Editorial Policy

Authorship Criteria

Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences journal has agreed to receive and publish manuscripts in accordance with the instructions of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Details of ICMJE and COPE are available at www.icmje.org and http://publicationethics.org/

The ICMJE recommends that authorship should be based on the following four criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All those designated as authors should meet all four criteria for authorship.

1. Alterations in the List of Authors
   
   DMLS Journal does not prescribe to change in the authors list with respect to additions and deletions after the initial submission.
2. Contributions Statement
   
   Statements describing detailed contributions made by each author are required at the time of submission of the manuscript. This has to be outlined in the submission statement form. Incomplete form can lead to processing delays in the manuscript.
3. Corresponding Author
   
   The corresponding author is the individual who takes primary responsibility for communication with the journal. The corresponding author should be available throughout the submission and peer review process to respond to editorial queries in a timely way, and should be available after publication to respond to critiques of the work and cooperate with any requests from the journal for data or additional information should questions about the paper arise after publication.
4. Author’s Address and affiliation
   
   Present addresses for individual authors that differ from the address(es) at which the work was done should be given in a Present Addresses note to be placed at the bottom of the first page.
5. Deceased Authors
   
   Deceased authors should be included with a death dagger (†) next to the author's name, and a footnote stating that the author is deceased and giving the date of their death e.g., †Deceased 1 January 2016.

Crossmark Policy

https://doi.org/10.69750/dmls.crossmark.policy.2024

Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Research and Publications (SMC-Private) Limited                                                                                   

Crossmark Policy Statement:

CrossMark is a publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the authoritative version of an article or other published content. By applying the CrossMark logo, Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Research and Publications (SMC-Private) Limited is committing to maintaining the content it publishes withing journal DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES journal and to alerting readers to changes if and when they occur.

Clicking the CrossMark logo on a document will tell you its current status and may also give you additional publication-record information about the document.        

For more information on CrossMark, please visit the CrossMark site.

The Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Research and Publications (SMC-Private) Limited content that will have the CrossMark logo is restricted to current and future journal content and is limited to specific publication types.

For general author guidelines and information, please see: Publishing with Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Research and Publications (SMC-Private) Limited - Resources for DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES Authors.

Correction and Retraction Policies

Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Research and Publications (SMC-Private) Limited  is committed to uphold the integrity of the literature and publishes Errata, Expressions of Concerns or Retraction Notices dependent on the situation and in accordance with the COPE Retraction Guidelines and also follow ICMJE guidelines . In all cases, these notices are linked to the original article.
More information on our Editorial guidelines can be found here: Publishing Ethics for journals and editorial policies
Information on COPE Retraction Guidelines can be found here: Retraction Guidelines

Plagiarism Policy

PLAGIARISM AND AI DETECTION POLICY

The Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of academic integrity in line with HEC, PMDC, COPE, and ICMJE guidelines. The journal takes a strict stance against plagiarism, manipulation of research data, and unethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the academic publishing process.

1. Plagiarism Detection and Prevention

Plagiarism is defined as the unacknowledged use of another’s ideas, writings, or work. The journal implements rigorous plagiarism checks using tools such as Turnitin or iThenticate. All submissions are subject to a detailed review, and manuscripts with similarity indexes exceeding 19% are flagged for further investigation.

• Action Against Plagiarism: If plagiarism is identified, the journal follows COPE guidelines, which may result in manuscript rejection, retraction of published articles, or notification of the author’s institution.

2. Artificial Intelligence in Research

The journal acknowledges the growing role of AI tools in the research process, but it emphasizes that AI should not be used to generate or manipulate data, alter research findings, or write content in place of the authors. Authors must adhere to the following:

• Disclosure: Authors are required to disclose the use of any AI tools in the methodology or writing process in the manuscript submission. This includes tools used for data analysis, content generation, or editing.
• AI in Research: If AI tools are used in data analysis, authors must clearly specify how the tool was used, ensuring that it does not interfere with the accuracy and integrity of the results.
• AI-Generated Content: Any content that is generated by AI tools (e.g., writing assistance, paraphrasing tools) should be appropriately disclosed. AI-generated content that constitutes a significant portion of the manuscript must be explicitly acknowledged as such, and the authors must take responsibility for its accuracy and validity.

