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ANNOUNCEMENT
Case Report
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Correspondence
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Innovations and Ideas
Letter to Editor
Original Article
Post Graduate Thesis Section
Quiz
Research Methodology and Publishing
Resident’s Forum
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Reviewers 2023
Short Communication
Generic selectors
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ANNOUNCEMENT
Case Report
Case Series
Clinicodermoscopic Challenge
Clinicopathologic Challenge
Correspondence
Editorial
Faculty’s Forum
Image Correspondence
Innovations and Ideas
Letter to Editor
Original Article
Post Graduate Thesis Section
Quiz
Research Methodology and Publishing
Resident’s Forum
Review Article
Reviewers 2023
Short Communication

Getting Started

Authors need to submit their manuscripts through the online submission platform available at https://editorialassist.com/ijpgd. Articles submitted as hard copies are not accepted. All first-time users need to register themselves. Registration is free. Once registered, authors can use their username and password to submit and keep track of their articles. In case of any problems, the author can contact the Technical Assistance at technical.team@scientificscholar.com

Types of Manuscripts

Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology publishes manuscripts in the following categories:

  • Original article
  • Post graduate thesis section
  • Short Communication
  • Review article
  • Research Methodology and Publishing
  • Case Report
  • Case Series
  • Clinicopathologic challenge
  • Clinicodermoscopic challenge
  • Innovations and ideas
  • Resident’s forum
  • Faculty’s Forum
  • Correspondence
  • Quiz
  • Image correspondence

Who Can Submit?

The journal accepts articles from residents, faculty as well as clinicians in practice.

General Information

Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology (IJPGD) publishes various categories of manuscripts including original research, reviews etc as also papers specific to medical teaching, apart from any significant work that contributes to the advancements in the field of Dermatology, venereology and Leprosy.

Author Responsibility

The journal accepts only original work that has not been published elsewhere. All authors must confirm that neither the manuscript nor any part of it was written or published or is under consideration for publication elsewhere. Publication of the content as an abstract during the proceedings of meetings is not considered prior publication and such manuscripts can be submitted for publication. At the time of submission, authors should disclose details or prior presentation of the study contents in a meeting or publication as an abstract in conference proceedings booklets. Any use of previously published material protected by copyright laws must be acknowledged in the manuscript. Publishing of material on a website/pre-print server may be considered prior publication and should be mentioned at the time of submission. Authors should disclose details of related papers even those authored in a different language.
Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to the four components mentioned below:

  1. Concept and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; and
  2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
  3. Final approval of the version to be published; and
  4. Aptitude to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Those who do not meet all four criteria should be acknowledged. Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the appropriate content of the manuscript. The order of naming the contributors should be based on the relative contribution of the individual included for authorship credit toward the study itself and the writing of the manuscript. Once the article has been submitted, the order cannot be changed without written consent from all the contributors. 

The authors need to identify one author who will correspond with the Journal office in all matters related to the manuscript during the manuscript submission, peer review, and publication process, called as the Corresponding Author. The content of the final manuscript incorporating changes suggested by the Editor or reviewer/s for the manuscript is the responsibility of the corresponding author.

Ethics

Studies conducted must adhere to and be in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans. According to Federal Research Misconduct Policy scientific misconduct includes:

  • Data falsification: Fabrication, deceptive and selective reporting of findings, suppression of data and/or distortion of data
  • Plagiarism: Use without permission the language, ideas, or thoughts of another and representation of them as one’s original work

Direct copying of sentences, whether from their previously published paper or someone else’s paper, is considered plagiarism. Authors need to check that they have not inadvertently ‘cut and paste’ verbatim from published works.  

According to the World Association of Medical Editors

Plagiarism is the use of others published and unpublished ideas or words (or other intellectual property) without attribution or permission, and presenting them as new and original rather than derived from an existing source. The intent and effect of plagiarism are to mislead the reader as to the contributions of the plagiarizer. This applies to whether the ideas or words are taken from abstracts, research grant applications, Institutional Review Board applications, or unpublished or published manuscripts in any publication format (print or electronic).

