Instructions to Authors

IJAMS expects only online submission of manuscripts via ‘IJAMS online manuscript submission and review system’ at http://www.ijams.org.in . Authors should not send any hard copy to IJAMS. The “Corresponding Author” will receive notifications of the receipt of manuscripts and editorial decisions by e-mail.

Scope & focus of IJAMS
The content of IJAMS will focus on three broad themes from Ayurveda & other Medical Sciences:-

Theoretical Research: Epistemology, Fundamental Concepts, History, Sociology and Literary studies
Experimental Research: Pharmacology, Genetics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Drug Discovery & Development.
Clinical Research: Case reports, case series, cohort and case control studies and clinical trials, epidemiological and public health studies, and translational research.

Prerequisites, considerations and criteria for publication in IJAMS

The submitted manuscript must not be under consideration, accepted, or published elsewhere.
No substantial part of the manuscript may be under consideration by any other journal, although it may have been deposited on a preprint server.
Translated manuscripts of research work produced in other language(s) form an exception to above rule. The author should ensure that permission for such translation has been obtained from the journal where the original article was published. Submitters of such articles must state the fact of prior publication explicitly, and mention the same in the abstract.
In the case of multiple authors, it is requested that there be a corresponding author who is authorized by the other authors to correspond with the journal concerning all issues related to the manuscript and its approval.
The corresponding author should take responsibility for the integrity of the work as a whole, from inception to published article, and should be designated ‘guarantor’.
Authors also have to make sure that any experimental research reported in their submission has been performed with the approval of an appropriate ethics committee. The approval/permission details should be provided in the “First Page” file.
These GPG guidelines also apply to (i) individuals who work on industry-sponsored publications, such as freelance writers. (ii) Contract research organizations (iii) communications and (iv) Public Relation companies.
References cited in the manuscript, which are “in press”, should be made available to the Editor-in-chief for reviewer’s assessment.
zSubmission of a manuscript to IJAMS implies that readily reproducible materials described in the manuscript, including all relevant raw data, will be freely available to any scientist wishing to use them for non-commercial purposes.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to any of the three components mentioned below:
1. Concept and design of study or acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data;
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or data collection does not justify authorship. General supervision of the research group is not sufficient for authorship.
General supervision of the research group is not sufficient for authorship.
Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content of the manuscript.
The order of contributors’ names should be based on their relative contribution to the study and writing the manuscript. Once submitted, the order cannot be changed without written consent of all contributors

Conflicts of Interest/ Competing Interests

IJAMS requests corresponding author to submit a declaration of competing interests on behalf of all authors.
In cases where the authors give no competing interests, the listing should read “The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests“.

Copies of any permission(s) for copyrighted material

It is the responsibility of contributors to obtain permissions for reproducing any copyrighted material.
The contributors should be able to produce a copy of these permission/s obtained at any stage of the review process.
IJAMS may ask for copies of any or all published articles or manuscripts in preparation or submitted elsewhere that are related to the manuscript and author/s should be able to provide the same at any stage of the review process.
IJAMS does not expect hard copies from the contributors, but it can ask for the same at any stage of the review process.

Editorial Process

All manuscripts received are duly acknowledged. (If the acknowledgement is not received by the corresponding author, please check the submission process or communicate with IJAMS at ijams2015@gmail.com
All research articles submitted will be subject to peer review and Editors’ decisions will be considered binding.
On submission, editors review all submitted manuscripts for suitability for formal review. Selection of reviewers is at the sole discretion of the Editor-in-chief.
Manuscripts with serious technical flaws and/or lacking originality and/or lacking significant message will be rejected even before being sent for peer review.
Every manuscript is assigned to a Senior Editor who is a member of the Editorial board, and who, based on the inputs received from the reviewers, advises the Editor-in-chief for acceptance or rejection.
Comments and suggestions (acceptance/rejection/amendments) received from reviewers are conveyed to the corresponding author.
Author(s) should provide a point by point reply to reviewer comments when submitting revised versions of their manuscript.
The process of revision may be repeated till reviewers and editors feel that the article is modified up to expectations for publication in IJAMS.
After final acceptance by the Editor-in-chief, manuscripts may, if necessary, be copy edited for grammar, punctuation, print style, and format.
Page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author, who is expected to return corrected proofs within three days.

