Author Policies
- Sample Paper
- Digital Preservation
- English Language Editing
- Submission of Manuscript
- Complaints Policy
- Copyright Policy
- Author’s Agreement Form
- Check List
- Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
- APC Waiver Policy
- Rights and Grants to the Author
- Human and Animal Rights Policy
- Manuscript Preparation
- Licensing Policy
- Open Access Policy
- Plagiarism Policy
- Withdrawal Policy
- Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
- Article Processing Charge
- Data Sharing Policy
1. Sample Paper
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal provides sample papers to assist authors in preparing their manuscripts according to the journal’s specific formatting and structure requirements. These sample papers provide examples of each section typically required for submission, including the abstract, introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and references.
The purpose of the sample paper is to help authors understand the journal’s style, such as the use of headings, referencing format, and how to structure tables and figures. The journal recommends that authors carefully review the sample papers to ensure that their manuscripts are formatted correctly before submission. This enhances the chances of acceptance by minimizing formatting errors and speeding up the editorial review process.
By following the sample paper, authors can be confident that their submission meets the journal’s guidelines, improving both the clarity and presentation of their work. The sample paper is available on the journal’s submission page, where authors can access it at any stage of manuscript preparation.
2. Digital Preservation
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal recognizes the importance of digital preservation to ensure long-term accessibility of its published content. To safeguard against data loss and ensure continued access, the journal partners with recognized digital archives and repositories that are specifically designed for the secure storage and retrieval of academic articles.
This policy is in line with global initiatives for maintaining the integrity and accessibility of scholarly publications. The journal follows best practices for digital preservation, ensuring that all content remains publicly available to readers worldwide, even if the original hosting platform experiences technical difficulties or other issues. Additionally, the journal actively participates in initiatives like LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and Portico, which are designed to preserve electronic content for the long term.
Digital preservation also involves regular backups of all published articles, ensuring that the research remains discoverable and available for future generations. This policy is crucial in supporting the ongoing advancement of research in pathology and laboratory medicine.
3. English Language Editing
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal offers English language editing services to authors whose first language is not English. This service helps authors improve the quality and clarity of their writing, ensuring that their research is effectively communicated to a global audience. Authors are encouraged to use professional editing services to refine their manuscripts, particularly when the writing may hinder the understanding of complex scientific concepts.
English language editing typically focuses on improving grammar, sentence structure, clarity, and flow, while ensuring that the manuscript adheres to the journal's specific writing standards. This service helps to remove language barriers, facilitating the publication of high-quality research.
It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that their manuscript meets the journal's standards for academic writing. For authors submitting in languages other than English, the editing service can help enhance the clarity and precision of their work, increasing the likelihood of acceptance and reducing the time spent on revisions.
4. Submission of Manuscript
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal uses an online manuscript submission system to streamline the process for authors. Submissions are required to be uploaded electronically through the journal's website, where authors can follow step-by-step instructions to complete their submission. Manuscripts must be formatted according to the journal’s specific guidelines, which include proper sectioning, reference formatting, and adherence to ethical standards.
Authors must submit the following with their manuscript:
- A cover letter explaining the significance of the research
- An abstract summarizing the study
- Keywords to enhance discoverability
- Tables, figures, and any supplementary files
- Declarations of conflicts of interest and financial disclosures
- Ethical approval for studies involving human or animal participants
Once submitted, the manuscript is screened for plagiarism and initially reviewed by the editorial team. If the submission meets the journal's standards, it will be sent for peer review. Authors should ensure that their submission adheres to the journal’s guidelines to facilitate smooth processing.
5. Complaints Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal has a clear complaints policy to address any issues raised by authors, reviewers, or readers regarding the publication process. Authors are encouraged to address any concerns directly with the editorial team. If a complaint cannot be resolved informally, the journal provides a formal procedure for escalating the matter.
Complaints may include concerns about the fairness of the review process, editorial decisions, or the quality of peer review. The editorial team will investigate the issue thoroughly and work towards a resolution. If ethical concerns such as plagiarism or data manipulation are raised, the journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines to handle the matter in a transparent and impartial manner.
In cases where the journal has made an error in the publication process, appropriate corrective actions will be taken, such as issuing a correction, retraction, or clarification.
6. Copyright Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal operates under an open-access publishing model, allowing authors to retain the copyright of their work. By retaining copyright, authors maintain control over the distribution and use of their research, while also making it freely available to the scientific community and the public. The journal typically employs a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, which allows others to freely share, copy, and build upon the work, provided proper attribution is given.
This copyright policy ensures that the research is widely accessible, promoting knowledge sharing and scientific collaboration. Authors may also reuse and distribute their work in other journals or platforms, provided they adhere to the terms of the Creative Commons license. The policy encourages authors to submit high-quality work without concerns about copyright infringement or access limitations.
7. Author’s Agreement Form
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal requires authors to sign an Author's Agreement Form upon submission of their manuscript. This form outlines the terms and conditions of publication, including the authors' rights and responsibilities. By signing this agreement, authors affirm that the manuscript is original, has not been submitted elsewhere, and adheres to ethical research practices, including proper acknowledgment of funding sources and conflicts of interest.
The agreement also includes a section on copyright transfer, confirming the author’s consent for the journal to publish the work under the open-access license. In addition, the form ensures that all co-authors are aware of and agree with the content of the manuscript and the submission process.
