•  
  •  
 

Editorial Policies of MJPMS

Content

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical & Medical Sciences adheres to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and supports the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for the proper conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals. Additionally, the Journal also follows the GPP3 guidelines on authorship. By submitting a manuscript to the journal, it is understood that all authors have thoroughly reviewed and consented to its content and that the work adheres to the policies of the journal.

Affiliations

The authors are required to cite all related affiliations in order to provide proof of the approval, sponsorship, and/or conduct of the research. Authors are required to indicate their current institutional affiliation for non-research articles. If an author relocates before the article is published, they should indicate the new affiliation where the work was done, along with their current affiliation and contact information, in the acknowledgment section. If an author satisfies the authorship requirements, their change of affiliation is not a good enough cause to remove them from the publication.

{ top }

Appeals and complaints

The journal adheres to the rules set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) regarding appeals to the decisions made by the journal editor and complaints regarding the editorial management of the peer review process.

We appreciate sincere requests to reconsider editorial decisions. Nevertheless, it is imperative that you furnish compelling evidence or novel data/information in order to address the comments made by the editor and reviewers.

{ top }

Acknowledgments

Individuals who contributed to the creation of an article but do not meet the criteria to be listed as an author should be recognized. It is important to recognize and give credit to the organizations that offer financial assistance and/or other resources.

{ top }

Authorship

The corresponding author must ensure that the manuscript includes all suitable co-authors and excludes any inappropriate co-authors. Additionally, all co-authors must review and provide their approval to the final version of the work, and agree to its submission for publication. It is imperative to include all individuals who have made substantial contributions as co-authors. Additional individuals who have contributed to certain elements of the research endeavour should be recognized or included as contributors.

Authorship Criteria

Authorship credit should be allocated solely to individuals who have made significant contributions to each of the three specified components:

  1. The formulation and design of the study, the collection and analysis of data, or the interpretation of data.
  2. The initial writing of the article or the critical revision of it to include significant intellectual content.
  3. The ultimate approval of the version that will be published.

Authorship cannot be justified just by participating in obtaining financing. Merely overseeing the study group is inadequate for being credited as an author. Every contributor must have actively engaged in the project to the extent that they may be held accountable for specific sections of the document. The order of attributing contributors should be determined by their respective contributions to the study and paper composition. Upon submission, the order becomes unalterable unless all contributors provide a written agreement.

Contribution Details

The individuals who contributed to the manuscript ought to provide a description of the contributions that each of them made to the manuscript. It is recommended that the description be broken down into the following categories, depending on the circumstances: concept, design, definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review.

Additionally, the contributions made by the authors will be listed alongside the text. 'Guarantors' should be defined as one or more writers who are responsible for the integrity of the work as a whole, beginning with its conception and continuing through the publication of the article.

{ top }

Citations

Both research and non-research publications are required to reference pertinent, current, and authenticated literature (preferably peer-reviewed) in order to substantiate any assertions stated in the article.

To maintain academic integrity, it is crucial to refrain from engaging in excessive and inappropriate self-citation or colluding with other authors to cite each other's work in an inappropriate manner. Such behavior is regarded as misconduct known as citation manipulation. Read the COPE guidance on citation manipulation.

If you are the author of a non-research item, such as a Review or Opinion, it is important to ensure that the references you mention are pertinent and offer an impartial and comprehensive summary of the current state of research or scholarly work on the subject. Ensure that your references are impartial and not unduly skewed towards any certain research group, organization, or journal.

If you have doubts on whether to reference a source, it is advisable to seek guidance from the editorial office of the journal.

{ top }

Conflicts of Interest

Authors are required to openly declare any conflicts of interest they may have with the publishing of the manuscript, as well as any affiliations or associations with institutions or products mentioned in the manuscript that could potentially influence the results of the study.
Authors should additionally reveal any conflicts of interest they have with products that directly compete with those listed in their work.

{ top }

Corrections, Expressions of Concern, Retractions

Occasionally after an article has been published it may be required to make a change to the published article.
This will be done after cautious consideration by the Editor to ensure any necessary changes are done in agreement with guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Any changes that are required will be accompanied by a post-publication notice that is permanently linked to the original article. This can take the form of a Correction notice, an Expression of Concern, a Retraction, or, in extreme cases, Removal. The goal of this technique for making permanent and visible revisions is to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record.