Self-plagiarism refers to the practice of an author using portions of their previous writings on the same topic in another of their publications, without specifically citing it formally in quotes. This practice is widespread and sometimes unintentional. The journal requires authors to disclose information and cite references about reused content from previously published work of their own or of others.

Incorrect authorship: Excluding authors with significant contribution towards the work presented, the inclusion of authors who have not made a definite contribution to the work published; or submission of articles without the concurrence of all authors.

Misappropriation of the ideas of others: an important aspect of scholarly activity is the exchange of ideas among colleagues. Scholars can acquire novel ideas from others during the process of reviewing grant applications and manuscripts. However, improper use of such information can constitute fraud. Wholesale appropriation of such material constitutes misconduct.

Violation of generally accepted research practices: Improper manipulation of experiments to obtain biased results, deceptive statistical or analytical manipulations, or improper reporting of results.

Material failure to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements affecting research: Violations of regulations and laws involving the use of funds, care of animals, human subjects, investigational drugs, recombinant products, new devices, or radioactive, biologic, or chemical materials.

Any form of unethical behaviour is strictly discouraged and will result in the submitting author and his group being banned from submitting material to the journal for a time frame depending on the severity of malpractice.

Digital Image Editing Ethics

No particular feature within an image may be introduced, moved, enhanced, obscured, or removed. Adjustments of brightness, contrast, or color balance are allowed if they are applied to the whole image and do not obscure or eliminate any information present in the original image. Adjustments such as changes to settings must be disclosed in the figure legend.

Contribution Details

The authors should provide a description of contributions made by each of them toward the manuscript. The description should be divided into the following categories, as deemed applicable: concept, design, the definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole from inception to published article and should be designated as ‘guarantor’ or ‘guarantors’.

Conflicts of Interest/Competing Interests

All authors must disclose any and all conflicts of interest they may have with the publication of the manuscript or any institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also disclose any conflict of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) / Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC) Approval and Informed Consent

All prospective and retrospective human studies must have appropriate IEC/IRB approval, and signed informed consent from all human participants is required. All animal studies must have an appropriate institutional review board or animal care committee approval.

Compliance with these rules must be stated in the text, including a waiver of consent by the board, if applicable. Manuscripts that do not comply with these rules will not be accepted for publication.

Patient consent and or Ethical approval statements along with Protocol number and date must be included in all research articles.

Protection of Patients’ Right to Privacy

For all research involving human subjects, informed consent to participate in the study should be obtained from participants (or their parent or guardian in the case of children under 16) and a statement to this effect should appear in the manuscript.

Identifying information, including patients’ names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, radiological imaging figures, and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) gives written informed consent for publication. Informed consent for this purpose requires that a patient who is identifiable be shown the manuscript to be published.

Informed consent should be obtained if there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained. For example, masking the eye region in photographs of patients is inadequate protection of anonymity. If identifying characteristics are altered to protect anonymity, such as in genetic pedigrees, authors should assure that alterations do not distort scientific meaning and editors should so note.

Reporting Guidelines

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the method of masking (blinding), based on the CONSORT Statement.
Reporting Guidelines for Specific manuscript types are given below. A statement of compliance with the appropriate guideline must be included on the title page of the manuscript.

Guideline Type of Study Source
STROBE Observational studies including cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies https://www.strobe-statement.org/index.php?id=available-checklists
CONSORT Randomized controlled trials http://www.consort-statement.org
SQUIRE Quality improvement projects http://squire-statement.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=471
PRISMA Systematic reviews and meta-analyses http://prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist.aspx
STARD Studies of diagnostic accuracy https://pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/radiol.2015151516
CARE Case Reports https://www.care-statement.org/checklist
AGREE Clinical Practice Guidelines https://www.agreetrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/AGREE-Reporting-Checklist-2016.pdf
The reporting guidelines for other types of studies can be found at https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/.

