Submissions

Author Guidelines

Undertaking by Authors

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

PREPARATION OF MANUSCRIPT

The main document with the text and tables of the manuscript should be prepared in Microsoft word and must conform to acceptable English usage. The manuscript prepared double space with a 0.5-inch margin on both sides and a 1-inch margin at the bottom and top. Alignment justified throughout; continuous line number page number should be added at bottom right corner.

The arrangement of the section is as follows title page, abstract, main text, methodology, units’ measurements, tables, illustration, result, discussion/conclusion, acknowledgments, author contribution, conflict of interest, and references, the author should be limited to a minimum.                The abbreviation is not to be used in titles. Abstracts may contain abbreviations for terms mentioned many times in the time it is used. Do not start a sentence with a number. Description of a gene or related structures in a manuscript should include the names and official symbols provided by the US national center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).

The AJDM will accept Original Articles, Review Articles, Case Reports, Short Communications, Case Studies, Letters to the Editor, Commentary, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice (KAP) studies, survey reports, and cross-sectional studies.

The manuscript should follow the EQUATOR (Enhancing the Quality and Transparency Of Health Research) Network (https://www.equator-network.org/reporting-guidelines/), whose main aim is to enhance the quality of research publications. The following EQUATOR guidelines are mandatory and should be followed by authors:

Randomized controlled trials – CONSORT (https://www.consort-spirit.org/)

Systematic reviews – PRISMA (https://www.prisma-statement.org/)

Observational studies – STROBE (https://www.strobe-statement.org/)

Case reports – CARE (https://www.care-statement.org/)

Qualitative research – COREQ (https://academic.oup.com/intqhc/article/19/6/349/1791966)

Pre-clinical animal studies – ARRIVE (https://arriveguidelines.org/)

The AJDM strictly follows ICMJE (https://www.icmje.org/) and COPE (https://publicationethics.org/ ) guidelines and regulations.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

A: TITLE PAGE:

General information about an article and its authors is presented on a manuscript title page and usually includes the article title, author information, any disclaimers, sources of support, word count, and sometimes the number of tables and figures.

A.1: Article title: The title provides a description of the complete article and should include information that, along with the abstract, will make electronic retrieval of the article sensitive and specific. Electronic submission systems may restrict the number of characters in the title.

A.2: Author information: Each author's highest academic degree should be listed. The name of the department(s) and institution(s) or organizations where the work should be attributed should be specified. Electronic submission systems require that authors provide full contact information, including landmail and e-mail addresses, but the title page should list the corresponding authors' telephone and e-mail addresses.

A.3: Disclaimers: An example of a disclaimer is an author's statement that the views expressed in the submitted article are his or her own and not an official position of the institution or funder.

A.4: Source(s) of support: These include grants, equipment, drugs, and/or other support that facilitated the conduct of the work described in the article or the writing of the article itself.

A.5: Word count. A word count for the paper's text, excluding its abstract, acknowledgments, tables, figure legends, and references, allows editors and reviewers to assess whether the information contained in the paper warrants the paper's length and whether the submitted manuscript fits within the journal's formats and word limits. A separate word count for the abstract is useful for the same reason.

B: ABSTRACT

A structured abstract of up to 250 words and 3-7 relevant keywords are required for the following articles categories: Original articles, Narrative Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Meta-analysis.

Abstracts for Case Reports and Short Communication should be unstructured (200 words), an abstract should state the purpose, duration, location, basic procedure, main findings, and conclusion of the study. The abstract should not contain abbreviations or references.

Abstract for an original article, Systemic Review, and Meta-analysis should be in a structured format with the following subheadings:

B.1: Objective: Briefly explain the importance of the study topic and state a precise study question/purpose/objective.

B.2: Materials and methods: Briefly introduce the methods used to perform the study, including information on study design, setting, subjects, interventions, outcome measures, and analysis as appropriate.

B.3: Results: Briefly present the significant results, with data and statistical details, be sure that the information in the abstract matches that in the main text.

B.4: Conclusion: State the meaning of your findings, be careful to address the study question directly, and confine your conclusion to aspects covered in the abstract, give equal emphasis to positive and negative findings.5

B.5: Keywords: should be ideally taken from the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) list of Index Medicus.

