File format

We ask you to provide editable source files for your entire submission (including figures, tables and text graphics). Some guidelines:

• Save files in an editable format, using the extension .doc/.docx for Word files and .tex for LaTeX files. A PDF is not an acceptable source file.
• Format Word files in a single-column layout. Double-column formatting is only permitted for LaTeX submissions.
• Remove any strikethrough and underlined text from your manuscript, unless it has scientific significance related to your article.
• Use spell-check and grammar-check functions to avoid errors.
• Line spacing (1.5), maximum off 20 pages

 

Title page

You are required to include the following details in the title page information:

• Article title. Article titles should be concise and informative. Please avoid abbreviations and formulae, where possible, unless they are established and widely understood, e.g. DNA.
• Author names. Provide the given name(s) and family name(s) of each author. The order of authors should match the order in the submission system. Carefully check that all names are accurately spelled. If needed, you can add your name between parentheses in your own script after the English transliteration.
• Affiliations, referring to where the work was carried out, below the author names. Indicate affiliations using a lower-case superscript letter immediately after the author's name and in front of the corresponding address. Ensure that you provide the full name and postal address of each affiliation, including the country name and, if available, the email address of each author.
• Corresponding author. Clearly indicate who will handle correspondence for your article at all stages of the refereeing and publication process and also post-publication. This responsibility includes answering any future queries about your results, data, methodology and materials. It is important that the email address and contact details of your corresponding author are kept up to date during the submission and publication process.

Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in your article was carried out, or the author was visiting during that time, a "present address" (or "permanent address") can be indicated by a footnote to the author's name. The address where the author carried out the work must be retained as their main affiliation address. Use superscript Arabic numerals for such footnotes.

 

Abstract

You are required to provide a concise and factual abstract which does not exceed 250 words. The abstract should briefly state the purpose of your research, principal results and major conclusions. Some guidelines:

• Abstracts must be able to stand alone as abstracts are often presented separately from the article.
• Avoid references. If any are essential to include, ensure that you cite the author(s) and year(s).

Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations. If any are essential to include, ensure they are defined within your abstract at first mention.

 

Keywords

You are required to provide 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Please try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using "and" or "of").

We recommend that you only use abbreviations in keywords if they are firmly established in the field.

 

Highlights

You are encouraged to provide article highlights at submission.

Highlights are a short collection of bullet points that should capture the novel results of your research as well as any new methods used during your study. Highlights will help increase the discoverability of your article via search engines. Some guidelines:

• Submit highlights as a separate editable file in the online submission system with the word "highlights" included in the file name.
• Highlights should consist of 3 to 5 bullet points, each a maximum of 85 characters, including spaces.

We encourage you to view example article highlights and read about the benefits of their inclusion.

 

Graphical abstract

You are encouraged to provide a graphical abstract at submission.

The graphical abstract summarizes the contents of your article in a concise, pictorial, professional form, highlighting important aspects of the research. It is designed to appeal to an interdisciplinary audience, and draw more attention to your online article. Some guidelines:

• Ensure you have obtained the necessary permission to include any third party owned material in a graphical abstract.
• Use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of graphical abstracts must align with JHS’s AI Policies.
• Submit your graphical abstract as a separate file in the online submission system.
• Ensure the image is 531 x 1328 pixels (h x w) or proportionally more, and is readable at a size of 5 x 13 cm.

Preferred file types for graphical abstracts are TIFF, EPS, PDF or MS Office files.

 

Graphical abstract

You are encouraged to provide a graphical abstract at submission.

The graphical abstract summarizes the contents of your article in a concise, pictorial, professional form, highlighting important aspects of the research. It is designed to appeal to an interdisciplinary audience, and draw more attention to your online article. Some guidelines:

• Ensure you have obtained the necessary permission to include any third party owned material in a graphical abstract.
• Use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in the production of graphical abstracts must align with JHS’s AI Policies.
• Submit your graphical abstract as a separate file in the online submission system.
• Ensure the image is 531 x 1328 pixels (h x w) or proportionally more, and is readable at a size of 5 x 13 cm.
• Preferred file types for graphical abstracts are TIFF, EPS, PDF or MS Office files.

 

Math formulae

• Submit math equations as editable text, not as images.
• Present simple formulae in line with normal text, where possible.
• Use the solidus (/) instead of a horizontal line for small fractional terms such as X/Y.
• Present variables in italics.
• Denote powers of e by exp.
• Display equations separately from your text, numbering them consecutively in the order they are referred to within your text.

 

Tables

Tables must be submitted as editable text, not as images. Some guidelines:

• Place tables next to the relevant text or on a separate page(s) at the end of your article.
• Cite all tables in the manuscript text.
• Number tables consecutively according to their appearance in the text.
• Please provide captions along with the tables.
• Place any table notes below the table body.
• Avoid vertical rules and shading within table cells.