The Editorial Process

Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology has a highly rigorous double-blind peer-review process that makes sure that manuscripts are scientifically accurate, relevant, novel, and meaningful.

Manuscripts are subjected to an unbiased double-blinded peer-review process i.e. the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. The manuscript is sent for peer review to at least two external reviewers, and if required, it is sent to a third reviewer to act as a tie-breaker. A completed review by two reviewers recommending the acceptance of the manuscript for publication is mandatory.The comments and suggestions (acceptance/rejection/amendments to the manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the author. The author is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised manuscript version. This process is repeated until reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript. Decisions on accepting manuscripts for publication are solely based on the peer-review process, and the Editor’s discretion and the decision are final. 

Manuscripts accepted for publication are copy-edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format. Galley proofs are sent to the author. The author is expected to return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The process of submitting the manuscript to the final decision and sending and receiving proofs is completed online. To achieve faster and greater dissemination of knowledge and information, the journal publishes articles online immediately on final acceptance.

Manuscripts that do not conform to the Author Guidelines or exceed the Maximums set for Articles may be returned to the author without review. Authors can resubmit after complying with the requirements.

In-house submissions
In-house submissions that contain the work of any editorial board member are not allowed to be reviewed by that editorial board member, and an independent editor makes all decisions regarding this manuscript. In addition, these manuscripts are reviewed by two external reviewers. This is also disclosed in the published manuscript under the section of Conflict of Interest.

Preparation of the Manuscript

The manuscript should be double-spaced, with a 2.5 cm margin, 12-point Times New Roman font, and justified. The pages of the manuscript should be numbered on the bottom right corner.

Language and Writing Style

The manuscript should be written in British English. The author should write the full term for each abbreviation at its first use in the title, abstract, keywords, and text separately unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measure. The use of acronyms and abbreviations must be kept to a minimum. When used, they are defined at first mention, followed by the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses. If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer’s name and address (city, state, and country). Manuscripts will be altered to meet the style guidelines of the Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology. The authors are requested to check the manuscript for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors before submission. Headings and titles must be in sentence case and not in Capitals.

Organization of Sections in an Article

Cover Page

The cover page includes (a) complete manuscript title; (b) list of all authors’ full names, highest academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations including locations of affiliations and Open Researcher and Contributor Identification (ORCID) id; (c) a short title of no more than 45 characters (including spaces) for use as a running title (d) word count, number of tables and figures included; (e) name and address of the corresponding author, including, telephone number, and e-mail address and (f) sources of support (including role of funders/sponsors) (g) conflicts of interest statement (h) compliance with appropriate guidelines as per the type of manuscript (see above) (i) Acknowledgement (if any) 

Abstract

An abstract is required for original articles, post-graduate thesis section, review articles, Research and Publish section, Short communication, case series and case reports. The specific instructions for abstracts for different kinds of manuscript are mentioned below.

No abstract should contain any figures, tables, or references, trade names, or manufacturer’s names.

Keywords

Provide up to five keywords (in alphabetical order) at the end of the abstract for original articles, post-graduate thesis section, review articles, Research and Publish section, Short communication, case series and case reports. 

Reporting Original Articles

Introduction

All original articles need an Introduction that describes the objective of the investigation in not more than 500 words. The author should clearly state the specific goal or purpose of the article, and indicate why it is worthy of attention. In the Introduction, describe the hypothesis to be tested, the dilemma to be resolved, or the deficiency to be remedied.

