The Journal of Basic & Clinical Medical Sciences (JBCMS) is an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal covering advances across the basic and clinical medical sciences and allied health. The journal publishes work that helps researchers and clinicians translate basic findings into patient care, and provides a forum for discussion of clinical practice, healthcare quality, and the challenges facing medical education and health systems.

See Aims & Scope for the full list of subject areas.

JBCMS is fully Gold Open Access. All articles are freely available immediately on publication, with no paywalls, subscription fees, or embargo periods. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license, and authors retain copyright in their work.

See License & Copyright.

JBCMS charges an Article Publication Charge (APC) for Articles, Reviews, and Systematic Reviews, invoiced only after a manuscript has been accepted. Case Reports, Case Studies, Viewpoints, Communications, Letters, and Editorials are published free of charge. There is no submission fee. Authors who are unable to pay may request a full or partial waiver; requests must be made at the time of submission and are handled by the publisher, independently of the editorial process.

See Publication Charges for current rates and waiver details.

JBCMS publishes the article types described below. All word limits are maxima and exclude the abstract, references, tables, and figure legends. Reference limits are guidance rather than hard caps, and may be exceeded where the argument requires it.

All article types except Editorials undergo peer review. Editorials are assessed by the Editorial Board, and Letters are peer reviewed at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.

Authors seeking an exception to any limit should contact the Editorial Office before submission.

4.1. Articles

Articles report original research. The word limit is 4,500, with most submissions falling between 2,500 and 4,500 words, and the abstract is limited to 300 words. Articles are structured as abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions, and the Discussion must address the study's limitations.

4.2. Reviews

Reviews synthesize existing literature and recent developments in a defined area, and must not introduce new, unpublished data. The word limit is 5,000, the abstract 300 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 120 sources. Reviews are structured as abstract, keywords, Introduction, topic-specific sections organized thematically, Discussion, Conclusions, and future directions.

4.3. Systematic Reviews

Systematic reviews synthesize existing research on a defined question using pre-specified search parameters and selection criteria. Unlike narrative reviews, they include a Methods section documenting the search strategy, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and approach to synthesis. The word limit is 6,000, reflecting the space required for the search strategy, selection criteria, and evidence synthesis, and the abstract is limited to 300 words.

Systematic reviews must follow the PRISMA 2020 statement and include a PRISMA flow diagram in the main text or as supplementary material. The review protocol should be registered in a recognized registry such as PROSPERO before data extraction begins. Adherence to PRISMA, together with registration details where applicable, should be stated in the Methods.

4.4. Case Reports

Case reports describe a single case, or a small series, that offers a clinical lesson: an unusual presentation, an unexpected response to treatment, a diagnostic pitfall, or an adverse event of wider relevance. The word limit is 1,500, the extract 150 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 15 sources.

Case reports must follow the CARE guidelines. Written informed consent for publication is required from the patient, or from the next of kin or legal guardian; see Consent to Publication.

4.5. Case Studies

Case studies analyze a clinical service, program, or organizational intervention, such as a quality improvement initiative, a change in care pathway, or a service evaluation, and draw transferable lessons. They differ from case reports in taking a service or system as the unit of analysis rather than a patient. The word limit is 1,500, the extract 150 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 15 sources.

Case studies reporting a quality improvement intervention should follow the SQUIRE guidelines. 

4.6. Viewpoints

Viewpoints, also called commentaries, present an argued position on a technique, a clinical practice, a policy question, or a development in the field, written as continuous prose rather than under structured headings. The argument must be the author's own and supported by evidence, not merely asserted. The word limit is 1,500, the extract 150 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 20 sources.

4.7. Communications

Communications report focused or preliminary findings of significant interest that warrant rapid dissemination: a novel observation, an early result from ongoing work, or a substantive extension of previously published research. The word limit is 1,500, the abstract 150 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 25 sources. Communications follow the same structure as Articles.

4.8. Letters

Letters comment on articles published in JBCMS or elsewhere. The word limit is 800, the extract 100 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 10 sources. Where a Letter concerns an article published in JBCMS, the authors of the original article are normally offered the opportunity to reply, and the Letter and reply are published together.