C: MAIN TEXT

The main text of Original Articles, Systematic Reviews, Meta-analysis, and Short Communication should be organized into the following sections: Introduction, Materials, and Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions. Present a background of the case including the known facts about disease presentation, diagnosis, management, and side effects of treatment relevant to the study. The background and essential research questions should be laid out, clearly with detailed relevant references to the published literature. The original article should be according to STROBE guidelines. The Systematic Review and Meta-analysis must follow the PRISMA guidelines.

Moreover, the author can use a subheading for clarification and ease of reading.

The Case Reports / Case Series should be presented with Introduction, Case Presentation, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgment, Conflict of interest. Ethical statements, supplementary materials (if any), Authors Contribution, References, Tables, and Figures (each table and picture complete with title and endnote) should be added at the bottom. For all article categories, each section should begin on a new page.

D: ABBREVIATION

Use only standard abbreviations; the use of nonstandard abbreviations can be confusing to readers. Avoid abbreviations in the title of the manuscript. The spelled-out abbreviation followed by the abbreviation in parenthesis should be used on the first mention unless the abbreviation is a standard unit of measurement. Ensure that an abbreviation so defined does appear later in the text (excluding in figure/tables), otherwise, it should be deleted.

E: MATERIALS AND METHODS

The guiding principle of the methods section should be clarified about how and why a study was done in a particular way. The method section should aim to be sufficiently detailed such that others with access to the data would be able to reproduce the results. In general, the study design, duration, place, and sampling methods should be mentioned.

The selection of the observational or experimental subjects (patients or experimental animals, including controls) should be described clearly. The methods and the apparatus used should be identified (with the manufacturer's name and address in parentheses), and procedures are described in sufficient detail to allow other workers to reproduce the results. References to established methods should be given, including statistical methods. For statistical analysis, the specific test used should be named.

The methods section should include a statement indicating that the research was approved by an independent local, regional, or national review body (e.g., ethics committee, institutional review board). If doubt exists whether the research was conducted following the Helsinki Declaration, the authors must explain the rationale for their approach and demonstrate that the local, regional or national review body explicitly approved the doubtful aspects of the study.

F: 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.

Data should be placed clearly and concisely and do not repeat the results stated in tables in the text. Tables should be numbered consecutively and cited in the results. Arabic numerals should be used. If any data or table has been included from a published article, the source should be given. The tables should be placed at the end of the manuscript, not scattered throughout the manuscript.

The tables should be designed on MS Word or MS Excel. They should be supplied as editable files, not pasted as images. The title should be short and explanatory and written on top of the table. All abbreviations must be defined in footnotes.

G: ILLUSTRATIONS (FIGURES)

Digital images of manuscript illustrations should be submitted in a suitable format for print publication. Most submission systems have detailed instructions on the quality of images and check them after manuscript upload. Figures and pictures should begin with the term figure followed by figure number (e.g., Figure 6). Although authors are encouraged to send the highest-quality figures possible, for peer-review purposes, a wide variety of formats, sizes, and resolutions are accepted. Figures and pictures should clarify and augment the text. For x-ray films, scans, and other diagnostic images, pictures of pathology specimens, or photomicrographs, high-resolution photographic image files are recommended. Place all the figures at the end of the manuscript, and not scattered throughout the manuscript. Titles should be placed below the figure.

In the manuscript, legends for illustrations should be 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.5

H: RESULT

These should be presented in a logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. All the data in the tables or illustrations should not be repeated in the text; only important observations should be emphasized or summarized with the due statement of demographic details.

Extra or supplementary materials and technical details can be placed in an appendix where they will be accessible but will not interrupt the flow of the text, or they can be published solely in the electronic version of the journal. Give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated.

Separate reporting of data by demographic variables, such as age and sex, facilitate the pooling of data for subgroups across studies and should be routine unless there are compelling reasons not to stratify reporting, which should be explained.

I: DISCUSSION

The discussion should begin with a summary of the main results. These are then discussed with the results of other published studies. Any new findings of the research should be emphasized and the relevance should be stated. These can be used for future research or clinical practice. Details of methodology or introduction should not be included in the discussion. Do not repeat in detail data or other information given in other parts of the manuscript, such as in the introduction or the results section. Limitations of the study should be stated at the end of the discussion in a separate paragraph.

J: AUTHORS CONTRIBUTION

The individual contribution of all the authors to the work described in the manuscript will be published with the Manuscript. Once the manuscript is submitted, the order of authors cannot be changed without written consent from all the authors.

All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the acknowledgments section.

K: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This section acknowledges anyone who contributed towards the study by making contributions like arranging for funds, general supervision or contribution of materials essential for the study, or technical assistance. Authors must obtain permission from all persons mentioned in this section to acknowledge them.

