The African Journal of Medical Research (JARM) is a quarterly scientific journal that publishes original research articles, review papers, clinical observations, and analyses covering all fields of biomedical sciences.

Its deliberately multidisciplinary readership includes university faculty, physicians and paramedical professionals. This diversity directly reflects the breadth and richness of topics addressed in JARM publications.

Particular attention is given to clinical and basic research, especially - but not exclusively - studies carried out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries.

All manuscripts submitted to JARM undergo peer review and are selected on the basis of scientific quality and relevance.

The journal

The editorial board of JARM is committed to providing authors and reviewers with all information required for manuscript preparation, assessment, and publication.

It maintains full editorial independence to avoid any conflict of interest, whether scientific or financial. It is also committed to continuously improving scientific quality to ensure dissemination of reliable research findings and relevant health information.

JARM rigorously safeguards the academic quality of the work it publishes.

As an independent journal, it relies on a collaborative scientific network and experts from diverse academic and professional backgrounds.

Published articles support academic recognition and promotion of teacher-researchers in their respective contexts, including regional evaluation systems such as CAMES.

The review committee is composed of members from a wide range of national and international institutions.

The lead author serves as the corresponding author. To avoid disputes from co-authors whose opinion may not have been sought at submission, each co-author receives a copy of the acknowledgment receipt (email addresses of all co-authors are now mandatory). Only co-authors who notify the journal in writing of their disagreement will be excluded from the final version published in JARM. At submission, the lead author and co-authors certify their participation in study design, results analysis, or manuscript writing.

Manuscripts must be original and must not have been submitted simultaneously to another scientific journal.

The editorial board evaluates scientific quality, manuscript relevance, and absence of plagiarism before assigning reviewers.

It reserves the right to reject any manuscript that does not comply with editorial requirements.

Reasons for rejection or requests for revision are communicated to the corresponding author.

Final reviewer selection remains the exclusive responsibility of the editorial board.

All manuscripts submitted to JARM are systematically screened using anti-plagiarism software.

When plagiarism is detected, COPE recommendations are applied. The level of plagiarism is assessed and, depending on severity, the following measures may apply:

• You and your co-authors receive an email informing you of detected plagiarism and its nature. You are asked to correct the manuscript according to good scientific practice.
• If plagiarism is detected in a subsequent submission, it will be rejected without possibility of revision. This decision applies to all authors of the initial manuscript.
• In cases of major plagiarism, and depending on the assessment of author intent, the submission will be rejected and affiliated institutions may be informed. JARM also reserves the right to refuse any new submission from the lead author and possibly co-authors for up to five years.

These provisions also apply to duplicate publication, self-plagiarism, and any data-related misconduct (fabrication, manipulation, or falsification).

If an article containing erroneous or biased data has been published, an erratum will be issued in a subsequent issue to inform readers.

The JARM review committee is composed of volunteer scientific experts from the international scientific community across all health-related domains.

Reviewers sign a charter specifying their obligations in manuscript assessment. They are invited to provide useful recommendations and to review revised versions when necessary.

Author anonymity is maintained vis-a-vis reviewers in order to avoid conflicts of interest.

JARM reserves the right to require authors to disclose funding sources in order to prevent conflicts of interest related to funding or affiliation.

The editorial board ensures that manuscripts are not sent to reviewers who contributed to manuscript writing or funding. Authors may acknowledge such collaborations in the acknowledgments section.

The editorial board carefully reviews all criticism and complaints it receives.

If authors consider reviewer decisions unjustified, they may refer the case to the journal's arbitration body, whose decision is final.

The editorial board also considers suggestions from reviewers or any third party to improve JARM quality.

To ensure confidentiality of the process, authors remain anonymous to reviewers, and vice versa.

The editorial board, under the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief, is tasked with resolving possible disputes between authors, readers, and the journal.

The African Journal of Medical Research (JARM) applies a rigorous, structured, and independent peer-review process to ensure the scientific quality, methodological validity, and relevance of published work.

Type of Review

The journal uses a double-blind peer review system, in which neither the authors nor the reviewers are aware of each other's identities. This approach ensures impartiality and minimizes bias.

Editorial Process Steps

1. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts are submitted through the journal’s platform and must comply with the author guidelines, including structure, formatting, and Vancouver referencing style.

2. Initial Editorial Screening

The editorial team performs a preliminary assessment to verify:

• compliance with journal requirements;
• relevance to the journal’s scope;
• minimum writing quality;
• absence of plagiarism or inappropriate content.

At this stage, a manuscript may be rejected without external review if it does not meet basic criteria.

3. Assignment to an Editor

The manuscript is assigned to an Associate Editor or Section Editor, who oversees the entire review process.

4. Selection of Reviewers

The manuscript is sent to at least two independent reviewers with expertise in the relevant field. Reviewers are selected based on their scientific expertise and absence of conflicts of interest.

5. Scientific Evaluation

Reviewers assess the manuscript based on the following criteria:

• originality and scientific relevance;
• methodological rigor;
• validity of results;
• quality of discussion;
• clarity and quality of writing;
• appropriateness of references.