Editorial Policy
Font

Whole manuscript should be Times New Roman font. Hindi/Sanskrit should be in Kruti Dev font of font size 14 (uniformly in all sections and places).
Font characteristics: Title and Headings: -Title of Manuscript – font size 18, capitalize each word, in bold, not underlined -HEADINGS (IMRAD, i.e. ABSTRACT, INTRODUCTION, etc.)- font size 14, uppercase, in bold, not underlined -Sub headings- font size 12, in sentence case, bold, not underlined Any further (sub-sub) headings- font size 12, in sentence case, bold, italics, not underlined Rest of the article: Prepare in Times New Roman font size12.

Title of article

Title NOT ALL CAPITALS, in bold, not underlined
Running title provided (not more than 50 characters).

Abstract

Non structured abstract; words: 250.
No abbreviations or references should be cited in the abstract. (Expanded forms of abbreviations should be given in the text where it is mentioned first)

Key words

3 to 6 key words can be provided to identify the most important aspects covered in the article.

Use of Ayurvedic / Sanskrit / Regional language Terms in IJAMS

Please italicize Ayurvedic /Sanskrit/regional language terms. (e.g. Anupana, Guduchi)
Ayurvedic plant names to be in italics with first letter capitalized. If the article is based on any Karma, the name of the karma should be italicized with first letter capitalized. All other Ayurvedic words should be italicized in lower case.
One to one translation of Ayurveda terms into English words is not always possible. Some terms would require short description as parenthesis or footnote, for better understanding of readers from non-Ayurvedic background.
Authors are suggested to use English words for obvious terms. (e.g. use ‘sleep’ instead of ‘Nidra’)
Authors can use ‘Tilde’ (~) sign for use of approximately nearer terms. For example, Kamala (Jaundice). The sign (~) indicate that, though the disease ‘Kamala’ is nearer to ‘Jaundice’ it sparingly/cautiously differs from Jaundice and the term used in the bracket is just for the understanding of readers.
Authors can decide use of appropriate terms or their description considering IJAMS readership and message they want to convey.
For use of standard spellings please refer articles published in IJAMS.

Tables in the manuscript

Tables should be self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material.
Tables with more than 10 columns or 25 rows are not acceptable.
Number the tables in Hindu-Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3,…….) consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief legend for each.
Explanatory matter should be placed in the footnotes and not in the heading of the table
All non-standard abbreviations used in tables should be explained in footnotes.
Permission for all fully borrowed, adapted, and modified tables should be obtained and credit given for each in the footnotes.
For footnotes use small English alphabets (a, b, c,……).
Tables with their legends should be placed after the references in ‘Article File’.
• Mark the point of insertion of Tables in the text. e.g. [Table 1]

Presentation and format

“Line spacing”: 1.5 spacing in between the lines
Margins 2.5 from all four sides
Page numbers included at bottom
Title page contains all the desired information
Abstract page contains the full title of the manuscript
Abstract provided (structured abstract of 200 words for original articles, unstructured abstracts for all other manuscripts excluding letters to the Editor)
Introduction as concise background of the topic
The references cited in the text should be after punctuation marks, in superscript with square bracket.
References according to the journal’s instructions, punctuation marks checked
Please do not put any hyperlinks or footnotes in the manuscript
Send the article file without ‘Track Changes’

Language and grammar

Uniformly American English
Write the full term for each abbreviation at its first use in the title, abstract, keywords and text separately unless it is a standard unit of measure. Numerals from 1 to 10 spelt out
Numerals at the beginning of the sentence spelt out
Check the manuscript for spelling, grammar and punctuation errors
If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer’s name and address (city and state/country).
Species names should be in italics

