Sri Lankan Family Physician Journal

Sri Lankan Family Physician Journal

Guidelines to Authors – Article Types

The Sri Lankan Family Physician Journal (SLFPJ) publishes scholarly work relevant to primary care, family medicine, community health, and health systems, with a special focus on Sri Lanka and similar LMIC settings. Manuscripts must demonstrate relevance to primary care practice, education, or policy.

1. Original Research Articles

Scope

  • Quantitative studies: cross-sectional, cohort, case–control, randomized controlled trials
  • Qualitative research: interviews, focus groups, ethnography
  • Mixed-methods studies
  • Core focus: epidemiology, clinical care, health services, and outcomes in primary care settings

Requirements

  • Word limit: 3,000–4,000 (excluding references)
  • Abstract: Structured (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions) – 250 words
  • Main sections:
    • Introduction
    • Methods (setting, participants, sampling, analysis)
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Strengths and limitations
    • Implications for primary care
  • Ethics: Ethics approval and informed consent mandatory
  • Reporting guidelines:
    • STROBE (observational)
    • CONSORT (RCTs)
    • COREQ (qualitative)
    • MMAT (mixed-methods)

2. Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses

Scope

  • Evidence synthesis relevant to primary care practice
  • Diagnostic accuracy, intervention effectiveness, qualitative syntheses

Requirements

  • Word limit: 4,000–5,000
  • Abstract: Structured
  • Protocol registration: PROSPERO (preferred)
  • Reporting guideline: PRISMA 2020
  • Include:
    • Search strategy
    • Study selection process
    • Risk of bias assessment
    • Evidence synthesis (quantitative or qualitative)

3. Narrative Reviews / Scoping Reviews

Scope

  • Broad overviews of emerging or complex topics
  • Mapping evidence gaps in primary care

Requirements

  • Word limit: 3,000–4,000
  • Abstract: Unstructured or semi-structured
  • Clear description of:
    • Search approach
    • Inclusion criteria
    • Rationale for topic relevance to primary care
  • Reporting guideline: PRISMA-ScR (for scoping reviews)

4. Short Reports / Brief Communications

Scope

  • Preliminary findings
  • Pilot studies
  • Early results of innovative primary care interventions

Requirements

  • Word limit: 1,500–2,000
  • Abstract: Unstructured (≤150 words)
  • Maximum 2 tables or figures
  • Emphasis on feasibility, innovation, and early impact

5. Clinical Practice Articles

Scope

  • Management guidelines adapted to primary care
  • Evidence-based updates
  • “How-to” articles for common problems in general practice

Requirements

  • Word limit: 2,500–3,500
  • Abstract: Unstructured
  • Should include:
    • Clinical context
    • Evidence summary
    • Practical recommendations
    • Relevance to Sri Lankan primary care
  • Algorithms, flowcharts encouraged

6. Case Reports & Case Series

Scope

  • Unusual presentations of common conditions
  • Diagnostic dilemmas in primary care
  • Educational value prioritized over rarity

Requirements

  • Word limit: 1,500–2,000
  • Abstract: Unstructured
  • Patient consent: Mandatory
  • Reporting guideline: CARE
  • Must include:
    • Learning points
    • Relevance to primary care decision-making

7. Methodology Papers

Scope

  • Development or validation of tools (questionnaires, screening tools)
  • Novel research methods relevant to primary care

Requirements

  • Word limit: 3,000–4,000
  • Clear description of:
    • Development process
    • Validation methods
    • Reliability and validity measures
  • Applicability to primary care research or practice must be explicit

8. Education & Training Articles

Scope

  • Undergraduate and postgraduate education in primary care
  • OSCEs, workplace-based assessments, curriculum development
  • Faculty development

Requirements

  • Word limit: 2,500–3,500
  • May be:
    • Educational research
    • Descriptive innovations with evaluation
  • Should include:
    • Educational need
    • Intervention
    • Outcomes or lessons learnt

9. Health Services & Policy Research

Scope

  • Access to care
  • Quality improvement initiatives
  • Health systems, organization of primary care, workforce studies

Requirements

  • Word limit: 3,000–4,000
  • Strong policy or service delivery implications
  • Contextualization to Sri Lanka or comparable settings

10. Quality Improvement (QI) Reports

Scope

  • PDSA cycles
  • Audit and feedback studies in primary care

Requirements

  • Word limit: 2,000–3,000
  • Reporting guideline: SQUIRE 2.0
  • Must include:
    • Problem description
    • Intervention
    • Measures
    • Sustainability and lessons learnt

11. Perspectives / Viewpoints / Commentaries

Scope

  • Expert opinions on clinical, educational, or policy issues
  • Reflections on challenges in family medicine

Requirements

  • Word limit: 1,500–2,000
  • Evidence-informed arguments encouraged
  • Conflicts of interest must be declared

12. Editorials

Scope

  • Commentary on research in the same issue
  • Topical issues in primary care or family medicine

