Instructions for Authors
1. Aims and Scope: The Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health is a peer-reviewed, bimonthly, English publication of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences (MUMS), Mashhad, Iran. The journal is published under the supervision of the psychiatric department of the University in the fields of psychiatry, psychology, mental health and behavioral sciences. This journal is approved by the Medical Journals of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education of Iran.
2. This journal accepts Original Papers, Review Articles, Case Reports, and Letters to the Editor in clinical and basic science aspects of psychiatry, psychology, and mental health.
3. Submission: The manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief, including the title and author(s) name and undertaking that it has not been published or submitted elsewhere. In case the manuscript was earlier submitted to some other journal and was rejected, the authors must provide full information for proper analysis. The manuscript should be typed in English in Times New Roman font 12 in double space with clear margins on both sides. Tables and illustrations should be typed and drawn on a separate paper. Do not submit tables as photographs. Tables and illustrations should be typed and drawn on a separate paper.
In electronic submission of the manuscript, the authors must declare that it is being exclusively contributed to this Journal. The text should be submitted in Microsoft Word format as an attachment. The figures should be sent in JPEG or GIF formats, which will produce high-quality images in the online edition of the journal. Submission is also acceptable via Journal URL: http://jfmh.mums.ac.ir/
4. Clinical Trial Registration: The Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health requires that randomized controlled trials be registered according to policies accepted by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and Iranian Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). To be considered for publication, trials that begin enrolment of patients after December 22nd, 2009, must register in a public trials registry at or before the onset of enrolment, and trials that began patient enrolment on or before this date must register anytime before submission to the journal.
The registration number of the trial and the name of the trial registry must be mentioned at the end of the abstract. Recommended trial registries include the following:
http://www.IRCT.ir , http://www.clinicaltrials.gov , http://www.trialregister.nl/trialreg/index.asp
5. The manuscript should include the title page, structured abstract and keywords, text (Introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, conclusion), acknowledgments, and references.
6. Title pages: The title page must be submitted as part of the manuscript. This should contain the article title (not to exceed 75 characters, including spaces); authors' names with full first name, their degrees, and affiliations (dept., institution, city, state); institution where the work was done (indicate which author is in which department); a short running title of no more than 45 letters and spaces, with complete address (including e-mail address and postal codes) and telephone and fax numbers.
7. Structured Abstract and Keywords: The abstract must be submitted as a separate file on the online system. Limit the abstract to 250 words. Do not cite references in the abstract. Limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms. Use the following subheads: Introduction, Methods and Materials, Results, and Conclusion. A 3-10 keywords list will be provided directly below the abstract. Keywords should express the precise content of the manuscript, as they are used for indexing purposes. Use terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus:
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/MBrowser.html)
8. Introduction: This should summarize the purpose and the rationale for the study. It should neither review the subject extensively nor have data or conclusions of the study.
9. Materials and Methods: This should include the exact method of observation or experiment. If the method is established, give the reference; if the method is new, give enough information so another author can perform it. If a drug is used, its generic name, dose, and route of administration must be given. For patients, gender and age with mean age ± standard deviation must be given. Statistical methods must be mentioned, and any general computer program used must be specified. The Info system used should be mentioned.
10. Results: It must be presented in text, tables, and illustrations. The contents of the tables should not be repeated in the text. Instead, a reference to the table number may be given.
11. Discussion: This should emphasize the present findings and the variations or similarities with other works in the field of study. The detailed data should not be repeated.
12. Conclusion: A conclusion that can be reached based on the results.
13. Acknowledgements: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be covered. It should include persons who provided technical help, writing assistance, and a departmental head that only provided general support. Financial and material support and conflict of interests must be written in this section.
14. Tables: In limited numbers, should be submitted with the captions placed above. Place explanatory matters in the footnote, not in the heading
15. Figures: They should be in limited numbers, with high-quality artwork, and mounted on separate pages. The captions should be placed below.
16. References: The authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references according to the Vancouver style. For abbreviations of journal names, refer to the list of journals indexed in Index Medicus.
