I. About the Journal – Scope

II. Accepted Article Types

(1) Original research articles: present quantitative, qualitative, or interventional research findings and adhere to standard scientific structure;

(2) Review articles: systematically synthesize and analyze published studies, clarify scientific evidence, and provide orientations for practice/research;

(3) Case reports: present typical, rare, or clinically valuable cases, fully ensuring ethical requirements and patient consent.

III. Manuscript Preparation Guidelines

a. Original research articles (Original paper):

b. Review articles (Review paper)

c. Case reports/clinical case reports (Case study):

+ In-text citation: use author–year format, e.g., (Nguyen, 2022); (Nguyen & Tran, 2022); for three or more authors, use et al.

+ Reference list: placed at the end of the article, unnumbered, and arranged alphabetically by the first author's surname.

+ Each reference includes: Author(s). (Year). Title. Publication source. DOI/URL (if any).

+ Article titles should be written in sentence case (only capitalize the first letter of the sentence and proper nouns); journal names should be italicized and written in full.

+ In-text citation: references are numbered in order of appearance, using square brackets or parentheses, e.g., [1], [2,3].

+ Reference list: numbered correspondingly with in-text citations and arranged in order of appearance.

+ Each reference includes: Author(s). Article title. Journal name. Year; volume(issue): pages. DOI (if any).

+ All references cited in the text must appear in the reference list and vice versa.

+ Priority should be given to reputable scientific sources with valid DOIs or access links.

+ Authors are encouraged to use reference management software (EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, etc.) to ensure accurate and consistent formatting.

+ Tables are numbered by chapter/section, consisting of the chapter number followed by the sequential number of the table in that chapter, e.g., Table 1.1, Table 2.1, Table 3.1, etc.

+ Table titles are placed above the table, concise, accurately reflecting content, and written in lowercase (except first letter and proper nouns).

+ Table content must use consistent terminology and units of measurement; abbreviations and symbols (if any) must be fully explained in table notes.

+ Avoid overly complex tables; limit unnecessary rows and columns.

+ Each table must be clearly cited in the manuscript with the exact table number (e.g., ""results are presented in Table 3.1"").

+ If data were not collected directly by the authors, the data source must be clearly stated beneath the table.

+ Graphs, drawings, diagrams, maps, and illustrative photos are collectively referred to as Figures and are numbered by chapter/section, e.g., Figure 1.1, Figure 2.1, Figure 3.1, etc.

+ Figure titles are placed below the figure and should be concise, accurately reflecting the content displayed.

+ Graphs must have clearly labeled axes, units of measurement, and legends; colors should be harmonious, easily distinguishable, and suitable for black and white printing.

+ Images must be sharp and have appropriate resolution for publication; avoid excessive graphical effects.

+ Each figure must be cited in the manuscript with the exact figure number (e.g., ""see Figure 2.1"").

+ Do not present the same results simultaneously in both tables and figures unless truly necessary for illustration purposes.

+ Tables and figures must align with research objectives and the presented Results section.

+ Authors are responsible for the accuracy of data, terminology, and symbols in tables and figures.

+ Numbers should be written in Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, etc.).

+ Decimals should use a comma (,) according to Vietnamese conventions and be used consistently throughout the manuscript (e.g., 3,5; 12,04).

+ The number of decimal places should match the precision of the data (usually 1–2 decimal places; avoid excessive rounding).

+ Use spaces to separate thousands (e.g., 1 250; 10 000).

+ Units of measurement are placed after the number, with a space between number and unit (e.g., 25 °C; 120 mmHg).

+ Use the International System of Units (SI); non-SI units should only be used when necessary and must be clearly explained.

+ Unit symbols are not written in plural form and are not followed by a period (e.g., kg, mL, mmol/L).

+ Mathematical/statistical formulas and equations should be presented on separate lines and centered.

+ Important formulas should be numbered by chapter/section (e.g., (1.1), (2.1), etc.).

+ Symbols and variables in formulas must be clearly explained immediately after their first appearance.

+ Use consistent symbols for statistical quantities (e.g., p, OR, RR, CI).

+ Use consistent professional terminology; avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

+ When using abbreviations, write out the full term on its first appearance, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses.

