Submissions

Author Guidelines

Publication Ethics

Roles and Responsibilities of Editor

1. Ensure that the manuscript has the highest possible quality based on recent academic progress by seeking opinions from at least 2 reviewers per article.
2. Never expose information on author and reviewers of the article to unrelated outsiders during the evaluation period.
3. Select articles for publication after finishing evaluation by considering how they conform to the policy of the journal and whether they have any risks to be charged with defamation, copyright infringement, or plagiarism.
4. Never publish any articles that have already been published elsewhere.
5. Have no conflict of interest with the author, reviewers, and the executive committee
6. If plagiarism is detected during the evaluation of the article, editor must stop the evaluation process immediately and contact the author asking for explanation in order to decide whether the article should be published.
7. Evaluate by focusing on the content of the article regardless of race, sexual identity, belief, faith, ethnic, and political opinion of the author.

Roles and Responsibilities of Reviewer

1. Submit opinion on the article by due date providing comprehensible information to support the opinion.
2. Protect confidentiality of documents under review by not exposing them to unrelated persons.
3. If having realized that one has the conflict of interest with the author or other reasons that hinder one from expressing opinion/ giving advice freely, please notify the editorial team and refuse to evaluate the article.
4. Inform the editorial team of possible plagiarism if the author has not properly cited the source of information when it comes from another person’s work or unpublished work.
5. Notify the editorial team of in-sufficient expertise to evaluate the article.
6. Suggest interesting research papers that are relevant to the article under review, but do not directly refer to paper written by the reviewer.

Roles and Responsibilities of the Author

1. Certify that the work is original, has not been published anywhere else, and has not been submitted for publishing in other journals.
2. Report the facts directly and straightforwardly without distorting data or using false data.
3. Refer to the work of another researcher if using such work in one’s own research. This can be done by making the list of references at the end of the article.
4. Write the article in the format recommended in the journal’s guidance.
5. All co-authors whose names appear on the research paper must have participated in the process of the research production.
6. Identify the source of research fund and notify if there is any conflict of interest.
7. State that the research has been approved by specific research ethics committee. If it required no approval, please provide explanation.
8. State protection of the rights of research participants/informants.
9. Provide raw data if the editorial team requests.
10. Notify the editorial team if any error/mistake significantly affected the research credibility, in order to defend retraction of the article.

Obtaining ethical committee approval

On the matter of getting approval from the ethical committee in case of human research, the author must clearly state when and where the research had been approved.

Main condition

Any article submitted to the Health Systems Research Journal must not be published before and must not be under consideration for publishing by other journals.

Publishing dates

The journal publishes 4 (four) times a year, once every three months: January–March, April–June, July-September, and October–December.

Quality assessment of articles

If an article submitted for consideration meets the quality standard, it will receive a double-blind review by at least 2 qualified persons. The editor will consider all comments before sending feedback to the author.

Publishing fee

All papers published in the journal have no page charge (no publishing fee).

Types of Articles Accepted

There are 4 types of articles that the journal publishes: original article, review article, special article, and letter to the editor. The author should study the following details which are used to categorize the article into the four mentioned. Then state the type of the article on the first line of the first page before the title of the article. The details of each type of article are given below.

1. Original Article

It is the report of the results from research study concerning health and/or health systems development. It should consist of:

1.1 Title in English and Thai

1.2 Name of the author (or names of all the authors) and the institution that he/she works in, including the name of corresponding author, with mobile phone number and email address.

1.3 The abstract in English and Thai

1.4 Keywords in English and Thai

1.5 Background and Rationale

1.6 Methodology

1.7 The approval of human research ethic committee: identify the committee that gives approval. If the article has not been approved by any committee, please explain why.

1.8 The results of the study

1.9 Critique and Conclusion

1.10 Acknowledgement

1.11 References or the list of all the literature referred to must be in English. If any of them are in Thai, the author must translate the name and details of such reference material into English and add a bracket “(in Thai)” at the end of that item.

1.12 Attach the declare form with signatures of all the authors. In this step, the e-journal system only accepts files in MS Word, so the declare form with signatures must be sent as a photo file or change the signature of each author into photo format and place it onto MS Word. You can download the declare form in this format from J_HRS declare form EN

The article should not exceed 20 A4 pages (font: TH SarabunPSK 16). Please study the details of how to prepare the manuscript below (at the end of topic 4, Letter to the Editor).

In case of an article in English, you should also have Thai version of the title, the author name with the institution, the abstract and the keywords.

