Publication Ethics & Malpractices

The Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation is committed to integrity, transparency, and ethical conduct in all phases of the publication process. This policy outlines the expectations for authors, reviewers, and editors, as well as the procedures for handling misconduct.

1. Ethical Approval for Research

Research involving human participants must receive prospective approval from a recognized Ethical Review Committee (ERC) or Institutional Review Board (IRB).

Approval must be on official letterhead, stamped, and signed by the chairperson.

If research does not involve direct human participation, an ERC/IRB exemption (issued before the start of the research) is required.

For case reports:

Approval must be obtained.

Informed consent must be documented, including for publication of identifying details (if any).

Authors must state in the manuscript that ethical standards (e.g., the Declaration of Helsinki) were followed, including participant confidentiality (no names, initials, hospital numbers).

2. Authorship, Contributions, and Responsibility

All listed authors must have made substantial contributions (design, data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, drafting or revising).

All authors must:

Approve the final version.

Take responsibility for the content.

Guest or ghost authorship is not acceptable.

All funding, technical, or material support must be acknowledged.

3. Data Integrity, Accuracy & Originality

Data, images, and text must be genuine, accurate, and not fabricated, falsified, or manipulated.

Authors must avoid:

Plagiarism (words, ideas, illustrations).

Duplicate publication or “salami slicing.”

Self-plagiarism.

Submissions must be original, not published elsewhere, and not under consideration in another journal.

Use of AI-assisted tools must comply with PJR’s AI policy (if applicable), ensuring transparency, verification, and attribution.

4. Conflict of Interest & Disclosure

Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest:

Financial, academic, personal, or professional.

Funding sources must be declared.

Any relationship that could bias the work must be made transparent.

5. Peer Review Process

PJR follows a double-blind peer review system.

Reviewers must:

Provide unbiased, objective, and timely reviews.

Maintain manuscript confidentiality.

Refrain from using unpublished material for their own research.

Disclose conflicts of interest.

The editorial office ensures reviews are fair, professional, and constructive.

6. Misconduct & Handling Complaints

Misconduct includes (but is not limited to):

Plagiarism

Data fabrication/falsification

Duplicate publication

Undisclosed conflicts of interest

Unethical research practices

In cases of alleged misconduct, PJR will investigate according to COPE best practice guidelines, which may involve:

Contacting authors and reviewing documentation

Consulting institutions or ethics bodies

Outcomes may include:

Correction

Retraction

Expression of concern

Retraction will be considered if misconduct compromises public safety or the validity of findings.

7. Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern

Corrections: Issued for honest errors that do not affect study validity.

Retractions: Issued for major errors or misconduct that invalidate results.

Expressions of Concern: Issued when an investigation is ongoing or evidence remains inconclusive.

8. Appeals & Transparency

Authors have the right to appeal editorial decisions.

Appeals must be submitted in writing with justification.

PJR’s appeal process is described in the Author Guidelines.

All ethical policies are publicly available and applied consistently.

9. Responsibilities of Editors

  • Editors must ensure fair treatment of all submissions without discrimination or bias.

  • Editors safeguard the integrity of the academic record.

  • Editors must follow COPE, ICMJE, and other international standards, and enforce ethical policies for authors and reviewers.

10. Reporting Guidelines

To promote clarity, transparency, and reproducibility, authors must follow recognized reporting guidelines relevant to their study type:

CONSORT – Randomized controlled trials

PRISMA – Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

STROBE – Observational studies (cohort, case-control, cross-sectional)

CARE – Case reports

SRQR / COREQ – Qualitative research

Authors must submit the completed checklist (and flow diagram, if applicable) with their manuscript.

Additional study designs should follow resources from the EQUATOR Network.