Malaysian Family Physician welcomes articles on all aspects of family medicine in the form of original research papers, review articles, CPG review, case reports, test your knowledge and letters to the editor. The journal also publishes invited debate, commentary, discussion, letters, comment, A Moment in the Life of a Family Physician and editorials on topics relevant to primary care.

Articles are accepted for publication on condition that they are contributed solely to the Malaysian Family Physician. Neither the Editorial Board nor the Publisher accepts responsibility for the views and statements of authors expressed in their contributions. All papers will be subjected to peer review. The Editorial Board further reserves the right to edit and reject papers. Authors are advised to adhere closely to the instructions given below to avoid delays in publication.

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Open Journal System (OJS).

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

1. The author must declare that the manuscript has not been previously published, nor is it being considered for publication in another journal concurrently.
2. The Main Manuscript should be submitted in electronic form only and in Microsoft Word.
   • The manuscript contains all the sub-headings required for the article type (refer below).
   • The manuscript uses a single-spaced, 12-point font and uses italics rather than underlining (except URL addresses).
   • All figures, tables and illustrations are placed at the appropriate sections in the manuscript file rather than at the end of the manuscript or submitted separately.
   • Use left-aligned paragraph formatting rather than full justification.
   • Follow the instructions in Ensuring a Blind Review (refer below).
   • Follow the referencing style provided in the References section below.
   • Provide URLs for references wherever applicable.
3. The Title Page must be uploaded separately from the main manuscript file in Microsoft Word. Please refer to the required sub-headings in the Title Page section below.
4. A Cover Letter must be signed by the corresponding author on behalf of all authors. This letter must include this statement “this manuscript is my (our) own work, it is not under consideration by another journal, and this material has not been previously published.”
5. All authors must sign the Declaration Form and submit it together with the manuscript and cover letter. Please download the form here.
6. Please enter all authors’ name and email address in the submission portal.
7. When preparation your manuscript, please follow the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations).
8. The editorial team uses the Plagiarism Detector software to screen submitted manuscripts for plagiarism. If the originality score is below 80% with clear evidence of plagiarism, we will follow COPE guidelines and the manuscript will not be considered for publication.

TITLE PAGE

For all types of manuscript, please include all the sub-headings below in the Title Page (you can use this template):

• Article Type: Original Research / Review / CPG Review / Case Report / Test Your Knowledge / Letter To Editor
• Title: Please state the title in detail to include the study design, particularly for original research.
• Author(s): The full names, professional qualifications and institutions of all authors.
• Shortened name of author(s): should be written in the style of surname or preferred name followed by initials, e.g. Abdullah KS, Rajakumar MK, Tan WJ, for future indexing.
• Corresponding Author: Corresponding author’s mailing address, designation, institution and contact details (email, telephone and fax numbers)

MAIN MANUSCRIPT

For every article submitted, please follow the requirements according to the type of article.

Original Research (Including Clinical Audit Article)

The original research (including clinical audit) should be conducted in the primary care setting on a topic of relevance to family practice. Both qualitative and quantitative studies are welcome. The length should not exceed 3000 words (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) with a maximum of 5 tables or figures and 30 references. Please include the following sub-headings in the manuscript:

1. Title: State the title based on PICO, including study design.
2. Abstract: Structured abstract (Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion) of no more than 250 words.
3. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
4. Introduction: Clearly state the purpose of the article with strictly pertinent references. Do not review the subject extensively.
5. Methods: Describe the study in sufficient detail to allow others to replicate the results. Provide references to established methods, including statistical methods; provide references and brief descriptions of 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. If validated or copyrighted questionnaires are used, describe if permissions were obtained from the authors/owners to use the questionnaires. When mentioning drugs, generic names are preferred (proprietary names can be provided in brackets). Do not use patients’ names or hospital numbers. Include numbers of observation and the statistical significance of the findings.  When appropriate, state clearly that the research project has received the approval of the relevant ethical committee. For an RCT article, please include the trial registration number) and follow the CONSORT checklist. Other study designs must also follow a reporting checklist, which can be found at https://www.equator-network.org/.
6. Results: Present your results in logical sequence in the text, tables and figures. Tables and figures may be left at the respective location within the text. These should be numbered using Arabic numerals only. Table style should be “Simple” (as in Microsoft Word). Do not repeat table or figure data in the text.
7. Discussion: Emphasise the new and important aspects of the study and conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat data given in the Results section. The discussion should state the implications of the findings and their limitations and relate the observations to the other relevant studies. Link the conclusions with the aims of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by your data. Recommendations, when appropriate, may be included.
8. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
9. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
10. Ethical Approval: Please state if the study was approved; if so, by which institution and the approval ID.
11. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
12. Funding: Please state if the study was funded; if so, by which institution and the funding ID.
13. Data sharing statement: Please describe your data sharing plan. State if your raw data is uploaded in publicly available databases, shared via controlled access repositories or only available upon request.
14. How does this paper make a difference in general practice?: This section should be written in bullet points (up to five points) and must not exceed 100 words.
15. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

