Author Instructions

AUTHORS’ DETAILS AND SUBMISSION POLICIES

Ghurki Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (GJMHS)

 

  1. INTRODUCTION

The Ghurki Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (GJMHS) places authorship transparency, ethical accountability, and procedural clarity at the core of its scholarly publishing framework. Recognizing that authors are the primary contributors to scientific advancement, GJMHS has established robust policies governing author responsibilities, financial disclosures, submission processes, and publication workflows.

These policies are designed to:

  • Protect the integrity of the scientific record
  • Ensure fairness and accountability in authorship
  • Promote transparency in funding and contributions
  • Provide authors with clear, predictable, and efficient submission and publication pathways

All policies outlined in this section adhere to internationally accepted guidelines issued by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and related global standards.

 

  1. AUTHORS’ DETAILS

2.1 Author Identification and Accountability

GJMHS requires accurate, complete, and verifiable author information for every submission. This ensures accountability, transparency, and proper attribution of scholarly work.

Each author must provide:

  • Full legal name (as preferred for publication)
  • Institutional affiliation(s) at the time the research was conducted
  • Department, institution, city, and country
  • Valid email address
  • ORCID iD (strongly encouraged)

Authors are responsible for ensuring that names and affiliations are correct at the time of submission, as post-publication changes are permitted only under exceptional circumstances.

 

  1. AUTHOR AGREEMENT FORM

3.1 Purpose of the Author Agreement

The Author Agreement Form is a mandatory document that formalizes the relationship between the authors and GJMHS. It ensures that all authors understand and accept their ethical, legal, and scholarly responsibilities.

 

3.2 Mandatory Components of the Author Agreement

By signing the Author Agreement Form, authors confirm that:

  • The manuscript is original and has not been published elsewhere
  • The manuscript is not under consideration by another journal
  • All listed authors meet ICMJE authorship criteria
  • All authors approve the final version of the manuscript
  • Ethical approvals and informed consent (where applicable) have been obtained
  • All conflicts of interest and funding sources have been disclosed
  • The manuscript complies with GJMHS policies and ethical standards

 

3.3 Authorship Confirmation

The agreement must be:

  • Signed by all authors
  • Submitted at the time of initial submission or upon editorial request
  • Updated only if permitted changes in authorship are approved by the editorial office

Unsigned or incomplete agreement forms may result in administrative delay or rejection.

 

4. ARTICLE PROCESSING AND PUBLICATION FEE POLICY

4.1 Fee Transparency

The Ghurki Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (GJMHS) follows a transparent and equitable publication-fee policy. All publication charges are publicly displayed on the journal website so that authors are fully informed before submitting a manuscript.

GJMHS does not charge any fee for:

  • Manuscript submission
  • Initial editorial screening
  • Plagiarism assessment
  • Peer review
  • Editorial evaluation
  • Manuscript revision
  • Rejected or withdrawn manuscripts before acceptance

A publication fee becomes payable only after the manuscript has successfully completed peer review and a formal acceptance letter has been issued.

Payment of a publication fee does not guarantee manuscript acceptance.

4.2 Publication Fee Structure

The following publication charges apply to each accepted manuscript:

Author category Publication fee
Authors based in Pakistan PKR 10,000
International authors USD 50

These are the only standard publication charges applied by GJMHS. Authors will not be asked to pay any undisclosed or additional editorial or peer-review fee.

The applicable fee will be communicated to the corresponding author through an official acceptance or payment communication after acceptance of the manuscript.

4.3 Services Covered by the Publication Fee

The publication fee supports the costs associated with:

  • Editorial and administrative processing
  • Manuscript copyediting
  • Language and technical formatting
  • Layout and typesetting
  • DOI registration and maintenance
  • Online publication and hosting
  • Digital archiving and preservation
  • Website maintenance and journal management
  • Dissemination and long-term accessibility of published articles

The publication charge is not a payment to editors or reviewers and does not influence the editorial decision.

