Author Guidelines for Submitting Original Research Articles
Journal of Iranian Dental Association (JIDA)
Original Research Articles are the cornerstone of scientific progress in dentistry. At JIDA, we welcome manuscripts that present rigorous, well-documented investigations—whether clinical, laboratory-based, or interdisciplinary—that contribute meaningfully to dental science and practice. These guidelines aim to help authors prepare manuscripts that meet the journal’s standards for clarity, integrity, and impact.
1. Purpose and Scope of Original Research Articles
Original Research Articles submitted to the Journal of Iranian Dental Association (JIDA) are expected to present novel and substantive findings derived from scientific investigations or experimental research conducted within the broad and evolving domain of dentistry. These manuscripts should embody a high standard of methodological rigor, ensuring that study designs are robust, data collection is systematic, and analyses are appropriately executed and transparently reported. Ethical integrity is paramount; all submissions must adhere to established ethical guidelines, including institutional approvals and informed consent where applicable. The relevance of the research should be clearly articulated, demonstrating its significance to either clinical practice or academic advancement. Suitable topics for Original Research Articles include—but are not limited to—clinical procedures and treatment outcomes, innovations in biomaterials and laboratory methodologies, strategies for infection control and public health interventions, interventional research in dental education programs and interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate dentistry with fields such as medicine, biomedical engineering, psychology, or behavioral sciences. Importantly, all submissions must represent original work that has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted to another journal, thereby upholding the principles of academic honesty and scholarly contribution.
2. Manuscript Structure and Section-by-Section Guidance
Each manuscript should be organized into the following sections, with clear headings and logical flow:
a. Title Page
The title page of an Original Research Article submitted to JIDA serves as the formal entry point to the manuscript and must be prepared with precision and clarity. The title itself should be concise yet informative, accurately reflecting the core focus and scope of the study without unnecessary jargon or ambiguity. It should be specific enough to convey the research domain and methodology, enabling readers and reviewers to immediately grasp the relevance of the work. Author details must be provided in full, including the complete names of all contributors, their institutional affiliations (with department and university or organization clearly stated), and their ORCID identifiers to ensure proper attribution and scholarly traceability. The corresponding author—who will serve as the primary contact throughout the review and publication process—should be clearly designated, with up-to-date contact information including a valid email address, telephone number, and mailing address. This ensures efficient communication and accountability during manuscript handling, peer review, and post-acceptance correspondence.
b. Abstract (250–300 words)
The abstract of an Original Research Article submitted to JIDA should be presented in a structured format that enables readers to quickly grasp the essence and significance of the study. It begins with a Background section that briefly outlines the context, rationale, and the problem being addressed, establishing why the research matters. The Methods section should concisely describe the study design, sample characteristics, and procedures used, including any analytical or statistical approaches. In the Results, authors must summarize the key findings, highlighting statistically significant outcomes and relevant data trends without duplicating the full results section. The Conclusion should distill the main implications of the study, emphasizing its relevance to clinical practice, scientific advancement, or future research directions. To enhance discoverability and indexing, authors must also provide three to five keywords, ideally selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) database, reflecting the core themes and technical focus of the manuscript. This structured abstract format ensures clarity, consistency, and accessibility for a diverse readership.
c. Introduction
The Introduction section of an Original Research Article plays a critical role in framing the study and guiding readers through its intellectual foundation. Authors should begin by clearly defining the research problem, articulating what gap in knowledge, clinical challenge, or scientific uncertainty the study seeks to address. This problem should be contextualized within the broader landscape of dental science, demonstrating its significance to practitioners, researchers, or public health stakeholders. Following this, a concise yet comprehensive review of relevant literature is essential to establish the current state of knowledge, highlight previous findings, and justify the need for further investigation. This literature synthesis should not merely summarize prior work but critically engage with it to show how the present study builds upon, diverges from, or fills a void in existing research. Finally, the study objectives or hypotheses must be stated with precision and clarity. Whether exploratory or confirmatory, these guiding statements should reflect the intended outcomes of the research and align logically with the methods and analyses that follow. A well-crafted introduction sets the stage for the entire manuscript, ensuring that readers understand both the rationale and the relevance of the study from the outset.
d. Materials and Methods
The Materials and Methods section of an Original Research Article is the foundation upon which the study’s credibility and reproducibility rest. Authors must provide a thorough and transparent account of the study design, clearly indicating whether the research is observational, experimental, cross-sectional, longitudinal, randomized, or another format. The sample selection process should be described in detail, including inclusion and exclusion criteria, recruitment methods, sample size justification, and any stratification or randomization procedures used. All procedures—clinical, laboratory, or analytical—must be outlined step by step, enabling other researchers to replicate the study with accuracy. If human participants or animal subjects are involved, authors must include the ethical approval reference number from a recognized institutional review board or ethics committee, along with a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained in accordance with ethical standards.
