17. Supplements

Purpose

The Pakistan Journal of Gastroenterology (PJG) may publish supplementary issues to disseminate high-quality scientific information on specific themes, conference proceedings, clinical guidelines, consensus statements, educational materials, or other scholarly content that is consistent with the Journal's aims and scope. Supplementary publications must maintain the same standards of scientific quality, editorial independence, and publication ethics as regular issues.

This policy is developed in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

17.1 Definition of a Supplement

A supplement is a separately identified publication that accompanies a regular issue of the Journal and focuses on a specific scientific topic or collection of related articles.

Supplements may include:

  • Conference proceedings.
  • Clinical practice guidelines.
  • Consensus statements.
  • Special thematic issues.
  • Educational reviews.
  • Research collections.
  • Workshop reports.
  • Invited scholarly articles.

17.2 Editorial Responsibility

All supplementary issues are managed under the supervision of the Editor-in-Chief and the Editorial Board.

Guest Editors may be appointed for a supplement; however, the Editor-in-Chief retains final responsibility for:

  • Editorial decisions.
  • Scientific quality.
  • Ethical compliance.
  • Publication standards.

The appointment of a Guest Editor does not diminish the Journal's editorial independence.

17.3 Peer Review

All manuscripts submitted for publication in a supplement are subject to the Journal's peer-review process.

Each manuscript shall:

  • Undergo editorial screening.
  • Be evaluated by qualified independent reviewers.
  • Meet the same scientific and ethical standards as manuscripts submitted to regular issues.

No manuscript will be accepted solely because it forms part of a supplement.

17.4 Funding and Sponsorship

The source of financial support for a supplement must be fully disclosed.

Where applicable, the Journal will clearly identify:

  • Sponsoring organization(s).
  • Funding agency(ies).
  • Educational grants.
  • Commercial support.

Sponsors shall have no influence over:

  • Manuscript selection.
  • Peer review.
  • Editorial decisions.
  • Publication timing.
  • Scientific content.

17.5 Conflict of Interest

Authors, Guest Editors, reviewers, and Editorial Board members involved in a supplement must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.

Conflict of Interest declarations will be published where appropriate in accordance with the Journal's Conflict of Interest Policy.

17.6 Identification of Supplements

Each supplementary issue will be clearly identified on the Journal website and in the published issue.

The supplement will include information regarding:

  • Supplement title.
  • Guest Editor(s), where applicable.
  • Sponsoring organization(s), if any.
  • Funding disclosures.
  • Publication date.
  • Issue identification.

This ensures transparency for readers and indexing services.

17.7 Ethical Standards

All articles published in supplements must comply with the Journal's policies on:

  • Publication Ethics.
  • Authorship.
  • Ethical Approval.
  • Clinical Trial Registration.
  • Plagiarism.
  • Conflict of Interest.
  • Funding Disclosure.
  • Data Integrity.

Failure to comply may result in rejection or post-publication editorial action.

17.8 Editorial Independence

Editorial decisions regarding supplementary manuscripts are based solely on:

  • Scientific quality.
  • Originality.
  • Clinical relevance.
  • Methodological rigor.
  • Ethical compliance.

Commercial interests, sponsorship, or funding shall not influence editorial decisions.

17.9 Corrections and Retractions

Articles published in supplements are subject to the same post-publication policies as articles published in regular issues.

Where necessary, the Journal may publish:

  • Corrections (Errata or Corrigenda).
  • Expressions of Concern.
  • Retractions.

Such actions will follow the Journal's editorial policies and COPE guidance.

17.10 Policy Compliance

By submitting a manuscript to a supplementary issue, authors acknowledge and agree to comply with all Journal policies, including those relating to peer review, publication ethics, authorship, conflicts of interest, and research integrity.

References

This policy has been developed in accordance with:

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) – Core Practices.
  • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) Recommendations.
  • World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) Recommendations.
  • Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (DOAJ, COPE, OASPA, WAME).