Policies

It is policy of the Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal (PAFMJ) to publish articles with content pertaining to different fields of medical sciences providing sufficient contribution to medical knowledge. The journal is presently being published bimonthly. PAFMJ is nationally recognized by the Pakistan Medical Council (PMDC), the College of Physicians and Surgeons, Pakistan (CPSP), and the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (HEC). It is included in the “Y” category of HEC journals. The articles may include new experimental methods of medical importance; new interpretation of existing results or data pertaining to clinical problems and epidemiological work giving substantial scientific information pertaining to medical sciences.
All such articles should aim for development of medical concepts rather than mere recording of facts. Incomplete, descriptive observational studies are discouraged from publication as original articles. 

Publications shall not contain anything which discloses Army's decision making process, operational training plans and combat readiness. The content should not put Pakistan and army in disrepute or create rift between state organization, Army and civil population of Pakistan.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
1. To publish original, well documented, peer reviewed clinical and basic sciences articles.
2. To inculcate the habit of medical writing.
3. To enable physicians to remain informed in multiple areas of medicine, including developments in fields other than their own.
4. To share the experience and knowledge for benefit of patients.
5. To document medical problems pertinent to military medicine like high altitude medicine, heat stroke, disaster management etc.
6. To achieve the highest level of ethical medical journalism and to produce a publication that is timely, credible, and enjoyable to read.
7. To include original research describing recent advances in health particularly clinical studies, clinical trials, and assessments of pathogens of diagnostic importance, medical genetics and epidemiological studies.
8. To include various issues in the domain of public health, drug research and medical education as review articles.

EDITORIAL FREEDOM
Chief Editor has full authority over the editorial content of the journal. There is no interference in the evaluation; selection or editing of individual articles either directly or by creating an environment that strongly influences decisions.

 

EDITORIAL OFFICE
The editorial office has been established at AM College, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
The editorial advisory board will be as per following appointments.

Surgeon General

Chairman

Chief Editor PAFMJ/Principal, AM College

Member

Director General Medicine

Member

Director General Surgery

Member

Commandant AFPGMI, RWP

Member

Deputy Surgeon General

Member

DGMS (Navy)

Member

DGMS (Air)

Member

 

A meeting of editorial advisory board is held as often as required to give approval/decision on matters forwarded by editor pertaining to any change in the existing policy, appointment/deletion of any member of the editorial board and any other point.

THE EDITORIAL BOARD
The members of the editorial board are appointed keeping in view their professional competence (advisors) in different fields of medical sciences. The aim is to have members with wide experience in different fields of medical sciences. In addition to senior specialists from Armed Forces, senior professionals from civil sector as well as from foreign countries are co-opted with approval of the editorial advisory board.

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE
An editorial committee consisting of chief editor, editor, joint editor(s), assistant editor(s) and the editorial secretaries meet at least once a month to expedite the business of the journal. The editorial committee follows the guidelines provided by International Committee of medical Journal editors in‖ Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication‖ which can be downloaded from http://www.icmje.org/

PUBLICATION TIMELINES

PAFMJ is a Bi – monthly medical journal. Timelines for print and online publications are as under:-

Issue

Month

Date

1

Jan, Feb

28th Feb

2

Mar, April

30th April

3

May, June

30th June

4

July, Aug

31st Aug

5

Sep, Oct

31st Oct

6

Nov, Dec

31st Dec

 

Supplement Issues

PAFMJ is a Bi – monthly medical journal and has a regular timelines for print and online publications. Supplement issues are collections of articles that deal with related issues or topics, are published as a separate issue of the journal or as part of a regular issue, and may be funded by sources other than the journal’s publisher. Editing by the funding organization is not permitted. The editor retains the authority to send supplement manuscripts for external peer review and to reject manuscripts submitted for the supplement with or without external review. The same principles of authorship and disclosure of relationships and activities are applied to the supplements issues.