GUIDELINES

PART A- INFORMATION FOR READERS:

Journal of Scientific Letters has been an open-access journal since 2020. The journal content is freely available to all readers. But the previous volumes and issues (2016-2019) are closed access.

“Open access” means its free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself.”  (by Budapest Open Access Initiative). 

Besides, the website of the journal provides the necessary information about the activities of the journal: conditions of publication, rules for registration and submission of manuscripts to the journal, the procedure for forming the journal and reviewing manuscripts, publication ethics, information about the editorial board, contact details of the scientific editor and executive secretary.

Readers and authors can view the current issue of the journal and archives for previous periods on the journal’s website. All publications of the journal in electronic form are distributed free of charge.

PART B- INFORMATION FOR AUTHORS:

Submissions to the Journal of Scientific Letters (double blind external peer reviewed journal) are made using email to: editor.jslsci888@gmail.com

After submission, the corresponding author will receive the manuscript ID within 7 working days. The review process may be minimum 60 working days from the date of manuscript ID. The article will be submitted in electronic format (in the formats .doc, .docx) only by downloading it through the functionality of the journal’s website (Open Journal System).

Type of Article Accepted:

Review Article, Research Article.

Submission Checklist Attachment: Cover letter, Main Manuscript (including title, author name and title, abstract, key words, body text including table and figures, conflict of interest, acknowledgement, references etc.), Undertaking by Author, Copyright Transfer Agreement Form (with author/s signature). Email: editor.jslsci888@gmail.com

The author for correspondence is obliged to provide a cover letter for publication in the journal.

The Editorial Board accepts previously unpublished papers on the scientific directions of the journal. Checking for plagiarism and authorship is obligatory. The papers of the authors from several countries have prevalence.

Manuscript should be typed in Times New Roman font, one and a half-spaced on A4 (8.5″ × 11″) paper size with 1 inch margins. Title should be in bold face upper case with font size of 14, main headings should be in bold face upper case with font size 12 and subheadings should be in bold face lower case. The style and presentation of the references preferred but not mandatory: Vancouver style.

Figures, Tables, Graphs, Diagrams, etc. are presented directly in the text, indicated by numbering and title (e.g., Figure 1 – Name).

Plagiarism Checker:

The journal has implemented Turnitin software and the plagiarism limit should be less than 25% [Green Zone] (excluding References).

Funding:

The authors are required to declare all sources of funding for the research reported. The role of the funding body in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript should be declared.

Competing interests:

The authors are required to declare all financial and non-financial competing interests with regard to the publication of their work during submission. Please see our editorial policies for more information on competing interests. If any of the authors are unsure whether they have a competing interest, they should contact the editorial office.

Disclosure and conflicts of interest:

Authors should disclose any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript and acknowledge individuals or organisations that have provided financial support for research.

Ethics committee approval and consent to participate:

Authors of submissions reporting studies involving human participants, human data, or human tissues are required to provide the following information:

• A statement on ethics approval and consent (even where the need for approval was waived).
• The name of the ethics committee that approved the study and the committee’s reference number, if appropriate.
• Submissions reporting studies involving animals must include a statement on ethics approval.

If the submission does not report on or involve the use of any animals or human data or tissues, please state “Not applicable” in this section.

Vulnerable Populations Guidelines:

Guidelines for Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

Journal of Scientific Letters recognises the importance of safeguarding the rights, dignity, and well-being of vulnerable populations involved in research. Vulnerable populations include individuals or groups who may be at increased risk of harm or exploitation due to their physical, mental, economic, or social conditions.

To ensure ethical conduct and compliance with international standards, the following guidelines apply to research involving vulnerable populations:

1. Definition of Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable populations may include, but are not limited to:

• Children and minors.
• Pregnant women and fetuses.
• Elderly individuals.
• Persons with disabilities.
• Individuals with mental illnesses or cognitive impairments.
• Socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals.
• Refugees, migrants, or individuals in conflict zones.
• Members of stigmatized or marginalized communities.

2. Ethical Approvals

• All research involving vulnerable populations must obtain approval from an accredited Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.
• The ethical approval should specifically address how the vulnerability of the population is considered and mitigated.

3. Informed Consent

• Obtaining Consent: Researchers must ensure that informed consent is obtained from participants or their legally authorized representatives in a manner that is clear, accessible, and culturally sensitive.
• Assent for Minors: For children, informed consent must be obtained from parents or guardians, along with the child’s assent, when appropriate.
• Special Communication Needs: Accommodations must be made for individuals with disabilities or those with limited literacy or language proficiency.

4. Risk Minimization

• Researchers must take extra precautions to minimize physical, psychological, and social risks to vulnerable participants.
• Participation in the research must not exacerbate the vulnerabilities of the population.

5. Equitable Inclusion

• Vulnerable populations should not be included in research solely for convenience but only when the research question specifically requires their participation.
• Research involving vulnerable populations must ensure equitable selection to avoid exploitation.

6. Benefits and Burdens

• The benefits of participation must outweigh the risks for vulnerable populations.
• Researchers must ensure that the population has access to any direct benefits arising from the research, such as healthcare interventions.

7. Post-Study Obligations

• Researchers must consider and plan for any ongoing care or support needed for participants after the conclusion of the study, especially if the intervention might have lasting effects.

