Formatting Guide

The different types of manuscripts published in PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ETHICS comprise Editorials, Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Short Communications, Commentaries, Obituaries, and Case Studies. Please see the brief guide to submission for more information.

PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ETHICS follows Vancouver style of referencing, the referencing list for all types of articles must be set accordingly. 

Editorials are short, invited opinions from the author that discuss an issue of immediate importance to the community. Editorials should be no more than 1000 words total, a minimal number of references (definitely no more than 10), and preferably no figures or tables (only 1 from either of the two can be incorporated). Should not have more than 3 authors. 

Original Articles are the most common type of journal manuscripts. The structure of the research article preferred by PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ETHICS includes title, Structured Abstract (including background, methodology, results, and conclusion), Introduction, Keywords, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Conflicts of interests, Acknowledgment, Funding Source & Reference section. (for specific study designs see also CONSORT, STROBE, MOOSE, STARD)

Short Communications may focus on a particular aspect of a problem or a new finding that is expected to have a significant impact. Short Communications are limited to 2500 words. The paper should contain Structured Abstract (including background, methodology, results, and conclusion), Keywords, Main Body, Conclusion, Conflicts of interest, Acknowledgment, Funding Source & Reference section. The manuscript should contain no more than 6 figures or tables, combined. The abstract is limited to 200 words. 

Review Articles provide a comprehensive summary of previous research studies on a certain topic. Reviews commonly cite approximately 100 primary research articles. A review article to be published in PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ETHICS must include Structured Abstract (including background, methodology*, results, and conclusion) Keywords, Main body, followed by Conclusion, Conflicts of interests, Acknowledgment, Funding Source & Reference section.  The main body of the review article can be sub-divided with sub-headings. (for Systematic reviews & meta-analysis see PRISMA guidelines)

*The methodology of a review article must give an overall representation of the methodological approach. The number of articles cited for the literature review, selection criteria, the databases used for literature search, and the papers of which time duration, were focused during the search. 

Case studies make other researchers aware of the possibility that a specific phenomenon might occur. The format of Case Studies includes Structured Abstract (Background, Case Presentation, Management & Results, Conclusion), Keywords, Introduction, Case Presentation, Management & treatment, Results, Discussion, Conflicts of Interest, Acknowledgment, Funding Source & Reference section.

Obituary, PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF ETHICS honors the life and contributions of deceased members in their professions. We welcome you to share your memories of a colleague, friend, or family member in association with the field of sciences, please email an MS Word file to mehak@aeirc-edu.com for details visit guidelines.

Commentary is short focused articles of contemporary interest, these are not mini-reviews or short communications. A Commentary can be a discussion of an article/trial published recently or soon to be published, and its topic must further warrant comment or explanation.

Clinical Cases could be submitted as Brief Reports or Clinical Problem-Solving articles.