Author Guidelines

Folia Medica Indonesiana publishes articles on health and medical sciences. The articles are categorized into original research reports, systematic reviews and/ or meta-analyses, and case series with scoping review discussions. Submitted manuscripts will be considered for publication only if they have not been previously published or submitted in any form, elsewhere. Every submitted manuscript must be accompanied by a certificate from a professional proofreader as a proof that the manuscript has been proofread professionally, and adhering to correct grammatical standards using American English (under 'Other' button in our Editorial Manager. The manuscript must adhere to the structure outlined in the Document Template. The Document Template comprises a Cover Letter, a Title Page, a Checklist, and Manuscript Templates. The corresponding author is required to complete the Authors' Declaration & CTA form, affirming that the manuscript does not include fabricated, falsified, plagiarized text and/or data, that it has not been previously published, nor it is currently under consideration for publication elsewhere; and that all authors have consented to the final version of the manuscript, and have declared conflict of interest, if any, also consented to transfer the copyright of the submitted manuscript to Folia Medica Indonesiana once it has been published. All authors must comply with the most recent version of the "Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals" as established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). The Editorial Board reserves the authority to assess all manuscripts regarding its suitability to the journal's focus and scope, also its compliance to the check-list; failure to abide by the requirements will result in immediate Desk Rejection. Upon successful completion, the manuscript will undergo a double-blind peer review by a minimum of two independent reviewers in a fashion where both the authors and the reviewers are anonymous. A submitted manuscript that has been sent to peer reviewers cannot be withdrawn by the author(s).

Consent to Participate

For studies involving human participants, informed consent must be voluntarily obtained from each individual or, in the case of minors under 16, from a parent or legal guardian. This requirement must be explicitly stated in the manuscript. Additional details can be found in the Authors' Declaration & CTA form. Example statements include: “Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.” or “Written informed consent was secured from the parents.”

Consent to Publish

Participation in a study does not automatically imply consent for data publication. If the manuscript contains any identifiable personal data, such as names, images, or videos, even though it has already been blinded, explicit consent for publication must be obtained from the individual, or from their parents or the legal guardian(s). This requirement is particularly important for case series with scoping review discussions-article type. This form must be submitted under 'Patient Consent for Publication' in our Editorial Manager. When the author(s) does not have the form, they can download it from Patient Consent for Publication.

Article Types

1. Original Research Report

An original research report presents a significant body of laboratory or clinical work, detailing the outcomes of any analytical studies. Authors must confirm within the manuscript that ethical clearance has been obtained for the study and that the research procedures adhere to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The ethical clearance document must be submitted alongside the manuscript under 'Ethical Approval' in our Editorial Manager. The manuscript should not be less than 3,500 words in length. The number of tables and figures should be limited to no more than 5. All references should be cited accordingly, vice versa, to back up the valid argumentations and must not deliberately contain any unnecessary self-citation(s). These references are primarily from the last 10 years before the submission date and can only be cited 3 in a row at maximum. The structure of the manuscript should include the following sections: Abstract, Highlights, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Strength and Limitations, Conclusion, Acknowledgement, Conflict of Interest, Ethical Approval, Funding Disclosure, Author Contribution, Data Availability, and References.

2. Systematic Review and/or Meta Analysis

A systematic review and/or meta-analysis follows a structured and comprehensive approach to identifying, appraising, and synthesizing all relevant studies on a given topic, aiming to minimize bias through a predefined search strategy. Meta-analysis, on the other hand, applies statistical methods to combine results from multiple studies addressing the same research question, acknowledging potential measurement errors in individual studies. Folia Medica Indonesiana accepts high-quality systematic review and/or meta-analysis that following any peer-reviewed methodologies, i.e. PRISMA-SR and Joanna Briggs Institute (JIB) guidelines; a registered systematic review and/or meta-analysis in PROSPERO is highly recommended. The manuscript should be at least 3,500 words in length. The number of tables and figures should be limited to no more than 5. All references should be cited accordingly, vice versa, to back up the valid argumentations and must not deliberately contain any unnecessary self-citation(s). These references are primarily from the last 10 years before the submission date and can only be cited 3 in a row at maximum. The manuscript should be structured as follows: Abstract, Highlights, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Strength and Limitations, Conclusion, Acknowledgement, Conflict of Interest, Funding Disclosure, Author Contribution, Data Availability, and References.

