Editorial and Publication Policies

Policies governing authorship, peer review, research integrity, artificial intelligence, editorial decision-making, open access, privacy, digital preservation, and maintenance of the scholarly record.

Policy Framework

The Pioneer Journal of Biostatistics and Medical Research (PJBMR) is committed to scientific integrity, editorial independence, transparency, fairness, confidentiality, accountability, and responsible scholarly communication.

The journal’s policies are informed by recognised international guidance, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) , the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations , the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing , and relevant research, reporting, licensing, and data-protection standards.

Reference to these organisations means that PJBMR uses their publicly available guidance. It does not imply organisational membership, endorsement, accreditation, or guaranteed inclusion in any indexing database unless such status is explicitly stated and independently verifiable.

Policy Sections

Ethical Conduct and Research Integrity

Authors, reviewers, editors, and editorial staff must act honestly, responsibly, impartially, and transparently throughout submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and publication. PJBMR considers the COPE Core Practices and guidance when responding to suspected misconduct and follows applicable principles of the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki for medical research involving human participants.

• Research must be conducted and reported honestly and accurately.
• Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate image or data manipulation are prohibited.
• Required ethics approval, informed consent, and participant-protection statements must be provided.
• Funding sources, competing interests, and relevant institutional relationships must be disclosed.
• Human-participant research must have approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board where required.
• Suspected misconduct may be investigated in accordance with appropriate institutional and publication-ethics procedures.

Authorship and Contributorship

PJBMR applies the authorship principles described in the ICMJE Recommendations on Authors and Contributors and considers the COPE guidance on authorship when addressing authorship questions and disputes.

To qualify as an author, each individual should satisfy all four criteria:

1. Make a substantial contribution to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data.
2. Draft the manuscript or critically revise it for important intellectual content.
3. Approve the final version to be published.
4. Accept accountability for the work and agree to help resolve questions concerning its accuracy or integrity.

Authorship Requirements

• All listed authors must meet the journal’s authorship criteria.
• No eligible contributor should be omitted.
• Guest, honorary, gift, coercive, purchased, and ghost authorship are unacceptable.
• Contributors who do not qualify for authorship should be recognised in the acknowledgements, with their permission.
• The corresponding author must confirm that all authors approved the manuscript, authorship order, and final published version.
• Authors are encouraged to describe individual contributions using the CRediT Contributor Roles Taxonomy .
• Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot approve the manuscript or accept responsibility for the work.

Changes to Authorship

Requests to add, remove, or reorder authors after submission must be submitted in writing with a clear explanation and written agreement from all affected authors. Such requests will be assessed in accordance with COPE guidance on changes to authorship lists . The journal may contact the authors’ institution when an authorship dispute cannot be resolved by the authors.

Generative Artificial Intelligence Policy

Artificial intelligence tools may support language improvement, literature organisation, coding, analysis, or other research activities, but they cannot replace human scientific judgment, accountability, or authorship. Authors should follow the ICMJE recommendations on artificial intelligence use by authors .

Requirements for Authors

• AI tools must not be listed as authors or responsible contributors.
• Substantive use of generative AI must be disclosed at submission and described in the manuscript where relevant.
• The disclosure should identify the tool, version where known, purpose of use, and sections or processes in which it was used.
• Routine spelling or grammar checking generally does not require detailed disclosure unless intellectual content was substantially changed.
• Authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, references, analysis, interpretation, permissions, and potential bias.
• AI-generated text, images, data, code, or references must be checked carefully and must not misrepresent evidence.
• Confidential, identifiable, proprietary, or sensitive information must not be entered into public AI systems without appropriate permission and safeguards.

Requirements for Reviewers and Editors

• Submitted manuscripts must not be uploaded to external AI platforms where confidentiality cannot be assured.
• Any permitted AI assistance used during review or editorial work should be disclosed.
• Editorial decisions and peer-review judgments must remain under accountable human control.

Peer Review and Editorial Decision-Making

PJBMR applies a double-blind peer-review process. Suitable manuscripts are ordinarily evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject or methodological expertise. The process is informed by COPE ethical guidance and the ICMJE recommendations on submission and peer review .

