Learning Resources

Selected external resources for authors, reviewers and early-career researchers working in medical and health sciences. These are maintained by the organisations named and are listed for reference; JCMA has no affiliation with them and their inclusion does not imply endorsement of JCMA by them.

Research ethics

ICMR National Ethical Guidelines — ICMR Bioethics Unit
The full set of Indian national ethical guidelines for biomedical and health research, including the 2017 National Ethical Guidelines, the 2019 Policy on Research Integrity and Publication Ethics, and the 2023 guidelines on artificial intelligence in biomedical research.
https://ethics.ncdirindia.org/icmr_ethical_guidelines.aspx

Reporting guidelines and authorship

EQUATOR Network
Reporting guidelines for every major study design — CONSORT for trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews, STROBE for observational studies, CARE for case reports. Authors should identify the guideline applicable to their study type before drafting.
https://www.equator-network.org/

ICMJE Recommendations
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ recommendations on the conduct, reporting, editing and publication of scholarly work in medical journals, including the authorship criteria applied by JCMA.
https://www.icmje.org/recommendations/

Manuscript preparation

Beginner’s Guide for Systematic Reviews — ICMR
A practical introduction to planning and conducting systematic reviews, aimed at researchers new to the method.
https://www.icmr.gov.in/icmrobject/custom_data/pdf/downloadable-books/BEGINNERS_GUIDE_FINAL_BOOK.pdf

Scientific Manuscript Writing — Research Capacity Network, The Global Health Network
A free short course covering manuscript structure, methods, results, discussion, abstracts and titles, along with sessions on the submission and peer review process and on ethics and plagiarism. Delivered as recorded lectures with downloadable slides. Produced by a WHO Collaborating Centre for research capacity development.
https://rede.tghn.org/resources-rede/scientific-manuscript-writing/