(on-line version, updated on 1 February 2007)

The Hong Kong Medical Journal (HKMJ) is a joint publication of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM) and the Hong Kong Medical Association (HKMA). The HKMJ is a peer-reviewed bimonthly journal of general medical interest and is indexed in Medline/Index Medicus and Embase.

Manuscript submission
All manuscripts should be sent to the Managing Editor, HKMJ, Room 901, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Aberdeen, Hong Kong; telephone: (852) 2871 8822; fax: (852) 2515 9061; e-mail: hkmj@hkam.org.hk. Subsequent correspondence between the HKMJ and authors will, as far as possible, be conducted via email.
 
Duplicate submission and redundant publication
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they are submitted solely to the HKMJ and have not been published elsewhere previously either in print or electronic format, and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium.

Redundant publication is publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published. When submitting a paper, authors should make a full statement to the Editor-in-Chief about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as redundant publication of the same or similar work. In case of doubt, submit copies of material that has been previously published or is currently being considered elsewhere at the time of manuscript submission. If redundant publication is attempted without such notification, authors should expect editorial action to be taken; at the least, rejection of the manuscript.
 
Conditions
Submission of an article for publication implies the transfer of the copyright from the authors to the HKAM upon acceptance. The final decision of acceptance rests with the Editor-in-Chief. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their papers. All accepted papers become the permanent property of the HKAM and may not be published elsewhere without written permission from the HKAM. Authors should refrain from contacting the mass media about papers that are being peer reviewed or in press; the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to withdraw an article from publication if it is given media coverage at any stage of the review/publication process.

Ethics
Ethical considerations will be taken into account in the assessment of papers that have experimental investigations of human or animal subjects. Authors should state in the Methods section of the manuscript that an appropriate institutional review board approved the project. Those investigators without such review boards should ensure that the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki have been followed.

Manuscript categories

Original articles
These include controlled trials, interventional studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, outcome studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, and large-scale epidemiological studies. Each manuscript should clearly state an objective; the design and methodology; the essential features of any interventions; the main outcome measures; the main results of the study; a discussion placing the results in the context of published literature; and the conclusions which can be drawn based on the study. The text should not exceed 3000 words, the number of tables, figures, or both should not be more than six, and references not more than 40.

Review articles
These are, in general, invited papers, but unsolicited reviews, if of good quality, may be considered. Reviews are systematic critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasising factors such as cause, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy, or prevention. The text should not exceed 4000 words, the number of tables, figures, or both should not be more than six, and references not more than 60.

All articles and data sources reviewed should include information about the specific type of study or analysis, population, intervention, exposure, and test or outcomes. All articles and data sources should be selected systematically for inclusion in the review and critically evaluated, and the selection process should also be described in the paper.

Case reports
Case reports should provide appropriate clinical information including year, month, and place of presentation. The text should not exceed 1500 words; the number of tables, figures, or both should not be more than two, and references should not be more than 15.

Medical practice
These are papers presenting overviews of current medical practice that may include the authors’ own experience. The text should not exceed 3000 words, the number of tables, figures, or both should not be more than six, and references not not more than 40.

Pictorial medicine
These are papers presenting unique clinical encounters that are illustrated by photographs, radiographs, or other figures. The text should not exceed 500 words, the number of tables, figures, or both should not be more than four, and references not more than five. It may include questions for readers to respond to, with answers and explanations provided separately.

Editorials/Commentaries
Editorials and Commentaries are invited contributions on papers published elsewhere in the journal or on issues of current concern. Length should not exceed 1200 words; tables, figures are allowed only exceptionally; references should not be more than 20.

Letters to the Editor
Letters discussing a recent article in the HKMJ are welcome and should be sent to the Editorial Office by e-mail within 6 weeks of the article’s publication. Letters that do not refer to an HKMJ article may also be considered. The text should not exceed 250 words, have no more than one figure or table, and five references.

