Information to Authors

ICMJE Form

Copyright Agreement and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form

General Information

Novel Forensic Research (NOFOR) is the official scientific journal of the Society of Turaz Bilim. It is an international, peer-reviewed, open-access electronic journal published in English three times a year, in April, August, and December.

The journal follows a double-blind peer review process and publishes original scientific studies in forensic medicine and forensic sciences, including forensic pathology, forensic toxicology, forensic genetics, forensic anthropology, forensic psychiatry, forensic odontology, criminalistics, crime scene investigation, digital forensics, and related disciplines.

The journal accepts Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Case Reports, Rapid Communications, Technical Notes, Preliminary Communications, Letters to the Editor, and Commentaries.

All manuscripts must comply with the journal's Aims and Scope, Editorial Policies, and submission requirements.

Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be original, must not have been previously published, and must not be under consideration by another journal.

Manuscripts previously deposited on preprint servers may be considered in accordance with the journal's Preprint Policy. Authors must disclose any previous preprint deposition or conference presentation during initial submission. For conference presentations, the event name, date, and location must be provided.

All manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition.

Authors must follow the appropriate reporting guidelines for their study design:

·         Randomized clinical trials: CONSORT and, for protocols, SPIRIT.

·         Observational studies: STROBE.

·         Diagnostic accuracy studies: STARD.

·         Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA.

·         Experimental animal studies: ARRIVE.

·         Nonrandomized intervention studies: TREND.

·         Case reports: CARE.

·         Genetic association studies: STREGA.

·         Qualitative research: SRQR.

Additional reporting guidelines are available through the EQUATOR Network.

Authors are encouraged to consider the SAGER Guidelines for reporting sex and gender information and the EASE Guidelines for Authors and Translators for clear scientific writing.

Manuscripts can only be submitted through the journal's online manuscript submission and evaluation system. Submissions by e-mail or by individuals other than the authors will not be considered.

Required Submission Documents

The following documents must be submitted during initial submission:

1.      Main Manuscript File (anonymized Word document).

2.      Title Page (separate file).

3.      Copyright Agreement andAcknowledgement of Authorship Form, signed by all authors.

4.      ICMJE Disclosure Form, completed by all authors.

5.      Ethics Committee Approval or Exemption Document, where applicable.

6.      Informed Consent or Publication Consent Documents, where applicable.

7.      Figures and supplementary materials, if any.

Authors must disclose the use of artificial intelligence tools in accordance with the journal's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy.

Preparation of the Manuscript

General Format

Manuscripts must be prepared using Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx). PDF files are not accepted as the main manuscript file.

Manuscripts should be prepared on A4-size pages with 2.5 cm margins, double-spaced text, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, and left alignment.

All pages must be numbered consecutively. Manuscripts should be prepared in a single-column format.

Only the International System of Units (SI) should be used for measurements.

American English spelling and terminology should be used throughout the manuscript.

The main manuscript file must not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgments identifying the authors, or other information that may reveal their identities.

All identifying information must be provided separately on the Title Page to maintain double-blind peer review.

Title Page

A separate Title Page must include:

·         Full manuscript title and a running title not exceeding 50 characters.

·         Full names, academic degrees, institutional affiliations, and ORCID IDs of all authors.

·         Full contact information for the corresponding author, including institutional address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

·         Financial support and grant information, if applicable.

·         Acknowledgments for individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet authorship criteria.

·         Disclosure of any author who is a member of the journal's Editorial Board.

·         Relevant declarations, including conflicts of interest and author contributions, where required.

ORCID ID

All authors must provide their ORCID IDs during manuscript submission.

Authors who do not have an ORCID ID can register free of charge at https://orcid.org/.

Abstract

An abstract must be provided for all manuscript types except Letters to the Editor.

Original Research Articles must include a structured abstract with the following subheadings:

Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.

Abstract word limits vary according to manuscript type and are provided in Table 1.

Keywords

All manuscripts requiring an abstract must include 3–5 keywords at the end of the abstract.

Keywords should be selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database whenever applicable.

Keywords must be written in full without abbreviations.

Main Points

All submissions except Letters to the Editor must include 3–5 Main Points highlighting the principal findings and scientific contribution of the study.

Main Points should be brief, clear, and written as a separate list.

