AUTHORS GUIDELINES

Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC)

The Journal of Pak International Medical College (JPIMC) welcomes scientifically sound, original, and ethically conducted manuscripts relevant to medicine, dentistry, biomedical sciences, public health, medical education, and allied health sciences.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts comply with the journal's scientific, ethical, authorship, reporting, formatting, and publication requirements.

Submission of a manuscript to JPIMC implies that the work is being submitted exclusively to the journal and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, unless the Editor-in-Chief has granted specific permission.

1. Publication Frequency

JPIMC is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, fully open-access journal published in four regular issues per calendar year:

Issue 1: January–March
Issue 2: April–June
Issue 3: July–September
Issue 4: October–December

Special issues or supplements may be published when scientifically justified and are subject to the journal's applicable editorial, ethical, and peer-review requirements.

2. Scope of Submissions

JPIMC considers manuscripts covering medicine, dentistry, biomedical sciences, public health, allied health sciences, medical education, and related healthcare disciplines.

The journal accepts:

Original Research Articles: 2,500–4,000 words
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: 3,000–5,000 words
Review Articles: Up to 4,000 words
Case Reports and Case Series: 1,000–1,500 words
Short Communications/Brief Reports: 1,000–2,000 words
Editorials and Commentaries: 800–1,200 words, generally by invitation

Word limits normally refer to the main manuscript text and may exclude the title page, abstract, references, tables, and figure legends unless otherwise specified.

The Editor-in-Chief may consider exceptions to the stated word limits when scientifically justified.

3. Submission Method

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's Online Journal System (OJS).

Authors should use the official OJS submission system for manuscript submission, peer-review communication, revisions, and editorial correspondence unless the Editorial Office specifically instructs otherwise.

Manuscripts should not be submitted simultaneously to more than one journal.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that:

All listed authors have approved the manuscript.
All authors meet the journal's authorship requirements.
The manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere.
All required declarations and documents have been provided.
The information entered into OJS is accurate.
All authors have approved the final version before publication.

4. Manuscript File Format

Manuscripts should normally be submitted as Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) files.

Recommended formatting:

Font: Times New Roman
Font size: 12 point
Line spacing: Double
Page margins: Approximately 1 inch (2.54 cm)
Text alignment: Left aligned
Page numbers: Continuous numbering
Use standard Arabic numerals for tables and figures.
Avoid unnecessary formatting, manual spacing, and embedded text boxes.

The journal may modify formatting during production to conform to its publication style.

5. Manuscript Structure

The structure may vary according to article type.

Original Research Articles

Original research articles should normally include:

Title Page
Abstract
Keywords
Introduction
Methodology/Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
Declarations
References
Tables and Figures, where applicable

The abstract should normally be structured under appropriate headings such as:

Background
Objective
Methodology
Results
Conclusion

The exact structure may vary according to the study design.

6. Title Page

The title page should contain:

Full manuscript title
Full names of all authors
Highest relevant academic qualifications, where appropriate
Institutional affiliations
Department/unit
City and country
ORCID iDs, where available
Corresponding author's name
Corresponding author's institutional affiliation
Corresponding author's email address
Telephone/contact information where required

The corresponding author must be clearly identified.

Author information should be entered consistently in both the manuscript and OJS metadata.

7. Blinded Manuscript

Because JPIMC uses a double-blind external peer-review process, the main manuscript submitted for review should not contain information that unnecessarily identifies the authors or their institutions.

Where appropriate, author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and other identifying information should be placed on a separate title page.

Authors should also avoid self-identifying statements in the blinded manuscript where these could compromise reviewer anonymity.

8. Abstract

Original research articles should normally include a structured abstract.

The abstract should accurately reflect the study and should not contain information that is not supported by the manuscript.

Authors should avoid:

Unexplained abbreviations
References
Unsupported claims
Excessive methodological detail
Information not presented in the main manuscript

The abstract should normally contain approximately 200–300 words, depending on article type.

9. Keywords

Authors should provide 3–6 keywords after the abstract.

Keywords should preferably be selected from the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terminology.

Authors should avoid:

Non-standard abbreviations
Vague terms
Overly broad descriptors
Repetition of unnecessary words from the title

Example:

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Insulin Resistance; Glycated Hemoglobin; Retinal Diseases; Pakistan

10. References

JPIMC follows the Vancouver referencing style, consistent with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

References must:

Be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first cited.
Use Arabic numerals.
Correspond exactly with the citations in the text.
Appear in a numbered reference list at the end of the manuscript.
Use standard journal abbreviations based on the NLM Catalog/Index Medicus where applicable.
Include DOI information when available.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references.

Reference-management software such as EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, or equivalent tools may be used, provided that the final references are carefully checked.

Journal Article

Ali S, Khan M, Ahmed R. Prevalence of refractive errors among school children in Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2022;38(3):450-5. doi:10.12669/pjms.38.3.4521.

Book

Kumar P, Clark M. Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine. 10th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2020.

