Author Guidelines

Overview of PMJN Policy

The Post-Graduate Medical Journal of NAMS (PMJN) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published quarterly by the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS). It serves as a platform for disseminating high-quality research and knowledge in various health sciences disciplines, including but not limited to medicine, nursing, public health, and allied health sciences. The journal also embraces emerging interdisciplinary fields and innovative methodologies relevant to healthcare.

PMJN is committed to upholding the highest standards of editorial and publication ethics. It adheres to the guidelines and best practices outlined by:

• The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.
• The World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) for best editorial practices.
• The Council of Science Editors (CSE) for editorial integrity and scientific publishing standards.
• The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for ethical publishing practices and handling of misconduct.

Publication Types:

• Original Research Articles
• Case Reports/Case Studies
• Clinical Trials
• Reviews (Systematic Reviews, Narrative Reviews, Meta-Analyses)
• Editorials
• Commentaries
• Letters to the Editor
• Correspondence
• Short Reports/Brief Communications

Manuscript Preparation and Submission Guidelines

PMJN adheres to ICMJE guidelines for manuscript preparation. Authors are encouraged to use the PMJN templates corresponding to the Publication Type and follow the Equator Network Checklists for the relevant study types. Authors must format manuscripts according to the journal’s guidelines, including specific sections (e.g., abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion). 

Length and Style: Articles should comply with word count limitations based on their type and use the Citing Medicine style.

Submission Process: Manuscripts should be submitted online through the journal’s platform along with supplementary documents as outlined in the Journal’s Supplementary Document section. Pre-submission inquiries are encouraged.

Acceptance and Revisions: Authors may be required to revise manuscripts based on peer review. Decisions are made by the editorial board.

Publication Fees: There are no submission or publication fees for research articles submitted to PMJN for any processes involved. 

Standard Guidelines and Reporting

ICMJE Recommendations:

The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) provides guidelines for preparing and submitting manuscripts to medical journals. These include ethical considerations, authorship criteria, and the structure of the manuscript, ensuring transparency, reproducibility, and reliability in reporting clinical research. For Details: ICMJE | Recommendations | Preparing a Manuscript for Submission to a Medical Journal 

Reporting Guidelines in EQUATOR Network:
The EQUATOR Network offers detailed guidance and resources for researchers on how to report research transparently and accurately. It helps identify appropriate reporting guidelines for different types of studies to improve the quality of reporting.

Reporting Guidelines for Main Study Types:

1. Randomised Trials: CONSORT
• CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) provides a checklist and flow diagram for reporting randomized controlled trials. It ensures that trials are reported with clarity and transparency, including randomization procedures, allocation concealment, blinding, and statistical methods.
2. Observational Studies: STROBE
• STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) provides guidelines for reporting cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies. It focuses on methods of data collection, statistical analysis, and study limitations to ensure the reliability of observational findings.
3. Systematic Reviews: PRISMA
• PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) provides guidelines for conducting and reporting systematic reviews. It emphasizes a transparent approach to search strategies, data selection, data synthesis, and bias risk assessment.
4. Diagnostic/Prognostic Studies: STARD | TRIPOD
• STARD (Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies) provides guidance for reporting studies on diagnostic accuracy. It includes recommendations for presenting test methods, results, and performance metrics.
• TRIPOD (Transparent Reporting of a Multivariable Prediction Model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis) focuses on the transparent reporting of predictive models in diagnostic and prognostic research, ensuring clarity in model development and validation.
5. Case Reports: CARE | SCARE
• CARE (Case Report Guidelines) is a reporting guideline for case reports, which emphasizes the need to provide detailed patient history, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up information, ensuring that case studies contribute meaningfully to medical knowledge. 
• SCARE Checklist (Surgical Case Report) is a set of guidelines designed to improve the quality of reporting in surgical case reports.
6. Qualitative Research: SRQR | COREQ
• SRQR (Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research) provides a set of criteria for reporting qualitative research, including aspects such as study design, participant selection, and data analysis methods.
• COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research) is a checklist for reporting qualitative research, including interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic studies, ensuring transparency in the research process.
7. Animal Pre-Clinical Studies: ARRIVE
• ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines help researchers transparently report preclinical studies involving animals. The guidelines promote consistency and ethical responsibility in animal research, including study design, sample size calculations, and statistical analyses.
8. Quality Improvement Studies: SQUIRE
• SQUIRE (Standards for Quality Improvement Reporting Excellence) guidelines are designed for reporting studies related to healthcare quality improvement. They ensure that quality improvement initiatives are described with sufficient detail for reproducibility and understanding.
9. Economic Evaluations: CHEERS
• CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) provides a framework for reporting health economic evaluations. It covers aspects such as cost analysis, outcomes, economic models, and sensitivity analysis to ensure transparency in reporting the economic aspects of healthcare interventions.
10. KAP Study: ChecKAP 
• The ChecKAP (Consolidated Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices) framework standardizes reporting for KAP studies, emphasizing clear objectives, robust methodology, ethical compliance, and transparent results. It ensures consistent reporting on study design, data collection, and analysis, with actionable insights across knowledge, attitudes, and practices to guide public health interventions. 
  