4.4 Payment Procedure

After formal acceptance, the corresponding author will receive:

  1. The final acceptance letter
  2. Details of the applicable publication fee
  3. Official payment instructions
  4. The payment deadline
  5. Contact details for payment-related queries

Authors should not make any payment before receiving an official acceptance and payment communication from GJMHS.

Proof of payment must be submitted through the journal’s designated communication channel. A payment acknowledgement or receipt will be issued after verification.

4.5 Waiver and Discount Policy

GJMHS recognizes that some authors may have limited access to research funding. Full or partial publication-fee waivers may therefore be considered for:

  • Authors from resource-limited settings
  • Early-career researchers
  • Students without institutional or research funding
  • Authors facing genuine financial hardship
  • Research considered important for public health or community benefit

Waiver or discount requests must be submitted to the editorial office before payment, preferably at the time of submission or immediately after acceptance.

The request should include:

  • Manuscript title and identification number
  • Name and affiliation of the corresponding author
  • A brief justification for the waiver or discount
  • Information regarding the availability of institutional or research funding

Each request will be assessed individually. Approval of a waiver is not automatic and depends on the circumstances presented and the journal’s available resources.

4.6 Editorial Independence and Ethical Safeguards

The following safeguards apply:

  • The ability or inability of an author to pay does not influence manuscript assessment or acceptance.
  • Editors and peer reviewers evaluate manuscripts solely on scientific quality, originality, relevance and ethical compliance.
  • Peer reviewers are not provided with authors’ payment or waiver information.
  • Fee-related matters are handled separately from the peer-review and editorial decision-making process.
  • Requests for waivers or discounts do not affect the final editorial decision.
  • No manuscript will receive preferential, expedited or guaranteed acceptance because of payment.

4.7 Refund and Withdrawal Policy

No publication fee is charged when a manuscript is rejected.

If an author withdraws the manuscript before payment and before production processing begins, no publication fee will be payable.

Once payment has been received and copyediting, formatting, DOI registration or publication processing has commenced, the publication fee will normally be non-refundable.

Refunds may be considered in cases of:

  • Duplicate payment
  • Incorrect payment amount
  • Payment made because of an administrative or technical error
  • Cancellation of publication by the journal for reasons not attributable to the authors

Refund requests must be submitted in writing with proof of payment and complete manuscript details.

4.8 Fee Disclosure

The publication-fee structure will remain available on the GJMHS website under a clearly identifiable heading such as “Article Processing and Publication Charges.”

Any future revision in publication charges will:

  • Be approved by the journal management
  • Be updated on the journal website
  • Clearly state the effective date
  • Apply prospectively to manuscripts submitted after the revised fee becomes effective

Authors will always be charged according to the fee displayed on the journal website at the relevant stage of submission or acceptance.

  1. SOURCES OF FUNDING AND SUBMISSION PROCESS

5.1 Funding Disclosure Requirements

All authors must disclose:

  • Sources of financial support
  • Grant numbers (if applicable)
  • Institutional or organizational backing
  • In-kind contributions (equipment, software, facilities)

If no funding was received, authors must declare:

“This research received no external funding.”

 

5.2 Role of Funders

Authors must explicitly state whether funders had any role in:

  • Study design
  • Data collection
  • Analysis or interpretation
  • Manuscript preparation
  • Decision to publish

GJMHS does not permit funders to influence editorial outcomes.

 

  1. CONTRIBUTION AND CONSENTS OF EACH AUTHOR

6.1 Authorship Criteria

GJMHS follows ICMJE authorship criteria, requiring that each author must have:

  1. Made substantial contributions to the study
  2. Drafted or critically revised the manuscript
  3. Approved the final version
  4. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work

All four criteria must be met.

