The Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology publishes original articles and short communications in the field of obstetrics and gynecology.

Manuscript Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted with a cover letter stating that all authors agree with the content of the article and approve of its submission to the journal. The original manuscript, two copies and two checklists must be enclosed. A 3.5 inch floppy computer disk, IBM (PC) compatible, is required with the submission of the final accepted version.

Manuscript submissions and related correspondence should be addressed to:

Chih-Ping Chen, MD
Editor-in-Chief
Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology
5/F, No. 70, Min-Chuan W. Road, Taipei, 104
Taiwan, R.O.C.
Tel: (+886) 2-25684819
Fax: (+886) 2-21001476
E-mail: cpc_mmh@yahoo.com

Previous Publication or Duplicate Submission

Submitted manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously in print or electronic format (except in abstract or poster form) and are not under consideration by another publication or electronic medium.

Disclosure of Conflicts of Interest

All authors are required to sign and submit the following financial disclosure statement at the time of manuscript submission:

I certify that all my affiliations with or financial involvement in, within the past 5 years and foreseeable future, any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript are completely disclosed (e.g. employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, royalties).

Authors who have no relevant financial interests should provide a statement indicating that they have no financial interests related to the material in the manuscript.

Basic Criteria

Articles should be written in English (using American English spelling) and meet the following basic criteria: the material is original, the information is important, the writing is clear, the study methods are appropriate, the data are valid, and the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data.

Manuscript Preparation

Text should be typed double-spaced on one side of A4 (210 x 297 mm) paper, with margins of at least one inch. Each section of the manuscript should begin on a new page.

Original articles should be arranged in the following order: title page, a structured summary including up to six key words, main text, acknowledgments, references, tables, figures, and figure legends.

Title Page

The title page should contain the following information:
• manuscript title
• the names (spelled out in full) and affiliations of all the authors
• corresponding author details (e-mail address, mailing address, telephone and fax numbers)
• short running title not exceeding 45 characters (inclusive of spaces)

Summary

The first page following the title page should contain a structured summary, including up to six key words. For original articles, the structured summary should contain no more than 250 words and should use the following headings: Objective should state the main purpose of the work. Material(s) and Method(s) should briefly describe the study subjects and outline the methods used. Result(s) should summarize the most important data. Conclusion(s) should briefly state the conclusions which are directly supported by the data, along with any clinical implications.

For short communications, the structured summary should be less than 250 words and should use the following headings:Objective should state the specific purpose of the work. Case Report(s) should summarize the pertinent features of the clinical findings, important laboratory abnormalities, treatment, and outcomes. Conclusion(s) should summarize the principal findings.

Main Text

In original articles, the text should be divided into the following sections: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and References. The Introduction should discuss the objective of the reported work and provide relevant background information. The Materials and Methods should identify the population or patient samples in the study and explain the methods used. The Results should explain all the important findings and provide information about the accuracy and reliability of the results. The Discussion should discuss the implications of the findings and any conclusions based on the findings.

The text of short communications should be divided into the following sections: Introduction, Case Report(s), Discussion, and References. Please note that writing errors will result in immediate rejection of the paper.

Ethical Approval of Studies and Informed Consent

For human or animal experimental investigations, appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee approval is required, and such approval should be stated in the methods section of the manuscript. For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki should be followed (World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. Available at: http://www.wma.net/e/policy/pdf/17c.pdf ).

For investigations of human subjects, state explicitly in the methods section of the manuscript that informed consent was obtained from all participating adult subjects and from parents or legal guardians for minors or incapacitated adults, together with the manner in which informed consent was obtained (i.e. oral or written).

Identification of Patients in Descriptions, Photographs, and Pedigrees

A signed statement of informed consent to publish (in print and online) patient descriptions, photographs, and pedigrees should be obtained from all persons (parents or legal guardians for minors) who can be identified (including by the patients themselves) in such written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees, and should be submitted with the manuscript. Such persons should be shown the manuscript before its submission. Omitting data or making data less specific to deidentify patients is acceptable, but changing any such data is not acceptable.

Funding/Support and Conflicts of Interest

All financial and material support for the research and the work should be clearly and completely identified in an Acknowledgments in the manuscript. Ensure that any conflicts of interest are explicitly declared.

Personal Communications and Unpublished Data

A signed statement of permission should be included from each individual identified as a source of information in a personal communication or as a source for unpublished data; the date of communication and whether the communication was written or oral should be specified.

