Abstract
Objectives : This study was to propose the improved instruction for authors and research ethic regulations by the comparative analysis of those of the domestic journals, for the purpose of enhancing the citation rate of Journal of Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Society. Methods : Narrative review method was used for comparatively analyzing instruction for authors of 34 domestic journals, especially focused on how to write a reference. Thereafter, in order to elucidate the drawbacks of current instruction for authors and research ethic regulations of the acupuncture and moxibustion society, the well prepared instructions and research ethic regulations was selected from them, which were compared with the present instructions for authors and research ethic regulations of the acupuncture and moxibustion society. Results : As a result of the comparative analysis of instruction for authors in the 34 domestic journals, style for references was based largely on that of National Library of Medicine and vancouver at the same time. The number of reference was limited according to types of writings. for example, the original article and case report was frequently limited to 40 and 20 references respectively. Authors were mostly listed up to six. If there are more, the first three or six authors were listed with 'et al'. it was generally recommended that using abstracts as references should be avoided and References to papers accepted but not yet published should be designated as 'in press' or 'forthcoming', and that the names of journals should be set in italics and abbreviated according to the List of Journals Indexed for Medline (formerly Index Medicus) published by the National Library of Medicine or koreanmed or WHO-IST, etc. In addition, citation of electrical literature, English writing of reference and obligational citation of more than two articles in the journals were encouraged. In consequence of comparison between well prepared instructions and research ethic regulations of the selected journals and those of current instructions for authors and research ethic regulations of the acupuncture and moxibustion society, the followings were needed to be added or revised. 1. Requirements for case reports were not mentioned. 2. Reporting Guidelines for Specific Study Designs were not included. 3. Previous Orthography of herbal prescription should be revised. 4. Orthography of authors and guidelines for writing article constituents such as title, abstract, introduction, method, statistics, results, discussions were not presented. 5. How to write a reference was so simplified. 6. Definition of Research Ethical Misconduct was omitted and establishment, management and members of committee for research ehtics were not mentioned, 7. Information, reception and investigative procedures of Research Ethical Misconduct was not specified. Conclusions : For the development of Journal of Korean Acupuncture and Moxibustion Society, apporopriate revision of the instruction for author and research ethic regulations should be made based upon the above findings. English writing of reference were believed to be one of the alternatives enhancing citation rate.
