Submission Guidelines

The Quadrant (TQ) strives to be an interactive journal that attempts to provide a blend of scientific and academic information to researchers and budding scholars of every echelon. TQ covers topics that are related to Pediatric & Preventive Dentistry (PPD), and Evidence-Based Dentistry (EBD). TQ is a triannual scientific periodical that is published in the months of April, August, and December.

TQ’s interactive feature is principled in making scientific reading more intriguing. As a result, the journal houses sections in its full electronic version (which can be received upon request made at bopalpedo@gmail.com) that is managed by the editorial team. These sections include:

- EDITORIAL: Perspectives and opinions of the editorial team which can be on PPD, EBD, or dental education

- VINTAGE: A word cloud of authors who significantly contributed to the foundation of a particular aspect of PPD or EBD.

- BLACK BOX: A list of important highlights from landmark studies on a given topic.

- SYNDROME PROFILE: A succinct information on less-reported syndromes of clinical relevance in PPD

- PEEKABOO QUESTION: Image-based clinical question that is valuable to both academicians and clinicians.

- TIC-TAC-TOE: Each issue will feature an assessment tool for a particular topic related to PPD

- ACADMEMEICS: A light-hearted image that also conveys vital information regarding EBD

- RECOMMENDED READING: Recommendations of books or scientific articles related to PPD or EBD

- DENTAL NEWS: Top 5 headlines in the last four months concerning dentistry with a primary focus on the Indian subcontinent.

- DENTAL QUIZ: Five questions from PPD or EBD where readers can test their knowledge

- COMPILATION: A tabulated compilation of topics surrounding PPD or EBD

Please note, these sections are only available in the full text of each issue which is available only upon a request sent at bopalpedo@gmail.com.

TQ also encourages novice researchers (dental school undergraduates or recently admitted postgraduates) to experience and commence their research journey young. As a result, the journal houses sections (later detailed in the What to Submit section) wherein they can showcase their potential for scientific and academic writing.

As beginners in research, they can also face rejection decisions made by the editorial team on the grounds of scientific legitimacy, accuracy, and below-par grammatical syntax and semantics. However, by no means should this be a mode of discouragement for them and TQ advises to seek necessary assistance before resubmission.

How to Submit

All submissions made to The Quadrant should be sent to bopalpedo@gmail.com. Corresponding authors are requested to write down the relevant section for which they are submitting their work in the subject of the mail.

Manuscripts need to be submitted as one single file comprising the abstract, main body, tables, and images. Further information on manuscript preparation is detailed in the What to Submit section.

Authors are also required to submit a cover letter and a title page in .pdf or .doc format with their main manuscript file. Though not mandatory, authors can mention their ORCID id in the title page.

Kindly refer to Table 1 to see what needs to be included in the cover letter and title page.

Who shall Submit

Submissions can be made by anyone as long as the submitted work focuses on PPD and EBD.

What to Submit

TQ follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for the reporting of scholarly works.

General Principles

1. Abstract

Every submission (except Dental Photography and Article Critique) must have an abstract before the main body of the submitted work.

A structured abstract (under the subheadings – Background, Methods, Results, Conclusion) of no more than 300 words is mandatory for experimental studies, surveys, and systematic reviews).

An unstructured abstract of no more than 150 words is mandatory for review articles, overviews, and E-Posters. Abstracts of E-Posters shall be submitted as separate .pdf or .doc files.

2. Reporting Guidelines

Based on their study design, articles must be drafted as per the recommendations of the Equator-Network. Authors can search for the relevant reporting guidelines before drafting their manuscript here.

3. Language

All submissions to TQ should be in English. Authors are recommended to use grammar editing software before sending their manuscript. Reporting of human participants in experimental studies must be neutral, precise, and respectful. There should be no terminologies within the article that stigmatize participants of a research work. Conversational tones are unacceptable in the submitted work. All submitted works must strictly follow a scientific tone.

4. References

References for all submitted works must be cited in NLM style. Check the style guide here. While it is allowed, web-references must be kept as minimal as possible. Authors should avoid citing articles from predatory or pseudo-indexed journals. References to papers accepted but not yet published should be designated “in press” or “forthcoming.” Information from manuscripts submitted but not accepted should be cited in the text as “unpublished observations” with written permission from the source. The total number of references allowed depending on the type of manuscript is given in Table 2.

