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Author Guidelines

About the Journal
Media Kesehatan Masyarakat Indonesia (MKMI) is an Open Access, peer reviewed journal published by the Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University. MKMI publishes high-quality, original scholarly work in public health with a primary focus on Indonesia, and welcomes manuscripts from beyond the region that address comparable or related public health issues. Please see the journal’s Aims and Scope for details on coverage and the double-blind peer review process.

Open Access means your research is freely available online immediately upon publication, allowing anyone to read, use, and cite your work in accordance with the journal’s license (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Please note that MKMI publishes manuscripts in English only.

MKMI accepts the following article types: original research articles, systematic literature reviews, and meta-analyses.

Language
Manuscripts must be written in English using clear, precise, and professional academic language. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are linguistically accurate and well structured prior to submission. Reviewers and editors are not expected to correct grammatical, spelling, or stylistic errors, and deficiencies in language quality may impede the peer review process or lead to delays, requests for revision, or rejection.

Authors who are not fluent in English are strongly encouraged to seek appropriate language editing or proofreading support before submitting their manuscripts to ensure clarity and readability.

Types of Articles
MKMI publishes scholarly contributions that advance public health research and practice, with a primary focus on Indonesia and comparable contexts. The journal accepts the following types of manuscripts:

  • Original Research Articles: Full-length papers reporting original research findings. Manuscripts should present a clear research question, appropriate study design and methods, robust analysis, and conclusions supported by the results.
  • Systematic Literature Reviews: Evidence syntheses that address clearly defined questions using systematic and reproducible methods for searching, selecting, and appraising the literature. Reviews should demonstrate methodological rigor and relevance to public health research and policy.
  • Meta-Analyses: Quantitative syntheses of results from multiple studies, submitted as a form of review. Meta-analyses should include a transparent search strategy, clear eligibility criteria, appropriate statistical methods, and assessment of heterogeneity and potential bias.

Before Submission
Before submitting a manuscript to MKMI, authors should carefully ensure that their submission complies with the journal’s Polices and Ethics, and technical requirements. Manuscripts that do not meet these criteria may be returned to the authors or rejected prior to peer review. Authors should confirm that:

  • Originality and exclusivity: The manuscript is an original work that has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal, conference, or other publication venue.
  • Authorship approval and responsibility: All listed authors have made appropriate contributions to the work, have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to its submission to MKMI. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal on behalf of all coauthors.
  • Ethical compliance: The research complies with applicable ethical standards. For studies involving human participants or animals, appropriate ethical approval must have been obtained prior to conducting the research, and the manuscript must include a clearly labeled section describing ethics approval and consent, where applicable.
  • Language quality: The manuscript is written in clear, accurate English and is free from significant grammatical, spelling, or typographical errors that could hinder peer review.
  • Scope and quality: The manuscript falls within the aims and scope of MKMI and demonstrates sufficient scientific quality, originality, and relevance to merit peer review.

Submission of a manuscript implies that the authors agree to allow editorial revisions for clarity, consistency, and readability, without altering the scientific content. Only acknowledgment from the editorial office confirms receipt of a submission. All correspondence regarding the review process and proofs of accepted manuscripts will be communicated to the corresponding author, unless otherwise specified.

Preparation of Manuscripts
Authors must prepare their manuscripts in accordance with the journal’s formatting and structural requirements to ensure efficient peer review and publication. Submissions that do not conform to these guidelines may be returned for correction prior to review.

File format and submission
Manuscripts must be submitted as Microsoft Word files (Word 2007 or later) through the journal’s online submission system. All text, tables, and figures should be included in the main manuscript file unless otherwise specified in the submission instructions. The manuscript template can be downloaded here.

Page Layout and Formatting
Manuscripts should be prepared on A4-sized pages, using a single-column layout. The text must be set in Cambria font, 11-point size, with single line spacing (1.0) and standard margins. The maximum length of a manuscript is 15 pages, including tables and figures.

All pages must be numbered consecutively, starting from the title page and continuing through to the final page of references.

Authors are encouraged to use the spell-check and grammar-check functions of their word processing software to minimize typographical and language errors prior to submission.

Structure of the Manuscript
Manuscripts should be organized in the following order, where applicable:

  • Title
  • Author names and affiliations
  • Abstract
  • Keywords
  • Introduction
  • Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusions and Recommendations
  • Acknowledgments
  • Author Contributions
  • Conflict of Interest
  • References

Section headings should be clear and consistently formatted.

