Submissions

Author Guidelines

Manuscript preparation

CME Journal is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal. It publishes original papers, reviews and short communications on all aspects of the science, philosophy and practice of clinical and public health.

CME Journal considers submissions on any aspect of public health across age groups and settings. These include:

Clinical care delivery and practices
Public health practice and impact
Applied epidemiology
Medical Education
Need or impact assessments
Health service effectiveness, management and re-design
Health protection including control of communicable diseases
Health promotion and disease prevention
Evaluation of health programs or interventions
Health governance, audit and quality
Health law and ethics
Health policy and comparisons
Capacity in health systems and workforce

This is not an exhaustive list and the Editors will consider articles on any issue relating to the health of populations or the public.

Types of manuscript considered

The types of papers that may be considered for inclusion are:

Original research, including epidemiology, clinical care, evaluations of health interventions or programmes, and health practice original work on case studies, audit, workforce or resource development
Review article, which include meta-analysis and systematic review

On submission, authors should indicate in which category their contribution is to be considered. If authors are uncertain of the category to which their paper is best suited, they should make this clear in their covering letter to the Editors.

We do not currently accept study protocols or commentary/opinion papers – except by prior discussion and invitation.

Submission Process

Papers submitted to CME Journal are carefully reviewed in the first instance by one of the Editors. Papers that do not meet editorial needs; are methodically flawed; or lack originality will be rejected. We will also reject papers that fail to provide sufficient ethical approval where required and we shall refer papers back for revision prior to any review if they do not comply with Journal style.

Papers which pass the Editorial review will be sent out to peer-review and will be reviewed by at least two external reviewers (short communications may only be sent to one reviewer). Reviewers are asked to consider whether the paper: contains new research findings or information; is relevant to clinical and public health practice, is technically sound; and is suitably presented.

How to submit your manuscript

All manuscripts should be submitted to the Editorial Office at email: cmejournal21@gmail.com

Correspondence

The official language of CME Journal is British English. Support may be made available to overseas authors whose first language is not English.

Any correspondence should be sent to the Editorial Office as follows:

The Editors
CME Journal Editorial Office
Center for Medical Education

Directorate General of Medical Education

Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh

Tel: 02222283889
E-mail: cmejournal21@gmail.com

Submission Checklist

You can use this list to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review. Please check the Article preparation section for more details.

Ensure that the following items are present:

One author has been designated as the corresponding author with contact details:

E-mail address
Full postal address

All necessary files have been uploaded:
- Include keywords
- All figures (include relevant captions)
- All tables (including titles, description, footnotes)
- Ensure all figure and table citations in the text match the files provided
- Indicate clearly if colour should be used for any figures in print

Blinded Manuscript:
Abstract – not more than 300 words
Supplemental files (where applicable)

Further considerations

Manuscript has been 'spell checked' and 'grammar checked'
All references mentioned in the Reference List are cited in the text, and vice versa
Permission has been obtained for use of copyrighted material from other sources (including the Internet)
A competing interests statement is provided, even if the authors have no competing interests to declare
Journal policies detailed in this guide have been reviewed
Referee suggestions and contact details provided, based on journal requirements

For further information, contact the Editorial Office at email: cmejournal21@gmail.com

Article Preparation

Article types

Article type	Word length	Tables/figures	References	Peer reviewed
Original research	4,500	5	Up to 100	Yes
Review article	3,500	5	Up to 100	Yes

Original research

Papers should be clear, precise and logical and should not normally exceed 4,500 words. Original research papers should be presented as follows and using the Submission Templet:

Covering letter – the letter must contain: why the submission is appropriate for publication in CME Journal; what is known about the topic discussed; what your study adds; and confirmation that the paper has not been published elsewhere
Separate title page – bearing title, all authors' initials, surname, main degrees (two only), the name and location of the institution(s) where the work was done and the declaration of interests. The author to whom proofs and correspondence should be sent should be clearly indicated with correct address, e-mail, and telephone.

Manuscript

Abstract (max 300 words). This should include: Objectives, Study design, Methods, Results, Conclusions
Keywords. 3-6 keywords should follow the abstract
Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Acknowledgements including declarations: Statements of ethical approval, funding and competing interests
References

Clinical trials

Registration in a public trial registry is a condition for publication of clinical trials in this journal in accordance with International Committee of Medical Journal Editors recommendations.

