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PRE-SUBMISSION  

The Scientific Journal of the University of Benghazi (SJUOB) is a multi-disciplinary open access journal, owned by the University of Benghazi. The SJOUB has three sections: Humanities, Science and Medicine.

Submitted manuscripts must pertain to these three domains, and be submitted solely to SJUOB, and  not published or for consideration to be published elsewhere.

 Disclaimer:  The statements, opinions, and advertisements in the SJUOB are exclusively those of the individual authors, contributors, editors, or advertisers, as indicated.

Before you submit your manuscript for the consideration to be published in the Scientific Journal of University of Benghazi (SJUOB) , please read the following carefully: 

Submission declaration and verification

By submitting an article to the SJUOB, authors indicate that the work has not been previously published (except in the form of an abstract, a published lecture or academic thesis). Submission also implies that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and implicitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was conducted, and that, if accepted, it will not be published in any other place in the same form, in English or translated into any other language, including electronically without first obtaining the written consent of the copyright holder. To confirm originality, submitted articles may be checked by an originality detection service.

Author contributions

We advise authors to submit an author statement file which outlines their individual contributions to the paper using the relevant credit roles:

• Conceptualization;
• Data curation;
• Formal analysis;
• Funding acquisition;
• Investigation;
• Methodology;
• Project administration;
• Resources; Software;
• Supervision;
• Validation;
• Visualization;
• Roles/Writing - original draft;
• Writing - review & editing.

Authorship statements should be formatted with the names of authors first and followed by their credit role(s).

Changes to authorship

It must be noted that only in exceptional circumstances will the editor consider the addition, deletion or rearrangement of authors after the manuscript has been accepted.

The corresponding author must inform the editor about any intended changes in authorship list (addition, removal, or rearrangement), by an email/letter with a written confirmation from all authors. When the manuscript has been accepted, only in exceptional circumstances the changes will be considered.      

Copyright

Once an article is approved, the authors will be requested to fill out a ‘Journal Publishing Agreement’. A confirmation email, along with the ‘Journal Publishing Agreement’ form or a link to its online version, will be sent to the corresponding author. Subscribers are allowed to reproduce tables of contents or create article lists with abstracts for internal use within their organizations/institutions. However, the publisher’s permission is required for resale or distribution outside the organization and for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. If the article includes excerpts from other copyrighted works, the author(s) must obtain written consent from the copyright holders and indicate the sources in the article.

Ethical  

General points on composition

• It is highly recommended for authors to analyze their final draft using both software tools (for example, spelling and grammar checkers) and, if feasible, human proofreaders.
• Authors are encouraged to keep in mind that clarity is an important feature of scientific writing. Scientific articles must be clear and precise in their content and concise in their delivery because their purpose is to inform the reader. The editor reserves the right to edit all manuscripts or to reject those manuscripts that lack clarity or precision or that have unacceptable grammar or syntax.

Specifics of the composition of submitted manuscripts:

General structure
All manuscripts submitted to the Scientific Journal of University of Benghazi should include Title Page, Abstract, Main Text, References and Acknowledgements, Tables, Figures and Figure Legends as appropriate.

Title Page:

The title page should include the following: 

• Title, which should be succinct as well as descriptive.
• First name and last (surname) name of each author.
• Name and address of department, hospital or institution to which work should be attributed.
• Running title (Maximum of 30 letters and spaces).
• Maximum of six keywords (in alphabetical order).
• Name, full address, telephone, and e-mail address of author responsible for correspondence, known as the corresponding author.
• Conflict of interest ("None" if not existing).

GUIDELINES FOR DIFFERENT ARTICLES:

Original scientific article

Original articles include theoretical, applied, observational or experimental research, and meta-analysis.

It should have no more than 6 authors and is supported by up to 30 references.

The text must not be more than 3000 words excluding abstracts references or tables and it should be divided into the following sections: Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Material and Methods Results, Discussion and Conclusion, References, Tables and Figures, and Legends. The abstract should not exceed 350 words.

In Introduction section the purpose and rational of the study is summarised. It should outline the historical or logical origins of the study and gaps in knowledge.  detailed literature reviews are not appropriate.  

Materials and Methods: describe the study design and the method of sampling selection or randomization of subjects, or participants. Explain in detail the experimental steps and equipment and identify any drugs or chemicals used. Clearly indicate the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Mention the statistical methods and computer software used for data analysis and their limitations. For P value give the exact value and not: less than 0.05 or 0.001.

Results:

Have a sequence of results presented should be ordered logically throughout the results section, in the text tables and figures.

