Revised on 18th June 2025 (5th Revision)

0. Title page, manuscript and copyright transfer form sample files

 Title page sample
 Original article manuscript sample
 Review article manuscript sample
 Case report manuscript sample
Copyright transfer agreement form, Korean, word
Copyright transfer agreement form, Korean, pdf
Copyright transfer agreement form, English, png
 

1. Manuscript format

The manuscript should be prepared using the Microsoft Word processor program. The manuscript should be double-spaced on 21.0 × 29.7 cm (A4) paper, with 2.5 cm margins at the top, bottom, right and left margin, in a type size of 10 points. The manuscript must be correct in orthography and word spacing. Page number must be written in starting from the title page as page 1.

2. Language and terminology

All manuscripts should be written in Korean or English. Academic terms should follow the standards described in the ‘Essential Medical Terminology (2005)’ published by the Korean Medical Association and the ‘Scientific and Technical Terminology’ published by the Ministry of Education. If necessary, the English alphabet can be enclosed in parentheses, and English terms should be used if the translation is difficult. When using drug names, in principle, the generic names of drugs should be used and the brand name should be used only if the study is intended for a particular pharmaceutical product or with other academic reason.

3. Abbreviations

Overuse of abbreviations is prohibited, and the use of abbreviations must be minimized. Only standardized abbreviations can be used, but cannot be used in the title, table title or picture title. Except for measurement units, abbreviation should be specified when first introduced in the text and then may be used independently.

4. Proper nouns, numbers and measurement units

Proper nouns (name of a person, name of a location, etc.) must be written in original spelling, if possible, and numbers must be written in Arabic numerals. Measurement units for length, height, mass and volume should be indicated in the metric system (meter, kilogram, liter etc.) with decimals. Temperature must be indicated in centigrade and blood pressure in mmHg. Units for blood and clinical laboratory test measurements should be expressed in the ordinary scale or by International Unit (SI). A space is required between a measured value and its unit.

5. Sequence headings of the article

1) Original article

The contents of an original article are arranged in order of (1) Title page, (2) Title page with title alone, (3) English abstract and keywords (3 to 5 words in MeSH term), (4) Introduction, (5) Methods, (6) Results, (7) Discussion, (8) Acknowledgments, (9) Funding & Support, (10) Conflicts of Interest, (11) CRediT Author Contributions, (12) ORCID ID, (13) Data sharing statement, (14) Korean abstract and keywords, (15) References, (16) Tables, (17) Figure legends and (18) Figures. 

2) Review article and special article

The contents of review article and special article are arranged in order of (1) Title page, (2) Title page with title alone, (3) English abstract and keywords (3 to 5 words in MeSH term), (4) Introduction, (5) Main text, (6) Conclusions, (7) Acknowledgments, (8) Funding & Support, (9) Conflicts of Interest, (10) CRediT Author Contributions, (11) ORCID ID, (12) Data sharing statement, (13) Korean abstract and keywords, (14) References, (15) Tables, (16) Figure legends and (17) Figures. If not particularly specified, the instructions to the authors are the same as those for original articles. A review article should focus on a specific topic and will be published by the request of the editorial board or by submission. Manuscripts should be submitted after deep consideration of the contents and research of related literatures, with complete understanding of the related articles. Acceptance of publication will be made after review by the editorial board.

3) Case report

The contents of a case report are arranged in order of (1) Title page, (2) Title page with title alone, (3) English abstract and keywords (3 to 5 words in MeSH term), (4) Introduction, (5) Case, (6) Discussion, (7) Acknowledgments, (8) Funding & Support, (9) Conflicts of Interest, (10) CRediT Author Contributions, (11) ORCID ID, (12) Data sharing statement, (13) Korean abstract and keywords, (14) References, (15) Tables, (16) Figure legends and (17) Figures. 

4) Editorial or brief communication

The contents of an editorial or brief communication are arranged in order of (1) Title page, (2) Title page with title alone, (3) Main text, (4) Acknowledgments, (5) Funding & Support, (6) Conflicts of Interest, (7) CRediT Author Contributions, (8) ORCID ID, (9) Data sharing statement, (10) References, (11) Tables, (12) Figure legends and (13) Figures. This should be a brief article concerning functional medicine or JKIFM, providing information focusing on a specific analysis, discovery or published journals of JKIFM, and should not be an extensive literature review.

