Instructions For Authors

All material submitted should be sent exclusively to the Journal of Multan Medical and Dental College. Any material already published, submitted or accepted elsewhere should not be submitted. Material submitted should be an original article, a review article, case report, new technique, new advances and letter to editor. Abstract of original article should be structured and of about 250 words. About 2000 words, three tables or illustrations and 3 to 10 keywords are required for original articles. Data should be supported with 15 to 25 references, National and International, maximum 40. Short communication should be of 600 words with non-structured abstract of 150 words, two tables or illustrations and approximate 3-10 reference. Case report should be of 800 words, non-structured abstract of 100-150 words, with maximum 3 -6 key words. Review articles should be consisting of background and recent development, 2500-3000 words and with minimum 40 and maximum 100 references. Its abstract should be non-structured with minimum 3 keywords. Author must have written 3 research articles on the particular topic. Letter to editor should be with maximum 400 words, 5 references and all authors should sign the letter. Editorials are written upon invitation by authorized person.

Manuscript should include Title page (e-mail, phone numbers), abstract, key words, text, acknowledgement, references, tables and illustrations on separate new page. Author should send three hard copies and soft copy typed in M S Word to journal and should keep one copy as reference. Illustration should be sent in duplicate. White bond paper 21.5 cm X 28 cm (8.5” X 11”) with one inch (2.5 cm) margin should be used for manuscript.

Ethical Considerations

All illustrations, Tables, Photographs already published should obtain written permission from author and editor of journal, who published it, previously. In case of photograph, permission of patient should be attached with manuscript or eyes will be blackened out. In case of medicine used, generic name will be written.

Conflict of interest

Author of research articles that there is no conflict of interest him.

Systemic International. Units

Systemic International Units of measurement should be used.

Figure and Photograph

Photo graph must be unmounted glossy print in sharp focus 5X7 inch size. The number of the figure and name of the author should be written on the back side. X-ray, C.T Scan, MRI and photomicrograph should be in digital format. Figure and photograph should be cited in the text in consecutive order. Photograph of published articles will not sent back to author.

Abstract

Structure of format should be with following sub heading (i) objective (ii) design (iii) place and duration  of study   (iv) Results (v) Conclusion (vi) Key Words. Total words required are approximately 250 words with minimum 3 keywords and maximum 10.

Introduction

This part of articles includes brief historical back ground, purpose of study and literature, strictly related to the objective. Number of reference in this part should be 2 to 3 and not more than 10.

Methodology

This part is to explain that what was done? Selected subjects, patients and control should be clearly mentioned. Method and apparatus used should be identified and procedure described in detail so that it may be reproduce by any other person. Chemicals and drugs should be identified by generic name with time, dose and route of administration. Name of specific test used for statistical analysis should be given. P-value and 95% confidence interval limits should be mentioned. Actual number and SPSS output sheet should be attached with the articles.

Result

Text, Table, Data in the tables or illustration should be in logical sequence, not be repeated. Only important observation should be emphasized.

Discussion

Author’s comments on results should be supported with contemporary reference should be the part of discussion. Identical work done by other researcher can be used for comparison and analysis.

Conclusion

Conclusions are view of the author not the opinion of the editorial board.

References

The authors should follow the Vancouver Style in both text and reference section. List of references double spaced, in consecutive numerical order (the order of citation in the manuscript, not alphabetically). Once a reference is cited, all subsequent citations should be to the original numbers. All references must be cited in the text or tables. Unpublished data and personal communications will not be accepted as reference. Reference to journal articles, should include in this order, (1) authors (2) title (3) Journal name as abbreviated in Index Medics (4) year, (5) volume (6) issue number and (7) publisher volume, edition numbers and specific page numbers should be included.

Peer Review

All paper will be read by two editors.

Authorship

Only 6 authors allowed in single institution research. However in multi institutional or in International study, number of authors may be more than six. All authors should belong to same department of institute accept for multi-center, or multi-specialty research.

Reprint

3 copies of journals will be sent to the corresponding author.

Copyright

The journal of Multan Medical and Dental College is the owner of all copyright to any work published by the journal. Journal may not be reproduced without permission of editors.