If text and/or figures are being reprinted with the permission of an author or publisher, acknowledge them in this section.

L: 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 by the journal.

Journals vary in the units they use for reporting hematologic, clinical chemistry, and other measurements. Authors must consult the Information for authors of the particular journal and should report laboratory information in both local and international systems of Units (SI).

Editors may request that authors add alternative or non-SI units since SI units are not universally used. Drug concentrations may be reported in either SI or mass units, but the alternative should be provided in parentheses where appropriate.

M: CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The reviewer should point out if they consider any conflict of interest or authors need to make any disclosure, associations that might be construed as a conflict of interest authors must disclose any conflict of interest.

All funding sources supporting the work, and institutional affiliation of the author (s), should be acknowledged here. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should still include this heading and write “No to declare.” or “Authors reports no conflict of interest”.

N: REFERENCE

References should adhere strictly to the Vancouver Style. Each reference must be assigned a sequential numerical superscript in the text and subsequently arranged in the reference section in the corresponding numerical order.

A few examples of references listed in the Vancouver Style can be seen below.

Journal Reference:

Smith, J.A., Johnson, R.W., Williams, L.M. The attitude of dental students toward COVID-19 pandemic. Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine, or Altamash J Dent Med 2022; 10(3): 245-252. DOI: 10.1234/ajdm.2022.123456789.

Book Reference:

Alnasir SD. Dental impression techniques in fixed prosthodontics. ed. 2nd, London: SAGE; 2006.

Book Chapter Reference

Johnson, L.M., Anderson, B.E. "Renal, Hepatic, and Pancreatic Physiology." In: Thompson EC, Davis MJ, Jenkins PS, Williams QL, Turner A, Eds. Surgical Physiology: Fundamentals and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Chicago; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2018: p.211-44.

URL (WebPage):

Necrotizing Periodontitis, Adult. Universiti Sains Malaysia, College of Dentistry, Department of Periodontology and vision sciences. http://disorders.gingiva.USM.edu/gingiva/necrotizinf periodontitis adult. (Accessed on 8/14/2022).

E-citations

When citing articles or materials published exclusively online or in open access, it is essential to include accurate web addresses (URLs) at the end of the references, unless the source is posted on an author's website, in which case URLs are included only if editorially essential.

Radiographic depiction of dental caries [Online]. Accessible at: https://367ADA.com/caries/766 [Accessed 01 December 2022].

Some important points to remember

All references must be complete and accurate. Authors should provide direct references to original research sources whenever possible. References should not be used by authors, editors, or peer reviewers to promote self-interests. The list must be numbered serially in the order in which the references appear in the text and typed double-spaced on separate sheets. References shall be latest (preferably last 5 years) local and international, The journal follows the Vancouver (now known as ICMJE) style of referencing.

• In the text, references should be cited using superscript Arabic numerals in the order in which they appear (the actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given).

• If you wish to cite two or more references together, place a comma between the numbers.

• Vancouver Style does not use full journal name, only the commonly used abbreviation. journal-title abbreviations should be those used by U.S National Library Medicine. If you are uncertain about the correct abbreviation for the journal title.

• Journal abbreviations must follow the style used in Cumulated index Medicos. Book references shall include, in the following order: names of the first 6 authors, chapter title, editor (s) book title, volume (if any), edition (if any), city, publisher, year, and pages of citation (if any).

• Book title, chapter, section title, and article capitalize the first letter of the first, proper noun, proper adjectives, and acronyms.

• List all authors. Up to six authors are allowed, for more than six authors, please include an advocate letter with the manuscript.

• Self-citation should be avoided.

O: AUTHORSHIP 

Authorship should be granted to individuals meeting all four of the following criteria:

1. Substantial Contributions

   • Contributions to the conception or design of the work, or
   • Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.

2. Drafting and Critical Revision

   • Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

3. Approval

   • Providing final approval of the version to be published.

4. Accountability

   • Agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Contributors who do not meet these criteria for authorship should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgment section, specifying their role in supporting the work.

P. Ethics Committee Approval
All manuscripts submitted to the Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine (AJDM) involving human subjects must be accompanied by a certificate of approval from the relevant Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics and Review Committee (ERC).

Q. Ethical Consent
For manuscripts reporting experimental investigations involving human subjects, a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from each subject, or their legal guardian, must be included. This should be in accordance with the approval of the experimental protocol by the local human ethics and review committee.