Criteria for manuscripts

Manuscripts submitted to the HKMJ should meet the following criteria: the content is original; the writing is clear; the study methods are appropriate; the data are valid; the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data; the information is important; and the topic has general medical interest. Manuscripts will be accepted only if both their contents and style meet the standards required by the HKMJ. Authors are advised to keep papers as brief as possible.

Authors should also note that they should not submit companion papers. Authors should make every effort to submit a single, independent manuscript that does not depend on any other study for acceptance.
 
Authorship information
Designate one corresponding author and provide a complete address, telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address. The number of authors of each paper should not be more than twelve; a greater number requires justification. Authors may add a publishable footnote explaining order of authorship.

Group authorship
If authorship is attributed to a group (either solely or in addition to one or more individual authors), all members of the group must meet the full criteria and requirements for authorship described in the following paragraphs. One or more authors may take responsibility ‘for’ a group, in which case the other group members are not authors, but may be listed in an acknowledgement.

Authorship requirements
When the HKMJ accpets a paper for publication, authors will be asked to sign statements on (1) authorship responsibility, (2) financial disclosure, and (3) copyright transfer. Each of the statements must be read and signed by all authors. (See also Disclaimer Form)

Authorship criteria and responsibility—All authors must meet the following criteria: to have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content; to have made substantial contributions to the conception and design, and the analysis and interpretation of the data (where applicable); to have made substantial contributions to the writing or revision of the manuscript; and to have reviewed the final version of the submitted manuscript and approved it for publication. Authors will be asked to certify that the manuscript represents valid work and that neither the manuscript nor one with substantially similar content under their authorship has been published or is being considered for publication elsewhere, except as described in an attachment. If requested, authors shall provide the data on which the manuscript is based for examination by the editors or their assignees.

Financial disclosure—Any affiliation with or involvement in any organisation or entity with a direct financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript should be disclosed in an attachment. Any financial or material support should be identified in the manuscript.

Copyright transfer—In consideration of the action of the HKMJ in reviewing and editing a submission, the author/s will transfer, assign, or otherwise convey all copyright ownership to the HKAM in the event that such work is published by the HKMJ.

Acknowledgements
Research or project support should be stated here. Only persons who have made substantial contributions but who do not fulfil the authorship criteria should be acknowledged. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to use any copyrighted text or illustrations. Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher, except for documents in the public domain. Conflicts of interest should be stated.

Further information - download the following documents:
Disclaimer form: Word | pdf file
Information for disk submission form: Word | pdf file
Disk submission form: Word | pdf file
Patient consent form: Word | pdf file
Patient consent (Minors) form: Word | pdf file

Editorial review and processing Peer review

All submitted manuscripts are initially reviewed internally. Those manuscripts that do not comply with the Information for Authors, or those that are of insufficient priority for publication, are returned. Retained manuscripts are sent for external peer review. Identities of authors and peer reviewers are kept confidential; reviewers are required to disclose any conflicts of interest. Reviewers are asked to return the manuscript promptly if they are unable to review the manuscript, and an alternative reviewer is sought. Most papers are reviewed by two independent reviewers; three weeks are usually given. Authors should not recommend the names of preferred reviewers, but may give the names of people whom they wish not to act as reviewers in the covering letter.

Reviewers are asked to make comments on the scientific content and style of the paper, to make statistical and methodological appraisals, and to comment on the appropriateness of the discussion and conclusions. When appropriate, a manuscript will be reviewed by a member of the statistical review board to specifically appraise the statistical content. Furthermore, the HKMJ reserves the right to send a paper for a further round of peer review if necessary; the HKMJ uses a tie-breaker referee system. The final decision rests with the Editor. Please note that during holiday seasons, the peer review process may take longer than usual.

Rejected manuscripts
Rejected manuscripts will not be returned to authors. Original illustrations, photographs, and slides will be returned, if specifically requested in the covering letter.

