Informatics in Biology, Health and Food

Informatics in Biology, Health and Food

Guide for Authors

Submission Guidelines

The Journal of Informatics in Biology, Health, and Food accepts submissions of original research articles, review articles, letters to the editor, case reports, short communications, and book reviews in line with the journal’s objectives.

 

Types of Acceptable Articles:

Original Research Articles: These are comprehensive research studies reporting original findings. They typically follow a standard structure comprising an introduction, methods, results, and discussion.

Review Articles: These articles summarize and analyze the current state of research on a specific topic, providing a comprehensive overview. They can be systematic reviews or meta-analyses and must reference at least 30 sources, with a minimum of 3 sources related to the author's own research on the topic. The article should conclude with a theory and results after reporting and analyzing the relevant research.

Case Studies/Reports: Case studies report specific cases, such as a particular disease or symptoms, rare treatment methods, and diagnostic procedures with specific events. They are common in fields such as medicine, psychology, and business. Case studies should include at least 10 references, a maximum of 2,500 words, and up to 4 images. The format includes an abstract and keywords, an introduction, a description of the specific case, a discussion, and a reference list.

Short Communications: These articles present new research findings that are significant but not extensive enough for a full research paper. They are concise, focus on specific findings, and should be about 2,500 words with at least 15 references. The discussion and results are written together in these articles.

Letters to the Editor: These are brief articles commenting on previously published articles or discussing topics of interest to the journal's readers. They can include initial data or opinions.

Editorials: Editorials are written by the journal’s editors or invited experts. They provide insights into the journal's direction, comment on current trends, or highlight important articles in the issue.

Book Reviews: Book reviews critically evaluate recently published books in the field. They summarize the content and provide an assessment of the book’s contributions and shortcomings.

 

Instructions to Authors

To ensure the submission and review process, please adhere to the following instructions:

Manuscripts should be submitted online through the portal (https://ibhf.shandiz.ac.ir/contacts?_action=signup). Authors without an account must create a new one. It is essential that the information entered is accurate and complete. After saving the information, a username and password will be sent to the email address provided.

 

Submitted files should be in the following formats:

  • Manuscript Text: Prepared using Microsoft Word (extensions .doc or .docx) or LaTeX (extension .tex).
  • Images: High-quality TIFF, JPEG, or PNG files (minimum resolution of 300 dpi).
  • Supplementary Materials: PDF or any other relevant format as specified.
  • Manuscripts should be prepared on A4 size paper and in a single-column format. The main text font should be B Nazanin, size 12. Headings should be in bold, size 14 of the same font. Line spacing should be set to single.
  • The principles of Persian language writing should be followed. Avoid using foreign words if there are Persian equivalents. Half-spaces should be used appropriately. Page numbers should be centered at the bottom of each page. Persian numbers should use slashes (/) for decimals, and English numbers should use periods (.).
  • Standard abbreviations may be used in the text provided that they are written out in full the first time they appear, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.
  • For drug names, it is preferable to use their generic names, and the manufacturer’s name, city, and country should be mentioned in parentheses.
  • If a questionnaire file is used in the study, it should be submitted separately as an attachment.
Manuscripts should be prepared in A4 size and single column. The font of the original text of the submitted article should be Times New Roman and the size of the text should be size 12. Headlines should be written in the Bold version number 12 of the same font. Line spacing should be considered single.

The structure of the submitted article should include the following sections in order:

Title Page:

  • Article Title: The title should be clear and indicative of the article's content. It should be as concise as possible (up to 100 characters) and engaging, without being repetitive. Abbreviations should not be used in the title.
  • Full Names of All Authors: Below the article title, the full names of all authors should be listed, including their academic degrees and institutional affiliations.
  • Institutional Affiliations of All Authors: The institutional affiliations of all authors should be listed below their names.
  • Contact Information of the Corresponding Author: The corresponding author should be marked with an asterisk, and their full contact details should be provided, including email address, work phone number, fax number, and mobile phone number.

 

Abstract:

The abstract should be a brief summary of the research (150-300 words) without references or abbreviations. It should be noted that, in addition to the Persian abstract, an English abstract must also be submitted.

At the end of the abstract, 4-6 keywords related to the content of the article should be provided. It is recommended that the keywords be from Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), and non-medical keywords should be searchable on Google.

It is necessary for the abstract to be written in both Persian and English, and both texts must correspond with each other.

