Journal Publication Policies and Guidelines

1. Introduction

The Journal of Bacha Khan Medical College (JBKMC) publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed research that strengthens medical knowledge and clinical practice. These policies define the journal’s expectations for integrity, academic rigor, ethical compliance, and transparency across all editorial and publishing activities.

2. Editorial Independence

All editorial decisions are made independently by the Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief has final responsibility for acceptance and publication decisions. Editorial judgement is not influenced by institutional interests, financial considerations, or external parties.

3. Peer Review Process

JBKMC uses a double-blind peer review system. Each submission is first screened by the editorial office for scope, scientific quality, and adherence to author instructions. Manuscripts that meet preliminary requirements are then reviewed by at least two independent subject experts to assess validity, originality, and relevance. Reviewer identities remain confidential to ensure impartial evaluation.

4. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal’s official submission platform. Submissions must comply with formatting, documentation, and ethical requirements stated in the Instructions for Authors. Manuscripts that do not meet submission requirements may be returned without external review.

5. Ethical Standards

JBKMC follows international publication ethics aligned with ICMJE and COPE guidance. Research involving human or animal participants must include documented ethical approval and, where applicable, informed consent. Plagiarism, fabrication, falsification, or manipulation of data constitutes misconduct and may lead to rejection and notification of relevant institutions.

6. Conflict of Interest

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could affect objectivity. Transparent disclosure supports the integrity of the editorial process and maintains public trust.

7. Corrections and Retractions

JBKMC is committed to preserving the reliability of the scholarly record.

  • Minor issues will be corrected through published errata/corrections.

  • Serious errors or ethical concerns may result in retractions, expressions of concern, or editorial notices, depending on the severity and outcome of investigation.

8. Editorial Board

The Editorial Board includes academicians, clinicians, and researchers from a range of medical disciplines. Members are appointed on the basis of academic credentials, scholarly contribution, and subject expertise. The Board supports the journal’s standards through oversight of editorial processes and peer review.

9. Open Access and Copyright

JBKMC is an open-access journal, providing free and unrestricted access to all published articles. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal a license to publish under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Open Access Statement
Articles published in JBKMC are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This license permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided that:

  • Appropriate credit is given to the author(s) and source;

  • A link to the license is provided; and

  • Any modifications are clearly indicated.

Third-party material is included under the same license unless otherwise specified. If such material is not covered and the intended use exceeds what is permitted by law, permission must be obtained directly from the copyright holder.
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

© The Author(s). Published by the Journal of Bacha Khan Medical College, Mardan, Pakistan.

Plagiarism Policy (Similarity Index)

JBKMC follows plagiarism and similarity standards aligned with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and ICMJE recommendations. A maximum similarity index of 19% is permitted. Manuscripts exceeding this threshold will be returned or rejected unless appropriately revised. Limited exceptions may be considered for thesis-derived work, provided the overall similarity remains within the allowed limit.

All submissions are screened using Turnitin prior to peer review. The Similarity Report is assessed contextually: similarity may not automatically indicate misconduct, but it may require clarification or revision. Authors should paraphrase appropriately and cite all reused material. Overlap in methods or references may be acceptable when properly cited.

Based on the similarity assessment, the editorial office may:

  • Request revision with proper citation;

  • Return the manuscript for rewriting; or

  • Reject the manuscript if misconduct is suspected.

Confirmed plagiarism, text recycling, or unauthorized reproduction will be managed in line with COPE and HEC procedures and may include institutional notification, author sanctions, or retraction of published content.

Additional guidance:

Peer Review Policy

Double-Blind Review

JBKMC applies double-blind peer review to ensure fairness and minimize bias. Author and reviewer identities are kept confidential throughout the process.

Reviewer Selection

Reviewers are selected based on subject expertise, academic qualifications, and publication record. Each manuscript is assigned to at least two independent reviewers relevant to the topic.

