Pakistan Journal of Rehabilitation
Publication Ethics & Malpractices
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Refrain from using unpublished material for their own research.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
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.