5) Letters to the editor

This is referred to as the criticism or opinion about a recent paper published in JKIFM or an opinion about a specific topic that is under controversy. The manuscript can contain the main text, figures and figure legends, tables and references.

6. Title page

Title page should include the following items: 1) Title of the manuscript, 2) Names of the authors, 3) Institutional affiliations of the authors, 4) Phone number, address, fax number and e-mail address of the corresponding author, 5) Running title (within 20 Korean characters including blank space when it is a Korean paper, within 40 English characters including blank space when it is a English paper), 6) Title in English, 7) Authors’ names in English, 8) Institutional affiliations of the authors in English, 9) A word counts for the text only (excluding Korean and English abstract, acknowledgements, figure legends and references), 10) Word counts for English and Korean abstracts, and 11) The number of figures and tables.

If there are more than two authors, their names should be listed sequentially, beginning with the author who has made the greatest contribution to the article in the descending order and each author’s name separated by a comma. If the author’s affiliation is different, separation should be made with a semicolon in the author’s order. If the affiliation is different from the first author, the authors should be marked “1,” “2,” “3,” and so forth in Arabic numerals, which should appear in superscript at the top-right-hand corner of the author’s name and before the affiliation.

The corresponding author should be marked with an asterisk (*) in superscript at the top-right-hand corner following the author’s name. The corresponding author along with the first author must assume responsibility for making corrections to the handed-in paper during the review process. If the name of the corresponding author is not disclosed, then the editorial committee assumes the first author to be the corresponding author.

The author’s name in English should be written in the order “Given name - Surname.” If the given name is separated by a space, then capitalize the first letter of each given name.

7. English abstract and keywords

Abstract follows the sequence headings 1) Background, 2) Methods, 3) Results, and 4) Conclusion. However, it can be consist of one paragraph. It should be based upon the Korean abstract and must not exceed 250 words. Three to five keywords should be listed below the abstract. On the last line, identify the keywords using terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/).

8. Main text

1) Introduction

The purpose of the article should be stated and its significance should be elaborated. The background and principles should be summarized and only references with direct relevance should be included.

2) Methods

The Methods section presents the research methods. Study subjects, control groups or experimental animals should be described clearly. The research methods should be described in sufficient detail that another researcher may duplicate the study by following them. For equipment and reagents, the names should be given, as well as the manufacturers (city and country, in order), in parentheses. References should be provided for well-known methods, including methods for statistical analysis. If a method that is not yet well-known is used, or if a conventional method has been modified in the article, the relevant information should be briefly introduced in addition to providing the reference, also the rationale and pros and cons of the method should be supplied.

3) Statistics

The statistical methods should be described in detail enough to verify the reported results. If possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Avoid relying solely on statistical hypothesis testing, such as the use of P values, which fails to convey important quantitative information. When the results of the data in the text are given, details should be provided specifically in terms of average, proportion or correlation coefficient to describe the differences between study groups or the relevant size and direction of variables. Avoid nontechnical uses of technical terms in statistics, such as ‘random’, ‘normal’, ‘significant’, ‘correlations’ and ‘sample’. Specify the standard computer statistics program that was used.

4) Results

The results should be presented in logical sequence in the text, tables, and figures. Do not repeat in the text all data in the tables or figures, but describe important points and trends.

5) Discussion

New and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them should be emphasized. Do not repeat in detail data or other materials given in the Introduction or the Results section. Include the implications of the findings and their limitations, including implications for future research. Link the conclusions with the purpose of the study by discussing and comparing the relevant results of other research data. Avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not completely supported by the data. Propose new hypotheses when warranted and appropriate verification methods should be included.

9. Acknowledgments

If necessary, persons who have contributed to the article but whose contributions do not meet authorship standards may be appreciated through the Acknowledgment section. Clearly state their contributing role for acknowledgement. For example, data collection, financial support, statistical analysis, analysis of experiment, and so forth. Authors should notify the persons acknowledged that their names will be in the Acknowledgement section and are responsible for obtaining permission.

