Author Guidelines
Neuro-Cell Molecular Research Journal is a double-blind, peer-reviewed international journal published online in April, August, and December.
The publication language of the journal is English only, and it only accepts submissions in English.
Neuro-Cell Molecular Research Journal does not charge any submission or article processing fees.
1.1 General Format
Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word, size A4 with 2.5 cm margins on all sides, 12 pt Times New Roman font, and double line spacing. “System International” (SI) units should be used. Abbreviations should be defined at first mention and used consistently thereafter. Manuscripts written in English should be following the Writing Guide and Grammar.The system enables online submission and evaluation of the manuscript.
Text(s) and table(s) should be prepared in MS Word format, and graphic(s), and picture(s) should preferably be in JPEG format (minimum 300 DPI). Figures, tables, pictures, and graphics should be referenced in the text. Abbreviations should be given in parentheses where the word first appears. Articles should be 50% contiguous, a comma should be used in a period (55.78) should be used in English manuscripts.
1.2 Article Type
Identification of article type is the first step of manuscript submission because article type dictates the guidelines that should be used (see below, Using Guidelines), including formatting and word limits of the manuscript. The main categories of article type are outlined below:
Original Article:
Original contributions are manuscripts containing substantial novel research. These articles can include randomized controlled trials, observational (cohort, case-control, or cross-sectional) studies, descriptive studies, diagnostic accuracy studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses, nonrandomized behavioral and public health intervention trials, experimental animal trials, or any other clinical or experimental studies. Abstracts should not exceed 300 words and should be structured with the following subheadings: Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. The main text should be structured with the following subheadings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgments, References, Tables, and Figure Legends. The main text should not exceed 4000 words, excluding the abstract, references, tables, and figure legends. It is recommended not to exceed 30 references. All papers but cell studies require ethical approval.
Brief/Case Reports:
Brief reports are short and peer-reviewed articles including small case series, case reports, negative trials, preliminary results, and others that are not to be published as a full-text papers. The main text should be less than 2000 words with a maximum of 10 references and have no more than 3 display items (Tables or figures). It is recommended not to exceed 200 words in the abstract.Abstracts should not be configured, and sub-headings should not contain (Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion). In case reports, it should be stated that an “informed consent form” is taken.
Review Article:
The review articles are comprehensive analyses of specific topics in medicine, which can also be written by invitation, due to the extensive experience and publications of authors on the review subjects. All review articles will also undergo peer review before acceptance. Review articles must not exceed 4000 words for the main text (excluding references, tables, and figure legends) and 300 words for the abstract. A review article can be signed by no more than 4 authors and can have no more than 80 references. It is recommended not to exceed 250 words in the abstract.Abstracts should not be configured, and sub-headings should not contain (Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion).Review articles do not require ethical approval.
2. Preparation and Submission of Manuscript
The entire submission process for a manuscript is completed online through the self-explanatory online submission system through the website.
Please be informed that we will ask you to suggest two potential reviewers during the manuscript submission process.
The submission should be divided into SEPARATE files in the following order:
2.1.Cover Letter
2.2. Title Page (Form)
2.3. Main Document (Abstract, Main text, references, tables, and figure legends. Abstract of the manuscript should be also submitted through the submission system)
2.4. Tables
2.5. Figures
2.6. Ethics Committee Approval form (Ethıcs Commıttee Permıssıon Not Requıred Form) (Upload to the system as PDF) and Author Contribution Form (Form) (Upload to the system as PDF)
2.7. Copyright Agreement and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form (Form) (Upload to the system as PDF)
2.8. The ICMJE Conflict of Interest formand Data-sharing Statement form (for clinical research)
2.9. Similarity Report (Plagiarism Report). https://www.turnitin.com/
2.1. Cover Letter (As a separate file)
The cover letter should include the article title, the full name of the corresponding author, and type of article (original article, case report, review article etc.). The cover letter should also include a statement declaring the absence or presence of a conflict of interest (please refer to the ICMJE Conflict of Interest form page for details). Furthermore, there should be a statement that the manuscript has not already been published, accepted, or under simultaneous review for publication elsewhere. Neuro-Cell Molecular Research Journal does not accept multiple submissions and duplicate submissions even though the previous one was published in a different language. For manuscripts that have been presented orally or as a poster, this must be stated on the title page with the date and the place of the presentation. An example of a cover letter can be found on the journal’s webpage.
2.2. Title Page (As a separate file)
This should include:
The complete manuscript title (no more than 150 characters
The running head (no more than 50 characters
All authors’ full names with ORCIDs, affiliations, and e-mail addresses (all authors should meet the ICMJE’s requirements for authorship – see details at “Copyright Transfer and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form”
The name, address, telephone, and fax numbers, and email address of the corresponding author
Information about where and when the study has previously been presented.
Acknowledgments: All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship (ICMJE: authorship and contributorship) and the statement of conflict of interest and funding should be declared under this subheading.
An example of a title page can be found on the journal’s webpage.
2.3. Main Document (As a separate file)
The main document should include the abstract, main text, reference list, tables, and figure legends, respectively.