E-posters submitted to TQ can attach references in the form of Quick Response (QR) codes. However, the number of such QR codes attached must not be more than three.

5. Style Guides

The permissible word count for each manuscript type is given in Table 2. Except for E-Posters, all manuscripts, title pages, and cover letters must follow these style guides:

Font styles: Times New Roman

Font size: 12

Line Spacing: 1.5

Margins: 1 inch on all sides

Style guides for E-Posters are detailed separately in the What to Submit section.

Abbreviations cannot be used in the title of the manuscript. The spelled-out abbreviation followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis should be used on the first mention unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement. Units of measurement must follow the metric system or SI units.

6. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should not be submitted as separate files. They should be placed in suitable areas within the main body of the manuscript. The text that refers to a Table or Figure must not be repetitive of the contents within the table or figure.

Each table or figure must be numbered in Arabic numerals and should be positioned accordingly. A table or figure must be within the margins of the document. Authors are required to mention in the cover letter if any copyrighted images are used. If used, they are required to submit a permission letter obtained from the source. Images of low quality will not be allowed for publication.

TQ does not put any restrictions on the number of tables and figures for a submitted work.

Types of submissions

1. Experimental Studies

Experimental studies are original research that needs to be presented in the IMRD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) format.

2. Case Reports

Case reports must be reported as per the CARE guidelines. In cases where the follow-up period is less than 3 months, it is the duty of the authors to scientifically critic and defend their follow-up period.

3. Surveys

TQ accepts surveys only if they are reported as per the CROSS guidelines.

4. Reviews

TQ accepts reviews in various formats. While systematic reviews should follow the PRISMA guidelines, TQ recommends authors report Narrative reviews or Literature reviews guided by the SANRA appraisal tool and recommendations of Green et al., 2006 and Grant et al., 2009.

5. Overviews

Selected sections of TQ promote the imparting of scientific knowledge based on overviews. These are largely non-systematic, thus eliminating the need for reporting a comprehensive search strategy. An overview is usually presented as a chronological review of literature, a conceptual understanding of literature, or a thematic synthesis of literature. Presentation of overviews is narrative with tabular features embedded whenever possible. Compared to the latter, overviews are succinct and fundamental explanations that provide a summary of available literature.

Authors are recommended to follow the 6S strategy of scientific writing for reporting overviews: Simple, Short, Structured, Strong, Specific, and Sequential. The following sections are reported as overviews:

o Basis: Basic educative topics related to PPD and EBD for dental students.

o Emphasis: Fundamental topics related to PPD and EBD whose knowledge is imperative for experts in the field of PPD and EBD.

o Clinical Querry: Must address a clinically relevant question regarding PPD. These can be thought of as questions that are routinely asked by patients or their parents.

o Root: Must address common dilemmas that are of importance to researchers interested in PPD and EBD.

o The Edge: An overview of a recent advance or technique backed by the most recent published evidence in the literature.

6. Fraction

This section allows ardent readers (academicians, clinicians, or researchers) to constructively critique a peer-reviewed article in the field of PPD, EBD, or dental education.

7. Essays

Essays that focus on the subject of PPD and EBD will be considered for publication. While the authors are unbound from any reporting guidelines, this does not allow them to submit passages that lack scientific legitimacy and accuracy. In such cases, the submitted work will be disqualified from publication.

8. Dental Photography

Photographs relevant to PPD will be accepted for publication. The photograph must convey a novel feature or have some educative value. Blurred images will be subject to rejection.

TQ allows submissions wherein the photograph is edited to depict an internal scale, symbols, arrows, or letters. However, these must contrast with the background.

A brief legend must accompany the photograph, explaining the message it wants to convey. This legend must not exceed 50 words.

Submissions are accepted in .jpg or .png format.

9. E-Posters

Topics concerning PPD and EBD are accepted for E-Posters. All E-Posters must be aligned with the landscape. Accepted font styles are Times New Roman and Calibri. Font size must not be less than 9 points. Authors cannot use copyrighted images in their E-Poster unless they have a Creative Commons license. E-posters must be submitted in .ppt format. The outlook of the E-Poster must be academic or scientific.

Authors can refer to Table 3 to understand what documents need to be mailed depending on their type of submission.

Authors are requested to go through the authorship and editorial policies of TQ as presented here: https://doped.co.in/the-quadrant-policy-info

Last update: October 2023