Tables and figures

A maximum of 5 tables/figures can appear within the manuscript. Additional tables/figures can be included as online supplementary material. Authors should indicate at approximately what point in the text the table should appear.

Tables must be comprehensible without reference to the text if possible. References can be cited in the tables if needed. Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with superscript lowercase letters. Avoid vertical rules. Be sparing in the use of tables and ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.

Figures, graphs, drawings etc. should not be over complex and must be intelligible when reduced in size for printing. They should be on separate sheets, numbered and with legends.

Please note that any costs for reproducing material whose copyright is not held by the authors or the CME is to be met by the authors.

Review Papers

Systematic reviews

Systematic Review papers presenting exhaustive, critical assessments of the published literature on relevant health topics or questions will be considered. Such reviews should be prepared in strict compliance with MOOSE or PRISMA guidelines or with Cochrane's complementary guidelines for systematic reviews of health promotion and health interventions, as appropriate. CME Journal encourages authors to use alternative databases covering scientific literature from low- and middle-income countries not indexed in the traditional international databases (i.e. Medline, Web of Science). All systematic reviews need to be submitted (as supplementary material) with a completed copy of the guideline checklist that has been used in the preparation of the review.

Narrative reviews

Narrative Review papers will be considered by CME Journal. Whilst no formal guidelines for such reviews exist, authors should be very clear in what criteria they have used for the selection of studies and describe the methods used to undertake the review in the body of the paper. Generally speaking, narrative reviews will only be considered where the author(s) are clearly experts in the research field under consideration or the health issue under consideration is not amenable to systematic review. The reviews need to be submitted with a supporting statement justifying the appropriateness of undertaking a narrative review.

Review papers should not exceed 3,500 words. Reviews can include up to five tables/figures and up to 100 references.

Please follow the guidance for original research in the preparation of the manuscript including a structured abstract.

For further information about formatting details, acknowledgements, funding sources, artwork, reference style and other information related to submission - Please contact the Editorial Office at email: cmejournal21@gmail.com or visit CME webpage. Please acknowledge the mail.

Copyright Notice

Authors who publish in CME Journal (CMEJ) agree to the following terms that:

The journal retains copyright and grants the CME Journal (CMEJ) the right of first publication of the work.
Articles in the CME Journal (CMEJ) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License CC BY-4.0. This license permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
This license permits Sharing — copying and redistributing the material in any medium or format, Adapting — remixing, transforming, and building upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
By submitting a paper to this journal; it is understood that the author has agreed to our terms and conditions which may change from time to time without any notice.
Author will take the responsibility what so ever if any copyright infringement or any other violation of any law is done by publishing the research work by the author.

Copyright and Reprint Permission

One may request permission to use the copyright materials by writing to CME Journal. Reprint can be done only with prior written approval.

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submissions must meet the following requirements.

The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration (or an explanation has been provided in Comments to the Editor).
The submission file is in OpenOffice, Microsoft Word, or RTF document file format.
Where available, URLs for the references have been provided.
The text is single-spaced; uses 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 Author Guidelines.

Articles

Section default policy

Privacy Statement

Bangladesh Journals Online (BanglaJOL) is a member of the Ubiquity Partner Network coordinated by Ubiquity Press. According to the EU definitions, BanglaJOL is the data controller, and Ubiquity Press are the service providers and data processors. Ubiquity Press provide the technical platform and some publishing services to BanglaJOL and operate under the principle of data minimisation where only the minimal amount of personal data that is required to carry out a task is obtained.

More information on the type of data that is required can be found in Ubiquity Press’ privacy policy below.

Ubiquity Press Privacy Policy

We take seriously our duty to process your personal data in a fair and transparent way. We collect and manage user data according to the following Privacy Policy. This document is part of our Terms of Service, and by using the press portal, affiliated journals, book, conference and repository websites (the “Websites”), you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the Terms of Service. Please read the Terms of Service in their entirety, and refer to those for definitions and contacts.

What type of personal data do we handle?

There are four main categories of personal data stored by our journal platform, our press platform, and our book management system; Website User data, Author data, Reviewer data and Editor data.