2.3.a. Abstracts
Original articles, invited review articles, and brief/case reports should include an abstract. Abstracts for original articles should be structured with the following subheadings: Aims, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Abstracts for review articles and brief/case reports should not be structured. Clinical images, Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and Commentaries should not contain an abstract. Please find the guidelines for abstracts of specific types of manuscripts under the Main Text section below.
Aims: The aim of the study should be clearly stated.
Methods: The study should be described, including selection criteria, design (randomized, retrospective/prospective, etc.), and statistical methods applied, if applicable.
Results: The main results of the study should be stated and the statistical significance level should be indicated.
Conclusion: The results of the study should be summarized and the clinical applicability of the results should be defined.
Keywords: To create a standard terminology in keywords and to enable researchers to access articles easily, it is necessary to have keywords in standard terminology.
The abstract should be followed by 3 to 6 keywords provided in Index Medicus under “Medical Subject Heading (MeSH)”. For MeSH support http://www.bilimterimleri.com.
2.3.b. Main Text
a) Original Articles
The main text of the article should include the following headings:
Introduction: This should consist of a brief background to the subject and the study objective(s), supported by information from the literature.
Methods: The study plan should be clearly described, including whether the study was randomized and retrospective or prospective, the inclusion and exclusion criteria applied, the patient/sample number and characteristics, and the statistical methods used.
Results: The results of the study should be stated, with tables/figures given in numerical order; the results should be evaluated according to the statistical analysis methods applied. See the Tables, Graphics, Figures, And Images section of the General Guidelines for details about the preparation of visual material.
Discussion: The study results should be discussed in terms of their favorable and unfavorable aspects and they should be compared with the literature. The conclusion of the study should be highlighted.
Conclusion: Highlights the results obtained and conclusions that can be drawn from the study.
Acknowledgments: Any technical or financial support or editorial contributions (statistical analysis, English evaluation) towards the study should appear at the end of the article.
References: Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. See the General Guidelines for details about the usage and formatting required.
b )Brief/Case Reports
Brief/Case reports should present cases that are rarely seen, feature novelty in diagnosis and treatment, and contribute to our current knowledge. The main text should include the introduction, case presentation, discussion, and references.
c) Review Articles
Review articles can address any aspect of clinical or basic topic and should be written in a format that describes, discusses, and analyzes the current state of knowledge or clinical use based on the latest evidence and offers directions for future research. Most review articles are invited, but uninvited review submissions are also welcome. Contacting the section editor is recommended before submitting a review. Reviews articles analyze topics in depth, independently, and without bias. All cited literature should be referenced.
2.3.c. References
While citing publications, preference should be given to the latest, most up-to-date publications. If an ahead-of-print publication is cited, the DOI number should be provided. References should be written in compliance with Vancouver style. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references. Journal titles should be abbreviated in accordance with the journal abbreviations in Index Medicus/ MEDLINE/PubMed. When there are six or fewer authors, all authors should be listed. If there are more than six authors, the first six authors should be listed, followed by “et al.” In the main text of the manuscript, references should be cited using Arabic numbers in parentheses. The reference styles for different types of publications are presented in the following examples. Journal abbreviations should conform to the style used in the Cumulated Index Medicus (please see www.icmje.org). Journal articles, books, conference presentations, articles pending for publication, theses, and dissertations can be used as references.
[Square brackets in the main text]
Reference Format for Journal Articles: Authors’ initials, surnames and names, article titles, journal titles, date, volume, number, pagination and doi must be indicated.
E.g.:
For Journal Articles
Liaw S, Hasan I, Wade, V, Canalese R, Kelaher M, Lau P, et al. Improving cultural respect to improve Aboriginal health in general practice: a multi-perspective pragmatic study. Aust Fam Physician. 2015;44(6):387-92. https://doi.org/10.3389...
For Book References
DiMaio WJ, DiMaio D. Time of death. In: Forensic Pathology. 2nd edition. CRC Press, London, 2001;21-42.
Madea B, Henssge C. Timing of death. In: Payne-James J, Busuttil A, Smock W, eds, Forensic Medicine: Clinical Pathological Aspects. London: Greenwich Medical Media Ltd. 2003;91-114.
For Congress Presentations
Brandes U, Wagner D. A Bayesian paradigm for dynamic graph layout. 11th International Symposium on Graph Drawing, 12-15 November 2003. New York, USA, 236-47.
For Accepted Articles
Kaya A, Aktas EO. Perception differences between in violence against child. Med-Science. Published Online: Nov 19, 2013.
For Thesis
Karakoc Y. Biological effect of direct electrical current in essential (idiopathic) hyperhidrosis. Ph.D. thesis, Istanbul University, Istanbul, 1996.
In case of use of a previously published table, figure or illustration, reference of the material must be cited in reference list.
In case of use of a previously published table, figure or illustration, reference of the material must be cited in reference list.
2.3.d- Figure Legends: Legends for illustrations should be written starting on a separate page after references in the main text and Arabic numerals should be used for corresponding illustrations.