Tables, Figures, and Equations
Tables should be created using the table function in the word processor and placed close to where they are first cited in the text. Figures must be clear, legible, and appropriately labeled. Any symbols, abbreviations, or units used in tables and figures should be explained in the captions or footnotes.

Equations, where applicable, should be created using an equation editor to ensure correct formatting and readability.

Text Emphasis and Symbols
Boldface, italics, subscripts, and superscripts may be used where appropriate, following standard scientific conventions. All abbreviations should be defined at first mention in the text.

Manuscript sections

  • Title: The title must be written in English and should not exceed 15 words. It should be clear, concise, and informative.
  • Abstract: The abstract must be written in English, presented in one paragraph, and must not exceed 250 words. It should include: an introduction (1–2 sentences), the study purpose (1 sentence), materials and methods (3–5 sentences), results (3–5 sentences), and a conclusion/implication (1 sentence). (Use the abstract formatting specified in the manuscript template.)
  • Keywords: Provide 3–5 keywords, separated by commas. Use a capital letter only for the first keyword. Do not end the keyword list with a period.
  • Introduction: The introduction should explain the urgency and background using an inverted-pyramid approach (global → national → local context). Use relevant references in Vancouver superscript style. The suggested length is 1–1.5 pages. Each paragraph should follow the journal’s required first-line indent. The final part of the introduction should clearly state the study objective(s).
  • Material and Method: Describe the study type/design, study location and time, population and sample, sampling technique, data collection, data analysis, and data presentation. If tools and materials are used, include their specifications. For qualitative studies (e.g., case study, phenomenology, ethnography), describe how validity/trustworthiness was ensured. The final paragraph must include the ethical clearance (and relevant consent information, where applicable). Present this section in 1–2 paragraphs.
  • Results: Present the findings, including subject characteristics and relevant analyses (univariate, bivariate, and multivariate, if applicable). Each table or figure must be preceded by a narrative interpretation of the results. (If the journal specifies a different font/size for Results, apply that as stated in the manuscript template.)
  • Discussion: Interpret the findings and relate them to relevant theory, literature, and previous studies. Do not repeat the results. Authors are encouraged to cite the most relevant and rigorous literature and situate the findings within the broader evidence base where appropriate. The combined Results and Discussion should comprise approximately 55% of the total manuscript pages.
  • Conclusion and Recommendation: Provide a concise summary of the main findings in relation to the study objective(s). Recommendations should be based on the findings and may address practical actions, theory development, and/or future studies. Do not use bullets or numbering. Present this section in 1–2 paragraphs.
  • Acknowledgments (if applicable): Acknowledge: (1) parties providing financial support, (2) institutional or departmental support, and/or (3) professionals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria.
  • Funding (required from 2026): Include a separate section titled "Funding" describing all financial support (grants, sponsorships, institutional support, etc.). If no funding was received, state: "The authors received no funding for this work."
  • Author Contributions: For multi-author research articles, include a short paragraph describing each author’s specific contributions.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, or state: "The authors declare no conflict of interest." Authors should declare any personal or financial circumstances that could be perceived as influencing the work.
  • References: References must follow Vancouver superscript style and be numbered according to first appearance in the text (not alphabetically). Include only relevant sources. At least 70% of references should be journal articles published within the last 5 years, and at least 30% should be other relevant sources generally published within the last 10 years. Authors are encouraged to prioritize primary sources. Articles previously published in MKMI are recommended where relevant. To ensure consistency, authors are encouraged to use reference managers such as EndNote, Mendeley, or Zotero.

Ethics Statements
For manuscripts involving humans and/or animals, authors must include an ethics statement in the manuscript. This information should be provided in the final paragraph of the Material and Method section.

Research Involving Humans
Include:

  • the name of the ethics committee/IRB (or equivalent) and an approval number/code (if available), or a statement explaining why approval was not required; and
  • whether informed consent to participate was obtained, or the reason consent was not required/feasible; and
  • where applicable, confirmation that consent for publication was obtained for any potentially identifiable information (e.g., images, case details).

Research involving animals
Include:

  • the name of the approving animal ethics committee (or equivalent) and an approval number/code (if available), or a statement explaining why approval was not required; and
  • a brief statement confirming that animal welfare requirements and relevant guidelines were followed.

