Editor Roles & Responsibilities

Pakistan Annals of Medical Sciences (PAMS) follow the guidelines of World Association of Medical Editors (WAME) that are based on the principle of editorial independence, making sure to follow the good publication ethics based on the recommendations laid down by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). In addition the checklists and advice for good research reporting of EQUATOR network will be taken into consideration.

PAMS relationship with our Editors

The role of the Editor is to make sure that the best ethical practice is followed in getting the high quality research published in a timely way. PAMS encourages editorial freedom and agrees to fully support editorial decisions and potentially controversial expressions of opinion by the Editors, provided they are evidence based.

At the time of appointment and nomination all the Editors are supplied with a written agreement that clearly states their rights and duties, authority, the general terms of their appointment and mechanism for resolving a conflict. The Editors are required to uphold and maintain Code of Conduct at all times.

The purpose of our Code is to ensure that we and all those with whom we collaborate closely, work well together towards our shared vision of betterment of our community and a healthier world. In order to achieve this vision, it is utmost prerequisite that our Editors remain true to our institution values, and take a shared responsibility for establishing, maintaining and safeguarding our trusted reputation and rich heritage.

Editorial Freedom  

PAMS abides by the WAME statement on editorial freedom, duties and responsibilities, which defines editorial freedom as Editors holding full authority over all editorial content for their journal and timing of publication of that content. So no interference will be tolerated in the evaluation, selection, scheduling or editing of individual articles either directly or by creating an environment that strongly influences their decisions.

The Editors of PAMS are supported by an independent editorial advisory board who assist the Editors on Editorial policy and content as well as help the editor to establish and maintain editorial policy. Our editors agree to seek and engage a broad and diverse array of authours, reviewers, editorial board members and readers.

Confidentiality  

We understand that manuscripts submitted to journals are privileged communications that are the author’s private, confidential property, and authors may be harmed by premature disclosure of any or all of a manuscript detail. As such, PAMS Editors and all the editorial and publication staff are required to keep all information about a submitted manuscript confidential, sharing it only with those involved in the evaluation, review and publication processes.

PAMS Editors maintains the confidentiality of authors and peer reviewers in accordance with ICMJE policy. Editors agree to take all responsible steps to check the facts in journal commentary and to adhere to best journalistic practices. Editors will not publish or publicize peer review comments without permission of the reviewer and author. For our journals with mandatory open peer review, permission is provided by submitting the review to the journal by double blind peer review policy. The confidentiality may have to be breached if an allegation of dishonesty or fraud is made. But Editors agree to only notify authors or reviewers if they intend to do so, and confidentiality must otherwise be honored. In cases of breach of confidentiality by those involved in the peer review process, Editors agree to contact the involved parties and follow upon such cases until they are satisfactorily resolved.

Peer Review and timeliness

Editors agree to ensure that reviewer’s comments are properly assessed and interpreted in the context of their declared conflicts of interest. Articles authored by a member of a journal’s editorial team are independently peer reviewed; an editor will have no input or influence on the peer review process or publication decision for their own article. Editors will do all they can to ensure timely processing of manuscripts. If a journal has no intention of proceeding with a manuscript, Editors will endeavor to reject the manuscript as soon as possible to allow authors to submit to a different journal.

Competing interests

PAMS Editors agree to ensure all editorial decisions based on relevance of a manuscript to the journal and on the manuscripts originality, quality and contributions to evidence. They agree to ensure that these decisions will not be influenced by commercial interests or conflicts of interest. PAMS ensures the independence and integrity of published content. As such prior to appointment, all of our Editors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest in accordance with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors uniform declaration of competing interests.