Material and Methods or Subject Profile

The research plan, the materials (or subjects), and the methods used should be described. An explanation of how the disease was confirmed and the controls were recruited  must be included, as well as the details of the data obtained and how it was analyzed. Methods must include the following aspects:

Ethics: When reporting studies on human subjects, indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional or regional) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000 (available at https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/). For prospective studies involving human participants, authors are expected to mention about approval of (regional/national/institutional or independent Ethics Committee or Review Board, obtaining informed consent from adult research participants and obtaining assent for children aged over 7 years participating in the trial. The age beyond which assent would be required could vary as per regional and/or national guidelines. Ensure confidentiality of subjects by desisting from mentioning participants’ names, initials or hospital numbers, especially in illustrative material. When reporting experiments on animals, indicate whether the institution’s or a national research council’s guide for or any national law on the care and use of laboratory animals were followed.

Evidence for approval by a local/Institutional Ethics Committee or IRB (for both human as well as animal studies) must be supplied by the authors. Animal experimental procedures should be as humane as possible and the details of anesthetics and analgesics used should be clearly stated. The ethical standards of experiments must be in accordance with the guidelines provided by the (CPCSEA and World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki on Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Humans for studies involving experimental animals and human beings, respectively). The journal will not consider any manuscript which is ethically unacceptable. A statement on ethics committee permission and ethical practices must be included in all original research manuscripts under the ‘Material and Methods’ section.

Patient consent: Patient anonymity must be maintained in all submissions. If there is any possibility that the patient can be identified in a figure, written consent must be obtained from the patient or parent/guardian by the author, and a line stating that this has been received is included in the article.

Study Design

Selection and Description of Participants: Describe your selection of the observational or experimental (with details of participants – patients or laboratory animals, including controls) clearly, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. Provide the sample size calculation details. 

Technical information: Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods (see below); provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration. Identify appropriate scientific names and gene names. When an equipment/surgical device/drug is mentioned in the manuscript for the first time, its manufacture’s complete detail should be mentioned (such as the BRANDED name of the device/medication used in the study followed by name of the manufacturer, city, and state).

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the IEC/IRB approval date, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the methods of masking (blinding), based on the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org). The CONSORT checklist is to be referred to and all points complied with.

 

Statistics

All results should be in a clear, logical sequence and should adhere to the specific objective of the paper giving the main or most important findings first. Data presented in tables should not be duplicated in the text. Important trends and points observed in the study will need to be described. When data are summarized in the Results section, give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Restrict tables and figures to those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tables. Where scientifically appropriate, analyses of the data by variables such as age and sex should be included.

Results

All results should be in a clear, logical sequence and should adhere to the specific objective of the paper giving the main or most important findings first. Data presented in tables should not be duplicated in the text. Important trends and points observed in the study will need to be described. When data are summarized in the Results section, give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Restrict tables and figures to those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tables. Where scientifically appropriate, analyses of the data by variables such as age and sex should be included.

Discussion

The article submitted should explain clearly the outcome of the research considering the goals and results obtained. It is useful to begin the discussion by briefly summarizing the main findings, and explore possible mechanisms or explanations for these findings. Restrict to discussing the interpretations which could be directly obtained from the current study within its limitations and avoiding making unsupported claims. Any limitations on the materials or subjects and methods must be included. How the results differ from those obtained by previous investigators need to be presented with adequate comparisons and explanations. Include key findings (primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, results as they relate to a prior hypothesis); Strengths and limitations of the study (study question, study design, data collection, analysis and interpretation); Interpretation and implications in the context of the totality of evidence should be described. Include what this study adds to the available evidence, effects on patient care and health policy, etc.

Do not repeat the data or other material mentioned in the Introduction or the Results section. In particular, contributors should avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless their manuscript includes economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed.

References

References are to be numbered sequentially in the order in which they appear in the manuscript. Reference numbers are typed as superscripts, after the punctuation mark at the end of the line.

Example: …… with no evidence of intratubular testicular neoplasia.1

Unpublished data or articles submitted for publication are not to be cited in the reference list. They are cited within parenthesis in the text. (Example: Aaron J, unpublished data). Papers presented at meetings are not cited in the reference list. They are cited within parenthesis in the text. (Example: Aaron J et al., presented at the 2009 annual meeting of the Society).

