Submissions

Author Guidelines

Instruction to Authors

A.    Introduction

Bangladesh Heart Journal is the official journal of Bangladesh Cardiac Society, and accepts articles for publication from home and abroad. This is a biannual, peer-reviewed journal and aims to publish work of the highest quality from all sub-specialties of cardiology and cardiovascular surgery. The aim of the publication is to promote research in Bangladesh and serve as platform for dissemination of scientific information in cardiology.

B.     Categories of Articles

The journal accepts original research, review articles, case reports, cardiovascular images and letters to the editor, for publication.

Original Research:
Original, in-depth research article that represents new and significant contributions to medical science. Each manuscript should be accompanied by a structured abstract of up to 250 words using the following headings: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Three to 5 keywords to facilitate indexing should be provided in alphabetical order below the abstract. The text should be arranged in sections on INTRODUCTION, METHODS, RESULTS, and DISCUSSION. The typical text length for such contributions is up to 3000 words (including title page, abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments and key messages). Number of references should be limited to 50.

Review Articles:
Generally review articles are by invitation only. But unsolicited reviews will be considered for publication on merit basis. Following types of articles can be submitted under this category: Newer drugs, new technologies and review of a current concept. The manuscript should not exceed 5000 words (including tables and figures). A review article should include an abstract of up to 250 words describing the need and purpose of review, methods used for locating, selecting, extracting and synthesizing data, and main conclusions. The number of references should be limited to 50.

Case Reports:
Only case reports of exceptional quality will be published in the case report format. The text should not exceed 1500 words and is arranged as introduction, case report and discussion. Include a brief abstract of about 150 words. Number of tables/figures should be limited to 3. Include up to 10 most recent references. The patient’s written consent, or that of the legal guardian, to publication must be obtained.

Cardiovascular Images:
Only clinical photographs with or without accompanying skiagrams, pathological images, echocardiographic images, angiographic images etc. are considered for publication. Image should clearly identify the condition and have the classical characteristics of the clinical condition. Clinical photographs of condition which are very common, where diagnosis is obvious, or where diagnosis is not at all possible on images alone would not be considered. Photographs should be of high quality, usually 127 × 173 mm (5 × 7 in) but no larger than 203 × 254 mm (8 × 10 in). A short text of up to 250 words depicting the condition is needed. Figures should be placed exactly at a logical place in the manuscript. The submitted images should be of high resolution (>300 dpi). The following file types are acceptable: JEPG and TIFF. The number of authors should not exceed 3. The authors should ensure that images of similar nature have not been published earlier. Authors must obtain signed informed consent from the patient, or the legal guardian.

Letter to the Editor:
Letters commenting upon recent articles in Bangladesh Heart Journal are welcome. Such letters should be received within 16 weeks of the article’s publication. Letters should be up to 250 words; should contain no more than 1 figure/table and up to 5 most recent references. The text need not be divided into sections. The number of authors should not exceed 3.

C.    Criteria for Acceptance

All manuscripts should meet the following criteria: the material is original, study methods are appropriate, data are sound, conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data, and the information is important; the topic has general cardiology interest; and that the article is written in reasonably good English. Manuscripts which do not follow the guidelines of Bangladesh Heart Journal are likely to be sent back to authors without initiating the peer-review process. All accepted manuscripts are subject to editorial modifications to suit the language and style of Bangladesh Heart Journal and suggestions may be made to the authors by the Editorial Board to improve the scientific value of the journal.

D.    Editorial Process

The Bangladesh Heart Journal commits to high ethical and scientific standards. Submitted manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format (except in abstract or poster form) and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium. Statements and opinions expressed in the articles published in the Journal are those of the authors and not necessarily of the Editor. Neither the Editor nor the Publisher guarantees, warrants, or endorses any product or service advertised in the Journal. Bangladesh Heart Journal follows the guidelines on editorial independence produced by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All manuscripts correctly submitted to the Bangladesh Heart Journal are first reviewed by the Editors. Manuscripts are evaluated according to their scientific merit, originality, validity of the material presented and readability. Some manuscripts are returned back to the authors at this stage if the paper is deemed inappropriate for publication in the Bangladesh Heart Journal, if the paper does not meet the submission requirements, or if the paper is not deemed to have a sufficiently high priority. All papers considered suitable by the Editors for progress further in the review process, undergo peer review by at least two reviewers. If there is any gross discrepancy between the comments of two reviewers, it is sent to a third reviewer. Peer reviewers’ identities are kept confidential; authors’ identities are also not disclosed to the reviewers. Accepted articles are edited, without altering the meaning, to improve clarity and understanding. Decision about provisional or final acceptance is communicated within 8 weeks.