4.9. Editorials

Editorials address topics of current importance to the journal's readership. They are usually commissioned, though unsolicited submissions are considered; authors should contact the Editorial Office before submitting. The word limit is 800, the extract 100 words, and the reference list should not normally exceed 15 sources.

Manuscripts must be submitted in English, using either American or British spelling applied consistently.

Authors whose first language is not English should have the manuscript reviewed by a fluent colleague or a professional language editing service before submission. Language quality alone is not grounds for rejection, but manuscripts in which the language impedes assessment of the science will be returned for revision before peer review.

Where artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted language tools have been used, this must be declared; see Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies.

Manuscripts are assembled in the following order. Not every element applies to every article type; see Article Types for type-specific requirements.

6.1. Front Matter

• Title
• Abstract or extract
• Keywords

6.2. Body

• Introduction
• Methods (including ethics approval, consent, trial registration, and any AI methods)
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusions

6.3. Back Matter

• Abbreviations (if used)
• Acknowledgments
• Use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies
• Author contributions
• Funding
• Conflict of interest
• Data availability
• Ethics approval and consent to participate
• Consent to publication
• Supplementary material
• References

Each table and figure should be embedded at its actual position in the text, immediately after the paragraph in which it is first mentioned, together with its legend, rather than grouped at the end of the manuscript; see Figures and Tables.

At submission, the Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, Data Availability, Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publication statements are supplied on the title page rather than in the manuscript, so that the manuscript remains anonymized for peer review. The editorial office places them into the article at acceptance. The statement on use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies is the exception: it remains in the anonymized manuscript throughout, with identifying detail removed.

7.1. File Format

The manuscript should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file. 

7.2. Font

The manuscript should use a serif typeface such as Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.

7.3. Margins

Margins should be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) on all sides.

7.4. Word Count

Word limits vary by article type; see Article Types.

7.5. Title

The title should be concise, accurately reflect the article's content, and avoid abbreviations. For Articles and Systematic Reviews, the title should indicate the study design where possible (for example, "a cross-sectional study" or "a systematic review and meta-analysis").

7.6. Author Information and Acknowledgments

All authors who have contributed significantly to the manuscript should be listed in the order in which they are to be published. The following details are required for each author:

• Full name
• Email address (preferably institutional)
• Affiliation
• ORCID iD (where available)

All authors are encouraged to provide an ORCID iD, which can be registered free of charge at orcid.org.

All listed authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria and confirm their contributions. Contributors who do not meet the criteria should be named in the Acknowledgments, with their permission. Changes to the author list after submission must be requested using the Change of Authorship Form, signed by all authors, as set out in the Editorial Policy.

7.7. Biographies (Optional)

Authors may submit a professional biography of up to 100 words in a separate Word file.

7.8. Abstract or Extract

Articles, Reviews, Systematic Reviews, and Communications require an abstract, written as a single unstructured paragraph that follows the pattern of a structured abstract: background and objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Case Reports, Case Studies, Viewpoints, Letters, and Editorials require a short unstructured extract. Word limits are given in Article Types.

The abstract should state the main findings with key numerical results and must not contain references. Abbreviations should be used only where the term recurs, and each should be defined at first use. For clinical trials, the trial registry name and registration number should be given at the end of the abstract.

7.9. Graphical Abstract (Optional)

A graphical abstract is a visual summary of the article's key findings. It may be a significant figure from the article or an image created for the purpose. The graphical abstract is displayed on the article's HTML page and included in the article's supplementary files, so that it forms part of the permanent record. Authors receive formatting instructions on acceptance.

7.10. Highlights (Optional)

Highlights are three to five bullet points, each of no more than 85 characters including spaces, summarizing the article's main findings. They are supplied as a separate file and displayed on the article's HTML page.

7.11. Video Abstract (Optional)

Authors of accepted articles may submit a video abstract: a short, captioned video that summarizes the article in plain language for a broad audience. It supplements the written abstract and does not replace it. Video abstracts are optional and do not affect the editorial decision. Published video abstracts appear on the article's web page, in the journal's Video Abstract Gallery, and on the journal's and publisher's social media channels.

