Submissions

Author Guidelines

Pakistan Biomedical Journal (PBMJ) follows the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (www.icmje.org), COPE Core Practices and WAME policy statements. These guidelines summarize what authors need to know. The full PBMJ Editorial and Publication Policy applies to every submission.

1. Before You Submit

1.1 Originality and prior publication

Manuscripts must be original. They must not have been published, in whole or in part, and must not be under consideration by another journal while under review at PBMJ. Any overlap with the authors’ other published or submitted work must be cited and explained in the cover letter.

The following do not count as prior publication:

• Preprints on a recognized server (e.g., medRxiv, bioRxiv, Research Square, SSRN). Give the preprint DOI at submission. After publication, update the preprint to link to the PBMJ article.
• Conference abstracts and posters, provided the full paper has not been published in proceedings.
• Theses and dissertations deposited in an institutional repository.

Submitting the same work to two journals at the same time is duplicate submission. It is handled under the journal’s misconduct policy.

1.2 Editors and Editorial Board members

In accordance with HEC policy, the Editor-in-Chief, editors and Editorial Board members do not publish their own research articles in PBMJ.

2. Authorship

2.1 Authorship criteria

PBMJ follows the ICMJE definition of authorship. Every person listed as an author must meet all four criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; and
2. Drafting the work or reviewing it critically for important intellectual content; and
3. Final approval of the version to be published; and
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All authors are jointly responsible for ensuring that everyone listed meets these criteria and that everyone who meets them is listed. Acquisition of funding, general supervision of a research group, general administrative support, and writing assistance, technical editing, language editing or proofreading do not on their own justify authorship. These contributors should be named in the Acknowledgements, with their written permission.

2.2 Number and order of authors

• The order of authors is a joint decision of all authors and should reflect their relative contributions. All authors must agree on the final author list and order before submission. The first author is normally the person who made the greatest contribution to the work. Manuscripts should not have more than 10 authors. Short communications and case reports should normally have no more than six authors.

  Corresponding author

  The corresponding author is chosen by agreement of all authors. Any author may be the corresponding author; it need not be the first author. The corresponding author:

  • handles all communication with the journal during submission, peer review and publication, and after publication
  • ensures that all authors have approved the submitted and final versions
  • ensures that all required documents, including the Letter of Authorship signed by all authors and the ICMJE disclosure forms, are submitted
  • responds promptly to queries from the editors and readers, including requests for data
  keeps all co-authors informed of the manuscript’s progress and of any request to change authorship.

2.3 Contributions

Each author’s contribution must be described using CRediT roles in the Letter of Authorship. Contributions are published with the article.

2.4 Group authorship

For large multi-center studies, the manuscript must name the individuals who take direct responsibility for the work and meet all four criteria. Other members of the group are listed in the Acknowledgements or a supplementary file.

2.5 Changes to authorship

The author list and order should be final at submission. Any later addition, removal or reordering requires a written request to the Editor-in-Chief explaining the reason. The request must include a statement of agreement signed by all authors, including anyone being added or removed. Requests are handled according to the COPE flowcharts. After publication, errors in the author list are corrected by a corrigendum.

2.6 Authorship disputes

PBMJ does not decide authorship disputes. If the authors cannot agree, the journal asks the authors’ institution(s) to investigate and pause processing until the dispute is resolved.

3. Research Ethics and Reporting

3.1 Ethics approval

All research involving human participants, identifiable human data or human tissue or samples must have been approved in advance by an institutional ethics or research review committee. This applies whether the study is interventional or observational, prospective or retrospective. The research must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki. Where a committee formally exempts a study, provide the exemption letter.

The Methods must state:

• the name of the committee
• the approval reference number and date
• how informed consent was obtained, or why the committee waived consent

3.2 Patient consent and privacy

Identifying details must not be published unless they are essential and the patient (or parent or legal guardian) has given written informed consent for publication. Identifying details include names, initials, hospital numbers, dates and photographs. Written consent for publication is required for all case reports. Masking the eyes in photographs does not protect anonymity and is not a substitute for consent.

3.3 Clinical trial registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a WHO ICTRP primary registry or on ClinicalTrials.gov at or before the time of first patient enrollment. Give the registry name and registration number at the end of the abstract.

3.4 Reporting guidelines

Follow the reporting guideline for your study design (www.equator-network.org) and upload the complete checklist:

• CONSORT (randomized trials)
• STROBE (observational studies)
• PRISMA (systematic reviews)
• STARD (diagnostic accuracy studies)
• CARE (case reports)
• SRQR/COREQ (qualitative research)

3.5 Required statements

Every research article must include the following statements in the title page/unblinded file:

• Conflicts of Interest: use “The authors declare no conflicts of interest” if there are none. Each author must also complete the ICMJE Disclosure Form.
• Funding: all funders, grant numbers and the funder’s role.
• Data Availability: Every research article must include a Data Availability Statement saying whether and how the underlying data can be accessed (for example, in a public repository with a DOI, from the corresponding author on reasonable request, or not available with the reason). Reports of clinical trials must include a data-sharing statement as required by the ICMJE. Shared data must be de-identified, and the editors may ask to see the raw data during review.
• Ethics Approval and Consent.
• Use of AI: if any AI tool was used.
• Trial Registration: if applicable.

4. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

4.1 Authors

• AI tools, including chatbots and large language models, cannot be listed as authors.
• Any use of AI for writing, language editing, data analysis or other parts of the work must be disclosed:
• in the Acknowledgements, for writing assistance
• in Methods, where AI is part of the research
• The disclosure must name the tool, its version and its purpose.
• Authors are fully responsible for all content. They must check every reference to confirm that it exists and supports the statement made.

4.2 Figures, images and artwork

Generative AI or AI-assisted tools must not be used to create, alter or manipulate images or figures. This includes enhancing, obscuring, moving, removing or adding elements. Brightness, contrast or color adjustments are acceptable only if they are applied to the whole image and do not obscure or remove information. Manuscripts may be screened with image-forensics software.

The only exception is where AI is an integral part of the research methods (for example, AI-assisted imaging used to generate or interpret data). In such cases the Methods must describe:

• how the tool was used
• the model or tool name, version and manufacturer
• confirmation that the tool’s usage terms were followed

Authors may be asked for the original, unaltered images or raw files.

AI must not be used to produce graphical abstracts or other illustrative artwork. Any exception for cover art requires prior approval from the editor and publisher.

5. Plagiarism and Similarity

All submissions are checked with Turnitin. In line with HEC requirements, the screening thresholds are:

• below 19% overall similarity
• below 5% from any single source

Both are calculated after excluding references and properly quoted material. An editor reviews every report, and the decision does not rest on the percentage alone. Manuscripts above the thresholds, or with unattributed overlap, are returned for revision. Substantial plagiarism leads to rejection and is handled under the journal’s misconduct policy. Authors may upload their own similarity report, but PBMJ runs its own check.

6. Submission

6.1 How to submit

Submit through the journal’s online system at https://pakistanbmj.com/journal/index.php/pbmj or via Email: editor@pakistanbmj.com. The corresponding author creates an account (or logs in) and completes the five-step submission process. Hard copies are not required.

Manuscripts that are incomplete or do not follow these guidelines are returned to the authors before peer review.

7. Manuscript Preparation

7.1 Language and format

• English, with British or American spelling used consistently throughout.
• Times New Roman, 12-point, single line spacing, justified, with page and line numbers.
• Tables and figures placed in the text where first cited, not at the end.
• SI units throughout. Use generic drug names; brand names may be given in brackets only where necessary.
• Use only standard abbreviations. Spell each out at first use, followed by the abbreviation in brackets. Do not use abbreviations in the title.

7.2 Article types and limits

Please use Times New Roman, size 12, justified, with a line spacing of 1.0. Tables and illustrations (figure/ chart/ image) should be placed where specified, not at the conclusion of the document.
Submission Format According to the type of Manuscript

1. a) Review article: Maximum 3500 words excluding references, 35 references (minimum)
   b) Original article: Maximum 2500 words excluding structured abstract of 250 words and 20 references (minimum)
2. c) Short Reports / Short Communications / Special Communications / Case reports: Maximum 1250 words excluding title page and an unstructured abstract of 150 words with no more than two tables or figures and 10 references. It should not be signed by more than six authors.

Word counts exclude the title page, abstract, references, tables and figure legends.

7.3 Title and keywords

The title should be concise and informative. It should indicate the study design and, where relevant, the population and setting. Provide 3–6 keywords, preferably Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms (https://meshb.nlm.nih.gov/).

7.4 Abstract (original articles)

A structured abstract of up to 250 words, with these headings:

• Background
• Objective
• Methods: design, setting, duration, participants and sampling, main variables, and analysis
• Results: main findings with numbers, 95% confidence intervals and/or p-values
• Conclusion

For clinical trials, give the registration details at the end of the abstract.

7.5 Main text

Original articles follow the IMRAD structure, with the headings Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion.

Introduction. Summarize the relevant evidence, with quantitative data where available, moving from the global to the regional, national and local context. Examples of such data include prevalence, incidence, and the distribution or levels of the variables of interest. State clearly:

• the research problem
• the knowledge gap
• the research question(s)
• the objective(s)
• the hypothesis, where the study tests one
• the significance of the study

Methods. Include:

• Design, setting and duration: the study design (e.g., cross-sectional, case-control, cohort or randomized trial) and the study dates (day, month, year). Give the department, institution, city and country on the title page only; write “[blinded]” in the review copy.
• Ethics: the committee name, approval number and date, and how consent was obtained.
• Population and sampling:
• the target population
• the sample size calculation, with the formula or software, its assumptions and a reference
• the sampling technique
• the inclusion and exclusion criteria for each group
• Procedures: all steps from enrollment to the end of the study, including history, examination, investigations and interventions. For equipment, give the name, model, manufacturer, city and country.
• Variables: define the outcome, exposure, predictor, confounding and matching variables. State how each was measured and its data type (nominal, ordinal, interval or ratio). For categorical variables, state the categories and how they were formed.
• Data collection: state the source of the data (records, questionnaire, interview, examination, laboratory or imaging). Attach the questionnaire or data-collection proforma as a supplementary file.
• Statistical analysis: as described in Section 7.6, naming the software and version used.

