Submissions

Author Guidelines

Thank you for considering submitting your work to IJCO. For an understanding of the editorial process and workflow, please read the information for authors prior to the following. The following guidelines help you submit your work in the correct format to enable its accurate reproduction in the journal. 

How to submit

Authors are directed to submit their manuscripts online on the current page of the journal website. After registering and logging in, they shall be required to upload the following files:

1. Title page file (Download template)
2. Blinded article file (according to the article type, authors are encouraged to use the relevant Equator Network Checklists [search here] to write their article to comply with publication standards). Please remove any identifying information (including names of authors, names of institutions, and others) from this file.
3. Multimedia, images, and video(s), if any
4. Supplementary documents (data, Equator Network checklist, Institutional Review Board approval, permissions for reproduction of copyrighted material, recommended reviewers, plagiarism report), each in a separate Word (.docx) or PDF (.pdf) file

Article types, description, and format

All article files should be submitted in Word format (.docx), normal margins, 12 point font size, Times New Roman or Calibri font, and 1.5 spacing. Manuscripts should be formatted to have continuous line numbering.

All articles must begin with a title of 40 or fewer words. The title is written in title case, i.e., words denoting names, abbreviations, and others are capitalized within the sentence as per the norm.

The title should be followed by an abstract wherever required and at least 5 keywords derived from the search results of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). A structured abstract (including Purpose, Methods, Results, and Conclusion) is required for Original articles and Case reports/series. Review articles need an unstructured abstract. All other types of submissions do not need an abstract.

Main text of the manuscript starts on the next page. Each manuscript should adhere to the word limits; word count includes the manuscript text only and excludes the title page, abstract, keywords, title, references, tables, multimedia files, and their legends.

The main text should contain references from relevant existing literature (see below), mention of supporting tables/figures referred to in-line as Table 1, Figure 2, etc., as well as headings of tables and legends to figures at the end. Legends of figures, videos, and tables should be provided in order of their mention in the main text— A table heading/figure legend must not exceed 40 words.

Original Article

• Original research articles should adhere to the IMRaD format, comprising Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion.
• The introduction should be brief and limited to a statement of the problem and current understanding of the literature. It should be relevant to the results and conclusion of the study. It must highlight the novelty and provide a rationale and justification for the study. The aim of the study should also be highlighted in the introduction.
• The methods should include relevant details of the objectives: primary or secondary. Nature of the material, experiments, design, sampling technique, sample size calculation, inclusion and exclusion criteria, population, and location/site of study should be described in detail. The techniques employed and the statistical methods used should be listed. Any survey method, examination tool, or questionnaire used should be mentioned and referenced. There should be a mention of consent, institutional review board approval, registration of the protocol, and specific use of artificial intelligence wherever relevant. A flowchart for the methods adopted, wherever possible, and a timeline of the study can be included. For well-known methods, citation of reference may suffice.
• Results should include relevant observations gathered by implementing the methods. Please mention the statistical method/test used for each particular observation, including p-values and confidence intervals wherever possible. Tables should not duplicate textual material.
• Discussion includes a review of published previous studies/cases with the same or similar purpose and the clinical relevance of the results. Please focus only on the articles very closely related to the work, and cite recent articles. Discuss how the findings of the current work influence the current understanding of clinical/community ophthalmology and future ophthalmic research. Enlist the limitations and provide an assessment of the internal and external validity of the study.
• The conclusion should summarize what was known and what the present study adds. It should be provided in at least three sentences.
• For a detailed understanding of research methodology and protocols, IJCO recommends referring to NPTEL’s Basic Course on Biomedical Research approved by the Government of India.
• Word limit: 3000

Review Article

• Preferably written by authors who have vast experience of the topic
• Need to be divided into sections relevant to the subject matter (not like original articles)
• A non-structured abstract (maximum 250 words) is needed
• Word limit: 3500

Case Report/Series

• These should have a structured abstract (maximum 250 words). 
• A maximum of 4 authors are allowed in a case report. 
• The article file of the case report should include these sections: Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, and Conclusion.
• Case series articles should follow a format similar to original articles. The number of cases should be two to nine. A manuscript of more than nine cases should be presented as an original article.
• Word limit: 1000-1500

Letter to the editor and Reply to letter to the editor

• The journal considers 'letter to the editor' articles that discuss critical points of an already published article in the IJCO.
• Such a manuscript must be submitted within 6 months of publication of the article being discussed.
• A maximum of 4 authors, 2 figures/tables, and 6 references are allowed.
• The authors of published letters are requested to reply to such a manuscript, and this response is published along with the 'letter to the editor' manuscript.
• No abstract is required
• Word limit: 500