E.     Cover Letter

The cover letter should outline the importance and uniqueness of the work. It should include the signed declaration from all authors on:

1. Category of manuscript (original research, review article, case report, cardiovascular image, letter to the Editor)
2. Statement that the material has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere for publication (this restriction does not apply to abstracts published in connection with scientific meetings.)
3. Transfer of copyright to the Bangladesh Heart Journal upon the acceptance of the manuscript for publication
4. All authors have reviewed the article and agree with its contents
5. Information of any conflicts of interest (of any) of the authors
6. Sources of research support, if any, including funding, equipment, and drugs.

The cover letter should also include the mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the corresponding author.

F.      Copyright

• Copyright on any research article is transferred in full to Bangladesh Cardiac Society upon publication in Bangladesh Heart Journal.   The copyright transfer includes the right to reproduce and distribute the article in any form of reproduction (printing, electronic media or any other form).
• Articles in the Bangladesh Heart Journal are Open Access articles published under the Creative Commons CC BY-NC License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)
• This license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.

G.     Manuscript Preparation

The manuscripts should comply with the prescribed guidelines. It should be well organized and written in simple and correct English under appropriate headings. The abbreviations and acronyms should be spelled out when they occur first time.

The Introduction should address the subject of the paper. The Methods section should describe in adequate detail the laboratory or study methods followed and state the statistical procedures employed in the research. This section should also identify the ethical guidelines followed by the investigators with regard to the population, patient samples or animal specimens used. A statement should be made, where applicable, that their study conforms to widely accepted ethical principles guiding human research (such as the Declaration of Helsinki) AND also that their study has been approved by a local ethics committee. The Results section should be concise and include pertinent findings and necessary tables and figures. The Discussion should contain conclusions based on the major findings of the study, a review of the relevant literature, clinical application of the conclusions and future research implications. Following the Discussion, Acknowledgements of important contributors and funding agencies may be given.

a.      Title page information

• Title. Concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations where possible.
• Author names and affiliations. Please clearly indicate the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author and check that all names are accurately spelled. Present the authors' affiliation addresses (where the actual work was done) below the names. Indicate all affiliations with a lowercase superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the appropriate address. Provide the e-mail address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence at all stages of refereeing and publication, also post-publication. Ensure that the e-mail address is given and that contact details are kept up to date by the corresponding author.

 b.      Abstract

A concise and factual abstract is required. The abstract should state briefly the purpose of the research, the principal results and major conclusions. An abstract is often presented separately from the article, so it must be able to stand alone. References should be avoided. Also, non-standard or uncommon abbreviations should be avoided, but if essential they must be defined at their first mention in the abstract itself.

c.       Keywords

Immediately after the abstract, provide a maximum of 5 keywords. Keywords should be the listed terms in the Medical Subject's Headings (MeSH) of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) available at: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh.  

d.      Abbreviations

Define abbreviations that are not standard in this field in a footnote to be placed on the first page of the article. Such abbreviations that are unavoidable in the abstract must be defined at their first mention there, as well as in the footnote. Ensure consistency of abbreviations throughout the article.

e.       Acknowledgements

Collate acknowledgements in a separate section at the end of the article before the references. List here those individuals who provided help during the research (e.g., providing language help, writing assistance or proof reading the article, etc.).

f.        Units

Follow internationally accepted rules and conventions: use the international system of units (SI). If other units are mentioned, please give their equivalent in SI. Generic rather than trade names of drugs should be used.

g.      Figures and graphics

• For graphics, a digital picture of 300 dpi or higher resolution in JPEG or TIFF format should be submitted.
• Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text, if there is more than 1 figure. Each figure should be cited in the text.
• Each figure/illustration should be provided with a suitable legend that includes enough information to permit its interpretation without reference to the text.
• All photomicrographs should indicate the magnification of the prints.
• When symbols, arrows, numbers or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each one should be explained clearly in the legend.

h.      Tables

Tables should be placed next to the relevant text in the article.

• Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Each table should be cited in the text in Arabic numerals.
• Titles should be brief and a short or abbreviated heading for each column should be given.
• Explanatory matter should be placed in footnotes and not in the heading.
• Abbreviations in each table should be explained in footnotes.
• The data presented in a table should not be repeated in the text or figure.

i.        References

The authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the references and their citations in the text.

References should follow the standards summarized in the NLM’s International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (ICMJE Recommendations), available at: http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used for MEDLINE (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals). Journals that are not indexed should be written in full.

