After submission
Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening/ Editorial Triage
Upon submission to the Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists (JPAD), each manuscript undergoes an initial inspection by the editorial office. This ensures that all submitted files meet the journal's requirements and include necessary documentation such as the author’s undertaking, ethics approval, and article-processing fee.
Manuscripts not adhering to JPAD's author instructions will be returned to authors for corrections before further processing.
After the initial scrutiny of the submitted manuscripts, they are triaged by an editor or a member of the editorial board. This internal (initial / editorial) review assesses the manuscript's originality, significance, and suitability within the journal's scope and format.
The editor may reject manuscripts that are unsuitable, have poor quality, are outside the journal's scope, or fail to meet submission criteria.
All manuscripts undergo a similarity check using Turnitin software. Articles exceeding similarity limits as described by the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan are returned for clarification or correction.
Authors may be asked to revise and correct manuscripts based on feedback from the editorial review.
Revised manuscripts undergo evaluation based on the adequacy of responses to suggestions and criticisms from the initial review. If the editor deems the changes satisfactory, the manuscript proceeds to external peer review.
The manuscript is then forwarded to subject experts for external peer review.
Process of Peer Review
Manuscripts having potential for publication are sent to two subject experts for peer review. Reviewers evaluate the manuscript's quality, novelty, and relevance for publication.
Reviewers are given a minimum of four weeks to complete their evaluations and provide suggestions to the editor. If reviewers require additional time, reminders and extensions may be granted.
In case a reviewer is unable to fulfill their review obligations, the manuscript will be assigned to another reviewer.
For particularly important manuscripts, a rapid review system may be established, involving editors or expedited reviewer evaluations.
Authors seeking rapid review must justify the urgency in their submission.
The final decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection is made by the editor, considering reviewers' recommendations.
Final Decision and Revision
Reviewers' recommendations guide the editor's decision, although the final verdict rests with the editor.
Manuscripts requiring revisions are sent back to authors, who must address reviewers' comments and make relevant corrections within two weeks.
Authors should submit a detailed covering letter addressing reviewers' concerns point by point, explaining the corrections made or reasons for any unaddressed issues.
Upon satisfactory revisions and approval by reviewers and/or editors, the manuscript is accepted for publication in an upcoming issue.
The editor reserves the right to edit accepted articles to meet the journal's formatting standards.
MANUSCRIPT WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Upon submission of a manuscript to the Journal of Pakistan Association of Dermatologists (JPAD), the copyright ownership transfers to the Journal. Furthermore, it is deemed unethical to simultaneously submit the same manuscript to multiple journals. However, authors may occasionally need to withdraw their submitted manuscripts for various reasons.
Authors wishing to withdraw their manuscript from consideration for publication in JPAD must submit a formal request for withdrawal.
The withdrawal request should be sent via email to jpad.journal@gmail.com with the subject line "MANUSCRIPT WITHDRAWAL REQUEST."