Suggestion – If the work submitted is in Thai, it is recommended that you should translate the pictures and the tables into English so that international readers can comprehend and use as reference in their work.

2. Review Article

It is an article that collects knowledge from different journals, both in Thailand and other countries, and make comparative analysis of the knowledge in order to have more clarity. It should consist of the following:

2.1 The title in English and Thai

2.2 Name of the author and the institution that he/she works in, including the name(s) of corresponding author(s), with mobile phone number and address.

2.3 The abstract in English and Thai

2.4 Keywords in English and Thai

2.5 Introduction

2.6 Content

2.7 Conclusion or Critique

2.8 References or the list of all the literature being referred to must be in English. If any of them are in Thai, the author must translate the name and details of such reference material into English and add a bracket “(in Thai)” at the end of that item on the list.

2.9 Attach the declare form with signatures of all the authors. In this step, the e-journal system only accepts files in MS Word, so the declare form with signatures must be sent as a photo file or change the signature of each author into photo and place it into the MS Word. You can download the declare form in this format from J_HSR declare form EN

The article should not exceed 15 A4 pages (font: TH SarabunPSK 16). Please study the details of how to prepare the manuscript below (at the end of topic 4, Letter to the Editor).

In case of an article in English, you should also have Thai version of the title, the author name with the institution, the abstract and the keywords.

Suggestion – If the work submitted is in Thai, it is recommended that you should translate the pictures and the tables into English so that foreigners could comprehend and use as reference in their work.

3. Special Article

It is an academic article that expresses opinion on current situations or events that are attracting attention of public, or it could be an article that gathers different content and critique about such situations, or it could be a case study on an outstanding health system in Thailand or in ASEAN region. It should consist of the following:

3.1 Title in English and Thai

3.2 Name of the author/authors and his/her affiliation, including name of the corresponding author, with mobile phone number and email address.

3.3 The abstract in English and Thai

3.4 Keywords in English and Thai

3.5 Introduction

3.6 Content

3.7 Critique

3.8 References or the list of all the literature being referred to must be in English. If any of them are in Thai, the author must translate the name and details of such reference material into English and add a bracket “(in Thai)” at the end of that item on the list.

3.9 Attach the declare form with signatures of all the authors. For this step, the e-journal system only accepts files in MS Word, so the declare form with signatures must be sent as a photo file or change the signature of each author into photo and place it into the MS Word. You can download the declare form in this format from J_HSR declar form EN

The article should not exceed 10 A4 pages (font: TH SarabunPSK 16). Please study the detail of how to prepare the manuscript below (at the end of topic 4, Letter to the Editor).

In case of an article in English, you should also have Thai version of the title, the author name with the institution, the abstract and the keywords.

Suggestion – If the work submitted is in Thai, it is recommended that you translate the pictures and the tables into English so that international readers can comprehend and use as reference in their work.

4. Letter to the Editor or Correspondence

It could be the correspondence between a scholar, a reader, and the author whose article is published in the journal, especially in case that the readers have different opinion on the matter and want to point out a mistake in the report. At times the editor might support or disagree with such opinion.

Preparing the Manuscript

In the process of taking in an article, the system only accepts a file in MS Word format in A4 page size, single column, double spacing. It must be without file protection because the reviewer may want to give his/her comments by using track changes or add Comment.

1. Title – There must be both English and Thai title. It should be concise and clearly represent the main objective of the study. There must be no use of abbreviation. The length should not exceed 100 letters (spaces included). If the title of the report is very long, change a part of it into subtitle. Should avoid unnecessary phrases such as “the study of…” or “the observation of…” in the title.

2. Author and co-author – Name(s) should be written in both English and Thai. Use full name, not initial. No need to state the position, title or education.

3. Affiliation – It should be in both English and Thai. It means the institution that the author is currently working for. In case of more than one affiliation, state only one. If there are several authors who come from different institutions, use these symbols respectively to separate their affiliation: * † ‡ # ¶.

4. Abstract - It should be in both English and Thai. It is the summary of the content of the article in the order of its structure: background and rationale, methodology, results and comments. It should not exceed 15 lines. The language must be concise and in full sentences. It should be easy to understand, not requiring further interpretation. No abbreviation. In English, all the content must be written in past tense.

5. Keywords – There should be English and Thai keywords at the end of the English and Thai abstract, not exceeding 5 keywords.

6. Background and Rationale – This part of the article give reasons that lead to the study, literature reviews that relate to the objectives of the study, explain the problem to the readers, state the size and characteristics of the problem, which leads to the need to conduct research in order to find the answer for the problem or answer the question. If you use a theory, explain the basic of the theory here and add the purpose of the study at the end.