The minimum personal data that are stored are:

full name
email address
affiliation (department, and institution)
country of residence

Optionally, the user can provide:

salutation
gender
associated URL
phone number
fax number
reviewing interests
mailing address
ORCiD
a short biography
interests
Twitter profile
LinkedIn profile
ImpactStory profile
profile picture

The data subjects have complete control of this data through their profile, and can request for it to be removed by contacting info@ubiquitypress.com

What do we do to keep that data secure?

We regularly backup our databases, and we use reliable cloud service providers (Amazon, Google Cloud, Linode) to ensure they are kept securely. Backups are regularly rotated and the old data is permanently deleted. We have a clear internal data handling policy, restricting access to the data and backups to key employees only. In case of a data breach, we will report the breach to the affected users, and to the press/journal contacts within 72 hours.

How do we use the data?

Personal information is only used to deliver the services provided by the publisher. Personal data is not shared externally except for author names, affiliations, emails, and links to ORCiD and social media accounts (if provided) in published articles and books which are displayed as part of the article/book and shared externally to indexes and databases. If a journal operates under open peer review then the reviewer details are published alongside the reviewer details.

How we collect and use your data:

1. When using the website

1.1 what data we collect

When you browse our website, we collect anonymised data about your use of the website; for example, we collect information about which pages you view, which files you download, what browser you are using, and when you were using the site.
When you comment on an article or book using Disqus, we are not collecting, controlling or processing the data. More details on the DISQUS privacy policy can be found on their website.
When you annotate an article or book, this is done via a 3rd party plugin to the website called Hypothes.is. In using this plugin we are not collecting, controlling or processing the data. More details on the Hypothes.is privacy policy can be found on their website.

1.2 why we collect the data

We use anonymised website usage data to monitor traffic, help fix bugs, and see overall patterns that inform future redesigns of the website, and provide reports on how frequently the publications on our site have been accessed from within their IP ranges.

1.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

We do not collect personal information that can be used to identify you when you browse the website.
We currently use Google Analytics for publication reports, and to improve the website and services through traffic analysis, but no personal identifying data is shared with Google (for example your computer’s IP is anonymised before transmission).

1.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

Please contact info@ubiquitypress.com to request a copy of your data, or for your data to be removed/anonymised.

2. When registering as an author, and submitting an article or book

2.1 what data we collect

When registering an account we ask you to log in and provide certain personal information (such as your name and email address), and there is the option to register using an ORCiD which will pre-fill the registration form.
As part of submitting an article for publication, you will need to provide personally identifying information which will be used for the peer review process, and will be published. This can include ‘Affiliation’, ‘Competing interests’, ‘Acknowledgements’.

2.2 why we collect the data

Registering an account allows you to log in, manage your profile, and participate as an author/reviewer/editor. We use cookies and session information to streamline your use of the website (for example in order for you to remain logged-in when you return to a journal). You can block or delete cookies and still be able to use the websites, although if you do you will then need to enter your username and password to login. In order to take advantage of certain features of the websites, you may also choose to provide us with other personal information, such as your ORCiD, but your decision to utilize these features and provide such data will always be voluntary.
Personal data submitted with the article or book is collected to allow follow good publication ethics during the review process, and will form part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

2.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

We do not share your personal information with third parties, other than as part of providing the publishing service.
As a registered author in the system you may be contacted by the journal editor to submit another article.
Any books published on the platform are freely available to download from the publisher website in PDF, EPUB and MOBI formats on the publisher’s site.
Any personal data accompanying an article or a book (that will have been added by the submitting author) is published alongside it. The published data includes the names, affiliations and email addresses of all authors.
Any articles published on the platform are freely available to download from the publisher website in various formats (e.g. PDF, XML).
Ubiquity Press books and articles are typeset by SiliconChips and Diacritech.This process involves them receiving the book and book associated metadata and contacting the authors to finalise the layout. Ubiquity Press work with these suppliers to ensure that personal data is only used for the purposes of typesetting and proofing.
For physical purchases of books on the platform Ubiquity Press use print on demand services via Lightning Source who are responsible for printing and distribution via retailers. (For example; Amazon, Book Repository, Waterstones). Lightning Source’s privacy policy and details on data handling can be found on their website.