Peer Review Process

All research manuscripts submitted to PMJN undergo a thorough peer review process to ensure quality, scientific accuracy, and relevance. The process involves the following steps:

1. Initial Editorial Review: Manuscripts are first evaluated by the editorial team for quality, relevance, complete documentation, and adherence to journal guidelines. 
2. Peer Review Selection: Appropriate external reviewers with relevant expertise are selected to assess the quality and significance of the research. Reviewers may include subject experts and statistical reviewers.
3. Review Type: The journal uses a double-blind peer review process to ensure impartiality. Reviewers must maintain confidentiality, provide constructive feedback, and disclose any conflicts of interest.
4. Revisions and Feedback: Authors are provided with reviewer comments, and substantial revisions may be required before a manuscript is accepted for publication. Further rounds of peer review may be necessary depending on the extent of revisions. The reviewers will be provided with a Peer Review Checklist for maintaining uniformity in scientific reporting. 
5. Timeframe: Peer review typically takes 4-6 weeks, but manuscripts that require substantial revisions may take longer.
6. Appeals: Authors may appeal decisions through a formal process reviewed by the editorial board.
7. Rapid Peer Review: PMJN offers a "Rapid Review" process for urgent public health concerns, studies with the potential to change clinical practice, or those timed for imminent meeting presentations. Approval for rapid review does not guarantee acceptance or expedited publication.
8. Fast-Track Publication: PMJN offers a fast-track publication process for high-priority articles, including randomized controlled trials or papers of major public health significance. These manuscripts will be peer-reviewed and published within four weeks of submission, assuming no extensive revisions are needed.

Authorship Policy

PMJN adheres to the authorship and contributorship guidelines outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). This policy ensures transparency, accountability, and ethical standards in authorship practices.

Authorship Criteria (ICMJE)

To qualify as an author, individuals must meet all four criteria:

1. Substantial Contributions: Participation in the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Manuscript Preparation: Involvement in drafting the work or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
3. Approval: Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Accountability: Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

For details, refer to the ICMJE Authorship Guidelines.

Corresponding Author

• Each manuscript may have only one corresponding author responsible for communication with the journal.
• After acceptance, additional contacts for readers may be included in the article.

Prohibition of AI as Author

• AI technologies cannot be listed as authors.
• Responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the work lies solely with the human authors.

Joint First Authorship

• If two authors contributed equally, this can be indicated with a statement such as:
  "Author A and Author B contributed equally to this paper" in the contributorship statement.

Collaborators and Group Authorship

• For multi-author contributions, authorship roles must be agreed upon before starting the work.
• All contributors meeting authorship criteria should be listed as authors, while non-author contributors may be acknowledged separately.

Deceased Authors

• A deceased individual may be recognized as an author if their contributions were substantial.
• The contributorship statement should explain their contributions and address the impact of their death on the work.

Alterations to Authorship

• Any changes to the authorship list after submission (addition, removal, or change in order) must:
• Be approved by all authors.
• Be accompanied by a clear explanation provided to the editor.