Illustrations (Figures) in the manuscript

Images should be inserted at appropriate places in the article.
Mark the point of insertion of images in the text. e.g. [Figure 1]
The uploaded file size should be less than 1024 kb.
Images should be uploaded in JPEG / PNG format. JPEG is the preferred format.
Please ensure that the digital image has minimum resolution of 300 dpi or 1024 x 780 pixels.
Figures should be numbered consecutively in the order that they have been first cited in the text.
Labels, numbers, and symbols in the images should be clear and of uniform size.
Lettering in figures should be large enough to be legible after reduction to fit IJAMS’s printed column width.
Symbols, arrows or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background and should be marked neatly with transfer type or by tissue overlay and not by pen.
Detailed explanations for illustrations should be in the legends and not on the illustrations themselves.
When graphs, scatter-grams or histograms are submitted, the numerical data on which they are based should also be supplied if asked for.
Photographs and figures should be cropped to remove all unwanted areas.
If photographs of individuals are used, they must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph.
If a figure has been published elsewhere, the original source should be acknowledged and the written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material should be submitted to the journal. A credit line should appear in the legend for such figures.
Legends for illustrations: Legends (maximum 40 words, excluding the credit line) for illustrations should be typed out or printed using double spacing, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, each should be identified and explained in the legend. The internal scale (magnification) and methods of staining in photomicrographs should be mentioned
Final figures for print production: Soft copies of sharp, glossy, unmounted, color photographs should be uploaded at the time of submitting manuscripts. Print outs of digital photographs are not acceptable. The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce, or enlarge photographs to an acceptable size.

Writing References in IJAMS

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text (not in alphabetic order).
Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals in red colored superscript with square bracket around, after the punctuation marks. e.g. This recommendation was largely based on the evidence that it reduces the risk of intraventricular haemorrhage in these neonates by 50%. ^[5]
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (http://www.icmje.org/) recommends citation format on the United States National Laboratory of Medicine (NLM) style. Use the style of referencing used by the NLM in Index Medicus. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Abbreviations for indexed journals are available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/journals and (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed).
Use the complete name of a journal for non-indexed journals.
Avoid using abstracts as references.
Information from manuscripts submitted but not accepted should be cited in the text as “unpublished observations” with written permission from the source.
Avoid citing a “personal communication” unless it provides essential information not available from a public source, in which case the name of the person and date of communication should be cited in parentheses in the text.

Referencing Articles in Journals

Standard journal article (for up to six authors)
1. Shetty SN, Mengi S, Vaidya R, Vaidya AD. A study of standardized extracts of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth in experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Ayurveda Integr Med 2010;1:203-10
Standard journal article (for more than six authors): List the first six contributors followed by et al.
1. Daar AS, Singer PA, Persad DL, Pramming SK, Matthews DR, Beaglehole R, et al. Grand challenges in chronic non-communicable diseases. Nature 2007; 450:494- 6.
2. Vaidya AB, Rajgopalan TG, Mankodi NA, Antarkar DS, Tathed PS, Purohit AV, et al. Treatment of Parkinson’s disease with the cowhage plant-Mucuna pruriens Bak. Neurol India 1978; 26:171-6.
Volume with supplement:
1. Patkar KB. Herbal Cosmetics in ancient India. Indian J Plast Surg Suppl 2008;41:S134.
2. Chibelean B. Minimally invasive surgical treatment of complex genital prolapse in elderly women: Impact on quality of life. Eur Urol Suppl 2009; 8:664.
Issue with supplement:
1. Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women’s psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol 1996; 23(1, Suppl 2):89-97.

