Policy Document

Policy Document

Aim & Scope

Aims
The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (Pak J Gastro) aims to advance knowledge and practice in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, gastrointestinal endoscopy, and allied disciplines — by publishing high‑quality, peer‑reviewed research, reviews, case reports, and clinical communications relevant to clinicians, researchers, and educators, especially in the Pakistani/South‑Asian context.

Scope
Pak J Gastro welcomes submissions on the following topics:

  • Basic and clinical research in gastroenterology and hepatology (liver diseases, biliary disorders, GI physiology/pathophysiology)
  • Diagnostic and therapeutic advances in gastrointestinal endoscopy (upper and lower GI endoscopy, ERCP, endoscopic ultrasound, etc.)
  • Epidemiology, prevention, and management of gastrointestinal disorders prevalent in Pakistan and South Asia (e.g. viral hepatitis, viral and non‑viral liver disease, gastro‑intestinal infections, nutrition-related GI disease)
  • Gastrointestinal oncology (GI cancers, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, HCC), including early detection, management, outcomes, and case reports
  • Pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology — including congenital GI/hepatic disorders, pediatric endoscopy, childhood liver/gut diseases
  • Public‑health, community and population-based studies relevant to GI/hepatic disease burden, health‑policy, prevention, and screening in developing-world settings
  • Review articles, meta-analyses, clinical‑practice guidelines, expert consensus, and evidence‑based practice relevant to gastroenterology/hepatology
  • Case reports and case series highlighting rare or unusual GI/hepatic conditions, novel diagnostic/therapeutic approaches, especially from resource-limited settings

 

Editorial Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) adheres to the following editorial policies to ensure the quality, relevance, and integrity of its published content:

  1. Peer Review Process:
     All submitted manuscripts undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process. Reviewers, chosen for their expertise, provide unbiased, constructive feedback to ensure the accuracy, quality, and originality of the research in gastroenterology.
  2. Ethical Standards:
     Authors must follow strict ethical standards in conducting and reporting their research. This includes obtaining approvals from ethics committees, securing informed consent from human subjects, and adhering to guidelines for ethical treatment of animals in research.
  3. Plagiarism Detection:
     Manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using advanced software. Any form of plagiarism is unacceptable and will result in immediate rejection of the manuscript.
  4. Conflict of Interest Disclosure:
     All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research content or its review. This promotes transparency and safeguards the credibility of the published work.
  5. Authorship Criteria: 
     Authorship is restricted to individuals who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to its submission to the journal.
  6. Data Availability and Reproducibility: 
     Authors are encouraged to provide access to their data and research materials to facilitate verification and reproducibility of the findings. When necessary, supplementary materials should be submitted alongside the manuscript.
  7. Timeliness and Relevance: 
     The journal prioritizes research that is timely, relevant, and contributes to advancements in gastroenterology. Articles must align with the scope and objectives of the journal, focusing on the latest developments in the field.
  8. Corrections and Retractions: 
     PJG has a clear policy for handling post-publication issues. If significant errors or ethical violations are identified, the journal will issue corrections or retract the article to maintain the integrity of the scientific record.
  9. Editorial Independence: 
     Editorial decisions are made independently, without any external influence from sponsors, publishers, or other entities. This ensures that the content published in the journal is selected solely based on scientific merit.
  10. Diversity and Inclusion: 
      PJG actively promotes diversity and inclusion in all its operations. The journal encourages submissions from researchers of diverse backgrounds and strives to provide equitable opportunities for all contributors.

This policy reflects PJG’s commitment to maintaining high editorial standards and fostering scientific integrity in the field of gastroenterology.

 

 

Plagiarism Policy

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) upholds the highest standards of integrity and academic honesty in all its publications. Plagiarism, in any form, is strictly prohibited and is regarded as a serious violation of ethical standards.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's work, ideas, or expressions without proper acknowledgment or permission and presenting them as one’s own. This includes, but is not limited to:

- Direct Plagiarism: Copying text word-for-word from another source without attribution or quotation marks.
- Self-Plagiarism: Reusing substantial portions of one’s own previously published work without proper citation or acknowledgment.
- Mosaic Plagiarism: Blending phrases, ideas, or concepts from another source with one’s own work without proper attribution.
- Accidental Plagiarism: Unintentionally failing to cite sources or paraphrasing content without acknowledgment due to negligence or misunderstanding of citation rules.

Policy and Procedures

Manuscript Submission and Initial Screening

- All manuscripts submitted to PJG undergo a rigorous plagiarism check using iThenticate software. This screening occurs before the manuscript is sent for peer review.
- Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submission is original and free from plagiarism. Submissions that fail the plagiarism check will either be returned to the authors for revision or rejected outright, depending on the extent of the plagiarism.

