine Journal of Allied Health Sciences. All rights reserved
Powered by: UST Communications Bureau & UST STEPS