10. Korean abstract and keywords

Abstract follows the sequence headings 1) Background, 2) Methods, 3) Results and 4) Conclusion in original article, however it can be consist of one paragraph in other article type. It must not exceed 1,000 words. Three to five Korean keywords should be listed below the abstract.

11. CRediT Author Contributions

Author Contrivutions should be described by CRedit (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) Author Statmemt. (https://www.elsevier.com/researcher/author/policies-and-guidelines/credit-author-statement)

12. Conflict of Interest Statement and Financial (Funding) Disclosures

A financial grant or support received for research purposes should be disclosed. All authors must disclose all interests related to research such as consultation fees and stocks when submitting the paper and affirm the disclosure, by providing personal signatures.

13. ORCID ID

All authors should present their ORCID ID. (https://orcid.org/)

14. Data sharing statement

JKIFM encourages authors to share the data and other artefacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving it in an appropriate public repository. Authors may provide a data availability statement, including a link to the repository they have used, in order that this statement can be published in their paper. Shared data should be cited. 

(Statement examples: https://authorservices.taylorandfrancis.com/data-sharing/share-your-data/data-availability-statements/)

15. References

1) References should be listed in the order of appearance in the main text.

2) All references including Korean journals should be prepared in English.

3) References in the main text should be denoted as follows:

 References in the main text should be marked by writing the reference number as a superscript, appearing at the top-right-hand corner. “1)”

 If there are multiple numbers, the numbers should be separated by commas and a right side parenthesis should follow the last number.

 When consecutive reference numbers are used, “-” may be added between the first number and the last number.

 The superscript should be placed at the end of the author’s name if the name of the author is mentioned. Otherwise, the superscript should be placed at the end of the final word of the relevant statement

 Postpositions should come before the superscript and commas and periods should come before the superscript.ex) – described.1,2) / - Kim and Park,1)

4) References should be listed following these instructions.

 If the reference is in Korean, list as the English shown in the bibliography.

 When a formal English bibliographic data is not available, do not use as reference. If unavoidable, follow these instructions:

 (1) Follow the Roman alphabet notation for Korean (http://www.hangeul.or.kr/24.htm), or

 (2) Follow the Roman alphabet notation and show contents translated to appropriate English in parentheses.

 The English names of journals should be based on the abbreviations from National Library of Medicine (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=journals) and the names of Korean journals should follow the abbreviations from Korean Medical Journal Information (http://journals.koreamed.org).

 List all the authors if there are less than or equal to six authors. List the first six authors followed by “et al.” if there are more than six authors. Other types of references not described below should follow Citing Medicine: The NLM Style Guide for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 2nd ed. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih. gov/books/NBK7256/).

 An abstract may not be used as a reference, but if unavoidable, the author should state that only the abstract has been referred to.

 References published in academic journals: Names of authors. Article title. Name of journal. Year; Volume: First Page-Last Page.

 If the number of authors is six or less:

Bae MJ, Song YM, Shin JY, Choi BY, Keum JH, Lee EA. The association between shift work and health behavior: findings from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Korean J Fam Med 2017; 38(2): 86-92.

Micha R, Peñalvo JL, Cudhea F, Imamura F, Rehm CD, Mozaffarian D. Association between dietary factor and mortality from heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes in the United States. JAMA 2017; 317(9): 912-24.

 If the number of authors is seven or more:

Song JK, Lee K, Park HY, Hyon JY, Oh SW, Bae WK, et al. Efficacy of carboxymethylcellulose and hyaluronate in dry eye disease: a systemic review and meta-analysis. Korean J Fam Med 2017; 38(1): 2-7.

Sotos-Prieto M, Bhupathiraju SN, Mattei J, Fung TT, Li Y, Pan A, et al. Association of change in diet quality with total and cause-specific mortality. N Engl J Med 2017; 377(2): 143-53.

 If the author is an institution:

World Health Organization. Global health risks: mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. Paris: World Health Organization; 2009.

 If a supplement in a volume is referred to:

Ando K, Fujita T. Pathophysiology of salt sensitivity hypertension. Ann Med 2012; 44 Suppl 1: S119-26.

