Author Guidelines

Manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. All submissions must be original, not previously published and not under consideration by any other journal or publisher. Authors are required to follow the journal’s template and author guidelines. Manuscripts should be written in clear academic English and prepared according to the formatting requirements of Al-Hayah: Journal of Medical and Health Sciences.

 

Formatting Guidelines

Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word format .doc or .docx using a standard page size, preferably A4. The manuscript should be clearly organised, professionally written and carefully checked for grammar, spelling, formatting and consistency before submission.

 

Title and Author Information

The manuscript should include a clear and concise title. The full names of all authors should be provided, together with their institutional affiliations, including department, institution, city and country. The corresponding author should be clearly indicated and an email address for correspondence must be provided.

 

Abstract and Keywords

Each manuscript should include a structured abstract of not more than 250 words. The abstract should clearly summarise the background, objectives, methods, results and conclusion of the study.

 

For original research articles, the abstract should be organised under the following headings:

Background: Provide a brief context or rationale of the study.
Objective: State the main aim or research question of the study.
Methods: Describe the study design, setting, participants, samples or data sources and key methods used.
Results: Present the main findings of the study.
Conclusion: Summarise the key interpretation, significance and implications of the findings for research, clinical practice, public health, policy or education, where relevant.

 

The abstract should be concise, factual and able to stand alone. It should not contain citations, tables, figures or information that is not presented in the main manuscript. Abbreviations should be avoided unless they are standard or clearly defined at first mention.

 

A list of 3 to 5 keywords should be provided below the abstract to reflect the main topics of the manuscript to support indexing and discoverability. Keywords should preferably be selected from recognised indexing terms, such as Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), where applicable. Keywords should be written in alphabetical order and separated by semicolons.

 

Main Text

The manuscript should be organised using appropriate headings and subheadings to ensure clarity, logical flow and ease of reading. Original research articles should generally include the following sections:

  • Introduction: Provides background, rationale, research gap, and study objective, research question or hypothesis.
  • Methods: Describes the study design, setting, participants, samples or data sources, inclusion and exclusion criteria where applicable, procedures, instruments, interventions or exposures, outcome measures, data collection, data analysis, ethical approval and informed consent where relevant.
  • Results: Presents the main findings clearly and logically, supported by appropriate tables, figures and statistical findings where applicable.
  • Discussion: Interprets the findings in relation to the study objectives and existing literature, and discusses the significance, implications, strengths, limitations and possible applications of the findings.
  • Conclusion: Summarises the key findings and implications without overstating the results or introducing new information.

Other article types may follow a different structure where appropriate. The text should be written in a scholarly, clear and concise manner.

 

 

Figures and Tables

Figures and tables should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text, for example, Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Table 2. Each figure and table must have a clear title and, where necessary, explanatory notes.

All figures and tables must be cited in the main text and placed close to where they are first mentioned in the manuscript unless otherwise specified by the journal.

Authors must ensure that all figures, images and tables are clear, legible and properly formatted. Images and figures should meet the following minimum requirements:

 

o   Resolution: Minimum 300 dpi for photographs, clinical images, radiological images, histological images, and other colour or grayscale images; minimum 600 dpi for line drawings, charts, graphs, and diagrams, where possible.

o   File format: Preferred formats include TIFF, JPEG, PNG, EPS, or PDF. Figures embedded in Microsoft Word may be accepted for initial submission, but high-resolution figure files may be requested after acceptance.

o   Size and readability: Figures should be large enough to remain clear after resizing. Text labels, axis titles, legends, and symbols must be readable in the final published format.

o   Colour and contrast: Images should have appropriate brightness, contrast, and colour balance. Adjustments must be applied uniformly to the whole image and must not misrepresent, obscure, enhance, or remove any information.

o   Graphs and charts: Graphs should be clearly labelled with axis titles, units of measurement, legends, and statistical indicators where applicable. Authors should avoid unnecessary decorative effects, excessive colours, or three-dimensional effects that may reduce clarity.

o   Microscopy and clinical images: Microscopy images should include appropriate scale bars and magnification details where relevant. Clinical images must protect patient privacy and should not include identifying features unless written consent for publication has been obtained.

o   Image integrity: Images must not be manipulated in a way that changes the scientific meaning or interpretation of the data. Any adjustments, cropping, grouping, or enhancement must be clearly described where relevant.

o   Permissions: Authors must obtain permission to reproduce or adapt any previously published figures, images, tables, or copyrighted materials and must acknowledge the original source appropriately.

 

References

References should be cited in the text using the author–date citation format, for example: (Author, Year) and formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 7th Edition, 7th Edition. Authors may refer to the APA style website for further guidance: www.apastyle.org.

 

The reference list should be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author. Each reference should include the necessary details, such as author name(s), year of publication, article title, journal or book title, volume, issue, page numbers, publisher and DOI or URL where available.

 

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all references are accurate, complete, current and consistent with the in-text citations. Where appropriate, manuscripts should include recent literature, preferably from the last five years to reflect current knowledge, developments and evidence in the field. Older references may be included when they are seminal, foundational, or directly relevant to the study.

 

All references cited in the text must be included in the reference list and all references listed must be cited in the manuscript. Authors are encouraged to use reference management software to ensure consistency and accuracy.

 

Ethical Considerations

Where applicable, manuscripts must include statements on:

  • Ethical approval
  • Informed consent
  • Consent for publication
  • Conflict of interest
  • Funding sources
  • Data availability
  • Acknowledgements

For studies involving human participants, patients, identifiable data or biological samples, authors must provide details of approval from an institutional review board or research ethics committee. For case reports or clinical images, written consent for publication must be obtained where identifiable information is included.

 

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been previously published.
  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
  • The submission file is in Microsoft Word format.
  • The manuscript follows the journal template and author guidelines.
  • The abstract and keywords are included.
  • All figures and tables are properly labelled, cited in the text and meet the minimum requirement.
  • All references are complete, current, accurate and formatted according to the journal style.
  • DOI or URL links are provided where available.
  • Ethical approval, informed consent, conflict of interest, funding and data availability statements are included where applicable.
  • Author contributions have been stated where required by the journal.
  • The use of artificial intelligence tools has been disclosed where applicable.
  • The manuscript has been checked for grammar, clarity, formatting, completeness and consistency.
  • The manuscript does not contain plagiarised, fabricated, falsified, misleading or ethically inappropriate content.
  • All required supplementary files, cover letter, declarations, reporting checklists, or supporting documents have been included, where applicable.

 

Authors may refer to the journal template for further guidance: Template link