Author Guidelines

Contents

1. About the journal and scope

2. Article categories and recommended limits

3. Before submission

4. Files required at submission

5. Title page

6. Blinded manuscript structure

7. Study-specific reporting requirements

8. Research ethics and consent

9. Clinical trial registration and data sharing

10. Authorship, contributorship and acknowledgements

11. Conflicts of interest and funding

12. Artificial intelligence and digital tools

13. General manuscript formatting

14. References

15. Tables, figures and graphical material

16. Supplementary material, data and code

17. Submission, peer review and editorial decisions

18. Revised manuscripts

19. Accepted manuscripts and proofs

20. Open access, copyright and fees

21. Submission checklist

22. Standards and source framework

 

1. About the journal and scope

QES MedPharm Journal is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, open-access journal covering medical, pharmaceutical and related multidisciplinary sciences. The journal considers rigorous work that advances clinical practice, biomedical research, pharmacology, toxicology, drug discovery and development, diagnostics, therapeutics, public health, health technologies, translational science and evidence-based healthcare.

Submissions should present a clear contribution to knowledge, use appropriate methods, report results transparently and remain within the journal’s stated aims and scope. The journal welcomes research from all regions and encourages international collaboration, methodological diversity and responsible inclusion of under-represented populations and research settings.

 

2. Article categories and recommended limits

Word counts normally exclude the abstract, references, tables, figure legends and supplementary material. Limits may be adjusted by the editors when the scientific content justifies it. Authors should obtain editorial approval before submitting a manuscript that substantially exceeds these limits.

3. Before submission

· Confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published in substantially the same form and is not under consideration by another journal.

· Confirm that all listed authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria, have approved the submitted version and agree to be accountable for the work.

· Obtain ethics approval, permissions and informed consent before starting the study when required. Retrospective approval is generally not acceptable.

· Prospectively register clinical trials and include the registration number in the abstract and manuscript.

· Use the appropriate current reporting guideline and upload the completed checklist where applicable.

· Prepare a data availability statement and, when possible, deposit data, code, protocols and materials in a trusted repository.

· Disclose all financial and non-financial interests, funding, sponsor involvement and relevant use of artificial intelligence tools.

· Remove author-identifying information from the blinded manuscript and file properties.

· Ensure that references, tables, figures, labels, units and statistical results are internally consistent and accurate.

4. Files required at submission

1. Title page containing all author and administrative information.

2. Blinded main manuscript without author names, affiliations, acknowledgements or identifying file metadata.

3. Separate high-resolution figure files, when figures are not embedded at adequate quality.

4. Supplementary files, including appendices, datasets, codebooks, search strategies or additional analyses, as applicable.

5. Completed reporting checklist and flow diagram for relevant study types.

6. Cover letter explaining the importance, originality and suitability of the work and confirming ethical and publication requirements.

7. Permissions for any copyrighted material reproduced or adapted from another source.

5. Title page

· Concise, informative article title. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and include the study design when relevant.

· Short running title of no more than 50 characters, including spaces.

· Full name of each author, highest relevant qualification if desired, institutional affiliation, city and country.

· ORCID iD for each author, strongly encouraged and required for the corresponding author.

· Corresponding author’s name, institutional postal address, email address and telephone number.

· Word count for the main text and abstract, and the number of references, tables, figures and supplementary files.

· Funding statement, conflict-of-interest statement and author contribution statement using the CRediT taxonomy.

· Acknowledgements and details of any prior presentation, preprint or thesis deposition.

6. Blinded manuscript structure

6.1 Title, abstract and keywords

The manuscript should begin with the full title, followed by an abstract and three to eight keywords. Use Medical Subject Headings where suitable. Abstracts must accurately reflect the objective, methods, principal results and conclusions. Do not cite references in the abstract unless essential and approved by the editors.

Original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, protocols and brief reports should normally use a structured abstract with the headings Background, Objective, Methods, Results and Conclusion. Registration details should appear at the end of the abstract when applicable.

6.2 Main text

Original research should normally use Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion. Review articles should use a clear, logical structure appropriate to the review question. Methods must be detailed enough to permit critical appraisal and, where feasible, replication.

· Introduction: define the problem, summarise the relevant evidence and state the objective or hypothesis.

· Methods: describe design, setting, participants or samples, eligibility criteria, interventions or exposures, outcomes, measurements, sample-size rationale, statistical analysis, ethics and registration.

· Results: report findings in a logical sequence without duplicating all table and figure content. Provide effect estimates with uncertainty, not only P values.

· Discussion: interpret findings in relation to prior evidence, discuss strengths and limitations, address clinical or scientific implications and avoid conclusions that exceed the data.

6.3 Declarations

Place the following statements after the main text and before the references, using the headings shown. Where a heading is not applicable, state “Not applicable”.

· Ethics approval and consent to participate

· Consent for publication

· Clinical trial registration

· Data availability

· Competing interests

· Funding

· Authors’ contributions

· Acknowledgements

· Use of artificial intelligence tools

· Prior presentation or preprint

7. Study-specific reporting requirements

Authors must follow the current version of the relevant reporting guideline and submit the completed checklist when requested. The following list is illustrative, not exhaustive.