Manuscript Structure

Original Research Articles should be organized under the following headings:

Introduction: Clearly describe the background, scientific rationale, and objectives of the study.

Materials and Methods: Provide sufficient details regarding study design, participant or sample selection, data collection, research methods, ethical approval, and statistical analysis to allow evaluation and reproducibility.

Results: Present the findings clearly and logically, supported by appropriate tables and figures.

Discussion: Interpret the findings in relation to the existing literature, describe the scientific contribution, discuss study limitations, and provide a conclusion supported by the results.

Ethics committee approval information, including the committee name, decision number, and approval date, must be included in the Methods section where applicable.

Research involving forensic case records, autopsy findings, postmortem biological materials, identifiable images, or sensitive investigative information must comply with the journal's Publication Ethics Policy and applicable legal requirements.

Manuscript Types

Original Research Articles

Original Research Articles present new scientific findings based on original experimental, observational, clinical, laboratory, or other relevant forensic research.

Manuscripts should include Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, and Discussion sections.

Study limitations must be discussed before the concluding paragraph.

All research requiring ethics committee approval must obtain the appropriate approval before the study begins.

Please refer to Table 1 for manuscript limitations.

Clinical Trials

Novel Forensic Research adopts the ICMJE Clinical Trial Registration Policy.

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry recognized by ICMJE, at or before enrollment of the first participant.

Acceptable registries include ClinicalTrials.gov and registries participating in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP).

Authors must provide the registry name, registration number, and required data sharing statement during manuscript submission.

Clinical trial manuscripts must comply with the journal's Data Sharing Policy.

Reporting Statistical Analysis

Statistical analyses must be appropriate to the study design, research questions, and data characteristics.

The statistical methods used must be described under a separate subheading in the Materials and Methods section. Statistical software and relevant analytical procedures must be specified.

Statistical results, confidence intervals, and p values must be reported accurately and consistently with accepted scientific reporting standards.

P values should generally be reported to two or three decimal places as appropriate. Values below 0.001 should be reported as p<0.001 rather than p=0.000.

The use of SI units is required.

Review Articles

Review Articles should provide a comprehensive, critical, and evidence-based overview of current knowledge in forensic medicine or forensic sciences.

Authors are expected to have relevant expertise in the subject area.

The structure may be determined according to the subject matter; however, manuscripts must include Introduction and Conclusion sections.

Please refer to Table 1 for manuscript limitations.

Case Reports

Case Reports should describe scientifically significant or unusual forensic or clinical cases that contribute new knowledge to forensic medicine and related disciplines.

Reports may include unusual forensic findings, diagnostic challenges, rare conditions, or cases with important medico-legal implications.

Written informed consent for publication must be obtained when required. For deceased individuals, postmortem images, forensic investigation records, and other sensitive information, authors must comply with applicable legal, ethical, institutional, and confidentiality requirements.

Relevant supporting images and documentation should be provided where appropriate.

Please refer to Table 1 for manuscript limitations.

Rapid Communications

Rapid Communications present timely, original scientific findings of particular relevance to forensic medicine and forensic sciences.

Manuscripts should clearly describe the objective, methods, principal findings, and scientific importance of the study.

Rapid Communications are subject to the same ethical and peer review standards as other submissions.

Technical Notes

Technical Notes describe new or improved forensic methods, laboratory procedures, analytical techniques, instruments, or practical applications.

Manuscripts should provide sufficient methodological detail to allow scientific evaluation and, where applicable, reproducibility.

Preliminary Communications

Preliminary Communications present early findings from ongoing or recently completed research that may warrant timely scientific communication.

Authors must clearly identify the preliminary nature of the findings and avoid conclusions that are not supported by the available evidence.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor may discuss previously published articles, raise relevant scientific questions, or provide constructive academic commentary on subjects within the journal's scope.

Letters commenting on a published article should be submitted within four weeks of publication.

Authors of the original article may be invited to respond.

Letters do not require an abstract and must appropriately cite the article being discussed.

Please refer to Table 1 for manuscript limitations.

Commentaries and Editorial Comments

Commentaries provide scholarly perspectives or critical discussions on important issues in forensic medicine and forensic sciences.

Editorial Comments generally address articles published in the journal and may be invited by the Editorial Board.