Double-blind Peer Review

This Policy of Double Blind Peer Review is applicable to all publications submitted to the Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences Journal and operates a double-blind peer review process. All the submitted manuscripts undergo an initial evaluation (1-2 days) which includes assessment of the scope of the article along with its originality. The Editorial Board of the Journal is responsible for the selection of reviewers based on their expertise in the relevant field. The manuscript is sent to two external reviewers (from outside the organization of journal) for a peer review. The experts/reviewers in the field are given a time of 1 week to make decisions accordingly. In case of major/minor revisions, the manuscript is returned to authors for further amendments and its resubmission in a period of 3 days (The duration is further extended on special requests by authors). The revised manuscript is then again reviewed by the reviewers with a final decision of the editor to get it accepted or rejected which takes up to 2 days. The manuscript upon acceptance is preceded for final copy editing, English editing, proof reading with the confirmation of article processing charges meanwhile. The final version of the manuscript is published within 3 days after the acceptance. The entire publication process completes in a range of 15-20 days. In case of conflict of interest regarding a specific manuscript, a member of the Editorial Board will be assigned to assume responsibility for overseeing peer review. Reviewers will be treated anonymously and the pre-publication history of each article will not be made available online. Intentionally falsifying information, for example, authors or reviewers with a false name or email address, will result in rejection of the manuscript and may lead to penalty according to misconduct policy. Guest editorial submitted by authors is reviewed internally by Editor-in-Chief or Editor and is then sent externally to another guest editor for final verdict.

Requirements for double-blind peer review

Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences offers double-blind peer review; authors who choose this option will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout the peer review process. 

If you want to participate in double-blind peer review, you should:

1. Prepare your manuscript in a way that conceals the identities of all the authors, by following the double-blind peer review guidelines,
2. Tick the appropriate box in our manuscript tracking system – eJP – during submission, 
3. When completing the Editorial Policy Checklist form, where applicable, put ‘DBPR’ and your manuscript number in any sections that require author names.

Please note that authors are responsible for ensuring that the paper is properly anonymized; this will not be checked by your editor.

Double-blind Peer Review guidelines:

When preparing a manuscript for double-anonymized peer review, check these common places where manuscripts and submission files may reveal an author’s identity.

 → Do not include names or affiliations anywhere in the manuscript or Supplementary Information.

→ When referring to your own work in the manuscript, use neutral terminology. Replace phrases like “as we have shown before” with “as has been shown before” or similar.

→ Remove any author names from the figures.

→ Include acknowledgements, author information/contributions, and author name order in the cover letter, not in the manuscript. This information can be transferred after the completion of the peer review process.

 → Remove any author information from all submitted files’ metadata. This information is often added automatically from the identity information on your computer, and can be found in “properties” under the “file” menu in word processors and PDF readers.

 → Include your complete competing interests declaration in your cover letter and NOT in the submission system. Instead, in the submission system, provide a minimal statement (either “The authors declare the existence of a financial/non-financial competing interest” OR “The authors declare no competing interests”), which will be shown to reviewers. For published manuscripts, reviewers will be provided the full competing interests declaration at the time of acceptance.

 → Do not add names to any document included with your submission, including the Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences editorial policy checklist or reporting summary. Replace with “DBPR” and your manuscript number, if known

 Reviewer guidelines:

Submitted manuscripts are reviewed for originality, significance, adequacy of documentation, reader interest and composition. Manuscript not submitted according to instructions will be returned to the author for correction prior to beginning the peer review/process. Revised manuscripts are judged on the adequacy of responses to suggestions and criticisms made during the initial review. Each manuscript will be check for technical, epidemiological, statistical, and ethical and language corrections. All parts of accepted manuscripts are subject to editing for scientific accuracy and clarity by the office of the Editor. The editorial board of DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES holds the right to a final decision of accepting or rejecting any article from publication in the journal, at all stages including the editorial review.A brief account of minimum requirements by "International Committee of Medical Journal Editors" is given in "ICMJE-Recommendations" link below for assisting the reviewers. However, the full text can be read at www.icmje.org

Check List for Reviewing an article:

• Please go through the article and comment according to the following guidelines.
• The manuscript being sent for review is a confidential document; hence its contents should not be disclosed, used in any way or discussed with the authors. 
• The final decision to accept or reject the manuscript rests with journal Editorial Committee.
• In case a manuscript is rejected, the reviewers are expected to give detailed reasons. If a write-up can be improved, please give detailed recommendations which would help the authors.
• The main idea of your comments is to help the authors to improve upon this manuscript and in the long run, their skill to write future research articles, so please use an encouraging and kind language. 
• (Please type ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ in the selected column)

 Download review form from here

click here

Rejected Articles Appeals

Authors whose articles have been rejected have the right to send a letter of appeal giving detailed explanations. This will be reviewed in-house and a decision will be taken accordingly.