Books and Other Monographs

Personal author(s): Valiathan MS. The Legacy of Caraka. 1st ed. Chennai: Orient Longman; 2003.
Editor(s), compiler(s) as author: Burtis CA, Ashwood ER, Editors. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry. 3 rd ed. Philadelphia: WB Saunders and Company 1999; p. 450, 617-721.
Chapter in a book: Upadhyay SN. Therapeutic potential of immunomodulatory agents from plant products. Immunomodulation. In: Upadhyay SN, Editor. New Delhi: Narosa Publishing House 1997; p.149-54.

Electronic Sources as reference

Journal article on the Internet: Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 3 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm
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: Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.
Part of a homepage/Web site: American Medical Association [homepage on the Internet]. Chicago: The Association; c1995-2002 [updated 2001 Aug 23; cited 2002 Aug 12]. AMA Office of Group Practice Liaison; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/1736.html

Referencing Ayurvedic Classics

Verse in a classic: Sharma S, editor, (1st ed.). Ashtanga Samgraha of Vagbhata, Sutra Sthana; Dravadravya Vidnyaniya: Chapter 6, Verse 10-16. Varanasi: Chowkhambha Sanskrit Series 2006; p.37-38.
Verse /Text in a commentary on classic: Sharma S, editor, (1st ed.). Commentary Shashilekha of Indu on Ashtanga Samgraha of Vagbhata, Sutra Sthana; Dravadravya Vidnyaniya: Chapter 6, Verse 10-16. Varanasi: Chowkhambha Sanskrit Series 2006; p.37-38.

If the same Samhita or book is refereed two or more times, then it is advisable that after quoting the full reference first time, on the second time write the word “Ibidem” followed by reference number (1) followed by name of the Samhita ‘Charaka Samhita’ and name of the Sthana, name of Adhyaya Number/ shloka number and at last page number if specific. e.g. Ibidem (1). Charaka Samhita, Chikitsasthana; Grahani Chikitsa Adhyaya: Chapter 15, Verse 25; p.226. Regional language books:

Personal author(s):
Phanasalkar SD. Ayurvediya Rasayana Chikitsa (Marathi). 2nd ed. Pune:Manakarnika Publication; 2011.
Phanasalkar SD. Ayurvediya Rasayana Chikitsa (Marathi). 2nd ed. Pune:Manakarnika Publication; 2011.
Nanal RM, editor. Purushottamopanishada (Marathi). 1st ed. Mumbai: Madhavi Prakashan 1999; p. 139, 145-46.

For other types of references such as newspaper items please refer to ICMJE Guidelines (http://www.icmje.org orhttp://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html). Detailed guidelines for writing references in IJAMS can be downloaded from ‘Downloads’ section at the end of this page.

Specific Guidelines According to Article Type

Specific Guidelines According to Article Type

Initiative	Guidelines for reporting	Source Link
CONSORT	Randomized controlled trials	http://www.consort-statement.org
STARD	Studies of diagnostic accuracy	http://www.stard-statement.org
PRISMA	Systematic reviews	http://www.prisma-statement.org
STROBE	Observational studies in epidemiology	http://www.strobe-statement.org

Authors may use the equator network site for sourcing these guidelines (http://www.equator-network.org/resource-centre/library-of-health-research-reporting/)

