Author Guidelines

Authors’ Details and Responsibilities

The Insights – Journal of Medical and Dental Research (IJMDR) places authors at the center of the scholarly communication ecosystem. The journal expects all authors to uphold the highest standards of research integrity, ethical responsibility, and transparency. This section outlines the expectations, obligations, and processes authors must follow when submitting manuscripts to IJMDR, ensuring alignment with international scholarly publishing norms.

IJMDR recognizes that author accountability and integrity are foundational to publishing reliable, credible, and reproducible research. Therefore, authors are required to demonstrate full compliance with global scientific and ethical standards, including those recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and the Council of Science Editors (CSE).

 

  1. Author Agreement Form

The Author Agreement Form ensures that all authors understand and accept essential ethical, legal, and procedural requirements before their manuscript proceeds to review. This form must be completed, signed, and submitted by all authors at the time of manuscript submission.

1.1 Purpose of the Agreement Form

The form confirms that:

  • All authors have contributed meaningfully to the research.
  • The manuscript is original, not plagiarized, and not under review elsewhere.
  • All authors agree to the journal’s editorial policies.
  • Ethical approval has been obtained where required.
  • Authors consent to publication under the journal's open-access license.
  • Authors accept responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the manuscript.

1.2 Components of the Agreement Form

The form includes:

  1. Authorship Confirmation

Each author must confirm:

  • Their role in research design, data collection, analysis, and/or manuscript drafting.
  • That they meet all four ICMJE authorship criteria.
  1. Ethical Compliance Statement

Authors must confirm:

  • Compliance with institutional ethics board approval.
  • Informed consent (for human studies).
  • Animal care standards (for animal studies).
  • Adherence to the Declaration of Helsinki (where applicable).
  1. Copyright & Licensing

Authors must:

  • Grant IJMDR permission to publish the manuscript.
  • Agree to open-access licensing (typically CC BY).
  1. Plagiarism & Originality Declaration

Authors confirm:

  • The manuscript contains no plagiarized material.
  • All sources are properly cited.
  • No data has been fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.
  1. Conflict of Interest Disclosure

Every author must disclose:

  • Financial relationships
  • Institutional conflicts
  • Personal or academic conflicts
  1. Consent for Publication

Authors must consent to:

  • Final edited version publication
  • Indexing and digital archiving
  • DOI assignment

A manuscript will not proceed without complete author agreement forms.

 

  1. Article Processing / Publication Fee

IJMDR follows an open-access publishing model, allowing global readership without subscription barriers. To maintain high-quality editorial processes, indexing, DOIs, and long-term archiving, the journal charges an Article Processing/Publication Fee (APF).

2.1 Purpose of Publication Fees

APCs help cover:

  • Editorial management
  • Peer review coordination
  • DOIs and CrossRef membership
  • Web hosting & digital infrastructure
  • Plagiarism screening
  • Copyediting & typesetting
  • Online publication & archiving

IJMDR does not charge submission fees. Authors are charged only upon acceptance.

Charges: 10000 PKR (for International Authors 50USD) after acceptance

2.2 Waiver and Discount Policy

To promote global equity, IJMDR offers:

  • Up to 30% waiver for authors from low-income countries.
  • Special waivers for early-career researchers and student-led research.
  • Institutional discounts for partner organizations.

Waiver requests must be submitted at the time of submission, not after acceptance.

 

  1. Sources of Funding and Submission Process

Funding transparency is a crucial ethical requirement. IJMDR adheres to ICMJE and COPE guidelines that require full disclosure of financial support for research.

3.1 Funding Disclosure Requirements

Authors must report:

  • All grants, awards, or financial support
  • Institutional or organizational funding
  • Equipment or material support
  • Fellowship or scholarship funding
  • Industry or pharmaceutical sponsorship
  • Any external financial contributions

Each manuscript must include a Funding Statement, such as:

“This work was funded by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) under grant number XXX.”

If no funding was received:

“This research received no external funding.”

3.2 How to Submit Funding Information

Funding details must be included in:

  • The title page
  • The submission form
  • A stand-alone “Funding Statement” section

Submission without proper funding disclosure is considered incomplete.

 

  1. Contribution and Consent of Each Author

To ensure transparency and prevent honorary or ghost authorship, IJMDR requires detailed author contribution statements.

4.1 ICMJE Authorship Criteria

To be listed as an author, each contributor must meet all four criteria:

  1. Substantial contributions to conception/design/data acquisition/analysis.
  2. Drafting or critically revising the manuscript.
  3. Final approval of the version to be published.
  4. Accountability for all aspects of the work.

Individuals who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged but not listed as authors.

 

4.2 Contributor Roles (CRediT Taxonomy)

IJMDR uses CRediT to define contributions clearly. Possible roles include:

  • Conceptualization
  • Methodology
  • Validation
  • Formal analysis
  • Investigation
  • Data curation
  • Writing – original draft
  • Writing – review & editing
  • Visualization
  • Supervision
  • Project administration
  • Funding acquisition

Each author must have at least one major contribution.