Sample references:
Article: Author(s) name (more than 6 names are used et al.). Title of article. Abbreviation of title of journal Year; Volume (Issue): Page. Example: Holson I, Kraft P, Roysamb E. The relationship between body image and depressed mood in adolescence: A five-year longitudinal study. J Health Psychol 2001; 6(6): 613-27.
Nateghian S, Mollazadeh J, Gudarzi MA, Rahimi Ch. [Forgiveness and marital satisfaction in combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and their wives]. Journal of fundamentals of mental health 2008; 10(1): 33-46. (Persian)
Chapter: Author(s) name. Chapter. In: Editor(s) name. Book. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year: Page. Example: Moore C, Williams R, Hirshkowitz M. Mood disorders. In: Sadock B, Sadock V. (editors). Kaplan and Sadock’s comprehensive textbook of psychiatry. 7th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2000: 1677-701.
Book: Author(s) name. Book. Edition. Place: Publisher; Year: Page. Example: Momtazi S. [Family and drug abuse]. 3rd ed. Zanjan: Mahdis; 2005: 15-61. (Persian)
Dissertation: Author(s) name. Title. Degree. Dissertation. Place: University, College, Year: Page. Example: Najafi F. [The comparison of body esteem and anxiety of Alzahra University students at unisex university with other university students]. MA. Dissertation. Tehran: Alzahra University, College of psychology and education science, 2000: 100-55. (Persian)
Electronic Article: Morse SS. Factors in the emergence of infectious diseases. Emerg Infect Dis (derail online) 1995 Jan- Mar [cited 1996 Jun 5], 1(1): [24 screens]. Available from: URL;http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm
17. Proofreading: A computer printout is sent to the corresponding author for proofreading before publication. Corrections should be marked clearly and sent immediately to the journal office.
18. Abbreviations and Symbols: Use only standard abbreviations. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text.
19. Plagiarism: This journal routinely screens paper submissions for plagiarism.
20. Ethical Guidelines: Ethical considerations must be addressed in the materials and methods. All manuscripts reporting the results of experimental investigations involving human subjects should include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from each subject or subject's guardian after approval of the experimental protocol by a local human ethics committee. The authors are responsible for the whole scientific content of the manuscript.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in publication:
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in any step of manuscript preparation is in agreement with the COPE position statement. Authors could use AI in writing the manuscript to improve the language and readability, to produce images of the paper, or in the collection and analysis of data. Authors are required to disclose any utilization of AI tools (how and which AI tools have been used) at the end of the manuscript. It is essential that the final content is thoroughly reviewed by the authors, and they are fully responsible for the content of their manuscript.
21. Conflicts of Interest: Authors must acknowledge and declare any sources of funding and potential conflicting interest, such as receiving fund or fees by, or holding stocks and shares in, an organization that may profit or lose through the publication of your paper. Declaring a competing interest will not lead to automatic rejection of the paper, but editors would like to be made aware of it.
22. Page Charges: There are no charges for publication in this journal.
23. Copyright: All the contents of the Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health are protected under international copyright laws. You may not modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, or publish without the prior written permission of it or the appropriate copyright owner.
24. Peer Review Process: All manuscripts are considered to be confidential. They are peer-reviewed by at least 2 anonymous reviewers selected by the Editorial Board. The corresponding author is notified of the editor's decision to accept, reject, or require modifications as soon as possible. If the manuscript is completely according to the instructions, it is scheduled for the next available issue.
25. Disposal of Material: Once published, all copies of the manuscript, correspondence, and artwork will be held for 1 year before disposal.
The Final Checklist
Before submitting the manuscript, the authors must recheck the following items:
1. Title Pages
2. Abstract
3. References
4. Tables, illustrations, and figures with their captions
5. Manuscript
6. Letter of undertaking signed by all the authors
7. Disclosure regarding source of funding and conflict of interest, if any, besides approval of the study from respective Ethics Committee/Institution Review Board/IRCT
8. Covering Letter