2.4. Tables (As a separate file)
Tables should be presented within the main document after the reference list. All tables should be referred to within the main text and they should be numbered consecutively in the order they are referred to within the main text. A descriptive title should be provided for all tables and the titles should be placed above the tables. Abbreviations used in the tables should be defined below the tables (even if they are defined within the main text). Tables should be created using the “insert table” command of the word processing software and they should be arranged clearly to provide an easy reading. Tables, in particular, should be explanatory and facilitate readers’ understanding of the manuscript, and should not repeat data presented in the main text.
2.5. Figures (As a separate file)
Figures, graphics, and photographs should be submitted as separate files (in JPEG format) through the submission system. They should not be embedded in a Word document. When there are figure subunits, the subunits should not be merged to form a single image. Each subunit should be submitted separately through the submission system. Thick and thin arrows, arrowheads, stars, asterisks, and similar marks can be used on the images to support figure legends. Like the rest of the submission, the figures too should be blind. Any information within the images that may indicate an individual or institution should be blinded. The minimum resolution of each submitted figure should be 300DPI. To prevent delays in the evaluation process all submitted figures should be clear in resolution and large in size (minimum dimensions 100×100 mm)
2.6. Ethics Committee Approval form (As a separate file)
ULAKBIM TR Index made some new regulations to the criteria of 2020 regarding ethical rules. These regulations are summarized below. Please submit your manuscript according to these rules. Authors should obtain the relevant documents and upload them to the system together with their ethical committee approval.
1. “Ethics Committee Approval” is required for all kinds of research conducted with qualitative or quantitative approaches that require data collection from participants using survey, interview, focus group work, observation, experiment, and interview techniques.
2. The articles should state whether an ethical committee permit and/or legal/special permission is required. If these approvals are required, they should be presented from which institution, on what date, and with which decision or number.
3. “Ethics Committee Approval” is required for research using humans and animals (including materials/data) for experimental or other scientific purposes.
4. If the study involves the use of human or animal subjects, the international declaration of the study, guidance, etc. must be declared that it is performed properly.
5. “Ethics Committee Approval” is required for clinical studies on humans and animals.
6. By the law on the protection of personal data, “Ethics Committee Approval” is needed for retrospective studies.
* Retrospective ethics committee approval is not required for articles that were produced from postgraduate/doctoral studies using research data before 2020 (must be specified in the article) and were accepted for publication in the previous year, but have not yet been published.
** In studies that require ethics committee approval, ethics committee approval will be shared with the journal editor. In addition, the name of the committee, the date, and the issue number will be stated in the method section of the article and the ethics committee approval section on the last page of the article.
*** Researchers who are not members of the university can also apply to the Ethics Committees in their region.
2.7. Copyright Agreement and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form
This is a statement of the scientific contributions and responsibilities of all authors. The form is available for download on the journal’s webpage.
The ICMJE recommends that authorship be based on the following 4 criteria:
♦Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
♦Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
♦Final approval of the version to be published; AND
♦Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.”
A contributor should meet all four criteria to be identified as an author. If a contributor does not meet all four criteria, he/she should be acknowledged in the acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
For more details please refer to the ICMJE’s definition of the role of authors and contributors at http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html
2.8. The ICMJE Conflict of Interest formand Data-sharing Statement form
During submission, the ICMJE Conflict of Interest form should be filled out, saved to your computer, and submitted to the Journal together with your manuscript. Please refer to “conflict of interest policy” for more information. Neuro-Cell Molecular Research Journal requires authors to submit a Data-sharing Statement form for clinical trialsand register a data-sharing plan when registering a clinical trial on or after Jan 1, 2019. Please refer to the “data-sharing policy” for more information.
2.9. Ethical Rules and Plagiarism
This Journal is committed to the standards of research and publication ethics and does not allow any form of plagiarism. The journal uses a plagiarism screening service to verify the originality of content submitted before publication. If plagiarism is detected in the articles submitted to the Journal for publication, the responsibility belongs to the authors. In case of any suspicion or claim regarding scientific shortcomings or ethical infringement, the Journal reserves the right to submit the manuscript to the supporting institutions or other authorities for investigation. The Journal accepts the responsibility of initiating action but does not undertake any responsibility for an actual investigation or any power of decision.
This Journal uses “iThenticate” to screen all submissions for plagiarism before publication. This journal does not accept articles that indicate a similarity rate of more than 20%, according to iThenticate reports. It is essential that authors avoid all forms of plagiarism and ethical misconduct, as represented below.
We disapprove of unethical practices and of efforts to influence the review process with such practices as gifting authorship, inappropriate acknowledgments, and references in line with the COPE flowcharts.
Authors are obliged to acknowledge if they published study results in whole or in part in the form of abstracts.
2.10. Creative Commons License Agreement Form
After the acceptance of the articles, the corresponding author may be asked to sign the Creative Commons License Agreement form and send it to the publisher. Please refer to the “open access policy” for more information.
Note: ORCID information is being used in national and international journals. ORCID is an organization that provides the Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), allowing researchers to register for a unique identifier. ORCID is providing an identifier for individuals to use with their names as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities. These identifiers are primarily used to disambiguate authors in the publishing world. Neuro-Cell Molecular Research Journal also includes this information for the indexing requirement.You can get your ORCID ID from the link below.
