Submission Guidelines for Authors
General
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Quality Improvement in Health Care (QIH) will give to contribute to the improvement of the quality of care by facilitating the academic knowledge exchange for continuous quality management and patient safety in healthcare . This is an official journal published by Korean Society for Quality in Health Care.
Manuscripts types include Original Articles, Reviews, Case Reports, Editorial, and Letter to the Editor. Other types of manuscripts will be considered subject to review by the editorial board. The journal is issued twice per year on the last day of the June and December.
Ethical guidelines for research and publication
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All work must conform to the ethical guidelines specified on Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (http://www.icmje.org/) issued by the International Committee for Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Our guidelines should be read in conjunction with this broader guidance.
In general, manuscripts containing content that was previously published in other journals will not be considered. Manuscripts may not be submitted simultaneously to any other journal. However, in cases in which manuscripts are to be submitted to other journals whose primary language and readership are different from those of the current journal, a duplicate publication might be permitted by both parties, together with suitable disclosure. This is permitted in cases which fulfill the criteria specified in Annals of Internal Medicine (Ann Intern Med 1997;126:36-47).
With regard to all matters associated with research ethics, such as ethical guidelines and plagiarism/duplicate publication/scientific misconduct, the review and processing procedures are based on ‘Good Publication Practice Guidelines for Medical Journals’ (http://kamje.or.kr/publishing_ethics.html) and ‘Guidelines on Good Publication’ (http://www.publicationethics.org.uk/guidelines).
Disclosure of conflict of interest
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Financial and material support should be disclosed in the acknowledgements. Any outside financial support associated with the study, including stocks or consultation fees, should be disclosed on the transfer of copyright form. This form must be signed by all the authors.
Submission of manuscripts
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All cover letters, checklists, manuscripts, figures and tables should be submitted through the on-line submission system (https://acoms1.kisti.re.kr/kosqa) of Korean Society for Quality in Health Care (www.kosqua.net). In general, manuscripts should be submitted by the corresponding author, but submission by co-authors can be permitted. The cover letter should state that the manuscript contains the authors’ original work. If full or partial results described in this manuscript were previously published or reported in other journals or reports, then the authors should disclose this and provide details.
Following acceptance for publication, a copyright transfer agreement should be submitted, via mail or email, to:
- Korean Society for Quality in Health Care
- 100-846 508 Eulji-Building, 12 Euljiro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
- email: kosquasig@empas.com
Review process
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All manuscripts submitted are reviewed and edited through the on-line submission system (https://acoms1.kisti.re.kr/kosqa) of Korean Society for Quality in Health Care (www.kosqua.net). Submission and reviewing instructions, troubleshooting and questions regarding the review process and related matters can be found on the on-line system.
Submitted manuscripts are reviewed by three members of the editorial board and outside specialists in the relevant fields.
If the editorial board determines that a manuscript is suitable for publication, it recommends appropriate revisions and corrections to the authors. Once the authors have completed the revisions, the manuscript should be resubmitted together with a detailed letter addressing the editors’ and reviewers’ recommendations.
In some cases, it might be necessary to revise the style or format of a manuscript to conform to publication policy, without substantially altering the original content. Any manuscripts that do not meet the criteria of the journal may be rejected.
All decisions on publication and publication order are made by the editorial board.
During a review process, unless specific reasons are provided, failure to resubmit a revised manuscript within 90 days will be considered an abandoned publication and the review process will be concluded. Once the proof is completed and authors are asked for final revisions, these should be submitted within a week.
Principles of manuscript preparation
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Formatting
Manuscripts should be prepared using Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx) or Arae-Ah Hangul (.hwp). The required formatting is as follows: A4-size paper, size 12 font, double-spacing, and 3 cm margins. Page numbers should appear at the bottom center of each page, including the title page.
The total number of pages should not exceed 30 for Original Articles and 20 pages for Case Reports. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 2 pages.
Manuscripts should be arranged as Title, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements, References, Figures and Tables. Each section should commence on a new page. Once the proof is completed and authors are asked for final revisions, these should be submitted within a week.
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Language
Manuscripts should be submitted in Korean or English.
Acronyms should be avoided where possible. Where a complex or cumbersome term or phrase is repeatedly used, however, it should be abbreviated, preferably using standard abbreviations. The abbreviation should be appear in parentheses following the first use of the term or phrase and can then be used in the remainder of the text.
Human names, regional names and other proper nouns should be used in their original form. Arabic numerals should be used. Laboratory measurements should be expressed in SI (Standard International) units. Depending on the recommendations of the editorial board, non-SI units may be used in parentheses. A single space is usually required between the numeral and the unit; no space is inserted for % and ℃.
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Title page
The manuscript type (Original Article, Review, Case Report, or Letter to the Editor) should be stated on the title page.
The English title should be no longer than 20 words.
The title page should provide the title, author names and current affiliations and running title. Each name should be followed by a comma and the author’s most advanced degree. Affiliations should include the name of the academic institution or organization and the name of the clinical department. In cases in which author affiliations differ, the institution where the main body of research was performed should appear first, followed by the other institutions.