7.11.1. Content

The video should explain why the study matters, how it was done, its main findings, and what they mean, and must state at least one main limitation. It must present only information reported in the accepted article, without new data, claims, or conclusions, and every number must match the article exactly. Findings from observational or non-randomized studies should be described as associations, not causes. Figures should be redrawn simply rather than pasted from the article, with axes labeled and not truncated. The video should avoid jargon, should not consist of the written abstract read aloud, and must not contain promotional content. Any commercial funding of the study should be disclosed in the video.

The journal adds a fixed opening slide (journal logo, article type, title, study design, authors, and journal name and year) and a closing slide (publisher logo, full citation, and link to the article). These slides must not be edited, removed, or imitated.

7.11.2. Technical Requirements

• Length: no more than 3 minutes, including the journal's opening and closing slides; 60 to 120 seconds is recommended.
• File: MP4 (H.264 video, AAC audio), landscape 16:9, 1920 × 1080 preferred and 1280 × 720 minimum, 30 frames per second, under 150 MB.
• Captions and transcript: an English caption file (.srt) and a plain-text transcript (.txt) are required.
• Legibility: large, high-contrast text readable on a phone, with each slide shown for about 8 seconds or more; no flashing effects, and no meaning conveyed by color alone.
• Audio: a clear English voiceover is recommended. Videos with music only or without sound are accepted, provided the captions carry the full content.

7.11.3. Permissions, Consent, and Use of AI

Authors may use only material they created or have a license to use for publication, reuse under CC BY 4.0, and distribution on social media, and should keep records of those licenses. No identifiable person, patient, or facility may appear without written consent that covers publication of the video; drawings, charts, and icons are preferred. Stock images of people must be labeled "Illustrative image, not study participants." Third-party logos and trademarks must not be used.

Any use of generative AI in the video, including for images, footage, voice, or text, must be declared at submission, and synthetic narration must also be stated in the video description. AI-generated depictions of real people or patients are not permitted. See Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies.

7.11.4. Submission and Review

Video abstracts are submitted after acceptance, so that the anonymity of peer review is preserved, either with the proofs or at any time after, including after publication. The following should be sent by email to [email protected]:

• the video file, named ManuscriptID_VideoAbstract.mp4;
• the caption file (.srt) and transcript (.txt);
• the license records and the declaration of any AI use;
• the corresponding author's confirmation that the video matches the article, that the authors hold the rights to everything in it, that everyone shown has consented to its publication, and that any use of AI has been declared.

The editorial office checks each video against the article; video abstracts are not peer reviewed. The editorial office may request corrections, shorten the video, add the fixed slides and captions, or decline a video that does not meet these requirements. Errors found after publication are corrected by replacing the video, with a note on the article page.

7.11.5. Licensing

Authors retain copyright in their video abstract, which is published under the same CC BY 4.0 license as the article and archived with it. The journal and publisher logos in the fixed slides are trademarks and are not covered by that license.

7.12. Keywords

Authors should provide up to seven keywords reflecting the manuscript's core themes. Wherever possible, keywords should be selected from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) controlled vocabulary, which substantially improves indexing and discoverability in biomedical databases. Where no suitable MeSH term exists, free-text keywords may be used. Keywords may be modified on acceptance to align with indexing standards.

7.13. Headings

Headings should be used to no more than the fourth level, formatted as follows:

• First level: bold
• Second level: bold italic
• Third level: italic
• Fourth level: italic, run into the start of the paragraph and followed by a colon

7.14. Abbreviations

Each abbreviation should be defined at first mention, with the term given in full followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, and used consistently thereafter. Terms used fewer than three times should not be abbreviated, and abbreviations should not be used in the title. Standard units of measurement do not require definition.

Where a manuscript uses five or more abbreviations, an alphabetical Abbreviations list should be supplied at the start of the back matter, in this form:

APHA, American Public Health Association; CML, chronic myelogenous leukemia; DAS, Disability Assessment Scale.

Abbreviations used only within a table or figure should be defined in that table's notes or that figure's legend, so that it can be read independently of the text.