Revised articles will not be reconsidered after declared as rejected or Articles rejected at this stage will not be reconsidered under any condition.

Reproduction of full or in part of a previously published article will not be accepted.

Reproducing material from other sources will not be acceptable

It is the author's responsibility to secure permissions from all required sources, prior to submission of the manuscript. Any part of the article accessed from another source, should be accompanied by a signed letter of consent from the copyright holder, which may be the author, journal or the publisher.

Ethical Approval of Research

When reporting experiments on human subjects, authors should indicate whether the procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation and with the latest version of Helsinki Declaration. Do not use patients' names, initials, or hospital numbers, in text and illustrative material.

Every manuscript submitted to DMLS should have the ethical approval by the ethical review committee (ERC) or Institutional review board (IRB) of the organisation. The statement should be written on the official letterhead of the ERC or IRB duly stamped and signed by the Chairperson of the committee. The study should be approved prospectively. Studies not involving direct contacts with human subjects would require submission of an exemption letter issued by the institutional ERC/IRB before the starting date of the project.

If an institution does not have an ethical review committee, the approval should be sought from another institution adhering to ethical norms and govern research involving humans by means of Ethical Review Committees that are willing to cooperate in the enhancement of ethical standards.

All case reports require an approval on the institutional letterhead from the head of the department. A statement should be included that participants gave informed consent before being included in the study or for publication of a case report.

Privacy Statement

At Developmental Medico-Life Sciences (DMLS), we prioritize the privacy and protection of our users' personal data. This policy outlines how we collect, use, and safeguard your information:

1. Data Collection:
   We collect personal information such as name, email address, and institutional affiliation during user registration, manuscript submission, and communication with the journal.
2. Data Use:
   Personal data is used exclusively for journal-related purposes, including manuscript processing, peer review, and communication. We do not sell, share, or distribute personal information to third parties unless required by law.
3. Data Storage:
   All personal data is securely stored and accessible only to authorized personnel. Data is retained only as long as necessary for the journal’s operations.
4. User Rights:
   Users have the right to access, update, or request the deletion of their personal data. Requests can be directed to our editorial team at editor@dmlspublishers.online
5. Cookies:
   Our website may use cookies to improve user experience. By using the site, you consent to the use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy.
6. Third-Party Services:
   Any third-party tools used for submission, review, or publication comply with privacy and data protection laws.

By registering or submitting to DMLS, you agree to this Privacy Statement. For further inquiries, contact us at editor@dmlspublishers.online

Withdrawal Policy

According to Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences copyright policy, the copyright belongs to the Journal upon submission of the manuscript. Moreover, it is considered unethical to submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.

If the authors want to withdraw the manuscript during its processing, an email has to be sent notifying as to their intention, to the effect that the manuscript withdrawal form will be emailed for the signatures of all the authors. This needs to be completed, scanned and sent back. A final letter from the editorial office for withdrawal of the manuscript will then be dispatched. Electronic signatures will not be accepted.

Please note that without a formal letter of withdrawal, a manuscript is not considered withdrawn and use of such a manuscript elsewhere will be construed as an ethical misconduct.

Scientific Misconduct

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES follows the guidelines provided by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (HEC) for dealing with scientific misconduct.