References follow the ICMJE guidelines. The author’s surname is followed by the author’s initials in capitals without spaces or full stops. All references show page numbers in the format (121-26). Refer to the List of Journals Indexed in Index Medicus for abbreviations of journal names, or access the list from here.

Sample references are given below:

Articles in Journals
1. Olson MC, Posniak HV, Fisher SG, ME Flisak, CG Salomon, RC Flanigan, et al. Directed and random biopsies of the prostate: indications based on combined results of transrectal sonography and prostate-specific antigen density determinations. Am J Roentgenol 1994;163:1407–11.

List the first six contributors followed by et al in all references.

Issue with supplement
Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996;23(1, Suppl 2):89-97.

Volume with supplement
Shen HM, Zhang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenicity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect 1994;102 Suppl 1:275-82.

Books and Other Monographs

Personal Author(s):

Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.

Editor(s), compiler(s) as author:

Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, editors. Mental health care for elderly people. New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.

Chapter in A Book
Turgut AT, Dogra VS. Prostate carcinoma: Evaluation using transrectal sonography. In: Hayat MA, ed. Methods of cancer diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. 1st ed. New York, NA: Elsevier; 2008. p. 499-520.

Electronic Sources as Reference

Refer APA’s Quick guide on reference for electronic references.

Monograph on the Internet format: Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [monograph on the Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9].

Refer Homepage/Web site and Part of a homepage/Web site formats in the hyperlink provided

Tables

Tables must be significant and provide a good summary of the study. Tables should be self-explanatory and not duplicate the data given in the text or figures. Each table must have a descriptive title, and each column a heading. Tables must contain a minimum of four lines and two columns of data and not exceed 10 columns and 25 rows. Tables are numbered in the order in which they are cited in the text. Abbreviations used in the tables are defined below each table. All arithmetic calculations (percentages, totals, differences) must be double-checked for accuracy, and data must agree with the data given in the text.

Graphs

Graphs need to be exported as JPEG or TIF images and submitted as figures. Graphs and line drawings need to be a minimum of 1000 dpi. Graphs should include clearly labelled error bars described in the figure legend. The authors must state whether a number that follows the ± sign is a standard error (SEM) or a standard deviation (SD). The number of independent data points (N) represented in a graph must be indicated in the legend. Numerical axes on graphs should go to 0, except for log axes.

Figure/Image Legends

All figure parts relating to one image should have the same figure number. The morphological details and site/s must be mentioned in the figures. Histopathological figures must provide magnification and include names of special stains if used. Dermoscopic images must also mention magnification used and mention the make and model of the dermoscope used. Before and after images must keep “after” images on the right side. If a collage of images is made, insert alphabetical labelling (a,b,c,d…) on the top right corner of each image and describe in sequence in the legend.

Images directly identifying patients must be avoided and a signed patient consent must be provided if any clinical images are used. Written permission to reprint in print and electronic media, including online use, must be obtained for all previously published illustrations, and an appropriate credit line to be given in the legends.

All images should be uploaded in JPEG, or TIF, format. The file size should be within 12 MB in size. Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. Labels, numbers, and symbols should be clear and of uniform size. The lettering for figures should be large enough to be legible after reduction to fit the width of a printed column. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background and should be marked neatly with transfer type or by tissue overlay and not by pen. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for figures not on the figure/image themselves. The photographs and figures should be trimmed to remove all the unwanted areas and the patient’s name and medical record number. If photographs of individuals are used, their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph and eyes must be covered. Electronic manipulation of images that materially alters the medical information must be identified and the nature of the alterations described. Symbols used must be uniform in size and style and large enough to withstand reduction. Line drawings and graphs should be in black on a white background, using the same size type as the text. 0.5 mm hairline rules must be avoided. Authors’ names and affiliations must not appear anywhere on the images.

