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Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines for Manuscript Preparation and Submission

 

  1. Introduction

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) publishes scientifically rigorous, ethically compliant, and clearly reported manuscripts in anatomy and related biomedical sciences. These guidelines are intended to help authors prepare submission-ready manuscripts to a standard comparable with leading international journals.

Authors are strongly encouraged to read these guidelines in full before submission.

 

  1. Aims and Scope

JECA welcomes manuscripts in the following areas:

  • Gross anatomy
  • Histology and microanatomy
  • Embryology and developmental anatomy
  • Neuroanatomy
  • Comparative anatomy
  • Clinical anatomy
  • Experimental anatomy
  • Morphometry
  • Anatomical imaging
  • Translational anatomy
  • Anatomical education with strong methodological rigor

The journal considers studies involving:

  • human participants
  • cadavers and specimens
  • animal models
  • tissues and organs
  • laboratory and in vitro systems
  • microbial systems
  • imaging-based analysis

Submissions must demonstrate originality, scientific merit, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, and relevance to the field.

 

  1. Article Types

JECA accepts the following categories:

  • Original Research Articles
  • Review Articles
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
  • Short Communications
  • Case Reports and Case Series
  • Technical Notes
  • Letters to the Editor

 

  1. Editorial Standards

All manuscripts are assessed on the basis of:

  • novelty
  • scientific significance
  • methodological adequacy
  • reproducibility
  • ethical soundness
  • reporting quality
  • language quality
  • data presentation
  • image quality
  • reference quality
  • suitability for JECA readership

 

  1. General Manuscript Preparation

5.1 Language

All manuscripts must be written in clear, formal scientific English.

Authors should ensure:

  • grammatical accuracy
  • appropriate punctuation
  • correct spelling
  • consistent terminology
  • scientific clarity
  • proper tense usage
  • correct abbreviation use

Poor language quality may delay editorial processing.

5.2 Formatting Requirements

Authors must observe the following:

  • Use clear section headings.
  • Do not number section or subsection headings.
  • Spell out abbreviations in full at first mention.
  • Use standard scientific nomenclature and SI units where applicable.
  • Report dosages as mg/kg body weightor another scientifically appropriate unit.
  • Write post hocin italics throughout.
  • Write et al.in italics throughout.
  • Maintain consistency in style, capitalization, units, and symbols.

 

  1. Standard Manuscript Structure

A typical original research manuscript should be arranged in the following order:

  • Title page
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Limitations
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgments
  • Funding statement
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Author contributions statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Ethical approval statement
  • Consent statement, where applicable
  • References
  • Tables
  • Figure legends
  • Figures
  • Supplementary material, where applicable

 

  1. Title Page

The title page must include:

  • full manuscript title
  • full names of all authors
  • all author affiliations
  • corresponding author’s name, address, email, and telephone number
  • ORCID IDs where available
  • article type
  • word count
  • number of tables and figures

Title Requirements

The title must be:

  • accurate
  • concise
  • specific
  • scientifically appropriate
  • reflective of the study design, population, species, model, specimen, or system where relevant

Avoid vague, broad, or exaggerated titles.

 

  1. Abstract and Keywords

8.1 Abstract Format

For original research manuscripts, the abstract must be structured under the following headings:

  • Introduction
  • Aim
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

8.2 Word Limit

The abstract must not exceed 250 words.

8.3 Abstract Content

The abstract should:

  • provide brief context
  • state the objective clearly
  • summarize methods succinctly
  • present key results with essential numerical findings where appropriate
  • provide an evidence-based conclusion
  • avoid overstatement

8.4 Keywords

Provide 3 to 5 keywords below the abstract.

Keywords should be:

  • relevant
  • specific
  • indexable
  • aligned with the core subject matter

 

  1. Introduction

The Introduction should:

  • provide adequate and current background
  • identify the scientific or clinical problem
  • summarize relevant literature
  • identify the research gap
  • justify the study
  • end with a clear objective, aim, or hypothesis

The review of literature should be focused and balanced, not excessive or superficial.

 

  1. Materials and Methods

This section must be sufficiently detailed to permit reproducibility.