7.15. Footnotes

Explanatory footnotes should not be used in the body of the manuscript; clarifications should be incorporated into the text. Footnotes may be used within tables. Notes set by the publisher on the first page of the typeset article, such as correspondence details and the copyright and licensing statement, are applied by the editorial office and are not affected by this guidance.

7.16. Units and Nomenclature

Measurements should be reported in the International System of Units (SI). Drugs should be referred to by their generic names (International Nonproprietary Names), with proprietary names given in parentheses at first mention where relevant. Equipment and reagents should be identified by manufacturer and location. Genes and proteins should follow the nomenclature of the relevant authority, such as the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee for human genes.

7.17. Statistical Reporting

Statistical methods should be described in sufficient detail that a knowledgeable reader with access to the data could verify the results, including the software used with its version and manufacturer. Authors should report the sample size and, for hypothesis-testing studies, how it was determined.

Results should be presented as effect estimates with confidence intervals rather than p-values alone, with exact p-values given in place of thresholds wherever feasible. Authors should define the significance level, state whether tests were one- or two-sided, and describe how missing data were handled and how outliers were treated. Statistical significance should not be reported without the underlying descriptive data, and percentages should be accompanied by their denominators.

Analyses that were pre-specified in the study protocol should be distinguished from those that were post hoc or exploratory, in both the Methods and the Discussion.

7.18. Figures

Figures should be embedded in the text at their actual positions, immediately after the paragraph in which they are first mentioned, rather than grouped at the end of the manuscript. Each figure should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals in order of first mention (Figure 1, Figure 2), given a legend placed below the figure, and cited at least once in the text. Multi-panel figures should be labeled with lowercase letters (Figure 1a, Figure 1b), with each panel described in the legend. JBCMS accepts grayscale and color figures; all text and numerals must be legible at print size.

Figures embedded in a Word document are compressed and are generally unsuitable for print production. Each figure should therefore also be uploaded as a separate high-resolution file: a minimum of 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line art, graphs, and diagrams at intended print size. Vector formats are preferred for graphs and schematic diagrams. See Accepted File Formats.

Images must not be manipulated in ways that misrepresent the original data. Adjustments to brightness, contrast, or color balance are acceptable only when applied uniformly to the whole image and to controls, and must be described in the legend. Original, unprocessed images should be retained and supplied on request.

7.19. Tables

Tables should be embedded in the main text at their actual positions, immediately after the paragraph in which they are first mentioned, in editable format rather than as images. Each table should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals in order of first mention, given a concise descriptive title placed above the table (for example, Table 1. Baseline characteristics of study participants), and cited at least once in the text.

Each table should be self-contained, so that it can be understood without reference to the main text, and should define any abbreviations it contains. Notes are placed at the foot of the table, linked to entries by superscripts or asterisks. Tables should present new information rather than repeat data already described in the text.

7.20. Permissions for Third-Party Material

Authors must obtain written permission from the copyright holder before reproducing or adapting any material they do not own. This includes figures, tables, photographs, radiographs, questionnaires, rating scales, assessment instruments, and extended quotations, whether or not the original source is open access. Adapting or redrawing material does not remove the requirement.

Permission documentation should be uploaded as a Permission Note at submission, and the source acknowledged in the figure legend, table notes, or text. JBCMS publishes under a CC BY 4.0 license, so permission must extend to reuse under that license. Material licensed for non-commercial or no-derivatives use only cannot be included, so authors should check the terms before building such material into the manuscript. Many clinical instruments and scales require a license for use as well as for reproduction, and authors should hold both before submission.

7.21. Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is peer reviewed but not copyedited or typeset, and is published exactly as supplied, so authors should check it carefully before submission. Each supplementary file should be cited at the relevant point in the manuscript (Supplementary Table S1, Supplementary Figure S2) and listed in the back matter. Files are deposited with the article, assigned to the version of record, and archived alongside it.

Material essential to understanding or verifying the study's conclusions belongs in the article rather than the supplement. Appropriate supplementary content includes completed reporting checklists, extended methods, full search strategies, and additional data tables.

7.22. Declaration Statements

Every submission must include the statements below. Where a statement does not apply, authors should say so explicitly rather than omitting it. These statements are supplied on the title page at submission; the editorial office places them into the article at acceptance.