+ Do not use abbreviations in titles or abstracts (except very common international terms).

+ Scientific names of organisms must follow international Latin nomenclature and be italicized.

+ On first appearance, write out the full genus and species name (e.g., Escherichia coli); subsequent appearances may abbreviate the genus (e.g., E. coli).

+ Do not italicize common Vietnamese names of species.

+ Statistical symbols should be presented consistently, variable symbols italicized (p, n, SD, OR, CI).

+ The p value should be presented accurately (e.g., p = 0.032), and must not be written as p < 0.000.

+ Study time should be recorded in day/month/year format (e.g., 01/3/2025).

+ Time periods should be clearly presented (e.g., from January 2024 to December 2025).

IV. Publication Ethics and Author Responsibilities

+ Manuscripts submitted for publication must be original works that have never been published previously and are not concurrently submitted to any other journal or publication.

+ Authors bear full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of data, results, and conclusions presented in the article.

+ Any act of data manipulation, fabrication, falsification, or purposeful data selection to alter the nature of research findings is considered a violation of publication ethics.

+ The Journal does not accept plagiarism in any form, including verbatim copying, paraphrasing another's work without citation, or using images/tables without permission.

+ Self-plagiarism, including reusing content or data previously published by the authors themselves without citation or declaration, is also considered a violation.

+ Authors are encouraged to check similarity before submission. The Journal reserves the right to use plagiarism detection software during manuscript processing.

+ Only individuals with substantial contributions to conceiving ideas, study design, data collection/analysis, or writing and editing the manuscript should be listed as authors.

+ Author order must be agreed upon by the author group prior to submission.

+ All authors must read and approve the final manuscript and share responsibility for the published work.

+ Adding, deleting, or reordering authors after submission requires written justification and written consent from all authors.

+ Studies involving humans, personal data, human biological samples, or animals must obtain approval from a competent Research Ethics Committee prior to commencing the study.

+ The manuscript must clearly state the name of the ethics committee, approving institution, and approval decision number/reference code.

+ Research participants must be provided with complete information and voluntarily consent to participate (in writing or appropriate form).

+ Personal information of research participants must be strictly protected and kept confidential.

+ Case reports must have written consent from the patient or legal representative for publication of information and images.

+ Any information potentially identifying the patient must be completely anonymized.

+ Authors bear legal responsibility for any violation of patient privacy.

+ Authors must fully and truthfully disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest that could influence research findings or interpretations.

+ All sources of funding, financial support, equipment, or technical assistance for the research must be clearly stated in the article.

+ Disclosing conflicts of interest does not constitute an ethics violation; failure to disclose is considered a serious violation.

+ If serious errors are discovered after publication through feedback from the scientific community sent to the Journal, authors have the responsibility to explain and proactively notify the Editorial Board to carry out corrections, errata, or retractions under current regulations.

+ The Journal reserves the right to reject, suspend processing, correct, or retract articles if publication ethics violations are discovered at any stage.

V. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Research and Writing

+ AI is only used as a supporting tool, including but not limited to language editing, improving writing style, assisting literature synthesis, proposing presentation structures, or supporting technical analysis.

+ AI is not considered an author and must not be listed in author lists or in author contributions. All scientific content, data, interpretations, and conclusions remain the sole responsibility of the authors.

+ Authors must not use AI to create, fabricate, manipulate, or falsify research data, scientific images, results, or references. Using AI to generate fabricated data, edit images misleadingly, or generate non-existent citations is considered a serious publication ethics violation.

+ When AI is used to a significant extent in writing, manuscript editing, or analysis, authors must transparently disclose this usage in the article (e.g., in Methods, Acknowledgments, or Declarations), clearly stating AI tool name, version (if any), and purpose of use.

+ The use of AI does not alter requirements related to research ethics, including personal data protection, privacy of research participants, and compliance with Research Ethics Committee approvals. Authors are responsible for ensuring data entered into AI tools does not violate privacy, copyright, or current legal regulations.

+ The Editorial Board reserves the right to request detailed explanations regarding AI usage when necessary and may reject, suspend processing, or retract articles if AI has been used inappropriately or violates publication ethics.