We recommend that you use tables sparingly, ensuring that any data presented in tables is not duplicating results described elsewhere in the article.

 

Figures, images and artwork

Figures, images, diagrams and other graphical media (artwork) must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript.

Some excerpts:

When submitting artwork:

• Cite all images in the manuscript text.
• Number images according to the order they appear within your article.
• Submit each image as a separate file using a logical naming convention for your files (for example, Figure_1, Figure_2 etc).
• Text graphics may be embedded in the text at the appropriate position. If you are working with LaTeX, text graphics may also be embedded in the file.

 

Captions

All artwork must have a caption. A caption should consist of a brief title (not displayed on the figure itself) and a description of the image. Keep the amount of text in any image to a minimum, though any symbol or abbreviation should be explained.

 

Formats

When your artwork is finalized, "save as" or convert your electronic artwork to the formats listed below taking into account the given resolution requirements for line drawings, halftones, and line/halftone combinations:

• Vector drawings: Save as EPS or PDF files embedding the font or saving the text as "graphics."
• Color or grayscale photographs (halftones): Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files using a minimum of 300 dpi (for single column width: min. 1063 pixels, full page width: 2244 pixels).
• Bitmapped line drawings: Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files, using a minimum of 1000 dpi (for single column width: min. 3543 pixels, full page width: 7480 pixels).
• Combinations bitmapped line/halftones (color or grayscale): Save as TIFF, JPG or PNG files using a minimum of 500 dpi (for single column: min. 1772 pixels, full page width: 3740 pixels).

Please do not submit:

• Files that are too low in resolution.
• Artwork where text is disproportionately small compared to the image size, as text may become unreadable.
• Different images or graphs combined into one, as this affects accessibility.

 

Color artwork

If you submit usable color figures with your accepted article, we will ensure that they appear in color online.

Please ensure that color images are accessible to all, including those with impaired color vision.

 

Generative AI and Figures, images and other artwork

Please read our policy on the use of generative AI and AI-assisted tools in figures, images and artwork, which can be found in JHS’s AI Policies. This policy states:

• AI tools may be used to support the creation of explanatory images (such as flow charts, conceptual diagrams, or schematic illustrations)
• AI tools may be used to create data visualizations (such as plots, charts, graphs, or heatmaps) when the output is directly derived from underlying data using reproducible analytical, computational, or statistical methods.
• AI tools must not be used to create or alter images that represent primary observed or experimental data (such as western blots, microscopy images, histology images, or patient images) that were not directly obtained in the research. This includes adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance, which should only be done using established image processing software.
• This policy does not prevent the use of AI tools in formal research design or research methods (such as in AI-assisted imaging approaches used for collection and/or interpretation of the underlying research data or predictive modelling of clinical outcomes based on patient data).

Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy and originality of all images submitted for publication. If you used generative AI tools to create images in your manuscript, you should disclose this in each image caption as well as in the general Generative AI disclosure statement.

 

Supplementary material

We encourage the use of supplementary materials such as applications, images and sound clips to enhance research. Some guidelines:

• Supplementary material should be accurate and relevant to the research.
• Cite all supplementary files in the manuscript text.
• Submit all supplementary materials at the same time as your manuscript.
• Include a concise, descriptive caption for each supplementary file, describing its content.
• After submission supplementary files can only be added or replaced in the revision stage of the editorial process.
• Be aware that all supplementary materials provided will appear online in the exact same way as received. These files will not be checked, formatted or typeset by the production team.

Video

Authors may submit video or animation files as supplementary materials to support the article.

• Video files must be relevant to the research and cited in the manuscript.
• Files should be clearly named and submitted together with the manuscript.
• Authors should provide a brief description or caption for each file.
• The maximum recommended file size is 150 MB per file.
• Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for any copyrighted content.

Accepted video files will be published online as supplementary materials.

Research data

We are committed to supporting the storage of, access to and discovery of research data, and our research data policy sets out the principles guiding how we work with the research community to support a more efficient and transparent research process.

Research data refers to the results of observations or experimentation that validate research findings, which may also include software, code, models, algorithms, protocols, methods and other useful materials related to the project.

Please read our guidelines on sharing research data for more information on depositing, sharing and using research data and other relevant research materials.

Data statement

To foster transparency, you are required to state the availability of any data at submission.

Ensuring data is available may be a requirement of your funding body or institution. If your data is unavailable to access or unsuitable to post, you can state the reason why (e.g., your research data includes sensitive or confidential information such as patient data) during the submission process.

 

Article structure

Article sections

• Divide your manuscript into clearly defined and numbered sections. Number subsections 1.1 (then 1.1.1, 1.1.2, ...), then 1.2, etc.
• Use the numbering format when cross-referencing within your article. Do not just refer to "the text."
• You may give subsections a brief heading. Headings should appear on a separate line.
• Do not include the article abstract within section numbering.