Editorials: For Editorials, abstract is not required. Restrict manuscript to about 1500 words and references to about 15. Editorials are strictly written by the Editorial Board member or by Guest Editorials special invited by the Editor-in-chief.
Thought Leadership Article: For Thought Leadership Articles, restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words and manuscript to about 2000 words (excluding about 20 references).
Letters: For Letters abstract is not required. Restrict manuscript to about 1000 words (excluding about 15 references) and 1 non-text items. Letters are welcome from all readers on topics and issues pertaining to articles in recent editions of IJAMS, or to the worlds mainly of Ayurveda, but also including Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy (AYUSH) or Integrative Medicine. Letters should be brief, concise and to the point.
Short Communication: For Short Communications, restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words and the manuscript to about 1,500 words (excluding about 20 references) and 2 non-text items. Short communications may include important preliminary studies and reports.
General Articles: For General articles restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words and the manuscript to about 3000 words (excluding about 50 references) and 5 non-text items. General articles report authors’ original work of a non-clinical nature, concerning topics, either within the IJAMS Vision-Mission statement’s theoretical and experimental areas, or otherwise relevant to contemporary issues in Ayurveda and other medical sciences .
Reviews: For Review articles restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words (representing an accurate summary of the article) and manuscript to about 6000 words (excluding about 80 references) and about 8 non-text items. Reviews may cover particular areas of Ayurveda or integrative medicine of relevance to contemporary issues. Review articles written by individuals who have done substantial work on a subject or by experts in the field are appreciated. They should be systematic, state-of-art comprehensive reviews of the subject including author(s) own inputs. A good review article may have author(s) claim / view after going through scientific literature pertaining to a specific area, reasons behind the claim / view, factual evidences discussing the claim / view and finally novel conclusions drawn after interlinking many research findings. The section titles should depend upon the topic reviewed. Authors submitting a review article should include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data. These methods should also be summarized in the abstract. A review article should not be a mere compilation. The journal expects the contributor to give post-publication updates and advances on the subject of review. The update should be brief and should be sent as a letter to editor, as and when major developments occur in the field.
Original Research Articles (Experimental Research): For an Original Research article (Experimental) restrict the structured abstract to 250 words and the manuscript to about 5000 words (excluding about 70 references) and 8 non-text items. Experimental Research articles report authors’ original non-clinical research of a more technical and specialized nature than General Articles. Topics should normally remain within the theoretical and experimental research areas given in the IJAMS Vision-Mission statement. They may include studies meant for physicochemical standardization of raw drugs and finished formulations, toxicity and efficacy studies, studies exploring significance of Ayurvedic pharmaceutical processes. Studies involving integrative methods/techniques for standardization of drugs and diagnosis of diseases based on Ayurvedic classical guidelines are appreciated. Authors should mention details of authentication of raw drugs and finished formulations used, animal ethics committee clearance (if applicable) and guidelines followed for the study. For all biochemical/laboratory procedures, either provide sufficient details or a reference for the details. For trade names or commercial products (if any) provide the name and address of the manufacturer.
Original Research Articles (Clinical Research): This section reports clinical research, within areas specified in the IJAMS Vision-Mission statement. IJAMS publishes three levels of Clinical Research: Clinical Trials, Case Series and Case Reports. All are open submission.
Protection of Patients’ Rights to Privacy Any information that could reveal identity of individuals in written descriptions, photographs, sonograms, CT scans, etc., should not be included in the manuscript unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian, wherever applicable) gives written informed consent for publication. When informed consent has been obtained, it should be mentioned in the article and copy of the consent should be attached with the covering letter. Research conducted on humans should be in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the principles of Good Clinical Practices wherever applicable. Approval of research by relevant ethics committee is essential and should be mentioned wherever applicable.
Clinical Trial: For Clinical Trials restrict the structured abstract to 250 words and the manuscript to about 5000 words (excluding about 70 references) and 8 non-text items. Clinical studies may include case reports, case series, RCTs and cohort studies. Each manuscript should clearly state an objective or hypothesis; the design and methods (including the study setting and dates, patients or participants with inclusion and exclusion criteria, or data sources, and how these were selected for the study). Authors should include the essential features of interventions; the outcome measures; the results of the study; a discussion section placing the results in context with the published literature and addressing study limitations; and the conclusions. Clinical trials registered with Clinical Trials Registry- India (CTRI) http://www.ctri.in will be appreciated. All randomized controlled trials should be described on the basis of “The Revised CONSORT statement which is available at http://www.consort-statement.org Authors need to mention details about authentication of raw drugs and finished formulations used, ethics committee clearance, informed consents from patients and guidelines followed for the study. For trade names or commercial products (if any) provide the name and address of the manufacturer.
Case Series For Case Series restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words and manuscript to about 3000 words (excluding about 40 references) and 4 non-text items. Case Series should concern the application of Ayurveda or Integrative Medicine to a specific pathology and illustrate efficacy of an unusual application of a traditional treatment, hopefully indicating a solution to some contemporary medical problem.
Single Case Studies/ reports: For Single Case Study/ Report include a non-structured abstract of up to 200 words. Restrict the manuscript to about 1,500 words (excluding about 20 references) and 2 non-text items. Single Case Studies concern successful application of treatment, adverse events or novel observation of a single case. The cases should be unique, describing a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge and providing a learning point for the readers. Case Reports could be authored by up to four authors. For Case Report use format (Abstract, Key-words, Introduction, Case History, Discussion and References). Introduction should include why the case is unique, if it is rare, how rare, how many cases have been reported. Case History should include the tables/charts at appropriate places within the text. Discussion should be reported with rationale of clinical decisions and in such a way that other physicians can apply the same method with good expectation of achieving cures. Patient’s identity should not be revealed from the clinical photographs or CT/USG pictures