Review 

All types of review articles, including narrative review, scoping reviews and systematic reviews are accepted for publication in MFP. A comprehensive review of the literature with a synthesis of practical information for practising doctors is expected. For a systematic review, the PRISMA checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/prisma/) must be followed. For a scoping review, the PRISMA-ScR checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/prisma-scr/) should be followed. The length should not exceed 4000 words (Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion) with a maximum of 5 tables or figures and 40 references. Please include the following sub-headings in the manuscript:

1. Title: Include the topic and type of review in the title.
2. Abstract: Structured abstract (Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusion) of no more than 250 words.
3. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
4. Introduction: Describe the topic and objective of the review.
5. Methods: All types of review articles (including narrative review) must report the search strategy, database and keywords used to obtain the literature. The PRISMA and PRISMA-ScR checklists should be followed for systematic and scoping reviews, respectively.
6. Results (*for systematic and scoping reviews): This section is required for systematic and scoping reviews. Please follow the guideline in the PRISMA and PRISMA-ScR checklists.
7. Discussion (*for systematic and scoping reviews): This section is required for systematic and scoping reviews. Please follow the guideline in the PRISMA and PRISMA-ScR checklists.
8. Any relevant subheadings (*for narrative review): A narrative review may have any other relevant sub-headings according to needs.
9. Conclusion: Provide a conclusion by linking to the objective of the review.
10. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
11. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
12. Review protocol registration: Please state where the study protocol was registered and the approval ID.
13. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
14. Funding: Please state if the study was funded; if so, by which institution and the funding ID.
15. How does this paper make a difference in general practice?: This section should be written in bullet points (up to five points) and must not exceed 100 words.
16. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

Case Report

Case reports should preferably be less-commonly seen cases that have an educational value for practising doctors. Only case reports that are novel, have important learning points and relevant to family practice will be accepted for publication in this journal. The case report must be written in a patient-centred manner instead of a disease-centred focus. The length should not exceed 1500 words (Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion and Conclusion) and cite no more than 20 references. Before submitting the case report, the authors must ensure that the patient’s identity is protected both in the text and pictures. This patient consent form must be signed and uploaded during submission. Please include the following sub-headings in the manuscript:

1. Title: Use an interesting title to show the new learning points and include the term “case report” in the title.
2. Abstract: Unstructured abstract between 100-250 words.
3. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
4. Introduction: Describe the condition and aim of the case report.
5. Case Presentation: Describe the case in detail.
6. Discussion: Discuss the case with existing literature.
7. Conclusion: Provide the key learning point from the case report.
8. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
9. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
10. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
11. Patients’ consent for the use of images and content for publication: Was consent obtained from the patient(s)? Was the consent written or verbal? Has the patient consent form been signed?
12. What is new in this case report compared to the previous literature?: This section should be written in bullet points (up to five points) and must not exceed 100 words.
13. What is the implication to patients?: Describe any potential implication to patients based on the learning points from this case report.
14. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

CPG Review

The CPG should be relevant to primary care. Its length should not exceed 4000 words (Introduction to Conclusion) and 40 references. An abstract is required (no more than 300 words) together with the keywords. The CPG review should be written with case vignettes to illustrate its application in primary care practice.