Manuscripts requiring revisions must be returned to the Editorial Office within the prescribed time. If manuscripts are not returned after two 1-week reminders, they will be treated as being withdrawn by the authors and subsequent return may be rejected or treated as new submissions, at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
 
Editing
The final version of an accepted manuscript should be supplied as electronic file(s) on a floppy disk together with a matching hard copy to the Editorial Office for editing. The author(s) should keep a copy of the entire contents of the manuscript. Manuscripts undergo technical and copy-editing according to HKMJ style and are sent to the authors for approval prior to publication as a galley proof and page proof. Forty-eight hours are usually given to authors to proofread their papers, answer any queries, and make any changes. Only minimal changes will be allowed; substantial changes will be charged for, and the addition of new material may require another round of peer review. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor and authorised by the corresponding author.
 
Reprints
Reprints may be purchased in lots of 50. Order forms and price quotations are sent with the page proofs. Orders submitted after the issue is printed are subject to considerably higher prices.
 
Costs to authors
Authors are charged for:

(1) costs of colour printing; the rates are HK$1500/colour photo or figure,

(2) costs of excess figure/table added after acceptance of the manuscripts; the rates are HK$500/figure or table, with an additional cost of HK$100/page.

(3) alterations except production error; the rate is HK$200/page.

(4) expense for reprints (price quotations are sent with page proofs to the corresponding author).

Manuscript preparation

(1) Authors should refer to a current issue of the HKMJ and to the uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals for guidance on style. Use Arabic numerals for numbers above nine, for designators (eg case 5, day 2, etc) and for units of measure; numbers should be spelled out if below 10, at the beginning of sentences, and for fractions below one. All papers should be written in English, and the spelling should be in British form (eg anaemia, physiological) and conform to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Current English Usage.

(2) Manuscripts should be word-processed double-spaced on one side of good quality A4 (212 x 297 mm) paper. Pages should have margins of 1 inch (2.5 cm).

(3) Three copies of the manuscript (complete with tables and figures) should be provided. Authors are advised to send a 3.5" floppy disk or CD-ROM containing the manuscript at the time of submission. E-mail submission of manuscript is acceptable, provided that it is accompanied by a separate covering letter (by fax or mail) with the statements indicated in (4) below and signed by ALL the authors. The total file size should not exceed 4 MB. Receipt of manuscripts will be acknowledged.

(4) Authors must declare, and submit copies of, any manuscripts in preparation or submitted elsewhere that are closely related to the manuscript to be considered. The manuscript should be accompanied by the following statements, signed by ALL the authors: “No work resembling the enclosed article has been published or is being submitted for publication elsewhere. We certify that we have each made a substantial contribution so as to qualify for authorship and that we have approved the contents. We have disclosed all financial support for our work and other potential conflicts of interests.”

(5) Use Système International (SI) measurements only, except when ‘Dual report’ is indicated in the SI unit conversion table.

(6) Use generic names of drugs, unless the specific trade name of a drug used is directly relevant to the discussion. When generic names are not available, brand names which take an initial capital can be used. In original articles, the maker of the study drug must be given.

(7) Do not use abbreviations in the title or abstract and limit their use in the text. Standard abbreviations may be used and should be defined on first mention in the text unless they are the standard units of measurement. In general, terms should not be abbreviated unless they are used repeatedly and the abbreviation is helpful to the reader.

Arrangement
Title page—This page should contain (1) the title, (2) initials and surnames of authors, with their degrees [maximum two] and affiliations; if an author’s affiliation has changed since the work was done, list the new affiliation as well, (3) the full address, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the corresponding author, and (4) a short running head of no more than 40 characters. If available, the Chinese names of authors should be provided.

Abstract—The abstract should not exceed 250 words for structured abstracts (Original articles, Review articles) or 150 for unstructured abstracts (Case reports, Medical practice). The abstract should be concise, summarising the purpose, basic procedures, main findings (giving specific data and their statistical significance, if possible), and principal conclusions of the investigation. Abstract headings should be as follows: Objective, Design, Setting, Patients (or Participants), Interventions (if any), Main outcome measures, Results, and Conclusions (for Original articles); Objective, Data sources, Study selection, Data extraction, Data synthesis, and Conclusions (for Review articles); or Objective, Participants, Evidence, Consensus Process, and Conclusions (for Consensus statements).

