African Journals OnLine
Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology

The Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology is the official journal of the Society of Gynaecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON). The Journal provides a forum for the publication of original articles in Obstetrics, Gynaecology, Reproductive Health and allied disciplines in the tropics. It provides a source of Continuing Medical Education (CME) for members of SOGON and all members of the medical profession in the tropics who are interested in any aspect of reproductive health.

The Journal will consider for publication original articles, basic science research, clinical research and clinical trials, critical reviews, commentaries, public health controversies, policy papers, consensus reports, special articles, letters and other appropriate forms of communication in Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Reproductive Endocrinology, Gynaecological Oncology, Female Urology and other aspects of Reproductive Health. The Journal also welcomes reviews of new books in the discipline. The Journal welcomes rapid communications (not exceeding 1400 words), which describe important new findings that require accelerated publication. Authors are also welcome to suggest new categories of articles as we are very flexible (although flexibility does not replace rigorous standards).

The Journal’s requirements are in accordance with the ‘Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals’ as described by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), also known as the Vancouver Group. This group, founded in 1978, sets the rules for medical journal authors and editors. The requirements are published in the British Medical Journal, (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors: Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, BMJ, 1997, 314: 1-10). All manuscripts must be in English. They must be printed clearly, double-spaced with wide margins (at least 2.5 cm), on only one side of size A4 paper. Pages must be numbered consecutively, beginning with the title page. Manuscripts should be concise and should include the following sections:

a) Title Page: This should contain the title of the article, the first name, middle initial and surname of each author, the institutional affiliations and addresses of each author and the name and full address of the author who will handle correspondence.

b) Abstract: The Journal now requires that authors submit a structured abstract not exceeding 250 words. The sections of the abstract of original research articles should be

1. Context: provides a very brief background to the

study, including its justification

2. Objective: outlines the aims of the study

3. Study Design, Setting and Subjects: gives a broad description of the type of study (descriptive, case- control, cohort, experimental, etc), the site where the study was done and the participants / subjects / materials used for the study.

4. Interventions (if any): describes experimental

interventions.

5. Main Outcome Measures: describes the attributes that are measured in the study subjects

6. Results: outlines the main findings from the study.

7. Conclusion: gives the main conclusions and major recommendations (if any) of the study.

c) Introduction

d) Subjects/Materials and Methods

e) Results

f) Discussion

g) Acknowledgements: Only financial or other tangible support should be included

h) References

i) Tables

j) Illustrations and Figures

For review articles and meta-analyses, authors should structure abstracts as appropriate, including the objective of the article, the source of the materials used and the main conclusions. The body of the article should be organised using headings and sub-headings as appropriate, to demarcate the material presented.

For Case Reports, authors should provide a narrative abstract not exceeding 100 words, highlighting the nature of the case and why it was considered worthy of a special report. The body of the case report should have the following sections: Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, References and Illustrations (if any).

Measurements of length, height, weight and volume should be in the appropriate metric units. Temperature should be recorded in degrees Celsius and blood pressure in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). All haematological and clinical chemistry measurements should be reported in SI units

Tables should be typed double spaced on separate sheets and numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Each table should have a short caption. No internal lines are allowed within the tables. Appropriate spacing should separate the rows and columns.

Figures should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals within the text and the legends to the figures should be typed on separate sheets. They should be unmounted glossy print photographs or clear prints of line drawings. The legends should include the caption of the figure. The figure should be lightly marked (in pencil) on the back, indicating its number, caption, orientation, manuscript title and the name of the leading author.

Only standard abbreviations are allowed. Where special abbreviations are to be used, they must initially be written out in full the first time they are used, with the abbreviations being put in parentheses. British English spelling should be used and authors should refer to the Concise Oxford dictionary.

References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References should be identified in the text, tables and figure legends in Arabic Numerals in superscript (elevated) fashion [e.g. ....as noted in other studies^1,2,3,4.]. Personal communica-tions and unpublished observations are not allowed for listing. Published abstracts can be included as references.

The reference list should be in the Vancouver style, with the titles of the journals being abbreviated to the style used in the Index Medicus. Examples are shown below:

1. Journal Article: List all authors, but if the number exceeds six, list the first six followed by et al. Initials should follow surnames, e.g.:

2. Chapters in books:

Chukwudebelu WO. Ultrasonics in Obstetrics. In: Agboola A (ed), Textbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for Medical Students, Volume 2. Lagos, University Educational Services, 1988; 273-278.

3. Book:

Wynn RM. Obstetrics and Gynaecology: the clinical core. 2nd Edition. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger. 1979; 46-51

4. From the Internet:

Bottles K. The Effect of the Information Revolutionon American Medical Schools. Medscape General Medicine July 26, 1999. Available at http://www.medscape.com/Medscape/GeneralMedicine/ journal/1999/v01.n07

All manuscripts should be in their final form when submitted. FOUR copies should be submitted. Only one original set of photographs/figures need be submitted, the other three being copies. All manuscripts and correspondence should be sent to:

No faxed submission is allowed. Electronic submission is only by prior arrangement.

After the article has been peer-reviewed and revisions made, the final submission will be in a 3.5" diskette with the article entered as a Microsoft Word for Windows or WordPerfect document. A single printed copy must accompany the diskette. Authors are required to complete and submit an author guarantee declaration certifying that all authors named have contributed sufficiently to the work submitted and that the content of the manuscript has not been published nor is it being considered for publication elsewhere. An editorial processing fee is now charged for all accepted articles. At present, the fee is N3000.00 (US$30.00). A bank draft for that amount, payable to the Tropical Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, should accompany the final submission