The Journal of Conservative Dentistry, (ISSN - 0972-0707) the official journal of the Federation of Operative Dentistry of India, publishes scientific articles, case reports, invited reviews and comparison studies evaluating materials and methods in the fields of Conservative Dentistry, Dental materials and Endodontics.

Guidelines for publishing article in JCD:

The following guidelines are provided to assist authors in submitting manuscripts.

1. The JCD publishes original and invited review articles related to the scientific and applied aspects of conservative dentistry, dental materials and endodontics. Moreover, the JCD has a diverse readership that includes full-time clinicians, full-time academicians, residents, students and scientists. Effective communication with this diverse readership requires careful attention to writing style.
2. General Points on Composition
   Authors are strongly encouraged to analyze their final draft with both software (e.g., spelling and grammar programs) and colleagues who have expertise in English grammar. It must be understood that clarity is the most important feature of scientific writing. Scientific articles must be clear and precise in their content and concise in their delivery since their purpose is to inform the reader. The Editor reserves the right to edit all manuscripts or to reject those manuscripts that lack clarity or precision, or have unacceptable grammar. The following list represents common errors in manuscripts submitted to the JCD:

1. Paragraphs typically start with an introductory sentence that is followed by sentences that describe additional detail or examples. The last sentence of the paragraph provides conclusions and forms a transition to the next paragraph. Common problems include one-sentence paragraphs, sentences that do not develop the theme of the paragraph (see also section “c”, below), or sentences with little to no transition within a paragraph.
    
2. Keep to the point. The subject of the sentence should support the subject of the paragraph. For example, the introduction of authors’ names in a sentence changes the subject and lengthens the text. In a paragraph on sodium hypochlorite, the sentence, “In 1983, Langeland et al., reported that sodium hypochlorite acts as a lubricating factor during instrumentation and helps to flush debris from the root canals” can be edited to: “Sodium hypochlorite acts as a lubricant during instrumentation and as a vehicle for flushing the generated debris (Langeland et al., 1983)”. In this example, the paragraph’s subject is sodium hypochlorite and sentences should focus on this subject.
    
3. Sentences are stronger when written in the active voice, i.e., the subject performs the action. Passive sentences are identified by the use of passive verbs such as “was,” “were,” “could,” etc. For example: “Dexamethasone was found in this study to be a factor that was associated with reduced inflammation”, can be edited to: “Our results demonstrated that dexamethasone reduced inflammation”. Sentences written in a direct and active voice are generally more powerful and shorter than sentences written in the passive voice.
    
4. Short sentences are easier to understand. The inclusion of unnecessary words is often associated with the use of a passive voice, a lack of focus or run-on sentences. This is not to imply that all sentences need be short or even the same length. Indeed, variation in sentence structure and length often helps to maintain reader interest.
    
5. To summarize these points, effective sentences are clear and precise, and often are short, simple and focused on one key point that supports the paragraph’s theme.

 

General Points on the Organization of Original Research Manuscripts

1. Title Page: The title should describe the major conclusion of the paper. It should be as short as possible without loss of clarity. It is best not to use abbreviations in the title since this may lead to imprecise coding by electronic citation programs such as PubMed (e.g., use “sodium hypochlorite” rather than NaOCl).
    
2. Abstract: The abstract should concisely describe the purpose of the study, the hypothesis, methods, major findings and conclusions. The abstract should describe the new contributions made by this study. The word limitations (150 words) and the wide distribution of the abstract (e.g., PubMed) make this section challenging to write clearly. This section often is written last by many authors since they can draw on the rest of the manuscript. Write the abstract in past tense since the study has been completed. Three to ten keywords should be listed below the abstract.
    
3. Introduction: The introduction should briefly review the pertinent literature in order to identify the gap in knowledge that the study is intended to address. The purpose of the study, the tested hypothesis and its scope should be described.
    
