Journal of Basic & Clinical Medical Sciences (JBCMS) is an international, open access, peer-reviewed journal covering advances across the basic and clinical medical sciences. 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.

Learn more about the journal's Aims & Scope.

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.

Learn more about License & Copyright.

Learn more about Publication Charges.

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; exceed them only where the argument requires it. All types except Editorials undergo peer review. Editorials are assessed by the Editorial Board. 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. Structure the article as abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions. The discussion must address the study's limitations. The abstract is a single unstructured paragraph of up to 300 words covering background and objectives, methods, results, and conclusions.

4.2. Reviews

Reviews synthesize existing literature and recent developments in a defined area. They must not introduce new, unpublished data. The word limit is 5,000, and the reference list should not normally exceed 120 sources. Structure the review as abstract, keywords, introduction, topic-specific sections organized thematically, discussion, conclusions, and future directions. The abstract is limited to 300 words.

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.

Submissions must follow the PRISMA Guidelines and include a PRISMA Flow Diagram in the main text or as supplementary material; the template is available on the PRISMA Website. Register the review protocol in a recognized registry such as PROSPERO before beginning data extraction. State adherence to PRISMA in the methods section, together with registration details where applicable. The word limit is 6,000, reflecting the space required for the search strategy, selection criteria, and evidence synthesis.

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.

Submissions 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 Ethics Approval, Consent, and Reporting.

4.5. Case Studies

Case studies analyze a clinical service, programme, or organizational intervention — 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. Where the case study reports a quality improvement intervention, 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 summary 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: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusions.

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. The Editor-in-Chief may send Letters for peer review.

4.9. Editorials

Editorials address topics of current importance to the journal's readership. They are usually commissioned, though unsolicited submissions are considered; 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. Editorials are assessed by the Editorial Board rather than by external peer review.

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 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
• Declaration of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies
• Author contributions
• Funding
• Conflict of interest
• Data availability statement
• Ethics approval and consent to participate (statement; full detail in Methods)
• Consent to publication
• Supplementary material (listed here; supplied as separate files)
• 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, and ethics approval 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 declaration of generative AI use is the exception: it remains in the anonymized manuscript throughout, with identifying detail removed.

This section outlines guidelines for manuscript preparation:

7.1. File Format

Submit the manuscript as a Microsoft Word file. 

7.2. Font

Use a serif typeface such as Times New Roman, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing.

7.3. Margin

Use margins of 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. Manuscript Title

Titles must be concise and accurately reflect the article's content. Avoid abbreviations in the title.

7.6. Author's Information and Acknowledgements

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

• Author Name
• Email Address (preferably institutional)
• Affiliation
• ORCID iD

An ORCID iD is required for the corresponding author and strongly encouraged for all co-authors. ORCID iDs are published with the article and deposited with Crossref, ensuring that work is reliably and permanently attributed to its authors. Authors can register for an ORCID iD free of charge at orcid.org.

All listed authors must meet the ICMJE authorship criteria. Contributors who do not meet them should be named in the acknowledgments, with their permission. All authors must confirm their contributions.

JBCMS applies the standards set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

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

Write the abstract as a single unstructured paragraph following the pattern of a structured abstract: background and objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. Word limits vary by article type; see Article Types. Use abbreviations in the abstract only where the term recurs, and define each at first use. The abstract must not contain references.

7.9. Graphical Abstracts (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. 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.

7.11. Headings

Use headings 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

7.12. Abbreviations

Define each abbreviation at first mention, giving the term in full followed by the abbreviation in parentheses, and use it consistently thereafter. Do not abbreviate terms used fewer than three times. Avoid abbreviations in the title. Standard units of measurement do not require definition. Where a manuscript uses five or more abbreviations, supply an alphabetical Abbreviations list at the start of the back matter, in this form: APHA, American Public Health Association; CML, Chronic myelogenous leukemia; DAS, Disability Assessment Scale.

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

7.13. Footnotes

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

7.14. Units of Measurement

Use the International System of Units (SI) for all measurements.

7.15. 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.

7.16. 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 should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals in order of first mention (Figure 1, Figure 2), given a brief caption 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 high-resolution 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: minimum 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.

7.17. 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 should be numbered sequentially with Arabic numerals in order of first mention and 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 legend should be self-contained, so that the table 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.

7.18. 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.

7.19. 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 preserved alongside it.

Material essential to understanding or verifying the study's conclusions belongs in the article, not the supplement. Appropriate supplementary content includes completed reporting checklists, extended methods, full search strategies, and additional data tables.

7.20. 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.

7.20.1. Author Contributions

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

7.20.2. 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.

7.20.3. 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.

7.20.4. Availability of Data

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.

7.20.5. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

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

7.20.6. 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 Ethics Approval, Consent, and Reporting.

7.21. 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 from first citation. The reference list is numbered in the same order, without brackets.

Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the NLM Catalog.

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.

