The Annals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) welcomes submissions from researchers, practitioners, and scholars in the field of Annals of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). These guidelines are designed to assist authors in preparing manuscripts that align with the journal's standards and requirements.
1. Submission Process
- Online Submission: Manuscripts should be submitted via the journal's online submission system.
- Cover Letter: Include a cover letter with the manuscript submission, outlining the significance of the study and its contribution to TCM.
2. Manuscript Preparation
- Language: Manuscripts must be written in clear, concise English. Authors for whom English is not their first language are encouraged to have their manuscripts professionally edited.
- Format: Submit manuscripts as Microsoft Word documents.
- Structure:
- Title Page: Title, author names and affiliations, corresponding author contact information.
- Abstract: A brief summary (250 words max) of the study's objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.
- Keywords: 3-6 keywords for indexing purposes.
- Introduction: Background, research question, and objectives.
- Materials and Methods: Detailed description of the study design, participants, interventions, and analytical methods.
- Results: Presentation of findings with appropriate use of tables and figures.
- Discussion: Interpretation of results, comparison with existing literature, and study limitations.
- Conclusion: Summary of key findings and implications for TCM.
- References: List of references formatted according to the journal's citation style.
3. Figures and Tables
- Quality: High-resolution figures and tables that clearly convey the information.
- Legends: Provide concise and descriptive legends for all figures and tables.
- Format: Figures should be submitted in formats such as JPEG, TIFF, or PNG. Tables should be editable within the manuscript file.
4. Ethical Considerations
- Informed Consent: Include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all human participants.
- Conflict of Interest: Disclose any potential conflicts of interest.
5. References
- Citation Style: Use the Vancouver citation style for references.
- Accuracy: Ensure all references are accurate and complete.
- DOIs: Include Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for references where available.
6. Peer Review Process
- Initial Screening: Manuscripts are initially screened by the editorial team for relevance and quality.
- Peer Review: Suitable manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review by experts in the field.
- Revisions: Authors may be asked to revise their manuscripts based on reviewer feedback.
- Final Decision: The editorial board makes the final decision on acceptance, revision, or rejection.
7. Post-Acceptance
- Proofreading: Accepted manuscripts will be copyedited and proofs will be sent to authors for final approval.
- Publication: Articles are published online ahead of print and indexed in major scientific databases.
8. Open Access
- JCTM offers open access options to make articles freely available to the public.