Each reviewer submits a detailed report with recommendations.

6. Editorial Decision

Based on the reviewers’ reports, the handling editor makes a decision:

• acceptance without revision;
• acceptance with minor revisions;
• major revisions required;
• rejection.

7. Author Revision

If revisions are requested, authors must:

• revise the manuscript according to reviewers’ comments;
• provide a detailed response to reviewers;
• justify any changes or lack of changes.

8. Final Validation

The revised manuscript is evaluated by the editor and, if necessary, returned to reviewers for further validation before a final decision is made.

9. Acceptance and Publication

Once accepted, the manuscript undergoes:

• editorial formatting;
• final proofreading;
• PDF production;
• online publication.

Review Timeline

The average review time ranges between 2 to 6 weeks, depending on reviewer availability and manuscript complexity.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts are treated with strict confidentiality. Information contained in submissions must not be used for personal purposes by reviewers or editors.

Conflict of Interest

Reviewers and editors must disclose any potential conflicts of interest. In such cases, they must withdraw from the review process.

Publication Ethics

The journal adheres to international standards of publication ethics. Any suspicion of plagiarism, data fabrication, or misconduct will lead to thorough investigation and may result in rejection or retraction after publication.

JARM encourages authors to submit manuscripts through its online platform. Articles may also be sent by email or postal mail to the editorial office.

Author instructions and platform user guides are available online and regularly updated.

A letter signed by all authors must accompany each submission, specifying each contribution and confirming that the manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.

Submission of an article automatically entails transfer of copyright.

The entire evaluation process is double-blind: authors do not know reviewer identities, and vice versa.

JARM does not charge any fee, neither at submission nor after article acceptance.

Manuscripts may be submitted in French or English in accordance with Vancouver recommendations (https://www.icmje.org). They must correspond to one of the following categories:

Original article

Presents results from clinical or experimental research (<= 5000 words, 30 references, 5 figures/tables).

Structure: title (French and English), authors, abstract (French and English), keywords, text, conflict of interest, contributions, acknowledgments, references.

Text sections: introduction, methods, results, discussion.

Authors are encouraged to consult: STROBE, CONSORT, PRISMA, SQUIRE, STARD, SPIRIT, COREQ, and SAMPL.

Case report

This type of article reports one or more original, well-documented clinical observations of educational value. It must not exceed 2000 words, 10 references, and 2 tables and/or figures.

The introduction should remain concise and highlight the case relevance, with reference to case-report recommendations such as CARE.

The discussion should be brief and focused on novel findings. A comprehensive literature review is not recommended.

The number of authors is limited to five.

Structure: title (French and English); lead author and co-authors with contact details, clearly identifying the corresponding author; abstract (French and English, max 250 words); keywords (French and English, max 3); main text in French or English; conflict of interest statement; author contributions; acknowledgments; references.

Main text sections: introduction, methods (optional), observation, discussion.

Editorial

An editorial addresses a current issue in medicine. Maximum: 1500 words, up to 15 references, and 2 tables and/or figures.

General review / Update

A review article may be commissioned by the Editor-in-Chief from domain experts, or proposed by them. It aims to provide an in-depth analysis of recent advances on the topic.

Except for a few key references, cited literature should mainly come from the past five years.

Maximum length: 10,000 words and 100 references.

Structure: title (French and English); lead author and co-authors with affiliations and contacts, clearly identifying the corresponding author; abstract (French and English); keywords (French and English); main text in French or English; conflict of interest statement; author contributions; acknowledgments; references.

Text organization: introduction, structured development in multiple sections, conclusion.

Short communication

This format presents relevant original results in concise form when a full original article is not required.

A maximum 50-word abstract is required.

The manuscript must not exceed 1000 words, 5 references, and 2 tables and/or figures.

The number of authors is limited to five.

In this format, introduction, methods, results, and discussion are grouped in a single section, which may still be divided into paragraphs.

Letter to the editor

This format allows comments on an article previously published in the journal.

Maximum: 1000 words and 5 references.

Maximum of three authors.

Technical note

A technical note provides critical analysis of new medical equipment, a new measurement method, or reports technical incidents.

Maximum: 3000 words, up to 20 references, and 4 tables and/or figures.

The number of authors is limited to five.

Structure: title (French and English); lead author and co-authors with contact details and corresponding author identification; abstract (French and English); keywords (French and English); main text; conflict of interest statement; author contributions; acknowledgments; references.

Main text sections: introduction, multi-point development, conclusion.

Original articles must be organized as follows:

1. Title (French and English)
2. Author names with professional affiliations
3. Identification of corresponding author
4. Summary (English: context/objective, methods, results, conclusion)
5. Abstract (context/objective, methods, results, conclusion)
6. Keywords (maximum 5)
7. Introduction
8. Methods (including ethics considerations)
9. Results
10. Discussion
11. Conflict of interest statement
12. Author contributions
13. Acknowledgments
14. References

Article title

The title must be concise, in French and English, without abbreviations, and must accurately reflect study content. It should not exceed 20 words.

