Plagiarism Policy

Editorial Policy

Journal of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (JUPSP)
Published by the Association of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (AUPSP)

1. Journal Overview

The Journal of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (JUPSP) is a peer-reviewed, open-access publication that champions ethically sound, multidisciplinary health research. Editorial independence, scientific excellence, and global inclusivity are at the heart of its mission.

2. Scope of Coverage

JUPSP invites contributions in the following areas:

  • Clinical and surgical medicine
  • Public and community health
  • Biomedical sciences, including AI-integrated research
  • Medical ethics, education, and health policy
  • Translational and multidisciplinary health sciences

Accepted article types: Original research, reviews, case reports, commentaries, innovations, technical briefs, editorials, and perspectives.

3. Editorial Structure & Responsibilities

3.1 Editorial Board

Comprised of qualified experts across disciplines, the board includes:

  • Editor-in-Chief
  • Managing Editor
  • Associate and Section Editors
  • Advisory Panel

3.2 Responsibilities

  • Safeguard editorial independence and uphold global standards
  • Guide the peer review process with fairness and transparency
  • Enforce ethical oversight, corrections, and retractions
  • Promote diversity in content, authorship, and editorial leadership

4. Peer Review Process

4.1 Review Model

Double-blind peer review — authors and reviewers remain anonymous.

4.2 Workflow

  1. Initial screening (scope, formatting, ethics, plagiarism)
  2. Reviewer assignment based on subject relevance
  3. Review cycle: 30–60 days
  4. Decision categories: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, Reject
  5. Final decision by Editor-in-Chief or designated editor

4.3 Ethical Oversight

All practices adhere to:

  • COPE Ethical Guidelines for Peer Reviewers
  • ICMJE standards for editorial decision-making

5. Ethics and Integrity

5.1 Plagiarism & Misconduct

  • Manuscripts must pass plagiarism screening (threshold: ≤15%)
  • Proven misconduct (e.g. falsification, duplicate publication) may trigger retraction and institutional reporting

5.2 Authorship

Based on ICMJE criteria, authors must:

  • Contribute meaningfully to the research
  • Participate in manuscript drafting or revision
  • Approve the final version
  • Accept accountability for its integrity

5.3 Conflicts of Interest

  • Mandatory disclosure from authors, reviewers, and editors
  • Published with accepted articles

5.4 Human & Animal Research

  • IRB/ethics approval and documented informed consent required
  • Animal studies must comply with international standards
  • Clinical trials must be registered prospectively in public databases

5.5 Data Sharing

  • Authors must include a Data Availability Statement
  • Under appropriate safeguards, de-identified datasets may be requested post-publication

6. Copyright and Open Access

6.1 Licensing

All content is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0):

  • Authors retain copyright
  • Others may share, adapt, and redistribute with attribution
  • No permissions required under license terms

6.2 Archiving & Preservation

JUPSP ensures digital preservation via:

  • Indexing platforms (DOAJ, PMC, others)
  • Institutional repositories
  • LOCKSS or PKP Preservation Network (where applicable)

7. Editorial Decisions

7.1 Criteria

Submissions are judged on:

  • Scientific validity and ethical compliance
  • Originality and relevance
  • Contribution to global and multidisciplinary discourse

7.2 Revisions

  • Response time: 2–4 weeks
  • Revisions must be clearly tracked and justified

7.3 Appeals

  • Written appeals reviewed independently
  • Process governed by COPE guidelines for complaints and appeals

8. Corrections & Retractions

8.1 Corrections

Issued when errors do not affect research validity.

8.2 Retractions

Triggered by:

  • Plagiarism or fraud
  • Serious ethical violations
  • Breaches in authorship integrity or data reliability

8.3 Expressions of Concern

Published if ethical issues emerge pending formal investigation.

 9. Indexing & Standards Compliance

JUPSP aligns with editorial and technical standards required by:

Platform

Focus

COPE

Ethics, oversight, correction policies

ICMJE

Authorship, disclosures, clinical trial registry

DOAJ

Open access structure, metadata, licensing

PubMed/PMC

Scientific rigor, XML compatibility, discoverability

Web of Science

Editorial transparency, citation standards

10. Diversity & Community Engagement

JUPSP fosters:

  • Reviewer recognition and training
  • Inclusion of early-career researchers and LMIC voices
  • Transparent editorial policies open to academic scrutiny
  • Collaboration across disciplines and geographies

Editorial Policy

AI in Editorial Workflows
JUPSP editorial staff may use AI tools to assist with policy drafting, submission formatting, and communications. All AI-assisted content is verified by qualified human editors before publication. Editorial decisions regarding manuscript acceptance, ethical compliance, and peer-review management are made solely by humans.

Contact

Editorial Office – JUPSP
Email: journal@aupsp.com
Association of University Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (AUPSP)