Research Paper | Clinical Paper | Methods Paper | Essay in Medicine | Submission | Editorial Office
The South Carolina Journal of Molecular Medicine is a peer-review electronic journal, which welcomes research and clinical papers of general interest and biological significance in molecular medicine and related areas. The SCJMM publishes four manuscript formats: Research, Medical, Methods Papers and Assay in Medicine. Manuscripts must be submitted to the journal in one of these categories. Students at MUSC are particularly encouraged to submit their work. Submission must be concise and short as possible. Manuscripts are submitted electronically and assigned to one editor and reviewed by two expert reviewers in the area. These reviewers are selected from the Editorial Board. Referee reports will be emailed to the corresponding author within 3-4 weeks from submission. Publication time from acceptance of manuscript is within 1-2 days. Thus, publication time from submission is approximately 4 weeks. For papers accepted but subject to revision, only one revised-version will be considered; it must be submitted within 2 months of the provisional acceptance.
Before submitting the manuscript, please read very carefully the instructions for preparation and submission, avoiding delay of publication and/or rejection of the paper.
Research and Medical Papers will occupy up to 5 electronic pages, which correspond to a manuscript length of ~ 3,000 words, excluding title page, abstract, acknowledgments, references, figures, tables, photographs, and movies. Abstracts will be limited to 200 words. A manuscript of 8-10 typed, double-spaced pages with 1-inch margin (including ALL sections) translates to 5 journal pages.
Research Paper. When you prepare a research manuscript please observe the following order: Title page, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figures, Figure legends, Photographs, Movies. Results and Discussion may be combined, if appropriate. All manuscript pages (including references, tables, figure legends) must be double-spaced and in a typeface of at least 12 point size, with 1-inch margin. Label each page with the first author's name and page number. The Title page should include: (a) title; (b) all authors' full names; (c) all affiliations clearly indicated; and (d) key words (up to six) for use in indexing, (e) the name, post and email addresses, and telephone and FAX number of the corresponding author; (f) a word count of the entire manuscript; (g) and a statement that the manuscript has been seen and approved by all listed authors. Abstracts should summarize the aim of the report, the methodological approach, and the significance of the results. Methods should be detailed enough to allow qualified researchers to reproduce the results. The final revised-version must meet the above guidelines. Manuscripts that do not conform to the appropriate format will be returned to the author.
Clinical Paper. Medical manuscripts should be prepared in the following order: Title Page, Abstract, Text, Acknowledgments, Tables, Figures, Figure legends, Photographs, Movies. These manuscripts report results of studies that involve human or animal experimentation. The authors should state in a footnote that appropriate informed consent was obtained and that guidelines for human experimentation (of the US Department of Health and Human Services and/or the authors' institution) were followed in the conduct of clinical research or that animal experimentation guidelines were followed in animal studies. Title page. The title page should contain all the information previously described for a Research Paper. Abstract. The problem and conclusion should be stated. Limit 200 words. Text. All but the shortest articles should have the text divided with headings appropriate to the material. Use of abbreviations is discouraged other than for standard measurements; however, if needed, abbreviations other than units of measure should be defined at first use for example, computed tomography (CT). Generic or chemical names should be used for drugs whenever possible. Medical papers can be formatted as clinical review papers on specific area of interest. Limit 3,000 words. Acknowledgments, References, Tables, Figures, and Figures legends should follow the style described previously for the Research paper. Photographs. They are accepted in the following format: jpeg, jpg, gif, and tif. It is recommended that photographs be included in the PDF file containing the manuscript. Movies are accepted only in the format .mov, which can be played using QuickTime player software.
Methods Paper. The purpose of this type of publication is to provide methods in biochemistry to scientists at MUSC and around the world. At the present time, mainly the methods used by researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina will be posted, but we invite others to join in this effort. Title page. The title page should contain all the information previously described for a Research Paper. Abstract. Abstract should emphasize the novelty of the specific method or experimental procedure. Limit 200 words. Text. The description of the method or experimental procedure should be as detailed as possible. Use of abbreviations is discouraged other than for standard measurements. Limit 3,000 words.
Essay in Medicine. This is a new type of publication that mainly focuses on the historical evolution in medical research, the practice of medicine and effects on society. Authors are encouraged to focus especially on topics that are related to MUSC andSouth Carolina. For example, a paper describing the social impact of a research activity performed at MUSC would be appropriate. Include an abstract of no more than 200 words that states the problem and how the specific clinical and/or research activity helped (or will help). The body of the paper should be limited to 3,000 words.
Submit one copy of the manuscript via email to the Editorial Secretary (LuAnne Harley, at harleylu@musc.edu) as attachments. (Please scan for viruses before sending.) Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word (.doc) or PDF (.pdf) files. Figures and Tables in PowerPoint format (.ppt) are also accepted. However, the submission of one PDF file with all manuscript sections, including figures and tables, is strongly recommended. Movies must be submitted in a separate file using .mov format only. Manuscript submitted with other software programs will not be considered. Guidelines how to make a PDF file can be found in the help menu of Microsoft Word. Manuscripts may also be submitted by sending the original plus two copies to: South Carolina Journal of Molecular Medicine, Editorial Secretary, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, BSB 503, Charleston, SC, 29425; Tel (843) 792-4321, Fax (843) 792-6558. If the manuscript will be sent to the Editorial Secretary, please supply the manuscript on a zip-disk, indicating on the disk the software program the document is in and the disk format. Figures should be included in the same PDF file of the manuscript. However, separate Figures can also be submitted as Power Point format (.ppt). If you do so, please name the files with the last name of the first author followed by the figure number (e.g. "Smith1.ppt" for figure1). Do not put a space or any other character between the name and the number in the file name. Number file figures consecutively in the order in which they are discussed in the text. The figure sizes will be adjusted to fit the journal format; therefore, please keep labels, symbols, and other callout devices in proportion to the figure size and detail. Figure legends must be submitted on a separate page. They should be brief and should not contain detailed methods. Symbols indicted in the figure must be identified in the legend text. If figures are reprinted from another source, permission to reprint is required. Tabular data should be presented concisely and logically. Number tables consecutively according to the order cited in the text. Provide a title for each table. Include table legends and footnotes on the same page where needed. If tables are reprinted from another source, or if data are included from another source, permission to reprint is required. Other graph formats, such as movies of procedures, methods or results, are particularly encouraged but only in the .mov format. Only those articles that are published or in press will be included in the references. upublished data, submitted manuscripts, or personal communications should be cited in parentheses in the text and should include first initials and last names of authors. References are cited by name/date in text; please observe the following style for the reference list:
Pavio, A., Scharf, S., and Horn, G.T. 1975. Perceptual comparisons through the mind's eye. Mem. Cognit. 3: 635-647.
Strunk, W. and White, E.B. 1979. The elements of style. Macmillan, New York, NY.
Tymowska, J. 1991. Polyploidy and cytogenetic variation in frogs of the genus Xenopus. in Amphibian cytogenetics and evolution (ed, D.M. Green and S.K. Sessions), pp. 259-297. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
Proofs. Proofs are considered the final form of the paper. Correction can be made only in the case of factual errors. If additional information must be added at this stage, it should be in the form of a "Note added in proof," subject to the approval of the editors.
173 Ashley Avenue
Room 503 BSB
Department of Biochemistry
Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, SC 29425
Telephone: (843) 792-8012
Fax: (843) 792-4322
LuAnne Harley
Editorial Secretary
SCJMM