When ethics approval or consent is not applicable: Provide a brief justification (e.g., anonymized retrospective data, publicly available datasets, minimal-risk research, or other applicable basis).

Example Statements

  • "Ethical clearance was granted by [committee name] ([approval number]). Informed consent was obtained from all participants."
  • "The [committee name] confirmed that ethical clearance was not required because [reason]."
  • "Informed consent for publication was obtained for any potentially identifiable information included in this article."

Data Sharing and Data Availability (Recommended)
The journal encourages authors to share data where feasible and ethically appropriate. A data availability statement is recommended but not mandatory. If included, it should state where supporting data can be accessed or explain any restrictions (e.g., privacy, confidentiality, legal constraints). Examples:

  • "Data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."
  • "Data are available in [repository name], [identifier/link]."
  • "Data cannot be shared due to participant privacy/confidentiality restrictions."

Supplementary Materials
Authors may submit supplementary materials (e.g., additional tables/figures, questionnaires, checklists, datasets, or other supporting files) to be made available online alongside the article. Supplementary files should be clearly labeled (e.g., Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S1), cited in the main text, and provided in a format suitable for online publication. Authors must ensure supplementary materials comply with ethical and privacy requirements and do not include identifying information unless appropriate consent for publication has been obtained.

Units and Terminology
Authors should use internationally accepted units (SI where applicable) and consistent terminology throughout the manuscript. Nonstandard abbreviations should be avoided; where used, define them at first mention.

Online Submission
All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system:

https://www.editorialmanager.com/mkmi/default2.aspx

Submissions sent by email or through other channels will not be considered unless explicitly requested by the editorial office.

Manuscripts must be uploaded as Microsoft Word files only. Submissions must be made by one of the listed authors of the manuscript; submissions made by third parties on behalf of the authors will not be accepted. The submitting author acts as the corresponding author during submission and peer review and is responsible for the accuracy of the submission, communication with the journal, and coordination with all coauthors throughout the editorial process.

If authors encounter technical difficulties that prevent submission through the online system, they should contact the journal’s editorial office for assistance before attempting alternative submission methods.

Initial Evaluation
All submissions undergo an initial check by the editorial office to confirm completeness, adherence to the Author Guidelines, and alignment with the journal’s ethical policies. Manuscripts may be declined at this stage if they are outside the journal’s scope, are not prepared according to the required format, show major deficiencies in language quality, or raise concerns regarding research or publication ethics.

As part of this screening, manuscripts are checked for text similarity using similarity-detection tools. Submissions with potential plagiarism, inappropriate reuse, or other forms of publication misconduct may be rejected or investigated in line with the journal’s ethics policies.

Revisions
If revisions are requested, authors should submit a revised manuscript within the timeframe specified in the editorial decision letter. Revised submissions should include:

  • a point-by-point response to the editors’ and reviewers’ comments, indicating where changes were made; and
  • a revised manuscript version with changes clearly indicated (e.g., tracked changes) and a clean version, unless the decision letter specifies otherwise.

Revision requests do not guarantee acceptance; revised manuscripts may be re-evaluated by the editors and, where appropriate, returned to reviewers.

Proofs
After acceptance, the manuscript will proceed to production. The corresponding author will receive page proofs for final checking. Proofs are provided to correct typographical, formatting, and production errors; changes that affect content or interpretation should be avoided unless essential and approved by the editor. Authors should return corrections promptly to prevent delays in publication.

Article Processing Charge (APC)
The journal charges an article processing fee of USD 250. This fee covers the costs of editing, publishing, maintaining, and archiving articles, ensuring open access to the full-text versions of published papers. The APC is applicable only after a manuscript has successfully undergone peer review and is accepted for publication. Submission of articles is free of charge.

  • Bank Name: BANK NEGARA INDONESIA
  • Account Name: Jurnal MKMI FKM UNHAS
  • Account Number: 0544454456
  • Swift Code: BNINIDJAXXX

Example Statements

Contact Information
Publisher
Public Health Faculty, Hasanuddin University
Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km.10, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University,
Tamalanrea, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

Publisher Email:

Editorial Team:
Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan Km.10, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University,
Tamalanrea, Makassar, South Sulawesi, 90245, Indonesia

  • Editorial Email:
  • WhatsApp: +62 811-4440-454
  • Instagram: @jurnalmkmi