Submissions

Author Guidelines

Guidelines for Article Submission

These guidelines detail the standards, requirements, and responsibilities for authors submitting manuscripts to the journal. Authors are expected to adhere to these policies throughout submission, peer review, publication, and post-publication processes.

Access and Publication Model

This journal operates under an Open Access publishing model. All accepted articles are published online immediately under a Creative Commons license, making them freely accessible to readers worldwide.

Article Processing Charges (APCs)

There is no submission fee for manuscripts. Upon acceptance, a standard publication charge of PKR 25,000 applies to manuscripts up to seven typeset pages. For manuscripts exceeding this length, an additional PKR 1,000 per page will be charged. Page counts are estimated based on the total word count and the number or size of tables and figures included. Authors will be informed of the final charges upon manuscript acceptance and must approve these fees before publication proceeds.

Preprints and Prior Publication

Manuscripts previously posted on preprint servers are eligible for submission, provided the preprint version is not updated during peer review. Authors must clearly indicate the DOI or provide a direct link to the preprint upon submission.

Editorial and Peer Review Policy

The journal adheres to a double-anonymized peer review process, wherein reviewers remain anonymous to authors. Manuscripts must receive approval from at least two independent peer reviewers. Direct communication between reviewers and authors during the review process is prohibited.

Ethics and Research Integrity

All submitted manuscripts must be original, unpublished, and not under concurrent consideration elsewhere. Any form of plagiarism, fabrication, or data falsification is strictly prohibited. Studies involving humans or animals must include documented ethical approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent authority, explicit informed consent where applicable, and a clear statement of ethical compliance within the manuscript.

Article Types and Specific Requirements

The following table outlines specific requirements for different article types:

All articles must adhere strictly to the Vancouver citation and referencing style.

Manuscript Formatting

Manuscripts must be submitted in Microsoft Word format and structured clearly with appropriate section headings and subheadings. All figures must be provided in high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi). Authors must obtain permission to reproduce previously published content where applicable.

Required Declarations

Authors must include the following declaration sections at the end of each manuscript, explicitly stating “Not applicable” where necessary: Ethical considerations, Consent to participate, Consent for publication, Conflict of interest, Funding statement, and Data availability statement.

Referencing Style

The journal utilizes Vancouver citation style. Every in-text citation must correspond to a complete reference entry, and each listed reference must be cited within the manuscript text.

Authorship and ORCID

All authors listed must fulfill the criteria for authorship by contributing substantially to the research and manuscript preparation. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring all co-authors approve the manuscript before submission and must provide valid ORCID IDs for each author before the manuscript’s final acceptance.

Supplementary Files

Authors may submit supplementary materials such as datasets, multimedia files, and extended tables to enhance the clarity, transparency, and reproducibility of their manuscript.

Submission Package

Each manuscript submission must include: a detailed cover letter highlighting the manuscript’s novelty and significance, the main manuscript document, separate high-quality files for figures, tables, and supplementary material, completed reporting guideline checklists (such as CONSORT or PRISMA), and any applicable ethics approval documentation and consent forms.

Post-Acceptance Procedures

Following manuscript acceptance, authors must sign a Creative Commons license agreement and pay the applicable Article Processing Charges before production begins. Manuscripts will undergo professional language editing for grammar, clarity, and structure. Authors will receive page proofs for review and final approval.

Online Publication and Dissemination

Articles are published online immediately following production completion. Authors are encouraged to actively disseminate their work through academic networks, conferences, and social media to enhance readership and citations.

Author Support

For assistance related to manuscript submission, formatting requirements, or interpretation of policies, authors should contact the editorial office directly or refer to the journal’s author portal.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

To ensure transparency, integrity, and clear authorship standards, authors must strictly follow these guidelines regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies during manuscript preparation.

Acceptable Use of AI Tools

Authors may utilize AI tools solely for language enhancement purposes, including improving grammar, spelling, clarity, readability, or content translation. Use of software such as Grammarly, DeepL, or similar language-support tools does not require explicit disclosure.

Prohibited Use

It is strictly prohibited to employ generative AI to produce original scientific content, including generating hypotheses, conclusions, data interpretations, or drafting sections involving research findings. AI-generated or AI-modified figures, tables, images, and graphical abstracts are also disallowed, unless AI usage constitutes a formally documented part of the study methodology. AI systems cannot be credited as authors or co-authors.

Human Oversight and Responsibility

All content refined or edited by AI must undergo thorough review and critical editing by the manuscript authors. Authors maintain complete responsibility for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of the manuscript content.

Mandatory Disclosure Statement

If generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used, authors must include a dedicated disclosure under the heading “Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process,” placed immediately before the References section. This disclosure must clearly indicate the tool’s name and version, the specific purpose (e.g., grammar enhancement), and confirmation that authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript content.

Example Declaration:
During the preparation of this manuscript, Grammarly (version 1.5) was utilized to improve grammar and language clarity. The authors carefully reviewed and revised the manuscript following AI assistance and take full responsibility for the final content.

If no AI tools were used, this disclosure is not required.

Use of AI in Figures and Images

AI-generated or AI-altered images are not permitted. Minor image enhancements (brightness, contrast adjustments) that do not alter original data or results interpretation are allowed. If AI tools are integral to the research methodology (such as image analysis in radiology studies), authors must provide full methodological disclosure within the Methods section, including the tool’s name, version, and raw image data upon request.

Consequences of Misuse

Failure to comply with these AI guidelines may result in manuscript rejection, retraction, notification of authors' affiliated institutions, or reporting to relevant ethical oversight bodies.

Future Revisions

These guidelines will be periodically updated to reflect advancements in generative AI technologies and evolving ethical standards within scholarly publishing.

Further Information

For further guidance, authors are encouraged to review the latest white paper on generative AI from STM (stm-assoc.org), COPE’s position statement on authorship and AI tools, and the recommendations from the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) regarding chatbots, ChatGPT, and scholarly manuscripts.