Contributorship Statement

• A contributorship statement is mandatory for every manuscript, detailing specific contributions of each author and non-author contributors, such as:
  • Scientific advisors.
  • Data collectors.
  • Study participants.
• Authors must confirm that all individuals mentioned in the contributorship statement have provided consent for inclusion.

Data Sharing and Availability

Authors are encouraged to share raw data, protocols, and analysis scripts upon request to enhance transparency and reproducibility. Relevant datasets should be deposited in publicly accessible repositories where applicable. Authors must confirm that all authors have verified and had access to the data. Data sharing statements, specifying what data will be shared and under what criteria, are required. 

Ethical Standards and Research Integrity

PMJN adheres to the ethical guidelines set by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Council of Science Editors to address ethical concerns in the publishing process. These policies are designed to maintain integrity, transparency, and high ethical standards throughout the research and publication and expects authors to follow these standards in their research. 

Submissions must be original, and plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Manuscripts will be checked using detection software to ensure compliance. 

All research involving human or animal subjects must obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB). In Nepal, research requiring ethics approval of national or international-level studies, externally funded research, or clinical trials involving humans or animals, which must obtain approval from the Ethical Review Board of the Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC), otherwise approval could be taken from the specific IRB as per the Guidelines for Institutional Review Committees (IRCs) For Health Research in Nepal (Second edition). 

Authors are required to disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest. PMJN emphasizes the importance of conducting research under ethical principles, including obtaining informed consent from participants. For research involving animals, ethical guidelines ensuring the humane treatment of animals must be followed. Data must be collected and analyzed ethically, respecting participant privacy and consent.

Scientific Misconduct

PMJN strictly prohibits research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and other unethical practices. Misconduct or significant errors will result in manuscript retraction, which will be clearly labeled to ensure transparency and maintain the journal's integrity, and may lead to a ban on future submissions. Any allegations of misconduct will be thoroughly investigated, following the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Suspicious cases can be reported confidentially to the editorial office for further action.

Types of scientific misconduct include but not limited to:

• Data Fabrication/Falsification: Misrepresentation or manipulation of research data.
• Plagiarism: Copying another’s work without appropriate citation.
• Unethical Research Practices: Includes failure to disclose conflicts of interest, omitting authors, or misreporting research findings.
• Duplicate Publication: Submitting the same or similar content to multiple journals without proper acknowledgment.

Retraction and Correction Policy

Articles may be retracted for ethical breaches or significant scientific errors. Authors are responsible for notifying the editorial team of any errors that require correction. Retractions and corrections will be indicated and accessible to readers. Retractions will be clearly marked and the original article will remain accessible with a retraction notice for transparency. A letter of concern will also be sent to the corresponding affiliated institutions of all authors, the ethical review committee, and the grant committee (if applicable). The Editorial Board will thoroughly investigate any suspected ethical concerns, consulting reviewers, authors, and relevant institutional bodies if necessary, before making a decision.

Post-publication author name changes: Changes to author names due to personal reasons (e.g., gender identity or marital status) are permitted after publication, but editors may not update the name in external indexes.

Open Access and Copyright Policy

Open Access

The PMJN follows an open-access model, ensuring unrestricted and free access to all published content. Readers are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles and use them for any lawful purpose.

Copyright

• Author Rights: Authors retain the copyright to their work and are allowed to retain publishing rights without restrictions.
• License to Publish: Authors must grant the journal a license to publish their articles under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, facilitating free and open reuse of the content with proper attribution.

Self-Archiving: Authors are encouraged to archive accepted manuscripts in institutional or subject repositories, promoting broader dissemination and accessibility of their work.

Permissions and Reuse: Proper permissions must be obtained for any third-party material included in submissions, ensuring compliance with copyright requirements. Reuse of PMJN content must adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons license under which it is published.

Transparency and Confidentiality

PMJN is dedicated to fostering trust, accountability, and ethical practices in scientific publishing.

• Manuscript and Review Process: All manuscripts and peer reviews are handled with strict confidentiality.
• Editorial Process: PMJN ensures transparency in editorial decisions and reviewer comments while upholding confidentiality standards.
• Post-Publication Accountability: Authors are required to provide accurate and honest reporting of research findings. Any errors or inaccuracies identified post-publication must be promptly communicated, and appropriate actions, including corrections or retractions, will follow PMJN's established retraction policies.
• Independence: Editorial decisions are made independently of the publisher, based solely on academic merit and ethical standards.
• Patient privacy: It must be protected at all stages of research and publication. Personal identifiers should not be included in published data unless consent is obtained.