1. Title: State the scope of the CPG, include the latest version or year for revised CPGs.
2. Abstract: Unstructured abstract between 100-250 words.
3. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
4. Introduction: Describe the condition and aim of the CPG review.
5. Development process of the CPG: Describe the development process of the CPG, e.g.: who are the team members involved, what methodology was used, how was the evidence gathered, how was the decision made on the recommendations, was the outcomes validated, how was the CPG disseminate and implementation, etc. Follow the AGREE Reporting Checklist (https://www.equator-network.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/AGREE-Reporting-Checklist.pdf) wherever possible.
6. Key recommendations of the CPG: Describe the key recommendations primary care doctors should know.
7. Key changes in the CPG (only applicable for revised CPGs): Describe the key changes or updates from the previous CPG.
8. How to apply the CPG into practice in primary care? Explain how the CPG can be used in primary care practice.
9. Case vignettes as examples of application: Use case vignettes to illustrate the application of the CPG.
10. Conclusion: Summarise the key learning points.
11. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
12. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
13. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
14. Funding: Please state if the work was funded; if so, by which institution and the funding ID.
15. How does this paper make a difference in general practice?: This section should be written in bullet points (up to five points) and must not exceed 100 words.
16. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

Test Your Knowledge

A Test Your Knowledge article should be relevant to primary care and preferably be about less-commonly seen cases that have an educational value for practising doctors. The length should not exceed 1000 words (Case Summary to Answers with discussion) and no more than 20 references. If the article involves a patient, the authors must ensure that the patient’s identity is protected both in the texts and pictures; and this patient consent form must be signed and uploaded during submission. Please include the following sub-headings in the manuscript:

1. Title: State the title in a question format.
2. Abstract: Unstructured abstract between 100-250 words.
3. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
4. Case Summary: Describe the case.
5. Questions: State the questions.
6. Answers with discussion: Provide the answers and discuss them with support from the literature.
7. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
8. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
9. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
10. Funding: Please state if the study was funded; if so, by which institution and the funding ID.
11. How does this paper make a difference in general practice?: This section should be written in bullet points (up to five points) and must not exceed 100 words.
12. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

Letter to Editor

A letter to the editor should be of relevance to primary care and in response to an article or topic published in previous issues of this journal. The length should not exceed 1000 words (Main Text) and cite no more than 20 references. Please include the following sub-headings in the manuscript:

1. Title: State the title clearly.
2. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
3. Main text: Start the manuscript with “Dear editor:”. There is no specific required heading. Authors can create any sub-headings as necessary.
4. Acknowledgements: Acknowledge the people who have contributed significantly to the study (but do not qualify for authorship).
5. Author contributions: Describe the contributions of every authors in the study.
6. Conflicts of interest: All authors must declare any conflicts of interest.
7. Funding: Please state if the study was funded; if so, by which institution and the funding ID.
8. References: Refer to the References section below for more details.

A Moment in the Life of a Family Physician

We encourage submission of a short narrative to share perspectives, voice, views and opinions about a family physician’s experience that has affected their practice or life. It could be about being a doctor, educator, administrator/management, researcher, student or even patient. This type of article should be a reflective piece of about 500 words in length (Main text), and can be accompanied with photo(s). The journal also accepts articles which anchor on the photo(s) as the main content, this can be accompanied with captions (not more than 100 words) that describe the photo(s) with author’s reflection on it.

1. Title: State the title clearly.
2. Keywords: 3-5 keywords, preferably MeSH terms.
3. Main text: There is no specific required heading. Authors can create any sub-headings if necessary. If a photo is your main content, state the caption in the main text.
4. Photo: If accompanied with photo(s), please ensure the resolution is at least 300 pixels per inch (ppi) and appear sharp, not pixelated.

REFERENCES

Please use the AMA reference style. Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables and legends by Arabic numerals (in superscript). In AMA style, the reference number goes after a period or comma but before a colon or semicolon. For indexed journals, the short forms for the journal names can be accessed at the PubMed website (search within Journal Database). Where possible, avoid citing abstracts, personal communication or unpublished data as references. Include among the references manuscripts accepted but not yet published and designate the journal followed by “in press” (in parenthesis). When referencing a website, please include the full title and accessed date. Notice article titles are capitalised in sentence case; book and journal titles are capitalised in title case. Include DOI if available. Some examples of reference list entries:

