Author Guidelines

Medical Laboratory Science Journal (MedLab) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal dedicated to advancing medical laboratory science, diagnostic medicine, biomedical sciences, and professional laboratory practice. MedLab welcomes high-quality original research articles, systematic reviews, literature reviews, meta-analyses, conceptual papers, and case studies that contribute to laboratory diagnostics, biomedical innovation, quality laboratory services, and evidence-based healthcare.

The journal publishes manuscripts in, but is not limited to, the following areas:

Clinical Chemistry
Hematology
Immunology and Serology
Microbiology and Parasitology
Molecular Biology and Diagnostics
Clinical Toxicology
Cytology
Transfusion Medicine and Blood Bank Technology
Point-of-Care Testing (POCT)
Laboratory Management and Quality Systems
Laboratory-based Public Health Surveillance
Biomedical Instrumentation and Laboratory Innovation
Laboratory Education and Professional Development

1. General Requirements

Manuscripts must be written in English.
Manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under consideration by another journal.
Submissions must align with the aims and scope of MedLab.
Manuscripts should demonstrate clear scientific, theoretical, clinical, laboratory, methodological, educational, or practical contributions to medical laboratory science.
Authors must prepare manuscripts using the official MedLab Manuscript Template.
All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening before peer review.
To ensure a double-blind peer review, manuscripts must not contain any information that reveals the identities of the authors.

2. Accepted Manuscript Types

MedLab accepts the following categories of manuscripts:

Original Research Articles
Systematic Reviews
Literature Reviews
Meta-Analyses
Conceptual Papers
Case Studies

Recommended manuscript length

Original Research Articles: maximum 12 pages, including references, tables, and figures.
Systematic Reviews, Literature Reviews, Meta-Analyses, Conceptual Papers, and Case Studies: maximum 16 pages, including references, tables, and figures.

3. Manuscript Format

File format: Microsoft Word (.doc/.docx)
Paper size: A4
Layout: Single column
Line spacing: Single
Font: Times New Roman, 11 pt
Text alignment: Justified

Margins

Left: 5 cm
Top: 2 cm
Right: 2 cm
Bottom: 2 cm
Do not include page numbers, headers, or footers.
Section headings should be numbered and written in sentence case.

4. Manuscript Structure

Title

Maximum 15 words.
Concise, informative, and specific.
Written in sentence case.
Avoid abbreviations whenever possible.

Author Information

Full names without academic titles.
Institutional affiliation (Department, Institution, City, Country).
ORCID iD for each author.
Corresponding author identified with an asterisk (*).
Email address of the corresponding author only.

Abstract

The abstract should contain 150–250 words in one paragraph and include:

Background
Objective
Methodology
Main findings
Practical, clinical, or laboratory implications

Do not include citations or undefined abbreviations.

Keywords

Exactly five keywords.
Written in lowercase.
Separated by commas.
Specific and searchable.
Avoid overly general terms.

5. Main Text Structure

Introduction
Method
Results and Discussion
- Results
- Discussion
Conclusion

Additional sections (where applicable):

Acknowledgments
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflict of Interest
Ethical Considerations

6. References

MedLab follows the APA 7th Edition referencing style.

Every cited source must appear in the reference list.
Every reference listed must be cited in the manuscript.
Original Research Articles typically include around 20 or more relevant references.
Systematic Reviews, Literature Reviews, Meta-Analyses, and Conceptual Papers typically include around 40 or more relevant references.
At least 80% of references should be journal articles published within the last 5–10 years.
Books or book chapters should generally not exceed 20% of total references.
Include DOI whenever available.
Reference managers (e.g., Mendeley, Zotero, or EndNote) are strongly recommended.
Do not cite blogs, Wikipedia, predatory journals, or other unreliable sources.

7. Tables and Figures

Tables

Create tables using Microsoft Word.
Number consecutively.
Place table titles above each table.

Figures

Minimum resolution: 300 dpi.
Number consecutively.
Place captions below figures.
Editable formats are preferred.

8. Ethical Considerations

Studies involving human participants, biological specimens, or laboratory-derived clinical data must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards.

Where applicable, authors must:

Obtain approval from an institutional ethics committee.
State the name of the ethics committee and approval number.
Confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants or legal representatives where applicable.
Describe measures taken to ensure participant confidentiality and data protection.
Conduct research in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki or other applicable national ethical guidelines.
Register clinical or diagnostic trials in a recognized public registry where applicable.

Authors are encouraged to follow internationally recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE, STARD, MIQE, or other relevant reporting standards.

9. Plagiarism Policy

All manuscripts are screened using plagiarism detection software such as Turnitin.

Manuscripts with a similarity index exceeding 25% (excluding references, quotations, and commonly used phrases) may be returned for revision or rejected at the discretion of the Editorial Office.

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring originality and proper citation.

10. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy

AI tools may be used for language editing or writing assistance.

AI tools must not be listed as authors.
Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the manuscript.
Significant use of AI tools should be disclosed appropriately within the manuscript.

11. Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence the research.

If no conflict exists, include the following statement:

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

12. Self-Citation Policy

Reasonable self-citation is acceptable when directly relevant to the manuscript. Excessive self-citation or inappropriate citation practices intended to manipulate citation metrics should be avoided.