Review of Landmark Article: For Review of Landmark article, restrict non-structured abstract to 250 words and manuscript to about 3000 words (excluding about 50 references) and 5 non-text items. Review of Landmark Articles gives deep insights into a scientific paper representing a turning point in the history of any aspect of Ayurveda or Integrative Medicine. Articles will be solicited or commissioned, but suggestions including possible authors’ names are welcome.
Discussion Kernel: For Discussion Kernel, abstract is not required. Restrict manuscript to about 1500 words (excluding about 20 references) and 3 non-text items. A short pithy article concerning some issue of wide potential interest, which requires, and is designed to stimulate, further discussion on the IJAMS website. Suggestions are welcome, especially by possible authors, who should send proposals.
Life Profile: For Life Profiles, abstract is not required. Restrict manuscript to about 2000 words (excluding about 20 references). Each issue will contain profile of one great physician/scientist of today or from the past important for Ayurveda and integrative medicine. Suggestions and submissions are welcome. The article should be legible, to the point, balanced, without any prejudice or prepossession in mind and telling about the person to the fullest. The number of words spent on personal life should be limited and the article should be more focused towards his/her contribution in the field of Ayurveda or integrative medicine. The article should clearly pick up the qualities of the person which made him an important personality in the field and should illustrate the important scientific/scholarly works, and contribution to philosophy or clinical practice. Use of quality reference material is expected. The following information should be included: complete name, school of thought (if any), place and date of birth (if possible), education and work place, achievements, Awards, Honors (State, National or International level), books written, research work/s done, books published, institution established, project initiated in his/her memory, photograph essential.
Vignettes: For Vignettes, an abstract is not required. Restrict the manuscript to about 2000 words and 2 Photograph if available. Vignettes retell incidents in the lives of great Vaidyas/scientist, which encapsulate and illustrate an important point about the philosophy, knowledge or practice of Ayurveda, a related AYUSH system, or integrative medicine. Focused interviews are also considered.
Initiatives: For Initiatives, an abstract is not required. Restrict the manuscript to about 3000 words (excluding about 30 references). Illustrative pictures and diagrams will be appreciated. Initiatives recount the history, philosophy, mission and activities of some important projects, institutions, organizations and associations making contributions to advance Ayurveda or Integrative Medicine healthcare, either locally or globally. Initiatives articles are strictly solicited, but suggestions will be welcomed. The article may include points like focal theme of the initiative, planning and preparations done before implementation, problems faced during establishment of the initiative and how they were solved, current situation, on-going projects / programs, current problems if any, importance of the project / organization to Ayurveda or Integrative Medicine, contribution and response of Ayurveda and Biomedicine fraternities, future plans and directions, expectations from government authorities or stakeholders, appeal for feedback ( if any) and important links.
Book reviews: For Book Reviews, an abstract is not required. Restrict the manuscript to about 2000 words and a jpeg image of the cover page of the book reviewed should be uploaded separately. Book reviews can be of two types, those solicited by IJAMS editorial staff and unsolicited ones. Readers are welcome to suggest high quality contemporary or historically important books on Ayurveda for review. Offers to review such books will also be considered. For unsolicited book reviews, the reviewer needs to upload a permission letter from the authors of the book. Please note that in both the cases (solicited or unsolicited book review) publisher / author(s) / reviewer(s) needs to send a copy of the book reviewed or to be reviewed to the Editorial office at Dehradun The reviewer should highlight who the expected readers are, introduce readers to the book’s content (but avoid repeating its table of contents), focus on the subject, its approach and novelty; inform readers about what is happening in the area which the book addresses; what is the state of knowledge in the subject; and how this new book adds, changes or breaks new ground in our knowledge of this subject. If the book is an edited collection of essays, or chapters by different individuals, give some idea of the overall theme and content, but be free to focus on specific chapters you consider particularly significant or worthwhile. Focus on the book and not on your feelings about the subject. Do not discuss what you feel the author(s) should have written. Strive to make your review richly informative and even insightful. A book review may include: an introduction to the author(s), including the author’s title and place of work and some information stating who the author is; a summary of the intended purpose of the book and its contributions to Ayurveda and integrative medicine; a description of the way the author approaches his or her topic; the rigor of research and scholarship; the logic of the argument and the readability of the prose. If possible, a comparison with earlier or similar books in the field, and an evaluation of the book’s merits, usefulness, and special contributions should be included.
Pedagogy: For a Pedagogy article an abstract is not required. Restrict the manuscript to about 3000 words (excluding about 40 references) and 5 non-text items. Articles by experienced Ayurvedic scholars of relevance to contemporary issues in education, teaching methods and approaches are expected in this section. Articles exploring epistemology, fundamental concepts and principles of Ayurveda, Yoga, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathic medicines for its better understanding, literary studies on historical, sociological and religious classics influencing current healthcare scenario are appreciated.
News and Comment: These are strictly written by IJAMS editorial staff. Readers may suggest topics and events for publication pertaining recent activities in the field of Ayurveda and integrative medicine. Please contact editor.IJAMS@gmail.com
Future Events: These are generally written by IJAMS’s editorial board members. Please submit requests for particular events to be covered. In this case, suggestions for the person to write the report will also be welcome. Please contact editor.IJAMS@gmail.com
Future Events: These are generally written by IJAMS’s editorial board members. Please submit requests for particular events to be covered. In this case, suggestions for the person to write the report will also be welcome. Please contact editor.IJAMS@gmail.com
Systems Ayurveda: A unique logic diagrams in graphical notation representing complex relationships between Ayurveda basic concepts, accompanied by integrated descriptions. These are contributed by IJAMS editorial staff.