10.1 Required Core Elements

Authors must clearly describe:

  • study design
  • study setting
  • study period
  • participant/animal/sample/specimen selection
  • inclusion criteria
  • exclusion criteria
  • sampling technique
  • sample size calculation
  • group allocation
  • randomization method
  • blinding procedure
  • intervention/exposure details
  • dosage or concentration
  • control groups
  • assay procedures
  • reagents and instruments
  • outcome measures
  • quality control procedures
  • data collection methods
  • handling of missing data
  • statistical analysis
  • software used
  • significance threshold
  • post hoctests where applicable
  • whether assumptions for statistical tests were checked

10.2 Reporting Standards by Study Type

Authors should comply with the relevant reporting guideline:

  • Animal study:ARRIVE 2.0
  • Human observational study:STROBE
  • Randomized clinical trial:CONSORT
  • Diagnostic accuracy study:STARD
  • Systematic review/meta-analysis:PRISMA
  • Qualitative study:COREQ where applicable

10.3 Human Studies

Human studies must clearly state:

  • sample size calculation
  • sampling technique
  • inclusion criteria
  • exclusion criteria
  • recruitment approach
  • ethics approval
  • informed consent

10.4 Animal Studies

Animal studies must clearly report:

  • species, strain, sex, age, and weight
  • source of animals
  • housing and husbandry
  • number of animals per group
  • grouping strategy
  • route, dose, frequency, and duration of intervention
  • ethical approval
  • anesthesia and euthanasia procedures

Animals must be clearly well-grouped.

10.5 In Vitro / Cell Culture / Microbial Studies

Such studies must clearly report:

  • cell line/organism identification
  • authentication
  • contamination control
  • media and culture conditions
  • passage number where relevant
  • controls
  • replicate numbers
  • assay standardization
  • biosafety and ethical sourcing where relevant

Controls and replicates must be explicitly stated.

10.6 Statistical Analysis

The statistical analysis subsection must specify:

  • software and version
  • statistical tests used
  • assumptions checked
  • significance threshold
  • confidence intervals where appropriate
  • multiple testing correction where applicable
  • post hocprocedure where applicable

 

  1. Results

The Results section must be:

  • clear
  • logical
  • aligned with the Methods
  • internally consistent
  • statistically sound

Authors should ensure:

  • consistency between text and tables/figures
  • correct percentages and denominators
  • clear baseline/sample characteristics where relevant
  • proper reporting of p-values and effect estimates
  • no data duplication
  • no interpretation within the Results section

 

  1. Discussion

The Discussion should:

  • interpret findings accurately
  • focus on key findings
  • compare findings with previous studies
  • explain similarities and differences
  • discuss possible mechanisms where relevant
  • address scientific or clinical implications responsibly
  • avoid repeating results verbatim
  • avoid overstatement

Claims must be justified by the data.

 

  1. Limitations

A dedicated limitations section or paragraph is required.

Authors should discuss realistic and relevant limitations related to:

  • design
  • sample size
  • bias
  • measurement issues
  • methodology
  • image quality
  • generalizability

 

  1. Conclusion

The Conclusion should be:

  • concise
  • evidence-based
  • directly supported by the findings
  • useful to readers
  • free from exaggerated claims

 

  1. Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Material

15.1 General Requirements

All tables and figures must:

  • be cited in the text
  • be numbered consecutively
  • have clear titles/legends
  • define abbreviations
  • explain statistical symbols
  • be consistent with the text
  • be scientifically appropriate

15.2 Tables

Tables should:

  • be editable
  • avoid overcrowding
  • present data clearly
  • avoid redundancy with figures

15.3 Figures

Figures should:

  • be high resolution
  • have clear labels
  • include units where relevant
  • avoid misleading presentation

15.4 Histological Images

Histological images must be:

  • clear
  • well labeled
  • of acceptable quality
  • accompanied by visible scale bars
  • not labeled by magnification alone
  • supported by complete legends

15.5 Gel/Blot/PCR/Microscopy Images

Where applicable, such images should show:

  • lane labels
  • markers
  • controls
  • expected band sizes
  • minimal image processing
  • no inappropriate cropping

Authors may be asked to provide raw image files.