7.22.1. Author Contributions

Each author's contribution should be described using the CRediT taxonomy, in the format set out in the Editorial Policy.

7.22.2. Funding

Each funder should be named in full, with the grant or award number and a statement of the funder's role in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to publish.

Funding: This work was supported by [funder], grant number [number]. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Where there was no funding:

Funding: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

7.22.3. Conflict of Interest

Authors should declare all financial and non-financial competing interests relating to the work, including employment, consultancies, honoraria, patents and patent applications, paid expert testimony, board or committee membership, stock ownership, and personal or professional relationships that could be perceived to influence the work. Declarations should cover the 36 months preceding submission.

Conflict of interest: The author(s) declare(s) no conflicts of interest.

Where interests exist:

Conflict of interest: [Author initials] has received consulting fees from [company]. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

7.22.4. Data Availability

One of the following statements, or an equivalent, should be included:

Data availability: The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is available in the [repository name] repository, [DOI or accession number].

Data availability: The dataset supporting the conclusions of this article is included as a supplementary file.

Data availability: The data supporting the conclusions of this article are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Data availability: The data are not publicly available because [reason, for example: they contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants].

A statement that data are available on request is acceptable but is the weakest option; authors choosing it must be prepared to honor such requests. See the Editorial Policy for Data Sharing.

7.22.5. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

A brief statement in the back matter, cross-referring to the full detail given in the Methods. See Research Ethics and Integrity.

7.22.6. Consent to Publication

A statement confirming that written informed consent for publication was obtained. This is required for case reports and for any article containing identifiable patient data or images, and applies even where participants consented to the research and the study received ethics approval. See Research Ethics and Integrity.

7.23. References

JBCMS uses Vancouver style for in-text citations and the reference list. Every citation must appear in the reference list and vice versa, and all references should be accurate, complete, and consistently formatted.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of every reference and should check each against the original source before submission. References generated by AI tools, reference managers, or database exports frequently contain errors and should be verified individually. Manuscripts containing fabricated or unverifiable references will be rejected.

In-text citations are denoted by Arabic numerals in square brackets ([3], [6,7]), numbered sequentially in order of first citation. The reference list is numbered in the same order, without brackets. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the NLM Catalog. For references with more than six authors, the first six are listed followed by "et al." Where a source has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), the DOI should be given at the end of the reference in the form https://doi.org/….

All references should be given in Roman script. For works published in other scripts, author names and the journal title should be transliterated, an English translation of the article title given in square brackets, and the original language noted.

7.23.1. Journal Articles

• Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Abbreviated journal title. Year;Volume(Issue):Pages. https://doi.org/…
• Khaliq IH, Mahmood HZ, Akhter N, Sarfraz MD, Asim K, Gondal KM. Comparison of two public sector tertiary care hospitals' management in reducing direct medical cost burden on breast carcinoma patients in Lahore, Pakistan. J BUON. 2018;23(1):143-9.
• Khaliq IH, Khaliq FH, Abdullah Y, Mahmood HZ, Sarfraz MD, Ahmad S, et al. Students' perceptions of the role of pharmacists in the healthcare system in Lahore, Pakistan. Trop J Pharm Res. 2018;17(4):687-93. https://doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v17i4.18

7.23.2. Books

• Author AA. Title of book. Edition [if not first]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. Pagination.
• Carlson BM. Human embryology and developmental biology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2009. 541 p.

7.23.3. Book Chapters

• Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. Pages.
• Blaxter PS, Farnsworth TP. Social health and class inequalities. In: Carter C, Peel JR, editors. Equalities and inequalities in health. 2nd ed. London: Academic Press; 1976. p. 165-78.

7.23.4. Websites

• Name of organization. Title of page [Internet]. Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: URL
• United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF data: monitoring the situation of children and women [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2022 Aug 8]. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/literacy/

7.23.5. Preprints

• Author AA, Author BB. Title of preprint [Preprint]. Preprint server. Year [cited YYYY Mon DD]. Available from: https://doi.org/…

7.23.6. Datasets

• Author AA. Title of dataset [dataset]. Repository name; Year. https://doi.org/…

7.23.7. Software

• Author AA. Name of software. Version [software]. Publisher or repository; Year. Available from: URL

For further guidance, see the ICMJE Recommendations and the NLM Samples of Formatted References.

