As of April 1, 2023

The submission rules of Journal of Rural Medicine will change, described as below, starting with submissions from April 1, 2023. Please be sure you understand the followings before submitting your manuscript.

Aims and Scope

Journal of Rural Medicine (JRM) is the official journal of the Japanese Association of Rural Medicine (JARM) and the International Association of Rural Health and Medicine (IARM), formerly named the International Association of Agricultural Medicine and Rural Health (IAAMRH), that seeks to publish original and practical contributions and review articles on Agricultural medicine, Rural health care, Ecological medicine, Familial medicine, Home health care, General practical medicine and clinical investigations in rural and related areas.

Editorial Board

Editorial Policy

All submitted manuscripts are reviewed by specialists. The Editorial Committee reserves the right to require revisions of the manuscripts according to the reviewers’ comments and to make the final decision on acceptance of the manuscripts. If accepted, the manuscript shall not be published elsewhere in the same form in either the same or any other language, without the consent of JARM or IARM.

Manuscript Form

• All manuscripts must be written in English.
• JRM will consider for publication papers in the following categories: (1) Review, (2) Original article, (3) Field report, (4) Case report, and (5) Letters to the Editor.
• Arrange the manuscript in the following order: (1) title page, (2) abstract, (3) text, (4) references, (5) figure legends, (6) tables, and (7) figures.
• The authors should be limited to 7 persons or less, and each author may be required to specify the contribution in the submitted paper.
• Use a double-spaced, single-column format with 1-inch (2.5 cm) margins.
• Number all text lines throughout the manuscript.
• Paginate the entire document.
• Place all tables and figures after the references and clearly label each.

Manuscript Preparation

1. Title Page

   The title page should contain the title, the full names of the authors, corresponding authors, the street address of the authors’ academic affiliations, and the mailing address for the proofs.
   Authors should indicate the category of papers (Review, Original article, Field report, Case report, and Letters to the Editor) in the upper left corner of the title page. A fax number, telephone number, and e-mail address should also be included.

2. Abstract

   Abstract should be comprehensible without reference to the text, and the use of abbreviations should be avoided whenever possible. Abstract for original articles are limited to 300 words, and those for other papers to 200 words. Abstract should be structured according to the following format: Objective, Patient/Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusion.

3. Key words

   Three to five key words should be listed below the abstract. Authors are encouraged to choose appropriate key words for concise description of the content of the paper.

4. Text

   The text should be divided into the following sections: (1) Introduction, (2) Patients and Methods, or Materials and Methods, (3) Results, (4) Discussion, (5) Conclusion, (6) Declarations (Acknowledgments, Conflict of Interest (COI), Funding information, Ethics approval and consent to participate, Consent for publication, Data availability statement, and Author contributions). The sections should describe; (1) the problem being addressed and the purpose of the study with reference to previous findings, (2) materials and methods used in the study in concise yet sufficient detail to allow the study to be replicated, and the method of statistical analysis should be indicated, (3) main findings obtained, (4) conclusions drawn from the findings and implications for further research and clinical application with a review of relevant published literature and other evidence, (5) final conclusion of the study, (6) the statement for each item.

5. References

   Number references consecutively in the order cited in the text, not alphabetically. The accuracy of reference data is the authors’ responsibility. Provide inclusive page numbers for all journal references and book chapters, and the specific page numbers for book references. Indicate all abstracts as “(Abstract)”. Use abbreviations for the names of all journals listed in Index Medicus. For those not listed, spell out the full name of English language journals. When the main text is not in English, use the original language name of the journal and include “(in language)” after the date. If the official English translation of the journal is printed on the cover, include the English name in parentheses after the original name. If only the abstract is in English, include “(Abstract in English)”. For periodicals, follow Index Medicus, listing all authors up to three, and when four or more, list only first three followed by “et al”. Please note that no periods are used after authors’ initials.
   Sample references are as follows:

   1. Bondi M, Kaszniak A. Implicit and explicit memory in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 1991; 13: 339–358.
   2. Hashimoto R, Hasegawa S, Maki T, et al. Compulsive manipulation of tools in the left hand following damage to the right medial frontal lobe. Rinshou Shinkeigaku (Clin Neurol) 1998; 30: 56–80 (in Japanese, Abstract in English).
   3. Wakatsuki T. The history and future of agricultural medicine. Nihon Nouson Igakukai Zasshi (JJRM) 1981; 30: 56–80 (in Japanese, Abstract in English).
   4. Swash M, Schwartz MS. Neuromuscular disease. A Practical Approach to Diagnosis and Management. 3rd ed. Springer-Verlag, London, 1997; 89–120.
   5. Wetzler M, Bloomfield CD. Acute and chronic myeloid leukemias. In: Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. 14th ed. Fauci AS, Braunwald E, Isselbacher KJ, et al., Eds. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1998; 684–695.
6. Tables

   Tables should be cited in the text. Each table should be given a number and a brief informative title and should appear on a separate page. Explain in footnotes all abbreviations used. Vertical lines should not be used in tables, but least horizontal lines can be used.

7. Figures

   Figures should be cited in the text and should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals. All figure legends should be separately provided after the references. Crop photomicrographs to show only essential field. Photographs of identifiable persons must be accompanied by a signed release giving consent. If illustrations from previous articles or books are to be used in papers submitted to JRM, the written permission of both author and publisher must accompany each illustration. Color figures and illustrations are available.

Online Release after Acceptance

1. Proofs

   Proofs (PDF version) will be sent to the corresponding author of an article unless an alternative is requested on the title page of the manuscript by E-mail. They should be checked carefully and returned to the editorial office of JRM within 7 days of receipt.

2. Publication fees

   Extra page charges: The Journal publishes a paper free of charge unless the paper exceeds 10 printed pages. The charge of extra page is at present 10,000 JPY.
   There are NO additional color charges.

Informed Consent, and Ethics of Experimentation

Human studies should be conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (1964, revised 1975 and 1983). Authors reporting experimental studies on humans must specify that the research received prior approval by the appropriate institutional review body and that informed consent was obtained from each subject or patient.
Manuscripts describing investigations in animals must clearly indicate the steps taken to eliminate pain and suffering. Approval by the appropriate animal experimentation committee should be indicated. Authors have a duty to protect their subjects, animal or human, and to show clearly in their writing a recognition of the moral issues involved.

Clinical Trials Registry and CONSORT Statement

When submitting papers related to clinical trials, such clinical trial information must have been publicly registered, before the trial start, at a clinical trial registration system.
For Japanese authors: University hospital Medical Information Network - Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR) in Japan or the Japan Medical Association, Center for Clinical Trials (JMA-CCT) - Clinical Trial Registration.
For Non-Japanese authors: WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) papers shall confirm to the revised CONSORT Statement. The CONSORT Statement: Revised Recommendations for Improving the Quality of Reports of Parallel-Group Randomized Trials. JAMA 2001; 285, 15: 1987–1991. Please access the Consort Website.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Authors must include in the Self-reported Potential Conflict of Interest Disclosure Statement accompanying the article submitted for review a full disclosure of all conflicts of interest and commercial relationships including grants, honoraria, speaker’s lists, significant ownership, and/or support from pharmaceutical or other companies such as manufactures of equipment, diagnostic or other laboratories whose products are directly or indirectly involved or affected by the article.

General Preparations of Initial Submissions

• Authors including the first author are NOT requested to have a membership of Japanese Association of Rural Medicine (JARM) when submitting an article from the beginning of April 2021. Co-authors have been already exempt from membership since November 2010.
• Instead, when the article is accepted, the first author must pay the article processing charge (APC) 30,000 JPY for publication. The author can select the payment method, credit card or bank transfer.
• See JARM Membership application.
• Submitted manuscript should be accompanied by the Declaration of the First Author.

Waiver policy of APC

In order to accelerate the dissemination of knowledge through the publication of high quality research article, we have instituted the following waiver policy.
The following authors are exempt from the APC fee.

• First author is JARM member.
• Both the first and corresponding authors are from Low-Income countries which the World Bank has defined.