Author Guidelines

1. General Information

Mallomo Journal of Health (MJH) is a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal published by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidenreng Rappang, Indonesia.

MJH welcomes original and high-quality scholarly manuscripts in the fields of public health, health administration, health policy and management, health services, health information systems and health informatics, health promotion, and other related areas of health sciences.

All manuscripts submitted to MJH must:

  1. Be original and have not been published previously or be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
  2. Be written in clear and academically appropriate English.
  3. Be relevant to the focus and scope of the journal.
  4. Follow the MJH Article Template.
  5. Comply with appropriate ethical standards and reporting guidelines.
  6. Be submitted electronically through the MJH Online Journal System (OJS).

Submission of a manuscript implies that all authors have approved the manuscript and agree with its submission to Mallomo Journal of Health.

2. Types of Manuscripts

MJH accepts the following types of manuscripts:

Original Research Article

Original Research Articles report results from quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, experimental, observational, implementation, health services, health policy, or other relevant health research.

Recommended length: 3,500–6,000 words, excluding abstract, tables, figures, and references.

The manuscript should generally contain:

Introduction – Methods – Results – Discussion – Conclusion

Review Article

Review Articles provide a critical and systematic synthesis of existing evidence relevant to the scope of MJH.

MJH accepts, among others:

  • Systematic Reviews
  • Meta-Analyses
  • Scoping Reviews
  • Integrative Reviews
  • Narrative Reviews with a clearly described methodology

Recommended length: 4,000–7,000 words.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should follow the appropriate PRISMA reporting guideline.

Case Study / Case Report

Case Studies report important experiences, interventions, organizational practices, health service innovations, policy implementation, public health programs, or clinically relevant cases that provide meaningful lessons for health research or practice.

Recommended length: 2,500–4,000 words.

Clinical case reports should follow the CARE reporting guideline.

3. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared using the official Mallomo Journal of Health Article Template.

Authors should not make unnecessary changes to the journal template.

The manuscript should be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx) format.

3.1 Title

The title should:

  • Be concise, specific, and informative.
  • Clearly reflect the main subject of the study.
  • Preferably contain no more than 20 words.
  • Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.
  • Avoid overly broad or promotional statements.

The title should be written in English.

3.2 Author Names and Affiliations

Authors should provide:

  • Full name of each author.
  • Institutional affiliation.
  • Department or study program, where applicable.
  • Faculty or organizational unit.
  • Institution.
  • City and country.
  • Email address of the corresponding author.
  • ORCID iD, whenever available.

One author must be designated as the corresponding author.

The order of authors should reflect their agreed contribution to the work.

4. Double-Anonymized Peer Review Preparation

Mallomo Journal of Health applies a double-anonymized peer-review process.

For initial submission, authors should prepare:

File 1 – Title Page

Containing:

  • Article title
  • Full names of all authors
  • Affiliations
  • Corresponding author information
  • ORCID iDs
  • Acknowledgements, where applicable
  • Funding information
  • Conflict of interest declaration

File 2 – Blinded Manuscript

The blinded manuscript must not contain information that directly identifies the authors or their institutions where such information would reveal authorship.

Authors should also check document properties and file metadata to remove identifying information before submission.

5. Abstract

Original Research Articles should contain an abstract of approximately 150–250 words.

For original research, a structured abstract is recommended using:

Background: Briefly describe the research problem or context.

Objective: State the main objective of the study.

Methods: Describe the study design, setting, participants/sample, data collection, and analysis.

Results: Present the principal findings, including important numerical results where appropriate.

Conclusion: Present the main conclusion and implications.

The abstract should:

  • Be understandable without referring to the main text.
  • Not contain citations.
  • Avoid undefined abbreviations.
  • Accurately represent the findings reported in the manuscript.

6. Keywords

Provide 3–6 keywords immediately below the abstract.

Keywords should:

  • Represent the main concepts of the manuscript.
  • Be specific and relevant.
  • Preferably use internationally recognized terminology, including Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) where appropriate.

Separate keywords using semicolons.

7. Main Manuscript Structure

7.1 Introduction

The Introduction should explain:

  • Background of the study.
  • Current state of knowledge.
  • Relevant previous research.
  • Research problem.
  • Knowledge or practice gap.
  • Rationale for conducting the study.
  • Research objective or research question.

The final paragraph of the Introduction should clearly state the objective of the study.