The manuscript structure should be appropriate to the purpose and content of the commentary.

References

References must be prepared in accordance with the AMA Manual of Style, 11th Edition.

References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the text.

In-text citations must use Arabic numerals in square brackets, for example [1], [2], and [3].

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references.

Journal titles must be abbreviated according to NLM journal title abbreviations.

When a reference has six or fewer authors, all authors must be listed. For references with seven or more authors, list the first six followed by et al.

DOI information should be included whenever available, particularly for ahead-of-print publications.

Journal Article

Lamy A, Tong W, Devereaux PJ, Gao P, Gafni A, Singh K, et al. The cost implications of off-pump versus on-pump coronary artery bypass graft surgery at one year. Ann Thorac Surg. 2014;98:1620-5.

Book

DiMaio VJ, DiMaio D. Time of Death. In: Forensic Pathology. 2nd ed. CRC Press; 2001:21-42.

Book Chapter

Madea B, Henssge C. Timing of death. In: Payne-James J, Busuttil A, Smock W, eds. Forensic Medicine: Clinical Pathological Aspects. Greenwich Medical Media; 2003:91-114.

Websites

Author or organization. Title of webpage. Website name. Publication or update date, if available. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Conference Presentations

Author(s). Title of presentation. Presented at: Name of Conference; Date; Location.

Theses and Dissertations

Author. Title of Thesis or Dissertation. Type of thesis or dissertation. Institution; Year.

Previously published tables, figures, illustrations, or other copyrighted materials must be appropriately cited and accompanied by written permission when required.

Tables

Tables must be included in the main manuscript file after the reference list.

Tables must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are cited in the text.

Each table must have a descriptive title placed above it.

Abbreviations, statistical symbols, and other necessary explanations must be provided in footnotes.

Tables must be prepared using the table function of the word processing software.

Data presented in tables should complement, rather than unnecessarily duplicate, the main text.

Figures and Figure Legends

Figures, photographs, graphics, and other visual materials must be submitted as separate files in TIFF or JPEG format.

Figures must not be embedded in the main manuscript file.

The minimum resolution is 300 dpi, and images should have sufficient dimensions and quality for publication (minimum 100 × 100 mm where applicable).

Figure subunits should be submitted separately rather than merged into a single image.

Any information that may identify authors, institutions, patients, deceased individuals, or persons involved in forensic investigations must be appropriately anonymized, subject to applicable legal and ethical requirements.

Figure legends must be included at the end of the main manuscript file.

Each figure must be cited in the main text and numbered consecutively.

Written permission must be obtained for previously published copyrighted figures when required.

Abbreviations, Units, and Product Information

All abbreviations and acronyms must be defined at first mention in both the abstract and main text.

Only SI units should be used.

When a commercial product, laboratory instrument, drug, or software program is mentioned, the manufacturer's name and location should be provided where relevant.

All references, tables, and figures must be cited in the text in the appropriate order.

Revisions

Authors must submit revised manuscripts within 30 days of the revision decision.

All modifications must be clearly indicated in the revised manuscript, and a detailed point-by-point response to reviewers' comments must be submitted separately.

The response letter should specify the page and line numbers corresponding to the revisions.

Revised manuscripts must be uploaded as Microsoft Word files (.doc or .docx). Tracked changes, editorial comments, and author-identifying information must be removed from the clean anonymized manuscript file.

If the revised manuscript is not submitted within 30 days, a reminder may be issued. Manuscripts may be rejected if the requested revision is not received within an additional 15 days.

Authors requiring an extension must contact the Editorial Office before the revision deadline.

Proofs and Publication

Accepted manuscripts undergo copyediting, language editing, and production checks before publication.

Following acceptance and production, articles may be published online ahead of their assignment to a regular journal issue.

A PDF proof is sent to the corresponding author for final review.

The corresponding author is expected to review and approve the proof within two days of receipt.

Only essential corrections should be made at the proof stage. Substantial changes to the scientific content are not permitted without editorial approval.

Published articles are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) as applicable.

Acceptance and Editorial Decisions

Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, originality, methodological quality, ethical compliance, peer review findings, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

Final editorial decisions are made by the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized independent editor when a conflict of interest exists.

Acceptance of a manuscript does not guarantee publication in a particular issue.