Image Size

Black & white images: JPEG, or TIF format, Grayscale mode, and 300 DPI resolution. The height and width of an image should be at least 6 x 5 inches.

Color images: 300 DPI resolution, no layered files, no alpha channels. Color profile if used: CMYK (No Indexed Color, Lab, or RGB profiles)

Line art: 1200 DPI resolution, Grayscale or Jpeg format. No layered files, no alpha channels. Color profile if used: CMYK (No Indexed Color, Lab, or RGB profiles) The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce, or enlarge the photographs to an acceptable size.

Video Clips

The journal encourages authors to submit video clips, cine clips, or real-time images (preferably in ‘mp4’). The maximum size of each multimedia file should not exceed 400 MB. In addition to the video content, authors must provide a still image from each video file. Supply TIFF or JPEG files. Technical information: Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods (see below); provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration. Identify appropriate scientific names and gene names. When an equipment/surgical device/drug is mentioned in the manuscript for the first time, its manufactures’ complete detail should be mentioned (such as the BRANDED name of the device/medication used in the study followed by name of the manufacturer, city, and state). For example IVC filter (C.R. Bard, Inc. Murray Hill, New Jersey, USA). 

Submission of the Manuscript

Online Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted online at Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology. You will see step-by-step instructions when you are submitting your manuscript. You will need to submit the following documents as separate files.

  1. Cover Page: See above
  2. Manuscript: This document should include the title, abstract, keywords, manuscript body, and references. This must be in the document format.
  3. Acknowledgment: Section should be included in the cover page and not in the main manuscript and should also contain the name and location of the institution of the person acknowledged.
  4. References: (see below)
  5. Tables: Tables should be included in the main manuscript file after the references.
  6. Figure Legends
  7. Figures:
    Figures must be submitted separately in .tiff or jpeg format and not embedded in the manuscript document. See above for figure instructions.
  8. Graphs: Do not embed them in the main manuscript. They should be uploaded separately at the time of uploading the figures in the “jpeg” or “tiff” format.
  9. Copyright and disclosure forms are available for download from the author’s panel and should be uploaded as PDF files.
  10. Instruction on supplemental digital multimedia/video content: In addition to the video content, authors must provide a still image from each video file. Supply TIFF or JPEG files. These are also uploaded at the time of figure upload.

Specific Details for Each Manuscript Type

Original Article

This section includes observational and experimental studies on basic as well as clinical topics. The article should include: 

Structured Abstract: under the headings of Objectives, Methods and Materials, Results, Limitation and Conclusion within 250 words. Main text should follow IMRAD pattern and include subsections of Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Limitations of the study and Conclusion within 2000 words. Permission of Institutional Ethics Committee/ Institutional Review Board should also be submitted alongside. Original articles can have maximum 30 references and maximum 5 figures and/or tables. Please also provide 3-5 keywords at the end of abstract and preferably use recent references. In case of clinical trials, the journal recommends prospective registration in the Clinical Trial Registry of India or another suitable public trial registry (Please see: https://www.who.int/clinical-trials-registry-platform). The registration number should be mentioned after the abstract. Acknowledgements should be mentioned in the cover page. The manuscript should mention “Prevalent Knowledge” and “New Knowledge” under different headings, each comprising not more than 2-3 sentences. Authors are requested to pursue the appropriate guidelines for different types of studies as mentioned subsequently. Every year, one published original article adjudged by the editorial team as the “Best original article” shall be awarded during national Dermacon.