Plagiarism Detection

- PJG uses advanced plagiarism detection tools to identify any instances of plagiarism in submitted manuscripts. Journal staff carefully review any flagged content to determine the extent and nature of the plagiarism.
- PJG may cross-check manuscripts with previously published works, including articles, books, theses, conference papers, and web content, to ensure the originality of the submission.

Consequences of Plagiarism

- Minor Plagiarism: If minor plagiarism (e.g., isolated sentences or small passages) is detected, authors will be notified and required to correct the text, provide proper citations, and resubmit the manuscript.
- Moderate to Severe Plagiarism: If significant portions of the manuscript are found to be plagiarized, the submission will be rejected, and the authors will be informed of the reason for rejection.
- Serious Cases of Plagiarism: If severe plagiarism is detected after publication, or in cases of extensive plagiarism, PJG will retract the published article. The authors' institutions and any relevant funding bodies will be notified of the breach of ethics. A formal notice of retraction, outlining the reasons for the retraction, will be published in the journal.

Author Responsibilities

- Authors must ensure that their work is original and properly cited. Any previously published work that overlaps with their submission must be fully disclosed to PJG.
- Authors are responsible for obtaining permission to use third-party materials and must properly attribute these materials according to PJG’s guidelines.

Appeals

- Authors who believe their work was incorrectly flagged for plagiarism may appeal the decision by providing a detailed explanation and supporting evidence to the editorial board. The board will review the appeal and make a final decision.

Preventive Measures

- PJG encourages authors to familiarize themselves with ethical publication standards and proper citation practices. The journal may provide resources and guidance to help authors avoid unintentional plagiarism.

Education and Awareness

PJG is dedicated to educating authors, reviewers, and editors about the importance of maintaining academic integrity and proper attribution of sources. The journal will regularly update its guidelines and resources to reflect best practices for avoiding plagiarism.

 

 

 

Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) is dedicated to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics to ensure the integrity and quality of its published content. This statement outlines the ethical guidelines and malpractice policies that must be adhered to by all participants in the publication process, including authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers.

  1. Duties of Authors

1.1 Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must ensure their work is entirely original. Any use of others' work must be appropriately cited or quoted. Plagiarism in any form is unethical and unacceptable.

1.2 Data Access and Retention
Authors may be asked to provide the raw data from their study for editorial review. They should be prepared to make this data publicly available if feasible and must retain the data for a reasonable time after publication.

1.3 Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication
Authors should not submit the same research to more than one journal simultaneously. Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals is unethical and unacceptable.

1.4 Acknowledgment of Sources
Proper acknowledgment of other works is required. Authors must cite all publications that have influenced their research.

1.5 Authorship of the Paper
Authorship should be limited to those who have made significant contributions to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the study. All contributors should be listed as co-authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors approve the final manuscript and its submission for publication.

1.6 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Authors should disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that may influence the results or interpretation of their work. All sources of financial support must also be disclosed.

1.7 Fundamental Errors in Published Works
If an author discovers a significant error in their published work, they are obligated to promptly notify the journal editor and cooperate to retract or correct the paper.

  1. Duties of Editors

2.1 Publication Decisions
The editor is responsible for deciding which submitted articles should be published. This decision should be based on the importance of the work to researchers and readers, and must follow the journal's editorial policies. Editors may also be guided by legal requirements related to libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism.

2.2 Fair Play
Editors must evaluate manuscripts solely on their intellectual content, without considering the authors' race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy.

2.3 Confidentiality
Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher.

2.4 Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest
Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used by editors for their own research without the author's written consent. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must remain confidential and not be used for personal gain.

  1. Duties of Reviewers

3.1 Contribution to Editorial Decisions
Reviewers assist the editor in making publication decisions and can help authors improve their manuscripts through editorial communications.

3.2 Promptness
Any selected reviewer who feels unqualified to review the manuscript or knows they cannot provide a prompt review should notify the editor and withdraw from the review process.

3.3 Confidentiality
Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown or discussed with others except as authorized by the editor.

3.4 Standards of Objectivity
Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate, and reviewers should provide clear, constructive feedback supported by logical arguments.

3.5 Acknowledgment of Sources
Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any observation, derivation, or argument that has been previously published should be accompanied by the relevant citation. Reviewers should also notify the editor of any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published work.

3.6 Disclosure and Conflict of Interest
Reviewers should not review manuscripts where they have conflicts of interest due to competitive, collaborative, or other relationships with any of the authors, institutions, or companies associated with the paper.