In addition, the section should specify all instruments, materials, and technologies employed, including manufacturer details, calibration protocols, and any modifications made to standard procedures. The statistical methods used for data analysis must be clearly stated, with justification for the choice of tests, handling of missing data, and thresholds for significance (e.g., p-values, confidence intervals). Authors are encouraged to use established reporting guidelines (such as CONSORT or STROBE) to ensure completeness. Overall, this section must be written with enough precision and clarity to allow independent researchers to reproduce the study in its entirety, thereby reinforcing the scientific integrity and utility of the work.
e. Results
The Results section of an Original Research Article should communicate the study’s findings in a clear, coherent, and logically ordered manner, guiding readers through the data without interpretation or commentary. Authors should begin by presenting the outcomes that directly address the study’s objectives or hypotheses, organizing them in a sequence that reflects the flow of the research design. To enhance clarity and accessibility, tables and figures should be used strategically to summarize complex data, highlight trends, and illustrate key comparisons. These visual elements must be well-labeled, self-explanatory, and referenced appropriately within the text, while avoiding unnecessary duplication between narrative and graphical formats. All statistical outcomes should be reported with precision, including relevant metrics such as means, standard deviations, confidence intervals, and p-values. These indicators help readers assess the strength, reliability, and significance of the findings. Where applicable, subgroup analyses, effect sizes, and post hoc tests should be included to provide a comprehensive view of the data. Overall, the Results section must be factual, focused, and sufficiently detailed to support the subsequent discussion and conclusions.
f. Discussion
The Discussion section of an Original Research Article is where authors critically interpret their findings and situate them within the broader scientific landscape. This begins with a thoughtful comparison of the study’s results to existing literature, highlighting areas of agreement, divergence, or novel contribution. Authors should explain how their findings confirm, challenge, or extend previous research, and what this means for the current understanding of the topic. Beyond interpretation, the discussion must also address the strengths of the study—such as robust methodology, innovative design, or clinical relevance—as well as its limitations, including sample size constraints, potential biases, measurement variability, or generalizability issues. A transparent acknowledgment of these factors enhances the credibility of the work and guides readers in assessing its applicability. Finally, authors should articulate the implications of their findings for clinical practice, public health policy, educational strategies, or future research directions. Whether suggesting changes in treatment protocols, identifying gaps for further investigation, or proposing interdisciplinary collaboration, this section should demonstrate the study’s potential to inform and inspire continued progress in dental science.
g. Conclusion
The Conclusion section of an Original Research Article should offer a concise yet meaningful synthesis of the study’s key findings, emphasizing their relevance to the field of dentistry. Rather than reiterating the abstract or restating results in detail, this section should distill the essence of the research—what was discovered, why it matters, and how it contributes to scientific knowledge or clinical practice. Authors should highlight the practical implications, theoretical advancements, or methodological insights that emerge from the study, making clear how these findings address the original research question or hypothesis. The conclusion should be forward-looking, suggesting how the results might inform future investigations, influence treatment protocols, or shape educational and policy frameworks. By avoiding redundancy and focusing on significance, this section reinforces the value of the research and leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
h. References
The References section of an Original Research Article must reflect scholarly precision, transparency, and relevance. Authors are required to use the Vancouver citation style consistently throughout the manuscript, ensuring that in-text citations and the reference list follow the standardized numerical format and punctuation. To maintain academic rigor, textbooks should generally be avoided as primary references, unless they serve a unique historical or foundational purpose; instead, authors should prioritize recent, peer-reviewed journal articles, systematic reviews, and authoritative guidelines that directly support the study’s context, methodology, and interpretation. Each cited source should be high-quality and current, ideally published within the last five to ten years, unless older works are essential for historical framing or methodological justification. Furthermore, all references must be accurately formatted and verifiable, with complete bibliographic details including author names, article titles, journal names, volume and issue numbers, page ranges, and DOIs or PubMed IDs where available. This ensures that readers, reviewers, and indexing services can reliably access the cited literature, reinforcing the credibility and scholarly value of the manuscript.