 

  1. Ethical Requirements

16.1 Human Studies

Must include:

  • ethics committee name
  • approval number
  • informed consent statement

16.2 Animal Studies

Must include:

  • institutional animal ethics approval
  • approval number
  • welfare-related procedures

16.3 Cadaveric/Specimen Studies

Must include:

  • lawful and ethical source of specimens
  • relevant institutional approval where required

 

  1. Required Declarations

Authors should include the following, as applicable:

  • Funding statement
  • Conflict of interest statement
  • Author contributions statement
  • Data availability statement
  • Acknowledgments
  • Trial registration number
  • Ethical approval statement
  • Consent statement

 

  1. References

JECA requires strict APA style.

18.1 In-Text Citations

Use surname and year in curved parentheses:

  • (Ade, 2022)
  • (Ade & Oyegun, 2001)
  • (Ade et al., 2022)

Rules:

  • Use “and”in narrative citations.
  • Use “&”in parenthetical citations.
  • Write et al.in italics.

18.2 Reference List

References must be:

  • complete
  • accurate
  • current where possible
  • relevant
  • formatted in APA style
  • matched to in-text citations
  • accompanied by clickable DOI where available
  • written with full journal titles

Unverifiable or suspicious references should not be included.

 

  1. Pre-Submission Quality Check

Before submission, authors must ensure that:

  • the abstract is structured and ≤250 words
  • 3–5 keywords are included
  • abbreviations are defined at first use
  • study methods are reproducible
  • ethical approval is clearly stated
  • limitations are explicitly discussed
  • references are in APA style
  • all figures and tables are cited
  • histological images include scale bars
  • language has been carefully edited

 

  1. Contact and Submission Support

Authors are encouraged to prepare manuscripts carefully to minimize delays during technical screening and peer review.

 

Manuscript Submission: Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out. And that, if accepted , it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without written consent of the copyright holder. To verify originality, your article may be checked by the originality detection service Crossref Similarity Check.

Manuscripts are submitted through Journal's online submission platform, jecajournal.com

New authors are required to register before they can sign in. Previously registered authors can sign in with their username and password.

Manuscript review process

Page Charges: Upon acceptance of a manuscript for publication, authors are required to publication charge of N50,000.00 to the Journal’s account.

Proofs: following corrections of reviewed articles, proofs will be sent via e-mail as PDF file to the corresponding author for proof-reading and minor corrections if any. Proof-read articles must be returned within seven days. Alterations to the text and figures (other than correction of errors in typesetting and grammar) are not acceptable at this stage.

Submission Preparation Checklist

Before final submission, authors are required to confirm that:

 The manuscript has been prepared in accordance with the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy Author Guidelines.

 The submission is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication in another journal or elsewhere.

 All references have been checked for accuracy, completeness, and correct formatting.

 All tables and figures have been appropriately numbered, labelled, and cited in the text.

 Permission has been obtained, where required, for the publication of all photographs, images, figures, datasets, and any other copyrighted or third-party material included in the submission.

Original Articles

Section default policy

Copyright Notice

Copyright and Open Access Policy

Copyright © 2003–present Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA).

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) is an open access journal. All articles are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication.

Copyright

Authors retain copyright in their articles.

License to Publish

By submitting a manuscript to JECA, the authors agree that, if the manuscript is accepted for publication, they will grant JECA and its publisher a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual license to:

  • publish, reproduce, distribute, display, and store the article in all media and formats now known or later developed;
  • identify JECA as the original publisher of the article;
  • translate the article into other languages;
  • create and publish abstracts, summaries, extracts, metadata, and indexing records;
  • include the article in archives, repositories, databases, compilations, and collections;
  • authorize third parties to carry out any of the above, provided such use is consistent with the applicable open access license.

Open Access License

All articles published in JECA are distributed under a Creative Commons license. The specific license applicable to each article will be stated in the published version of the article.

If the journal uses a single license for all articles, state it clearly, for example:

All articles published in JECA are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.

Author Declaration

Submission of a manuscript to JECA constitutes a declaration that:

  1. the manuscript is original;
  2. it has not been published previously, except as disclosed by the authors;
  3. it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere;
  4. all authors have approved the manuscript and agree to its submission;
  5. the manuscript does not infringe any copyright, proprietary right, or other right of any third party; and
  6. the authors have obtained all necessary permissions for any third-party material included in the manuscript.