References
• References should be cited using Arabic numerals in square brackets in the order of citation in the text.
• References cited in tables or legends should be included in sequence at the point where the table or figure is first mentioned in the text.
• References should include the complete title of the article and the last names and initials of all the authors up to seven.
• References with more than seven authors should list only the first three authors followed by the notation et al .
• Abbreviations for journals should conform to those used in Index Medicus.
• Always give the last page number as well. If there is only one page, state if the article is an abstract or letter.
• If you must cite information from a website, please provide the author information, article title, the website address and the date you accessed the information.
• The format of references must comply with the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, revised by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1991 (N Engl J Med 1991;324:424 8).
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of their references and for correct text citation.

Examples are given below.

Journal article:
Chen CP, Devriendt K, Lin SP, Lee CC, Wang W. Prenatal diagnosis of inherited satellited non-acrocentric chromosomes.Prenat Diagn 2000;20:384 9.

Journal article with more than seven authors:
Chen CP, Chern SR, Liu FF, et al. Prenatal diagnosis, pathology, and genetic study of fetus in fetu. Prenat Diagn 1997;17: 13 21.

Book chapter:
Couchman GM, Hammond CB. Physiology of Reproduction. In: Scott JR, Disaia PJ, Hammond CB, Spellacy WN, eds.Danforth's Obstetrics and Gynecology, 7th edition. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott, 1994;29 48.

Tables

Tables should be labeled in Arabic numerals and titled concisely. Number all tables in the order of their citation in the text. Each table should be prepared on a separate sheet and should be typed double-spaced in as simple a form as possible. Abbreviations used in the table and not defined in the text should be defined in footnotes using these symbols (in order of appearance): *,†, ‡, §, ||, ¶.

Figures

Number all figures, using Arabic numerals, in the order of their citation in the text. Each figure should be prepared on a separate sheet, and figure legends should be prepared together on a separate sheet.

Figures should be black ink drawings of professional quality or glossy photographs. The principal author's name, the figure number, and the proper orientation of the figure should be written lightly in pencil on the back of each figure. Patient identification should be obscured. Do not mark directly on the prints. Indicators/arrows and labels may be marked on a photocopy of the original print to indicate subtle but salient points. Include internal scale markers in photomicrographs and electron micrographs.

The maximum size of a figure should not be more than 10 x 12 cm. Any words or symbols in the figures should be large and clear enough to remain legible when the figures are reduced to column width.

Figure legends should indicate the anatomic area and/or pathologic condition shown. For photomicrographs, include the type of specimen, original magnification, and stain. All symbols and abbreviations not defined in the text should be defined in the legend.

For color figures, the authors are required to pay the cost of reproduction.

Units

Please use Syst me International (SI) units, with the exception of blood pressure values which are to be reported in mmHg. Please use the metric system for the expression of length, area, mass, and volume. Temperatures are to be given in degrees Celsius.

Drug Names

Use the Recommended International Non-proprietary Name for medicinal substances, unless the specific trade name of a drug is directly relevant to the discussion.

Abbreviations

Where a term/definition will be continually referred to, it must be written in full, followed by the subsequent abbreviation in brackets, when it first appears in the text. Thereafter, the abbreviation may be used.

Editorial Support

Before publication, all manuscripts will be reviewed by a native English-speaking editor with a biomedical background. Manuscripts which require extensive modification will be returned for retyping. Fees for English correction must be paid by the authors.

Preparation for Publication

Accepted manuscripts are copyedited according to our house style and the galley proofs are returned to the corresponding author for final approval. Authors are responsible for all statements made in their work, including changes made by the copy editor and authorized by the corresponding author.

All authors must sign a statement of authorship responsibility and copyright transfer prior to the publication of their paper. This form is provided with the galley proofs.

Reprints

On publication, 20 copies of the article will be provided free of charge to the corresponding author. Additional reprints may be ordered from the publisher. A reprint order form is provided with the galley proofs.

Copyright

Authors submitting a manuscript do so with the understanding that if it is accepted for publication, the exclusive copyright of the paper shall be transferred to the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Published manuscripts become the permanent property of the Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and may not be published elsewhere without written permission. Authors wishing to use material from their own papers published in the journal should apply to the Association for permission. Non-authors should first obtain permission in writing from the corresponding author and enclose this with their request to the Association.