EDITORIAL POLICIES
The Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC) is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, editorial quality, research integrity, and transparency. The following policies govern the submission, review, publication, and preservation of scholarly work published by the journal.
Quick Navigation
- Peer Review Policy
- Publication Ethics & Research Misconduct Policy
- Plagiarism Policy
- Statistical Review Policy
- Copyediting & Proofreading Policy
- Conflict of Interest & Funding Disclosure Policy
- Copyright & Licensing Policy
- Open Access Policy
- Article Processing Charges (APC) Policy
- Data Sharing & Data Availability Policy
- Human Research Ethics Policy
- Animal Research Ethics Policy
- Clinical Trial Registration Policy
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy
- Reporting Guidelines Policy
- Corrections & Retractions Policy
- Digital Archiving & Preservation Policy
- Self-Archiving & Repository Policy
- Privacy Statement
- Reviewer Guidelines
- Appeals & Complaints Policy
- Journal Ombudsman Policy
1. PEER REVIEW POLICY
Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC)
The Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC) follows a rigorous double-blind peer-review process to ensure the publication of high-quality, original, and ethically conducted research. Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, methodological quality, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's scope.
Initial Editorial Screening
All submitted manuscripts undergo an initial technical and editorial assessment to verify:
- Compliance with the Instructions for Authors.
- Manuscript completeness and formatting.
- Ethical approval and informed consent (where applicable).
- Conflict of interest and funding disclosures.
- Similarity screening.
- Relevance to the journal's aims and scope.
Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned for technical revision or rejected before peer review.
Similarity Screening
All manuscripts are screened using Turnitin or equivalent plagiarism detection software before peer review. Manuscripts with unacceptable similarity or evidence of publication misconduct may be rejected or returned for clarification.
Double-Blind Peer Review
JPIMC operates a double-blind peer-review system, in which the identities of authors and reviewers remain confidential. Each manuscript is normally evaluated by at least two independent experts in the relevant specialty. Additional or statistical reviewers may be invited when necessary.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Reviewers are expected to:
- Maintain confidentiality.
- Provide objective and constructive comments.
- Declare conflicts of interest.
- Report suspected ethical concerns or plagiarism.
- Complete reviews within the requested timeframe.
Editorial Decision
Following peer review, the Editor-in-Chief or Handling Editor may decide to:
- Accept
- Minor Revision
- Major Revision
- Reject
The final publication decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.
Appeals
Authors may appeal editorial decisions by submitting a written explanation to the Editor-in-Chief. Appeals are reviewed independently, and the final decision of the Editor-in-Chief is binding.
2. PUBLICATION ETHICS & RESEARCH MISCONDUCT POLICY
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors are expected to:
- Submit original and unpublished work.
- Obtain ethical approval before conducting research.
- Obtain informed consent where applicable.
- Disclose funding sources and conflicts of interest.
- Accurately report study methods and results.
- Correct significant errors identified after publication.
Responsibilities of Editors
Editors are responsible for:
- Making fair and unbiased editorial decisions.
- Maintaining confidentiality.
- Selecting qualified reviewers.
- Managing conflicts of interest.
- Investigating allegations of publication misconduct.
- Issuing corrections or retractions when necessary.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Reviewers should:
- Maintain confidentiality.
- Provide objective and constructive feedback.
- Declare conflicts of interest.
- Report suspected plagiarism or ethical concerns.
- Complete reviews within the agreed timeframe.
Research Misconduct
JPIMC does not tolerate:
- Plagiarism.
- Duplicate publication.
- Data fabrication or falsification.
- Image manipulation.
- Guest, gift, or ghost authorship.
- Unethical research practices.
Confirmed misconduct may result in rejection, correction, retraction, or notification of the relevant institution.
Corrections and Retractions
Where necessary, the journal may publish:
- Errata
- Corrigenda
- Expressions of Concern
- Retractions
All notices remain permanently linked to the original publication.
3. PLAGIARISM POLICY
Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC)
JPIMC has a zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and is committed to protecting originality, intellectual property, and ethical scholarly communication.
Purpose
This policy aims to:
- Promote originality in scientific publishing.
- Protect intellectual property rights.
- Prevent academic misconduct.
- Ensure ethical research and publication practices.
- Maintain the integrity of the scientific record.
Definition of Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another person's words, ideas, data, images, tables, figures, or intellectual work as one's own without appropriate acknowledgment. This includes direct copying, self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, improper paraphrasing, data plagiarism, and image plagiarism.
Similarity Screening
All manuscripts undergo similarity screening using Turnitin or equivalent plagiarism detection software before editorial evaluation. Similarity reports are assessed by editors to distinguish acceptable overlap from unethical copying.