The Introduction should not contain an unnecessarily extensive literature review.

8. Methods

The Methods section should provide sufficient information to enable readers to understand and, where appropriate, replicate the study.

Depending on the study design, authors should describe:

Study Design and Setting

State the research design, location, setting, and study period.

Population and Sample

Describe:

  • Target population.
  • Study population.
  • Sample size.
  • Sample size calculation, where applicable.
  • Sampling method.
  • Inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Variables and Measurements

Clearly define major variables, outcomes, exposures, or constructs used in the study.

Instruments

Describe:

  • Data collection instruments.
  • Development or adaptation of instruments.
  • Validity and reliability, where appropriate.

Data Collection

Describe the data collection procedures in sufficient detail.

Data Analysis

For quantitative studies, state:

  • Statistical software.
  • Statistical tests.
  • Measures of association/effect.
  • Confidence intervals, where appropriate.
  • Significance level.

For qualitative studies, explain:

  • Analytical approach.
  • Coding process.
  • Development of categories or themes.
  • Procedures used to enhance research credibility or trustworthiness.

Ethical Considerations

Research involving human participants must provide information concerning:

  • Name of the institutional ethics committee or review board.
  • Ethical approval/reference number.
  • Informed consent process, where applicable.

Studies involving animals must comply with recognized animal research ethics requirements.

9. Results

Results should be presented clearly, logically, and objectively.

Authors should:

  • Present findings according to the study objectives.
  • Avoid unnecessary duplication between text, tables, and figures.
  • Report appropriate statistical measures.
  • Report confidence intervals where relevant.
  • Present exact p values where appropriate rather than only stating “significant” or “not significant.”

Tables and figures should complement rather than duplicate the text.

10. Discussion

The Discussion should interpret the findings rather than merely repeat the Results.

Authors should address:

  • Principal findings.
  • Interpretation of findings.
  • Comparison with previous studies.
  • Possible explanations for similarities or differences.
  • Implications for health policy, management, services, practice, or future research.
  • Strengths and limitations of the study.

Claims should be supported by appropriate evidence.

Authors should avoid conclusions that extend beyond the data obtained in the study.

11. Conclusion

The Conclusion should:

  • Directly answer the research objective.
  • Be concise.
  • Reflect the main findings of the study.
  • Avoid introducing new results or references.
  • Include relevant practical, managerial, policy, or research implications where appropriate.

12. Tables

Tables should:

  • Be numbered consecutively as Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, etc.
  • Have a concise and descriptive title.
  • Be referred to in the main text.
  • Be editable rather than inserted as images.
  • Avoid unnecessary vertical or decorative lines.
  • Define all abbreviations in table notes.

Example:

Table 1. Characteristics of Study Participants

Each table should be understandable without extensive reference to the main text.

13. Figures

Figures should:

  • Be numbered consecutively.
  • Be cited in the manuscript.
  • Have a clear caption.
  • Be of sufficient resolution for publication.
  • Not contain unnecessary decorative elements.

Where possible, figures should have a minimum resolution of approximately 300 dpi.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures or images.

14. Reporting Guidelines

Authors are expected to follow internationally recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design.

Examples include:

Study Design Recommended Guideline
Randomized controlled trial CONSORT
Observational study STROBE
Systematic review/meta-analysis PRISMA
Study protocol SPIRIT / PRISMA-P
Qualitative research COREQ / SRQR
Case report CARE
Diagnostic accuracy study STARD
Prediction model study TRIPOD
Economic evaluation CHEERS
Quality improvement study SQUIRE
Animal research ARRIVE

EQUATOR describes reporting guidelines as structured tools designed to ensure that research reports contain the minimum information necessary for readers to understand, evaluate, replicate, and use the research.

Authors may be requested to submit the appropriate reporting checklist during manuscript submission.

15. Declarations

Before the References section, manuscripts should include the following declarations where applicable.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledge individuals or organizations that contributed to the research but do not meet authorship criteria.

If none:

Acknowledgements: None.

Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support.

Example:

Funding: This research received no external funding.

or:

Funding: This study was supported by [Funding Agency], Grant No. [XXXX].

Author Contributions

Authors should specify their individual contributions.

The CRediT taxonomy is recommended where appropriate.

