Editorial Guide - African Region

Letter from DA Dear Editors and friends, The concept of magazine production for your Medical students association (MSA), National Medical Organization (NMO) or for your region should be anchored on the desire to get information across to your target audience. The type of articles accepted and published will determine the quality of information that will be collected as well as the academic content for the readers and translate to the type of capacity built into your readers. For this reason, article reviews for publications should be taken with all seriousness as its ripple effects go a long way.

This guidebook was made from the need to objectively improve the quality of accepted articles in African region and IFMSA at large. It also stands as a training guide for members of the editorial team in the region without prior experience but with sufficient drive. It also doubles as a training material for authors serving as a mirror for their articles. They can objectively assess their articles and ensure they are up to par even before submission. Overall, this editorial process aims to produce better writers We sincerely hope that this guidebook improves the standards of publications, editorial skills, and quality of articles from the African region and IFMSA as a whole.

Tade DA Publications IFMSA Africa (2012-2014)

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EDITORIAL GUIDE | AFRICAN REGION

TEAM

Franklyn - Nigeria

Helena - Dominican Republic

Tade - Nigeria

Dorcas - Ghana

Noah (Okra) - Uganda

Victor - Nigeria

Wahida - Tanzania

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PART 1 :

CONTENT EDITING [Dorcas, Wahida, Tade] Main task: To confirm that the content meets publishable standards for magazine and is relevant to the target audience of the magazine.

C O N T E N T

Content meets minimum publishable standards.

Objectivity using scoring system Normal flow and clarity Target audience relevant Ensure references/bibliography are correct and appropriate No bias – make review double blinded Track changes ALWAYS

• Content editing is evaluation of work by professionals in the same field to enhance the quality of work.

• When an article is received by an editorial team, it goes through a series of rounds of editing and review • The content edit though, requires a keen eye for storytelling.

• While it is up to a writer to bring a story home, it is not until the writer finds ‘’ another set of eyes, thus a good content editor on the piece that he /she can really appreciate the weak points which may need patching. These fragile points will then be pointed out and corrected to make the submission a masterpiece worthy of publication.

• As a content editor never forget to use the TRACK – CHANGES feature in Microsoft Word Documents, for PDF documents, drop comments in using the ‘’ add sticky notes (Ctrl +6 ) or highlight text buttons.

• There are three possible outcomes from content review

a. unconditional acceptance

b. conditional acceptance

c. rejection

• Normal review process

a. Screening against minimum standard

b. Article assessed by content editors

c. Editors make final decisions on whether to publish oe not

d. Authors are emailed with decisions

• Articles are encouraged to be double blinded. Author does not know who is reviewing the article and reviewer does not know the author.

• Main aims of a content edit:

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a. to improve what we publish

b. Be courteous and constructive

c. Maintain confidentiality

d. Keep to deadlines EDITORIAL GUIDE | AFRICAN REGION

• To be objective in content editing, a scoring system can be used, it would consist of

a. Content

i. Clarity and flow

ii. Language

iii. References/ bibliography - accurate and appropriate

b. Relevance

i. Will the article capture and retain readers’ interest? Why?

ii. Does it address our audience (medical students)?

iii. Current, relevant, useful?

iv. Does it have an impact on medical students

• A good content review should be

a. Comprehensive

b. Clear to both editor and author

c. Fair

d. Have a directive to the editor as to decision advised on the article

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CONTENT REVIEWER CHECKLIST Content & Writing Style (Max. 15 Points) Clarity & Flow: Are there proper use of necessary headings and subheadings? (2 pts)

Notes (Please use bullets or sentences)

Does the article flow smoothly and logically, with the sentences, paragraphs, and sections fitting together? How could this be further improved? Is the writing clear and concise?(4 pts) Language: Are all technical terms clearly defined? (2 pts) Is there minimum or no use of jargon? (1 pt) Are all abbreviations written out in full the first time? Is there use of standard scientific abbreviations? (2 pts) References: Are all sources within the text and in the end references section accurately cited using the Vancouver referencing style? (1.5 pts) Is there adequate use of references? (1.5 pts) Are appropriate references used? Are the references relevant? (0.5 pts)

Relevance (Max. 20 points) Will the article capture and retain readers’ interest? If so, why?(Max. 10 points) Does it address our audience, that is, medical students? (Max. 10 points)

Total score (max. 35 points) 1. Content (/15) 2. Relevance & Practical Advice (/20) TOTAL:

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EDITORIAL GUIDE | AFRICAN REGION

Score:

PART 2 :

PROOF READING [Helena, Victor]

Main task: To confirm that the content of the article has no grammatical errors and reads in an organized fashion.