 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Commitment: The journal is dedicated to promoting diversity in its editorial board, peer review, and published content.

Non-Discrimination Policy: Discrimination based on race, gender, nationality, or other factors is strictly prohibited.

Complaints and Dispute Resolution

Complaints Process: Authors, reviewers, or readers may submit complaints regarding the editorial process. These will be addressed promptly.

Dispute Resolution: The journal follows a formal process to resolve disputes fairly and transparently.

Complaints and Dispute Resolution

Complaints Process: Authors, reviewers, or readers may submit complaints regarding the editorial process. These will be addressed promptly.

Dispute Resolution: The journal follows a formal process to resolve disputes fairly and transparently.

Image Submission

Authors submitting digital images must ensure transparency in any modifications or adjustments made to figures in their manuscripts. All changes should be clearly described and justified. The following guidelines must be adhered to:

• No specific feature in an image should be enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced unless explicitly indicated.
• Adjustments to brightness, color, or contrast must be applied uniformly across the entire image and should not misrepresent any original feature.
• No image should be duplicated within the manuscript or published elsewhere.
• Original image metadata should be available upon request for verification.

Clinical Trials Registration

In accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), all clinical trials must be registered in an acceptable clinical trial registry prior to patient enrollment. Manuscripts based on non-registered trials will be rejected before peer review. Acceptable registries are listed on the WHO website, and trials must meet ICMJE registration criteria, including publicly accessible non-profit ownership and the inclusion of required WHO fields.

Clinical trials must be registered in publicly accessible databases before they begin. This ensures transparency and accountability in the research process.

Competing Interests

Authors must disclose any competing interests that could potentially influence the interpretation of their research. Competing interests include, but are not limited to, financial relationships (such as funding, employment, or consulting) and non-financial relationships (such as personal or professional affiliations). Authors must:

• Disclose any financial associations with commercial entities providing support for the study or with entities that could be perceived as having an interest in the study's subject matter.
• Declare competing interests for spouses and children, if applicable.
• Complete the ICMJE Competing Interests Disclosure Form and include a summary statement in the manuscript.

PMJN adheres to transparency principles to maintain the integrity of research and ensure that competing interests are disclosed.

ORCHID

PMJN encourages authors and reviewers to link their research to their ORCID iD. This ensures proper attribution of academic work and enhances visibility. Authors can add their ORCID iD to their PMJN account for automatic linking of publications. If not linked during the submission process, authors may manually associate their work with their ORCID iD after publication.

Preprints and Sharing Results

PMJN does not publish findings or results that have already been published in any form, including on platforms such as journals, preprint servers, theses, or conference publications.

Artificial Intelligence

Authors must disclose the use of AI tools in their research and clearly distinguish between AI-generated and human-authored content. The following guidelines are in place to ensure integrity, transparency, and adherence to ethical standards:

1. Disclosure: Authors are required to disclose any AI technologies used in the creation of the manuscript, including large language models, chatbots, or image creators. This disclosure should be included in both the cover letter and the manuscript itself.
2. No AI as Author: AI technologies cannot be listed as authors. The responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the content remains solely with the human authors.
3. Review and Editing: Authors must carefully review and edit any AI-generated material to avoid submitting incorrect, incomplete, or biased content. They must ensure that AI-generated material is fact-checked and consistent with the overall quality of the manuscript.
4. Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that no AI-generated material is plagiarized. Proper citation of all sources, including AI-generated content, is required.
5. Citation: AI-generated content cannot be cited as a primary source. It is the authors' responsibility to ensure the originality of the content and avoid reliance on AI as a primary source of data.

AI Use in Scientific Writing: AI technologies, like ChatGPT, may assist with language improvements, such as readability or grammar, but must be transparently disclosed. AI should not be used for scientific analysis, drawing conclusions, or producing original insights. The authors remain responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the content.