8. Documentation and Reporting

• Authors must include a detailed description in their manuscript of how the study addressed the ethical considerations for vulnerable populations.
• The journal requires submission of:
  • IRB/Ethics Committee approval documentation.
  • Copies of consent and assent forms used during the study.

9. Non-Compliance

• Failure to adhere to these guidelines may result in the rejection of the manuscript. Non-compliance discovered post-publication could lead to retraction and notification of relevant authorities.

Publication and Processing Fees:

No processing fees. Publication fees (per article): INR 1500/- (Indian Author/s), USD 60 (Foreign Author/s)

PART C- REVIEWERS’ GUIDELINES:

Responsibility of the Peer Reviewer:

The Peer reviewer is responsible for critically reading and evaluating a manuscript in their speciality field, and then providing respectful, constructive and honest feedback to authors about their submission. Our reviewer, who gives their time to peer-review articles submitted to JRLA. An extremely thorough and careful peer review is an important task in publishing high-quality academic papers. It is appropriate for the Peer Reviewer to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the article, ways to improve the strength and quality of the work, and evaluate the relevance and originality of the manuscript.

Before reviewing please consider the following:

Does the article you are being asked to review match your expertise? If you receive a manuscript that covers a topic that does not sufficiently match your area of expertise, please notify the editor as soon as possible. Please feel free to recommend an alternate reviewer.

Do you have time to review the paper? Finished reviews of an article should be completed within two weeks. If you do not think you can complete the review within this frame, please let the editor know, and if possible, suggest an alternate reviewer. If you have agreed to review a paper but will no longer be able to finish the work before the deadline, please contact the editor as soon as possible.

Are there any potential conflicts of interest? While conflicts of interest will not disqualify you from reviewing the manuscript. It is important to disclose all conflicts of interest to the editors before reviewing. If you have any questions about potential conflicts of interest, please do not hesitate to contact the receiving editorial office.

We sincerely thank our reviewer who gives their time to peer-review articles submitted to JRLA. An extremely thorough and careful peer review is an important task of publishing high-quality academic papers. 

Reviewer Instructions:

The reviewer holds the maximum responsibility for the acceptance of the manuscript in the Journal of Scientific Letters. Every reviewer is requested to strictly adhere to the roles and responsibilities mentioned below.

1. Please check for assigned manuscripts at least two day once, which will be sent via email.
2. Download the assigned manuscript and review the work.
3. Check whether the work is up to the standards for publishing at JRLA.
4. Comments if any, about the manuscript should be submitted to the editor-in-chief.
5. Reviewers should not contact the author through mobile/telephone/mail for any queries regarding the manuscript if found by mistake anywhere in the manuscript. 
6. Reviewers should not print the manuscript or use the manuscript for a lecture or any other purpose while it is under review process.
7. Corrections/decisions on the manuscript should be notified by the reviewer within 15 days.
8. Please inform to editor through email if the reviewer is not interested in reviewing the assigned manuscript within 48 hours.

Final Comments: All submissions are confidential, and please do not discuss any aspect of the submissions with a third party. If you would like to discuss the article with a colleague, please ask the editor first. Please do not contact the author directly.

Ethical Issues: The journal usually sends an invitation and asks for approval and declaration of any conflict of interest to prospective reviewers and waits for the response before assigning any article for reviewing. The editor in chief has to judge the quality of a submitted article based on the reviewers’ comments and make a decision to accept the submitted article for publication or not. A reviewer must not get or apply the words or concept that the reviewer gets from reviewing for further use as the reviewer’s own work, since it is a kind of unacceptable plagiarism. Furthermore, the reviewer has to keep the privacy and confidentiality of the reviewing process, and there should not be any direct communication between the author and the reviewer before the final publication of the article. The journal also has to ask for permission whether the reviewer would like to keep his or her identity confidential from the author or not.

Plagiarism: If you suspect that an article is a substantial copy of another work, please let the editor know, citing the previous work in as much detail as possible. Fraud: It is very difficult to detect the determined fraudster, but if you suspect the results in an article to be untrue, discuss it with the editor.

Other ethical concerns: For medical research, has confidentiality been maintained? Has there been a violation of the accepted norms in the ethical treatment of animal or human subjects? If so, then these should also be identified to the editor-in-chief.

Next Steps: Please complete the “Reviewer’s Comments” form by the due date to the receiving editorial office by email. Your recommendation regarding an article will be strongly considered when the editors make the final decision, and your thorough, honest feedback will be much appreciated. When writing comments, please indicate the section of comments intended for only the Editor in Chief and the section of comments that can be returned to the author(s). Please never hesitate to contact the receiving editorial office with any questions.

PART D- DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF EDITOR IN CHIEF:

The Editor in Chief of Journal of Scientific Letters has ultimate responsibility for deciding if a manuscript submitted to Journal of Scientific Letters should be published, and in doing so is guided by the journal’s policies as determined by Journal of Scientific Letters’ editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding label, copyright infringement, and plagiarism. The Editor in Chief may consult with the members of the editorial team, as well as with reviewers, in making publication decisions.

PART E- INFORMATION FOR LIBRARIANS:

We encourage research librarians to list this journal among their library’s electronic journal holdings. As well, it may be worth noting that this journal’s open source publishing system is suitable for libraries to host for their faculty members, researchers, and students to use this journal.