Types of articles

DHM welcomes contributions of the following types:

Original articles, Technical reports and Case series: up to 3,000 words is preferred, and no more than 30 references (excluded from word count). Longer articles will be considered. These articles should be subdivided into the following sections: an Abstract (subdivided into Introduction, Methods, Results and Conclusions) of no more than 250 words (excluded from word count), Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, References, Acknowledgements, Funding sources and any Conflicts of interest. Legends/captions for illustrations, figures and tables should be placed at the end of the text file.

Review articles: up to 5,000 words is preferred and a maximum of 50 references (excluded from the word count); include an informative Abstract of no more than 300 words (excluded from the total word count); structure of the article and abstract is at the author(s)’ discretion.

Case reports, Short communications and Work in progress reports: maximum 1,500 words, and 20 references (excluded from the word count); include an informative Abstract (structure at author’s discretion) of no more than 200 words (excluded from the word count).

Educational articles, Commentaries and Consensus reports for occasional sections may vary in format and length but should generally be a maximum of 2,000 words and 15 references (excluded from word count); include an informative Abstract of no more than 200 words (excluded from word count).

Letters to the Editor: maximum 600 words, plus one figure or table and five references.

The journal occasionally runs ‘World as it is’ articles; a category into which articles of general interest, perhaps to divers rather than (or in addition to) physicians or scientists, may fall. This is particularly so if the article reports an investigation that is semi-scientific; that is, based on methodology that would not necessarily justify publication as an original study. Such articles should follow the length and reference count recommendations for an original article. The structure of such articles is flexible. The submission of an abstract is encouraged.

Formatting of manuscripts

All submissions must comply with the following requirements. Manuscripts not complying with these instructions will be suspended and returned to the author for correction before consideration. Guidance on structure for the different types of articles is given above.

Title page: Irrespective of article type, it must have a title page that lists the title of the paper, all authors’ names in full and their affiliations and provide full contact details for the first (and corresponding, if different) author(s).

ORCiD requirements: ORCiD An ORCiD is now required for all corresponding authors when submitting to Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. The ORCiD must be entered into Manuscript Manager when submitting (the site will prompt you to create one if you do not have one). Please add your ORCiD to the title page of your manuscript.

What is an ORCiD? ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier (an ORCID iD) that you own and control, and that distinguishes you from every other researcher. You can connect your iD with your professional information – affiliations, grants, publications, peer review, and more. You can use your iD to share your information with other systems, ensuring you get recognition for all your contributions, saving you time and hassle, and reducing the risk of errors. For more information see https://orcid.org/.

Keywords: The title page must also list a maximum of seven keywords best describing the paper. These should be chosen from the list on the journal website DHM Keywords 2023 or on the Manuscript Manager website. New keywords, complementary with the US National Library of Medicine NML MeSH, https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html/ may be used but are at the discretion of the Editor. Do not use keyword terms that already appear in the title of your article.

Text format: The preferred format is Microsoft Office Word or rich text format (RTF), with 1.5 line spacing, using both upper and lower case throughout. The preferred font is Times New Roman, font size 11 or 12. Please avoid using auto-formatting tools such as automatic spaces before and after paragraphs. Lines must be numbered continuously throughout the manuscript to facilitate the review process.

Section Headings should conform to the current format in DHM

This is:

Section heading (for Introduction, Methods, etc.)

SUBSECTION HEADING 1

Subsection heading 2

Numbering: All pages must be numbered, but no other text should appear in the header and footer space of the document. Do not use underlining. No running title is required.

English spelling will be in accordance with the Concise Oxford Dictionary, 11th edition revised (or later). Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2006.

Measurements will be in SI units (mmHg are acceptable for blood pressure measurements) and normal ranges should be included where appropriate. Authors are referred to the online BIPM brochure, International Bureau of Weights and Measures (2006), The International System of Units (SI), 8th ed, available as a pdf at https://www.bipm.org/en/publications/si-brochure/. Atmospheric and gas partial pressures and blood gas values should be presented in kPa (atmospheres absolute [abbreviated as atm abs]/bar/mmHg may be provided in parenthesis on the first occasion). The ambient pressure should always be given in absolute not gauge values unless there is a particular reason to use gauge pressure and the distinction is made clear. Water depths should be presented in metres of sea (or fresh) water (msw or mfw). Cylinder pressures may be presented as ‘bar’.

Equations: Authors are responsible for the correct formatting of each equation, and, because of potential conversion problems, they must be submitted using the Times New Roman font in a TIFF file. Equations should be camera-ready when they are submitted.

Abbreviations may be used once they have been shown in parenthesis after the complete expression. For example, decompression illness (DCI) can thereafter be referred to as DCI. This applies separately to the abstract and main text. Use generally accepted abbreviations that readers are likely to be familiar with rather than neologisms of your own invention. The overuse of abbreviations is strongly discouraged. 

Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine

is indexed on

MEDLINE, Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch®) and Embase/Scopus and complies with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendation for the Conduct, Report, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. Articles from 2017 are deposited in PubMed Central.