Example:

Conceptualization: A.A. and B.B.; Methodology: A.A.; Data Collection: B.B. and C.C.; Formal Analysis: A.A.; Writing—Original Draft: A.A.; Writing—Review & Editing: A.A., B.B., and C.C.; Supervision: C.C.

Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose financial or non-financial conflicts of interest.

If none:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

Example:

Ethical Approval: This study was approved by the [Name of Ethics Committee], approval number [XXXX], dated [date].

Informed Consent

Where applicable:

Informed Consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in the study.

Data Availability

Authors should indicate whether the data underlying the study are available.

Examples:

Data Availability: The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

or provide the relevant repository information.

16. Authorship

Authorship should be limited to individuals who have made substantial scholarly contributions to the work and who can take responsibility for the published content.

All listed authors must approve:

  • The final manuscript.
  • The order of authorship.
  • Submission to Mallomo Journal of Health.
  • The final version to be published.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately.

17. Use of Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Technologies

Authors must disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies in preparing a manuscript.

AI tools, chatbots, and large language models cannot be listed as authors.

Where AI-assisted technologies have been used, authors should disclose:

  • Name of the tool.
  • Purpose of use.
  • Nature and extent of its use.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

  • Accuracy.
  • Originality.
  • Integrity.
  • References and citations.
  • Absence of plagiarism.
  • Protection of confidential information.

ICMJE's 2026 recommendations specifically require disclosure of AI-assisted technology used in manuscript production and state that AI systems cannot qualify for authorship because they cannot assume responsibility for the work.

Example disclosure:

Use of AI-Assisted Technologies: The authors used [name/version of tool] solely for language editing and grammatical improvement. All AI-assisted content was reviewed and verified by the authors, who take full responsibility for the final manuscript.

If AI was not used, MJH may request:

Use of AI-Assisted Technologies: The authors declare that no generative AI or AI-assisted technology was used to generate scientific content in this manuscript.

18. References

MJH uses the APA Style, 7th Edition.

Authors should ensure that:

  • References are accurate and complete.
  • Every reference cited in the text appears in the reference list.
  • Every reference in the reference list is cited in the text.
  • DOI information is included whenever available.
  • Primary and recent scientific sources are prioritized.
  • Retracted articles should not be cited unless the retraction itself is the subject of discussion.

Reference management software such as Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote is strongly recommended.

Journal Article

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2026). Title of the article. Journal Name, 10(2), 100–110. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx

Book

Author, A. A. (2025). Title of the book. Publisher.

Organization Report

World Health Organization. (2025). Title of report. World Health Organization.

19. Research Integrity and Plagiarism

All submissions may undergo similarity screening before or during the editorial process.

Authors must ensure that the manuscript:

  • Is original.
  • Does not contain plagiarism.
  • Does not contain fabricated or falsified data.
  • Has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal.
  • Properly acknowledges the work of others.

MJH does not determine publication decisions solely from a numerical similarity percentage. Similarity reports are evaluated contextually by the editorial team.

Suspected research misconduct will be handled according to established publication ethics procedures.

20. Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible and recognized clinical trial registry in accordance with applicable international standards.

Where applicable, the registration number should be included in the manuscript.

21. Submission Process

Authors should submit manuscripts electronically through the Mallomo Journal of Health Online Journal System (OJS).

Authors are responsible for completing all required metadata accurately, including:

  • Full article title.
  • Abstract.
  • Keywords.
  • Full names of all authors.
  • Institutional affiliations.
  • Email addresses.
  • ORCID iDs where available.
  • References.
  • Funding information.

Metadata entered into OJS should be consistent with the uploaded manuscript.

22. Submission Checklist

Before submitting the manuscript, authors should ensure that:

  • The manuscript is within the Focus and Scope of MJH.
  • The manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.
  • The manuscript is written in English.
  • The official MJH template has been used.
  • A separate Title Page has been prepared.
  • The review manuscript has been anonymized.
  • The abstract contains 150–250 words.
  • Three to six keywords have been provided.
  • Tables and figures are numbered and cited correctly.
  • Appropriate reporting guidelines have been followed.
  • Ethical approval has been reported where applicable.
  • Funding and conflicts of interest have been declared.
  • Author contributions have been stated.
  • Data availability has been declared.
  • AI-assisted technology use has been disclosed where applicable.
  • References follow APA 7th Edition.
  • DOI information has been added to references whenever available.
  • All authors have approved the final manuscript and its submission.