Plagiarism

Journal of Multan Medical and Dental College (JMMDC) follow the PMDC and HEC guide lines oblige criteria for all types of plagiarism. Manuscript submitted to JMMDC can be sent to HEC, and International agency for authentication of originality. The disciplinary committee of JMMDC will deal with Plagiarism.

Instructions to the Authors / Guidelines for Submission of Research Articles

(Base upon Minimum Requirements for Writing and Editing of Manuscripts

submitted to the Biomedical Journals of International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)

1.1 INTRODUCTION

The Editorial Board of Journal of MMDC decided to adopt the “Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals: writing and Editing for Biomedical Publications, by International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. A brief account of mini-mum requirements is given below for assisting the authors, reviewers and editors, the full text can be read at, (www. icmje.org).

1.2 GENERAL PRINCIPLES

1.2.1 Title Page

The title page should carry the following information:

1.2.1.1 The title of the article. Concise titles are easier to read than long, convoluted ones. Authors should include all information in the title that will make electronic retrieval of the article both sensitive and specific.

1.2.1.2 Authors’ names and Title of the Program.

1.2.1.3 The name of the department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed.

1.2.1.4 Disclaimers, if any.

1.2.1.5 Corresponding authors. The name, mailing address, tele-phone and fax numbers, and e-mail address of the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript.

1.2.1.6 The name and address of the Supervisor / Co-Supervisor (s)

1.2.1.7 Source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, drugs, or all of these.

1.2.1.8 Word counts. A word count for the text only (excluding abstract, acknowledgments, figure legends, and references). A separate word count for the Abstract is also useful for the same reason.

1.2.1. 9 The number of figures and tables.

1.3. Conflict of Interest Notification Page

To prevent the information on potential conflict of interest for authors from being overlooked or misplaced, it is necessary for that information to be part of the manuscript. It should therefore also be included on a separate page or pages immediately following the title page.

1.4. Abstract and KeyWords

An abstract (requirements for length and structured format vary by journal) should follow the title page. The abstract should provide the context or background for the study and should state the study’s purposes, basic procedures (select-ion of study subjects or laboratory animals, observational and analytical methods), main findings (giving specific effect sizes and their statistical significance, if possible), and principal conclusions. It should emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations.

Authors are requested to provide, objectives, methods, results, conclusions and identify, 3 to 10 key words that capture the main topics of the article. These will assist indexers in cross – indexing the article and may be published with the abstract. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus should be used.

1.5. Introduction

Provide a context or background for the study (i.e., the nature of the problem and its significance). State the specific purpose or research objective of, or hypothesis tested by, the study or observation; the research objective is often more sharply focused when stated as a question. Both the main and secondary objectives should be made clear, and any pre-specified sub-group analyses should be described. Give only strictly pertinent references and do not include data or conclusions from the work being reported.

1.6 Patients and Methods

The Methods section should include only information that was available at the time the plan or protocol for the study was written; all information obtained during the conduct of the study belongs in the Results section.

1.6.1 Selection and Description of Participants

Describe your selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including controls) clearly, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. The guiding principle should be clarity about how and why a study was done in a particular way. When authors use variables such as race or ethnicity, they should de-fine how they measured the variables and justify their relevance.

1.6.2 Technical information

Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail to allow other workers to repro-duce the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods (see below); provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them, and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration. Also describe diagnostic or therapeutic procedures if part of the study design.

1.6.3 Statistics

Describe statistical methods with enough detail to enable a knowledgeable reader with access to the original data to verify the reported results. When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify the computer software used.

1.7 Results

Present your results in logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations, giving the main or most important findings first. Do not repeat in the text all the data in the tables or illustrations; emphasize or summarize only important observations.

When data are summarized in the Results section, give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Restrict tables and figures to those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tab-les. Tables should be restricted to maximum 5.

1.8 Discussion

Emphasize the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results section. For experimental studies it is useful to begin the discussion by summarizing briefly the main findings, then explore possible mechanisms or explanations for these findings, compare and contrast the results with other relevant studies, state the limitations of the study, and explore the implications of the findings for future research and for clinical practice.