Book Chapter

Greenfield S, Brown N. Hypertension in the elderly. In: Williams GH, editor. Textbook of Medicine. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2019. p. 102-15.

Website/Online Resource

World Health Organization. Global Health Observatory data repository. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023.

Authors should ensure that all online references include sufficient information to allow readers to identify and access the source.

11. Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants, human data, human biological material, or identifiable clinical information must comply with applicable ethical standards.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate:

Institutional Review Board (IRB)
Institutional Ethics Committee
Research Ethics Committee
Other officially recognized ethics review body

The manuscript must identify the approving body and, where available, provide the approval/reference number.

If ethics approval was not required, authors should provide an appropriate explanation.

12. Informed Consent

Authors must obtain informed consent from research participants when required by the study design, ethical regulations, or applicable institutional requirements.

The manuscript should include an appropriate statement confirming consent where applicable.

For case reports and case series containing potentially identifiable information, written consent for publication must be obtained from the patient or legally authorized representative, where applicable.

13. Case Reports and Case Series

Case reports and case series must comply with patient confidentiality and publication-ethics requirements.

Authors must:

Obtain appropriate written consent for publication.
Remove unnecessary identifying information.
Protect patient confidentiality.
Obtain consent for identifiable photographs or clinical images.
Follow the CARE reporting guideline where applicable.
Include a statement regarding consent for publication.

Patient names, hospital numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, and other unnecessary identifiers must not be included.

14. Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with applicable national and institutional requirements for animal welfare.

Authors should provide information regarding:

Ethical approval
Animal welfare procedures
Appropriate housing and care
Anesthesia or euthanasia, where applicable
Measures taken to minimize pain and distress

Authors should follow the ARRIVE guidelines where applicable.

15. Clinical Trials

Clinical trials should comply with internationally recognized trial-reporting and registration standards.

Where applicable, authors should provide:

Trial registration number
Name of the trial registry
Date of registration
Protocol information
CONSORT checklist and flow diagram

Authors should follow CONSORT or other appropriate reporting guidelines according to study design.

16. Reporting Guidelines

Authors are encouraged to use the appropriate reporting guideline for their study design.

Examples include:

Study Type	Reporting Guideline
Randomized Controlled Trial	CONSORT
Observational Study	STROBE
Systematic Review/Meta-analysis	PRISMA
Case Report	CARE
Diagnostic Accuracy Study	STARD
Animal Research	ARRIVE
Qualitative Research	COREQ
Non-randomized Intervention	TREND

Other relevant reporting guidelines may be required depending on the study design.

17. Statistical Reporting

Where statistical analysis is performed, authors should clearly describe:

Statistical software and version
Statistical tests used
Significance level
Confidence intervals where appropriate
Effect estimates where appropriate
Handling of missing data
Assumptions of statistical tests
Relevant sample-size calculations

Authors should avoid inappropriate statistical methods and should ensure that statistical conclusions are supported by the reported data.

Where appropriate, manuscripts may be reviewed by a statistical expert.

18. Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose any financial, personal, professional, institutional, or other relationships that could reasonably influence the research or its interpretation.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have provided appropriate conflict-of-interest information.

If no relevant conflict exists, the manuscript should contain an appropriate statement such as:

Conflict of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Editors and reviewers must also disclose relevant conflicts of interest.

19. Funding

Authors must disclose all sources of financial or material support for the research.

If the study received no external funding, authors should state:

Funding: No external funding was received for this study.

The role of the funding organization in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, and publication decisions should be disclosed where applicable.

20. Data Availability

Authors should provide a Data Availability Statement where applicable.

The statement should explain whether the underlying data:

Are publicly available;
Are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request;
Are available through a data repository; or
Cannot be shared because of ethical, privacy, legal, or other restrictions.

Patient confidentiality and applicable ethical requirements must be maintained when sharing research data.

21. Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI

Authors may use artificial intelligence or automated tools for limited purposes such as language improvement, grammar correction, or formatting assistance.

Where generative AI has been used in a substantive way in preparing a manuscript, the use should be disclosed appropriately.

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as authors or co-authors.

Authors remain fully responsible for:

Accuracy
Originality
Integrity
Ethical compliance
References
Data
Interpretations
Final submitted content

Authors must verify all AI-assisted content and references.

Authors must not use generative AI to fabricate data, results, citations, images, or scientific claims.

Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts, unpublished data, reviewer reports, or other confidential editorial material into generative AI systems.

22. Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

All submitted manuscripts may undergo similarity screening before or during editorial assessment.

JPIMC does not consider plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated content, falsified data, or other forms of research misconduct acceptable.

Where substantial inappropriate overlap or suspected misconduct is identified, the journal may:

Request an explanation from the authors.
Reject the manuscript.
Refer the matter to the relevant institution.
Take post-publication action where necessary.

Cases of suspected publication misconduct are handled in accordance with applicable COPE recommendations.

A similarity percentage alone does not determine whether plagiarism has occurred. The Editorial Office evaluates the nature and source of overlapping text.