{ top }

All manuscripts that include details or photos linked to an individual person must receive written informed consent from that person (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of youngsters under 18). The authorization must be given for their details to be published under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (so that they are freely available on the internet). If the person has passed away, permission to publish must be acquired from their next of kin. A statement that written informed consent for publication was obtained must be included in the manuscript.
Authors can use the consent form or a consent form from their own institution or region to acquire permission for publishing. The consent form must specify that the details/images will be freely available on the internet and that the general public may view them. If asked, the consent form must be made available to the Editor and will be kept discreetly.

{ top }

Confidentiality

A manuscript that has been submitted is considered confidential. Academic journals will not reveal submitted papers to anybody except those involved in the manuscript's processing and preparation for publication (if approved). Editorial staff, corresponding authors, possible reviewers, real reviewers, and editors are among those included. However, in suspected cases of misconduct, a manuscript may be disclosed to members of the Academic Journals' ethical committees and institutions/organizations that may need it to resolve the misbehaviour. Wherever possible, academic journals must adhere to the COPE flowcharts

{ top }

Philosophy of Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical & Medical Sciences

For more information, please see the Aims and Scope page.

Who Can Submit?

Anyone who owns the copyright to the work being submitted or is allowed by the copyright owner or owners to submit the manuscript may submit an original manuscript for consideration for publication in the Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical & Medical Sciences. Before publishing, authors are the exclusive proprietors of the copyrights of their works (exceptions may arise in the non-academic sector if the authors have agreed to transfer copyright to their employer as a condition of employment).

User Rights

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical & Medical Sciences is an open-access journal. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles under the following conditions: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Copyright statement stated here and embedded in each published article.

Open Access Policy

This publication is classified as an Open Access journal. Users are granted the privilege to access, retrieve, duplicate, disseminate, reproduce, peruse, or establish connections to the complete contents of publications, subject to subsequent stipulations.
Under CC BY 4.0, the license grants readers the permission to replicate, disseminate, and transmit the Contribution, as well as modify, convert, or expand upon it. Additionally, it permits the use of the article for commercial purposes, on the condition that proper attribution is given to the author and the source, meaning that the original author(s) and the source are duly acknowledged. Please read the full license for further details at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Author Rights

As further described in our submission agreement, in consideration for publication of the article, the authors assign to transfer all copyright in the article. The publisher will be granted publishing and distribution rights. This journal uses a non-exclusive licensing agreement.

{ top }

Data falsification/fabrication

Where there has been a conscious attempt to manipulate or fabricate data. This is considered serious misconduct since it is intended to deceive others and harm the integrity of the scholarly record, with far-reaching and long-term effects.
Authors must ensure that all data provided within their submission is accurate and accurately represents their work before submitting it to the journal. Authors are asked to preserve any raw data provided in their articles to assist the journal with manuscript evaluation.
Acceptance of a submission or published publication may be rejected or retracted if the original data cannot be produced upon request.

{ top }

Desk Rejection Policy

  1. The study's topic/scope is unrelated to the Journal's field.
  2. There are issues with publication ethics, noncompliance with international standard rules, and plagiarism (defined as a similarity index of more than 30%).
  3. The issue has insufficient effect and contributes insufficient new information to the field.
  4. The study design contains weaknesses.
  5. The study's purpose is not specified properly.
  6. The organization's study is troublesome, and/or certain components are lacking.There are issues with writing or a sequence of infelicities in grammar style.
  7. The work does not adhere to the Journal's submission guidelines.

{ top }

Duplicate Submission/publication

Authors are obliged to state that the paper is not being examined elsewhere at the time of submission, so the discovery of a duplicate submission or publication is often regarded as a purposeful act. This includes articles that have already appeared in another language. In accordance with ICMJE guidelines, authors must seek permission from the publisher and copyright holder of the original article for acceptable forms of secondary submissions or publications (e.g., an article translated into English) and must inform the Editor of the receiving journal about the history of the original article. It should also be made clear to readers that this is a translated version, with a link to the original content.

{ top }

Funding

Authors must declare all sources of financing, including financial support, in their work. The authors should describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in any stage of the study design to manuscript submission for publication. They should also disclose whether or not the sponsor(s) were involved. Please confirm that this information is correct and meets the requirements of your funder.