1.9 Conclusions

Link the conclusions with the goals of the study but avoid unqualified statements and conclusions not adequately supported by the data. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed. State new hypotheses when warranted.

1.10 References

1.10.1 General Considerations Related to References

Although references to review articles can be an efficient way of guiding readers to a body of literature, review articles do not always reflect original work accurately. Small numbers of references to key original papers will often serve.

Avoid using abstracts as references. References to papers accepted but not yet published should be designated as “in press” authors should obtain written per-mission to cite such papers as well as verification that they have been accepted for publication. Information from manuscripts submitted but not accepted should be cited in the text as “unpublished observations” with writ-ten permission from the source. The references should be recent and up to 5 years.

Avoid citing a “personal communication” unless it pro-vides essential information not available from a public source, in which case the name of the person and date of communication should be cited in parentheses in the text. For scientific articles, authors should obtain written permission and confirmation of accuracy from the source of a personal communication.

For articles published in journals indexed in MEDLINE, the Annals of KEMU considers PubMed (http://www.pubmed.gov) the authoritative source for information about retractions.

1.10.2 Reference Style and Format

The Uniform Requirements style is based largely on an ANSI standard style adapted by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) for its databases. For samples of reference citation formats, authors should consult National Library of Medicine web site.

References should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text. Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals. The titles of journals should be abbreviated according to the style used in Index Medicus. Consult the list of Journals Indexed for MEDLINE, published annually as a separate publication by the National Library of Medicine.

1.11 Tables

Tables capture information concisely, and display it efficiently; they also provide information at any desired level of detail and precision. Including data in tables rather than text frequently makes it possible to reduce the length of the text.

Type or print each table with double spacing on a separate sheet of paper. Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each. Do not use internal horizontal or vertical lines. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Authors should place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Be sure that each table is cited in the text.

1.12. Illustrations (Figures)

Figures should be either professionally drawn and photo-graphed, or submitted as photographic quality digital prints. In addition to requiring a version of the figures suitable for printing, Annals of KEMU ask authors for electronic files of figures in a format (e.g., JPEG or GIF) that will produce high quality images in the web version of the journal; authors should review the images.

For x-ray films, scans, and other diagnostic images, as well as pictures of pathology specimens or photomicrographs, send sharp, glossy, black-and-white or color photo-graphic prints, usually 127 x 173 mm (5 x 7 inches). Letters, numbers, and symbols on Figures should therefore be clear and even throughout, and of sufficient size that when reduced for publication each item will still be legible. Figures should be made as self – explanatory as possible, since many will be used directly in slide presentations. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends, however, not on the illustrations themselves.

Photomicrographs should have internal scale markers. Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background.

If photographs of people are used, either the subjects must not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph. When-ever possible permission for publication should be obtained.

Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text.

1.13. Legends for Illustrations (Figures)

Type or print out legends for illustrations using double spacing, starting on a separate page, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations. When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, identify and explain each one clearly in the legend.

1.14 Units of Measurement

Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples.

Temperatures should be in degrees Celsius. Blood pressures should be in millimeters of mercury, unless other units are specifically required.

1.15. Abbreviations and Symbols

Use only standard abbreviations; the use of non-standard abbreviations can be extremely confusing to readers. Avoid abbreviations in the title. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement.

LETTER OF AUTHORSHIP

Dear Editor:

This is to confirm that the manuscript titled ____________________________________ submitted for publication in the journal Journal of MMDC has been read and approved by all authors. We, the authors, confirm that:

1. The article has not been published in any other journal;
2. Is being submitted exclusively to Journal of MMDC; and
3. If accepted for publication, it will not be published in any other national or international medical journal.
4. We transfer the copyrights of this manuscript to the Journal of MMDC.
5. We have disclosed the conflict of interests, funding source and ethical permission.
6. The Submitted article is Original Research Article  Case Report  Other (Specify)

S. No.	Author’s Full Name with Designation & Institution	Contributions to the Paper (Please Give Brief Description of the Role of Each Author Separately)	Authors Signature
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Electronic signatures will be considered valid for all articles submitted using the online article submission services.

