Authors’ Information

Authors’ Information and Submission Policy

The Journal of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Association (JPTRA) is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability, and clarity for authors throughout the scholarly publishing process. This policy outlines the responsibilities, rights, and procedural requirements for authors submitting manuscripts to JPTRA, in accordance with internationally recognized standards of academic publishing, ethical research conduct, and editorial quality.

JPTRA follows the principles set forth by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and global best practices for transparent and responsible scholarly communication.

Author Agreement Form

All authors submitting manuscripts to JPTRA are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement Form as a condition of submission and publication. This form serves as a legal and ethical declaration that establishes authorship responsibility, copyright terms, ethical compliance, and publication rights.

Purpose of the Author Agreement Form

The Author Agreement Form ensures that:

  • The submitted work is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere
  • All listed authors meet internationally accepted authorship criteria
  • All authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript
  • Ethical approvals and participant consents have been obtained where applicable
  • Conflicts of interest and funding sources have been disclosed
  • Authors agree to the journal’s copyright and licensing terms

Authorship Criteria

JPTRA follows ICMJE authorship criteria, which require that each author:

  1. Has made a substantial contribution to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the work
  2. Has contributed to drafting or critically revising the manuscript
  3. Has approved the final version to be published
  4. Agrees to be accountable for all aspects of the work

Individuals who do not meet these criteria should be acknowledged but not listed as authors.

Article Processing / Publication Fee

JPTRA operates under a transparent open-access publishing model. Article Publication Charges (APCs), where applicable, are used solely to support editorial operations, peer review management, production, digital archiving, and platform maintenance.

Fee Transparency

  • Any applicable publication fees are clearly communicated to authors at the time of acceptance
  • Fees are not charged for submission 
  • Editorial decisions are entirely independent of an author’s ability to pay

Publication Charges: 10000PKR/50USD

Fee Waivers and Reductions

JPTRA is committed to equity in scholarly publishing and may offer:

  • Partial or full fee waivers for authors from low- and middle-income countries
  • Waivers for students, early-career researchers, or unfunded research
  • Discretionary reductions based on documented financial constraints

Requests for waivers must be made formally and do not influence editorial outcomes.

 

Sources of Funding and Submission Process

Funding Disclosure

Authors must disclose all sources of funding that supported the research. This includes:

  • Government grants
  • Institutional or departmental funding
  • Industry sponsorship
  • Private foundations or non-governmental organizations

The funding disclosure must specify:

  • Name of funding body
  • Grant number (if applicable)
  • Role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, or publication

If no funding was received, authors must explicitly state this.

 

Submission Platform

All manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Email or offline submissions are not accepted unless explicitly permitted under exceptional circumstances.

Contribution and Consents of Each Author

Author Contribution Statement

JPTRA requires a clear Author Contribution Statement, detailing each author’s role in the research and manuscript preparation. Common contribution categories include:

  • Conceptualization and study design
  • Data collection and analysis
  • Statistical analysis
  • Manuscript drafting and revision
  • Supervision and project administration

This promotes transparency and accountability.

Author Consent

All authors must:

  • Provide written consent to be listed as authors
  • Approve the submission and final manuscript
  • Agree to be accountable for their contributions

Changes in authorship after submission are permitted only with written consent from all authors and editorial approval.

 

Submission Guidelines & Process

JPTRA provides a clear, structured, and transparent submission workflow to ensure efficiency, fairness, and academic rigor. (OJS system)

Manuscript Preparation

Authors must ensure that manuscripts:

  • Align with the journal’s aims and scope
  • Follow the prescribed formatting and reporting guidelines
  • Include ethical approval statements where applicable
  • Adhere to plagiarism and originality requirements

Submission Steps

  1. Online account registration and manuscript upload
  2. Completion of metadata (author details, affiliations, abstracts, keywords)
  3. Upload of required declarations (ethics, conflicts, funding, author agreement)
  4. Confirmation of submission

Authors receive an acknowledgment upon successful submission.

Deadlines and Timelines

JPTRA is committed to timely and transparent processing of manuscripts.

Indicative Timelines

  • Initial Editorial Screening: 7–10 working days
  • Peer Review Process: 3–4 weeks
  • Author Revision Period:
    • Minor revisions: 7–14 days
    • Major revisions: 21–30 days
  • Final Editorial Decision: 7–10 days after revision
  • Production and Publication: 2–3 weeks after acceptance

While timelines may vary depending on manuscript complexity, JPTRA strives to minimize unnecessary delays.

Steps from Submission to Publication

  1. Manuscript submission and acknowledgment
  2. Editorial screening and desk review
  3. Double-blind peer review
  4. Reviewer feedback and editorial decision
  5. Author revisions and response
  6. Final acceptance
  7. Copyediting and proofreading
  8. DOI assignment and online publication

Authors are informed at each stage of progress.

Closing Statement

Through transparent author policies, clear submission workflows, defined timelines, and strong ethical requirements, the Journal of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Association (JPTRA) ensures a fair, rigorous, and internationally compliant publishing experience for authors. These standards reinforce the journal’s commitment to scientific excellence, editorial quality, and global credibility.