 

6.2 Author Contribution Statement

Each submission must include a detailed contribution statement, specifying roles such as:

  • Conceptualization
  • Methodology
  • Data collection
  • Statistical analysis
  • Writing – original draft
  • Writing – review and editing
  • Supervision

This promotes transparency and prevents honorary or ghost authorship.

 

6.3 Author Consent and Responsibility

All authors must:

  • Consent to authorship
  • Approve the final manuscript
  • Accept responsibility for ethical compliance
  • Cooperate with post-publication queries or corrections

The corresponding author acts as the primary liaison but does not assume sole responsibility.

 

  1. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND PROCESS

7. SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND PUBLICATION PROCESS

7.1 Overview of the Submission System

The Ghurki Journal of Medical and Health Sciences (GJMHS) receives and processes manuscripts through its Online Journal System (OJS).

The online submission system provides:

  • Secure submission and storage of manuscripts
  • Transparent tracking of the manuscript’s progress
  • Structured communication between authors, editors and reviewers
  • Proper maintenance of editorial and peer-review records
  • Uploading and management of revised manuscripts
  • Documentation of editorial decisions

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s OJS portal. Manuscripts submitted through personal email, postal mail or unofficial communication channels will not be considered.

Authors must register on the journal website and complete all mandatory submission fields before submitting a manuscript.

7.2 Pre-Submission Requirements

Before submitting a manuscript, authors must ensure that:

  • The manuscript falls within the aims and scope of GJMHS.
  • The manuscript is original and has not been published previously.
  • The manuscript is not simultaneously under consideration by another journal.
  • All listed authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria.
  • All authors have reviewed and approved the final manuscript.
  • Ethical approval has been obtained where applicable.
  • Informed consent has been obtained and reported where required.
  • Patient-identifying information has been removed or appropriately protected.
  • Conflicts of interest have been disclosed.
  • Sources of funding and institutional support have been declared.
  • The manuscript follows the journal’s formatting and reporting requirements.
  • Tables and figures are correctly numbered, labelled and cited in the text.
  • References are complete, accurate and formatted according to journal guidelines.
  • The manuscript has been checked for language, grammar and scientific clarity.
  • Required declarations, checklists and supplementary files are ready for uploading.

Submission of a manuscript indicates that the corresponding author accepts responsibility for communicating with the journal on behalf of all co-authors.

7.3 Files and Information Required at Submission

Authors must provide the following through the OJS portal:

  1. Anonymized manuscript file

    The manuscript must not contain author names, affiliations, email addresses, acknowledgements or other information that may reveal the authors’ identities.

  2. Title page

    The title page must include:

    • Complete manuscript title
    • Short running title, where applicable
    • Names of all authors
    • Institutional affiliations
    • ORCID identifiers, where available
    • Corresponding author’s name and contact information
    • Author contribution statement
    • Funding statement
    • Conflict-of-interest declaration
    • Acknowledgements

  3. Tables and figures

    Tables and figures must be uploaded in the required format and must correspond with their citations in the manuscript.

  4. Ethical documentation

    Where applicable, authors must provide:

    • Ethical-review committee approval
    • Institutional-review board approval
    • Clinical-trial registration details
    • Informed-consent statement
    • Permission for use of copyrighted material

  5. Author declarations and forms

    Authors may be required to upload:

    • Authorship declaration
    • Copyright or publication agreement
    • Conflict-of-interest form
    • Reporting-guideline checklist
    • Data-availability statement
    • Cover letter

Incomplete submissions may be returned to the authors before editorial assessment.

7.4 Step-by-Step Submission-to-Publication Process

Step 1: Online Manuscript Submission

The corresponding author must:

  • Log in to the OJS portal.
  • Select the appropriate manuscript category.
  • Enter the manuscript title, abstract and keywords.
  • Enter complete metadata for all authors.
  • Upload the anonymized manuscript.
  • Upload the title page and supplementary files.
  • Submit the required ethical and authorship declarations.
  • Review all information before completing the submission.