AUTHORSHIP CRITERIA

As per ICMJE guidelines the authorship should be based on the following criteria.

1. Substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published. All those who meet the above three conditions are eligible to be included as Authors in the manuscript.
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved. When a large multicenter group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship/contributor ship defined above. Acquisition of funding, collection of data, general supervision of the research group does not qualify any one to be an author. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgment section.

SUBMISSION FORMAT

It is my pleasure to receive your manuscript for publication in Journal of MMDC. Your manuscript should be in the following format. No other headings or bullets are required according to the policy of Journal of MMDC.

Abstract: (250 words for original research article)

1. 1. Objectives
2. 2. Methods
3. Results
4. Conclusions
5. Key words

Main Body of Manuscript

1. Introduction
2. Patients and Methods
3. 3. Results
4. Discussion
5. 5. Conclusion
6. References (Maximum 25 references. International journals up to 5 years and national journals upto10 years can be cited)

I acknowledge that I have read and ensure that my submission follows above said instructions.

Principal / Corresponding Author Name: Signature

 2.0 Journal of MMDC Submission Process (Steps from Submission till Publication)

Confidentiality/ Privacy Policy

3.1 This Policy is applicable to all publications in the course of work or study at the College or with College Support and submitted to the research journal of the College.

3.2 Editorial Board and all members of Editorial team in Journal of MMDC will treat all manuscripts submitted in confidence. Journal of MMDC adheres to ICMJE criteria for confidentiality.

3.3 Members of Editorial Board and reviewers are therefore required to respect the confidentiality of the peer review process and not reveal any details of a manuscript or its review, during or after the peer-review process, beyond the information released by the journal. If reviewers wish to involve a colleague in the review process they should first obtain permission from the journal. The Editor should be informed of the names of experts who assisted in the review process and provide their signatures on the report.

Misconduct

4.1 This Policy of Misconduct is applicable to authors, reviewers, editorial board members, and advisory board of Journal of MMDC.

4.2 Journal of MMDC takes seriously all allegations of potential misconduct.

4.3 In cases of suspected research or publication misconduct, it may be necessary for the Editor to contact and share manuscripts with Principal MMDC for further action.

4.4 The regulatory authorities, for example, Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC), author(s)’ institution(s) and ethics committee(s) and relevant institutions may be informed to deal with cases of suspected misconduct through the office of Principal.

4.5 Research misconduct is unethical research involving humans (including human data and human material) and animals those are carried out without an appropriate ethical framework and approvals. If there is suspicion that research has not taken place within an appropriate ethical framework, the Editor may reject a manuscript and may inform the Principal MMDC, and may recommend information to author(s)’ institution(s) and ethics committee(s).

4.6 During publication process if objections are raised during or after the peer review process will be referred to the Editor, who will request the original data from the author(s) for comparison with the results and conclusions. If the original data cannot be produced in time, the manuscript may be rejected or, in the case of a published article, retracted. Any case in which the manipulation affects the interpretation of the data will result in rejection or retraction. Cases of suspected misconduct will be reported to the Principal MMDC.

 Plagiarism Policy

5.1 Journal of MMDC adopted Plagiarism Policy formulated by Higher Education Commission (HEC).

5.2 All research submitted to Journal of MMDC will be evaluated for plagiarism report and similarity index through software ‘Turnitin’. Acceptability limit for similarity in submitted manuscript should be less than 19% and not more than 5% from single source.

5.3. Reporting of alleged plagiarism will be considered only when a complaint duly signed made by email, post, fax or other means to office of Journal of MMDC or respective department. In case of lodging a complaint following information is to be provided:

5.3.1 Citation of the original paper or document or idea which was plagiarized, (paper title, author(s), publication title, month and year of publication if available and the journal, in which published, with details). If the original paper is unpublished (e.g. an institutional technical report, an on-line paper), the complainant is to provide as much information as possible to ensure authenticity of the claim.

5.3.2 The citation of the alleged plagiarizing paper (paper title, author(s), publication title, month and year of publication if available and the journal with details in which published). If the paper is unpublished (e.g. an institutional technical report, an on-line paper), the complainant is to provide as much information as possible to ensure proper investigation.

