Submissions

The Cardiovascular Journal of Africa is pleased to consider original articles, reviews, discussions on topical issues, case studies, meeting reports and other contributions relevant to the understanding, treatment and care of vascular disease.

Original articles and reviews are sent for independent peer-review. Material is accepted for publication on the understanding that it has not been published elsewhere. Authors will be asked to confirm this in writing and transfer copyright to the Journal and the publishing company.

Authors submitting papers to CVJA should also register as a reviewer as a quid pro quo for authors for reviewers reviewing your submission.

The Cardiovascular Journal of Africa (CVJA), which incorporates the Cardiovascular Journal of South Africa, is particularly concerned with publication of scientific articles related to Cardiac and Vascular conditions and situations, concerning adults and children in Africa. But will accept articles from all parts of the world.

Basic Science publications related to clinical aspects either for elucidation, in-depth understanding or therapeutic approaches are accommodated. The Journal functions as official medium for other related societies which do not as yet have own Journals such as, Hypertension, Stroke, Nuclear Medicine and Magnetic Resonance in Cardiology, Paediatrics, Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, and Vascular disease in Diabetes and Obesity.

National Library of Medicine (NLM) / PubMed Central (PMC) / PubMed / Medline / Thompson Reuters / ISI (Web of Science), EBSCOhost and Sabinet lists the Journal for indexing and electronic citation.

All categories of manuscripts for the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa must be submitted on-line to OJS. Internally, reviewers will be approached to review material in their field of expertise and assigned with similar interaction. All information will be entirely protected and confidential.

All submissions should be written in a clear and succinct manner, following the style of the Journal. The title page should include a descriptive title, the authors’ surname and forename and e-mail address for the corresponding author. In text: tables and figures are either inserted as part of sentence, for example Table 1, or in parentheses, for example (Fig. 1). Each table should carry a descriptive heading. OJS will clearly indicate which aspects of the manuscript submission.

All images MUST be at or above intended display size, with the following image resolutions: Line Art 800 dpi, Combination (Line Art + Halftone) 600 dpi, Halftone 300 dpi Image files also must be cropped as close to the actual image as possible.

References numbered in the order of appearance in the text, according to Vancouver style. For articles: Author AB, Author C, Author M. The title of the article. Abbreviated journal title 1999; 14: 172–183. For book chapters: Author AB, Author CD. The title of the chapter. In: Editor A, Editor BC, ed. Title of the book, 2nd edn. Location: Publisher, 1999: 133 –139. DOI Numbers / PMID (PubMed ID / PMC ID) must be added to all references to facilitate tagging for PubMed Central.

Original articles: Title page as above. Abstract (150 words) a short inclusive statement suitable for direct electronic abstracting, identifying the purpose of the study, key methods, the main results and the main conclusion. Keywords: maximum of six keywords for indexing. Introduction: concise description of background, sufficient for the non-specialist to appreciate the context of the work. Clear statement of the purpose of the study. Methods: a brief description of study design, procedures, analytical techniques and statistical evaluation. Results: a clear account of the study findings using quantitative language where possible and cross-referenced to tables and figures. Discussion: an interpretation of the study placed within the context of current knowledge, leading to specific conclusions where possible and include any conflict of interest statements, acknowledgements. References, figures and tables as above.

Title page as above. Abstract (150 words) setting out the scope, key messages and conclusions of the review. Body of text liberally partitioned with headings and subheadings leading to a synopsis with conclusions at the end. Key messages in a separate box itemising two to five short principal statements. Acknowledgements, references, tables and figures as above.

Other articles should adopt a concise style consistent with similar articles previously published in the journal. Manuscripts should include a title page, and appropriate subheadings for text. Style of tables, figures and references as above.

Figures be sent to us in a high resolution JPEG format.

OJS will clearly indicate which aspects of the manuscript submission.

The status of progression of the peer-review system will be directly accessible by authors. The OJS system is particularly useful to authors and reviewers as there is a direct link to PubMed for viewing all related articles on the subject matter.

Submitted manuscripts must be supplied with a covering letter with any additional information that may be helpful to the editor, such as the type or format of article that the manuscript represents. If the manuscript has been submitted previously to another journal, it is helpful to include the previous editor’s and reviewers’ comments with the submitted manuscript, along with the authors’ responses to those comments. Copies of any permission to reproduce published material, to use illustrations or report information about identifiable people, or to name people for their contributions, and any conflict statements must accompany the manuscript.

Statements and opinions expressed in articles and communications in CVJA are those of the authors and not those of the Editor or publisher. The Editor and publisher disclaims any responsibility or liability for such views. Neither the Editor nor the publisher guarantees, warrants or endorses any product or service.

Material submitted for publication in the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa is accepted on condition that it has not been published elsewhere. The management reserves the copyright of the articles published. Aspects of cardiovascular medicine related to Africa will be encouraged.

Authors submitting papers to CVJA should also register as a reviewer as a quid pro quo for authors for reviewers reviewing your submission.

The concept of reviewing is essential for maintaining quality in science publications. It is a voluntary task accepted by the scientific community as being in its overall best interest.

However, some academic institutions give credit to reviewers who do this task for international, PubMed-listed Journals. Should you require confirmation of a review done for the Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, please e-mail Elsabé Burmeister on elsabe@clinicscardive.co.za

For your guidance, the major attributes of our requirements for a review are:

1. To focus on the content of the article not language usage, as this is dealt with by our language editors. However, you may wish to indicate areas requiring improvement.
    
2. To reflect on whether the article content contributes to the development of knowledge about cardiovascular disease. Also whether it has value for the clinicians practicing in Africa and other developing regions.
    
3. To evaluate whether the conclusions made are substantiated by the evidence presented and should be further researched.
    
4. Please indicate your evaluation as required using the grading system where 1 is the highest ranked level; descending to 2,3 4 and 5.