Sağlık Bilimleri ve Klinik Araştırmaları Dergisi

The Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research serves as a platform for the publication of original, high-quality, and ethically conducted scientific research in the field of health sciences. The primary aim of the journal is to facilitate the sharing of scientific knowledge and experiences, thereby promoting scientific advancement in health sciences and clinical practices.

Published three times a year, the journal accommodates clinical and experimental research, case reports, literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, letters to the editor, and editorial commentaries in both Turkish and English. This diversity addresses academics, clinical practitioners, and health policy makers, while providing a comprehensive overview of current issues and debates in health sciences.

The journal adheres strictly to ethical principles and embraces the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This reflects the journal's commitment to scientific standards and its avoidance of commercial concerns.

A double-blind peer-review process is employed to ensure an unbiased and fair evaluation of articles. All accepted papers are assigned a DOI number, making them easily locatable and citable in the scientific literature.

With our open access policy, all articles published in the journal are freely available to a wide readership. This approach contributes to the journal's mission of universalizing and democratizing scientific knowledge.

In conclusion, the Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research plays a significant role in publishing innovative and high-quality scientific work in health sciences, thereby enriching and sharing knowledge in the field.

The Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research encompasses a broad spectrum of health sciences and clinical practices. Its publications focus on providing extensive and detailed discussions in various fields of health sciences and clinical applications through original research articles, reviews, case reports, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, technical reports, letters to the editor, and editorial commentaries.

Key topics covered in the scope of our journal include nutrition and dietetics, midwifery, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, nursing, and many other areas. The Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research accepts innovative, rigorous, and ethically conducted scientific studies that will contribute to the development of health sciences and clinical practices. The journal aims to provide access to an expanding knowledge base in health science and clinical practice for scientists, clinical practitioners, health policy makers, and a broad readership.

Furthermore, our journal emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of health sciences, offering a platform that supports an expanding knowledge domain by integrating scientific research from different disciplines. This extensive scope renders our journal a reference source in the field of health sciences and clinical research, making it a valuable source of information for a wide readership.

Author Guidelines
SUBMISSION OF ARTICLES

By submitting an article to the Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research, all authors confirm that they approve and accept the journal's publication policy and ethics.

To submit an article to the Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research, please click the link here. You can follow the entire process related to your article through this address. Only articles submitted through this method will be considered for evaluation.

PREPARATION OF THE ARTICLE
Title Page
The title of the article in Turkish and English should be added in bold and center-aligned, with only the first letters capitalized. The academic titles, names, and surnames of all authors, their affiliated institutions and addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and ORCID numbers should be indicated. The title page should also include ethical committee approval, ethical committee number and date, author contributions, conflict of interest, financial support, and acknowledgments. If the article has been previously presented as a paper, the location and date of the presentation should also be mentioned. Identifying information about the authors should not be included in the full text; this information should only be on the title page.

Cover Letter
The cover letter should briefly describe the aim and method of the article. It should state that the article has not been previously published and is not currently under review by another journal. It should confirm that all authors approve the content of this article and accept the journal policy of the "Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research." The responsible author and the correspondence address should be specified in the cover letter.

Manuscript
The manuscript should start with titles in both Turkish and English. The article should include references and appendices if any. The main text should not contain tables and figures; these should be uploaded as a separate Word document. The main text should not include any author information.

Abstract
The abstract should consist of sections on the aim, method, findings, conclusion, and recommendations. It should also include keywords. The abstract should not contain references, figure, or table numbers. Abbreviations should not be used in the abstract. The abstract should be prepared according to the instructions in "Table 1."

Keywords
There should be a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 keywords, written in both Turkish and English.
Keywords should be separated by semicolons (;).
Keywords should be provided according to the "Index Medicus: Medical Subject Heading (MeSH)" standards (https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/search).