5.3.3 Name, designation, signatures, organization, address, e-mail address and telephone number of the complainant.

5.4. Upon receipt of an allegation of Plagiarism, the office of Journal of MMDC will request the Principal to carry out investigation.

5.5 For investigation of Plagiarism cases, the Principal will have an obligation to:

1. a) Plagiarism Standing Committee consisted of faculty members, a subject specialist in that particular field is to be coopted, and a nominee of the HEC. of the individual being investigated upon and the nature and gravity of the offence.
2. b) Provide a guideline, prepared by HEC for the functioning of the "Plagiarism Standing Committee", to all members of the Committee.
3. c) Plagiarism Standing Committee investigation.
4. d) Plagiarism Standing Committee confidentiality statement that during the investigation they will, under no circumstances, disclose any individual author's name, paper titles, referees, or any other personal or specific information concerning the plagiarism complaint under investigation, nor shall they reveal the names of the committee members.
5. e) Provide opportunity to the author / authors under investigation to justify the originality of their concepts and research work. Similar opportunity will also be provided to the author whose paper is deemed to have been Plagiarized and / or the complainant, to justify the complaint.
6. f) Use all foreseeable means to investigate the plagiarism claim.

5.6. The Plagiarism Standing Committee shall then conduct the investigation. Depending on the details of the claim, the investigation may include, but may not be limited to, any or all of the following steps:

1. a) Software and automated tests for content similarity.
2. b) Determination of the extent and quantum of significant material plagiarized.
3. c) Soliciting comments to the claim, from the Editor-in-Chief (of a journal) or Program Chair (of conference proceedings) and referees of either or both papers.
4. d) Consultation with legal counsel.
5. e) Consult / contact witnesses and record statements there-of if so required.
6. f) Consult / contact present and / or past employers of the authors.

5.7 Plagiarism Standing Committee submit its report with clear cut findings and recommendations to the Principal within a specified period not exceeding sixty days. The Principal will have the discretion to implement the recommendations after approval through the statutory process and take punitive action against the offender as per penalties prescribed under this policy or to forward the report to HEC or his / her parent organization for further action if outside their purview / jurisdiction.

5.8 Penalties for Plagiarism are adopted from HEC as plagiarism is an intellectual crime.

5.8.1"Plagiarism Standing Committee" in its recommendations, DEPENDING UPON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROVEN OFFENCE, will advise the Competent Authority of the Organization, to take any one or a combination of the following disciplinary action(s) against the teacher, researcher and / or staff found guilty of the offence:

 (i) Major Penalty:

In cases where most of the paper (or key results) have been exactly copied from any published work of other people without giving the reference to the original work, then (a) a major penalty of dismissal from service needs to be prescribed, along with (b) the offender may be any academic / research organization author(s) may be published in the print media or may be publicized on different websites at the discretion of the Principal.

(ii) Moderate Penalty:

In case where some paragraphs including some key results have been copied without citation, then a moderate penalty involving any one or both of the following needs to be imposed (a) demotion to the next lower grade, (b) which may be published in the print media or may be publicized on different websites at the discretion of the Vice-Chancellor.

(iii) Minor Penalty:

 In case a few paragraphs have been copied from an external source without giving reference of that work, then minor penalties need to be prescribed for a specified period involving any one or more of the following: (a) warning, (b) freezing of all research grants, (c) the promotions/annual increments of the offender may be stopped, for a specified period and (d) HEC or the University / Organization may debar the offender from sponsorship of research funding, travel grant, supervision of Ph.D. students, scholarship, fellowship or any other

 5.8.2 Students: When an act of plagiarism is found to have occurred, the "Plagiarism Standing Committee" in its recommendations, DEPENDING UPON THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROVEN OFFENCE, will advise the Vice Chancellor / Head of the Organization, to take any one or a combination of the following disciplinary action(s) against the student(s) found guilty of the offence:

(i) In the case of thesis the responsibility of plagiarism will be of the student and not of the supervisor or members of the Supervisory Committee.

