
Editorial Policies
Pakistan Orthodontic Journal (POJ)
- About the Journal/Overview
- Aim of POJ
- Scope of POJ
- Who is an Author
- Peer review Policy
- Plagiarism Policy
- Confidentiality
- Reprints
- Open access publications
- Ethical Approval of Research
- Patient consent informed and written
- Copyright Policy
- Conflict of Interest Policy
- Manuscript Retraction Policy
- Appeals and complaints
- Scientific misconduct
- Research & Publication Ethics
About the Journal/Overview
The Pakistan Orthodontic Journal is an official publication of the Pakistan Association of Orthodontists (PAO). It is the only premier peer reviewed journal of Orthodontics in Pakistan published biannually (June/December). The journal was founded in 2009 based on the constitutional ideology of the Association and its first publication was in June 2009.
In 2012 the editorial board found it important to bring the journal online, as articles freely available online are more highly cited.
ISSN:2074-0069
Editorial Board of POJ consist of well reputed national and international researchers who are actively contributing in the journal by promoting it at different forums both nationally and internationally.
Recognized by:
- Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) (IP/0067)
- Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan – “Y†category
Indexed in:
- Google Scholar
- Pakmedinet
- Index for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (IMEMR)
Frequency:
POJ is published biannually and is also available on POJ Website.
- Scope and Aims of POJ
Pakistan Orthodontic Journal (POJ) publishes research papers, in the form of original articles, case reports, review articles, viewpoint, systematic analysis and meta-analysis on important topics related to Orthodontics, dentistry and allied health sciences.
The journal aims to promote research culture in Orthodontics. It strives to stimulate debate and disseminate latest and innovative advancements in the field of Orthodontics and dental healthcare practices. It invites and encourages scholars to write original articles and case reports on emerging issues. We particularly aim to promote health standards of developing countries by providing a platform for publishing good quality research.
Study types include randomized controlled trials, qualitative studies, case-control studies, cohort studies, diagnostic test studies, economic evaluations, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, secondary analyses of databases, study pre-protocols, protocols, pilot studies, cross-sectional studies and surveys.
POJ considers research papers addressing research questions in clinical dentistry, public health, epidemiology and allied health sciences. We also welcome studies in health services research, health economics, surgery, qualitative research, research methods, medical education, medical publishing and any other field of dentistry that directly addresses the orthodontic patient outcomes or the practice and delivery of good dental care.
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- Who is an Author?
- ICMJE Criteria for authorship
The journal follows International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ICMJE criteria for authorship which are as follows:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
- Final approval of the version to be published;
- Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to then accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
All authors should fulfill these four criteria.
For detailed ICMJE guidelines see this link:
http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html
- Acknowledgement of Contributions
Contributions from personnel who helped in research and do not meet authorship criteria should be mentioned in acknowledgments. These may include the individuals who assisted in:
- general administrative support
- designing the study
- reviewing the manuscript like technical/ language editing and proof reading.
- statistical analysis
- acquisition of funding
- laboratory procedures
These may be individuals, departments, institutions, pharmaceutical companies and laboratories.
- Changes in list of Authors
Once submitted POJ will not entertain any changes in the names of the authors (deletions or additions). However before final acceptance the corresponding author can generate an email justifying change of authorship or author sequence. The final decision to such applications will only be accepted by the approval of editor in chief.
- Corresponding Authors
Corresponding author has the primary responsibility of communication with the journal. They must be available throughout the submission and processing and should respond timely to the editorial queries. The corresponding author will also provide the journal all the relevant data (data sheets/SPSS data etc.) in support of their results and additional information anytime during the processing of the manuscript or even after publication.
- Deceased Authors
A death dagger should be included next to the deceased author’s name along with date of death in the foot note.
- Peer Review Policy
POJ uses “double blind†reviews upon submission of a manuscript online, in which reviewers and authors are unknown to each other during the whole process. The papers selected by staff editors will be sent to two reviewers. The reviewers are requested to review and respond within two weeks of receiving the manuscript. In case of noncompliance, they are replaced by other suitable reviewer/s to avoid delay in the processing. In case of contradictory reviews by the reviewers, further expert opinion is sought.
- Plagiarism Policy
POJ follows the ICMJE guidelines for authorship that can be retrieved from this link: http://www.icmje.org/.
For plagiarism the journal follows the guidelines of HEC that can be seen at this link:
http://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/Documents/Plagiarism/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf
- All submitted manuscripts are screened for similarity index (SI) on Turnitin software. SI should be less than 19% and 5% from a single source as outlined by HEC. The corresponding author of the manuscripts with SI equal to or more than 19% will be informed regarding the plagiarized material and is required to give an explanation within 15 days. The manuscript processing will not resume until the matter is resolved. In case of an acceptable explanation by the corresponding author, the review process is resumed after necessary changes are made in the manuscript. If the author does not respond within 15 days or the explanation is unsatisfactory, a decision will be taken in editorial board meeting. Depending on the case the manuscript is either accepted after necessary changes or rejected and authors debarred from further publishing in POJ.
