Journal Information

Aims

The aim of the South African Orthopaedic Journal is to serve as a platform for the publication of original scientific research and the advancement of knowledge in the field of orthopaedic surgery and related sub-disciplines in South Africa. While the emphasis is placed on the South African perspective and relevance to orthopaedic surgeons in a developing world setting, we strive to maintain an international audience. Furthermore, the SAOJ aims to disseminate orthopaedic knowledge in order to keep orthopaedic surgeons and related healthcare providers abreast of the local and international developments in orthopaedics.

Scope

The scope of publication encompasses all orthopaedic surgery sub-disciplines including paediatric orthopaedics, hip, knee, tumour and sepsis, spine, shoulder and elbow, foot and ankle and hand surgery. In addition the journal addresses the subjects of orthopaedic service delivery, teaching, training and research. Publications should influence orthopaedic care on our continent.   

The South African Orthopaedic Journal aims to advance the knowledge of all aspects of musculoskeletal medicine through publication of:

  • Original research articles
    • Clinical research
    • Basic science and theoretical research
  • Invited Current Concepts Review papers by established experts
  • Selected case reports, fulfilling the following criteria:
    • It is accompanied by a concise literature review 
    • It is relevant to the South African or developing world clinical setting
    • It is an exceedingly rare case with a clear learning point and little or no reports on the topic in the international literature
  • Selected scientific research protocols
    Comprehensive, scientifically sound study protocols, that is sufficiently detailed to allow exact replication of the study, will be considered in the following categories:
    • Clinical trials
    • Randomaised conttrol trials
    • Prospective original research that employs unique and novel methodologies
  • Editorials
  • Letters to the editor

Criteria for publication

  • The article falls within the scope of the journal.
  • Methods, statistics and other analyses are performed to a high technical standard and are described in sufficient detail.
  • Results reported have not been published elsewhere.
  • Conclusions are presented in an appropriate fashion and are supported by the data.
  • The article is presented in an intelligible fashion and is written in standard English (British usage).
  • The research meets all applicable ethical standards.
  • The article adheres to guidelines provided in the Instructions for Authors section.

Indexing and listing

The South African Orthopaedic Journal is a member of the Academy Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and as received DHET accreditation from the South African Department of Higher Education and Training.

All articles published in the SAOJ are indexed on:

  • Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
  • SciELO SA
  • SABINET
  • Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources (ROAD)
  • The Keepers Registry
  • Crossref
  • Google Scholar
  • Scopus

ISSN info

  • ISSN on-line version: 2309-8309
  • ISSN print version: 1681-150X

Publication frequency

Quarterly

Meta-data

The following information is to be displayed at article level:

  • Level of evidence as described by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (OCEBM). OCEBM Levels of Evidence Working Group. The Oxford Levels of Evidence 2. Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. http://www.cebm.net/index.aspx?o=5653
  • Date of submission, date of revision, date of acceptance and date of publication.
  • Authors ORCID information (see Submission of Articles section).
  • Copyright and licencing information (see Policies section).