(ii) The offender may be expelled/ rusticated from the University and from joining any institution of Higher Education in Pakistan for a period as deemed appropriate by the "Plagiarism Standing CommitteeA notice may be circulated among all academic institutions and research organization to this effect.

(iii) The offender may be relegated to a lower class.

(iv) The offender may be given a failure grade in the subject.

(v) The offender may be fined an amount as deemed appropriate.

(vi) The offender may be given a written warning if the offence is minor and is committed for the first time.

(vii) The degree of a student may be withdrawn if AT ANY TIME it is proven that he or she has presented Plagiarized work in his / her MS, MPhil or PhD dissertation or research paper as requirement if the extent of plagiarism comes under the category of major penalty.

(viii) The notification of the plagiarism by the author(s) may be published in the print media or may be publicized on different websites at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization.

(ix) HEC or the University / Organization may debar the offender from sponsorship of research funding, travel grant, scholarship, fellowship or any other funded program for a period as deemed appropriate by the "Plagiarism Standing Committee".

5.8.3 Co-Authors/Declarations 1. Provided that a co-author has listed a paper in his/her resume and applied for a benefit forthwith, any co-author is deemed to be equally responsible for any plagiarism committed in a published paper presented to or published in a journal or presented at a conference. 2. All Journals in Pakistan must require ALL authors to sign a declaration that the material presented in the creative work is not plagiarized (Sample Attached) 12. Additional Actions Required: In addition to the above punishments, the following additional common actions must be taken if the offence of Plagiarism is established:

1. a) If the plagiarized paper is accessible on the web page its access will be removed. The paper itself will be kept in the database for future research or legal purposes.
2. b) The author(s) will be asked to write a formal letter of apology to the authors of the Original paper that was plagiarized, including an admission of plagiarism. Should the author(s) refuse to comply then additional punishments as deemed fit may be recommended by the "Plagiarism Standing Committee.
3. c) If the paper is submitted but not published yet, the paper will be rejected by the Editor-in-Chief without further revisions and without any further plagiarism investigation conducted. However, Warning may be issued to the author/ co-author.

5.8.4. Appeal for review: As the penalties are severe, the affected person(s) will have the right to appeal to the Chairman HEC / Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization for a review of the findings or may submit a mercy petition within 30 days from the date of notification. Such appeals / petitions will be disposed off within 60 days of receipt, by following the laid down procedures regarding such appeals.

5.8.5. Penalty for Wrong Reporting / False Allegation: If the case of Plagiarism is not proved and it is confirmed that a false allegation was lodged, the Vice Chancellor / Rector / Head of the Organization will inform Organization and will recommend strict disciplinary action against the complainant, to be taken by his / her parent organization.

 Corrections and retractions

6.1 This Policy is applicable to all publications in Journal of MMDC. Honest errors are a part of science and publishing and require publication of a correction when they are detected. Corrections are needed for errors of fact. Matters of debate are best handled as letters to the editor, as print or electronic correspondence, or as posts in a journal-sponsored online forum.

6.2 If a correction is needed, Journal of MMDC will follow these standards:

6.2.1 The journal should publish a correction notice as soon as possible detailing changes from and citing the original publication; the correction should be on an electronic or numbered print page that is included in an electronic or a print Table of Contents to ensure proper indexing.

6.2.2 The Journal of MMDC shall post a new article version with details of the changes from the original version and the date(s) on which the changes were made. The journal shall archive all prior versions of the article. This archive can be either directly accessible to readers or can be made available to the reader on request. Previous electronic versions shall prominently display a note that there are more recent versions of the article after correction and citation should be to the most recent version.

6.2.3 Errors serious enough to invalidate a paper’s results and conclusions may require retraction.

6.2.4 In cases of proven research misconduct or publication misconduct involving published articles, or where the scientific integrity of the article is significantly undermined, articles may be retracted.

Timelines of Manuscript Publication

Each manuscript submitted to Journal of MMDC has proceed for plagiarism check, section review, peer review (internal / external review), statistical and references check. Minimum three months are required for final outcome regarding acceptance / rejection after official submission.