Editorial and Peer Review Process

Manuscript Status
Authors can check the status of a manuscript at any time in the submission system. Authors will also be notified by email when a decision is made.

Status of Manuscripts

Criteria for Publication
To be considered for publication in Kocaeli Medical Journal, any given manuscript must satisfy the following criteria:
Originality
Clinical importance to researchers in the field
Broad interest to researchers in Medicine
Rigorous methodology
Substantial evidence for its conclusions

Editorial Process
Our aim is to provide all authors with an efficient, courteous, and constructive editorial process. To achieve its required level of quality.
To ensure the fairest and most objective decision-making, the editorial process is run as a partnership between the Editors-in-Chief, a team of Section Editors, and a group of academic experts who act as Associate Editors.
Submitted manuscripts are first reviewed by the Editors-in-Chief or the Editors, who may decide to reject the paper or send it on to a Section Editor for further review. The Section Editor is most often a member of the Editorial Board, but rarely y a guest of the Board is invited to serve in this capacity.
Upon submission of a manuscript, authors may suggest 3 reviewers. The editorial team will respect these requests so long as this does not interfere with the objective and thorough assessment of the submission.

Read our policy on competing interests.
The selection of appropriate and responsive reviewers is paramount for the success of the review process. We decide on reviewers for a particular manuscript based on many factors, including expertise, reputation, specific recommendations of authors and SectionEditors, and the Editor-in-Chiefs own knowledge of a reviewer's past performance.
Once the reviews have been received and considered by the editors, a decision letter to the corresponding author is drafted and sent.

The decision will be within one of the following categories:
Reject
Major revision
Minor revision
Accept
Reviewers are anonymous by default. Reviewersidentities are not revealed to authors or to other reviewers unless reviewers specifically request to be identified by signing their names at the end of their comments.
The names of the authors are also anonymous to reviewers or but not to editors during review. So, Editors can assess potential conflicts of interest.

Revisions
If you have received a revise decision, read the guidelines for revising your manuscript.

Manuscript Withdrawal
Our journal adheres to the principles of The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). According to these standards, if an authors request to withdraw their already submitted article for publishing to a journal, a letter signed by all authors stating their request and reasons for withdrawal must be sent to journal editor regardless of the stage of the review process. Because, the publication process for an individual manuscript begins with the assignment of a register number and it can be withdrawn only with the permission of the editor after a manuscript has been registered.

Accepted Manuscripts
If your manuscript has been accepted,  a doi number will be assigned to the manuscript.

Contact
If you have questions at any stage in the process, please email us. Brief reports
Editorial comment
Review Article
Case report
Original image
Letter to the editor

B. References

C. Special Terms and Conditions

A. Manuscript Types

Original Article

Title
Structured Abstract: It should be structured with Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion subheadings and should be limited to 250 words.
Keywords: This section should contain a minimum of three and a maximum of six items in accordance with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms prepared by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and should be placed just below the abstract.
Main Text: It should consist of Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Limitations of the Study and Conclusion sections. 
-Introduction: This section should be succinct, with no subheadings.
-Materials and Methods: This part should contain sufficient detail that would enable all procedures to be repeated. It can be divided into subsections if several methods are described.
-Results: This section should contain main results of the study. 
-Discussion: This section may be divided into subsections or may be combined. In this section authors should discuss main results of the study and compare them with the relevant literature. Maximum length: 5000 words of text (not including abstract, tables, figures, references, and online-only material).
-Conclusions: This section should be included in the discussion section and should clearly explain the main conclusions of the article, highlighting its importance and relevance.
References: The reference list should be provided following the Main Text. Limiting the number of references to 50 is usually sufficient.
Tables: All tables should be submitted as seperate files and in Word format. Tables should be cited consecutively in the text. Every table must have a descriptive title and if numerical measurements are given, the units should be included in the column heading.
Figure legends: They should be placed below the reference list and numbered according to their consecutive order in the main text.
Figures and Images: They should be provided after the reference list according to their order of appearance in the text and should be limited to ten.
For manuscripts in English submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey, Title, Structured Abstract and Keywords should also be provided in Turkish. However, translations of these sections for manuscripts submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey will be the responsibility of the Journal.
Statistical Analysis: Statistical analysis should be conducted in accordance with the guidelines on reporting statistical data in medical journals [Altman DG, Gore SM, Gardner MJ, Pocock SJ. Statistical guidelines for contributors to medical journals. Br Med J 1983: 7; 1489-93 and Lang T, Altman D]. The software used for statistical analysis must be described. Data must be expressed as mean ± standard deviation when parametric tests are used to compare continuous variables. For non-parametric tests, data must be expressed as median (minimum-maximum) or percentiles (25th and 75th percentiles). In advanced and complex statistical analyses, relative risk (RR), odds ratio (OR) and hazard ratio (HR) must be supported by confidence intervals and p values.