{ top }

Images and Figures

Images and figures should only be used in your article if they are relevant and beneficial to the work being reported.
Please avoid including anything that is solely illustrative and adds no value to the scholarly work.
You must obtain the necessary written permission to include material in your article that is owned and held in copyright by a third party, including - but not limited to - any proprietary text, illustration, table, or other material, including data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, musical notation, and any supplemental material, as a warranty in the Journal Author Publishing Agreement you make with us.

{ top }

Misconduct

The journal takes all forms of misconduct seriously and will take all necessary steps to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record in accordance with COPE principles.
Examples of misconduct include (but are not limited to):

  • Affiliation misrepresentation
  • Breaches in copyright/use of third-party material without appropriate permissions
  • Citation manipulation
  • Duplicate submission/publication
  • “Ethics dumping”
  • Image or data manipulation/fabrication
  • Peer review manipulation
  • Plagiarism
  • Text-recycling/self-plagiarism
  • Undisclosed competing interests
  • Unethical research

{ top }

Duplicate Submission

Manuscripts discovered to have been published or under review elsewhere will face duplicate submission/publication consequences. If authors use previously published or presently under review work as the foundation for a new manuscript, they must cite the earlier work and explain how their submitted manuscript adds novel contributions beyond those of the previous work.

{ top }

Citation Manipulation

Citation manipulation sanctions will be imposed on submitted publications that contain citations whose primary objective is to boost the number of citations to a given author's work or to articles published in a specific journal.

{ top }

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Manuscripts discovered to have faked or falsified experimental results, including picture manipulation, will face data fabrication and falsification fines.

{ top }

Improper Author Contribution or Attribution

All listed authors must have made a significant scientific contribution to the research in the manuscript and approved all its claims. It is important to list everyone who made a significant scientific contribution, including students and laboratory technicians.

{ top }

Redundant Publications

Redundant publications involve the inappropriate division of study outcomes into several articles.

{ top }

Image manipulation

When intentional activity is made to inappropriately modify or manufacture an image. This is a significant form of misconduct since it is intended to mislead others and harm the integrity of the scholarly record, with far-reaching and long-term ramifications.
The journal wants all photographs included in articles to be accurate and unaltered. Specific aspects within an image may not be boosted, concealed, moved, removed, or inserted unless proper notice of the change is provided. Adjustments to an image's brightness, contrast, or color balance are permitted as long as they do not obscure, erase, or mislead information in the original. The organization of the figure or the text of the figure legend must make obvious the grouping of images from different regions of gels, western blots, or microscope images.
Acceptance of a manuscript or article may be rejected or withdrawn if the original, unedited photographs cannot be delivered upon request.

{ top }

Publication Ethics

The journal and its editorial board fully adhere to and comply with the policies and principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Duties of Editors

Publication decisions

The editorial board of the journal is responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. Members of the board confer and refer to reviewer recommendations in making this decision, constrained by legal requirements related to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. Editorial decisions are not affected by the origins of the manuscript, including the nationality, ethnicity, political beliefs, race, or religion of the authors.

Confidentiality, disclosure, and conflicts of interest

During the review process, editors must not disclose information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, and other editorial advisers. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor's, reviewer’s, or any other reader’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Readers should be informed about who has funded the research or other scholarly work and whether the funders had any role in the research and its publication and, if so, what this was.

Author relations

Editors strive to ensure that peer review at the journal is fair, unbiased, and timely. The journal has established policies for handling submissions from editorial board members to ensure unbiased review. Author instructions provide guidance about the criteria for authorship.

Reviewer relations

The Journal encourages reviewers to comment on ethical questions and possible misconduct raised by submissions (e.g. unethical research design, and inappropriate data manipulation), and to be alert to redundant publication and plagiarism. Reviewers’ comments should be sent to authors in their entirety unless they contain offensive or libellous remarks. Contributions of reviewers to the journal are regularly acknowledged and cease to use reviewers who consistently produce discourteous, poor quality, or late reviews.

Quality assurance

Editors must diligently undertake measures to assure the utmost quality of the content they publish, acknowledging that various sections have distinct objectives and criteria. Editors should ensure that the study they publish has received approval from a suitable authority, such as a research ethics committee or institutional review board, if one is in place.
Editors must remain vigilant regarding intellectual property concerns and collaborate with their publishers to address possible violations of laws and conventions. Any errors, inaccuracies, or misleading statements should be swiftly addressed and given appropriate visibility.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to editorial decisions

Reviewers assist the editorial board in making editorial decisions. Reviews must to be carried out in an objective manner, and observations ought to be articulated in a clear manner with supporting reasons, giving writers the opportunity to utilize them for the purpose of enhancing the article. It would be unacceptable to offer personal criticism to the author.