After successful submission, the system generates a manuscript identification number. Authors must quote this number in all future communication with the journal.

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Step 2: Administrative Completeness Check

The editorial office examines the submission to confirm that:

  • All mandatory files have been uploaded.
  • Author information and metadata are complete.
  • The manuscript has been properly anonymized.
  • Required declarations and ethical documents are available.
  • Tables, figures and supplementary files are correctly submitted.
  • The manuscript follows the journal’s basic formatting requirements.

Submissions with missing documents or incomplete information may be returned to the corresponding author for correction before editorial screening.

Step 3: Initial Editorial Screening

The Editor or designated editorial team conducts an initial assessment of the manuscript for:

  • Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope
  • Scientific and academic quality
  • Originality and significance
  • Appropriateness of study design
  • Compliance with ethical requirements
  • Completeness of reporting
  • Adherence to author guidelines
  • Plagiarism and similarity concerns
  • Presence of prohibited or unethical authorship practices

At this stage, the manuscript may be:

  • Sent for peer review
  • Returned for technical correction
  • Returned for preliminary revision
  • Desk-rejected

A manuscript may be desk-rejected when it is outside the journal’s scope, scientifically inadequate, ethically non-compliant, substantially incomplete, improperly prepared or unsuitable for external review.

Step 4: Plagiarism and Similarity Screening

Manuscripts that pass the initial editorial assessment are screened using appropriate similarity-detection software.

The similarity report is reviewed by the editorial team. Decisions are not based only on the numerical similarity percentage; the nature, source and context of the matched text are also evaluated.

Depending on the findings, the manuscript may be:

  • Cleared for peer review
  • Returned for correction
  • Referred for further editorial assessment
  • Rejected because of plagiarism, duplicate publication or other publication misconduct

Plagiarism screening may be repeated after revision and before final publication.

Step 5: Assignment to an Editor

A manuscript that passes the initial checks is assigned to an appropriate editor based on the subject area and expertise required.

The assigned editor is responsible for:

  • Assessing the manuscript’s suitability for peer review
  • Selecting appropriate reviewers
  • Managing reviewer communication
  • Evaluating reviewer reports
  • Recommending or making an editorial decision
  • Ensuring compliance with journal policies

Editors must disclose any conflict of interest. Where a conflict exists, the manuscript will be reassigned to another editor.

Step 6: Peer Review

Eligible manuscripts are sent for independent external peer review in accordance with the journal’s separately published Peer-Review Policy.

During peer review:

  • The manuscript is assessed by qualified subject experts.
  • Reviewers evaluate originality, methodology, ethical compliance, scientific validity, interpretation and presentation.
  • Reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality.
  • Reviewers must disclose conflicts of interest.
  • Reviewer identities and author identities are managed according to the journal’s stated peer-review model.
  • Reviewer comments are communicated to the corresponding author through the OJS portal.

Peer reviewers provide recommendations, but the final decision remains the responsibility of the journal’s authorized editor.

Step 7: Initial Editorial Decision

After considering the reviewer reports and the editor’s assessment, one of the following decisions may be issued:

Decision Meaning
Accept The manuscript is suitable for publication, subject to final editorial and production checks.
Minor revision Limited corrections or clarifications are required.
Major revision Substantial scientific, methodological or presentation-related changes are required.
Resubmit for review The revised manuscript requires a new round of peer review.
Reject The manuscript is not suitable for publication in GJMHS.

The corresponding author receives the editorial decision and reviewer comments through the OJS system.

An invitation to revise does not guarantee final acceptance.

Step 8: Submission of Revised Manuscript

Authors must submit the revision through the original OJS submission record. A revised manuscript must not be submitted as a new manuscript.

The corresponding author must upload:

  • A clean revised manuscript
  • A highlighted or tracked-changes version, where required
  • A detailed point-by-point response to reviewers
  • Updated tables, figures or supplementary files
  • Revised ethical or administrative documents, where applicable

The response letter should reproduce each reviewer comment and explain how and where the manuscript was revised. Where a suggested change has not been made, the authors must provide a clear academic justification.