Brief Reports
Brief reports are short and peer-reviewed articles including small case series, negative trials, the preliminary results and others that are not to be published as a full text paper.
Title
Structured Abstract: It should be structured with Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion subheadings and should be limited to 250 words.
Keywords: This section should contain a minimum of three and a maximum of six items in accordance with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms prepared by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and should be placed just below the abstract.
Main Text: It should consist of Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Limitations of the Study and Conclusion sections. The main text should be less than 2000 words with a maximum 20 references.
Tables: All tables should be submitted as seperate files and in Word format. Tables should be cited consecutively in the text. Every table must have a descriptive title and if numerical measurements are given, the units should be included in the column heading.
Figure legends: They should be placed below the reference list and numbered according to their consecutive order in the main text.
Figures and Images: They should be provided after the reference list according to their order of appearance in the text and should be limited to four.

Editorial Comment
Authors are selected and invited by the Editors. This type of manuscript aims at providing a brief commentary on an article published in the journal by a researcher who is an authority in the relevant field or by the reviewer of the article.
Title
Main Text: It should not include subheadings and should be limited to 1000 words.
References: The reference list should follow the main text and the number of references should be limited by 15.
Abstract, Keywords, Tables, Figures, Images and other visuals are not included in editorial comments.
The title should also be provided in Turkish for works submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey. The title of the manuscripts submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey will not be translated into Turkish.

Review Article
Reviews prepared by authors with extensive knowledge on a particular field, which has been reflected in international literature by a high number of publications and citations, are evaluated. The authors may be invited by the Editors. A review should be prepared in the format describing, discussing and evaluating the current level of knowledge or topic that is to be used in the clinical practice and it should guide further studies.
Title
Abstract: It should be unstructured and not include subheadings and should be limited to 250 words.
Keywords: This section should contain a minimum of three and a maximum of six items in accordance with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms prepared by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and should be provided just below the abstract.
Main Text: It should include Introduction, other subheadings and Conclusion sections and should be limited to 5000 words excluding the references.
References: The reference list should be placed just below the main text and the number of references should not exceed 50.
Tables: All tables should be submitted as seperate files and in Word format. Tables should be cited consecutively in the text. Every table must have a descriptive title and if numerical measurements are given, the units should be included in the column heading.
Figure legends: They should be placed below the reference list and numbered according to their consecutive order in the main text.
Figures and Images: They should be provided after the reference list according to their order of appearance in the text and should be limited to ten.
For reviews submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey, Title, Abstract and Keywords should also be provided in Turkish. For reviews submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey, will not be translated into Turkish.

Case Report
Journal will accept case reports which are related to rare cases and conditions that constitute challenges in diagnosis and treatment, offer new methods or suggest knowledge not included in books, and are interesting and educational.
Title
It should be unstructured and not include subheadings and should be limited to 150 words.
Main Text: It should include Introduction, Case Report, Discussion and Conclusion sections and should not exceed 1500 words excluding the abstract and references.
References: The reference list should follow the main text and the number of references should be limited to 15.
Tables: All tables should be submitted as seperate files and in Word format. Tables should be cited consecutively in the text. Every table must have a descriptive title and if numerical measurements are given, the units should be included in the column heading.
Figure legends: They should be placed below the reference list and numbered according to their consecutive order in the main text.
Figures and Images: They should be provided after the reference list according to their order of appearance in the text and should be limited to four.For manuscripts in English submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey, Title, Structured Abstract and Keywords should also be provided in Turkish. However, translations of these sections for manuscripts submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey will be the responsibility of the Journal.