7. Methodology – It can be explained and categorized into 2 main topics.

8. Result – Show the results or the findings in the order of the study plan. Make it clear and easy to understand. If the results are not complicated having not many numbers of data, it can be explained in prose. However, in case of a lot of numbers or data and variables, use tables, figures or charts with short explanation referring to significant parts. Separate tables, figures and charts from the content by placing them at the end of the article instead of throughout the article. Nevertheless, leave spaces in the content of the article that can be understood that they belong to which tables/figures/charts. Label each space with text box, such as: Add Table 1, Add Figure 1

Table (English is recommended)

It is an organizing of words, numbers, and symbols into columns in order to show the data and how each data relates to one another. The guidelines for presenting tables in the article are as followed:

• Tables should not be presented as photos.
• The name of the column that represents the data in the column should be brief or shortened. It can be further explained in the footnote under the table (if necessary).
• Footnote should consist of the details that cannot be contained in the column. Avoid using numbers because one can easily confuse it with number of the references. It is recommended to use symbols like: * † ‡ # ¶
• An article should not have more than 3-5 tables. All the data in the columns should not be repeated in the content, only some are allowed.
• In case that the data in the column comes from another person’s work; permission should be obtained or references must be made.

Figure (English is recommended)

Figure helps communicate the content of the article by highlighting the important parts. The guidelines for presenting figures in the article are as followed:

• Figures must be sharp and clear. They can be in color or black and white.
• The original file should come from a camera not less than 600X800 pixels.
• If the figures include many text boxes or a lot of symbols, grouping must be done.
• In case that the figure comes from another person’s work; permission should be obtained, or references must be made.

9. Discussion and conclusion – Begin with critique results, interpret or analyze results, and conclude by comparing them with the hypothesis and find out whether the results confirm the hypothesis. If not, discuss how they differ and why. Comment openly on the results that contradict the hypothesis. Compare with results from other research papers that had been done before (should not be older than 3-5 years). Use those to support findings, hypothesis, or increase the reliability weight. Discuss the limitations/weaknesses and outstanding points that lead to the suggestion of policy and practices, as well as suggestions for future research.

10. Suggestion – The author should give suggestions in terms of policy on the subject being studied, based on the results discovered in the research.

11. Acknowledgement – It should be only one paragraph. State clearly the sources of assistance and research fund. If the person’s name is already on the list of co-authors, he or she will not be mentioned here.

12. Reference – Use the title “Reference” on this topic. The writing of references on the list should be one in Vancouver style. Use superscript number in the bracket and place it at the end of the phrase or after the name of the person being referred to, beginning with ^“(1)” and followed by the rest of the numbers. If the reference is repeated, use the same number. Abbreviation is not allowed in the reference list, except for the first name of the author and the name of the journal as stated in Index Medicus. For journals not found in Index Medicus and Thai journals, write the full name of the journal in English.

All items in the references must be written in English (the details are discussed in the next part).

As for the order of the references at the end of the article, use the order of their appearance in the article.

An article that the editor has agreed to publish but has not yet been published should be labeled as “in the process of being published”. An article that is not published should be labeled “unpublished.” Avoid using personal communication in the reference, except that it is an extremely important piece of information rarely found elsewhere. In such case the name and the contacted date can be stated in the bracket that comes after the referred title.

Rules and regulations for writing the references

12.1 Academic journal

        The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name and middle name (if any). Title. Name of the journal year of publication;volume number:page numbers.

     For references that are in Thai journal, every part of the above example must be translated into English and state “(in Thai)” at the end of the reference.

     The author’s name must begin with last name, followed by the first letter of the first name and middle name (if any). If there are more than 6 authors, only list the first six authors and followed with “et al”.

     Name of the journal should be shortened into abbreviation in the format of U.S. National Library of Medicine, which is annually published in Index Medicus.

     Title of the article must be in lower-case letters, except for the first letter and proper nouns.

     If the journal’s pages are not arranged in chronological order in a year, ordinal numbers of the issue must be stated. For example, “10(3):” means that it has been published at the 10^th years and appears in the 3^rd issue (number in the bracket). Then put a colon.

     Page number must be in full form on the first page but repeated number must be omitted on the last page, such as 123-9 instead of 123-129 or 248-58 instead of 248-258.

Leave no spaces in front of and after semicolon and colon when stating year of publication, volume number, and page number.

     Here are some examples.

1. Sirichakwal PP, Sranacharoenpong K, Tontisirin K. Food based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) development and promotion in Thailand. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2011;20(3):477-83.