2.4 why we store the data

We store the account data so that you may choose to become a reviewer and be able to perform those tasks, or to become an author and submit an article and then track progress of that article.
Published personal data that accompanies an article or a book forms part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

2.5 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

You are able to view, change and remove your data associated with your profile. Should you choose to completely delete your account, please contact us at support@ubiquitypress.com and we will follow up with your request as soon as possible.
To conform to publication ethics and best practice any personal data that is published alongside an article or book cannot be removed. If you have a query about a publication to which you are attributed please contact info@ubiquitypress.com

3. When registering as a reviewer

3.1 what data we collect

To become a reviewer you must first register as a user on the website, and set your preference that you would like to be considered as a reviewer. No new personal data is collected when a registered user elects to become a reviewer.
When registering an account we ask you to log in and provide certain personal information (such as your name and email address), and there is the option to register using an ORCiD which will pre-fill the registration form.
Reviewers can also be registered by editors who invite them to review a specific article. This requires the editor to provide the reviewer’s First Name, Last Name, and Email address. Normally this will be done as part of the process of inviting you to review the article or book.
On submitting a review, the reviewer includes a competing interest statement, they may answer questions about the quality of the article, and they will submit their recommendation.

3.2 why we collect the data

The data entered is used to invite the reviewer to peer review the article or book, and to contact the reviewer during and the review process.
If you submit a review then the details of your review, including your recommendation, your responses to any review form, your free-form responses, your competing interests statement, and any cover letter are recorded.

3.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

This data is not shared publicly and is only accessible by the Editor and system administrators of that journal or press.
The data will only be used in connection with that journal or press.
Data that is retained post final decision is kept to conform to publication ethics and best practice, to provide evidence of peer review, and to resolve any disputes relating to the peer review of the article or book.
For journals or presses that publish the peer reviews, you will be asked to give consent to your review being published, and a subset of the data you have submitted will become part of the published record.

3.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

If you would no longer like to be registered as a reviewer you can edit your profile and tick the box ‘stop being a reviewer’. This will remove you from the reviewer database, however any existing reviews you may have carried out will remain.
If you have been contacted by an editor to peer review an article this means that you have been registered in the system. If you would not like to be contacted for peer review you can reply to the email requesting that your data be deleted.

4. When being registered as a co-author

4.1 what data we collect

Co-author data is entered by the submitting author. The submitting author will already have a user account. According to standard publishing practice, the submitting author is responsible for obtaining the consent of their co-authors to be included (including having their personal data included) in the article/book being submitted to the journal/press.
The requested personal data for co-authors are at the bare minimum; first name, last name, institution, country, email address. This can also include; ORCID ID, Title, Middle Name, Biographical Statement, Department, Twitter Handle, Linkedin Profile Name or ImpactStory ID.

4.2 why we collect the data

Assuming that it is accepted for publication, this data forms part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.
Author names, affiliations and emails are required for publication and will become part of the permanent cited record.

4.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

The co-author’s personal data is stored in the author database. This personal data is only used in relation to the publication of the associated article.
Any co-author data collected is added to the author database and is only used in association with the article the user is co-author on.

4.5 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed

To receive a copy of your data, please contact info@ubiquitypress.com
To conform to publication ethics and best practice any personal data that is published alongside an article or book cannot be removed. If you have a query about a publication to which you are attributed please contact info@ubiquitypress.com

5. When signing-up to receive newsletters

5.1 what data we collect

We require you to include your name and email address

5.2 why we collect and store the data, and for how long

This data would be collected to keep you updated with any news about the platform or specific journal

5.3 what we do (and don’t do) with the data

We use mailchimp to provide our mailing list services. Their privacy policy can be found here

5.4 what to do if you want to get a copy of your data or want your data to be removed

All emails sent via our newsletter client will include a link that will allow you to unsubscribe from the mailing list

Notification about change of ownership or of control of data

We may choose to buy or sell assets. In the case that control of data changes to or from Ubiquity Press and a third party, or in the case of change of ownership of Ubiquity Press or of part of the business where the control of personal data is transferred, we will do our best to inform all affected users and present the options.

(Updated: 18 May 2018)