Author Guidelines

AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ORAL HEALTH is a biannual publication aimed at disseminating knowledge
that will enhance the practice of oral health, particularly in Africa.
Scope
The Journal will publish articles which contribute significantly to oral health research and practice on the
African continent. Contributions would be welcomed from all parts of the world. It will publish:
a) Original research reports not previously published (except in the form of an abstract or preliminary
report) and only when they are not being considered for publication elsewhere.
b) Letters relating to materials previously published in AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ORAL HEALTH or to
topical issues relevant to the practice of dentistry.
c) Update articles surveying the present state of knowledge in selected fields of Dental
and oral health.
d) Critical or analytical reviews In the area of theory, policy, or research in Dentistry.
e) Reviews of recently published books or group of books which would be of relevance to the
improvement of oral health in Africa.
f) Short reports of scientific meetings, news items, activities and functions of the IADR
and other dental associations

Manuscripts should preferably not be more than 3000 words in length (12 typewritten A4 pages) for
original research reports, update and review articles; 1000 words for letters including references. Articles
should be typewritten or printed double-spaced, on one side only of A4 paper, with margin of at least 4cm
on the left-hand side. The pages should be numbered consecutively on the top of each sheet. Contributed
articles should be in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical
Journal Editors (“Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals. Ann Intern
Med 1997; 126:36-47”). Articles should be arranged in the following order: Title page, Abstract,
Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Acknowledgement, References,
Tables and Legends to Illustrations.
Title Page: The title page should contain the following information: Title of paper, Name(s), degrees, and
address(es) of author(s), Name, address, telephone, fax, and email of the corresponding author, up to 5
keywords. The title must be descriptive and concise.
Structured Abstracts. A short structured abstract should introduce the article. It should not exceed 250
words and should be presented under the following subheadings: Objectives, Methods, Results,
Discussion, and Conclusions (For Reviews: Objectives, Data; Sources, Study selection, Conclusions). These
subheadings should appear in the text of the abstract. Please repeat the title of the article at the top of the
abstract page. Do not insert references in the abstract and use the fewest possible abbreviations.
Language of contributions: will be English but, articles will carry French and Portuguese summaries.
Length of contributions: Manuscripts should preferably not be more than 3000 words in length (12
typewritten A4 pages) for original research reports, update, and review articles, 1000 words for letters
including references.
For multiple authored papers, the email addresses
for each author must be included or alternatively a covering letter signed by all the authors.
Refereeing Process: Review articles would at all times be published upon invitation to leading scientists inthe field. Contributors of original papers will have their articles sent anonymously to at least two
independent referees. Letters will be evaluated by the editors only. Articles appearing as supplements
would be evaluated for publication by the editorial board. It will be a condition of acceptance of a
manuscript for publication that the Editors shall have the right to edit the text to improve its clarity and to
make it conform to Journal style.
Proofs: It will be the policy of the Journal to send proofs to authors in order that they may: (a) Verify that
their contributions have been correctly reproduced in print (b) Approve any editorial changes made to
their contributions (c) Comment on any queries noted on the proofs (d) Check, from the original sources, all
quotations and bibliographic citations. Authors would be asked to approve and return proofs by email or
airmail within 7 days of their receipt.
Tables should be typed on pages separate from the text with one table per sheet of paper. Each should have
a caption that will explain the table without reference to the text.
Illustrations should be clearly identified. The number of the illustration in Arabic numerals, the author’s
name and the top edge should be indicated on the paper. Computer ?generated charts, graphs and line
drawings must be presented larger than they will appear in the journal. Where photographs of identifiable
persons are used, contributors would be asked to provide signed releases showing informed consent.
Units used in manuscripts must conform to the Systeme International dUnites (SI)
References must be in the Vancouver style. They should be numbered in the order in which they appear in
the text. At the end of the article the full list of references should give the names and initial of all the authors
unless there are more than six, in which case only the first three should be given followed by et al. The
authors? names are followed by the title of the article; the title of the journal abbreviated according to the
style of Index Medicus and Index to Dental Literature; the year of publication; the volume number; and the
first and last page numbers in full. Titles of books should be followed by the place of publication, the
publisher and the year.
Examples of References styles:
Reference to an article.
1. Ndukwe K.C, Fatusi O.A, Ugboko V.I. Craniocervical necrotizing fasciitis in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Br J Oral
Maxillofac Surg 2002; 40( 1 ), 64-67
Reference to a book
5. Hollist N.O. A collection of traditional Yoruba oral and dental medicaments. 1st ed pp 20-39. Ibadan:
Book Builders, 2004
Reference to a book chapter
2. Guthua S.W. Orofacial infections. In: Hassanali J, Nandasaba M, Guthua SW, Amwayi P. (eds).
Orofacial anatomy. Pp 60-71. Nairobi: University of Nairobi Publications, 1997.
Reference to a report
4. Committee on Mercury Hazards in Dentistry. Code of practice for dental mercury hygiene. Publication
no. DHSS 79-F372. London: Department of Health and Social Security, 1979.
The author is responsible for the accuracy of the reference list at the end of the article. It is a condition of
acceptance of manuscripts that the work reported is solely that of the author or authors stated, and that they
have not been previously published elsewhere nor under consideration by any other periodical.
Ethics Articles involving clinical research should conform to the guidelines issued in the Declaration of
Helsinki where applicable (http://www.wma.net) and in general should have received ethical committee
approval. An evidence of this may be requested.
Acknowledgements should be grouped in a paragraph at the end of the text and before the references.
Permission and approval of the wordings must be obtained from the person thanked. Authors should also
acknowledge the source of support in the form of grants etc.
Copyright: This will belong to AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ORAL HEALTH upon acceptance of the
manuscript. The appropriate copyright transfer form would be sent to authors when their paper has been
approved for publication. Authors would be responsible for obtaining written permission from the
copyright holders for the reproduction of any previously published material including figures or tables.
The editor reserves the right to edit manuscripts for clarity of expression and to conform to acceptable style
and limits of space available. Proofs are supplied for the correction of misprints only- materials should only
be added or removed at this stage in exceptional circumstances.