2. Chaisuntitrakoon A. Evaluation of dental services quality. Journal of Health Systems Research 2015;9(2):136-45. (in Thai)

3. Snowdon J. Severe depression in old age. Medicine Today 2002;3(12):40-7.

4. Studer HP, Busato A. Comparison of Swiss basic health insurance costs of complementary and conventional medicine. Forschende Komplementarmedizin 2011;18(6):315-20.

5. Skalsky K, Yahav D, Bishara J, Pitlik S, Leibovici L, Paul M. Treatment of human brucellosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMJ 2008 Mar 29;336(7646):701-4.

6. Huang CF, Lee HC, Yeung CY, Chan WT, Jiang CB, Sheu JC, et al. Constipation is a major complication after posterior sagittal anorectoplasty for anorectal malformation in children. Pediatr Neonatal 2012;53(4):252-6.

In case that the author is an institution

7. Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension 2002;40(5):679-86.

In case that the author is unknown

8. 21^st century heart solution may have a sting in the tail. BMJ 2002;325(73):184.

In case of publishing in a supplement issue

9. Anamnart C, Poungvarin N. Patent foramen ovale and recurrent transient neurological symptoms: a case report and review of literature. J Med Assoc Thai 2011;94 Suppl 1:S264-8.

12.2 Book, text book or report

      The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Name of the book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher’s name; year of publication. Number of pages.

(Edition will be stated only when it is not the first edition.)

10. Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2^nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.

11. National Statistical Office. The 2011 survey on conditions of society and culture. Bangkok: Ministry of Information and Communication Technology; 2012.

12. Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board. Philosophy of sufficiency economy. Bangkok: 21 Century; 2007. (in Thai)

13. Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Association of Southeast Asian Nations: one vision, one identity, one community [internet]. ASEAN annual report 2007-2008. Jakarta: ASEAN Secretariat; 2011 [cited 2008 Jul]. Available from: https://www.iri.edu.ar/publicaciones_iri/ anuario/Anuario%202009/Asia/documentos/Association%20of%20Southeast%20Asian%20Nation%20-%20%20Annual%20Report%202007- 2008.pdf.

Book or textbook wholly written by the author without an editor

14. Khammanee T. Science of teaching: body of knowledge for the management of effective learning process. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Printing House; 2007. 502 p. (in Thai)

15. Cheers B, Darracott R, Lonne B. Social care practice in rural communities. Sydney: The Federation Press; 2007.

16. Miles DA, Van Dis ML, Williamson GF, Jensen CW. Radiographic imaging for the dental team. 4^th ed. St. Louis: Saunders Elsevier; 2009.

17. Murtagh J. John Murtagh’s general practice. 4^th ed. Sydney: McGraw-Hill Australia; 2007.

Book that has been published with an editor (quoted from one chapter only)

The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title. In: Editor’s name, editor. Name of book. Volume number. Place of publication: publisher’s name; year of publication. p. page numbers.

18. Mahathanan N, Rodpai S. Counselling for renal replacement therapy. In: Eiam-Ong S, Susantitaphong P, Srisawat N, Tiranathanagul K, Praditpornsilpa K, Tungsanga K, editors. Textbook of hemodialysis. Nakhon Pathom: A I Press; 2007. p. 94-103.

19. Alexander RG. Considerations in creating a beautiful smile. In: Romano R, editor. The art of the smile. London: Quintessence Publishing; 2005. p. 187-210.

20. Speroff L, Fritz MA. Clinical gynaecologic endocrinology and infertility. 7^th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2005. Chapter 29, Endometriosis; p. 1103-33.

In case of an e-book

21. Irfan A. Protocols for predictable aesthetic dental restorations [internet]. Oxford: Blackwell Munksgaard; 2006 [cited 2009 May 21]. Available from Netlibrary: http://cclsw2.vcc.ca: 2048/login?url=http:// www.netLibrary.com/urlapi.asp?action=summary&v=1&bookid=181691.

In case of quoting from a chapter in e-book

22. Darwin C. On the Origin of Species by means of natural selection or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life [internet]. London: John Murry; 1859. Chapter 5, Laws of Variation. [cited 2010 Apr 22]. Available from: http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/origin/chapter5.html.

12.3 Documents from meeting or seminar

Minutes of meetings

      The author’s last name and abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title. In: Editor’s name, editor. Name of the meeting; date of the meeting; venue of the meeting. Place of publication: Publisher; Year of publication. p. page numbers.

23. Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Reinhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7^th World Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North Holland; 1992. p. 1561-5.

In case of papers presented in the meeting but have not been documented

24. Bowden FJ, Fairley CK. Endemic STDs in the Northern Territory: estimations of effective rates of partner exchange. Paper presented at: The Scientific Meeting of the Royal Australian College of Physicians; 1996 Jun 24-25; Darwin, Australia.

In case of paper published in proceedings

25. Kimura J. Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10^th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.

12.4 Academic report published by research funding sponsor

      The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title. Type of report. Place of publication: Publishing institution/Fund source; Year of publication. Report number

26. Smith P, Golladay K. Payment for durable medical equipment billed during skilled nursing facility stays. Final report. Dallas (TX): Dept. of Health and Human Services (US). Office of Evaluation and Inspections; 1994. Report No.: HHSIGOEI69200860.

12.5 Thesis

      The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title (type of degree). City/town: University; Year of graduation

27. Eamudomkarn C. Development of urinary antibody-based diagnosis using Strongyloides ratti as heterologous antigen and the outcomes of drug treatment in strongyloidiasis in mixed parasitic infections with Opisthorchis viverrini in northeast Thailand (doctoral thesis). Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine. Khon Kaen: Khon Kaen University; 2001.

12.6 Other types of printed matter

12.6.1 Articles from newspapers

      The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title. Name of newspaper. Year/month/day of publication: section. Page number (column number).

28. Purdon F. Colder babies at risk of SIDS. The Courier Mail 2010 Mar 8:9.

29. Robertson J. Not married to the art. The Courier Mail (Weekend edition). 2010 Mar 6-7:Sect. ETC:15.

In case that the author is unknown

30. Meeting the needs of counsellors. The Courier Mail 2001 May 5:22.

12.6.2 Law

31. Preventive Health Amendments of 1993. Pub L No. 103-188, 107 Stat. 2226. (Dec 14, 1993).

12.6.3 Dictionary

32. Stedman’s medical dictionary. 26^th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1995. Apraxia; p. 119-20.

In case of on-line dictionary

33. Stedman’s medical dictionary [internet]. 26^th ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins; 1995. Apraxia; p.119-20. [cited 2009 Nov 11]. Available from: http://www.stedmans.com.

12.7 Visual media

      Title (visual media). Place of production: Production company: Year of production.

34. Robinson J (producer). Examination of the term neonate: a family centred approach [DVD]. South Hurstville, NSW: Midwifery Educational Services; 2005. 1 DVD: 37 min., sound, colour, 4 ¾ in.

12.8 Electronic media

     The author’s last name and the abbreviation of the author’s first name. Title. Name of journal or type of media [serial online] Year of publication [year/month/day of search]; Year (issue, if any): [number of pictures or number of pages]. Source: URL address.

Electronic file with DOI number

35. Degenhardt L, Bohnert KM, Anthony C. Assessment of cocaine and other drug dependence in the general population: ‘gated’ vs. ‘ungated’ approaches. Drug Alcohol Depend [internet]. 2008 Mar [cited 2010 Apr 15];93(3):227-232. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/ PMC2756072/. doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.09.024.

Electronic file without DOI number

36. Lemanek K. Adherence issues in the medical management of asthma. J Pediatr Psychol [internet]. 1990 [cited 2010 Apr 22];15(4):437-58. Available from: http://jpesy.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/ reprint/15/4/437.

Podcasts

37. Dirks, P. “Missing Link” fossil discovery in South Africa [podcast on the internet]. Sydney: ABC Radio National; 2010 [updated 2010 Apr 9; cited 2010 Apr 14]. Available from: http://www.abc.net.au/rn/ breakfast/stories/2010/2868072.htm.

Blog posts

38. Flower R. How a simple formula for resolving problems and conflict can change your reality. Pick the brain [blog on the internet]; 2015 Jun 1 [cited 2015 Jun 9]. Available from: http://www. pickthebrain.com/ blog/how-a-simple-formula-for-resolving-problems-and-conflict-can-change-your-reality/.

Adjustment of the manuscript

          In general, the editorial team considers the overall academic accuracy and completeness of content, then the manuscript will be returned to the author, who has the right to make adjustments. However, the editorial team reserves the right to publish only those that conform with the format and main content of the journal.

Final proof

The author must proofread and agree on the final draft in order to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the content.

Author guidelines (pdf file) can be downloaded from:  xxx

Link for ThaiJO Submission guidelines (for authors, on page no. 175-229:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FHf1iGGokeJUTDWKaSvuKZfH1TC1omRc/view