Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

These policy guidelines outline the standards, requirements, and responsibilities that apply to authors submitting manuscripts to the journal. All authors are expected to adhere to the policies stated below throughout the submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication processes.

1. Access and Publication Model

This journal follows an Open Access publishing model. All accepted articles are published online immediately under a Creative Commons license and are freely accessible to a global audience.

2. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

• Manuscript submission is free of charge.

• Upon acceptance, a standard publication fee of 18,000 PKR is applicable for the first seven typeset pages.

• An additional PKR 1000 per page will be charged for each page beyond the initial seven.

• Page count is estimated based on total word count and the number/size of tables and figures.

• Authors will be notified of the final charge after acceptance and must approve the fee before the publication process continues.

3. Preprints and Prior Publication

• Manuscripts posted on preprint servers are eligible for submission.

• The preprint version must not be updated during the peer review process.

• Authors must include the DOI or link to the preprint at the time of submission.

4. Editorial and Peer Review Policy

• The journal follows a double-anonymized peer review process (reviewers remain anonymous to authors).

• At least two independent peer reviewers are required for manuscript acceptance.

• Reviewers are not permitted to contact authors directly during the review process.

5. Ethics and Research Integrity

• All submitted work must be original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere.

• Plagiarism, fabrication, and data falsification are strictly prohibited.

• Studies involving human or animal subjects must include:

  • Ethics approval from an institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent.

  • Informed consent for participation and/or publication where applicable.

  • Ethical compliance must be stated clearly in the manuscript.

6. Article Types and Specific Requirements

Note: Vancouver citation & reference style is mandatory.

7. Manuscript Formatting

• Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word format with clearly labeled sections and subheadings.

• All figures must be high-resolution (300 dpi).

• Authors are responsible for securing permission to reproduce any previously published content.

8. Required Declarations

Authors must include the following declaration sections at the end of the manuscript:

• Ethical considerations

• Consent to participate

• Consent for publication

• Conflict of interest

• Funding statement

• Data availability statement

All sections must be included, even if the response is "Not applicable."

9. Referencing Style

• The journal uses the Vancouver citation style.

• All in-text citations must correspond to full references, and all references must be cited in the text.

10. Authorship and ORCID

• All authors must meet authorship criteria based on substantial contributions.

• The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

  • All co-authors approve the manuscript prior to submission.

  • All authors provide valid ORCID IDs before final acceptance.

11. Supplementary Files

Authors may submit supplementary materials (e.g., datasets, multimedia, extended tables) along with the main manuscript to enhance understanding or transparency.

12. Post-Acceptance Procedures

Once a manuscript is accepted:

• A Creative Commons license agreement must be signed by the authors.

• The APC must be paid before the manuscript proceeds to production.

• The manuscript undergoes professional editing (grammar, clarity, structure).

• Authors will receive page proofs for final review and approval.

13. Online Publication and Dissemination

• Articles are published online immediately after production is finalized.

• Authors are encouraged to promote their publications through academic networks, conferences, and social media platforms to enhance reach and citation.

14. Author Support

For queries regarding submission, formatting, or policy interpretation, authors are advised to contact the editorial office or consult the journal’s author portal.

15. Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

To uphold the integrity, transparency, and authorship standards of scientific publishing, the following guidelines apply to the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted tools during manuscript preparation:

1. Acceptable Use of AI Tools

• Authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies only for the following purposes:

  • Improving grammar, spelling, language clarity, and readability.

  • Translation of content between languages.

• The use of tools such as Grammarly, DeepL, or similar software for language support does not require disclosure.

2. Prohibited Use

• Authors must not use generative AI tools to:

  • Generate scientific content, ideas, hypotheses, or conclusions.

  • Draft any part of the manuscript that involves data interpretation, research findings, or analysis.

  • Create or modify figures, images, tables, or graphical abstracts (unless AI use is a formal part of the research protocol).

  • Substitute for author contribution or intellectual input.

• AI systems must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

3. Human Oversight and Responsibility

• All outputs produced or refined using AI tools must be reviewed, critically edited, and approved by the authors. The authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the submitted content.

4. Mandatory Disclosure Statement

• If authors have used any generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, they must include a dedicated disclosure in the manuscript under the heading:

  • “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process”

• This section should be placed immediately before the References and must include:

  • The name and version of the AI tool used.

  • A brief description of the purpose (e.g., grammar refinement).

  • A statement confirming that the authors reviewed, edited, and take full responsibility for the final manuscript content.

Example Declaration:
During the preparation of this work, the authors used Grammarly (version 1.5) for grammar and language editing. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as necessary, and take full responsibility for the final version of the manuscript.

• If no such tools were used, this statement is not required.

5. Use of AI in Figures and Images

• AI-generated or AI-modified figures are not permitted.

• Minor non-deceptive image adjustments (e.g., brightness, contrast) are acceptable.

• If AI tools are used as part of research methodology (e.g., image analysis in radiology), full disclosure must be provided in the Methods section. Authors must name the tool, version, and provider, and include raw or pre-AI image data upon request.

6. Consequences of Misuse
Failure to comply with these guidelines may lead to:

• Rejection or retraction of the manuscript.

• Notification to the authors’ affiliated institutions.

• Reporting to relevant research ethics bodies.

7. Future Revisions
These instructions will be updated as generative AI technologies evolve and ethical standards continue to be developed across the scientific publishing community.

Further Information

• New white paper launch: Generative AI in Scholarly Communications - STM (stm-assoc.org)

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)’s position statement on Authorship and AI tools.

• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) recommendations on chat bots, ChatGPT and scholarly manuscripts

????️ Post-Publication Corrections Policy

Authors are responsible for carefully reviewing the galley proof prior to final publication. This is the final opportunity to identify and request corrections.

Any correction requests made after galley approval and/or publication—including, but not limited to, spelling errors in author names, incorrect affiliations, funding disclosures, or acknowledgments—will incur a post-publication processing fee.

This fee covers the administrative and technical efforts required to:

• Regenerate the article files (PDF, HTML, XML)

• Update metadata in indexing databases

• Submit revised metadata to DOI registrars (e.g., Crossref)

Correction Fee:

• Standard Metadata Correction (e.g., author name spelling, affiliation): PKR 3,000 (or USD $15)

• Correction Requiring PDF/HTML Replacement and Reindexing: PKR 5,000 (or USD $25)

⚠️ No fee will be charged if the error is demonstrably introduced by the journal’s editorial or production team.
Final discretion lies with the Editorial Board.