CRediT Contribution Form

Author Declaration Form

The Insights–Journal of Life and Social Sciences (IJLSS) provides the following instructions to ensure that submitted manuscripts are complete, ethically compliant, clearly presented and suitable for editorial assessment and peer review.

Authors are advised to review all requirements carefully before submitting a manuscript through the journal’s online submission system. Incomplete submissions may be returned for correction before editorial screening begins.

---

Authorship and Contributorship Policy

Purpose

IJLSS is committed to fair authorship attribution, transparent reporting of individual contributions and accountability for published research.

The journal’s authorship policy is informed by the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, the Contributor Roles Taxonomy, and accepted publication-ethics principles.

Reference to these frameworks indicates that the journal follows their relevant principles and does not imply formal membership or accreditation unless expressly stated.

Authorship Eligibility

An individual should be listed as an author only when all four of the following conditions are met.

1. Substantial contribution

The individual has made a substantial contribution to one or more of the following:

• Conception or design of the study;
• Acquisition of data;
• Analysis or interpretation of data;
• Development of the scientific or conceptual framework of the manuscript.

2. Drafting or critical revision

The individual has:

• Drafted the manuscript; or
• Critically revised it for important intellectual content.

3. Final approval

The individual has reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript before submission and publication.

4. Accountability

The individual agrees to:

• Accept responsibility for their contribution;
• Cooperate in resolving questions concerning the accuracy or integrity of the work;
• Support correction of the scholarly record where necessary.

Individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet all four authorship criteria should be acknowledged rather than listed as authors. Such individuals may include data collectors, administrative staff, technical assistants, general supervisors, language editors or funders who did not make a qualifying intellectual contribution.

Author Contribution Statement

A clear author-contribution statement must be included in every manuscript.

Authors should identify their roles using the following CRediT categories, where applicable:

• Conceptualization;
• Methodology;
• Software;
• Validation;
• Formal analysis;
• Investigation;
• Resources;
• Data curation;
• Writing—original draft;
• Writing—review and editing;
• Visualization;
• Supervision;
• Project administration;
• Funding acquisition.

The contribution statement must accurately describe the work performed by each author and must be approved by all authors before submission.

Corresponding Author Responsibilities

The corresponding author is responsible for:

• Confirming that all listed authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria;
• Ensuring that all authors have approved the manuscript and authorship order;
• Submitting the completed Author Agreement Form;
• Providing the author-contribution statement;
• Disclosing all conflicts of interest and funding sources;
• Providing ethical approval and informed-consent documentation, where applicable;
• Confirming that the manuscript complies with the journal’s policies and author instructions;
• Communicating with the editorial office during submission, review, revision and publication;
• Sharing editorial decisions and reviewer comments with all co-authors;
• Responding promptly to requests for clarification or supporting evidence.

The corresponding author serves as the principal contact for the journal. However, all authors remain accountable for their individual contributions and for the integrity of the published work.

Changes in Authorship

Any request to add, remove or reorder authors after submission must include:

• A written explanation for the proposed change;
• Written agreement from all existing authors;
• Written agreement from any author being added or removed;
• An updated author-contribution statement;
• Any additional evidence requested by the editor.

The journal will evaluate each request before approving the change. Authorship changes after acceptance or publication may require an official editorial notice.

Acknowledgements

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship may be acknowledged with their permission.

The acknowledgement should clearly state the nature of their contribution.

Authorship Disputes and Misconduct

Authorship disputes should initially be addressed by the authors and their institutions.

Where guest authorship, ghost authorship, forged consent, misrepresentation or another authorship concern is suspected, IJLSS may:

• Request supporting documents;
• Suspend editorial processing;
• Contact the relevant institution;
• Reject or withdraw the manuscript;
• Publish a correction or retraction where necessary.

---

Author Agreement Form

A completed and signed Author Agreement Form is mandatory for every submission.

By signing the form, all authors confirm the following declarations.

Originality and Exclusive Submission

The authors confirm that:

• The manuscript is original;
• It is not under consideration by another journal;
• It has not been published previously, except where clearly disclosed and permitted;
• All sources have been appropriately cited;
• The manuscript does not contain plagiarized, fabricated or falsified material.

Accuracy and Responsibility

The authors confirm that:

• The data are accurate;
• The results have not been fabricated, falsified or manipulated;
• The findings are presented honestly;
• The authors accept responsibility for the integrity of the work;
• Supporting data will be provided when reasonably requested and ethically permissible.

Ethical Compliance

The authors confirm that:

• Ethical approval was obtained where required;
• Informed consent or assent was obtained where applicable;
• Research involving human participants, animals or identifiable information complied with relevant ethical requirements;
• Ethical approval details are accurately reported in the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose all interests that could influence or appear to influence the research, including:

• Financial relationships;
• Institutional interests;
• Professional relationships;
• Personal interests;
• Ideological or academic conflicts.

Where no conflict exists, the manuscript should include a statement declaring that the authors have no conflicts of interest.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors retain copyright in their work and grant IJLSS the right to publish, distribute, archive and index the article under the journal’s applicable Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Data Availability

Authors must include a Data Availability Statement.