Original Image
Impressive and rare images that reflect significant findings based on clinical science, shed light on fundamental mechanisms of diseases, emphasize abnormalities or introduce new treatment methods are accepted for publication.

Title
Main Text: It should not include subheadings and it should be limited to 500 words.
Tables, Figures and Images: They should be provided after the main text according to their order of appearance in the text and should be limited to four.
Abstract, Keywords and References are not included.
For manuscripts in English submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey, Title, Structured Abstract and Keywords should also be provided in Turkish. However, translations of these sections for manuscripts submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey will be the responsibility of the Journal.

Letter to the Editor
Letters to the Editor aim to discuss the importance of a manuscript previously published in the journal. This type of manuscripts should also include a comment on the published manuscript. Moreover, articles on topics of interest to readers within the scope of the journal, especially on educational issues, can be published in the format of a Letter to the Editor.

Title
Main Text: It should not include subheadings and it should be limited to 1000 words.
References: The reference list should follow the main text and the number of references should be limited to five. The volume, year, issue, page numbers, authorsnames and title of the manuscript should be clearly stated, included in the list of references and cited within the text.
Abstract, Keywords, Tables, Figures and Images, and other visuals are not included.
For manuscripts in English submitted by Turkish authors or from Turkey, Title, Structured Abstract and Keywords should also be provided in Turkish. However, translations of these sections for manuscripts submitted by foreign authors outside Turkey will be the responsibility of the Journal.

B. References
References should be numbered in the order in which they are cited within the main text.
Only manuscripts published or accepted for publication should be cited.
Recent publications related to the topic of the manuscript should be reviewed.
References that are inaccessible and not indexed in any database should not be cited.
The titles of journals should be abbreviated in accordance with (Patrias K. Citing medicine: the NLM style guide for authors, editors, and publishers [Internet]. 2nd ed. Wendling DL, technical editor. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2007 - [updated 2011 Sep 15; cited Year Month Day].
For references with six and fewer authors, all authors should be listed. For references with more than six authors, the first six authors should be listed, followed by et al .
The style and punctuation of the references should be formatted as in the following examples.
Journal Article: Ozcan KS, Bozyel S, Guler TE, Aksu T. Radiofrequency Catheter Ablation Therapy in The Treatment of Supraventricular Tachycardia: A Single Center Experience. Kocaeli Medical J 2017; 6: 54-8.
Book: Jenkins PF. Making sense of the chest x-ray: a hands-on guide. New York: Oxford University Press; 2005. 194 p.
Book Chapter: Riffenburgh RH. Statistics in medicine. 2nd ed. Amsterdam (Netherlands): Elsevier Academic Press; c2006. Chapter 24, Regression and correlation methods; p. 447-86.
Conference Paper: Rice AS, Farquhar-Smith WP, Bridges D, Brooks JW. Canabinoids and pain. In: Dostorovsky JO, Carr DB, Koltzenburg M, editors. Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on Pain; 2002 Aug 17-22; San Diego, CA. Seattle (WA): IASP Press; c2003. p. 437-68.
Scientific or Technical Report: Page E, Harney JM. Health hazard evaluation report. Cincinnati (OH): National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (US); 2001 Feb. 24 p. Report No.: HETA2000-0139-2824.
Thesis: Kaplan SI. Jones DL. The role of physical activity on the need for revision total knee arthroplasty in individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee [dissertation]. [Pittsburgh (PA)]: University of Pittsburgh; 2001. 436 p.
Manuscripts accepted for publication but not published yet: Tian D, Araki H, Stahl E, Bergelson J, Kreitman M. Signature of balancing selection in Arabidopsis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Forthcoming 2002.
Epub ahead of print articles: Kording KP, Mensh B. Ten simple rules for structuring papers. BioRxiv [Preprint]. 2016 bioRxiv 088278 [posted 2016 Nov 28; revised 2016 Dec 14; revised 2016 Dec 15; cited 2017 Feb 9]: [12 p.]. Available from: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/11/28/088278 doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/088278
Journal article on the Internet: Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 1 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htmArticle
For other reference styles, please refer to https://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

C. Special Terms and Conditions
For double-blinded peer-review process, the names of the corresponding author and other authors, their affiliations and any information on the study centres should not be included in any part of the submitted manuscripts and images, except the Title Page. This information should be added to the relevant section of the online submission system and included in the Title Page.
Pharmaceutical products should be written with their generic names and brand and company names, city and country should be specified for medical equipment and devices.

