MMJ is an open access journal that is published in both print and digital versions www.myanmarmedicaljournal.com. MMJ allows readers to read, download, copy and distribute its articles for any lawful purpose as long as the author(s) and the Journal are properly credited.
The print version is archived in the Myanmar Medical Association’s library. The digital version is archived in www.myanmarmedicaljournal.com.
Manuscripts are only accepted electronically, that is, sent to mmammjpool@gmail.com and mmj@myanmarmedicaljournal.com.
A covering letter of submission is to be provided by the lead author that also includes mentioning the fact that all co-authors have agreed to publish the paper or article in this Journal.
The Journal accepts research papers and articles on condition that it has not been submitted for publication in any other journal simultaneously nor has it been published already in another scientific medical journal. Research paper or article that has been already published in a different language (other than English) in another scientific journal is not accepted for publication in this Journal.
Publication of an abstract of the research in the proceedings of a conference does not disqualify for publication in the Journal.
Authorship is to be granted to individuals who have contributed substantially in the following areas: concept development and design of the study, collection of data, analysis and interpretation, and in the writing of the paper. All authors listed must take responsibility for all the contents in the article.
The names and addresses of the authors are used exclusively for the purpose of publishing the article in the Journal and it will not be made available for other purposes. The contact address (email) of the corresponding author is made available in good faith in order to promote scientific communications between fellow researchers.
MMJ retains the copyright of all materials that were submitted and subsequently published in the Journal. The published manuscript either in part or as a whole is not to be reproduced elsewhere without obtaining a written permission from the Journal. However, the authors reserve the patent rights and all unregistered rights other than copyright.
For research (original) article, the research should be carried out within the past 5 years. Exceptions will be made by the Editorial Board if the research is considered to be of importance to the medical profession in the country.
Manuscript files should be formatted using British English spellings and 12 point Times New Roman font. Abbreviations of common terms (e.g., ECG, IV, CT) can be used but for those that are not common, the long form is to be used at the first mention in order for the reader to easily comprehend.
Drugs and therapeutic agents mentioned in the manuscript should be referred to by accepted generic or chemical names unless it is not yet available. Brand (proprietary) names and abbreviated names should not be used.
Articles submitted to the Journal are usually published within a period of 3-6 months depending on the time taken to review the article. Corresponding authors as well as the reviewer(s) are informed in a timely manner when an article is accepted or rejected. The corresponding author has the right to withdraw the article at anytime after submitting it.
The Journal invites materials for the following sections in the Journal: Original Research, Editorial, Review, Perspectives (view points) and Case Reports.
Original Research articles: Publication of research papers that presents the results of original research carried out in the country is the main focus of the Journal. Format for submitting a research paper are outlined in detail in the guidelines for submission of manuscripts section. The length of the research paper should be approximately 2500 to 3500 words.
Editorial articles: Editorials are solicited from individuals having wide experience on a topic that is considered by the Journal to be of interest to its readers. The Journal also accepts unsolicited editorial papers as long as the subject of the editorial is considered to be of importance to the members of the Myanmar Medical Association. The length of the Editorial should be approximately 1000 to 1500 words.
Review articles: These are articles based on detailed analysis of a specific medical problem or health issue by scientists who are working in this area and has the expertise to evaluate the situation based on relevant data. The length of the Review article should be approximately 3000 to 3500 words.
Perspective (view points) articles: These articles deal with a person’s view on a specific problem or issue that is related to health, ethics and social issues that are considered to be of importance to medical community with a view to promote discussions and understanding. The expert opinions expressed in the article are those of the author(s) only and not those of the Journal. The length of the Perspective article should be approximately 2000 to 2500 words.
Case Report: This is a short report about an interesting medical problem or a rare disease that is encountered during clinical practice. It is to be presented as a challenging medical problem and it must have important educational value. It discusses about the clinical features, tests carried out (microbiology, biochemistry, pathology and radiology), differential diagnosis, treatment, autopsy (if any) and final diagnosis. The length of the Case Report should be approximately 1500 to 2000 words.
Procedures used in conducting research on humans must be in compliance with the ethical standards laid down by the respective institutional and departmental ethical committees under whose oversight the research is to be conducted. Research on animals are also be to carried out based on guidelines on the care and use of laboratory animals laid down by the respective institutional and departmental ethical committees. In the methods section a statement is to be included regarding the ethical committee's approval, and relevant ethical practices followed.
Privacy rights of human subjects are to be always observed by the researcher. Informed consent is to be obtained if intervention is included in research protocol.
Author(s) are required to disclose any potential conflict of interest (personal, commercial or financial) pertaining to their past and current work in relation to the conduct of the research that also includes the publication process. Conflict of interest if present is to be disclosed accordingly.
Authors are responsible for making sure that the manuscripts in the paper submitted for publication are free from plagiarized materials. References are to be cited when using materials from previously published papers and articles. If plagiarism is detected for a significant proportion of the manuscript by the plagiarism checkers (like Turnitin, Grammarly or software endorsed by the MMJ editorial board), the manuscript will be rejected for publication in this Journal.
Any preparation supported by the artificial intelligence AI-based applications of the manuscripts should be properly disclosed in the methodology session where relevant.
As the MMJ has been a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) since 2012, the MMJ editorial board aligns the publishing practices with publication ethics bound by the COPE. All authors are encouraged to follow the guidance and instruction prescribed by the COPE, World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
MMJ is currently publishing free of charge for the submission of manuscripts and publishing of the articles.
The MMJ is solely for the academic purpose of the Myanmar Medical Association (MMA) and has no conflict of interest with unethical publication practices.
Currently, MMA supports the MMJ operation facilities for the regular publication system of the MMJ manuscripts handling process. No charges have to be borne by the author of the manuscripts.
Research papers, reviews and perspective articles and case reports are peer-reviewed. The Journal reserves the right to select the reviewer. Confidentiality is strictly adhered to throughout the review process. The peer review process is double blind and strictly confidential.
The reviewers are selected by the Editorial Board of the Journal and they are chosen based on their expertise in a particular field of medical science. The reviewers are volunteers and do not receive remuneration in any form. Research papers are assessed by two reviewers. Relevant comments from reviewers are provided to the corresponding author for necessary editing and revisions. Manuscripts are accepted for publication based on the reviewers comments. Manuscripts are rejected if they do not satisfy requirements of the reviewers and also if they do not comply with the policies of the Journal. Depending on the author’s wish, rejected manuscript can be re-submitted to the Editorial Board for re-consideration. If the author can justify and provide reasons for disagreement with the reviewer’s comments the Journal may use its discretion to submit the manuscript for a fresh review.