The structure of both the Persian and English abstracts should include the background and objective, methodology, findings, and conclusion, presented consecutively without needing to explicitly separate these sections.

Main Text:

Introduction: This section includes the study background, problem statement, objectives, and significance of the study.

Materials and Methods: This section should precisely describe the methods used, including the specific numbers and figures employed in the research process, so that readers can follow the author's instructions if needed. This section should detail the study type, statistical population, data collection methods (e.g., questionnaires), detailed procedures, chemicals and equipment (including the manufacturer's name and country), statistical methods, software used, and any other elements involved in conducting the research.

Results: The results should be concise and clear, covering all variables of interest in the study. It is recommended to present the findings with the support of images and tables. There is no need to include results in the tables that are fully described in the text and vice versa. Ensure that the numbers and figures in tables and charts are in Persian. Any explanations regarding tables, photos, and diagrams in the text should be specified with their respective numbers. Images and tables should be uploaded at the end of the manuscript or as separate files.

Discussion: This section interprets the results, noting implications and limitations.

Conclusion: A summary of the findings and future research directions, presented in a single paragraph.

Acknowledgments: Acknowledge the contributions of individuals other than the authors who materially or morally assisted in the study. Financial support from organizations should also be mentioned. For studies involving humans or animals, the ethics committee approval code should be stated. Additionally, for clinical trial projects, the IRCT registration number must be mentioned.

References: It is recommended to format references using EndNote or Mendeley software. Referencing should follow the Vancouver style. In the Vancouver style, in-text citations are indicated by numbers in parentheses or square brackets, corresponding to a numbered reference list. Typically, the author's name and year are not directly included in the text. References are numbered in the order they first appear in the text. Full citations are included in the reference list at the end of the document, with matching numbers identifying each reference.

Example: Studies conducted by Shakerzadeh et al. (2012) showed that resistance to penicillin in clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori is increasing (5).

When multiple sources are cited together, a hyphen is used to indicate a series of consecutive numbers, while a comma is used for non-consecutive numbers. For example, citations (3, 4, 5, 6) are written as (3-6).

All references should include their respective DOI at the end. All sources, even Persian ones, should be listed in English.

Reference to an Article: Surname and first name of the author(s), full title of the article. Abbreviated journal name. Year of publication; journal issue number: pages. If the number of authors exceeds six, use the term "et al." after the sixth author's name.

Example: Shokrzadeh L, Mohammadi P, Mahmoudian MR, Basirun WJ, Bahreini M. L glycine-assisted synthesis of SnO2/Pd nanoparticles and their application in detection of biodeteriorating fungi. Materials Chemistry and Physics. 2020 Jan 15;240:122172.

Reference to a Book: Surname and first name of the author(s). Title of the Book. Edition number. City of publication: Publisher; Year of publication.

Example: Miles DA, Van Dis ML, Williamson GF, Jensen CW. Radiographic imaging for the dental team. 4th ed. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier; 2009.

Chapter from a Book: Surname and first name of the author of the chapter. Title of the chapter. In: Surname and first name of the editor of the book, editor. Title of the Book. Edition number. City of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. Pages.

Example: Alexander RG. Considerations in creating a beautiful smile. In: Romano R, editor. The art of the smile. London: Quintessence Publishing; 2005. p. 187-210.

For more information, refer to the link: (https://aacc.tums.ac.ir/public/Vancouver_style_guide.pdf).

All references must include a DOI at the end of each entry, formatted as follows:   doi:10.1002/bab.1941

Review Process

Peer Review:

  • All submissions undergo a double-blind peer-review process to ensure unbiased evaluation.
  • Manuscripts will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers.

Decision Notification:

  • Authors will be notified of the editorial decision within 4-6 weeks of submission.
  • Decisions can be: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject.

Ethical Considerations

Plagiarism:

  • All submissions will be checked for plagiarism. Manuscripts with significant overlap with previously published works will be rejected.

Conflicts of Interest:

  • Authors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest in the manuscript. 

      The Conflict of Interest Form can be downloaded from the link provided below.

       Conflict of Interest Form

Data Availability:

  • Authors are encouraged to make their data publicly available and include a data availability statement in their manuscript.

 

Post-Acceptance

Proofs:

  • Corresponding authors will receive proofs for final approval before publication.

Publication Fees:

  • Information on any applicable publication fees or open access charges will be provided upon acceptance.

Contact Information: For any inquiries regarding the submission process, please contact our journal office at ibhf@shandiz.ac.ir.