- Self-plagiarism
POJ will not tolerate self-plagiarism i.e. recycling/reusing one’s own specific words from previously published work. It is not true theft; however, it can create problems in research publishing world.
It also refers to duplicate publication; publication of identical papers at two places. The best practice is to cite your previous work even if one is revisiting an old idea or observation.
- Articles extracted from thesis/project
Articles extracted from FCPS, MDS, MPhil or PhD thesis/projects must declare the following:
- Title of thesis
- Name of supervisor
- Name of department and university
- Year of submission
- Detailed plagiarism report with SI of thesis/ dissertation
- Open Access Publications
All articles published by POJ are freely available for worldwide readership immediately upon publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0). This means that: Everyone has free and unlimited access to the full content of all articles published in POJ.
The Journal does not charge any fees for any reader to download articles for their own scholarly use.
Benefits of open access for authors, include:
- Free access for all users worldwide
- Increased visibility and readership
- Rapid publication
- No spatial constraint
- Ethical Approval of Research
Submission of IRB form with manuscript is mandatory. Strict adherence to ethical standards should be observed while dealing with subjects. The board / committee should assess the proposal of a research in both ethical and technical aspects before giving a certificate of approval.
- Animal studies
Manuscripts of animal studies should clearly indicate that National Research Council guidelines on care & use of laboratory animals were followed. The guidelines on animal research ethics are available from;
http://veteditors.org/ethicsconsensusguideline.html
- Human studies
Studies on human subjects must indicate explicitly that the procedures followed were in line with the revised “Helsinki Declaration†of 1983. Detailed guidelines are available from the following link:
https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/doh-oct1983/
- Patient Consent Informed and Written
Authors should refer to Helsinki Declaration and ICMJE guidelines for Patient’s rights.
- Any identifying information (names, initials, hospital medical record numbers) should not be given in the manuscripts text, photographs or pedigrees.
- If the information is essential for scientific purposes, written informed consent from the patient (parent or guardian) must be obtained.
- In case of doubt that anonymity can be maintained, informed consent must be obtained. In such case, authors should disclose to the patient that potential identification information might be available online or in print after publication.
- Editor can ask for any such patient consent during processing.
- Therefore, manuscripts must include a statement that informed consent has been obtained from the patient regarding participation in the study as well as inclusion of potentially identifiable information in publication.
- Copyright Policy
Once an article is published the copyright ownership of the article is transferred to the Pakistan Orthodontic Journal. Copy right statement policy is given in the author’s submission form and it should be duly signed by all the authors. In case of rejection of the manuscript, copy rights are transferred back to the author automatically. Material printed in POJ will not be reproduced without the permission of the editors and publishers.
- Conflict of interest
To ensure transparency in the research conduction, writing and publication, the authors, peer reviewers and editors have to declare conflicts of interest regarding financial aspects, academic competitions, and relationships during writing, reviewing and publishing the manuscripts. Details of sponsors along with their roles and access to data should be clearly stated.
- Confidentiality
The editorial board in no way should publicize the work of a researcher in any form unless it is published. They should not publicize the comments and critique given by reviewers. Similarly, the reviewers are bound to keep the confidentiality of the work of researchers during and after the review. The work of researchers and the critique should never be discussed or exemplified in forums. The confidentiality of the researchers should be maintained in every possible way when the documents are sent for review. Reviewers must not retain the manuscript for their personal use and should destroy paper copies of manuscripts and delete electronic copies after submitting their reviews. If a manuscript is rejected, it should be deleted from the editorial system. If an article is published, the manuscript along with its reviews and other relevant documents should be retained for a period of 3 years and then deleted. The only situation where confidentiality needs to be breached is when a situation of fraud or misconduct is found during the review process or after publication. Still, the authors and sometimes the reviewers, have to be notified.
- Reprints
One copy of the POJ will be sent to the corresponding author.
- Manuscript Retraction Policy
In case the author wants to retract the manuscript during processing, they should email the editor in chief stating the reason of the withdrawal. Manuscript will not be considered withdrawn unless all authors receive a formal letter of withdrawal from editor in chief.
- Appeals and Complaints
Authors have the right to appeal against a rejected article. They will do so through a letter addressing the editor in chief giving detailed explanation. A decision will be taken after an internal review of the request. Authors should not submit the revised manuscript at this moment.
- Scientific Misconduct
POJ intends to follows guidelines of Committee on Publication Ethics (SCOPE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME). POJ discourages falsification of data, plagiarism, misappropriation of ideas of others, improprieties of authorship and violation of generally accepted research practices. Strict action will be taken in case of any of the above is proved.
- Research and publication ethics
The editors of POJ enforce a rigorous peer-review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure the addition of high-quality scientific studies. In cases where we become aware of ethical issues, we are committed to investigating and taking necessary action to maintain the integrity of the literature and ensure the safety of research participants.