Article Formatting
The page margins should be set to 2.5 cm on the right, left, top, and bottom.
Headings should be left-aligned.
The entire article should be formatted as justified.
The main text should be written in 12-point Times New Roman font, with a line spacing of 1.15.
Main headings should be in all capital letters and bold. Subheadings under the main headings should be left-aligned, bold, with only the first letter capitalized.
Decimal points should be used for fractional numbers, and two digits should be written after the decimal point (e.g., 23.74%). For numbers with four or more digits, a comma should be used to group thousands (e.g., 1,000,000 units).
Abbreviations should not be used in the title and abstract; they should be explained where they first appear in the text and written in parentheses. The number of abbreviations should be kept to a minimum.
Numbers less than 10 should be written in words, and numbers 10 and above should be written in numerals.
Documents should be saved and submitted in ".doc" or ".docx" format as Word documents. They should not be sent in "PDF" or any other format.

Figures, Images, Tables, and Graphs
Tables should be numbered in the order they appear in the text. After the table number, a period and a single space should be left, and the title should be written above the table with the first letter of each word capitalized.
Figure and graph titles should be written with the first letter capitalized and placed below the figures and graphs.
The locations of figures, images, tables, and graphs in the text should be indicated at the end of the relevant sentence.
Figures should be in digital format, with a resolution of 300 DPI, and in .jpeg format.
Tables, figures, and images/photographs should be added to the system as separate files.
Each table, figure, and graph should be cited in the text.
If previously published figures, images, tables, and graphs are used, the source should be indicated; if the material is obtained from a personal archive, permission should be obtained from the owner, and it should be noted in the section where the material appears.
Abbreviations used in figures, images, tables, and graphs should be explained in the caption below them.
Images/photographs should be in color, with sufficient contrast and clarity to show details.

Article Categories
Original Research
Prospective, retrospective, and all types of experimental studies conducted in clinics can be published. For limitations on articles, see "Table 1." Original research should include the following sections:

Abstract: The abstract of research articles should be structured with objectives, methods, findings, and conclusions.
Introduction: The research article should include its purpose, hypotheses (if any), and research questions.
Method: The research type, location, and duration, population and sample, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data collection tools, data collection method, ethical aspects of the research, and data analysis should be included.
Results: Results should be clearly presented with statistical outcomes.
Discussion: Important findings of the research and related current literature should be specified in this section.
Conclusion: Conclusions derived from the findings should be clearly stated in this section.
References: For limitations on articles, see "Table 1."
Research Article Template: Click to download the research article template.

Meta-Analysis or Systematic Review
These studies involve a comprehensive search and citation of literature using multiple databases related to the research topic. Meta-analyses or systematic reviews should cover the following headings:
Abstract: The abstract of meta-analyses or systematic reviews should be structured with objectives, methods, findings, and conclusions.
Introduction: The purpose and questions of the meta-analysis or systematic review should be included.
Method: The research type, databases searched, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and data analysis should be included.
Results: Results should be clearly presented with statistical analyses.
Discussion: Important findings of the research and related current literature should be specified in this section.
Conclusion: Conclusions derived from the findings should be clearly stated.
References: See citation rules and "Table 1."
Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review Template: Click to download the meta-analysis and systematic review template.

Review
Review articles are written by experts with knowledge and work in the field; they cover current and necessary topics, discuss related issues, and present the author's views based on national and international current sources. They are prepared directly or by invitation. Current source scanning is important for review articles. If possible, sources from the last five years should be used. The review should cover the following headings:

Abstract
Subheadings related to the topic
Conclusion
References: See citation rules and "Table 1."
Review Article Template: Click to download the review article template.

Case Report
These are articles that are rare, differ in diagnosis, treatment, and care. They should be supported by a sufficient number of photographs and diagrams. Case reports should cover the following headings:

Abstract
Introduction
Case Report
Discussion
References: See citation rules and "Table 1."
Case Report Template: Click to download the case report template.

Letter to the Editor
These are letters containing different views and questions from readers about articles published in the journal in the last six months. Letters to the editor should cite a total of five sources, one of which must be from the recent article. Letters will be published after being shortened or corrected at the editor's discretion.

Table 1. Article Type Limitations

All article categories should be prepared according to the checklists and uploaded to the system along with the checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/).

