Submissions

Author Guidelines

Author Instructions

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES AND PUBLICATION PROCESS

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.

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.

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.

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:

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.

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

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 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.

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.