Author Guidelines

1. About PJHPS

The Pakistan Journal of Herbal & Pharmaceutical Sciences (PJHPS) is a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the scientific, clinical, and academic standing of herbal and Unani therapeutics. PJHPS publishes original research, clinical studies, and reviews that bridge traditional medicine with contemporary pharmaceutical science, in support of evidence-based practice, regulatory registration, and university-industry collaboration.

2. Aims and Scope

PJHPS welcomes submissions across the full spectrum of herbal, Unani, and pharmaceutical sciences, including but not limited to:

• Phytochemistry and natural product isolation, characterisation, and standardisation
• Pharmacology and toxicology of herbal and Unani formulations
• Clinical and pre-clinical studies on herbal/Unani therapeutics, including patient outcome data
• Formulation development, quality control, and GMP/DRAP regulatory science
• Diabetes (Type 2), Hepatitis C, hyperuricemia, jaundice, lipid and cardiovascular health, appetite and metabolic disorders, obesity, platelet disorders, sinusitis, and related therapeutic areas
• Ethnopharmacology, traditional knowledge systems, and their scientific validation
• Health policy, regulatory affairs, and intellectual property relevant to herbal/Unani medicine
• Pharmacy and medical education, curriculum development, and industry-academia collaboration in natural products

Submissions are welcomed from researchers, clinicians, academic institutions, and industry, both within Pakistan and internationally. PJHPS does not publish content promoting unregistered or unproven therapeutic claims; all clinical and therapeutic assertions must be supported by appropriate data and, where applicable, regulatory status.

3. Types of Manuscripts

*Word limits exclude references, tables, and figure legends, and may be adjusted at the Editor-in-Chief's discretion for well-justified submissions.

4. Publication Ethics

PJHPS adheres to internationally recognised standards of publication ethics, consistent with the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

4.1 Authorship

Authorship must be limited to individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported work. All authors must approve the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for its content. Any change to the author list after submission must be approved in writing by all authors.

4.2 Ethical Approval and Consent

Studies involving human participants must include a statement confirming approval by an appropriate institutional ethics review committee and that informed consent was obtained. Studies involving animals must confirm compliance with institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.

4.3 Plagiarism and Originality

Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. All submissions are screened using similarity-detection software prior to peer review. Manuscripts exceeding acceptable similarity thresholds, or found to contain plagiarised, fabricated, or falsified content, will be rejected, and repeat offences may result in a ban on future submissions.

4.4 Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, commercial, or other relationships that could be perceived as influencing the reported work, including affiliations with manufacturers of the products studied.

5. Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be submitted in English, typed in a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman, 12 pt), double-spaced, with numbered pages and line numbers to facilitate review. The manuscript should be organised as follows:

5.1 Tables and Figures

Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively in the order they are cited in the text, each with a brief, self-explanatory title/caption. Figures should be submitted as high-resolution images (minimum 300 dpi) in TIFF, PNG, or JPEG format. Chemical structures should be prepared using standard drawing software.

5.2 Units and Nomenclature

Système International (SI) units should be used throughout. Botanical names must follow correct binomial nomenclature (genus, species, and authority) and be italicised at first mention. Generic (non-proprietary) drug names should be used; brand names may be given in parentheses at first mention only.

6. Reference Style

PJHPS follows the Vancouver (numbered) citation style. References should be numbered consecutively in the order they first appear in the text, using superscript Arabic numerals. The reference list should be arranged numerically, not alphabetically. Examples:

• Journal article: Ahmad S, Khan MI, Rehman A. Antidiabetic potential of Unani polyherbal formulations: a review. Pak J Herb Pharm Sci. 2025;3(1):12-19.
• Book chapter: Hussain T. Traditional formulations in hepatoprotection. In: Saeed H, editor. Advances in Herbal Pharmacology. Lahore: XYZ Press; 2024. p. 45-60.
• Website: World Health Organization. WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014-2023 [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2013 [cited 2026 Sep 11]. Available from: https://www.who.int

Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all references. Citation management software (e.g., EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley) is recommended.

7. Submission Process

• Manuscripts should be submitted via the PJHPS online submission portal at pjhps.com. Where the portal is unavailable, submissions may be sent to the Editorial Office at the email address given in Section 10.
• Submissions must include: (a) a covering letter confirming originality and that all authors approve submission; (b) the main manuscript file; (c) a title page with author details; (d) any supplementary files (raw data, ethics approval, consent forms).
• Upon submission, authors will receive an acknowledgement with a manuscript tracking number.
• Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned to authors for correction prior to entering peer review.

7.1 Covering Letter

A covering letter must be uploaded during online submission process. The covering letter should:

• Explain why the manuscript should be published in the Pakistan Journal of Herbal & Pharmaceutical Sciences (PJHPS) rather than elsewhere, with reference to the journal's Aims and Scope (Section 2).
• Confirm that the manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, and that all authors have approved the submission.
• Disclose any financial, commercial, or other relationships that could be perceived as influencing the reported work, in accordance with Section 4.4 (Conflicts of Interest).
• Indicate what could shorten the paper, if necessary the full paper can be reviewed and a shorter version published; a table or figure, details of a DNA sequence, or further references, for example, can be published on the journal's website or made available from the authors.

8. Peer Review Process

PJHPS operates a double-blind peer review process. Submissions are first assessed by the Editor-in-Chief or an Associate Editor for scope, originality, and basic quality. Manuscripts passing this initial screening are sent to at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Based on reviewer recommendations, the Editorial Board will inform authors of one of the following decisions: Accept, Minor Revision, Major Revision, or Reject. Authors are typically given a defined period to submit revisions, along with a point-by-point response to reviewer comments.

9. Copyright and Licensing

Upon acceptance, authors will be asked to sign a copyright/licensing agreement with PJHPS. Authors retain the right to use their own work for non-commercial purposes (e.g., teaching, inclusion in a thesis) provided PJHPS is acknowledged as the original place of publication. Full licensing terms will be confirmed at the time of acceptance and published on pjhps.com.