JBCMS follows the guidance of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the ICMJE Recommendations. Ethics documentation is part of the scientific record and must appear in the Methods section of the manuscript, not only on the title page. Manuscripts that do not carry this information in the Methods will be returned before peer review.

8.1. Human Participants, Material, and Data

The Methods should state:

• the name of the approving research ethics committee or institutional review board, and the institution to which it belongs;
• the approval reference number;
• the date of approval;
• confirmation that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki;
• the form of consent to participate that was obtained (written or verbal, and if verbal, why written consent was not obtained);
• for participants under 18, or otherwise unable to consent, confirmation that consent was obtained from a parent or legal guardian.

Where a study was exempt from ethics approval, the body that granted the exemption should be named and the grounds stated. A statement that approval was not required, without naming the body that made that determination, is not sufficient. Retrospective approval is not accepted; approval must predate data collection.

Suggested wording: This study was approved by the [name of committee], [institution] (reference: [number], dated [date]), and was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to enrollment.

8.2. Consent to Publication

Written informed consent for publication is required from the patient, or from the next of kin or legal guardian where the patient is deceased or lacks capacity. This is a separate requirement from consent to participate, and applies even where participants consented to the research and the study received ethics approval.

Consent to publication is required for case reports and for any article containing identifiable patient material, including clinical photographs, radiographs and other imaging, pedigrees, laboratory reports, and any narrative detail from which an individual could be identified by themselves, a family member, or a treating clinician. Removing the patient's name is not sufficient de-identification, nor is obscuring the eyes in a photograph.

A consent statement should appear in the manuscript, and the signed consent form should be uploaded at submission. The journal does not share the signed form with reviewers and does not publish it.

Suggested wording: Written informed consent for publication of this case and the accompanying images was obtained from the patient [or: from the patient's legal guardian].

8.3. Animal Studies

The Methods should state the name of the approving institutional animal care and use committee or equivalent body, the approval reference number, and the national or institutional guidelines followed, and should confirm adherence to the ARRIVE guidelines and to the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement.

8.4. Clinical Trials

Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry that is a primary registry of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform or ClinicalTrials.gov before enrollment of the first participant. Trials registered retrospectively will not be considered. The registry name, registration number, and date of registration should be stated in both the Methods and the abstract.

Reports of clinical trials must include a data sharing statement, in line with the ICMJE Recommendations; see Data Availability. See also the Editorial Policy on Trial Registration.

8.5. Reporting Guidelines

Authors should follow the reporting guideline appropriate to their study design and state in the Methods which guideline was followed. A completed checklist should be uploaded as a supplementary file. Further guidelines are available from the EQUATOR Network.

8.6. Sex and Gender Reporting

The sex and, where relevant, the gender of participants should be reported, with the terms used accurately and distinctly. Where the study design justifies including a single sex or gender, the reason should be stated. Where data permit, results should be presented disaggregated by sex. See the SAGER guidelines and the journal's Editorial Policy.

8.7. Originality and Plagiarism

Submissions must be original and must not have been published, or be under consideration, elsewhere. All manuscripts are screened for similarity using iThenticate before peer review. Manuscripts with substantial overlap with published work, including the authors' own, are returned or rejected, and suspected plagiarism, duplicate publication, or data fabrication is handled in accordance with COPE guidance.

8.8. Preprints

Manuscripts that have been posted on a recognized preprint server may be submitted. Authors should disclose the preprint at submission, give its DOI, and cite it in the manuscript. After publication, authors are encouraged to link the preprint to the published article.

JBCMS recognizes that generative AI and AI-assisted technologies are increasingly used in research and scholarly writing. The journal permits their responsible use, subject to full disclosure and unambiguous human accountability. This policy applies to authors, reviewers, and editors.