Preparation of Manuscripts
Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with “Uniform requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals” developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (April 2010). Before submitting a manuscript, contributors are requested to check for the latest available instructions. Instructions are also available from IJAMS website (http://www.ijams.org.in). IJAMS accepts manuscripts written in American English only. But a few important references may be allowed in Sanskrit or Hindi language also. Manuscripts for all sections need to be prepared in two files viz. ‘First Page’ file and ‘Article’ file. Authors are requested to download relevant ‘Guideline Templates’ and prepare manuscript accordingly. Files not prepared according to guidelines will be returned to the corresponding author for technical modification and will be considered for peer review only after revision. Major technical errors in these files may cause rejection of article.

‘First Page’ file (Including cover letter, conflicts of interest, authorship criteria and acknowledgement)
- Submit the file in rtf or doc file format. Do not submit in docx or PDF file format.
- All the components which can reveal identity of authors should be in ‘First Page’ file. The ‘First Page’ file should contain 1) a covering letter addressing Editor in Chief in the beginning, 2) article type, 3) title of the article, 4) name(s) of all the author(s) with their highest academic qualifications, Email address(es), designation, current affiliation(s) and affiliations where the work was primarily carried out, 5) name, postal address, e-mail, and telephone number of corresponding author, 6) running title, 7) name(s) of department(s) and/or institution(s) to which the work should be credited, 8) total number of pages, total number of photographs and word counts separately for abstract and for the text (excluding the references, tables and abstract), word counts for introduction + discussion in case of an original article, 9) source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these, and 10) checklist.
- For acknowledgement, if any, one or more statements should specify 1) contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, such as general support by a departmental chair; 2) acknowledgments of technical help; and 3) acknowledgments of financial and material support, which should specify the nature of the support.
If the manuscript was presented as part at a meeting, specify the organization, place and exact date on which it was read. Copies of such material may be demanded along with the submitted paper, to help the editor decide how to handle the matter.
Registration number in case of a clinical trial and where it is registered (name of the registry and its URL)
Conflicts of Interest of each contributor. A statement of financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest.
Declaration of fulfillment of authorship criteria.
A statement that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors, that the requirements for authorship as stated earlier in this document have been met, and that each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work, if that information is not provided in another form; and
Please use ‘First Page’ file template downloadable from ‘Downloads’ section.
Max size for ‘First Page’ file can be 1MB (1024KB).
Do not zip the file.