Post graduate thesis section

Any post graduate thesis/dissertation work shall be accepted for publication in this category. The article has to be authored by the post graduate as first author and has to be based upon the dissertation undertaken by him/her. The article must be accompanied by a declaration by the guide/supervisor that it is based upon the dissertation done by the first author. It has to be submitted in the same year or within one calendar year of completing the MD/DNB examination; and, there must be an acknowledgment (to be given in the cover page) of the article specifying the dissertation name, name of the Institute where the dissertation was done and names of the guide/supervisor and co-guides/co-supervisors under whom the study was undertaken. The article needs to follow the same instructions as an original article. Every year one published article in this section, adjudged by the editorial team as the “Best original article in PG thesis section category”, shall be awarded during national Dermacon.

Short Communication

The section shall be used for submitting articles that describe brief reports of data from preliminary original research/ pilot studies OR brief reviews on upcoming or residency relevant topics, and for reporting teaching innovations. Studies published as short communication are intended to evoke interest and stimulate further research in the field. Reporting of original data in this format would require information on IEC/IRB approval, trial registration number, conflicts of interest statement and statement on role of funders/sponsors if any as mentioned in the original article section. Similarly, for research papers, the authors should describe the various facets of research including methodology, results and discussion in continuous text without subheadings. For reviews, a brief description of methodology used for review must also be included.

An unstructured abstract of up to 150 words followed by up to 5 keywords must be provided. The word limit for the section is 1000 words. A maximum of 3 figures and/or tables and 20 references are allowed.

Review Article

Narrative as well as systematic critical assessments of literature should be submitted only after consulting the editor regarding the subject. The article should provide updated information on a specific topic of interest preferably to postgraduates as well as clinicians. An unstructured abstract within 250 words followed by upto 5 key words, and text within 2500 words are allowed in this section. The article should include tables/ diagrams/ flowcharts/ images with a maximum of 30 references. Authors should provide 10 MCQs with four options and one correct answer at the end to test the knowledge of the readers.

Research and Publish

Authors can send articles to this section only upon invitation. It includes manuscripts on basic tenets of research beginning from framing a research question to statistical analysis of the results and publishing a manuscript. The article should provide updated information on a specific area of research, ethics and publication intended preferably for postgraduates as well as clinicians within 2500 words. An unstructured abstract of upto 150 words followed by upto 5 key words must be included. The article should include tables/ diagrams/ flowcharts/ images with a maximum of 30 references. Authors should provide 10 MCQs with four options and one correct answer at the end to test the knowledge of the readers.

Case report

Uncommon cases or rare observations in common cases can be reported. This section intends to provide a learning point for the readers in terms of describing a new diagnosis/treatment or a rare occurrence. This manuscript should be of up to 750 words (excluding abstract and references) and should have the following headings: Unstructured abstract up to 150 words, keywords (upto 5), Introduction, Case report, Discussion, References, Tables (not more than one), Figures (upto 2) and legends in that order. Up to 5 references can be included. 

Case Series

A series of cases (4 or more) with a common outcome or similar cases are included in this section. A maximum of 1000 words with sub-sections – Introduction, description of cases and discussion, 10 references and a maximum of 3 figures and/or tables is permissible. An abstract of upto 150 words followed by upto 5 key words must also be included.

Clinicopathologic challenge

Authors should present a short manuscript limited to 750 words and 3 figures. Total number of references should not exceed 5. This section includes a case where histopathology has proved crucial in confirming the diagnosis. It should include case description, histopathologic findings, diagnosis and discussion. No abstract or key words are required. The histopathologic image should be sent in both lower and higher magnifications so as to clearly display the tissue diagnosis.

Clinicodermoscopic challenge

A case where dermoscopic examination provided important clues to reach the correct diagnosis.  It should include case description, dermoscopic findings, diagnosis and discussion without any abstract. Maximum number of words should be 750, figures should be restricted to a maximum of 3 and references should not exceed 5 in number. The clinical and dermoscopic image should be sharp and in focus. The legends of the dermoscopic image should mention the device used, magnification and the mode (contact/polarized light) used.

