Information For Authors

Authors are to submit their manuscripts through our online submission platform available at http://publications.mriirs.edu.in Articles submitted as hard copies will not be accepted. All first-time users will have to register themselves. Registration is free of charge. Once registered, authors can use their username and password to submit and check the status of their articles. In case of any problems, the author can contact at editor.jds@mrei.ac.in

Types of Manuscripts

Dental Lamina Publishes Manuscripts in the Following Categories

  • Original Article
  • Case Report
  • Featured Case Report
  • Review Article
  • Book / Journal Review
  • Letter to Editor
  • Clinical Pearl
  • Experts Corner
  • Guest Editorial
  • Clinical Technique
  • Critical Review
  • Case Series

 

General Information

Dental Lamina publishes original works and findings that contribute to the advancements in the field of Dentistry.

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 can be submitted for publication.At the time of submission, authors should disclose details, if the study described in the manuscript had been previously presented in a meeting or published as an abstract. The details have to be mentioned in the Acknowledgments section. Any use of previously published material protected by copyright laws must be clearly acknowledged in the manuscript. Publishing of material on a website may be considered as a 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 any of the four components mentioned below:

  1. Concept and design of the study, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data;
  2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
  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.

Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for 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 journal prescribes a maximum number of eight authors for all categories of manuscripts except for Case Reports and Case Series that will have a maximum of four authors.

The authors need to identify one author who will correspond with the Journal office in all matters related to the manuscript called the Corresponding Author. The content of the final manuscript including changes suggested by the Editor or reviewer of 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 own original work

Direct copying of sentences, whether from their previously published paper or from someone else’s paper, is considered as 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 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).

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 Approval and Informed Consent

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

Compliance with these rules must be stated in the text, including 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.

The Editorial Process

Manuscripts are subjected to an unbiased blinded peer review process. Decisions on the manuscripts are based solely on the peer review process and the Editor’s discretion and the decision are final.

Manuscripts that are found suitable for publication in the Dental Lamina are sent for blind review. The journal follows a double-blind review process, wherein the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other’s identity. 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 version of the manuscript. This process is repeated until reviewers and editors are satisfied with the manuscript.

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 whole process of submission of 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 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. The authors can resubmit after complying with the requirements.

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 American 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 Dental Lamina. 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

Cover page includes (a) complete manuscript title; (b) List all authors’ full names, highest academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations, and locations of affiliations; (c) name and address of the corresponding author, including, telephone number, and e-mail address and (d) sources of support that require acknowledgment, and a short title of no more than 45 characters (including spaces) for use as a running title.

Abstract

An abstract is required for all categories of manuscripts. The abstract should not exceed 500 words. The content should not have any subheadings.

For an Original Research article, the abstract should be divided into four sections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. It should not exceed 500 words.

No abstract should contain any figures, tables, or references, trade names, or manufacturers names.

Keywords

Provide up to five keywords at the end of the abstract for all types of articles except for Letters to the Editor and Replies.

Main manuscript

Introduction

All articles need an Introduction that describes the objective of the investigation of 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.

Materials 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 used must be included, as well as the details of the data obtained and how it was analyzed.

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/).

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 included in the article.

Study Design

Selection and Description of Participants: Describe your selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including controls) clearly, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. 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. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration.

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol number and date, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the method of masking (blinding), based on the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org).

Statistics

Whenever possible quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). The authors should report losses to observation (such as dropouts from a clinical trial). When data are summarized in the Result section, specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify the computer software used. For all P values include the exact value and not less than 0.05 or 0.001. Mean differences in continuous variables, proportions in categorical variables and relative risks including odds ratios and hazard ratios should be accompanied by their confidence intervals.

Results

All results should be in a clear, logical sequence and should adhere to the specific objective of the paper. 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. 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, enclosed by square brackets, 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
Olson MC, Posniak HV, Fisher SG, et al. Directed and random biopsies of the prostate: indications based on combined results of transrectalsonography and prostate-specific antigen density determinations. Am J Roentgenol 1994;163:1407–1411.

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.SeminOncol 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;102Suppl 1:275-82.

Books and Other Monographs

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

Chapter in A Book

Turgut AT, Dogra VS. Prostate carcinoma: Evaluation using transrectalsonography. 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

Journal article on the Internet
http://www.apastyle.org/learn/quick-guide-on-references.aspx

Monograph on the Internet
Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [monograph on the Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9].
Available from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html.

Homepage/Web site
Available at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/quick-guide-on-references.aspx.

Part of a homepage/Web site
Available at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/quick-guide-on-references.aspx.

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 labeled 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.

Figures/Images

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. . 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. If a figure has been published elsewhere, the original source must be acknowledged and written permission from the copyright holder submitted to reproduce the material. A credit line should appear in the legend for such figures. 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.

Submission of the Manuscript

Online Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted online at Dental Lamina. 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:
    Cover page includes (a) complete manuscript title; (b) List all authors’ full names, highest academic degrees, professional titles, affiliations, and locations of affiliations; (c) name and address of the corresponding author, including, telephone number, and e-mail address and (d) sources of support that require acknowledgment, and a short title of no more than 45 characters (including spaces) for use as a running title.
  2. Manuscript:
    This document should include the title, abstract, keywords, manuscript body, and references. This must be in document format. Acknowledgment Section should be included at the end of the main manuscript. Acknowledgment should not contain the name of the city or the institution.
  3. Figures:
    Figures must be submitted in .tiff or jpeg format. Color images should be of good quality. Each image should be less than 1 MB in size. Size of the image can be reduced by decreasing the actual height and width of the images (1240 x 800 pixels or 5-6 inches).