Reviewer Responsibilities

Reviewers are expected to:

  • Provide objective, timely, and evidence-based review;

  • Offer constructive and specific feedback;

  • Recommend one decision category: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject;

  • Maintain confidentiality and not use manuscript content for personal benefit; and

  • Declare any conflicts of interest.

Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest

Manuscripts under review are confidential documents. Reviewers must not share or disclose content without written permission. Reviewers must notify the editorial office of any conflict and recuse themselves when appropriate; the manuscript will be reassigned.

Review Timeline

Reviews are typically expected within 2–3 weeks. Extensions may be granted upon request.

Recognition of Reviewers

JBKMC acknowledges reviewer contributions through:

  • Annual acknowledgment (with reviewer consent) on the journal website; and

  • Peer review certificates upon request.

Copyright and Licensing Policy

1. Copyright Ownership

Upon publication:

  • Authors retain copyright.

  • Authors grant JBKMC and Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC) a non-exclusive license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and archive the work, and to use it for educational and promotional purposes with proper citation.

Authors may deposit and share the published version on institutional repositories or personal platforms with full citation and journal acknowledgment.

2. Licensing Terms

All published content is licensed under CC BY 4.0, permitting unrestricted use (including commercial use) with appropriate attribution, license link, and change notification.
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

3. Third-Party Material

Third-party material not covered by CC BY 4.0 must be properly credited, accompanied by written permission, and clearly labeled as not covered by the Creative Commons license. Authors are responsible for obtaining permissions.

4. Author Responsibilities

By submitting to JBKMC, authors confirm originality, agree to licensing terms, ensure co-author approval, and accept responsibility for permissions for reused content.

5. Commercial Use and Reuse

Reuse by educators, institutions, media, and commercial entities is permitted under CC BY 4.0 with proper attribution, unless otherwise specified.

Contact: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk

Manuscript Submission Policy

JBKMC accepts original research and scholarly manuscripts in medical, clinical, and health sciences. Manuscripts must follow ICMJE standards and must not be under consideration or published elsewhere.

Online Submission via OJS

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Open Journal System (OJS). Email submissions are not accepted.

Submission Steps

  1. Visit the journal website: [Insert Journal URL]

  2. Register an author account (if required).

  3. Log in and select “New Submission.”

  4. Complete the submission steps and upload manuscript and supplementary files.

  5. Receive confirmation and submission ID for correspondence.

Required Documents

  • Cover Letter (signed declaration of originality, exclusivity, and co-author approval)

  • Manuscript file (complete sections per author guidelines)

  • Figures (JPEG/PNG, 300 dpi) and Tables (in manuscript or separate files)

  • Ethical approval letter (mandatory when applicable)

  • Patient consent (case reports/identifiable data)

Formatting Requirements

  • File format: .doc/.docx

  • A4, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, page numbers

  • Vancouver references (numbered in order of appearance)

  • SI units

  • Define abbreviations at first use

  • Generic drug names; brand names only if necessary

Acknowledgment and Review

  • Submissions are acknowledged within 7 working days.

  • Editorial screening is conducted before peer review.

  • Eligible manuscripts proceed to double-blind peer review.

Support: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk

Conflict of Interest Policy

JBKMC requires COI disclosure by authors, reviewers, and editors to ensure transparency and integrity, consistent with ICMJE and COPE. COIs may include financial ties, personal relationships, academic competition, institutional roles, or intellectual commitments.

Authors

Authors must declare COIs at submission. If none exist, include:
“The authors declare no conflict of interest.”
Failure to disclose may result in rejection or post-publication action.

Reviewers

Reviewers must declare conflicts and recuse themselves if bias is possible. Confidentiality must be maintained and unpublished content must not be used for personal advantage.

Editors

Editors must not handle manuscripts where a conflict exists and must ensure appropriate reassignment and recusal.

Post-Publication COIs

Undisclosed conflicts identified after publication may result in investigation and corrective action (correction, expression of concern, or retraction).

Contact: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk

Complaint Policy

JBKMC welcomes complaints regarding ethical concerns, peer review conduct, errors, bias, delays, or editorial misconduct.