Theory and calculation

The theory section should lay the foundation for further work by extending the background you provided in the introduction to your article. The calculation section should represent a practical development from a theoretical basis.

Footnotes

We advise you to use footnotes sparingly. If you include footnotes in your article, ensure that they are numbered consecutively.

You may use system features that automatically build footnotes into text. Alternatively, you can indicate the position of footnotes within the text and present them in a separate section at the end of your article.

Acknowledgements

Include any individuals who provided you with help during your research, such as help with language, writing or proof reading, in the acknowledgements section.

Acknowledgements should be placed in a separate section which appears directly before the reference list. Do not include acknowledgements on your title page, as a footnote to your title, or anywhere else in your article other than in the separate acknowledgements section.

Author contributions: CRediT

Corresponding authors are required to acknowledge co-author contributions using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) roles:

• Conceptualization
• Data curation
• Formal analysis
• Funding acquisition
• Investigation
• Methodology
• Project administration
• Resources
• Software
• Supervision
• Validation
• Visualization
• Writing – original draft
• Writing – review and editing

Not all CRediT roles will apply to every manuscript and some authors may contribute through multiple roles.

Appendices

We ask you to use the following format for appendices:

• Identify individual appendices within your article using the format: A, B, etc.
• Give separate numbering to formulae and equations within appendices using formats such as Eq. (A.1), Eq. (A.2), etc. and in subsequent appendices, Eq. (B.1), Eq. (B. 2) etc. In a similar way, give separate numbering to tables and figures using formats such as Table A.1; Fig. A.1, etc.

References

References within text

Any references cited within your article should also be present in your reference list and vice versa. Some guidelines:

• References cited in your abstract must be given in full.
• We recommend that you do not include unpublished results and personal communications in your reference list, though you may mention them in the text of your article.
• Any unpublished results and personal communications included in your reference list must follow the standard reference style of the journal. In substitution of the publication date add "unpublished results" or "personal communication."
• References cited as "in press" imply that the item has been accepted for publication.

Linking to cited sources will increase the discoverability of your research. We encourage the use of Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) as reference links, as they provide a permanent link to the electronic article referenced.

Before submission, check that all data provided in your reference list are correct, including any references which have been copied. Providing correct reference data allows us to link to abstracting and indexing services such as Scopus, Crossref. Any incorrect surnames, journal or book titles, publication years or pagination within your references may prevent link creation.

Reference style

VNUHCMJ-STD uses the reference style of VANCOUVER style. You should use reference manager software such as Endnote during the manuscript preparation.  And then format reference with Vancouver style. 

Vancouver is a numbered referencing style commonly used in medicine and science, and consists of:

• citations to someone else's work in the text, indicated by the use of a number
• a sequentially numbered reference list at the end of the document providing full details of the corresponding in-text reference

It follows rules established by the International committee of Medical Journal Editors, now maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It is also known as Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals.

For examples:

1. O'Campo P, Dunn JR, editors. Rethinking social epidemiology: towards a science of change. Dordrecht: Springer; 2012. 348 p.
2. Schiraldi GR. Post-traumatic stress disorder sourcebook: a guide to healing, recovery, and growth [Internet]. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2000 [cited 2006 Nov 6]. 446 p. Available from: http://books.mcgraw-hill.com/getbook.php?isbn=0071393722&template=#toc DOI: 10.1036/0737302658
3. Halpen-Felsher BL, Morrell HE. Preventing and reducing tobacco use. In: Berlan ED, Bravender T, editors. Adolescent medicine today: a guide to caring for the adolescent patient [Internet]. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co.; 2012 [cited 2012 Nov 3]. Chapter 18. Available from: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/​10.1142/9789814324496_0018
4. Stockhausen L, Turale S. An explorative study of Australian nursing scholars and contemporary scholarship. J Nurs Scholarsh [Internet]. 2011 Mar [cited 2013 Feb 19];43(1):89-96. Available from: http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.monash.edu.au/docview/858241255?accountid=12528
5. Kanneganti P, Harris JD, Brophy RH, Carey JL, Lattermann C, Flanigan DC. The effect of smoking on ligament and cartilage surgery in the knee: a systematic review. Am J Sports Med [Internet]. 2012 Dec [cited 2013 Feb 19];40(12):2872-8. Available from: http://ajs.sagepub.com/content/40/12/2872 DOI: 10.1177/0363546512458223
6. Subbarao M. Tough cases in carotid stenting [DVD]. Woodbury (CT): Cine-Med, Inc.; 2003. 1 DVD: sound, color, 4 3/4 in.
7. Stem cells in the brain [television broadcast]. Catalyst. Sydney: ABC; 2009 Jun 25.