Superscripted Arabic numerals beside the author names, without parentheses, should refer to the list of affiliations.
Details for the corresponding author (name, address, phone number, fax number and e-mail) should be provided.
A running title, containing a maximum of 10 English words, should be provided near the bottom of the title page
Details of any stocks or consulting fees that could be associated with a conflict of interest relating to the current research should be specified at the bottom of the title page.
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Abstract
For Original Articles, a structured abstract of up to 250 English words should be provided, containing categories such as Objectives, Methods, Results and Conclusion. The objectives, observations and main results should be provided. For Case Reports, the Abstract should contain a maximum of 150 English words, with no subsections. Letters to the Editor and Editorials do not require abstracts.
All other manuscripts should include an Abstract.
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Keywords
Three to ten keywords, reflecting the contents of the manuscript, should be included.
Authors should use MeSH (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh) terms from Index Medicus.
The first character of each word should be in upper case.
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Introduction
Relevant background information should be briefly set out and the objectives of the study should be clearly and concisely stated.
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Materials and Methods
This section should be detailed, and should be presented in a structured format, including study plan, materials and methods used. Statistical methods used for data analysis should be provided.
For equipment and reagents, the manufacturer, city and country should be provided in parentheses.
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Results
A detailed description of the study results should be arranged in a logical manner. In the case of experimental studies, the bulk of the data should be presented in figures and tables. The contents of figures and tables should not be repeated in the main text.
However, the main findings should be presented in the main text, with emphasis on the important trends, statistical significance and key points.
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Discussion
The significance and implications of novel and important findings should be clearly and concisely presented, without unnecessary duplication of results. Based on this argument, plausible hypotheses could be proposed if warranted.
Conclusions should refer to the study objectives.
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Acknowledgements
Co-workers and others who contributed significantly to the current study, but were not co-authors, should be mentioned in the acknowledgements. All sources of financial and other support should also be stated.
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References
The number of references should not exceed 30 for Original Articles and Reviews, or 15 for Case Reports.
References should be ordered according to order of appearance in the text, using Vancouver style. Journal abbreviations should follow Index Medicus. Unpublished data should preferably not be cited. Where this is unavoidable, however, the source should be placed in parentheses in the main text and such expressions as “personal opinion exchange” or “unpublished data” should be used.
The citation superscript style is as follows: Lee1 is --. -- 2,3-5. -- does1,2,
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Style for reference list:
1) Journal citations
Huang DT, Clermont G, Kong L, Weissfeld LA, Sexton JB, Rowan KM et al. Intensive care unit safety culture and outcomes:
a US multicenter study. Int J Qual Health Care 2010;22:151-61.
All co-authors should be listed unless there are more than seven authors, in which case the first six are listed, followed by “et al.".
2) Whole books
Hyung CJ, Gang CJ. Healthcare Measurement Scales. 2nd ed. Seoul, Korea: Korea Academies Press, 2014.
3) Book chapters
Harper ML, Helmreich RL. Identifying barriers to the success of a reporting system. In: Henriksen K, Battles JB, Marks ES, Lewis DI. Advances in patient safety: from research to implementation. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2005.
4) Other types of literature should be formatted as indicated in the article
“International Committee of Medical Journal Editors Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals:
Sample References (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html)”.
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Tables
Tables should be concise. Use horizontal lines only. Number tables in the order in which they are mentioned in the main text, and refer to them in the text as follows:
--- is represented (Table 1). Table 2 represents ---
Place the title above the table, using sentence case. Below each table, provide a key to abbreviations and additional explanations if needed. Table footnotes should use these symbols: *, †, ‡, §,∥, ¶, **, †† and ‡‡.
QI : quality improvement
ICU: intensive care unit;
NS: not significant.
*p<0.001. †p<0.05.
Tables and legends should provide enough detail that the study data can be understood without reference to the main text.
Previously published tables may not be used again without proper copyright.
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Figures
Figures include graphs, line drawings and photographs. All figures in a PowerPoint (.ppt) format should be submitted separately from the main manuscript. Images should be clear, with resolution exceeding 300 dpi. Each figure should be accompanied by a number. It should be possible for readers to understand the figures without reference to the text. Number the figures in the order in which they are mentioned in the main text, and refer to them in the text as follows:
--- is shown (Figure 1). Figure 2 shows ---
If any images were not generated by the authors, this should be stated and the source provided.
The magnification ratios should not be written for the photos taken via light microscopy. However, the magnification ratios and the names of the special staining methods, and the magnification ratios of the photomicrographs of electron microscopy should be briefly noted.
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Other
Copyright of published manuscripts is owned by Quality Improvement in Health Care. If excerpts from other copyrighted works are included, the author(s) must obtain written permission from the copyright owners and credit the source(s) in the article.
Please contact Korean Society for Quality in Healthcare for the appropriate forms in these cases.
Publication fees are payable to Korean Society for Quality in Health Care. QIH does not provide authors with free reprints, but there are available for purchase. When additional copies are required, the number should be specified on the title page of the manuscript.