Qualification of reviewers

If a chosen referee believes they lack the qualifications to evaluate the research presented in a manuscript or anticipates challenges in conducting a prompt review, it is imperative to inform the editor and recuse oneself from the review process. Reviewers must abstain from assessing manuscripts in cases where conflicts of interest arise due to competitive, collaborative, or other associations with the authors, companies, or institutions affiliated with the papers.

Confidentiality

All manuscripts submitted for review should be regarded as confidential materials. Any privileged information or ideas acquired during the peer review process must be maintained in strict confidence and should not be exploited for personal gain.

Acknowledgment of sources

Reviewers are responsible for recognizing pertinent published work that the authors have not cited and ensuring its inclusion. Any references to external ideas must be accompanied by appropriate citations. Reviewers should also bring to the editor's notice any significant similarities or overlap between the manuscript being evaluated and any other previously published papers within their personal knowledge.

Duties of Authors

Reporting standards

Authors conducting original research reports should provide a precise depiction of the performed work along with an unbiased discussion of its importance. The paper should accurately represent the underlying data, and authors must be willing to grant public access to raw data associated with the paper, maintaining such data for a minimum of two years post-publication. Engaging in fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements is considered unethical and is not acceptable.

Originality, plagiarism, and concurrent publication

Authors must verify the originality of their work and acknowledge any contributions or words from others appropriately. Engaging in plagiarism, in any form, is considered unethical in publishing and is not tolerated. Simultaneously submitting essentially identical manuscripts to more than one journal is also considered unethical publishing behavior and is unacceptable.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest

In their manuscript, all authors are required to openly declare any financial or significant conflicts of interest that could potentially influence the results or interpretation of their work. Additionally, authors must disclose all sources of financial support for the project.

Authorship of the paper

The corresponding author is responsible for confirming the inclusion of all appropriate co-authors and excluding any inappropriate ones from the paper. It is the corresponding author's duty to ensure that all co-authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the paper and have consented to its submission for publication. Co-authors should be individuals who have made significant contributions, while those who participated in specific substantive aspects of the research project should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

Fundamental errors in published works

If an author identifies a substantial error or inaccuracy in the published work, it is the author's responsibility to promptly inform the journal editor and collaborate with the editor to retract or rectify the paper.

{ top }

Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo a thorough peer review process to ensure they meet the standards of academic excellence. If approved by the editor, submissions will be evaluated by peer reviewers in a double-blind process, where the identities of both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to each other.
The decision on manuscript acceptance or rejection lies with the editorial board and is based on the recommendations of the peer reviewers. Additionally, our Research Integrity team may seek external advice, especially for submissions with significant ethical, security, biosecurity, or societal implications.
This may involve consulting experts and the academic editor to determine appropriate actions, such as recruiting reviewers with specific expertise, additional editorial assessments, or deciding not to further consider a submission.

{ top }

Plagiarism

The journal maintains a stringent policy against plagiarism, unequivocally disapproving of the use of others' ideas, words, or work without proper acknowledgment. Submissions found to contain plagiarism, whether in whole or in part, duplicate and redundant publication, or self-plagiarism (in the same or a different language), will be declined. It's important to note that inclusion in a preprint archive will not be considered a duplicate publication. The corresponding author assumes responsibility for the manuscript throughout and after the evaluation and publication process, holding the authority to act on behalf of all co-authors. Professional plagiarism-checking software is employed to examine all submitted manuscripts, and those displaying an unacceptable similarity index due to plagiarism are promptly rejected.

{ top }

Preprint Policy

Authors are free to share their preprints openly and at any point in time. Upon acceptance for publication, we recommend that authors establish a link from the preprint to the formal publication using its Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Additionally, authors have the option to update their preprints on platforms like arXiv or RePEc with the version that has been accepted for publication.

{ top }

Protection of Patients' Rights to Privacy

Any identifying information, including names, should not be disclosed in written descriptions, photographs, sonograms, CT scans, pedigrees, etc. unless it is essential for scientific purposes, and the patient (or parent/guardian, if applicable) provides informed consent for publication. Authors are required to exclude patients' names from figures unless explicit informed consent has been obtained. The journal adheres to the ICMJE guidelines:

  • Authors, rather than journals or publishers, must secure patient consent forms before publication, ensuring proper archiving of the forms. Consent forms should not be submitted with the cover letter or emailed to editorial or publisher offices.
  • If the manuscript features patient images that compromise anonymity or a description revealing the patient's identity, a statement regarding obtaining informed patient consent should be included in the manuscript.