The following examples and forms of misconduct have been taken from WAME, originally with minor modification from the ORI publication Analysis of Institutional Policies for Responding to Allegations of Scientific Misconduct:

• Falsification of data:ranges from fabrication to deceptive selective reporting of findings and omission of conflicting data, or wilful suppression and/or distortion of data.
• Plagiarism:The appropriation of the language, ideas, or thoughts of another without crediting their true source, and representation of them as one's own original work.
• Improprieties of authorship:Improper assignment of credit, such as excluding others, misrepresentation of the same material as original in more than one publication, inclusion of individuals as authors who have not made a definite contribution to the work published; or submission of multi-authored publications without the concurrence of all authors.
• Misappropriation of the ideas of others: an important aspect of scholarly activity is the exchange of ideas among colleagues. Scholars can acquire novel ideas from others during the process of reviewing grant applications and manuscripts. However, improper use of such information can constitute fraud. Wholesale appropriation of such material constitutes misconduct.
• Violation of generally accepted research practices:Serious deviation from accepted practices in proposing or carrying out research, improper manipulation of experiments to obtain biased results, deceptive statistical or analytical manipulations, or improper reporting of results.
• Material failure to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements affecting research: Including but not limited to serious or substantial, repeated, wilful violations of applicable local regulations and law involving the use of funds, care of animals, human subjects, investigational drugs, recombinant products, new devices, or radioactive, biologic, or chemical materials.
• Inappropriate behaviour in relation to misconduct: this includes unfounded or knowingly false accusations of misconduct, failure to report known or suspected misconduct, withholding or destruction of information relevant to a claim of misconduct and retaliation against persons involved in the allegation or investigation.

Misconduct also includes redundant publication and duplicate publication, lack of declaration of competing interests and of funding/sponsorship, and other failures of transparency to be forms of misconduct.

Reponses to possible misconduct

All allegations of scientific misconduct are taken very seriously at Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences journal. We follow the guidelines prescribed by the previously mentioned organisations. The manuscript processing will be halted while the fact-finding investigation is being carried out.

[1] WAME. Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals [Internet]. 2015 [cited 28 December 2015]. Available from: http://www.wame.org/about/recommendations-on-publication-ethics-policie

Conflicts of interest / Competing interests

A Declaration of Conflicting Interests policy refers to a formal policy a journal may have to require a conflict of interest statement or conflict of interest disclosure from a submitting or publishing author.

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) states in its Guidelines on Good Publication Practice (2003) that: “Conflicts of interest arise when authors, reviewers, or editors have interests that are not fully apparent and that may influence their judgments on what is published. They have been described as those which, when revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived.”

Many scholars, researchers and professionals may have potential conflicts of interest that could have an effect on, or could be seen to have an effect on their research. As a result, JQM requires a formal declaration of conflicting interests enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated published article.

A potential conflict of interest may arise from relationships, allegiances or hostilities to particular groups, organizations or interests, which may influence one’s judgments or actions excessively. The issue is particularly sensitive when such interests are private and/or may result in personal gain.

All manuscripts submitted to Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences are evaluated fairly and are not necessarily rejected when any competing interests are declared. 

Examples of conflicts of interest might include the following, although it is not an exhaustive list:

• Having received fees for consulting.
• Having received research funding.
• Having been employed by a related company.
• Holding stocks or shares in a company which might be affected by the publication of your paper.
• Having received funds reimbursing you for attending a related symposia, or talk.

If there are other interests which the reasonable reader might feel has affected your research you may also wish to declare them. (Please note that it is not expected that details of financial arrangements be disclosed when a competing interest is declared.)

Conflict of interests

Upon identification of any conflict of interest, the editors may require more information from the author that may include the following:

1. Acknowledgement of financial support/sponsorship in their contribution.
2. Any commercial or financial involvements that might present an appearance of a conflict of interest related to the contribution are disclosed in a covering letter accompanying the contribution and all such potential conflicts of interest will be discussed with the Editor as to whether disclosure of this information with the published contribution is to be made in the journal.
3. If they have signed an agreement with any sponsor of the research reported in the contribution that prevents you from publishing both positive and negative results or that forbids you from publishing this research without a prior approval of the sponsor.
4. If they have checked the manuscript submission guidelines to ensure whether the journal requires a Declaration of Conflicting Interests and have complied with the requirements specified where such a policy exists.

Authors are required to refer to the Manuscript Submission Guidelines on the journals page to check the policy of the JQM before you submitting or publishing and request the authors to ensure or comply with any specific requirements needed.