VI. Manuscript Submission Methods

(1) Author Declaration: complete all information according to template, with all required signatures, confirming originality of work, adherence to publication ethics, and legal responsibilities related to manuscript.

(2) Full manuscript with author information: complete manuscript, including title, full names of authors, affiliations, contact email, and all article content, tables, figures, and references (along with related statements such as author contributions, conflicts of interest, funding, etc., if any).

(3) Blind manuscript: manuscript with all author identifying information removed (names, affiliations, email addresses, acknowledgments, funding information, or other details that could reveal author identity), serving the double-blind peer review process.

Authors are responsible for ensuring content of full manuscript and blind manuscript is consistent, and thoroughly checking all attached files before submitting. The Editorial Board only processes manuscripts that comply with regulations and have all required components.

VII. Article Processing Charges

(1) Standard publication:

+ Estimated turnaround: Peer review and editorial processing approximately 6–8 weeks; publication within 4–5 months.

+ Fee: 2,500,000 VND/article (or 120 USD/article for international authors).

+ Suitable for articles that do not require rapid publication.

(2) Fast-track publication:

+ Estimated turnaround: Peer review and editorial processing in approximately 4–5 weeks; publication within 2–3 months after authors complete required revisions for academic and technical reasons.

+ Fee: 3,500,000 VND/article (or 200 USD/article for international authors).

+ Note: fast-track publication does not lower scientific requirements; manuscripts failing to meet requirements may still be rejected.

+ Method: Bank transfer.

+ Transfer content: Corresponding author full name – Article Processing Charges (standard/fast-track).

+ Account receiving article processing charges: Tạp chí Y học Cộng đồng: 0861100688668, Military Commercial Joint Stock Bank (MB Bank), Ba Dinh Branch, Hanoi.

The Journal may consider fee waivers or reductions in special cases (e.g., PhD candidates or postgraduate students facing financial difficulties; articles related to social security or supporting vulnerable groups without funding; or official scientific cooperation programs with the Journal).

Paid fees will not be refunded after the article has been accepted and entered into the publishing workflow; exceptions due to errors from the Journal's side will be considered under internal regulations.

VIII. Manuscript Processing Workflow

Step 1. Manuscript submission

Authors submit manuscripts along with all required documents following Journal guidelines (Author Declaration, full manuscript with author information, and blind manuscript).

Step 2. Preliminary editorial screening

The Editorial Board conducts preliminary evaluation regarding scope, article type, structure, formatting, and publication ethics requirements of manuscript.

• • If the manuscript fails to meet requirements or falls outside the Journal's scope and aims, the manuscript will be rejected.
• • If the manuscript does not fully meet requirements but is deemed potentially suitable after revisions, the Editorial Board notifies authors to finalize and resubmit.
• • If the manuscript is suitable and satisfies requirements, it is admitted into the official processing workflow.

Step 3. Article processing charges and first review round

Manuscripts satisfying validity requirements enter processing and are sent to at least two independent reviewers under double-blind peer review. Reviewers assess the manuscript and provide comments, revision proposals, or recommendations without revision.

Step 4. Author revisions according to reviewer comments

• • If revisions are needed, authors revise the manuscript and resubmit along with a detailed rebuttal letter.
• • If authors do not revise the manuscript or fail to meet requirements, processing may be halted.

Step 5. Editorial Board decision

The Editorial Board considers the revised manuscript and reviewer comments, making one of the following decisions:

• • Accept for publication;
• • Request a second round of review (when necessary);
• • Or reject if the manuscript does not meet scientific requirements.

Step 6. Second round of peer review (if applicable)

When necessary, the manuscript is sent for supplementary review to assess the extent to which revisions resolved reviewer comments before a final decision is made.

Step 7. Post-acceptance copyediting

Accepted manuscripts undergo typesetting, language editing, style editing, and formatting according to Journal standards.

Step 8. Final approval by Editor-in-Chief

The Editor-in-Chief (Deputy Editor-in-Chief) reviews and approves the finalized manuscript prior to publication.

Step 9. Publication, release, and archiving

Articles are officially published (in print and/or electronic format), released according to publishing schedule, and archived in the Journal's system.