3. Tables, Graphs and Figures
Tables, Graphs, Figures and other visuals should be numbered in the order of their citation within the text and names of patients, doctors and institutions should not be disclosed.
Tables should be prepared in a Microsoft Office Word document using the command Insert Tableand inserted at the end of the references in the main text.
Tables should not be submitted in JPEG, TIFF or other visual formats. For microscopic images, the magnification ratio and staining technique used should be specified in addition to figure legends.

NOTE: All visuals should have a high resolution (minimum 300 dpi).
The thickness of the lines in graphs should be sufficient to minimize loss of quality if size reduction is needed during the printing process. The width of the graphs should be 9 cm or 18 cm. Drawings should be performed by professionals. No grey colours should be used.
Abbreviations should be explained in alphabetical order at the bottom of the tables, graphs and figures
Roman numbers should be avoided in tables and figures within the text and their titles.
Decimal numbers used in text, tables and figures should be separated by commas in Turkish sections and by dots in English sections.
Tables should be easily understandable and should not repeat the data in the main text.
In addition to the pictures included in case reports and original images, video and movie images are published on the journals website. These images should be prepared in MPEG format with a maximum size of 2 MB. They should be submitted to the journal with the manuscript documents. The names of patients, doctors, institutions and places should be omitted from all documents.

EVALUATION AND PUBLICATION
The main text submitted to the journal must be in Turkish or English. Manuscripts written in other languages are not accepted. Citation potential is higher for manuscripts in English.

The editorial office checks the conformity of the manuscript with the journals general guidelines before sending it to Editor. Then, Editor or Section Editors assigned by Editor will send the reviewers. Any manuscripts not prepared in accordance with the journals guidelines will be returned for revision. The initial evaluation period usually takes 30 days. If revision is requested, authors should submit their revised manuscripts within 21 days. Manuscripts and revisions should be submitted through the online manuscript submission system at the website http://kocaelimj.org/ Manuscripts sent by e-mail will not be accepted.

Manuscripts are evaluated in accordance with the principles of double-blinded peer review. Of the submitted manuscripts, those considered to be suitable are subjected to preliminary evaluation by the editorial office in terms of style, format, etc. and by the Editor in terms of their content. Manuscripts considered to be scientifically adequate are assigned to at least two reviewers. These reviewers are independent experts and members of the advisory board or who have published internationally on the topic of the manuscript. Research articles, systematic reviews and meta-analyses may be also evaluated by the Editors statistician counsellors in addition to peer review. When needed, the manuscripts may be scanned by the editorial office for determination of plagiarism and non-ethical situations. Also, all manuscripts are reviewed and edited for compliance with the rules of English grammar. All contributing authors of a manuscript accepted for publication are deemed to have accepted the right of editors to make corrections provided that no fundamental change is made to the basic meaning of the original text. Manuscripts not accorded priority for publication by the Editor, Associate Editors and Referees are rejected.

The retraction requests of the manuscripts close to the final decision in evaluation process, without any reasonable explanation (not contrary to the Publication Ethics) is considered in the scope of rejection decision. Manuscripts that are not revised and resubmitted within the specified time and fail to notify the journal accordingly will be rejected.

Once a manuscript is accepted for publication, addition to the author list, removal from the author list and order change cannot be effected.

Manuscripts accepted for publication are prepared as Epub ahead of print articlesand published with an assigned DOI on the journal website http://kocaelimj.org/

Information on the latest status of manuscripts submitted for evaluation and other information about the journal are available on the website http://kocaelimj.org/