Checklists to be Prepared According to the Type of Study
Non-randomized Behavioral or Public Health Experimental Studies: TREND (cdc.gov/trendstatement/)
Observational Study: Cohort, Case-Control, Cross-Sectional: STROBE (strobe-statement.org/)
Randomized Controlled Trial: CONSORT (http://www.consort-statement.org/home/)
CONSORT translations (consort-statement.org/consort-statement/translations/)
Standard Protocol Items for Randomized Trials: SPRIT (http://www.spirit-statement.org/)
Case Reports should be prepared according to the CARE (Case Report Guidelines) checklist (https://www.care-statement.org/)
Experimental Animal Studies: ARRIVE (nc3rs.org.uk/arrive/)
Meta-analyses and Systematic Reviews: PRISMA Statement (PRISMA Statement: Checklist of items to include when reporting a systematic review or meta-analysis) (http://www.prisma-statement.org/)

Citation Rules
In-Text Citations
The ‘National Library of Medicine (NLM) Citation Style’ should be used for citing references in the text. Each reference cited in the text should be numbered in the order it appears in the article and indicated at the end of the relevant sentence in parentheses, followed by a period. If several references are cited at once, they should be ordered from smallest to largest and separated by commas (e.g., 1, 2, 5, 8). Unpublished theses, reports, presentations, lecture notes, and personal opinions cannot be cited as references.

For sequentially used references, the order of the dates should be from old to new.
If there are three or more consecutive references, they should be indicated by placing a “-” between the first and last numbers (e.g., 1-4). If an author is cited, the references should be given immediately after the author's name:
Example: ......... According to Ovayolu (27) and Namıduru (34), patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment…
If a source within another publication is cited and the original source is not accessible, only the cited publication should be referenced, and the original source should be mentioned by name:
Example: ........ According to Güner and colleagues (8), Çevik and colleagues found that...
When citing works with two authors, “and” should be placed between their surnames:
Example: ......... The nursing care of a patient with cerebral hydatid cyst according to Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory was provided by Görücü Yılmaz and Özdemir...
When citing works with more than two authors, after the first author's surname, “et al.” should be used:
Example: ......... Integrative methods used by Sohbet et al....

For figures and tables taken from another publication, the source should be indicated in accordance with the in-text citation method. After the figure or table description, the authors' names (literature number), the suffix “from” and the term “adapted” should be added in a sentence or only the literature number of the relevant source should be given. An explanation that permission has been obtained from the authors for use should be added to the description of these figures and tables.
Example: Figure 2. Structure of the kidney (Adapted from Özdemir et al. (5) with permission)

Web pages should be used as sources by assigning sequence numbers, but the addresses of the used web pages should be provided in the references with the access date (month, day, year). Due to the frequent updating of such documents, it is recommended to write the last update date, if specified. The web pages used should contain information from publications by scientific individuals, organizations monitored by a scientific committee, or state, university, and public institutions' publications. In this context, the official websites of reputable international and national scientific committees and organizations like “WHO,” “TÜBİTAK” should be used, preferably sites with “gov,” “edu,” “org” extensions, and commercial or private individual and organization sites and magazine sites should not be used.
Example: Turkey's 2020 death statistics can be accessed from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) website (26). According to the World Health Organization’s website data accessed on January 10, 2021 (5), chronic kidney disease...

References
At the end of the text, references should be listed separately, numbered in the order they are cited in the text. References should be written in accordance with the Vancouver Referencing Style (Click here to access the Vancouver style guide).

If the bibliography is organized using citation software (EndNote, Mendeley, Refworks, etc.), Vancouver should be selected from the options. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references. The following rules should be observed when writing references.

Examples of Reference Writing
Please pay attention to the punctuation marks used in author names, year, issue, and page numbers. The DOI number of the source must be included.

For Articles:

The surname(s) and initials of the author(s), article title, journal name, year, volume, issue, and page number should be indicated.

Journal names should be abbreviated according to the Index Medicus/Medline/PubMed list (For journal abbreviations, the list of MEDLINE journals published annually by NLM can be accessed at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/tsd/serials/lji.html).

