Port Harcourt Medical Journal is a general medical journal that will consider any original contribution that advances or illuminates medical science or practice and welcomes contributions from basic and clinical medical sciences as well as dentistry. Authors are advised to have their manuscript reviewed by a colleague preferably from a different specialty before submitting to the Port Harcourt Medical Journal. The journal conforms to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, issued by the International Committee for Medical Journal Editors.

Types of Manuscripts and limits
Original article: A report of a clinical or experimental investigation. Up to 3000 words with up to five illustrations/tables and thirty references.

Point of technique: Information about an innovation relating to a clinical procedure. Up to 1500 words, three figures and five references.

Review article: A comprehensive review of a timely, important basic medical or clinical subject along with analysis of the topic by the author leading to conclusions. Should not exceed 4000 words and 120 references. This will normally be solicited.

Case report: New/interesting/very rare cases can be reported. Cases with clinical significance or implications will be given priority. Up to 1000 words, two illustrations and ten references.

Letter to editor: Comments on papers recently published in the Journal. Up to 500 words and three references, without any figures.

Other types of publications

Review of books and other media.

Abstracts from medical workshops and conferences will be published by special arrangement.

Each submission must be accompanied by a covering letter signed by every author. The covering letter must include information on prior or duplicate publication and a statement of financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest. Copies of any permission(s) to reproduce published material, and to use illustrations or report information about identifiable people must accompany the manuscript.

The manuscript should be typed double-spaced. The final copy of an accepted manuscript should be sent electronically. 

A manuscript should be written in simple correct English grammar and should be divided into these sections:

Title page: This should contain the Title of the paper (this should be concise and informative), Surname(s) and two initials of the Author(s) and up to 2 degrees, Institutions of the authors and phone number and address (including E-mail) of the corresponding author. There should be a Running title or short title not more than 50 characters.

Abstract: This should not exceed 250 words and should be structured into Background, Aim, Methods, Results and Conclusion. It should include up to 6 -10 keywords. 

Text: This should be written in sections – Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion and Acknowledgement if any.

Introduction: This should be concise and state the background and clear objective of the paper.

Materials and Methods: This should be clear enough for another researcher to be able to repeat the study.

Results: Present the results in logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. Do not repeat in the text all the data in the tables or illustrations; emphasise or summarise only important observations.

Discussion: This should cover pertinent issues from the Introduction and mainly the Results. As much as possible, a relevant Conclusion from the results should be stated.

Acknowledgement: This is for only those who have contributed significantly to the paper but have not participated sufficiently to be authors.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in superscript. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered in accordance with the sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or figure. It is the responsibility of authors to ensure accuracy of citations. A manuscript may be rejected if inaccurate citations are found. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Non-indexed journals and those not in English Language should have their titles written out in full. Avoid using abstracts, unpublished observations, and personal communication as references. A citation should conform to the Vancouver style giving Name and up to two initials of each author, Title of the paper, Name of the Journal (or its standard abbreviation), Year, Volume (Issue), first and last pages. A full list of authors should be given except when they exceed six (6), in which case, six (6) should be given followed by et al. E.g Eke N, Echem RC, Elenwo SN. Fournier's gangrene in Nigeria: a review of 21 consecutive patients. Int Surg 2000;85(1):77-81.

References to a chapter in a text book should include the Surname and up to two initials of each author, Title of the chapter, Surname and up to two initials of each Editor of the book, Title of the book, Edition of the book, Place of publication, Publisher, Year of publication and Pages of the chapter. E.g Clarke-Pearson DL, Olt G, Rodriguez G, Boente M. Preoperative evaluation and postoperative management. In: Berek JS, Adashi Y, Hillard PA, eds. Novak’s Gynaecology, 12th ed. Baltimore, Maryland: Williams and Wilkins, 1996; 543-617.

Reference to a book should state the Surname and up to two initials of each Editor of the book, followed by eds, Title of the book, Edition of the book, Place of publication, Publisher, Year of publication and Pages of the chapter.

Tables & Illustrations

Tables should be self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material.

Number Tables and illustrations as Figures, in Arabic numerals, consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each.

Explain in footnotes all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each table.

Tables should not contain vertical lines. Obtain permission for all borrowed, adapted, and modified tables and provide a credit line in the footnote.

Illustrations should be sharp and clear. Authors are expected to bear the cost of printing illustrations in colour.

For others, refer to Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, issued by the International Committee for Medical Journal Editors in N Engl J Med 1991; 324(6): 424-428.

Ethical considerations
All manuscripts reporting experiments on human subjects should be accompanied by a statement in the methods section that the authors have complied with the requirements of the Ethics Committee of the Institution in which the work was done. If investigators have no access to an ethics committee, the principles outlined in the Helsinki Declaration should be followed. Avoid using patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers. If full-face photographs are to be used, such photographs must be accompanied by a signed or thumb-printed informed consent of the subject. Animal experimentation must also follow institution’s guidelines and/or National Laws in the use of Laboratory animals in research.

Acknowledgement
Acknowledgement of general support, financial and material support, technical help, etc. should be indicated at the end of the main text. It is the responsibility of authors to obtain consent of those being acknowledged.

Sending a revised manuscript
While submitting a revised manuscript, contributors are requested to include along with the final revised manuscript, a copy of the revised manuscript with the changes underlined in red and with the point-to-point clarification to each comment. The manuscript number should be written on each of these documents.

Port Harcourt Medical Journal uses the SI system of units and the recommended international non-proprietary name for drug names.

A fee of N60,000.00 ($100.00) for each manuscript accepted is required to be paid to the Port Harcourt Medical Journal account to cover administrative charges. This can be paid into Sterling Bank account of the journal [Naira account – 0004536649; Domiciliary account (US Dollars) – 0004458417] or United Bank for Africa (UBA) account of the journal [Naira account – 1014880497; Domiciliary account (US Dollars) – 3001460631].

Authors pay additionally for publication of materials in colour [N7,500.00 ($10.00) per picture].

Acknowledgement of receipt of a manuscript shall be prompt and will indicate a reference number for the manuscript.

Cheques should be made payable to Port Harcourt Medical Journal and addressed to the Editor-in-Chief.

All correspondence should be sent to:

Prof. RC Echem
Editor-in-Chief, Port Harcourt Medical Journal,
c/o Department of Surgery,
University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital,
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Telephone: +234 8037062322
E-mail: phmedjournal@gmail.com,  pharcourtmedj@yahoo.com
Website: www.phmj.org.ng