9.1. Authorship

Generative AI tools cannot be listed as an author or co-author, and cannot be cited as an author. Authorship requires accountability for the work, agreement to be held responsible for all aspects of it, and the capacity to approve the final version and respond to queries after publication, none of which an AI tool can satisfy. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of all submitted content, including material produced with AI assistance.

9.2. AI Use in the Writing Process

Where generative AI or AI-assisted technologies have been used in preparing the manuscript, including for language editing, readability, translation, summarization, restructuring, or reference formatting, authors must include a statement under the heading "Use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies." The statement is placed in the back matter, immediately after the Acknowledgments, in the following wording:

Use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL AND VERSION, DEVELOPER] in order to [SPECIFIC PURPOSE]. After using this tool, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as needed and take(s) full responsibility for the content of the published article.

The declaration should name the specific tool, its version where known, and its developer. Generic descriptions such as "an AI tool" or "AI-assisted software" are not sufficient, and the purpose should be stated specifically, for example "for language editing and readability" rather than "to improve the manuscript."

Where no generative AI has been used, authors must state:

Use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies: The author(s) declare(s) that no generative AI or AI-assisted technologies were used in the preparation of this work.

Routine tools that do not generate content, such as spelling and grammar checkers, reference managers, and plagiarism detection software, do not require disclosure.

9.3. AI Use in the Research Itself

Where AI or machine-learning methods formed part of the research, such as in data collection, data analysis, image analysis, diagnostic or predictive modeling, or literature screening for a systematic review, this is a methodological matter and should be described in the Methods rather than in the declaration. Authors should report the tool, version, and developer; the key parameters or prompts used; the date of use; and how outputs were validated, in sufficient detail for the work to be appraised and reproduced.

9.4. Images, Figures, and Data

Images or figures created or altered by generative AI may not be submitted, except where the AI-generated image is itself the object of study; in that case, its provenance must be declared in the figure legend and in the Methods. AI must not be used to fabricate, enhance, obscure, move, or remove any feature of an original image or dataset.

9.5. Accountability for AI-Generated Content

Authors are responsible for verifying every factual claim, quotation, and reference in the manuscript. Generative AI tools are known to produce plausible but fabricated citations and misattributed findings. Manuscripts containing fabricated or unverifiable references will be rejected, and such findings in published work will be handled under the journal's Corrections & Retractions policy.

9.6. Undisclosed Use

Failure to disclose the use of generative AI where disclosure is required constitutes a breach of publication ethics and will be handled in accordance with COPE guidance, which may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.

9.7. Reviewers

Reviewers must not upload any part of a manuscript, its figures, its data, or their review report to a generative AI tool or any other third-party service. Manuscripts under review are confidential documents, and doing so breaches that confidentiality and may expose unpublished work to third-party retention or reuse. Reviewers must not delegate their critical assessment to an AI tool. AI-assisted language tools may be used to improve the readability of a reviewer's own written comments, provided no manuscript content is entered, and any such use must be declared to the editorial office.

9.8. Editors

Editors must not upload manuscripts or any part of them to generative AI tools. Editorial decisions are made by the handling editor on the basis of the manuscript and the reviewers' reports, and must not be generated or determined by an AI tool.

The title page is kept confidential and separate from the manuscript throughout peer review. It should contain:

• the manuscript's title and article type;
• the names and affiliations of all authors, and ORCID iDs where available;
• the corresponding author's full contact details, including email address;
• the following statements: Acknowledgments, Author Contributions, Funding, Conflict of Interest, Data Availability, Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate, and Consent to Publication.

The editorial office places these statements into the article at acceptance, so they should not be duplicated in the anonymized manuscript.

JBCMS operates double-anonymized peer review, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other. Manuscripts should be anonymized as follows:

• Exclude names, affiliations, Acknowledgments, funding sources, data availability statements, and author biographies.
• Retain the statement on use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, but remove any tool-account, institutional, or licensing detail that could identify the authors.
• Refer to previous work by the same authors in the third person.
• Anonymize the Conflict of Interest statement where applicable.
• Ensure that no figures or tables reveal author affiliations.
• Anonymize trial registration numbers and dates.
• Use nondescript file names and remove author details from file properties, for example with the Document Inspector tool in Microsoft Office.
• Include no identifying information in any file sent to reviewers. 