Supporting data should be made available where ethically, legally and practically permissible. Restrictions on access must be clearly explained.

Permission for Third-Party Material

Authors are responsible for:

• Obtaining permission to reproduce copyrighted content;
• Providing appropriate attribution;
• Submitting permission documents where requested.

Authorship Confirmation

All authors must confirm that they:

• Participated in the work;
• Approve the authorship order;
• Approve the submitted version;
• Consent to publication;
• Accept accountability for their contribution.

The Author Agreement Form should be signed by all authors and submitted with the initial manuscript.

---

Article Processing and Publication Fee Policy

No Submission Fee

IJLSS does not charge a manuscript submission fee.

Authors may submit manuscripts and undergo editorial screening and peer review without payment.

Article Processing Charge

An Article Processing Charge is payable only after a manuscript has:

• Completed the peer-review process;
• Received a formal acceptance decision;
• Been approved for publication.

The current publication charges are:

• PKR 20,000 per accepted article for national authors;
• USD 75 per accepted article for international authors.

Payment of the publication fee does not guarantee acceptance.

Editorial decisions are based on:

• Relevance to the journal’s scope;
• Originality;
• Methodological quality;
• Ethical compliance;
• Reviewer recommendations;
• Editorial assessment.

Services Supported by the Fee

The Article Processing Charge supports:

• Editorial administration;
• Manuscript processing;
• Peer-review coordination;
• Reviewer honoraria, where applicable;
• Copyediting and proofreading;
• Reference checking;
• Typesetting and layout;
• DOI registration;
• Website hosting and technical maintenance;
• Metadata preparation;
• Digital archiving and preservation;
• Journal administration and sustainability.

Payment Procedure

After acceptance, the corresponding author will receive:

• A formal acceptance letter;
• A publication-fee invoice or payment request;
• Official payment instructions;
• A payment deadline.

Authors should make payment only through the official method communicated by the journal.

Proof of payment must be submitted to the editorial office for verification.

Waiver and Discount Policy

Full or partial waivers may be considered for:

• Students;
• Early-career researchers;
• Authors experiencing financial hardship;
• Authors from low-income settings;
• Persons with disabilities;
• Orphaned students or researchers;
• Researchers affected by humanitarian, political or economic crises.

Waiver requests should be submitted with an appropriate explanation and supporting evidence before the production process begins.

A waiver request does not influence the editorial or peer-review decision.

Refund Policy

The Article Processing Charge is generally non-refundable after:

• Formal acceptance;
• Commencement of copyediting, typesetting or production;
• DOI registration;
• Online publication;
• Withdrawal requested by the authors after acceptance.

A refund may be considered where the journal is unable to proceed with publication because of an error attributable to the journal and no substantial production work has been completed.

Withdrawal After Acceptance

Authors who request withdrawal after acceptance may remain responsible for costs already incurred in:

• Editorial processing;
• Copyediting;
• Typesetting;
• DOI registration;
• Production.

Corrections and Retractions

No additional fee will normally be charged for correcting an error introduced during journal production.

Charges may apply where authors request extensive changes after approving the final proof.

Decisions concerning corrections, expressions of concern or retractions are based on publication ethics and are not influenced by payment of the Article Processing Charge.

---

Sources of Journal Funding

IJLSS may receive financial support from:

• Article Processing Charges;
• Publisher resources;
• Workshops and seminars;
• Educational and professional training programmes;
• Research consultancy;
• Editorial and academic services.

Financial contributors, sponsors or commercial organizations do not control editorial decisions.

Advertising, sponsorship or payment does not influence:

• Reviewer selection;
• Peer-review reports;
• Acceptance;
• Rejection;
• Corrections;
• Retractions.

---

Submission Guidelines

Submission Method

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system.

Submissions sent only by email are not treated as formal submissions unless specifically authorized by the editorial office.

Required Submission Documents

A complete submission should include:

• Manuscript in Microsoft Word format;
• Cover letter;
• Title page;
• Author names and affiliations;
• Corresponding-author details;
• Completed Author Agreement Form;
• Author-contribution statement;
• Conflict-of-interest declaration;
• Funding statement;
• Data Availability Statement;
• Ethical approval document, where applicable;
• Informed-consent statement, where applicable;
• Tables and figures;
• Supplementary files, where applicable.

Incomplete submissions may be returned to the corresponding author before editorial assessment.

---

Manuscript Formatting Requirements

General Format

Manuscripts should be prepared using:

• Microsoft Word format;
• Times New Roman font;
• 12-point font size;
• Single-line spacing;
• One-inch margins;
• Continuous page numbering.

Title Page

The title page should include:

• Full manuscript title;
• Full names of all authors;
• Departmental and institutional affiliations;
• City and country of each institution;
• Corresponding-author name;
• Corresponding-author email address;
• ORCID identifiers, where available;
• Running title, where required.

Abstract

The abstract should normally contain 200–300 words.

Original research articles should use a structured abstract containing headings such as:

• Background;
• Objective;
• Methods;
• Results;
• Conclusion.

Keywords

Authors should provide five to seven keywords.

Medical Subject Headings may be used for health-related manuscripts where appropriate.