Innovations and ideas

This section invites articles conveying original and creative ideas, techniques or procedures in clinical and procedural dermatology. The idea must intend to solve a clinical or dermatological issue and address them with innovative plan or design. The innovation should be novel and reproducible. A maximum of 300 words, 3 figures/ videos and 5 references are permissible in this section. The video files should be in MPG or MP4 format [Not more than 30MB file size]. An in sync running subtitle may be added to the video. 

Resident’s forum

This section is mandatorily first authored by a resident. This section has the following sub-categories: 

a. Revision corner:  This would include short articles that help postgraduates better their academic competence and improve performance in examinations. A maximum of 1000 words, 5 tables and/or figures and 5 references are permissible in this section. No abstract is required for this section.

b.  An extraordinary tale: A correspondence (see below) describing a patient worth remembering, especially because of being special or unusual. This is not limited to clinical case scenario but may include personal experiences highlighting patient doctor relationship.

Faculty’s Forum

This section is to be submitted only upon invitation by a faculty author and has the following sub-categories:

a. Cracking the exam: This should be submitted as a correspondence (see below). The article intends to provide tips and guidelines to postgraduates towards improving their preparedness for exams and provide insights into nuances of performance evaluation.

b. Teaching innovations: This section would include new and innovative ideas to improve upon medical education practise and build upon educational resources. This shall cater to both postgraduate and undergraduate teaching and submissions to the section are open for Faculty and Senior Residents. The format may either be of an original article, review, short communication, or correspondence (see below). 

Correspondence / Letter to Editor

This section can include manuscripts with up to 750 words, 3 tables and/or figures and 5 references, without an abstract. The format may be used for articles intended to provide updates for post-graduates which may cover topics including (but not limited to) treatment guidelines, diagnostic criteria, newer drugs and diseases, scoring systems, case reports etc. The format also covers responses to recent articles published in the journal, teaching innovations, cracking the exam (see Faculty’s forum above) or an extraordinary tale (see residents forum above) and short reports of original research.

Announcement

Announcements of conferences, meetings, courses, fellowships, awards, and scholarships. The section must be within 100 words and must include the details of the person/s/institution to contact with details of communication.

Quiz 

Quiz articles submitted need not have an abstract. They should have a minimum of 20 questions, focusing on a specific area in dermatology, venereology, leprology, aesthetics or dermatosurgery. The questions may be MCQs/ one-liners/ image or scenario-based. The answers should be given after the questions. The title should specify the area from which the questions are chosen.

Image Correspondence

“A picture is worth thousand words”. This section invites good quality clinical (with or without histo pathological/dermoscopic) images of rare cutaneous conditions or phenomenon / rare manifestation of a common condition ,along with a description of the same within 150 words. The image should be in JPEG or TIFF format with a maximum size of 12 MB and be of minimum 300 dpi resolution. In case of collage of multiple images ( restrict to 4) alphabetical numbering of individual images should be mentioned at top right corner of each image and legends to individual images must be provided. The text may or may not be accompanied by references, and a maximum 3 references are allowed in case these are required.

Publication/Processing Fee

Article Processing Charge

Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology does not charge for the submission and/or processing of the manuscripts.

Copyright and Open Access Statement

 

Authors Retain Copyright

All of the content published in the Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology is protected under the International copyright law, defined by Creative Commons and International Council of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The author of an article retains the academic copyright of the content and can self-archive the article. The journal retains the commercial rights of the published content and publisher executes the commercial rights on behalf of the journal. The journal also grants to all readers and users a free, irrevocable, global, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy, use, distribute and display the content publicly and to make and distribute derivative works in any digital medium for any reasonable and non-commercial purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship and ownership of the copyrights under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International Public License.

Open Access Publication and Creative Commons Licensing

Indian Journal of Postgraduate Dermatology is an open-access journal, and manuscripts published are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License (CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0), which allows others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.

Compliance with Funder-Mandated Open Access Policies

An author whose work is funded by an organization that mandates the use of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 License is able to meet that requirement through the available open-access license for approved funders.

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