3. Tables, Figures, and Visual Data
The visual components of an Original Research Article—namely tables, figures, charts, and images—play a vital role in enhancing the clarity, accessibility, and impact of the presented data. Authors must ensure that all images are submitted in high resolution, with a minimum of 300 dpi, to meet publication standards and maintain visual integrity in both print and digital formats. Each table and figure should be numbered sequentially in the order they appear in the manuscript and accompanied by a clear, descriptive title that reflects its content and purpose. To guide interpretation, authors must provide detailed legends that explain abbreviations, symbols, and key data points, allowing readers to understand the visuals independently of the main text. Where applicable, source acknowledgments should be included to credit original creators or datasets. Importantly, all visuals must be self-explanatory, meaning they should convey essential information without requiring extensive cross-referencing, and they should be thoughtfully designed to support and clarify the narrative, not merely decorate it. Effective use of visuals strengthens the manuscript’s communicative power and facilitates deeper engagement with the research findings.
4. 🧾 Ethical and Reporting Standards
The Journal of Iranian Dental Association (JIDA) upholds rigorous standards of research integrity and ethical scholarship, in alignment with internationally recognized guidelines. Authors submitting Original Research Articles are expected to follow appropriate reporting frameworks based on the nature of their study: the CONSORT statement for randomized controlled trials, STROBE for observational studies, and PRISMA for systematic reviews. These guidelines ensure transparency, completeness, and reproducibility in scientific reporting.
Every manuscript must include clear and verifiable ethical declarations, including the name of the approving ethics committee and confirmation that informed consent was obtained from all participants when applicable. Authors must also disclose funding sources, specifying any financial support received for the research, and declare any conflicts of interest that could influence the interpretation or presentation of findings. In addition, a statement on data availability should be provided, indicating whether and how the underlying data can be accessed for verification or reuse.
JIDA maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism, data fabrication, and duplicate publication. All submissions are subject to editorial and technical checks to ensure originality and compliance with ethical norms. Violations of these principles may result in rejection, retraction, or notification to relevant institutions. By adhering to these standards, authors contribute to the credibility, transparency, and advancement of dental science.
5. Submission and Review Process
The submission process for Original Research Articles to the Journal of Iranian Dental Association (JIDA) is designed to ensure fairness, transparency, and scholarly rigor. Authors must submit their manuscripts through the official JIDA online portal www.jida.ir, following all formatting and documentation requirements outlined in the journal’s guidelines. Each submission should be accompanied by a cover letter that briefly summarizes the study’s significance, originality, and potential contribution to the field of dentistry. This letter helps editors assess the manuscript’s relevance and scope before initiating peer review.
Once submitted, all manuscripts undergo a double-blind peer review process, meaning that both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other. This ensures impartial evaluation based solely on the scientific merit, methodological soundness, and clarity of the work. Reviewers are selected based on their expertise in the relevant subfield and are tasked with providing constructive feedback that may include suggestions for improvement, clarification, or additional analysis. Authors should be prepared to revise their manuscripts in response to reviewer comments, addressing each point thoroughly and transparently. This iterative process strengthens the quality of the final publication and reinforces JIDA’s commitment to academic excellence.
6. Revision, Acceptance, and Publication
Following peer review, authors of Original Research Articles submitted to JIDA are expected to revise their manuscripts with care and transparency. All reviewer comments must be addressed point-by-point, using a structured response document that outlines the changes made or provides a reasoned justification for any comments not incorporated. This process reflects the journal’s commitment to scholarly dialogue and continuous improvement. Once revisions are submitted, the editorial team evaluates the manuscript for scientific merit, ensuring that the study’s methodology, results, and interpretations meet the journal’s standards for rigor and relevance. In addition, the manuscript must demonstrate clarity of presentation, including logical structure, precise language, and adherence to formatting guidelines. Only manuscripts that fulfill these criteria will receive final acceptance. Accepted articles are then prepared for publication both online and in print, and are indexed in major academic databases, ensuring visibility, discoverability, and citation within the global dental research community. This final stage marks the culmination of a collaborative and quality-driven editorial process.