8. Research ethics and consent

8.1 Research involving humans

Manuscripts involving human participants, human material or identifiable human data must state the name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board, approval number and date, and the ethical framework followed. Authors must state how informed consent was obtained or why a waiver was granted. The journal may request the approval letter, protocol and consent documentation.

8.2 Research involving animals

Animal research must have prior approval from an appropriate ethics or animal care committee and comply with relevant national legislation and internationally accepted welfare principles. Authors should report species, strain, sex, age, housing, husbandry, randomisation, blinding, sample-size rationale, humane endpoints, analgesia, euthanasia and measures to minimise suffering.

8.3 Consent for publication and privacy

Written informed consent for publication is required when an individual could be identified from text, images, pedigrees, videos or clinical details. Removing names alone may not be sufficient. Facial images should be masked only when masking does not compromise scientific value, and consent is still required when identification remains reasonably possible.

9. Clinical trial registration and data sharing

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible, recognised registry before enrolment of the first participant. The registry name, identifier and registration date must be reported. Retrospective registration requires a clear explanation and may result in rejection.

Manuscripts reporting clinical trials must include a data-sharing statement describing whether de-identified participant data and related documents will be shared, what will be shared, when and for how long, the access criteria and the mechanism for requesting or obtaining access.

10. Authorship, contributorship and acknowledgements

Authorship should be based on the current ICMJE criteria. Each author must make a substantial contribution to the work, participate in drafting or critical revision, approve the final version and accept accountability for the integrity of the work. Acquisition of funding, general supervision, administrative support or language editing alone does not justify authorship.

Author contributions must be described using the CRediT taxonomy. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria should be named in the acknowledgements with their permission. The corresponding author is responsible for communication with the journal, confirmation of author approval and disclosure of relevant information.

Requests to add, remove or reorder authors after submission require a written explanation and signed agreement from all affected authors. Changes after acceptance are exceptional and may require institutional review. The journal will not adjudicate unresolved authorship disputes and may refer them to the authors’ institutions.

11. Conflicts of interest and funding

All authors must disclose financial and non-financial relationships or activities that could reasonably be perceived to influence the work. Disclosures should include employment, consultancies, honoraria, advisory roles, stock ownership, patents, grants, personal relationships, academic competition and other relevant interests. Authors with no competing interests should state this explicitly.

All funding sources must be named, including grant numbers where available. The role of the funder or sponsor in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation and the decision to submit must be described. If the funder had no role, state this.

12. Artificial intelligence and digital tools

Artificial intelligence systems, large language models and automated tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot take responsibility for the work, approve the final manuscript or manage conflicts of interest. Human authors remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, citations, confidentiality and compliance with ethics and copyright requirements.

· Disclose the tool name, version if known, purpose and where it was used. Use in data analysis, image analysis, modelling, screening or other research methods must be described in the Methods section. Use for language or drafting assistance should be disclosed in the designated declaration or acknowledgements.

· Authors must verify all AI-assisted text, numerical outputs, code and references. Fabricated citations, unsupported claims and undisclosed synthetic data are unacceptable.

· Confidential participant data, unpublished manuscripts or proprietary information must not be entered into external AI systems without appropriate safeguards, permissions and legal authority.

· AI-generated or materially AI-altered images are not acceptable as clinical, radiological, histopathological, microscopy or other evidentiary data. Clearly labelled illustrative graphics may be considered when they do not represent primary data and their creation is fully disclosed.

13. General manuscript formatting

· Submit editable Microsoft Word format. Use A4 page size, Times New Roman 12-point font, double line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, continuous line numbering and page numbers.

· Use clear international English. British or American spelling is acceptable if used consistently.

· Use SI units and internationally accepted nomenclature. Give conventional units in parentheses when clinically useful.

· Use generic drug names. Proprietary names may be added once in parentheses with the manufacturer and country when relevant.

· Define abbreviations at first use in the abstract and main text. Avoid unnecessary abbreviations and do not use abbreviations in the title unless widely recognised.

· Report exact P values to three decimal places where practical, except values below 0.001. Provide effect sizes and confidence intervals whenever appropriate.

· Describe statistical software, version and analysis procedures. Report assumptions, missing-data handling, multiplicity adjustments and sensitivity analyses where relevant.

· Use inclusive and precise language. Report sex and gender, race, ethnicity or other demographic variables only when scientifically relevant, and explain how categories were defined and measured.

14. References

Use the Vancouver numbered citation style. Cite references in the order they first appear using Arabic numerals in square brackets. References cited in tables and figure legends should follow the sequence established in the main text. Verify every reference against the original source and include DOI identifiers where available.

Authors should cite the most relevant primary evidence and systematic reviews, avoid unnecessary self-citation and avoid coercive or citation-exchange practices. Retracted articles should not be cited as valid evidence. Preprints must be identified as preprints and updated to the final peer-reviewed version when available.

14.1 Examples

Journal article: Smith AB, Khan R, Lee J. Title of article. Journal Abbrev. 2026;12(3):145-153. doi:10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Book chapter: Brown CD. Chapter title. In: Green EF, editor. Book title. 3rd ed. London: Publisher; 2025. p. 101-118.