Responsibilities: P R O O F

Provide editorial guidance for the author through the “tracking changes” tool.

Review the article for any grammatical errors in the use of verb tenses, colloquial terms, or sentence structure.

Observe that the article does not have plagiarized ideas or concepts.

Observe that the references are cited appropriately in Vancouver style.

Find footnotes and confirm that their descriptions are self-explanatory.

P: Provide editorial guidance for the author through the “tracking changes” tool in Microsoft Word.

• By using Microsoft Word or equivalent word processor, you will be able to provide appropriate editorial guidance for the author. The “review” tab is an essential editing tool for your assigned tasks.

• Your “spell check” tool should be conducted in British English.

• Your “tracking changes” tool will highlight your editorial modifications to the content.

• Your “comments” tool will allow you to make editorial recommendations for the author to review and modify.

R: Review the article for any grammatical errors in the use of verb tenses, colloquial terms, or sentence structure.

• Read the article through one time for a general understanding of the content.

o It is important to read through the article at least once before a stepwise proofreading is completed.

This first glance will ensure that you have a general idea about the subject that facilitates a holistic and contextual editorial review rather than just a segmental approach.

• Language: Is the article written in British English?

o Although there is no advantage to using British English over American English, the editorial board of the IFMSA Auscultate prefers to use British English.

• Article format

o Authors should select one article format for consistency during the preparation of their article.

* If this article describes scientific or health findings, then the article should be written in formal vernacular. * If this article describes present perspectives or reflective narratives on the subject, then the article may be written in informal vernacular.

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•

Use of capitalization, italics, or quotation marks

o Each sentence should begin with a capital letter and end with a period.

o Certain phrases should be italicized, including references to literary works.

o Quotation marks are required for any direct citations.

O: Observe that the article does not have plagiarized ideas or concepts.

• Any direct citation from the scientific literature, including definitions, should be written with quotation marks and the referenced source.

• It is important to differentiate between plagiarism and parapharasing.

o Plagiarism is unethical, discourages ingenuity and encourages mediocrity. All efforts should be made to detect plagiarism. Plagiarism is defined as “the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own” (Oxford University Press, 2014).

o Paraphrasing is defined as when you “express the meaning of (the writer or speaker or something written or spoken) using different words, especially to achieve greater clarity” (Oxford University Press, 2014).

• The use of plagiarism scanners or software (eg, Turnitin, iThenticate) may be employed.

• As medical students, we must challenge ourselves to read the scientific literature, take notes, analyse the content, and then develop our own perspectives based on the literature. It is important to note that lifting the contents of an article verbatim without proper referencing is plagiarism. When we refer to a specific idea within an article, we must use our own words (paraphrasing) while citing the respective source.

O: Observe that the references are cited appropriately in Vancouver style.

• Final reference list citations

o The guidelines of IFMSA Auscultate prefer Vancouver citation (URL).

o The reference citation is essential because it can provide additional information to the reader about the reference. If the reference is incomplete, the reader will not be able to find this additional material.

o Proper referencing is important to ensure that research continues to promote research findings and en courage readers to review the published literature.

• In-text reference citations

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o Within the text, the reference citations should be written as subscript numbers, after the period of the respective sentence and in the chronological numerical order.

o The final reference list should reflect the chronological numerical order of the in-text reference citations.

EDITORIAL GUIDE | AFRICAN REGION

F: Find footnotes and photograph captions and confirm that their descriptions are self-explanatory.

• There are so many words and phrases that have entered into our use of the English language.

