Author Guidelines

General Instructions

The Indian Journal of Mental and Community Health (IJMCH) publishes high-quality peer-reviewed articles in the fields of mental health, psychiatry, psychology, public health, community medicine, epidemiology, behavioural sciences, healthcare policy, and interdisciplinary healthcare research.

Authors should ensure that submitted manuscripts are original, scientifically rigorous, ethically sound, and not under consideration elsewhere.

The journal follows recommendations of biomedical manuscript preparation and ethical publishing standards based on internationally accepted guidelines including ICMJE recommendations and biomedical journal reporting standards.

Manuscript Preparation

Title Page

Full manuscript title
Full names of all authors
Institutional affiliations
Corresponding author details
Email address and ORCID ID (if available)
Running title
Word count

Abstract

Structured abstracts are recommended for original research articles and should include:

Background
Methods
Results
Conclusions

Abstract length should generally be between 200–350 words depending on manuscript category.

Keywords

Provide 3–6 keywords preferably based on MeSH terminology.

Article Structure

Original Research Articles

Introduction
Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
References

Review Articles

Introduction
Methods (if applicable)
Main Review Content
Conclusion
References

Case Reports

Introduction
Case Presentation
Discussion
Conclusion

Letters to the Editor

Letters should generally not exceed 1000 words and may include a maximum of one table or figure.

Formatting Requirements

Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx)
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font
Double-space the manuscript
Number all pages consecutively
Use standard scientific abbreviations
References should follow Vancouver citation style
Tables and figures must be numbered sequentially
Figure legends should be provided separately

Ethical Requirements

Human studies must include ethical committee approval details
Informed consent should be obtained wherever applicable
Patient confidentiality and anonymity must be protected
Clinical trials should include registration details
Authors must disclose conflicts of interest
Funding sources should be clearly mentioned
Plagiarism, fabrication, and duplicate publication are strictly prohibited

Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to follow internationally accepted reporting guidelines:

CONSORT for randomized trials
PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
STROBE for observational studies
CARE guidelines for case reports
MOOSE guidelines for meta-analysis of observational studies

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage Policy

AI tools may be used only for language editing, grammar correction, or formatting assistance.

AI-generated scientific content, fabricated data, manipulated images, plagiarism, or undisclosed AI usage are not permitted.

Authors must disclose AI tool usage during manuscript submission.

Submission Process

Manuscripts may be submitted through the journal submission portal or by email to the editorial office.

Submission Email:
contacteditor@ijmch.in

Submit Manuscript Download Manuscript Template

Peer Review Policy

All submitted manuscripts undergo editorial screening followed by peer review by independent experts in the relevant specialty.

Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, originality, ethical compliance, methodological rigor, and relevance to the journal scope.