Guidance for Authors

1) The Journal of the British Islamic Medical Association (JBIMA) is published online three times a year.

2) JBIMA accepts the following papers:

Original articles: papers reporting research in Islamic bioethics; history of Islam and healthcare; Muslim staff and patient advocacy; Muslim health and social issues; chaplaincy and pastoral care. Manuscripts should not exceed 3000 words. Original articles are subject to peer- review. The manuscript should be arranged in the following order: Title, Authors’ Names, Abstract (300 words max.), Key Words, Main Text, References, Tables & Figures. All pages should be numbered.

Opinion pieces: we invite critical thoughts on matters of interest to our readers. These may be on topics as listed above, or other relevant issues. Opinion pieces should not exceed 700 words. These articles are usually commissioned by the editors, but we welcome proposals from prospective authors.

Letters to the Editor: we welcome the views of our readers on current topics or on papers published in JBIMA. Letters should not exceed 400 words.

Profiles: these are short biographies of Muslim healthcare professionals who have been successful in their fields. Profiles should not exceed 500 words. These articles are usually commissioned by the editors, but we welcome proposals from prospective authors.

Book reviews: we are happy to publish book reviews, but that needs to be discussed with the editorial board beforehand.

Individuals with other ideas are welcome to discuss them with the editors at [email protected]

3) All authors must include their relevant academic degree(s), clinical or academic affiliations, and acknowledgments of any grants and conflicts of interest. The main author for correspondence must also provide their postal address, phone number, and email.

4) References : All references should be cited using the Vancouver referencing style. Please number the references in the list in the order in which they appear in the text.

Examples: (… and many believe that this surgical technique has a higher risk in the long term 6 . Others believe that conservative treatment might be the best option to treat this condition7,8,9 )

Reference to a journal publication: 1- Van der Geer J, Hanraads JAJ, Lupton RA. The art of writing a scientific article. J Sci Commun.

2010;163 (2) :51–59.

Reference to a book: 2- Strunk W Jr, White EB. (2000 , p. 56) The Elements of Style. 4th ed. New York, NY: Longman

Reference to a website link : 3- As a minimum, the full URL and the date when the reference was last accessed should be given.

Citations in text : Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference

list (and vice versa).

5) Tables: Number tables consecutively in accordance with their appearance in the text. Place footnotes to tables below the table body and indicate them with a superscript symbol, not letters.

6) Figures: Figure numbers must correspond with the order in which figures occur in the text. Obscure the identity of any person included in a photograph or include the person’s written permission to be identified.

7) JBIMA does not accept any liability about the authenticity of the material or the views published, nor does JBIMA, or the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA), endorse any of the views expressed by published authors.

8) Papers submitted to the journal are only accepted with the understanding that they are subjected to editorial revision and they are not published in any other journal, unless the authors reserve the rights to themselves, before publication, by agreement with the editors.

9) Manuscripts should be sent by e-mail, addressed to the Chief Editor, Dr. Sharif Kaf Al-Ghazal, at the following email: [email protected]