Questionnaires.

• Prefer validated instruments; cite the source and confirm permission to use them.
• For new or adapted questionnaires, describe:
• how the items were developed from the literature
• how content validity was established
• how the questionnaire was pilot-tested and, if relevant, translated
• Report reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) for multi-item scales.
• Describe the response format and scoring (e.g., a 5-point Likert scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), any reverse-scored items, and how total scores and any categories (e.g., good/poor knowledge) were derived, with cut-offs and their justification.
• Items should be short and clear. Avoid:
• double-barreled or leading questions
• emotionally loaded or unnecessarily personal questions
• technical jargon
• questions that rely on distant memory
• an excessive number of items

7.6 Statistical analysis

• Descriptive:
• Report categorical variables as frequency and percentage.
• Test continuous variables for normality (Shapiro–Wilk or Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, histogram or Q–Q plot).
• Summarize normally distributed variables as mean ± SD, and skewed variables as median and interquartile range (Q1–Q3).
• Estimation: report the main estimates with 95% confidence intervals so that results can be generalized to the population from which the sample was drawn. Example: “The prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 15.0% (45/300; 95% CI 11.0–19.0%).”
• Hypothesis testing: where the study compares groups or examines associations (including cross-sectional studies), state the hypotheses. Name the test used for each comparison and give the reason for choosing it. Report exact p-values (e.g., p = 0.032).
• Likert data: individual Likert items are ordinal and should be analyzed with methods for ordinal data. Summed scores from a reliable multi-item scale may be treated as continuous, with this stated and justified.
• Multivariable analysis: describe the model, how variables were selected, and how confounding and missing data were handled.

7.7 Results

• Describe the participant flow:
• numbers assessed, enrolled and allocated to each group
• withdrawals, deaths and drop-outs, with reasons
• losses to follow-up
• missing data
• the number finally analyzed
• Include a flow diagram for trials and cohort studies.
• Present descriptive results, then estimates and hypothesis tests, following the order of the objectives.
• Do not repeat in the text all the data shown in tables.

7.8 Discussion

• Begin with the principal findings for each objective in turn.
• Compare them with relevant local, national, regional and international studies. For each, give the study’s location, design, sample size and relevant figures, and explain similarities and differences.
• Base comparisons on reported estimates and data, not on general statements alone.
• Discuss the study’s strengths and limitations, including possible bias, confounding and generalizability.
• State the implications for practice, policy or further research.

7.9 Conclusion

A short statement, in plain language, of what the study found in relation to its objectives. It must be supported by the results and must not speculate beyond the data or draw on other authors’ findings. Recommendations may follow in a separate short paragraph.

7.10 Tables and figures

• Number tables and figures in the order cited. Each must be understandable without the text.
• Place each table title above the table, and each figure title and legend below the figure.
• Explain all abbreviations and symbols in footnotes.
• Figures must be at least 300 dpi, and graphs must be supplied in editable form.
• Cite the source of any table or figure taken or adapted from published work, and obtain permission from the copyright holder where required. Material published under a Creative Commons licence may be reused on the terms of that licence, with attribution.

7.11 References

1. Vancouver style must be followed.
2. References should be numbered serially and given in digits within the text, as in standard medical journals.
3. Add authors. Give last/family/surname in full, then first letter of 1st and 2nd names as capital with no gap. Add six authors. In case of more than six authors, et al should be added after six authors.
4. Journal titles should be written in full form followed by the issue and volume number.
5. Add DOI where available; otherwise add online link.
Here is an example for a journal article: Sharmin SN. Prognostic Value of Serum D-dimer in Predicting Outcomes in COVID-19 Positive Pregnant Women. Scholars International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2024; 7(11): 554-9. doi: 10.36348/sijog.2024.v07i11.004.

8.1 Peer review and decisions

PBMJ uses double-blind peer review. Each manuscript that passes editorial screening is sent to at least two external reviewers. A first decision is usually reached within 60–90 days. The final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief. Authors may appeal a decision once, within 30 days, by writing to editor@pakistanbmj.com.

8.2 Proofs

Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author before online publication. They must be returned within three working days. Only typographical and factual corrections are accepted at this stage.

8.3 Scheduling

Because HEC policy limits each regular issue to 30 articles, an accepted article may be scheduled for a later issue.

8.4 Post-publication changes

Published articles are changed only through formal, linked notices issued in line with COPE guidance:

• erratum
• corrigendum
• addendum
• expression of concern
• major correction
• retraction

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