Author guidelines

Templates

We require authors to use Word (DOCX) or Open Document Format (ODF) for their application. Authors should pay close attention to article types page for limitations and other rules.

• Title page template for docx users can be reached here. 
• Main text template for docx users can be reached here.

Article type

Title page

Title 

Authors and affiliations 

Correspondence 

Acknowledgments

Anonymised Manuscript

General Document Setup

File Format: Submit as a single editable file ( e.g. docx, odt)

Page Setup:

• Margins: 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides. (Default option of MS Word)
• Line spacing: Single-spaced with 8pt space after each line
• Columns: Single column of text for the all document.
• Page numbers: Bottom center of each page
• Line numbers: Continuous line numbering
• Font: Aptos (default font for MS Word) or Calibri (Previous default font for MS Word) in 12 pt size for all text including heading, tables, captions, and references)

Language:

• Manuscript must be in English and preferably in US English

Titles and headings:

• Main title should be bold, in all capital letters and aligned middle
• All headings and subheadings should be numbered, bold and each word capitalized (Just Like in This Example)

Main Text Structure and Formatting

Abstract should be 250 words or less

Introduction should be concise with no subheadings.

Structure should follow IMRaD guidelines (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion)

Each section is advised to follow PRISMA 2020 guidelines (https://www.prisma-statement.org/prisma-2020-checklist)

Additional sections can be added when necessary following this example:

• 1. Heading
• 1.1 Subheading
• 1.1.1 Sub-subheading

Abbreviations should be defined at the first mention only to avoid repeating the same definition

Units should follow SI units (International System of Units)

Equations should be prepared using the preferred word processor; avoid images

All paragraphs should start with 1.25 cm of indent (MS Word’s default indent with a single tab)

Special text:

• Italics: Species names, emphasis, variables;
• Bold: Key terms (if needed);
• Quotes: Double quotation marks for direct speech.

Figures and Tables

All figures, tables, and images will be published under a Creative Commons CC-BY license. Authors must obtain permission to use copyrighted materials from other sources, including figures and images that are republished, adapted, modified, or partially sourced

from the internet. It is the authors' responsibility to secure the necessary licenses, adhere to citation requirements specified by third-party rights holders, and cover any additional fees.

All figures and tables should be cited in the text with their sequential numbers

All figures should be sent as separate files and shouldn’t be in the manuscript.

Figure descriptions should be present in the manuscripts for their preferred location

Figures should be sufficiently high resolution and preferable in PNG format

Figures should be prepared with the printing layout of the journal in mind. Length of the text space in MAKU J. Health Sci. Inst. is 220mm and width of a single column is 90mm whereas double column figures is 190mm.

Tables should be in editable format and not as pictures

Table captions should be placed before the table and should not be longer than a paragraph

Tables can be sent as separate files or included in the manuscript

Tables shouldn’t be wider than the page width

Tables should be prepared as a basic table with all borders of 1/2 pt (Default MS Word setting)

Tables with multiple panels should use clear indications using labels such as (A), (B), (C) and (D).

Tables bigger than 190mm by 220mm printing size can not be added to the main text and they can be published as supplementary material.

Tables which don't follow the above guidelines will delay the publication process significantly.

References

Reference style should follow APA guidelines (https://apastyle.apa.org/)

Using a reference manager such as Mendeley, Zotero or Paperpile is highly encouraged to streamline this processes.

Manuscripts which don’t follow reference guidelines will delay the publication process significantly

Ethical and Legal Requirements

Declarations: Include conflict of interest, funding sources, and ethics approval.

Permissions: For reproduced figures/tables, provide written permission.

Supplementary Materials

Data that are not central to the main text or cannot be included in the article due to size or format limitations (e.g., videos, raw data traces, PowerPoint presentations) can be uploaded as supplementary material during submission. These files will be displayed alongside the published article with a link.

Each supplementary material should be submitted as separate files

Each supplementary material should be listed in a separate file (docx or odt) labeled with their description

Each supplementary material should be cited in the manuscript

Supplementary materials can be different types of formats listed but not limited to:

• Data sheets (word, excel documents or other open source alternatives)
• Presentations (PDFs, power point presentations or other open source alternatives)
• Images
• Audio files (mp3, wav, wma)
• Video files (avi, flv, mov, mp4, mpg)

Intellectual Property

The Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Health Sciences Institute uses the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) for all published articles. This means authors keep their copyright but allow us to publish their work. We collaborate with authors to ensure accurate attribution and citation, enabling readers to freely share, adapt, and build upon the articles with proper acknowledgment. Our use of the CC BY license reflects our commitment to open access and open science, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing within the scientific community. This ensures free access to our articles and promotes the advancement of research.