The main and most important results are mentioned first. Data given in tables and figures shouldn't be repeated in the text, although only emphasis or important observations can be summarised in the text.

Numeric data should be given as both absolute numbers and percentages. Tables and figures must be restricted to explain the main study argument. Don't duplicate data in figures and tables.

Discussion:

Memorise the key results and describe the strength and limitations of the study throughout the study question, design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, considering previous work in the field, and to be supported by original references.

Define the application of the study findings, what the study adds to the current evidence and weather there are controversies raised,

Recommend future research directions based on your findings. Material given in the introduction and results sections shouldn't be repeated in detail.

Conclusion: should contain a summary of the findings.

Systematic review articles 

The abstract should summarize the review under the following headings : Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Abstract should not exceed 350 words.

The main text of the systematic review article shouldn't exceed 5000 words, and  is divided into the following sections:

Title: Identify the report as a systematic review, meta-analysis, or both.
Introduction: Provide an introduction of the subject and why it is important.
Explain the research question, indicating participants, interventions, comparators, and outcomes.

Methods:  describe the following in detail:

1. i) Inclusion criteria
2. ii) Databases searched and dates

iii) Method used to assess study quality

1. iv) Meta-analysis methodology (if appropriate)

Results: 

Number and type of included studies and participants.

Results for outcomes. Details of measures and confidence intervals of meta-analysis (if appropriate).

Discussion:  Adress strengths and limitations of evidence.
Conclusions: summary of interpretation of the results and their important implications.
Funding: Source(s) of funding (if no funding: say ‘none’).
Registration: Registration number and name.

Review (narrative) Article:
Abstract should be unstructured and should not exceed 350 words.

The review article is expected to be written by authors who are expert in the field or the subject. The article test word count must not exceed 3000 words excluding abstracts tables and references. The abstract is unstructured and must not exceed 350 words. Up to 90 references may be listed.

A main text of the review article should be divided into Introduction, Review and Conclusions.

The Introduction section should be focused on the subject reviewed, and to justify the need for the review.

The Review section: The article sections' titles depend on the reviewed topic, and they should include a section describing the method for locating, selecting, extracting and synthesis of the data. Author is expected to use state-of-the-art evidence-based systematic approaches, and to describe the search strategies. The use of tables and illustrations is encouraged.

The Conclusion section should summarize conclusions and/or recommendations.

Case reports

Abstract should not exceed 350 words, divided into the following sub-headings:  Introduction, Report, Discussion and Conclusion. The article should include high quality images, diagrams, supporting tables and graphs as appropriate.

Rare and interesting clinical cases can be reported to provide learning points regarding diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

A case report may be up to 1000 words excluding abstract and references and is divided into the sections: Abstract (unstructured), Keywords, Introduction, Report, Discussion, Conclusion, References, Tables, Figures (and images), and Legends.

A case report can be supported by up to 10 references and it can have up to four others.

Short Communication:

Short and concise paper which addresses controversies, and discussion related to previously published journal articles.

It can be in any of the following forms: Commentaries, Reply articles, Abstracts, Research briefs, and Correspondence to the editor.

Letter to the Editor

These are short observations related to articles that were previously published in the journal. A letter to the editor could have up to 500 words and five references and it's authored by no more than four authors.

Privacy Statement

The names and emails entered in the journal site will not be available for any other purpose or to any other parties.

Acknowledgements: 

The Scientific Journal of the University of Benghazi requires that all sources of institutional, private, and corporate financial support for the work within the manuscript must be fully acknowledged, and any potential conflicts of interest noted. Grant or contribution numbers may be acknowledged, and principal grant holders should be listed. Acknowledgments should be brief and should not include thanks to anonymous referees and editors. 

The Scientific Journal of the University of Benghazi mandates the full and brief acknowledgment of all forms of financial support, whether it’s from institutional, private, or corporate entities, for the work presented in the manuscript, while avoiding acknowledging anonymous referees and editors. It’s also necessary to mention any possible conflicts of interest. The numbers of grants or contributions may be acknowledged. The main grant holders must be listed. 

Ethical approval (where appropriate):  should be issued by the local ethical approval committee in the institution, department, or health care facility. The journal may 

Conflict of interest: The authors should declare any conflict of interest, if any.