Failure to submit the revision within the specified period may result in closure of the submission. An extension may be requested from the editorial office before the deadline.

Step 9: Assessment of the Revised Manuscript

The revised manuscript is assessed by the editor and may also be returned to the original or additional reviewers.

The editor determines whether:

  • The reviewer comments have been adequately addressed.
  • The scientific and ethical concerns have been resolved.
  • Additional revision is required.
  • Further peer review is necessary.
  • The manuscript is suitable for acceptance or rejection.

More than one round of revision may be required.

Step 10: Final Editorial Decision

After completion of peer review and revision, the authorized editor makes the final decision.

The final decision may be:

  • Accepted
  • Accepted subject to technical corrections
  • Returned for further revision
  • Rejected

The decision is based on:

  • Scientific validity
  • Originality and relevance
  • Ethical compliance
  • Quality of reporting
  • Reviewer recommendations
  • Adequacy of the authors’ revisions
  • Compliance with journal policies

Acceptance is not based on an author’s ability to pay publication charges.

Step 11: Formal Acceptance

Once a manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author receives an official acceptance communication through the journal system.

The acceptance communication includes:

  • Manuscript title and identification number
  • Date of acceptance
  • Any remaining documentation requirements
  • Copyright or licensing requirements
  • Publication-fee details
  • Instructions for the production stage

Publication charges, where applicable, become payable only after formal acceptance in accordance with the journal’s Article Processing and Publication Fee Policy.

Step 12: Copyediting and Technical Editing

Accepted manuscripts undergo editorial and production processing, which may include:

  • Language and grammar correction
  • Copyediting
  • Verification of references
  • Formatting of headings, tables and figures
  • Checking author names and affiliations
  • Verification of ethical and funding statements
  • Standardization according to the journal style
  • Preparation of the article layout

Copyediting is intended to improve clarity and consistency without changing the scientific meaning of the manuscript.

Substantive changes will be referred to the corresponding author.

Step 13: Typesetting and Proof Preparation

After copyediting, the manuscript is typeset into the journal’s publication format.

A proof is prepared containing:

  • Final article layout
  • Author information and affiliations
  • Tables and figures
  • References
  • Declarations and acknowledgements
  • DOI and publication details, where applicable

The proof is sent to the corresponding author for final checking.

Step 14: Author Proofreading and Approval

The corresponding author must carefully review the proof for:

  • Spelling and typographical errors
  • Accuracy of author names and affiliations
  • Accuracy of tables and figures
  • Reference errors
  • Formatting problems
  • Errors introduced during copyediting or typesetting

Only minor corrections are normally permitted at the proof stage. Major changes to the study data, results, authorship or conclusions are not allowed unless approved by the Editor with adequate justification.

The corresponding author must return the corrected and approved proof within the specified deadline.

All authors remain responsible for the accuracy of the final published article.

Step 15: Final Publication Check

Before publication, the editorial and production teams confirm:

  • Completion of peer review
  • Final editorial acceptance
  • Completion of ethical and authorship declarations
  • Approval of the final proof
  • Accuracy of metadata
  • Completion of copyright or licensing documentation
  • DOI assignment, where applicable
  • Completion of required administrative procedures

The journal may withhold publication until all required documents and corrections have been completed.

Step 16: Online Publication

Following final approval, the article is published on the GJMHS website.

The published article normally includes:

  • Final article title
  • Author names and affiliations
  • Abstract and keywords
  • Main article text
  • Tables and figures
  • Ethical approval statement
  • Consent statement, where applicable
  • Author contribution statement
  • Conflict-of-interest declaration
  • Funding statement
  • Data-availability statement, where applicable
  • References
  • DOI and citation information

The corresponding author is informed when the article becomes available online.