• References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text.
• References in text, tables and legends should be identified by superscript Arabic numerals at the end of the sentence outside any punctuation. If several different studies or papers are cited within one sentence, the number should be placed where it will accurately identify the correct study.
• The names of authors in the text should concur with the reference list.
• References cited only in tables or in legends to figures should be numbered in accordance with a sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or illustration.
• Abstracts as references may be used; "unpublished observations" and "personal communications" may not be used as references, although references to written, not oral, communications may be inserted (in parentheses) in the text.
• Papers accepted but not yet published may be included as references by adding "In press" after the journal name. Information from manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted should be cited in the text as "unpublished observations" (in parentheses).
• In general: All authors/editors should be listed unless the number exceeds six, when you should give six followed by "et al.”

Examples of correct forms of references are given below:

Articles in Journals (see also Journal article on the Internet)

1. Standard journal article

List the first six authors followed by et al.

Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002 Jul 25;347(4):284-7.

More than six authors:

Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res. 2002;935(1-2):40-6.

2. Organization as author

Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension. 2002;40(5):679-86.

3. Both personal authors and organization as author (List all as they appear in the byline.)

Vallancien G, Emberton M, Harving N, van Moorselaar RJ; Alf-One Study Group. Sexual dysfunction in 1,274 European men suffering from lower urinary tract symptoms. J Urol. 2003;169(6):2257-61.

4. Volume with supplement

Geraud G, Spierings EL, Keywood C. Tolerability and safety of frovatriptan with short- and long-term use for treatment of migraine and in comparison with sumatriptan. Headache. 2002;42 Suppl 2:S93-9.

5. Issue with supplement

Glauser TA. Integrating clinical trial data into clinical practice. Neurology. 2002;58(12 Suppl 7):S6-12.

6. Type of article indicated as needed

Tor M, Turker H. International approaches to the prescription of long-term oxygen therapy [letter]. Eur Respir J. 2002;20(1):242.

Lofwall MR, Strain EC, Brooner RK, Kindbom KA, Bigelow GE. Characteristics of older methadone maintenance (MM) patients [abstract]. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2002;66 Suppl 1:S105.

7. Article published electronically ahead of the print version

Yu WM, Hawley TS, Hawley RG, Qu CK. Immortalization of yolk sac-derived precursor cells. Blood. 2002 Nov 15;100(10):3828-31. Epub 2002 Jul 5.

Books and Other Monographs

1. Personal author(s)

Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.

2. Editor(s), compiler(s) as author

Gilstrap LC 3rd, Cunningham FG, VanDorsten JP, editors. Operative obstetrics. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.

3. Organization(s) as author

Advanced Life Support Group. Acute medical emergencies: the practical approach. London: BMJ Books; 2001. 454 p.

4. Chapter in a book

Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.

5. Conference proceedings

Harnden P, Joffe JK, Jones WG, editors. Germ cell tumours V. Proceedings of the 5th Germ Cell Tumour Conference; 2001 Sep 13-15; Leeds, UK. New York: Springer; 2002.

6. Dissertation or thesis

Borkowski MM. Infant sleep and feeding: a telephone survey of Hispanic Americans [dissertation]. Mount Pleasant (MI): Central Michigan University; 2002.

Other Published Material

Newspaper article

Tynan T. Medical improvements lower homicide rate: study sees drop in assault rate. The Washington Post. 2002 Aug 12;Sect. A:2 (col. 4).

Unpublished Material

In press or Forthcoming

Tian D, Araki H, Stahl E, Bergelson J, Kreitman M. Signature of balancing selection in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Forthcoming 2002.

Electronic Material

1. Journal article on the Internet

Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 1 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htmArticle

Article published electronically ahead of the print version:

Yu WM, Hawley TS, Hawley RG, Qu CK. Immortalization of yolk sac-derived precursor cells. Blood. 2002 Nov 15;100(10):3828-31. Epub 2002 Jul 5.

Article with document number in place of traditional pagination:

Williams JS, Brown SM, Conlin PR. Videos in clinical medicine. Blood-pressure measurement. N Engl J Med. 2009 Jan 29;360(5):e6. PubMed PMID: 19179309.

Article with a Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

Zhang M, Holman CD, Price SD, Sanfilippo FM, Preen DB, Bulsara MK. Comorbidity and repeat admission to hospital for adverse drug reactions in older adults: retrospective cohort study. BMJ. 2009 Jan 7;338:a2752. doi: 10.1136/bmj.a2752. PubMed PMID: 19129307; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2615549.

2. Monograph on the Internet

Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html/. 

3. Homepage/Web site

Cancer-Pain.org [Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.

H.    Submission

Papers should be submitted to the Editor. Three copies of manuscript should be submitted duly signed by all authors with a copy of CD, to:

Prof. HI Lutfur Rahman Khan
The Editor, Bangladesh Heart Journal
Professor of Cardiology
Room No. 458, Block B, Anwer Khan Medical College
House No. 17, Road No 8, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205
Bangladesh
Papers can also be submitted via the email using the following address:
Email: bangladeshheartj@yahoo.com; bangladeshheartj@gmail.com