Where manuscripts exceed the recommended length, a reduction in length may be required, or authors may be required to pay extra page charges. If specialized printing methods or paper types are needed, the additional costs will be charged to the authors.
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Contact information
- Korean Society for Quality in Health Care
100-846 508 Eulji-Building, 12 Euljiro 12-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea
- Phone : 82-2-2285-4982
- E-mail : kosqua@nate.com
- Website : www.kosqua.net
Regulations on Research Ethics
Article 1. Purpose
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The purpose of these regulations is to stipulate the procedures of prevention and treatment for research misconduct related to the papers submitted to the “Quality Improvement in Health Care” (hereinafter referred to as the “Journal”) published by the “Korean Society for Quality in Health Care”(hereinafter referred to as the “Society”).
Article 2 Definitions
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- 1. “Forgery” refers to the act of falsifying, recording, or reporting raw research data, research data, or research results that do not exist.
- 2. “Alteration” refers to the act of distorting the contents or results of research by artificially manipulating research materials, equipment, and processes or by arbitrarily modifying or deleting raw research data or research data.
- 3. “Plagiarism” refers to the act of using the original ideas or creations of others that is not general knowledge, without appropriate source indication, and making a third party perceive the creation as one’s own.
- 4. “Unfair indication of authorship” refers to not granting the author qualification to a person who has contributed to the research content or results without a justifiable reason, or granting author qualification to a person who did not contribute for reasons of appreciation or courtesy.
- 5. “Unfair duplicate publication” refers to an act of obtaining unfair profits by publishing work that is identical or substantially similar to previous research results without an indication of the source to receive research funds or have the work recognized as a separate research achievement.
- 6. “Multiple submission” refers to the act of submitting the same research results to two or more academic journals at the same time and undergoing review simultaneously.
- 7. “Research misconduct” refers to acts that are seriously outside of the generally accepted range, including forgery, alteration, plagiarism, unfair indication of authorship, unfair duplicate publication, and multiple submission.
Article 3 Scope of Application
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- This regulation applies to all researchers, reviewers, editors, and academic societies who submit research manuscripts to the journal.
Article 4 Research and Publication Ethics of the Researcher
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1. The researcher must comply with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki when the research subject of the submitted manuscript is human, and must state that the approval of the Institutional Review Board and the consent of the research subjects have been obtained. If the submitted manuscript is an experimental animal study, the experimental process must meet the standards of the Institutional Review Board or the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals.
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2. The researcher is responsible for sufficiently contributing to the establishment of the basic concept and design of the research, data collection, analysis and interpretation, writing or revising the manuscript, approving the final manuscript based on the accuracy and truthfulness of the manuscript, and answering questions about the manuscript.
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3. Researchers must not include those who have not contributed to the actual research process, such as those who donated research funds or heads of related departments.
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4. If there are individuals who did not qualify as researchers but contributed to the research and presentation of the submitted manuscript, their contributions should be included in an acknowledgement. For this, the researcher must notify the relevant contributors of the relevant content and obtain prior consent.
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5. When submitting the manuscript, the researcher must submit it to the journal after going through the plagiarism verification procedure using the thesis plagiarism prevention system.
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6. When submitting the manuscript, the researcher must inform the Society of any conflict of interests, such as personal closeness with the reviewer or the editorial board, that may affect the review results of the manuscript, and all financial support related to the conduct of the research.
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7. Secondary publication, such as in an academic journal for readership in a different language, etc. without making an unreasonable duplicate publication, shall be approved by the editors of both sides, and the paper shall specify in a footnote on the cover of the second publication manuscript that all or part of the manuscript has already been published so that readers and reviewers know that it has been published.
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8. When submitting a manuscript, the researcher must submit a “Research Ethics Self-Checklist (Attachment 1)” that stipulates that the manuscript does not violate the ethical regulations such as plagiarism or unfair indication of authorship.
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9. When a researcher finds a serious error in his or her submitted manuscript, he/she must revise the research content or request withdrawal of publication, and immediately notify the Society of any errors found after being published in the journal.
Article 5 Composition of the Research Ethics Committee
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- 1. The Research Ethics Committee is operated as a non-standing committee to verify research misconduct, and the chairman of the committee shall be the editor-in-chief.
- 2. The committee consists of approximately five members, including one chairperson, and at least one expert in the field of research subject to investigation for research misconduct.
- 3. The chairperson shall not include any person who is judged to be in danger of harming the fairness in the investigation for research misconduct as a member.
- 4. The chairperson shall appoint one secretary for the operation of the committee and maintenance and management of records.
Article 6 Procedure for Research Misconduct Investigation
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- 1. The chairman may investigate the research misconduct of a manuscript submitted to the journal, and the outcome shall be determined through convocation and verification of the Research Ethics Committee.
- 2. The chairperson may take measures such as written warning, notice for revision, prohibition of publication, or publication cancellation, depending on the degree of research misconduct after the verification process is concluded.
- 3. The chairperson may notify the researcher of the results of the investigation and the outcome of the decision, and if there is an objection, the chairman may re-investigate through the Research Ethics Committee.
- 4. The meeting minutes of the research misconduct investigation are kept for five years.