Editorial Action
Depending on the severity of plagiarism, the journal may:
- Request revision and proper citation.
- Return the manuscript for correction.
- Reject the manuscript.
- Withdraw the manuscript from review.
- Retract a published article.
- Notify the relevant institution where appropriate.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors must:
- Submit original work.
- Cite all sources appropriately.
- Obtain permission for copyrighted material.
- Disclose overlapping publications.
- Ensure the originality of figures, tables, and images.
Responsibilities of Editors and Reviewers
Editors and reviewers are responsible for identifying suspected plagiarism, maintaining confidentiality, and taking appropriate editorial action when misconduct is detected.
4. STATISTICAL REVIEW POLICY
Manuscripts Requiring Statistical Review
Statistical review may be conducted for:
- Original Research Articles.
- Clinical Trials.
- Cohort and Case-Control Studies.
- Cross-Sectional Studies.
- Diagnostic Accuracy Studies.
- Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, where applicable.
The Editor-in-Chief may request statistical review for other article types when necessary.
Scope of Statistical Review
The Statistical Reviewer may evaluate:
- Study design and sampling method.
- Sample size calculation.
- Selection of statistical tests.
- Statistical software and reporting.
- Regression and multivariable analyses.
- Confidence intervals, effect sizes, and interpretation of results.
Authors may be requested to revise their analyses based on reviewer recommendations.
Author Responsibilities
Authors should:
- Use appropriate statistical methods.
- Report statistical software and version.
- Present exact p-values and 95% confidence intervals where appropriate.
- Retain raw data for verification if requested.
Editorial Decision
Following statistical review, manuscripts may be accepted, returned for minor or major statistical revision, or rejected due to significant methodological concerns. The final decision remains with the Editor-in-Chief.
5. COPYEDITING & PROOFREADING POLICY
Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC)
JPIMC is committed to publishing accurate, clear, and professionally presented scientific articles. Every accepted manuscript undergoes copyediting and proofreading before publication to ensure consistency, readability, and compliance with the journal's editorial standards.
Copyediting Process
Accepted manuscripts undergo editorial review to ensure:
- Language and grammar accuracy.
- Consistent formatting and style.
- Vancouver reference formatting.
- Consistency between text, tables, and figures.
- Accuracy of figure legends and table titles.
Scientific content and author conclusions are not altered during copyediting.
Proofreading
Before publication, authors receive page proofs to review and approve. Only minor corrections are permitted at this stage, and substantial changes to scientific content are generally not accepted.
Quality Assurance
Each manuscript is checked for:
- Language quality.
- Scientific consistency.
- Ethical declarations.
- Reference accuracy.
- Figure and table quality.
- DOI and metadata verification.
Final Approval
The final version of the manuscript must be approved by the Corresponding Author, Managing Editor, and Editor-in-Chief before publication.
6. CONFLICT OF INTEREST & FUNDING DISCLOSURE POLICY
Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC)
JPIMC is committed to maintaining transparency, objectivity, and integrity throughout the editorial and publication process. Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members are required to disclose any financial or non-financial relationships that could influence the conduct, interpretation, or publication of research.
Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest may arise from financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could influence editorial or research decisions. All potential conflicts should be disclosed during manuscript submission and review.
Funding Disclosure
Authors must disclose all sources of financial support, including:
- Funding agency or sponsor.
- Grant number (if applicable).
- Sponsoring institution.
- Role of the funding organization in the study.
If no external funding was received, authors should clearly state this in the manuscript.
Responsibilities
Authors, reviewers, editors, and Editorial Board members should:
- Disclose actual or potential conflicts of interest.
- Maintain transparency throughout the publication process.
- Avoid participating in decisions where conflicts exist.
Editors may assign another editor or reviewer if a conflict of interest is identified.
Editorial Assessment
Failure to disclose relevant conflicts or funding information may result in manuscript rejection, publication of a correction, retraction, or notification of the relevant institution where appropriate.
7. COPYRIGHT & LICENSING POLICY
Copyright
Authors publishing in JPIMC retain the copyright of their work while granting the journal the right of first publication. Authors may deposit published articles in institutional repositories, personal websites, or academic networks, provided proper citation and a link to the original publication are included.
Licensing
All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits readers to read, download, copy, distribute, and adapt published work for non-commercial purposes with appropriate attribution to the original authors and the journal.
Author and Journal Rights
Authors may reuse their published work in theses, dissertations, future publications, and presentations with proper acknowledgment. JPIMC reserves the right to publish, archive, and distribute articles in print and electronic formats to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility.