Key words—At the end of the abstract, authors should provide no more than five key words to assist with cross-indexing of the paper. Key words should be taken from Medical Subject Headings from Index Medicus.

Introduction—The rationale for the study should be summarised and pertinent background material outlined. The Introduction should not include findings or conclusions.

Methods—These should be described in sufficient detail to leave the reader in no doubt as to how the results are derived.

Results—These should be presented in logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations; repetitive presentation of the same data in different forms should be avoided. This section should not include material appropriate to the Discussion. Results must be statistically analysed where appropriate, and the statistical guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors should be followed.

Discussion—Data given in the Results section should not be repeated here. This section should consider the results in relation to any hypothesis/es advanced in the Introduction. This may include an evaluation of methodology and of the relationship of new information to the existing body of knowledge in that field. Conclusions should be incorporated into the final paragraph and should be commensurate with—and completely supported by—data in the text.

References—Number references in the order they appear in the text; do not alphabetize. References should follow the Vancouver style and should appear in the text, tables, and legends as Arabic numerals in superscript. Journal titles should be abbreviated in accordance with Index Medicus. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of references and must verify them against the original documents. List all authors and/or editors up to six; if more than six, list the first three and ‘et al.’

Examples of reference style—

Articles in journals
(1) Standard journal article—
(If a journal carries continuous pagination throughout a volume, the month and issue number are omitted.)
Vega KJ, Pina I, Krevsky B. Heart transplantation is associated with an increased risk for pancreatobiliary disease. Ann Intern Med 1996;124:980-3.
Parkin DM, Clayton D, Black RJ, et al. Childhood leukaemia in Europe after Chernobyl: 5 year follow-up. Br J Cancer 1996;73:1006-12.
(2) Organisation as author—
The Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Clinical exercise stress testing. Safety and performance guidelines. Med J Aust 1996;164:282-4.
(3) No author given—
Cancer in South Africa [editorial]. S Afr Med J 1994;84:15.
(4) Article not in English—
Kojima M. Studies on the pathomechanism of solar urticaria [in Japanese]. Areugi 1984;33:224-30.
(5) Issue with supplement—
Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996;23(1 Suppl 2):89S-97S.
(6) Type of article indicated as needed—
(eg letter to the Editor, abstract, editorial, commentary)
Enzensberger W, Fischer PA. Metronome in Parkinson’s disease [letter]. Lancet 1996;347:1337.
Clement J, De Bock R. Hematological complications of hantavirus nephropathy (HVN) [abstract]. Kidney Int 1992;42:1285.

Books and other monographs
(7) Personal author—
Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.
(8) Editor, compiler as author—
Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.
(9) Chapter in a book—
Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995:465-78.
(10) Conference proceedings—
Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.
(11) Conference paper—
Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Rienhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Medical Informatics;
1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North-Holland;1992:1561-5.
(12) Dissertation—
Kaplan SJ. Post-hospital home health care: the elderly’s access and utilization [dissertation]. St Louis (MO): Washington University; 1995.
(13) Scientific or technical report—
Smith P, Golladay K. Payment for durable medical equipment billed during skilled nursing facility stays. Final report. Dallas (TX): Department of Health and Human Services (US), Office of Evaluation and Inspections; 1994 Oct. Report No.: HHSIGOEI69200860.

Other published material
(14) Newspaper article—
Lee G. Hospitalizations tied to ozone pollution: study estimates 50,000 admissions annually. The Washington Post 1996 Jun 21; Sect. A:3 (col. 5).
(15) Magazine article—
Roueche B. Annals of medicine: the Santa Claus culture. The New Yorker 1971 Sep 4:66-81.
(16) Legal material—
Increased Drug Abuse: the Impact on the Nation’s Emergency Rooms: Hearings Before the Subcomm. on Human Resources and Intergovernmental Relations of the House Comm. on Government Operations, 103rd Cong., 1st Sess. (May 26, 1993).