7.21.1. For Journals (print or online)

• Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of article. Abbreviated title of the journal. Year of publication;volume number(issue number):page numbers.
• 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.

For articles with more than six authors, the first six are listed followed by "et al." Where an article has a Digital Object Identifier (DOI), the DOI is included at the end of the reference.

• 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. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/tjpr.v17i4.18

7.21.2. For Books (print or online)

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

7.21.3. For Book Chapters (from edited print or e-book)

• Author AA, Author BB. Title of chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of book. # edition. Place of Publication: Publisher; Year of publication. p. [page numbers of chapter].
• 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.

7.21.4. For Websites

• Name of the Organization. Title of the page. Year of publication [cited Day (DD) Month (in full) Year (YYYY)]. Available from: URL.
• United Nations Children's Fund. UNICEF Data: Monitoring the situation of children and women. 2019 [cited 08 August 2022]. Available from: https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/literacy/.

7.21.5. For Preprints

• Author AA, Author BB. Title of preprint. Preprint server name. Year [cited DD Month YYYY]. Available from: DOI or URL.

7.21.6. For Datasets

• Author AA. Title of dataset [dataset]. Repository name. Year. DOI.

For further guidance, see the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals and the Samples of Formatted References.

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. Studies Involving Human Participants, Human Material, or Human Data

The methods section 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.

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.

Retrospective approval is not accepted; approval must predate data collection.

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 section 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

The registry name, registration number, and date of registration should be stated in both the methods and the abstract. Registration must predate enrollment of the first participant; trials registered retrospectively will not be considered. See 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. See Reporting Guidelines.

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.

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. The following guidelines apply:

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.

10.1. 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.

10.2. 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 declaration in the manuscript. The declaration is placed in the back matter, under the heading declaration of generative AI use, immediately after the acknowledgments and before the references, in the following wording:

Declaration of generative AI use: 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:

Declaration of generative AI use: 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 — spelling and grammar checkers, reference managers, plagiarism detection software — do not require disclosure.

10.3. AI Use in the Research Itself

Where AI or machine-learning methods formed part of the research — 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 section 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.

10.4. 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.

10.5. 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.

10.6. 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.

10.7. 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.

10.8. 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.

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

The following files are required:

• Title page
• Main manuscript (anonymized)
• License agreement

Other applicable files should also be uploaded: cover letter, figures, tables, supplementary material, ethics approval letter, patient consent forms, completed reporting checklists, and research compliance documents. All files must comply with Accepted File Formats.

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 assistance, contact [email protected].

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

• Manuscript, Final: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Cover Letter: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf)
• Title Page: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Rebuttal Letter: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf)
• Revised Manuscript: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Revised Manuscript (Tracked Version): Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Graphical Abstract: Vector or Presentation files (.eps, .ai, .ppt, .cdr)
• Highlights: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx)
• Figures: Microsoft Word or Excel (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx), Image or Vector files (.eps, .ai, .tif, .tiff, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .cdr)
• Tables: Microsoft Word or Excel (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx)
• Supplementary File: Microsoft Word, Excel, or Data Text files (.doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .sav, .txt)
• Permission Note: PDF or Image files (.pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .png)
• Research Compliance Document: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf)
• Ethics Approval Letter: PDF or Image files (.pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .png)
• Data Set: Excel or Data files (.xls, .xlsx, .csv, .sav)
• Statistical Results: PDF, Excel, or Statistical Output files (.pdf, .xls, .xlsx, .csv, .txt, .spv, .log, .rtf, .lst)
• License Agreement: Microsoft Word (.doc, .docx), PDF (.pdf)

The title page is kept confidential and separate from the manuscript throughout peer review. It should contain the manuscript's title; the names, affiliations, and ORCID iDs of all authors; the corresponding author's full contact details including email address; and 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, maintaining the anonymity of both authors and reviewers. Manuscripts should be anonymized as follows:

• Exclude names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding sources, data availability statements, and author biographies.
• Retain the declaration of generative AI use, 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 no figures or tables reveal author affiliations.
• Anonymize trial registration numbers and dates.
• Use nondescript file names and anonymize file properties. The Document Inspector tool in Microsoft Office 2007 or later can help.
• Include no identifying information in any file sent to reviewers. Reviewers see all uploaded files except the title page and cover letter.

Statements removed from the anonymized manuscript — acknowledgments, funding, conflict of interest where identifying, data availability, and author contributions — are supplied on the title page and reinstated by the editorial office at acceptance.

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.

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

• Read the Aims & Scope and confirmed the manuscript falls within the journal's focus;
• Followed this guide in preparing and submitting the manuscript;
• Taken full responsibility for the content's accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance;
• Read and adhered to JBCMS's editorial policies;
• Approved the final submitted manuscript;
• Confirmed 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 section;
• Disclosed any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies, or stated that none was used;
• Provided an ORCID iD for the corresponding author;
• 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.

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$45 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.