Editor obligations regarding conflicting interests

The same obligations equally apply to the editors or guest editors writing an editorial for the journal. When you are submitting or publishing your article in a journal which requires you to make a Declaration of Conflicting Interests, please include such a declaration at the end of your manuscript after any Acknowledgements and prior to the Funding Acknowledgement, Notes (if relevant) and References, under the heading 'Declaration of Conflicting Interest'. If no conflict exists, please state that 'The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest'.

 *Please note, a Conflict of Interest Statement will not appear in journals that do not require a declaration of conflicting interests. Where a declaration is required the disclosure information must be specific and include any financial relationship that all authors of the article has with any sponsoring organization and the for-profit interests the organization represents, and with any for-profit product discussed or implied in the text of the article.

Open Citation Policy

Commitment to Open Scholarship
At Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences (DMLS), we are committed to promoting open science and enhancing the discoverability of scholarly research. In alignment with the principles of the Initiative for Open Citations (I4OC), we ensure that all citation data associated with articles published in our journal is openly available and accessible.

What Are Open Citations?
Open citations refer to citation data that is freely available without restrictions for anyone to access, use, and share. By making citation data open, we aim to:

1. Increase Discoverability:Facilitate the visibility of our authors' research.
2. Promote Transparency:Support open scholarly communication.
3. Enhance Collaboration:Enable the creation of new tools, services, and research opportunities.

Our Open Citation Policy

• All references in articles published by DMLS are openly available via CrossRef in compliance with I4OC standards.
• Citation data is set to "open" within CrossRef to allow unrestricted access to researchers, institutions, and other stakeholders.

Benefits of Open Citations

• For Authors: Increased visibility and impact of their published works.
• For Researchers: Access to comprehensive citation data for analysis and research development.
• For Institutions: Greater transparency and collaboration in scholarly communication.

How We Implement Open Citations

• CrossRef Integration: DMLS ensures that all articles are assigned DOIs through CrossRef.
• Open References Setting: Our references are designated as "open" in CrossRef's database, enabling free and unrestricted access.
• Support for Open Science: We actively support initiatives like I4OC to advance open scholarship.

Join Us in Supporting Open Citations
We invite our authors, readers, and collaborators to support this initiative by citing works responsibly and encouraging transparency in scholarly communication.

For more details about the Initiative for Open Citations, visit https://i4oc.org.

Contact Us
If you have questions about our Open Citation Policy or need assistance, please contact us at:
Email: editor@dmlspublishers.online

Repository Policy

Commitment to Open Access and Preservation
At Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences (DMLS), we prioritize the broad dissemination, long-term preservation, and accuracy of scholarly work. As a member of CrossRef, we provide persistent Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) for all articles and utilize CrossMark to ensure the integrity of the Version of Record. Our repository policy supports open access principles while maintaining the highest standards of version control and accessibility.

1. Author Rights
   Authors retain full copyright to their work upon publication and are encouraged to deposit their articles in institutional, subject-based, or general repositories. This empowers authors to maximize the visibility and impact of their research while ensuring compliance with funder and institutional mandates.
2. Repository Deposit Guidelines

• Preprint Deposits:
  Authors may deposit preprint versions (manuscripts prior to peer review) in repositories or on preprint servers. The preprint must include a statement such as:
  "This work has been submitted for publication in Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences."
• Accepted Manuscripts (Postprints):
  Authors can deposit the accepted version (peer-reviewed but not formatted for publication) in repositories after publication.
• Published Version (Version of Record):
  The final published version, with its DOI, may be deposited in repositories. The deposited version must include:
• The DOI linking to the published article.
• A statement of licensing under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
• CrossMark link to ensure users can access the most current version.

3. Licensing and Attribution Requirements

• All articles are published under a CC BY 4.0 License, permitting unrestricted use, sharing, and adaptation with appropriate credit.
• Deposited articles must include the following:
• Full citation with DOI (e.g., "https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx").
• A statement such as:
  "This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)."

4. Use of CrossMark for Version Control

• CrossMark Policy:
  DMLS uses CrossMark to identify and maintain the authoritative Version of Record.
• Updates and Revisions:
  Any updates, corrections, or retractions to the published work will be reflected in the CrossMark record.
• Repository Integration:
  Authors depositing work must include the DOI and CrossMark link to ensure users can access the most current version.

5. Preservation and Archiving
   To safeguard the long-term accessibility of published articles:

• LOCKSS System:
  Articles are preserved using the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) system, ensuring a decentralized, distributed archiving mechanism.
• CrossRef Infrastructure:
  Persistent DOIs ensure stable access to the published Version of Record.

6. Compliance with Funder and Institutional Mandates

• DMLS supports authors in meeting the open access requirements of funding bodies and institutions. Authors should verify specific repository requirements and include all necessary licensing and DOI details when depositing their work.

7. Access and Usage
   Deposited articles are open for unrestricted use under the following conditions:

• Attribution to the original author(s), journal, and DOI.
• Inclusion of the licensing statement (CC BY 4.0).
• Any adaptations or modifications must be clearly indicated.

Contact Us
For further details on repository policies, CrossMark usage, or archiving practices, please contact:
Email: editor-in-chief@dmlspublishers.online

Open Access, Licensing & copyright

Open Access Statement

Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences (DMLS) is an open-access journal, providing immediate and free access to all published content. This ensures that research is freely available to the global community, supporting the exchange of knowledge and advancement of science. Articles are published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), permitting unrestricted use, sharing, and adaptation with appropriate attribution to the original authors.

Licensing & Copyright

© The Author(s) (YEAR). Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.

The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.

To view a copy of this licence, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Author Rights

• Authors retain copyright of their work.
• Authors may reuse their published work in any future publication, teaching materials, or presentations, provided proper credit is given to the original publication.

Third-Party Materials

• Any third-party materials included in the article are covered under the same Creative Commons license unless explicitly stated otherwise in a credit line.
• For any materials not covered under the Creative Commons license or for uses exceeding permitted statutory use, authors and readers must obtain permission from the copyright holder.

For questions or further clarifications, please contact us at editor@dmlspublishers.online

Corrections and Retractions Policy

Corrections and Retractions

If there is suspicion of misbehavior or alleged fraud, the journals and/or Publisher will carry out an investigation following COPE guidelines. If, after an investigation, there are valid concerns, the authors concerned will be contacted under their given email address and given an opportunity to address the issue. Depending on the situation, this may result in the journal and/or Publisher’s implementation of the following measures, including, but not limited to:

• If the manuscript is still under consideration, it may be rejected and returned to the author.
• If the article has already been published online, depending on the nature and severity of the infraction:

1. an erratum/correction may be placed with the article.
2. an editor’s note or editorial expression of concern may be placed with the article.
3. or, in severe cases, retraction of the article may occur.

The reason will be given in the published erratum/correction, editor’s note, editorial expression of concern, or retraction notice. Please note that retraction means that the article is maintained on the platform watermarked “retracted” and the explanation is provided in a note linked to the watermarked article.

The author’s institution may be informed.

A notice of suspected transgression of ethical standards in the peer review system may be included as part of the author’s and article’s bibliographic record.

For authors who’ve changed their name and wish to correct it on their published works, please see SNCS Contact Form: Inclusive Name Change Policy : DMLS JOURNAL SUPPORT

Retraction:

DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES follows the Retraction Guidelines by COPE.

https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction-guidelines-cope.pdf

Retraction of a published article is considered on the following grounds:

• i. If an article has gross errors in the results or the experimental miscalculations are detected after publication.
• ii. Plagiarism detected after publication
• iii. Redundant or Duplicate publication
• iv. Unethical Research results
• v. Major Conflict of Interest

THERE IS NO TIME BAR FOR CORRECTION & RETRACTION.

Pre-Print Policy

Authors can submit articles of all categories except case reports, and editorials for the preprint, provided the following conditions are strictly adhered to:

1. The original submitted version of the manuscript (the version that has not undergone peer review) may be posted at any time. Authors must disclose preprint posting details at the time of manuscript submission.
2. Research involving humans has received approval from the Institutional Ethics Review Committee or IRB.
3. The research and creative work have been performed according to the ICMJE and COPE guidelines.
4. All the authors agree to the submission and hold ORCID registration.
5. Once accepted or rejected by Developmental Medico-Life-Sciences, the manuscript must be removed from the preprint site.
6. Upon publication of the article, please add the following text to the preprint server:

“This article has been published in [full insert citation] following peer review and can also be viewed on the journal’s website at [insert DOI].

Acknowledgement Criteria

Contributors who do not meet all the four criteria for authorship, but helped in the study, may be listed in the acknowledgement section. Examples of those who may be listed can include, but is not limited by, the following:

• Individuals who helped in acquisition of funding
• Individuals who generally supervised the research group
• Individuals who provided general administrative support
• Colleagues who helped in designing the study
• Individuals who helped in reviewing the manuscript, including writing assistance, technical and language editing, and proofreading
• Physicians who referred cases
• Individuals who provided laboratory assistance
• Statisticians for statistical tests and analysis
• Secretarial help
• Parents who responded to the questionnaire
• Pharmaceutical companies
• Organisations which may have helped
• Concerned colleagues who provided micrographs, x-rays, or slides

Post-publication Discussions & Corrections Policy

Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy for DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES

Purpose: DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES values open and transparent communication in scholarly publishing. This Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy aims to provide a framework for addressing post-publication discussions, corrections, and updates to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the articles published in DMLS journal

Policy:

Post-Publication Discussions: a. DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES encourages scholarly discussions and welcomes constructive comments and critiques on published articles. b. Authors, readers, and the broader academic community are encouraged to engage in post-publication discussions through various platforms, including comments sections, online forums, or academic social media.

Corrections and Updates: a. DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES acknowledges the possibility of errors or inaccuracies in published articles and is committed to correcting them promptly. b. Authors are encouraged to notify the DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES editorial office of any significant errors or inaccuracies in their published work. c. Corrections will be published as corrigenda or errata, clearly indicating the changes made and the reasons behind them. d. In case of minor errors or typographical mistakes, the editorial team may make necessary amendments without publishing a formal corrigendum.

Retractions and Expressions of Concern: a. DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES follows the COPE guidelines in handling cases of serious ethical misconduct or research integrity concerns, which may lead to the retraction of an article. b. Retractions will be issued if there is clear evidence of plagiarism, fraudulent data, unethical research practices, or substantial errors that invalidate the findings. c. Expressions of concern may be issued in situations where an investigation is ongoing or when there are doubts regarding the integrity or validity of the published work.

Notification and Transparency: a. DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES will notify the authors involved in discussions, corrections, or retractions and provide them with an opportunity to respond or provide additional information. b. All discussions, corrections, and retractions will be clearly documented and made publicly available on the DMLS website alongside the original article.

Cooperation and Professionalism: a. Authors, readers, and the DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES editorial team are expected to engage in discussions and corrections in a professional and respectful manner, promoting scholarly dialogue and constructive criticism.

Note: DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES encourages the academic community to actively participate in post-publication discussions, corrections, and updates to ensure the accuracy and integrity of the research literature. Authors are responsible for promptly addressing errors or inaccuracies in their published work and cooperating with the DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES editorial office in the resolution of any concerns.

Please refer to the DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES Post-Publication Discussions and Corrections Policy for detailed guidance on post-publication processes and procedures.

Reference:

Post-publication discussions and corrections | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

Data & Reproducibility Policy

The DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES journal upholds rigorous standards for data transparency and reproducibility. It mandates that authors provide detailed data and methods in their submissions, enabling replication and verification of findings. The journal also supports data sharing through reputable repositories and encourages the use of reporting guidelines and checklists to enhance reproducibility. This policy reflects the journal's dedication to contributing valuable, verifiable scientific knowledge to the community.

Reference:

Data and reproducibility | COPE: Committee on Publication Ethics

Complaints and appeals

The DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICO-LIFE-SCIENCES journal has established a comprehensive complaints and appeals process in line with COPE and DOAJ guidelines. This process is designed to ensure transparency, fairness, and accountability, allowing for the resolution of disputes or concerns related to publication ethics or procedural outcomes. The journal's dedicated approach to addressing complaints and appeals underscores its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and ethical publishing practices. 

Form Complaint Please Contact us:

Complaints Mailing Office:
139,D-Block,Street-4,NFC-Society Phase-1, Lahore,Punjab,Pakistan.

Principal Contact

Prof.Dr.Naveed Shuja

Dean, Lahore University of Biological & Applied Sciences (UBAS)

Phone+923334205687

editor@dmlspublishers.online

Support Contact

Arslan Shuja

Phone+923354568416

managing-editor@dmlspublishers.online