 

4.3 Author Consent Requirements

Every listed author must:

  • Approve the submission
  • Approve all revisions
  • Approve the final manuscript
  • Consent to publication
  • Agree to be accountable for the work

Written consent (email or signed forms) is mandatory.

 

  1. Submission Guidelines and Process

IJMDR follows a structured, transparent, and scientifically rigorous submission process to ensure editorial quality and efficient workflow.

5.1 Submission Requirements

Authors must ensure:

  • Manuscripts meet formatting guidelines
  • Ethical approvals are attached
  • Author agreement forms are complete
  • COI and funding statements are included
  • Figures and tables follow journal standards
  • References follow Vancouver style

Manuscripts that do not meet basic requirements may be returned without review.

 

5.2 Manuscript Categories Accepted

  • Original Research
  • Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses
  • Case Reports
  • Case Series
  • Short Communications
  • Review Articles
  • Clinical Audits
  • Special Reports
  • Technical Notes
  • Letters to the Editor

Each category has specific word limits and structure requirements listed on the journal website.

 

5.3 Steps in the Submission Process

Below is a detailed breakdown of all stages in the manuscript lifecycle.

 

  1. Deadlines and Duration of Each Process

IJMDR provides authors with predictable timelines, ensuring transparency and fairness.

Stage

Estimated Duration

Initial Submission Screening

3–5 days

Similarity Check

1–2 days

Assignment to Section Editor

2–4 days

Reviewer Invitation

3–5 days

Peer Review Duration

3–5 weeks

First Decision (Revise/Reject/Accept)

4–6 weeks

Author Revision

1–3 weeks

Second Review / Editorial Check

10–20 days

Final Acceptance

After satisfactory revision

Copyediting & Typesetting

10–15 days

Proofreading

7–10 days

Publication in Scheduled Issue

End of month

Total estimated time from submission to publication: 8–12 weeks depending on revisions.

 

  1. Step-by-Step Journey of a Manuscript (From Receipt to Publication)

Step 1: Manuscript Receipt

  • Submitted via the journal’s submission system or email.
  • Automatic acknowledgment sent to the corresponding author.

Step 2: Initial Editorial Screening

The editorial office checks:

  • Journal scope fit
  • Completeness of documents
  • Formatting
  • Ethical approvals
  • Conflict and funding declarations

Manuscripts failing basic requirements are returned.

 

Step 3: Similarity Check

Using plagiarism detection tools (Turnitin/iThenticate):

  • Acceptable limit: <20% similarity
  • Higher similarity → return for correction

 

Step 4: Assignment to Section/Associate Editor

The Editor-in-Chief assigns the manuscript based on:

  • Expertise area
  • Workload distribution
  • Specialization match

 

Step 5: Reviewer Invitation

Two to three reviewers are invited. The process may take several days due to:

  • Reviewer availability
  • Declined invitations
  • Replacements needed

 

Step 6: Double-Blind Peer Review

Reviewers evaluate:

  • Originality
  • Methodological rigor
  • Ethical compliance
  • Data validity
  • Statistical accuracy
  • Clinical relevance
  • Reference quality
  • Overall contribution to science

Reviewers provide:

  • Recommendations (Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject)
  • Constructive comments for authors
  • Confidential comments for editors

 

Step 7: First Decision

The Editorial Board consolidates reviewer recommendations and makes a decision.

Possible outcomes:

  • Accept
  • Minor revision
  • Major revision
  • Reject
  • Resubmit as new manuscript

 

Step 8: Revision Stage

Authors respond to reviewer comments by:

  • Preparing a point-by-point response
  • Highlighting changes in the manuscript
  • Resubmitting revised files within the given timeframe

Failure to revise on time may delay or cancel review.

 

Step 9: Second Review (If Required)

For major revisions:

  • Manuscript may be sent back to original reviewers
  • Editors ensure satisfactory improvement

 

Step 10: Final Acceptance

Editor-in-Chief grants final approval once:

  • All revisions are complete
  • Ethical requirements are verified
  • Formatting is correct
  • Figures and tables meet standards

 

Step 11: Copyediting and Layout

Includes:

  • Grammar and language polishing
  • Formatting
  • Reference cross-checking
  • Figure/table standardization
  • Metadata preparation

 

Step 12: Proofs Sent to Authors

Authors:

  • Review typeset proofs
  • Correct minor errors
  • Approve final version

Significant changes at this stage are discouraged.

 

Step 13: Online Publication

Once finalized:

  • DOI is assigned
  • Article is uploaded to journal website
  • Indexed (Google Scholar, DOAJ-ready, etc.)
  • Included in the next scheduled issue

 

Step 14: Post-Publication Promotion

The journal may:

  • Highlight the article on the homepage
  • Share on social media
  • Disseminate via institutional networks