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.