• Reviewers must maintain confidentiality and provide objective, respectful, and evidence-based assessments.
• Reviewers must declare competing interests and decline assignments when impartial review is not possible.
• Evaluation should address originality, relevance, methodology, statistical validity, ethical compliance, interpretation, and presentation.
• Reviewers must not use unpublished information, ideas, or data for personal advantage.
• Reviewers and editors must not upload confidential manuscripts to external generative-AI systems unless confidentiality and data security are assured.
• Manuscripts involving an editor, board member, publisher employee, or close collaborator must be managed independently by an uninvolved editor.
• Reviewer identities are not disclosed to authors under the journal’s double-blind model, except where disclosure is legally required or expressly agreed.
• Reviewer recommendations may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, or rejection.
• Reviewer recommendations inform the editorial decision but are not binding.
• The Editor-in-Chief or delegated editor retains final responsibility for acceptance or rejection.

Originality, Similarity Screening, and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must not be under consideration by another journal. Text, ideas, data, images, tables, and other material obtained from external sources must be appropriately quoted, cited, and attributed.

Editorial handling may be informed by COPE guidance on publication misconduct and, where applicable, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan Plagiarism Policy .

• Manuscripts may be screened using similarity-detection software.
• A similarity score is a screening indicator and is not, by itself, proof of plagiarism.
• Editors assess the nature, location, source, and context of matching material.
• References, standard methodological terminology, properly quoted material, and unavoidable technical phrases may be considered separately.
• Substantial unattributed overlap, duplicate publication, text recycling, or source misrepresentation may result in revision, rejection, institutional notification, correction, or retraction.
• AI-detection results must not independently determine misconduct or editorial rejection.

Ethical Approval and Protection of Research Participants

Research involving human participants, identifiable human material, or identifiable personal data must comply with applicable legal and institutional requirements and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki .

• The manuscript must name the approving ethics committee or institutional review board and provide the approval number where available.
• Authors must state whether informed consent was obtained and explain any ethics-approved waiver.
• Identifying information, images, or case details must not be published without appropriate consent unless legally and ethically justified.
• Animal research must comply with applicable institutional and national welfare requirements.
• Editors may request ethics approvals, consent forms, protocols, or related documentation.

Research Reporting Guidelines

Authors should report research completely and transparently using the guideline appropriate to the study design. Relevant checklists and flow diagrams should be submitted when requested.

• Randomised trials: CONSORT
• Observational studies: STROBE
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: PRISMA
• Study protocols: SPIRIT or PRISMA-P
• Diagnostic and prognostic studies: STARD or TRIPOD
• Case reports: CARE
• Animal research: ARRIVE
• Qualitative research: COREQ or SRQR
• Health economic evaluations: CHEERS

Clinical Trial Registration

PJBMR expects prospective registration of clinical trials in a publicly accessible registry recognised by the World Health Organization or ICMJE. The registration number and registry name should appear at the end of the abstract and in the manuscript.

• Registration should normally occur before enrolment of the first participant.
• Authors must explain delayed or retrospective registration.
• Reported methods and outcomes should be consistent with the registered protocol; discrepancies must be explained.
• Randomised trials should follow the relevant CONSORT reporting guideline.

Competing Interests and Funding

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose financial, professional, institutional, intellectual, or personal interests that could reasonably be perceived to influence their work or judgment.

• Authors must identify all sources of financial and material support.
• The role of funders in study design, analysis, reporting, and publication decisions must be described.
• Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves when a conflict may compromise impartiality.
• Declared interests do not automatically prevent publication but must be managed transparently.

Editorial Independence and Fairness

Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit, methodological rigor, originality, ethical compliance, clarity, and relevance to the journal's scope.

• Decisions are made without discrimination based on nationality, ethnicity, gender, religion, disability, institutional affiliation, or political belief.
• Editors must preserve confidentiality and manage competing interests appropriately.
• Manuscripts may be rejected without external review when they are out of scope, technically incomplete, ethically problematic, or insufficiently rigorous.
• Commercial, personal, institutional, or political considerations must not influence editorial decisions.
• Submissions involving editors or board members must be managed independently of the involved individual.