Third-Party Material

Where third-party material is included in an article, the authors are responsible for obtaining permission where required. Such material will be subject to the copyright and licensing terms indicated in the relevant credit line. If third-party material is not covered by the article’s Creative Commons license, users must obtain permission directly from the copyright holder for any reuse not permitted by law.

For enquiries

Editor
Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy
Email: jecajournal@gmail.com 

Privacy Statement

Privacy Policy

Effective Date: 1st January, 2025

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) values the trust of its authors, reviewers, editors, readers, and website users. We are committed to protecting personal data and respecting privacy in accordance with applicable data protection, publishing, and ethical standards.

This Privacy Policy explains how JECA collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data provided through the journal website, manuscript submission system, editorial correspondence, peer review process, and related publishing activities.

1. Who We Are

The Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA) is the official publication of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (SECAN).

The data controller for personal data processed in connection with JECA is the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (SECAN), acting through the Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA).

JECA may also engage authorized publishing, hosting, manuscript management, indexing, archiving, and technical service providers to process personal data on its behalf and in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

2. Scope of This Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data collected from or about:

  • authors and co-authors;
  • reviewers;
  • editors and editorial board members;
  • readers and website users;
  • subscribers to journal communications; and
  • any other individuals who interact with JECA or its publishing systems.

3. Personal Data We Collect

Depending on your relationship with JECA, we may collect and process the following personal data:

  • full name;
  • institutional affiliation;
  • job title or academic position;
  • postal address;
  • email address;
  • telephone number;
  • ORCID iD and other researcher identifiers, where provided;
  • biographical details;
  • login credentials and account-related information;
  • manuscript submission data and publication metadata;
  • correspondence with the journal;
  • peer review and editorial activity records;
  • technical and usage data, including IP address, browser type, device information, and access logs, where applicable.

4. How We Use Personal Data

JECA uses personal data for legitimate academic publishing, editorial, administrative, legal, and technical purposes, including to:

  • process and manage manuscript submissions;
  • administer peer review and editorial decision-making;
  • communicate with authors, reviewers, editors, and readers;
  • verify authorship and ensure appropriate attribution;
  • publish author names, affiliations, ORCID iDs, biographies, acknowledgements, funding information, and conflict of interest disclosures where relevant;
  • produce, disseminate, index, archive, preserve, and promote published content;
  • maintain the integrity, security, and functionality of the journal website and submission systems;
  • comply with publishing ethics, legal obligations, and regulatory requirements;
  • respond to inquiries, requests, complaints, or disputes;
  • send administrative, service-related, and, where permitted, journal-related communications.

5. Legal Basis for Processing

Where required by applicable law, JECA processes personal data on one or more of the following legal bases:

  • performance of a contract or steps taken prior to entering into a contract;
  • compliance with legal or regulatory obligations;
  • legitimate interests in operating, managing, securing, preserving, and disseminating scholarly publications;
  • consent, where consent is required by law.

For example, when authors submit a manuscript, JECA processes personal data in order to administer submission, peer review, editorial evaluation, publication, and archiving.

6. Publication of Author Information

If a manuscript is accepted for publication, certain personal data may be published as part of the permanent scholarly record. These may include:

  • author names;
  • institutional affiliations;
  • corresponding author contact details;
  • ORCID iDs, where provided;
  • author biographies, where applicable;
  • acknowledgements;
  • funding statements; and
  • conflict of interest disclosures.

This information is processed and published in the interests of academic attribution, transparency, discoverability, and scholarly integrity.

7. Peer Review Confidentiality

JECA treats manuscripts under review, peer review reports, editorial correspondence, and reviewer identities in accordance with the journal’s peer review model and confidentiality standards.

Personal data collected in connection with peer review are used solely for legitimate editorial and publication purposes. Reviewers are expected to maintain the confidentiality of all manuscripts, data, and communications received during the review process and must not use such materials for personal or professional advantage.

JECA may retain records of reviewer activity for editorial administration, quality assurance, research integrity, and publication ethics purposes.

8. Sharing of Personal Data

JECA may share personal data, where necessary and appropriate, with:

  • editors, editorial staff, and reviewers;
  • SECAN and authorized journal representatives;
  • manuscript submission system providers;
  • hosting, typesetting, production, and archiving service providers;
  • indexing, abstracting, and dissemination services;
  • repositories and scholarly databases;
  • legal, regulatory, or governmental authorities where required by law; and
  • other service providers engaged for legitimate journal and publishing operations.