Author names and current affiliations

Names must be written in full starting with first name followed by post-name and family name. Examples: Jerome Kano Badhoka1, David Tasema Azako1,2 or Jerome K. Badhoka1, David T. Azako1,2. Each name is followed by one or more superscript numbers corresponding to professional affiliations and email addresses.

Example:

1. Pediatrics Department, Pediatric Nephrology Unit, Cliniques Universitaires de l'Uele, DR Congo.
2. Anatomopathology Department, Immunohistochemistry Unit, Cliniques Universitaires de l'Uele, DR Congo.

An author is any person who contributed to at least one of the following stages: study design, experimental procedures, data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation of results, manuscript writing, or manuscript revision.

Corresponding author

The corresponding author manages all exchanges related to the article. Complete contact information must be provided: name, institution, professional address, phone number, and email.

Example: Nestor Bala Nassuru
Surgery Department, Cliniques Universitaires de l'Uele, DR Congo
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3378-5789
Tel. (+243) 817337918
Email: nassurubala@gmail.com
or nestor.nassuru@uniuele.ac.cd

Abstract

The abstract of an original article must include: context and objectives, methods, results, and conclusion.

Keywords

A maximum of five keywords, listed alphabetically, must be provided to facilitate indexing.

Text

The manuscript body is structured as: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion.

Ethical considerations: authors must comply with international standards such as the Declaration of Helsinki, ensure respect for patients, preserve data confidentiality, and obtain prior approval from a recognized ethics committee.

Writing style must be clear, precise, and concise, without excessive unnecessary jargon. Use of French terminology is recommended when available and appropriate.

Verb tense: past events should be reported in past tenses, especially in methods, results, and clinical observation sections.

Author citations: names should be used sparingly to avoid overloading the text.

Abbreviations: introduce abbreviations in parentheses after the first full-term occurrence.

Numbers: outside numerical results, numbers should be written in words.

Latin nomenclature: scientific names are written in italics, with a capital letter for the genus and lowercase for the species. Example: Salmonella typhi. In subsequent mentions, the genus may be abbreviated.

Conflict of interest

Every submission must include a conflict-of-interest statement. A conflict exists when an author has financial or personal relationships likely to influence scientific judgment, including financial interests, participation in clinical trials, occasional collaborations, or family ties.

Author contributions

Each publication must be signed by one or more authors assuming responsibility for the content. Authors must have contributed to study design and/or data collection, data analysis or interpretation, writing or revision, and final approval.

References

Only relevant references should be retained. References are numbered in Arabic numerals in order of appearance in the text.

For journal articles: author name and initials, article title, full or abbreviated journal name in italics (Index Medicus, Medline, or PubMed), publication year, volume number in bold, and full page range.

If there are six authors or fewer, list all. If seven or more, list the first six followed by "et al." in italics.

For books: authors, book title, publisher, city, year.

For book chapters: authors, chapter title, book title preceded by "In", editor, publisher, city, year, page range.

References to personal communications, theses, course materials, or unpublished manuscripts are not accepted in the reference list; they may only be cited in parentheses in the text.

Accepted but not yet published articles should follow Medline format and include DOI where possible.

Example:

Journal article reference:

Mutanda DB. Armed conflicts in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo: a persistent humanitarian and health crisis. Ann. Afr Med. 2026; 19 (3): 84-89

Mutanda DB, Kalombo TT, Badhoka JK, Komba EL, Kisende EA. Cyclopia with proboscis, a rare congenital anomaly: a case report. Ann. Afr Med. 2025; 19 (1): e6780-e6784. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/aamed.v19i1.21

Mutanda DB, Mabala FK, Kiza J, Ramazani SY, Mulumba GM, Kapoya GN et al. Severe recurrent hypoglycemia revealing metastatic colorectal cancer with massive liver involvement in a resource-limited setting: suspected IGF-2 (NICTH) paraneoplastic syndrome: a fatal case report. Ann. Afr Med. 2026; 19 (3): 123-132

Book reference:

Campbell JM, Machin D. Medical Statistics: a common sense approach. 2nd ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1993.

Tables

Tables should preferably be created in Microsoft Word. They are numbered in Arabic numerals and accompanied by a concise title and, when necessary, an explanatory legend below the table.

Figure legends

Each legend must be detailed enough to allow figure understanding without referring to the main text. Methods should be described in the corresponding Methods section, except for specific techniques that may be briefly noted. All symbols and abbreviations must be explained.

Figures

Figures (graphs, diagrams, photographs) are numbered in Arabic numerals. Units must be specified in the legend. Illustrations must be high quality and produced with appropriate tools. Reproduction of figures from other work requires written permission from the original authors and publisher.

The journal strongly encourages application of Vancouver recommendations, available on the official website, to promote rigorous, transparent, reproducible, and unbiased scientific publishing.

Scientific units

All scientific measurements, except blood pressure (mm Hg), must be reported in SI units.

Permission to reproduce borrowed material

Written permission to reproduce borrowed material (illustrations, tables, and figures) must be obtained from original publishers and authors and attached to the manuscript. Borrowed material must be cited in figure/table legends.

The editorial board