{ top }

Research ethics and consent

Studies in Humans, Animals, and Plants

All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological material, or protected/non-public datasets, collections, or sites must incorporate a dedicated Ethics Approval section. This section should include the following information:

  • Identification of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s) involved.
  • The corresponding number or ID of the obtained ethics approval(s).
  • An explicit statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from human participants before their involvement in the research.

For research involving animals, adherence to ethical standards regarding animal welfare is imperative. Authors must:

  • Conform to international, national, and institutional guidelines governing the humane treatment of animals.
  • Secure approval from the ethics review committee at the institution or practice where the research was conducted, providing comprehensive details on the approval process, names of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s), and the corresponding number or ID of the ethics approval(s) within the Ethics Approval section.
  • Present a justification for the use of animals and specify the selected species.
  • Offer details on housing, feeding, environmental enrichment, and efforts made to minimize suffering.
  • Outline the method of anesthesia and euthanasia employed.
  • It is essential to note that research failing to meet the aforementioned requirements concerning ethical approval and animal welfare will be rejected.

Research involving humans

If the research involves the participation of human subjects, the author must confirm that the described work has been conducted in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans. The manuscript should be in line with the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and aim for the inclusion of representative human populations (sex, age, and ethnicity) as per those recommendations. The terms sex and gender should be used correctly.
All protocols for the research must have received approval from the author's institutional or pertinent ethics committee (Institutional Review Board, IRB) to ensure compliance with national and international guidelines. When submitting an article, authors are required to provide details of this approval, including the institution, review board name, and permit number(s). It is essential that ethics approval is secured before the commencement of the research, as retrospective approval is typically not attainable, and publishing the study may be precluded.
Authors must incorporate a statement in the manuscript confirming that informed consent was obtained for experiments involving human subjects. Additionally, the privacy rights of human subjects must be consistently upheld.

Research involving animals

All animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and should be carried out in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, or the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the authors should clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed. The gender of animals should be clearly stated, and when relevant, the impact or association of gender on the study results should be addressed.
Experiments involving vertebrates or regulated invertebrates must adhere to ethical guidelines established by the authors' institution and comply with national or international regulations. When applicable, the submission should include a statement confirming the granted ethics permission or animal licenses. In all instances, a declaration should be made to affirm that every effort was made to alleviate any suffering experienced by animals, and specific details on how this was accomplished should be provided.

Research involving plants

Research on plants should adhere to the guidelines set forth by the authors' institution and comply with national or international regulations. If applicable, the submission should incorporate a statement indicating granted permissions or licenses. Authors should comply with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Informed consent

Patients possess a right to privacy that should not be breached without informed consent. Any identifying information, including names, initials, or hospital numbers, should not be disclosed in written descriptions, photographs, or pedigrees unless it is deemed essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent or guardian) provides written informed consent for publication.
To obtain informed consent for this purpose, an identifiable patient should review the manuscript intended for publication. Authors must inform these patients about the potential availability of any potentially identifiable material both online and in print post-publication. Written patient consent should be secured and stored, either with the journal, the authors, or both, in accordance with local regulations or laws. Nonessential identifying details should be excluded, and when there is any uncertainty about maintaining anonymity, informed consent should be obtained.
For instance, merely masking the eye region in patient photographs is insufficient for ensuring anonymity protection. If identifying characteristics are modified to safeguard anonymity, as in genetic pedigrees, authors must assure, and editors should explicitly state, that such alterations do not distort the scientific meaning. The article should clearly indicate when informed consent has been obtained.

{ top }

Standards of reporting

The communication of research findings should facilitate verification and reproducibility. Therefore, we encourage authors to furnish thorough descriptions of their research rationale, protocol, methodology, and analysis.

{ top }

Use of third-party material

To incorporate third-party material into your article, it is essential to obtain the required permission. Such materials may encompass, but are not confined to, text, illustrations, photographs, tables, data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, or musical notation. Generally, the use of short extracts of text and certain other materials is permissible to a limited extent for the purposes of criticism and review without necessitating formal permission. However, if you intend to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold the copyright and are not covered by this informal agreement, you must obtain written permission from the copyright owner before submitting your work.

{ top }