Figure legends are uploaded as a document format.

  1. 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.
  2. Tables:
    Tables should be included in the main manuscript file after the references.
  3. Copyright and disclosure forms are available for download from the author’s panel and should be uploaded as PDF files.
  4. Authors passport size photo is required and can be uploaded at the time of uploading figures etc.
  5. 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 the figure upload.

Specific Details for Each Manuscript Type

Original Article

An original article is a research paper based on unique findings and techniques and provides new information on the topic. The data section should be based on randomized clinical trials and contain information on all relevant study elements.

Appropriate statistical data is necessary for findings to be conclusive. The Methods section should contain the criteria for selection of human participants and laboratory animals involved in the trials and provide evidence of approval from relevant ethics organizations. When human subjects are involved, the methods followed and the extent to which they were in accordance with ethical standards and Human Rights guidelines need to be indicated.

The article should include the following sections:
Abstract: Please provide Objectives, Methods and Materials, Results, and Conclusion in brief in the Abstract and do not exceed 500 words.

Please provide the following in detail in the main article: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion (3000 words). Original articles can have references up to a maximum of 35, figures including subparts up to a maximum of 10, and Tables up to a maximum of 4.

Systematic Review Articles

It is expected that these articles would be written by individuals who have done substantial work on the subject or are considered experts in the field. A short summary of the work done by the contributor(s) in the field of review should accompany the manuscript.
The Journal does not accept descriptive review articles. Only systematic reviews prepared in concordance with PRISMA guideline (http://www.prisma-statement.org) will be accepted for submission and peer review. The prescribed word count is up to 3000 words excluding tables, references and abstract. The manuscript should have a structured Abstract (limited to 250 words).

Please provide the following in detail in the main article: Objectives, Materials and methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses must be accompanied by the current PRISMA checklist and flow diagram.

Review Article

A review article is a balanced, in-depth scholarly study of the latest trends or present status of a specific timely topic, but it is not an original article. No new data or personal experiences are presented. It is an analysis of the advances in the field based on a literature review of the topic. A review article includes a concise abstract limited to 500 words. The main article with a detailed description of each disease process with appropriate images and a valid conclusion can be a maximum of 3000 words. The author can include up to a maximum of 90 references, 30 figures including subparts, and up to 4 tables.

Case Reports

Case reports should be new, unique, and clinically significant. The cases must have a diagnostic impact or describe a therapeutic challenge and must provide a learning opportunity for radiologists. A cluster of cases can also be submitted under the category of case reports. A cluster will depict one disease process with different presentations. Case report- Should compulsorily contain the following subheadings.

  1. Treatment Objectives
  2. Treatment Alternatives- A description of at least 3 different treatment options that could be advocated for treating the case in question with the pros and cons of each option and why the chosen option was preferred to the others.
  3. Treatment Progress
  1. Treatment results

Case reports must include an Abstract (unstructured) (up to a maximum of 500 words), Introduction, Case report, Discussions, and Conclusion. (up to a maximum of 1000 words, excluding references and abstract, references) up to a maximum of 10, figures up to a maximum of 6, and a maximum of one table. Case reports can have up to four authors.

Special Considerations for Case Reports

Ideally, a case report should include records taken at:

  • Pre-treatment – Compulsory
  • Post treatment – Compulsory
  • At least one -year post-treatment – Desirable
    Interim records should be used to illustrate case progress and particular treatment effects if the article is being submitted to introduce a new appliance or approach. Interim records should always illustrate the concepts being presented in the article. At every stage, records should be high-quality and in-focus and should include:
  • Facial photos
  • Intraoral photos
  • Study cast photos, in three or five views, especially if necessary, to show articulation or if intraoral photos are not available.
  • Pre – and post-treatment radiographs if any.

.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor and Replies should be brief and succinct based on constructive criticism of articles published in the APOS within the previous two months. The letter and reply should be solely based on the data published in the article. Letters should not duplicate prior published material or be under consideration for publication elsewhere. The Editor-in-Chief will use his discretion to publish or reject the letter. These letters and replies do not undergo peer review. Submitted letters are subject to the editing of content and style. No Abstract, Maximums text – 500 words; Total References allowed – 4; Figures – 2 or total of 4 images; No Tables are allowed. Maximum Authors allowed is Two.

 

Short Communications

These are short papers that present original and significant material for rapid dissemination. For example, a Short Communication may focus on a particular aspect of a problem or a new finding that is expected to have a significant impact. Short articles include, but are not limited to: discovery or development of new materials, cutting-edge experiments and theory, novelty in simulation and modeling, elucidation of mechanisms. As Short Communications are expected to have higher than average impact on the field rather than report on incremental research, they will receive prioritized and rapid publication.

Short Communications are limited to 3000 words and are not subdivided. The paper should contain an abstract, main body and references, and contain no more than 6 figures or tables, combined. The abstract is limited to 100 words.

SUBMISSION CHECKLIST

The following list will be useful during the final checking of an article prior to sending it to the journal for review.

  • Title page: containing all required information [article title, author(s) details, corresponding author details, contribution of each author, funding, conflict of interest and running title].
  • Manuscript: consisting of Abstract (and MeSH keywords), Body text (introduction, case report, discussion, conclusion, references), Tables, Appendices, Figure legends.
  • Copyright form
  • Conflict of Interest statement
  • Figures: Each figure should be sent as a separate file.

Publication/Processing Fee

The Dental Lamina does not charge for Submission and Processing of the manuscripts.