Manuscript Structure

Original research manuscripts should generally include:

1. Introduction;
2. Methods;
3. Results;
4. Discussion;
5. Conclusion;
6. References.

A separate literature-review heading may be used where appropriate to the discipline or study design.

Other article types may follow a structure suitable to their methodology.

Tables

Tables should:

• Be numbered consecutively;
• Be cited in the text;
• Have a clear title above the table;
• Contain explanatory notes where necessary;
• Avoid duplication of information already presented in the text or figures.

Figures

Figures should:

• Be numbered consecutively;
• Be cited in the text;
• Be submitted in high resolution;
• Have a clear caption below the figure;
• Protect the identity of participants;
• Include permission where copyrighted material is reproduced.

References

References should be prepared in the Vancouver style, unless another style has been approved for a particular discipline or article type.

Authors are responsible for checking the accuracy and completeness of all references.

---

Submission-to-Publication Process

Step 1: Online Submission

The corresponding author submits the manuscript and all required documents through the journal’s online portal.

An acknowledgement of receipt is issued after successful submission.

Step 2: Administrative and Technical Screening

The editorial office checks:

• Completeness of the submission;
• Presence of mandatory documents;
• File format;
• Manuscript organization;
• Author information;
• Formatting requirements;
• Similarity-screening results;
• Relevance to the journal’s scope.

Submissions with missing documents or correctable deficiencies are returned for completion.

Step 3: Editor Assignment

A suitable editor is assigned according to the manuscript’s subject area and article type.

Step 4: Preliminary Editorial Assessment

The assigned editor evaluates:

• Relevance to the journal’s aims and scope;
• Originality;
• Scholarly contribution;
• Methodological suitability;
• Ethical compliance;
• Clarity of language and presentation;
• Suitability for external peer review.

A manuscript may be declined at this stage if it falls outside the journal’s scope or does not meet minimum scholarly, ethical or reporting standards.

Step 5: Double-Blind Peer Review

Manuscripts approved for external review are normally sent to at least two subject experts.

Reviewers assess:

• Originality;
• Research question and objectives;
• Study design and methodology;
• Analysis and interpretation;
• Validity of conclusions;
• Use of relevant literature;
• Ethical compliance;
• Clarity and organization;
• Contribution to knowledge.

The identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another as far as reasonably possible.

Step 6: First Editorial Decision

After considering the reviewer reports, the editor may issue one of the following decisions:

• Accept;
• Minor revision;
• Major revision;
• Resubmit for further review;
• Reject.

Reviewer comments and editorial instructions are sent to the corresponding author.

Step 7: Author Revision

Authors should submit:

• A revised manuscript;
• A point-by-point response to reviewer and editor comments;
• A clear indication of the changes made;
• An explanation where a suggested change has not been accepted;
• Updated documents or declarations where required.

Step 8: Reassessment or Additional Review

The revised manuscript is assessed by the editor.

It may be:

• Returned to the original reviewers;
• Sent to additional reviewers;
• Evaluated directly by the editor.

More than one revision round may be required.

Step 9: Final Editorial Decision

The Editor-in-Chief or authorized academic editor makes the final decision after considering:

• The manuscript;
• Reviewer reports;
• Author responses;
• Revised files;
• Ethical documentation;
• Administrative requirements.

The final decision may be:

• Acceptance;
• Further revision;
• Rejection.

Step 10: Publication Fee and Production

After formal acceptance:

• The Article Processing Charge is requested;
• The manuscript enters copyediting;
• Language and formatting are reviewed;
• References are checked;
• Tables and figures are prepared;
• The article is typeset according to the journal format.

Step 11: Author Proof Review

The corresponding author receives the final proof and should:

• Check author names and affiliations;
• Review tables and figures;
• Check references;
• Identify minor typographical or production errors;
• Approve the article for publication.

Major changes to the study, results or conclusions are not normally accepted at proof stage.

Step 12: Publication and Archiving

After proof approval:

• A DOI is assigned or activated;
• The article is published online;
• Article metadata are deposited with relevant services;
• The article is included in the appropriate journal issue;
• Publication information is communicated to the authors;
• The article is submitted to relevant indexing and archiving services, where applicable.

---

Indicative Processing Times

These periods are estimates and are not guaranteed deadlines.

Processing time may vary because of:

• Reviewer availability;
• Complexity of the manuscript;
• Number of revision rounds;
• Ethical or authorship queries;
• Delayed author responses;
• Technical or production requirements.

---

Publication Schedule

Publication Schedule for 2023–2024

During 2023 and 2024, IJLSS followed a biannual publication schedule.

January–June issue

• Submission and processing period: January–April;
• Peer review and revision: April–May;
• Publication: June.

July–December issue

• Submission and processing period: July–October;
• Peer review and revision: October–November;
• Publication: December.

Publication Schedule from 2025 Onward

From 2025 onward, IJLSS accepts submissions continuously and processes manuscripts on a rolling basis.

Accepted articles are prepared for publication after completion of:

• Peer review;
• Required revisions;
• Final editorial approval;
• Publication formalities;
• Proof approval.

The exact publication date depends on completion of the editorial and production processes.