Article File
- The article file goes through actual peer review process. Hence, to avoid bias IJAMS expects a blinded article file. The file should not reveal identity of author/s by any means.
- Submit the file in rtf or doc file format. Do not submit in docx or PDF file format.
- Please DO NOT INCLUDE author’s name, affiliations, institution at which research work was done, acknowledgement etc. in the ‘Article file’.
- Please DO NOT INCLUDE photographs/images, figures, line drawings in the ‘Article file’; it should be uploaded separately during the online submission process.
- The ‘Article file’ should contain the Title of the article, and (if applicable) keywords, main text references, tables with legends and figure legends only.
- Please use ‘Template guidelines’ downloadable from ‘Downloads’ section.
- The maximum acceptable size for an ‘Article file’ is 1 MB (1024KB).
- Do not zip the files.

IJAMS Consolidated copyright form
The author/s need to upload a scanned copy of the ‘DECLARATION CERTIFICATE AND COPYRIGHT TRANSFER AGREEMENT FORM’ duly undersigned by all the contributors at the time of submission. The template for the same can be downloaded from the ‘Downloads’ section. Submission of a New Manuscript

The entire process of manuscript submission is carried-out online and there is no need to send hard copies of any document.
The author can send their work at journal’s website. in case of any problem encountered, the article can also be sent at journal’s email ( ijams2015@gmail.com ), in the form of a “zip file”
Article will labeled with a unique identification number which should thereafter be quoted for any further correspondence.

Submission of a revised manuscript

The revised article should be sent labeled with the earlier provided unique identification number.
The revised version of a manuscript should be submitted online in a manner similar to that used for its first submission. However, there is no need to resubmit the “First Page” file unless changes are suggested in it.
When submitting a revised manuscript the corresponding author needs to submit two files viz. ‘modified article file’ and ‘comment file’.
‘Contributors are requested to include reviewer’s remarks along with point by point clarification in the ‘comment file’. In addition, they should mark all changes as colored highlighted text in the ‘modified article file’.
Comments by reviewers are for improvement of the article up to international standards and hence need to be taken positively. If author/s do not agree with a comment, they should explain why accordingly.
Author(s) need to ensure that comments by reviewers and replies by author are effectively used for the enrichment of the article, then and then only will the purpose of the review process be fulfilled.

Charges for manuscript submission, processing and publication
IJAMS presently does not charge the authors or authors’ institutions for submission, processing and/or publications of manuscripts