Author Guidelines

Overview of PMJN

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 adheres to its Editorial Policy to maintain publication and ethical standards.

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

Submission Guidelines

Manuscript Preparation

PMJN adheres to ICMJE guidelines for manuscript preparation. Authors are encouraged to use the PMJN Manuscript 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 as per the PMJN Manuscript Templates along with supplementary documents. Pre-submission inquiries are encouraged. 

Supplementary Documents: 

1. Manuscript 
2. PMJN Manuscript Submission - Author Agreement Form
3. Reporting Checklists as per EQUATOR Network (with tick mark)
4. Case Report Checklists (for Case Report only)
5. PMJN Case Report Consent Form (for Case Report only)

PMJN Manuscript Templates 

1. Original Article
2. Case Report 
3. Editorial 
4. Viewpoint
5. Student PMJN
6. Letter to the Editor

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 Reporting Guidelines

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.

• 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. 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.

ORCID

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.

Note: 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.