8. OPEN ACCESS POLICY
Open Access Model
All published articles are freely available to read, download, copy, print, distribute, and share for non-commercial purposes, provided appropriate credit is given to the original authors and the journal.
Licensing
JPIMC publishes all articles under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. Commercial use of published material requires prior written permission from the copyright holder(s) and the journal.
Permanent Accessibility
All published content remains permanently available through the journal website and is preserved using recognized digital archiving and preservation systems to ensure long-term accessibility.
9. ARTICLE PROCESSING CHARGES (APC) POLICY
Article Processing Charges
For Authors from Pakistan:
- Manuscript Processing Fee (Non-refundable): PKR 5,000
- Publication Fee (Upon Acceptance): PKR 35,000
For International Authors:
- Manuscript Processing Fee (Non-refundable): USD 50
- Publication Fee (Upon Acceptance): USD 300
Payment Terms
The manuscript processing fee is payable at submission and covers initial editorial assessment, plagiarism screening, and peer-review management. The publication fee is payable only after final acceptance. Manuscripts that are rejected are not subject to publication charges.
Waiver and Refund Policy
The Editor-in-Chief may consider partial or full fee waivers in exceptional circumstances. Manuscript processing fees are non-refundable once editorial processing has commenced. Publication fees may be refunded only if publication cannot proceed due to circumstances attributable to the journal.
10. DATA SHARING & DATA AVAILABILITY POLICY
JPIMC promotes transparency and reproducibility by encouraging responsible sharing of research data while protecting participant confidentiality.
11. HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS POLICY
Outlines ethical requirements for research involving human participants, including IRB approval, informed consent, and compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
12. ANIMAL RESEARCH ETHICS POLICY
Describes ethical standards for animal research, requiring institutional approval, humane treatment, and compliance with recognized animal welfare guidelines.
13. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION POLICY
Requires prospective registration of clinical trials in a publicly accessible registry and inclusion of registration details in submitted manuscripts.
14. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) POLICY
Defines the responsible use of AI-assisted tools in manuscript preparation, requiring transparency, disclosure, and full author accountability for all submitted work.
15. REPORTING GUIDELINES POLICY
Authors are required to prepare manuscripts in accordance with internationally recognized reporting guidelines to ensure transparency, completeness, and reproducibility of research. Depending on the study design, authors should follow the appropriate EQUATOR Network reporting standards, including CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, CARE, STARD, COREQ, and TREND. Relevant checklists should be submitted with the manuscript where applicable.
16. CORRECTIONS & RETRACTIONS POLICY
JPIMC is committed to maintaining the accuracy and integrity of the scientific record. Corrections, corrigenda, expressions of concern, and retractions are issued in accordance with COPE recommendations when significant errors, ethical concerns, or research misconduct are identified. All notices remain permanently linked to the original published article.
17. DIGITAL ARCHIVING & PRESERVATION POLICY
JPIMC ensures the long-term preservation and accessibility of published content through secure digital archiving systems. Articles are assigned Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) and preserved using Open Journal Systems (OJS), institutional repositories, and recognized preservation services such as LOCKSS and CLOCKSS to safeguard the permanent scholarly record.
18. SELF-ARCHIVING & REPOSITORY POLICY
JPIMC supports Green Open Access and permits authors to archive preprints, accepted manuscripts, and the published Version of Record in institutional repositories, personal websites, or recognized scholarly repositories. Archived versions must include complete bibliographic citation and the DOI link to the official published article.
19. PRIVACY STATEMENT
JPIMC respects the privacy of authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. Personal information collected during manuscript submission and publication is used solely for editorial and publishing purposes and is not shared with third parties except where required for journal operations or by law. The journal is committed to maintaining the confidentiality and security of all personal data in accordance with applicable privacy standards.
20. REVIEWER GUIDELINES
Reviewers play a pivotal role in ensuring the scientific quality and integrity of JPIMC publications. Reviewers are expected to provide fair, objective, detailed, and constructive evaluations within the specified timeframe while adhering to COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers.
21. APPEALS & COMPLAINTS POLICY
JPIMC provides a formal mechanism for authors to appeal editorial decisions or raise complaints regarding editorial handling. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Editor-in-Chief with detailed justifications and supporting evidence. Appeals are investigated independently, and decisions are communicated in a timely manner.
22. JOURNAL OMBUDSMAN POLICY
To uphold fairness and institutional accountability, JPIMC utilizes an independent Journal Ombudsman to address unresolved disputes, grievances, or procedural complaints that cannot be resolved through standard editorial channels. The Ombudsman acts as an impartial adjudicator to ensure adherence to ethical publication standards.