This is commonly referred to as “indigenization” of the English language. For this reason, the addition of a descriptive footnote or photograph caption may help the reader to better understand the article content.

Important question: When to intervene?

Remember that all publications have an editorial process, which aims to strengthen submitted articles to fit within the topic or theme of the respective journal. Authors understand that all submissions will undergo an editorial process, which will confirm that their article was accepted with minor revisions, accepted with major revisions, or not selected for the journal.

As a proofreader, your task is to verify that the written content of the article is free of grammatical errors. In addition, you must confirm that the article is written in an organized form, where each sentence unites the paragraph, and each paragraph develops the main idea of the article.

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PART 3 :

L AY O U T D E S I G N [Franklin, Okra] Main Task: To ensure the articles and graphics of the magazine are well placed and organized.

L A Y O U T

Let your imagination lead the way Architecture Your reader’s eye Organisation Uniqueness Topping

It does not matter how great the articles are or the pictures you are using in your magazine. Your magazine should be organized in a great and creative manner so as to attract the eye of the reader. It is the layout that appeals to the eye, and then the eye appeals to the mind to read. And it starts right from the cover. Ideally, we are not supposed to judge a “book” (or magazine in this case) by its cover, but we do this all the time. People always find themselves flipping through a magazine before they can even start reading any article. So layout, how does it go?

1) Let your imagination lead the way. Check out a few of the nice magazines and see what you liked about them.

Think of your own ways that make your magazine creative, from the size of the magazine, to the colours you will use, and even the paragraph styles. It is good to play in with colours, but usually three colours will do an effective job.

2) Architecture - Start off with the general skeleton of layout. It is a great idea to have a well laid out skeleton, which saves time later when you start adding the article content. An impressive work will incorporate the page numbering, guides, bleeds, a footer or header with the theme, or any logos into a creative architecture.

3) Your reader’s eye - A good background will keep the eye interested. You may use a well deemed out image or gradient or plain colour. Whatever your taste, suit yourself to what appeals to you most (You must trust your taste).

Just ensure your background matches the text, which optimizes the visual layout. For example, ghost boxes work magic. The cover page, table of contents and back page usually need a good amount of attention, from the layout to graphics and organisation. They speak volumes about the taste of the designer. If you have a good taste, you will be sure to arouse every readers’ appetite for your magazine. Use high quality images to keep your reader interested in your magazine.

4) Organisation – Now, your skeleton is ready and looking great. You will need to try out with text and images. Experiment with a number of columns and see what the design feels like. Readable text can be from 9 point text font or greater, but you should not strain the eyes of your reader. An 11 point text font is good enough to save your space and also keep the reader at ease. Remember, very long text will make the reader bored, so use columns when the article is long. Any text wraps should be thoroughly edited to avoid “irregular” text displays. Your paragraph styles should also be consistent for most articles. Adjust where necessary.

5) Uniqueness – Now that you have the articles in, you should work on the pictures. Pictures will keep your magazine readable years after it was long published. Pictures make the articles simplified, as they speak a thousand words. If the article is about a specific topic, find a picture that suits the topic. That way, it makes the story uniquely appealing to the reader. Since pictures give mood to the magazine, you need to filter what you decide to use. Avid over using them, because you are bound to make the reader focus more on them than the articles. Use the picture to put an impression on the reader. The picture should remind the reader of the main point of the article. High quality images will keep you ahead of the game. | 10 |

EDITORIAL GUIDE | AFRICAN REGION

6) Topping – Now that the “ice cream” is ready, you might want to add a little “topping” of coloured jelly or icing to make the reader devour your magazine with a smile. I call them stray characters, and these are small subtle graphics that are not obvious to the readers’ mind. They may range from bizarre shapes, comical graphic, ink splatters, leaves or other images. You can occasionally scatter them around to provide a continuous look to the magazine. This works magic for long articles. The images should be in the background and not obscure any text. It is good to exercise them on repetitive items (eg, titles) in the magazine.

IMPORTANT: Now that you are done, voila, you have designed a great magazine! Pat yourself on the back and share your work with your friends for their critique. Accept their comments and see how you can continue to improve the magazine layout.

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