4. Material and Methods: The objective of the methods section is to permit other investigators to repeat your experiments. The three components to this section are the experimental design, the procedures employed, and the statistical tests used to analyze the results. The vast majority of manuscripts should cite prior studies using similar methods and succinctly describe the particular aspects used in the present study. If the study utilized a commercial product, the manuscript should state that they either followed manufacturer’s protocol or specify any changes made to the protocol. Studies on humans should conform to the Helsinki Declaration of 1975 and state that the institutional IRB approved the protocol and that informed consent was obtained. Studies involving animals should state that the institutional animal care and use committee approved the protocol. The statistical analysis section should describe which tests were used to analyze which dependent measures; p-values should be specified. The soft ware used to analyse the data has to be mentioned. Additional details may include randomization scheme, stratification (if any), power analysis, drop-outs from clinical trials, etc.
    
5. Results: Only experimental results are appropriate in this section (i.e., neither methods nor conclusions should be in this section). Include only those data that are critical for the study. Do not include all available data without justification; any repetitive findings will be rejected from publication. All Figs./Charts/Tables should be described in their order of numbering with a brief description of the major findings.
    

Figures: There are two general types of figures. The first type of figure includes photographs, radiographs or micrographs. Include only essential figures, and even if essential, the use of composite figures containing several panels of photographs is encouraged. For example, most photo-, radio- or micrographs take up one column-width, or about 185 mm wide X 185 mm tall. If instead, you construct a two columns-width figure (i.e., about 175 mm wide X 125 mm high when published in the JCD), you would be able to place about 12 panels of photomicrographs (or radiographs, etc.) as an array of four columns across and three rows down (with each panel about 40 X 40 mm). This will require some editing on your part given the small size of each panel, you will only be able to illustrate the most important feature of each photomicrograph. Remember that each panel must be clearly identified with a letter (e.g., “A”, “B”, etc.), in order for the reader to understand each individual panel.

The second type of figure are graphs (i.e., line drawings) that plot a dependent measure (on the Y axis) as a function of an independent measure (usually plotted on the X axis). Examples include a graph depicting pain scores over time, etc. Graphs should be used when the overall trend of the results are more important than the exact numerical values of the results. For example, a graph is a convenient way of reporting that an ibuprofen treated group reported less pain than a placebo group over the first 24 hours, but was the same as the placebo group for the next 96 hours. In this case, the trend of the results is the primary finding; the actual pain scores are not as critical as the relative differences between the NSAID and placebo groups.

Tables: Tables are appropriate when it is critical to present exact numerical values. However, not all results need be placed in either a table or figure. For example, the following table may not necessary:

% NaOCl	N/Group	% Inhibition of Growth
0.001	5	0
0.003	5	0
0.01	5	0
0.03	5	0
0.1	5	100
0.3	5	100
1	5	100
3	5	100

 
 Instead, the results could simply state that there was no inhibition of growth from 0.001-0.03% NaOCl, and a 100% inhibition of growth from 0.03-3% NaOCl (N=5/group). Similarly, if the results are not significant, then it is probably not necessary to include the results in either a table or as a figure. These and many other suggestions on figure and table construction are described in additional detail in Day (1998).

6. Discussion: The conclusion section should describe the major findings of the study. Both the strength and weaknesses of the observations should be discussed. What are the major conclusions of the study? How does the data support these conclusions? How do these findings compare to the published literature? What are the clinical implications? Although this last section might be tentative given the nature of a particular study, the authors should realize that even preliminary clinical implications might have value for the clinical readership. Ideally, a review of the potential clinical significance is the last section of the discussion.
7. References: The reference style follows Index Medicus and are placed in parentheses at the end of a sentence or at the end of a clause that requires a literature citation. Do not use superscript for references. Original reports are limited to 35 references. There are no limits in the number of references for review articles.
   
    

For Authors

Manuscripts submitted for publication must be submitted solely to the JCD and not published elsewhere.

Online Manuscript Submission: All manuscripts must be submitted online through the new Web site at journalonweb.com/jcd

Preparation of Manuscript: Manuscripts that do not adhere to the following instructions will be returned to the corresponding author for technical revision before undergoing peer review.