If the journal name is not listed, it should be written in full. If there are 6 or fewer authors listed in the references, all should be listed; if there are 7 or more, after the 6th author, “et al.” should be used in foreign sources.

Single Author Articles:

Doğan İ. A simulation study comparing model fit measures of structural equation modeling with multivariate contaminated normal distribution. Communications in Statistics Simulation and Computation. 2022; 51(5): 2526-2536. https://doi.org/10.1080/03610918.2019.1698745

Multiple Author Articles (6 or fewer authors):

Konateke S, Güner Şİ. Nursing care of a patient with cerebral hydatid cyst according to Orem's Self-Care Deficit Theory. Turkey Clinics Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2022;14(2):611-20. https://doi.org/10.5336/nurses.2021-85931.

Tekin S, Erdal ME, Asoğlu M, İzci Ay Ö, Ay ME, Görücü Yılmaz Ş. Biomarker potential of hsa-miR-145-5p in peripheral whole blood of manic bipolar I patients. Brazilian Journal of Psychiatry. 2022; 40(44):378-387. https://doi.org/10.47626/1516-4446-2021-2260.

Multiple Author Articles (7 or more authors):

Arıkan Dönmez A, Ovayolu Ö, Ovayolu N, Yılmaz S, Karayurt Ö, Çürük GN, et al. Quality of work life and working conditions among oncology nurses: A national online descriptive cross-sectional study. Arch Environ Occup Health. 2022; 12:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/19338244.2022.2063240.

For Books:

The surname(s) and initials of the author(s), chapter title, editor's name(s), book title, edition, city, publisher, year, and pages should be indicated.

Chapter in a Book:

Berşe S. Nursing Education in Germany. In: Gülçek E, editor. Current Nursing Approaches with Clinical and Surgical Approaches. İksad Publishing House, 2022, pp. 81-98.

For Books Published in a Foreign Language:

Alligood MR, Tomey AM. Nursing Theory Utilization & Application. 3rd ed. The United States of America; 2006. p. 89-102.

Books where the Author and Editor are the Same:

Ovayolu N, Ovayolu Ö. Basic Internal Medicine Nursing and Chronic Diseases from Different Perspectives. 3rd ed. Ankara: Çukurova Nobel Medical Bookstore.; 2020.

Books where the Author and Editor are Different:

Güner Şİ. Evidence for Fall Prevention. In: Yava A, Koyuncu A, editors. Evidence-Based Clinical Application Recommendations in Nursing. 1st ed. Ankara: Nobel Medical Bookstores Ltd.; 2022. pp. 107-119.

Translated Book:

Story L. Pathophysiology: A Practical Approach. Translated by: Ovayolu N, Ovayolu Ö. Çukurova Nobel Bookstore, 2016.

Web Page:

The author's surname, the initial of the author's name. Title (internet). (Access date). Access address.

Example: Ertuğrul Örünç N, Yenicesu İ. National Hemovigilance Guide (Internet) (Access date: December 15, 2022). Access address: https://ekutuphane.saglik.gov.tr/Yayin/528.

Ethical Principles

1. The Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research is internationally indexed and published electronically three times a year.
2. The journal publishes original English works with interdisciplinary approaches in the health field, including nutrition and dietetics, midwifery, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, nursing, and more.
3. Submissions to the journal undergo an editorial process in terms of purpose, scope, method, and writing principles, followed by double-blind peer-review by at least two reviewers.
4. The journal adopts an open access approach and does not charge any submission, editorial processing, or publication fees for articles.
5. No fees are paid to authors for the articles published in the journal.
6. Authors must upload a similarity report to the system. All articles submitted to our journal are evaluated using plagiarism detection programs (iThenticate, Turnitin), with an acceptable similarity limit of up to 20%.

Within the scope of the "Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research" publication principles, the Editorial Board handles all objections according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) rules. Accordingly, editors, reviewers, and authors are expected to adhere to ethical standards. Below are the ethical responsibilities of editors, reviewers, and authors.

Ethical Responsibilities for Editor

The editor is responsible for every article published in the journal, and in this regard, the editor:

1. Decision-making based solely on academic merit, taking responsibility for decisions.
2. Conducting business processes fairly, impartially, and in accordance with ethical standards.
   