ARTICLE CATEGORIES

The type of manuscript accepted for publication in AJDM includes.

A: ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

• A manuscript will be considered in the original article category if it is a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) or an Observational Study. RCT should be registered with International RCT Registry (Trial Registration Number mandatory).

• The cross-sectional/case-control studies should be according to the STROBE guidelines.

• The trial/experimental clinical should be according to CONSORT guidelines.

• Retrospective studies with an adequate sample size supported by appropriate advance statistical analysis may also be considered in this category.

• The original paper should be of up to 2000 words excluding abstract and references. It should contain a structured abstract of up to 250 words.

• The keywords should include the terms not used in the title

• There should be no more than three tables or illustrations.5

• The data should be supported by sufficient numbers and relevant references up to 20 or 25 references, which should include local as well as international references. Maximum references should be from the last five years from the date of submission.

B: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW:

• A structured abstract of 200 words, including the details for background, objectives, methodology with PRISMA guidelines, results, conclusion, and keywords.

• Rest areas should be written focusing on the Introduction, methodology based upon all recommended details of PRISMA guidelines https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge core/content/view/S1443964600002217 results, discussion, conclusion, limitations, and recommendations.

• The latest references should be written in

Vancouver style.

• Maximum of 75 references
• Section headings of the main text should be the

same as original articles.

C: CASE REPORT/CASE SERIES

• Unstructured abstract: Not more than 200 words.
• Case\case series should be according to CARE

guidelines.

• Keywords up to 4.
• Maximum word count: 1500-1700.
• Maximum 15 references (Case Series).
• Maximum 10 references (Case report).
• Up to 3 tables and or figures shall be accepted.

D: SHORT COMMUNICATION:

• Should have a maximum of 1200 words including non-structured abstract of 150-200 words with 3-4 keywords.
• Maximum 2 table or figure.
• Maximum of 10-20 references.
• Communication regarding a research study should be written in plain text (without heading) but containing a brief Introduction, Methods, results, and discussion in separate paragraphs and references (up to 10).

• Short communication regarding some topic review should comprise of non-structured abstract, Introduction, Methods, Search results, Discussion, and references, maximum 20.

E: LETTER TO THE EDITORS

• Abstract and Keywords: Not required
• Maximum word count of text: 500 words
• Maximum of 5 recent references
• Maximum 1 allowed table or figure
• Should not be signed by more than 3 authors
• Preferably, no section heading is required in the main text, however, state acknowledgment (if any), disclaimer, conflict of interest, ethical statement, and authors contribution before the references.
• Letter to the Editor may be edited for clarity or length and may be subject to Peer review at the editor discretion.

F: COMMENTARY

The submission should adhere to a maximum length of 10 manuscript pages. A succinct and well-constructed commentary spanning four to six pages is recommended, as it is more likely to be favorably received compared to a lengthy and unfocused 10-page counterpart.

• The author is requested not to summarize the focal article and to just give the reference. They need to assume the reader has just read it and move directly to identifying the key issues you want to raise.
• They should not include general praise for the focal article.
• They should use only essential citations. For commentary purposes, cite only works absolutely essential to support your point.
• A short title that emphasizes your key message should be used. (It should be clear in context that all commentaries are a reaction to a particular paper).
• They may include a non structured abstract.
• They need to make clear your take-home message.
• Preferably, section headings are required in the main text, However, the authors team may mention acknowledgment (s) (if any), disclaimer, conflict of interest and authors contribution (s) before the references.
• They need to make sure there is full author information (name, affiliation, address, phone, email) for all authors.

Publication Misconduct

• When potential publication misconduct is detected, the journal contacts the corresponding author and asks for an explanation based on the evidence.

• If the authors do not respond or their explanation isn't enough, the journal takes steps including rejecting the manuscript (if unpublished) or retracting it (if published).

• Journal retractions are announced in both print and online versions of the journal. Authors involved are blacklisted, meaning they can't submit future manuscripts to the journal.

• To combat plagiarism and other unethical publishing practices, including fabrication, falsification, salami slicing, duplicate submission, redundant publication, multiple submission, and misleading reporting or referencing, we will be adopting strict measures.

Permission for Re-Publication

• A permission letter, obtained from both author(s) and editor of the original (previous) publication, is mandatory for including previously published tables, illustrations, or photographs in your current work.