Title Page: The title page must be submitted as a separate file. Include on the title page:

1. Complete manuscript title;
2. Authors’ full names, highest academic degrees and affiliations;
3. Name and address for correspondence, including fax number, telephone number and e-mail address; (d) address for reprints if different from that of corresponding author; and
4. All sources of support, including pharmaceutical and industry support that require acknowledgment.
    

Abstract: The abstract and text must be submitted as a separate file. Limit the abstract to 150 words. It must be factual and comprehensive. Limit the use of abbreviations and acronyms, and avoid general statements (e.g., "the significance of the results is discussed"). List three to five keywords or phrases.

Text: Organize the manuscript into five main headings: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and References. Define abbreviations at first mention in text and in each table and figure. If a brand name is cited, supply the manufacturer's name and address (city and state/country). References follow the style of Index Medicus. They must be keyed to the text and numbered consecutively in the order of appearance. References should be placed inside parentheses at the end of a sentence or a clause, and not placed as superscripts.

Figures: Art should be created/scanned and saved and submitted as either a TIFF (tagged image file format), an EPS (Encapsulated PostScript) file or a PPT (PowerPoint) file. Line art must have a resolution of at least 1200 dpi (dots per inch); all scanned images including electronic photographs/radiographs, CT scans, etc., must have a resolution of at least 300 dpi. If fonts are used in the artwork, they must be converted to paths or outlines, or they must be embedded in the files. Color images must be created / scanned and saved and submitted as CMYK files. Please note that artwork generated from Office Suite programs such CorelDRAW and Microsoft Word, and artwork downloaded from the Internet (JPEG or GIF files), cannot be used. Upload figures consecutively to the Web site, and number them in the order in which they are discussed. All electronic art that cannot be successfully uploaded must be submitted on a 3½-inch high-density disk, a CD-ROM or an Iomega Zip disk, accompanied by high-resolution laser prints of each image. Publication of color illustrations is possible and, at the editor’s discretion.

A cover letter, containing signatures of all authors and the following information, must be scanned and submitted on the Web site with the manuscript files or else mailed to Dr. V. Gopi Krishna, Editor, Journal of Conservative Dentistry, Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Maduravoyal, Chennai – 600095.

1. The manuscript title, name and address (including e-mail) of one author designated as the corresponding author. This author will be responsible for editing proofs and ordering reprints when applicable.
2. The following paragraph: “In consideration of the editors of the Journal of Conservative Dentistry taking action in reviewing and editing this submission, the author(s) undersigned hereby transfer, assign or otherwise convey all copyright ownership to the FODI in the event that such work is published in that Journal.”
3. If the purpose of a paper is to evaluate a commercial product, then a separate statement must be included with the submission, which asserts that the product was used exactly according to manufacturer’s instructions. If this was not the case, a precise description of any variant use must be prominently stated in the abstract, methods and, if appropriate, in the title.
4. All authors must also sign the following statement, which must accompany the manuscript: “I affirm that I have no financial affiliation (e.g., employment, direct payment, stock holdings, retainers, consultantships, patent licensing arrangements or honoraria), or involvement with any commercial organization with direct financial interest in the subject or materials discussed in this manuscript, nor have any such arrangements existed in the past three years. Any other potential conflict of interest is disclosed.” Any author who cannot sign this statement must append a paragraph to the manuscript that fully discloses any financial or other interest that poses a conflict. This paragraph should follow the “Discussion” section.
5. If human subjects are used, include the following statement: “The informed consent of all human subjects who participated in the experimental investigation reported or described in this manuscript was obtained after the nature of the procedure and possible discomforts and risks had been fully explained.”
6. If animals are used, a statement on protocol approval by the institutional animal care and use committee must be included.
    

Disclaimer: “The statements, opinions and advertisements in the Journal of Conservative Dentistry are solely those of the individual authors, contributors, editors or advertisers, as indicated. Those statements, opinions and advertisements do not effect any endorsement by the Federation of Operative Dentistry of India or its agents, authors, contributors, editors or advertisers, or the publisher. Unless otherwise specified, the FODI and the publisher disclaim any and all responsibility or liability for such material.”