TABLES, FIGURES AND FIGURE LEGENDS

Tables should be:

• Double-spaced
• With vertical ruling
• With a single bold ruling under column title
• With units of measurement mentioned in the column title

Figures should meet the following criteria:

• Figure legends should begin with a brief title for the  figure followed by a short description of each panel.
• One column width (8.0 cm), 1.5 column widths (13.0 cm) or 2 column widths (17.0 cm)
• Suitable for photocopy reproduction.
• Letters on figures are clear and sans serif (e.g. Helvetica)
• After reduction for publication, upper-case text and numbers should be at least 1.5-2.0 mm high (10-point Helvetica).
• Symbols should be at least 2.0-3.0 mm high (10 points) after reduction.
• Each figure should have one panel except in multi-part figures
• Multi-part figures should be arranged as they would appear in the final version.
• Avoidance of unnecessary figures and panels of figures, which can be briefly stated in the text.
• Can be reduced at the smallest size at which essential details are visible.
• Should be on a white background.
• Excessive boxing, unnecessary colors, shading, and/or decorative effects should be avoided.
• The line spacing should be sufficiently wide to remain clear on reduction to the minimum acceptable printed size.
• Figure panels are labeled with a lower-case, boldface, roman letter, a, b, and so on, in the same type size as used elsewhere in the figure.
• Labels in the figures should be in lower-case, with the first letter capitalized.
• SI nomenclature or the nomenclature common to a particular field, are used.
• Thousands should be separated by a thin space (1 000).
• Give the full spelling of unusual units or abbreviations.
• Use scale bars rather than magnification factors, with the length of the bar defined in the legend. 

REFERENCES

References and citations should be in the Vancouver style. It is essential that all references cited in the text are also included in the reference list. References cited in the abstract should be full. The reference list should not contain unpublished papers or personal communications, although they can be referred to in the text. If a reference is cited as “in press”, it means that it has been approved for publication. We suggest using a tools like EndNote or Reference Manager for managing and formatting references.

Example of journal citation:

Aho M, Irshad B, Ackerman SJ, Lewis M, Leddy R, Pope T, et al. Correlation of sonographic features of invasive ductal mammary carcinoma with age, tumor grade, and hormone-receptor status. J Clin Ultrasound [Internet]. 2013 Jan [cited 2015 Apr 27];41(1):10-7. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcu.21990/full DOI: 10.1002/jcu.21990]

Example of a book citation:

[ Altobelli N. Airway management. In: Kacmarek R, Stoller JK, Heuer AJ, editors. Egan’s fundamentals of respiratory care. 10th ed. St. Louis: Saunders Mosby; c2013. p. 732-86].

 Example of online sources citation:

 [Aho M, Irshad B, Ackerman SJ, Lewis M, Leddy R, Pope T, et al. Correlation of sonographic features of invasive ductal mammary carcinoma with age, tumor grade, and hormone-receptor status. J Clin Ultrasound [Internet]. 2013 Jan [cited 2015 Apr 27];41(1):10-7. Available from: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jcu.21990/full DOI: 10.1002/jcu.21990]

For more information about Vancouver referencing style, you may refer to this online resource:

Vancouver Referencing | A Quick Guide & Reference Examples (scribbr.co.uk) , or any other sources of your preference.

SUBMISSION

Authors are required to check that all the following items are fulfilled:

• The submitted manuscript has not been previously published, nor is it considered for publication in another journal.
• The manuscript has not been provided in Comments to the Editor
• The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
• URLs for the references should be provided where available.
• The text is single-spaced; with a 12-point font; employs italics, rather than underlining (except with URL addresses); and all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
• The text adheres to the stylistic and bibliographic requirements outlined in the Pre-Submission Guidelines.

Make sure you submit the title page and the main article text (including tables and illustrations) in two separate files.

As a reminder, the title page should contain the following:

• Title, which should be succinct as well as descriptive.
• First name and last (surname) name of each author.
• Name and address of department, hospital or institution to which work should be attributed.
• Running title (Maximum of 30 letters and spaces).
• Maximum of six keywords (in alphabetical order).
• Name, full address, telephone, and e-mail address of author responsible for correspondence, known as the corresponding author.
• Conflict of interest ("None" if not existing).

To submit your article send the submission file to this email address: [email protected]

POST-SUBMISSION

Once your submitted manuscript is received, the Journal Editor will forward it to the appropriate Section Editor, depending on the science domain of the submitted article.

Two reviewers who are expert and specialized in the field will be invited to review the manuscript independently, in a specified time interval.

Each reviewer will use a structured evaluation form to objectively facilitate reaching a fair decision as to accept or reject the article.

The corresponding author will be informed by email about the reviewers' conclusions and decision.

The article may be returned to the corresponding author for revision and corrections as indicated by the reviewer(s). The corresponding author is expected to re-submit the article after making the required correction, before the deadline given by the Journal Editor.  

Authors are expected to supply the journal with post publication updates (in case of narrative and systematic review articles),  as a letter to editor when major development occurs in the subject or field of review.