23. Originality and Duplicate Submission

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that:

The work is original.
The manuscript has not been published previously in substantially the same form.
The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal.
All authors have approved the submission.
Appropriate permissions have been obtained for copyrighted material.
All sources have been properly acknowledged.

Simultaneous submission to multiple journals is not permitted.

24. Authorship

JPIMC follows recognized authorship principles, including the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Authors should meet the applicable criteria for authorship based on substantial contributions to the work, participation in drafting or critical revision, approval of the final version, and accountability for the work.

Individuals who do not meet authorship criteria should be appropriately acknowledged where applicable.

All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for their contributions.

25. Changes in Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or change the order of authors after submission must be supported by an appropriate explanation and written agreement from all affected authors.

The journal may request institutional clarification where necessary.

Changes in authorship after acceptance or publication are handled according to the journal's publication-ethics policy.

26. Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet authorship criteria may be acknowledged with their permission.

Authors should disclose relevant assistance, including:

Technical assistance
Language editing
Statistical assistance
Administrative support
Funding-related support

27. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should:

Be numbered consecutively.
Be cited in the text in numerical order.
Have clear and informative titles or legends.
Be understandable without unnecessary reference to the main text.
Avoid unnecessary duplication of information presented in the text.

Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted figures, images, tables, or other material where required.

Identifiable patient images require appropriate consent for publication.

28. Supplementary Material

Supplementary material may be submitted when it provides additional information that supports the main manuscript.

Examples include:

Additional tables
Additional figures
Questionnaires
Checklists
Supplementary datasets
Statistical material

Supplementary files should be clearly labelled and referenced in the main manuscript.

29. Manuscript Declarations

Where applicable, manuscripts should include the following statements before the references:

Ethical Approval
Informed Consent
Consent for Publication
Conflict of Interest
Funding
Data Availability
Author Contributions
Acknowledgements
Clinical Trial Registration
AI Disclosure

The exact declarations required depend on the article type and study design.

30. Peer Review

JPIMC follows a double-blind external peer-review process.

Manuscripts that pass initial editorial assessment are evaluated by a minimum of two independent external peer reviewers with relevant subject expertise.

The peer-review process considers:

Scientific validity
Originality
Methodological quality
Ethical compliance
Statistical validity where applicable
Clinical or scientific significance
Quality of reporting

The final publication decision is made by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately delegated editor.

Payment of processing or publication charges does not influence peer review or editorial decisions.

Complete details are available in the journal's Peer Review Policy.

31. Editorial Decision and Revision

Authors may receive one of the following decisions:

Accept
Minor Revision
Major Revision
Reject

When revision is requested, authors should provide a clear response to each reviewer comment and identify the changes made in the revised manuscript.

Revised manuscripts may undergo additional editorial or external peer review.

32. Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant error, misunderstanding, procedural problem, or relevant information affected the decision.

Appeals should provide a clear and evidence-based explanation.

Appeals are considered by the Editor-in-Chief or an appropriately designated editor who was not directly responsible for the original decision where feasible.

Complaints concerning editorial procedures or publication ethics are handled according to the journal's Appeals and Complaints Policy.

33. Corrections and Retractions

The integrity of the published scholarly record is a priority of JPIMC.

Corrections, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and retractions are handled according to the journal's publication-ethics policy and relevant COPE recommendations.

Published articles are not silently altered when a substantive correction or retraction is required. Appropriate notices are linked to the affected article.

34. Copyright and License

Authors retain copyright of their published work.

Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).

The license permits sharing and adaptation for non-commercial purposes provided appropriate attribution is given.

Authors grant JPIMC the right of first publication and the non-exclusive right to publish, distribute, archive, and preserve the work.

35. Article Processing and Publication Charges

JPIMC is a fully open-access journal with transparent processing and publication charges.

Fee	Amount
Initial Manuscript Submission Fee	PKR 0
Manuscript Processing Fee	PKR 10,000
Publication Fee for Accepted Article	PKR 30,000
Total Processing and Publication Fee	PKR 40,000

No fee is charged at the initial manuscript submission stage.

The total applicable processing and publication charges are PKR 40,000 per accepted article.

Payment of these charges does not guarantee acceptance or publication and does not influence editorial decisions or peer review.

Any applicable waiver or fee-reduction arrangements are described in the journal's Publication Fee Waiver Policy.

36. Submission Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should ensure that:

37. Submission and Editorial Contact

Manuscripts should be submitted through the official JPIMC Online Journal System (OJS).

For technical or editorial questions concerning a submission, authors may contact the journal through the official contact information provided on the Contact page.

Authors should use the journal's official communication channels and should not submit manuscripts to unofficial email addresses.

38. Final Author Responsibility

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the authors have read and understood the journal's policies and agree to comply with the applicable requirements.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, ethical integrity, and scientific validity of their submitted work.

The journal reserves the right to request additional information, documentation, ethical approvals, data-related clarification, or other materials necessary to evaluate the manuscript and maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

JPIMC is committed to a fair, transparent, ethical, and independent editorial process.