This document provides an overview of the editorial process that is divided into three stages, At Submission, After Submission, and After Acceptance / Rejection.  

At Submission

Criteria for publication

The manuscript must be submitted through the online submission system. The article submitted in the category of 'Original Research' presents scientific research of high quality. The experiments performed, analysis and statistical analysis should comply with the high technical standards and must be explained clearly with sufficient details. The manuscript must reach a specific conclusion for readership interest and must be of scientific importance. Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan encourages the use of simple language and small phrases. We expect that regardless of category, the content submitted to the Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan has not been published elsewhere. If the results have been presented as an abstract at a conference, they should be declared at the time of submission.

Who decides which papers to publish?

The Editorial Staff handles the in-house quality check of each manuscript submitted to the journal. The articles which get through the in-house selection are then forward to relevant experts for a blind peer-review. The manuscripts to be published in each issue are selected by the editors, not referees. Although the decision is taken in view of the response from the reviewers. For e.g. the manuscript that is rejected by one of the referees may get published in the journal on the basis of editorial board decision and with other referee’s opinion. The reason for this is, the referee consulted for each manuscript is well-informed with a single field while the editors can look into it from a broader perspective. So, the final decision remains in the hands of the editorial board.  

How to submit a manuscript in the Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan?

Authors are recommended to follow the instructions mentioned in the formatting guide for initial manuscript submission and revisions. The preferred format for submission of the manuscript is Microsoft Word. Manuscripts should be submitted through our online submission system. We recommend authors submit the manuscript with the cover letter. The information provided in the cover letter remains confidential as it is not shared with referees. So it provides an excellent opportunity for the authors to mention the details regarding conflicts of interests or declare any work details that are already under the press or submitted elsewhere. And to express the significance of their submitted work.   

After submission

What happens to a submitted Article or Letter?

On submission, the manuscript is assigned to an editor covering the subject area, who seeks informal assistance from scientific advisors and editorial colleagues and check the manuscript initially according to Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan Guidelines. Special attention is paid to the readability of the manuscript submitted by the editors. In case of in-approval from the editorial board, it is returned back to the author for revision before the initiation of the review process.  The choice of referees is made by the editor who has been assigned to the manuscript. Most papers are sent to two or three referees, but some are sent to more or, occasionally, just to one. Referees are chosen to evaluate the technical and scientific aspects of the paper fully and fairly. On the basis of the review report, the acceptance/rejection letter is issued for the respective manuscript.

Referees' reports

Once accepted to review, it becomes the prime responsibility of the Referees to submit the Referee Report within the issued dates. The Referee Reports identify the technical and scientific issues/errors in the manuscript to be addressed before publication.

Conflicts of Interest

The referees may have conflicts of interest that might influence their opinion regarding the manuscript to be reviewed. Although the manuscript undergoes the blind peer-review process, the reviewer may be involved in some other competing work that may result in biased opinions regarding the specific manuscript. We recommend the Referees disclose all conflicts either professional or commercial. All Referees are requested to check the Guidelines for Reviewers before accepting to review a manuscript.

Speed

The manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan are regulated electronically via the online system. The editors try making decisions regarding the submitted work as quickly as possible. Authors receive the response within a week that rather the respective manuscript is being sent for the review process or requires revised submission. The decision for acceptance/rejection for a submitted manuscript is rapidly taken by the editors once the referee report is received. 

After Acceptance / Rejection

• Manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan undergo at least one round of review. 
• The referee's decision is first communicated in-house between the editorial team and the decision regarding acceptance or rejection of the submitted manuscript is then conveyed through an email to the author.
• The authors are asked to deposit the publication fee for the accepted manuscript for completion of the publication process.
• Authors may be asked for major or minor revisions according to the referees’ report for the accepted manuscript. The final decision on publication is deferred, pending the authors’ response to the referees’ comments. Authors are recommended to follow the instructions in the manuscript preparation & formatting guide for each revised submission.
• Once the revised manuscript is resubmitted and changes are approved by the editors, the manuscript proceeds for publication. The manuscript is subedited (copyedited) to ensure maximum clarity and reach, a process that enhances the value of papers in various ways. The sub-editors recheck the manuscript keenly, for language clarity, and whether the figures and tables are clear and fit in the correct space.
• Authors subsequently receive a copy proof (PDF) of the layout by the sub-editors before publication. It is recommended that corresponding authors circulate the copy proofs between co-authors. The corresponding author on behalf of all co-authors is accountable for the content submitted. The accuracy of the content, sequence of authorship list, and their current affiliation must be recheck by the Corresponding Author before final submission.
• The editors hold no responsibility for the changes that are not reported at the time of copyediting. 
• After the Author's approval, proofs are cycled between the production staff of Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan and upon receiving the final approval, the article is published in the upcoming issue of Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan. If the authors want their article to appear on a specific month or date, they should provide the date with a valid reason.
• The paper may be rejected with no offer to consider a resubmission by the Author. The authors are strongly advised not to resubmit a revision and are allowed to proceed with their manuscript elsewhere.
• Only if the authors feel that they have a strong scientific case for reconsideration (if the referees have missed the point of the paper) they can make an appeal in writing. These appeals must be relevant to the manuscript content. However, manuscripts cannot be submitted elsewhere while an appeal is being considered. The unclear and in general appeals that may contain arguments only and nothing relevant to the content remain unsuccessful.

Appeals

We do respect your opinion and a valuable appeal may lead to reconsideration but, the Journal of Nurses and Midwives Pakistan does not place appeals as a high priority. Authors usually appeal to change referees for the respective manuscript but the editors are unwilling to use new reviewers for the same manuscript because according to the policy, referees are selected keeping in view, their expertise in the field. Assigning new referees may further complicate the process rather than simplifying it.