Ethics approval details should nonetheless be retained in the Methods in anonymized form: the type of committee, the approval date, and the reference number, omitting the institution where it would identify the authors.

Manuscripts are submitted through e-Manuscript Manager (eMM), the journal's online submission system.

The following files are required:

• Title Page
• Manuscript
• License Agreement

Other applicable files should also be uploaded: Cover Letter, Figures, Tables, Supplementary Files, Ethics Approval Letter, Patient Consent for Publication, Completed Reporting Checklist, Permission Note, and Research Compliance Document. All files must comply with Accepted File Formats.

The cover letter should briefly explain the manuscript's contribution and its fit with the journal's scope, confirm that it is not under consideration elsewhere, and disclose any related manuscripts or preprints. The cover letter is not shared with reviewers. Waiver requests should not be included in the cover letter; see Publication Charges.

The License Agreement is a license to publish. Authors retain copyright in their work, which is published under a CC BY 4.0 license; see License & Copyright.

For technical problems with the submission system, contact [email protected].

The submission system accepts only the file formats listed below. Files in other formats cannot be uploaded.

By submitting a manuscript to JBCMS, authors confirm that they have:

• read the Aims & Scope and confirmed that the manuscript falls within the journal's focus;
• followed this guide in preparing and submitting the manuscript;
• read and adhered to the journal's Editorial Policy;
• read the Publication Charges policy;
• taken full responsibility for the content's accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance;
• approved the final submitted manuscript, with the agreement of all co-authors;
• confirmed that the manuscript is original and is neither previously published nor under consideration elsewhere;
• obtained all necessary institutional approvals;
• included ethics approval details, consent statements, and, where applicable, trial registration in the Methods;
• disclosed any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies, or stated that none was used;
• provided ORCID iDs for the authors, where available;
• obtained and documented written permission for any third-party material;
• included all required declaration statements, or stated explicitly where one does not apply;
• verified every reference against its original source.

Each submission is first checked by the Editorial Office for scope, completeness, and compliance with this guide, and screened for similarity, then assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for suitability. Manuscripts that pass this stage are sent for double-anonymized peer review by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise; review arrangements for each article type are given in Article Types. The handling editor makes a decision on the basis of the reviewers’ reports, and the final decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief.

Editorial decisions are based solely on the scholarly merit of the manuscript and are made independently of publication charges. Manuscripts submitted by editors or Editorial Board members are handled by another editor, and the submitting editor is excluded from all stages of the process. Authors may appeal a decision using the Appeal and Complaint Form; see the Editorial Policy.

See Peer Review Process for details.

16.1. Revisions

Where revision is requested, authors should submit a revised manuscript, a tracked-changes version, and a point-by-point response to the reviewers by the deadline stated in the decision letter. Authors who need more time should request an extension from the Editorial Office before the deadline.

16.2. Proofs

The corresponding author receives page proofs for checking and should return corrections within 72 hours. Changes at proof stage are limited to typesetting errors and essential corrections; substantial changes to content require the approval of the Editor-in-Chief.

16.3. Publication

Accepted articles are published online ahead of print once proofs are approved and, where applicable, the APC has been paid. Each article receives a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) registered with Crossref, and is later assigned to an issue. The online version of record is final; changes after publication are made only through a formal correction.

16.4. Corrections and Retractions

Errors identified after publication are handled through corrections, expressions of concern, or retractions in accordance with COPE guidance. See the Corrections & Retractions policy.

Authors may withdraw a manuscript at any stage by written request from the corresponding author to the Editorial Office, stating the reason. Requests made before the manuscript is sent for peer review are processed without charge.

Where withdrawal is requested after peer review has begun, the journal may levy an administrative fee of US$25 to offset editorial and reviewer coordination costs already incurred. This fee is waived where the withdrawal follows an error or delay on the part of the journal, or where the authors have identified a substantive problem with their own work that makes publication inappropriate.

A manuscript should not be submitted elsewhere until withdrawal has been confirmed in writing by the Editorial Office. Published articles cannot be withdrawn; concerns about published work are handled under the Corrections & Retractions policy.