This agreement protects both the authors and the journal by ensuring clarity on intellectual property rights and other legal aspects of the publication.
8. Check List
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal provides a detailed checklist for authors to follow before submitting their manuscript. This checklist includes critical elements such as:
- Manuscript formatted according to journal guidelines
- Ethical approval statements for studies involving human or animal subjects
- Declaration of conflicts of interest and financial disclosures
- Structured abstract and keywords
- Proper referencing and citation format
- All tables, figures, and supplementary files
Authors should carefully review the checklist before submission to ensure that their manuscript complies with all requirements, reducing the likelihood of delays or rejections due to formatting or procedural issues.
9. Participant/Patient Privacy and Informed Consent
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal adheres to strict ethical guidelines regarding participant and patient privacy. All studies involving human subjects must have obtained informed consent, and authors must include a statement confirming that consent was obtained. In addition, any study involving minors, vulnerable populations, or patients with identifiable characteristics must ensure that all personal information is protected.
Authors are required to provide a statement on how patient confidentiality is maintained, including whether identifying information has been anonymized or removed. The journal also requires authors to comply with relevant national and international regulations regarding patient privacy, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the U.S. or the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the EU.
10. APC Waiver Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal provides an Article Processing Charge (APC) waiver policy for authors who are unable to afford the APC, particularly authors from low-income countries or those facing financial difficulties. This policy ensures that financial constraints do not prevent important research from being published.
To apply for an APC waiver, authors must submit a request along with their manuscript. The editorial board will review the request based on the authors' financial situation and the journal’s funding model. The waiver policy aims to maintain inclusivity and ensure that high-quality research is available to a global audience, regardless of the author’s financial background.
11. Rights and Grants to the Author
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal respects the intellectual property rights of authors. Authors retain the copyright to their work after publication and have the freedom to use, share, and distribute their research. The journal encourages authors to publish their research in institutional repositories and share their findings on various platforms to maximize their work’s impact.
The journal also requires authors to disclose any financial grants or funding sources related to their research. Proper acknowledgment of funding helps ensure transparency in the research process and allows readers to assess any potential conflicts of interest that might affect the study’s findings.
12. Human and Animal Rights Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal adheres to strict ethical guidelines for research involving both human and animal subjects. All manuscripts involving human subjects must have obtained approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee. In studies involving animals, authors must follow guidelines for humane treatment and care, as established by international bodies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Authors must submit a statement confirming that their study complies with these ethical standards. The journal reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not meet these requirements.
13. Manuscript Preparation
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal provides detailed guidelines for manuscript preparation to ensure consistency and clarity in submitted articles. Authors are required to structure their manuscript according to the journal’s formatting requirements, including sections such as introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and references.
The journal’s guidelines also specify font type, size, line spacing, and referencing style. Adherence to these guidelines is crucial for a smooth submission process and ensures that all manuscripts are presented in a standardized, professional manner.
14. Licensing Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal publishes articles under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, allowing authors to retain copyright while making their work freely available to the global scientific community. This open-access model promotes widespread dissemination of research, encourages collaboration, and ensures that the published work can be accessed by anyone, anywhere.
Authors may reuse, adapt, and distribute their work, provided they give appropriate credit. This licensing policy maximizes the impact of the research and ensures that it reaches a wide audience.
15. Open Access Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal follows an open-access publishing model, making all articles freely accessible to readers without subscription fees. This policy enhances the visibility of research and allows for broader dissemination of scientific findings. Open access also facilitates faster dissemination of new knowledge, which is especially important in fields like pathology and laboratory medicine.
By publishing under this model, the journal ensures that research is accessible to a global audience, including healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers, who can apply the findings to clinical and scientific practice.
16. Plagiarism Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal has a strict plagiarism policy to maintain the integrity of published work. All manuscripts are screened for plagiarism using advanced software. Any manuscript found to contain plagiarized content will be rejected, and the authors may be banned from submitting to the journal in the future.
Authors must properly cite all sources and ensure that their work is original. The journal also encourages authors to avoid duplicate submissions and self-plagiarism.
17. Withdrawal Policy
Authors wishing to withdraw a manuscript after submission must notify the editorial office promptly. Manuscripts may be withdrawn before peer review or during the review process if substantial changes are needed, or if the authors have realized that the manuscript is not suitable for publication in the journal. However, once a manuscript has been accepted for publication, it may only be withdrawn in exceptional circumstances, and the authors must provide a valid reason.
18. Errata, Retractions, and Corrigenda Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal follows the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) for handling errata, retractions, and corrigenda. If significant errors are found in a published article, authors are required to submit a correction or erratum. In cases of serious misconduct or data falsification, the journal may retract the article entirely.
This policy ensures that published research maintains its credibility and scientific integrity.
19. Article Processing Charge
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) for accepted articles, which supports the journal's open-access publishing model. The APC covers editorial, peer review, and production costs. Authors are informed about the APC during the submission process, and payment is required once the article is accepted.
20. Data Sharing Policy
The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine journal encourages authors to share data related to their research whenever possible. Data sharing promotes transparency and allows other researchers to verify findings, replicate studies, and build upon previous work. Authors are encouraged to deposit their data in public repositories that follow fair access policies.
The journal also adheres to international guidelines on data sharing, particularly in clinical and laboratory research, to ensure ethical and responsible sharing of sensitive data.