You are free to:

1. Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
2. Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
3. The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.

Under the following terms:

1. Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
2. No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.

Notices:

• You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
• No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.

All scientific responsibility of the articles belongs to the authors. The authors of the submitted article must have a specific contribution to the work. Authors' name ordering should be a joint decision. Corresponding author is considered to accept the author sorting by filling in "Author Responsibility and Publication Transfer Form" on behalf of all authors. All of the authors should be listed under the title of article.

Editorial Policy

• Compliance with the Helsinki Declaration Principles is mandatory in all clinical studies (http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/index.html).
• In such studies, the authors are expected to state that they conducted the study in the method section in accordance with the principles and that ethical councils and other persons participating in the study received an "informed consent form".
• In experimental animal studies, authors should protect animal rights and obtain ethical committee approval in accordance with the principles of the Laboratory Animals Care and Use Guide. (http: //www. nap.edu/catalog/5140.html).
• Informed consent forms of the patient should be obtained in case reports.
• Ethics committee approval information should be specified in the method section, along with the name, date and number of the committee.
• In addition, this journal is compatible with all content specified by the "SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND PUBLISHING ETHICS DIRECTIVE for COUNCIL of HIGHER EDUCATION". In case of any incompatibility, the responsibility belongs to the authors regarding the study. https://www.yok.gov.tr/Sayfalar/Kurumsal/mevzuat/bilimsel-arastirma-ve-etik-yonetmeligi.aspx

Conflict of Interest

Authors are required to disclose any existing or potential conflicts of interests, including financial, consultant, and institutional, that might lead to potential bias or a conflict of interest. Any financial grants or other support received for a submitted study from individuals or institutions should be disclosed to the Editorial Board. Cases of a potential conflict of interest of the editors, authors, or reviewers are resolved by the journal’s Editorial Board within the scope of COPE and ICMJE guidelines.

The Editorial Board of the journal handles all appeal and complaint cases within the scope of COPE guidelines. In such cases, authors should get in direct contact with the editorial office regarding their appeals and complaints. The Editor in Chief is the final authority in the decision-making process for all appeals and complaints.

Publication Fees 

Publication in this journal is free. There are no publication charges, no submission charges, no article processing charges and no surcharges based on the length of an article, figures or supplementary data. Editorial items (Editorials, Corrections, Additions, Retractions, Letters, Comments, etc.) are published free of charge.

Plagiarism policy

Manuscripts submitted to Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Journal of Health Sciences Institute is evaluated in terms of plagiarism using iThenticate by CrossCheck. Even if you are the author of the phrases or sentences, the text should not have an unacceptable similarity with the previously published data. When you are discussing others' (or your own) previous work, please make sure that you cite the material correctly in every instance.

In the event of alleged or suspected research misconduct, e.g., plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification or fabrication, the Editorial Board will follow and act in accordance with COPE guidelines (https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines).

Ethical responsibility

Responsibility of Authors

Responsibility of Section Editors

The final content of the journal must align with its stated aims and scope. A critical aspect of publication is maintaining integrity and objectivity, adhering to established industry standards. This includes selecting expert reviewers in the specific manuscript area to ensure rigorous evaluation. All editorial activities should be conducted in accordance with the COPE short guide to ethical editing, available at https://publicationethics.org/files/A_Short_Guide_to_Ethical_Editing.pdf.

Responsibility of Reviewers

Reviewers play a crucial role in scholarly publishing. Their responsibilities to authors include providing timely, unbiased, and constructive feedback on the work's merits, clarity, conciseness, scientific accuracy, originality, and relevance, while avoiding personal criticism and maintaining confidentiality. Toward editors, reviewers must promptly communicate their availability, disclose any conflicts of interest, adhere to review guidelines, and provide a thorough, fair, and informative critique. This critique should assess the work's scientific merit, originality, and scope, suggest improvements, and, if requested, recommend acceptance or rejection. Reviewers should also identify any ethical concerns, such as violations of research ethics or plagiarism, and refrain from direct contact with the authors.