Personal data are shared only to the extent necessary for editorial, publishing, administrative, legal, technical, or archival purposes.

JECA does not sell personal data to third parties.

9. International Data Transfers

Because journal publishing may involve authors, reviewers, editors, and service providers located in different countries, personal data may be transferred to and processed outside your country of residence.

Where such transfers occur, JECA will take appropriate steps, where required by applicable law, to ensure that personal data are protected in a manner consistent with relevant data protection requirements.

10. Data Storage and Security

Personal data are stored on secure servers operated by JECA and/or its authorized third-party service providers.

JECA takes reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect personal data against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, loss, misuse, or destruction. However, no internet-based system or electronic storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Where you are provided with, or choose, a password to access any part of the website or submission system, you are responsible for keeping that password confidential and for not sharing it with others.

11. Data Retention

JECA retains personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which the data were collected, including editorial management, publication, indexing, archiving, legal compliance, dispute resolution, and record-keeping.

In determining the retention period, we consider:

  • the nature, sensitivity, and volume of the personal data;
  • the purposes for which the data are processed;
  • the potential risks arising from unauthorized use or disclosure;
  • applicable legal, regulatory, accounting, and reporting obligations; and
  • the need to preserve the integrity of the scholarly record.

Because published scholarly works form part of the permanent academic record, personal data associated with published articles may be retained indefinitely.

JECA may anonymize personal data for research, service improvement, reporting, or statistical purposes. Once anonymized, such information may be retained and used without further notice.

12. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the right to:

  • request access to the personal data we hold about you;
  • request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data;
  • request erasure of personal data in certain circumstances;
  • request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
  • object to processing in certain circumstances;
  • request transfer of your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format where legally applicable;
  • withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
  • opt out of non-essential promotional or marketing communications.

These rights are not absolute and may be limited where continued processing is necessary for legal compliance, editorial administration, publication ethics, the public interest, the preservation of the scholarly record, or the establishment, exercise, or defence of legal claims.

13. Right to Erasure

You may request erasure of your personal data where:

  • the data are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they were collected;
  • you withdraw consent and no other lawful basis for processing applies;
  • you object to the processing and there are no overriding legitimate grounds to continue;
  • the personal data have been processed unlawfully; or
  • erasure is required to comply with a legal obligation.

However, JECA may retain certain personal data where necessary for legal compliance, editorial record-keeping, publication integrity, or the defence of legal claims.

14. Marketing and Journal Communications

If you no longer wish to receive promotional or non-essential journal communications, you may opt out at any time, and JECA will stop sending such communications in accordance with applicable law.

However, JECA may continue to send essential administrative communications relating to manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decisions, publication, account management, or journal operations.

15. Cookies and Technical Data

The JECA website and associated systems may use cookies, server logs, and similar technologies to support website functionality, user authentication, security, performance monitoring, and usage analysis.

Technical data collected may include IP address, browser type, operating system, device information, referring pages, pages visited, and dates and times of access.

Where required by law, additional information regarding cookies and similar technologies will be provided in a separate Cookie Policy or cookie notice.

16. External Links

The JECA website may contain links to third-party websites, including partner organizations, abstracting and indexing services, repositories, publishers, and other external resources.

If you follow a link to any external website, please note that such websites operate under their own privacy policies. JECA does not control and is not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or security of third-party websites. Users are encouraged to review the privacy policies of those sites before submitting any personal data.

17. Complaints

If you have any concern about the way JECA processes your personal data, you are encouraged to contact the journal in the first instance using the contact details below.

Subject to applicable law, you may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant data protection or supervisory authority in your jurisdiction.

18. Changes to This Privacy Policy

JECA may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements, journal operations, publishing practices, or technical systems.

Any revised version will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. Where appropriate, JECA may also notify users of significant changes by email or through the journal website.

Users are encouraged to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

19. Contact Information

Questions, requests, or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of personal data should be directed to:

Journal of Experimental and Clinical Anatomy (JECA)
Official publication of the Society of Experimental and Clinical Anatomists of Nigeria (SECAN)
Email: jecajournal@gmail.com
Data Protection Contact Email: jeca@secanigeria.org
Postal Address: Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Website: www.jecajournal.com