Personal communications and unpublished data/material
(17) Personal communications—
The majority of the victims are children (personal communication).
Note: This may only be used in exceptional circumstances, and if written consent from the person being quoted is provided.
(18) In press—
Leshner AI. Molecular mechanisms of cocaine addiction. N Engl J Med. In press.
Note: A reference to unpublished work that has not yet been accepted for publication should not appear in the reference list but should be cited in the text as unpublished data or written communication and dated. Work that has been accepted, but has not yet been published, may be cited in the references as above (please enclose a copy of the acceptance letter).

Electronic material
(19) Websites and webpages—
The Western Governors’ Association Telemedicine Action Report 1996. Telemedicine Information Exchange website: http://www.telemed.org/TIEtexthome.html. Accessed 5 May 2002.

Note: Only websites or webpages containing specific references should be cited in the references as above. Websites and homepages of organisations should be cited in the text.

Tables and figures
 
Tables
Type or print out each table double-spaced on a separate sheet of A4 paper. Do not submit tables as photographs. Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. All non-standard abbreviations used in each table should be defined in the footnotes, in alphabetical order. For footnotes, use the following symbols, in this sequence: *, �, ‡, §, xx, ¶, **, ��, ‡‡,...Statistical measures of variations such as standard deviation, standard error of the mean, or confidence interval should be identified in headings. Vertical rules and horizontal rules should be omitted. Ensure that each table is cited in the text.
 
Figures
Submit the required three complete sets of figures. Illustrations include photographs, photomicrographs, charts, and diagrams, and these should be camera-ready. Professional medical illustrators should be consulted when figures are prepared; freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Illustrations should be sharp, glossy black-and-white photographic prints, and no larger than 21 x 30 cm. Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and of sufficient size to retain legibility when reduced. The diagram should not lose clarity on reduction; it is generally simplest to aim for a 50% linear reduction. Titles and detailed explanations should be confined to legends and not included in illustrations.

Number illustrations consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text. Each figure should be identified clearly on the back with a label which states its number, name of first author, short form of title, and an arrow to show orientation. Write these details on the label before affixing to the print or transparency. Photomicrographs must have internal scale markers and include magnification and stain used. Photographs of persons must be retouched to make the subject unidentifiable, and be accompanied by written permission from the subject to use the photograph (consent forms are available from the HKMJ website).

All illustrations require legends, typed or printed on a separate page, double-spaced and with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each one should be identified and clearly explained in the legend. Explain the internal scale and identify the method of staining in photomicrographs.

House style

HKMJ style is based on these following resources:
 
General
- Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). JAMA 1997;277:927-34 | ICMJE website.
- Dorland's medical abbreviations. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co.; 1992.
- Oxford concise medical dictionary. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1996.
- Random House Webster's medical spell checker. New York: Random House; 1998.
- The Oxford Quick Reference Spelling Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1998.
- The new shorter Oxford English dictionary. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1993.
- Fowler's modern English usage. A dictionary of modern English usage. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1996.
- Dorland's illustrated medical dictionary. 28th ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders Co.; 1992.

Style and technical editing
- American Medical Association. Manual of style. 9th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1998.
- BMJ house style guide. Website http://www.bmj.com/advice/35.html
- CBE Style Manual Committee. CBE style manual: a guide for authors, editors, and publishers in the biological sciences. 5th ed. Chicago (IL): Council of Biology Editors, Inc.; 1983.
- Altman DG. Practical statistics for medical research. London: Chapman & Hall; 1991.
- Tufte ER. The visual display of quantitative information. Cheshire (CT): Graphics Press; 1993.

Production
- The Chicago manual of style. 14th ed. Chicago (IL): The University of Chicago Press; 1993.

Drug nomenclature
- British Medical Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. British national formulary. BNF 38. September 1998. London: BMJ Books; 1999.
 
 
Any further inquiry on peer review process, editorial/review policy, or house style should be directed to the Managing Editor:

The Managing Editor
Hong Kong Medical Journal
Room 901, 99 Wong Chuk Hang Road,
Aberdeen, Hong Kong, China
Tel: (852) 2871 8822
Fax: (852) 2515 9061
E-mail: hkmj@hkam.org.hk