Instructions to Authors

The journal will consider for publication original papers, case reports, reviews and letters to the editor, contributed solely to the Middle East Fertility Society Journal, and limited to the fields of:
Infertility, clinical endocrinology, assisted reproductive technology, genetics, endoscopic surgery, andrology, animal research in the field of human reproduction, menopause and hormone replacement therapy, physiology, immunology in relation to human reproduction, surgery of infertility, fertilization, embryology and early pregnancy.

It is a condition of publication that the authors transfer the world copyright of their manuscripts to the society. All manuscripts should therefore be accompanied by a signed statement that the article is original, is not under consideration or has not been previously published in another journal. Authors will normally be entitled to publish any part of their paper elsewhere provided permission is requested and the usual acknowledgments are given. The assignment of the copyright will not affect subsisting patent rights or arrangements relating to them.
Illustrations, tables or quotations from other publications are already copyrighted and can be reproduced only with written permission from the copyright owner. Written permission to use these should accompany the manuscript.

The intellectual content of the paper is the responsibility of the authors. The editor and the publisher accept no responsibility for opinions and statements of authors. While every effort will be made by the editor and publisher to avoid inaccurate and misleading data, they accept no liability whatsoever for the consequences of wrong information.

Authors should submit three copies of their manuscript and three sets of original illustrations and retain a copy for reference. The manuscript should clearly designate one author as correspondent to whom proofs will also be sent, and the full postal address, telephone number and facsimile number of this individual should be given.

Manuscripts should be addressed to: Mohamed A. Aboulghar, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, 10 Geziret El Arab St., Mohandessin, Cairo 12411, Egypt. Fax: (202) 3383049

Preparation of Manuscript
Manuscripts should be typed on white bond paper, 216 X 279 mm, or ISO A4 (212 X 297 mm), with margins of at least 25 mm. Type only on one side of the paper. Use double-spacing throughout, including title page, abstract, text, acknowledgments, references, tables, and legends for illustrations. Begin each of the following sections on separate pages: title page, abstract and key words, text, acknowledgments, references, individual tables, and legends. Number pages consecutively, beginning with the title page. Type the page number in the upper or lower right-hand corner of each page.

The title page should carry (a) the title of the article, which should be concise but informative; (b) first name, middle initial, and last name of each author, with highest academic degree(s) and institutional affiliation; (c) name of department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed; (d) disclaimers, if any; (e) name and address of author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript; (f) name and address of author to whom requests for reprints should be addressed or statement that reprints will not be available from the author; (g) source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these; and (h) a short running head or foot line of no more than 40 characters (count letters and spaces) placed at the foot of the title page and identified.

The second page should carry a structured abstract of no more than 250 words. The abstract should state the study objective, design, setting, subjects, interventions, main outcome measures, results and conclusions. Below the abstract provide, and identify as such, 3 to 10 key words or short phrases.

The text should be divided into sections with the headings Introduction, Materials & Methods, Results, and Discussion.

Units of Measurement. Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples. Temperatures should be given in degrees Celsius. All hematologic and clinical chemistry measurements should be reported in the metric system in conventional units. If values are presented in SI units, the conversion factor must be included.

Statistics: When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols.

Abbreviations and Symbols: Use only standard abbreviations.

References

Number references consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. References appearing for the first time in tables and figures must be numbered in sequence with those cited in the text where the table or figure is mentioned. References are identified by Arabic numerals in parentheses.

References must be verified by the author(s) against the original documents. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Examples of correct forms of references are given below.

1. Journal article
You CH, Lee KY, Chey RY, Menguy R. Electrogastrographic study of patients with unexplained nausea, bloating and vomiting. Gastroenterology 1980;79:311-4.

Goate AM, Haynes AR, Owen MJ. Farrall M, James LA, Lai LY, et al. Predisposing locus for Alzheimer's disease on chromosome 21. Lancet 1989;1:352-5.

2. Supplement
Gardos G, Cole JO, Haskell D, Marby D, Paine SS, Moore P. The natural history of tardive dyskinesia. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1988;8(4 Suppl):31S-37S.

3. Chapter in a book
Weinstein L, Swartz MN. Pathologic properties of invading microorganisms. In: Sodeman WA Jr, Sodeman WA, editors. Pathologic physiology: mechanisms of disease. Philadelphia: Saunders, 1974:457-72.

4. Unpublished material
Lillywhite HB, Donald JA. Pulmonary blood flow regulation in an aquatic snake. Science. In press.

Tables, Illustrations, and Legends

Tables. Should be typed, double-spaced on separate pages. titled and numbered in Arabic numerals in the order of their first citation in the text. Do not submit tables as photographs. Give each column a short heading. Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading.

Illustrations. Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed; freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Figures should be unmounted, clear glossy prints not to exceed 127 X 173 mm. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations, not on the illustrations themselves. Each figure should have an adhesive label attached to the back of the illustration designating top the first author's name, and number of the figure. A minimum of two sets of illustrations should be submitted. There is a page charge for colored photographs.

Legends. Type legends double-spaced in consecutive order on a separate page.

Case Report and Short Communications

Manuscripts should be limited to three double - spaced typewritten pages, a maximum of four references, and one illustration.

Letters to the editor

This section of the journal is set aside for critical comment directed to a specific article that has recently been published in the journal. Letters should be brief (400 words), double spaced, and limited to a maximum of 5 citations. The letters and replies should be prepared according to journal format.

Editorial

Brief manuscripts written in editorial fashion on current social, political, and medical issues pertinent to reproductive medicine. The manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, 1,000 to 1,500 words, and a maximum of four references.

Proofs and Reprints

Proofs must be returned within 3 days of receipt; major alterations will not be accepted. Twenty-five offprints of the paper will be supplied to the first or corresponding author. Additional reprints may be ordered by filling a special form that accompanies proofs.