3. Ensuring the originality of published works and their contribution to the field.
   
4. Focusing on the information needs of readers and authors for the journal's development.
   
5. Managing the author and reviewer process confidentially.
   
6. Being vigilant for any conflicts of interest between authors and reviewers during the reviewer appointment process.
   
7. Keeping reviewer identities confidential due to the double-blind review process, though the list of reviewers for each issue is announced in the issue.
   
8. Maintaining and updating a multidisciplinary pool of reviewers.
   
9. Implementing the “Peer Review and Evaluation Process” policies stated in the journal’s writing guidelines.

• Reviewers, in their reports, may express a definitive opinion regarding the publication or non-publication of a work. However, the Editor/Editorial Board may make a decision based on the similar and opposing views of the reviewers evaluating the work. If requested by the reviewer assessing the work, the views of other reviewers can be provided to them if deemed appropriate by the Editorial Board.
  
  
• The Editor/Editorial Board considers not just the number of reviewers who recommend acceptance or rejection, but the strength of the arguments presented by the reviewers or authors. The Editor/Editorial Board takes into account reports that include reasons along with answers to evaluation questions as yes or no.
  Based on the reviewers' recommendations, the Editor/Editorial Board may follow one of the following paths:
• The work can be published.
  
• The work with partial and significant modifications and improvements can be accepted for publication.
  
• The author(s) may be asked to revise their work in accordance with the reviewers' comments and initiate a new evaluation process.
  
• The work can be rejected.
  
  

Ethical Responsibilities for Reviewers

Reviewers must adhere to the following responsibilities under ethical principles

1. 1. Conduct an objective evaluation focused solely on the content of the work, ensuring an unbiased review process.
      
   2. Reviewers not specialized in the subject matter of the work should decline the review invitation.
      
   3. Reviewers must not have any conflict of interest with the research or the authors.
      
   4. Reviewers should provide constructive feedback and avoid any derogatory or defamatory remarks.
      
   5. In line with the principle of confidentiality, reviewers should destroy the reviewed works after evaluation.
      
   6. Reviewers are expected to complete their assessment of the work they have accepted to review in a timely manner.

Ethical Responsibilities for Authors

Authors must adhere to the following responsibilities under the principles of scientific publication ethics:

1. Authors must declare that their article is original, has not been published elsewhere previously, and is not under consideration for publication in another language or location.
   
2. For research articles, researchers are required to upload the “Ethical Committee Decision Document” to the system. Additionally, ethical committee decision details (date and number) should be specified in the article.
   
3. Materials subject to copyright (such as tables, figures, or quotations) must be used with the necessary permissions or acknowledgments.
   Authors bear legal, financial, and penal responsibilities in this regard.
   
4. Works and resources of other authors and contributors should be appropriately used and fully cited in the references.
   
5. Publications derived from a single research project should be clearly indicated, and reference must be made to the primary publication.
   
6. If an author notices an error or inaccuracy in their published, early-view, or under-review work, they have a duty to inform the journal editor and cooperate in the correction or retraction of the article.
   
7. By submitting an article to the “Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research,” authors are deemed to have given the copyright of their article to the journal. If the publication of the author's work is rejected, the copyright reverts to the authors.
   
8. Plagiarism, duplication, ghostwriting/denied authorship, research/data fabrication, article slicing, serial publishing, copyright infringement, and concealment of conflict of interest are considered unethical behaviors.
   
9. Authors hold the final responsibility for the content of the articles published in the “Journal of Health Sciences and Clinical Research.”
   The editors, the editorial board, and the publisher do not accept any responsibility for these articles.
   

Plagiarism Control

Every research submitted to the journal must be prepared in accordance with ethical guidelines, and all citations within the text must be clearly indicated. The “Ethical Committee Decision Document” must be uploaded to the system for all research requiring an ethical committee decision. Authors are required to upload a similarity report to the system. The acceptable upper limit for similarity is 20%.

Submission and Publication Fees
No submission or publication fees are required for this journal.