• Written authorization to reproduce photographs of patients, where their identity is not concealed, must accompany the manuscript. In the absence of such permission, the eyes of the individuals should be obscured. If a medication is referenced, it is essential to use the generic name; however, the commercial name may be mentioned within brackets only if deemed necessary.

• A conflict of interest declaration is required from authors, revealing any financial relationships with the producers of referenced medicines, devices, or materials.

• Declare any other potential conflicts of interest beyond financial ties. Interventional studies require ethical approval from your Institutional Ethical and Research Committee before submission.

• Authors of interventional studies must thoroughly discuss ethical concerns related to the intervention itself, any additional testing costs, and particularly the management of control groups in case-control comparison trials. Additionally, researchers affiliated with multiple institutions need to provide letters of permission from the relevant ethics boards or institute heads as proof of affiliation.

Address for correspondence:

The  Editor, AJDM

Research Development and Review Cell, Altamash Institute of

Dental Medicine

2-R, Sunset Boulevard, Defense Housing Authority, 75500, Karachi.

Tel: +92-35821958

E-mail: rdrc@altamash.pk; drnaseerahmed@altamash.pk 

Website: https://ajdm.altamash.edu.pk/index.php/ojs3/index

OPEN ACCESS POLICY

Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine is a fully open-access journal. Online publication will allow the author to use and share their published article with others under the agreement described in the licensing rights with creative commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), with appropriate attribution to AJDM. However, re-submission of the full article or any part for publication by a third party would require prior permission from the AJDM.

PEER-REVIEW POLICY

AJDM has a uniform and structured, double-blind peer-review process during which all manuscripts go through certain steps before a manuscript is accepted for publication. A manuscript goes through the following steps during the AJDM review process.

1. After receiving a manuscript will be sent for initial Editorial review, to assess whether the submitted manuscript is written according to AJDM authors guidelines and format and suitable for review or not. If the manuscript suitable it will be further processed, otherwise the corresponding author is asked to re-submit the manuscript after making necessary amendments as per AJDM guidelines and format.
2. The corresponding author can tracked the progress of the review process, through the log in account created and link will also be shared in the acknowledgement.
3. Editorial Review, upon receipt of a manuscript, AJDM promptly conducts a plagiarism check utilizing the"Turnitin" software. Should the detected plagiarism be below the threshold of 19%, the article becomes eligible forpeer-review. This entire process is completed within 48 hours of the manuscript submission.
4. The article undergoes a comprehensive review process consisting of two distinct rounds: the initial review and the subsequent round, facilitating a thorough evaluation of its content and scholarly merit. In the first round the reviewers are allotted the article for review and they are requested to submit their reviews within a week.
5. Following the completion of the reviews, the feedback is communicated to the author for necessary revisions. Subsequently, the revised document is resubmitted for further evaluation. The entire cycle of review, revision, and re-submission may extend up to a maximum duration of two weeks.
6. After receiving the amended version from the author, the manuscript will be evaluated by the editorial committee to see whether necessary amendments advised by reviewers were incorporated in the manuscript properly or not and whether the manuscript needs further review or not.
7. Throughout the entirety of this procedure, if plagiarism exceeding the threshold of 19% is identified, the entire process is immediately halted. The matter is handled with utmost caution, as plagiarism is considered a serious issue warranting stringent attention and resolution.
8. If the editorial board decides that manuscript needs no further amendments or review, then the correspondence author will be informed about the acceptance of a manuscript for publication, and the print version of the accepted manuscript is finally sent to the author for final proofreading.
9. Upon successful completion of the review process, the approved article is forwarded for publication subsequent to the reviewer's endorsement, indicating its acceptability for publication.
10. The acceptance email confirmation will be sent to the corresponding author and authors team member.
11. The publication certificate is shared with the authors team following online appearance of the manuscript.

The comprehensive process of article publication, encompassing submission, review, revision, and final approval, is anticipated to span a duration of approximately 3 to 4 months.

Copyright policy

Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine is the owner of all copyright to any work published by the Journal. Authors transfer the copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. The manuscript submission is accompanied by letter of undertaking form signed by all the authors confirming exclusive submissions to the journal.

The journal accepts only original material for publication with the understanding that except for abstracts, no part of the data has been published or will be submitted for publication elsewhere before appearing in this journal. The Editorial Board makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and authenticity of material printed in the journal. However, conclusions and statements expressed are views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Editorial Board of AJDM. In case the manuscript is rejected, the copyright transfers back to the authors.