Step 17: Indexing, Archiving and Preservation

After publication, article metadata may be submitted to relevant indexing, registration and archiving services, subject to the journal’s arrangements and eligibility.

Published content is maintained through the journal’s digital hosting, archiving and preservation mechanisms to support long-term accessibility.

7.5 Summary of the Editorial Workflow

The complete submission-to-publication process is:

Online submission → Administrative check → Initial editorial screening → Plagiarism screening → Editor assignment → Peer review → Editorial decision → Author revision → Reassessment → Final decision → Acceptance → Copyediting → Typesetting → Author proof approval → Final publication check → Online publication → Archiving and indexing

7.6 Communication and Manuscript Tracking

All official communication regarding a manuscript is conducted through the OJS portal or the journal’s designated official communication channel.

Authors can log in to the system to view the manuscript status, which may include:

  • Submission received
  • Under administrative check
  • Under editorial screening
  • Under review
  • Revision required
  • Revised manuscript received
  • Editorial decision pending
  • Accepted
  • In copyediting
  • In production
  • Published
  • Rejected

Authors should not contact individual reviewers or attempt to influence the peer-review process.

7.7 Indicative Processing Time

GJMHS aims to process manuscripts efficiently while maintaining the quality and integrity of peer review.

Processing time may vary according to:

  • Completeness of the submission
  • Availability of suitable reviewers
  • Complexity of the manuscript
  • Number and extent of revisions
  • Responsiveness of authors and reviewers
  • Ethical or methodological concerns requiring clarification

The journal does not guarantee acceptance or publication within a fixed period. Authors will be informed if an unusual delay occurs.

7.8 Withdrawal of a Manuscript

Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript must submit a written request from the corresponding author stating:

  • Manuscript identification number
  • Manuscript title
  • Reason for withdrawal
  • Confirmation that all authors agree to the withdrawal

A manuscript is not considered withdrawn until the journal issues written confirmation.

Withdrawal after acceptance or during production may be subject to the journal’s withdrawal and publication-fee policies.

  1. DEADLINES AND DURATION OF ALL PROCESSES

8.1 Submission Timeline

  • Submission open throughout the year

8.2 Peer Review Timeline

  • Initial screening: 5–7 days
  • Peer review: 3–4 weeks
  • Reviewer extensions granted only when justified

8.3 Revision Timeline

  • Minor revisions: 1–2 weeks
  • Major revisions: 4–6 weeks

8.4 Final Decision

  • Typically within 6–8 weeks from submission

 

  1. STEPS FROM RECEIPT TO PUBLICATION

9.1 Complete Publication Workflow

  1. Manuscript submission
  2. Editorial screening
  3. Ethics and plagiarism checks
  4. Double-blind peer review
  5. Editorial decision
  6. Author revision
  7. Final acceptance
  8. Copyediting and proofreading
  9. DOI assignment
  10. Online publication

 

9.2 Post-Acceptance Responsibilities

Authors must:

  • Review proofs carefully
  • Respond promptly to editorial queries
  • Complete fee processing
  • Approve final publication version

 

  1. POST-PUBLICATION RESPONSIBILITIES

Authors remain responsible for:

  • Responding to reader correspondence
  • Cooperating with corrections or retractions
  • Maintaining transparency regarding errors or updates

 

  1. COMPLIANCE AND ENFORCEMENT

Failure to comply with these policies may result in:

  • Manuscript rejection
  • Publication delay
  • Retraction of published articles
  • Notification to institutions in cases of serious misconduct

 

CONCLUSION

Through these Authors’ Details and Submission Policies, the Ghurki Journal of Medical and Health Sciences demonstrates its commitment to:

  • Ethical authorship
  • Transparent funding disclosure
  • Rigorous peer review
  • Clear and efficient publication workflows

These policies ensure that GJMHS remains a credible, internationally aligned, and ethically robust platform for advancing medical and health sciences research.