 If a supplement in an issue is referred to:

Romao I, Roth J. Genetic and environmental interactions in obesity and type 2 diabetes. J Am Diet Assoc 2008; 108(4 Suppl 1): S24-8.

 References in monographs: Names of authors. Book Title (Subtitle). Edition. Location of Publication; Name of Publisher; Year of publication.

 If the author is an individual person:

Nunnally JC. Psychometric theory. 2nd ed. New York (NY): McGraw-Hill; 1978.

 If one chapter from an edited book is referred to:

Wills TA. Social support and the family. In: Blechman EA, editor. Emotions and the family: for better or for worse. New York (NY): Routledge; 1990.

 Online sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) (2011): National Center for Injury Prevention and Control [Internet]. Atlanta (GA): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2013 [cited 2016 Mar 15]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html.

16. Table

1) The title and contents of tables should be prepared in English and Arabic numerals.

2) Tables should come at the end of the manuscript. They should be described in the main text as “~~ is shown (Table 1).” or “Table 1 shows ~~”.

3) The title and contents of tables should be concise and clear so that they are self-explanatory without the information in the main text.

4) If tables are not original, authors must contact each publisher to request permission and information should be stated in the footnote.

5) The basic format of tables should follow these rules.

 Title of table should be placed on the top-middle of the table.

 In the order of reference in the main text, provide a single space after the word ‘Table’ followed by an Arabic numeral that ends with a period.

 The first letter of the first word in the title of table should be capitalized.

 Do not use diagonal or vertical lines within the table. Horizontal lines must be put at the top and the bottom of the table, and also just below the parameters.

 Within a table, if an abbreviation is used or description is necessary, they should be listed before annotation, below the table. On the right side of the part for which an explanation is required, symbols should be used as a superscript (in the order of *, †, ‡, §, Π, #, **, ††, ‡‡, §§, ΠΠ, ##). The corresponding comments for each symbol should be given in the footnote at the bottom of the table, in the order of the symbols. The first letter of the first word used in each footnote should be in capital letters. The “P” in “P values” should be capitalized.

 When preparing a table, the mean and standard deviation and the number of subjects should be presented, as well as the applied statistical method, in the footnote of the table. The number of responses and ratios should be presented for ratios, and correlation coefficient values for correlation coefficients.

17. Figures and photographs

1) Figure includes graphs and photographs. Figures should be numbered, using Arabic numerals, in the order in which they are cited in the text. They should come after Tables.

2) Figures or photographs should be prepared clearly in a sufficient size so that they may not be affected by downsizing in the printing process. Upload each figure as a single image file in either uncompressed ppt, jpg, gif or pdf format with resolution over 300 dpi (dots per inch) or 3 million pixels.

3) If figures are not original, authors must contact each publisher to request permission and information should be stated in the footnote.

4) The legends for figures and photographs should be written on separate sheets in English. The figure caption should provide not only the figure titles but also a sufficient explanation of the figure. Provide the figure title in a phrase and the description of the figure in the form of a complete sentence in present tense.

5) Figures should be consecutively numbered by adding an Arabic number after the word ‘Figure’ after a single space in the order of reference in the main text.

6) The first letter of the first word in the title of a figure should be capitalized. The title is positioned on the middle of a figure.

7) When preparing a plot, the mean or ratios should be expressed with a bar or a polygonal line using the standard deviation or the size of the standard error. The P-value must be presented.

8) The applied statistical test method should be specified in the footnote of the plot.

9) When mentioning figures in the main text, state as Fig. 1, Fig. 2.

10) In the case of multiple figures or photographs bearing the same number, use English alphabet capital letters after the numerals to indicate the order and should be put left below. For example, Fig. 1A, Fig. 2B.

11) In principle, upon submission of a color picture (including microscopic photographs), it will be printed as it is received. The additional printing costs incurred should paid by the author.

18. Cost

 No page charge or article processing charge applies. There is also no submission fee.

19. Submission

All manuscripts can be submitted via our online manuscript submission service available at http://kyobo050.medone.co.kr/html/ (or click E-Submission menu in our homepage).