3. Case Series with Scoping Review Discussion

A case series with a scoping review discussion focuses on a rare and/or important of at least 3 clinical cases and must comply with the CARE checklist, and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Authors must confirm that they have obtained written permission from the individuals whose cases are being reported (Patient Consent for Publication) in our Editorial Manager. The manuscript should be at least 3,500 words in length.

The number of tables and figures should be limited to no more than 5. All references should be cited accordingly, vice versa, to back up the valid argumentations and must not deliberately contain any unnecessary self-citation(s). These references are primarily from the last 10 years before the submission date and can only be cited 3 in a row at maximum. The content should be organized into the following sections: Abstract, Highlights, Introduction, Case Series, Scoping Review, Discussion, Strength and Limitations, Conclusion, Acknowledgement, Patient Consent for Publication, Conflict of Interest, Funding Disclosure, Author Contribution, Data Availability, and Reference. The templates of the manuscript can be downloaded here.

Submission and Editorial Process

Submission Preparation Checklist

All submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not being submitted elsewhere. The corresponding author ensures all co-authors approve the submission and publication, and secures any necessary institutional ethical approval (please state the date, the ethical approval number, and the institution issuing the ethical approval in the Ethical Approval section of each original research report-article type). Authors must comply with the journal's guidelines and submit the files in Word format (.doc, .docx, .rtf) under 'Manuscript'; while separately submit 'Title Page', 'Checklist', 'Authors' Declaration & CTA', 'Ethical Approval' (Original Research Report) or 'Patient Consent for Publication' (Case Series and Scoping Review Discussion), 'Dataset', and 'Others' (i.e. Data Availability statement, if any) in our Editorial Manager.

Online Submission

A manuscript must be submitted by the corresponding author via Editorial Manager by following the provided instructions. The corresponding author is responsible for the manuscript correspondence throughout the submission and peer-review process. If technical difficulties persist, the corresponding author should contact fmi@journal.unair.ac.id for assistance.

Initial Evaluation

All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial assessment by the Assistant Editor for the compliance to our checklist prior to the compliance with our focus and scope by the Editor-in-Chief. Further details can be found in Desk Rejection.

Peer Review

Upon successful completion, the manuscript will undergo a double-blind peer review by a minimum of two independent reviewers in a fashion where both the authors and the reviewers are anonymous. If deemed suitable by the Editorial Board, the manuscript will be sent to peer reviewers. A submitted manuscript that has been sent to peer reviewers cannot be withdrawn by the author(s). The final acceptance or rejection decision is based on reviewer recommendations and is determined by the Editorial Board. In certain cases, the board may seek external expert opinions, particularly for manuscripts involving ethical concerns, security issues, biosecurity risks, and/or society implications. This process may involve additional expert consultation or specialized reviewers. The process of a submitted manuscript follows the flowchart diagram shown below.

Flowchart diagram & legend

After Acceptance

Once the manuscript has been accepted, it will undergo the layout then the proofreading step. The author(s) must respond in the assigned time (check the above diagram).

Referencing Style

All references should be cited accordingly, vice versa, to back up the valid argumentations and must not deliberately contain any unnecessary self-citation(s). These references are primarily from the last 10 years before the submission date and can only be cited 3 in a row at maximum. Italicize all non-English words, define any abbreviations at first mention, and use a period (.) for decimals. If any, the author(s) must cite all software(s) used, i.e. any statistics (i.e., SPSS, etc.) and study design software(s) (i.e., PRISMA-SR, PRISMA-ScR, etc.). All guideline(s), materials, and methods must also be cited accordingly. These include the series number of the software(s) and/or the year of the guideline(s), etc. Further details can be seen in the Manuscript Templates.