Digital Preservation and Archiving

PJBMR is committed to preserving published content and maintaining long-term accessibility. The journal uses its OJS and PKP infrastructure together with verified preservation arrangements enabled by the journal. Specific preservation services are listed publicly only when participation and deposit status have been confirmed.

Online-First and Ahead-of-Print Publication

Accepted articles may be published online before assignment to a complete issue. Once the final version is formally published with its DOI and publication metadata, it forms part of the permanent scholarly record and may subsequently be assigned to a volume and issue.

Special Issues

PJBMR may publish special issues addressing timely and important topics in biostatistics, medicine, epidemiology, and public health.

• Proposals are evaluated for scientific relevance, feasibility, and alignment with the journal's scope.
• Guest editors must declare competing interests and follow all journal policies.
• Special-issue manuscripts undergo the same editorial screening, peer review, and ethical requirements as regular submissions.
• Guest editors may recommend decisions, but final editorial authority remains with the journal.
• No manuscript is guaranteed acceptance because it was invited or submitted to a special issue.

Open Access, Copyright, and Licensing

PJBMR provides immediate open access to its published articles. Authors retain copyright while granting the journal the right of first publication and the right to identify itself as the original publisher.

Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0) . This licence permits copying, redistribution, adaptation, and commercial reuse, provided that appropriate credit is given, a link to the licence is included, and any changes are indicated.

The journal clearly displays its open-access status, copyright terms, licensing conditions, publisher identity, and any applicable fees in accordance with the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing .

Privacy and Confidentiality

Personal information collected from authors, reviewers, editors, and readers is used only for legitimate journal management, publication, communication, preservation, and security purposes.

• User information is not sold or rented for unrelated commercial purposes.
• Submitted manuscripts and reviewer reports are treated as confidential.
• Access to personal and editorial information is limited to authorised individuals.
• Users may request correction of inaccurate account information and may opt out of non-essential notifications.
• Applicable legal, contractual, preservation, and research-integrity obligations may limit deletion of parts of the scholarly record.

Withdrawal, Corrections, Expressions of Concern, and Retractions

Post-publication actions are considered in accordance with COPE Retraction Guidelines and related COPE guidance on corrections and expressions of concern.

Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors may request withdrawal before publication by providing a clear written explanation. Withdrawal is not automatic after peer review or acceptance and requires editorial approval. The journal may retain an internal record of the submission and withdrawal.

Corrections

A correction may be issued when an error affects the article's accuracy, interpretation, attribution, or metadata but does not invalidate the principal findings.

Expression of Concern

An expression of concern may be published when serious questions have arisen but the evidence or investigation is not yet sufficient to support a correction or retraction.

Retraction

An article may be retracted when findings are unreliable because of major error or misconduct, the work is substantially plagiarised or redundantly published, ethical approval was absent where required, or other serious concerns invalidate the publication. Retraction notices will identify the reason, remain freely accessible, and be linked to the original article. The original scholarly record will normally remain visible and clearly marked as retracted.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant factual, procedural, or scientific error affected the outcome. An appeal must provide a focused explanation and supporting evidence rather than merely expressing disagreement.

• Appeals should be submitted in writing to the Editorial Office.
• Where appropriate, the appeal will be reviewed by an editor who was not directly responsible for the original decision.
• Complaints regarding conduct, confidentiality, delays, discrimination, or procedural fairness will be assessed impartially.
• The journal may seek advice from the publisher, institution, or relevant ethics body when necessary.
• The outcome of the appeal or complaint will normally be considered final after appropriate internal review.

International Standards and Transparency

PJBMR seeks to maintain transparent and verifiable policies consistent with recognised scholarly-publishing practices. The following links are provided as external reference standards.

Commitment to Responsible Publishing

PJBMR regularly reviews its editorial and publication policies to support scientific quality, ethical research, transparent decision-making, fair peer review, open access, and preservation of the scholarly record.