• Standard journal article: List up to six authors only; when more than six, list only the first three and add et al. Connor EM, Sperling RS, Gelber R, et al. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994 Nov 3;331(18):1173–1180. doi:10.1056/NEJM199411033311801
  *See image below to easily extract the reference of a journal article (in AMA format) from PubMed.
• Standard journal article-Corporate Author: International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. N Engl J Med.1997 Jan 23; 336(4):309–316. doi:10.1056/NEJM199701233360422
• Books and other monographs-Personal Author(s): Stewart M, Brown JB, Weston WW, et al. Patient-Centered Medicine: Transforming the Clinical Method. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage Publications; 1995.
• Books and other monographs-Corporate Author: Wonca International Classification Committee. International Classification of Primary Care, ICPC-2. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1998.
• Website: Rainie L. The rise of the e-patient. Pew Research Center Internet and the American Life Project. October 7, 2009. Accessed January 11, 2012. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2009/10/07/the-rise-of-the-e-patient-2/
• Website-No author: Air Quality. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated June 28, 2021. Accessed July 28, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/air/default.htm

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

• Editorial Review: When a manuscript is submitted to MFP, it will go through an initial screening by the associate editors. The associate editors assess the manuscript’s alignment with the journal’s scope and general quality. If there is disagreement between the associate editors, the Chief Editor/Deputy Chief Editor will be involved to make the decision. The first editorial decision whether an article can be sent for peer review will be made within one month.
• Peer Review Assignment: If the manuscript meets the basic criteria, one associate editor will be assigned to handle the manuscript and appoint two peer reviewers who are qualified experts in the field to evaluate the manuscript. The associate editor may consider the reviewers that authors nominated during the manuscript submission or invite other reviewers deemed suitable.
• Anonymous Review: Peer reviewers conduct an in-depth analysis of the manuscript, considering aspects such as methodology, data analysis, results, and conclusions. Reviews are typically anonymous (double-blinded authors and reviewers) to encourage impartial feedback. 
• Peer Reviewer Report: Each peer reviewer provides a detailed report assessing the originality, methods, contents, conclusions, tables, figures and legends, language as well as strengths and weaknesses of the manuscript. They may suggest revisions or raise concerns about the methodology and interpretation of result.
• Decision Making: The assigned associate editor considers the feedback from peer reviewers and makes a decision regarding the manuscript. Possible outcomes include acceptance, minor or major revisions, or rejection.

ENSURING A BLIND REVIEW

To ensure the integrity of the blind peer-review for submission to this press, every effort should be made to prevent the identities of the authors and reviewers from being known to each other. This involves the authors, editors, and reviewers (who upload documents as part of their review) checking to see if the following steps have been taken with regard to the text and the file properties:

• The authors of the document have deleted their names from the text, with “Author” and year used in the references and footnotes, instead of the authors’ name, article title, etc. Only the references that contain the author or co-authors’ name need to be blinded. Other references can remain. Refer example below:
  • References:
    1. Nathan AM, Teh CSJ, Jabar KA, et al. Bacterial pneumonia and its associated factors in children from a developing country: A prospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0228056. Published 2020 Feb 14. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0228056
    2. Author, 2019
    3. Author, 2016
    4. Hashim S, Ayub ZN, Mohamed Z, et al. The prevalence and preventive measures of the respiratory illness among Malaysian pilgrims in 2013 Hajj season. J Travel Med. 2016;23(2):tav019. Published 2016 Feb 8. doi:10.1093/jtm/tav019
• With Microsoft Office documents, author identification should also be removed from the properties for the file (see under File in Word), by clicking on the following, beginning with File on the main menu of the Microsoft application: File > Save As > Tools (or Options with a Mac) > Security > Remove personal information from file properties on save > Save.
• With PDFs, the authors’ names should also be removed from Document Properties found under File on Adobe Acrobat’s main menu.

POLICY FOR USING ANY PUBLISHED MATERIALS

Authors must seek approval from and acknowledge the MFP if they wish to use any published materials from this journal. Write to the Editorial Manager at email: editor_mfp@afpm.org.my

ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES

The Malaysian Family Physician does not charge submission, article processing, page or colour charges presently. The costs for services provided are funded by the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia and the Family Medicine Specialist Association. We retain the right to change this policy in the future, but this will only be done with due notice to all stakeholders.

POLICY ON PRE-PRINTS

MFP does not accept pre-prints for consideration of publication. However, in the case of original articles where pre-prints have been published, an exception may be made but this will need to be strongly justified.

COPYRIGHT

If the article is accepted for publication, the author agrees to transfer the copyright to AFPM.

Last update: 13 Jun 2024