Format & Style

General Format

• Abstracts should be included for original research articles. The abstract must be ≤250 words and follow the structure ‘background’, ‘materials and methods’, ‘results’, and ‘conclusion’. Authors are encouraged to include a list of 4-6 keywords after the abstract.
• Keep formatting simple to bold, italics and bullet points only.
• We recommend British English is used.
• Include an ‘Acknowledgements’, ‘Conflicts of Interest’, and ‘Financial Disclosures’ statement at the end of the manuscript.
• Manuscripts should be submitted as anonymised Microsoft Word documents (.doc or .docx).
• A manuscript title page is not required. All author information should be provided using the NZMSJ Cover Sheet.
• Authors may choose to submit a cover letter with their manuscript.
• Supplementary materials may be submitted together with the manuscript for peer review. Supplementary materials will be published in an open access repository and a link provided at the end of the published article.

Figures, Tables, and Graphs

• Figures, legends, and tables should be included within the manuscript. Please include figures and tables in-line, after the paragraph where the figure or table is first referenced. Please ensure all figures and tables are referenced in text. Use Arabic numerals to number figures and tables (e.g. Figure 1, Figure 2, Table 1, Table 2) according to the sequence in the manuscript. Legends should be included below the relevant figure or table.
• Tables should be created using the table function in word. Images of tables embedded into the manuscript document will not be accepted.
• Figures should have a minimum resolution of 300dpi (line art should have a resolution of 1200dpi) and a width of 90mm. They must have a common image file format (e.g. JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIFF).
• Graphs should be submitted as .xlsx or .xlsm file types for processing to match the house style. Graphs should have a width of 90-160 mm.
• Images and photographs must be submitted as separate supporting files (high resolution files in JPEG, JPG, or PNG format).

​Reference Style

• The British Medical Journal house style is to be followed (link).
• Referencing should be consistent with the Vancouver referencing style, with reference numbers included within the text using superscript formatting. (link)
• Do not use brackets around the numbers. Use superscript formatting.
• In the reference list, for journal articles with more than three authors, include the first three and then ‘et al.’
• Include a DOI for all referenced articles where possible. Include the DOI using the format: doi: 10.57129/001c.122986
• Ensure all references included in the reference list are cited in the text, and vice versa
  
  

Further Clarification
Please contact: [email protected]