Submission

Complaints must be submitted in writing to: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk
Include complainant details, description of issue, and supporting evidence. Anonymous complaints are generally not considered unless substantiated.

Handling and Resolution

  • Acknowledgment within 7 working days

  • Preliminary assessment by Editor-in-Chief

  • Investigation by Editorial Board and external experts when necessary

  • Formal response within 30 working days (or revised timeline if needed)
    Corrective actions may include correction, retraction, apology, or process revision.

Appeals

Appeals may be filed with an independent committee based on new evidence or procedural concerns. The committee’s decision is final. Matters may be referred to COPE when appropriate.

Data Sharing and Privacy Policy

Data Sharing

JBKMC encourages transparency and reproducibility. Original research submissions must include a Data Availability Statement specifying whether data are publicly available, available upon request, or restricted.

Acceptable repositories include Dryad, Figshare, Zenodo, and institutional repositories. Shared human data must be anonymized and comply with consent and privacy requirements.

Privacy

JBKMC collects personal information (names, affiliations, emails, ORCID iDs) solely for editorial operations. Data are securely stored, access is restricted to authorized staff, and information is not used for marketing or commercial purposes.

Peer Review Confidentiality

All manuscripts and communications are confidential. Reviewer and author identities are protected under double-blind peer review.

Consent for Publication

Explicit written consent is required for identifiable patient information, images, or case descriptions.

Contact: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk

Ethical Policies: Human and Animal Research, and Informed Consent

JBKMC follows ICMJE, WMA (Declaration of Helsinki), COPE, and ARRIVE guidance.

  • Human studies must state IRB/Ethics approval with committee name and reference number.

  • Animal studies must document ethics approval and compliance with welfare standards.

  • Informed consent must be documented for human studies, case reports, and identifiable material.

Non-compliance may result in rejection, retraction, or institutional notification.

Privacy Statement

JBKMC safeguards personal data used for manuscript processing, peer review, and publication. Manuscripts and communications remain confidential. Author information published as metadata is used for scholarly communication. The website may use cookies for usability and basic analytics.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

The Journal of Bacha Khan Medical College (JBKMC) does not charge any submission, processing, or publication fees.

All articles are published completely free of cost and are immediately available as open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Authors are not required to make any payment at any stage of the editorial or publication process.

JBKMC operates as a non-profit academic journal, supported by institutional resources from Bacha Khan Medical College (BKMC), Mardan, Pakistan, to promote medical research and scholarly communication.

Editorial Workflow and Publishing Process

  1. Submission via OJS

  2. Initial screening (structure, formatting, plagiarism, references)

  3. Author revision (if required)

  4. Pre-editing (language and technical)

  5. Double-blind peer review (two or more reviewers)

  6. Editorial decision (accept/revise/reject)

  7. Production and formatting

  8. Online and print publication

Processing Timelines

Deadlines and timelines may vary based on submission quality, reviewer availability, and revision requirements.

Correction and Retraction Policy

Corrections address minor errors that do not affect conclusions. Retractions address serious errors or misconduct. Expressions of concern may be issued when investigations are ongoing or evidence is inconclusive. All notices are linked to the original article and are publicly accessible.

Contact: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk

Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement

Authors must ensure accurate reporting, originality, appropriate authorship, ethical oversight, disclosure of conflicts, and avoidance of redundant publication. The journal may request raw data. Authors must cooperate with editorial queries and correct or retract published work when needed.

Digital Archiving and Preservation Policy

JBKMC preserves content via the LOCKSS/CLOCKSS/PKP Preservation Network (PKP PN) and maintains secure backups to ensure long-term accessibility, recovery, and continuity.

https://jbkmc.bkmc.edu.pk/index.php/website/gateway/lockss

Self-Archiving and Repository Policy

JBKMC permits immediate self-archiving of preprints, postprints, and the final published version without embargo. Archived versions must include full citation, journal acknowledgment, and a link to the official version when available, along with CC BY 4.0 licensing information.

Contact: jbkmc@bkmc.edu.pk