Editorial, Guest Editorial

• Such articles are invited by the editorial board. 
• These should not exceed 4 figures/tables and 20 references.
• No abstract is required
• Word limit: 1000

Commentary, Brief Communications

• Commentaries are invited expert opinions on any subject.
• Brief communications describe vital concepts of basic clinics for allied health professionals, community ophthalmology in simple language understandable by community health care workers, and public health updates, which may or may not be related to clinical ophthalmology.
• A maximum of 4 authors, 2 figures/tables, and 10 references are allowed.
• Word limit: 1000

Journal Scan

• These articles should include the analysis of a recent publication (usually related to community work) in a PubMed-indexed journal. 
• A maximum of 4 authors and 6 references are allowed. 
• No abstract is required

Quiz and PG Corner

• Contributions to these sections are by invitation only

Artwork and images for Cover Collage

• These are high-quality images with 100-word descriptions and no references
• Artwork and images should be original and free of copyright
• No abstract is required

Formatting of Tables, Illustrations, and Figures

Tables must be prepared using the Table function in Microsoft Word. A table file (.docx) must contain all tables cited in the text, with table headings above the tables. Explanatory matter not contained in the headings should be placed below the table position in the table file. This includes full forms of all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each table.

Figures, statistical illustrations, charts, etc., are also highly desirable for summarizing the findings and should be included with the manuscript wherever possible. Separate files should be uploaded for each of the figures, with distinct file names mentioning the figure number. Images are to be uploaded in .jpg/.png/.tiff or any common format in high resolution (>300 dpi ~ 1800x1600 pixels) and high contrast. Graphs or charts are to be uploaded in the Microsoft Word editable format (.docx, pasted into a Word document if they are prepared within the MS Excel software.) Illustrations may have at least 900 dpi and at least 1600 pixels in the minimum dimension. Full forms of all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each figure should be included at the end of the figure legend itself.

Photographs and figures should be trimmed to remove all unwanted areas, and identifying information of participants should be removed. If a figure has been published elsewhere, the source should be acknowledged and written permission from the copyright holder should be submitted to the journal as a supplementary file. That the permission to reproduce copyrighted material has been obtained should be indicated in the legend.

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. The journal allows a maximum/sum total of 5 tables/figures for all types of articles. Only one video can be appended to an article. This video should be mentioned in-line as “(See supplementary video).” Video in .mp4/.mpeg/.avi format may be uploaded as a separate file of a maximum size of 30 MB and 1080p/720p resolution. The video should preferably have audio commentary and no background music.

Sample references

IJCO follows NLM (modified Vancouver) Style referencing in accordance with international guidelines with DOI number suffixed wherever available. For details, this free online resource can be consulted. If in doubt, copy the citation from PubMed and paste it into the manuscript, then remove the PMID/PMCID.

For journal articles:

Mittal SK, Nishant P, Agrawal A, Kumari S, Kumar P, Chawhan A. Community Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy in Uttarakhand, India, through Targeted Camps – a Retrospective Survey. Indian J Community Ophthalmol. 2020;1:19-21.

Reference to a book

• Authored book (all chapters written by same authors): Parija SC. Textbook of Medical Parasitology. 3rd ed. New Delhi: All India Publishers and Distributors. 2008. page 32-3.
• Chapters in an edited/compiled book: Nesheim MC. Ascariasis and human nutrition. In Ascariasis and its prevention and control, D. W. T. Crompton, M. C. Nesbemi, and Z. S. Pawlowski (eds.). London: Taylor and Francis. 1989: page 87–100.

Internet resource

FDA data on TECNIS® Toric 1-Piece IOL [Internet]. [cited 2020 Apr 7]; Available from: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf/P980040S039c.pdf

Revision of manuscripts

The authors should prepare a point-wise response to all the queries/suggestions made by the reviewers/editors with the exact page and line number of the changes made in the manuscript (download template here). The areas of change should be highlighted in yellow.

Removal of personal information from Word documents

Before the submission of the documents (.doc or .docx), the authors should 'remove properties and personal information' from the files. To do this in Windows, right-click on the unopened file and go to Properties. A new window opens, and now click on the Details tab and click on 'remove properties and personal information' and select the option of 'create a copy with all possible properties removed’.

Submit now

Click on the following to submit to the relevant sections of the journal as per the type of your manuscript: