Screening

Each manuscript submitted to the journal will be desk screened by editors for the following

Alignment with journals aims and scope

Each manuscript will have to pertain to the field of critical care medicine. Every manuscript should be studies on adult human. Other study manuscripts will not be entertained by the journal unless decided by the editorial team. Any such rare considerations will be made by editorial committee or the Editor in Chief on case basis.

Plagiarism

All submitted manuscripts will be screened for plagiarism using iThenticate. Any manuscript with a score of >20% will be rejected from the desk without any peer review. If such an issue arises later at any time after the initial screen (including after peer review or even publication), such an article may be rejected/removed/retracted. The policy on retraction is discussed elsewhere in detail.

Image alteration, duplication or manipulation

When submitting any image along with the manuscript, it will be the responsibility of the authors to describe any (if at all) modification or adjustment is made to any component or whole of the image. The authors must note that

  • Adjustment to the image like brightness, contrast and color may be allowed provided that these enhancements do not cause misinterpretation of any features of the original image
  • No specific feature in the image has been enhanced, obscured, moved, removed or introduced
  • Images should not be duplicated within the manuscript of be published elsewhere
  • Addition of symbols and markers (eg. arrows, lines etc.) is allowed to ensure proper description of specific components of the image in the legends/text of the manuscript for better understanding for the readers

Prior publication

  • The authors will have to ensure that the manuscript has not been published previously or submitted simultaneously to other journals at the time of submission to JNSCCM. They will have to submit a cover letter stating the same at the time of submission of the manuscript.
  • Presentation to any scientific meeting is allowed provided a disclosure of the same is done in the manuscript. However, the authors should avoid indicating that their particular research has been submitted to or accepted for publication by JNSCCM before the actual publication.

Use of generative AI

With increasing development in Artificial Intelligence, we are bound to be affected by it in the field of medical research. However, at the present time, we have adopted the policies as specified by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) on the use of AI on medical research submitted to JNSCCM

  • Authors must disclose at submission of the manuscript whether AI-assisted technologies (such as large language models, chatbots, or image creators) were used to produce the submitted work. If so, a description should be included in both the cover letter and the manuscript.
  • A checklist on what to report on the use of AI is available which should also be included along with the submission file.
  • As of now, chatbots or other AI-assisted technologies cannot be listed as authors. The authors will be responsible for the accuracy, integrity, originality and the intellectual content of the manuscript.
  • Authors should carefully review and edit all materials produced through the use of AI, to prevent the submission of incorrect, incomplete, or biased information. The authors will be held fully responsible for all the information provided in the manuscript.
  • Authors should be able to assert that there is no plagiarism of text or images in materials produced by AI. There will be an AI check during the initial screening of the manuscript. AI generated content that is not disclosed during the submission may lead to rejection, removal or retraction of the work.
  • Authors must ensure that all quoted material is properly attributed, including full citations.
  • Citation of AI-generated material as a primary source is not acceptable.

Compliance with the submission files as per the journal policies

Each submission is screened for the presence of all the required documents mandated by the journal policy for processing further to other steps in the rigorous journey of publication. The requirements for each type of manuscript is available elsewhere in the author guidelines in detail. To summarize, each manuscript should include

  • A cover letter
  • Manuscript (ensure appropriate format, word counts, referencing style, disclosures as per the requirement of each type of manuscript)
  • Authorship letter, duly stating the primary, corresponding and other co-authors in sequence of their decreasing contribution to the research. This letter should state the contribution of each author as per the ICMJE guidance
  • Images (as separate files)
  • Appropriately filled checklist according to the type of manuscript (eg. CARE, CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA etc)
  • Ethical clearance (as applicable)
  • Individual patient consent doesn’t have to be submitted initially. However, it may have to be submitted if requested at any time during the publication process or even after publication.

This phase may take upto 2 weeks. The manuscript may be passed onto the next step which is the peer review if all the criteria are met. Alternatively, it may be returned to the authors if the submission doesn’t meet all submission criteria. Sometimes, manuscript may be rejected straightaway if it doesn’t comply with the journal aims and scope, if it breaches journal policies like plagiarism checks or duplication/pre-publication in another journal. The decision to reject or accept the manuscript lies solely with the editor-in-chief.