Plagiarism policy

1. Every article is required to undergo a thorough plagiarism check using the “Turnitin”, a plagiarism detection tool. The primary individual responsible for the content, hereafter referred to as the focal persona, is allotted a period of one week to review the results and address any potential instances of plagiarism. It is imperative that the focal person provides their response within the stipulated time frame of 2 weeks. This process ensures the integrity and originality of the content before publication.

2. Following the revision process, the document will undergo a re-evaluation using the same software to assess its originality. Upon obtaining a satisfactory report with a similarity index below 19%, the document will then proceed to the next stage, wherein it will be submitted to reviewers for thorough peer review. This meticulous procedure ensures the quality and authenticity of the content prior to its finalization.

3. In accordance with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) guidelines https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/Documents/Plagiarism/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf , if the report exhibits a similarity index of 19% or lower, the benefit of doubt may be extended to the author. However, should any individual source within the report demonstrate a similarity index equal to or exceeding 5%, lacking proper citation, it necessitates revision. The document will be returned to the author with the directive to undertake necessary revisions, ensuring the reduction of the similarity index to within the permissible limit. Adherence to these guidelines ensures the scholarly integrity and citation standards prescribed by the HEC.

4. Following the completion of revisions, the document will undergo a comprehensive reassessment utilizing the same plagiarism detection software to verify its originality. Upon receipt of a satisfactory report indicating a similarity index below 19%, the document will advance to the subsequent phase. At this juncture, it will be submitted to a panel of qualified reviewers for a meticulous peer review process. This stringent protocol ensures that the content meets the highest standards of authenticity and scholarly scrutiny prior to final approval.

5. In the event of non-compliance by the author, the article will be returned to the author for further review. Upon the occurrence of non-compliance by the author following the second round of revision, regrettably, the manuscript is deemed unsuitable for further consideration. Consequently, the submission is formally rejected, and all subsequent processing activities are halted. This decision is made in adherence to established standards and protocols to uphold the quality and integrity of the scholarly content under review.

6. Subsequent measures will be contingent upon the gravity of the offense, encompassing potential rejection of the published article and potential prohibition of the author (s) from future contributions to the Journal. The duration of the prohibition will be determined by the severity of the transgression, varying from a temporary suspension lasting a few months to a permanent exclusion.

7. Should the author (s) fail to respond within the designated time frame or prove unable to furnish a satisfactory explanation, the Editor will orchestrate a meeting with the Editorial team. The purpose of this meeting will be to deliberate and assess the situation, determining appropriate subsequent actions as deemed necessary.

8. Throughout all committee proceedings, editors will uphold the strict confidentiality of both the author under investigation and the individual who filed the plagiarism complaint. This commitment to confidentiality is integral to maintaining the integrity and impartiality of the investigative process, fostering a climate of trust and fairness within the scholarly review and resolution procedures.

In the event that plagiarism is identified in a manuscript currently under review, the processing of the manuscript will be promptly halted. The corresponding author will be notified of the alleged dishonesty and will be requested to provide an explanation within a two-week period regarding the accusations raised against the manuscript.

POLICY ON PRE-PRINT ARTICLES PUBLICATION

An article already published on a pre-print website would not be acceptable to AJDM without prior authors team permission and open publication policy of the respective website. An article already published on a pre-print website would not be acceptable to AJDM. Every author is made well aware of the fact that they have transferred the copyright of the article to AJDM on submission.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

If the authors want to withdraw the manuscript during its processing, an email has to be sent notifying their intention. A final letter from the editorial office for withdrawal of the manuscript will be sent to confirm the withdrawal. Without a formal email of withdrawal, a manuscript is not considered withdrawn and use of such a manuscript elsewhere will be construed as ethical misconduct.

PRIVACY POLICY

This website is owned and operated by the Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine, whose registered office is at 2-R Sunset Boulevard, Defense Housing Authority, Karachi – Pakistan. AJDM is committed to maintaining confidence and trust with respect to the information it collects from its viewers/users. The names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party.

COMPLAINT POLICY

Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine is open to all kinds of constructive criticism, concerns, and suggestions. AJDM offers an email address i.e. ajdm@altamash.pk that can be contacted for any sort of inquiry or complaint.

POLICY OF SELECTION OF EDITORS, REVIEWERS, OTHER EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

The chairperson and the deputy chairperson of the Research Development and Review Cell of Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine is responsible for selecting the editors, reviewers, other editorial board members, and their job descriptions are based upon the vision and mission of Altamash Journal of Dentistry and Medicine.