Requirements

  • Usually invited
  • Word limit: ≤1,500

13. Letters to the Editor

Scope

  • Responses to published articles
  • Brief observations or critiques

Requirements

  • Word limit: ≤750
  • Maximum 5 references
  • No abstract

14. Patient & Community Perspectives

Scope

  • Patient-centred care narratives
  • Community engagement in primary care research

Requirements

  • Word limit: 1,000–1,500
  • Written in accessible language
  • Consent and ethical considerations required
  • Editorial review prior to acceptance

15. Research Protocols

Scope

  • Planned or ongoing studies with methodological detail

Requirements

  • Word limit: 2,500–3,500
  • Ethics approval or submission evidence required
  • Registration (e.g. clinical trials registry) encouraged
  • Clear justification and relevance to primary care

16. Global / Rural / Community Health Articles

Scope

  • Primary care in LMICs
  • Rural health, equity, social determinants of health

Requirements

  • Word limit: 3,000–4,000
  • Strong contextual and policy relevance
  • Emphasis on transferable lessons for primary care

General Requirements for All Submissions

  • Use IMRAD structure where applicable
  • Include keywords (MeSH-aligned)
  • Follow ICMJE authorship criteria
  • Use reference management software (Vancouver style preferred)
  • Declare ethics approval, funding, conflicts of interest

Sri Lankan Family Physician Journal

Author Guidelines – Article Types (Web Version)

SLFPJ publishes peer-reviewed scholarly work relevant to family medicine, primary care, community health, and health systems, with emphasis on Sri Lanka and comparable LMIC settings. All articles must demonstrate clear relevance to primary care practice, education, or policy.

Article Types Accepted

1. Original Research
Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods studies in primary care.
Structured abstract, ethics approval, reporting guidelines required.

2. Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
Evidence syntheses relevant to primary care practice and policy.
PRISMA-compliant; PROSPERO registration encouraged.

3. Narrative / Scoping Reviews
Overviews of emerging topics and evidence gaps in primary care.
Clear methods and relevance required.

4. Short Reports / Brief Communications
Pilot studies, preliminary findings, early innovations in primary care.

5. Clinical Practice Articles
Evidence-based updates, primary-care-adapted guidelines, “how-to” articles.

6. Case Reports / Case Series
Educational cases highlighting diagnostic or management challenges in primary care.
Patient consent mandatory.

7. Methodology Papers
Development or validation of research tools or methods relevant to primary care.

8. Education & Training
Undergraduate and postgraduate education, OSCEs, assessments, curriculum and faculty development.

9. Health Services & Policy Research
Access, quality, organization, workforce, and health system studies.

10. Quality Improvement Reports
Audits and PDSA cycles in primary care settings.
SQUIRE guidelines encouraged.

11. Perspectives / Commentaries
Expert viewpoints on clinical, educational, or policy issues.

12. Editorials
Usually invited.

13. Letters to the Editor
Responses to published articles or brief scholarly observations.

14. Patient & Community Perspectives
Patient-centred narratives and community engagement in primary care.

15. Research Protocols
Methodologically sound protocols of planned or ongoing studies.

16. Global / Rural / Community Health
Primary care in LMICs, rural health, equity, and social determinants of health.

General Submission Requirements (Google Scholar–Aligned)

To ensure discoverability and indexing in Google Scholar, all submissions must include:

  • Clear article type designation
  • Structured abstracts where applicable
  • English language, scholarly tone
  • Author affiliations and corresponding author details
  • Keywords (MeSH-aligned preferred)
  • Ethics approval and consent statements
  • Funding and conflict of interest declarations
  • Consistent reference style (Vancouver preferred)
  • Stable PDF format with:
    • Title
    • Author names
    • Abstract
    • References

Aims & Scope

The Sri Lankan Family Physician Journal aims to advance high-quality research, education, and practice in family medicine and primary care, with particular relevance to Sri Lanka, South Asia, and other low- and middle-income country settings.

The journal provides a platform for:

  • Research informing clinical decision-making in primary care
  • Innovations in primary care education and training
  • Evidence to strengthen health systems, policy, and service delivery
  • Context-specific solutions addressing equity, access, and community health

SLFPJ welcomes contributions from clinicians, educators, researchers, and policymakers, and prioritizes work with clear implications for real-world primary care practice.

Benchmarking Against Indexed Primary Care Journals

FeatureBJGPFamily PracticeBMC Primary CareSLFPJ (Target)
Clear article taxonomy✔✔✔✔
Structured abstracts✔✔✔✔
Reporting guidelines✔✔✔✔
Primary care focusUK-centricGlobalGlobalSri Lanka / LMIC
Education & QI articles✔✔✔✔
Policy & systems research✔✔✔✔
Google Scholar indexing✔✔✔Planned / Enabled

Positioning advantage of SLFPJ:
✔ Strong contextual relevance to LMIC primary care
✔ Bridge between clinical practice, education, and policy
✔ Platform for South Asian and regional scholarship