Web resource: Organisation name. Title of page [Internet]. Place: Publisher; year [cited 2026 Jul 25]. Available from: full URL.

15. Tables, figures and graphical material

Tables and figures must be essential, accurate, self-explanatory and cited in numerical order. Avoid duplicating the same data in text, tables and figures. Each item should have a concise title or legend that explains abbreviations, symbols, statistical tests and sample sizes.

· Tables: create as editable Word tables, not images. Use a clear header row and explanatory footnotes. Do not use vertical rules unless needed for clarity.

· Figures: submit at final publication size. Minimum resolution is 300 dpi for photographs and colour or greyscale images, and 600 dpi for line art. Preferred formats are TIFF, high-quality JPEG, PNG, EPS or press-quality PDF.

· Images must not be selectively enhanced, moved, removed, duplicated or combined in a way that changes interpretation. Adjustments to brightness, contrast or colour must apply to the entire image and must not obscure or create data.

· Composite figures must clearly separate panels and identify all image sources, magnifications and scale bars. Original uncropped images may be requested.

· Remove patient identifiers and obtain written consent for any potentially identifiable material.

· Use accessible labels, adequate contrast and patterns or symbols that remain interpretable when printed in greyscale. Do not rely on colour alone.

16. Supplementary material, data and code

Supplementary files should contain material that supports, but is not essential to understanding, the main article. Each file must be cited in the manuscript and labelled clearly. Supplementary material is subject to editorial review and may be published largely as supplied.

Authors are encouraged to deposit data, code, protocols, questionnaires, analytical syntax and other reusable materials in trusted repositories that provide persistent identifiers. Sensitive data may be shared under controlled access. A statement of “available on reasonable request” should explain why public sharing is not possible and who will assess requests.

17. Submission, peer review and editorial decisions

Submissions are made through the journal’s OJS platform. The editorial office checks scope, completeness, ethical compliance, originality, presentation and basic scientific quality. Manuscripts that do not meet these requirements may be returned for correction or declined without external review.

Research and review articles are normally evaluated using double-anonymous peer review by at least two independent reviewers. The handling editor considers the reviews and the scientific record and may decide to accept, request revision, reject or obtain additional review. Editorials and invited content may follow a modified process, which will be identified in the published article when relevant.

Manuscripts submitted by editors, editorial board members or individuals with a relationship to the journal are handled by an independent editor who is not involved in the work and has no relevant conflict. The submitting editor has no access to reviewer selection or the decision process.

18. Revised manuscripts

· Upload a clean revised manuscript and a version with changes highlighted or tracked, as requested.

· Provide a detailed point-by-point response quoting each reviewer and editor comment and explaining where and how it was addressed.

· When a suggestion is not followed, provide a respectful scientific justification.

· Do not introduce unrelated changes without identifying them in the response letter.

· Recheck all numerical values, tables, figures, citations and declarations before resubmission.

19. Accepted manuscripts and proofs

After acceptance, the journal may perform copyediting, reference checking, figure assessment, plagiarism or image-integrity checks and technical formatting. Authors must respond promptly to queries and review proofs carefully. Proof corrections should normally be limited to production errors, factual inaccuracies and essential clarifications. Major scientific changes may require additional editorial review.

The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining final author approval of the proof. Publication dates, submission dates, revision dates and acceptance dates will be displayed with the article when available.

20. Open access, copyright and fees

QES MedPharm Journal provides immediate open access to published content. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence, which permits sharing and adaptation with appropriate attribution, unless a different licence is clearly stated for a specific item.

Article processing charges are waived for 2026 and 2027. Editorial decisions are based on scientific merit and relevance and are independent of an author’s ability to pay. Any future charges, waivers or exemptions will be published clearly before submission and will not be applied retrospectively.

21. Submission checklist

· The manuscript fits the journal’s aims and scope and uses the correct article type.

· The work is original and is not under consideration elsewhere.

· All authors meet authorship criteria, approved the manuscript and provided contributions and disclosures.

· The title page and blinded manuscript are separate and identifying information has been removed from the blinded file.

· Ethics approval, informed consent, animal welfare and registration details are complete and verifiable.

· The appropriate reporting checklist and flow diagram are included.

· The abstract accurately reports methods and principal numerical results.

· Data availability, funding, competing interests and AI-use statements are included.

· References are numbered, accurate and formatted consistently.

· Tables and figures are cited in order, supplied at adequate resolution and do not contain inappropriate manipulation.

· Permissions and consent for reproduced or identifiable material have been obtained.

· The cover letter confirms compliance with journal requirements.

Standards and source framework

QES MedPharm Journal applies these standards as guidance and does not claim membership of, endorsement by, or indexing in any organisation unless formally confirmed.

· International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, Recommendations, updated January 2026

· Committee on Publication Ethics, Core Principles and guidance

· Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, Version 4

· EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines

· National Library of Medicine, Journal Selection for MEDLINE

· National Library of Medicine, Journal Selection for PMC

· Scopus content policy and selection